Christmas Blessings

Hi guys. Today I want to show you a card I made using an images from "Class Act Stamps". It's the first time I've worked with this brand...and I love the crispness of their stamps. :)

The image is colored with some alcohol markers. Using my Scorepal, I scored a few lines onto my background paper...to give it a little more detail. I also created a double bow. And finally, to keep things interesting, I stamped the sentiment on sideways....

some challenges:

 Brown Sugar Challenge - Christmas
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards -- Happy Holidays
Craftitude -- Anything Goes / Christmas Sparkle
Sister Acts -- Anything Goes
Crafty Hands -- Winter Theme
Totally Papercrafts -- Christmas using non-traditional colors

a Charming Christmas

Hi guys. The Christmas season is upon us. I love this time of the year...despite the cold. :) The peacefulness of falling snow. The lights. The decorations. The excitement in the air. The story of miracles...and the anticipation...family...traditions...and our first ever Christmas with our little boy.

...and I love having a reason to sit down and make some cards to send out to friends and family.  :)

I've been wanting to make a card using a sketch I found online. I've seen so many different versions of this card sketch...but I managed to add a little something that I hadn't seen on any card before....

something from my stash that I don't use on cards a whole lot anymore...

a charm...

Here's a look at my card:

some challenges:

Clear it Out -- Anything Goes

Oldie but a Goodie challenge -- Ribbon and/or Lace

Papertake Weekly -- Anything Goes

Shopping our Stash -- Anything Goes (the charm has been in my stash for a loooooong time!)

 Thru the Craftroom Door -- Anything Goes

LEJ Designs -- Christmas is Coming

Use is Tuesdays -- Anything Goes

Christmas in July

Hi guys. Not a whole lot of crafting happening in recent weeks. Too much other stuff to do -- outdoors! :) I'm LOVING summer!!! :)


...after saying that I guess it's a little strange and funny that I'm showcasing a Christmas card during the summer...but oh well. :p

I loved working with the Christmas Trees embossing folder. It definitely made this card a fast card to put together.

challenges

LEJ Designs -- Anything Goes

Loves Rubberstamp -- Christmas in July

Simply Challenged - Christmas in July

Sweet Stamps -- Anything Goes

Through the Craftroom Door -- Anything Goes

Tuesday Throwdown -- Anything Goes

Anything Goes Challenge Blog -- Anything Goes

Christmas in April

Hi guys. LOL Yeah, the "Christmas in...spring/summer/fall" months always brings a smile to my face. I always think "Who thinks about Christmas cards right now!". But here I am posting one myself!!! LOL

A friend of mine put in an order of Christmas cards...guess she's trying to get ahead for the year! LOL So I set out to make a bunch. It was actually pretty easy to get inspired...and they turned out fabulous!!! Used up scraps from last year's Christmas making supplies as well, which is always a plus! :)

Here's a look at one of them:

I went with the Clean and Simple look. The embossed background cardstock adds so much, they didn't need a whole lot of embellishments. :)

Thanks for dropping by today. Have a great week!

Simon Says -- Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday -- Anything Goes

3 Wisemen

Hi guys. Yes, I'm back again to show off another Christmas card. I've had this stamped image in my stash for two years now, and finally decided it was time to use it! It's about time, eh?

I didn't want to do a whole lot with the background, cause I wanted the stamp to be the focus point.

Just added some punched borders and matted it on my white embossed cardstock. Not too much to this one, but I like it. Let the image do all the work...

Here's the full view:

supplies used:

Cuttlebug Folder: Argyle

Fiskars punch: Lace

Bling from stash
Stamped image from stash (not sure what it's called)

Challenges for this card:

Creative Craft World -- Anything Goes (not 12x12)
Quirky Crafts Challenges -- Last Minute Christmas
Pan Pastel -- Christmas Time

Christmas Angel

Hi guys. My Christmas cards this year are very CAS (clean and simple) type of cards. I make a lot of my cards using the Inkadinkado Christmas clear stamps -- used two different stamping sets. They were such a blast to work with! The stamps themselves have a lot of details...which I blinged up...and that's pretty much all it needed. :)

The "Angel Silhouette" is my favourite stamp from these Inkadinkado stamp sets. Angels played a big part in the Christmas story. From the angel Gabriel who told Mary about how she would conceive the Christ-child, to the wonderful gathering of angels in the sky proclaiming "Glory to God in the highest...and on earth...peace, goodwill towards men..." -- angels and Christmas just go together for me. So when I saw this angel silhouette stamp, I was sooooooo impressed! :) Just the perfect stamp for some Christmas cards...

Here are the two Inkadinkado clear stamp sets I used:

I loved how the card turned out! Simple....but striking -- especially once I added all the bling. :)

I made a few different variations -- just color wise, 'cause I loved the overall look of the card too much to change it. Here's another bunch of Christmas cards finished and ready to sign and send off! :)

 some challenges for these cards:

The Stamp Spot -- Christmas
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: What's your Favourite?
-- Stampin' Up Cardstock, Inkadinkado Clear Stamps
Word Art Wednesday -- Anything Goes 
Sweet Stampin' Challenges -- Christmas Anything Goes
 

Season's Greetings

Hi guys! I've loved working with Inkadinkado clear stamps this Christmas time. I've finally figured out how to get a clear and crisp image every time...and now there's no stopping me when I get started with stamping...

but as long as cards are being made, all is good, right? :p

I'm not a big fan of the "Season's Greetings" expression -- I like the good old "Merry Christmas". The Christ-child is a big part of the Christmas season (He is after all the whole purpose behind the season). But I liked the look of this stamp and decided to make one card using it.

I added a punched border  to make things a little bit interesting. Love the bit of extra the border punches add to cards...

Finally I added a border of punched snowflakes to the bottom of the card, 'cause it was looking a little bare. Added some bling to spice it all up...and the card was complete. :)

Thanks for dropping by my blog today. Hope I've inspired you  a little bit. :) Have a blessed day. :)

challenges

Simon Says -- Anything Goes (with Martha Stewart Products)
-- used the Martha Stewart snowflake punch
Party Time Tuesday -- Anything Goes
Word Art Wednesday -- God's Goodness/Anything  Goes
Crafty Bloggers Network -- Christmas Anything Goes
FAb 'n' Funky Challenges -- 3 of anything on your project
-- used 3 punched snowflakes
Stamping Sisters in Christ -- Make a Christmas Card
Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps -- Christmas
Sparkles Monthly Challenges -- Christmas is Coming
Delightful Challenges -- Red & Green
Creative Inspirations -- Traditional Christmas Colors

Christmas crop

Hi guy. We had a crop with a few of the girls on Friday evening...to make some Christmas cards. It was fun -- lots of laughs. :)

So today I want to showcase one of the cards I made that evening. I must admit my mojo was a little lost when we first started, but a few hours into it, it finally found me...and I did manage to get a few good Christmas cards made. :p

First off -- I had a blast playing with the spellbinders. They make card making so much easier and faster! Plus, we had lots of great stamps and tons of fun papers to work with!!!! The mojo just HAD to come!!!!

I actually added dimensionals to the image...which my camera apparently had a hard time picking up on.

LOL This crop made me realize just how into the color brown I am!!! I'm putting it everywhere these days -- and not getting tired of the color either! It just happens to look good combined with a multiple number of different colors...

...who knew brown was a Christmas color?!! ...I guess you learn something new every year! :p

Here's the full card:

 Thanks for dropping by my blog today. Leave me a comment and I'll come visit your blog as well. :) Have a great day! :)

challenges:

Our Daily Bread Designs blog: Winter Holiday -- Christmas
Creative Cards Crew: Anything Goes
Paper Creators Crafts: Christmas
Natalie & Amy Challenges: Favourite Color Combo -- Brown & any other color
Penny Black and More: Any Die Will Do
Challenges 4 Everyone: Anything Goes

Christmas is Coming & Some Giveaways

Hi guys...I'm back with another Christmas card to share with you. This one features ribbon. Ribbon is one embellishment that I love to see on cards, but when I try using it on one of mine, they often don't turn out quite right.

This card actually turned out the way I had it planned in my head. :) Thanks to an online friend, I have the Easy Bow maker to help make the perfect bows.

The Easy Bow Maker doesn't look like a whole lot, but it makes perfect bows every time...and saves lots of time trying to get the bows look pretty. It's definitely a time-saver. :)

Here's the full view of the card:
 

supplies used:

Inkadinkado Christmas Silhouette Stamps

Cuttlebug Folder -- Victorian

Ribbon from Stash

Red Bling

Also want to let you know about an amazing giveaway. Nicole's Stamp Addiction is having a Thank You giveaway -- 50 promarkers!!! I have never used one of these markers, but if you're into using stamped images for your cards, this giveaway is for you! They look like a lot of fun to play around with. :) Her giveaway ends when she reaches 3450 followers -- so head on over to Nicole's Stamp Addiction and sign up. You can't win if you don't try. :)

Also, The Scrapbook Garden is having a fabulous November/December giveaway. Head on over to her blog to get all the details. You could be the winner of this:

I've never actually tried Distress Inks, but from the tutorials I've seen using them, they look like sooooooo much fun! And there so many different ways of using them! I would love to win this! :)




Really Reasonable Ribbon is having a pre-holiday blog candy. I have been the lucky winner of the RRR blog hop twice (they have one every month with an amazing ribbon prize), so from experience I know their ribbons are awesome! They are great quality and great looking too! :) Plus, their pre-holiday giveaway has a lot of extras. Head on over the Really Reasonable Ribbon blog to read all the details.

And if you're looking to be further inspired with Christmas related cards and projects, head on over to the At Studio D blog. They're having a 25 days of Christmas giveaway -- and there's lots of inspiration to find there as we head into the Christmas season.

challenges:

Stamping Sensations -- Traditional Christmas
Word Art Wednesday -- Anything Goes
Totally Stampalicious -- Bling
Through the Craftroom Door -- Anything Goes
House of Gilli -- Celebration

The first of many to come

Hi guys...can you believe it's November already?!! Like wow!!! We're a month away from the Christmas season!!! And with time flying by so fast, I think it's time I got some serious Christmas cardmaking done,  'cause time ain't slowing down anytime soon! ....and I don't want to have them all pile up on me at once...

So today I headed to my scrapping table to get started on some Christmas cards...

I decided to try using some clear stamps -- "Christmas Silhouettes" by Inkadinkado. (love the name of the stamping company, don't you?) LOL

This set of stamps is so much fun to play with!!! One thing I love about them is that you don't need to add a whole lot to the card to make it look amazing! Just a little color and bling...and whah-lah! I had created my first Christmas card. :)

Wanna see???

Not my typical Christmas card that's for sure....

...but I decided to try the reindeer stamp anyways, 'cause I love the trail of "snowflakes" and "flowers" it has behind it. It's just a fun stamp...and so pretty! :)

I love the bit of extra blitz the image gets when you add some bling to spice it up...

Here's a look at the whole card. Clean and simple...just the way I like it! :)

 Thanks for dropping by today. God bless you. :)

challenges for my card:

Crafts & Me Challenges -- Bling it Up
Word Art Wednesday -- Anything Goes
Willow Sketchie Challenge -- Sketch 

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge -- No Patterned Paper
HotShot Crafts -- Bling it On
Anything Goes Challenges -- Anything Goes
Totally Stampalicious -- Anything Goes
DL.Art Challenges -- Any Holiday from October to End of the Year
Crafty Pad Designs -- Christmas is Coming
Creative Craft Challenges -- Special Occasion, Not Birthday

'tis beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

'tis the season...to get some Christmas cards made. I'm running low on supplies at the moment (need a serious craft store stop already!) ....but here's a few cards I've made this year. :D

Pretty simple to come up with ideas when you have a Cuttlebug to help you. :D

 

TFL :D

 Paper Sundaes -- Anything Christmas 
Paper Play -- Christmas 
Creative Accents -- Christmas
Deep Ocean -- Let It Snow
Southern Girls -- Let's Celebrate!
Joan's Garden -- Quick Card, Anything Goes
Creative Card Crew -- Christmas
Creative Belli -- Winter and Christmas
Paper Crafting Journey -- Christmas
Little Darlings - Christmas
Always Something Creative -- Merry Christmas
Penny's Paper Crafty -- Merry Christmas

Gate-Fold Christmas

One of the new ideas we discussed at the kiddie crop I was at on Tuesday was Gate-Fold cards. They're very simple to make -- and there's so much you can do to change them up!

This is one I made -- again not very elaborate, but I WAS just learning! LOL My next ones are definitely gonna have more details -- although for the most part, simplicity works for me. I love the cuttlebug folder used here -- snowflakes. Fits perfectly with the whole card. :)

TFL :)

stamptacular sunday challenges: winter wishes
daring card makers: snow much fun!

Christmas Card Crop

So we had a mini crop with the school kiddie today. I went over to "help" -- but ended up making a few cards for myself as well!!! LOL

It was so much fun! Lots of great Christmas stamps, a cuttlebug, great punches -- including a few fiskar border punches i had never seen before, gorgeous papers...and lots of ideas. Learned a little about some new techniques to try -- one day!

Here's a look-see at one of the cards I made. Not to elaborate -- but when you're using a cuttlebug, there's not a whole lot required to the card....'cause the embossed background just adds so much!!! Now I want a cuttlebug even more!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TFL :)

fresh brewed designs: merry christmas
stamp with fun: christmas
pear tree designs: challenge #30: christmas

Totally Out of My Comfort Zone

So last week we had this two sided card idea to lift on Fiskateers.com. I was impressed with the actual card, although it was totally not me!!! Talk about being out of my comfort zone!!! :( I went for it though...and after a lot of trial and error, I ended up with this:

It's not too strange, but I think I'll definitely stick to the simple fold-in-half type of cards. but I'm loving trying these new ideas and techniques -- 'cause I know I would never try them if it weren't for card lifters. :p

Here are a few details:

** The original card we lifted, actually had a lot of big tags on every page. I went with one. --- stamped and embossed it.

** I have a whole bunch of these page borders in my stash -- I'm always trying to find ways to use them in layouts and cards. This one fit nicely 'cause of the gold. :)

** Christmas trees from my stash from last year or the year before. I have so many supplies that I just don't use...because I'm always wanting to use the new stuff instead of the old!!! :p

So hey, if you're looking for a challenge with card making -- why not try one of these??? TFL

Crafty Cardmakers: Spotlight Dry Embossing

Non-traditional Christmas

 I've been making a lot of green Christmas cards this week, but yesterday I discovered how awesome blue is for a Christmas colour. Non-traditional maybe, but it fits well with snowflakes. Here's a blue card I made today -- blue, white and red. I know -- it's a little 4th of July, but it works for me! :) Christmas shouldn't just be about the reds and the greens!!! TFL

the embossing is a little hard to see on the photos. here's a close up:

A Spoonful of Sugar -- Relish to Embellish
The Crafty Calendar Challenge -- Winter & Snowflakes
C.R.A.F.T Challenge -- Dry Embossing (I dry embossed the white squares the snowflakes are on)
I Did It Creations -- Holiday Colours Mixup (I used the 4th of July colours for a Christmas card)

Starting on the Christmas Cards

I've been wanting to get started on making Christmas cards, but I ran out of plain greens, reds and blues!!! Last week I got a package in the mail -- which included shades of green papers. That was sweet! :)

I borrowed some Christmas Stamp Up! stamps from a friend, and set to work....

I embossed the stamped image, and added some bling to make it stand out more. Used my favourite fiskar fancy edge scissors -- the scallop -- to create a border. The icicle border I used on the bottom of my card has been in my stash forever. I just couldn't make myself use it...until now. I just love that border punch!!!  Finally I added some ribbon from my stash and some light green pearls in the corners. There's lots of layering and I love it! :)

One down...so many more to go. But at least now I know what works... TFL. :)

challenges:
Totally Paper Crafts Challenges: Bling it On! (bling on the trees)
Simon Says Challenges: Punch Em! (border punch)
Creative Card Crew -- Let's Punch It (border punch)

A Charming Card

Oh, I know. It's spring...and I'm making a Christmas card. LOL Just thought I'd go with something a little different for right now -- see what my creativity can do with Christmas cards this time around. Plus...it's never too early to get started on making your Christmas stash -- and depending on my mojo in November/December sounds a little scary right now! TFL

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:
Winter Wonderland: Anything Goes for Christmas
Stamp Something: Charm Something

Non-traditional Christmas Card Challenge

Hi there! I've seen so many people working on their Christmas cards already...and I think it's an awesome idea! This year especially I was determined to have all my Christmas cards handmade -- and man did that call for some stressful times!!! LOL So I've joined the ranks that are getting things done early! :)

I've entered this card into a challenge at: Susie & Vikki's Christmas Club. It's definitely not as busy and interesting as some of the other cards...but there's always a chance I could win! (cause you don't even have a CHANCE if you don't try!) Wish me luck!

Non-traditional Christmas

 I found a video for a cute Christmas card how-to http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Make-a-Cute-Christmas-Card-77391643
and set out to try it. I totally loved the idea of having the card opening...and still seeing the little picture on top. So I set out to see if I could follow directions... LOL


I don't have a scallop circle punch out...so I had to cut out the scallops. It wasn't very fun -- but the card did turn out ok. :)



But I wasn't that overly pleased with the look, so I decided to make one without the cutout. This time I used a scalloping scissor to make the circle...and it turned out sooooooo much better! And I just LOVE the snowmen! :)

This card has quickly become my favourite Christmas card this year. I've always associated Christmas with the colours red and green...but this year, this card changed it for me. Blue may be non-traditional -- but the cards look awesome!!! (and yes...I did make quite a few with this layout! I just love it!)