Advent Calendar

I made this advent calendar to coordinate with the quilt in my previous post.  I had to take two pictures of it because it is so long (approximately five feet) that I couldn't fit it all in my camera lens.  I made the pockets out of off-white felt and top stitched them onto rectangles of fabric.  Each one has a corresponding number and the family name is even on the bottom.  A candy cane or other item can be moved each day as a countdown, or each pocket can be filled with a treat. 

Christmas Gifts

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!  On Christmas morning, our four-year-old grandson first ran to the empty plate of cookies for Santa and mostly eaten carrots he had left for the reindeer.  He was so excited! Then he and his little brother spotted the PILES of presents under, around, and by the Christmas tree.  How fun it was to see them tear open their presents and attempt to play with each one.  Here's a link to the Christmas aftermath picture on my daughter's blog.  Anyway, I couldn't post pictures of these gifts until they had been opened Christmas morning.  I made this Christmas quilt and matching pillows for my daughter's family.  If you look closely or click on the second picture you can see the quilted snowflakes pattern. 

 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

New Stockings

This year I made new stockings for everyone.  As always, they are hung from youngest to oldest waiting to be filled by Santa.

Sparkling Season

Love, love this card from "Sparkling Season" retired quite a few years ago.  I remember using this set like there was no tomorrow including the ornament, the tree, the snowflake, and the mitten.  This card was made by my upline, Chris, and hopefully you can see the tri-folded Glorious Green card with the Real Red piece on top.  It is held together by Silver Cord and pops open when you remove it.  She used the 1/16" punch to make the cute little holes in the Brilliant Blue card stock that the mitten was mounted on.  Darling! 

Trim the Tree

One of my favorite retired Christmas sets is "Trim the Tree".  I stamped the tree in Certainly Celery, the ornaments in Real Red, and the swirling garland in Silver.  There are also two other decorations and some words that I didn't  use on this card.  The words are from "Everyday Flexible Phrases" and "Merry".  I added a silver star brad, silver cording, and Real Red Gingham Ribbon.  Debbie is the winner of the Christmas DSP from Friday!

Merry Moments

Do you like these background papers?  They are from the DSP called "Merry Moments".  I am giving a lucky winner a full pack of these adorable 12" x 12" double-sided papers.  Just leave me a comment between now and Monday morning and your name will be entered in the drawing.

Three Trees

Even though this set called "Patterned Pieces" retired, it's still one of my favorite sets ever.  I used the Holly Berry Bouquet DSP from the Holiday Mini for the background and mounted it on a Garden Green card.  I stamped the trees in Garden Green and Real Red, cut them out, and mounted them on a Very Vanilla Top Note.  Then I stamped the words from "Best Yet" and punched it out with the Large Oval Punch.  I mounted it on a piece of Garden Green card stock that I made with the Scallop Oval Punch.  Last, I added a Garden Green 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon.    

Serene Snowflakes

I made this card using Night of Navy and Whisper White card stock and ink with the stamp sets "Serene Snowflakes" and "Merry and Type".  I stamped the snowflakes again separately and then punched them out with the 1" Circle Punch.  I layered them on top of the other snowflakes with Dimensionals and also added some Silver Brads.  Last, I added some 1/8" Night of Navy Ribbon along with some Silver Cord across the top.

Pretty in Pink

Here's a different twist on a Christmas card--I used Pretty in Pink as the card base.  I stamped the image and words from "Season of Joy" in Regal Rose.  I mounted it on Wild Wasabi card stock and added a 5/8" Regal Rose Grosgrain ribbon.

Holly Berry Bouquet

I used this cute striped, glittery paper from the Holly Berry Bouquet collection from the Holiday Mini.  The ornaments and "25" image were stamped with the "Merry and Type" stamp set in Garden Green.  I layered the small one using the 1" Square Punch and the Postage Stamp Punch with Real Red card stock.  The background was made with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder.  I added three Very Vanilla brads and a 5/8" Real Red Satin bow.  

Snowflakes

I used the Snowflake Punch to make these delicate Whisper White snowflakes.  In the center of each one I added a Marina Mist 1/4" cirle and a Basic Pearl.  They were layered on a background made with Marina Mist card stock run through the Big Shot using the Snow Burst Embossing Folder.  I mounted that on Whisper White and then on the card.  The words are from "Season of Joy".  The winner of the give away from Friday is Marianne!  Watch for another give away soon!

New SAB Give Away

Santa is bringing you a special give away!  Leave a comment between now and Monday morning and your name will be entered in a drawing to win a NEW Sale-a-Bration set coming out in 2012!  Because these sets aren't released yet, I don't have a picture, but as a demonstrator I am able to preorder some sets and would like to share with the lucky winner.  The set is called "Sprinkled Expressions" and is just darling.  It has six images including a star, heart, and flower, with sprinkled confetti falling from each one.  Cuteness!

Sorry, this Santa isn't up for grabs--he's one of my favorite Christmas decorations.

Merry & Bright

These words are from the set "Merry and Type", one of my favorites in the big catalog.  I made the top part with Certainly Celery card stock using the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder.  The Real Red trim at the bottom was made with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch.  Last, I added a Whisper White bow using the 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon. 

Cherry & Vanilla

I used Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, and Crumb Cake for this card.  The images were stamped with "The Sounding Joy" from the Holiday Mini on a 3 1/2" circle I punched out with the Big Shot.  I brushed the edges with Cherry Cobbler and popped it up with Dimensionals.  I used the Snow Burst Embossing Folder on the piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock for the background.  I added a strip of Very Vanilla made with the Scallop Edge Border Punch.  Last, I added a Very Vanilla 5/8" Satin Ribbon and two Cherry Cobbler brads.  Be sure to check back on Friday for a give away. 

Tags Til Christmas

This card was made using the ornament from "Tags Til Christmas" and the coordinating Ornament Punch.  I ran the Real Red card stock through the Big Shot using the Stripes Embossing Folder.  The background DSP is from the "Holly Berry Bouquet" collection from the Holiday Mini.  I used the Decorative Label Punch to make the background for the ornament and added a Real Red Button and some 1/4" Garden Green Grosgrain Ribbon.  The trim was made with the Scallop Edge Border Punch.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone near and far!  I made this fallish banner to hang across the fireplace.  In case you can't see the letters, it spells out "be thankful".  Each piece has a pocket with a a tag inside to write down a grateful thought.  The bottom picture shows an up-close shot of the "b".  Have a great day--gobble, gobble!

All Tied Up

I made this card last year and I never posted it on my blog, so here it is.  I ran the Old Olive card stock through the Big Shot using the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder and the Early Espresso using the Square Lattice Embossing Folder.  The More Mustard trim across the middle was made with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch.  The words are from "Thankful For" and the leaf was made with the Autumn Spice DSP and punched out with the Leaves #2 Die.  I tied a piece of Natural Hemp around the stem of the leaf and added two Cajun Craze brads at the bottom.

Fall Frenzy

This card was made using the "kissing" technique with "Shapes and Shadows" and the "Canvas" background.  First, I stamped each leaf  in either Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard, or Blue Ballet and then took that inked stamp and pressed it on the Canvas background before stamping in on the Twill Tape across the middle.  The "Print Pattern" background was stamped with Versamark on  Pumpkin Pie card stock for the bottom and the "Canvas" background was stamped in Whisper White ink on Old Olive card stock.  The top image was also done with the kissing technique and then double-mounted on Chocolate Chip and Ballet Blue card stock.  The little "thanks" on the side was stamped with "Everyday Flexible Phrases" and the words on the bottom with "Much Appreciated".    

Black and Yellow

Here's a fun color combination and not one I use too often, but I really like it.  The background papers are from the Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack (Neutrals) and the words are from "Curly Cute".  I added some Daffodil Delight trim made with the Scallop Edge Border Punch and a Daffodil Delight button with a piece of 1/8" Basic Black Taffeta Ribbon tied through the holes.

Pillows

Here's some monogrammed pillows I made awhile ago for my grandsons to match their rooms.

Cookie Stamps

Have you ever heard of stamping cookies?   This is the "Stampin' Up!" way to make the cutest cookies.  You make a sugar or shortbread cookie recipe, roll the dough into balls, and "stamp" them with one of the images--a jack-o-lantern, a snowflake, or a heart.  Then, bake the cookies with the image impressed.  You can even add sprinkles.  Oh, how I wish I had taken a picture of the cookies I made with my grandson.  He LOVED it and insisted on making all three kinds even though it was Halloween.  All the pieces are easily interchangeable with the handle and are dishwasher safe.  This also makes a great gift--so please let me know if I can order you a set!

Little Pieces

This was my very favorite set in 2005.  It's called "Little Pieces" and has ten different little shapes--I still use it to this day.  I won this set when I went to my first SU convention with over 4000 demonstrators and I was SO excited.  I couldn't wait to get home and play with it.  The other set I used for this card is "Fun Filled" and was from Sale-a-Bration 2005.  I used Pink Passion, Only Orange, and Yoyo Yellow.  Since then, all these bright colors have retired and been replaced by something similar.  Doesn't this card just make you happy?

More Petal Prints

This pretty card was made with "More Petal Prints" from the 2005 Winter Mini Catalog.  The flowers were stamped in Pretty in Pink and Rose Red and the stems in Mellow Moss.  The words are from "Curvy Verses" and the background used was "Canvas" mounted on a Crumb Cake card.   A cute little Black Gingham Ribbon decorates the bottom corner.

Walk This Way

This adorable set has a plump chicken, sheep, cow, and pig.  It was from the 2005 Summer Mini but still has cuteness!  The words were from "Tag Alphabet" from the same mini and punched out with the 1/4" Square Punch.  The colors used were So Saffron, Old Olive, Real Red, Creamy Caramel, and Pumpkin Pie.  The tag has a Real Red 1/2" punched circle on it with a 1/4" hole in the middle.  Black Gingham Ribbon was tied through the hole with a little Linen Thread on top.  The background was made with the "Canvas" stamp.  Thanks Chris, for this card that I haven't been able to part with  for over six years!

Be Happy

Thi set called "Be Happy" was from the 2006-2007 Catalog.  I used So Saffron, Cameo Coral, Rose Red, and Certainly Celery.  It had a tag-shaped and a flower-shaped stamp, but no coordinating punches at that time.  I also used the ribbon set which I LOVED and has long retired.  I punched holes along the top with the Mat Pack and added a few (quite a few) staples.  Hope you enjoy this happy card!

Happy Halloween

There is no better place to celebrate Halloween than with my adorable grandsons.

Lexicon of Love

Another of my favorite sets is called "Lexicon of Love".  It was first introduced as a SAB set in 2005 and has four different sets of words with their definitions.  You can't see all of this stamp because it is hiding beneath the 1 3/8" window I punched out.  The card was made from Pretty in Pink card stock and then I tied four coordinating ribbons through the bottom of the window.   The background stamp is called "By Definition" and retired in 2006.

Shapes & Shadows

This is one of my all time favorite sets called "Shapes and Shadows".  It has lots of two-step images including a Christmas tree, snowflake, butterfly, flower, and leaf.  I think I used this set every season and still do even though it retired in 2006.  The leaf was stamped in Mellow Moss and outlined in Close to Cocoa.  Then the edges were brushed with Close to Cocoa and mounted on more Close to Cocoa.  The background strip was made by crumbling up a piece of card stock and then brushing it with, of course, Close to Cocoa.  Mellow Moss Gingham Ribbon was tied around it and a piece Hemp Twine was added around the ribbon.  The bottom was stamped on Mellow Moss using the "Canvas" background stamp.  Thanks Janelle for this way cute fall card! 

Birthday Whimsy

Seeing as we're between holidays (other than the most important one which occurs today) I thought I would post some of my favorite cards from pre-blogging time.  Many of the sets you'll see in the next couple of weeks are retired, but I thought they were definitely worth sharing.  This card from "Birthday Whimsy" is appropriate for my big celebration today.  I love these whimsical presents from SAB 2008 stamped in Rose Red, Old Olive, and Pumpkin Pie.  Some of them are cut out and popped up with Dimensionals and then they are mounted on Chocolate Chip card stock.  The 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon ties all these beautiful fall colors together.  Thanks Sarah!  The winner of the Triple Treat Give Away from Saturday is Debbie! 

Triple Treat & Give Away

Isn't this a gorgeous card?  I can't take the credit for it, Mary made it and did an awesome job.  She stamped the "Triple Treat Flower" stamp in Pool Party (sold a la carte) and punched it out with the Fancy Flower Punch.  Then it was stamped again in More Mustard and punched  with the 5-Petal Flower Punch and layered on top of the other flower.  The center was stamped in Early Espresso and punched with the 1/2" Circle Punch.  The words are from "A Word for You" and were stamped on a Very Vanilla made with the Designer Frames Embossing Folder.  The background paper is from "Spice Cake" and was mounted on Soft Suede.  Mary sewed around the edge, added some Hemp Twine, and finished it with an Antique Brad.  Love it!  You can win this adorable stamp by leaving a comment on my blog.  I will do a drawing on Monday evening (my birthday gift to you).

I'm a Blanketeer

Project Linus is a non-profit, charity type organization that provides children in crisis with quilts, afghans, and blankets to love.  You can read more about it here: Project Linus.  I have attended the past couple of meetings at the chapter in Fountain Hills.  Our meeting usually occurs on a Saturday and runs from 8:00 a.m. until at least 1:00 p.m.  There is a flurry of activity; people knitting and crocheting, others are sewing, some are tying knots on fleece blankets, while others are counting and folding the goods.  In August there were over 100 people at the meeting and approximately 380 blankets were donated.  Below are two of the afghans I recently knitted for this cause; and that's why I'm a "Blanketeer".   

French Foliage #4

I promise this is the last one in the "French Foliage" series.  Did I mention how much I love this set?  Marianne made this beautiful card using Early Espresso, More Mustard, and Cajun Craze.  She stamped another set of leaves on each color and cut them out.  On the left side is an Early Espresso 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon with a piece of Cajun Craze made with the Scallop Border Punch peeking out.  Watch my next post for some knitting projects.  

French Foliage #3

Don't you just LOVE this color combination:  Pool Party, Calypso Coral, and Crumb Cake?  I punched out Whisper White card stock with the Top Note Die on my Big Shot and cut it in half.  The Calypso Coral background was made using the Square Lattice Embossing Folder.  I stamped leaves on the bottom half with Crumb Cake to add a little dimension.  Then, I added a Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon and tied a piece of Linen Thread over the top of the knot.  The words are from "Trendy Trees".  Thanks to Marianne for this card layout idea!

French Foliage #2

Here's another "French Foliage" card using a different color combo:  Old Olive, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, and Crumb Cake.  I tore a piece of Cajun Craze for the bottom and added an Early Espresso button tied with some Linen Thread.  The words are from "Trendy Trees".  Check back for one more card to complete this set of three.

French Foliage #1

I haven't used this set since last fall and after making a few cards with it I realized how much I missed it.  I first punched out five 1 3/8" squares and then adhered them to a grid sheet with Dotto (repositionable adhesive).  I stamped the leaves from "French Foliage" in Old Olive, Early Espresso, Rose Red, and Crumb Cake.  Then I peeled them off, edged them in Early Espresso, and placed them separately on the Pool Party card.  The words are from "Friendly Phrases".  Last, I added an Early Espresso Quilted Satin Ribbon.  On Friday, I'll post another card from this set.

En Francais

This beautiful card was made by Mary using the "En Francais" background stamp with Early Espresso ink.  The squares and card base are Certainly Celery and the words are from "A Word for You".  The words were layered using the Large and Small Oval Punches.  The Paper Daises with Basic Pearls and Very Vanilla Seam Binding finish off the card.

Spice Cake

This darling background paper is from Spice Cake from the Holiday Mini.  The colors in this paper are Pool Party, More Mustard, Soft Suede, and Early Espresso.  I stamped the leaf and the outline with "Gently Falling" on Very Vanilla.  I mounted it on a Soft Suede frame from the Scallop Squares Duo Die made from my Big Shot.  The coordinating fabric is from the Spice Cake collection from the Holiday Mini.  It includes three different fat quarters that match the background papers. 

Berry Blossoms

I layered some pieces of DSP from the new collection called "Berry Blossoms".  Colors in this collection include Early Espresso, Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, and Wisteria Wonder.  I cut out one of the little flowers and added an In Color Designer Printed Brad.  The "Hello" is from "Posy Punch" and was layered with card stock punched from the 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" Circle Punches and then the Scallop Circle Punch.