Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Christmas Trees for Paper Players

I had a bit of time yesterday afternoon to stamp so I grabbed my November kit from Simon Says Stamp and sat down with The Paper Players current sketch for inspiration.

The kit came with Lawn Fawn Snow Day papers, I just love these papers, they are adorable! I used one of the papers that reminds me of big fat snowflakes as my main square and then added a banner of red and a scallop border, both from the same paper.

I stamped the trees in SU Garden Green and arranged them where the circle in the sketch is. I grabbed a retired SU Real Red button and some bakers twine and adhered that to the banner. On the white cardstock I added falling snow in Pool Party and the sentiment is stamped in Real Red.


Stamps: Be Joyful (SSS)
Paper: Lawn Fawn
Ink: Real Red(SU), Garden Green (SU), Pool Party (SU)
Accessories: SU Button, Bakers Twine, Scallop Edge Border Punch


Thursday, November 20, 2014

Baby its cold outside for Friday Mashup

Ok, well, it seems to be cold everywhere BUT Alaska. The stupid jet stream sent the cold weather soaring to the Lower 48 and left Alaska with record high temps and in my area we're still waiting for our first snowfall! If this holds out until the end of the month this would be the least-snowy November for Anchorage, and the first November in recorded history that we have never seen measurable snowfall. That just depresses me!

My snow fixation was perfect for this weeks Friday Mashup brought to us by Avery.....a card inspired by weather and include a metal embellishment. I started daydreaming about our beautiful winter nights when everything is covered in snow and the light from the moon illuminates everything and it's just so magical and still. I'm really hoping we get some snow soon so I can enjoy those type of nights again!

Now, I think I stretched the metal embellishment a bit by using silver sequins....it kin of looks like metal right? :0)

Head over to The Friday Mashup and check out all the great weather inspired cards by the rest of the DT and then play along with us!

This week's Mashup Challenge is:
  • Create a project using "a Metal Embellishment (Staple, Brad, Grommet etc.)". 
  • Create a project using "Weather as your Inspiration" think Storms, Winter, Clouds, Rain, Sun, Warm Sandy Beaches. 
  • or Mash it Up! and create a "Weather inspired project with a Metal Embellishment".


Stamps: White Christmas
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Whisper White Craft Ink, Memento Tuxedo Black, Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Garden Green
Accessories: Big Shot, Window Framelits, CB Swiss Dots EF, White Gel Pen, Frosted Sequins, Dazzling Diamonds

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

A Peacock Christmas for TTS

It's time for another TTS challenge! I'm really trying to stay upbeat and positive about my Christmas cards and Christmas in general but right now its hard for me because we still have NO SNOW in southcentral Alaska! Parts of the Lower 48 are getting hammered with snow (oh Buffalo NY, this is the only time I've ever wished I lived there) and today I'm getting rain. In November. In Alaska. This makes me very cranky!

To help combat the crankiness I'm trying to stay busy with Christmas crafts and that includes my card for this weeks TTS color challenge...Tempting Turquoise, Lucky Limeade and Island Indigo. If you don't have these exact colors that's OK, use something similar!

I was a bit stuck on a layout so if it looks familiar to anyone that's because its based on a card from the holiday catalog, page 24. I changed up the embossing and accessories used but the backbone of the sketch is the same.

The banners behind the tree are cut from Island Indigo and Sweet Taffy DSP (which is supposed to be the Tempting Turquoise). The tree is from Festival of Trees and was stamped in Lucky Limeade and the ornaments colored in with a Tempting Turquoise marker. Silver sequins and a bow from silver stretch cord finish it off. The card base is Whisper White embossed with the Lucky Stars TIEF.

I hope you'll come by 'Tis The Season and play along with us!


Stamps: Festival of Trees
Paper: Whisper White, Island Indigo, Sweet Taffy DSP
Ink: Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Big Shot, Lucky Stars TIEF, Frosted Sequins, Silver Stretch Cord

 

Monday, November 17, 2014

Christmas Curled Paper Wreath

Last year my friend Holly mentioned to me that she wanted to make a curled paper wreath. I wasn't very familiar with them so I googled it and thought what the heck, I'll give it a try! I bought all the supplies and was ready to go for it and then life happened and it never got made.

The bag of supplies has been sitting in a corner of my bedroom so I looked at it and said no time like the present! I brought the supplies with me to work and last week on my breaks/lunches I began to work on the wreath, cutting the strips of DSP and curling them. Because I work nights during the week I keep that schedule on the weekend, which means I'm the only one at my house awake into the wee hours. That gave me the perfect excuse to sit at the kitchen table last night and get the wreath put together!

I used a 12" green Styrofoam floral wreath and the DSP is from the retired Holly Berry Bouquet. While some people prefer to use a glue gun to position their curled strips I used pins. It's just easier for me and I like being able to re-position if I need too. The ribbon I used for the bow is from Walmart, we actually used it to wrap around the San Francisco 49er themed tree we put up on Friday. It's a very pretty design and went perfectly with the paper I used for the wreath. The box is the only thing I hot glued on the wreath.

I'm really pleased with how this came out and will definitely be making more!





Thursday, November 13, 2014

Lovely as a Tree Sketch

Happy Friday! This week at The Friday Mashup Tara is hostess and she has a great sketch for us, plus she wants us to use something on our card that one wouldn't expect to see.

If you look at my card you'll notice I didn't add anything. I sat and thought and tried to figure out what I could use on my card and I drew a total blank. Looking at? The creativity just wasnt there for me :(

I used a tree from the Lovely as a Tree set for my card. I used a stamp from Kinda Eclectic down the left hand side, stamping it in Versamark. The sentiment is from the retired set Full of Blessings.

The edges of the panels and of the card are all sponged with Crumb Cake.

Head over to The Friday Mashup blog to see all the great projects from the rest of the design team and then play along with us, we'd love to see what you create!

This week's Mashup Challenge is:
  • Create a project using the "Sketch". 
  • Create a project using a "surprise element, something you wouldn't expect to see on a card/or an unexpected embellishment". 
  • or Mash it Up! and create a project "using the Sketch and a unexpected Embellishment".


Stamps: Lovely As a Tree, Kinda Eclectic, Full of Blessings (retired)
Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Ink: Always Artichoke, Early Espresso, Versamark
Accessories: Sponge

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Diamond Dust Christmas for Friday Mashup

This week at The Friday Mashup Sara is our hostess and she has a color challenge for us as well as a technique. The colors we are to use are Island Indigo, Garden Green and Rich Razzleberry. The technique is the Diamond Dust technique.

I haven't done this technique in a long time but I love it because it is so sparkly and pretty and what better technique to use for a Christmas card! I also love these dark, rich colors so I had no problem converting them into something for the holiday season. I used the Endless Wishes set and stamped snowflakes in the challenge colors. I then covered the image panel with Versamark, put some heat and stick powder over it, used the heat tool to heat it up and then added the Dazzling Diamonds. 

My layout came from the current sketch challenge over at Sunday Stamps. The film die was a bit bigger than I remembered and it covered up the strips underneath a bit more than I would have liked but overall I am still happy with how it came out!

I hope you'll come by The Friday Mashup and check out all the great projects from the rest of the design team, and then play along with us!

This week's Mashup Challenge is:
  • Create a project using the "Diamond Dust Technique" Tutorial Here
  • Create a project using the colors "Island Indigo, Garden Green & Rich Razzleberry (or similar colors if you don't have these exact colors). 
  • or Mash it Up! and create a project "using the colors above and the Diamond Dust Technique".

Stamps: Endless Wishes
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Island Indigo, Whisper White, Garden Green DSP, Rich Razzleberry DSP
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Garden Green, Island Indigo, Versamark
Accessories: Big Shot, On Film Framelits, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Island Indigo Bakers Twine, Heat and Stick Powder, Dazzling Diamonds, Heat Tool, sponge, dimensionals

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Getting Ugly for TTS29

Wait, did I say ugly? That's right and by ugly I mean a good ol' ugly Christmas sweater! 

When I saw the Ugly Sweater set from Simon Says Stamp I had to have it. Ugly Christmas sweaters make me smile and this set is no different. There are so many great images in this set that I know I'll have fun with it for a long time to come.

This week we have a sketch at 'Tis The Season and an ugly Christmas sweater was the first thing that came to mind, the circle spot is perfect for it. I started with paper from Lawn Fawn, it is from their Snow Day collection. The crisp lines are a great way to highlight the sentiment and to also let the sweater take center stage.

Instead of a bow I just did a strip of ribbon across the middle along with a scalloped border of Garden Green. Red and green sequins scattered across the front completed the card for me.

I hope you'll come by 'Tis The Season and play along with us! Only 48 days until Christmas!


Stamps: Ugly Sweater, Sweater Words and Appliques (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper: Garden Green, Whisper White, Snow Day Collection (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Big Shot, Sweaters Die (Simon Says Stamp), Sequins, Ribbon, Scalloped Edge Border Punch, Paper Piercer, dimensionals

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Moose Fabulous

It's that time of year where my crafting time is greatly reduced but today I managed to actually do some challenges for fun!

Jingle Belles wants us to use a creature on our project. Of course I went to my usual, a moose! The sketch is from Freshly Made Sketches. I thought the card looked a little plain when I was done adding the images and DSP so I paper pierced along the edges for a little extra ooompphhhh. The moose jammas were paper pieced with Trim the Tree DSP.

My real life inspiration....on Friday our sunrise was just before 9:30. My boys and I had to head out shortly after that and we came across a mama moose and her baby in the brush by a creek. Mama got spooked and ran into the brush but I managed to get this shot of her baby as it made its way towards the trees. The light from the rising sun created a beautiful glow off of the frost on the trees and brush.


Stamps: Visions of Santa
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Trim the Tree DSP
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Big Shot, Banner Framelits Dies, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Paper Piercing Pack Essentials, dimensionals