Sweet Holiday Wishes

Happy Friday everyone!  I’m here along with some of the Bloom Brigaders from Power Poppy sharing some new card inspiration.

This week I was baking up a storm for my son’s Christmas concert at school.  Each year they ask for baking donations to sell at the two concert performances to make money for student activities.  This year I made oatmeal chocolate chip, ginger cookies and butter cookies that I used cookie cutters in the shapes of trees and gingerbread men.  I had a blast making them – too bad I didn’t take a picture of them!

So in honour of that, here’s my card this week… it’s all about the “Frosted Gingerbread” stamp set this week!

I was inspired by the Merry Monday Challenge this week, #184:

I was also inspired by Wendy's card this week; here.

Don't forget about our final Power Poppy challenge, Power & Spark, for the year.  Learn more how you can play and win here.
http://powerpoppy.blogspot.ca/2015/12/time-to-rewind.html


Now, don’t forget to check out the remainder of the Bloom Brigaders here today:

 

Allison Cope – you are here!
Christine Okken

Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Power Poppy Blog


Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you enjoy all these new inky creations from the Bloom Brigade today!

~ Ally ~



Sponsored byPower Poppy
 
Supplies:
stamps: Power Poppy (Frosted Gingerbread)
cardstock:  Neenah Solar White Cardstock, Recollections #110 White Cardstock
patterned paper: My Mind’s Eye (Winter Wonderland 6x6)
ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Copic Markers, Clear Wink of Stella, Sakura White Jellyroll Pen
die: Lawn Fawn (stitched rectangles), My Favorite Things (Stitched Ovals)
other:  ribbon.

Scrapbook & Cards Today 2016 Creative Planner Winner!

And the winner of the Scrapbook & Cards Today 2016 Creative Planner is…


Congrats Katydid Cards!  Please contact me with you for your mailing details: me.love.stampsATgmailDOTcom .

Happy 2016!

~ Ally ~

Sheep & Shepherd

Howdy all!  I’ve been doing a lot of no-line colouring lately and having lots of fun doing it.

Today I’m sharing a card I made using the sweet little shepherd and sheep images from the SugarPea Designs “Lost Without You” stamp set.

I was inspired by the SugarPea sketch, sketch #33, for their new challenge…

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great weekend!

~ Ally ~

Supplies:
stamps: SugarPea Designs (Lost Without You)
cardstock:  Neenah Solar White Cardstock, Recollections #110 White Cardstock
patterned paper: Echo Park (Christmas This & That 6x6)
ink: Copic Markers, Memento (Desert Sand), Sakura (White Pen)
die: MFT (stitched ovals), Simon Says Stamp (Stitched Slopes & Hills).

Power Poppy: A Partridge in a Pear Tree

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope your week has gone well and you’ve had a chance to be creative.

I’ve been wanting to play with one of our newest digital stamp sets called “Partridge in a Pear Tree” for awhile now.  So I printed it out and had a ball colouring it up using my Copic Markers and metallic Sakura Calligrapher pens.

I wish hind site I wish I had coloured my teapot purple but c’est la vie!  Here’s a close up of my card front.  I used a stylus from the back of the image to emboss the little metallic and red balls hanging amoung the tree.

Stay tuned to the Power Poppy Blog on Monday when I host another Inspire Me Monday where I share an interactive card with you plus a few giggles!!!  Here’s a sneak peek…

Now, off you go and check out what the amazing Bloom Brigade has put together for you today…



Allison Cope – you are here!
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker
Power Poppy Blog


Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you enjoy all these new inky creations from the Bloom Brigade today!

~ Ally ~

Sponsored byPower Poppy
 
Supplies:
stamps: Power Poppy (Partridge in a Pear Tree)
cardstock:  Neenah Solar White Cardstock, Recollections #110 White Cardstock, Bazzill (Dark Purple)
patterned paper: Lily of the Valley (Snow Princess 8x8)
ink: Copic Markers, Clear Wink of Stella, Sakura Calligraphy Pens (Gold, Silver). Copic Multiliner 0.25
die: MFT (cross stitched rectangles), Spellbinders (Grommet Tags)
twine:  Jillibean Soup.

Stamp of Approval: All that Glitters PLUS Win a Box!

Howdy all!  Happy Thursday!  I’ve been gettin’ my craft on today with make some super sparkly cards using the Stamp of ApprovalHoliday Magic” collection.

Here’s how I began my cards today.  All the supplies with the exception of the circle and scalloped circle dies are found in the Stamp of Approval ~ Holiday Magic collection.


1.  I took a piece of thick white cardstock and covered it with strips of 1” Soowang Tape.  Then I die cut circles from the strip of sticky paper.

2.  Next I took the large loopy snowflake from the CAS-ual Friday Stamps dies and “cut” the top layer of the tape side of the circle.  Because the cardstock was a little thicker, the die didn’t cut right through the tape and paper which is what you want.

3.  Then I used my craft knife and carefully picked up the tape backing paper for just the snowflake shape.  Since I used multiple stripes of tape, I had some joints of backing paper to contend with but that’s okay!  It’s comes off pretty easily with the sharp end of my knife.
4.  I then poured a small amount of fine glitter over the die cut area and used my finger to push it down and into the open sticky spots of the die cut snowflake shape.


5.  Then I tapped off the excess glitter into the garbage and then took a used dryer sheet and wiped any remaining glitter from the top of the circle.


6.  Then I carefully removed all of the remaining backing paper on the entire circle.  I began applying my darkest glitter colour towards the center of the snowflake.

7.  I continued to add 2 more colours of lighter glitter, creating concentric circles of colour.  You do not need a lot of glitter to do this!

8.  I used my finger again, starting in the center of the snowflake and began pressing the glitter into the sticky adhesive.  I continued to press the glitter in circles until the surface felt smoother.  It will never be completely smooth.  I tapped off the excess glitter.
The pattern is subtle but pretty.  I think if you use higher contrasting colours, it would pop even more!!!


I did add a bit of hairspray to the top of each circle to help keep the glitter in place.  If you really want to keep everything in place you could add a layer of Glossy Accents over top to trap all the glitter pieces but you’d have to allow this to dry thoroughly.

I also experimented with a few other colour combinations as well.

Here’s a purple glitter one…

And my favourite one, a pink one in honour of Catherine’s favourite Christmas card colour!

And don't forget to decorate the backs of your cards...

And one last thing…
Do you want a chance to WIN the 
new January 2016 Stamp of Approval box 
BEFORE you can buy it?

Well… you have THREE chances.  Check out Catherine’s blog HERE for more details on how you can win this new box of goodies!!!

Thanks for stopping by today!

~ Ally ~

Supplies:
stamps:  Snowy Sayings (CAS-ual Fridays Stamps – SOA)
inks:  Teal – (Simon Says Stamp SSS: High Dive,Spring Rain, Mint Candy, Lake Shores), Purple (SSS: Wisteria, Memento: Elderberry, Lulu Lavender),  Pink (SSS: Hollyhock, Memento: Angel Pink, Grey Flannel)
paper:  Recollections 110lb White Cardstock, Vellum, Stampin’ Up! (Basic Grey, Bermuda Bay), Bazzill (purple)
dies:  CAS-ual Friday Stamps (Snowflakes – SOA), MFT (Stitched Circles), Spellbinders (Classic Scalloped Circles) 
glitter:  Martha Stewart

Rustic Christmas & Elfy Greetings

The Dream Team over at StampNation is in fine form this week!  For our challenge this week, we were challenged to make a rustic themed card. Get a load of this…
I think we were all are right in sink with one another this week! Don't ya think? 

Here’s a closer look at mine…

I pulled out my Derwent pencils and stamped my chickadee image in “Desert Sand” Memento ink, like in a no-line stamping technique and coloured in my image with pencils.  I love how it turned out!

Plus, this week it’s my turn to post the Card Sketch over at Splitcoaststampers and here’s my card for this week… isn't he adorable?

And here’s the sketch.  I didn’t completely follow it but close enough…

I hope you'll give StampNation a chance, even only for one month!  Especially for January as Catherine will be revealing the new Stamp of Approval box and it's our StampNation Birthday celebration too!  And our birthday bash is always amazing!  Come and join us...
Thanks for stopping by! 

~ Ally ~

Scrapbook & Cards Today & a GIVEAWAY!

I’m celebrating another publication!  

I was the sketch designer for the Winter 2015 issue of Scrapbook & Cards TodayYuppers…


If you haven’t heard about this magazine, well you’re missing out!  The cool thing is, is that it is FREE!!  Yup… free!  You can download it immediately right here. Or you can purchase this seasonal magazine to arrive in your mailbox for only a few dollars (just the shipping costs!)!!!

Every year at this time, SCT has an amazing "12 Days of Holiday Giving" event and this year it’s even more fabulous!  Make sure you check out the Scrapbook & Cards Today Blog everyday for new giveaways.

THE GIVEAWAY…
And to celebrate my publication, I’m giving away one of the new SCT 2016 Creative Planners!

How do you win this gorgeous book?  Just answer the following question in the comment section below…

Do you scrapbook, make cards or 
create Project Life albums or maybe do all three?  
Tell me!

I will pick a random winner next Tuesday and post the winner here.  This is an international giveaway – so anyone can win.  Good luck!

WINNER ANNOUNCED HERE!

~ Ally ~

Have an Elf-tastic Birthday!

December is a very busy birthday month for my family.  My sister and my Mom (and my Dad too) all have birthdays in December.  I think it would suck having a birthday so close to Christmas.  I’m so thankful mine’s in June!

So I have already sent off my sister’s birthday card but I have been procrastinating on making my Mom’s until last night.  It's going to be late but oh well!

I was inspired by the Seize the Birthday challenge where we were asked to use a holiday stamp on a birthday card… and the light bulb went on!  I grabbed my "Santa’s Elves" stamp set from My Favorite Things and knew that I’d find one of the elves with a present in his hand… perfect!!
I thoroughly enjoyed colouring in my little elf using the no-line colouring technique and my Copic markers.

I added lots of bling to this one... glitter paper... glitter pens and sequins too!

So I used the current sketch from the MFT Sketch Challenge (#257) and a birthday card was born!
Thanks for stopping by!

~ Ally ~

Supplies:
stamps: Santa’s Elves (MFT), Birthday Messages 3x4 (Simon Says Stamp)
inks:  Memento (Dessert Sand, Rich Cocoa), Copic Markers, Sakura White Gel Pen, Sakura Stardust Pen
dies: Stitched Circle STAX, Fluttering Hearts (MFT), Stitched Duo 1 (Pretty Pink Posh), Labels (Spellbinders)

cardstock:  Bubblegum (MFT), Recollections 110lb White Cardstock, Silver Glitter (Worldwin)
paper: Homespun Gingham 6x6 (MFT)
sequins:  CraftMedley

other:  thread
#mftstamps

It’s the Moose Wonderful Time of the Year

I’m still working away at completing Christmas cards.  I always have a few people that send me cards and I ensure I send something back; even if it’s late!

I was inspired by the sketch over at CASE This Sketch this week so I used it as my inspiration for my card today.

I just adore the “Merry Christmoose” stamp set from My Favorite Things!

Here’s the sketch I was inspired by: #151:
Thanks for stopping by!

~ Ally ~

Supplies:
stamps:  Merry Christmoose (MFT), Deck the Halls (Lawn Fawn)
inks:  Memento (Tuxedo Black), Ranger (Broken China), Copic Markers
dies:  Stitched Rectangles (Lawn Fawn), Stitched Borders 2 (Pretty Pink Posh)
paper:  Elf Magic 6x6 (Bo Bunny)
stencil: Circle Grid (MFT)

Power & Spark: Snowglobe Greetings!

Happy Friday everyone!  I have been creating up a storm this week as my mojo has returned with a vengeance (and thank goodness for that!)

With this being the first Friday of the month, the Bloom Brigade and some of the Instant Gardeners are here today to usher in a brand new Power & Spark Challenge for December.  This one’s a fun one…

So you get to pick from any of our past challenges.  Here’s a quick reference for you…
    2015 CHALLENGES
      For further challenge details and rules, check THIS out!

      So for my cards… yes, I said CARDS Smile … I used two of the challenges above.  I used the “Go for the Gold” and “Cut it Out”challenges.

      I also get to introduce you to our newest little digi too!  Meet “Snowglobe Greetings”… a sweet little snow globe featuring Santa and a sack full of toys plus a new holiday greeting!  This new stamp will be available tomorrow.

      Now, if you want to see how I made my three cards today, check out my latest Christmas Cards 2015 Series

      Marcy has a few fabulous holiday stamp sets on SALE right now in the Power Poppy Shop PLUS take 10% off all Holiday sets (clear and digital) when you enter HOLIDAY10 in the discount code box at checkout this weekend!!!

      Now, off you go and check out what the amazing Bloom Brigade has put together for you today using these five new beautiful stamp sets…

       

      Allison Cope – you are here!
      Christine Okken
      Julie Koerber
      Kathy Jones
      Katie Sims
      Leslie Miller
      Stacy Morgan
      Marcy on the Power Poppy Blog


      Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you enjoy all these new inky creations from the Bloom Brigade today!

      ~ Ally ~

      Sponsored byPower Poppy
       

      Supplies:
      stamps: Power Poppy (Snowglobe Greetings – digital,
      Merry Littles)
      cardstock:  Neenah Solar White Cardstock, Recollections #110 White Cardstock, Stampin’ Up! (Real Red)
      ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Copic Markers, Clear Wink of Stella, Versamark, Sharpie (Gold Fine Tip Pen)

      embossing paste:  Ranger (Translucent Gloss)
      embossing powder:  Stampendous! (Detail White)

      die: Lawn Fawn (stitched rectangles)
      stencil:  Tim Holtz (Holiday Knit)
      glitter:  Martha Stewart
      other:  gold thread, washi tape.

      Easy Gift Card Tutorial





      Come and join me on the Scrapbook & Cards Today blog for Card Cafe Thursday.  I’m sharing a fun tutorial on how to make some easy-peasy gift card holders!


      Check out my video tutorial HERE!

      ~ Ally ~

      Purple Holiday Delight & a GIVEAWAY!

      Yesterday we revealed the newest challenge over at StampNation.  This week, the Dream Team and I got to play with a technique challenge: faux bleaching!

      Since I’m a big fan of purple, I decided to create my card using purple, green and blue and I think it turned out pretty nifty… LOL!  Here’s a sneak peek of the card I made specifically for StampNation

      And here’s the card I made using the leftovers from my card creation.  I love it when you can make 2 creations from one creative panel of paper!

      I’m featuring dies and stamps from our “Stamp of Approval ~ Holiday Magic” box of goodies for my cards today.

      http://catherinepooler.com/2015/12/03/flash-giveaway-stamp-of-approval/

      And HEY.... Catherine is having a FLASH GIVEAWAY of one Holiday Magic box of goodies!  Quick.... check it out HERE!!!!

      GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

      Thanks for stopping in!  Make sure to check out my newest Christmas Card video coming on Friday.



      ~ Ally ~

      Supplies:
      Stamps: Snowy Sayings (CASual Fridays - SOA)
      Ink: Versamark, Yarka Watercolors
      Paper: Canson 90lb Watercolor Paper, Snow Princess 8x8 (Lili of the Valley), Micheals 110lb White Cardstock
      Accessories: Happy Holidays Die (Neat & Tangled - SOA), Stitched Rectangles (Lawn Fawn), Clear Embossing Powder (Stampendous), tool - iron

      The Winner Is...

      The winner of my Winter Goodies Giveaway is....


      Congrats Jocelyn!!!  I'll be in touch!

      ~ Ally ~

       
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