Repeat Impressions Stamp of the Week - Moose Snow Globe

Another Monday, another Repeat Impressions Stamp of the Week, available for 50% off through Sunday only. This week's stamp is called Moose Snow Globe and can be found here. A very cool stamp:) Please visit the Repeat Impressions blog, The House That Stamps Built, for all the details and to see what the other Rock Stars have created. Or follow these links to their blogs:

Cheri ~ Darsie ~ Dawn ~Joy ~ Vicki

I stamped my image with black Memento ink and colored with Copic markers. I stamped the base of the snowglobe on patterned paper and cut it out. I ran the snowglobe through my Xyron and sprinkled it with ultrafine glitter. I used a punch for the snowflake and added a light blue brad. The background was embossed with an embossing folder and the sentiment is from Repeat Impressions. While you're at the RI blog, be sure to check out the challenges, too. You have an opportunity to win some great prizes!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Fall-To Layout #173

Wow, it's nice to be back. It's only been three days since I posted something, but it seems even longer than that. 


I made this card last night for the Clean and Simple Fall-To Layout #173. You can find it here. Both stamps I used were from a set from Stampendous. I used my Aquabrush and Stampin' Up! inks to watercolor the image. The bottom trim piece was punched with a Martha Stewart punch.


Well, so much for my "Christmas Sunday!" I have only made about two cards all week and neither of them were Christmas. I hope to have more time this coming week for card-making.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Repeat Impressions WHAT IF? Wednesday Sketch

This is my second post for the day. To view my Flutter By Wednesday post, please scroll down, or click here.


Today starts a new Repeat Impressions WHAT IF? Wednesday sketch challenge. Wendy gives us a sketch to work with and we do our creating. If you'd like to have the chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Repeat Impressions, all you have to do is create a card using this sketch, upload to your blog or an on-line gallery, and link it up to the Repeat Impressions blog, The House That Stamps Built. To see what the other Rock Stars have created, check out the RI blog. Or, here are links to their blogs. We have a new member starting this week, too. We're happy to welcome Cheri Weston to the team.

Cheri ~ Darsie ~ Dawn ~Joy ~ Karen ~ Kendra ~ Maki ~ Miriam ~ Vicki

My card ended up being a First Birthday card for a little girl. I used the Birthday Cupcake image, found on this page. I colored with Copics and added Stickles. My matting was cut with a Nestability. I added some flowers and colored white brads with Copics for the flower centers. The patterned paper is from Die Cuts With a View. The tag is cut with a Spellbinders die, also. The ribbon and matting cardstock are from Papertrey. I used a Fiskars punch for the bottom border and I also used my Scor-Pal on it.

We'd love to have you join us. The current Designer's Choice Challenge is to use blue and brown, and it goes through next Tuesday. You have a chance to win a full sheet of unmounted rubber in that challenge. You can find the details here.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Flutter By Wednesday #185

Time for a new Flutter By Wednesday challenge. The challenge for this week is to use bright colors. Want to join us? Just upload your card to your blog or online gallery and link it up to the FBW blog.


I made this one first and thought it might not be bright enough, so I made another:) The flower and butterfly stamps are from a Stampin' Up! set called Hello Again. I used colors from the the old Bold Brights family. The butterfly, leaf, and flower center are mounted on Dimensionals. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. I doodled a border and matted with black. The patterned paper is from Die Cuts With a View and I matted that with black, also.

Here is my second, brighter one. I'm pretty sure the stamp is from Stampin' Up!, but I can't say for sure. I stamped it at our Group Gathering in Des Moines a couple years ago. I colored with my brightest Copic markers - no shading, just straight coloring. I matted with black and mounted it on Dimensionals. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Shepherd Christmas - Two Versions

Well, here are the two Christmas cards I promised you. I'm thinking, though, that probably not many of you are as excited about Christmas cards as I am, so maybe I should limit them to once a week. Maybe have a "Christmas Sunday" or something. I'll think about it.

At any rate, I have these two to share today. They both use Repeat Impressions stamps. I love this little Shepherd Boy. You can find him on this page. The sentiment is on the same page, right below it. For this first one, I simply stamped, colored with Copics, and matted with black cut with a Fleur-de-lis Nestability. The star is a part of the stamp, but I stamped it separately and mounted it on a Dimensional. I also added Stickles to it.

This second one is much the same, with a different layout. The patterned paper is from a Die Cuts With a View matstack.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Repeat Impressions Stamp of the Week - Winter Tree

This week's Stamp of the Week from Repeat Impressions is Winter Tree, found on this page. It's available for 50% off through Sunday. Please visit the Repeat Impressions blog, The House That Stamps Built, for all the details. You will also find some ideas of what to do with this stamp there. Or, you can visit these Rock Stars' blogs:

Joy ~ Karen ~ Kendra ~ Maki ~ Miriam ~ Vicki

I stamped my image with Versafine Vintage Sepia ink on blue cardstock, then used bleach to "paint" the snow. The sentiment (from Repeat Impressions) is also stamped with Sepia ink. I added brown pearls to the corners. I embossed the brown matting with a Cuttlebug folder and then added another layer of blue. The card base is ivory.

We'd love to have your join our challenges. There are two open at any time - the WHAT IF? Wednesday challenge and the Designer's Choice Challenge. Both have great monthly prizes! You can find the details for both on the Repeat Impressions blog, also.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Diamonds and Lupine Birthday

I took a little break from Christmas cards, but I'll be back with two more on Tuesday:)


I stamped the background of this card with a stamp called Diamond Deco Silhouette (large) from Repeat Impressions. You can find it on this page. I used Always Artichoke and Elegant Eggplant from Stampin' Up! The lighter ones are a second stamping - stamped without reinking. The flowers are a Lupine stamp, also from Repeat Impressions, available here. The ovals are cut with Nestabilities. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. Edited to add: I forgot to say how I colored the lupine. I didn't have the right color green Copic, so first I watercolored the leaves with Always Artichoke and then I used a Copic over that. The flowers are colored with Copics.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Fall-To Layout #172

I made this card for Natasha's new Fall-To Layout (#172.) You can find her sketch here. I'm sure most of you are pretty sick of Christmas cards, but I am thoroughly enjoying making more of them! I think I could make them all year long. (And this year I plan on doing just that! I have thirteen done for this year so far.)


The ornament on this card is a sticker I bought at Michael's after Christmas at half off. It's attached to a scalloped circle - both cut with Nestabilities. The patterned paper is from a Winter matstack from Die Cuts With a View. I love the font on this sentiment, which is from Repeat Impressions.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Letterpressed Anniversary

Quick card, quick post. I got this Sizzix Letterpress plate on Oh My Crafts for really cheap. I used Versamagic ink on it, both for the design and the stamped sentiment. I also scored the lines on both sides of the pressed design. That's it!


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Repeat Impressions Designer's Choice Challenge - A Color Challenge

This is my second post of the day. Please scroll down to see my Flutter By Wednesday card, and a little announcement.


Today is the beginning of a new Repeat Impressions Designer's Choice Challenge. This time it's Dawn's turn to choose, and she has chosen a color challenge - blue and brown. Won't you join in the fun?? You just need to make a card using blue and brown, upload to your blog or online gallery, and link to the Repeat Impressions blog, The House That Stamps Built. One random winner for the month will receive a full sheet of unmounted rubber of their choice. Please check out the blog for all the details and to see the other Rock Stars' creations. You can also visit their blogs using these links:

Darsie ~ Dawn ~Joy ~ Karen ~ Kendra ~ Maki ~ Miriam ~ Vicki

My card uses the stamp called Baby, found on this page. I paper-pieced the sleeper with paper from Deja Views and colored with Copics and a Soft Suede Stampin' Up! marker. I used the same patterned paper for the bottom layer and matted both with Soft Suede cardstock from Stampin' Up! The sentiment is stamped in Soft Suede also, and is, of course, from Repeat Impressions.

You still have almost a week to participate in the WHAT IF? Wednesday challenge, too. The random winner of that will receive a $25 gift card. You can find the details for that challenge in this post.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Flutter By Wednesday - and a Little Announcement

I am thrilled to say that I have the honor of being on Danni’s Flutter By Wednesday Design Team – how fun! Today is my first day of posting with the team. :) There are three other new team members, also. They are Karen, Leanne and Suzanne.


First off, thanks to everyone who participated in the month-long December challenge. What a great variety of wonderful creations! Today’s challenge, the first of 2012, is sponsored by Bugaboo Digi Stamps. Be sure to visit the Flutter By Wednesday blog to see how you can play along for a chance to win. This is a blog hop – very fun! You may have arrived here from Suzanne’s blog, but if not, you may want to visit the FBW blog and start hoppin’! Next up on the hop is Amanda. Here is the complete blog hop list, in case you get lost!

FBW Blog

 Michelle VP 
Karen 
Suzanne 
Lynette 
Amanda 
Leanne 
Kristie 
Mary 
Nancy 
Michelle 
Danni 
Harriet 
Anna

This week's challenge is open - just be sure to use a butterfly, angel or fairy. Link your creation up to the FBW blog for a chance to win seven free digis from Bugaboo!

I have two cards to share with you today. I printed the image (Ava Fairy, from Bugaboo) twice in different sizes so I could practice coloring her, but I ended up using both of them! I used Copics on them both, and Stickles, too. This first one is matted with purple and a Heart Circle Nestability and is mounted on Dimensionals. I used Deja Views patterned paper, scored with my Scor-Pal, and then sanded down. The sentiment is from a Stampin' Up! set and I added a few black gems.

This second one is so cheery in yellow. I again used a Nestability for the image and matting. The sentiment is from Technique Tuesday. The daisy is from K & Co and the yellow patterned paper is from Die Cuts With a View.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Glitter, Glitter Everywhere!

I received a beautiful gift tag (and hand-made gift!) from our son-in-law's mother last year and always meant to try making a card like it. I didn't get it done in 2011. This year, I received the same gift tag (and another wonderful hand-made gift!) and decided I would try making one like it right away. Here is my attempt.


First, I stamped the image (from Gina K) on acetate with Staz-On black and colored the back of it with Copic markers. I cut it out with a Nestability. I cut the scalloped mat out of black and cut a hole in it. I cut a hole in the front of the card, too, then glued the mat on the card front and used my ATG gun to adhere the acetate to the inside of the card. For the glitter, I cut a rectangle from thin paper and ran it through my Xyron machine. I taped it to the inside back of the card and removed the backing. I sprinkled ultra-fine glitter over the entire piece. The sentiment is from Verve.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Repeat Impressions Stamp of the Week - Snowcat and Friends

There is a new Stamp of the Week from Repeat Impressions, and it's Snowcat and Friends, found on this page. It is available for this week only, through Sunday, for 50% off. Just visit the Repeat Impressions blog, The House That Stamps Built, for all the details you will need. You will also find the creations by the other Rock Stars there. Or, you can follow these links to their blogs:

Darsie ~ Dawn ~Joy ~ Vicki

Although this image doesn't have to be for Christmas, I am determined to make my Christmas cards throughout the year, so I figured I would add to my stack using this stamp. I stamped it on white and colored it with Copics. I used a Martha Stewart snowflake punch on the bottom border. Then I added Liquid Applique on the hat and Stickles on the snow. I matted with red. The sentiment is from Repeat Impressions. I embossed the snowflake border on the bottom with a Cuttlebug folder.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Happy New Year! and January Calendar Page

Happy New Year to all my internet and "real-world" friends! I hope everyone has a fabulous 2012.


Here is my January calendar page. I used a stamp from Inkadinkado and colored it with Copic markers. I added Stickles to the snowflakes. It's mounted on shimmery purple paper. The sentiment is from Repeat Impressions.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Simple Thanks

I took a little time yesterday afternoon to make a couple necessary thank you cards. I made them all the same.


The patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye - Simply Delightful. The sentiment is from a Fiskars thank you set by Heidi Grace. I colored the rectangle around it with a Copic marker, and it's mounted on Dimensionals. I punched the bottom matting layer with a Martha Stewart punch. That's all there is to it.


I got my January - April 2013 calendars printed yesterday! (I would have printed all the months, but I'm out of cardstock, and my "source" was closed yesterday when I stopped by.) I have my images all stamped for January, and one of them is colored. I'm so happy about that!)


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Happy Birthday ...

... to me! :) It was yesterday, but I had my WIW post for then, so I'm sharing my cards with you today. I guess it's another tradition of mine to take a picture of them for posting here. I had a wonderful day with phone calls and cards from LOTS of people. This first picture shows all the cards I received.

And this second one shows the handmade ones. They are all VERY special, but I thought since this is a stamping blog, I would let you see these a little bit closer up. I received them over the course of a couple weeks, but saved them all to open until the evening of my birthday. Thanks to everyone!


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Repeat Impressions WHAT IF? Wednesday Sketch

The weeks fly by, don't they! It's time for another WHAT IF? Wednesday challenge from Repeat Impressions. Wendy comes up with our sketch and we challenge you to play along. Here is the sketch for this time:

Please check out the Repeat Impressions blog, The House That Stamps Built, for all the details on how you can enter to win a $25 gift card and to view all the wonderful creations by the RI Rock Stars. You can also follow these links to their blogs:

Darsie ~ Dawn ~Joy ~ Karen ~ Kendra ~ Maki ~ Miriam ~ Robin ~ Vicki

For my card, I used the RI stamp called Shade of the Elm, available on this page. I stamped it with an old Memories pad of Soft Wheat and matted with burgundy cardstock. The sentiment is called Life is Not ... and can be found on this page. I stamped it with burgundy ink, cut it with a Nestability and sponged with Soft Wheat before removing from the die. I matted with a matching scalloped oval. I embossed the background with an Argyle Cuttlebug folder and brayered with Soft Wheat. I added butterflies punched with Martha Stewart punches and then used pearls for their bodies.


You have almost another week to participate in the RI Designer's Choice challenge, too. The challenge that's currently open is to make a shaped card and be entered for a chance to win a full sheet of unmounted rubber. That's a lot of stamps! You can find the details for that challenge here.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Calendar Files for 2013

How's this for getting an early start on next year's Christmas? I just made my 2013 calendar file and uploaded it. You can find the links here. (They are available at any time by following the link in the title bar of my blog.) I vow that next year I will be ready so much earlier and be able to relax and ENJOY the holiday season rather than being stressed. I have decided to do my calendars at least a year in advance - making the January 2013 ones in January 2012, etc. I will be making my Christmas cards throughout the year, also, as I prefer to make them all different rather than mass-producing them. I was SO happy that I made 55 of one kind this year, though. I NEVER would have gotten ready otherwise!! 


I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We did. Our daughter and family will be here through tomorrow morning and we'll celebrate my birthday a day early. Then they will return to Chicago. How wonderful it's been to have our whole family together again for several days.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Merry Christmas!

Merry, merry Christmas to all!


I figured I would continue my tradition of posting a picture of our Christmas tree. It really looks the same every year since it's artificial and we use the same ornaments, but here it is anyway! (If you look closely, you can see some of my former interests - crochet, counted cross stitch, macrame, tatting, hardangar, smocking, bargello, etc. I used to make a different type of ornament each year.)


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Fall-To Layout - Part Three!

I needed a very quick thank you note yesterday, so I used the Fall-To Layout again. After all, that's what it's for, right? I thought I'd share it with you, even though it's very similar to the others I've shared lately.


The papers are again from Recollections. I matted with a textured ivory cardstock that had a raggedy edge. I mounted on Dimensionals. The sentiment is from a Verve Thank  You set.


We had a productive day yesterday of getting ready for Christmas. We bought the rest of the presents and got them all wrapped. Whew! Even did a little bit of tidying up:) I think we might make it! I probably won't be posting for a while. We still have quite a bit to do, and will be having company for a few days. It will be very fun, but I have no more cards to share. Hope to be back next week some time - Wednesday for sure, with the WHAT IF? Wednesday challenge.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!