Year in Review - Part 2

Hello again! As promised, I'm back with my favorite cards from July through December 2011. Oddly enough, 4 of the 6 are Christmas cards and 3 of the 6 use the Ornament Punch. Hmmm! One would think my Christmas cards would have went out on time since I started them so early this year. HaHa! :)  For more info about each card, you can click on the link above each photo to get to the original post. Here we go...

July - Christmas in July

It's not a big secret that I love lots of layers on my cards...and of course, sparkle. It was fun to create a holiday card when it was 105 degrees in South Texas in July, too. 

August - Corduroy Pumpkins

Two of my favorite things...the Button Buddies stamp set and Corduroy Buttons (retired). A friend who received one of these cards told me she framed it to put out every year in her home for Thanksgiving. That totally made my day! 

September - Wicked Little Owl

This little owl card was so much fun to make! Actually, I liked this card so much, I never sent it out. The treat bag with the bitty face just makes me smile. :) This card also made it into the "took-over-3-hours-to-make-club" because I kept adding more and more to it. 

October - Tri-Fold Shutter Holiday

This fold always intimidated me, but was really pretty easy to make. I also seemed to be sponging ink on EVERY edge of my cards for a few months this year. Isn't it funny how you get into using a technique and it becomes your "thing" for a while? 

November - Mocha Morning Christmas

I really wanted to try to make a Christmas card with very non-traditional colors and I loved how this one came out. This Mocha Morning DSP is GORGEOUS!! The sketch (designed by Lesley from the Paper Players) is one of my favorites, also. 

December - Snow Swirled Christmas

The Snow Swirled stamp set has seen a LOT of ink in my stamp studio. There is something about the way that tree looks embossed. This was for Ann's CAS color challenge over at the Paper Players. I really learned to like CAS cards over the past year...although I still tend to use a lot of layers on them. 

Well there you have it! I guess it's time to get crackin' on some new creations for 2012. Hope you are having a great day today and thank you SO much for stopping by! :) 

Paper Players #74 - Lesley's Sketch

Hi there and Happy Sunday to you! I am hoping for good day today but have been battling a NASTY cold since Thanksgiving. It has taken my voice and pretty much ALL of my energy, but I am armed with vitamins, DayQuil and lots of fluids. I know it's just a matter of time before it moves along. Until then *cough, cough* I am pressing on!

This week at the Paper Players, Lesley is our fabulous hostess and she has a fun sketch to try out. 

Blame it on the cold meds, but I wanted to try something a little out of the ordinary with my card. I recently received the Mocha Morning Specialty DSP and have been itching to open it up. I decided to try to play with these colors for a Christmas card. If you have visited me before, you know that I like to branch out from "traditional" colors on holiday cards. It's just a quirk of mine. I just like to be different, I guess. ;)

I embossed the ornament and the sentiment in black, which may be a little dramatic but I am really hoping it works with the papers. I tried to soften it up with some sponged ink and delicate pearls. Two of the patterned papers have a soft "shimmer" to them which the photos just don't capture. 

Here is the inside of the card...with the strategically placed watermark...so you won't see the horrible fold...because I seem to have misplaced my bone folder. Look away from that, please. Have pity on the sick girl! Lol!! 

Please stop by and visit the rest of the gals on the Paper Players Design Team and see what they have to share this week. You will NOT be disappointed! I hope you have a chance to play along this week, too. 

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

Julie Marshall

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Tara Bilbao
Susan Joyce

Thank you SO much for stopping by! I hope your day is HAPPY! :) 

Hugs, 

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Tags 'til Christmas and Petite Pairs 
Paper: Mocha Morning Specialty DSP, Soft Suede, Basic Black and Crumb Cake card stock 
Ink: Basic Black Craft ink, Soft Suede Classic ink (for sponging)
Punches; Ornament punch, Scallop Trim Border punch and Scallop Corner punch
Accessories: Black Embossing powder, Stamping Sponges, Basic Pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals and Basic Black 1/8" Taffeta ribbon
Non-SU! Accessories: Oval and scalloped oval dies

I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas

Hi there! Happy Saturday to you! Time for another fun challenge over at Our Creative Corner! This week, Wendy Janson is our hostess and we are having a theme challenge:

*Make a project with a Christmas tree (or pine tree if you would rather)*

I also found some inspiration from the sketch over at Inkspirations. I flipped the sketch to accommodate the tree. As I have mentioned before, I LOVE using non-traditional colors for holiday cards, so this week's combo at Create with Connie and Mary, immediately grabbed my attention. Who loves Lucky Limeade? I do, I DO!! 

I finally ordered the Lovely as a Tree stamp set (what took so long, right?) and couldn't wait to use it for this card. I wanted the card to have a woodsy-theme...hmmm, which is odd because there is nothing "outdoor-sy" about this gal. ;) The tree and the sentiment are embossed, although it is tough to see in the photo. I also used my new Woodgrain background stamp...which I was convinced I needed to buy after seeing the awesome creations by my stampin' friend Nance. :) 


Then after getting the card all dirtied up with sponges and the distressing tool...I couldn't help but add some holiday pizazz with the pearl ornaments. I colored them with a marker...they really look more "navy" in real life, the photo makes them look lighter. I also added a light dusting of "snow" to the "ground" using Dazzling Details. It rarely snows here in Texas, so my card is celebrating a GREEN Christmas. 

Finally, here is the inside of the card, using the same elements from the front:  

Thanks for stopping by! I sure hope you will join us this week at Our Creative Corner and play along. Please check out what the rest of the lovely ladies on the DT have created for inspiration, too.  


Have a very HAPPY day today! :) 


Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Woodgrain background, Teeny Tiny Wishes and Peace on Earth (inside sentiment)
Paper: Night of Navy, River Rock, Lucky Limeade and Very Vanilla card stock
Ink: Versa-Mark, Lucky Limeade, River Rock, Crumb Cake and Night of Navy Classic ink
Punches: Word Window
Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, 3/8" Lucky Limeade Ruffled Ribbon, Rich Regals Buttons, Basic Pearls, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Color Spritzer Tool, River Rock Stampin' Write Marker, Dazzling Diamonds, Twine, Distressing Tool and Stampin' Dimensionals
Non-SU! Accessories: oval and scallop oval die, blue sharpie marker

Numbers for Our Creative Corner

Hi there! It's Saturday and that means it is time for another fun challenge at Our Creative Corner! This week Sharon is our hostess and it's all about 'Numbers':  

"Everyone has a favorite number, or a number they will always remember.  So, for this challenge, include a number on your paper craft item.   Your paper craft item can be a card, tag, 3-D item, or scrapbook page.  Be creative on how you incorporate your 'number'.  This challenge is pretty straight forward, without a lot of specific guidelines or requirements.  And don't forget to have FUN!

I dug into some new stamping supplies once again and focused my project around the number of a pretty special holiday in December. :)  All of the supplies used are listed at the end of the post, if you are interested...including the new super-adorable Mini Jingle Bells from the Holiday Mini Catalog!! I also Sponged Early Espresso ink around all of the DSP edges along with the Silver Glimmer Paper accents. 

I received quite a few emails from my last card where I mentioned that you could color the new Silver Glimmer Paper using Classic Ink and a sponge. I wanted to post a side-by-side photo to show what that looks like. The circle on the left is the original Silver Glimmer Paper. The circle on the right is sponged with Early Espresso Classic Ink. The only tip I have is to make sure the ink dries completely (or give it a blast with the Heat Tool) so that you don't smudge the ink on your project...like I did the first time I tried it. Oops! 

 Finally, here is the inside of the card, using up some scraps from the front: 

Thanks for visiting today! I sure hope you will join us this week at Our Creative Corner. Please stop by the site to see what the rest of the gals on the Design Team created using the numbers-theme. 


Have a HAPPY day! :) 


Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Tags 'til Christmas and Contempo Christmas (inside sentiment)
Paper: Letters to Santa DSP, Silver Glimmer Paper, Riding Hood Red, Early Espresso, Marina Mist and Whisper White card stock
Ink: Early Espresso and Marina Mist Classic Ink
Accessories: Stocking Builder punch, Small Oval punch (ret.), Large Oval punch, Decorative Label punch, Early Espresso/White Baker's Twine, Stamping Sponges and Stampin' dimensionals

Paper Players Challenge #54-Christmas in July

It's July 4th weekend. It's 100+ degrees here in Texas. What BETTER way to celebrate then to "get some jingle on" with the Paper Players?  That's right...this week, Jaydee is our lovely hostess and she is in the holiday spirit with our weekly challenge. I cranked up the A/C, put some Bing Crosby on the iPod and got to creating...

What's that you say? That DSP and a few embellies are "retired"? Well, that my be the case, but sometimes you just have to go with what inspires you. The simple reality is, I have a LOT of stampin' supplies in my arsenal that are just-plain-neglected. As much as I want to share the latest and greatest, all the time...sometimes, it is just a GOOD thing to just go with the creative flow. Retired items or not, I just LOVED creating this card! I got the inspiration for the "hook" on the ornament from the NEW 2011/2012 SU! Idea Book and Catalog (page 40, to be exact). 

Add some Glimmer Paper and rhinestone *sparkle* and it was "beginning to look a lot like...." well, you know the rest! Finally, here is a shot of the inside of the card, with a sentiment from the "Snow Swirled" set: 

Before I wrap up, I wanted to share some shots of my sweet fur-pups for the holiday weekend. We are hosting yet another, Texas BBQ tomorrow and I had to make sure my boys were "dressed to impress" for our guests. Unfortunately, fireworks are banned here here in San Antonio for the holiday, due to the the drought...but that's ok. We will make our own fun, spending the day with great friends! :) 

How cute are my "dapper dudes"?? 
*even though Emmitt was being a wee bit stubborn...ugh!!*

I hope you will get in the "holiday spirit", this week and play along with us at the Paper Players! Please be sure to stop by and visit the rest of the Design Team for some awesome inspiration. Have I mentioned that these gals are the BEST?? Because they are. :) 

The Paper Players Design Team: 

Ann Schach

Lesley Croghan 

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Lauri Ingram

Sandra Azzopardi

Tui Nathan - July Guest Designer

Thanks for stopping by! Have a very HAPPY day today! :)  


Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Tags til Christmas, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Snow Swirled (inside sentiment)
Ink: Real Red and Old Olive Classic ink
Paper: Holiday Jingle Simply Scrappn' kit (ret), Real Red Glimmer Paper, Real Red, Old Olive, Very Vanilla  card stock
Accessories: Ornament punch, Word Window punch , Modern Label punch, Scallop Border punch, Square Lattice Embossing folder, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon, Very Vanilla 1/4" Taffeta ribbon, Silver Elastic cord (ret.), Clips Assortment, Real Red Corduroy buttons (ret.) and Stampin' Dimensionals.  

All Wrapped Up for The Play Date Cafe

I know I said I was finished with Christmas cards, but I made some Christmas tags for some gifts this morning and was inspired to whip up one more card. I'm sure I will end up needing it anyway, I always do. :) I love the color combo from this week's challenge at The Play Date Cafe:

I am wrapping a lot of gifts in purple this year so I thought it would be a great mix for the tags I was making. I used Elegant Eggplant, Tempting Turquoise and Pacific Point.  As I was thinking about a layout for the card, it hit me...why not just make one that just looked like a gift box? Then I could incorporate one of the fun tags I made onto the card. 


I love the Tags 'til Christmas set because it coordinates so well with a lot of different punches, including the new Decorative Label punch. I love, love, LOVE this punch! What is really fun is that you can actually layer the punch with a little creativity...and this cool video tutorial from Angela McKay's blog, North Shore Stamper. I also used the Medium Oval punch to punch out the "Dec. 25th" in Pacific Point, then added some Glass Glitter, jewels and popped it up on the tag. I also used some Electric Blue Smooch Spritz on the embossed background for some added sparkle.


(For the gift tags I made, I also punched-out another tag in white card stock and attached it to the back of the tag. I did this so I could both cover up the layered punch AND so I had a place to write the names of the gift recipients.)

 Here is the inside, jazzed up with some felt snowflakes and the sentiment from the Snow Swirled set:

Hope you like it. Thanks so much for stopping by today! Enjoy the rest of your day today! :)

SU! Supply List: 

Stamps: Tags 'til Christmas, Snow Swirled (sentiment)

Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Tempting Turquoise and Pacific Point classic ink

Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Tempting Turqiouse and Pacific Point card stock

Accessorories: Petals-A-Plenty Embossing Folder, Decorative Label XL punch, Whisper White 5/8" Organza ribbon, 1 3/4" x 7/8" Oval punch, Silver elastic cord (ret.), Silver glass glitter and Jewels

Non-SU! Accessories: Electric Blue Smooch Spritz, felt snowflake border 

Get Your Jingle On

Nope, your eyes are not deceiving you, I REALLY made a red and green Christmas card today! I like it, too! Crazy, huh? I'm trying to get over that little quirk of mine, embrace my "Christmas Spirit" and just go with those traditional colors. Maybe it had to do with my favorite man in the BROWN suit (he's kind of like Santa, isn't he?) who delivered a box of new stampin' goodies to my house yesterday. I finally ordered the Tags til Christmas set and couldn't wait to ink up that ornament stamp. I think I have established that I love my Ornament Punch, mucho! :) 

I was inspired by this week's challenge at Fresh Brewed Designs, which is a Winter/Christmas theme.

Then, I saw this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge and was immediately ready to "get my jingle on":

I guess my color inspiration came to me after running errands earlier today. Yeah, I BRAVED the grocery store the day before Thanksgiving. I like to live on the edge, what can I say? Holy cow, it WAS brutal, though. Never again! I did manage to pick up two of my favorite things while fending off the crazy shoppers today. My "favorite things" from this shopping trip are not NEARLY as cool as Oprah's, but they make me happy. Here they are: 

(If you have never tried these Mint Truffle Kisses, RUN to get them ASAP!)

*note how the bag has already been ripped open

So, thinking about coffee and chocolate, I went to a (retired) Simply Scrappin' set, Christmas Jingle. I bought this kit last year with the intent of making a boat-load of holiday cards with it. But, like most of my coveted retired DSP, I couldn't bring myself to cut into it. To all the "supply hoarders" out there...YOU understand what I'm talking about, don't you?? Yup, it is time to start using up this stash of goodies I own...

I made sure to add an appropriate amount of "bling" in the form of pearls. (If SU! ever gets rid of these I will probably need therapy, not kidding!) I decided to use the "Joy" sentiment from The Snowflake Spot (ret.) because it played off all the dots and pearls. It's just simple and I love that! 

I dressed up the inside with the sentiment from the A Cardinal Christmas set. There you have it "jinglin' in the holiday spirit"! I'd love to hear what you think about the card, grocery shopping today, chocolate...or anything else! :) Please leave me a comment, I appreciate them and I am happy you took time out of your day to visit me. 

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Tags til Christmas, The Snowflake Spot and A Cardinal Christmas
Ink: Real Red classic ink
Paper: Real Red, Old Olive and Very Vanilla card stock and Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin' Kit (ret)
Accessories: PEARLS!!! Ornament punch, Gold elastic cord (ret), Old Olive 1/4" grosgrain ribbon and 1" Circle punch
Non SU! Accessories: oval and scalloped oval die cut


Have a happy day! :)