Running With Scissors...

Poinsettia

 

Well, if nothing else, at least I’ve got this month’s Christmas card done.  Would you believe this is the first card I’ve made since the last week of March when I was on vacation?  I know!  If I don’t use it I’ll lose it, right?  It’s a spring thing, I guess.  I need to adjust to the change of the season.  All that fresh, puffy green outside makes me want to wash windows and plant flowers and pack up a picnic.  It sure as heck doesn’t make me want to stamp Christmas cards, but I’m sticking to it and come December I’ll be glad I did.

 

 

I used a several Flourishes sets on this card, all of which are listed in the recipe, below.  I stamped the background and made a designer paper frame which is raised on foam mounting tape.  The main image, of course, is the beautiful poinsettia.  It was stamped in Versamark ink on 90 lb hot press watercolor paper, then embossed with glittery Gold Tinsel embossing powder.  It’s watercolored with Stampin’ Up! inks – just two colors, Cherry Cobbler and Always Artichoke.  I stamped and embossed the image twice so I could layer the flower, and I added gold rhinestone bling to the flower center.  The pine boughs and the “Joy” are embossed with regular gold embossing powder.

 

And that’s that!  Another Christmas card to tuck away in the drawer.  Now I’ve got some flowers to plant, but I’ve been doing a little coloring on the side and I may possibly manage some early morning stamp room time to put some cards together, too.  I love spring and sunshine.  No complaints here!  Have a happy day!

 

Stamps:  Poinsettia (retired?), Christmas Music (background), Dove and Holly (holly sprig), All That Glitters (pine bough)  Paper:  Red textured, Classic Ivory, 90 lb hot press watercolor, BasicGrey Jovial designer paper  Ink:  Versamark, Creamy Caramel, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke  Accessories:  Rhinestones, gold embossing powder, Spellbinders Curved Rectangle and circle dies, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

The Merry Month of March

 

 

Merry Monday!  I’m back after a week’s absence and it felt like a very long week, indeed.  The stress level at work took a big jump due to staff cut backs in other departments, which means some of that work has been redistributed and the lab took on a big hunk of it.  I’m keyed up all the time, and nothing is more exhausting than stress.  However, just in the nick of time I happen to have a vacation week scheduled, and, gee, it’s the 25th of the month – time for another Christmas card.  I can’t fall down on that job, can I?

 

Something bright and fun is in order, I think.  This was supposed to be a quick and easy card because I used a long ago Card Maps sketch as a guide.  Of course, I managed to spend most of the morning making decisions about colors, papers, stamps, shapes, trim…  The only thing I was certain about at the outset was the red polka dot paper.  I love polka dots, and I recently purchased a whole 12 x 12 collection of polka dot paper from Stampin’ Up!, which should be enough polka dots to sustain me for a while and I can quit hoarding them.

 

I pulled out the retired Stampin’ Up! set, Merry, for this card.  The mittens and snowflakes were stamped in Palette ink since it’s waterproof and won’t bleed when the glitter glue is applied.  In order to avoid the “merry!” hovering too far above the scalloped border I cut a slit around the tail of the “y” with a craft knife and slipped that part over the scallops.  A tiny blue snowflake punched out in a 1/4” circle forms the dot for the exclamation point.  The folded card measures 6 3/4” tall x 3 3/4” wide.

 

 

I’m looking forward to a week of doing anything but being at work.  I hope you enjoy your week, as well.  Merry, merry!

 

Stamps:  Merry! (retired Stampin’ Up!)  Paper:  Whisper White, Polka Dot Parade (red), other retired SU! designer paper (green)  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Palette Reflection Blue  Accessories:  Baker’s Twine, Stickles Stardust glitter glue, Martha Stewart scallop edge punch, Spellbinders Labels Eighteen (for sentiment) and Standard Circles dies

Christmas Card of the Month

 

It’s the 25th and time for another Christmas card.  So far, so good, but, of course, I’m only two months into the year.  For this card I used Flourishes’ Forest of Trees stamp set.  I usually reach for the fluffy evergreen tree when I use this set, but I felt like something a little different this time.

 

 

I made a simple scene, nothing real sophisticated.  I’m sure it doesn’t make sense to have so much snow on the ground and none on the trees, but this is how I pictured it and I probably would have made a mess of it were I to try to make it more realistic.  Here’s the “how to”:

 

• I cut a hill shape from plain cardstock and held it in place on the glossy cardstock image panel while I stamped three trees along its edge in Versamark ink.
• Still holding the cardstock hill in place, I sponged Soft Sky ink along the top edge of the hill.  Then I was able to remove the hill mask and finish sponging the sky.  The Versamark trees became ghostly shapes in the background.  Can you see them?  They would have been more distinct if I’d let the Versamark dry before sponging.
• I stamped three more trees in Memento Tuxedo Black, and the sentiment (Flourishes Paperwhites stamp set) in Blue Bayou.
• The falling snow was stamped in Versamark with a stamp from retired Stampin’ Up! Itty Bitty Backgrounds, then embossed with white embossing powder.

 

That’s it!  Quick and easy and no extra postage required.  I’m feeling optimistic about getting the cards in the mail a little earlier this year.  Have a great day!

Christmas in January

 

I’m going to try to commit to one or more Christmas cards per month this year and I thought if I don’t post them here, I may not be motivated to continue.  Thank you in advance for indulging me.  Do you have any plans to start early?  Maybe we can motivate each other.

 

This is one of two cards I made with my old Running Rhino stamps.  I liked this one best, so I chose it to represent this month’s Christmas stamping.

 

 

I stamped on Flourishes Classic White cardstock and colored with Copic markers.  It’s heavily glittered and looks much better in real life.  I drew the star accent on lightweight cardstock which I first covered with designer paper.  The die cuts are from Spellbinders and the sentiment from JustRite.

 

That’s probably enough Christmas for now, isn’t it?  I hope to post a Christmas card on the 25th of each month.  There, I’ve said it.  I sure hope I can stay on track, but we all know how good I am at changing my mind.  Have a merry January day!

One Last Christmas Card

I’ve sent off the last of the Christmas cards and I’ll probably not do anymore stamping till after the holiday, so I’m wrapping things up this week with just one more card.

I brought out my much neglected Tsukineko glue pad for stamping this pretty ornament (JustRite Deck the Halls).  I tapped the stamp into the glue pad until it was well coated then stamped the image onto the die cut circle and sprinkled it with Art Institute glitter.  I was surprised with the quality of the detail.

With an image this finely detailed one little brush of the finger can displace the glitter enough to lose some of that detail, so I sprayed it with a gloss sealer.  Doesn’t matter whether it’s gloss or matte, the sealer does not diminish the sparkle of the glitter.  It’s still possible to brush off a few flakes of glitter, but an accidental touch or simple handling won’t hurt it.  I love how it turned out and wish I’d thought of this earlier in the season.

The white punched branches are coated with Stickles Stardust glitter glue.

I image you all are just as busy as I am so I’ll keep this brief.  I’m at work today but looking forward to some time off to spend with my family, including, of course, Wally and LuLu.  They’ll be popping in to greet you on Christmas Eve.  I wish you a lovely and happy day!

Stamps:  JustRite Deck the Halls  Paper:  Flourishes Classic White  Ink: None  Accessories:  Ribbon, snowflake brad, tiny silver brads, Stampendous Class A’Peel snowflake border stickers, Art Institute glitter, Stickles Stardust glitter glue, Cuttlebug candy cane stripe and snowflake embossing folders, Martha Stewart branch punch, Spellbinders Labels Thirteen S4-248  and Standard Circle dies (cannot remember whether large or small circle set), Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Joy is in the Air

Well, here we are in the countdown week before Christmas and I’m feeling just about ready for a few days off to enjoy the holiday.  I have some presents to wrap and grocery shopping to do, but mostly I’m ready.  How about you?  Might as well keep up the holiday spirit and share the last of my Christmas cards this week.

 

Today’s card was made for a friend who loves Santas and glitter.  I’ve used Flourishes’ Joy is in the Air.  It’s a snow globe set, but the three images that come with the snow globe can easily be used on their own, too.  I wanted to add a lot of snow and glitter so I used this image alone.  The sentiment is from another of Flourishes’ 2011 Christmas sets – Sentimental Christmas (sentiments only).  The coloring was done with Copic markers.

Spellbinders dies used are:

• Labels Twenty S5-026
• Labels Twenty Two S4-346
• Classic Ovals Small S4-112
• Classic Ovals Large S4-110

More ingredients are listed in the recipe.  Have a jolly holiday!

Stamps:  Joy is in the Air, Sentimental Christmas  Paper:  Flourishes Classic Ivory, red mirror cardstock, Cosmo Cricket Jolly by Golly designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Riding Hood Red, Copics for coloring  Accessories:  Ribbon, rhinestones, Stickles Stardust glitter glue, Sparkly Fluff (snow), Stampin' Up! small tag punch, Scotch brand foam mounting tape, Spellbinders dies as listed above

Two For Christmas

I chose to play with my JustRite Deck the Halls set this weekend and (hooray!) got two more Christmas cards done.  The first is all copper, gold, and ivory…

I’ve used copper and gold brushed metallic cardstock.  The ribbon has gold thread running through it, and I’ve added gold thread across the middle panel.  Goldenrod Stickles glitter glue dot the ornament, and the center oval is brushed with Encore Metallic Gold ink after embossing with the Cuttlebug Textile embossing folder.

The ornament, itself, is colored with Copic markers on shimmery ivory cardstock – not the best paper for blending, but, frankly, I just wanted to try it.

Spellbinders dies used are:

• Twisted Metal Tags and Accents S5-071
• Classic Ovals Large S4-110

The next card is a switch to white and red with little touches of silver…

I worried that it might look top heavy and almost cut it apart for a square card but decided I lacked the luxury of time.  The ornament is topped with glittered branches and a snowflake embellishment.  The sentiment is from the JustRite Christmas Nested Sentiments set which, I believe, is retired.

Spellbinders dies used are:

• Ironwork Accents S5-058
• Labels Thirteen S4-248

Have I mentioned how much I love my Spellbinders?  Playing with the layering is one of my favorite stamp room activities.

Thanks so much for visiting today.  Happy holidays!

BaZooples

I thought I’d start out the week with something cheerful, but first I should offer some explanation for why I didn’t share additional Wally and LuLu photos on Sunday as I’d mentioned I would.  The fact is, the day came to an end and I’d forgotten to schedule the post.  Too much on my mind and too little sleep, I guess.  I’ll save it for next Saturday.  Long story short, Wally ate something he shouldn’t have (fatty food – he doesn’t tolerate it and he didn’t get it from us, grrrrr) and now he’s suffering.  Saturday night he woke me up every hour – no exaggeration – so he could go outside and relieve himself.  I don’t think he slept much in between, nor did I.  As I write this Sunday night, I fully expect another sleepless night facing a 6:00 am alarm for work in the morning.  However, Wally and I will be visiting the vet, and work will have to get along without me for a while.  Don’t worry, I’m keeping an eye on our Wally.

Now, the card:

Does it look like fun?  You’re darn tootin’ it was!  I bought these Inky Antics Holiday BaZooples sets #1 and #2 for Christmas cards this year.  This is Set #2.  I’d better get crackin’ if I’m going to finish them.  I made two identical cards with this image – a good start.  I’ve got three more images to work with.  I like this one because it reminds me of Wally and LuLu.  I colored with Copic markers using these colors:

I forgot to include the blue markers which I used for shading around the giraffe.  Those were B00 and B0000 with the edges further softened with the Colorless Blender.

I made the snowflake with Spellbinders Snowflake Wonder Shapeabilities (retired?).  I pressed each layer into my Tsukineko glue pad and sprinkled with glitter for ultra sparkle.

I’ll be seeing you again in a day or two.  Have a happy week!

Stamps:  Inky Antics Holiday BaZooples #2  Cardstock:   Real Red and Green Galore Stampin’ Up! cardstock, Flourishes Classic White cardstock, BasicGrey June Bug designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black  Accessories:  American Crafts ribbon, gold rhinestone brad, Martha Stewart edge punch, Spellbinders Snowflake Wonder Shapeabilities

Christmas Candles

I managed to finish up another quickie Christmas card over the weekend.  Without a lot of layering and trims it came together in no time and will be an easy mailer. 

I used my Christmas Candles set from Flourishes.  The image is colored with Copic markers on Classic White cardstock.  I went with traditional colors and subtly patterned designer paper (Memory Box Yuletide).  With enough glitter you don’t have to be too particular about the coloring.  I slathered on the Goldenrod and Stardust Stickles glitter glue.

I keep picturing this wrapped in ribbon with a big, beautiful bow draping the upper corner, but then I’d have to consider the postage.  Maybe next time.  Have a happy day!

A Little Sparkle for the Holidays

Hello!  It’s been a while, I know.  I found it easier to set the computer aside and concentrate my attention on LuLu’s training.  Just like Wally was, she’s an amazingly good puppy.  She hasn’t torn anything up yet, she listens when I speak, sits when I tell her to.  She’ll potty when I tell her to, also, but, believe me, I’d better be there when she runs for the door.  Bladder control is not one of her strong points yet.

Stamping happens when she sleeps or right after a potty break.  I took advantage of that one afternoon and made another Christmas card for my meager collection.

I used Flourishes’ Holiday Sparkle.  Five stamps from the set on one card made me feel as though I’d given it a good run.  It would be lovely to think I might play with it some more before the cards go in the mail, but I’m makin’ a list and checkin’ it twice to be sure I give all my new sets a chance.  By the way, the sentiment is in one of the new Tailor-Made for Flourishes dies by Spellbinders – Classic Keyhole Die Set.  It was just the right fit for the sentiment, and though I don’t yet have the gorgeous companion stamp set, I know I’ll find plenty of uses for the dies.

I colored the icicle ornament, bow, and evergreen bough with these Copic markers:

I applied Stardust Stickles glitter glue to the icicle, Frosted Lace Stickles to its snowy top and to the evergreen bough, and Platinum Stickles to the cap just under the bow.  The pink snowflakes were embossed with glittery powder which may be more apparent in the next photo -- more so if you click to enlarge it. 

The scene in the following photo is what I like to see when I feel like stamping:

Ahhhh… peace on earth!  Have a happy day!

Stamps:  Holiday Sparkle (Flourishes)  Paper:  Flourishes’ Classic White, Rose Red textured, Memory Box Yuletide designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, ColorBox pink pigment ink, Rose Red, Copic markers for coloring  Accessories:  Stickles glittler glue as mentioned above  Accessories:  Rhinestones, Martha Stewart edge punch, Flourishes Classic Keyhole Die set by Spellbinders