.....and she's back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess everyone thinks that I left the country, but I've really just been so busy with family and preparing for the holidays that I've not had much time for crafting! One thing that my husband and I have been doing is spending lots of time with his siblings. He lost a brother and a sister during the past three years and as I posted here on my blog, we almost lost another sister who was in a horrible auto accident this past March (she lost her husband, our brother-in-law) in that same accident. We now get together (my husband, his oldest brother and two of his three younger sisters) at least once a week....we have dinner together and then play cards and we have a blast. I will always treasure these times!!! Hopefully, once the holiday season is over I will have a lot more time for my crafting!!!

I did make some luminaries to give as little Christmas gifts. I have photos of a couple of them...in all I have made five! If you would like a "recipe" for making them, you can find it here at the Splitcoast Stampers site, as well as a little video tutorial. Everyone I have given them to really like them!!! Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedules to stop by and "Happy Holidays"!!!
Supplies

Paper: Bazzill "French Vanilla" & "Capers" (bases), Bazzill "Blind Date" (blue), digitally designed patterned papers "Joyful Spirit" by Lisa Cohen (floral design) and "Misty Morning" by Joni Gray (ivy leaves), as well as some green wallpaper samples.
Stamps: Walmart, Studio G and In kadinkado
Ink: Tsukineko "VersaMark Watermark"
Embossing Powders: Ranger "Super Fine Detail Gold" & Stamp-n-Stuff "Detail White Opaque"
Tools: Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter", QuicKutz "Revolution", Ranger Inkssentials "Heat-It" Craft Tool
Accessories: Martha Stewart "Arch Lattice" Border Punch, Spellbinders "Labels Four", Michael's "Gold" Rinestone Stickers, The Paper Studio "Pearls"

Happy Birthday Klo!!!

I designed and created this very special birthday card for my friend and teacher Klo, who has taught me so much about the Pazzles Inspiration software for my Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter". Her birthday is the 13th, so I'm not going to post this to my blog until Saturday, the 14th. Another very good friend and fellow Pazzles Design Team Member, Sue Reynolds, just recently designed a new Pen Tool that can be used with my Inspiration, that can hold many different sized pens and for this card, I used her pen tool with a Quickie Glue Pen to made the "lattice" panel. After I removed the panel from my Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter" I covered the "lattice" lines with silver embossing powder and heat set it with my "Heat It" craft tool. I also used the same technique for make the silver lines around the bottom card panel...I wanted it to have the look of "peel-off" stickers, so I'm going to call it "Faux Peel Offs". In addition I used the very same technique for the "sentiment" and the "46", but I added some crystal stickles to the "46". I topped it all off with a bow made with my Bow Easy....love that little tool!!!


For the inside of the card, I used my "faux peel-offs" technique again around the bottom panel.


Here is a close-up of the top inside panel, where I used the smaller "Fluer de lis" pendant die and then some Nestie circles and topped it off with a real "Peel-Off" sticker of a gift:


And here is a close-up of the lower inside panel showing the way I embossed my text onto a vellum square. I did the text in Photoshop using the beautiful "CAC Lasko Even Weight" font (free), printed it out using my Canan PIXMA 530 inkjet's "Photo Paper" setting and just as quickly as I took it out of the printed, I covered it with clear embossing powder to that it would be embossed. The text was done in black but after covering it with the clear EB powder and heat setting it, it almost looks silver!!! Also, the silver trim around it is actually "peel-off" stickers, as well as the "~2009~"!


This was a lot of fun to design and create and I hope Klo really liked it! Thanks for coming by to check it out!!!
Finished Card Size: A2/4.25"x5.25"
Supplies

Paper: Wausau Creative Collection Metallic Cardstock "Chalice Silver", Canson Effects Papercraft "Galvanized" (fleur de lis panel beneath velum text panel), Staples "White Vellum" and Blue/Grey Carstock (don't know brand...some I've had for years!)
Embossing Powders: Stamp-n-Stuff "Detail Silver" and "Detail Clear Transparent"
Tools: Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter", QuicKutz "Revolution", Ranger Inkssentials "Heat-It" Craft Tool, Sue Reynold's "Pen Tool"
Accessories: Spellbinders Shapeabilities Pendants "Fluer De Lis" and Nestabilities "Circles", Mark Richards "Crystal Stickers Pearls", "Crystal" Stickles, Flower Soft "Peel Off Stickers" (around text block), Mark Richards "Peel-Offs" stickers (gift), Michaels "Bridal Elegance" Ribbon, EK Success "Fleur de lis" border punch, "~2009~" Peel Off Stickers (gift from friend in the UK), Sakura "Quickie Glue Pen"
Fonts: Pazzles "PZ Up Town" and "CAC Lasko Even Weight"

Oops....I forgot to post this card last month!!!

My niece's birthday was October 17th and this is the card that I made for her and I purposely did not upload here to my blog after I finished it, because I was afraid she might stop by and see it...anyway, that's why I forgot! So here it is now!!!


I had just bought the Spellbinders "Fleur De Lis" set a day before I made this card and of course, I could not wait to use it! The design of this card is extremely simple...what makes the card so pretty is the combination of the "Fleur De Lis" set, the gorgeous sparkling papers and the beautiful Swarvoski crystals!!!

Thanks for stopping by to take a peek!
Finished Card Size: 5.5"x5.5"

Supplies

Papers: Neenah White CS and WorldWin "Sparkling Papers" (Jewel Toned Mica Coated Papers)
Tools: Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter", QuicKutz "Revolution"
Accessories: Spellbinders Shapeabilities Pendants "Fleur De Lis" and Nestabilities "Circles", PeelOff Stickers (gift from friend in the UK), Mark Richards "Half Pearls" and Swarvoski "Chrystal Beads"

I LOVE this technique!!!!!

Double Embossing or Blank Embossing was the technique for today's challenge (TLC245) at Splitcoast Stampers......you can check out all of the details here at the site. Lynn sent us to a video by Nilda at "The Cuttlebug Spot" and earlier this morning the video was not working, but it is now. Once I watched Nilda's video this technique was a lot easier and I really had fun with it!!! Click on the photo below for a close-up of it:


There were a lot of "firsts" with this card.............first time I've used this technique, first time I've used this embossing folder, first time I've used these stamps, first time I've used my new Memento "Rich Cocoa" ink pad and the first time I've made my own "ribbon corners"!!! For all of my coloring, I used glitter and metallic pens. I also designed a Pazzles cutting file for the matching, lined envelope and I used the same embossing folder on the envelope too. Thanks for stopping by to take a peek!
Finished Card Size: A2/4.25"x5.5"
Supplies

Paper: GA Pacific
Stamps: Recollections "Timres Transparent Merry Merry"
Inks: Tsukineko Memento "Rich Cocoa"
Tools: Provo Craft "Cuttlebug" and Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter"
Accessories: Stampin'Up! "Textured Impressions Finial Press" embossing folder, Bow Easy, Beifa "Glitter & Metallic Gel Pens", Offray Ribbon, Spellbinders Nestabilities "Labels Four"

Booooo!!!!!

I'm not positive, but this may well be the first time I've made a Halloween card! Today for the "Limited Supply Challenge" (LSC241) we were supposed to do a "FALL-themed" card with stamps, paper and ink.....NO embellishments! It was alright to use diecuts, but the focal point should be something STAMPED. If you would like to join in the fun, you can find all the pertinent information here! For mine I used this adorable "mummy" stamp by Recollections, cut him out and used black fun foam pieces to adhere him with dimension. I also used a stamp for the "sentiment and I colored the pumpkin on it with some Neopiko markers. All of the background was done using die cut files from Pazzles and they were cut with my Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter" and my Craft Robo. For the creepy spider, I used some clear embossing powder and heat set it to give her a shiny, black widow look! Don't you just love that haunted looking house with the orange moon? I'm sure my little grandsons will love this!
Finished Card Size: A2/4.25"x5.5"
Supplies

Paper: Black, orange and blue grey CS (don't know brands...have had for years!)
Stamps: Recollections "Mummy" and "October Calender" by Studio G
Inks: Tsukinedo "Graphite Black" Brilliance and Memento "Tuxedo Black"
Embossing Powders: Old Town Crafts "Black Jewels" (sentiment) and Stamp-n-Stuff "Detail Clear Transparent"
Tools: Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter", Graphtec "Craft robo", Ranger "Heat It" and Provo Craft "Cuttlebug"
Accessories: Spellbinders "Standard Circles & Scalloped Cirles SM", Neopiko Markers

Playing with my new SU "Petals-a-Plenty"!!!

Last week I placed my very first order of Stampin'Up products and they arrived later yesterday afternoon, so of course I had to play with one of them today! I've seen many cards done using the "Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions" embossing folder and I decided to order it. I also used the Splitcoast Stampers Wednesday Sketch Challenge (SC249) as my inspiration. If you want to play along you can find it here. As you can see by my photos, these images were very difficult to capture. They look much better IRL (in real life), particularly the beautiful snowflake.


Here is a close-up of the snowflake:


I cut two blue panels and ran them through my Big Shot using the Stampin'Up "Petals-a-Plenty" embossing folder. On the first blue layer I used the debossed side and brushed over the top of it with my Brilliance "Platinum Planet" and then used a silver glitter pen on the circles in the middle of each flower. I did the very same thing on the top blue panel and the top white panel, but I used the embossed side! The gorgeous snowflake is actually from the letter "E" of the font called "Faux Snowflake BRK" and was cut out using my Craft Robo digital cutter. I used white card stock that was stamped with the "Platiunum Planet" then covered with "Star Dust" embossing powder and heat set with my heat gun...did this twice and then added a flat-backed pearl! The "faux stitching" on the horizontal blue panel was actually done using the silver glitter pen in the Pen Tool on my Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter".

I have to say that I LOVE my new Stampin'Up embossing folders (I also ordered the "Elegant Bouquet" and the "Finial Press")...you will seeing lots of cards made by me using them!!!

Thanks for stopping by to take a peek!!!
Finished Card Size: A2/4.25"x5.5"
Supplies

Papers: Bazzill and GA Pacific White CS
Stamps: Studio G "December Calendar Stamp"
Inks: Tsukineko "Platinum Planet" Brilliance Pigment & VersaMark "Watermark"
Embossing Powder: Old Town Crafts "Ultra Fine Silver" and Stamp-n-Stuff "Star Dust Transparent"
Tools: Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter", Graphtec "Craft Robo", Ranger "Heat It", Sizzix "Big Shot" and Provo Craft "Cuttlebug"
Accessories: Martha Stewart "Floral Lace Edge" Border Punch, Spellbinders Nestabilities "Standard Circles & Scalloped Circles SM", Mark Richards "Pearl Perle", Michael's "Silver Half Pearl Stickers", Beifa "Silver Glitter" Gel Pen, Ribbon (remnant that I had on hand, but looks much like the "Bridal Elegance" from Michaels)

Check out the UK "Innies" & "Outies"!!!

Well, I don't know if I have them spelled right, but I've been watching some of the "Create and Craft TV" shows at their website in the UK and the other day one of the guests was demoing cards using the negative and the positive of cut outs. I'm probably wording this all wrong and I can't remember which guest it was, but I decided to play with the idea using my Craft Robo "Print and Cut" feature and I see all kinds of possibilities!!! I found this vintage image by doing a Google search of images that are Public Domain and I thought it would make a pretty Christmas card. These were some that I made just for practice and I did the sentiment using my Pazzles "Inspiration Studio" software and the Pazzles "Alte Swabacher" font. I used a white gel pen in the Pazzles "Pen Tool" and I love the effect I got with it!!! The image was printed on my inkjet printer.

Innie


Outie


What do you think?
Finished Card Sizes: A24.25"x5.5"

Supplies

Paper: GA Pacific "White" Cardstock (card base) and black and white CS
Tools: Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter", Canon Pixma MP530, Craft Robo
Accessories: Sakura "White Gelly Roll" gel pen