the Last Christmas Card

This is it! The last of the Christmas cards of 2009! and I'm so tired from all this holiday hooplah, that I'm afraid you're getting few details. Except that if you still need some holiday stamps, you've got time to get them if you go digi! They can be in your "hands" almost instantly and you can finish up all those last minute projects! Run on over to Lindsay's Stamp Stuff for a great selection of beautiful and fun digital stamps for the holidays. Check out the great specials, too! I used an image from the Christmas Potpourri set (yes, it's my favorite). I just printed it out on some GinaK White Pure Luxury cardstock, colored it with my luscious copic markers, and paired it up with this beautiful, glittery paper from My Mind's Eye!
I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas or holiday season! Check out the design team for more inspiration and be sure to stop on over at Lindsay's blog to see what goodies she's got for you today for free!

Gifts Galore

Someone wake me when it's Valentine's Day! I declare, this Christmas season is exhausting. I can't seem to get anything accomplished because I'm always rushing off to attend something. Last night it was my husband's company's Christmas party. Tonight it's our bunko Christmas party. Sunday I'm off to a copic class. When am I supposed to bake, decorate, and shop?
Well, thank goodness Lindsay has come up with some ways to make my gift wrapping faster and cheaper! The LSS shop has these cool new Christmas Card, Tags, and Toppers Printable Kit. Look at what I started with. It cost .50 at the dollar store.

It's a bag, right! Nothing special...until I add a topper from Lindsay's Stamp Stuff which I just sized to fit the bag and printed it out. That's it!

This will look much cuter under the tree than that plain ole bag I started out with. I also used one of the ornaments in my favorite set Christmas Potpourri Digital Stamp set. I printed the image out on my GinaK paper, colored it with a couple of copics and spica glitter pen, cut out the ornament and added it to the tag that came with the bag. I did use SCAL2 and my cricut to cut out a mat for the ornament in red and drew in the wire hanger with a copic pen. But this project took just minutes to put together and I could very easily make dozens more in a short amount of time.
Okay, if this doesn't convince you to run right now and pick up these two sets, how about this:

ANDDDDDD...Lindsay's got a great new set in the shop which is just perfect for making calendars! Be sure to check out the special and all the great items in the shop to ease your holiday stress! Need some ideas? See what the LSS ladies have been up to this week and start by stopping by Lindsay's blog. Look under the tree. She may have a present just for you! Happy Holidays everyone!

Cocoa Craftiness

It's finally cold around here! Well, if you think temperatures in the 40s is cold, then, yes, we finally have winter weather. Yesterday, while I was all bundled up in my jacket and winter clothes at the grocery store, winter Texans walked in wearing shorts! No doubt they were laughing at all of us native South Texans as we shivered and talked about how cold it is. I guess it's all a matter of perspective!
Definitely feels like hot cocoa weather to me! So, I found this cool tutorial on Splitcoast for making a crimped envelope pocket card and I adapted it to hold a packet of cocoa. Combine that with the LSS Warm Winter Digital stamp set and you've got a great little gift to give one of your chilly friends to warm their hearts and tummies.

I printed one of the snowflakes from the Warm Winter set in different sizes on a kraft A2 envelope. Then, I traced over some of the lines and squiggles in the snowflakes with my Spica Atyou Glitter pens. I sponged the envelope edges and then, cut 1.25" off the short side of the envelope. I set the top part aside and ran the larger portion through a crimper. The crimping makes the "pocket" part a little smaller, but I bet using an embossing folder would have a similar effect. The idea is to have the 1.25" top part fit over the bottom part, so the bottom part (the pocket) has to be a little smaller. I added a snowman also from the Warm Winter set to front of the pocket. I colored him in with my copics before cutting him out and adhering him to the envelope. There are some more cute, cute snowmen in this set, too.
Now for the topper:

I wrapped a piece of ribbon around the topper and added a bow. Then I punched out a 1.75" circle from some sparkly DCWV cardstock. I printed out the steaming hot chocolate cup (also in the LSS Warm Winter set), colored it with my copics and then punched it out with my SU 1 3/8" circle punch. The snowflake on the topper is a Martha Stewart punch. And here's what it looks like right before you close it all up:

This is a really easy project to mass produce if you need some quick and simple gifts to give. Lindsay has another cocoa holder on her blog. Be sure to check out her recent posts to see how she created hers. Don't forget to grab this perfect winter digital stamp set, too. This goes beyond Christmas for designing throughout the cold weather months! And, as always, spend $5 dollars at Lindsay's Stamp Stuff and get a free digital stamp. While you're at the shop, be sure to check out Lindsay's latest set Winter Printables. You'll find lots of great design elements which will really speed up your holiday crafting. Need more ideas, don't forget to check out what the rest of the design team has come up with!
Project Recipe
Paper: PTI Kraft envelope, DCWV Holiday Collection Glitter Mat Stack, GinaK White Pure Luxury CS
Stamps: LSS Warm Winter Digital Stamp Set 
Accessories: Fiskars Crimper, printer, Spica Atyou Glitter pens, copic markers, PTI Enchanted Evening Satin ribbon, SU 1 3/8" circle punch, EK Success 1 3/4" circle punch, Martha Stewart Snowflake punch, CTMH Foam Tool

Verve Blog Party Challenge 5

Last one!!! This little gift card holder is for the Verve Blog Party Challenge #5. The challenge was to create a gift card holder. So, I pulled out, for the very first time since I bought it, Lauren Meader's Timeless Template Cash or Charge. This took absolutely no time at all to put together, and it was so cute, I didn't even need to add a stamp. I just grabbed some great papers and a couple of embellishments, did a little cutting and folding, and then DONE! I think I'll crank out a few more of these to have for Christmas giving. Afterall, who has time to actually shop when there are projects to create! Be sure to check out all the new stuff from Verve on the blog and in the store.
Project Recipe
Paper: DCWV Berry Street Farmer's Market Stack, My Mind's Eye Organic Glitter Paper
Accessories: PTI Timeless Template Cash or Charge, PTI Pure Poppy Twill ribbon, Kaiser Christmas Mix flowers, Recollections Gemstone brads

Verve Blog Party Challenge 4

It's another mini pizza box, aka. cookie box! If you don't get this, be sure to read my previous post. I make these little boxes and fill them with a couple of homemade cookies which I give to my coworkers on their birthdays. Talk about perfect timing, too, because the Verve Blog Party Challenge Four was to create a mini pizza box! I do these all the time, but how fun to be able to enter this one for a chance to win some Verve treats for myself!
This box is for one of our male coaches, so I tried to avoid all the froofroo (sp?). I used some Core'dinations Spell Caster Color Core Cardstock and then "went to town" with a sanding block. Do you think he'll appreciate that it's distressed, or do you suppose he'll just think I gave him a "heavily used" box??? Men! Who knows! He's a basketball coach, so I thought this old Basic Grey patterned paper looked kinda like a worn out basketball and I added some crazy stitching on it, too. Our school mascot is a bulldog so I heat embossed some doggie paw prints to the paper. The sentiment is from the Verve Birthday Surprise stamp set. I used a couple of circle punches to give the feel of a basketball bouncing. This is finished off with two ribbons tied into a knot (no bows for the dude!).
I'm off now to finish baking some cookies to go in the box!
Project Recipe
Paper: Core'dinations Spell Caster ColorCore CS, Basic Grey PP
Stamps: Verve Birthday Surprise, Rubber Stampede 0218 Paw
Accessories: embossing powder, EK Success 1.75" Circle Punch, SU 1 3/8 Circle Punch, sewing machine, PTI Terracotta Tile Saddle Stitch ribbon, PTI True Black Twill ribbon

Verve Blog Party Challenge 3

And onto Verve Challenge Number Three! This Blog Party challenge included using embellishments that begin with the letters in V*E*R*V*E. I used two E's, an epoxy sticker and embossing and an R, ribbon. I also dragged out the Cricut for this one. Now I've spent a fortune on my Cricut, the software and cartridges, but I don't use it near as much as I should. Still, I thought I could create a great band for my recycled glass jar. This is a used candle jar which my mother completely cleaned out for me. I filled it with some delicious candies and then went to work on the band.
I used the Mini Monograms cartridge and my Design Studio software to weld the oval shape and the square into a band. Then, I created a coordinating mat for it. I used the Verve Believe stamp set for the flower which I stamped and then heat embossed and filled in with copic markers. I put an epoxy sticker in the center of the flower and added a cute red bow.
I missed one of my coworkers birthdays last week and feel just horrible, but I had had a crazy week and just couldn't get my little cookie box finished before school let out for the holiday. So, to make it up to her, I'm giving her the jar of candies and my usual "cookie box" which is just a mini pizza box filled with a couple of homemade cookies. Since, I was giving her both, I made them a coordinated set. On the top of the box, I stamped the sentiment from the Verve Birthday Surprise stamp set and heat embossed it. Then, I added another of the red bows. Hope she'll forgive the tardiness of the gift!
Project Recipe
Paper: SU Ridinghood Red CS, DCWV Nana's Kitchen Stack PP
Stamps: Verve Birthday Surprise and Believe
Accessories: Cricut, Mini Monograms cartridge, Design Studio software, cuttlebug, Spellbinders Classic Oval and Scalloped Oval dies, embossing powder, SU Large Oval Punch, PTI Pure Poppy Satin Ribbon, ColorBok epoxy stickers

Verve Blog Party Challenge 2

WooHoo! Challenge number 2 over at the Verve Blog Party Release was a sketch challenge with a twist of thankfulness. You can check out the sketch here. This card is 8.25 X 3.75, a little untraditional but seemed to work well with the sketch.
I had a piece of patterned paper from some Basic Grey Wassail that I bought last Christmas and I thought it had some really great colors in it. I paired it with some new PTI Terracotta Tile cardstock which I ran through a cuttlebug Textile embossing folder. I accented these papers with Stampin' Up's Always Artichoke cardstock.
The stamps are a Verve freebie "thanks"(I always get a freebie when I order from Verve and very fast service!), and a sentiment and flourish from the Verve All About You set stamped in SU Dusty Durango and Always Artichoke. The rhinestones are Prima's Say It in Crystals.
Hmm, maybe I'll send this to my SIL who was kind enough to feed us this Thanksgiving. And there was a lot of food to be thankful for!



Project Recipe
Paper: PTI Kraft CS, PTI Terracotta Tile CS, PTI Rustic White CS, Stampin' Up Always Artichoke CS, Basic Grey Wassail PP
Stamps: Verve All About You
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Textile embossing folder, Spellbinders Classic Oval Die, Spellbinders Scalloped Oval Die, Prima Say It in Crystals rhinestones

Verve Blog Party Challenge 1

Verve Stamps had a huge party Friday on the Verve Blog to celebrate the November release. Throughout the day several challenges were issued. First up was a color challenge: Turquoise, Olive, Black and White.
I needed a birthday card to send to my son's girlfriend, so I used the challenge to create a card for Sarah on her 22nd birthday (she thinks she's getting old!). I wanted to use this scrap of Basic Grey paper which had the turquoise and green in it. I had to choose a slightly different version of olive for this to all come together. I used Papertrey Ink's New Leaf cardstock in place of olive. The ribbon is Stampin' Up's striped grosgrain in black. I used Verve's Wishing You stamp set for the sentiment on the front (which I embossed) and completed it with another sentiment from this set on the inside which says "a very happy birthday". I sponged the edges of the sentiment with some Stampin' Up Turquoise and some PTI New Leaf ink. A few black rhinestones and my Martha Stewart lace doily punch rounded out the project.
I hope Sarah has a wonderful birthday and years of them to follow! Oh, and I hope I win some Verve goodies!
Project Recipe
Paper: PTI New Leaf CS, PTI True Black CS, PTI White CS, Basic Grey Lemonade PP
Stamps: Verve Wishing You
Accessories: cuttlebug, Spellbinders Scalloped Circle dies, Martha Stewart Lace Doily punch, sponge, SU Striped Black grosgrain, embossing powder, the Paper Studio black gemstones

Some Christmas Potpourri

Whew! What a crazy week this has been! I need about 15 hours of sleep to get caught up. But at least the work part of the week is over and there's lots of time for family, food, and shopping. My son is home from school for the holiday so I'm looking forward to having him around for a few days, too. 
Still, the BIG holiday (Christmas) is looming close and I've got LOTS to do to get ready. I've been trying to get some cards and projects going but it sure seems slow. I did manage to salvage an empty tea box which I altered with papers and some great digital stamps.  Now I just need to find a great little gift to put in there!

The papers are some Basic Grey Lemonade and the stamps are from Lindsay's Stamp Stuff. They are part of the Christmas Potpourri set. This is a great set for creating Christmas cards, tags, or altered projects like this one.
By the way, if you find your self needing to do some shopping on Thursday while the guys are in a football frenzy, check out the great online deals. Lindsay's stamps are on sale at 20% off all day Thursday over at My Grafico. And if you need to get in some crafting time after the Thanksgiving dishes are done, there is a contest at the Lindsay's Stamp Stuff group. Be sure to check this out for a chance to win a free stamp set!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Project Recipe
Paper: Basic Grey Lemonade, DCWV Holiday Glitter pack, Ginak White Pure Luxury CS
Stamps: Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Christmas Potpourri
Accessories: cuttlebug, Spellbinder's Scalloped Circle die, copic markers, Spica Atyou Glitter pens, Clearsnap Smooch, beading wire, bead, Fiskars Effervescence border punch, checkered ribbon (Michaels)

Sweet Cocoa

Awwww! Isn't he a cutie? This is a digital image from Sweet n Sassy stamps which you can find here. I colored his little cocoa cup to match the paper which is some more of my new My Mind's Eye Organic Papers. You can see how glittery it is. I used Liquid Applique on the marshmallows to make them "puffier".
I created this card for a few challenges:
1) Tuesday Morning Sketches--Melissa has a 3-2-1 challenge. Three decorative papers, two embellishments, and one flourish.
2) Dare U2 DigiStamp--the challenge was to use glitter. My papers have lots of glitter and I used the Spica Atyou mint glitter pen on the snowflakes, too.
3) Cute Daisy May--the challenge here was to add texture. The Liquid Applique marshmallows give them texture and the glittery papers also add texture to this card.
I haven't played these challenges in a while so it was a lot of fun creating a card that could incorporate so many fun challenges!
Project Recipe
Paper: PTI Vintage Cream, SU Chocolate Chip CS, GinaK White Pure Luxury CS, My Mind's Eye Organic Paper PP
Stamps: Sweet N Sassy Sweet Cocoa digital stamp
Accessories: Walmart Sheer ribbon, PTI Holiday mix button, cuttlebug, Spellbinders Labels One die, QuikCutz Flourish die, Liquid Applique, heat tool, copic markers, Spica Atyou Mint glitter pen

Digi Rub-ons for Christmas

Gotta add some digi stamps to your Christmas list. These things are waaaay cool! I use them all the time, but I finally figured out a way to get them on non-paper items! And since these days I'm all about Christmas, I thought I'd show you how I put a digital image on a Christmas ornament. Yep, you heard (read) right! I put a digital image on a round, glass Christmas ornament. Okay, it didn't fit in the printer, but I found this cool product that lets you make your own rub-ons. I used a product called Grafix Rub-onz Transfer Film. It's expensive (well, I think $9 for four sheets is expensive), but I did use a 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby.
There are tutorials out there for making homemade rub-ons using transparency film, but I could not get them to work for me. I tried everything I could think of: different brands of film, different printers, longer drying times, etc. All I ended up with using the regular transparency film was a wet mess. The Grafix Rub-onz has an adhesive component to it that allows the image to actually transfer to a smooth surface.
So, basically, I printed out my digital stamp onto the transfer film following the instructions provided, colored the image, and then rubbed it onto my ornament. Look at the stunning results.

I chose an image from Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Christmas Cupcake Wrappers Digital Stamp Set. Love that set and I have yet to make a cupcake--so much versatility. I sized the image in a word document and did a couple of test runs with plain paper to make sure the size was what I wanted before printing on the transfer film. Once I got it the right size, I printed it out on my rub-on paper, colored it with copic markers, and rubbed the image onto my ornament. I added a few dots of Frosted Lace Stickles to the berries for highlights. Isn't that so cool! But wait till you see this next one!

Ahhhh! Love the intense green on this one! Same exact process as above, but instead of using copic markers, I used Clearsnap Smooch and some red stickles. Have you seen Smooch? It looks like a bottle of fingernail polish but has a much more precise brush. In fact, I didn't color in this image until after I transferred it to the ornament, so I actually "painted" the image in on the ornament itself instead of the transfer paper. I loved this so much, I promptly returned to Scrapbook Gadgets (Angela's got a great selection and shipping was super fast!) for more Smooch in more colors! My poor Christmas tree won't know what hit it after I'm through decorating the decorations!
Now, if you're thinking you'd like to jazz up your ornaments, jars, metal containers, etc with some cool, custom-made rub-ons, let me encourage you to do a little Christmas shopping at Lindsay's Stamp Stuff where you can pick up this great Christmas Cupcake Wrapper set or her brand new Christmas Potpourri (to "die for" cute) set. You might also try googling "homemade rub-ons" and see if you can find a cheaper method of creating rub-ons. If you find something that works, leave me a comment. I'd love a more affordable option, but I must say, I still have lots of transfer paper left. It goes a long way. And digi stamps are so affordable, you can afford to splurge a little on the transfer film.
Be sure to check out what the ladies of the Lindsay's Stamp Stuff design team have prepared for you, and Lindsay's sure to have a Christmas treat or two, so don't forget to stop by her blog. Have fun and have a homemade Christmas!
Project Recipe
Paper: Graffix Rub-onz Transfer Film
Stamps: Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Christmas Cupcake Wrapper
Accessories: Old Christmas ornament, copic markers, Clearsnap Smooch Green Apple and Moonlight, Ranger Stickles Frosted Lace and Glitz Ruby Slippers

Playing With New Papers

Why, oh, why cannot I not get my pictures to show true color? Always Artichoke looks positively khaki in this picture and it looks just gorgeous IRL. Yes, I played with settings in Photoshop Elements. Maybe, I overplayed with it. Ever done that? Anyway, this is a gorgeous, sparkly card that I created using My Mind's Eye Organic Papers. I love that stuff. Paired with a great Verve stamp set called Fairy Tales and it just positively glows! I added some crystals to the swirls for added sparkle (can't have too much sparkle!). There's even some glimmer mist sprayed on the flower that you can't see in the picture. Hope your day sparkles, too!

Project Recipe

Paper: SU Always Artichoke, SU Mellow Moss, My Mind's Eye Organic Papers PP

Stamps: Verve Fairy Tales

Accessories: SU Brown Craft Ink, Ranger Embossing powder, heat tool, Martha Stewart lattice border punch, SU Pretties Kit flower, copic markers, copic airbrush kit, Jolees Jewels

Christmas is in the Air

I warned you I would be gearing up for Christmas and here's my first project. It's a little gift box just the right size for some jewelry or a gift card and some candies, perhaps. We do secret Santa's at work and this would be great for a little treat for my secret Santa, but as soon as I put this in the workroom, everyone will know who it's from, lol. If I want to remain a secret, I have to go with store bought, but that's no fun!
You can find the tutorial for creating the box here. You need the top note die if you want this particular cover, but once you create the box, you can probably come up with all kinds of ways to cover it. I love this new paper I found by My Mind's Eye. You will be seeing a lot in the future from this paper pack called Organic Glitter Papers. You see the sweet little Santa in the circle? He's an adorable digital stamp from Lindsay's Stamp Stuff called Christmas Cupcake Wrappers and these stamps aren't just for cupcakes! I printed Santa out on some PTI Vintage Cream Cardstock, colored his hat and cheeks with  copics, and then used Liquid Applique and some glittery embossing powder on his hair, beard, and hat. Once the Liquid Applique dried, I heated it up and "puffed it" with a heat gun. He's a cutie patootie!
I cut out the swirl using my cuttlebug and a sizzix die, put a Kaisercraft flower on top of the swirls, and "popped" Santa on top of the flower. These little digital stamps make this type of project fast and easy! This will be so simple to mass produce.
Be sure to check out Lindsay's Shop today. She has a new set perfect for creating recipe cards. Also, don't forget to stop by her blog. It's Thursday and that usually means freebies! She's also got the complete list of design team members and you will want to stop by their blogs for more holiday and crafting inspiration!
I'm in Houston right now, so it may be a few days before I can get back in the craft room, but I've got a cool holiday ornament to show you next week so stay tuned!

Fall Fest

This is it! My last fall project. I'm heading full force into Christmas after this! I have to if I plan to finish everything I have planned (like that is ever going to happen). But I did want to put together a couple of hostess gifts and it is, afterall, Autumn (though you'd hardly know it with the temperatures we're getting).

First up is a candle I made using a digital image. There are lots of tutorials out there for traditional stamping on candles. I referenced this one but modified the instructions for using a digital stamp.
To begin, you need to print out your digital stamp onto tissue paper. I used the Maple Leaf Digital Stamp from Lindsay's Stamp Stuff. I inserted the image twice into Microsoft Word and sized the images appropriately. I like to do a test print on regular paper to make sure everything is going to fit and look how I want it. Once I have the image adjusted the way I want, I take a piece of white tissue paper and tape it to matte photo paper, but you can use cardstock.

Smooth out your tissue paper and tape it down all the way around. I use a printer that feeds from the back so I have fewer issues with printing on non-standard papers, but if you make sure everything is smooth and well-secured, you shouldn't have any problems. I do suggest you use a paper that is a little thicker than plain copy paper, though. If you are using a printer with a front feeder, you should should do a test run to see what will run through your printer without ripping or getting jammed.
Once the image was printed, I waited a few minutes to make sure the ink was really dry. Then, I colored the image in with my copics. I've really darkened the image in the picture above so you could see the tape. You'll get a better look at the leaves in the finished product below.
Next, I cut out the image in a tight rectangle, but you can crop the image closer if you prefer.

Now, take a piece of wax paper and wrap it around the tissue paper and the candle. Use your heat embossing tool to heat up the wax on the candle until it "absorbs" the tissue paper. Be careful not to overheat. You don't want the candle to completely melt, but the tissue paper should look like it is disappearing. Take the wax paper off, let the candle cool a little, and you're done! I can't wait to do some more with Christmas images!

Isn't this pretty? I added a flower that I colored with copics to match and put the candle inside an acorn candle ring.
I also wanted to create a paper "acorn" that I could put a few little treats in. I used Kelleigh Ratzlaff's pumpkin template to create an acorn. (See this post for a look at how I used the template to create a pumpkin.)

I printed out the bottom portion of the acorn using some digital paper designed by the LSS design team's very own Shannon of Desert Designs. And guess what? The paper is part of a FREE set you can get at her blog today. The top portion is printed on brown cardstock with a ribbon added for a stem. I ran the top through my cuttlebug with an embossing folder. The little acorn tag is a digital stamp from LSS called Three Acorns. Yes, I cropped out two of the acorns so I could use just the one. Don't ya love the versatility of digi stamps!
Be sure to check out Lindsay's Stamp Stuff for all your Fall and Holiday crafting needs. Also, be sure to visit Lindsay's blog today. She always has lots of eye candy and a sweet free treat or two! Also, if you're just lovin digi stamps, send Lindsay some samples of your stuff. She has a design team call going on until Saturday! I know she'd love to see what you've been doing! Don't forget to check out what the rest of the LSS Design Team is up to today! There's lots of ideas for the holidays and gift giving! It's that time of year, afterall!
Project Recipe
Papers: Desert Designs Fall Gradient Digi Papers, PTI Dark Chocolate CS, SU More Mustard CS, scrap tissue paper
Stamps: Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Three Acorns and Maple Leaf
Accessories: candle, sheer green ribbon (Walmart), PTI Dark Chocolate satin ribbon, Prima white flower, copic markers and airbrush kit, cuttlebug, Tiny Bubbles embossing folder, Kelleigh Ratzlaff Pumpkin Template, sponge and brown ink

Friends Who Make a Difference

I have to confess that SU's Sage Shadow is about my all-time favorite color. And because I love it so much, I force myself NOT to use it. Is that crazy or what? Well, I could hold out no longer! Verve holds a weekly Viva la Verve sketch challenge with a twist, and this week's challenge only allowed us one type of embellishment. I chose brads. Then, I paired brown and my favorite Sage Shadow. There are three different stamps on here (also part of the challenge). All three are from Verve's Fairy Tales set...so very pretty!
I just love the sentiments in this set (well, in all the Verve sets). This is going to be a pick-me-up for a dear friend who's going through a rough time right now. She can expect this card and a Verve-a-licious treat in the mail next week! Go here for more info on Verve's challenges.
Project Recipe
Paper: PTI Dark Chocolate, PTI Kraft, SU Sage Shadow, K&Co. Classic K Baily PP
Stamps: Verve Fairly Tales
Accessories: cuttlebug, Victorian embossing folder, brown brads (unknown), Paper Studio blue pearl brad, Fiskars Effervesence border punch, embossing powder, heat toold, Paper Shaper 1.5 scalloped circle punch, SU 1 3/8 scalloped circle punch, Nestabilities Classic Scalloped circle die, SU Boho Blossoms punch

Purple Goodness

I wanted to play with this digital image from the moment I saw it! I love dragonflies and this one is just perfection. It is part of a new digital stamp set called Doodle Flowers from Lindsay's Stamp Stuff. There are several other beautiful stamps in the set, and I'm sure I will get to them, but I so wanted to use my copics and my spica glitter pens on this one. But the rest of the set has great sentiments and floral images you are going to just love to use again and again. I always seem to do dragonflies in purples and green, but that just works for me. Besides this was a great switch from all the fall colors I've been using lately.
Be sure to check out Lindsay's blog for more crafting goodness and if you haven't seen all the new stuff in the store, be sure you drop in there, too. As always, spend $5 and get a free single stamp! From here, be sure to check out the rest of the design team. I've seen some sneak peeks and heard some talk about some great projects. You are sure to get plenty of inspiration!
Project Recipe
Paper: DejaViews PP, SU Old Olive CS, DCWV Latte CS
Stamps: LSS Doodled Flowers Digital Stamp Set, PTI Handwritten Notes (sentiment)
Accessories: cuttlebug, Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities dies, ProvoCraft Divine Swirls embossing folder, PTI Perfect Plum Satin ribbon, SU So Saffron ink and sponge, copics, Spica Glitter Pens

Pixie Cottage Challenge

Aren't these little fellows just the sweetest?  I love those sleeping mice! It looks like these guys really partied hard last night and they're all just hanging out resting up. This is a new stamp from a new stamp company called the Pixie Cottage. The stamp is appropriately called Cuddly Cute by Alisa Ramirez.
The Pixie Cottage has a challenge blog and once my stamp came in, I just had to ink it up and try it out with the Challenge blog sketch. Of course, I waited to the very last day to get this in, but in all fairness, the stamp only came in on Friday and I had a crop on Saturday that I co-organized, so this is really my first chance to really work with it. Be sure to check out the Pixie Cottage blog to see what the design team has done with all the stamping goodies and visit Michelle's Scapbooking and More store to find Pixie Cottage stamps.
In other news...Saturday's crop was just a load of fun! My two best buddies were there and we actually got some work done--can you believe it! Of course, this morning we're a little hoarse from all the gabbing we did, but we had A LOT of catching up to do! Although I usually don't get much accomplished during a crop, I always learn so much from everybody there. I missed my mom who couldn't make it to this one, but everyone that could make it were so fantastic to work with! I think Jana and I are not even going to think about planning another crop until March or something. We are definitely ready for some personal crafting time.
Project Recipe
Paper: PTI Lemon Tart, PTI, SU Basic Black CS, GinaK White Pure Luxury CS, PTI Bitty Box BasicsPTI Black and White Basics PP
Stamps: The Pixie Cottage Cuddly Cute, CTMH Boutique Borders
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Spellbinders Classic Ovals Nestabilities, PTI black twill ribbon, copic markers, Sandylion Essentials Yellow & White flower stickers

Holidays Digi Style

It's a digital holiday parade. Be prepared to do lots of scrolling because I covered some holidays today using digital stamps from Lindsay's Stamp Stuff. Before I get this parade going though, let me let you know about some great stuff going on at LSS. First, be sure to check out Lindsay's Blog. She's got a design team call going on for her My Grafico store front. Also, she's looking for guest designers. Be sure to check out the store this week. There's lots of new stuff in there and if you're ready to tackle some Christmas cards, she's got some really cute new images to help you out with that. Also, check out Shannon's blog for a great tutorial on changing the color of digital line images in PhotoShop Elements. And while you're checking things out, don't forget to see what all the rest of the LSS Design Team is up to!
It's getting really close to Halloween, so I squeezed in a couple more projects for that holiday. The two projects below look kinda like cards in the picture, but they are actually little treat bags of M&Ms.

Lindsay's really been rockin the circle stamps these days. I found the circle stamps over at My Grafico for free and I filled the centers with my LSS Halloween stamps. Color these little cuties in with markers, punch them with a 1 3/8 circle punch, mat using the SU scalloped circle punch and attach to project. Cute, simple, and quick! Gotta love that!
Through with Halloween? How about a Thanksgiving project sure to please any Thanksgiving hostess?

The little pumpkin is a template by Kelleigh Ratzlaff that you can find at The DigiChick. The beautiful leaves are a digital stamp called Leaf Montage from LSS. I colored them with copics (oh, so fun!), cut them out with nestabilities, and sponged the edges. The lid lifts off the "pumpkin" so it can house a little treat like these candy corns.
Want to get a jump start on Christmas cards? How about a clean, simple card design that can be quickly mass-produced?

The circle stamps are from a new set over at Lindsay's Stamp Stuff called Christmas Cupcake Wrappers. Be sure to check out Lindsay's blog and some of the design team blogs. I think some of the team used the wrappers. I printed out the circle stamps, colored them in with my copics, and again used SU punches. With these stamps and a few scraps of paper, you can have a great set of cards in no time at all. Might even have enough time to make some cupcakes!
Busy, busy, busy! As you read this, I'll be taking my GRE. Wish me luck. I don't have to get a really high score, but I gotta prove I'm college material again!

Verve Does Winter

Here's a couple more for the Verve Release Week Challenge. I don't have many Verve stamp sets, but this set Ornamental Christmas was a must-have. I like how I can custom color the ornaments with copics or paper piecing. I stamped this one with craft ink, added embossing powder and then, heat embossed it. After that, I added my color with an R59 copic marker.
Here's another winter card using the Verve Winter Mittens Digital Image set:

I broke out the Polar White Flower Soft for the mitten cuffs. I printed the mitten image out on some shimmery white cardstock and then printed it out again on black and white paper. I punched out a couple of snowflakes from some glittery DCWV paper which I also used for some matting to provide a pretty contrast to the black and white. The sentiment was printed out several times on shimmery white cardstock to create a strip of patterned paper.
Now, cross your fingers that I win some Verve stamps this week!
Project Recipe
(Top Picture)
Paper: PTI Vintage Cream CS, SU Bravo Burgundy CS, Me & My Big Ideas Our Holiday Traditions PP
Stamps: Verve Ornamental Christmas
Accessories: button (unknown), cuttlebug, Spellbinders Classic Squares dies, PTI Scarlet Jewel ribbon, PTI Vintage Cream satin ribbon, craft ink, Zing embossing powder, heat tool, R59 copic marker
(2nd Picture)

Paper: PTI Shimmery White CS, SU Basic Black CS, DCWV Spring Glitter Mat Stack, PTI Black & White Basics PP
Stamps: Verve Winter Mittens Digital Image Set
Accessories: Sheer white ribbon (unknown), Polar White Flower Soft, Paper Studio brads, Marvy Uchida snowflake punch, Martha Stewart Arched Lattice border punch

It's Starting To Feel A Lot Like Christmas

Well, I don't know how much it feels like Christmas around here. Temperatures are still in the 80s, but the stamping community is certainly starting to gear up for the holidays! I don't think I'm quite through with Halloween and Fall/Thanksgiving, but I've spent quite a bit of time the last couple of days with some winter projects. Let me share a few of them with you today, but come back Thursday for some more Fall Fun.

This first card includes a FREE digital image from Verve which is only available this week. There's a new release this week and that also means a week of challenges. I've got three done! I printed the mittens and colored them with my copics. I added some Martha Stewart Mica Flake glitter to give the appearance of melting snow (I guess that's what it would look like. We don't have mittens or snow here.) The sentiment is also part of the digi download. I changed the color of the sentiment from black to brown and sponged everything with Close to Cocoa. The small snowflake is a Martha Stewart punch and the large snowflake in the background was cut with my cricut. Everything got some sparkle with stickles.

For this one, I found some retired SU Christmas paper that I had stored away (hoarded away is closer to the truth). I'm glad I found it because so far I just haven't found any Christmas papers that I HAVE to have this year. I printed the sentiment from the Winter Mittens Free Digital stamp at Verve. I changed the color to a red to match my card, added a pretty bow with a button. The sparklies are from Basic Grey.

Do you not just LOVE this little fellow and his birdie friend? This is a free digital image from the very talented Inger Harding. Be sure to check out her blog. I colored him with my copics. I used some more of the retired SU Christmas papers, added a velvety ribbon, a copic-airbrushed flower, and a corderoy brad. The sentiment is from a Verve stamp set titled "All About You" which I stamped with craft ink and then embossed.
It's certainly looking wintery on my blog, anyway.
Project Recipe
Papers: SU Old Olive CS, SU Chocolate Chip CS, PTI Vintage Cream CS, PTI Pure Poppy CS, PTI Ocean Tides CS, SU Holiday Treasures (retired), K&Co. Classic K Baily DSP
Stamps: Verve All About You, Verve Winter Mittens Digi Images, Inger Harding Design Snowman 1 Digi Stamp
Accessories: cuttlebug, Nestabilities dies, SU Old Olive Striped Ribbon, PTI Vintage Cream Grosgrain ribbon,  red velvet ribbon (unknown), Paper Studio Spare Parts Corderoy brad, Prima botanical mix, Martha Stewart snowflake punch, Cricut, Accent Essentials cartridge, Basic Grey Bling, stickles, green button (unknown), copics, copic airbrush kit, Martha Stewart Mica Flakes glitter, Zing clear embossing powder, heat tool

Who's the Boss

Today was Boss's Day and I have two of the best bosses you could want to work for. They  support our efforts in the classroom, are positive and encouraging, and organized and self-disciplined. Teaching is a tough job, but these two keep our campus running smoothly and efficiently. So, even though I contributed with a monetary donation to the gift fund, I wanted to do something just from me to show my appreciation of their efforts.
Verve has a stamp set titled "All About You" with a stamp that says "Hope today knocks your socks off!" I hope today we did knock the socks off our principal and assistant principal with our show of support and appreciation. But using that sentiment as the focus, I used a template from Lauren Meader and PTI  called Stocking Stuffer to create these cute "socks" for my bosses. The template is free, by the way. I wanted to make them look like men's socks so I used papers with a more masculine feel to it. I created the "socks", filled them with m&m's, and then added the Verve sentiment for encouragement. That makes this project just perfect for the Verve "Encouraging Words Project Parade Challenge". Here's another look at each sock individually.

Project Recipe
Paper: SU Chocolate Chip, SU Parisian Breeze DSP (retired), SU Manchester DSP (retired), SU Baja Breeze (retired), PTI Kraft CS, PTI Vintage Cream CS
Stamps: Verve All About You
Accessories: PTI Timeless Template Stocking Stuffer, white gel pen, SU Baja Breeze striped ribbon (retired), PTI Dark Chocolate Satin ribbon, Spellbinders Label Nestabilities die, cuttlebug, Paper Studio brads, twine

Boo 2 You

I got some good news this week! I've been awarded a grant which will pay for a master's degree in Library Science. I'm going to be a LIBRARIAN! Well, in about two years, I'm going to be a librarian. In the meantime, I'm going back to school. The cool thing about this program is that all courses will be online! Yipee, no money for gas is needed.
Okay, I'm through with the personal stuff. I created this card for three different challenges. First up is the design. I used the sketch challenge at Tuesday Morning Sketches. I haven't had a chance to use one of Melissa's sketches in a while, so I was real anxious to use this one. It's cute, huh, with those spider webs? The spider webs are courtesy of Tamara Bennet. They are an SVG that I cut with SCAL and my Cricut.
The challenge at DareU2 DigiStamp was to use the colors yellow, orange, and black. No problem there since I created a Halloween card for the Digital Tuesday Challenge. I love it when challenges all come together. And since I've been on a Halloween kick lately, these challenges were just "frightfully" perfect!
Project Recipe
Paper: SU Pumpkin Pie CS, SU Black CS, SU Haiku DSP (retired), Ginak White Pure Luxury CS
Stamps: Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Spooky Pumpkins
Accessories: SCAL, Cricut, Paper Studio Self-adhesive gemstone, copcis, sponge, Ellen Hutson ribbon

This Side of the GRAVE

I don't know about you, but I've gotten a little burnt out on cards lately. I've made a bunch! So I decided I wanted a 3-D project for the week and as weird as this is going to sound, I fell in love with this little coffin box. The coffin is actually from a box TTF font that I purchased here. (the font includes numerous other boxes and some tags) I used SCAL and my Cricut to cut out the bottom and the lid. Then, I just filled the inside with treats.
The sentiment is from the LSS Creepy Crow Digital Stamp set. Don't forget that when you purchase $5 worth of images from Lindsay's Stamp Stuff, you get a free stamp. Lindsay has some new images in the store so be sure to check them all out! Also, it's Thursday and that means a freebie if you visit her blog. In fact, I think there's a bonus freebie link that you can also find at the Frugal Crafter blog today. Don't miss out!
Did you know you can heat emboss a digital stamp?
It works better if you use glossy or shimmery paper. The ink will stay wet longer giving you time to sprinkle your embossing powder before it dries. I use an ink jet printer and am not sure this will work with a laser printer. I believe laser printers burn the image into the paper so there's no wet ink to work with. But if you have an ink jet printer, slip in a piece of glossy paper (I used SU's glossy white but have also used PTI's shimmery white CS before). Have your embossing powder close by and sprinkle it on the image as soon as it comes out of the printer. Then, tap off the excess powder and heat with your heat tool as usual. I used my copics and my air compressor to spray color onto the embossed image giving it a mottled background of color.
The cool spider web on the coffin is from my design team buddy Tamara Bennet. It's an SVG which can be cut with SCAL and a Cricut. Be sure to visit her today. I believe she has an SVG freebie on her blog every Thursday. The drops of black "blood" are self-adhesive gemstones from The Paper Studio at Hobby Lobby.
I've done more Halloween projects this year than I did last year and I haven't even gotten started really. I still need to mass produce some little treats I can give my students and coworkers. I'm really embracing the holiday this year!
Project Recipe
Paper: SU Black CS, Orange CS (unknown), SU Glossy White CS
Stamps: LSS Creepy Crows
Accessories: Box Font, SCAL, Cricut, The Paper Studio Self-adhesive Gemstones (hobby lobby), Ranger black embossing powder, heat tool

Pretty in Pink

Isn't the cardstock on this mini pizza box just amazing? And you cannot see it in this picture but it's glittery, too. This cardstock is from the DCWV Garden Party Stack. All the papers are gorgeous and shimmery/sparkly...my favorite.
Did you notice the balloons? The scrolls and swirls go perfectly with the paper, although they would look gorgeous with any paper. This is a set from Verve called Birthday Surprise, so pretty and elegant. I stamped the image with black craft ink and then heat embossed clear embossing powder. After that, it was just a matter of quickly coloring in the balloons with my copics.
Again, I don't know how well it shows up, but I embossed the black strip in the background with my textile embossing folder and my cuttlebug. Then, I just added a pretty ribbon and this pretty box was all ready for a cookie for a special birthday girl.
Project Recipe
Paper: DCWV Garden Party, SU Black CS, GinaK White Pure Luxury CS
Stamps: Verve Birthday Surprise
Accessories: ScorPal, SU Scallop Oval Punch, SU Large Oval Punch, Cuttlebug, Textile embossing folder, Spellbinders Oval Die, Zing Clear embossing powder, heat gun, PTI Berry Sorbet Satin Ribbon, copic markers

Fun And Funky Sunrise

I don't generally do "funky" since I don't know how to do it very well, but Lindsay's Stamp Stuff is releasing a new set today called Funky Forest and I thought I would do something in honor of the new set.
The digital tree stamp I used here is my favorite of the trees. You can purchase the tree as an individual stamp, but now it has a whole set of friends to go with it. Be sure to check it out. There's a whole page full of images and sentiments for only $5.
After WCMD, I got kinda tired of making cards. On top of all my WCMD cards, I had to make a couple of male birthday cards, and, well, I just got a little burnt out. So, I decided to make a birthday cookie box for one of my co-workers. I cut the sun out with my Cricut (Accent Essentials) and freehand cut some hills which I embossed with the Cuttlebug Swirls embossing folder just for added "funkiness". I printed out the same tree image three times in three different sizes and colored with my copics before cutting them out and popping them up on the hills with foam adhesive. Simple, fun and a little funky!

If you didn't come here from Lindsay's blog, be sure to go over there and see what she's done with the new set....AND.....as always, she has a freebie for you! Also, be sure to check out what the whole design team has been doing. I'm always inspired by what they come up with. I wish they all lived next door so we could get together and work on projects! They are amazingly creative. Lindsay must be rubbing off on us!

Project Recipe
Paper: SU Tempting Turquoise, SU Apricot Appeal, GinaK White Pure Luxury CS, Coredinations Flower Power CS
Stamps: LSS Funky Forest
Accessories: Cricut, Accent Essentials, Cuttlebug, Swirls embossing folder, copic markers, ScorPal

Pumpkin Girl

I found this adorable FREE digistamp at Simply Inger. She has some beautiful images for free and she has some she has donated to a charitable cause. Visit her blog to see all her fabulous talent.
This card was created for the Copic Creations Challenge which was to include pumpkins. I printed out the image onto GinaK White Pure Luxury cardstock and colored the image with a wide variety of fall colors. The papers are from two different sets: PTI's Autumn Abundance and Basic Grey's Recess. I needed some fall colored flowers but didn't have any, so I grabbed some plain white (actually they are more cream colored in appearance) Prima flowers and airbrushed them with copics. These flowers love copics and an airbrush system. I've tried other methods of coloring them in, but nothing really worked until I used the air compressor. Now I want to color them all the time. I may have to go back to Hobby Lobby and get some more even though the package contained 72 different-sized flowers. (Goodness, what if I run out!!) Where's my coupon, lol!
Project Recipe
Paper: GinaK White Pure Luxury CS, PTI Autumn Abundance PP, Basic Grey Recess
Stamps: Simply Inger's Halloween Girl digital stamp
Accessories: copics, airbrush system, PTI Ripe Avocado Saddle Stitched Ribbon, Making Memories eyelet, rhinestone brad (Hobby Lobby), Martha Stewart border punch, Prima Wildflowers Pillar Pack White, SU 5 Petal Punch, SU Boho Blossoms Punch

World Card Making Day --The Journey Continues

There were so many challenges yesterday for WCMD. No way to do them all. I probably could have combined some challenges but that would have stressed me out and this craft shouldn't be about stress! Anyway, I did get several projects completed yesterday but I didn't have the time or mojo for one last project that I wanted to try, so I did it today. This was one of the SCS WCMD challenges (there were many). This one was sponsored by Verve and it included choosing the flag of a country and using that flag's colors to create a card.

I chose the country of Georgia (not the state) whose flag includes the colors of burgundy, black and white. I love how striking this combination is. I have been wanting to use the ornament and my copic markers ever since I got in my recent Verve order, but there just hasn't been time. Now, I can't wait to try this with other colors, too. It is just a gorgeous image (actually, one of several gorgeous images in this set). I blended R37, R39, and R59 for this ornament and then added some stickles for added sparkle.
World Card Making Day was lots of fun, but I think I'm ready to tackle a few other kinds of projects now. I've still got a few more things I've created this weekend to show you, but I'll save that for another day. Hope your WCMD was just Zippy!
Project Recipe
Paper: PTI Scarlet Jewel CS,  PTI In BloomPP, SU Black CS, GinaK White Pure Luxury CS
Stamps: Verve Ornamental Christmas
Accessories: copic markers, Ranger stickles in Black Diamond, Ruby Slipper, and Frosted Lace, cuttelbug, Spellbinders Label One die, Spellbinders Classic Circle die, PTI True Black Swiss Dots Satin Ribbon

World Card Making Day: The Conclusion

It's late. I'm tired! It's been a very full day of crafting for me. I didn't get everything done that I had wanted, but there's always tomorrow. Though, I am going to have to fit in some shopping and laundry tomorrow, too. Still, I've managed to complete four challenges in one day and I made a card for my father's birthday which I'll post later in the week. 

Here is the final card for PTI's WCMD challenge. Our final destination is Australia. Nichole challenged us to either do some masking or to use dotted outlines. I chose to ink up a couple of PTI stamps which already included a dotted outline: Star Prints and Vintage Labels. I'm going to need a 3X3 card in the near future, so I decided to use this challenge to create the card ahead of time. Since I was using the Star Prints stamp set, I decided to go ahead and break out one of the newer cuttlebug embossing folders that also has stars and emboss the background paper. I stamped the dotted star image with Versamark ink and then used white Puffs embossing powder and a heat gun. I coated the embossed star with Glossy Accents to give it an epoxy finish. I used a sentiment from the Star Prints set and outlined it with a dotted Vintage Label before running it through the cuttlebug with a Labels One die.
I've got jet lag now from this world tour, so I think I'll clean up the craft room and finish up the evening with a good book. Happy WCMD everyone!
Project Supplies
Paper: PTI Dark Chocolate CS, PTI Melon Berry CS
Stamps: PTI Star Prints, PTI Vintage Labels
Accessories: PTI Melon Berry Bitty Dots Ribbon, PTI Dark Chocolate Swiss Dot Satin Ribbon, Ranger White Puffs Embossing Powder, heat gun, cuttlebug,CB Stars embossing folder, Spellbinders Label One Die, SU Large Star Punch

World Card Making Day Part 3

The third challenge at PTI's blog challenge for WCMD was to capture the influence of India. Pattern, deep, rich colors, and jewels are dominant in Indian culture. I had a scrap of this Bo Bunny paper with great rich colors and texture. I put that above an embossed row of damask tiles. I used a swirled piece from Prima's Say It In Crystals as a focal point and added some self-adhesive rhinestones colored with copics to the centers of the embossed damask tiles. Then, I found the perfect sentiment for WCMD in the Verve set All About You. After I punched out the sentiment, I added a couple of small rhinestones to the ends. The shiny stuff doesn't photograph all that well, but I do love the earthy colors and sparkle of this card.  Next up is Australia!
Project Supplies
Paper: SU Chocolate Chip, Bo Bunny PP, SU More Mustard CS
Stamps: Verve All About You, CTMH Damask Tiles
Accessories: Prima Say It In Crystals, Rhinestone Stickers (Michaels), copic markers, SU Modern Label Punch, Zing Clear embossing powder, heat gun

World Card Making Day Continues

The second WCMD challenge from Nichole Heady was Mexico! I live a couple of hours away from the Mexican border and every once in a while we'll head down there for some shopping. One of the big attractions for shopping in Mexico is the Talavera pottery. There are so many beautiful patterns.

Blue and yellow are  predominant colors in Talavera design. I have a couple of stamps sets that remind me of this beautiful dishware including SU's Circle Circus and the sails in the PTI set Men of Life. I grabbed these two sets, inked them up with PTI's Enchanted Evening, and then used a copic marker to give them some yellow.

Adios! I'm off to India to finish up the 3rd WCMD challenge!

Project Supplies
Paper: PTI Spring Rain CS, PTI White CS, PTI Beautiful Blooms PP
Stamps: PTI Men of Life, PTI Handwritten Notes, SU Circle Circus
Accessories: PTI Summer Sunrise Saddle Stitched Ribbon, Paper Studio square brads, copic marker, EK Success 1" and 3/4" circle punches

Happy World Card Making Day

This will probably turn into a weekend holiday as I have several cards I want to make. EVERYBODY who's anybody in the craft industry has something special going on today. Nichole Heady from Papertrey Ink is running several challenges throughout the day today. Check them out here.

First up is a Japanese inspired card. When I think of Japanese art, I am always pulled to haiku (a poetic form) which is structured but simple. I knew immediately when I saw the challenge that I wanted to use PTI's Out On A Limb stamp set. It has an Asian feel to it, so I thought it would be perfect for this challenge. Then, I went on a search for appropriate fall-themed haiku (I haven't tried my hand at writing haiku since elementary). The poem printed out on PTI's Rustic White CS is from the haiku master Koshi Takahama. It reads,
"The winds that blows-
ask them, which leaf on the tree
will be next to go."
Perfect for this fall card. A couple of falling leaves and a simple ribbon knot finish off the structured but simple card.
Project Recipe
Paper: PTI Rustic White CS
Stamps: PTI Out on a Limb
Accessories: printer, PTI Orange Zest Saddle Stitched Ribbon