Next Holiday, First Card

Okay, so I finally cleaned up all my Christmas card-making mess, and put the Holiday stamps away for another year *sniff*, and after assembling the new set SU! gave to us demos for a Christmas gift this year, I decided to make a card for the next Holiday I could think of, not including New Years, since that all starts tomorrow.

SO, Valentines Day popped up! And in keeping with that theme, here's the first card for you all to see:

images (c) Stampin' Up!, 1990-2008

Does that pic look small to you? I'm using this new laptop and some new photo editing software, and I just can't get the hang of it yet. I'm sure the pics will improve with time.

ANYWAY, I also dug up the Cuttlebug embosser for this one, too! LOVE that thing! And, after some cutting, coloring, blending and popping, this card became my first Valentine's card of the year. I hope you like it.

Colors: Purely Pomegranite, Pretty in Pink

Stuff: Cuttlebug embosser, pink and white grosgrain, dimensionals, blender pens

Up late, but I'm back.

As you may have guessed, I have not been around online in the last week or so, because of course the Holidays. I have finally come up for air from my post-Christmas activities, and I'm up late right now but planning on sleeping and then getting up to play with some stamps, so if I end up inspired, you'll see some new goodies on this blog tomorrow!!

Wish me luck!

And, thanks to everyone who left the 53 presents under my little tree this season - that was FUN!!! I read every single one of those, and I loved them all as if I had gotten actual gifts - no kidding! And, no mess to clean up afterwards - and no returns either!! WOO HOO!

I hope everyone had a blessed season, and I look forward to spending a fabulous 2008 with you all!

Yours in Creativitiy~
Me

I wish I were sick of Holiday cards, but....

I'm not (yet)! Yep, I'm still making them! I still have to make them, actually - there are constantly cards coming in from people that I had not already sent to first, so I keep making them!!! I sure hope these get out in time to arrive by Christmas!!!

So if you're not already sick of my cards, here's yet another Holiday card for you, fresh off my stamping table:

images (c) Stampin' Up!

The truck is actually popped up, but the photo doesn't show that. Also, you have to really look, but there's trees in the background, too.... they don't show either!!! Wonder why?? Anyway, Soft Sky and Blue Bayou are the colors of choice here, highlighted by Rose Romance, Wild Wasabi, and So Saffron.

Sets: Loads of Love, Lovely as a Tree, It's Snow Time (snowflakes)
Colors: Listed above (read! lol)
Other: blender pens, dimensionals, markers, reinkers, paper piercing template/tools....blah blah blah....

Snowy Friends

If you're still trying to get those Christmas cards done (and I will admit, i have a few left to do), here's another idea that is pretty quick to whip up, and it's fun too!

Now I am posting from my laptop right now and it is using a completely different photo editing software, so I don't know how good or bad this photo is going to look, but here goes:

images (c) Stampin' Up!

It's a 4 1/4" square card. It uses some paper I have had forever and it's long retired, but it fell under the category of "I promised myself I'd use this stuff" so it found its way onto this card. lol The slit punch makes the little scalloped edge on the chocolate layer, and with a bit of faux stitching and piercing in the scallops (can't really see it in the pic), it was all ready to go. Of course dimensionals play in this, too... none of my cards seem complete without them!!

Sets: It's Snow Time, Sparkle wheel
Colors: Ballet Blue, Chocolate Chip
Other: Paper piercing tool and mat, bluebird and chocolate grosgrain, swirl clip (non SU! in silver), slit punch

Tag Time

Nope, not tags I made... but a tag I was "tagged" with! lol

This one comes compliments of Gabby, my SBS1 sista! I will probably not tag anyone else because I'm seeing this everywhere, so I'll just share the weird stuff about me and we can all get on with our Christmas shopping already. lol

7 Weird/Random Facts About Me:

1. I love every kind of music, from classical to rap (yep, I said it), from showtunes to Mariachi, from pop to Rock, and everywhere in between.

2. I wanted to learn how to fix cars when I was young, but my dad refused to teach me. I can, however, change my own oil, fuel filter, air filter, battery and tires. Not bad for a chick!

3. I have a super-sensitive sense of smell. I have even had people call me over to their house to identify smells that they can't trace themselves. Yep, i'm like a dog. Woof!

4. I have some psychic ability. I have the ability to know someone inside and out REALLY fast because I can feel it. It's called being an empath. Dont' ask me to contact your dead relatives or give you a reading, though. I don't go there. lol

5. I survived ovarian cancer. 85% of those diagnosed don't.

6. My dream since I was 3 (yes, I actually remember the moment I decided this) has been to be a famous singer and actress.

7. I love to watch boxing. It's barbaric, yes, but for some reason it's still a great sport to me.

WOW, is that 7 already?? You know, the sad part is there are about a million more weird/random things about me, but I'd probably scare you all off if I shared them! lol This was actually a fun exercise, so if you're reading this and you haven't been tagged yet, please use this and play along - post your random things on your blog! Then post here to tell me so I can read up on YOU!

Be Merry

Yep, ANOTHER Christmas card to share! This one will sorta count for tomorrow's post, because I will probably not be able to get on in the morning to post for you, so those of you Friday night browsers, you're getting the goods early. lol

So anyway, you may need to click on the pic for the closeup because on my new pc screen it's really hard to tell all the details on this thing (translation: "glitter"), but maybe it's just my screen and not yours... lemme know. here's the card:

images (c) Stampin' Up!

The tree was stamped in craft ink and then embossed with Iridescent Ice embossing powder. The trees in the background were just stamped in regular Soft Sky ink and then highlighted with 2-way glue and glitter.

Sets: Baroque Motifs, Warm Words, Lovely As A Tree
Colors: Soft Sky, Close to Cocoa, white (Almost Artichoke craft ink on tree)
Other: Iridescent Ice embossing powder, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, 2-way glue pen, caramel grosgrain, glue dots, dimensionals, soft sky DP

Simple Silver

First, does anyone know how hard it is to scan or photograph something with a white edge on a white background?? Aaargh!! lol Okay, done whining now. lol

This one is a simple to make but with an elegance that only black and silver or (black & gold) can project. If you ever emboss metallics and you haven't already heard, you get the best results with metallic ink and metallic embossing powder. I played with some other ways just to see the difference, and there IS a difference! Prior to that, I just did what I was told and enjoyed it. ; )

Oh, tip # 2: when embossing on dark cardstocks (or any, for that matter), always use that embossing buddy, or you'll end up with speckles of stuff you didn't want when it's said and done. Don't take away from your efforts by making it sloppy - get yourself a buddy, and use it!

So anyway here's the card:


Can you see the any of the silver shimmer? The snowflakes and the "joy" stamp are embossed in silver. It's better looking in person. Too bad I mailed all these away. ; )

Set: Snowflake wheel (regular size), and the other set name escapes me... I need to get a laptop to have near my space when I'm posting these so I have it all handy!
Colors: Black, White & Silver
Other: silver embossing powder, embossing buddy, white organdy ribbon, dimensionals

Simple and Festive

It's true, I'm not done with these holiday cards yet.... and I'll be making more today, too, so be prepared! lol

images (c) Stampin' Up!

Garden green and Ruby Red compliment this card. The tree gets a bit of dimension with the Rock 'n' Roll technique - ink up the stamp first in green, then rock the stamp to the side, and roll the stamp over the brown pad so that just the edges get the brown ink. Simple as that! Add some crinkled birch paper, and this card doesn't need too many more layers to have dimension. Cool, eh?

Set: Lovely as a Tree
Colors: Garden Green, Ruby Red
Other: Hodgepodge hardware in Aged Copper, and burgundy grosgrain.

How fun is this?! Leave a present.

This Christmas you can give me presents galore, and it won't cost you a penny! This is soooo cool! Just leave me what you think I deserve (even coal!) and leave it under my adorable tree you see above. It's fun! AND, if you make a tree of your own, post a comment and let me know so I can leave you a gift too!!

Have fun, and don't be a scrooge! Gimme a gift! ; )

Happy Holidays~

Another challenge I took on....

Yep, my friend Kyla posted a card on her blog that she created after a sketch challenge she saw, and then she passed the challenge on to me! SO, not being one to back down from a challenge, particularly one that I thought looked like fun, I came up with this card:

images (c) Stampin' Up!

Yep, the crab strikes again! I just love this little guy! This is actually a 4 1/4" square card, and with a little punching and Colluzzleing (just made that word up - like it?!), I came up with this card which I thought was kinda cute for another Christmas wish. What do you think??

Sets: Crab & Company, All Wrapped Up Accessories
Colors: Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranite
Other: Celery organdy ribbon, burgundy grosgrain, dimensionals

Drumroll, Please.....

Yes, the day for the Blog Candy winner announcement is here! I went to www.random.org/lists to make the choice truly random, and here's the winning post:

Mandiannie said...
Great candy. On top of my wish list is a digital SLR camera...that's on my WISH list on my Christmas list (the one that has realistic wants) I have a circle punch.
December 6, 2007 4:32 PM

CONGRATS Mandiannie! Please email me ASAP with your address and I'll send my Happy Birthday present to YOU!

Thanks for playing everyone - I hope you'll continue to visit the blog, even if there's no blog candy up for grabs!

Now, when will the next contest be???? Hmm..... gotta ponder that one......

Later gaters~

In response to a Challenge

Gabriela, who is a fellow SBS sista and a great stamper, issued a challenge of her own to enter to win blog candy she's offering (click HERE to go to her blog for details). Well, I had more Christmas cards to make, so this challenge looked like a great place to start. Well, Gaby, if you're reading this, here's my entry:

images (c) Stampin' Up!

How FUN is that set?! I knew I'd just use it and use it and use it - not just for Summer, but for Holiday Time, too!!! WOO HOO!!!!

I only made one of these, so I have to save the picture for posterity. lol

Set: Crab & Company, snowflakes wheel
Colors: Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Confetti White
Other: Dazzling Diamonds, bashful blue brads, 1/4"circle punch, dimensionals, 2way glue pen, blender pens

Yep, it's retired, I know... Holiday Wishes again!

Yep, I just can't stop making Holiday cards.... and I'm using more stuff that's retired and/or otherwise sitting in my space waiting to be used. Besides, I have more cards left to make after realizing my list is longer than I had originally planned... so here's the next version I made a handful of:

images (c) Stampin' Up!

It's a PearlEx dream.... PE in both Spring Green and Russet. Versamark and some AquaNet hairspray, and I was all set! Yep, add some retired designer paper and some silver eyelets, and this is what I came up with. Now, do I want to try and remember what the name of the deisgner paper is? Hmm.... that's a tough one.

Sets: Ageless Adornment, Fine Foliage jumbo wheel
Colors: Handsome Hunter, Burgundy
Other: 1/4" circle punch, silver eyelets, PE in Spring Green and Russet, Aquanet hairspray to seal, dimensionals (of course!)

There will probably be one last holiday card coming before I switch themes to share, but hopefully you're still enjoying these.

Hugz~

Windy Winter Holiday Card

Just messed around with the little amount of time I had to stamp yesterday, and here's another quick Christmas Card I came up with, using the supplies I have, current, retired, and otherwise.

Don't have a Cuttlebug snowflake template yet (well, I ordered mine yesterday thanks to the 50% sale on Creativexpress, but I digress)? Just use what you have and add a twist to it like this: I used my old Snowflakes wheel from SU!, and ran it through the Cuttlebug Swirl embossing template. Now it looks like the snow is blowing in the wind!

This picture turned out really dark, but hopefully the detail and sparkles (as always) show up for you... maybe the larger view will help.... just click it for the larger and more detailed view. Anyway, here's the card:

images (c) Stampin' Up!

So, what did I use to make this?

Sets: Tree for All Seasons, Small Script, Snowflake wheel
Colors: Handsome Hunter, Cranberry Crisp (last year's InColor), Soft Sky
Other: Silver ink, silver metallic pen, going gray ink cartridge, paper piercing tools (from the SU! kit), Swirl embossing template from CB, 2-way glue pen, dazzling diamonds glitter, various punches and sizzix circles, slit punch, silver eyelet, hunter grosgrain (SU!)

UPDATE: The weird thing - I never use Hunter cardstock so I had no idea this was going to happen, but the ink I used to make the snowflakes later soaked into the hunter cardstock and now you can hardly see the snowflakes at all.... wonder how that happened????

Blog Candy is HERE!

Okay, friends - as promised, I am here to celebrate my 10,000 hits with some goodies for you just in time for the Holidays! Here's what I'm offering:

What's included here: A stamp-yourself puzzle , 3 unmounted holiday stamps by SU!, some non-SU! craft sponges, a package of birthday embellishments, a pastel bundle of fibers, and an unopened package of beads (from BigLots).

Want to win? Here's what you need to do:

Post here and tell me what is on the top of your Christmas Wish List, and tell me whether or not you think you'll get it this year.

One winner will be named on Tuesday, December 11th - my BIRTHDAY! lol

Okay, get posting - I can't wait to hear what you wish for this year!

Hugz and Good Luck~

The Thing About Music

Okay, so I love my music... but I recently read a thread on SCS where there was a lot of ranting about how people hate going to blogs with music on them - how some people will not read blogs again if there's music on it. Wow, this was a shock to me, and I was distressed!

HOWEVER, I found the solution! I re-created the html code on my music player so that it will not play automatically when you visit my blog. Instead, if you want to hear it, just go where the player is (near the bottom, if you didn't know already) and click the play button (usually you have to click twice).

I hope this will encourage the non-music people to continue to visit, and still satisfy the yes-music people so that you can listen if the spirit moves you.

Sound good??

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I Love Ya, Tomorrow!

You're only a day awaaaaayyyyy.......

Yep, I'm singing the tune because tomorrow is a stamping day, which means Christmas cards will get made, new ones created, new pics to post and BLOG CANDY to offer!

Keep your eyes peeled, it's coming!

Sing with me now - "tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow... you're only a daaaayyyy, aaaawaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!"

Okay, I feel better now. lol

Another Holiday Wish

Here's the other card that's dry now, and I kinda like it - and will probably make a handful of these to mail out as well:

images (c) Stampin' Up!, 1990-2007

Yep, I was pretty happy with the results, and this stamp set is one that I sorta got "stuck" purchasing due to a miscommunication with a customer, but I finally put it together (without labels) and actually am enjoying it now. Now it's hard to tell, but the bird, star and heart all have Crystal Effects on them, so they're all shiny, which adds an extra touch to this card. I hope you can see it.

Sets: Baroque Motifs, Wishing You

Colors: Purely Pomegranite, Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky

Other: Burgundy grosgrain, 7/8" celery organdy ribbon, Crystal Effects