Trio of Tree Trio projects

I love these little "Tree Trio" and mini string of lights dies.  I think they're from Memory Box. Some of those "found" items...the ones in your stash that you suddenly think, "Oh I could do cool things with THESE!"

Started out with the sketch from "Happy Little Stampers" as inspiration, but didn't get my project done in time!  The little snowflakes are made with texture paste and a stencil from Heidi Swapp and sentiment is from Waltzingmouse Stamps.



I liked the papers I was using, so I kept the tree scraps from the first card and made these cool "recessed" tags after seeing the cool "Splatter" tags by Danielle Flanders for last week's PTI Make it Monday.





Used PTI"s tag sale die and sentiments from Hero Arts and WPlus9.  This is not the last you will see of these dies this season, love them!

PTI Blog Hop

We had this lovely Christmas photo to be inspired by for this month's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop!

I chose to use the "Good Times," "Christmas Cheer," and "Love Lives Here: Holiday" sets...

Struggled with the sentiment!  I had originally embossed the "cheer" with white powder but it was barely showing up next to the "Christmas" die cut.  So I ended up stamping it in silver and popping it over the top.  Still not so happy with it, but didn't want to try something crazy with it after the card was finished, hee!

Used the big confetti strip from "Good Times" and added some other colors in with the mini dot included in the set.  Also glittered some up with some Stardust Stickles, too.  The stockings are stamped in Versamark on Hawaiian shores and Limeade Ice cardstock, then heat embossed white so the words show through :).

Thanks for stopping by...and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Wreath Sketch

Amy O'Neill created this week's lovely sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!

I chose to use my new Woodland Wreaths set from WPlus9 Studio and a sentiment from PTI's Love Lives Here: Holiday.

I used twigs cut with a Memory Box die and heat embossed the sentiment in white.  This is my first card made with my new MISTI!  An early birthday gift from my husband who had lots of HINTS from my friend Karen Stein :)!  It's an awesome tool, had fun watching YouTube videos featuring it, and can't wait to try some of the techniques!  Right now, I am loving it for lining up tiny die cuts likes those fruits and bird.

Sugared up the fruits and added some pearl berries.  Love this new paper for the holidays from DCWV!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Polar Bear Greeting

Just for fun!  I used the Holiday Folk Make it Market Mini Kit and some paper from DCWV.  I did use Freshly Made Sketches sketch from last week as inspiration, but didn't get this done in time :).

I embossed the polar bear on kraft cardstock to make his fur really snowy white.  Did a chalkboard look on the star.  The paper is embossed with a Sizzix snowflake folder, then I sanded over the top to make the flakes white, too!.

Curtain Call Challenge Guest!

I was thrilled to be asked to be a guest designer for the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge this week!  Then I got even MORE excited when this adorable photo arrived...

I found this sweet fox mother and baby stamp by Hampton Arts and decided to make a cozy winter scene...

I stamped the foxes and colored them with Copic markers.  The scene was built with a sheet of white paper embossed with PTI's Woodgrain Impression plate, a piece of vellum embossed with a Sizzix snowflake folder placed over a die cut tree cut from chocolate brown cardstock. The little greenery is a combination of die cut pine boughs from PTI's Tinsel and Tags Kit, and a branch die from Memory Box.

I paper-pieced the baby fox for dimension and added a "Warm Wishes" sentiment from Waltzingmouse Stamps, which I chose after seeing that "Foxy" was a coffee cup!

Now it's your turn to play along!  Visit the Curtain Call Challenge Blog to see the Design Team's wonderful samples and to upload your own creation!  

Thanks so much for visiting!

Challenge Chicks...Gift Wrap Challenge

Time for another fun challenge with my friends, "The Challenge Chicks."  This month it is my turn to pick a theme, and I thought it would be fun to make a tag that coordinates with any of the gift wrap you have on hand.  You could get a head start for the holidays, or use wrapping for any other occasion that you have on hand!

I used the Woodlands Wreath stamps and dies from WPlus9 Studio to coordinate with some folk art tissue paper I got last year from JoAnn's.  I placed the tag on dimensionals on a ribbon slider die cut from PTI's Tinsel & Tags kit.  Love all the festive red!

Now it's your turn to play along with the Chicks!  Find some wrapping, for any occasion, and make a coordinating tag.  Post it to Splitcoaststampers using the keyword:  CHXNOV15 or link your blog post to our Challenge Chicks Facebook page!

Check out the fabulous tags by visiting the other ladies' blogs listed in my Challenge Chicks sidebar!

Tree Lights

I'm going to make it to the Merry Monday Challenge this week!  Here is my card with Christmas lights and glitter!

 I used a tree and tiny lights die from Memory Box and a sentiment from PTI's Tinsel and Tags stamp set.

The tree lights die comes with a dainty circle piece that you can cut different colored lights with...that's where my glitter came in, as well as on the sparkling star.  The vellum panel is embossed with a Sizzix folder.  Christmas tree papers are from American Crafts and the awesome gingham background from Pebbles.

What a fun and festive gallery so far...Christmas lights make me SO happy!

Christmas Cheer Sketch

Still on a Christmas card roll!  For the Merry Monday Christmas Challenge this week, we were asked to make a card featuring a "window."  I also was inspired by Jen Brum's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches again!

I chose a shaker card...

I used the Shaker Shapes:  Tree from Papertrey Ink and the gorgeous "Christmas Cheer" stamp set and dies.

Equally lovely is this new patterned paper!  It's from American Crafts and it had a sheet of the lovely black and red gingham plaid that I am seeing popping up everywhere in fashion and decor!  The woodgrain paper is from Crate Paper.  Inside the shaker I added some stamped stars from the set, and iridescent sequins and wooden stars.  Another shaker down!  :)!

Papertrey Ink "Red and Green" Hop

At Papertrey Ink this month, the theme was to be inspired by this beautiful photo of Christmas items and colors.

I used images from two older sets, Holiday Button Bits (one of my most used sets of all time) and Love Lives Here: Christmas.

I used the ornament strings and sentiments from Holiday Button Bits, and the pine bough and berries from Love Lives Here: Christmas.

 Instead of buttons, I used sequins and gems for the ornaments to make them shiny like in the photo and I glossed up the berries, too!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Pretty Apple Sketch

Playing along with two challenges this week!  The Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge had these pretty patterned pumpkins to look at, and Jen Brum had this awesome sketch posted at Freshly Made Sketches...

I didn't have the right kind of pumpkin image to make a shaker like I wanted to, so I chose an apple instead...

Used PTI's Enclosed: Apple die set for my shaker, and a sentiment from Petite Pots stamped underneath. Loved the color scheme and mix of patterns!  Most of my patterned paper is from Fancy Pants, with a few scraps here and there from some other collections.

Added some pink, coral, red, black, and tiny yellow flower sequins...and some patterned circles that I glued inside the shaker before it was finished.  Used Laurie Willison's spray adhesive idea and Laura Bassen's shaker video this week for some help!  One of these days, it is my goal to make a perfectly lined up, smudge free shaker with no stray sequins or fuzz or dog hair inside, haha!  For now, they continue to take me forever and there are lots of "re-do's" in the process.  How do these designers make them look so easy !!!  :)

Trees for Sale Sketch

A quick entry for Freshly Made Sketches with this lovely from Cindy Hall!

Here's my card...

Used some oldies but goodies from Cornish Heritage Farms...the Winter Vintage Signage set from The Rummage Bin and the Perfect Plaid Backgrounder stamped in light gray.  The little scene at the bottom is stamped with images from Papertrey Ink's Tinsel & Tags kit.  The little snowflakes are made with a Jenni Bowlin stencil and some white embossing paste :)!

Challenge Chicks: 3, 2, 1

This month, Kelli Jo was in charge, and she issued a "3, 2, 1" Challenge...to make a card with 3 layers, 2 embellishments, and 1 sentiment...NO other stamped images!  Sooo hard for me!  Getting the lovely "Christmas Cheer" sentiments from Papertrey Ink helped, though...

So my card has 3 layers...the woodgrain paper/acrylic sheet window, the die cut sentiment, and then the sweater pattern.  I inked the sentiment in 2 shades of grey and black at the bottom.  My 2 embellishments are the sequins for the shaker and the big red bow cut with a die from L'il Inkers Design...and of course my 1 sentiment!  I roughed the edges of my woodgrain paper with an edge distressing tool.

Sidebar:  I did mount the whole shaker onto a card base, so I may have cheated on the layers!...and she didn't mean ONE sequin, right?!! :)

We would love for you to play along, too!  Upload your creations to Splitcoaststampers using the keyword CHXOCT15, or you could post a photo from your blog to our "Challenge Chicks" Facebook page!  To visit the other chicks, just see their links to the right ---->!

Apple Shaker Box

This week Ashley made the sweetest shaker die boxes for PTI's "Make it Monday!" Her directions were so simple, I just had to try one, too!

I used the Enclosed: Apple die for my shaker.  I made my box at the bottom slightly smaller at  

2 X 2 inches, and the sides were 2 x 2.5 inches.  The chalkboard printed paper is from American Crafts and the yellow dotted paper is from Bazzill.

Such a cute little favor or gift holder!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Grey Mitten Sketch

At Freshly Made Sketches, the ladies are starting to showcase Christmas/winter cards, and I couldn't wait to start using my stamps, too!  Always my favorite cards to make.  So here is another inspiring sketch from Rita Wright...

My card features some of my favorite images, especially this mitten from "Sewing Box Christmas" by Waltzingmouse Stamps...

The top leafy vine is from the Woodgrain set, also by Waltzingmouse Stamps.  I stamped some snowflakes from Nordic Winter (also WMS) and repeated the "Let it Snow" sentiment from PTI's new Christmas Cheer set.

I stamped the mitten 3 times, and pieced it back together.  I used a background (cuff) and snowflake from Nordic Winter, and then a different backgrounder on the grey portion called "Rice Paper" from Cornish Heritage Farms.  The bottom layer is embossed with A Muse Studio's Woodgrain impression plate.  Some red Liquid Pearls, red twine, and a little adhesive white pearl finished off the embellishing.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

This month at Papertrey Ink we were to be inspired by this lovely fall photo!

I took out two of my favorite fall sets, Leaf Prints and First Fruits. I stamped the pineapple from First Fruits in Versamark then heat embossed with white powder.  Added the "Greetings" from the O'Tannenbaum set, and a little Fresh Snow ink around the edges. The center of the leaves has a Lemon Tart button, white twine, and a wooden star inked white.

The background is made with Leaf Prints and then I used some Gelatos and smudged yellow and some red using Melissa Phillips' technique.  Ran the whole background piece through my Cuttlebug with the Canvas/Linen Impression Plate for some added texture!

Curtain Call "Pop Pop Pop" Challenge

This week at the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge blog, this photo was featured...

I didn't have any popcorn images, so I made a banner just "poppin" with fall inspired flowers, berries, and branches...

The flowers are made with WPlus9's Fresh Cut Florals and More Fresh Cuts sets and dies, and the Layered Banner Banter set from PTI.  The branch die is from Memory Box.

I took a large striped embossing folder and inked it with Vintage Cream ink, then sent it through my cuttlebug with kraft paper to make  the background.  The "Enjoy" banner is stamped with an old "Rice Paper" backgrounder from Cornish Heritage Farms.  The background plaid paper is an older one from the Simple Stories "Generations" pad.

Such a gorgeous photo...perfect inspiration for the "in between" of summer to fall.  After making the card, I promptly had some popcorn in our "Whirlypop" that my husband found at a garage sale...we have loved using that thing all summer!  Beats microwave pop any day :)!