Happy New Year!: FM#39

My partner's birthday falls withing days of New Year's. So even though this really is a birthday card, you can't really tell from the cover. It just so happens that he loves fireworks so putting it all together means I end up with a card that is essentially no different than a New Year's card (except for the inside greeting.) 

Stamps: Canada Day (retired), Something to Celebrate (retired), Afterthoughts (retired)

Paper: Espresso, Not Quite Navy, Brushed Gold Cardstock

Ink: Versamark

Extras: Gold embossing powder, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, Heat and Stick powder, Gold glitter

Using The Friday Mashup challenge for this week, I decided to add some sparkle but I wanted to keep it masculine and so here's what I came up with...eeeee! I'm so happy with it! I hope he likes it.

I'll be honest, I never quite know which stamp sets to get. I hum and haw over them all and can never make a decision, even for sets that I love. I have decision-making difficulties in general... but for some reason I knew I wanted the Canada Day set. Maybe it because fireworks are the ultimate expression of celebration, are they not? And since they are a big deal in this household I suppose that helped.

I chose to use the little firecracker on the inside of the card but wanted to emboss the spark in gold, while keeping the stick blue. I coloured the bottom stick with the Not Quite Navy Marker then inked the tip in Versamark and sprinkled with gold embossing powder. I was a little surprised to see that the gold embossing powder actually clung to the area I had stamped in Not Quite Navy even though I wasn't using craft ink. Hunh. I'm sure the coverage wouldn't have been anything as good as if it were craft ink but anyways...I just brushed it off and chose to have the spark be in gold.

I'm sorry it's not all that clear in the picture but it's pretty cute :)

For New Year's I will be seeing some long time friends that I haven't seen in awhile. We're having an evening of game board playing and potluck deliciousness. No crazy party, just a lovely evening of chatting, eating, and maybe some heated game board playing! It's been too long since I've had some real game board fun. No fireworks, except on the inside, the kind that come with being around people you miss but luckily get to see every now and then.

May you all have great fun celebrating the ending of this year and the start of a new one! Wishing you a safe and happy new year!

Join in the Cheer!

I know you have already seen the centre card, but this post is featuring the cards on either side. 

I have used the "new" Join in the Cheer die I recently purchased off the clearance rack, which as you know means it's retired. As you can see I am still working my way through the Christmas Lane kit.

Ink: Old Olive marker

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, & Whisper White cardstock, Chrismas Lane dsp

Tools: Join in the Cheer die (retired), 1 1/4" circle punch

Extras: die-cut stickers from Christmas Lane kit

I used the Old Olive marker to delineate each of the holly leaves on the focal piece. It looked a little too much like one of those blades in the table saw without the leaves delineated (but I'm sure that's just me ~ or so my stamping partner tells me.)

Lovely easy peasy cards!

Christmas Lane gifts: PDCC#112

In trying to use up the bits and pieces left over from my Christmas Lane kit, I had the idea of using up the little tag sticker on presents.

Then I thought of using the Merry Details Sizzlits die to decorate my tags and this is what I ended up with!

Stamp set: Berry Details

Ink: Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler

Tools: Scallop punch, word window punch, designer label punch, stocking punch, corner punch, merry details sizzlits die

Extras: die-cut stickers from Christmas Lane, Cherry cobbler baker's twine, mini jingle bells

I apologize for the blurry photo! No matter how still I hold the camera, it still tells me I've moved! Oh well, maybe it's Christmas excitement, eh?

Happy Stamping!

(Sorry Play Date Cafe, it seems I had posted this card before your challenge was released! I'm still trying to get the hang of this challenge thing...  :s)

Christmas gift tags

I apologize in advance for the red background. I took these pictures quickly before giving these Christmas gift tags to those who brought a friend along to the Christmas card class.

Stamps: Gifted (retired), Lots of Love Accessories

Ink: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede

Paper: Whisper White cardstock, and Christmas Lane dsp

On the following tags, the "to" & "from" are stamped on the back.

Stamps: Gifted (retired0

Ink: Bashful Blue, Real Red, Bordering Blue (retired)

Paper: Whisper White

Extras: Extra Large Oval punch

Stamps: Gifted (retired0

Ink: Real Razzleberry, Bashful Blue, Soft Plum, Versamark

Paper: Whisper White

Extras: Clear embossing powder mixed with Dazzling Diamonds glitter

Stamps: Holiday best (retired L1 hostess 2010)

Ink: Cherry Cobbler and Early Espresso markers

Paper: Crumb Cake cardstock

For the next tags, I used a wheel and cut apart the scenes/words that I wanted and mounted them on Real Red cardstock.

Stamps: Little Cardinals- builder wheel (retired), Pleasing Polka Dots-builder wheel (retired)

Cardstock: Whisper White and Real Red

Ink: Real Red

Stamps: Delight in Gladness- builder wheel (retired)

Cardstock: Whisper White and Real Red

Ink: Real Red

Now, if only I were organized enough to have all my own Christmas gift tags handmade so nicely. Unfortunately, I will confess right now, that is far from the case. It was a monumental task to just get my own Christmas cards made and sent out. But I do love making them, I think next year I'll just have to start a little earlier...like the summer?!

Light-bulbed Noel: SR#103

I cannot tell you how many times I tried to do something with these leftover white light bulbs and ended up with some very weird looking cards! But finally...only when I discovered I actually had 3 lightbulbs in the leftover Christmas Lane stickers did I figure I could mimic my "Snowflaked Noel" card and I came up with this.

My stamping partner has announced it is her Very favorite card yet! (and sometimes she's a little brutally honest, so at least we know she means it when she says she loves something)

Stamp set: Warmest of Wishes (holiday mini hostess set)

Paper: Christmas Lane dsp and die-cut sitckers, Old Olive, Soft Suede and Whisper White cardstock

Ink: Cherry Cobbler

Extras: White baker's twine

Tools: Decorative punch, Bird punch

I used the branch from the Bird Punch to make some boughs around each light bulb.

It gets dark here at around 4 pm now, so it's rather nice to have all the Christmas lights out when it gets dark so early. It distracts a person from how depressing so much dark could be at this time of year.

So why not a card that celebrates the loveliness of Christmas lights? As this card celebrates winter or Christmas, I thought I'd add it to the challenge at Stampinn' Royalty (seen here)

Greeting Card Kids Christmas

This is a case of Nance Leedy's card that you can see here. I just fell in love with her card and had to try and make my own version.

Stamp set: Greeting Card Kids, Holiday Happiness (greeting), Vintage Vogue (flourish), Branch Out (snowflakes-retired)

Paper: First Edition dsp, Always Artichoke, Riding Hood Red, and Very Vanilla cardstock

Ink: Always Artichoke, Riding Hood Red, River Rock, Blush marker

Extras: Mini Jingle Bells, 1 1/4" striped ribbon in Riding hood red, linen thread

Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Blender pens

Here I coloured one with Blender pens and one without (ie. straight-on markers.) With the blender pen you can get a little more shading in.

I like that the card ended up having that vintage feel which the Greeting Card Kids stamp sets fits so perfectly.

Subtle Poinsettas: SR#103

I really seem to be enjoying these 3" x 6" cards, so I found another design to make them in. I bought the Designer Series Paper used in this card off the clearance rack, it's from a few years back, called Holiday Treasures (retired). The colours in it are Ruby Red, Celery, and Chocolate. They make a nice subtle combination. It hardly seems like Christmas paper until you examine the flowers closely and see they are poinsettias.

Stamp sests: Berry Details (retired), Many Merry Messages, Bingo Bits

Ink: Ruby Red, Certainly Celery, Regal Rose, Frost Shimmer Paint

Paper: Holiday Treasures dsp (retired), Ruby Red (retired), Old Olive and White Naturals cardstock

Extras: Certainly Celery Satin Ribbon

Tools: Extra large oval punch, Scallop Trim border punch

I used the Berry Details Stamp Set (cause it's one of my favorites!) On the smaller poinsettias I used Ruby Red, but for the larger one I used Regal Rose. I chose to use White Naturals cardstock.

I detailed the flowers a bit with the coordinating marker, and sprayed them with my sparkle spray. It's a mixture of  Frost White Shimmer Paint and rubbing alcohol. As you can see, I tried making the card with a regular scallop edge also.

My stamping partner and I ordered some poinsettias from my girlfriend's son to help them raise money for their hockey team. We received the big gorgeous plants today, one pink and one red!

I have tried entering my card to the Stampin' Royalty challenge (seen here) but I'm new at this and I suspect I might have goofed up somewhere. 

Well that's it, hope you find some lovely poinsettias to swoon over too!

Snowflaked Noel

Though it may not appear to look anything like Carrie Gaskin's card shown here, that's initially where the idea came from.

Stamp sets: Warmest of Wishes (Holiday Mini 2011 hostess set)

Paper: Soft Suede, & Whisper White cardstock

Ink: Cherry Cobbler

Tools: decorative die, snowflake die

Extras: die-cut stickers from Christmas Lane simply scrappin' kit

I just love that Noel stamp! I don't know what it is about it?!

Stamps: Many Merry Messages

Extras: die cut stickers from Christmas Lane kit, cherry cobbler baker's twine

Snow much fun! :D