Strawberries on a Trellis

I got this idea from Patty Bennett's blog, but I think it was a swap she received, rather than a card she actually created. I used the Tart and Tangy set to stamp the small strawberries in Real Red on matching cardstock, and used the Delightful Decorations stamp set to make the big berry and the center of the strawberry flower. As I've said, I don't own a Big Shot, so the lattice die came from the shoebox swap at Kristin's back in November--I just brought my Close to Cocoa cardstock and cut it out at her place. When I got home, however, I found the negative, but not the die! I contacted Kristin, who said she had it and would bring it to our December brunch. What she actually brough was a Chocolate Chip lattice die! So who knows what became of that Close to Cocoa one. Unfortunately, I already had put the card base together and the Chocolate Chip just didn't look right against the lighter base. What to do, what to do. I pulled out my Whisper White craft ink and a sponge and went to work! I also sponged the green tops of the strawberries since they had been punched from Old Olive and the green background was Kiwi Kiss. It works. Plus the white sponging added some nice dimension, I thought. Looks good enough to eat, right??

Supplies:
Tart and Tangy, Delightful Decorations stamps
Close to Cocoa, Kiwi Kiss, Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Summer Sun, Whisper White, Old Olive cs
Whisper White, Real Red, Summer Sun ink
Sponge
Ornament, 3/4" circle, and Boho Blossoms punches
Lattice die

Lonely Winter Tree with Diamond Snow

I made this card a few weeks ago and was saving it for the post-December 25 blahs that inevitably hit. Winter cards are hard because you are in between, even though I love this time of year. The wind chill this morning was in the teens! I normally love really cold weather, but this year I'm struggling a lot with being cold (pregnancy hormones, gotta love 'em) so the extra cold outside isn't just my favorite thing right now, but I do love the crispness of the air and the way the sky looks when the mercury drops below 20 degrees F. Makes me miss Moscow!

Anyway, this card is based on a card by Jen Sannes, but I couldn't do without a layer or two, so I added in the Red Riding Hood layer and substituted RRH taffeta ribbon for the striped grosgrain she used. I also thought it would be nicer to have the glitter look like snow on the branches rather than falling snow. I also used this template for a few of my Christmas cards, subbing in Merry Christmas for Thank You. Nice quick card, if a bit messy!

Supplies:
Stamps: Branch Out, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Red Riding Hood, Soft Suede
Paper: Kraft, Red Riding Hood
Accessories: RRH Tafetta ribbon, Two-Way glue pen, dazzling diamonds glitter, paper piercing tool and mat pack.

Let us drink and Be Merry

I will admit, I didn't really give this set a second glance when I first saw it in the mini, and the first few cards I received from people who used it didn't wow me, but I love this card! I love Bravo Burgundy and Always Artichoke together and this card fits the bill. I like all the little details, from the dry embossing to the popped up sentiment. It was the last card I made at the Holiday Stamp Camp (we made a few gift card holders as well, but mine didn't turn out spectacularly well).

This card kind of puts me in mind of frosty evenings, curled up in front of a lit up tree, just enjoying the lights against the darkness. I love the evenings before Christmas!

I will say that Christmas in my family is long drawn out affair, as my husband and I and our children are Orthodox Christians, and we actually celebrate our Lord's Nativity on January 7 (old style calendar), but my side of the family is Protestant, so they celebrate it with most of the rest of the world on December 25. So we almost always end up with two (or often three, as we celebrate again with my husband's side around the New Year) Christmas celebrations. In a way, I kind of like it. I get to keep the traditions of my growing up years on December 25 with my family, squeeze in the ways of my husband's family around New Year, and then have our own family celebrations in the Church on January 7, with a full 12 days of feasting to follow. Pretty nice if you ask me! Personally, I love the season of Christmas (although I do wish that stores would wait at least until Thanksgiving to begin putting out Christmas stuff) and the whole festive atmosphere that attends it.

I'm starting to prattle on, so with that I will sign off. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Shoebox swappin'

Design by Lynn Hunt

Design by Claire Lawrence

My contribution to the swap!

These are a few of the cards I made at Kristin's shoebox swap in November, just before Thanksgiving. The one below isn't from the swap, but is a CASE of a card I saw on someone's blog a while back. I struggle with Crushed Curry a lot, but I rather like it paired with Real Red and Garden Green as shown.

On Dasher, on Dancer...

I've not really explored all the possibilities to be had with this great little stamp, but here is another card featuring him that I made at the Holiday Stamp Camp in Mt. Airy.

We are off to spend Christmas with my family and enjoy the new addition to my parents' house, which should allow us all some breathing room during the Christmas weekend to come.

Did you ever see, anything as lovely

as a tree?

I love this set--it's on my Christmas list, so maybe if I've been a good girl this year, it will be under the tree for me! This is another card I made at the Holiday Stamp Camp in November in Mt. Airy. It is so simple, yet elegant. The Dazzling Diamonds accents are like snow on the branches. I love the pale of the sage shadow with the very vanilla--such a nice subtle Christmas card.Supplies:
Sage Shadow, Very Vanilla cs
Lovely as a Tree, Christmas Greetings stamp sets
Sage Shadow ink
Top note die
two way glue pen, dazzling diamonds

Pale Plum Serene Snowflakes

This lovely card uses the stamp set Serene Snowflakes (love it!) from the mini catalog and I made it at the Holiday Stamp Camp in November. I really like the combination of Pale Plum with the Rich Razzleberry. I like purples anyway, and this combo is quite lovely. It's a little hard to see in the photo, but the snowflakes are blinged up with Dazzling Diamonds.

Supplies:
Pale Plum, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White cs
Pale Plum, Rich Razzleberry ink
Serene Snowflakes, Sincere Salutations
Two Way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds

Two more originals

I'm listening right now to Sting's latest album, a lovely winter-themed beauty, featuring a few ancient English/Northumbrian carols, but is mostly about the season of winter, which is my favorite time of year. It invites contemplation by the fire, hands wrapped around a mug of steaming cider, curling into oneself before the gentle unfolding of spring. My son is banging puzzle pieces and a set of dud keys around and the little inhabitant of my womb is nudging me gently to remind me of his presence.

I find contemplation can lead to originality (sometimes it just leads to garrulousness, but that is another discussion!) so I have two original designs to share today. The first was the result of my desire to use up as much of the holiday-themed dsp I bought this year. I liked the way the branches looked like a tree and thought that Delightful Decorations ornaments would look nice hanging from the needles.

The second was another go at using up Merry Moments dsp (I've really made quite a good dent in my pack by now) and to use my new Garden Green ink. I wanted something that was kind of monochromatic and showcased the dsp a bit.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...

The first Christmas-themed set I bought was Yuletide, out of this year's Holiday Mini catalog, and I intended that it would be the only holiday set I bought this year (famous last words...). As it turned out, I ended up getting several other sets and neglecting this lovely vintage-style set. I got it for the watercoloring possibilities, but am still exploring those. In any case, I did have a bit of fun with my markers one day and made these two cards. The stocking one is copied directly from Julie Alberda on splitcoast; the other is the same idea but uses the nutcracker stamp from the same set. I did wish I had a color spritzer tool or some white confetti paper to add some texture to the white background, but I like the clean look of the cards with out it too.

Takin' Stampin' Pretty to the bank

I very rarely CASE Mary Fish, not because I don't love her cards (I do, they are so fabulous) but because they intimidate me. I very rarely have all the stamps/embellishments she uses on her wonderful creations and it frustrates me when I see a great card and can't copy it just so. Well, one fine day in October (I think), Mary posted a card that I not only had the stamps to make, but also the dsp! How about that?? The only thing I lacked were red buttons, but I handily substituted in punched out real red cardstock (an idea I got from Tina's Fall Fest in September).

Birds of a feather flock together

Okay, the title has nothing to do with anything, except I wanted a phrase that used the word flock (since the paper on both of these cards is flocked--how about that??). I copied them from Melissa Riker, aka The Saucy Stamper. The second card is a little bigger than standard because I forgot to cut the red card front down to size before adhering everything to it. Lesson number 243: always cut everything before putting adhesive down!

Gasp! An original design (or two!)

I actually came up with a couple of original designs! I started out playing around with the poinsettia edge stamp from Patterned Pines and ended up with the card pictured above. I'm not sure I like the coloring on the skating couple, but I wasn't about to redo it, since those corners took forever (each time I stamped I had to color the stamp with three different markers). It's a nice muted card, though.

The card below is the result of a mistake I made while attemping a CASE of someone else's work, but my mistake made my card diverge so far from the original that I think I can call the design my own.

Stampin' Success

These two cards are copied directly from the October and November issues of Stampin' Success, the magazine that is only available to Stampin' Up! demonstrators. Each issue is packed full of ideas, business tips, card and scrapbook layouts and more! These two cards were in the "Demo It!" section. I just changed Old Olive for Kiwi Kiss and Real Red for Red Riding Hood. They came together quickly and easily and I made a few sets for my own Christmas cards this year.

The CASE for retired DSP

I don't remember who made this original card, but it was someone on splitcoast (please don't ask me to find it again--the winter post gallery is HUGE!). Anyway, it uses Urban Garden dsp from last year, as well as Red Riding Hood, paired with Basic Gray and Basic black. Not colors I would have naturally put together, but I think they work well together.

Supplies:
Basic Gray, Basic Black, Red Riding Hood, Very Vanilla cs, Urban Garden dsp (retired)
Basic gray, red riding hood ink
winter post stamp set
5/8" vanilla grosgrain ribbon (non-SU)
blender pen
sponge

Skating on Dazzling Diamonds

I have another confession to make. I hate glitter. Well, I should qualify that. I hate the mess that glitter makes--I like the effect on a card, but hate the clean up afterward (I always end up looking like a Twilight vampire in the sun after making a card with glitter). But I saw this card by Krista Williams on splitcoast and had to give it a go. I love the way the glitter makes snow for the couple to skate on, even if it was a tad messy! The photo doesn't really do it justice--it is so much more sparkly and snow-like in person.

Supplies:
Red Riding Hood, Night of Navy, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla cs
Soft Suede, Always Artichoke ink
Winter Post stamp set
Red Riding Hood taffeta ribbon
designer label punch, hodgepodge hardware (designer label)
dazzling diamonds and two way glue pen

Simple Patterened Pines

I have to say, the Patterned Pines hostess set in the Holiday Mini didn't immediately catch my eye; I was quite indifferent to it until I started to see the nifty and creative things other people were making with it, and suddenly, I decided I wanted to have it! (Lucky for me, I had a qualifying order in October, so I could play to my heart's content with this set!)

These two cards are based on cards by a splitcoast stamper called "carol~ish". I didn't change much, only swapped in Kiwi Kiss (because I have a bunch of it) for Old Olive and Red Riding Hood for Real Red.

Be Merry

This card is copied from Brenda Miller and I like the vintage feel of it.

Supplies:
Real Red, Very Vanilla cs, Christmas Cocoa dsp
Warm Words, Winter Post stamps
Real Red, Soft Suede ink
silver brads
sponges
5/8" red stitched grosgrain ribbon (non-SU)

Happy Holidays to everyone

This card was copied from a design by another demonstrator in my group, Melissa Chadwick Levay. Hers used Garden green instead of Always Artichoke and she texturized her brown piece instead of stamping it, but otherwise, I kept the design exactly the same. I'm even using it for some of my own Christmas cards this year!

Supplies:
Whisper White, Real Red, Soft Suede Cs
Delightful Decorations, Four the Holidays stamps
Real Red, Always Artichoke, Soft Suede ink
Gold brad
dimensionals
ornament punch

On a Starry Night

This is the card I submitted to "Aunt" Karen Barber's black magic contest in October. I didn't win this time (boo-hoo), but I had to save the card until the winner was announced. So forgive the double post for today, but I wanted to share the card. I've been experimenting a bunch with black magic the last few weeks and have learned a thing or two since I made this card, so look for those creations in the early weeks of January.

One extra thing that I tried on this card is a lacquer technique where you smear the whole paper with versamark and clear emboss it twice. I thought it gave this card a nice look to it. The only thing is for some reason, the clear emboss powder that I have, from day one, has always left white speckles on whatever I'm embossing, so who knows what that is about. I did think it made the card look like a starry night, so I left it be. Hopefully my next container of emboss powder won't have that problem.

Direct from the mini catalog

This card was copied from a swap I received at Tina Rosenkranz Fall Fest back in September, but I realized later that it was copied almost wholesale from the mini catalog. Whatever you want to call it, it's not my original design, but I do like it. Were it not for the embossing and cutting out tiny pieces bit, I'd probably do it as a mass produced design because it is easy on the supplies (except for the filagree brad).

Supplies:
Soft Suede, Whisper White, Real Red, Old Olive cs, Christmas Cocoa dsp
Four the Holidays, Patterened Pines stamps
Whisper White craft ink, Soft Suede classic ink
5/8" Red grosgrain ribbon
White emboss powder, heat gun, paper snips
dimensionals
filagree brad

A winter landscape

Happy Pearl Harbor Day. Oh wait, maybe that is macabre to say. In any case, a day of remembrance for those who died in World War II.

I mentioned a few days ago that the real reason I got the Winter Post stamp set was for the skating couple--I've seen so many landscape cards featuring them (not least to say a fabulous brayered card by La Zindorf) that I wanted to play around a bit with them. I had a pine tree stamp from a craft store that I wanted to use for my background, and I tried it first in Old Olive, with the couple in Soft Suede, but the color composition looked off. So I flipped over my paper (that's the wonderful thing about stamping--two sides to every sheet!) and started over with a monochromatic scheme of Soft Suede (more by accident than anything) and masked the couple, which created a bit of a halo. I have since learned that to avoid said halo, one must use a very thin piece of paper for the mask. Live and learn...and then get Luvs. Oh wait, wrong commerical. :)

I also wanted this card to be on kraft cardstock with blue layers, so I sponged a bit of blue on the bottom of the scene and a bit in the sky to tie in the colors. I'm pretty pleased with the result, if I do say so myself. YILM!, as Jan Tink would say (yes, I love myself!)

Supplies:
Kraft, Bashful Blue, Very Vanilla cs
Winter Post stamp set, pine stamp (non-SU)
Soft Suede, Bashful blue ink, bashful blue marker (to make the water line)
Sponges, mask, aqua painter (to blend the line of the water)
vintage brads (antique brass)
kraft taffeta ribbon

A little bit o' bling

This elegantly simple card was designed by Alison for our shoebox swap and I love the simplicity as well as the little touch of sparkle on the tree, provided by the yellow circle rhinestone.

Supplies:
Sahara Sand, Crushed Curry, Rich Razzleberry, Always Artichoke cs
Patterned pines stamp set
Always Artichoke ink
Circle fire rhinestone brads

Ornaments on the Tree

This card features a cardstock-saving layout and is great for those times when you just need to sign your name and don't have time to write a note! It was designed by Pam, an avid stamper who attended our shoebox swap in October.

Supplies:
Chocolate chip, whisper white cs
Tree trimmings stamp set and Four the Holidays
real red, old olive, chocolate chip ink

A Garden of Green

This card was designed by Renee Tucci. I like how the brads made the tree sparkle a little.

Supplies:
Naturals (white), chocolate chip cs, Merry moments dsp
IBC Christmas stamp set (don't know the name...)
Garden green ink
chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon
gold brads

Two a Day with a Lunch time sketch challenge

Sorry to fatigue your inboxes (or Google Readers as the case may be); I do try not to post more than once per day, but I wanted to sneak this sketch challenge in this week.

The challenge is the Monday Lunch time Sketch Challenge #98, from Techno Stamper, Mary Jo Price-Williams. My mom loaned/gave me an old set a while back called Little Somethings, which retired in 2007, but the stamps are dated 1998, so they were around for a while. They are cute, but I've not thought of a way to use them yet. This sketch challenge seemed tailor-made for them. I decided to use the stocking stamp, and then to use some not-so-Christmasy colors just to change things up a bit.

So here is the sketch:
Here is my take:

Supplies:
Red Riding Hood, So Saffron, More Mustard, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla cs
Little Somethings, Teeny Tiny Wishes stamps
Red Riding Hood ink, Always Artichoke, More Mustard, So Saffron markers
Blender Pen
Paper Piercing tool/mat pack
So Saffron ribbon (retired), burgundy ribbon (non-SU)
3/4", 1", 1 1/4" circle punches

Clean and Simple Winter Post

These two cards were my own contribution to the shoebox swap--I didn't have enough of the red patterned paper, so I used the green and substituted the deer from the same Winter Post set. I love that set--it has a great vintage feel to it. I bought it mostly for the skating couple, but I've found a lot of uses for the snowflake and the deer as well! The inspiration for this card came from a splitcoast stamper, but I don't remember who right now.

Supplies:
Very Vanilla cs, Merry Moments dsp
Winter Post and Four the Holidays (inside sentiment) stamp sets
Garden Green, Soft Suede, Real Red ink
sponges
gold and silver brads
very vanilla grosgrain ribbon

Noel, Noel

Today's card was designed by my fellow demonstrator, Heather Yates. I love the Dasher stamp--there are so many great ideas out there to use this little guy!

Supplies:
Real Red, Close to Cocoa, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla cs
Always Artichoke, Whisper white craft ink
Dasher and Many Merry Messages stamps
Sleigh bells cotton twill ribbon

It's Beginning to Look A Lot...

like Christmas! The next few days will feature cards that I made at a shoebox swap with my fellow Philly Inker demonstrators way back in October. I saved them for now, since I didn't want to fatigue everyone with Christmas cards before Halloween!

This card was designed by Claire Lawrence, our stamping "mother." I love the simple layout and monochromatic color scheme, and I especially love that it uses just a little bit of ribbon--great for cards that have to be mass produced!

Supplies:
Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss, Very Vanilla cs
Patterened Pines, Christmas punch stamps
Always Artichoke ink
Wide oval punch
Mellow moss grosgrain ribbon
glue dot
Top note die