" 'Twas the day after Christmas...

...and all through the place, "those cards" gave way gave way to ribbons and lace!"

I've always loved Christmas, but I'm happy to work on other occasion cards now.

This first one is a Happy New Year card for a dear friend of mine who's embarking on some life changing plans for 2011. I used this beautiful Art Journey Inchies stamp plate as the base, and added a couple inchies from Zorana's fabulous Etsy Shop (wings for FLYING!), and a couple of tiny scraps, one from wrapping paper and one from from my scrap box from a previous project. The sentiment stamp is also from the same Art Journey plate. This card was created to meet these challenges:

Art Journey challenge # 4: Christmas/New Year

Art Cards: Recycle your wrapping paper (top left punched circle)

Charizma Cards Challenge # 51: Pearls and Lace

Design Dollies: Layers and Layers

Alphabet Challenge: H is for Hats

I Did it Creations: Out with the old

This next card is for a friend who has a Christmas birthday. I used the Happy Birthday Dreamweaver stencil with glitter-covered Dreamweaver White Glossy Embossing Paste or the sentiment, and the card meets these challenges:

One Powerful Hour: Upcycle (I used this Nesties snowflake from a previous Christmas project)

Stampin' for the Weekend: Christmas card

Artistic Stamper: Christmas

Top Tip Challenge # 15: Get Embellishing

Think Ink Challenge # 34: Use punches and/or dies

Creative Card Crew: Christmas birthdays

Stampalicious: repurpose something

To adhere the Art Institute Glass Shards, I used Aleene’s® Original Tacky Glue (iLoveToCreate™) from a small plastic squeeze bottle with a #9 Squeeze Bottle Tip.

This card is for a friend's birthday too. This was fun to do, and such a different style for me. There's a coffee gift card in the inside pocket. I used four Impression Obsession stamps (the striped right design (cover-a-card stamp series, stamped vertically) both sentiments and the coffee cup) and a Hero Arts butterfly stamp. I created a mask with a piece 0f paper stamped with the butterfly stamp, then cut out, then I stamped the striped pattern over that. I used my stamp positioner, then stamped the front of the card with a half butterfly. Using Tulip ® Fashion Glitter Bond (iLoveToCreate™), I painted some of the butterly wings, then sprinkled Tulip ® Fashion Glitter (clear) over the adhesive.

This is for the Pile it On Challenge: It's all in the wrapping (gifts, gift cards, etc)

This final card is hand stitched and beaded, done to celebrate the early retirement of a friend, whose passion for the guitar will serve him well! I used three yellow Tulip® Glam it Up™ Iron On Crystals,™ glued on with Aleene's® Paper Glaze™, both by iLovetoCreate.™

Thanks SO MUCH for stopping by again! I sure appreciate it when you do.

Becoming a habit...

Thursdays seem to be my day to post lately! December is always so busy, so I tend to save up all my cards and challenges and post them all together.

Today's Dreamweaver challenge is a free theme...don't you LOVE those!? I used this Dreamweaver stencil with Dreamweaver white glossy embossing paste, along with a Flowersoft image and several colours of Flowersoft. On the inside of the card, I stamped "Bon Voyage," and the card will go to a dear friend of mine celebrating travelling abroad on a fabulous holiday. The current Flower Soft challenge (FSC 17) is "Happy Holidays;" although this card isn't Christmas, it IS a holiday! ;) Papertake Weekly also has a free theme this week. I hope you can take a few minutes to visit the blogs of the other Dreamweaver designers. Their links are on my right sidebar. They all create such FABULOUS paper crafts that you will NOT want to miss these beauties! To adhere Flower Soft, I use Aleene’s® Original Tacky Glue (iLoveToCreate™) from a small plastic squeeze bottle with a #9 Squeeze Bottle Tip, which I always use for fine applications of glue.

This next card was created for these challenges: Created by Hand (green and red), Crazy Amigo (Christmas), Wee Memories # 36 (seasonal colours), Moxie Fab World (glitter is glam).

I used this Quietfire Design stamp with an Outlines stamp over a Spellbinders Nestability Lacy Squares die. I used Tulip® Glam it Up™ Iron On Crystals™ just below the sentiment, glued on with Aleene's® Paper Glaze™, both by iLovetoCreate™.

The current Wednesday Stamper challenge is to combine stamping with candles, and the current Fab and Funky challenge is quick and easy...which these candles sure ARE! I used this beautiful Quietire Design stamp for my candle, and paired it with a Normal Rockwell image. I added a tiny pewter angel charm made right here in Nova Scotia.

Well, that's it for today. I have a more Christmas cards to post tomorrow, in various stages of completion. Thank you so much for visiting. I wish you a delightful day, doing whatever you love best! HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you and yours!

Tis the season!

Tis the season...to be busy...fa la la la la la la la la!!

Like so many folks at this time of year, the days are filled with hustle and bustle. I enjoy carving out some quiet "me-time" in my happy room, where the bustle just disappears for a few hours. Don't you LOVE these hobbies of ours!?

Over at Created by Hand, the challenge is to use the theme of meditation or the colour blue. The Moxie Fab World challenge is glitter with glam! The challenge at Creative Card Crew is an open theme. The Crazy Amigo challenge is winter. The Wednesday Stamper challenge is snowflakes. The Alphabet Challenge is G is for glitter. The SSD challenge is monochromatic. I matched stitching and stamping with an easel card ("these are a few of my favourite things, " lol) to create this card, using this beautiful Christmas stamp from Quietfire Design.

The Dream Scheme challenge over at the Dream it Up blog is to use blue and purple. The Lots to Do Challenge is glitz. Please drop by the blog and play in the challenge too! I used glossy blue embossing paste with this background stencil and this greeting and mauve cardstock. Please take a sec to click on the first image for a close-up. I did a little experiment: I mixed clear glitter in with some paste...and I just LOVE the effect! I've used glitter with paste before, but usually I paste first, let it dry, then reposition the stencil, glue, then glitter. This way, my three step process becomes a one step...happy day...will sure be doing THIS again!

I wanted you to see a close-up of this pretty little embellishment pin. I added a crystal and another pearl at the bottom, just to make it a little more festive for my card. I hope you take a few minutes to visit the other designers' blogs, I know you'll be tickled pink to see all their different ways of using Dreamweaver Stencils. You can get there from here...their blogs are all linked on my sidebar on the right.

Over at Impression Obsession, the challenge is "All that glistens is not gold," a challenge to use metallics. I painted this little wooden box with Lumiere metallic paint, then used this beautiful flourish stamp (H5575) with the Top Boss tinted embossing pad and Top Boss Copper Embossing powder. I just love this beautiful sentiment, and I was so pleased when Mitra over at Impression Obsession created a stamp with it. The mix of fonts... simply perfect. If you'd like to play in the Impression Obsession challenge for a chance to win a twenty-five dollar gift certificate in the IO shop, just check here, and be sure to take a little time with your morning cuppa to visit the other designers' blogs for some sumptious eye candy!

Now, have you played in the Etsy Inspired Challenge yet? If not, shuffle on over there! Challenge 118 brought us over to this fabulous Etsy shop, "Tzaddi," where there are the most WONDERFUL pieces of jewelry. Oh-my-oh-my-oh-my! You just HAVE to visit! I used a beautiful peacock pendant, for inspiration


paired with a sentiment stamp from Quietfire Design and a Hero Arts peacock stamp. I used sketch 94 from Card Patterns.

My last card is a recessed window card done for the Tuesday Taggers challenge: "stockings were hung." I used the Hero Arts handwritten Christmas stamp.

Well, that's my week in my happy room! Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by during YOUR very busy week! I wish you a delightful week, doing what you love best!

Challenges again...

I LOVE challenges!

The current challenge Dream Scheme challenge is open, as is the challenge over at Creative Card Crew...my favourite! I used this Thank You stencil with glossy blue embossing paste, along with some hand beading and stitching, matched with one of Dreamweaver's 3 inch beaded pins. I hope you'll have time to stop by the other Dreamweaver designers' blogs (see sidebar)...always such beautiful things!

The current Created by Hand challenge is to use white to recognize a national day of remembrance and action against violence to women. I used this Quietfire Design stamp, with this Wrought Iron Dreamweaver embossing stencil and Dreamweaver black matte embossing paste, over dry embossed cardstock with this Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, from the Heritage set. Hope you'll stop by the other Quietfire designers' blogs to see their interpretations of this challenging theme. The Cute Card Thursday challenge is to use flowers.

Over at the Papertake Weekly challenge, and also over at Simon Says, the theme is to do something Christmas-y with no red and green. Here's my entry, using a Madonna and Child image and a gold embossed stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms.

Thanks so much or taking the time to stop by today! I wish you a wonderful day, doing what you enjoy best!

Christmas...New Year's...love too...

The Impression Obsession challenge this week is to create a card that speaks to our New Year's resolutions. Well, given that I'm older than dirt, I've learned not to make those anymore (lol), BUT...if I did, it would be to step outside my comfort zone and try new card making techniques. This one is emboss resist, using Leigh Hannan's Flower background stamp, paired with a delightful sketch challenge from Wendy, one of the talented Dreamweaver designers. Here's Wendy's sketch:



and here's my interpretation ofher sketch, using Dreamweaver's Asian "Love" stencil as my sentiment, with glossy blue embossing paste and Navajo Sky Metallic FX. First, stamped the Impression Obsession image with clear embossing powder on glossy cardstock, then dipped it onto a Non Stick Craft Sheet which I'd sprayed with blue and green Ecoline Inks mixed with water and Winsor and Newton Iridescent Medium mixed in a Ranger Mini Mister. Then I paste embossed the stencil with the blue glossy embossing paste (again on glossy cardstock), removed the stencil, let it dry, then repositioned it and pounced Metallic FX over dabbed-on glue. I really like the sheen that the Metallic FX gives over the blue glossy paste. I cut that with a Spellbinders plain circle die, then mounted it over a blue panel cut with the same die, and white cardstock cut with a Spellbinders Lacey Circles die. I used some gold peel-offs for the corner embellishments. This card is in the post, along with a hand crafted Christmas present, to a long time, dear lady friend, who loves blue and white!

I hope you'll have time to visit the blogs of the other designers from Impression Obsession and Dreamweaver; you'll find links in my left hand sidebar...well worth a visit!

We'd love to have you join BOTH challenges. Click here for the current Dreamweaver challenge, where you'll have a chance to win a Dreamweaver stencil, and click here for the current Impression Obsession challenge, where you can win a gift certificate to spend for Impression Obsession stamps!

I'm also entering my card for these challenges:

Wee Memories (Challenge # 33 use ribbon)

Stampin for the Weekend (winter...this IO background stamp and these colours remind me of a crisp winter's day!)

Lots to Do Challenge (embossing)

Etsy Inspired Challenge ( I used the blues of this wonderful picture as inspiration)

Alphabet Challenge ("E" for embossing)

Charisma Cardz (one for the girls!)

City Crafter (Blue Christmas)

Thanks SO much for stopping by today! Hope you'll play in these challenges.

One more thing...just take three minutes with your cuppa, listen to THIS...Susan Boyle singing Leonard Cohen's Halleluja...oh my...and if you like that, listen to her sing "Do You Hear What I Hear..." what a GIFT she has...aahhh..."with a voice as big as the sea..."

One more...okay then! "Oh Come All Ye Faithful..." Take time...close your eyes...just listen...

Happy day y'all...