Deck the halls!

Hi stampers!  Still in denial over here that it's creeping ever closer to Christmas!  I think I've mentioned before that I'm way behind on my Christmas stamping.  Sometimes I have to work, sometimes I don't feel well and others I just plain feel lazy and instead of stamping I lay on the couch:-)  I need to get a move on!  Not to mention I need to like buy some gifts, hehe!

Anyway, I've had this card made for a while now as I seemed to be in more of a Christmas mood a few months ago than I am now!  I made it using an expired challenge sketch...they are fun to play along even if they are over:-)

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Merry & Type
Paper:  Whisper white, real red, pear pizzazz, island indigo
Ink:  Markers - real red, pear pizzazz, island indigo
Accessories:  Circle and scalloped circle punch, polka dots embossing folder

I kept this one simple so I could easily mail it and because I used a bright and bold color pallete!  I thought this set would be perfect for a bold color scheme.

Happy stamping!

Stuck in a color rut!

Hi stampers!  I told you right, that I've been stuck on a certain color combo as of late?  Well you saw my card this week from the color challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments....it was my color combo and I'm totally obsessed with it!  It makes such fun and fresh holiday cards!  Again, they seem to have that retro feel.  I guess I shouldn't say I'm in a rut because I really like these colors and the cards I'm making with them but I do need to branch out...someday:-)

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Stitched stockings, jolly jingles wheel
Paper:  Whisper white, pear pizzazz, blushing bride, real red, pool party, red glimmer
Ink:  Pool party, real red, blushing bride
Accessories:  Stocking punch, circle punch and die, real red taffeta ribbon (retired), polka dots embossing folder

I used some fun stuff here!  The pink circle is stamped with the jolly jingles wheel.  I tend to forget about my wheels but they make such fun accents!  I also love the stocking punch and it looks so cute with the glimmer paper!  I'm also really liking white right now.  Design wise a large expanse of white can be super pleasing to the eye!  The Sale-A-Bration catalog will be coming out soon and it has great use of white space!

So, do you recognize the sentiment????  Hmmmmm???  It's from the jolly jingles wheel too!  I bought a second wheel and cut it up *GASP, I know* and used our new cling mount foam to make regular stamps out of them.  HOW cool is that?  If I have any interest I could do a video on how to do this. 

Happy stamping!

Shake shake shake

Hi stampers! My card today was inspired by the challenge over at The Friday Mashup.  The challenge for this week is to make a shaker card and we all know I love me a shaker card!  I also love the new mica flakes and shaker frames since they make it easy to make a shaker card!  You get a HUGE tub of the flakes too, so those things are a good value!  I also used a new stamp set (new to me anyway) called Polar Party.  The card is inspired by a card from the Holiday mini but I just switched out the stamp sets.

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Polar party, distressed dots
Paper:  Watercolor, pool party, lucky limeade, wisteria wonder (textured)
Ink:  Stazon, pool party, lucky limeade, wisteria wonder
Accessories:  Circle punches, window sheets, polka dot printed brads, dazzling details, shaker frames

Thanks for visiting!  Now go shake it up yourself:-)

Happy stamping!

Retro

Hi stampers!  Happy Tuesday!  It's time for another challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments!  This week is a fun color challenge!  I'm totally obsessed with this color combo right now:

I think it's totally fun and trendy and it's fun and bright too!  It's kind of got a retro 60's and 70's feel to it too.  I've seen a lot of holiday decor at Target and other places in these hues as well.  So, I've been making Christmas cards with these colors of course.

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Pennant parade, Bright Christmas, distressed dots
Paper:  Whisper white, real red, blushing bride (smooth & textured), pear pizzazz, pool party
Ink:  Real red, pear pizzazz
Accessories:  Candy Cane Buttons (retired), circle and scalloped circle dies, basic pearls & rhinestones, crochet thread, pennant builder punch

I have a bunch of the candy cane buttons left over from last year so I had to stick one on here!  I love that little pennant punch too, it makes such fun Christmas trees!

Now, click that link up there and head on over to see what the rest of the design team came up with and then play along with us and link up your card!

Happy stamping!

Feeling Fresh!

Hi stampers!  Happy Monday!  I can't believe another one's here already:-)  The weekends are NEVER long enough are they?  And I still can't believe it's coming up on Christmas!  I don't have many gifts bought yet, I haven't finished decorating the house inside OR out, and I'm way behind of Christmas card making!  I better get busy, especially on the gift buying since a lot of things I can only find online and on the card making since I have a lot of un-inked stamps!  :-) 

Although I had fun in Chicago I'm always a bit sad when I can't stamp on the weekend.  I WISH I could take everything I own in the car since I had a three hour trip there and back.  I could have done some serious crafting in 6 hours:-)  So, after all the unpacking, laundry, cleaning my studio (it was OUT of control in here) I got down to business.

I loved the simple yet cute sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches.  This is another one I'll have to file away for future use.  I already have ideas for it!  Too bad I probably won't have time to enter the oodles of other cards I plan on making with it:-)

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Jolly bingo bits, Polar party
Paper:  Very vanilla, real red, wild wasabi, lucky limeade, Holly Berry Bouquet DSP
Ink:  Real red, basic black
Accessories:  Circle punches, dazzling details

I kept the card simple because....well...just because I liked it that way!  I finally cut into the Holly Berry paper I just got too.  See...lots of stuff that needs to be used over here!  And I'm pretty predictable...I used Jolly Bingo Bits here as it's just perfect for the three little shapes.  I love that set and need to use it a lot more.  It's great with OR without the bingo card.  I also inked up the sentiment from Polar Party which I also just got, tee-hee.  Finally, I couldn't decide whether to use wasabi or limeade so I made one of each.  I must have spent too much time with my ever-indecisive mom this weekend, lol!  I LOVE her but she is way more indecisive than even me!!!!  Let me know which one you like better.  I think I'm leaning toward the limeade a teensy bit more than wasabi.  

I think I should start a new thing on my blog and call it Mailable Monday since I'm forever in need of cards I can throw in an envelop and mail without extra postage or a special envie or anything:-)  I have a bad habit of piling lots of stuff on my cards!  Maybe I'll do it...if I can get organized AND if I can remember to NOT pile everything in sight on my cards, lol!

Happy stamping!

As a side note I am aware that my blog background is making it a bit difficult to read my blog and I'm sorry.  My idea did not turn out quite like I had intended but making a background takes a fair amount of time and I've been short on that lately and then out of town over the weekend.  I'll change it when I get a chance to work on it so please be patient.

Guest designer!

Hi stampers!  I have a "guest designer" for you today!  My MOM!!!!  Now, this is kind of a big deal because I didn't think she had ANY interest in stamping.  She LOVES my cards and I often give her cards to send to friends and family but she didn't really "get" my obsession...er...I mean, hobby!  Well, she was at our house Friday night before our annual Christmas trip to Chicago and I was showing her things I had made and I asked her if she wanted to make a card....and she said YES!  :-)  I was so excited and we had a lot of fun working on her cards. 

I found her a sketch and a color combo to use and she chose Tidings of Joy as her stamp set.  I did tell her we'd keep it simple and not color it since it was already late and we had to be up really early to leave for Chi.  I knew she'd like that stamp set as it was religious, cute, and had some barnyard animals in it.  You'll notice one of the cards has a circle....well, we had to revamp the second one because her favorite animal the chicken got cut off, hahaha!  Now that she's retired and moved to our farm I'm really surprised she doesn't have some chickens already!!!  Anyway I helped her but she did everything herself and they turned out totally cute and she really liked stamping!

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamp sets:  Tidings of joy
Paper:  Whisper white, river rock, early espresso, island indigo
Ink:  Versamark, early espresso
Accessories:  Linen embossing folder, circle punch and die, gold embossing powder

Please excuse the poor picture but it was late and dark and my pictures don't turn out so well at night.  And I had to photograph it before she took them with her, lol!  I had her emboss the main image and she thought that was  like the coolest thing ev-ah!  I should have recorded it as I'm sure we were pretty funny.  I think she thought "what the heck" when she stamped in versamark and when she lifted it up and she couldn't see it, lol!

It was fun stamping with my momma...it may be the first and last or maybe not, who knows.  She surprises me now and then, hehe.  I do think she "gets" it now, the creativity of it and the fun of it.  She was really proud of what she made and I was proud of her too!  She even knows who she is going to send her two cards too:-)  Now, how can I get her to really get into it and buy lots of stuff from me????  LOL!

We had a good time in Chicago like always!  We got up there pretty early for us but it seems like the day was over faster than ever.  How does that happen?  And it finally didn't rain (much) or snow on us either!  It actually feels kind of strange because it's usually FREEZING when we go and it was in the 50's yesterday!  Doesn't feel like Christmas time to us, lol! 

Happy stamping!

Still got the blues

Hi stampers!  I know I haven't been posting as often lately...it's that time of year....busy time that is:-)  I'll try to do better.  And I don't actually have the blues but my card sure does:-)

I haven't stamped all week for no good reason other than I've just been plain lazy!  But I wanted to get some challenges in so I made myself sit down last night at NINE and work on a card.  I don't usually start stamping that late but I was determined to get something started AND finished!  So, I combined the Sweet Sunday sketch which was adorable this week and the pretty color challenge over at the Colour Q.

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Delicate doilies, Christmas greetings
Paper:  Whisper white, sahara sand, night of navy, marina mist, subtles DSP stack
Ink:  Night of navy, marina mist, bashful blue, versamark
Accessories:  3" circle die, scallop circles die, snow burst embossing folder, northern flurry strip, whisper white taffeta ribbon, marina mist polka dot scalloped ribbon, pewter embossing powder, dazzling details, regals buttons, frost white shimmer paint

I just loved how it turned out!  I've been wanting to use the doily set for winter for a while and this was perfect.  My favorite part is the embossed panel.  I took a sponge wedge (I cut my stampin' sponges into 8ths...my very frugal momma would be proud, lol) and got it damp and then dipped it in the lid of my frost white shimmer paint.  I then dabbed it on some scratch paper first to remove the excess and lightly tapped it all over the paper.  That snowflake pattern looks FAB with this technique!

Happy stamping!