Make it Mailable 13-13 (and a Sneak Peek!)

There is so much beautimus schtuff in the new Occasions Catalog, that I can't settle on any one product! I feel like a butterfly, flitting from one pretty flower to the next, not landing on any one blossom for more than a split second.

Case in point - this card. I tried to use everything from the pre-order on just this one card, lol.  Well, four products, anyway. Not that I exaggerate or anything.

The Peaceful Petals stem was stamped on Watercolor Paper in Jet Black StazOn and colored with an Aqua Painter in Pacific Point ink.  The stems/leaves are Pear Pizzazz and the flower centers are Crushed Curry. (Since it was going to be covered with the Fancy Foil Designer Vellum, it needed a vibrant blue to overcome the muting effect of the vellum.)  The Gold Baker's Twine complements the gold foil hearts embossed on the vellum.

That Watercolor Wonder Designer Series paper is one of those rarities for me.......I love BOTH sides of ALL the sheets. That's going to make for some tough choices in the future, I'm sure!  But with 12 designs to love, I think I'll cope somehow, haha.  And, believe it or not, I love the chevrons, as well! (I know, right? What's up with that?!) Maybe because they aren't as overpowering as some previous designs?

I can't link to any of the new products yet, because they won't be available until January 3rd, but if you would like a copy of the new Occasions Catalog when it is released, let me know and I'll have one sent to you. Trust me, you don't want to miss any of the awesomeness! I know I say that every time.  Have I ever steered you wrong???

Gently Thankful

There were a few left-overs from the leaves I used for the SUOC28 fall colors challenge, so I turned them a thank-you card for my father's oncologist. No little useful bits go to waste in my craft room!

Stamps: Gently Falling, Curly Cute

Cardstock: Naturals White, Watercolor Paper, Early Espresso

Ink: Early Espresso and River Rock Classic Ink Pads, Pumpkin Pie and Soft Suede Ink Refills, Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie, and Cherry Cobbler Watercolor Wonder Crayons

Accessories: Early Espresso 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Glimmer Brad (In Colors Collection), Dazzling Details Glitter Glue, Aqua Painter, Square Lattice embossing folder, Big Shot Die-Cut Machine

Swaps Are My Life

Or, for a while there last month, they seemed to be. I let my mouth overload my a$$ bit off almost more than I could chew, and signed up for a whole lotta swaps at Stampin' Addicts, forgetting that I needed to make swap cards for the Stampin' Up Regional I planned to attend last month. Oh, and there was also a Stampin' Addicts blog hop, with the associated projects, thrown in for good measure. Anyhoo, this is one of the cards made for one of the (many) swaps that myself committed myself to. (Yeah, I need to be committed, for sure!)

One of the awesome things we learned at the Stampin' Up! Regional was to squirt a little blob of the new Dazzling Details Glitter Glue in a plastic lid (leftovers from buttons and brads), and stir in a drop of Classic Ink Refill with an Aqua Painter.  Then paint it on your stamped image for a cool, colorful, sparkly effect! The maple leaf (from Gently Falling) was stamped with Staz-On ink, then colored around the edges with Watercolor Wonder Crayons before the mixture was painted on. The moisture from the Dazzling Details/ink spread the WW crayon around. Here's a close-up:

Isn't that fantastic?! They used it on pumpkins, but I'm thinking snowmen, flowers, Christmas trees, butterflies, cupcakes, you name it!

Stamps: Gently Falling, Grateful Greetings
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Spice Cake Designer Series Paper
Ink: Jet Black Staz-On, Basic Black and Soft Suede Classic, Real Red and Cajun Craze Watercolor Wonder Crayons
Accessories: Aqua Painter, Dazzling Details Glitter Glue, Big Shot Die-Cut Machine, Two Tags Bigz Die, Regals Designer Buttons, Hemp Twine, Gold Brads

Greeting Card Kids

Aaand, a couple more cards from Jill's Demonstrator Day. (Really, you should sign up just so you can participate in this!  I'm not kidding!!!)

 Aren't these just the cutest darn images?  So sweet, and old-fashioned looking!  These were colored with Aqua Painters and Watercolor Wonder Crayons (which, I'm told, are finally going to be available soon).  The manufacturer had some problems, but they've since been resolved, so the new colors in these fabulous watercolor crayons are right around the corner!!!

Mom had her first appointment today and it's not looking too good.  They did an ultrasound and immediately referred her to a GYN oncologist.  Also, the doctor actually referred to the mass in her kidney as "carcinoma" without even having done a biopsy yet, so they must be pretty certain it is malignant. My heart is so heavy.

Hello!

Another quick card, using scraps sitting on my desk.  I was starting to clean up from the photos I took for a tutorial for my newsletter, and I thought I'd use the image I had made.  There was already a scrap of Old Olive embossed with polka-dots, so I embossed a scrap of More Mustard to match, slapped them on a Chocolate Chip mat, added the ribbon (Martha Stewart) and tag, and voila, a quick, cute card using leftovers!

Have I mentioned lately how much I like "quick and easy?"  :-D

Stamps: Flower Fancy (111578), Tiny Tags (W-118091, C-118592)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla (101650), More Mustard (100946), Old Olive (100702), Chocolate Chip (102128)
Ink: Basic Black (101179), Chocolate Chip (100908)
Accessories: Linen Thread (104199), Jewelry Tag Punch (117190), Watercolor Wonder Crayons (Regals 119803, Brights 119804), Perfect Polka-Dots Embossing Folder (117335), Big Shot (113439), water mist sprayer, ribbon