Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree...

Hi all! I can't believe it's been two months since my last post! Sorry about that! I'll have a few projects to share this week during the final wind-up to Christmas.

Today, I'd like to share the Christmas card I made for my sister and her family. She has two adorable little girls (Hi Anna and Emily!), so when I saw Bah-HuggaBuggs by Tiddly Inks, I immediately added it to my cart to use on her card this year.

The image was printed on Neenah cardstock and colored with copic markers. The snowflakes are assorted Martha Stewart punches which were painted with Smooch Illuminate for some shimmer. The pretty paper is from the Wonderful Winter paper stack by My Minds Eye.

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Stamp with Fun - xmas
Kaboodle Doodles - clean and simple
Pink Elephant - winter wonderland
Digital Tuesday - sparkling Christmas
Creative Card Crew - anything goes
A Spoonful of Sugar - christmas card
Copic Creations - sparkle
Allsorts - last minute Christmas

Thanks for stopping by!

Quick and Easy Christmas

I'm trying to get a  head start on my holiday cards this year, so I've decided to try to play along with the ABC Christmas Challenge to help get me motivated. I don't know about you, but I find it awfully hard to get to work on Christmas cards when the heat makes me want to spend some quality time in the pool! LOL.

This weeks challenge is Q for Quick and Easy, so I decided to pull out one of my favorite holiday sets, SU's Snowflakes. I must admit, I've gotten a bit out of practice with quick cards, since most of the images I've been using lately require quite a bit of coloring, so this was a nice change for me.

I wanted a bit of depth to my snowflake, so I started out by inking the whole flake with Bashful Blue ink, then rocked on some Brocade Blue ink, and finished off the edges by rocking on some Night of Navy ink. I added a bit of sparkle with Star Dust Stickles (I finally got a bottle, yeah!!!) and added a pearl to the center for my final touch. You can't really tell from the photo, but I also outlined the swirls on the paper with a clear spica pen, so this card sparkles like crazy in real life.

Thanks for stopping by!

Dreaming of a White Christmas...

Woo. This is the last Christmas card I needed to make to finish off my holiday card list this year! I'm so excited to finish with my cards... because that means it is time to start baking Christmas cookies! Mmmm...

For my card today, I decided to play along with the Mo's Digital Pencil challenge for this week- using only white on your card (other than on the image, of course).  I chose Door with Wreath for my image, and colored it in with copic markers. The family this card is going to has a blue house, so the blue around the door is supposed to be their siding. The wreath was covered with Flower Soft in Christmas Green and Shamrock Green, and has "berries" made from pearls that I colored with a R29 copic.

 

For the "snow," I made a custom blend of Twinklets and SU Dazzlin' Diamonds in a spare container for an extra sparkly effect, and attached it to the card with a bit of Zig 2 Way Glue. I know the photo doesn't do it justice, but trust me, if you saw this card in person, the snow sparkles like crazy!

Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

ISS - Love & Romance blog hop

Yes, I know, it's not the last Friday of the month, but this month InStyle Stamps is holding our blog hop a week early since we know everyone will be way too busy next Friday to blog hop. LOL.

The theme for this months blog hop is Love & Romance. If you've landed here from Jodi's blog than you are on the right track - continue on! If you've accidentally stumbled here on your own, take a moment go to the Instyle Stamps blog to start the hop off right. Trust me, you really don't want to miss any of the lovely projects the design team has in store for you! Be sure to visit each stop on the hop and leave a comment so we'll know you were here.

For my project today, I'll be showing you the soon-to-be-released digital image, Mitchel and Tiff. Aren't they sweet? I still needed to make a Christmas card for my hubby, and what could be more romantic than a Christmas kiss under the mistletoe?

Mitchel and Tiff were colored with Copic markers, and Tiff had a bit of eyeshadow added with a Sakura Stardust gelly roll pen. I used a Martha Stewart punch for the mistletoe, and went over it with Distressed Stickles in Peeled Paint. I kept the layout clean and simple since my hubby isn't a big fan of bling or frills. Think he'll like it?

Copic markers used:

On to the Blog Hop details...

We will be giving away a Grand Prize to one lucky Blog Hop participant and also have a prize for one lucky design team member. To enter, finish hopping through the design team’s blogs, (leaving a comment at each stop, of course!) and then go to the InStyle Stamps blog and vote for the designer who's project inspired you the most. (You're going to vote for me, right? LOL!) Then, in order to be entered into the drawing to win the grand prize, leave us a comment on that post.

Thanks for playing along with us today! Next you will head to Joy's blog to see what she has in store for you! Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy Holidays!

4 little angels...

I rarely make more than one of any given card, but I liked this one so much, that I made several, changing the color of the outfit and the angel's skin and hair based upon who the recipient was going to be. So, here's 1 card, four ways.

The first card was sent to my mother, who's favorite color is red. I colored the angel to look like my little neice, Anna. 

For the version I sent to my brother, the angel was colored to look like my nephew, Ryan, and so got a green outfit with lighter colored hair.

This version of the card was given to a co-worker (who has asked to remain nameless), and was colored to look like her daughter. I love the pink outfit on this one!

And the final version was also given to a co-worker, and was colored to look like her son. Her favorite color is red, so that determined the outfit color.

The adorable little angel is Michael by Mo's Digital Pencil. I love how he can be either a girl or a boy depending on how you color the image. So versatile! Each image was colored with Copic markers, and had Frosted Lace stickles added to the wings.

Thanks for stopping by!

2 challenges, and some exciting news...

I received some good news this week - I'll be a member of the Stamp Something design team starting in January! How exciting is that?!? Denise and Erin always have fun challenges each week, and I'm honored to be joining such a talented group of ladies!

Now on to the project... For my card today, I decided to play along with the Stamp Something challenge (a card with a Winter Wonderland theme), as well as to use this week's sketch from Friday Sketchers.

I'm just about finished with my holiday cards, but needed something special for one of my officemates. She's the outdoorsy type, so I thought Fishing Penguin by Elzybells would be perfect for her card. Isn't he a cutie? The image was colored with Copic markers, and then I added Twinklet's for the icey pond. The top layer of the punched snowflakes is also covered with Twinklets for some extra sparkle.

I was in such a rush to get this card photographed so I could get it ready to send that I forgot to take a picture of the Copics I used. My apologies. If you scroll down to the previous post, the colors are identical, except I added B91 for the water and E57 for the fishing poll.

Thanks for stopping by!

Gift set...

Today I thought I would show you the gift set I made for a dear friend. She loves penguins, so I used Penguin Snowflakes by Elzybells for the image on the card and on the ornament.

Both images were colored with Copic markers, and then had Twinklets applied to the snowflakes and the ground for a nice wintery feel. (Have I mentioned my Twinklets addiction? LOL!) For the card, I decided to try my hand at an easel card (great photo instructions can be found here).

I know you are supposed to put a brad or some such in the middle to hold the card in place, but the three layers of card stock I used on the base seemed to work just as well. 

For the ornament, I used the same papers as I used on the card to decorate one of those little party favor tins by Wilton. I used them for a baby shower last year, and have a ton of them leftover, so I'm glad to finally find a use for them! 

I used a nestabilities circle die to cut out the image, added a bit of Elmer's glue to the inside bottom of the tin, and then smooshed the image in place. Once it was dry, I added some more Twinklets to the container to turn it into a shaker. Before I put the lid on, I added a line of Elmer's around the edge to hold it in place. The outside was covered with a stripe of designer paper, and then the front and back were decorated with more Nestie cut-outs.

My project does quadruple duty today, as I played along with the Elzybell's challenge 33 (making a gift), the Create4fun challenge (making an easel card), the Stampstacular Sunday challenge (not using red or green), and the Colour Create challenge (using purple, aqua, black and white).

Copic markers used:

Warm thoughts...

We are doing our Secret Santa gift exchange and holiday breakfast at work tomorrow. My person loves chocolate, so I used "Sweet tooth" by Mo's Digital Pencil for her card. Think she'll like it?

I decided to play along with this weeks Charisma Cards challenge (using red, green, white or silver), so that determined my color scheme. I colored the image with copic markers, and then added a bit of stickles for some bling. I did something a little different with the card this time around, and scored it to open in the middle.

Wishing you joy...with 5 challenges!!!

Have you mailed out your holiday cards yet? I am hoping to do so this week, but still need to make a few for the special people in my life. My husband's parents are heading to Texas to spend the holiday with his brother next week, so their card was first on my list.

My in-laws are very much the traditional Christmas card kind of people, so Door w/ Wreath by Mo's Digital Pencil was perfect for their card. After coloring the image with copic markers, I added Twinklets to the door frame and snow for a realistic icy snow effect, and then painted the wreath and sled with Angel Wings Shimmerz for some added sparkle. The "berries" on the wreath are dew drops and mini pearls colored with a R29 copic marker. The holly leaves are a Martha Stewart punch, and were also painted with Shimmerz (in the retired Sagebrush color), and then finished off with a bit of Twinklets. For a final bit of sparkle, I colored the door handle with a silver Spica pen.

If anyone has some tips for photographing Shimmerz, please leave me a comment. This card sparkles like crazy in real life, but I just couldn't get it to show up very well in the photograph. Probably why I usually stick to my Stickles. LOL.

I did some holiday multi-tasking, and played along with 5 challenges with this card!!! The sketch is by Sketch Saturday, I have lots of "glitz" for Stamp Something, my colors (olive, red, brown/cream) are for Color Throwdown, I've got lots of sparkle for Digital Tuesday Challenges, and finally, I used traditional Christmas colors to make a card for someone special (my in-laws) for Mo's Digital Pencil. Woo! That's a lot of challenges!

Copics used:

InStyle Stamps Blog Hop

It's the last Friday of the month, and you know what that means - it's time to go blog hopping with InStyle Stamps! The theme for this months blog-hop is Holiday Ornaments. If you've landed here from Raquel's blog than you are on the right track - continue on! If you've accidentally stumbled here on your own, take a moment go to the Instyle Stamps blog to start the hop off right. Trust me, you really don't want to miss any of the fabulous projects the design team has in store for you! Be sure to visit each stop on the hop and leave a comment so we'll know you stopped by.

I hope all my US readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday! Did you brave the cold and the crowds this morning to do some shopping on Black Friday? We normally do, but decided that sleeping in was a much better option this year. I don't know about you, but I'd rather shop in my pj's on the couch and avoid the crowds! LOL.

For my project for today, I created a double-sided ornament using the adorable Kimi. Double-sided, you ask, how'd she do that, you ask. Well, let me tell you. One of the benefits of digital stamps is that you can play with them with your photo editing program. I printed off one copy of Kimi as she comes, and then flipped the image so she was facing the other way and printed that off too. After coloring both images, I carefully cut them out and then glued the wrong sides together (sliding a piece of gold cord in the middle to make the hanger). Once the ornament was together, I added stickles to her wings (letting the one side dry before applying them to the other side, of course).

Kimi will be part of a friends Christmas gift this year, so I decided to make a card to hold her. I used  oval Nestabilities to cut a window in the front of the card and put a piece of acetate in between the layers.

Once I was finished decorating the card front, I used an exacto knife to cut a little oval in the back of the card to slide the ornament hanger through. A little bit of tape will hold it in place until my friend is ready to take Kimi off of the card and hang her on her tree.

On to the Blog Hop details...

We will be giving away a Grand Prize to one lucky Blog Hop participant and also have a prize for one lucky design team member. To enter, finish hopping through the design team’s blogs, (leaving a comment at each stop, of course!) and then go to the InStyle Stamps blog and vote for the designer who's project inspired you the most. (You're going to vote for me, right? LOL!) Then, in order to be entered into the drawing to win the grand prize, leave us a comment on that post.

Thanks for playing along with us today! Next you will head to Lysa's blog to see what she has in store for you! Thanks so much for stopping and good luck!

Fairy Christmas...a color challenge

 

With only 35 days left until Christmas, I've really got to get cracking on my holiday cards. I get tired of using red and green on all my cards, so when I saw this weeks Digital Tuesday Challenge was to make a card using white, purple and silver (or gold), I thought it would be perfect for a non-traditional card.

My sister-in-law loves snowglobes, so I knew Christmas Fairy Holly by Mo's Digital Pencil would be perfect for a card for her family this year. Isn't she sweet?

Holly was colored with copic markers, and then I went over her wings and the bells on her sash with a Sakura Stardust pen for a bit of sparkle and silvery sheen. I dotted a bit more on the ruffle of her skirt for a little more oompfh.

For my snowflake accent, I punch 2 snowflakes out of vellum. I used my V95 copic to color the largest snowflake to make it stand out against the white background, and then covered both snowflakes with Twinklets (are you sick of hearing about them yet? LOL!). I just love how they sparkle!

Copics used:

Wishing you peace...

Meet Kimi, one of the adorable new holiday digital images by InStyle Stamps. Isn't she a cutie?


Kimi was colored with Copic markers (see photo below), and then had diamond Stickles added to her wings for a bit of sparkle. I dotted on a bit of gold Spica pen to her halo and sash as well for a little metallic shimmer. The pretty snowflakes are vellum coated with Twinklets Diamond Dust.

I'm doing quintuple duty with my card today. I made a holiday card using a digital image for this weeks Digital Tuesday Challenge, I've got glitter for Cute Card Thursday, coloring with gold for Copic Creations, I used the sketch by Friday Sketchers, and finally, the snow theme goes with InStyle Stamps Over-the-Hump Blog Candy Challenge. How's that for multi-tasking?!? LOL!

If you'd like to purchase Kimi, or any of the other adorable images from InStyle Stamps, click HERE to recieve a 5% discount on your purchase.

Markers used:

Holiday Wall Art

This weeks challenge on Mo's Challenge blog is to make anything but a card. I've had an idea kicking around for some framed holiday art since I made a card with the oh, so sweet Singin So Beautiful last week, so I decided to participate.

Once again, I colored the kitties to look like my two Siamese, Octavian and Emmalee. The image was colored with copic markers (you are going to gasp if I ever use anything else, right?) and then I added Twinklets to the ground for some snow. I thought the sky needed a little something more, so I drew in some snowflakes with a white gel pen and added more Twinklets for some snowy sparkle. To finish off the piece, I used glue dots to attach real miniature bells to Octavian's collar, and then added 3 larger bells and a ribbon to the mat.

I had one heck of a time getting a decent photo of the entire frame, so below is a close-up of the image so you can see it better.


I forgot to take a photo of the copics I used, so sorry! They basically are the same colors I used in this post, with the addition of G85, G82, G40, and G24 for Octavian's collar and hat.

Meowy Christmas!

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I adore my furbabies, Emmalee and Octavian. (Emmalee is the lilac point Siamese, and Octavian is the flame point Siamese, shown above.)


When I saw the adorable Singin So Beautiful at Mo's Digital Pencil, I knew I had found the purr-fect image to use on a holiday card for Octavian's foster mommy from Siamese Rescue.

Think she'll like it? The image was colored with copic markers, and I used Spica pens in gold, buttermilk, and clear to accent the bells and red ribbon. The sentiment is computer-generated. I kept the layout clean and simple to make it easier to mail.

This card is also my entry for the Copic Creations challenge #14, coloring with black. (Emmalee was colored with W5, W3, W1, W0, and W00.)

Copics used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Boss's Day!

Happy Boss's Day! Did you remember? I have to admit that my co-workers and I completely dropped the ball on this one. Ok, not completely. I did hear a commercial about it on the radio on the way home from work last night, so I at least had time to make a card for my supervisor.

At my office, we have a cabinet that is kept well-stocked with hot chocolate and several varieties of teas and coffees. Pretty much the first thing everyone does each morning is make something hot to drink (preferably accompanied by something to munch on), so I thought that AM Sweet Tooth by Mo's Digital Pencil would be perfect for the card for my supervisor.

I colored the image with copic markers, and then used a Sakura Gelly Roll pen (I think it is stardust) on the spoon and the trim on the mug and plate. I used white Foam Paint by DecoArt (in the fabric paint isle at your local Michael's/AC Moore) for the whipped cream. Once it dries, it has this wonderful "wet" sheen to it. The image needed a little "sweetening", so I added Twinklets onto the cookie and the foam to add a little "sugar".

Copics used:

ISS Sneak Peek + Sketch Saturday #72

This weeks sketch on Sketch Saturday is a cute one, so I decided to play along. I flipped the sketch for my card as it worked better with my image, the adorable new anime from InStyle Stamps, Christmas Tree Chic.


I've always loved decorating our Christmas tree. Ok, I hate the grumbly "why won't these blasted lights work?!?" part, but putting on the ornaments is just so relaxing. I put on my favorite Christmas cd's and spend several happy hours putting each ornament in just the right spot.

Christmas Tree Chic was colored with copic markers as usual. The pretty designer paper is more of the My Mind's Eye Colorful Christmas line. The ornament embellishments were drawn by hand as I couldn't find a stamp the right size. The yummy crocheted ribbon is a Big Lot's find.

Copics used:

Club Anime Color Challenge

It's time for another Color Challenge on Club Anime, and Virginia chose this yummy bedding as our inspiration piece this month:


Here's my take on the challenge:


Meet "Snowman Chic." Isn't she a cutie? She'll be available soon in the InStyle Stamps store, so keep an eye out! Snowman Chic was colored with copic markers (see photo at bottom) and then had SU Dazzlin' Diamonds added to the snowman for some sparkle.


I used Twinklets again on my vellum snowflake embellishment- told you I was addicted to the stuff! - but this time I experimented a bit by adding SU Dazzlin' Diamonds glitter on top of the Twinklets. You have GOT to try this - it is so sparkly and pretty! The photo just doesn't do it justice!

Now what are you waiting for? Go create something and then post a link on the Club Anime blog for a chance to win a great prize package. Not a member of Club Anime yet? Go here for info on how you can join.

Copics used:

Thanks for stopping by!

let it snow...

Yes, I know, it's only October, but it's never too early to get to work on your holiday cards. I've been seeing Twinklets Diamond Dust Crystals used on a lot of holiday cards, and being a glitter addict, I had to get some. (Michael's and AC Moore both carry the HUGE jar of it. $8.99 for 14 oz. Plan on splitting it with someone, because seriously, you would have to use it on 1000's of cards before you'd even make a dent in that jar! LOL!)


Doesn't is make the prettiest snowflakes? It's really easy to use too. Just dab a bit of craft glue (I used Elmer's glue and applied it with a sponge) onto your paper, sprinkle with Twinklets, and shake off the excess. Keep in mind that Twinklets are real ground glass, so make sure to put some scrap paper under your project to catch any that escape. You don't really want teeny pieces of glass left on your work surface.


For my card, I used the adorable Kai in the snow digital image by Mo's Digital Pencil. Isn't he a cutie? I sponged the background with SU Soft Sky ink, and then colored Kai with copic markers. I added some white Fun Flock to the pom pom's, and more of the Twinklets to the snow. The pretty designer paper is "Snowflake Stripes" by My Mind's Eye.

MDCC25 - Card Thursdays - Thanks for the Memories

This Thursday's card challenge at Mothers & Daughters Creations is to make a holiday thank you card to send to someone special. To celebrate the new year, M&DC is offering a prize for one lucky participant - the Serendipity Stamps mailbox stamp that DT member Maria used on her card here! To enter, make a holiday thank you card, and post a comment with a link to the card on this thread on the M&DC challenge blog. If you upload your card to Splitcoast Stampers or Papercraft Planet, please use keyword MDCC25.

For my card, I thought this adorable snowman stamp by Stampavie was just perfect for a thank you card. He just looks so happy to be receiving a present from his bird friend! The image was colored with Copic markers, and I added diamond Stickles for some sparkle. I used Merry Wishes - All the Trimmings dp by Daisy Bucket for the background. It is double-sided, so I cut my piece in half and used both sides on the card for some added interest. Don't you just love double-sided dp?

MDCC24 - holiday ornament

I'm a few days late posting this, but better late than never, right? I actually made this last weekend, and then forgot to post it in the last minute holiday rush.


This is another holiday ornament that doubles as a gift card holder. I needed two to send to my niece and nephew in Texas, and figured they might fight over them if I didn't use the same layout on each one. This one obviously is for my niece since I can't see my nephew digging the girly colors! LOL!
I used the cute holiday Mouse from Stampavie for my image, and colored it in with copic markers. I added gray fun flock to the mouse for fur, and Shimmerz to the ornament for some sparkle. The dp is Sweet Satin Ribbon from the Fairest of them All collection by Imaginisce.