SSS Work It Wednesday Challenge: New!

This card is for Simon Says Stamp's "Work It Wednesday" Challenge, and this month, we are to use something NEW for the new year!

I chose to use Reverse Confetti's "Garden Bunch" and "Whole Lotta Happy" sets which came in the mail yesterday :)!

I used some October Afternoon "Silent Night" patterned papers which looked fun and festive, the Happy Pretty Panels Confetti cuts, and a pine branch cut with an Elizabeth Crafts Design die.

The stitched impression is made with PTI's "Mix and Mat" dies and a few tiny clear sequins for some New Year's Eve sparkle!  Hope you have a wonderful night celebrating!

Time Out: New Beginnings

I'm playing along with my first Time Out Challenge!  A perfect challenge for New Year's Eve...

I accepted the optional twist, and made a card featuring bottle brush trees from Hero Arts' "Family and Friends" clear stamp set...

I stamped the trees in Versamark then embossed them with white, gold, and silver powder.  Added the Filagree Snowflake Background over the top with white pigment ink.

I cut out a circle for the moon at the top and added a sentiment from Hero Arts' "Banners and Messages" clear set, then embossed in silver.  Lots of mini pearls and rhinestones to finish it off.  What a fun challenge this was!

Kindness

I'm playing along with CASology's last challenge of the year  focusing on the word...

I decided to make a thank you card for someone who has shown me kindness this year!

This card was so hard for me to keep CAS!  I ended up adding the Sizzix folder embossed background because I just couldn't leave it white all alone, lol!

The pretty flowers are from Reverse Confetti's "Blooms 'N Buds" and a sentiment stamp from Hampton Art. I traced over the letters a bit with a white pencil to make it look more like a chalkboard.  I was almost done, but then I just had to add 5 teeny tiny pearls to round out my card!

Doughnuts & Coffee Sketch

Playing along with the last sketch of the year at Freshly Made Sketches with this sweet sketch by Linda...

Also playing along with the Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog "Anything Goes" theme.  This week the challenge blog DT is showcasing products by Lawn Fawn (if you have them) but you can use any SSS stamps.

I chose to use Lawn Fawn's adorable "Love You a Latte" set and a sentiment from their "Hello Friend" set for my card. I watercolored the doughnuts and coffee cup, then die cut them. I stamped PTI's Background Basics: Hearts in Versamark, heat embossed with white powder, then washed over the top with pink watercolor.

Added some sparkly sugar to the pink doughnuts.  There's a soft circle background on the main panel made with a circle stencil and Tim Holtz Weathered Wood Distress ink. Some baker's twine seemed fitting, too:)!

This set always makes me smile!

PTI December Blog Hop

This month at Papertrey Ink, the blog hop theme was to make a project inspired by this lovely floral photo seen here:

I also took inspiration from Betsy's window card with Bloom & Grow mixed with Window Works seen HERE, and made a heart window card using her set Bloom Grow mini kit, too...

I stamped and stenciled the heart bouquet in the kit and cut it out with the die, then placed it behind a heart window cut with the Shakers & Sprinkles Kit heart die that I popped up with dimensional tape.

Behind the heart is a piece of white cardstock that I stenciled over with texture paste.  Had this sitting on my desk from long ago and finally found a place to put it!

Lastly, I added some Crystal Snow glitter details to the flowers, and a sentiment from the kit.

A clean and simple card with lots of white space to mirror all of that frigid white snow outside my window today :)!  Thanks for hopping by!

Color Throwdown Guest Stamper!

I was so excited to get to be the Guest Star Stamper this week at the Color Throwdown Challenge blog!  The colors I got to play with are de-licious.  Check them out...

That's pink, green, kraft and white, yummy!

I used the Shaker Shapes:Tree die from Papertrey Ink and some pastel patterned papers from DCWV...

The sentiment inside says "Holly Jolly" from a Verve Stamps set.  Filled the shaker with iridescent snowflakes and some mini clear sequins.  The holly at the top is made with holly dies from Tinsel & Tags, and a hole punch.

Thanks so much to the CTD Challenge Blog for having me!

Hope you all get a chance to play along this week.  

You'll have snow much fun! :)

Concord & 9th Script Tags

Playing along with the "Where Creativity Meets C9" Challenge for Concord & 9th, and this week it's "Anything Goes."

Thought it would be a perfect time to do more tags and use my  Sophisticated Script and Sophisticated Script Upper stamp sets!  

I got these in the bundle package and they are awesome!

Our "Schirmer" side Christmas is next Sunday, so I took the opportunity to make some tags for our nieces Emily & Mariel, and our great nieces, Maggie and Kate!

Used 2-sided patterned paper and a Memory Box Pocket Gift Tag die.  Think the pocket will fit a Ghirardelli chocolate square, too.  The letters are really easy to line up... and make people think I have excellent scripty handwriting! :)

Inspired by Nichol

I saw these wreath tags by Nichol Spohr during Tracey McNeeley's "25 Days of Christmas Tags" celebration and fell in love!

I used PTI's Rustic Wreath and cut out and glued together 3 wreaths from some glossy embossed papers.  Pulled the leaves up to add dimension and added some little punched gold circles and red Liquid Pearls.

A mini tag stamped with an image from Waltzingmouse Stamps "Teeny Trees" set.  I could make these all day!  Thanks Nichol for your inspiring design!

Make it Monday: Fan Brush Trees

This week at Papertrey Ink, Betsy had the coolest tutorial about making pine trees using a fan brush and watercolors!  I had to try it out!  My card also fits the theme for this week's CASology challenge...

Here is my card...

I actually didn't have a true fan brush, but I did have some bigger (or smushed?) watercolor brushes that did the trick.  I sponged the background with Tim Holtz Distress inks in blues, splattered some water on the paper, then used watercolors in a tube and mixed some blue/green colors together.

I splattered on some white acrylic paint mixed with water for the snow, and added a sentiment from the Winter Village stamp set in Jet Black Stazon ink.  Was so glad to have my MISTI, because it needed several impressions to get full coverage over all the background paint!

Lastly, I painted more white acrylic paint lightly on the bottom, then sprinkled it with Crystal Snow glitter before it dried, and added a few glitter touches on the branches using a glue pen.

I feel like Bob Ross!  This was so much fun, and anyone can do it!  Thanks, Betsy!

Happy Feet SFYTT

I love this sketch from the SFYTT at Reverse Confetti this month!  So many fun things to do with those background squares and rectangles!

I chose images and dies from Love You S'more, and the Happy Pretty Panels Confetti Cuts for my card,

Love this patterned paper from last year's DCWV Collection "Merry Little Christmas."

Added a little sparkle here and there to match the glittered patterned paper and I'm doing a happy dance!

Round

I'm participating in my first ever challenge round at CASology!  This week the theme IS round!

I thought a snowman made with its three round snowballs would do the trick...

I used PTI's Stitched Circle Tag die and a snowman die and mini stamp set by Sizzix, which I got last year from Simon Says Stamp.  I couldn't pass up some big polka-dotty paper for this challenge!

I stamped a sentiment from one of my favorite sets of all time, "It's a Wonderful Life" by A Muse Studio, then embossed it with silver powder to match his silver hat.  Keeping with the round theme, I added pom pom snowballs for my embellishment.

I will definitely be back to play another round at CASology, so much inspiration to be had there!

Pastel Deer

Time for tags!  Got to play along with the "Tag You're It" Challenge, and was inspired to make a pastel deer tag after seeing this sample by Jessica Frost-Ballas...

I made similar deer tags last year with this rubber stamp from Memory Box called "Deer Collage" and sentiments from Waltzingmouse Stamps.

I colored the deer with Copic markers then added sparkle with a Sakura stardust pen.

The background stamp is an old red rubber stamp by Penny Black that I got at the coolest store in Buffalo!

Penguin Sketch

Amy O'Neill has a great, versatile sketch at Freshly Made Sketches, and there is a fun (and tricky for me!) color scheme at Color Throwdown, too...

I used Reverse Confetti's adorable set and dies, "Love You S'more"...

I used Stampin Up's brick embossing folder to make an igloo scene (inside and out :))

I tried my hand at watercoloring that little penguin.  Still need A LOT of practice lol!  I used Delicata gold ink for the fire and marshamallows, and grey and black watercolors for the penguin.  The ice bricks are glittered at the edges, and so is Mr. Penguin :).

So much fun to combine these sketches this week!