I'm Dreaming of a Pink Christmas

First of all, I want to wish my baby boy a happy birthday! You can stop getting older now. Thirty-five is a good place to stop. No, really....I can't be the  mother of a middle-aged man! Love you, Sweetie!

In yesterday's post I mentioned seeing a lot of pink this Christmas. Pink seems to be the "in" color this year, as far as the holiday goes, so I wanted to make a card the really made me break out of my comfortable rut. I could have gone with blue....it would have been soooo easy to do something in blue! Liking the layers and textures from yesterday's card, I made another, and here is what resulted (and another entry for Our Creative Corner's Christmas tree challenge!):

It's got some hot-diggity bling-blingity! Seriously, I wish there was a way for the camera to show just how sparkly the Silver Glimmer Paper is in real life. I love it so much, I'm not even hoarding it! (I know, can you believe it?!) I'm also not throwing away even the teeniest scrap, because I know I'll use it someday.

Lest you think I wasted a whole bunch under the embossed Top Note, that is actually the leftovers from a Glimmer Top Note I had cut previously. I just inlaid the embossed white into the opening! See? Nothing will be wasted!

Stamps: Short & Sweet
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Pink Pirouette Textured, Silver Glimmer Paper
Ink: Rose Red Classic
Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note Die, Stocking Accents Die, (can you see where I'm going here?) Perfect Polka-Dots Embossing Folder, Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder, Pretty in Pink Scallop Dots Ribbon, Basic Jewels Rhinestones, Stampin' Sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals

Christmas for the Troops

If you've been following me for a while, you'll know two things about me....well probably way more than two, but these are the ones we're addressing today. 1)  I am a horrible procrastinator, which is what led me to making a few Christmas cards every month so I wouldn't bring embarrassment and shame upon my family would be ready to mail them early in December, and 2)  I make cards for Operation Write Home for our deployed heroes to send home to loved ones.

The deadlines for OWH holiday cards, and this applies to all holidays, whether Mother's Day, Christmas, Valentines, whatever, is usually about two months before the actual holiday. This gives the shippers time to sort, pack and ship them out in time for the heroes to send them back home.

Anyhoo, to make a short story long, NOW is the time to be making those holiday cards (see deadlines below), so I've been working on a few.

The words in the greeting from Short & Sweet were inked separately with Stampin' Write Markers so they could fit on the Jewelry Tag. The holly berry cluster was also inked with markers for the third tag, and then used with VersaMark on the Garden Green panel.


Stamps: Pines & Poinsettias (Holiday Mini), Short & Sweet
Cardstock: Shimmery White, Garden Green, Poppy Parade, Confetti White, Holly Berry Bouquet Specialty DSP
Ink (Stampin' Write Markers): Poppy Parade, Calypso Coral, Garden Green
Accessories: Poppy Parade 1/2" Poly Stitched Ribbon, Vintage Trinkets, Jewelry Tag Punch, Basic Rhinestone Jewels, Perfect Polka-Dots embossing folder, Big Shot Die-Cut Machine, Linen Thread

OWH deadlines:

Sept 16 - Halloween

Sept 30 - Thanksgiving

Oct 31 - Christmas

Nov 30 - AnyHero Christmas

Very Merry Lovely Tree

It occurred to me last night that I haven't played at all with the Galaxy Fine Glitter I got a few weeks ago.  At first, I toyed with the idea of putting down a strip of Sticky Tape and making a glitter ribbon for the card.  Then I got the idea of making a Christmas tree and using Mini Glue Dots for glittery ball ornaments.  This photo really doesn't do the glitter justice.  It it so pretty and sparkly IRL (and yes, it appeals to the Magpie in me!).

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Short & Sweet
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Real Red
DP: Merry Moments Designer Series Paper
Inks: Old Olive, Real Red
Accessories/Tools:  Real Red ¼" Grosgrain Ribbon, Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Ribbon Slide, Designer Label Punch, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Mini Glue Dots, Red Galaxy Fine Glitter, Champagne Galaxy Fine Glitter

Another Swap Card

Swaps seem to be a major part of my life lately.  Here is another card made for a swap (Stampdiculous club members, cover your eyes!).  This stamp is from the Patterned Pines set and is the Hostess Level I set in the 2009 Holiday Mini Catalog. 

Stamped in VersaMark on Old Olive cardstock first, then heat embossed with white embossing powder. Stamped again on white CS, and heat embossed with gold, then cut out and "popped" middle tree.  I like the combination of Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive.  Nice, non-traditional Christmas combination!

Stamps: Patterned Pines (Hostess only 116525), Short & Sweet (115060)
Cardstock: Old Olive (100702), Rich Razzleberry (115316), Whisper White (100730)
DP: Old Olive Patterns Designer Series Paper (112160)
Inks: VersaMark (102283), Rich Razzleberry Classic (115658)
Accessories/Tools : Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder (109129), White Stampin' Emboss Powder (109132), Heat Tool (100005), Gold Brads (104337), Rich Razzleberry Polka-dot Grosgrain Ribbon (115613), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

Here's the Fourth Card!

This was the other card we made at my Sweet Treat Cups Card class (say that five times fast!) last Saturday.  I got the idea from my up-upline's (Natalie Travis) Fall Event last week, and thought it was pretty clever, too.  You don't have to hold the card over your head to keep the filled cup from spilling its contents into your mouth all over the place while adhering it to the card.  I suggest you do what I did....buy a big bag of Jelly Belly jelly beans (or other appropriate candy), pick out the colors that match your card, and eat the ones that are "rejects" save the rest for another project.

Start with a half-sheet of cardstock, cut lengthwise (4¼" x 11").  Score at 3½" and 7".

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

Fold flaps in along score lines.  You should have a ½ inch flap showing on the right side.

Adhere a 3" x 3" piece of designer paper to the outside of the center panel, leaving an equal border at the bottom and two sides (top border should be larger, for sentiment).

Center 1¾ inch punch (pushed all the way in) and punch hole for treat cup.

Fill cup with candy and remove backing on adhesive.  (Note: Don't over fill the cup or the candy will push the cup away from the card to which it is adhered.)

Drop cup through hole from inside card, leaving adhesive face up.

Fold left flap (smaller side) over and press firmly to cup's adhesive.  When open and closed, it should look like this:

Insert slit punch so that side tabs are about ¼ inch from edge of right (larger) card flap.  Punch slit.

Cut a 3" length of ¼" grosgrain ribbon, fold in half and center on punched slit.  Use a 1/16" punch through all layers.

Insert brad through punched hole and trim ends of ribbon.

Add sentiment and embellishments, as desired!

Welcome Baby

It's been a long time since any of my contemporaries has had a baby, so it was with great pleasure that I made this card for a young friend whose baby is due very soon. My son won't be having any more children, and my daughter, who just completed her Master's, will probably go for her doctorate, so she won't be having a family any time soon, I fear. So, I just live vicariously through others. ;-)

I had forgotten I had this stamp, bought from a stampin' club friend. I love that sweet face, and the slightly raggedly look. I wanted a soft feel for this image, and thought black ink would be too harsh, so I stamped it in SU Going Gray Classic ink, then colored it with Copics. After cutting and embossing with a square Nestabilities die, I left it in the die and sponged Barely Banana around the edges.

I pulled the Certainly Celery and Apricot Appeal from colors in the background paper. I started to use Barely Banana, but really think the Apricot Appeal looked much better.

Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Certainly Celery, Apricot Appeal and Whisper White.
Patterned paper: DCWV Nana's Nursery Baby Girl glitter mat stack
Stamps: Image- JRL Designs "Josh Bear", Sentiment- Stampin' Up! Short & Sweet
Ink: Stampin' Up! Certainly Celery and Going Gray
Copic Colors used: E33, E35, E53, YG63, YG67, RV13, RV23
Accessories: Ribbon from My Favorite Things, Swarovski crystal, SU scallop border, oval, and scallop oval punches, Nestabilities dies