Sunday, December 23, 2012

Sparkle!

Hope everyone is having a sparkly good day!

Thursday, December 20, 2012

CAS-ual Fridays #83:



It's CAS-ual Fridays time! Yes, a little bit early this week for something special!
We are teaming up with 10 Minute Craft Dash, so you can link up to both challenges, double your fun, and double your chances of winning a gift certificate to CAS-ual Fridays Stamps! Cool, huh?!




So your challenge this week...get your idea, gather up your supplies, set the timer for 10 minutes and dash to complete your card! Not at all stressful, right?! lol! I usually take *forever* to complete a card, but I had the idea to use the circle/line stamp from the Woot Woot stamp set to make a tree, so this was a quick, simple card to make! I didn't have any red gemstones, so I used my Stickles. I didn't count the drying time in my 10 minutes, shhhh. It just set up overnight. *wink*

This challenge will run for two weeks for the holiday, so you have PLENTY of time to make your 10 minute dash card, and I can't wait to come check it out! hehe! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!





Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Cozy Christmas!


 Happy, Happy! 

Can you believe Christmas is only a week away?! 
I can't even begin to describe how NOT ready I am! hehe!
So let's think about fun cards instead! 

I have a couple of cards to share for CAS-ual Fridays Stamps
I seemed to have been in a *krafty, cozy, old-fashioned* mood for these. 
That's what I love about these stamps, though, they are perfect no matter what your style is!

For the first one below, I used the Snowflake Greetings set. I love how Laura Bassen made snowflakes with emboss resist here, so I thought I would try something similar. I used two pieces of cardstock as my mask and inked up the space in between to create the horizontal lines. The green and red are a tad too dark, wish I had done them lighter, but that's a lesson for next time, right?! 


For the next card below, I used the Merry Kiss-mas set, such a fun one! I used the long "oh by gosh by golly..." stamp with cherry cobbler ink on the wide natural cotton twill tape, love that look! 


Take care and thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Merry




Playing along with CASE(E) this Sketch #9, a super and fun CAS sketch. Love that Tim Holtz tinsel twine. I made a hole in the card front with my "old-fashioned" hole punch/eyelet setter set, ran the tinsel through and tied it in a bow. Super simple.

Thanks for stopping by! Hugs and prayers going out today.


Recipe
Stamps: Making Spirits Bright by A Muse Studio 
Cardstock: SU Whisper White
Ink: SU Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Tim Holtz Winter Tinsel Twine.



Thursday, December 13, 2012

CAS-ual Fridays #82: Even the Score





It's CAS-ual Fridays time! 

We have a super fun challenge over at CAS-ual Fridays this week...
Even the Score...create a CAS project using creative scoring!
The winner will receive a prize from this week's sponsor, Scor Pal!

I immediately thought of making a Christmas tree for this one! 
That seems to be a recurring trend, maybe because I didn't put up a tree this year? Doh! 
I'd like to say I just scored some random lines and made a perfect tree the first time! 

ha! 
That didn't happen!
I tried several different times on white, even colored some lines with green chalk, then tried a couple of times on green cardstock, but I could not get lines I was satisfied with. Grrrr.

I finally gave up and drew some lines in pencil on one side of the cardstock, then scored over the pencil lines. I didn't use a ruler (like my normal OCD self would do), because I wanted it to look more natural. I even thought to take a picture of it before attaching it to the card front. Score! 
(See what I did there?!)



Head over to the CAS-ual Fridays blog to check out the other amazing scored cards by the Girl Fridays and to play along with us! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!



Recipe
Stamps: CAS-ual Fridays Snowflake Greetings
Cardstock: SU Summer Starfruit, Old Olive, Whisper White.
Ink: SU Early Espresso.
Accessories: Scor Pal, May Arts ribbon, Crop-a-dile, foam dimensionals.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Season's Greetings




Happy Wednesday! Students had a half-day today while teachers had training, but we got to leave early (3:30, a Christmas miracle!), so I raced home and crafted for an hour! Yahoo! I was very grateful for the much needed crafty time, some bad days because of a little screw-up has me hating myself! boo!

Back to crafty time...I played along with the Unscripted Sketches #188 challenge...what a great CAS sketch! I planned on making a lot (didn't happen!) of cards quickly, so I cut up a page of images from the October Afternoon Make It Merry 8x8 paper pad. What an awesome pad that is! I got mine from Paper Issues with 20% off by using Amy's discount code of Amy12. It arrived SO quickly, 3 days, and packaged so cutely! Thanks, Amy and Cassie!

Okay, better call it a night. Tomorrow will come bright and early and I need to be bright and cheery and fully rested for those little students! hehe!  Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!


Recipe
Cardstock: SU Crumb Cake, October Afternoon Make It Merry paper.
Accessories: SU Pearls, My Mind's Eye Winter Wonderland Washi Tape.

Monday, December 10, 2012

8 Happy Nights...Night 3

If you've been over to CAS-ual Fridays Stamps, you've probably noticed 
the 8 Happy Nights celebration Michele has put together for Hannukah!
I've created a couple of projects for night three!

My bag above is a simple little gray houndstooth bag from the Dollar Tree (couple of years back, 3 for $1), and I just added a white cardstock tag with silver embossing and a yummy ribbon. Instead of cutting the white cardstock into a tag shape, I removed the handle from the bag, laid the white cardstock over the holes in the bag and punched new holes on top. Lastly, I just threaded the bag handle back through all layers and tied on the *pretties*.

The card below is super simple with more silver embossing. Sigh, love that stuff. 



Head over to CAS-ual Fridays Stamps to check out more of the cards for the 8 Happy Nights. 

Thanks for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!


Bag Recipe
Stamps: CAS-ual Fridays 8 Happy Nights.
Cardstock: SU Whisper White.
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Silver Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, White DMC Perle Cotton, Crop-o-Dile, Michael's $1 ribbon, Dollar Tree gift bag.  


Card Recipe
Stamps: CAS-ual Fridays 8 Happy Nights
Cardstock: SU Pacific Point, Going Gray (retired), A Muse Studio Chevron paper.
Ink: Versamark.
Accessories: Silver Embossing Powder, Heat Tool.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Merry & Type *25*






Happy Sunday! As usual, I didn't get everything done I needed to, oops, but I did get time to play with one new Stampin' Up! stamp set, Merry & Type. I love, love, love this set and need more time to play! *smile*

I paired up a couple of awesome challenges...The Play Date Cafe Challenge #160 and Retro Sketches #41. Blue is my fave, so no way I could miss this one! 

Looks like a *real* cold front is finally coming through. It was in the 70s earlier and I had the windows open and was wearing shorts. Now it's 48 degrees and we're headed for 30 degrees! Brrrr! But I love it for setting the holiday mood! Looks like some of you are getting snow out there too!

This girl is up past her bedtime, so nighty night! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!


Recipe
Stamps: SU Merry & Bright
Cardstock: SU Crumb Cake & Comfort Cafe DSP; Lily Bee Design Christmas Cheer paper.
Ink: Midnight Muse.
Accessories: SU Twill Ribbon, Linen Thread, Vintage Trinket Brads, Extra Large Oval Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Big Shot, Labels Collection Framelits, retired canvas die cut, vintage button.


Thursday, December 6, 2012

CAS-ual Fridays #81: Knotty or Nice



It's CAS-ual Fridays time!

Come play along with Challenge #81: Knotty or Nice...create a CAS project using knots! 

I went very literal making little *French knot* berries on my mistletoe stamp 
from the Merry Kiss-mas stamp set. Love that one! 

You'll want to play along this week for a chance to win a Simon Says Stamp gift certificate and a guest designer spot on the CAS-ual Fridays blog! 



Head over the CAS-ual Fridays blog and check out the cards from the other Girl Fridays. 
I love how everyone had different takes on the challenge! 
And I can't wait to see your take next! *wink*

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!
(p.s. I'm glad from the comments on my last post that I'm not the only one who has made little to no holiday preparations! hehe!)


Recipe
Stamps: Merry Kiss-mas by CAS-ual Fridays Stamps
Cardstock: SU Basic Black and Whisper White.
Ink: SU Wild Wasabi, Memento Black.
Accessories: Paper piercer and mat, red and black DMC perle cotton, needle.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Santa Gift Tag

Ho! Ho! Ho! Here's one more gift tag I had made for the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #80: Gift Tags! You still have until Thursday at noon EST to enter and play along!

I was going for more of a vintage look for this one. I love, love, love that Santa paper from Lily  Bee Design, and I'm so proud of myself for cutting into it! Of course, I bought two sheets, just in case...hehe!

I used a marker on part of the sentiment..."oh by gosh by golly"...from the CAS-ual Fridays stamp set Merry Kiss-mas, but it's kind of hard to see because I sprayed some ink and it went a little heavy, oops!

Speaking of Christmas tags, how is everyone doing with their holiday preparations?! I've done nothing, eeeeek! 

Hope you're having a wonderful week! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!


Recipe
Stamps: CAS-ual Fridays Merry Kiss-mas
Cardstock: Jenni Bowlin tag, Lilly Bee Design Santa paper
Ink: SU Cherry Cobbler, Studio Calico Mister Huey's Classic Tan Color Mist
Accessories: SU Postage Stamp Punch, Vintage Trinkets safety pin & brad, and Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding; red stripe fabric tape.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

More Gift Tags!


Happy Sunday! I'm back with a few more gift tags! 

I made these first for the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #80: Gift Tags, but I decided maybe they weren't "clean and simple" enough! :)

I used the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps set Snowflake Greetings along with some Martha Stewart puffy little stickers I bought long ago at 40% off. Yeah, breaking open new packages and using them! hehe!

Maybe I'll add these to some holiday gift bags this year!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend! The question of the day...to get a tree or not to get a tree?! I'm leaning toward get a tree today...that's what happens after I've had a good 8 hours of sleep two nights in a row! 

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!


Recipe
Stamps: Snowflake Greetings by CAS-ual Fridays Stamps.
Cardstock: SU Pool Party, a muse gray polka dot paper.
Ink: SU Real Red.
Accessories: Circle and Scallop Punch, SU Chevron Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Martha Stewart holiday puffy stickers, Tim Holtz red tinsel trim, red & white polka dot Washi tape, My Mind's Eye Winter Wonderland decorative tape, SU Real Red buttons retired.


Thursday, November 29, 2012

CAS-ual Fridays #80: Gift Tags




It's CAS-ual Fridays time! 

Are you about to need some gift tags for holiday gifts?! 

Then come play along with this week's challenge: Gift Tags

I used the CAS-ual Fridays stamp set Merry Kissmas for my little tag. 
I was really struggling to keep this one clean and simple. 
What is it about gift tags that made me want to *pile it on*?! lol!

I'll be back in a day or two to show you two more gift tag versions...
one not so clean and simple and another one on the vintage side.

In the meantime, I hope you'll play along with this week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge
The winner will receive a wonderful prize from this week's sponsor, Bossy Joscie!
Go check them out and join in on the fun!


Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!



Recipe
Stamps: CAS-ual Fridays Merry Kiss-mas
Cardstock: SU Whisper White & Summer Smooches DSP
Ink: SU Lucky Limeade and Real Red
Accessories: Lucky Limeade Ribbon & Baker's Twine, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Red & White Washi Tape, Cuttlebug Tag Sale Alphabet Dies, Big Shot, Real Red button retired.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Thanksgiving Fun!




Schwooo! It's like I disappeared from blogland! :) We were lucky enough to have Kent's family come to Dallas and surprise him for his 50th birthday on Thanksgiving day this year! He had surprise #1 on Tuesday when his parents knocked on the door and then surprise #2 on Wednesday when niece Emma knocked on the door! He was beyond surprised, and we had an awesome week, which included a little cardmaking and tree climbing, as you can see in the above photos. I introduced Emma to some challenges, and we had loads of fun. The girl is uber talented and crazy for Thickers and buttons! :)

One challenge we worked on, Clean and Simple #218. You can never go wrong with their awesome sketches! 


I'm catching up in blogland and will probably be by to visit you tonight or tomorrow! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

CAS-ual Fridays #79: Winter Blues





It's CAS-ual Fridays time! 

Come play with us!

CAS-ual Fridays #79: use blue in your winter related project!

I used the new CAS-ual Fridays Stamps set Snowflake Greetings. I started with watering down some Adirondack Pool paint from Ranger in a misting bottle and spraying the background. Then I heat embossed the fabby snowflakes in white. I love the way the stamp set has SO many snowflakes in it, so you can use them individually, or arrange them on a large block in your own pattern like I did. After that, I applied some different Washi tapes, splattered some Pool paint on it, and stamped the sentiment on a simple white tag. For the seam binding ribbon, I tried to *melt* it with the heat embossing gun, but it was stubborn! lol! I gave up and scraped it along the edge of the scissors, which ended up giving it a pretty cool body and shape. Added a few pearls to the sentiment snowflakes, and voila! A pretty, but maybe not so CAS, card! lol!

I know you can do better and can't wait to see you try! 

This week's sponsor, CAS-ual Fridays Stamps, oh yeah, baby!  :)

Aren't you excited the November release is now available?!!
Stay tuned in the coming days for lots more fabulous inspiration from the Girl Fridays!


Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

CAS-ual Fridays Stamps November Sneak Peek: Countdown


Who's ready for a Sneak Peek?! 

Here's a peek at the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps November release stamp set, Countdown!

This is the first time I've had stamps for celebrating the New Year, and I love it!

For the card below, I went the *funky* route and stamped the various Countdown sentiments into the "talk bubble" paper from the Amy Tangerine Ready Set Go collection.


For the next card, I went the more *elegant* route with silver embossing...


And for this last card below, I went the more *traditional* route with die cut alphabet letters 
and the sentiment stamped in Gold Encore pigment ink.


See how many possibilities and looks you can get?! Want a chance to win the set for free?! Head over to the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog and leave a comment for a chance to win it! 

Be sure and check out the awesome samples from this month's special 
guest designer, Beate Johns, and the other Girl Fridays! 

If you haven't seen the other November sneak peek sets, you'll want to back track also, to check out 8 Happy Nights, Merry Kiss-mas, and Snowflake Greetings! 

Lastly, you still have time to participate in this week's 
for a chance to win the entire November release!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!



Thursday, November 8, 2012

CAS-ual Fridays #78: So Torn



It's CAS-ual Fridays time! 

Come play along with this week's challenge, 
CFC78: So Torn...create a CAS project with a torn element!

I used parts of two new CAS-ual Fridays Stamps sets on my card,
 so there's a little sneak peek for you! *wink* 

Stay tuned this week over at the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog for more sneak peeks 
at the new November stamps! You won't be disappointed!

In the meantime, come join along with the So Torn challenge and a chance 
to win the entire November release from this week's sponsor, CAS-ual Fridays Stamps!


Thanks so much for stopping by! 
Hugs and happy stamping!




Sunday, November 4, 2012

Think Happy Thoughts & Make Some Noise!


Happy Sunday! Hope you are having a good weekend! We're still praying for those of you in the East hit by Hurricane Sandy.

Thought I would do a quick card share, Card Creations Volume 11 pub rejects. I whipped up a couple of cards the night of the deadline (of course, doh!). I really liked the one above made with Woot Woot by CAS-ual Fridays Stamps, but it is pretty simple. I try to plan ahead on those pub calls, but during school they really sneak up on me. Have I mentioned two more weeks until Thanksgiving break and then three more weeks until Christmas break?! Ask my husband, I have! 

For the card below I used one of the sentiments from the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps set Calm & Gentle. It has great sentiments, very versatile. I look forward to having more creative time soon!


Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!


Recipe #1
Stamps: CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Woot Woot.
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Sahara Sand & Whisper White.
Ink: Stampin' Up! Cherry Cobbler, Midnight Muse, and Early Espresso.

Recipe #2
Stamps: CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Calm & Gentle.
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Summer Starfruit.
Ink: Stampin' Up! Real Red.
Accessories: Red Washi Tape, Big Shot, Stampin' Up! Chevron Embossing Folder and Mini Library Clip.


Thursday, November 1, 2012

CAS-ual Fridays #77: Snip, Snails & Puppy Dog Tails




It's CAS-ual Fridays time! 

I hope you'll come play along with this week's challenge,
Create a CAS masculine project for any boy or man in your life! 


My dh will turn 50 this month (shhhhhh, I don't want people to know I married a MUCH older man, hahaha!) so I was thinking of him when I made this card! *smile* 
I tried to think of a way to make this "masculine" and thought, 
well, it's kind of like the hammer's coming down on him! 


I don't have a hammer stamp, so here's what I did:
  1. Stamped the WTF image
  2. Googled hammer outline and found this hammer
  3. Resized it to approximately 2" in Photoshop Elements
  4. Printed it out on a sheet of paper, then cut the image out with an X-acto knife
  5. Laid the paper with the hammer outline hole in it on top of the white cardstock and smushed the Versamark ink pad down onto it
  6. Poured white embossing powder over it and heat embossed it
I confess, the picture is a little misleading. The hammer looks very white on white in real life, but it was not showing up in the photograph. I took a picture in outside light and the hammer looked more "cream" but at least you could see it in the photo! lol! I like the way it looks, very subtle, with the white on white...and so does dh. Yeah, he already saw it. Do you think he suspected it was for him?! 

I hope you'll head over to the CAS-ual Fridays blog and 
play along with this week's challenge! 

The prize is awesome...December Guest Designer spot on the blog AND 
a $25 gift certificate to Simon Says Stamp!



Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!




Recipe
Stamps: CAS-ual Fridays WTF set
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Soft Suede and Whisper White.
Ink: Versamark and Stampin' Up! Soft Suede
Accessories: White Embossing Powder, Heat Embossing Tool, Stampin' Up! Natural 7/8" Cotton Ribbon, foam dimensionals.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

One Door Closes...



Happy Wednesday! I guess I should make that Happy Halloween...although with a Thanksgiving card!

I whipped this card up quickly tonight using the FTL 213 from one of my favorite challenge blogs from way back, Clean & Simple. I used the Stampin' Up! set Perfectly Preserved, the one with the long-awaited mason jar! *smile*

I had to mark this day with a Stampin' Up! card because this is my last day as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, sigh. What a hard decision! I've been a demo for over 10 years now, and I don't make changes easily. Since I started teaching, I pretty much gave up the business end of it and only ordered for me and a few real and virtual friends (thank you!) occasionally. I've turned down creative opportunities in the past because of a conflict of interest with Stampin' Up, but after much soul searching, I decided it was time to let go and stamp freely. (My husband will seriously laugh at "stamp freely"...that's an oxymoron, right?! haha!) Anyway, I emailed my resignation a few weeks ago, went through a brief mourning period, and now have made peace with my decision. I'll always be a Stampin' Up! customer; in fact, I've already joined one of my downline's stamp clubs, so you'll still see lots of cards made with Stampin' Up! here. *smile*

If you're still reading...and coming here...thanks for sticking with me! Hugs and happy stamping!


Recipe
Stamps: Perfectly Preserved
Ink: Early Espresso, Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit.
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Orchard Harvest DSP.
Accessories: Decorative Label and Modern Label Punch, Linen Thread, Bermuda Bay Baker's Twine, Vintage Trinkets, foam dimensionals.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Friday Mashup #82: I'll Get You My Pretty!



Happy weekend! It's finally fall here, yay!!!

This is my last card as the October guest designer over at the Friday Mashup, kind of sad! I love their challenges! For the Friday Mashup #82:
  1. Make a project with a "Witch".
  2. Or Make a project using "Bleach".
  3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project with a "Witch using a Bleach Technique".
I decided to mash it up! I used a Tim Holtz witch stamp, isn't she scary fun?! I bleached out her face, then lightly colored her in with a green pure color pencil from Stampin' Up! (retired). I love how she turned out!

Head over the Friday Mashup now to see what the rest of the girls came up with and to join in on the witchy poo fun!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!