Christmas Cards - Fun With Scraps

 

These cards were way fun to create.  I just wen thru my Christmas scraps and punched various size circles.   After stamping my greeting with a Gina K stamp I set the circles around it.   Some are flat and some are popped up with foam tape.  Lastly I added some enamel dots and layered it all onto a kraft card base.  

 

I do love how they turned out and they have been super popular at craft fairs.  I have another one coming up on the 18th so that is exciting.  

 

In the mean time we are packing for this weekends retreat!  So excited to get away with friends and play.

 

Thanks for stopping by to take a look,  hope you are enjoying your week. 

Fun With Scraps - Christmas Cards

 

I had a little crafting session with a friend last night.  I pulled out all my Christmas Scraps both paper and other types of scraps(die cuts, colored images etc.) then I grabbed my pre cut card bases and holiday embellishments.   This all filled up my dining room table and we just sat down and created cards with what was there.  It was a lot of fun and a little challenging some times.  These are the 7 cards I completed.  My friend created another 8.  Now we on our way to getting our Holidays in order.  I will definitely do this again.

Please note this red dot paper(if you know you know) it is treasured and I cannot believe I used it???? 

A bunch of Holiday copic colored images just sitting in my stash.  Why?   I just like coloring I guess?

 

Hope this inspires you to sit down and use up some scraps while getting ahead for the Holidays.   Thank you for stopping by and taking a look.  Have a great day.

Sugar Skull - Part of the Process

A little peek at some of the pieces I've been working  on for an upcoming CARS swap.  Our challenge for May is Holiday Cards.  I've chosen to create these Sugar Skulls.  No stamping this time just a die cut skull.  I hand drew the flowers and other details then colored them in with my Prisma Color Pencils.  I just have to figure out how to display them now that they are complete.

 

Hope all is well with everyone and Thanks for stopping by I so appreciate it.

Highlights from Holiday 2016 - Happy 2017

This year I tried to take some photos in between the videos and busyness of the Holiday Season.  This year while working full time at a college the Holiday's landed during finals, end of term and graduation so that meant longer days at work and a lot of evenings!  We had concerts a lot of evenings and weekends as well as the end of both terms for both girls with projects and finals.  This season was definitely a challenge and there were a few bumps in the road but we persevered and made it through 2016 and now we can relax and ring in the New Year!  So looking forward to 2017!  We wish Everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year filled with Joy!

Christmas Raskog cart Stitchy Set Up

Puppies enjoying their new blanket from Santa

Christmas Puzzle beginning and end.

Decorating the Gingerbread House

 

Correy's special present Emily Wrapped it Brilliantly.

New PJ's for Everyone Holiday Tradition!

Christmas Eve the Tree is looking Bright

Our Great Nephew opening Gifts on Xmas Eve.

 

Children make the Holiday so much more Joyous!

My MIL's tree is Gorgeous as always!

PJ day at school, means go as a Reindeer

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Graduation night for Work!

Dave knows how to deal with SNOW!

Barnes & Nobel Holiday Performance

The beginning of Dave's B-Day Dinner

50 bottle of Beers when you turn 50!

PCC Winter Concert

Honors Choir

First Snow is always pretty!

Clason house strings performance

It's tight in the Clason House for the Performers

Holiday Decorating is never boring

Holiday Shopping with my Munchkin!

The Tree Lighting Celebration in the Town Square - PCC sang carols

Just some of the highlights from this Holiday Season.  There were a few concerts and events I only took video those are on my Instagram and/or Facebook page, along with other items throughout the season.

February - CARS Swap - White on White

 It's time for my February Swap Card for C.A.R.S.  I've outlined what it's all about here in this post.  I'm still working on my Christmas/Holiday Cards getting a head start.  Which is for some reason really exciting to me.

For this card I used some my new Memory Box square shaker frame(love these), the trees are from a Poppy Die.  The background is embossed with an embossing folder and the greeting is from a Stampin Up set stamped in grey instead of black.  I added some old(used it all the time back in the day) mulberry paper.  I've also added some pearls, stickles and white seem binding.  I do love how it turned out.

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out me card.

And So it Begins - A New Year of Swaps

It's that time the final swap list is out for the Chicago Area Rubber Stampers or C.A.R.S. stamping group.  We meet at CraftFancy on the second Tuesday of every month except December.  The group has been around for a very long time since Desiree(she is the founder) had her stamp shop in town years ago.

This year I have decided to do only Christmas/Holiday Cards except for September and October where the theme dictates either a season or non-card.   In doing so I will create a couple of extra each month above and beyond the 16 required and keep them for my Holiday cards in December.  I'm excited to be getting a head start on the things I rarely get done around the Holiday's.  Seems wrong when  a card maker doesn't send out holiday cards. 

This is the first month's card the theme is Paint Chips so here is what I came up with.  I wend to the hardware store and let the color that inspired me lead me to what I would create.  As always I try to use those supplies I have collected and never or rarely use and/or a technique I've been wanting to try.  (I know you know it's never but I added rarely so I don't sound like a hoarder of craft supplies.....)  This time I've used some Stampin Up snowflakes(had to mount them) a Martha Stewart border punch and the greeting is from a My Favorite Things set which I do used but it was the perfect size.  The patterned paper is from my BoBunny Double Dots stash and just a bit of silver mirror card to give it some sparkle.

If your curious here is the entire swap list for the year:
January - Paint Chips
February - White on White
March - Bargello
April - Faces
May - Scene Behind a Window
June - Circles
July - Washi Tape
August - Stamp a Container
September - Fall/Autumn
October - Gift Tags
November - Recycle/Upcycle

As always we create 16 to swap with the group.

Thanks so much for stopping by hope your having a wonderful day!

Handmade Gift - C.A.R.S. Holiday Celebration

It's that time again for the C.A.R.S. Holiday Party and Gift Exchange.  This year I created a wreath for my gift.  It's very neutral which is sometimes hard for me I like bright colors most of the time.  I stamped all the Kraft Paper around the wreath with a Studio 490 stamp in Archival Potting Soil and then inked and stitched the papers.   Then I wrapped them around the wreath with lace and some jute.  The flowers are Coffee Filters(natural), die cut MME papers, packing paper, manilla folders with walnut ink and lastly Studio 490 Modeling Film which I die cut stamped branches with Archival Black Ink heat and molded it then inked it with Alcohol ink.  I have to say the Modeling Film is a blast to work with.  It will hold it's shape so it will force the paper flowers to hold their shape.  I did put some Melissa Frances glass glitter in the center of the flowers because you need a little sparkle.  I also cut the leaves out of Mulberry and Chocolate Burlap.  To hang it there is a ribbon hanger.

It was fun to make once I got the strips done they got a little monotonous after awhile.  I do like how it turned out.  I love making wreaths for some reason.   Hope you like it.

Have a great day!

Holiday Houses - Class Today

At Craft Fancy!  Should be fun I have a pretty full class in the morning and in the evening!  Hope everyone is having a great week!  

There should be a couple extra kits for this class in the store next week.

Have a great day!

Holiday Fun - Poinsettia Gift Card Holder

It's never too early for a bit of Holiday FUN!  Here is a gift card holder created using my Sizzix Gift Card Folder die and a stash of 3D embellishments.  I love these flowers from I Am Roses.....  I have a box just for Holiday Flowers!  Hopefully this inspires you to get a head start on some Holiday Items...

Today is a day off for me.  So there will be lots of family time.  Abbi and I are planning to Color for awhile she got some new pictures and she wants to color together.  I have new crayons so I'm very excited.  We're all going to bed early tonight since Emily has to be up bright and early to sing the National Anthem at a Wrestling meet at Fremd.  Then we'll probably all come home and go back to bed.  HA  at least until I have to get up and get to work.  

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! 

A little Holiday Fun

 It's never too early to get started on Holiday Fun and this year I am going to be more proactive.  Here is a Gift Card Holder I  recently created....  Love the gift card die by Sizzix lots of space to embellish and decorate.