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Thursday, December 31, 2009

Cherry Blossom Kinkade



Cornish Heritage Farms has the new colors of Walnut Ink sprays available in their store, and I bought some as soon as they were available. I used Cherry Blossom walnut ink spray on the cardstock, the ribbon, and the flower. I used the same Cherry Blossom spray as well as some Willow walnut ink spray on the Thomas Kinkade image. Hopefully you can see a little bit of the shimmer that I sprayed on the Kinkade image using a mini mister filled with water and some Pearl perfect pearls powder (also available at CHF).

I wanted to say Happy New Year's Eve to all of my readers. Have fun watching the clock tick down tonight, and I wish you all a wonderful and Happy New Year 2010!!


Stamps:
Gingerbread Cottage (Thomas Kinkade) from Cornish Heritage Farms
Spanish Script backgrounder from Cornish Heritage Farms


Ink:
Onyx Black Versafine (Tsukineko)
Moulin Rouge (Palette)


Paper:
Simply Smooth Vanilla from CHF
Bazzill Smoothies


Walnut Ink Sprays from CHF:
Cherry Blossom
Willow


Other:
button
flower (Prima) dyed with Cherry Blossom spray
ribbon dyed with Cherry Blossom spray
twine (May Arts)
mini mister filled with water and Pearl perfect pearls --- from CHF

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Sweet Stop Sketch #36 - Kisses from Heaven



We don't have any snow here in Texas, so I wanted to make a snowy card for this Sweet Stop sketch. I cut out the snowflakes using a Spellbinders die, and while the cardstock was still inside each die, I sponged some pale blue ink into each opening. The snowflakes were then covered with some Picket Fence Distress Stickles and set aside to dry. These stickles are becoming my go-to bottle when I want a subtle frosty effect instead of all-out glitter. LOVE my Picket Fence distress stickles!

I thought about looking for a "let it snow" sentiment, but I love this one more. It says "kisses from heaven" and it's from Sweet N Sassy's Snowflakes set. Isn't that the sweetest sentiment?

Play along and create something with this sketch today. It's a quick and easy sketch this time, I promise. :-) For more inspiration, check out with the other Sugar Babies created over on the Sweet Stop Sketches blog.


Stamps: Snowflakes (Sweet N Sassy Stamps)
Ink: Aqua Mist (PTI)
CS: Kraft (SU), Close to Cocoa (SU), Vanilla (SU), Aqua Mist (PTI), October Afternoon designer paper
Other: sponge, Spellbinders Snowflakes dies, circles Nestabilities, buttons (SU, Rusty Pickle, and PTI), Picket Fence distress stickles

Friday, December 25, 2009

Grungepaper Flower Tag



Merry Christmas! The big day is here! I don't know how, but this year just flew by. I can't believe it is Christmas today. I hope you are enjoying your families and your Christmas traditions.

I'll keep this short and sweet today. I loved Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas this year, and I just had to try the last tag with the grungeboard flowers. It was messy and time consuming, but I love this flower. I don't have the same flower die that he used, so I had to make do with this Blossoms Two die that I had. This flower is so big, I decided to just make one instead of the two that Tim used.

Merry Christmas to you all! Tune in tomorrow for the Sugar Baby sketch card that I've created for you. :-)

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Belli Challenge #81 - tags



I have a Christmas themed tag for today's Belli Challenge. This week's challenge is to use tags, and I've been on a roll creating all kinds of tags. This is the one I love the most and I wanted to share this one with you today.

To create that soft sage colored background, I smooshed my Peeled Paint distress inkpad onto my nonstick craft mat, sprayed it with a mini mister filled with water and Pearl perfect pearls powder, and then swirled the tag around in the liquid until I got it all inked up.

I set the tag aside to dry while I applied paint and stickles to the chipboard branch and bird. So while the stickles and paint were drying, I moved back to the tag and stamped the swirls all around the edges in the same Peeled Paint ink color. To make the sentiment stand out, I used Timber Brown stazon ink.

This tag was inspired by the 12 Tags of Christmas that Tim Holtz was doing earlier this month. I put my own feminine twist on it to make it a "Holly" tag. :-)

I hope you find some time during the Christmas festivities to work on your own tag for this Belli Challenge. Need more inspiration? The Belli Girls created different kinds of tags HERE for you.

Tune in tomorrow to see a vintage Christmas card. I loved how this one came out, and I just might have to make more of these for Christmas cards for next year. :-)


Stamps:
Christmas Expressions (Mona Lisa Moments) from Cornish Heritage Farms
Beautiful (The Rummage Bin) from Cornish Heritage Farms

Ink:
Timber Brown Stazon
Peeled Paint distress
Walnut Stain distress

Other:
white shipping tag
mini mister with water and Pearl perfect pearls powder
Xmas Red stickles
chipboard - Maya Road
Prima flowers
buttons - FooFaLa
Making Memories paint in Espresso
brown twine - May Arts
red satin ribbon (freebie from Ellen Hutson)

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

CC&M Trees in the Window card



I love this A2 Four Pane Window die cut card from Creative Cuts and More so much, I actually ordered 55 of these in this gorgeous Ocean Breeze color. It's a beautiful cross between the retired SU Cool Caribbean and Soft Sky colors. I used these for a Christmas card swap earlier this month with a bunch of wonderful ladies. I can't tell you how easy it was to put this card together - gotta love that when you are making tons of Christmas cards, right? :-)

I stamped the trees in different colors and then cut them out. There is a thin line of adhesive (Killer Red Tacky Tape) along the bottom of the windows on the inside of the card. I arranged the trees in the window and attached them to the adhesive. Then I wanted a little snow falling behind the trees, so I stamped some snow on a small sheet of Sahara Sand cardstock and then attached that inside the card.

The sentiment is stamped with the dark blue ink and then cut out with a Spellbinders Nestabilities rectangle die. I needed a pretty border, so I used a scalloped rectangle die and cut out the dark blue mat for the sentiment. I purposely kept this card free from bulky embellishments so they would be easy to mail. Don't you just love quick and easy cards?


Die Cut card: A2 Four Pane Window card in Ocean Breeze cardstock (Bazzill Smoothies) from Creative Cuts and More
Stamps: Snow Swirled, Patterned Pines, Itty Bitty Backgrounds (all from Stampin Up)
Ink: Celery, Pretty in Pink, Not Quite Navy, White craft
CS: Whisper White, Sahara Sand, Not Quite Navy
Other: Spellbinders Nestabilities rectangles and scalloped rectangles

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Sweet Stop Sketch #35 - Pocket of Roses



Would you believe I am actually tired of making Christmas cards??? Yup, me! So for today's Sweet Stop sketch, I decided to break away from that and do something pretty and lacy and feminine instead. This week's sketch involves a twist, which is to incorporate a pocket into this card.

I always need birthday cards for family members and girlfriends, so this will come in handy for the next birthday party. I found some Anna Griffin paper and I knew lace would look lovely with this. The hard part was finding the right stamps to go with this paper and this card size.

Look closely and you will see a faint outline of roses behind the sentiment on the tag. This tag pulls out of the pocket so the recipient can use it as a bookmark. I thought about putting a Hershey's candy bar in the pocket, but I don't think it would travel well through the Post Office. LOL

You should see what the other Sugar Babies have created with this week's sketch with a twist. They have created some wonderful pocket cards over on the Sweet Stop Sketches blog. Go check them out and leave them some love. :-)

Can you believe it is now less than a week til Christmas is here? Wow, this year has just flown by, I tell ya! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends. Enjoy the food, the fun, and the festivities with your loved ones. Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Fuzzy Snowman scene card



Don't you just love these A2 Four Pane Window cards from Creative Cuts and More? I've had a blast creating a bunch of cards with these. Here is my latest creation with a Fuzzy Snowman scene.

The A2 Four Pane Window card is die cut from Carob Cream Bazzill Smoothies cardstock, and I stamped some white snow all over the front. The snowman is a die cut from Creative Cuts and More as well, and I covered it with glue and then smooshed some Polar White Flower Soft into the glue until I had him covered, except for the hat. I used a black copic marker to color in the hat. After the glue was dry and the Flower Soft was set, I squirted on some black stickles for the eyes and the buttons. The mouth was done with a tiny sharpie marker.

See the little twigs for the snowman's arms? I found a scrap piece of brown cardstock and just freehandedly cut out the twigs. I used more scrap pieces of cardstock to create the little sign next to the snowman. :-)

The wreath was colored with copic markers and then dotted with some red stickles. I used a clear stickles on the torn paper down below for the snow drifts, and I created some icicles across the top of the card with the same clear stickles. Lots of waiting around for things to dry, but it was worth it. :-)

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Sweet Stop Sketch #34 - Winter Wolf



I wanted to try a scene card for this week's Sweet Stop sketch. This went together pretty easily once I had an idea for what I wanted to see. I basically decided to go with a winter scene, so I pulled out the In the Forest set from Cornish Heritage Farms. I stamped the wolf twice, once on white cardstock, and once on some Eclipse masking tape. I let them dry, and then I cut out the one that was stamped on the tape. I placed it over the wolf stamped on the white cardstock so it would protect it while I stamped the trees.

After I stamped the trees, I punched out a circle from the same masking tape and positioned the circle in the "sky." I also cut out a small section of tape to cover the snowy ground while I sponged some blue ink over the top of the trees. Once I was done sponging the sky, I took all three masking tape pieces off. The moon was just too bright for me, so I very lightly sponged a tiny bit of blue over the moon.

Instead of a sentiment, I decided to use a punched snowflake with a blue button for the small circular portion of the sketch. This helps reinforce the idea that there is snow on the ground.

I kept the rest of the card simple by adding the sheer dotted ribbon and mounting the scene on some shimmery metallic Lapis Lazuli cardstock. LOVE this shimmery dark blue paper!


Stamps:
In the Forest (Scene It line from Cornish Heritage Farms)

Ink:
Timber Brown Stazon
Walnut Stain distress (watercolored the wolf)
Faded Jeans distress

Cardstock:
Simply Smooth White from Cornish Heritage Farms
dark brown
Lapis Lazuli - Stardream Metallic (I bought mine from Creative Cuts and More)

Other:
sponge
Eclipse masking tape
Martha Stewart snowflake punch
button - The Paper Studio
ribbon - May Arts

Technique: masking

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Belli Challenge #80 - Flourishes



This week's Belli Challenge is to use flourishes. You could use any flourish-type stamp, chipboard, rub-ons, or even rhinestones. If you need more ideas using flourishes, check out with the Belli Girls have created over on the Belli blog.

CREATIVE BELLI CHALLENGE DESIGN TEAM CALL!
We are looking to add some talented stampers to join our team for the first 2010 term, which runs January 15th-July 1, 2010. ANY stamper, scrapbooker or papercrafter is welcome to apply! See all the details on the Creative Belli Blog!!!


For my card, I used a large chipboard flourish and covered it with Weathered Wood distress crackle paint. While that was drying, I stamped the Thomas Kinkade image with a brown permanent ink, and then covered it with Rock Candy distress stickles. Love this rock candy!

The card base has been stamped with the Weave backgrounder, and the sentiment was cut out with a Nestabilities Oval die. Then I sponged some brown ink around the edges of the card, the oval, and the dried Kinkade image. I love the rustic crackled look of this card. I am giving this to my Grampa for his birthday, which is today! Even though he won't see this, Happy Birthday, Grampa!!

Now head on over to the Belli blog and see what the other gals have created with flourishes. Create a card or project with flourishes and post your link to the Mr. Linky widget. If you upload your card to SCS or PCP, please use keyword CBC80.



Stamps all from Cornish Heritage Farms:
Weave backgrounder
Encouragement Expressions (Mona Lisa Moments line)
Gingerbread Cottage (Thomas Kinkade line)

Ink: Saddle Brown stazon, Antique Linen distress, Brushed Corduroy distress

CS: Simply Smooth White (from CHF, Bazzill Smoothies light brown

Other: Nestabilities oval die, Bazzill Chips - Flourishes, sponge, Rock Candy distress crackle paint, Weathered Wood distress crackle paint

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Sweet Stop Sketch #33 - Believe



Here's another Christmas card and a great sketch for inspiration so you can get your Christmas cards done and in the mail before the big day. I took some liberties with the sketch so things would fit on my card better. This is a much simpler version than what some of the other Sugar Babies have created. They have some GORGEOUS cards to share with you over on the Sweet Stop blog. Go check them out and leave them some love. :-)

Keeping this short and sweet because I have to get all my swap cards ready for a big all day shoebox swap with about 40 ladies. This is my third time and you would think I would learn to have things done a week ahead of time, huh? LOL

Stamps: Primitive Christmas (The Rummage Bin collection from Cornish Heritage Farms)
Ink: Fired Brick distress ink (Ranger), Snow Cap pigment ink (Adirondack)
CS: Black textured linen
Designer paper: Basic Grey Wassail
Other: button (FooFaLa), burlap twine (May Arts), lace (Hobby Lobby fabric section), Tiny Fastener (Tim Holtz/Ranger)

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Faux Patina Leaf Wreaths




I created these a couple of weeks ago for Cornish Heritage Farms using the Faux Patina technique seen HERE. I had so much fun making these even though my fingers turned all kinds of different colors. LOL

Basically, I started by doing the Faux Patina technique with the leaves and let those dry. I actually let these dry overnight, and then I cut out all the leaves the next day. I wanted to make sure they were completely dry.

I cut out a large circle with my Nestabilities die, sponged all over it, and stamped "Autumn" in the center. Then I arranged the leaves on the edge of this large circle and glued them down. The wreaths are finished off with a bow on the front and a loop taped onto the back.

I hope you check out this technique and try it for yourself. I guarantee you will love the sparkle! Experiment with different colors and see what happens! :-)



Stamps: all from Cornish Heritage Farms
Nesting Maple Leaves (Shady Tree series)
Nesting Oak Leaves (Shady Tree series)
Happy Harvest (GM Series)

Ink:
Brilliance Cosmic Copper
Brilliance Coffee Bean
Ranger Peeled Paint distress
Ranger Scattered Straw distress
Ranger Fired Brick distress

Cardstock:
Prism Smooth White

Ribbon:
May Arts

Perfect Pearls:
Forever Green
Forever Red

Tools:
Spellbinders Circle Nestability die
mini misters
sponge
scissors
Bow Easy

Technique:
Faux Patina Technique

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Door with Poinsettia Wreath




This idea popped into my head last weekend, and I made it right away. But with all the Thanksgiving preparations and the birthday parties over this weekend, I completely forgot to put this up on my blog for y'all.

I stamped the poinsettia wreath from Sweet N Sassy Stamps' Christmas Poinsettias with Memento Rich Cocoa ink, and then I colored it with copic markers. I did use a gold glitter pen in the centers of the flowers, but you can't really see the sparkle in this picture.

For the door, I cut some rectangles using the same color cardstock as the card - Naturals White. I then went around the edges of everything with a sponge dipped in Old Paper distress ink. Don't they look like the panels in a door? :-)

The hardest part of this card was the time involved in coloring and cutting out the wreath. Other than that, this is a very quick and simple card. You could whip out 50 of these in a few hours and have them in the mail on the same day. You don't believe me?? I dare you to do it!! Hee hee hee!

Stamps: Christmas Poinsettias from Sweet N Sassy Stamps
Ink: Old Paper distress, Memento Rich Cocoa, PTI Pure Poppy
CS: Naturals White, Neenah White
Other: copic markers, gold brad, gold glitter pen (Spica), sponge

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

December Stamp of the Month - CHF



This is a card I created using the Stamp of the Month from Cornish Heritage Farms. This collage-style Santa lends itself to so many different styles of stamping. I chose to go with a distressed and crumpled look for my card. You can see what the other CHF gals created by checking out the gallery HERE.

You can't go wrong with a distressed look. Just stamp the Santa image, use copic markers to color in the leaves and berries, sponge the edges with a brown ink, rough up the edges and then crumple it up in your hands. It's so much fun to just get tough with the cardstock. LOL Just be careful when you open it up so you don't rip your image in half. :-)

The background is even easier. Just cut a sheet of designer paper, rough up the edges, and then crumple it up. Flatten it out again and then tape it down to your card base. Add some ribbon, adhere your Santa image, add some buttons, and you're done.

If you order this Stamp of the Month from CHF in December, you get a packet with instructions for making Jean's gorgeous card. A color copy of Jean's card is included so you can refer to it while making your own. Wanna go shopping? HERE ya go! :-)



Stamps:
Jolly Holly Santa Collage (December SOTM)- Cornish Heritage Farms

Ink:
Brushed Corduroy distress ink

Cardstock:
Prism Suede Brown Dark
Simply Smooth White from CHF

Designer Paper:
Jolly by Golly from Cosmo Cricket

Tools:
distressing tool
sponge

Other:
copic markers
May Arts sheer brown ribbon
May Arts burlap twine
buttons from FooFaLa

Monday, November 30, 2009

Gingerbreadman Gift Bag



Have you got all your Christmas gifts wrapped up and ready to go? Yeah, me neither. LOL I created this quick and cute little gift bag to inspire you for those harried times. Keep a stash of these great little Square Bags #01 on hand for when you need something fast. Kraft goes with any occasion, so go ahead and order 10 or 20 in a kraft color for your stash.

I stamped the gingerbread man with a brown ink onto some scrap kraft cardstock and cut him out. I accented him here and there with a white gel pen to mimic the frosting he would have on his arms, legs, and face. After cutting out the square backgrounds, adhering the buttons, and tying the ribbon on the top, this bag took less than 10 minutes to make from start to finish.

Go check out what other die cuts are available at Creative Cuts and More. There is a huge variety of bags, boxes, cards and shapes to choose from for all of your crafting needs. Check out the gallery HERE for lots of great ideas to kickstart your creativity.


Die Cut: Square Bag #01 from Creative Cuts and More
Stamps: Holiday Button Bits (PTI)
Ink: Close to Cocoa
CS: Kraft, Riding Hood Red, Naturals Ivory
Other: buttons, white burlap twine, white gel pen, Nestabilities square dies, wide red/natural striped ribbon

Friday, November 27, 2009

SSS32 Deck the Halls



Here is my entry for the Sweet Stop's sketch challenge today. I love this sketch because it was quick and easy. I changed it up just a tiny bit by doing an out-of-the-box technique with the stamped leaves and by putting my oval on top of the square instead of under it. I couldn't cover up my sentiment, now, could I? LOL

Check out what the other Sugar Babies have created using this sketch today by going to the Sweet Stop blog. Play along with us and leave your link in the Mr. Linky widget, and make sure you use keyword SSS32 when you upload your picture to SCS or PCP.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. If you are like me, you're looking for recipes to use up all that leftover turkey. :-) Now that Thanksgiving is over, I'm starting to decorate the house for Christmas, and I need to get my Christmas cards in the mail. Yikes! Where did this year go??

Stamps: Holiday Button Bits (PTI)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Avocado (PTI)
CS: Olive, Chocolate Chip, White, Holiday Treasures dp (retired SU)
Other: buttons, white burlap string, May Arts Chocolate satin ribbon, oval punch, scallop oval punch

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!



Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you are all enjoying your holiday with your family. Here's a sweet and simple card for you to enjoy while the turkey is cooking and the guys are watching football.

I used Lisa's Faux Patina technique found HERE to make the leaves. It was messy but so much fun to do. These leaves are so coppery and shimmery when you move the card around in the light.

The sentiment is so appropriate for today, isn't it? I hope you take a moment to reflect on all the good things going on in your lives today. This post will be short and sweet so you can get back to the kitchen before the rolls burn (yeah, I've done this too many times!!).

Stamps all from Cornish Heritage Farms: Happy Harvest (GM series), Nesting Oak Leaves (Shady Tree Studios series), Nesting Maple Leaves (Shady Tree Studios series)

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Fired Brick distress, Peeled Paint distress, Cosmic Copper Brilliance

CS: dark brown, textured vanilla, Simply Smooth White from CHF

Other: May Arts ribbon, Perfect Pearls, Spellbinders Nestabilities die, sponge

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Belli Challenge #79 - chipboard and stretchNbubbles

I can see you furrowing your brow now - stretchNbubbles? Huh?? LOL StretchNbubbles is the name of a fun online store where you can get all kinds of digital stamps. They also happen to be the sponsor for this week's Belli Challenge. Our challenge this week is to use chipboard on our cards and/or projects.



I chose to use this cute Dot Cup image for my card today. Doesn't that cup of hot cocoa look so warm and cozy? Mmmmmmmm.......... I colored this with Copic markers and shaded around the bottom to give it a little dimension.

The chipboard swirl was sprayed with Creme de Chocolat Glimmer Mist, but it was just too flat-looking. I dabbed on some Antique Bronze distress stickles over the top to give it some little chunks of shimmery "cocoa powder" - sort of like someone stirring a chocolate swizzle stick into their cup. Mmmmmmm........ Are you licking your lips now? Hee hee!

Come play along with the Belli Challenge this week. Just pull out that chipboard that you've got stashed away and have fun decorating it to go with your card. When you upload your card to SCS or PCP, please use keyword CBC79. Don't forget to add your link to the Mr. Linky widget on the Belli Challenge blog.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!



Stamps: Dot Cup digi image from stretchNbubbles
CS: White, Close to Cocoa, Ski Slope dp (retired SU)
Other: copic markers, Bazzill chipboard - swirl, Creme de Chocolat glimmer mist, Antique Bronze distress stickles, kraft tafetta ribbon

Monday, November 23, 2009

Glimmered Snowflake Star Ornament



I just got this gorgeous Swirling Snowflakes backgrounder from Cornish Heritage Farms, and I knew I had to make a star ornament with this.

I stamped the backgrounder with Versamark onto five sheets of Smooth White cardstock, covered them with the clear embossing powder, and heated the powder with the heat tool. Secondly, I sprayed each sheet with the glimmer mist (in a mini mister bottle - see *Note* below) and wiped off the excess liquid so the white snowflakes would show through. Third, I die-cut each sheet with the 3D 5-point star die. Lastly, I glued each of the points together and added the ribbon to the top. Easy peasy. :-)


*Note* - my glimmer mist was clogged up and wouldn't spray. I transfered some of the liquid to a Ranger mini mister and labeled it for future use.


I hope you can see how shimmery this is. LOVE this backgrounder! It's so elegant and versatile. You can see more ideas for this backgrounder in the CHF gallery HERE.



Stamps: Swirling Snowflakes backgrounder from Cornish Heritage Farms

Ink: Versamark

Cardstock: Simply Smooth White from Cornish Heritage Farms

Other:
Ranger Clear embossing powder
Frosty Nights Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels)
Ranger Mini Mister
3D 5-point star die from Sizzix
sheer white ribbon from Michaels

Saturday, November 21, 2009

SSS31 Button Ornaments



Here's my take on today's Sweet Stop Sketch #31. The twist for this particular sketch challenge is to have sewing on your card. Well..... I don't sew. Nope, not a lick. If any buttons need to be sewed on or pants need to be hemmed up, my hubby does that. Not me! :-) So I went with the next best thing - Faux Stitching.

It's easy to do faux stitching. Just use a white gel pen (or any color of marker) and start making little lines around the edges of your cardstock. You can see I did this on the oval sentiment layer, around the button ornaments layer, on the green designer paper strip, and on the two little tabs on the side.

Go check out what the Sugar Babies have created for this sketch by going to the Sweet Stop Sketches blog. Even if you don't sew, please consider playing along with this sketch by adding some faux stitching like I did. Please use keyword SSS31 when you upload your card to SCS or PCP.

Enjoy your weekend! Can you believe Thanksgiving is almost here?? Happy Early Thanksgiving!!


Stamps: Take a Bough, Holiday Button Bits (PTI)
Ink: Dark Chocolate (PTI)
CS: Chocolate Chip, White, Holiday Treasures dp (retired SU)
Other: FooFa La buttons, white gel pen, Dark Chocolate Satin Ribbon (PTI), oval punches, word window punch

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Pinecone Peace

I was inspired by some clean and simple cards that my Mom had recently made for a church Christmas bazaar. I loved the dark kraft paper that she had used, and I "borrowed" the green gingham ribbon from her stamping studio. Hee hee! When I was at a local crafting store yesterday, I found a package of the dark kraft cardstock just like the one Mom had used, so I had to snatch that up.

For these two cards, I stamped the pinecones from Cornish Heritage Farms' Evergreen Holiday stamp set in the middle of the card. Then I placed the "peace" sentiment directly below the pinecones and stamped it with the same Walnut Stain distress ink. I used the green ribbon on the first card, and then I wanted to see how it would look with the wider brown gingham ribbon.






Which one do you think looks better? :-)

Oh...... and I have a little bit of news to share with y'all. I was asked to join the Cornish Heritage Farms design team!!!!! I'm so excited and I'm just walking around on Cloud Nine! I can't wait to get started!


Stamps: Evergreen Holiday (Cornish Heritage Farms)
Ink: Walnut Stain distress ink
CS: The Paper Studio kraft notecards/envelopes
Other: May Arts ribbon

Monday, November 16, 2009

Last of the Christmas Card Kit sneak peeks

Here are the last two cards that I created using the Christmas Card Kit available from Creative Cuts and More. You don't want to wait to order your kit - there's a limited supply of these available, and you need to get your Christmas cards created so you can mail them out to family and friends this holiday season.


The card below doesn't look like much of a card, does it? It's actually a Standing Pop Up card. When you push down on the edges, the little card pops up from a slit in the middle. Too cool!!!



You don't want to add bulky brads or ribbons because you need the card to slide freely up and down in the little slit. Here, I used a rub-on in the center.




This last card is an A2 Purse Card with layer and gift card layer set. The purse is red and the inside layers are cream colored cardstock. I used the mittens stamp (included in the kit) and colored the cuffs with a red copic markers (my own). I stamped the mittens again onto some green designer paper that comes with the kit, cut them out and paper pieced them onto the mittens on the cream cardstock. Then I cut them out with my own Spellbinders Nestabilities circles. I used the red and black cardstocks that are included in the kit, and cut those layers with Nestabilities as well.




For the inside sentiment, I used a rub-on (included in the kit) directly on some designer paper that is part of the kit. Before I cut it out, I noticed the tree shape of the sentiment. So instead of cutting it out in a circle or a square, I used scissors to cut the sentiment out in a tree shape. Too fun! The other inside layer has some slits so you can stick a gift card inside. Perfect for the holidays, isn't it?





I hope you enjoyed all these sneak peeks over the past few days. This kit is so much fun to create with, and I still have a bunch of designer papers and cardstocks left over after making all 12 of the cards. Hurry on over to Creative Cuts and More and purchase your Christmas Card Kit today.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

More Christmas Card Kit peeks!

I have three more cards from the Christmas Card Kit (available from Creative Cuts and More) to show you today. My goal was to show you the wide variety of cards you can create with this kit. You could go for clean and simple or you can go for eclectic and funky or you can even go for fun and cutesy. That's how versatile this card kit is.


For this card below, I kept it simple. Everything you need is included in the kit except for the red ink and the white cardstock. I just stamped the sentiment on the white cardstock and cut it out in a circle shape and adhered it to the red scallop circle which is in the kit. I love the designer paper that is included in this kit. Everything coordinates so well.



This is a larger card - 5" x 7". It's perfect for this larger rub-on that is in the kit. I stamped the mittens on some white cardstock, colored them with copic markers, and cut them out. I added some clear diva drops, or skittles, from the kit to each of the little scallops at the bottom of the card.



This card uses the large Tacky Tape snowflake that is included in the kit. All I had to do was take the backing off the snowflake, stick it down on the cardstock, remove the top layer of backing and then pour glitter all over it. The glitter sticks so well to this!

The glitter and the red Stickles are not included in the kit, but everything else is. I love the soft shimmer of this red card.



Come on back tomorrow to see the last two cards for this Christmas Card kit. Now run on over to Creative Cuts and More and have fun shopping. :-)

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Sweet Stop Sketch - #30

Are you ready for the new Sweet Stop sketch? I confessed that I was still in Christmas mode for the card last week, and guess what? I'm still in that mode for this one! LOL Maybe by the time February rolls around, I'll be ready to stop making Christmas cards, huh?





I pulled out the Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses papers and started playing around with the different patterns. I needed a good solid red, so after hunting around, I found one in the Lemonade papers (Basic Grey) that coordinates very well with these papers.

The snowman is stamped on Prism Smooth White cardstock (I got mine at Cornish Heritage Farms) and cut out. I stamped the snowman again on the red designer paper and cut out the scarf and paper pieced it onto the white snowman. Then I stamped the snowman again directly onto the little blue and green designer paper scene and glued the white snowman onto that.

Head on over to the Sweet Stop blog and see what the other Sugar Babies have created. I hope you play along with the sketch this week! :-)


Stamps: Heart Warmers ("noel") and Winter Trees (snowman) - both from Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
CS: Georgia Pacific white (layer and card base), Prism Smooth White cardstock
Other: Basic Grey Lemonade dp, Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses dp, orange copic marker, Martha Stewart snowflake punch, Basic Grey green pearl, Spellbinders oval Nestability die

Friday, November 13, 2009

More sneak peeks!

As promised, here are a few more sneak peeks for you. I created these from a new Christmas Card Kit that is now available from Creative Cuts and More. This kit includes die cut cards, cardstock, designer paper, ribbon, stamps, and Christmas rub-ons - everything you need to make 12 cards. All you need to supply is adhesive and inkpads.


Everything on this Felt Holly card is included in the kit except for the scalloped white cardstock. I added that just to jazz up my card. :-)



For this cocoa mug card, I stamped the cup of cocoa image (included in the kit) and colored it with copic markers. The image and the red mat was cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities. A package of hot cocoa mix fits perfectly inside this cool die cut mug.



The only thing I added to this adorable Be Merry Bear card is that I embossed the darker green cardstock with a snowflake Cuttlebug folder. I love the shimmer on this card! The sentiment and the bear are from the package of rub-ons that are included in the kit.



Be sure to check back on Sunday and Monday to see the rest of the cards I made from this Christmas Card Kit. You will love this kit, so don't wait. There's a limited supply of these kits, so go get yours now. You'll have 12 Christmas cards all done in no time and ready to send out for the holidays! :-)

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Creative Cuts and More Holiday Blog Hop

Hello CC&M hoppers! Did you enjoy the eye candy over on Jennifer Beason's blog? If you didn't arrive here from her blog, please start at the beginning by going to the Creative Cuts and More blog. You don't want to miss any of the wonderful creations the designers have in store for you.

I have some exciting news to share with you today. If you've been reading my blog, you might have noticed a lot of pictures with die cuts from Creative Cuts and More. Guess what? Terry, the owner of CC&M, asked me to join the Design Team! Wheeeeee! I'm so excited, and I have just had a blast playing with all the different die cuts and boxes and cards. Thanks, Terry!

Now for another bit of exciting news. The two cards you see below are sneak peeks just for you! I created these from a new Christmas Card Kit that is now available from Creative Cuts and More.

Everything on this card is from the kit except for the Star Dust Stickles and the ovals. I also used a tiny piece of clear fishing wire from my hubby's tackle box to hang the snowflake with. :-)






For this card, I added some Star Dust Stickles and I used a gold paint pen to accent the Christmas lights. Everything else you see here comes directly from the new Christmas card kit from Creative Cuts and More.



Stay tuned for more sneak peeks from the new Christmas card kit over the next few days. If you'd like to see more sneak peeks today, check out Chris Dickinson's blog. She's created some great cards from this kit.


As part of our celebration, CC&M will be having a great sale. For the next three days, we will offer 15% off the entire store. But act quickly, it is only active for three days. This sale will end on Sunday, 11/15. Make sure you enter this code ccholidaybloghop1109 during checkout.

As a continuing part of the celebration CC&M will be giving away one new Christmas Card Kit! After you have finished the blog hop, return to the Die Cut Diva blog and follow the directions stated there. The winner will be announced at Die Cut Diva on 11/15.

Now to continue on with the hop, please hop on over to Sandi's blog.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Belli #78 - Christmas with Creative Cuts and More

Are you ready for the new Belli Challenge? Today's challenge is to use your Christmas themed embellishments on your card or project. We all bought ribbons with Christmas motifs on them, right? What about those snowflake brads that are collecting dust? And who has stickers of Santa and stockings and snowmen? Time to dig those out and put them to work. :-)

Our sponsor for this Belli Challenge is Creative Cuts and More. They provided all the Belli Girls with various die cuts to use for this challenge. Creative Cuts & More is a leader in the die-cutting industry. They have a huge variety of bags, boxes, cards and shapes, and they offer those cuts in chipboard, acetate, felt, foam, shrink plastic, velvet paper and in name-brand cardstock including Bazzill Basics, Bazzill Bling, Stardream, Curious, and DoubleMates. Save time & money by having CC&M cut it for you! Visit the Creative Cuts & More Store or see hundreds of great samples in their Gallery.





I used the Square Bag #01 in a kraft colored cardstock for the bag. The poinsettia is created by using two sizes of the flower die cuts: Flower #06 - Medium and Flower #06 Small. I used a medium green flower for the leaves in the back, and then a medium red flower and a small red flower together to create the poinsettia.



All three flower die cuts were stamped with a backgrounder stamp using Versamark before I glued them together. I used some gold diva drops (also called skittles) for the center of the flower - it's so festive! The only thing left to do was tie a pretty ribbon on the top. :-)


This card below is a special sneak peak just for you! This uses items from Creative Cuts and More in a special Christmas card kit, which will be available soon. Everything on this card is from the kit except for the Star Dust stickles and white cardstock.

I used the stickles along the very inside edge of the frame and on the edges of the white cardstock beneath the designer paper, as well as on the large blue snowflake. See the ribbon? It says "winter wonderland" on it, and it's perfect for our Belli Challenge today. I've also used a couple of Christmas rub-ons (included in the kit) to finish off this card.



This is the inside of the card:



Creative Cuts and More just released two new kits this week - the Treasured Family Recipes Kit and the Holiday Treats Apron Recipe Kit. As part of the celebration CC&M will be having a great sale. For the next three days, CC&M will offer 20% off the entire store. But act quickly, it is only for three more days – this sale will end on Nov 14th. Make sure you enter this code recipebloghop2009 during checkout.

We are doing another CC&M blog hop on Thursday. Feel free to save the blinkie (down below) to your blog and get your friends to join the hop.




How would you like to win a TREASURED FAMILY RECIPES 8" X 8" MINI ALBUM KIT from Creative Cuts and More? All you have to do is create a card or project with any Christmas themed embellishments, and share your link in the Mr. Linky widget on the Belli Challenge blog. Don't forget to check out what the other Belli Girls have created while you are at the Belli Challenge blog.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

CC&M Mega Recipe Blog Hop Day 2

Welcome to the second day of the Creative Cuts & More Mega Recipe Blog Hop! Today we are featuring the Apron Holiday Treats Recipe Kit. We have 24 designers who will be showcasing wonderful pages and yummy Holiday Treat recipes.



Hopefully you have come here from Noelle Reese's blog. If not, please start at the beginning by going to the Die Cut Diva blog. You don't want to miss any of the wonderful projects we are sharing today.

As part of the celebration CC&M will be having a great sale. For the next six days, we will offer 20% off the entire store. But act quickly, it is only for six days – this sale will end on Nov 14th. Make sure you enter this code recipebloghop2009 during checkout.

As a continuing part of the celebration CC&M will of course give away great gifts. Each day we will give away one kit. Here is the twist – go through the blog hop and leave wonderful comments for the great designers. After you have finished the blog hop, return to www.diecutdiva.com and instead of leaving a comment, you need to share a recipe to have a chance at winning the kit. Share the recipe on your blog and link it back and get another chance to win the kit. Help us make this a great recipe swap. :-)

Here is my Apron Kit recipe - Candy Cane Cookies:





Everything you need to create this apron recipe card is included in the kit except for the stamps, inks, and green ribbon. I stamped three candy canes and colored them with Copic markers before cutting them out. It is really easy to assemble the apron with the pocket when you use the Killer Red Tacky Tape (sold at Creative Cuts and More). Be sure to pick up a roll or two of this great tape when you order your Apron Holiday Treats Recipe Kit.

Come on back here tomorrow to see what I created for the Belli Challenge (using a die cut from CC&M). We are doing another CC&M blog hop on Thursday, so feel free to save the blinkie (down below) to your blog and get your friends to join the hop.




I hope you enjoyed my Candy Cane Cookies today. Please hop on over to Rachel Sztonyk's blog to see another fabulous recipe!



Not included in the kit:

Stamps: Baked with Love - "kiss the cook" and Christmas Cheer - candy cane(retired) from Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Other: copic markers, Spellbinders Nestabilities dies, green ribbon (unknown - from a scrap pile)

Monday, November 9, 2009

CC&M Mega Recipe Blog Hop Day 1

Welcome to the first day of the Creative Cuts & More Mega Recipe Blog Hop! We are featuring the 8”x8” Treasured Family Recipes Kit. We have 24 designers who will be creating wonderful pages to inspire you plus we all will be sharing some of our own delicious treasured family recipes.



Make sure you check back at www.diecutdiva.com tomorrow for the Holiday Treats Apron Recipe Kit Blog Hop. We will also have 24 designers who will be showcasing their great creations and sharing holiday treat recipes.

Hopefully you have come here from Chris Penaflor's blog. If not, please start at the beginning by going to the Die Cut Diva blog. You don't want to miss any of the wonderful projects we are sharing today.

As part of the celebration CC&M will be having a great sale. For the next six days, we will offer 20% off the entire store. But act quickly, it is only for six days – this sale will end on Nov 14th. Make sure you enter this code recipebloghop2009 during checkout.

As a continuing part of the celebration CC&M will of course give away great gifts. Each day we will give away one kit. Here is the twist – go through the blog hop and leave wonderful comments for the great designers. After you have finished the blog hop, return to www.diecutdiva.com and instead of leaving a comment, you need to share a recipe to have a chance at winning the kit. Share the recipe on your blog and link it back and get another chance to win the kit. Help us make this a great recipe swap. :-)

Here are a few pages from my Family Recipes album using the Treasured Family Recipes Kit. The first picture is my cover page. Everything except the ribbons and the buttons is from the kit. I love the black chipboard letters with the cream-colored shadows underneath.




This is the third page of my recipe book. Everything on this page comes directly from the kit. This is my mom's recipe for Hot Fudge Pudding Cake. We just couldn't wait for this to cool down before we started digging into it. Trust me, this cake is heavenly!!!

(Click on the picture to make it bigger.)



This is the fourth page of my recipe book. Everything except the ribbon and buttons is from the kit. This is the most used recipe in our family besides chocolate chip cookies. I thought the little chipboard containers of sugar and spice were so appropriate for this recipe page because Mom always had us kids rolling the dough balls around in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Mmmmmm............

(Click on the picture to make it bigger.)


Come on back here tomorrow to see what I created from the new Apron Recipe kit. I will post a Belli Challenge project that uses a die cut from CC&M on Wednesday, and we are doing another CC&M blog hop on Thursday. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my family recipes. I'd love for you to bake these recipes and share them with your family. Now it's time for you to hop over to AJ Otto's blog for some more yummy recipes. :-)

Edited to add: Congratulations to Nicky Hsu for winning the blog candy from CC&M!!!! Whoo hoo!!! Please email me with your address and I will get that to Terry at Creative Cuts and More so she can mail out your blog candy to you.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Sweet Stop sketch #29 - Holly Cupcake



Can you tell I have Christmas on the brain?? LOL Just about every single card I've made for the last few weeks has been a Christmas card.

For this Sweet Stop sketch, I decided to use my holly cupcake stamp. It is colored with copic markers, and I went over the cupcake liner with a gold glitter pen.

The little red "berries" are actually some cream colored pearls that I colored with my copic marker. I needed some red berries, and I just didn't have anything that was red and round, so I made my own. :-)

Head on over to The Sweet Stop blog and check out what the other Sugar Babies have done with this week's sketch. I know you are going to love all the great eye candy! If you upload your own card using this sketch, please use keyword SSS29.


Stamps: holly cupcake by Lockhart Stamps, sentiment from SU (Fancy Flexible Phrases - retired)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
CS: Black, Vanilla, designer paper from package at Hobby Lobby
Other: copic markers, ribbons, pearls, nestabilities, leaf punch, gold glitter pen