Category: Christmas

Where the Crawdads Sing

10/24/2020

Now here's a humbling choice, lol - The Library Challenge #70 is giving us our pick of paperbacks this round!
I decided to go for Where the Crawdads Sing - great book, and lovely cover! My usual trick of trying to recreate the image into a card was super fun! I used sponge brayers to lay down Calypso Coral and Purple Posy inks for my background, then added a little bit of water interest to the Posy using the High Tide stamp set. The trees were next in Black, from Rooted in Nature, and I finished with this simple layered holiday sentiment from Peace & Joy. At the last second I decided to add a few Calypso sequins, too. No cross-hairs, lol, though I don't think that's actually on the cover!
Peace & Joy, Rooted in Nature & High Tide Stamp Sets; Whisper White CS; Calypso Coral, Purple Posy, Versamark & Memento Tuxedo Black Inks; White EP; Joy Dies; Iridescent Sequins; #TLC70.

Pumpkin Club October 31!
Did you get your October Pumpkin kit yet? We're bringing in the holiday season! Check out the video HE RE!
I hope you can join us for our next Pumpkin Club, Saturday, October 31, at 3 PM - RSVP to let me know you are attending, we will be all safely socially distanced at our big table downstairs! For those that prefer, I will also have this kit TO GO after our live class - just let me know if you'd like that option!
Club is free for my subscribers, and includes any extra supplies you might need, plus drinks and snacks! I will also have a few extra spots available for club for $10, even if you are not a subscriber - come see what we're up to - full kit not needed, I'll supply everything you need for the projects! Just bring your own snips and basic adhesive!
Remember to subscribe here if you haven't already - sign up by November 10 and you can join us in time for next month!

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Sweetest Time

10/20/2020

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We have a gorgeous stripey sketch for you this week at Try Stampin' on Tuesday #480 - feel free to jump in!
I couldn't help but wonder if I had some stripes somewhere in DSP collection - what a silly question, of course I did! Since I chose this beautiful holiday pattern from Heartwarming Hugs, I decided to keep it going with a Christmas card, and decided to try out the candles in Sweetest Time. Honestly, this set is all about the fabulous dies, which of course you DON'T see here, but the candles are SO easy to fussy cut, I decided to tighten them up a bit and use them! I did use the dies for my pretty holly clusters, and I achieved my two-tone green by stamping off every time I used my Mossy Meadow - love it!
I'm looking forward to checking out YOUR projects! See you at the challenge!
Sweetest Time Stamp Set; Heartwarming Hugs DSP; Whisper White & Real Red CS; Real Red, Mossy Meadow & Crushed Curry Inks; Sweetest Borders Dies; Greenery EF; All The Trimmings Embellishments; #TSOT480.

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Sunday Bells

10/18/2020

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Check out our gorgeous sketch this week at Sunday Stamps #242 - so many fun elements!
I just couldn't resist going straight to our gorgeous Cherish the Season set for some pretty bells! This is actually the first Christmas bell set I've ever had, so I'm jingling along pretty hard to make up for lost time, lol. Today, I matched it up with the Trimming the Town DSP pack - I wanted to try this festive background with my Pewter bells. The die inlay on the bells is definitely a pain, but so worth it! I love the finished look! My secret is that I put a piece of washi on the back of each bell to help hold all my little bits in place - made it go much smoother than I thought! I can't wait to see YOUR creations with our sketch this week - meet you at the challenge!
Cherish the Season Stamp Set; Trimming the Town DSP; Whisper White, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Poppy Parade & Galvanized Metallic CS; Misty Moonlight Ink; Sounds of the Season, Rectangle Stitched & Stitched Shapes Dies; White Baker's Twine; Basic Jewel Rhinestones; #SSC242.

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Frosty Dove

10/16/2020

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OK, a very cool challenge this month at CAS Christmas - Christmas birds!
I knew as soon as I saw this challenge that I'd run straight to our gorgeous Dove of Hope set - love these images and dies! My first instinct was to also add in my fave DSP to pair this with - Feels Like Frost was just MADE for this set! But then I got all done, and realized, oh drat! This is a CAS challenge, lol. So I went back and did a nice all white version, though I didn't resist my shiny Clear Epoxy Droplets and Wink of Stella to go with! Hopefully it still passes muster, lol. You can see the fancified one, with the Feels Like Frost DSP, here!
Dove of Hope Stamp Set; Whisper White CS; Memento Tuxedo Black Ink; Mossy Meadow & Real Red Blends Makers; Detailed Dove & Tasteful Labels Dies; Clear Epoxy Droplets; Clear Wink of Stella; #CASChristmasBird.

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Smitten Tags

10/3/2020

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Ooo, The Sisterhood of Crafters is having an "anything but a sketch" challenge - what to do??
Well, something I DO start doing this time of year is looking for chances to start building up my holiday tag stockpile, lol, excellent! For some reason, I've been wanting to play with our retired Smitten Mittens set a lot lately, too, so I'm just going to all-out indulge myself here! I stamped this gorgeous mitten with the cutest sentiment ever on the fold, in four holiday colors. I went ahead and hand-trimmed these so I could keep that little smidge of fold at the top where I wanted. I put a little "To/From" on the inside, hung a little twine on a corner, then finished with a simple ribbon tie along the top to help hide that fold! Quick and simple, but super cute - these are going to really dress up some pretty presents this year!
Smitten Mittens Stamp Set (retired 2017); Whisper White CS; Real Red, Cherry Cobbler, Shaded Spruce & Old Olive Inks; White Baker's Twine; Playful Pets Trim; Shaded Spruce Cotton Ribbon; 1/8" Circle Punch; #TSOCABAC.

Christmas Cards 2020 Part 2 Class October 10!
Yay! It's finally time to get to the rest of our special holiday cards - just in time for getting your Christmas card list together! This class features 6 cards and envelopes, the rest of our faves from the Holiday Mini Catty! Class includes all supplies needed (bring your own snips and fave adhesive!) snacks, drinks, and a special gift from me, all for $25! This class can also be FREE with your order of $30 or more! Class is on for Saturday October 10, 3 PM, or you can get it to go! RSVP today to save your spot!

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Sparkles Bells (& Christmas Cards Part 2 Class!)

10/1/2020

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Super excited to launch our "vintage Christmas" challenge at Sparkles #117 today - hope YOU can join us!
I decided to pull out my Cherish the Season set - these bells are so beautiful and classic, and floated over our Toile Tidings DSP, I think they make for a very vintage look! Old timey scenes always make me thing "vintage," lol. Anyway, we are all Garden Green all day long here, and I was thrilled to find some fancy options for my sentiment in the Ornate Frames dies!
So, what will YOU create? I can't wait to check out YOUR vintage cards, over at the challenge!
Cherish the Season Stamp Set; Toile Tidings DSP; Very Vanilla & Garden Green CS; Garden Green Ink; Sounds of the Season & Ornate Frames Dies; Garden Green Glitter Enamel Dots; Blender Pens; #Sparkles117.

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CAS Christmas Trees

9/17/2020

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I LOVE this month's CAS Christmas Challenge of "Christmas Tree," getting our own tree and getting it set up for the holiday is one of my favorite Christmas activities!
I'm super psyched that my new Coming Home set has a couple trees in it so I can break this cutie in! I love the DSP pack that goes with, and the Banner Year bundle is perfect to go with since there are no sentiments. Cute houses, cute VW Bug - who needs words anyway?? Lol. I fancied up my simple trees in two shades of Old Olive, and a tiny strip of matching DSP - just enough!
Coming Home & Banner Year Stamp Sets; Trimming The Town DSP; Whisper White & Pool Party CS; Early Espresso Ink; Old Olive & Mocha Blends; Home Together & Stitched Shapes Dies; Gently Falling EF (retired); Banners Pick a Punch; Gold Sequins; #CASChristmasTree.

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Magic & Wonder

9/13/2020

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Wow, check out this lovely sketch waiting for us at this week's Hand Stamped Sentiments #347!
I decided that the lovely little flower cluster needed a poinsettia today, lol, so I could have another chance to play with this fun suite and all the amazing dies! I added a little DSP interest, and a couple of the "extras" behind my main "flower." So many new gorgeous versions of poinsettia we can do here! I chose this sentiment from the set to go with, because I have to admit, it's kind of how I think of poinsettias - my grandmother used to force her poinsettias with a very mysterious schedule of watering, feeding and extended visits to her walk-in closet - she always saved them every year, and resurrected them for the next season, and she had all different colors! It was definitely like magic to me!
Poinsettia Petals Stamp Set; Poinsettia Place DSP; Whisper White CS; Memento Tuxedo Black & Real Red Inks; Real Red, Mango Melody, Soft Suede & Wild Wasabi (retired) Blends Markers; Poinsettia & Stitched So Sweetly Dies; Wonderful Gems; #HSS347.

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Yuletide Pasture

9/11/2020

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I'm pretty psyched about our fun landscape sketch this week at Fab Friday #197 - hope you can get in on it!
For myself, the arrival of new stamp sets is pretty much a battle cry, so I had to ink up my newly arrived Yuletide Pasture today! Yes, I totally got this set for the "hielan' cou," so I made myself try out the festive sheep this round instead - isn't she dressed for a bowl of punch?? These quiet domestic scenes really reminded me of our pastoral Toile Tidings DSP, too, so I had to pull in a little of that to help set the scene - Merry, indeed!
I can't wait to see YOUR creations for our sketch - see you at the challenge!
Yuletide Pasture Stamp Set; Toile Tidings DSP; Very Vanilla & Garden Green CS; Memento Tuxedo Black & Garden Green Ink; Wild Wasabi (retired_ Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Smoky Slate & Nude Blends Markers; Stitched Shapes & Poinsettia Dies; Banners Pick a Punch; #FabFri197.

Fall Cards Class Sep 12, 3 PM
Ahhh, Finally the weather might be breaking! This class will feature 6 Fall cards and envelopes, focusing on the lovely seasonal suites in our Holiday catty! Bring on the acorns! Class includes all supplies needed (bring your own fave snips and adhesive!) snacks, drinks, and a special gift from me, all for $25! This class can also be FREE with your order of $30 or more! RSVP today to save your spot, on Saturday, September 12, at 3 PM! You can also schedule a one-on-one, or class-in-a-box if you prefer - just let me know!

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Wonderful Season

9/7/2020

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Hm, I see some interesting choices ahead in this cool theme from Time Out Challenge #169 - "season!" From their graphic, we can go either way!
I think I'll just take a classic route and play with some new toys, lol - my Poinsettia Petals suite just arrived a couple days ago, and I really wanted to ink that baby up! Besides the lovely poinsettia images, I also am super excited about the little collection of bittersweet branches that are part of the suite - at least, that's what they remind me of! I used to go cut some of this where I lived in Virginia every holiday (along with wild mistletoe) to add a little extra sprucing up to my holiday decor. Such good memories! I always had bittersweet garlands for my "outside tree" - I liked to do a tree decorated in snacks for the local wildlife, bird seed, suet cones, peanut butter treats, fruits and popcorn - bittersweet added beautiful colors, too! So fun to see all the critters come have a treat right outside my big window!
Poinsettia Petals Stamp Set; Poinsettia Place DSP; Crumb Cake & Whisper White CS; Soft Suede & Real Red Ink; Poinsettia & Stitched So Sweetly Dies; Real Red Braided Linen Trim; Gold Glitter Dots; #TOC169.