Joy Peace Love

Here's a holiday card I never posted. I designed it for PSA Essentials a few months. It uses the Treeo stamp set and it includes a die cut of wood veneer. I found this wood veneer paper at Michael's for a really inexpensive price. I love the wood veneer, but after working with it, I found I'm allergic to it; makes my arms itch like crazy.

Please add the PSA Essentials blog (PSA Stamp Camp) to your list of blogs you check-out. Become a follower on Twitter and Facebook too. Libby is hosting inspiration challenges and having frequent giveaways.

Thanks for stopping by!

Card Ingredients

Stamps: Treeo (PSA Essentials)
Paper: Tempting Turquoise (Stampin' Up), white
Ink: Turquoise (PSA Essentials)
Tools: Scoring Board (Martha Stewart), 1/2" circle punch (Stampin' Up), Big Shot with Papertrey Ink die, Crop-a-Dile (We R Memory Keepers)
Other: Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue, Tempting Turquoise ribbon (Stampin' Up), Build-a-brad kit (Stampin' Up), foam tape (3M), wood veneer paper (Michael's)

Matching Card & Gift Card Holder

Hey there! It's been a busy couple of days. I've been creating our annual photo Christmas card. Instead of Christmas cards, my cards will arrive closer to New Years...sigh. I'll post it here in a couple of days.

Before I forget, please go to this post and add your name for some blog candy. Deadline is tonight!

Here's a card and matching gift card holder that I designed for PSA Essentials. The stamps come from a set called Smirk Happy Holidays. The designer paper comes Stampin' Up. The gift card holder template comes from Kristina Werner.

Thanks for stopping by!

SMIRK COUPLE CARD Ingredients

Stamps: Smirk Happy Holidays (PSA Essentials)Paper (all from Stampin' Up): Jolly Holiday designer series paper, Very Vanilla, Kraft, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive Ink: Cabernet (PSA Essentials)
Tools: 1.75" circle punch (Stampin' Up), 2" circle punch (Fiskars), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)
Other: Baker's twine (Etsy), rhinestone (Michael's), Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue, foam tape (3M), Copic markers, Old Olive buttons (Stampin' Up), white gel pen (Sakura)

SMIRK COUPLE GIFT CARD HOLDER Ingredients
Stamps: Smirk Happy Holidays (PSA Essentials)
Paper (all from Stampin' Up): Jolly Holiday designer series paper, Very Vanilla, Kraft, Cherry Cobbler Ink: Cabernet (PSA Essentials)
Tools: 1 1/16" circle punch (EK Success), 1.25" circle punch (All Night Media)
Other: Old Olive ribbon (Stampin' Up), rhinestone (Michael's), gift card template (Kristina Werner), Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue, foam tape (3M), Copic marker, brads (Making Memories), Velcro

Sending Holiday Cheer

I love Hambly Screen Prints! I got to visit their studio a few weeks ago for a make-n-take. That reminds me, I didn't post a picture of the items I got to make.

Allison and her staff are so sweet. I used a Hambly overlay on this card. The paper and ribbon is all Stampin' Up and the sentiment is from Papertrey Ink (Holiday Button Bits).

Have a good one!

Happy Holidays - Toothpick Challenge

I hope you are doing well. Life is a little busy right now (I just got home from a meeting at school), but I wanted to particpate in the toothpick challenge over on the Everything but the Kitchen Sink blog. I haven't designed our annual Christmas card yet. Yikes, I'm in trouble!

I've haven't participated in their challenges yet, but I thought this would be a fun one. We had to use at least 1 toothpick. A while back I used a toothpick on this card, but this time I used several! Actual bought a box today to replenish our kitchen supply. I saw what the team (Kelley, Winter, Kelly, Lynnette, & Courtney) produced for their samples and then I was intimidated. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to create. I had to think about it for a few days. I love my Silhouette, so I downloaded these new ornament designs and cut them out on some BasicGrey Eskimo Kisses paper (Thanks, Sarah!). I used Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue to adhere each toothpick to the backs of the ornaments. I never get tired of kraft cardstock, so I used it here. I used a paper piercer and went around the perimeter of the cardstock.

My style is clean and simple, so I like what I created. Thanks for stopping by! Kelley, I'm thinking about you...

Card Ingredients

Stamps: Holiday Button Bits

Paper: Kraft & Certainly Celery (SU!), Eskimo Kisses (BasicGrey)

Ink: StazOn Jet Black

Tools: Silhouette, paper piercer, Modern Label Punch (SU!)

Other: linen thread (SU!), decorative pearls (Joy Crafts), foam tape, toothpicks, Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue

A Gift Card That is Actually a Crafting Tool

I didn't think I would have time for Kristina's Color Inspiration Callenge #35 this week. It would've been the first time I missed it. I'm knee-deep in making gift card holders, our annual card, wrapping gifts, planning my son's Kindergarten holiday party, etc., so I knew I could use the colors this week to make a gift card holder for a gift card I bought at Target on Monday. The colors this week are:

This gift card can actually be used as a brass stencil for snowflakes. It feels like a real brass stencil. I paper pierced one of the snowflakes and cut it out with a 1" circle punch. That is the layer on top of the felt snowflake. Run, don't walk, to your nearest Target if you want one of these gift cards. This would make a great gift for our crafting friends.

I used Kristina's template and instructions for this gift card. I added a tiny Velcro closure to the holder.


Gift Card Holder Ingredients

Stamps: Holiday Collection (SU)

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Baja Breeze designer paper, Very Vanilla

Ink: VersarMark, Close to Cocoa

Other: Clear embossing powder, brads (Making Memories), Kristina's template, brass stencil (Target gift card), piercing tool, 1" circle punch, yellow button (Making Memories), Tombo Mono glue, raffia thread (Studios Blackbird), Baja Breeze felt snowflake (SU)

Holiday Wishes

Hope all my American friends had a great Thanksgiving! We did. I made it easier on myself. I ordered the basics (whole turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and cornbread from Boston Market...yeah! Only took 90 minutes to heat up the turkey. I baked pies and made the veggies and cranberries. My sister-in-law brought the sweet potatoes. It wasn't stressful and the cleanup was easy. OK, on to the card...

I struggled with this card...wow! My mojo was gone. And I barely published it in time with Mr. Linky! Everything kept going wrong...embossing powder spill, cutting the wrong sizes of cardstock...ugh! This card is for Kristina's Color Inspiration #32.

The only place I used Very Vanilla was the cardstock for the star. You can barely see it. It was hard combining Whisper White with Very Vanilla in a way that looked pleasing to me.

My heart goes out to the people in Mumbai and family members abroad. I can't help but watch CNN and remember 9/11.

Thanks for looking!

Card Ingredients

Stamps: Holiday Collection

Paper: Silver foil paper (Only the Best Los Gatos), Riding Hood Red, Riding Hood Red DSP, Very Vanilla

Ink: VersaMark

Other: silver embossing powder, foam tape, Riding Hood Red Taffeta ribbon, Making Memories rhinestone brad

Celebrate the Season - AVS12

I NEVER, Never, never, make Christmas cards in the Summer. I can't get into the spirit of the holidays when it's 90+ degrees outside. This is the first time I've ever made a Christmas card at this time of year. I loved Julee's sketch #12 for the Anni-VERVE-sary.

I used an embossed resist on the layer with the background stamp. I stamped the large background stamp with white pigment ink on white cardstock. I embossed it with clear embossing powder. I used a brayer to apply Cranberry Crisp ink on top of the image. I wiped away the excess ink with a paper towel.

Card Ingredients
Stamps: Background (JudiKins), So Many Scallops
Paper: Cranberry Crisp, white
Ink: ColorBox Silver, Cranberry Crisp, ColorBox Frost White
Other: Silver beads (Michael's), Scallop punch, clear embossing powder, foam tape, circle punches