Tuesday, December 30, 2008
The Daily Dare
In the course of this discussion, a new blog was born! Several of us have joined forces to bring you The Daily Dare, a place to find information about the challenges that are offered each day of the week. Of course, the site is in its infancy right now and will take a while to get on its feet, but the idea was born and we're hoping it's gonna become a great resource!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Love is Blue!
Today's TLC was to make a squash card. I have made these fun albums before, but never a card, so I really wanted to try it. So fun, fast, and very easy! I knew right away that I wanted to use my new Hero Arts set, Always Heart, from i {heart} papers.
I started with a piece of soft coral-colored cardstock, then stamped the swirly image on the front with Versamark and dabbed some Pearl-Ex on very gently with a cotton swab. I stamped half of the heart on each side of the fold, and then the final image for the inside on white card stock.
I wish you could see this card in person...it is very simple, but the iridescent shine of the Pearl-Ex makes it so soft and pretty. I tried to capture some of the blue hue on camera, but it doesn't quite do it justice. At a certain angle the Pearl-Ex takes on a beautiful blue, almost amethyst hue.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Relieved!
It's funny how *coincidences* happen...Cathleen posted on ihp's PCP page that she was worried that her house might flood! With all the rain and snow, the creek behind her house was rising and predicted to go above flood stage! Her family had to seriously prepare for this, including stacking sandbags. OMGoodness! I'm thinking of how inappropriate this belated birthday card is...and does this mean I'm clairvoyant? ;)
Thankfully, today, Cathleen came back with good news! Our prayers were answered...the flood did not come into their house! Whew! Maybe I'll get to send this card after all!
Friday, December 26, 2008
i {heart} papers sale...and some news!
Today is traditionally a great sales day if you're brave enough to venture out shopping, but I have an even better option for all my scrapping/stamping friends. Visit i {heart} papers for 15% off today's purchase. Kate has been busy adding great new stuff practically every day, so there is a lot to choose from!
The i {heart} papers Design Team is very excited to welcome Dee Jackson as our newest designer. Dee is a fabulous stamper, and I feel like I already know her because she is a long-time friend of my wonderful friend Pinky. Please join me in welcoming Dee by visiting her blog and leaving her a message!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Have a Very Merry Christmas!
To complete Michelle's gift, I enclosed some of my favorite designer paper, brads, and fibers...Basic Grey is one of my very favorite brands of stamping and scrapping supplies. I can't wait to see what she makes with these new goodies!
While Thanksgiving is a very long, drawn-out day (actually, several days) in the kitchen, Christmas Day is much more relaxed. We open presents in the morning, then enjoy a late breakfast. For dinner Patrick cooks a delicious standing rib pork roast stuffed with mushroom sauce. I am usually in charge of dessert (traditionally a cheesecake that takes 40 oz of cream cheese to bake!). We just relax and enjoy being together.
Christmas in the Felts household only begins on Christmas Day! We celebrate the 12 days of Christmas from Christmas Day through Epiphany...I'll be sharing more of that with you as the days go by.
I am looking forward to this week in between Christmas and New Year's Day. Life moves at a much slower pace, a welcome respite after the frenzy of all the holiday preparations. I am hoping that I'll get to play with some of the new rubber that arrived here on Christmas Eve! There are several design team projects I plan to work on. I've missed the challenges lately also, and would love to go back and make up a few!
Merry Christmas! I hope you're enjoying the traditions and heritage of your family and friends on this most blessed day! Peace be yours!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
'Twas the Night Before Christmas...
Here are the little nugget boxes I made yesterday and today. I'm giving these to our choir between our 5:30 and 11:30 services tonight. Just a little something to say thank you and show my appreciation for all of their hard work.
May your Christmas celebrations be filled with the wonder and awe of Emmanuel, God with us! Blessings through this holiday season! Let Christmas remain in your heart all the year through!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Blog Candy Alert!
Whew! I Survived the Post Office!
I stamped this sympathy card this afternoon...my SIL's father passed away last weekend, and I wanted to make something for her that would let her know she is on my heart and in my prayers. My new Basic Grey Archaic pack had this *menswear* plaid, so I distress inked it, stitched a double row of straight stitching along the edge of the paper, and added some buttons from Patrick's worn out linen shirt that I had already cut apart (previous post!). Sympathy cards are quite a challenge for me, so I'm relieved to have this one finished. I still need to make her a birthday card...hers is two days after Christmas. I'm sure it will be a bittersweet day after her recent loss, but it is still definitely something to celebrate.
I am still hoping to make several gift card holders, hopefully that will fit with today's challenge and/or the new Holiday Extravaganza challenges. Lots of fun stuff going on to relieve that holiday stress!
Happy Birthday Jerry!
My friend and now dirty girl, DawnL, sent this gorgeous Thomas Kincaid image to me when I oohed and aaahed over it on one of her cards. It is just perfect for my brother for his birthday on Monday...he is a wildlife and fisheries guy who loves to hunt and fish. He is a no-fuss, no-frills fella, so I kept this card completely simple, just layering this gorgeous image on barely blush, close to cocoa, and almost amethyst cardstock atop a ruby red card base. A little distress ink gave it a really rustic feel, just perfect for Jerry.
I also finished up a box that I made for a friend of mine...I am going to go load it up with something yummy and send it on its way. I'll show it to you once it has reached its destination. She might be peeking, so I gotta keep it secret! ;)
Thursday, December 18, 2008
More...with measurements
Yesterday's post featured a single of the project that I finished working on today...here are 20 (minus one already gifted) of the little emery board sleeves that I made for my Bible study ladies. My prayer is that these will be something they'll come across often that will let them know how much I appreciate them. I love them all so much and they play such an important role in my life. They encourage me and hold me accountable in my Christian walk, and they're also just plain fun to be with!
Here are the measurements, if you'd like to make one of these yourself:
- pink cardstock, 3" x 7.5", scored parallel to the long edge at 1, 1.25, 2.25 and 2.5 inches
- 2 pieces of patterned paper, 7/8" x 7.25", only one of which is notched at one end with the 3/4" circle punch
- scraps of coordinating patterned paper to layer for a belly band (mine were approximately 1" x 3" and 1.25" x 3")
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Pink Paisley
I am still working on finishing up my holiday cards and gifts...I usually end up working on them right up until the last minute. I especially love crafting during this time of year! I'll keep you posted on my progress!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Hoppy Breezy Kisses!
Wait until you see all the fun going on at Tree House! I am in the process of putting together my order of goodies from all the fabulous new stuff and I'm having a *time* deciding! New stamp sets, including Lelo, RAM, and Sarah Kay, along with copics, kits of paper/ribbon/glitter, and more!
Earlier this morning I stamped a card for my friends Brad and Ellen...they had to put their dog Pooch down, and I have had them on my heart ever since. I just wanted a simple card that would let them know that I'm thinking of them...I thought this Inkadinkado pooch would maybe give them a smile. I'm hoping the charm looks sorta like a *dogtag*. I LOVE these Basic Grey Archaic papers. Pooch was stamped three times so that his face could be cut out and popped up for dimension, and his ear popped up on top of that. I like the rustic colors and the no-frills design and hope that they will too.
Matthew spent his afternoon up at the highschool auditioning for a part in Seussical the Musical! We homeschool, so getting to participate in this production is a big deal! For his audition, he sang the Cowardly Lion's song, If I Were King, from the Wizard of Oz. He was called back to read for 4 or 5 parts...and thinks he did well, although we won't know anything until Thursday or Friday, so please wish him luck!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Tracy's Challenge
This MME paper is so yummy! (I first saw it at LSS before being invited to join Kate's team, and just *HAD* to have some!) I love the surprise of the non-traditional colors, how soft and yet bright and cheerful they are. I decided to try to fashion a tiered paper tree...so I cut 1, 1 1/2, 2, and 3 inch squares of river rock cardstock, then tore the edges in an arc from corner to corner, inked and ruffled them up and gave them some bling ornaments. (If I had had any liquid applique I would have added some snow!) The pink background is stamped with pirouette snowflakes from the SEI Alpine set, and the sentiment is actually from Stampendous' Changito the Monkey! I added a MS Stewart snowflake with a pretty jeweled center, and tied a bow with some luscious two-toned satin ribbon (which matches perfectly...sometimes colors freak my camera out!)
Such a fun challenge! I'm looking forward to finding out what' s next!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Suzy's Happy Haul-a-Days Giveaway
Trees and More Trees!
Over on the Sweet 'n Sassy blog, there is a challenge posted by the DT every Monday. This week's was to make a card using Christmas print designer paper, and I had this MME paper just begging to be used. The only Christmas SNSS images I have that are Chris' Snowflakes, so I decided to paper piece a tree and use the smallest snowflake of the set to spruce it up (hehehe...Matthew hates puns like this so I have to use 'em just to tease him!). I sponged, stamped, and embellished with some silver cord, buttons tied with linen thread, a punched/stickled star, and a spiral clip of fabulous fibers...I really love the colors of this card and am quite happy with the way it turned out.
I am spending today stamping and trying to get caught up with some other Christmas projects! Hope you're having a relaxing weekend too!
Friday, December 12, 2008
I recycled Ralph Lauren!
When Dawn issued her challenge to reuse or recycle something in today's limited supplies card, I knew right where to look! Just a snip and a rip and it was ready to go! I also clipped the buttons off, but they were too pale for this rich plaid paper so they'll have to wait their turn! These Moxxie burgundy buttons are from one of my favorite LSS, Scrap n Stuff.
This Studio G $1 stamp is one of the treasures from my shopping trip to Michael's yesterday! The paper is left over from two Christmases ago. I straight-stitched and zig-zagged, tied on some raffia, and I think I'm finished! I kept trying to add more but it just didn't seem to fit, so I quit!
Here's a close-up of the raggedy edges and machine stitching. This one will cost way more to mail than it was to make! ;)
Happy Stamping!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Bare Bear Hi?!
Both images are Stampin' Up sets (Season of Friendship, Under the Stars) and the alphabet is from Stampabilities. I used prismas and baby oil to color the bear. The tree was stamped twice so that it could be layered and then sprinkled with blossoms. Some close to cocoa dotted Swiss and dotted ribbon were finished off with some bling, stickles, and some punched circle balloons with scraps for tails tied with cord.
Some days you just never know!...
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Thanks a bunch more!
Matthew thinks that my love of these word/image puns is so corny, but to me they're just too cute! I think Stampendous' Changito the Monkey is so adorable! I used MME's Hello Baby, This is Me, Totally Dotty, along with SU's Sage Shadow and Chocolate Chip cardstock. I also used some red and brown cardstock from a very old paper pack for today's card. It would be fun to make another card or two along with a box for them...wouldn't that be a cute gift set?!
I have been stamping more consistently lately, but I *still* have not finished all my Christmas cards! Eeeek! I am hoping to have some stamping time over the next several days to do some stamp-a-stack style card-making and get them ready to be mailed! I have some gifts that need to be ready for next Tuesday and Wednesday also, so it oughta be a marathon stamp weekend! I'm looking forward to it!
Thanks so much for coming to visit my blog! From here you need to head to Amber's! She has some super blingie blog candy up for grabs until Monday!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
A Baker's Dozen!
Season of Friendship is probably my favorite set from this year's holiday mini. It's so versatile! Today I sponged in some clouds using a mask, then stamped the tree in chocolate chip and added some taken with teal snowflakes. PCP's challenge called for 12 embellishments, but there's an extra snowflake here! I stamped the bird in real red, cut it out, and tucked him in the bare branches. The sentiment was stamped in two colors using markers directly to the stamp, and the card was finished off with some punched snowflakes, pretty ribbon, and lots of bling and stickles. A simple design, but I really like how it turned out!
I'm off to the first Christmas party of the season! Blessings!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Harmony!
I colored Stampendous' Harmony Angel stamp with a combination of prismas with baby oil, gold and bronze gel pens, and markers. This Basic Grey Wassail paper from i {heart} papers is so beautiful, but it was a challenge to color-match! I think that this mix of colors worked out in the end! The sketch is Mojo #64. The muted colors of the paper, the simplicity of the design and the elegance of the shimmery embellishments make this a very serene and peaceful card. I hope you like it!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
SNSS Challenge
I used a bird from Feathered Friends, colored with Prismas and baby oil, along with some Martha Stewart snowflake punches, SU's photo corner punch, buttons from my button jar, and a Nesties label for the sentiment. The colors (Wild Wasabi and Real Red) were inspired by the tissue package inside, a special holiday edition that I bought at Hallmark printed with green and red snowflakes. Even though it is very simple, I'm pleased with the way it turned out, and plan to give it to a friend who is forever in search of tissues!
Day 10 at PCP
I am delighted to tell you that I have been given another award! My friend and fellow challenge stalker, Jackie, has blessed me with the Kreativ Blogger Award! I hope, Jackie, that you and Riley (see yesterday's post) understand how honored I am to be given awards by stampers whose work I love and admire and whose friendships I treasure!
I will have the pleasure of nominating 5 of my friends for this award, but right now I am dashing off to take Matthew to meet the church youth for a benefit concert. Please whisper a prayer for a young man named Jacob who was injured in a freak accident several weeks ago. He is a foster child with no medical insurance, and suffered a cervical fracture...he currently has no motion in his lower extremities and also has limited sensation. He needs a miracle...
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Nine Ladies Dancing!
I am so excited to tell you that I have received an award! My friend Riley gave me this beautiful Butterfly Award! I am thrilled that she would think my blog is a cool blog, because I think hers is wonderful!
I, in turn, have the privilege of passing the award on to the creators of 10 more cool blogs...most of these bloggers are friends and fellow challenge s/talkers. Some are new friends that I've met in the short time since I've started blogging. The list is in reverse alphabetical order because Wendy just *had* to be first...she's all about butterflies!
Have fun visiting all these fabulous stampers' websites! Thanks for visiting mine!
Friday, December 5, 2008
SNOW! Just kidding!
Remember way back, when we did these medallions and I was making cards w/ this old patterned paper? Well, that's how long this project has been sitting at the edge of my desk! I started it and got stumped, set it aside and didn't touch it until this morning. Today's challenge simply demanded that it be completed.
I glued a scrap of patterned paper onto a Basic Grey chipboard tag and penned a little dot-dash pattern along the edge with a white pen. Made a huge mess spreading mono multi glue onto some RAK gift white chipboard letters and sparkling them up with dazzling diamonds glitter. I punched a few vellum snowflakes with a Martha Stewart snowflake punch, then added glittery snowflake brads and clear rhinestones to their centers. For the hanger I tied a bow and attached my already made triangle medallion to it with another snowflake brad, and voila! I still have to do something (paper, paint, etc) to cover the chipboard back, but I do think I like it! So glad it finally came together!
My fellow design team mate Lori is hosting today's PCP challenge, which is to use maids a'milking cows for the 8th Day of Christmas...go take a peek! I'm headed back to the stamp room!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
O Christmas Tree!
I'm hoping to stamp most of the coming weekend! Hopefully I'll have something nice to share tomorrow!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
On the 6th day of Christmas...
These adorable lovebirds are from a new set, Owlentine, recently released at Tree House Stamps. I used Ashley's recent sketch with some left-over designer paper for my layout, and watercolored the owls...don't you love their blingy eyes and her blue eyeshadow?!
Thanks for visiting! Tomorrow the swans'll be swimming.....
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Five Golden Rings!
If you haven't been playing along, today would be a GREAT day to start! Today's PCP challenge is being sponsored by i {heart} papers, and Kate is giving away some Nesties to today's winner! So go get busy!
Notes:
Stamps: SEI Alpine Frost
Paper: SU! Mellow Moss, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Basic Grey Wassail DP
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Inks
Accessories: Mellow Moss marker, May Arts faux suede ribbon, corner punch, bling