Mojo Monday 221 - 'Amour'

Are you enjoying this holiday week, everyone?  I sure am.  I've been relaxing a lot, with a little entertaining mixed in.  While Christmas is my favorite time of year, it absolutely kicks my butt.  I am the total 'Santa' package in my house:  shopping, wrapping, cards, baking, decorating (I leave the outside to my husband, though)...it leaves me drained of energy when it's all over.  I still love it, though!

This week I made 5 projects to submit to the Paper Crafts Submission Call, all in one day.  You should give it a try!

And yesterday I found time to play in the Mojo Monday challenge.  Here's the sketch:

I used two stamp sets:  SU's Artistic Etchings (the Eiffel Tower and 'Amour') and Girls' Paperie Paper Girl (clock, crown, bird) and the My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Union Square paper pad (BIG bargain at the craft store before Christmas) to create this 4.25" square card.

I experimented with these paper Prima Wildflowers:

I wanted to create black flowers for my card.  First, I used a Basic Black ink refill (16 drops) in a small amount of water, and let them steep.  They looked too gray to me (top flower in photo).

Then on another white flower, I sponged on Basic Black ink, and got a richer tone (bottom flower).  I combined the two with a button for my flower cluster:

I'd like to say a special hello to my new email subscribers and followers - thank you SO much for finding me. :o)  I hope you enjoy what you see, and I'm glad you are here!

Colleen

Stamps:  Artistic Etchings - SU; Paper Girl - Girls' Paperie
Paper:  white base - PTI; Lost & Found Union Square - My Mind's Eye
Ink:  Versafine Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko; Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand - SU
Other:  Prima Wildflowers - white; twine - SU; button

Inspired by a Poppy

Merry Christmas, everyone!  Did you all enjoy your holiday?  Did you get any crafting goodies under the tree?   I bought crafting supplies before Christmas, with gift money I received early.  That makes me happy.  But my favorite gift of all was getting my wedding band/engagement ring set re-sized to fit me once again.  It's been much too long since I resorted to wearing a fake diamond ring from Target ($15, but hey, it's really pretty, and fooled everyone I met!) since my rings didn't fit over my knuckle.  :o)  The jeweler told me he didn't think he'd have it ready in time for the holiday, but I got a call near closing time on Christmas Eve!  What a nice present.

On to card talk.....
My neighbor grows the prettiest pink poppies in early summer.  They always catch my eye when I am pulling out of my driveway, and I'd love to grow some in my own yard.  Here's a stock photo from the internet of a pink poppy like my neighbor's:

Photo credit

I made this birthday card for someone special (the birthday sentiment is inside):

I used my set from Blockheads Paper Arts, which stamps so beautifully:

After coloring the poppy image, I mounted it on a Fleur de Lis rectangle die cut, and added pearls (loooove my pearls!):

When I matched my Regal Rose cardstock with the Copic markers I used, it looked like a great pairing in real life.  The camera tells a different story, however, and they don't look at all alike.  Oh well.

I am entering this card at Tuesday Throwdown (challenge:  make a card for someone special), and also at Splitcoast's Inspiration challenge.  The online store to be inspired by is Urban Loft Art.  I chose this poppy image as my inspiration:

Thanks for joining me today!  Enjoy your holidays.  :)

Colleen

Stamps:  Flower Garden - Blockheads Paper Arts
Paper:  white - PTI; Basic Black, Regal Rose - Stampin' Up!
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko
Other:  Big Shot; Fleur de Lis rectangle die - Spellbinders; Copic markers; pearls

Tuesday Trigger Double Inspiration

I am all ready for Christmas, all bought and wrapped and everything else (please don't hate me). There's some easy baking to do tonight, so that's no pressure. Now I actually have leisure time to craft.  I love it!

I am playing in the Tuesday Trigger challenge at Moxie Fab World today.  Here's the inspiration photo:

And I was highly inspired by a photo Cath Edvalson (of Moxie Fab World) showed in a post on 12/20/11:

Photo credit

I like the staggered effect of these woolen balls, and came up with this idea:

I followed the order of the colored stripes, from the Tuesday Trigger photo.  The hearts were punched out and cut in half, then re-matched with their neighbors.

My fave color combo on here:

It's fun, fresh and modern...and not what you usually see on my blog!  I like breaking out once in a while and trying something different.  :o)

Colleen

Paper:  Blush Blossom, Baja Breeze, Night of Navy, Kiwi Kiss - Stampin' Up!; white - PTI
Punch:  Heart to Heart - SU
Other:  pearls

Joyeux Noel

If you are looking for today's Play Date Cafe post, please see HERE.

This will be a short post, as I am off to see my 10 YO sing in her elementary school Christmas concert. :o)
I am playing in the Mojo Monday challenge (sketch), as well as the City Crafter challenge ('Winter White'):

And here is my creation, destined for my hubby for Christmas:

I played with a new-to-me stamp set by Verve, called Glad Tidings.  Be still, my heart!  I love the images and sentiments (19 in all).

I colored the leaves of this wreath with cool gray tones of Copic markers, then dabbed the berries with silver Liquid Pearls.  The crochet trim is from Wal-Mart.  (I just can't believe how lucky I got one day at Wal-Mart, with their affordable laces and trims!)

It's hard to capture the shimmery papers I used (retired specialty paper from Stampin' Up!), but this card looks really wintry in real life, thanks to the shimmer.

Time to run to school now.  I am not sure if this will be my last post before Christmas, so I will wish you all a Merry one now, and a Happy Hanukkah to you as well!

Colleen

Stamps:  Glad Tidings - Verve
Paper:  white - PTI; specialty designer paper - SU
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko
Other:  crochet trim - Wal-Mart; white ribbon scrap; silver Liquid Pearls; Copic markers; Big Shot; circle and Floral Doily Motifs die cuts - Spellbinders

Play Date Cafe 112 - Vanilla Snowflake

Oooo, it's almost Christmas!  We are mere days away, and the Play Date Cafe is ready to ring in the holiday with this gorgeous color combo:

Deep red, lime, pine and eggnog...aren't they gorgeous colors?

I've got a clean-and-simple card to show you, using a Flower Fringe Die from Lil' Inker Designs, our fabulous sponsor this week:

My patterned papers come from DCWV Christmas Combo mini pack.  I'm so happy they matched our challenge colors perfectly!

It's fun playing with the Fringe Flower die (thank you, Laura!), sent to me by Lil' Inker Designs.  It's the sweetest flower!  I used eco-friendly felt, found at JoAnn's.  It's a polyester made with recycled post-consumer plastic bottles.  I followed the clear directions on the tutorial provided by LID, and voila!  A little flower was born.  The snowflake you see behind it is from the Martha Stewart Himalayan Snowflake punch (I am really getting my money's worth from that), adorned with pearls.

My touch of lime green comes from this ribbon, found in a $1 Scrap Bag from my Stampin' Up! demo.

Our challenge will last for TWO weeks, to give our design team some vacation time to spend with loved ones.  And this will give YOU a chance to play with us, too, during the holiday festivities.  For more details, head over to the Play Date Cafe.

I wish you all a blessed, peaceful, joyful Christmas!

Colleen

Paper:  white - PTI; Very Vanilla - SU; patterned paper - Christmas Combo - DCWV
Punches:  Doily Lace Edge, Himalayan Snowflake - Martha Stewart; corner rounder - SU
Other:  vanilla felt; pearls; ribbon scrap

Christmas Card In A Tin

Are you ready for a photo-heavy post?  I want to show you some Christmas cards made from tins, which I bought at a Stampin' Up! sale a year or so ago.  I hung onto them for the longest time, not knowing what to do with 'em.

These each became different because of the glittery accent pieces.  I have a bag of glittered die cuts (K & Co., I believe), but no two are alike.  

Some exterior details:

The snowflakes are from the Martha Stewart
'Himalayan Snowflake' extra large punch, with a smaller 'Glacial Snowflake' on top.  I glittered each one, then glued together with craft glue.  The rhinestones also had to be glued on.

Let me show you the insides:

Each tin contains magnets, made with layered cardstock and the Lovely Letters alphabet stamps from Stampin' Up!.

These tins were mailed in padded envelopes to the recipients, and I think most of them have by now received them, so it seemed safe to post about it.  :o)

Thanks for joining me today!  I will see you on Thursday with a new Play Date Cafe creation.

Colleen

Stamps:  Lovely Letters - SU; Bright Spirits - Verve; Tinsel & Twig - Girls' Paperie
Paper:  white - PTI; Always Artichoke, Cranberry Crisp - SU; glitter paper - Target; patterned paper - Our Holiday Traditions - Me & My Big Ideas
Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko
Punches:  corner rounder - EK Success; Himalayan Snowflake, Glacial Snowflake, Doily Lace Trim - Martha Stewart; 1 1/4", 1 3/8" circles - SU
Other:  glittered die cuts - K & Co.; ribbon scraps; bling; magnet-on-a-roll

Inspired by a Houndstooth Jacket

I am playing in the Moxie Fab World "Get Inspired by Fashion Challenge".
This is the inspiration pic they offer:

I love this jacket!  In the late 80s, when I was a Working Woman in an advertising office, I would DEFINITELY have worn this jacket with these brooches on it.  Now, I'm Mom, and not working at the moment, and the garments I wear are most certainly COMFY above all else.

I do love to be inspired by all sorts of things (those of you following my blog for a while know that) to make cards, so this challenge is perfect for me.

I picked up details from the jacket....

....the rounded lapels...

...the houndstooth pattern, and the aqua/green hue...

...the touchability of fabric, with a button...

...ivory touches, just like the lining of the jacket.
Note how I wove a piece of felt through the lace.

The felt I used (from JoAnn's) is a polyester made from recycled post-consumer plastic bottles.  How cool is that?  I love to recycle.  :o)
The sentiment and flourishes are from Verve's Celebrating You, on a Spellbinders Labels Ten die cut.  The paper is new to me:  K & Company's Elegance paper pad.  I got it for half price at JoAnn's, because the bottom of the paper pad seems to have been sitting in some kind of liquid and was a bit warped.  The damage is minimal, and there's still so much gorgeous paper to use.  Doin' a happy dance!!

I'll be back tomorrow with a Christmas Card In A Tin.  Can't wait to show it to you!  Thanks for joining me here today.  :o)

Colleen

Stamps:  Celebrating You - Verve
Paper:  white - PTI; Very Vanilla - SU; Elegance - K & Co.
Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko
Other:  Big Shot; Square Lattice embossing folder, Blossom Party Bigz Die- SU; Labels Ten die - Spellbinders; lace - Walmart; ivory felt - Rainbow Classic Felt/The Kunin Group; pearls; button

Deck The Halls

Last year I received a gift in a pretty Christmas toile gift bag, but it got kind of wrinkled during the hustle and bustle of Christmas Day.  I saved it so I could repurpose it for cards (what else?!):

I mounted a piece of the bag on Cherry Cobbler cardstock, then on a kraft base.  I wrapped a piece of gold-thread crochet trim and dark red twine around the layers.

The sentiment is from Tinsel & Twig by Girls' Paperie (found at a deep discount at Tuesday Morning in NC over Thanksgiving).  I stamped it on a Decorative Label Punch (SU), then edged with gold tinsel glitter.  I added a button from my stash and a punched heart.

I'm entering this at Ribbon Carousel, where the challenge is to use twine.  I've got two kinds!

Thanks for looking, and I'll be back tomorrow with a new Play Date Cafe challenge.  I can't wait for you to see my card!

Colleen

Stamps:  Tinsel & Twig - Girls' Paperie
Paper:  kraft, Cherry Cobbler - SU; repurposed gift bag
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko; Frayed Burlap Distress - Ranger
Punch:  Decorative Label, Heart to Heart - SU
Other:  twine; button;  lace; Gold Tinsel Glitter - Martha Stewart

Marigold Happiness

I wanted to play along with the clean & simple sketch challenge this week:

And I kept things clean and white, with the exception of these gorgeous marigolds (otherwise known as calendula officinalis) from the Blockheads Paper Arts set, Flower Garden.

I stamped the marigold three times, used Copic markers (Y11, Y13, Y15, Y17, Y19, YR02, YR07, YR09, E08) to color, then cut each one out.  I used two different sizes of foam dimensional stickers, and propped each one up, with the middle one being the highest.  Maybe you can see that here:

I embossed a smaller white panel with Cuttlebug's Victoria folder for textural interest.  The daisy flower trim looks good with the marigolds, I think.  The clear sticker sentiment is from Heidi Grace.

Did I tell you Santa came down our street on a fire truck the other night?  I can prove it with these pictures:

And we put up our tree over the weekend, too:

It's a slim tree for a small house, but it gets the job done!  Hubby puts the tree up, and the garland.  My kids helped decorate about half the tree, and I finished up.  It's so nice to have helpers!

Thanks for popping by today!

Colleen

Stamps:  Flower Garden - Blockheads Paper Arts
Paper:  white - PTI
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko
Other:  daisy ribbon - Offray; Big Shot; Victoria embossing folder - Cuttlebug; Copic markers - Y11, Y13, Y15, Y17, Y19, YR02, YR07, YR09, E08; sticker - Quotes & Phrases/Happiness - Heidi Grace

Ribbon Candy

At the Ribbon Carousel, the challenge is "Peppermint Twist".  I've got a card that looks like candy ribbons, using Infinite Loops Trim punch by Martha Stewart:

The sparkly green tree is a gift tag attached to one of my presents last Christmas.  I saved it (and others like it) to use on cards.  Just don't look on the back!  ;)

The "ho ho's" are stickers from a DCWV alphabet pack.  I think the stickers are getting past their prime, because they were hard to extract from their page.  There are some fuzzy edges on the letters...and this teaches me a lesson:  GO BUY NEW STICKERS!

I made two of these cards, but only had one piece of the ribbon you see above.  My solution?

Use the back side of a polka dot ribbon, which I had PLENTY of!

This is such a busy season, and I appreciate the gift of your visit!  Thanks for coming by.  :o)

Colleen

Paper:  Whisper White, Real Red - SU
Punch:  Infinite Loops Trim - Martha Stewart
Other:  ribbon scrap; tree gift tag; rhinestones - Queen & Co.