What do you call a group of snowmen?

I know you can find a gaggle of geese, a pride of lions or a murder of crows. But what do you call a group of snowmen? I suppose it could be a team, a family or even an army. (That makes me think of the old Calvin and Hobbes cartoons where Calvin's dad would come home from work to find rows of monster snowmen in the front yard.) Well whatever the proper collective noun is, I wanted to share the snowmen ornaments I made this year:

Aren't they cute? I have to say I was pretty pleased with the way they turned out. And I think all the recipients liked them, too. I don't have an official supply list, but I can give you a brief rundown of how I made them.

For the ornament bases I bought packages of birch rounds. I painted a rough coat of white acrylic paint on one side of each round to create the look of snow on the ground.

For the snowman bodies I used three different sizes of wooden beads/balls adhered together with hot glue; some of the ornaments used all three sizes, and others used just the small and medium or medium and large. I painted the beads with two coats of white paint, dry brushed on a bit of tan or light gray, used the end of a paintbrush to add the black buttons, eyes and mouths, and finished with a coat of matte sealer.

The noses are made with Simply Pressed Clay (Stampin' Up!), which I formed into carrot shapes, let air dry for a bit, painted orange and glued on the heads.

To make the hats I used a variety of buttons; three smaller ones for the top (two black and one colored) and a larger one for the brim. I tied the buttons together with baker's twine. For the smaller ornaments I left a loop of twine at the top so the ornaments can be hung. The larger ornaments are a bit too heavy to hang, so I left off the loop to make them standing decorations.

I used different colors and types of ribbons for the snowmen's scarves. My favorite was the Gumball Green sweater trim, which Stampin' Up! sold a couple of years ago.

Once the snowmen were glued onto the bases, I added a few embellishments: paper candy canes, red birds and/or signposts. I found the embellishments at Michael's in a section of holiday miniatures, and they were perfect. To attach the candy canes, I rolled a small ball of Simply Pressed Clay, pushed the end of the candy cane in the middle and flattened the bottom. Once it was partially dry (just enough so the candy cane was secure and wouldn't fall off) I glued the clay to the base of the ornament.

The little plastic birds (which are my favorite) and the signposts are attached with hot glue. The signposts are metal and a bit heavy, so I only used those for the larger ornaments that wouldn't be hanging.

I finished off the ornaments with "snow." I used a combination of glitters and buffalo snow adhered with clear liquid glue. I used a few different kinds of glue; I just made sure that it would dry clear. I applied a liberal amount of glue over the base of each ornament, sprinkled on the buffalo snow, gently pressed it into the glue and then shook off the extra. I followed up with some glitter on the base and also glued glitter on the bodies and/or hats of the snowmen. I love the effect of the "snow," but I'm sure I'll be finding evidence of it in my craft area for months to come.

I'm almost finished posting my Christmas creations; I just have one more card design to share. Better late than never, I suppose. Sadly I just realized that I didn't take a picture of my last and favorite card design. And of course I don't have any of those cards left, either. Sigh. I guess I'll just have to recreate it.

Well, thanks for stopping by. And I wish you and yours a wonderful new year!

Merry Christmas

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air."
- W.T. Ellis

While breakfast is cooking and the family is gathering, I wanted to post a quick note to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas. I hope your heart and home are filled with the wonder, joy and peace of the season.

Rustic and shiny

So far this winter we've had very little snow. We had one good storm after Thanksgiving, but the temperatures this month have been above normal -- more specifically above freezing -- so most of our precipitation has been in the form of rain. Definitely not the norm in December. We did get a slight dusting of snow last night, and it looks like we may get a little more later this week, but I'm not sure if we'll have a white Christmas.

To help tide us over until the snow comes, here is a Christmas card design featuring a large focal snowflake:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Paper: Smoky Slate, thick Whisper White card stock; silver paper (retired); All Is Calm Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Accessories: Snow Flurry die, burlap trim, Snowflake Elements, Mono Multi liquid glue

I love the combination of elements on this card. The rustic burlap trim and wooden snowflake complement the shiny foil-printed DSP and die-cut snowflake. (It's hard to tell in the photo, but the largest snowflake is Smoky Slate and the smaller one is silver.) Looking at the card now I think should have gone a step further and added a few rhinestones or silver sequins for a little extra bling.

The size of this card is 4-1/4" square, which worked perfectly with a 4" x 4" piece of DSP for the background. (I was able to get nine background squares from one 12" x 12" sheet of DSP). And since the card was smaller than the traditional A2 size, it still fit in an envelope even though the burlap extends past the sides.

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas progress

I've had a very productive week Christmas-wise -- all my cards addressed and mailed, ornaments on the tree, shopping done (I think!), and packages picked up by the mail carrier this morning -- so I'm feeling a little less stressed and a bit more in the Christmas spirit. To save my sanity I did give up the idea that I was going to sew any gifts; I had wanted to make several little things, such as lip balm and tissue holders and coin purses. I figure I'll try my hand at those after the holidays and use them as little gifts throughout the year. Or just save them for next Christmas and get a head start.

I'm also going to try to get back on track with my blog and post twice a week. Wish me luck! For now, here is another of my Christmas card designs:

Supplies (all supplies Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: 4702 - Wooden Door (Art Impressions)
Paper: Watercolor paper (Strathmore), Night of Navy card stock
Ink: Marvy Le Plume II markers (86 - African Violet, 72 - Pine Green, 45 - Sepia, 28 - English Red), Clear Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Sakura)
Accessories: Watercolor brush (unknown), Softly FAlling embossing folder, silver baker's twine, Dimensionals

This focal image was one of the ones I practiced in the Art Impressions watercolor-style stamping class I mentioned in my Fall watercolors post last month. It's also the design that is on the packaging for the Wooden Door stamp set, although I changed the color of the door from a teal blue to red. I love red doors on houses, especially at Christmas time.

To keep the watercolor image the focal point of the card, I made the card base very simple. I used Night of Navy card stock, embossed it with the Gently Falling embossing folder and added a bit of silver baker's twine for texture. That's it!

Thanks for stopping by!

A cozy Christmas

In my last post I shared two cards made with the Santa's sleigh image from the Cozy Christmas stamp set. Today I have a card featuring another image from that set: a cozy cabin nestled in the woods.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Cozy Christmas
Paper: Whisper White, Mossy Meadow card stock
Ink: Mossy Meadow, Soft Suede, Smoky Slate markers; clear Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Sakura), Wink of Stella gold glitter brush pen (ZIG)
Accessories: Filigree Frame embossing folder, white glitter ribbon, Frosted Sequins, Fine-Tip Glue Pen, Dimensionals

I love this image, and I wish I'd had more time to play with it. Oh well, maybe for next year's cards. For this design I used markers to apply ink directly to the rubber stamp and then stamped the image on Whisper White card stock. I added "snow" to the trees and cabin roof with a Gelly Roll pen and used a gold glitter brush pen to create the effect of warm light in the cabin windows.

To embellish the focal layer I add glitter ribbon and a few sequins. Then I used Dimensionals to attach the panel to an embossed card base.

Thanks for stopping by!

Santa's sleigh

It's only sixteen days until Christmas. Eek! How did that happen? I've barely done any shopping, the tree is up but not decorated, I have a whole list of gifts I want to make (but haven't started), and I don't think I 'll be able to put out my Lego village. And then there's my crazy work schedule on top of everything. Sigh. I'm feeling a little stressed about getting everything done, so my blog posts may be a little sparse until after the holidays. For now here are a couple of cards I made with the Santa's sleigh image from the Cozy Christmas stamp set:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Cozy Christmas, Hello December (Glitz)
Paper: Whisper White note cards and envelopes
Ink: Real Red, Soft Suede
Accessories: In Color sequins, red and white baker's twine (Target), Fine Tip Glue Pen

This was a very simple card design: two colors, two stamped images and two embellishments on a white card base. But I love the way it turned out; it makes me smile.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Cozy Christmas
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White card stock; red foil sheets
Ink: Smoky Slate, Memento Tuxedo Black, clear Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Sakura)
Accessories: Read Red Pompom trim, silver sequin trim, Tiny Attacher (Tim Holtz)

This card design has a few more steps, but I love the classic red, white and black color combo. I added sparkle in a few different ways: a layer of red foil, a few sequins, and accents made with a glitter pen on the focal image.

Thanks for stopping by!

Warm winter wishes

I've been struggling to write this blog post for the past couple of days. First I couldn't decide which card to share. (I think I'm just about done with my Christmas cards, so I do have several cards to post.) Then I couldn't wrap my brain around what I wanted to say. Sigh. I'm not sure why I'm having such a hard time with this post, but it's frustrating.

I've come to the conclusion that the only way I would ever finish this post is to just share a card design and my list of supplies. So here it is. It's a fairly straightforward design -- mostly stamping and sponging -- but if you have any questions, post a comment below, and I'll respond as soon as I can.


Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Winter Wishes
Paper: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake card stock
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Lost Lagoon, Soft Suede, Smoky Slate, Early Espresso
Accessories: Snowflake Elements, Color Spritzer tool, twine (Oct. 2015 Paper Pumpkin kit), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), sponge, Mono Multi liquid glue



Thanks for stopping by!

Woodland scene pop-up box card

I mentioned in my last post that I've been making a lot of my Christmas cards from kits. Most of the kits have been for traditional A2-size cards, but I did have one kit for pop-up box cards. Although I think pop-up box cards are really impressive, I've never made one from scratch because it always seemed a little too fussy for me. Even with the kit, which came with the bases and layering card stock squares pre-cut, the cards took longer to make than I hoped. But I was still pleased with the results:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Heaven & Nature, Season's Greetings. Woodgrain

Paper: A-2 Pop-Up Box Card Kit - Woodland (The Paper Cut); Old Olive, Mossy Meadow, Naturals Ivory, Very Vanilla card stock

Ink: Skin Tones Blendabilities markers, Early Esresso, VersaMark

Accessories: Trees and deer dies (Impression Obssession; included in card kit), Ice White Pearl Pen (Viva Decor), 1-3/8" circle punch, 1/16" hole punch, linen thread, Mono Multi liquid glue

What do you think? I really do like this peaceful woodland scene. As I mentioned, this kit included all the card bases as well as the layers for the panels (the kraft color on the flaps and the green on the panels on the bottom half of the box). The kit also included the dies for the trees and deer, although I used my own card stock to cut out the shapes.

I cut the deer out of Naturals Ivory card stock and used alcohol markers to color their bodies. For the trees -- there are three different sizes -- I used Old Olive and Mossy Meadow card stock. This kit wasn't specifically designed for Christmas cards, so I wanted to add a winter feel to the layout. I used an Ice White Pearl Pen to add "snow" to the tree branches and falling snowflakes on the panels that fold down.

With the inside of the cards done, I wasn't sure what to do with the panels on the outside of the boxes. I didn't want to use more die-cut deer and trees, but I wanted something that still fit with the theme of the cards. I decided on just using a background stamp and adding a little tag.

I had already glued the panels onto the card bases when I decided to add the background image, so I stamped the Woodgrain stamp with VersaMark ink. I like how this background stamp plays off the theme of wood and trees while keeping the masculine feel of the card. To add the tag I simply wrapped a piece of linen thread around the bottom of the card twice and then tied on a round tag stamped with a sentiment. I'll use the large blank panel to write a message and sign my name.

When putting a pop-up card in an envelope, you can leave two flaps folded down so you see the elements inside the card, just without the dimension. But I think I'll leave them closed like this for mailing, so the inside will be a complete surprise for the recipients.

Thanks for stopping by!

Peaceful wishes

Happy Thanksgiving! Before the family comes over for dinner I wanted to write a quick blog post, and since we're getting our first accumulating snowfall today, this card seems appropriate:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Kit: Watercolor Winter Simply Created Card Kit
Paper: Gold foil sheets
Accessories: Christmas Greetings Thinlits dies, Softly Falling embossing folder, gold sequin trim, Snowflake Elements, Mono Multi liquid glue, Fine-Tip Glue Pen

I've been making a lot of my Christmas cards from kits this year, and one of those kits is the Watercolor Winter Simply Created Card Kit. This kit was in last year's Holiday Catalog, but I bought in on clearance after Christmas and saved it for this year. Most of the cards in the kit I made according to the directions (or with just a few small tweaks) because I really liked the designs, but I wasn't crazy about the layout with watercolor stripes on the white card base. So I changed it up and added a few additional supplies to make this card.

I started by embossing the front of the card with the Softly Falling embossing folder. Then I glued on the vellum and wooden snowflakes. (For the vellum snowflake I just applied tiny dots of liquid glue where I knew it would be hidden by the wooden snowflake.) I die cut the word "peace" from a gold foil sheet and added a few white sequins from the kit as well as a few gold sequins.

It's a simple card, but I think that's appropriate for the sentiment. I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a peaceful holiday season. Thanks for stopping by!

The end of fall

There's definitely a winter chill in the air today. Time to pull out the scarves, earmuffs and mittens (which I'll be honest I've already worn a few times). While I'm not quite ready for snow -- the older I get the more I dread the hassle -- I do appreciate that we were able to enjoy a nice long fall with a number of gorgeous sunny days. So as we say goodbye to another fall season, it seems fitting to share my last few autumn/Thanksgiving card designs.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Grateful Greetings
Paper: Lost Lagoon, Cajun Craze card stock
Ink: Cajun Craze
Accessories: Grass embossing folder (Darice), Walnut Brown and Copper 3D stamp paint (Viva Decor), linen thread, wooden leaf (Paper Source), Mono multi liquid glue, Spouncer brush (Plaid)

This is a simple layout, with a layer of embossed Lost Lagoon card stock as the focal point. To add impact to the embossing I lightly applied a blend of two colors of 3D stamp paint -- Walnut Brown and Copper -- with a foam stipple-style brush. I mounted the embossed card stock on a Cajun Craze card base, stamped a sentiment, tied linen thread around the card front and added an orange wooden leaf. It's nothing fancy, but I love the dynamic color combination and this embossed design.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Lighthearted Leaves
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Very Vanilla card stock
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Fall Leaves Swirl embossing folder (Darice), Autumn Accents die, Copper 3D stamp paint (Viva Decor), copper cord (unknown), crochet trim, Artisan Embellishment Kit, wooden leaf (Paper Source), corner rounder, Mono Multi liquid glue, Spouncer brush (Plaid)

This card has the same basic principle as the previous card: embossed background highlighted with 3D stamp paint and then embellished. This version has a more feminine feel, though, with a green/purple/copper color combination, velvet ribbon and crochet trim. I also added a die-cut leaf as a layer for the stamped sentiment.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Lighthearted Leaves
Paper: Whisper White, card stock, gold paper (retired), confetti red card stock (unknown)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, E19 alcohol marker (Copic Sketch), Blendabilities assortments: Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive
Accessories: Metallic foil doilies, Wink of Stella gold glitter brush pen (ZIG), red twill ribbon (unknown), Dimensionals

I made four cards with the design by stamping leaves on a large piece of white card stock, coloring them with alcohol markers, and then cutting the card stock into four pieces. I layered each piece on gold paper, added ribbon and half of a gold doily, and used Dimensionals to adhere the panel to a red card base. To emphasize the gold I also used a gold glitter brush pen to color over the yellow leaves.

Thanks for stopping by!

Home tweet home

My little series of autumn cards continues today with a cute birdhouse-shaped card design.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Hardwood
Paper: House cards - Fossil (The Paper Cut); Lost Lagoon, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze card stock
Ink: Lost Lagoon, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso marker
Accessories: Bird Builder punch, Autumn Accents die, Woodgrain embossing folder, 1 3/4" circle punch, sponge, Mono Multi liquid glue, Glue Dots, 3-in-1 Craft Glue (Beacon)

Really, this card design could be used for any season by simply omitting the leaves -- or changing them to a shade of green -- or using flower, butterfly or snowflake shapes instead. (A set of four birdhouse cards, one for each season, would make a fun gift.) To add some texture to the cards I embossed the leaves with the Woodgrain embossing folder and found some small twigs in my front yard to use for the perches. Because of the twigs I think I'll have to either hand deliver these cards or send them in padded mailers, but I think it's worth it.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: House cards - Fossil (The Paper Cut); Whisper White, Soft Sky, Garden Green, Early Espresso, Mossy Meadow card stock; Into the Woods Designer Series Paper
Ink: Crumb Cake
Accessories: Autumn Mix Flower Soft (Katy Sue Designs), window dies (Our Daily Bread), Bird Builder punch, Brick Wall embossing folder, sponge, Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

I also tried a different approach to the house-shaped card bases by making one into an actual house, or more specifically, part of a house. The window die I have was too big for the card, so I cut off the sill and the bottom two panes from the white window. I glued die-cut curtains and blue card stock behind the rest of the window frame and green leaves to the back of the window sill. Then I adhered those pieces to the house card base, which I had embossed with the brick embossing folder. I glued a few punched branches at the top of the card and added autumn-colored Flower Soft to the branches and window sill. To be honest, I'm not crazy about how the Flower Soft looks here, but it was worth a try. I do like the rest of the card, though, so maybe I'll try it again another time.

I think I have one more autumn card design to post, and then I'll be on to other projects. Thanks for stopping by!

Thankful for forest friends

When I saw the Thankful Forest Friends stamp set in the Stampin' Up! 2015 Holiday catalog, I immediately fell in love with the adorable critters. I combined them with the coordinating Into the Woods Designer Series Paper (DSP) and Crumb Cake note cards and envelopes to make a few cute fall cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Thankful Forest Friends, Grateful Greetings
Paper: Crumb Cake note cards and envelopes, Whisper White card stock, Into the Woods DSP
Ink: Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Cajun Craze
Accessories: 2-1/2" circle punch, 1/8" gold ribbon, gold sequin trim, Envelope Liner Framelits dies, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

For this card I stamped all three animals on Whisper White card stock and cut them out by hand. (I actually like "fussy cutting," but these animals really aren't too hard to cut out.) I used two different prints from the Into the Woods DSP to make a background and adhered the animals in a group, using Dimensionals for the fox and the bunny to add some depth.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Thankful Forest Friends
Paper: Crumb Cake note cards and envelopes, Whisper White card stock, Into the Woods DSP
Ink: Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Tangelo Twist, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Into the Woods ribbon, Into the Woods Elements, Envelope Liner Framelits dies, Dimensionals

I used markers to color one of the sentiment stamps from Thankful Forest Friends and stamped it on a panel of Whisper White card stock. I adhered that panel to the right side of a note card and added a strip of DSP to the top and bottom of the panel. I stamped and cut out the bear and adhered it below the sentiment. A strip of Rich Razzleberry ribbon and wooden accent finish off the card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Thankful Forest Friends
Paper: Crumb Cake note cards and envelopes, Whisper White and Rich Razzleberry card stock, Into the Woods DSP
Ink: Mossy Meadow, Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Tangelo Twist, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Into the Woods ribbon, gold sequin trim, 2-1/2" circle punch, Emvelope Liner Framelits dies, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

This card doesn't have any of the animal images, but I still think it's cute. I layered a piece of DSP onto Rich Razzleberry card stock for the background. For the focal image, I colored and stamped a sentiment, punched it out with a circle punch and added tails of Rich Razzleberry ribbon and gold sequin trim. It's simple, but I love the colors and the pattern on the DSP.

I want to try using the animal images on non-autumn cards (I've seen some great samples), but that will probably have to wait a bit. I finished making my fall/Thanksgiving cards today (I'll share them in the next two or three posts), but now I've got to focus on Christmas -- I want to make a bunch of gifts and ornaments this year in addition to the cards, so that will keep me busy for awhile. Thanks for stopping by!

Fall watercolors

At the past few stamp shows I've attended I've been enthralled with the watercolor-style stamping by Art Impressions. I finally gave in and bought several stamp sets and markers and even took a class the company offered at a local stamp store (where I had to buy a couple more sets, naturally). I've practiced a little bit here and there, but a couple of weeks ago I decided to watercolor a few images to use on cards.

I used the same layout for each focal image (it's one we made in the class I took and it's also on the package for the stamp set) and the same basic supplies for all the cards (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Clay Pot (4701), Foliage (4051) (both Art Impressions)
Paper: Crumb Cake note cards and envelopes, watercolor paper (Strathmore), Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper (DSP), Sycamore Street DSP
Ink: Markers: 28 - English Red, 45 - Sepia, 6 - Brown, 17 - Steel Blue, 86 - African Violet (Marvy Le Plume II)
Accessories: Wooden leaves (Paper Source), Into the Woods Elements, metallic vintage hemp twine (Hemptique), navy grosgrain ribbon, Envelope Liner Framelits dies, Dimensionals, Mono Multi liquid glue

I didn't add a lot of embellishment to the cards because I wanted the watercolor images to be the focus. But the little wooden elements were perfect accents, and I was really happy with how all three cards turned out. I also used my new Envelope Liner Framelits dies to make the envelopes a little fancier.

I decided to switch up the colors for this version. I like the contrast of the blue and orange, although I wasn't sure at first if it would work. I also cut down the main layer for this card and added a swatch of DSP in the background.

Now that I have this watercolor layout "mastered," I'll have to try some different scenes and images. Thanks for stopping by!

Bountiful Border cards

I've paged through the 2015-2016 Stampin' Up! catalog I don't know how many times since I received it last spring. But it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I noticed the Bountiful Border stamp set. I'm not sure how I overlooked it, but once I "found" it, I was intrigued. So I decided to add it to my last order, and this weekend I used it to make three cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Sprinkles and Smiles (Penny Black), Bountiful Border
Paper: Thick Whisper White card stock
Ink: Hello Honey, Basic Gray pad and marker
Accessories: 2014-2016 In Color washi tape, corner rounder, Wink of Stella gold glitter brush pen (ZIG), Dimensionals

Using washi tape to make candles is one of my favorite quick-and-easy birthday card ideas. You can have just one candle or a whole row of them across a card front, and the jagged edges that are created by ripping the tape off the roll make it look like the candles are melting. So I was excited when I realized that the two individual leaf images in the Bountiful Border set make perfect candle flames. For this card I used three patterns of washi tape for the candles, added the wicks with a marker, stamped the flames with Hello Honey ink and used a gold glitter brush pen to add detail to the flames.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Bountiful Border
Paper: Marina Mist, thick Whisper White card stock
Ink: Old Olive, Marina Mist, So Saffron
Accessories: Petite Petals punch, Subtles Candy Dots, corner rounder, Dimensionals

I used the vine and flower images to make a border along the bottom of this card. I stamped the vine twice with the bottom point of the vines meeting in the middle. After stamping the flowers on the vines and the polka dots in the background I adhered a punched Marina Mist flower over the spot where the vines came together. I wanted to add something else to this card -- maybe a sentiment and/or an embellishment along the top of the card -- but I couldn't decide exactly what. So I'm leaving it like this until I figure out what else it needs.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Bountiful Border, Happiest Birthday Wishes
Paper: Whisper White, Smoky Slate, Calypso Coral card stock
Ink: Calypso Coral, Smoky Slate, Real Red, Old Olive
Accessories: 1/8" silver ribbon, silver sequin trim, corner rounder, sponge, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

To make the focal image for this card I stamped the large flower image four times with Calypso Coral ink on white card stock. Then I cut out each flower around a different layer of petals, sponged the edges with Real Red ink, and layered them together with Dimensionals (see photo).

I stamped the bunch of three leaves twice in the lower left corner of a panel of Whisper White card stock and adhered the layered flower over the leaves. Then I added a few silver sequins and a stamped sentiment and finished the card with a layer of Smoky Slate card stock, a strip of silver ribbon and a Calypso Coral card base.

I used all seven images in the Bountiful Border set (without repetition) to make these three cards, and I really like how each one turned out. I think this stamp set will be a great one to pull out for clean and simple cards. Thanks for stopping by!

Ghost cookies

I can't believe it's been ten days since I wrote a blog post. Uff da. I've had good intentions, but unfortunately not a lot of time. And even less crafting mojo. But I had a wonderful craft weekend with a friend last weekend and got a start on some Christmas ornaments I'll be giving as gifts. I'm not sure if I'm going to share photos of them now or wait until closer to Christmas (so the future recipients don't get a sneak peak), but I'm hoping that those crafting juices keep flowing and I can get on a card-making roll. (Yesterday I wrote out seven birthday cards for various friends and family members, and now I really need to replenish my stash of birthday cards.)

But today I'm going to share a couple of pictures of a fun and easy Halloween treat I made for some of my coworkers.

Aren't they cute? I first saw these cookies at a local candy store -- and then of course on Pinterest -- and thought they looked easy enough to make myself (I don't have much patience for involved baking or cooking). And they were pretty easy. I dipped Nutter Butter cookies in melted white chocolate chips and added mini chocolate chips for the ghosts' eyes and mouths. It took a few tries before I got the hang of the best way to dip the cookies and get the chocolate to spread, but by the end of the batch I had a pretty good rhythm going.

After the cookies sat for a while so the chocolate could set, I packaged them in cellophane bags. I put three cookies in each bag, folded the top of the bag down and taped it to the back, and added a Halloween tag. The tags were pre-printed, so I just personalized them a bit by stamping "Boo!", adding a few black rhinestones, stapling three pieces of coordinating ribbon at the top of the tag, and writing out the To/From.

I'm bringing these to work tomorrow, and I hope everyone likes them. Happy Halloween!

Easy Halloween cards

I am woefully behind on my cards for the autumn season. I've only made a couple of leaf-themed cards and nothing for Halloween or Thanksgiving. To get the ball rolling, I pulled out a pack of Halloween tags I've had for a year or two and used them as focal layers on a few easy cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Basic Black card stock, Designer Series Paper (DSP) Patterns stack - Brights (retired)
Ink: Whisper White craft, Memento Tuxedo Black, Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Sakura)
Accessories: Haunted Tag Pad (K&Company), button (Making Memories), Basic Black baker's twine, punched spider shape (unknown), Brick Wall and Decorative Dots embossing folders, Dimensionals

I embossed the Basic Black card stock with the Brick Wall embossing folder and then lightly rubbed it with a Whisper White craft ink pad. I rubbed the strip of Pumpkin Pie DSP with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and layered it on the card base. To embellish the tag, I traced over the lines of the web with a Gelly Roll pen and used Dimensionals to adhere a punched and embossed spider in the middle. I added a button tied with baker's twine to the top of the tag and adhered it to the card base at an angle.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Tangerine Tango card stock
Ink: Crumb Cake
Accessories: Haunted Tag Pad (K&Company), Witches Brew washi tape, Neutrals Candy Dots, natural ribbon trim, mini stapler (Making Memories), Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

I wanted to use washi tape as an accent on this card, but when I started pulling the pieces off the rolls, I discovered that one of the rolls -- the narrow one with words -- had lost its stickiness. But I solved the problem by applying just a bit of Mono Multi liquid glue to the back of the tape. Then I stuck the tape to the card like usual. For additional embellishment, I stapled a piece of natural ribbon trim to the top of the tag and placed a couple of Basic Black Candy Dots in the bottom right corner of the card base.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Grateful Greetings
Paper: Basic Black card stock, DSP Patterns Stack - Brights (retired)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Sakura)
Accessories: Haunted Tag Pad (K&Company), button (Making Memories), Basic Black baker's twine, stickers (September 2014 Paper Pumpkin kit), 2014 - 16 In Color washi tape, Dimensionals

I added several little touches to this tag: a stamped sentiment, bat and crow stickers, a hand-drawn border made with a Gelly Roll pen, and a button tied with baker's twine. I also "popped up" the bow tie on the cat by cutting the tie from another tag (the tag pad came with two tags of each design) and adhering it over this tag with small pieces of Dimensionals.

I layered a piece of Old Olive DSP on a Basic Black card base, added a little piece of washi tape and then adhered the tag to the card. I also used the Gelly Roll pen to draw a border around the layer of DSP to add a little more visual interest.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Trick or Treat (Lawn Fawn), Gorgeous Grunge
Paper: Tangerine Tango card stock, Neutrals DSP Stack
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Tangerine Tango
Accessories: Haunted Tag Pad (K&Company), button (Making Memories), orange baker's twine, Dimensionals

Using the same technique as the previous card, I popped up the pumpkin on this tag by cutting out the same shape from a second tag. The stamped sentiment and button tied with baker's twine finish off the tag focal point.

For the background of this card, I stamped the lines image and one of the splatter images from Gorgeous Grunge using Tangerine Tango ink. Then I added a strip of black and white DSP across the bottom half of the card and adhered the tag over it.


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