Brrrr ... it's been Christmas Craftin Weather!

Since it has felt so cold and breezy this week with the wind whippin' around up on our hill, I haven't felt much like going outside.  So I have been gathering ideas for Christmas cards from Pinterest and my craft table is a mess right now, but ... I got a few cards done before the end of the month to participate in Lisa's 12-months of Christmas Link-Up challenge.  :)  Yeahhh!

The first card is using the image I have had on my desk for a while now from From The Heart stamps called "For The Birds."

The second image is my attempt at a vintage style card with a collage.  Not sure I am crazy about that one, but it will do for now.

The last one is in the group photo and I had used a House Mouse ATC that I have had from a trade quite a few years ago that I have been holding onto as well.

I need to simplify a bit here in the craft room and have decided to start using other's ATCs on my cards to send to friends and family.  I think they will enjoy them as much as I have.

Thanks for stopping by.  I would love to hear from you.  Please leave a comment.

Hugs,

End of my GDT position with FTH

These two images (Hamlet PigWit Pig Out and For the Birds) were the last of my creations for the guest designer position with From The Heart Stamps.  Unfortunately, I didn't get the cards completed in time for this week's challenge, as I was busy packing last weekend for a trip to Atlantic City, NJ and just got back today. I will definitely miss creating with this amazing group of ladies on a regular basis, but I will continue to play along as often as I can ... when I am not too busy with my full-time position at Nuance.  :)

Thank you SO much to Faith, Imke and the rest of the team for giving me a chance to join an amazing group of crafters.  I was definitely honored to do so.

Love and Inky Hugs,

Winter Friends FTH SOTM challenge

It is almost half way through the month already ... it's going so fast, but I finally got a chance to play along with the From The Heart SOTM challenge! :)  Look at this wintery image called Winter Friends.  Aren't they sweet?!  Here is my creation for the challenge.

Image:  Winter Friends from From The Heart stamps
Papers:  Bazzill cs, light green, light blue and pink, BasicGrey Eskimo Kisses pink and green plaid
Tools:  Spellbinders large ovals and lacey ovals, Copics, corner rounder punch and glittered snowflake ornament from Walmart package

If you joined the challenge in June, you would have received Winter Friends via email by now.  This challenge closes on the last day of the month, and a new image will be posted by the 3rd of next month.

If you missed out, you can still play along with the challenge by purchasing the image. Then you can enter the challenge and receive next month’s digi free. OR if you spend $10 in the From The Heart Stamps store this month, you can enter code SNOWINJULY to receive Winter Friends as a free gift.  *Only one offer per person, please. Make sure your purchase doesn’t include this image or you will receive 2. Thank you!

Inky Hugs,

Wishin You a Meowy Little Mouse-mas

I have been making Christmas cards lately to "keep cool." ;)  Seriously, I figured why not get a couple more done today (this post now and the other one will post tomorrow).  This one is using the digital image from Imagine That Digis by Kris called "Meowy Mousemas."  It is the July Stamp of the Month Challenge from the Imagine That blog.  Join us this month and get next month's image for free.  Don't have this image already?!  Check out the blog (click on the previous link) to find out how you can get this one at a discount.

The image was printed on Neenah white cs after re-sizing with Photoshop Elements 6,

cut out with Spellbinders Labels One dies, Christmas DP from both BasicGrey Eskimo Kisses, other scraps and a tablet I received from my good friend, Chris Sather, years ago (yep I still have it and use it sparingly).

I copied the same sketch idea on the inside with the Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses piece, blue striped paper, Labels One dies and two of the sentiments from this set.  

Inky Hugs,

FTH Hop - Christmas in July!!

Welcome to our From the Heart Stamps blog hop. Our theme this month is “Christmas in July”. 

Our designers are showcasing lots of gorgeous projects.

As you hop along, please leave a comment on each blog for a chance to win the following:

• One random commenter will be selected on each blog to win an image (of their choice) for themselves and one for a friend.
• One commenter on the From the Heart Stamps blog will be selected to win a $15 gift voucher to the store!

If you have arrived from Cheryl's Blog, you are in the right place, if not why don’t you start on the From the Heart Stamps blog, so you don’t miss anything.

Here is my project, using Seven Christmas Birds.

I have really fallen for these cute birdies, and they are so much fun to color with my Copics.  Thanks to Faith's image for reference, I was able to shade them without too much difficulty (seems to be the hardest part for me).

I created two cards for today's blog hop using the image and sentiment from this set.

Image:  Seven Christmas Birds
Papers:  Bazzill textured cs, Neenah white cs, BasicGrey Eskimo Kisses
Color Medium:  Momento London Fog, Copics (B00, B02, B14, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y18, R11, R20, R22, C1, C3, C5, R29, R24, R08, G03, G07, G09)
Tools/Accessories:  Spellbinders curved rectangles,
Stampin Up Coluzzle oval, SU ribbon trim punch
and SU gumball green satin stitched ribbon

Inside of Card 1 using Spellbinders curved rectangles
and Labels One dies with the Sending Love sentiment
from the Seven Christmas Birds set

Image:  Seven Christmas Birds
Papers:  Bazzill textured cs, SU pretty in pink cs, Neenah white cs,
and BasicGrey Eskimo Kisses
Color Medium:  Momento London Fog, Copics (B00, B02, B14, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y18, R11, R20, R22, C1, C3, C5, R29, R24, R08, G03, G07, G09)
Tools/Accessories:  Stampin Up Coluzzle oval, SU punch board used
for ribbon, Spellbinders curved rectangles and light blue ribbon
flower accent from my stash

Inside of Card 2 using Spellbinders curved rectangles
and Labels One dies with the Sending Love sentiment
from the Seven Christmas Birds set

Now head on over to Angela's blog and see what she has created.

Thanks for hopping with us today!! :)  The hop will end on Monday, July 7th at 6 a.m. EDT.  Winners will be posted on the From the Heart Stamps Blog on Wednesday, July 9th.  Good luck to you!

Inky Hugs,



P.S. - I have linked up at Lisa D's Christmas Link-Up too.  If you create your Christmas cards early, check out her blog!!

Frosty Images for a Muggy June Day

We have a blog hop coming up on July 4th (Christmas in July), and you won't want to miss it!! 

 I have been playing around with some Christmas images from FTH.  I will be making more, so here are a couple I can share with you a little early, but don't forget to stop back and see the rest on July 4th!!  I just adore these Seven Christmas Birds, and Faith's example image was so much fun to try and duplicate.  I think I will make a ton more like this for my Christmas cards this year.  :)

Image:  Seven Birds Christmas
Papers:  Scrap pieces from DCWV - snow and snowflakes,
SU blue and Neenah white
Tools/Accessories:  Corner rounder punch, Spellbinders Curved Rectangles dies,
1 inch circle punch, SU large oval punch, Martha Stewart lacy punch, Spellbinders
small ovals and small scalloped oval sets and of course Copic markers

Image:  FTH Trimming the Birdhouse
Papers:  SU real red, DCWV Christmas pack, BasicGrey Wassail scrap.
Tools: SU large oval punch, Spellbinders largest small oval and largest small scalloped oval die
Colored image within Adobe PSE (need more practice at that)

Seven Christmas Birds closeup

Inky Hugs and cooler nights to you all! :)  Hoping these wintery images help you feel a little cooler if you are having muggy days/nights as well.

Entering these cards quickly into Lisa D's 12 month Christmas link-up.  If you haven't started making your Christmas cards yet, you may want to get a jump on them and link up at Lisa's page here too!  You get a free Christmas digi paper each month that you complete at least 2 cards - now that's incentive!!

Trimming the Birdhouse

My second Christmas card for the month of May to be entered in Lisa's Twelve Days of Christmas Link-Up.  I have more of these little sweeties already colored and pieces cut to create a few more ... woohoo! :)  I hope to see your cards there too.  Get a jump start on those Christmas cards before it sneaks up on us.

Card Details:  Birdbrain "Trimming the Birdhouse" digi stamp from FromTheHeart,
sentiment from DigiStamps4Joy, BasicGrey Eskimo Kisses dp, SU dp, SU large and small oval punches, SU envelope punch board to create the bow,
SU not quite navy, soft suede and green cardstock,
and Spellbinders Label One and largest of the Small Ovals dies.

Again, the sketch I used was from last week's Sketch #66 at FromTheHeart, 
and you can flip it, turn it or embellish it as you wish! :)  The only request is that you use a FTH stamp.

Inky Hugs,

I believe I can trim a birdhouse!

These little cuties are from the digi stamp set called Trimming the Birdhouse from From The Heart Stamps.  They made me giggle when I first saw them.  Trimming the tree or putting up the lights is always a fun, yet sometimes frustrating time.  No one in our household seems to want to help me with it, but afterwards they always look SO pretty!  If you don't get tangled in your lights, you are amazing!!  And please ... drop me a line letting me know how you do it :)

Card Details:  Birdbrain "Trimming the Birdhouse" digi stamp from FromTheHeart,
Believe sentiment from DigiStamps4Joy, BasicGrey Eskimo Kisses dp, SU sponged blue ink,
SU large and small oval punches, SU not quite navy, soft suede and green cardstock,
half pearls colored with R29 Copic and red grosgrain ribbon

The sketch I used is Sketch #66 at FromTheHeart, and you can flip it, turn it

or embellish it as you wish! :)  The only request is that you use a FTH stamp.

I am also entering this Christmas card in Lisa's Twelve Days of Christmas Link-Up.  One completed for May and another yet to go ... I have more of these little sweeties already colored and pieces cut to create a few more ... woohoo! :)  I got behind in April with my Christmas cards, so hoping to catch back up this month before things get crazy busy with work.  Hope to see your cards there too.  Get a jump start on those Christmas cards before it sneaks up on us.

Busy Sunday - Bible verses, PB cups and Christmas cards

I have been trying to find the perfect verse to add to my kitchen since I got my Silhouette Portrait.  Hubby and I have been trying to find just the right one, and I kept coming back to 1 Corinthians 13:13 - Faith, Hope and Love.  After I saw this one in Kris' "Wedding Day" set, I knew this was definitely the one, and so I trimmed it out after a few tries, measured my area a little bit and then got it put up today above the arch way between our kitchen and living room.

I even found the time to create some peanut butter cups 

(no egg mold though - Valentines and pumpkin molds were the only ones in the house)

and then I finished out my day creating a couple of Christmas cards thanks to the March digi image Christmas Paper from DigiStamps4Joy, which I will submit to both the DigiStamps4Joy monthly Christmas Challenge and Lisa's Christmas Card Link-up.

Hope you all had a productive day today too! :)

Happy Craftin!
 

More Color-Me Christmas cards

After printing out a few more of these adorable Dinosaurs from DigiStamps4Joy, I created three more "color-me" Christmas cards to be sent to friends/family with little ones who like to color.  I used foam dots for ease of removing the dinosaur images from the card base and also added one or two more inside the cover (lightly taped fast).

This last one has an image and some embellishments underneath, so when the parents remove the dinosaur image, there is another image to still have a complete card if they would like to save them.  I have some that I keep from year to year that I just cannot throw away.  I typically save them all until I put my Christmas decorations away, mark my Christmas card list and then sort them.  I would keep them all if I could, just not enough room to do so.

So, I wonder ... do you save your Christmas cards until you take down your decorations?  

Or maybe you save them each year in a box?  Leave me a comment and let me know. :)

Inky Hugs,

Color Me Christmas Card

My second card for the Christmas Link-Up challenge for February.  I created a "color me" Christmas card this time around, and I had him started last night and forgot it was the last day of February (so finished him up this morning and got a picture quick).  I left him uncolored for little ones to color before Christmas, and I truly think I will make a few more to send to friends/family with children like this guy too.  I think they will really like this dinosaur/dragon image from DigiStamps4Joy.  (I believe Lisa called him a dinosaur and I called him a dragon last time - oops).  He's cute either way! :) The inside of the card has another one just lightly taped fast with a note that states "this is a color-me card."

If you haven't seen Lisa's challenge over at Decosse's Dynamite Doodles or Desire's progressive Christmas challenge at DigiStamps4Joy, you must go take a look.  These ladies are encouraging me to get my Christmas cards done a few each month, and I love them for it!! :)  Hopefully Lisa will let my slightly tardy entry squeak in today since I had a pretty busy week.

Inky Hugs,

Warm Cocoa and Friends Perfect for this COLD weather!

Wow, it has been so long since I posted here that I almost didn't remember how to use Blogger.  Sad, isn't it?!  It's bitter cold just about everywhere we turn (from my friends in Wisconsin to those of us here on the East Coast).  I am pretty sure we are all having Alaskan weather right now with the jet stream patterns and Arctic air blowing in, so this image below was perfect!  I just couldn't resist playing along today.  Missed you all too!

My dear friend Kris from http://imaginethatdigistamp.blogspot.com/ has a challenge going on currently using this sweet image called Jenn and Friends.  If you were on Imagine That's mailing list, you should have received this image too.  If not, you can purchase it from her at her digi store.  Just check the blog for details on the challenge and get some great digi images for your scrapbooks or hand-made cards.  I used the colored image, layered it on some Basic Grey  papers I had left over from my Christmas card creations and distressed the edges with Rich Cocoa Momento ink.  I imagined the cocoa must be peppermint cocoa, and the pop of red striped ribbon totally caught my eye.  I popped that up with some 3M foam tape and added the cocoa circle for Warm Wishes to you all!  Hope you are staying warm during this cold spell, and while you are ... hope you have a little stampin' fun too!  :)

P.S. - Here is a belated sneak peek of a few cards that I created for Christmas too (please excuse the flat photo).

...



Inky hugs,