Friday, December 27, 2013

Last Christmas Post this year

I do not know what happened this year!  It's only 6 PM on Christmas Eve and everything is done.  This is not me.  My Christmas Eve's are usually spent in a panic finishing things up and wrapping for tomorrow but I'm sitting here with nothing to do.  It is just weird!!   So I decided to post the last minute things that I finished up on Friday.  I always leave those final gift card holders, tags and candy treats till the end!!  I made Snowflake Mix and thanks to my friend Judy had two different ways of packaging it.   

The first is in a cellophane bag with a topper...








































The second way is in clear, sturdy quart sized plastic containers.  The little owl is from a Whippersnapper set by Anna Wight.  I used paper piecing to give him a Christmas striped scarf!  






































I always need one more gift so I have some gift card/ check holders ready.  This year I made some Z shaped cards.  I like this design because there is room for a sentiment and a little pocket that holds the gift card or check securely.  For this one I used a sentiment stamp and surrounded it with the holly and berries from the Stampin' Up set Watercolor Winter.  The snowflakes were made with a die from Impression Obsession.  It's my favorite, the snowflakes are beautiful and intricate but small enough to fit perfectly on a card!






































This is what the card looks like opened.  I put a ribbon and bow on the pocket to make it look like a little gift package!



For the second card I used a funny stamp from Eat Cake Graphics.  I just love the look on the little boy's face! It makes me laugh every time I look at it!


Here is what the card looks like opened...















I hope you got all of your crafting done in time without the stress that sometimes comes with it and I hope that you had a delightful holiday!!

Thanks for visiting,
Janet

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Snowflake Easel Card

Another easel card, this time with a wintery theme!  Whoever thought this fold up is a genius! The 3-D look is so much fun and there are so many stamps and dies that can be used.  They are my new favorite (I know, I'm fickle...everything is my favorite!).  Here is one that I used for Christmas cards this year!  The snowflake is a die from The Cat's Pajamas.  You can see it here.  I cut 4 of them out of typing paper, folded them in half and glued them together.  Then I added a string using fishing line and a crimp bead.  It's very easy because the snowflake is symmetrical and lines up perfectly when you glue it together.










































Here is a close-up of the snowflake, it is so pretty!








































My card needed a little sparkle so I made an embellishment using white and blue card stock, vellum and Stampin' Up glitter paper punched out using a bunch of different punches.  Here's a close-up.  








































It's such a busy time of year and I was in such a hurry to get my cards out that I cleaned up without writing down any of the supplies I used.  I remember that I used a My Favorite Things clear stamp to do the dotted background, the Cat's Pajamas snowflake and a Spellbinder Labels die to make the easel cut out.  If you need specifics on the punches I used or have any other questions, please contact me.

Hope you are having a fun and festive holiday season!  Thanks for stopping by!!

Janet 

Monday, December 9, 2013

Magic Slider Card - Get Well

I did it!  I finally tried making a magic slider card...and it was FUN!!  It wasn't nearly as difficult as I had imagined.  I don't know why I put off making one for so long!  I was inspired by a card I found on Pinterest made by Amy Wanford.  You can see it here!  Isn't it great...just perfect for someone who is coming back from surgery.  Problem is, I didn't have an upholstered chair stamp so I ended up finding some clip art and using my light box to trace it, then had to trace it again on acetate.  Let me tell you, it was a pain so if you want to try making this card, I'd recommend finding a chair stamp.  It will make your life SOOO much easier!  Here is how my card looks closed...






































As you start pulling on the the tag...








































And completely opened...







































From now on I will put a little tag on top saying, "Pull" because the recipient of this card didn't realize it was magic until his Mom (my stamping friend, Kathy) told him to pull it!!

I do better at video directions than written ones so here is a link to the YouTube video that I used to help me make this card.  I sized down the measurements so the little pocket would fit on the front of a standard sized card.  l found another tutorial by Beate from Splitcoaststampers, here.  It's so good I thought you might like to take a look at this one, too!

Thanks for visiting!
Janet

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Angel Gabriel - LOTV

I just love shadow box cards.  I don't know for sure what it is that I like about them but they make me happy.  The Angel Gabriel stamp from Lilli of the Valley reminded me of Nativity plays and since shadow box cards look kind of like a stage, they were a perfect match!



I used Copics to color the image and then cut the pieces for the shadow box.  You can view a Splitcoaststampers video tutorial by Dawn Griffith here.  I wanted to give my "stage" a primary school feeling and I thought the star border from My Favorite Things was perfect!  I finished the card off with a little clear glitter and a computer generated sentiment.  Here's a close up of the inside of the card...







































I also put a sentiment on the back of the card since this kind of card doesn't have an inside!







































I hope this gave you some ideas or inspired you to make a shadow box card!  Thanks for stopping by.  

Janet



Saturday, December 7, 2013

Sentsational Season Christmas Card

Once I got started making Christmas cards it kept me really busy!  I really like this little card using Stampin Up's Sentsational Seasons Christmas tree stamp and die!







































I used Stampin Up's Scalloped Square Die for the back of the card and mounted a square card on top.  Then I used two of the dies from the Windows Collection Die set to make a frame for the Christmas tree.  I really like how it looks!  I used Viva Pearl and Viva Glitter paints to add color and dimension to the tree and yellow Art Institute glitter to add sparkle to the star.  Then I  finished the card off with a little computer generated tag and some twine!






































I've started using leftover decorative paper to add some color inside my cards.  It looks so much cuter and more finished...don't you think?!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Janet


Friday, November 8, 2013

Snowflake Girl

With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I'd better get started on my cards.  Here is one that I made with the Let It Snow stamp from Crafter's Companion USA!  When I was little I loved snowstorms and trying to catch snowflakes and this little girl brings me right back there!  The new Impression Obsession snowflake die was perfect for this card!







































She has the sweetest little face, so cute!  Here is a pic of the inside of the card...







































It feels so good to have some Christmas cards ready to send!  Getting started is always the hardest part!

Thanks for visiting :)
Janet


Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  Stampin' Up Ballet Blue, Cougar Opaque White
Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black
Copics:  Face : E11, E00, E50 and R02
                Coat and Hat:  RV66 and RV 69
                Hair:  YR20, YR18, E19 and E18
                Scarf, Boots and Mittens:  B24 and B23
                Hair Bows:  YG05 and YG09
                Sky:  B91

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Witch's Wardrobe Box Card

I've had the Taylored Expressions set, Hangin Out - Wicked Wardrobe for a while and when I saw the directions for how to make a box card, I knew what I wanted to do...


Here's a view of the card opened so you can see what's inside the wardrobe!!







































I was really happy with how it came out.  I put the message on the back of the wardrobe and it said...


TIME TO 
GET READY

YOUR BIG NIGHT 
IS ALMOST HERE!

BOOO-AHAHAHA

HAPPY 
HALLOWEEN

Thanks for stopping by!  Love, Janet

Monday, October 14, 2013

Beach Bucket Bouquet

I know it's almost Halloween and I should be thinking pumpkins and ghosts and autumn leaves but we just got back from a week on Sanibel Island with some good friends and it was hot and summery so I'm thinking beachy thoughts!  I found the shells and the grassy fibers while beach combing!

































Thanks for visiting :)

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: Stampin' Up Poppy Parade & Island Indigo, KC Paper Pad
Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black
Copics:  Flowers: Y08, Y38, YR07, YR25, YG01, YG67, YG95, YG99, V17, G00 G82, G99,    RV06,  RV10
Pail: B04, B21, B24, BG02, BG05, BG13, BG49   Sand: E33 and E35  
Sky:  I used Prismacolor Pencils (PC919-Non Photo Blue & PC1027 Peacock Blue) blended with Gamsol Mineral Spirits and a blending stump
Miscellaneous: Shells and beach fibers, silicone glue






Monday, October 7, 2013

Flying Cupcakes

I tried my hand at the "Flying Easel" card that I've seen all over the internet!  It was fun and a lot easier to make than I expected it to be!  The trick is finding a symmetrical stamp to hang in the opening.  It would work for butterflies, Christmas trees, stars, ornaments.  I know I'm fickle, but this is my new favorite layout/fold!  If you want to try it, Google, Flying Easel, and you will find lots of tutorials and videos. 

Here is a view of the card closed...






































I stamped the cupcakes 4 times on typing paper, colored them with copics and glued them together with a string in the middle.  That way when the card is in the open position, they can be spread out and it gives a real 3-D look to the cupcakes as they swing in the opening...so cute!!  It makes me want a cupcake!! 






































Thanks for visiting, have a stamping kind of day!

Love,
Janet

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Stampin' Up Crazy for Cupcakes, Heritage Farms greetin
Cardstock: Stampin' Up Designer paper, Doodlebug Designs Inc.
Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black
Copics: Sorry, didn't keep track for this one.  
Dies: MFT Rounded Banner Stax
Miscellaneous: Washi Tape

Kindness Matters

Another "Thank You" card!  I've had a lot to be thankful for lately!  For this one I colored a Magenta butterfly with lots of Copic BG colors (see image below), they blend together beautifully!  I didn't like how the sentiments looked when I stamped them straight, so I curved them on the block so they would stamp alongside the trail of hearts.  I liked that much better.  Silly little stamps kept popping off as I was about to stamp and that about drove me crazy so I ended up putting little cuts along the bottom of the rubber and that made it curve better and stay on the block!!







































Supplies Used:
Stamps: Magenta butterfly
Cardstock:  White Cougar Opaque
Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black and Versafine Black
Copics: See photo below
Miscellaneous: Stampin' Up heart punch, Black Sharpie pen, sequins, Stampin' Up pearls
































Thanks for stopping by!  Have a happy day :)
Janet

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Heart Tag Thank You

A simple little "Thank You" card!!






































I really like the Memory Box bow and string die cut.  I used it to make it look like the tag is hanging from the branch.  It amazes me how precise and fine the cuts are with MB dies.  They are really wonderful!  Here is a close up view...







































I didn't have a branch die so I drew a branch that I liked, then I traced it on vellum and scribbled graphite on the back (remember doing this in grade school?).  I positioned the branch where I wanted it on the front of the card and then traced over the branch to get the image on the card.  I used a brown Copic marker to color the branch in and then added some little leaves and some punched flowers.


Supplies Used:
Cardstock: Stampin Up Baja Breeze & Chocolate Chip
Inks: Distress Inks - Broken China
Copics: E57, YG05, YG17
Dies: Sizzix Tag Die, Memory Box Crisp Bows
Miscellaneous: Marvy Heart Punch

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Little Fairy

I tried a new fun fold for this card.  It is called the Double Fold Gate Card.  It's very versatile and works well with lots of different die cuts and stamps.  I used a Stampin' Up Framelit and one of the cute little fairies from Lili of the Valley Rubber Stamps.






































Here is how the card looks when it's opened...so cute!





























and a close up of the little fairy!






































I liked this card so much that I made another one using different colors...






































I thought the finished card needed some more pink so I used an EK Success punch to make a chain of little circles.  Because of the way the card opens, I needed something that looked good on the inside and out.  Here is a close up...





































Thanks for visiting, have a happy weekend!


Supplies Used:
Stamps: Lili of the Valley - Fairies on Tiptoes
Cardstock: Scenic Route - Providence - Madison St. (red fairy)
                     3 Bugs in a Rug - Chloe - Mini Floral (pink fairy)
Inks:  Momento - Tuxedo Black
Copics: Hair: E50, E53, E57, E79 (both)
              Skin: E00, E02, R02 (both)
              Dress & Wings (red): R05, R08, R29, YG11, YG13, YG95
              Shoes (red): E50, E33,E53,E57
              Dress, Shoes & Wings (pink): BG000, BG01, BG 53, BG57
                                                                   RV00, RV02, RV04
              Flowers (red): R05, R08, R29
              Flowers (pink): RV04, RV06, RV09, R39
              Leaves (red): YG25, G99
              Leaves (pink): YG13, YG93, G99
              Shadow: BG90
Dies: Stampin' Up - Framlits - Labels Collection 
Miscellaneous: EK Success - Circles border punch