Follow His Star

I am a firm believer of using what you have. For many of us we have craft supplies that would sink a ship, and for the most part we use them.... usually...... sometimes....... I bet you have a stash of crafting goodies that haven't see the light of day in say oh six months, a year, 10 years!I used a few of those past crafting supplies on this card.

Get it out and use it this holiday. What better gift to give then one from the heart handmade by you. I love handmade gifts. It touches my heart that someone would take the time to make me something. I love giving handmade too. It saves me money usually and I always enjoy the process. Especially the prayers said for the special someone while completing the project.

This card is so stinking simple, but beautiful. Not to mention the whole focus of the season. May you keep your focus on the One who we celebrate this holiday.

I used:
Card Stock: Whisper White, Night of Navy, Silver Glitter
Ink: Night of Navy
Stamp: greeting from the past
Punch: Confetti Stars Punch
Die: Stars

Talk about bling - this glitter paper is the bomb-dig-a-Dee!
Silver Glimmer Paper by Stampin' Up!
Silver Glimmer Paper 135314
Price: $4.95
Stunning, no-mess way to add glitter accents—glitter won’t brush off this cover-weight paper! Use with select dies. 2 sheets: ea. 12" x 12".
This Confetti Stars Punch is so great and it makes the best confetti too.
Confetti Stars Punch

Confetti Stars Punch 135861
Price: $21.95
Need a ton of teeny stars? No problem. Need star shapes cut out of a paper? Piece of cake! This punch has you covered whether you're punching card edges or making confetti. Largest star: 1/4".

I used a star punch from the past, but Stampin Up has come out with a new Star Framelit set that is AWESOME. 
Stars Framelits Dies
Stars Framelits Dies 133723
Price: $26.95
Cut your stamped images, create layers and frames! 5 layering dies. Largest image: 4-3/4" diam.

Brown Christmas

What no red and green! A brown Christmas? Ya, isn't it great? I love using non traditional colors for Christmas. It gives spice to life. The paper used came from the Trim the Tree Designer Series Paper Stack and I love it, I love it, I love it!

I used:
Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Brushed Gold
Paper: Trim the Tree Designer Series Paper Stack
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Trims: Linen Thread, Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon
Die: past snowflake set. But you can use a snowflake punch or any Christmas punch you have on hand.
Embossing Folder: Northern Flurry
Stamp: Greeting from a past set
Other: Gold brad

 I enjoying using the seam binding ribbon on many projects, the knot and/or bow stays tied and is beautiful on a card
Crumb Cake 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon
Crumb Cake 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon 122332
Price: $6.95
Returning favorite now in even more colors! Soft and flowing and drapes like silk. 10 yds.

I really love the Brushed Gold Card Stock, it is a muted shimmer and easy to stamp on.
Brushed Gold 8-1/2" x 11" Card Stock
Brushed Gold 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock 102935
Price: $7.95
Contains 10 sheets of 80 lb., high-quality 8-1/2" x 11" smooth card stock, dyed with pure color all the way through. Ideal for scrapbooking, this acid-free, lignin-free, and buffered card stock offers all sorts of stamping and scrapbooking options.


 

Tree Punch

Do you have 20 cards to make, that is nothing really.... my stamping friend Debbie Luners makes 180+ a year. She sends hand made cards not to just her family, but to her husbands business clients too. Ya WOW is right! Thats a lot of cards and postage. But Deb loves making them and the receivers enjoy getting a little something handmade from the heart.

This is a great card to make for the masses.

I used:
Card Stock: Whisper White, Gold Foil Paper
Designer Series Paper: Trim the Tree
Punch: Tree Punch
Stamp: from a past set

I love this Tree punch - it is perfect. No stamping involved, just punch out a few trees and glue them to the front of the card. You can make this for a guys birthday too - just use a different designer series paper and a warmer card base. Remember you can click on any of the purple underlined links to take you to the order page. Hurry this punch and Trim the Tree Paper Pack will only be available till Jan 5, 2015.

Trim the Tree Designer Series Paper Stack
Trim The Tree Designer Series Paper Stack 135824
Price: $6.95
If you can't be bright and bold for Christmas, when can you? Make a seasonal statement with this cheery paper stack. 48 sheets: 4 each of 12 double-sided designs. Acid free, lignin free.


Gold Foil Sheets
Gold Foil Sheets 132622
Price: $3.95
Cut with punches or Big Shot for metallic accents. 2 single-sided sheets: ea. 12" x 12". Acid free.



Cut with punches or Big Shot for metallic accents. 2 single-sided sheets: ea. 12" x 12". Acid free.

Tree Punch
Tree Punch 135859
Price: $16.95
More environmentally friendly than a chainsaw, this tree punch will give you a perfect shape every time without the need for safety glasses. Punched image size: 1-1/2" x 2-3/8"

Give Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to you.
I am so thankful for you, my readers and stamping friends. Without you this wouldn't be possible. I so enjoy sharing the love of stamping, cooking and art journaling with you. We are blessed to be sharing ours with 13 family members this year! Yep! You guessed it I have been cooking for days. May you and yours have a wonderful blessed Thanksgiving.

This card makes me all over happy. I love the colors, layout, simplicity and the lace and bling. I stamped the scribble in Crushed Curry ink and then stamped the leaves using the first and second generation stamping technique in Baked Brown Sugar (my favorite Stampin Up color).

Oh you asked how to do generation stamping technique? Well, it is uber easy and gives great dimension to the art. Once you ink up the stamp and stamp once, do not ink again and just stamp, giving you a lighter shade of the first stamp mark. In some cases you can stamp three, four and more times, getting lighter and lighter shades of the ink. Cool huh!?!

I used:
Card Stock: Baked Brown Sugar, Crushed Curry, Very Vanilla
Ink: Crushed Curry, Baked Brown Sugar
Trims: Venetian Crochet Trim, Gold Sequin Trim
Punches: Modern Label

For All Things stamp set will only be available till Jan 5, so if you love it, click on the purple underlined link and order yours today.
For All Things Wood-mount Stamp Set
For All Things Wood-Mount Stamp Set 135152
Price: $24.95
Simple expressions of gratitude can be the most heartfelt. These down-to-earth clear- and wood-mount stamps will turn your thoughts to the traditions of fall like enjoying the crisp air and crunching through piles of leaves. Set quantity: 8.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Well isn't this a beautiful sight! Pumpkin Spice Muffins. Well I gotta tell ya, they are picture perfect!
And that is it! I am so disappointed in the taste - less -ness! How could you go wrong with pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg? I know it sounds so yummy - right? Well wrong oh!

I am going to have to work with this recipe before I share it. BUT - I had to share how beautiful they are and how wonderful they baked up in my Demarle cookware.

My hope for you is that all your Thanksgiving recipes turn out beautiful AND yummy!

Gratitude

Sarah Smith made this great card for our "Gratitude" themed card swap. I so love this tree from a past set. it was a great set that was retired way to soon. She used some great colors and the buttons are so cute on the tree. Love it Sarah, thanks for swapping.

Almost Holly

Well I think it is time to switch gears just for today. We all know it is coming, and for some I bet you are already done, shopping, wrapping, cards made and waiting to be mailed..... Okay okay get off the floor and stop laughing!

I have started thinking about Christmas, and as much as I (kinda) like the holiday, I am already wishing it was over! I don't like the mess of the tree and all the work it takes to decorate it and the house. I love the baking, but hate the sore feet from being in the kitchen for days on end. I do have one gift mailed - ya-ha! I am at a loss of what gifts to get the men in my life that are so hard to buy for. I do have a few stocking stuffing's purchased, but like most I am not ready for Christmas and all the hub bub that goes with it.

So I thought I would share a quick easy card to hopfully get our minds wrapped around whats to come.

I really like this stamp set and wanted to stretch its possibilities and use it for Christmas. Stamping the vine in Garden Green ink, and then punching the little berries out was perfect. I added some tiny pearls to dress it up a little too. The greeting and embossing folder is from the past, but still loved.
I used:
Card Stock: Whisper White, Real Red
Ink: Garden Green, Real Red
Other: Scallop Punch, Posies Embossing Folder, Pearls

Bordering Blooms Photopolymer Stamp Set by Stampin' Up!
Bordering Blooms Photopolymer Stamp Set 133660
Price: $15.95
You line your walkways with flowers, so wouldn't you want to line other projects with blooms? This photopolymer set will have you putting floral borders around everything with the repeating patterns and endless beauty.

Set quantity: 4

Thanksgiving Swaps

Here are the last of the Thanksgiving Swaps for November. The cute card at the top is by Janice Rowe, and the beautiful card at the bottom is buy Georganne Caine.

Goodby Flowers

The last of these beautiful babies till another season. I couldn't let the frost get to these. It is always hard for me to clean out my flower beds while there are still blooms on. But were are in for some dropping temps and hard freezes and I  didn't want to do it while the ground was frozen. So off with there heads as the queen says... even if it makes me sad to put my garden to rest for a long winters nap.

Simple

Do you like simple cards as much as I do? The quicker the better. The thought is the same if you put 2 minutes or 20 minutes in the card. It came from the heart and you made it! You can clink on the purple underlined links to take you to the order page.

I used:
Card Stock: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist
Ink: Pear Pizzazz
Stamp Set: Bordering Blooms, Another Thank You
Punch: The one I used is from the past, but Itty Bitty Accents wold work great.


Bordering Blooms Photopolymer Stamp Set by Stampin' Up!
Bordering Blooms Photopolymer Stamp Set 133660
Price: $15.95
You line your walkways with flowers, so wouldn't you want to line other projects with blooms? This photopolymer set will have you putting floral borders around everything with the repeating patterns and endless beauty.

Set quantity: 4
Another Thank You Photopolymer Stamp Set by Stampin' Up!
Another Thank You Photopolymer Stamp Set 136835
Price: $15.95
How many ways can you say thank you? Well, with this set there are at least 7 ways in different sizes and fonts for the perfect fit. These photopolymer images make it easy to see where you're stamping too!

Set quantity: 10

Really Awesome

This art journal page just makes me happy. 
If I didn't have something cool on the other side of the page, I should frame this.

Carve Your Own

I carved these stamps. Well the holly and berries anyway. I always wanted a 2-step holly and berry stamp and so didn't find one along my travels over the years, and Stampin Up didn't have a current one, so I carved my own! Ya - how cool is that? I purchased our carving kit and made it. It is really easy, but take your time to get a great carved stamp. The instructions and everything come in the kit. Even ideas if you don't have any of your own.

Just click on the purple line below to order your very own carving kit today! There are refill kits available as well too. let me just say, this is so very cool!

Stamp Carving Kit
Stamp Carving Kit 133402
Price: $19.95
Includes 2 carving tools, 3" x 4" rubber, 3" x 4" foam, 4 wood blocks (various sizes), 1 Island Indigo StampinÕ Write Marker, 3 postcards, instruction sheet, stamp image templates.

By the Tide

I love this stamp set. I himmm-hawwed around for a year before I purchased it. Why? Who knows. Sometimes I... I don't know. I don't have a good answer or excuse! Anyway, moving along - This is a great stamp set to use for guy cards. Click on the purple underlined link below to order yours today.

I used:
Card Stock: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Coastal Cabana
Inks: Coastal Cabana, Crumb Cake
Stamp Sets: By the Tide
Punch: 1" Circle
Other: Linen Thread

UNSET
By The Tide Wood Stamp Set 131910
Price: $27.95
Breathe in the smell of the sea and discover some of the marvels brought in By the Tide. These wood mount images will have you pining for low tide and the sound of ocean waves. Set Quantity: 7. First appeared in 2014-2015 Annual Catalog.

Tag Time

Are you planning on making your Christmas Tags this year? Are these just the cutest and easiest you ever seen.  I love designing tags. There can be small works of art in it self. If you make really cute tags this year, just wrap all your packages in plain (unprinted ) newsprint paper. I can buy the left over rolls at our local newspaper for $1 a roll.  Wrapping it this way, the tag is the show stopper and not lost in all the wrapping paper design.

I used:
Card Stock: Whisper White, Crushed Curry
Designer Series Paper: Trim the Tree Stack
Markers: Cherry Cobbler
Punches: Tree, 1/4" circle, Small Star (past)

Cut whisper white card stock to 3 1/4" x 4 1/4" for tag base.
Cut designer series paper to 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" and glue to upper front of tag base. 
Punch out two trees from white card stock, glue over designer paper overlapping one.
Punch out two stars from crushed curry card stock and attach to tree top using deminsionals.
Use the marker to make little stitched lines on tag and trees.
Punch hole to tie on to package.

Thanksgiving Wreath

This photo dosn't do this card justice. But trust me it is georgous! I shared this at my card buffet a few weeks ago and it was one of the topped loved cards made.

I used:
Card Stock: Crisp Cantaloupe, Very Vanilla, and Champagne Glitter Paper.
Inks: Wild Wasibi, Baked Brown Sugar, Crisp Cantaloupe.
Stamp Set: Wondrous Wreath, Good Greetings (not available)
Framelits: Wonderful Wreath

You can clink on any of the purple underlined links to take you to the order page and get your sets today. These sets and specials will only be around till Jan 5, and then gone for good. 
The Stamp Set and Framelets you can get in a bundle and save 15%. How totally awesome is that? See link below.


Wonderful Wreath Framelits Dies Wonderful Wreath Framelits Dies
Price: $24.95

Wondrous Wreath Photopolymer Stamp Set
Wondrous Wreath Photopolymer Stamp Set 135047
Price: $25.95
What would Christmas be like without a wreath? Well, there's no need to wonder, because the Wondrous Wreath set has you covered, with two-step photopolymer stamps to add some dimension to your creation. Set quantity: 9.
The Stamp Set and Framelets you can get in a bundle and save 15%. How totally awesome is that? 

Wonderous Wreath Photopolymer Bundle
Wonderous Wreath Photopolymer Bundle 137624
Price: $43.25
What would Christmas be like without a wreath? Well, there's no need to wonder, because the Wondrous Wreath set has you covered, with two-step photopolymer stamps to add some dimension to your creation. Set quantity: 9.