Christmas All Year 'Round

It seems like I am always in a rush to make my Christmas cards and I know I am not alone.  Maria Bell has started a Christmas Stampin All Year Long group on Paper Craft Planet.  This group was created in order to challenge stampers to create one Christmas card a week, so when it comes to the Christmas season we don't have to scramble to make our cards.  Here is Maria's site where she will have a weekly sketch challenge and will post all the cards made for your inspiration.  You should join and take the stress out of your Christmas card season.

Here is the sketch for this week.

I wanted to use one of Deedle-dee Doodles sets called All About Santa.  I love, love, love coloring these Santa's.  They are so cute!  The images in this set on at her website on the left sidebar.  Check them out!  

With the "mom cam" you can see the liquid applique on Santa's suit really well.  

Supplies: All supplies CTMH unless noted. Paper - Deck the Halls paper pack (retired); Ink - black (Memento), dutch blue, cranberry marker, siver marker (Creative Memories), pics;  Stamp set - All About Santa (Deedle-dee Doodles), So Many Scallops (SU); Accessories - white daisy ric rac, liquid applique, blue crystal stickers (Mark Richards), concave punch (EK Success), scallop punch (SU), pop dots (SU) 

I told my sister I got a new case for my copics and she wanted me to show her.  Here it is, Connie!  My friend, Barb, told me about these cases.  Actually this is two cases snapped together.  You can get them at Walmart and they come with two containers for $5.97.  I bought two of them and snapped all of them together.  This is exactly what I have been looking for.  Thanks, Barb!  

I keep forgetting to let you know that I had to delete six of my video tutorials from YouTube, because a third party objected to me using their music in the background.  So if you ever want to watch the videos listed below, you will have to purchase them on a DVD.  I sell them for $2.00 each.

• Grid Technique
• Many Photos on one layout
• Shaker card
• Swing card
• Criss Cross card
• Card making with stamps

Happy Stamping!

LOVE

Have you participated in Jessica's sketch challenge on Paper Craft Planet this week?  Here is the post where I showed you her sketch.  Here is my card for this challenge:

I used a large spiral to hang the tag from to match the antique gold brads.

Mom cam

Supplies: All products are CTMH unless noted. Paper - Simple Pleasures Level 2, Accessories - chipboard heart and dazzling die cuts, Swirls embossing folder (Cuttlebug), antique copper brads and large spiral (Paper Studio), chipboard tag, Love Letters rub-on, chocolate grograin ribbon.

Happy Stamping!

Confidential

Finally, I got better pictures of this card I made for Molly Stamps.  My DH liked this one!  Woohoo!  Most of the time, he just says that's nice.  I like this card, because I used the confidential image from the Post Office set.  This set was intended for your packages and making labels.  I have had fun incorporating them onto my cards.  

Does the heart look familiar?  This is the first heart I made to go on the Fragile card I created with the Post Office set here.  After I made this heart, I wanted a bigger one for the Fragile card.  I set this heart on my craft desk and I kept thinking of how I could use it.  When I looked through my Molly Stamps for inspiration, I knew how I could use them together.

I like the game spinners from Tim Holtz.  I got the idea of using them through a heart from Wendy, another Paper Craft Planet and Molly Stamp Design Team member.  Thanks, Wendy!

I wanted to decorate the inside of the card, because I used a dark base.  In addition, I wanted to use my new Nestabilities Labels One die.  I really like this die set.  I carried the same pattern paper to the inside of the card for continuity.  I don't have a stamp with this sentiment, so I printed this from my computer again.  I used Black Chancery font in cocoa color (R117, G104, B87). 

Supplies: All products CTMH unless noted.  Paper - That's Amore Level 2, barn red cs; Ink - tulip stamp pad and tulip marker; Stamp set - Post Office by Molly Stamps; Accessories - blush corduroy brads, chocolate chip satin ribbon (SU), game spinners (Tim Holtz), heart dimensional element, Floral Fantasy cuttlebug embossing folder, Labels One nestabilities (Spellbinders), Black Chanery font

Happy Stamping!

Twist on Easter Eggs

We just got back from going on a little road trip today to Maryville, Missouri to celebrate Tate and Tanner's Great Grandma's 90th birthday.  It was definitely worth the trip!

I planned on showing you a different card this post, but the picture I took in a rush this morning did not turn out and now that it is dark the lighting is really bad.  I am glad I had this ready too!

This is the stamp of the month for February, which is this Sunday.  I can't believe January is almost over.  This set is for all the Easter layouts and cards you want to make.  There are so many Easter egg designs you can make a whole basket full of unique images.  Well, Chris wanted to show us to think outside of the Easter basket and came up with the quick make-n-take (picture right below this set).

Tada!  You can make flower petals with the eggs.  Isn't this cool?  She used the new Daydream Level 2 paper pack from CTMH.  The inside of the flower is a circle window charm over pattern paper.  I am not a big pastel person (Connie can attest to this.), but this flower and the paper are cute together.  Many of you ask how to dress up a card....add bling and embellishments.  

I took the time to dress this one up a little to show you how a card will look with just a few added touches.  

Happy Stamping!

LOVEY

I finally completed my Saturday lesson for the Now We're Rocking with Photoshop digi class.  Our assignment was to take an off centered picture and scrap it in 30 minutes or less.  Since I am a novice at digi scrapping, I kept it simple.  I think it is important to remember that scrapping our lives is what matters.  Every layout doesn't have to include every trick and product to be good.  Another technique I wanted to use was putting my title and journaling on the photo.

Again, our youngest, Tanner, is being his LOVEY self.  If you want to read the journaling, just click on the picture to enlarge it.  Tanner should have gotten in trouble for this, but I decided to capture the moment instead.  This is one of those layouts that makes me want to try hybrid scrapping.  I know I have great products I can use on this page.  See how easy it is to want to add more and more and more and.....

I need to put time limits on my creating more often.  Maybe I would get some housework done then...LOL!  I saw a card made by Diana Gibbs a few months ago that read, "A clean house is a sign of a lazy stamper!"  AMEN!

Happy Stamping!

let it snow

Here is my news.......

I have a customer, Diane, who is very crafty and lives in Omaha.  She stamps, crochets, draws, etc...you get the picture.  Well, she has wanted to start her own stamp line since I have known her and she is finally seeing this dream come true!  She has a few plates that she has made into stamp sets already.  What does this have to do with me?  

She has asked me to be on her design team.  Not only do I get to play with the stamps before they hit the market, I get to let her know what I think of them.  Is that cool or what?  This is the first card I have made with the Christmas Decorations set.  Since we can't do anything about the snow in the midwest, we just have to accept the fact it will snow, sooooo let it snow!

Her designs are very easy to color and play with.  I can't wait to show you more!  She is working on more sets now and I can't wait to play with those.  Diane has started a blog Deedle-dee Doodles you can visit.  It is new so there is not a lot on it yet.  She has a couple of pictures of her Christmas sets on the sidebar.  Check it out!

I have had this big snowflake for a year now and have wanted to incorporate it on a card.  I wish you could see it in person, because it sparkles.  The glitter doesn't show up well in these pics.  When I saw Diane's snowman, I knew I could use both of them to make a great snow card.  This snowman is so cute.  Love it!

You can see the snowflake  and snowman better in the "mom cam" pic.  Perfect together!

Supplies: All supplies are CTMH unless noted.  Paper - white daisy cs, black cs, blue cs (unknown); Stamp sets - Christmas Decorations (Deedle-dee Doodles), Christmas Scripts; Ink - star spangled blue stamp pad and marker, copics; Accessories - Snowflake cuttlebug embossing folder, snowflake ornament (Target), white pearls (Hero Arts), concave punch (EK Success), Bazzill Basics black gingham ribbon, black hemp, star spangled blue sassy strands, Dimensional elements bookplates, pop dots (SU)

Edited to include:  Diane sent me a picture of the set, so I could show you the other images.  Cute, huh?

Happy Stamping!

RAK's...this and that

First, I don't want you to forget about the sketch challenge this week hosted by Jessica Fick.  Here is the link to the gallery and her sketch. In honor of Jessica's birthday (1/24), GinaK has offered to donate a free stamp set value at $19.95 or less to the sketch challenge winner!  Be sure to upload your card with the tag sk012409 by Friday, January 30th to be entered to win.  Jessica will draw a random number on Friday night and announce the winner Saturday, January 31st in GinaK's Group Forum.  For those of you who don't know, Jessica works with GinaK.  That would be a great job!  I will post my card for this challenge later this week.

I went to the crop on Friday night and had so much fun!  Chris made this wonderrul taco soup, which was perfect for a cold night in Nebraska.  We watched a movie, talked and scrapped until midnight.  I got a lot done and Chris even had a make-n-take for us.  Thanks, Chris!  I had a great time.  Then as I was walking out Staci handed me this awesome Valentine's Day card.  It is so pretty!  I love it!  I felt so terrible, because I didn't bring anything to give anyone.  Thanks, Staci!

Look at what I got in the mail on Saturday....stamped images.  My wonderful friend, Barb, sent me these images from her collection.  There are an array of stamp companies to play with...YAY!

And this is the card Barb included in the package.  Isn't it beautiful?

I have more GOOD NEWS to share with you tomorrow and have been working on a card to show you just for the occasion.  

Boy, I have done a lot of cardmaking this weekend.  I am behind on my digi class at JessicaSprague.com.  I had an assignment I was supposed to do Saturday and didn't get to it. I am glad it is online, so I am not in trouble with the teacher.  LOL!

Until tomorrow!

Happy Stamping!

Whoo Loves You Valentine

I had to take the time to create today, because I forgot about partcipating in the weekly sketch challenge at Paper Craft Planet.  Lori is our host this week, so check out the sketch and gallery here.

I wanted to use the More To Adore Level 2 paper pack from CTMH.  Who doesn't love pink and chocolate?  Since you can't see the sentiment that well from the main pic, I made sure you could see it in the "mom cam" pic below.

I'm off to get ready for my crop tonight.  Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Supplies: (All products are CTMH unless noted.)  Paper: More To Adore Level 2; Stamps: Whooo Loves You, All My Love; Ink: chocolate, hollyhock, chocolate marker; Acessories: chocolate brads, chocolate organdy ribbon, baby pink grosgrain ribbon; Tools: McGill 3" file tab punch, pop dots (unknown)

Happy Stamping!

Fragile

The idea for this card has been rolling around in my head for about one month now. I had to make it, so I would quit thinking about it. When I saw the stamp set Post Office from Molly Stamps, I wanted to incorporate them into cards too. The first one that caught my eye was the fragile image. Right away I thought of a heart. I didn't want to use the typical colors for Valentine's Day, so when I saw this pattern paper from the Sarsaparilla I knew that was going to be my color scheme.

I am not sure if the Twilight series has effected my color choice, but this one seems a little on the dark side. LOL! BTW, I am half done with the fourth and final book. OH MY! How many of you Twilight readers guessed about Jacob? and how soon? I don't want to say anymore, because I don't want to spoil it for you if you aren't on the fourth book. I guessed really early that would happen. Okay, back to my card!

This is the same chipboard heart I used on my last card, but I covered this one with barn red cardstock that I embossed with heart blocks cuttlebug folder. Yes, I used waxy flax again. I love that stuff. Once I stamped the fragile image, I colored the impact in barn red marker and punched it out with a tag punch from SU.

I sentiment "handle with care" was printed from my computer. I used the font Rock It that I found on a free font site. That is another thing I learned from my JessicaSprague.com class. I didn't know how to download free fonts online and have them appear in Microsoft Word. It is really fun to search for fonts now.


Mom cam - I wanted you to see how I distressed the heart a little to make it look fragile and torn.


Materials used: (All products CTMH unless noted.)

Paper - white daisy cs, barn red cs, black cs, Sarsaparilla pattern paper

Ink - black, barn red marker

Stamp set - Post Office (Molly Stamps)

Accessories - barn red bigger brad, colonial white waxy flax, chipboard heart (Dazzling Die Cuts kit from CTMH), black organdy ribbon

Tools - small oval and large oval punch (SU), punch tag (SU), heart blocks cuttlebug embossing folder

Font - Rock It (computer generated)

Oh, I had someone ask about showing you how to color one item on a black & white or sepia photo. First, I don't think I could explain it on paper. Second, I wouldn't want to make a video on it and take away from Jessica Sprague's classes. Her classes are filled with step by step videos. If you want to learn how to use Photoshop Elements, you should take her digi classes. Even if you don't want to digi scrap, you will learn so much about your computer program.

I probably won't have anything to post on Friday, because I will be getting ready to go to a crop that night. My upline has invited us to her house for dinner and crop. That is so nice! Thanks, Chris! I have a customer who ordered 30 cards from me, so I need to gather all my supplies to make those cards. It is hard for me to remember everything to bring when I am used to creating at home.

Happy Stamping!

Cupid

I had so much fun designing this card today.  I love to start with an image, then pick the paper and just build a card.  I even started over once, because I didn't like an embellishment I used on the front. 

When I saw the ribbon I used had all three of the colors of the paper, I had to find a way to incorporate it on this card.  See the materials list below for a complete recipe. 

The big heart is chipboard and covered with the Dazzling Die Cuts (basic).  CTMH ran a promotion at the end of last year for this kit that included the chipboard and matching die cuts.  I am glad I got them.  

I think I will give this one to my boys for Valentine's Day.  The sentiment is so true!

"Mom cam"

Materials used:

Paper - Notebook Level 2, cocoa cs, Neenah White Solar Crest

Stamp set - In My Heart

Ink - black (Memento), hollyhock stamp pad and marker

Accessories - Dazzling Die Cuts (basic), bubblegum waxy flax, heavenly blue brads, American Crats ribbon

Tools - EK Success concave punch, SU scallop border punch, copics

Happy Stamping!

Update on House Mouse Stamps

Hello Stampers!

First, I would like to thank those of you who have purchased House Mouse stamps from me.  Big thanks to Stacy, Pam, Karen, Nikki, and Terese.  I hope you enjoy them and I would love to see what you do with them.

Since there are not many left in the first round of drafts, I will be moving the pictures to my sidebar today.  If you are still interested in the few I have left, email me at stampfest@cox.net.

Vivian, I was not able to contact you.  Every time I sent you an email that the stamp set was sold I got a returned email.  Sorry!

I have been organizing all of my non-CTMH acrylic stamps and taking a organization digi class.  I hope to stamp today.

Happy Stamping!

Always

Today, I started my second digi class at JessicaSprague.com.  Boy, I sure learned a lot just in the first assigment.  This one took me longer to put together, because I adjusted the picture of Tanner.  Isn't it cool?  I learned how to make one color show on a pic.  I always wondered how to do to create that technique.  The bright blue is the original color of the eyeglasses and I thought it wasn't going to work for this paper.  Then we had to add a grunge overlay and I colored it the same color as the eyeglasses.  Wow, that tied the colors together.  

I am having fun again and hope to get some stamping done this week.  Once I start learning new things, especially on the computer I lose my focus on my other projects.  I promise I will try to stamp this week too.

Oh...for those Twilight readers, I am on the last book.  I can't believe what is happening now!  I just started the fourth book, so I am sure there will be more exciting things to come.  I am off to get the boys to bed and to read more of my book.

If you want to read the journaling, you can click on the picture to enlarge it.  Find out what "always" is about....

Happy Stamping!

Paper Dolls

I had fun creating this one this morning.  I knew I needed to show you one of my Molly Stamps this week and I hadn't played with Paper Dolls.  

I really liked how this card turned out.  I just kept building and adding until I was happy with it.  This paper is a new Level 2 pack from CTMH called That's Amore.  Love it!  Oh, I almost forgot to mention I paper pieced the skirt.  I have never used this technique before and will definitely use it one again.

Mom cam!  Look at the corduroy buttons.  Aren't they cute?  These are blush color and are made by CTMH.

Here is the inside.  I have been getting into decorating the inside lately, so it takes a little longer to finish.  I like it!

I decided it was easier to take a picture of all the copics I used for this card, instead of listing them.  Do you think I used enough?

Materials used: All. products CTMH unless noted

Paper - garnet cs, That's Amore Level 2 paper, tulip cs

Ink - black (memento), tulip

Stamp set - Paper Dolls (Molly Stamps), Say It In Style

Accessories - blush corduroy buttons, brown ribbon (American Crafts), photo corner and scallop border punch (SU), mat pack and pop dots (SU), copics (see pic above)

Happy Stamping!

Blog Candy Winner

I can't believe I forgot to tell you who won the blog candy yesterday.  The random number generated was "7".  Lucky number 7.  Congrats, Kay!

Kay posted:

Cute card! My goal is to complete my daughter's wedding scrapbook. She was married this past June and I haven't even started yet! Gotta get motivated!

January 10, 2009 7:00 AM

Kay, send me your snail mail at stampfest@cox.net and I will get your goodies to you.

Hopefully, I will be back later today to post a card.

Happy Stamping!

Kim

Valentine Nugget Box

You can tell I haven't created video tutorials in a while.  I forgot to turn off the phone, so of course, someone called and Tanner forgot he isn't supposed to come into the room until I tell him I am finished.  Oh, well!  I finally got this one made this morning.  I apologize it is a long one....13 minutes.  After I finished editing it, I didn't have time to divide it into two videos.  

This is the project we made at club this month.  I wanted it to be simple, so we could re-create as many as we wanted for Valentine's Day gifts.  So club members...here it is again.  Now, you have the video on top of the instructions.

Here is the link to the cutting diagrams for a bunch of different nugget boxes at SCS.  I used the 8 short version.  Go to the link for all the measurements and the measurements are listed on the video.  

Materials used:

Paper (CTMH) - More to Adore dp, White Daisy cs

Ink (CTMH) - Hollyhock, Chocolate

Stamp sets (CTMH) - The Works Alphabet, In My Heart, All My Love

Accessories - Baby Pink organdy ribbon (CTMH), Labels (1 x 2 5/8), chocolate nuggets (Hershey's)

Happy Stamping!

You make my heart sing!

I started this card before Christmas and didn't have time to finish it until now.  I wanted to try my hand at the rectangle frames that Becca from Amazing Paper Grace creates.  Here is her tutorial on making a rectangle frame with corner punches.  

This card is 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 scored at 4 1/4 to make a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 card.  I dont' know the name of the heart punch I used for my frame.  I will have to make sure I write on them with a sharpie marker in the future.  It is an orange punch.

Mom cam

The Sweetheart gromlet is from We R Memory Keepers.  I pushed back the prongs so I could hand it from the organdy ribbon.

This is the inside of my card.  The sentiment is from the Dancing Notes stamp set (retired).  I used Fun Framed Dimensional Elements at the bottom and daubbed the heart border with holiday red ink.

I think this is the card I am going to give my DH this Valentine's Day.  

Materials used: (All products CTMH unless noted)

Paper - black cs, holiday red cs, white daisy cs, musical notes dp (unknown)

Stamp set - Dancing Notes (retired)

Ink - holiday red, black, white pigment

Accessories - heart dimensional element, holiday red organdy ribbon, black hemp, designer gromlet (We R Memory Keepers), heart punch (EK Success), black crystal stickers (Mark Richards), fun framed dimensional elements

There is only one day left for you to leave a comment on this post to win some blog candy.  I will be drawing a name with radom number generator on my dad's birthday, Thursday, January 15th.

I have been working on taking pics of the House Mouse stamps I am willing to sell.  I have duplicates and ones I just don't think I will use a lot.  It my first time through, so I am not parting with a lot of them yet.  I will put something at the top of my blog when I have a slideshow for you to view.

Happy Stamping!