CAS Greetings

This is my second post for today.  Please scroll down one post 

or click HERE to see my easy and elegant Christmas card.

Hello all!  Thanks for your encouraging comments earlier today, in response to my Christmas-time stress.  I know I'm not alone with feeling overwhelmed!  ;-)

Still needing some Christmas cards, and I'm trying to make 'em clean and simple so they go faster.  Here's a CAS card that is easily mailed, too.  It's flat except for the little gem.

I used the sets Holiday Ornaments and Festive Frames (for the sentiment) by Inspired By Stamping in different shades of red and blue, then applied crystal glitter on each.  Maybe you can see it better in the photo below:

I'm entering these challenges:

• Jingle Belles - Anything Goes
• Go Fish - Any Christmas themed project

• Addicted to CAS - Baubles (this is a new challenge to me and I'm excited to play there!)

And speaking of baubles....I bought some new mercury glass ornaments this year at Tuesday Morning and TJ Maxx.  Here's one that hangs from the bottom of my pewter chandelier:

Soon I hope to have new photos to share on my other blog, bleu hydrangea, but need to edit them first.  I'll let you know when the new post is ready!

I appreciate you coming by today, and thanks to all of my new followers.  I'm so glad you think enough of my work to put yourself on my sidebar.  :-)

Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Holiday Ornaments, Festive Frames - IBS
Paper: white - PTI; Baja Breeze, Ruby Red - SU
Ink: Pacific Point, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Ruby Red - SU; Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko
Other: gem - Queen & Co.; Scallop Dot punch, Crystal Glitter - Martha Stewart

Snowflake Joy

Isn't this such a busy time of year, near Christmas?  Whew!  So much to do.  Every single year I get overwhelmed by it all and complain to my sweet, patient mother about it.  She reminds me that I always wind up getting everything done, but in the process of getting there, it's stressful.  I try to scale back on something (not as many cookies to bake, maybe, or as many cards to send out, or - gasp - sending boxed cards!) so that I'm not hyperventilating.  Still, it gets to me.  Add to the holiday festivities a job hunt, and you're looking at one pooped lady here!  ;-)

Enough of my ranting, let's get on to a card.

 I took my inspiration from the pages of Paper Craft Magazine's Holiday Cards & More, Volume 7.  When my creative juices aren't flowing, I usually find more than enough inspiration from those Paper Crafts mags.  I can tell you this IS a (relatively) quick and easy card to make, especially since schedules are tight and busy right now.  That's just what I needed, and maybe you do too!

The snowflakes are from Delicate Doilies II and the sentiment is from Little Flowers, both by Inspired By Stamping.  I get more mileage from the doily sets IBS sells, I'm telling ya!  Remember the way I used it as a sun HERE and HERE?

Just want to say thank you to the folks at In The Pink, DeNami Design, and Papercraft Star for the awards I've received within the past week.  My cup runneth over!  Thank you so, so, so much!

I'm horribly behind on making the rounds to all of your blogs, and hope to visit you soon.  May your days be merry and bright!




Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Delicate Doilies II, Little Flowers - IBS
Paper: Crumb Cake - SU
Ink: Whisper White - SU; Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko
Fibers: brown/white ribbon - SU
Other: pearls; corner rounder punch - SU

Guest Designing at Playing in Paradise!

Hello everyone!
I have the pleasure of Guest Designing with the gals from Scrapbooker's Paradise for Playing in Paradise Challenge #95!  My "Purple Christmas" card took top honors there recently, which earned me a seat as a guest.  :-)  Thanks to Pam and everyone at PIP for having me.

Their new challenge is 'Mr. Masculine.'

Well, that sure is a challenge for *me*!  LOL  I am not comfortable doing the guy cards, but that's why it's called a challenge, right?

I decided to make a card for my father-in-law's upcoming birthday.  He is a wonderful man, respectable role model, very involved in his church.  We absolutely adore him!   He loves 'guy' type stuff (guns, power tools, hunting) but on the flip side he's a banker who is impeccably groomed and so sophisticated.  Neat mix!

The challenge inspiration picture shows a keyboard, so that was my cue to use some Sticko stickers that look like old fashioned typewriter keys.  Decided to use fancy damask paper in masculine hues to appeal to the elegant side of my FIL.  The sentiment is from Technique Tuesday, and has a period on the end of it, but I didn't ink that little period so it would work with the stickers.

Come play with us!  Maybe you could make a holiday card for the man in your life, or an early Father's Day card for next summer.  Link up HERE, and I hope to see you there!



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Simply You - Technique Tuesday
Paper: River Rock, patterned - SU
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko; River Rock - SU
Fibers: brown grosgrain ribbon, twine - stash
Other: Nostalgiques stickers - Sticko; corner rounder punch - EK Success

Autumn Anniversary & DT Call

Hi everyone!  I made a quick anniversary card for my in-laws yesterday afternoon since we were having a fancy French dinner in Philadelphia with them last night.  ('Quick' means not quite an hour - LOL)  The lobster bisque and Beaujolais nouveau wine were sublime, by the way!

Yep, I looked through my card stash, and nothing fit the bill for their anniversary, so I whipped this up before heading to the restaurant.  Thank goodness for the beautiful sentiment and cluster of flower/leaves from Inspired By Stamping!  They helped dress up the card in a jiffy.  It really is a simple card, after all....just dressed up with a few pearls and a fancy die cut, and of course, the IBS goodies.  ;)

Inspired By Stamping is hosting an open Design Team Call!  Some info for you:

Inspired by Stamping 2013 Design Team Call!

Inspired by Stamping Company is looking for 6 NEW creative designers to join our

team!

This call starts November 29th and ends December 29th.

The new IBS Girls will be chosen and notified by January 2nd.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us before you submit.

Requirements:

o Actively post to your own blog in English

o Participate in our weekly challenges for six months to be posted on every

Thursday of the month

o Required to make 1 to 2 cards per release as specified beforehand

o Ability to print and work with our stamp sets, dies, embellishments and templates

(supplied by Inspired by Stamping)

o Comment on participant submissions

o Link to our challenge blog, Design Team members and post our IBSIC badge and

Design Team Badge

What Inspired by Stamping is searching for:

o High quality work

o Ability to photograph your work well and brightly lit

o Ability to follow the directions in the Design Team Application

o Fun, creative, happy spirited individuals who love to create with paper and

stamps! And who love to share their creations and inspire others!

Benefits:

o With each release, you will receive 2 free IBS stamp sets (varying sizes of stamp

sets each month), and/or ribbon and embellishments to use and keep with each

new release.

o Fun and creative inspiration with an amazing design team!

o Links to your blog from our Challenge Blog, Inspired by Stamping Store, Inspired

by Stamping Blog and your fellow IBSIC blogs

o Blog community socialization, friendship, creativity, inspiration

o A Six-Month Design Team Term beginning on January 15th and running through

June 15th (as long as all Design Team requirements are completely fulfilled.

Failure to fulfill any and all of the DT requirements will result in termination from

the team)

o Immediately sent two new stamp sets to work with for our challenge.

How to Apply:

1. Email joanna@inspiredbystampin.com with "DT Application" as subject

2. Include the following in your email:

o Full Name

o Blog Address

o Current and previous Design Team experience (current or past DT experience is

not required)

o Tell us a bit about yourself and why you would like to join us

o Submit a newly created card and/or project (never before shared on your blog)

using the photo below as your inspiration.

o You may submit as many times as you wish. Only your first application will

require for all of the above ... any subsequent applications need only include 'DT

Application' in the subject line of your e-mail, your name in the body and a

picture of your submission attached to the e-mail.

Good luck! We are so excited to see your entries!

Kind Regards,

Joanna, Brad and the IBS Team

Good luck to you if you decide to try out for the team!  And thank you SO much for your visit today.  Have a wonderful day!



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Fancy Sentiments - IBS
Paper: Vintage Cream - PTI; Tim Coffey Fall Gold Leaf Scroll - K & Co.
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko
Fibers: twine - Creative Impressions; Cream Crochet Lace - IBS
Other: Leaves, Tangerine Two-Tone Flower - IBS; pearls; Fancy Tags Three die - Spellbinders

Christmas Apron

Hello my friends!  I feel like I've been away from my blog for a long time.  We went to North Carolina for several days to celebrate Thanksgiving with family, and whenever I go away, it takes me a while to catch up back here at home.  I wasn't always like this, so I fear age is creeping up on me!  It's either that, or LAK (Life After Kids) is taking its toll on me.  LOL

This card I'm sharing today....can I just say how much I love it?  ;-)  I'm not sure if I can bear to give it away!  That's crazy-talk, I know.  Why make a card if it'll just sit around?  I don't know if any of you feel this way, but sometimes I keep a card for a while because I love the outcome.  I like to look at it as I pass through my dining room (where I craft...and eat...and pay bills, and do work, etc.), until one day, it's simply ready to go to someone special.

See the black die cut behind the sentiment panel?  I chose that because it reminds me of wrought iron, which is featured in the JUGS challenge inspiration photo (further below).  Fancy wrought iron is something I've always been drawn to.  They just don't make it like they used to!  The sentiment is from Inspired By Stamping.

All the best-dressed dress forms should wear pearls!  Or, Liquid Pearls, in this case.  The stamp is from Girls' Paperie, and it is wearing a lace 'apron' from my stash (it's gotta be, like, 20 years old already!).

Has this ever happened to you?  When I dot the White Opal Liquid Pearls onto an image that was stamped in red ink, the pearls turn pink!  The ink isn't wet when I apply, but the 'pearls' still turn pink anyway.

Challenges entered:

• Just Us Girls - photo inspiration (above) - I took my cue from the red, gray and white color palette; the wrought iron planters beneath each window I interpreted with lacy die cuts surrounding the sentiment; red bows on the planters show up as a red bow on my dress form's apron.
• Shopping Our Stash - Odds 'n' Ends or Waiting to be used.  I used a lace scrap that I've had FOREVER in my ribbon bag, and that little bow was in a $1.00 Scrap Bag from my Stampin' Up demo, already tied (thanks, Gail!).
• Simon Says Stamp and Show - 'A Project with Heart' - create a heartfelt card for someone dear to you, create a mixed media canvas with a heart focal point, use hearts as embellishments on your next layout, or art journal about what is dear to your heart.  My project includes things dear to my heart:  a shabby chic feel, some lace, some pearls, and a feminine touch.

Do any of you have the November issue of CARDS Magazine?  I have a card that is published in there, but cannot find a copy of that issue, so I don't know what page my "Give Thanks" card is on.

I'd like to thank the gals at Papercraft Star for choosing my 'Pretty Pink Thanks' card as a runner-up.  :-)  That was nice news to receive today.

And to each of you...I'm glad you came for a visit...thanks so much!




Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: music notes - Tinsel & Twig - Girls' Paperie; dress form, flowers - Paper Girl - Girls' Paperie; sentiment - Elegant Christmas Sentiments - Inspired By Stamping
Paper: white - PTI; Basic Black - SU
Ink: London Fog - Memento; Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko; Riding Hood Red - SU; Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap - Ranger
Fibers: lace, gingham ribon
Other: Persian Motifs, oval dies - Spellbinders; White Opal Liquid Pearls - Ranger

Inspired By Stamping #36 - Gift From Above

Hello to all of you, and Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends!  I hope your day is filled with good food to eat and loved ones to share it with.  We are having dinner with my in-laws, and they always serve the yummiest things!  I am grateful for their gracious hospitality.  I swear, it feels like I'm staying at a lovely Bed & Breakfast Inn when we are with them.  :-)

I'm popping in today with a Christmas card.  There's a fresh new sketch this week at the Inspired By Stamping Weekly Challenge, which is the basis for my layout:

I used The Sky's The Limit for the balloon with a sentiment from Holiday Expressions.  I thought they went so well together!  I stamped multiple snowflakes from Elegant Christmas Sentiments on a label die cut as my 'snowy sky.'  

Here's the sketch, which I turned to a horizontal format:

You don't need Inspired By Stamping stamps to play along in the challenge, but if you have 'em, we'd love to see them!

And if you're interested in becoming our Guest Designer, please read on.  :-)

Do you want to be a Month-Long Guest Designer with the Inspired by Stamping Girls?

Here is what you have to do…Play in our challenge the month of November and “Wow” us with your beautiful card or project!

The winner will be chosen at the end of this month and will be our month long guest designer for the month of January! Plus, they will receive two 4×6 stamp sets from the Inspired by Stamping Store to create with during this month!

Sound good to you?  Come play with us!

Thank you so much for visiting my blog.  I'd love to hear what you think of my Christmas balloon.  :-)



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: The Sky's The Limit, Holiday Expressions, Elegant Christmas Sentiments - Inspired By Stamping
Paper: Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Whisper White - SU; The Christmas Combo Matstack - DCWV
Ink: Frayed Burlap - Ranger; Crumb Cake - SU; Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko
Fibers: burgundy sheer ribbon
Other: Labels Ten, Petite Ovals dies - Spellbinders; pearls; Small Flower - Inspired By Stamping; Copic markers

Purple Christmas

Hello everyone!  I hope you had a fun weekend.  Ours was good:  friends had a small party on Saturday night, and it was so nice to gather together.  We rarely get 'out', so this was a real treat!  I also went to the gym with my husband (who goes frequently), my first time in a long time.  I will probably become a member, too.  After losing 30 pounds this year, I have quite a bit of flab to tackle.  ;)

I've got a Christmas card to show you today, in an unexpected combo of colors:  black, purple, white and gray. Because my friend Emily is a guest designer at Scrapbooker's Paradise, I want to play along with the challenge there.  It's a neat one:  CASE Yourself.  That's fun!

First, my new card:

And here is the older (published!) card that I am CASEing:

I used a very similar layout, but flipped the tree location.  Here's a closeup of the purple tree, decked with bling:

I used light gray markers to give a shadow to the tree's base, coloring right over the patterned paper.  The sentiment is heat-embossed with white, so it'll 'pop' against the black cardstock.  The satin ribbon is from my daughter's clothing - it attached the price tag to the article of clothing (she gets so many clothes, from Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister, Victoria's Secret, and more....I have no idea which store this came from!).

There are two challenges I'm playing in:

• Scrapbooker's Paradise - CASE Yourself

• A Blog Named Hero - Second Chances - I'm recreating a card of mine using more elegant touches, such as the satin ribbon bow, and bling, and sophisticated untraditional colors. 

Thank you so, so much for your visit today!  I appreciate my online friends very much.  It makes the big ol' world seem that much smaller and cozier, knowing you are all out there.  :)



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Merry Christmas Trees, Holiday Sayings - Hero Arts
Paper: Basic Black
Ink: Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black- Tsukineko
Fibers: gray velvet ribbon - May Arts; purple satin ribbon (repurposed)
Other: white embossing powder - SU; Pine Needles punch - Martha Stewart; Ornate Flourish embossing folder - The Paper Studio; gems - Queen & Co.; Copic markers

Inspired By Stamping #35 - Pretty Pink Thanks

Hello everyone!  It's good to be thankful every day for our blessings, but with the American Thanksgiving holiday peeking around the corner, it reminded me to make this card.

It's for a friend who I am very thankful for.  We've had so many wonderful phone conversations (we live far apart) and she is such a dear, generous, uplifting, gentle soul who brightens my days.

I used a beautiful sentiment from Inspired By Stamping, and also their challenge inspiration photo:

The buttons are vintage, topped with pearls.  The flower is so pretty, isn't it?  It's from IBS, and so is the ribbon (links at bottom of post).

Two other challenges entered:

• In The Pink - punches or dies (mine is the Beaded Circle die)
• Papercraft Star - a thank you

Won't you come play with us at Inspired By Stamping?  You have a chance to......

Do you want to be a Month-Long Guest Designer with the Inspired by Stamping Girls?

Here is what you have to do…Play in our challenge the month of November and “Wow” us with your beautiful card or project!

The winner will be chosen at the end of this month and will be our month long guest designer for the month of January! Plus, they will receive two 4×6 stamp sets from the Inspired by Stamping Store to create with during this month!

IBS has some blog candy also to give away this week! Please enter your card this week for a chance to win a $20 gift card to the Inspired by Stamping Store! The winner will be announced next Thursday!

Thank you all for offering your time and kind words here at my blog.  I am grateful for each of you!



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: All Year Wishes I - Inspired By Stamping
Paper: white - PTI; pattern - London Market - Pink Paislee
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko
Fibers: cream lace - JoAnn's; Victorian Rose satin ribbon - Inspired By Stamping
Other: buttons - vintage; pearls; doily - Wilton; White & Pink flower - IBS; Beaded Circles die - Spellbinders 

Whoo Hoo Wednesday - NOEL Candles

I am so excited to share my project for Whoo Hoo Wednesday, a weekly feature over at Inspired By Stamping.  I made dainty little decorations for plain votive candle holders, and can't wait to set these out for Christmas!

To make a set of these, you will need:

• Four votive holders and candles
• Small die from Persian Motifs set by Spellbinders
• White Opal and Ruby Red Liquid Pearls by Ranger
• Going Gray, Basic Gray and Garden Green dye inks by Stampin' Up!
• Memento Tuxedo Black dye ink by Tsukineko
• Antique Linen dye ink by Ranger
• Foam dimensional stickers
• White cardstock
• and the following stamps by Inspired By Stamping

Fancy Alphabet

Mason Jar Add-On II 

December 25th Labels

Delicate Doilies II

To make the band that fits around the candle holder, stamp the lace border end-to-end in light gray and trim.

Using a strong adhesive, place a bit on one end of the strip and wrap around candle holder to secure.  Add a  foam dimensional sticker.

Stamp the label four times in dark gray ink; trim.  Stamp N, O, E and L within each frame, using black ink.  Stamp holly clusters four times and trim.

Lightly ink the edges of each holly cluster and frame with linen ink.  Adhere holly cluster to frame with foam dimensional sticker.  Use Liquid Pearls in red to create the berries, and in white to decorate the flourishes in the frame.

Die-cut four 'snowflakes' and add foam stickers to center; attach an alphabet frame to each.

Attach snowflake to the foam sticker that was added earlier to the lace border around candle holder.

If you plan to light your votives once they are decorated, please make sure to practice candle safety.  :-)  The National Candle Association has a list of ways to keep safe when burning candles.

Thanks for your visit today!