House of Cards January Challenge: Embossing or Color

Happy New Year's everyone! Welcome to 2016!! What is the best way to welcome in the new year? A great new challenge at House of Cards! This is the 4th year for HOC!! Woohoo!!

Mynn was the first person to ask me to be part of DT and I am still grateful for her belief in me. It has given me the confidence to apply to other teams, but my heart will always be with HOC!

This month's challenge is either embossing or color. I chose to do both- always an overachiever!

I embossed a snowflake folder (unknown) and then I used my copic markers to gently color each snow flake. The saying is from Reverse Confetti along with the snow die from this set.

Be sure to check out what the other DT members came up with and join in the fun at House of Cards this month!

Happy Little Stampers CASE challenge

Happy New Year's to all my friends in the down under. It is already 2016 for them. For us in the states we have several hours yet.

This year brings a new type of challenge to Happy Little Stamper. It is CASE the designer challenge. Each month one of the CASE team will post a card for inspiration and you will CASE that design.

Kylie our fearless leader and owner of Happy Little Stampers stamp company is starting out this fun new challenge.

Here is her inspiration card:

What a CAS and yet classy card!

Here is a wee tutorial on how I made my card using my misti. 

I stamped my sentiment first on my card so I could work my butterflies around it. Next I placed a butterfly from HLS's birthday butterflies upside down on my misti so you have the flat bottom up. Make sense? Then I inked up the stamp with distress ink and lightly misted it.

I closed the misti and stamped the butterfly bottom.

Cool huh, you get a rough shape of the butterfly!

I positioned the second butterfly, closed my misti so it would attach. I opened it and inked this one up same as the first.

Closed the misti and stamped the second butterfly.

I repeated the steps for the last butterfly.

When I was done I inked the top of the stamp with black ink and added the definition. Cool huh? Your stamps can do double duty! 

Hope you try this cool technique and join in the fun for HLS new CASE the designer challenge!

Blessed Christmas

Wishing all of you a blessed Christmas!

The Penultimate Day!

My husband and I happen to think Christmas Eve is our ultimate day. It is the day we spend together, just the two of us. I make a special meal and we open our gifts after dinner. Christmas is all about the excitement of family,  friends, traveling, and eatting. Christmas eve is a more quiet time for us.

Today's card is for George. I have made him a card with this old Penny Black wood stamp, probably for the last 12 years. I don't think he ever realizes that I use this same stamp every year! I am sure this is my most consistently used stamp that I own. I have yet to run out of ideas for it.

Wishing all of you either a penultimate day or like George and I an ultimate day!

Peaceful Holiday

It is getting close to the big day. It is the hump day to Christmas. Today would be a good day to relax a bit and take some time for yourself. Even if it is to pour a glass of wine or make a mug of hot chocolate and watch the twinkling lights on the tree for a bit.

Everything will still be there waiting and it will all get done.

Today's card reminds me to stop and smell the pine trees. The soft colors relax and remind me the holidays aren't all about the gifting, decorating, cooking etc etc. They are about family, friends and the joy of the holiday itself.

These two stamps- this one and this one were popular a few years back, but they are new to me.

I loved this card so much, I made a similar card, not quite so cute using "Deck the Halls" by Lila Griffith.

So relax and enjoy the last day before the excitement begins!

Happy Kissmas at Laura's Loft

If you are like me, you are in the thick of getting ready for Christmas. I had last week off, but still feel like I am behind, wrapping, crafting, cooking, and last minute decorating. No matter how prepared you are, you never really are.

I did take the time out though over the weekend to make a card for hubby. He and I are those "cat people",  so naturally I had to make a cat card using this adorable set from Newton's Nook that I got from Laura's Loft. Remember this posting? Be sure to check out Laura's shop and blog, featuring yours truly!

The tag die I used on this awesome card is CASual Friday also gotten at Laura's place.

Well gotta run, presents to wrap, cards to finish, cookies to bake........oh I am exhausted!

Quick and Easy

The countdown is on! 4 days to go!! Have you finished your cards? Have you even started them? 

Well I am here to the rescue! This is is VERY QUICK and EASY card, that is bound to impress! I cranked about 25 of these in half hour or so. This brush bottle tree has been very popular lately and I was able to pick up this HA set at Joannes with a million coupons, it was practically free!

I picked bright colors from SSS- jelly bean, audrey blue and doll pink. Stickles to add the glitter and a saying of your choice and you are done- just like this blog post!

Get cracking and I will see you soon!