Merry Monday #260 Bits of Holiday Magic!

Today's Merry Monday Challenge is a sketch challenge, which is always fun! Usually the hardest part is deciding which images to use, but in this case, it wasn't hard at all! Two Feet Deep still remains one of my favorite holiday stamp sets of all time! It has made an appearance in one way or another in my holiday projects since I bought it! 

                                                  

I just love today's sketch because it lends itself to so many possibilities without being too cluttered! Didn't Debbie come up with a fabulous sketch? You can see the rules and details of the challenge HERE as well as see what great designs the other gals came up with! 

To begin, I die cut the sled image and then stamped the brown wooden portion and heat embossed the metal details using silver embossing powder for a more realistic look. The greenery piece is attached to the sled using foam squares. I used the trio of snowflake images that are included in the set and stamped them repeatedly in white onto a piece of Kraft cardstock. I just love how the Fancy Flakes Dies are the exact same design. I used one of those on the side next to the sled.

Once all of the snowflakes were stamped and dried, I added the sled image on top. This is adhered to a piece of music patter paper that I just love using this time of year. I created a similar card YEARS ago using this same paper and stamp set that you can see HERE. Just by changing up the colors and a few details, you can really change the feel of your design!

I layered everything on top of a red card base for some nice definition. There is a secondbutton snowflake nestled down in the die cut snowflake for some added interest as well.

The sentiment is stamped in white as well and then added to the card using foam squares. A few sequins finish it off with some added sparkle! I hope you get a chance to play along this week! Thanks for fluttering by!

Sunshine after Rain

 Yesterday was World Cardmaking Day!! Did you get any cards made? I hope so! I sure did...I actually spent pretty much the entire day working on some fun projects that I can't share yet, but in the meantime, I thought I would share a simple card I made last weekend. I had a nice relaxing weekend last week and had some time to just create a few "thinking of you" cards and this is one of them.

 I'm still chiseling away at the pile of stamps I got for my birthday and Meadow Greens is one of them. I used one of the simple leaf images on THIS card, so I was excited to use more of the set on this card. I just love the style of the sentiments that are included in the set and the versatility.

 To begin, I sponged some yellow ink onto a piece of Bristol paper measuring 4 by 5 1/4 inches. I set it aside to dry while I die cut  some of the images that I was planning on using on my card. To be completely honest, I am not quite sure what this plant is that I used, but I thought it would look good in yellow! LOL! I arranged the die cuts onto the card front using foam squares.

 Once I had the floral image arranged like I wanted, I added the gold embossed sentiment strip and secured it on the back using scotch tape. I also added some white and clear Nuvo drops as well as a trio of gold sequins. This is a very simple card, but I like how it turned out. Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. Join me tomorrow for a new Merry Monday Challenge!

Tons of Love!

 I've been busily working on getting all of the Halloween decorations up in my home as well as outside! I've been sick for two weeks and if it wasn't for my sweet little kids counting on me to decorate, I can't say it would have gotten done! I am still putting the finishing touches on everything, but in the meantime, I thought I'd share a sweet little set of cards I created over the weekend.

I bought the Happy Hippos stamp set when it was first released and I FINALLY got around to inking it up! I used the coordinating Die Cuts as well.  My inspiration for this first card came from a simple notecard I saw at Papyrus while window shopping a month or so ago. It was an artists sketch of someone on a tight rope and I knew it would work nicely with some stamped images and die cuts as well. Since it is Halloween and all, I thought it would be fun to make a little costume for this sweet little hippo!

 I also used some new-to-me Die Cuts from MFT for the bold sentiment on this second card! I had so much fun putting both of these together. They are both very simple, but both use lots of fun techniques to make them feel special.

To begin, I did some ink blending using Spun Sugar distress ink onto a 4 by 5 1/4 inch piece of Bristol paper for a nice, smooth blend. I used a purple color on the second card in the same manner. They were both spritzed with a generous amount of shimmer spray for added shine. I knew that the tight rope card would be simple in design, so it is always fun to add something like shimmer spray to enhance the design without adding clutter. I chose to color this little hippo pink, since she is just as sweet as can be!

 The silver cord that I used as the tight rope is secured to the back of the white blended panel using scotch tape with just enough "give" that I could add some tension with the die cut. The foam squares on the back of the hippos foot are pressing the cord down to imitate the weight she is adding to the tight rope. I just couldn't resist adding the same effect to the balloons that I created on THIS card. I just love how it looks! Her little tutu is constructed out of a strip of white tulle and then gathered using my sewing machine. It is secured to the back of the die cut using glue dots.  A few iridescent pink sequins finish this design off as well as a silver embossed sentiment that is included in the stamp set. I felt I could use this card for many different reasons with a generic sentiment like this.

 This second design uses the same techniques as in the first. The "smile" sentiment is die cut 4 times and then glued together. Each letter is given the same treatment as the balloons and you can read about how I did it in the link I added above from a card I made back in September.

 These two hippos are colored gray for a more traditional look and I used an assortment of Prismacolor and Copic markers. I added a few of the fun accessories that are included in the stamp set to create a fun scene as well as some added interest. 

I heat embossed the "It's your day" sentiment onto a strip of pool cardstock and added it to the front using foam squares. Both card fronts are adhered to A2 card bases using lots of foam squares. Thanks for fluttering by!

Merry Monday #259 "Wishing you Peace, Love & Joy"

It's good to be back today sharing another Christmas card for this week's Merry Monday Challenge! I'm getting so excited to use all of the these holiday cards I've been making! 

Deanne has asked us to add a Christmas tree to our cards this week! Seems simple enough, right? Today's card is my THIRD attempt at creating something for this challenge. I decided to go for a "Boutique Chic" look and I really like how it turned out, despite all of my previous failed attempts at anything decent.  You can check out the rules and details for this challenge HERE as well as see what the other designers have come up with. I hope you get a chance to play along!

To begin, I stamped the tree and stand images using Versamark ink onto a piece of Pure Poppy cardstock and then heat embossed it using gold powder. I've had the Tree Trimming Trio stamp set for years, but I don't think I have EVER used this particular image. I was glad to put it to good use. I like how striking it looks all in gold.

I stamped a few of the included "ornament" images onto a scrap of Stamper's Select White Cardstock using Pure Poppy ink and then punched them out with a small circle punch. I added them to the tree image using foam squares for some added dimension. I also added some Wink of Stella on the top of each one as well as some Nuvo Glaze for some realistic shine. The finishing touch to the tree is a handful of gold sequins glued to the centers of a few of the gold circles making up the tree. I just love how it looks...simple, but special.

I thought the tree looked naked without a star on the top, so I cut a star shape from the center of one of the Fancy Flakes Dies using glitter paper. I attached it to the top using a foam square for some dimension.  

The sentiment, which is also included in the Tree Trimming Trio set, is heat embossed in gold as well onto vellum and then wrapped around the card. I didn't want anything to hide the base of the tree, so vellum was the perfect finishing touch.

Feeling Blessed

Happy October! Thanks for joining me today! I've got an exciting announcement to share with you as well as another new football game inspired card! To begin, I'll share my fun news...I'm the newest member of the Design Team for SugarPea Designs ! I've known for quite a while that I would be joining the team in October, so I'm happy to finally be able to share the news with you. You can see my introduction HERE on the SugarPea Designs Blog! I'll be sharing some new designs with their images very soon!

I needed an encouragement card for a friend and I just couldn't resist creating another "football game" inspired card like I did yesterday. The mountains above my 7 year old's playing field were magnificent and very inspiring. It was raining and cold, but it made for a beautiful sight. To begin, I stamped one of the leaves included in the Meadow Greens stamp set multiple times using an assortment of Distress Oxide inks directly onto a panel of Kraft Cardstock. I turned the stamp to create the look of falling leaves.

You can see how the colors of the mountainside directly reflected my color choices for the card. By using Oxide inks, I was able to keep the crispness of the colors even though they are stamped onto the Kraft cardstock. The base color of the mountainside looks exactly like the cardstock, so that is where I got my cue. 

Once that was done, I embossed the "is the one who trusts in the Lord" portion of the sentiment in gold. I am seriously addicted to gold embossed sentiments. I just love how professional it looks. The "Blessed" portion is die cut 4 times from SU's "Always Artichoke" cardstock and then glued on top of each other. You can find the Blessed stamp set HERE and the coordinating die cut HERE. I love how versatile these supplies are for many occasions. The stacked piece is added to the card front using glue and then I added some Wink of Stella and a coating of Nuvo Glaze over the top.

While the glaze was drying, I got to work stamping a trio of die cut leaves, using the Meadow Greens Die set. I knew that I would be using a white card base, so I wanted a few of the leaves to have a white border to freshen the feel of the card. They are attached to the front using foam squares. I also gave them the illusion of falling leaves and was very deliberate in the placement.

I mentioned earlier that it had been raining at the game, so I added some clear Nuvo drops here and there to mimic the feel.  A few gold sequins are added here and there to bring in a little more gold to the design. I added the entire focal panel onto a piece of rust cardstock which is added to the white base using foam squares for dimension. Thanks for fluttering by!

Happy, Happy, Happy Halloween

I've been itching to create a Halloween background for a few weeks now and I got the perfect inspiration last night at my son's football game. The sun had almost completely set and I looked out at the horizon and decided to snap a picture. I will share the picture further down in the post so you can see it. Last year I only made ONE Halloween card using this same Spooky Smiles stamp set. You can see it HERE. I thought it would be fun to use these same sweet images to highlight the spooky background.

The background is blended using an assortment of Distress Oxide Inks to achieve the look I was hoping for. I spritzed some Shimmer Spray and water over the top and set it aside to dry. In the mean time, I die cut the tree and fence using the  Spooky Town: Yard dies. I glued two of each die cut together for a more substantial piece. I popped them up using foam squares and I REALLY like how they created shadows onto the blended background for a fun effect!

I stamped all of the images from the set using my MISTI, but only ended up using the ghost and kitty with a few other fun additions, like the candy corn and hat. Once they were all colored with Copic Markers, I spritzed them with shimmer spray as well. The band around the hat, the candy corn, candy and kitty's bow all got a coating of Nuvo Crystal Glaze for some added shine. 

Once all of the elements were created, I assembled the card using foam squares. The sentiment is heat embossed using silver powder. I really like how it turned out. 

You can see my inspiration here. I didn't enhance this photo at all, so it is a little dark, but I just LOVE how it looks. The colors in my card ended up being brighter, but I like that, especially with the "cutesie" stamps.

The blended background panel is adhered to a black A2 card base for some contrast. I also added a few Sparkling Clear sequins for some added shine (it really didn't need any more) LOL! I just love how it turned out! I hope to get more Halloween cards made this year since it is one of my favorite holidays! Thanks for fluttering by!

p.s. I have been keeping a little secret for a while now so stop by tomorrow when I spill the beans! EEEp!

Keeping Christmas {Gifts from the Heart}

 "I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year long!" ~Charles Dickens

I have been working like a crazy lady these past few weeks and was thinking that I wouldn't get a "Keeping Christmas" post done this month. One of the reasons that I have been so busy is that I have been putting together samples of crafts for our "Super Saturday" activity at church. This is where a bunch of ladies get together and get crafty! This isn't something I would normally post, but decided that the ideas that I am sharing are things that you could make for Christmas gifts! The first idea is a menu board that I put together based on a few I had seen on Pinterest and one that my friend made. I taught a Meal Planning class and this is the perfect companion for what I taught.

 The second project is a set of pumpkins made from 2 by 4s. I got the idea HERE but tweaked it a little by adding birch branches for the stems and adding some heavier ribbons. Even though these are an autumn craft, I can't imagine that someone wouldn't like getting these as a hostess gift for Thanksgiving or Christmas. 

 The next project is a re-recreation of a board that I saw at the local craft store that I just loved! I am calling it an "Interchangeable Seasonal Welcome Board". There is a cup hook on the top left corner that allows you to swap out the garland/greenery for each season or holiday. I got the wood cut at Home Depot and then used acrylic paint and letter stencils from Hobby Lobby to create it.

The last project is a simple ornament that I found HERE and thought they were so sweet! I created the cardstock backer for them to be attached to with the scripture verse. These would make great gifts to pass out to neighbors with a goodie or to family and friends. If you would like the file for the backer, you can email me at kellyrory1@msn.com . The cost to make these is only 25 cents! 

I still have lots more ideas I can't wait to share with you before the holidays...I just hope I get lots more time! LOL! Thanks for bearing with me for this "out of the box" Keeping Christmas post, but it is what it is! ha ha! Thanks for fluttering by!