Gina K "Card Club Kit" Blog Hop!!

Good evening my friends!  I usually post in the mornings but tonight is a special Gina K Card Club Blog Hop put on by the DT!  So lots of fun stuff for you this Sunday evening!  I was so lucky & super thrilled to be asked to be on this DT--what an honor since I admire Gina so much.  She's so kind, talented and I admire her a lot both as a person & a business woman!!

Now you're asking what is the Card Club Kit right?  Well Gina K & Jessica Fick will have special card kits available for purchase that go along with the new stamp sets for each release.  These kits (see HERE) have pre-cut cardstock, card base and ribbons included along with step-by-step directions on how to make the card featured for the kit!  So kinda a one-stop shop--you can buy the stamp set and then buy the card kit and VOILA you've got all the makings for 4 beautiful cards!  Fabulous huh!!  And there is alot of fun coming with these card kits so stay tuned!!

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This message is by our DT leader Jessica Fick:

Welcome to our very first GinaK Card Kit Club blog hop!

We have assembled an amazingly talented group of designers who will be sharing some cards on their blogs tonight, based on December's Card Kits. For this month's hop, I've challenged each artist to design their projects using the same basic sketch and measurements of my class card, but to put their own personal touches on them adding whatever embellishments, patterned papers, etc. that they would like to use!

We know you're going to be thrilled with what each of them came up with for us!

Bev Gerard {Warm and Wonderful}

Colleen Schaan {Life is Good}

Sankari Wegman {Tech Talk}

Suzanne Dean {Warm and Wonderful}

Valerie Stangle {Lovely Shelf}

So let's get started!!

I absolutely adore this new stamp set called "Warm & Wonderful" by Rupa Shevde for Gina K--it has awesome winter images but also some very sweet sentiments that can be used for a lot of special occasions. (See the matching Card Club Kit for this stamp set HERE and see Inspiration Samples HERE)  For this first card I followed the original sketch by Jessica except I flipped it.  I love the sled image (I'm searching endlessly for a real antique sled that I can put on my porch but no luck yet) so I just had to use this one!

I colored with Copics (R29,R89,R24,R22,R20/C5,C3,C2) and then added stickles to the rails on the sled for sparkle.  The patterned paper is from Basic Grey's "Eskimo Kisses" which pairs up beautifully with Gina K's cs "Cranberry Tart" & "Green Apple" colors.  The striped embossing was done with my CB "Candy Cane" embossing folder and the shapes were all done with my Oval Nestabilities.  I colored the mittens from the set and cut them out---I cut off the string part of the image so I could attach some matching embroidery thread to them instead.  Then I just popped 'em up with dimensionals, added some stickles and finished off the card with a bow made with my Bow Easy.  A perfect winter card for a loved one or friend!!

My second card I just used the hot cocoa mug image---I LOVE hot cocoa in the winter, my favorite for sure!  I buy the bulk boxes of the gourmet mixes by Land O Lakes--so yummy & of course I have to have marshmallows AND whipped cream on top, LOL!  This time I followed the sketch a bit, but changed up my main image shape!  I stamped the cup image twice on my white cs in aqua and then stamped another image separately, colored it in with copics and then cut it out.  (copics used R89,R85,R83/E25,E31)  I traced the aqua mugs with stardust stickles for some sparkle, and then on the cut-out cup I added liquid applique to the marshmallows and heated it to puff them up & then smooshed them a little w/ my finger to make them more marshmallow looking, hee hee (make sure you do this first before adding diamond glaze or stickles to the image--trust me when I say it will melt them when you're heating it up--don't ask how I know this, LOL)!

Then I added a healthy coat of diamond glaze or you could use the Crystal Laquer that Gina sells HERE (does the same thing), to the cup for shine and added it w/ more dimensionals! I used a CB "Snowflakes" embossing folder on the white background and then added some stickles to the snowflakes for more sparkle, layered some more Gina K cs in "Ocean Mist" and wrapped it with a ribbon & bow.  I purposely left off a sentiment, so that this can be used for a get well, birthday or thank you card--perfect for many occasions!

Now if you're hopping along in order, up next is the very talented Valerie Stangle!  But if you're starting with me the hop list is above for you to follow!

Hope you have a wonderful holiday evening!!

Santa's Lil' Helper!!

Hello & a Happy Friday to ya!!  Are you excited it's the weekend already?  I sure am--this week has totally worn me out emotionally, mentally & physically I tell ya!  Thankfully we don't have much going on this week, but I DID talk hubby into taking us all to New York City for a few days (well, we're trying to plan it anywho) and stopping in Pennsylvania so I can meet Pioneer Woman---wahooo!  An early Christmas present for me for sure---isn't he the best hubby in the whole world :o)  I love New York City at Christmastime even if you do freeze your buns off, hee hee!  It will be a nice getaway for us before the holiday--we all need a lil' mental health break right now I think!  And I LOVE reading everyone's holiday traditions---how wonderful to read all the different & special ways you celebrate with loved ones--it really picked up my spirit yesterday!!  Hubby has off today so we'll probably go to lunch & finish up those last minute stocking stuffer gifts today while the kids are in school & then I will be all done--yay!

NewsBitz:

-You have until tonight at 11 pm (EST) to enter my Fun "Traditions" Blog Candy Giveaway---just leave a comment on yesterday's post HERE telling me what your favorite holiday tradition is!  One lucky commenter will win a few of my fave products for commenting.  And next week I'll have another larger Blog Candy giveaway as my Xmas gift to you!!

-On Sunday, December 12th there will be a fun Blog Hop for the NEW Gina K Designs Card Club DT--so don't forget to stop by to hop along!!

-Tomorrow I will have a NON-Christmas-y post for ya for those that are tired of all the Christmas projects--hee hee!

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Happy Holidays!

Oh how I adore these My Mind's Eye holiday papers from their "Colorful Christmas" collection--love the whimsical feel & colors of them all!  And paired with this lil' cutie "Santa's Lil' Helper" from Magnolia-licious--isn't she just a doll? (looks like she may be out of stock at the moment at Magnolia-licious, but a few others that would be super cute for this are "Wrapped Tilda" & "Jolly Tilda" or "Edwin Santa's Helper")!!   I created a fun lil' treat holder to go along with this as well--easy to make & a link to the directions are below!

The layout is for this card is this week's Mojo Monday Challenge #116--it's a real fun one!  Tilda is colored with Copics (will get back to you on the colors but the blues are B02,B01,B00).  The sentiment from PTI's "Signature Christmas" was embossed in white.  I had some cs cut-out snowflakes from the paper collection so I added a few with dimensionals & added some stickles for sparkle (stickles on her stockings & apron trim too)!  The bow was made with my Bow-Easy tool of course :o)  Her fur trim has a nice coating of Sparkly Fluff--love that stuff!

The treat holder was made with my Nestabilities Labels 8 die--my friend Tosh has a quick tutorial on making these right HERE.  I made mine one size smaller because I just wanted to fit money inside but this would hold small candies or jewelry as well.  Really easy to make & I love the shape!

She's a real cutie isn't she?  Love her!! 

I'll be back tomorrow with a non-Christmasy gift set for ya!!  Have a fabulous Friday!

Vintage Stocking Stuffers!!

Happy Thursday friends!!  How are you all doing this winter's day?  Are you finished all of your holiday shopping?  I'm THRILLED to say that I am FINISHED with all of my shopping---YAY!!!  The only things left to get are some candy & stocking stuffers--now for the wrapping.  My hubby and I wrap all the presents in one night before Christmas---it's like a wrapping extravaganza, LOL!  We have snacks, watch movies & wrap until we're all done--it's a tradition for us & then we get up off of the floor and we're sore as heck!! But we always have fun :o)

I love having traditions--something to look forward every year ya know.  Like on Christmas Eve, we always go out to dinner--just the 4 of us.  It's a bit of a relaxation present for me since I always fix a huge Christmas dinner for the whole family.  Then we come home and the kids open 2 presents--1 is always new pajamas and the other is a small toy or game--then we get our jammies on, sack out on the couch & watch some Christmas movies and read a new Christmas story before bed!  Then hopefully the kids don't get us up until 7 am, they have to wait upstairs until I've turned on all the Xmas tree lights (all 10, hee hee), turned the Xmas music on and James sets up the video camera.  Then an unwrapping frenzy occurs, James is the lucky "plastic toy getter-outter" (they package stuff like it's gonna go thru a tsunami) and I get breakfast ready which always includes some gigantic, yummy sticky rolls! YUM!  Just a peek into our world during the holidays for ya, hee hee!

What is your favorite holiday tradition?  (If you leave a comment with an answer---some lucky commenter will win a few & new yummy goodies from me that I like to use all the time)!!

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NewsBitz:

-I am happy & so thrilled to announce that I accepted a fabulous position on Gina K's new Card Club Kit's DT!  It will be a fun & creative dt full of inspiring ideas for you, and I can't wait to get started alongside all those talented ladies!!


-You are not seeing spots on my blog, LOL!  That is snow falling (the only kind I like to have around me is the fake kind, hee hee) on my blog :o)  If you too want snow on your blog it's super easy to do--go HERE to get instructions on how to do it (these instructions are for blogger blogs only)

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Vintage Stocking Stuffers!!

So today I've created a fun little gift set for the holidays using a fabulously cute new Holiday Magnolia stamp called "Christmas Eve Tilda" from Magnolia-licious.  There are so many wonderful, new holiday stamps from Magnolia--that it's hard for me to figure out which one's I want to use first, hee hee!  I really like this Tilda though because she can be used for so many other occasions other than the holidays (birthdays, weddings, showers, etc) which makes her uber-versatile!  To go with the card I also made this fun stocking-gift-card holder (you can find the instructions & printable template right HERE)--they're so much fun to make & easy too!  My papers are from Little Yellow Bicycle (red/cream dp), Melissa Frances (brocade ornaments) and SU cs.

For the card I used alot of distressing on this card to go along with the vintage feel---when distressing I use my Tonic Distress Tool (it makes the job very quick & easy) and then I add Ranger Distress Ink (in old paper) to the edges.  Tilda was colored with copics and I added Stickles to her shirt & hairbands.  The music background behind her is a CB embossing folder as is the embossing on the red cs.  I used one of my brand new Fancy Tag Nestabilities for the swirls (I just cut it in half & added it to the edges of my image).  I added some pearls and the sentiment is from PTI's "Stocking Prints" set.

(COPICS USED: Dress-B97,B95,B93,B91/Sash & Cuffs R24,E08,R22,R20/SleevesE41,E42/Hair-E27,E33,E53)  Tip for making NEW Copic Colors--I needed a brick red which copic doesn't make, so to create it I colored with R24 and then added E08 on top to create the red I needed--don't be afraid to layer colors & try color combos out!!  You can add W2/3 to reds also to make them deeper in tone.

This side view shows the paper piecing of the present & then I double stamped her arm/hand to create a raised effect!

This cute lil stocking is actually a gift card holder (see open below) but it also makes a great Christmas ornament.  I like to hand lil gift card holders on the tree for Christmas morning for my kids & hubby and these will look fabulous this year.  So quick & easy to make--just print the template out on your cs (get template HERE), decorate and put together.  I just added all the same elements that I used on my card to the stocking, only change I made to the template was to punch a hole in the corner & thread some cording thru so I can hang it on the tree.

View of it open with the gift card nestled inside---isn't it cute?  The sentiment on the inside is from PTI's "Stocking Prints" set.  So if you're looking for some fun ways to pack up your gift cards--I would highly recommend making these :o) Easy, quick & fun!!

Today is James' grandmother's funeral so I will be out most of the day--thank you again for all your sweet comments & support over the past few days.  I'll see you back here tomorrow!

Flower Notes!

Hello & Happy Wednesday Friends!  I want to start out by thanking each & everyone of you for your overwhelming support, kindness & love shown to me and my family during this time.  I appreciate you all so much and you have all truly lifted my spirits--I could never say enough to thank you again & again for that :o)

And to answer a few questions about my home & decorations---since I got quite a few, hee hee--my answers are below:

* Santa leaves all presents under the Great Room tree
* for 6 ft trees, I use 5 strands of lights---my foyer tree & great room trees have 11 strands of lights separated into extension cords so they don't blow
* my foyer & study trees have amber lights on them (hard to find, but I love the soft glow); my rec-room trees have both white & blue lights on them
* my "jewel-box" tree in the rec-room & our great room trees are both real & cut from a local farm here in VA
*it takes me 5-6 days to get all my decorations done including the outside & I do 95% of it by myself with hubby & kids only helping with the family room tree (although hubby does take all the lights off when Xmas is over for me)
*yes, my house is always this clean (LOL), I'm fanatical about no clutter or mess (ask my mom)--if it starts getting messy it can give me an anxiety attack (for real, hee hee) and yes with 2 kids & 7 animals it is alot of upkeep at times :o)
*the back of my house sits on a nature conservatory and then Goose Creek is across the street which leads down to the Potomac River about 1 mile from my house.  We have all kinds of fun wildlife here--you've heard me screech about the snakes & foxes but we also have HUGE wild turkeys and families of deer.  And at nite sometimes I'll see a racoon strolling around.

NewsBitz:

-7 Kids College Fund has some FABULOUS new products in right now including tons of colors of Liquid Applique (I'm loving the blues), Just Rite products, Tim Holtz stamps and the wonderful Eclipse Masking tape (great for all kinds of masking & craft projects)!!

-I will be having some yummy Blog Candy to celebrate Christmas up next week that you won't want to miss--make sure & keep checking back for it :o)

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NOTE-IT

I've got a quick & fun project for you today!  I used a fabulous Lockhart Stamp called "Delphinium & Peony"--love these flower images.  I paired it up with some more of those yummy My Mind's Eye papers called "Life Stories"--PTI's cs ocean tides & spring moss matches perfectly with them. My set includes a card and a matching post-it note holder with pen.


My image was colored with copics (BG75,BG72,BG10/E44,E43,E42,E41/YG25,YG67,G20) and then I added some stickles to the flowers and diamond glaze to the watering can.  That pretty border was done with a brand NEW MS deep border punch called "floral vine" (LOVE IT, like the larger border size), wrapped with matching PTI ribbon & added some pearls to the corners.  (the bow was made with my fave Bow Easy tool)

Side view of the post-it note holder---you can find the directions for this HERE on SCS!  The scrolls are from one of my fave punches that you can buy HERE.

And this is what is on the inside when you open it--a nice pad of post-it notes and a small pen (I get my mini pens from the $1 bins at Michaels).  A nice gift for someone special in your life (hostess gifts, teacher gifts, etc.).

I'll see ya back here tomorrow with a fun Magnolia project!!

O Christmas Trees, All of These!!

Happy Monday friends! This will be short and sweet for ya today. Unfortunately my Open House did not happen due to a freakish snow storm on Satuday, hee hee-just my luck!! It almost NEVER snows in VA in December--so it was a little strange, but the kids loved it!! I did have 5 outta 55 rsvps brave the storm & we all had fun anyhow--not much gets me down, lol! I have a few more parties this month at the house, so all is good! I sent lots of sweets off with the kids Saturday night--they both had sleepovers & fun in the snow! I am super sick with a nasty head cold that I woke up with yesterday, and can barely move my head without pain so no projects today. Most of you know that I lost my grandfather 2 weeks ago--so now I have only 1 surviving grandparent (my grama in NY). I am very thankful that I got to know all of my grandparents in my lifetime & treasure those memories. Unfortunately my husband's grandmother went into the hospital this weekend & is not expected to make it. She has congestive heart failure, her kidneys are failing & she has requested all DNR procedures (do not resuscitate & no medical treatment), so we are sadly waiting for the end. My husband is extremely close to her, she was like a second mother to him (she lived with them growing up) so this is a very painful time for him. Especially since he still has never really reconciled his father's death 3 years ago. So any prayers would so be appreciated this week. My workload this week will be fairly light as well, as we take care of family matters.

**Edited---My hubby's grandmother passed away this morning while he was there.  Services will be this Thursday so my blog posts will be sporadic this week.  Thank you for all the prayers sent our way. **

So for you today, I have a slideshow of our house decorated for the holidays. The only trees not shown are the kid's because they have STILL NOT finished them yet, LOL--they're slower than me & I do 10 of them, hee hee! Also some fun pics of some of my cats as well that you might get a kick out of! (if you get this as a subscription email, you have to come to my blog to see the slideshow--my url is www.scrapbitz.blogspot.com )



I'll be back tomorrow with some fun & quick gift ideas for ya!

A Lil' Birdie Told Me!!

Happy Saturday Friends!  This will be super short for ya---you know I have my Open House today, so it's a busy, busy & fun day!  And they're calling for snow here in VA--you know what that means?  People running around like crazy to buy milk, bread & ice-melt like we're getting a blizzard & will be stuck in our homes for days, LOL!  We never get very much here & they're calling for 2 inches but nothing will stick to the warm roads, so it will be FINE people, hee hee!  The kids are just wishing it would happen during the week so that school would be delayed & closed & I'm just wishing for spring, LMBO!!  Hope you all have a good weekend & I will have lots & lots of pictures of everything to share with you next week!!

NewsBitz:

-I have another 2 cards that were published in the newest CardMaker Magazine--YAY!   I haven't gotten my mag in the mail yet so I haven't been able to see them, but I think they're on page 60 or there-abouts.  They're lil Smirk Girl cards I made a while back!  Hope you like them!!

-Susana's Custom Art & Card Design has SELECTED Spellbinder dies on SALE right now HERE!  Once they're gone, they're outta here!!!

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Isn't this the cutest & prettiest lil' bird you evah did see?  I just adore this image from I Brake For Stamps called "Birdhouse" HERE!  (Remember to use the coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to receive 10% off your entire order) I paired it up with some brand new spankin' papers from My Minds Eye called "Life Stories 1"--My Minds Eye is my MOST FAVORITE paper company I have to tell ya.  I love all their designs & have all of their collections, really wonderful IMO!!  And I love these new papers--so shabby chic & vintage looking! (I matched them up with PTI's Ocean Tides & Spring Moss cs).  The bow was made with my Bow Easy, and then I attached some pearl sprays (wedding supply store) and a Prima Pearl Center!  The sentiment is from PTI's "Vintage Picnic" set.

Close up shows all the fun details---I colored with Copics then used Liquid Pearls in "Platinum" to the berrys & swirls; Shimmerz (antique lace) on the flowers, Stickles on the leaves.  The papers were distressed with my Tonic Distress Tool.  I just love the way this turned out---so pretty!

Alrighty, I'm outta here---be back to visit with you on Monday!  Have a great weekend!

Peace On Earth!!

Yay & Happy Friday--the weekend is here!!  I'm so excited to meet everyone who is coming to my Holiday Open House tomorrow---it will be so nice to meet in person instead of just thru the Web, LOL!  My preparations are almost done---I'm making Texas brownies & cookies today, got all the supplies for my Chocolate Fountain (can you say YUMMY) and just have a few more errands to run.  I'm going to get a few real poinsettias for Saturday & then they have to be locked up in the study because my cats chew the heck out of them & then puke it up--YUCK!  And before you all have a fit, it is a MYTH that they are poisonous to animals (they are not), but they do make their bellies sick.  I cannot have any real flowers in my house (other than a few green plants) because my cats all chew the flowers--it drives me absolutely CRAZY!!

So if you're in the area shopping or driving by, stop by & say "hit" okay (just email me for my addy or directions)!!  I'm going to have some pretty awesome giveaway drawings (gift certificates to all your favorite stores), lots of sweets to eat & just some good old fashioned chitter-chatter :o)

NewsBitz:

-If you subscribe to my blog & it is coming thru all jumbled, you can unsubscribe and then go to "Feed My Inbox" and subscribe there using my blog url (www.scrapbitz.blogspot.com)--I have tested this subscription service & it works fine.  For some reason when I updated my blogger & made my pics larger it messed up the Feedburner subscription--so I apologize.  Or you can just bookmark my site, or add it to GoogleReader if you'd like as well :o)

-If you email me and you do not hear back from me within a few days, email me AGAIN!!  I will NOT be offended at all, but thankful that you sent another email, LOL!  I get alot of emails everyday & I try to respond within 24 hours, but sometimes I forget an email or lose track of emails and do not get back to everyone. So please, just email me again and I will answer you I promise :o)

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Mo's Digital Pencil

This first card uses a fabulously cute image called "CoExist" by Mo of Mo's Digital Pencil!  You know how I love my furbabies and I just adore this image---it's not really a Christmas image but made it into a holiday card anyhow.  Thought the "Peace on Earth" sentiment by PTI was perfect for these 3 cuties piled up together--my cats love my dogs & vice-versa and are always rubbing up on them & laying beside them--occasionally Baylee will chase them (well, ok she chases them everyday, lol--but they love it, ahem....I think!)!!

I used my Labels 1 Nestabilities to cut my image out & while the die was still on my paper, I used my Inkssentials Blending Tool to sponge some sage green ink around the edges (love the white border--I put stardust stickles on the border to make it really POP)!  The papers are from SU's last season's holiday set (I have like 3 more packs cuz' I LOVE it so much, hee hee). 

The image was colored with Copics, then I added diamond glaze to the doggie's wet nose, scattered straw distress Stickles to the chicken's nest and pearls around the corners.  The distressed Stickles are alot different from the regular stickles--not as sparkly & more bumpy and textured in appearance.  Make sure & stop by Mo's Store HERE to see all her NEW cute images--I got quite a few that I'll be using real soon!

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4x4 Lockhart Holiday Cards

I'm always looking for a fast & easy way to create notecards, especially around the holidays when we all need bunches of them.  Lockhart Stamp Co.'s fabulous Itty Bitty stamps are perfect for quick cards & matching envies--they're small & easy to color & so FUN to use!  For these 2 cards I used the "IB Snowman" and "IB Stocking" along with some cute papers by Cosmo Cricket.  These are 4x4 cards with matching 5x5 envelopes (from PTI)--easy to make lots of!  I added some fun stickles to the images for sparkle, used my CB embossing folders for texture and just layered & added pearls (my fave embelly).  The envelopes were stamped with snowflakes from the PTI set "Winter Swirls".

Now to make about 20 more of these & I'll be good to go, hee hee!  Hope you have a fabulous Friday & I'll see you back here tomorrow (unless of course I see you at my house)!!

A Princess Party!!

Hi friends & Happy Thursday to ya!  I am a busy, busy woman today so I'll keep my chitter-chat VERY short for ya today.  I've got chorus & band rehearsals for kids, programs to finish, grocery shopping & cleaning to get done along with some projects, hee hee!  After this week things will calm down just a BIT, lol so I won't be running around like a chicken w/ her head cut off!

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Pink Cat Studio Digi Release

So today Pink Cat Studio releases some fabulous new digi images HERE---but I chose this "Lily Winter Princess" and "Princess Bunny" to use today.  My picture colors are off for some reason, but the pinks really ALL do match & the aquas too--the photos did not come out right, arghhhhh!  Aren't they just the sweetest!  I decided to make a Princess Kit that could be given to any little princess in your life.  I altered a small, pink lunchbox with papers from My Mind's Eye (Pretty Please line).  The images were colored with Copics and then I added Sparkly Fluff in white to her fur trims!  So this set includes a covered notepad, a lil clear box filled with 3x3 notecards & envelopes, Princess highlighters, a pen & Princess Fairy lipgloss!

This is the covered notepad using the cute "Princess Bunny" and the box filled with 3x3 notecards.  Perfect for a little one to write notes to friends & loved ones!

I sprayed the entire lunch box with Smooch Spritz in vanilla for lots of fun sparkles (Smooch Spritz can be applied to ANY surface like paper, wood, metal & plastics--cool huh!).  All of my flowers are Prima that I layered together & attached with Scor-Tape.  The aqua cs was embossed with my CB embossing folder.

And all these goodies fit in nicely in the lunchbox--ready to give to a little Princess!  This set is for sale in my Etsy shop if anyone is interested (sadly I do not have any little princesses in my life anymore, now they're all BIG princesses, lol)!!  Now make sure to stop by the Pink Cat Studio blog to see all the DT's fabulous projects showcasing these new images today!!

Have a good one!

A Very Vintage Christmas!!

Happy Wednesday Friends!!  I'm almost done with my decorating & will be finished with it all tonight--then the clean up begins, packing boxes away & the not-so fun stuff, lol!  After this week & weekend I just might collapse for a few days, hee hee--Saturday is my Holiday Open House (details below) and then Sunday we are making a huge Gingerbread House at our local golf club resort which is always fun!  And don't you just love the Hallmark Channel during the holidays--so many cute & festive movies to watch, we have it on every nite (I've even converted the kids & now they watch too, lol)!  I can't wait for this weekend's "Debbie Macomber movie called Ms. Miracle"on Hallmark--love her books, always so happy!!

What kind of holiday plans do you all have this month?  We have a few dinners and I'm hosting a ladies cocktail hour and one weekend we're going to National Harbor to the Gaylord Hotel/Resort to see "ICE"--a ice & winter wonderland all handcarved by artisans from China so we're excited about that!!

NewsBitz:

-Make sure & scroll to the end to see some Holiday Picture Funnies of my 2 doggies, they're sure to give you a lil' giggle!! :o)

-I will be having a Crafter's Holiday Open House this Saturday, December 5th at my home from noon until 5 pm!! If you are in the area & would like to come I'd love to have you---just a fun way to meet other crafters nearby, chat & have some holiday sweets! I will be having a Mitten/Hat Giving Tree, so if you'd like to bring a hat and/or mittens for a child under age 12 that would be fab! I will be donating all of them to the local Shelter for Domestic Violence Sufferer's Children! I will also be having some fabulous raffles (gift certificates & stamps to all your fave stores) If you think you'd like to come just email me and let me know, and I can send you my addy!! It's sure to be a fun time--so just drop by for an hour or three!!

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A Vintage Christmas

I was so excited to get all the new holiday stamps in from Diana at Magnolia-licious from the "So Snowy, So Jolly, & Mistletoe" Collections.  So today I've created 2 projects for you using the same vintage color schemes.  This first card uses the fabulous Magnolia holiday patterned papers and this cute "Jolly Wreath Tilda" HERE.  I distressed all my papers with Ranger's "Old Paper" Distress Ink (a must have color) and used my MS border punch to create the lovely border. I just so love that old-fashioned music paper--me lovee it, hee hee!

Tilda was colored with Copics and then I added "Vintage Christmas" Flower Soft to her holly wreath--love the colors of this mix.  I created my bow with my Bow Easy, added some Stickles and some pearls (in Chino color) to finish it off.  I just love the feel of this holiday card!!

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December Magnolia-licious Sketch Project

So this month's December Magnolia-licious DT Sketch project is to create projects that are any shape but a square or rectangle & hosted by the very talented Cheryl Rowley!!  So I wanted to do something a lil' holiday festive so I  printed out a Christmas Tree clip-art image (that I resized in Photoshop) to use as my template--the card is attached at the top fold with Scor-Tape.  I covered the cs tree with some patterned paper by Memory Box--I just love these papers!!  I used this cutie pie "Unwrapped Tilda"--isn't she a real sweetie and perfect for perching underneath a fabulous Christmas Tree!  I attached her to the tree front with dimensionals.  The tree got a garland & bow topper of crinkly ribbon, some gold ornaments using Gold Bella Baubles and I used my stardust Stickles to glitter the dp circles up as well.  The sentiment is from PTI's "Holiday Tags" set and punched out with my SU Word Punch.

She got colored with Copics (E43,E41,E40,G99,G94,G40) and the reds I used were R29,R24,R22,R20 & to darken the reds a bit to match the darker red in my papers I went over the R20 with W3.  Of course she got Stickle-fied--gotta have some bling on Christmas right?!!

Now make sure and head over to the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog HERE to see the rest of the DT's fabulous Shaped-Cards and to find out how you can join in the fun!!

And I leave you with a few holiday pics of my doggies---yes, I do like to torture them a bit for my own enjoyment, LOL!  They just dread me pulling out the Santa hats, hee hee!   I'll have some fun pics of my cats dressed up this week too--I've got a Santa outfit for them this year that I just know they'll LOVE (not)!! LOL

This is my Baylee (the baby at 2 years old)--she HATES anything on her body so she had to put on her sad face, hee hee!!

 

And this is my Casey (she's gonna be 9 in January)--she's used to it by now & just puts up with me now--she's saying "Just take the dumb picture lady so I can go back to sleep"!!!

December 1st Fun!!

Hello friends & Happy December 1st to ya all!!!  Did you all have a fabulous holiday & weekend!?  Mine was fabulous I must say.  After celebrating dinner at my brother's house with my family, hubby and I went to see the Broadway show "Jersey Boys" in DC on Black Friday---that show was FABULOUS!!  I loved every minute of it, still singing the songs & we were lucky enough to meet the cast and get our show poster signed by everyone!!  It was a wonderful evening--then we returned to my mom's house for the night.  I always get all my fresh greens from my mom's woods every year (it's a tradition), so we did that on Saturday and I put them all thru my house in every nook & cranny--the smell is Christmas delish for sure!  Then on Sunday, hubby & the kids and I went to Snicker's Gap Christmas Tree farm and "hunted" down our 2 trees--the weather was 70 degrees & I was in HEAVEN!!  We got our 11 ft tree for the family room and a Blue Spruce for the rec-room then came home & did all the outside decorating since the weather was so agreeable!!  I've got everything done except 1 more tree and the banisters of our stairs to do & I'm finished--it is holiday fabulous in the Dean household.  Christmas music playing, lots of pretty lights and potpourri simmering on the stove---my favorite time of year for sure!  Now to finish my Xmas shopping (that's a whole 'nother kinda chore that's for sure, LOL)!

**I've got a few pictures in a slide show at the bottom our "Christmas Tree Hunting" Adventure, hee hee!**

NewsBitz:

-I Brake For Stamps is having a fabulous holiday sale--All IN-STOCK Nestabilities are 20% off with the coupon code "SPELLBINDERS".  Della also has 2 Grab Bags of stamps still available (one is images, one is sentiments) & they're a great deal for sure (in the Specials Category).  This sale ends December 4th!!

-7 Kids College Fund has LOTS of new goodies coming to the store soon & ready to stock your shelves, hee hee!  But up for sale right now are the NEW CC Designs Winter Stamps HERE -scroll down to the bottom to see the cuties (so cute--I must get some, lol)!!

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Try It Out Tuesday #46--All Boxed Up

Since today is Tuesday, that means it's "Try It Out Tuesday #46" for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design, and I've challenged the DT to create some fabulous gift boxes!  I used the Elisabeth Bell for SCACD stamp "Atlantia" and I think she is just the most beautiful mermaid stamp don't you!?  I created a Spa Gift set that would be perfect for any lady in your life--this set includes a card, a luminaria with an LED tealight and a Bath "Sand & Sea" candle to light when you're in the bath!  Add a few other spa goodies & you've got a fabulous personalized gift set to give!!  The papers I've used are PTI cs and Basic Grey's "Periphery" dp.  The flourishes I stamped on the luminaria are from PTI's "Fancy Flourishes" set.

A close-up of the card shows this beautiful "Atlantia" image that I colored with Copics (BG72,BG11,BG10,B95,B91) and then added some Stickles to her, and I used Liquid Pearls (in silver pearl) on her pearl accents.  A few scrolls made with my punch and some rhinestones & pearls added for bling.  The bow was made with my Bow Easy & then I added a "Say It With Pearls" Prima center and a shell charm to finish it off.

This is what the luminaria looks like when lit with the LED tealight (use FAKE lites with these so you don't start a fire, ok, hee hee)--isn't it lovely!  The directions to make one of these can be found HERE & I just made a top for it so it would hold the gift (candle)--the lid is a 3.5" square scored at 1/2" all around.  The top has more embellished scrolls and a pretty bow.  I used vellum to cover the ovals--attached them with Scor-tape for a secure hold.  A pretty easy gift to make for someone special--hope you like it too!

Now make sure & hop on over to the "Follow Your Heart" blog to see the rest of the DT's lovely box projects--you're bound to be inspired!!

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Copic Creations Challenge

Since it's the first of December that means it's also the Copic Creations Challenge time--this challenge is all about "Snow People" (snowmen, snowladies, etc).  I used this cute High Hopes stamp called "Birdies Friend Snowlady" found HERE (you can see more cute High Hopes stamps right HERE as well)--love the whimsical feel of these stamps!  My papers are from My Mind's Eye "Colorful Christmas"--love the cheerful colors & designs of these papers.  My image was colored with Copics of course (the snowlady is shaded with BG10 & C1).  I punched some snowflakes out & covered them with my MS Glitter Snow--the sentiment is from PTI's "Communique Curves" that I cut out with my Nestabilities "Ribbon Tags".  A few stickles and she's done--a cute Xmas card!!

Hope you'll stop by the Copic Creations Blog to see the rest of the DT's fabulous Snow People and join in on the fun!!


Slideshow Pictures (click to make larger--if you're a subscriber you need to go to my blog to see the pics):


See ya back here tomorrow with some festive Magnolia projects!!

Black Friday Hello!!

Happy Black Friday everyone!! Did everyone have a fabulous Thanksgiving?  Ours was spent with family & very nice & quiet--good food all around.  I made the Brie Stuffed Mushrooms from Pioneer Woman's site & they were YUMMO-licious!!   Are any of  you out shopping today at all?  Not me, the crowds of people and general craziness is not worth any sale or deal I might find--yucko--makes me extremely nervous I tell ya!  So good luck to you that brave the shopping craziness today!  Hubby and I will be having a peaceful dinner & then seeing "Jersey Boys" which I'm really looking forward to--my kind of evening for sure :o)  Then on Sunday we'll be "hunting" our Christmas trees (2 real ones)--my favorite thing to do so I'll have some pics for ya next week!  So be safe, happy & have a relaxing weekend!!

NewsBitz:

-7 Kids College Fund NOW has all kinds of great High Hopes Stamps in stock right HERE!  Also SAVE 15% on ALL items in the Christmas Section of the store HERE(use coupon code "XMAS15") this includes all the lovely Sarah Kay,  Stampavie, Magnolia, Rachelle Anne Miller, Whiff of Joy, Penny Black & more Christmas stamps-Cuttlebug Embossing Folders too, so make sure & check that sale out!!!  And if you need a good idea for a crafter in your life nothing is better than a good ole Gift Certificate so they can stock up on goodies--get yours HERE!!  Any crafter would love that!!  (me too, hee hee)

-Pink Cat Studio is having a Black Friday promotion as well---if you spend $3 or more in the Digi Store OR Rubber Stamp stores you get a free digi image called the "Sugarplum Fairy" & she is super cute!!

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Life of Butterflies

My first card today is one I did using this week's SCS Sketch #256 which was a pretty cool sketch me thinks--I love the wavy center panel!  I pulled out my Lockhart "Chintz Butterfly" stamp out & embossed the butterflies & the sentiment (from PTI's "Life" set) with Stewart's Copper embossing powder & Versamark ink.  Sorry I forgot who the dp is by (maybe DCWV?)--I only had small bits of it left but I love it!  The center panel is suede paper (so yummy) that I embossed--lots of fun texture which I love!  I tied my bow with extra wide ribbons (a la my pal Becca Feeken), attached with Scor-Tape & added some Copper Bella Baubles to finish it off.

Here's a close-up of the butterfly with that fun copper embossing & then I added some stickles to the lower wings for a little extra sparkle!  You should try this sketch out--really fun!!

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Mistletoe & Mice

Is this not the cutest little mouse couple you have ever seen?  I just adore this image from Stampavie called "Mistletoe & Mice" that you can find HERE!  I used the Friday Sketcher's sketch from last week for my layout and all the dp is by DCWV and of course the image was colored with Copics.  I created some fun little mistletoe leaves with a MS leaf punch (I cut the ends to be round) and used PTI buttons for the berries.  Some stardust stickles for sparkle & a fun bow treatment finishes it off---a cute holiday card!!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend & I'll see you back here on Monday!

Joy To The World!!

Hello friends & Happy Hump Day & Thanksgiving Eve to you all!  For those that celebrate Thanksgiving--are you traveling or having dinner at your house?  I'm thankful that my brother is having Thanksgiving this year, because I am woefully behind, hee hee.  I'm not a huge fan of Thanksgiving I have to admit (gasp--sorry but I'm not, lol)--it's more of a holiday to get thru to get to my favorite holiday--Christmas!  I do enjoy the food & being with my family, but if the holiday went away I wouldn't be sad about it!  And I am NOT a Black Friday shopper either (are u disappointed hee hee)--ugh--I hate massive crowds of people, totally gives me an anxiety attack--so going out spending hours waiting in lines & looking for parking is just not my cup of tea!  Instead, hubby & I are going to Washington, DC to see the Broadway show "Jersey Boys" on Friday---THAT I'm definitely looking forward to.  My parents are keeping the kids and we'll have a nice dinner & see a great show--I'm super excited!  Then we'll return home on Saturday to "hunt" down our 2 live trees that we put up along with 8 fake trees!  We get our trees from the same wonderful Xmas Tree farm every year & it's always fun--my favorite thing to do in the cold (umm..the only thing I enjoy doing in the cold, lol)!!  So I'll have lots of pictures for you next week!  I've got 3 trees up already, so 7 more to go along with the outside decorations---slowly getting there but enjoying each moment of it!!  So wherever you are & whatever you're doing for the holiday--I hope it's a safe, happy & joyful occasion for you & your family!!  (I will have posts up on Friday & Saturday for you that I've pre-posted if you're bored & want to stop by!)

NewsBitz:

-My Blog Candy Winner from the Magnolia-licious "Accessories Make the Card" Blog Hop is....Jessica G of "Jess' Obsession"!!  Congrats Jess!  Email me for details on how to claim your goodies :o)!!!!

-I will be having a Crafter's Holiday Open House on December 5th at my home from noon until 5 pm!! If you are in the area & would like to come I'd love to have you---just a fun way to meet other crafters nearby, chat & have some holiday sweets! I will be having a Mitten/Hat Giving Tree, so if you'd like to bring a hat and/or mittens for a child under age 12 that would be fab! I will be donating all of them to the local Shelter for Domestic Violence Sufferer's Children! If you think you'd like to come just email me and let me know, and I can send you my addy!! It's sure to be a fun time--so just drop by for an hour or three!!

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Joy To The World

My first card today uses quite a few Magnolia stamps from Magnolia-licious that I've been wanting to use together for awhile now to make a Christmas card!  I paired up this "Tilda with Bell" with this "Clock w/ Separate Hands" and the "Side Wall" to create a wintry scene (Diana is out of the Tilda with Bell, but she might be getting some in, but this scene would be cute with this "Tilda w/ Hood" as well).  I used some fun papers from My Minds Eye (from last year's collection)--I love the orangey reds & blues in these papers and the sentiment is from PTI's "Winter Swirls" set.  The snowy crystal hills & accents were done with MS Snow Glitter and the thicker snow on the windows, along the building & clock was done with DecoArt Snow Writer.  Both the bell, clock face & window got a nice coat of diamond glaze for a glassy effect!

All of the images were colored with Copics (Tilda--R08,R05,R02,BG75,BG72,BG11,BG10/Bricks--E19,E18,E17,E13).  Her boots & hat got some stardust Stickles and her fur trimmings got some of my fave Sparkle Fluff!  Lots of texture on this card and I also added some flatback snowflake buttons to the scene topping each with a pearl (Kaiser Bliss).

Just a side-view to show you all the dimension on this card!  Pop-Dots & Scor-Tape are a girls best friend I tell ya!!  Hope you liked this card today---this one is headed off to someone special for Christmas!!

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Lil' Christmas Mouse Packages

As soon as I saw this lil' mouse (Mouse with Sign) from I Brake For Stamps I knew I had to have him--visions of ideas were swimming thru my head, LOL!  Since the sign he's holding is blank, he's perfect for so many ideas (baby showers, birthday favors, napkin rings, etc), but today I've made him a Christmas Mouse!  I stamped some sentiments from PTI's "Holiday Treats" set on his sign and created these lil' cards using ALL SCRAPS from my scrap bin (yes, yes I really did--I think the striped glittered dp is from Imaginisce).  He's colored with Copics, but let's all stop & say "Awww, how cute is he?" all together, LOL!  I created a couple of quick & cute holiday packages that are perfect for quick gifts for your kid's bus driver, the postal carrier, teachers or kids--anyone would love a bag of fresh (or store bought, hee hee) cookies or candies!!

I used Tin Tie Frosted bags for both of my projects, this is the smaller size & they're from PTI--I love them and they come in packs of 10, perfect for packing up holiday gifts!  I filled this one up with candies (chocolate is ALWAYS a great gift) and created a small 3x3 card, matching gift envelope & bag topper using all the same supplies from my Scrap Bin!!

This is the larger sized Tin Tie Frosted Bag from PTI--perfect sized for fresh baked goodies like cookies or muffins!  The bag toppers are super easy to create--for this kind I just layered my cs & dp and attached with Scor-Tape to the front of the bag (the ribbon was wrapped around & tied with the card attached & then a bow made w/ my Bow Easy attached to it).  So there are a couple of cute AND quick ideas for holiday packaging this season!  (If you need, have to have, must get this cutie pie mouse stamp remember to use the Coupon Code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to get 10% off your ENTIRE order!!!)

Hope you & yours have a fabulous holiday & don't forget to stop back by on Friday & Saturday for some new projects!! 

All Buttoned Up!!

Hi Everyone & Happy Tuesday to ya!  I'm back--sorry I needed an extra day off!  Sunday was my hubby's birthday & we spent the day as a family bowling, making a special dinner & watching a movie---so no time to get anything crafty done!  But it was a good day & he had a nice day me thinks---I fixed a gourmet dinner of Maple Glazed Ham, Cheesy Scalloped potatoes, Roasted Mushrooms w/ Brie and Spinach Salad w/ Warm Bacon Dressing (the spinach salad recipe & mushroom recipe courtesy of Pioneer Woman, Ree, my favorite new obsession, LOL--and they were both yummy)!  Glad to hear that I've got some of you all hooked on Pioneer Woman as well, LOL--I loved some of your emails & messages--she's a bit addicting, huh?  The kids even got in on the kitchen action this weekend with Riley making jalapeno poppers for appetizers and Alexa made Hot Fudge Lava cake--so it was a family affair (well hubby was on the couch watching the Redskins lose again--argghhhhhh, maybe next year they'll be actually win again, hee hee)!

NewsBitz:

-7 Kids College Fund has some awesome NEW products in store now that you might want to check out!! NEW Sakura Jelly Roll pens (awesome for embellishing images & writing--I love 'em), NEW Shimmerz colors (love the antique lace) and NEW Sizzix Texturz Plates (fun alternative to CB folders--lots of cool patterns)!

-I will be posting a NEW Copic Tutorial Video very soon (as soon as it's sunny again here in VA, hee hee) showing how I color "GOLD" like I did on this car image HERE!

-I will be having a Crafter's Holiday Open House on December 5th at my home from noon until 5 pm!! If you are in the area & would like to come I'd love to have you---just a fun way to meet other crafters nearby, chat & have some holiday sweets! I will be having a Mitten/Hat Giving Tree, so if you'd like to bring a hat and/or mittens for a child under age 12 that would be fab! I will be donating all of them to the local Shelter for Domestic Violence Sufferer's Children! If you think you'd like to come just email me and let me know, and I can send you my addy!! It's sure to be a fun time--so just drop by for an hour or three!!

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Try It Out Tuesday #45--All Buttoned Up!!

Okay, so today is another "Try It Out Tuesday #45" and this week I challenged the DT to use buttons on their projects.  You know I love buttons--am a bit button obsessed, hee hee and these fabulous NEW GLITTER BUTTONs that Susana has in her store are YUMMO-licious!  What could be better than glitter & buttons combined together--fabulous I say!!  For this tri-fold card I used one of my most used & beloved Lockhart stamps called "Hydrangea & Berries"--I made this stamp mulitple colors but I love the soft aquas & creams that I used this time!  The dp is by Stampin Up (brown's) and PTI (aqua's).  And oh those fabulous Glitter Buttons in yummy chocolate brown--love them!  The corner's were made by cutting triangles out & then punching the edge with my new MS border punch--love to make fun corners!!

Close-up of the image shows the Ivory Flower Soft on the hydrangeas and stickles on the berry leaves and jar front--gotta have some bling!!  Now make sure and hop over to the store blog "Follow Your Heart" to see the rest of the DT's fabulous projects using buttons today!!

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A Scottie Holiday!

My second card uses a super cute image from I Brake For Stamps called "Bold Scottie"--I adore Scottie Dog images since they remind me so much of my beloved mini schnauzer Trinket who I lost 2 years ago!  I decided to dress this scottie up for the holidays using the Mojo Monday Sketch #114 for my layout.  And I pulled out some more of my fab holiday Graphic 45 papers--loved the tartan plaid, perfect for my scottie, lol!  The image was embossed with black embossing powder & then I gave him a matching lil' bowtie; the sentiment is from PTI's "Vintage Ornaments" set.  A double bow made with my Bow Easy and another fabulous Glitter Button (in black this time) finishes it all off!  So here's wishing you a Very Merry Scottie Holiday, hee hee!  (Remember if you decide to order yourself some goodies from I Brake For Stamps--make sure and use the coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to get 10% off your entire order!!)

Hope you all have a fabulous day & I'll see you back here tomorrow with a Magnolia Holiday Project!!

Writing Letters!

Hello everyone and Happy Weekend!!  Sorry I didn't post yesterday but I needed the day off---lot's going on here in the Dean house, my family and stuff & I was spent physically & emotionally!  I also spent like 7 hours yesterday wasting away the evening reading all about Pioneer Woman who I saw on Nichole Heady's Blog, lol!  She's a pretty funny & cool lady I must say--she takes stunning photographs, makes yummo-licious food, and cracks me up.  If you wander on over to her site HERE make sure & read her "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" story about how she married a cowboy & went from city livin' to country livin'--I started & finished it all in one night, hee hee!  So now I'm making hubby take me to PA to her book signing on December 13th--right now he's resisting but I can usually make him see things my way, bwahahahhahaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!  So go check her out & let me know what ya think??!

NewsBitz:

-Susana's Custom Art & Card Design has selected Spellbinders Nestabilities on SALE on her site now HERE!!

-My Blog Candy Winner will be announced on Monday morning!!

-Another two Etsy Spotlights for ya today and the first one is "Ruby Rose"--I bought some necklaces from her and they are just GORGEOUS lemee tell you!  Vintage, dainty & beautiful and won't break your wallet either!  And when I went back to link I bought myself another bracelet & necklace, LOL--I love that you won't see this jewelry on your neighbor or friend's neck because most of it is one of a kind--you will be unique!  I got this bracelet & matching necklace in black/silver, ummm my favorite colors next to red, hee hee! :o)

Second Spotlight is on "XO Handworks" -- if you're a regular reader you know how much I adore my Cherry Coke--it's my favorite drink of choice and on any given day you will find a can or two littered on my craft table, LOL (and I drink regular Coke too, no diet for me, icky)!  I have tried giving it up many times, but I cannot--I have failed miserably & have resigned myself to the fact that I can't!  So when I found this cool Etsy site that uses recycled soda bottle tops to make cool & quirky jewelry, well I just had to buy myself some, hee hee!  I love elegant pieces but I love fun jewelry as well--so I bought myself some Coke Bead earrings--they're awesome!  They'll match my Cherry Coke jammies I got in Vegas really good, LMBO!!  Have fun browsing!

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Lockhart Notecard Set

I have to tell you I had so much fun creating this notecard gift set that I will be making more for gifts this holiday season for sure (I'll share the Xmas one I did later next week)!!  We (and I do not excuse myself from this) have really gotten away from writing notes and letters to each other!  It's always so much easier to write an email nowadays, but I kinda miss getting letters from friends.  When I was younger I had a pen-pal in Italy (the country I most want to visit) and we wrote all the time and it was really fun!  My mom has had a pen pal for like 40 years--wow--and they still write, which is so cool I think!

So for this set I used the fabulous Lockhart Stamp Co. "Writing Letters" stamp--perfect for notecards.  I kept the colors simple & elegant--taupe/kraft, cream and buttercream yellow.  The patterned papers are from Stampin Up's "Bella Bleu" paper set--these papers are fabulously gorgeous, I just love them!  So these are just basic 4.25x5.5 postcards with some dp and cs--the border was made with one of my favorite Fiskars border punches.  The gift box is called "Desktop Organizer" and it's a Timeless Template from PTI--lots of good uses for this one and really easy to put together too!

I stamped the image on both cream cs and my yellow cs--I colored a bit on the cream cs with my copics, cut it out & layered on top of the yellow image with dimensionals.  Since I kept the color scheme simple this was fast & easy to do.  I made 6 of these postcards with three different sentiments from PTI's "Vintage Picnic" & "Vintage Picnic Sentiments" stamped in SU River-rock ink!

So six postcards & six envelopes fit in here perfectly--you could even create an acetate cover if you wanted to and afterwards when the notecards have been used, you can reuse the pretty box still!

I just love this set--the soft colors, the elegant feel, right up my alley, hee hee!  If you love it too it's up for sale in my Etsy Shop (link on my sidebar).

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend and I'll see ya back here tomorrow!

Can I Get a Quack, Quack, Sick Attack!!?

Happy Thrill-rific Thursday to ya!!  We've only got one more day people--then the relaxing (or semi-relaxing, hee hee) can begin!  Are any of you going to see the new Twilight movie?  My daughter and her friends are going to the 11 pm showing tomorrow night & then having a sleepover NOT at my house this time, LOL!  They're super excited to see it---I know, I know you all have been telling me I need to read the books and I guess eventually I will.  I just have never had a real interest in vampires or werewolves--it just never appealed much to me, but I will try & read the first book sometime next month maybe and let you all know what I think.  I wish that I was the author & had her millions in my bank account right now---she based those books on her dream and had never written anything before!

Go Figure--I'm not that lucky or talented with writing I guess, LOL but I do have movie type of dreams!  I call them my epic dreams, strange, mini-series kind of dreams--I should write them down but sometimes they creep me out, LOL!  Plus, I like to read but I don't know that I could ever have enough focus to sit down & write a book--that's a ton of work for sure.  With my level of procrastination it would take me 10 years to write an actual chapter books, LMBO!  Oh well, there's always papercrafting for me :o)

NewsBitz:

-Today is the Mo's Digital Pencil Dream Team Blog Hop and the new release of Pink Cat Studio Digi Stamps, so make sure & make it to the end of this post to see all the new gooides!  Today is also Mo's Challenge Team's challenge post that you can see & find out all about right HERE!

-My post yesterday got delayed by blogger for some reason, so if you missed it yesterday it is now up below this post!!  It's based on my favorite holiday Ballet, the Nutcracker Ballet :o)

-If you haven't entered for my BLOG CANDY for the Magnolia-licious Blog Hop yet, you have until tomorrow at midnight to do so HERE!

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Mo's Digital Pencil Blog Hop!!

So today is Mo's Digital Pencil's "Project of the Month" BLOG HOP presented by the Dream Team and this month's hostess is Mel and she chose "Precipitation Inspiration"--meaning we had to use a Mo image with water (snow, ice, ocean, etc) or incorporate it into our card!  I have had this cutie "Duck Day" for a bit and this was the perfect opportunity to use her--isn't she just a cutie with her duck pals!?  I'm such a sucker for a cute raincoat & wellie boots, hee hee!  The dp is by Cloud 9 Designs and the sentiment is from PTI's "Scattered Showers" (perfect)!  I threaded my buttons with embroidery floss & then attached them with Scor-Tape (I told ya I don't sew, lol)--and that cute lil' teardrop/raindrop on the sentiment can be bought in packs HERE.

The image was colored with Copics and then I added diamond glaze to the umbrella, her boots & all the water puddles & drops--after it dried I smeared on a coat of Stickles for extra sparkle.  I used my Clear Spica pen on her coat as well, but it doesn't show up well in pictures unfortunately!

This side-view shows the paper-tole effect I did by printing out 2 images, coloring the umbrella & mama duck twice and then popping them up with dimensionals.  I love the added dimension it adds to the front of the card!  Just a fun, cheery & happy card for someone special!!  The start of the hop begins at Mel's blog, and if you came here from Elaine's blog then your next HOP is to Michelle(Shell)'s Blog HERE!  Have fun on your hop!

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Pink Cat Studio Digi Release!!

I just adore all the images that Melissa of Pink Cat Studio designs--they're all just too cute & so much fun to color!  Today she releases 2 fun digi images called "Sick Lily" & "Sick Billy"--perfect for all those sickie ickie germs going around right now (that I wish would go away for everyone)!  I ran out of time, but I was going to do a second set with Billy so I'll have that up for ya next week!  I love, love this image of Lily in her bunny slippers and comfy blankie over her and I LOVE making these "Sickie Kits" as well.  You've seen me make them before but I had to make one to go along with this Get Well Card (.  The fun, mod-like papers are by Sassafrass and the cs is all PTI.  This layout is this week's Mojo Monday Sketch #113--such a fun layout me thinks!!  And if I haven't mentioned before, Melissa creates sentiments for all the digi images and guess what--they're FREE and available HERE! How cool is that?

Both images were colored with Copics and then I added diamond glaze to her TV remote and thermometer and some stickles to her pillow & hairbands.  The sentiment is from PTI's "Around & About Sentiments"--I adore circle sentiments :o) 

This is what is inside of the "Sickie Kit"--a new pack of tissues, a fun-flavored chapstick & a throat lozenger!  I've also made these as "Boo-Boo Kits" too with a travel box of band-aids, a piece of candy & fun chapstick!  They're quick & easy to make and so nice to give!  (TO MAKE: cut a piece of cardstock 3.5x10" and then score at 4.5" & 5.5") Now make sure & stop by the Pink Cat Studio Digi Store to see the new images & to see all the fabulous DT projects as well!  They're sure to be sweet, cute & fabulous!!

Hope you enjoyed your visit today & hope to see you back here tomorrow!!