10.28.2014

Watercolor Alpine Christmas ~ Video

Today is the last day for you to have a chance to win a FREE spot in the A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0 class.  Clicky to leave a comment on the original blog post. Don't worry, if you purchase the class and your name is drawn, you will get a refund.  :)

 So, in light of that, I thought I would share another card inspired by the class.


Creating the background for this card really helped me discover how distress inks and watercolor paper work.  The end piece came out nothing like I envisioned when I started, but that is the beauty of watercolor.

***Note- If you are reading this post in an email or reader, you may need to go to my blog to view the video below.



If you don't have distress inks, you can try this with any water soluble ink, such as Stampin' UP!   Check out yesterday's post to see the watercolor tag I made using SU inks.





StampNation members, don't forget to pick up your coupon code first.



Supplies
Stamps: Alpine Christmas (Waltzing Mouse Stamps)
Ink: Chipped Saphire, Iced Spruce, Stormy Sky, Salty Ocean, Tumbled Glass, Weathered Wood (Distress Inks-Ranger); Versamark (SU)
Paper: Distress Watercolor Paper, Whisper White
Accessories: Frosted Sequins Embellishments, Basic Rhinestones,  White Embossing Powder (Stampin' UP!)

Frosted Sequins Embellishments


Goosey Night & A Winner

Have you ever heard about Goosey Night?  Until a couple of weeks ago I had not, but then Maureen posted the challenges for the Design Team at StampNation to work on for today.  Thankfully I don't need to know anything about this night of mischief to create my Nighttime Challenge card.  Here's a sneak peek.


And now for the moment you have all been waiting for.... the winner of a FREE Spot in A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0....




Drum Roll Please...


Number 10


Congratulations, JoAnn.  Send Catherine an email and she will hook you up with your free class.   Even if you didn't win a spot, you can still join the class. Yesterday Catherine Pooler put up a new video giving you a sneak peek inside the classroom.





10.27.2014

Watercolor Sympathy ~ Stampin' Celebration

It seems as though I have had to make an abundance of sympathy cards for my friends lately.  They will never be my favorite card to create, but they are some of the most important cards I make. When a friend loses a loved one I like to make a sympathy card for their family.  As I make the card I think about them and pray for them.  It's a way of healing and connecting for me, and it personalizes each card.  



This card was made for one of my cardmaking friends.  She has taught me just how beautiful a Clean And Simple (CAS) card can be.  My color inspiration came from the gorgeous photo at Stampin' Celebration. 




Doesn't that spark your creative mojo?  I'm in love with the yummy colors and plan to make another card inspired by this photo.  Perhaps a birthday card or even a Christmas card.  I hope you will check out the challenge and see what my fellow design team members have created.  I can't wait to see what you come up with using this inspiration photo.

One last thing before I go.   Tomorrow is the last day leave a comment on THIS POST for your chance to win a spot in the A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0 online card class.   :)  




Supplies
Stamps: Flora and Fauna (Wplus9), Forever in our Hearts (Verve)
Ink: Blushing Bride - Lost Lagoon- Pink Pirouette - Soft Sky - Versamark (Stampin' UP!), Aqua Mist (PaperTreyInk)
Paper: Soft Sky - Whisper White (SU), Distress Watercolor Paper (Tim Holtz)
Accessories: Sparkling Clear Sequins - Stitched Duo 1 (Pretty Pink Posh), Aquapainter - White Embossing Powder (SU)

10.25.2014

Sew Saturday ~ October Finish

Thank you again Melissa and Shanna for continuing to offer A Lovely Year of Finishes!   There is something about your goals out there for the world to see and having a place to showcase those finishes that makes it easier to accomplish those goals. If it weren't for ALYOF on busy months I  might just set aside my goals and procrastinate my finishes.


I haven't had a ton of time at the sewing machine this month.  In fact the only time I have spent sewing in the past 2 weeks has been on cards.  Thankfully it has been cold enough for me to snuggle under this quilt at nights and hand sew the binding on my Michael Miller quilt.   My goal for October was to finish this project and I'm happy to report that I have, with time to spare.  I need another hand sewing project for the evenings, so I think I will pick up block 3 of my Christmas applique and start working on it.



The two completed blocks need berries and vines.   The block is stitched together and I have my freezer paper pieces cut out.  Before Christmas I have one more charity block I would like to finish.  It's turning out to look like a Christmas quilt.  I was just going to leave it as is, but that would make it a baby quilt.  This would mean it would likely need to go to a baby born at Christmas time, and that is a little too specific for a charity quilt without knowing who I'm going to give it away to.  Instead, I decided to add some borders to make it into a lap quilt.



This could be given to someone of any age this holiday season.  Of course the quilt could be used year round.  There is just something about using red and green together that makes it feel "Christmasy".  That is why I am making the borders Cream & Brown, to pull out those colors from the quilt and make it usable beyond the holiday season.  What do you think?

Speaking of creating for Christmas, I wanted to let you all know about a new card class that I have designed some cards and videos for.  If you would like some ideas for simple to elaborate cards to make in time to send out this Christmas consider taking A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0!  One of the trends for 2014 is sewing on cards.  Right up or alley, isn't it?  :)  Clicky to see a sample.







Time for me to get back to sewing on this blustery day.  I just watched a youtube video on how to create mitered corners.  I think I will give it a try on this charity quilt. How are you doing on your October goals?


ALYoF2014
October Finishes

10.23.2014

Rainbow Christmas Stencil ~ A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0 Card Class Is Open ~ Video

A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0 opens today and I am so excited to share it with all of you!!! Tuesday I showed you the monochromatic version of this card inspired by the Stencil trend in cardmaking.  Clicky to check it out if you missed it.  Today I am back with the rainbow version.



Plus, as promised, I have another video for you.  ***Note, if you are reading this post in an email or reader you may need to go to my blog to view the video below.



I'm linking this up with the Merry Monday challenge.  This week the challenge is to use non-traditional colors.  I think this card fits, don't you.  Merry Monday is also a great resource for anyone wanting to jumpstart your Christmas creativity.


-------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, back to the class.




Class is OPEN!  I'm so excited the doors are finally open for A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0 !!!  Planning for this class began back in August and all the hard work has paid off just in time to get your Holiday card making mojo flowing.   Now you can get inspired to get your Christmas cards done in time to mail them out before Christmas.

Here is what the class has to offer
  • Top Ten Trends for the 2014 Holiday Season
  • 50 card/tag samples
  • 19 videos (including 4 from me!)
  • written tutorials 
  • BONUS- Sketches

During this class you will learn from a top line-up of designers covering topics like these:

  • Creative uses for dies
  • Faux Watercoloring with Distress Markers
  • Inlaid Die Cutting techniques
  • Simple cards that pack a huge WOW
  • How to make metal accent pieces
  • Simple coloring with copics
  • Emboss Resist techniques
  • Watercoloring embossed images
  • CASEing cards, but making them your own
  • How to get perfectly aligned layers
  • Masking Techniques
  • and more!


As an added perk, StampNation members get a $10 off coupon.  Yes, this applies to new members too!  Click here to start your StampNation membership.

Ready to start the funnest class you've ever been in?  This is nothing like high school, my friends.  Click here to join in the fun.  Be sure to wait for your screen to change and log in after payment.

As an added bonus Catherine Pooler has given me one free class to give away!!!  Woot Woot!

To enter to win, just leave me a comment on this blog post telling me, "How many Christmas cards you would like to send out this year?"  

***Deadline to enter is Tuesday, October 28th at 9pm PST

Supplies:
Stamps: Christmas Sparkle (Clearly Besotted), Merry Christmas Messages (Hero Arts)
Ink: Fired Brick, Festive Berries - Peacock Feathers - Mowed Lawn - Evergreen Bough (Distress Inks)
Paper: Distress Watercolor Paper (Tim Holtz), Basic Black - Whisper White (Stampin' UP!)

Accessories: Cursive Merry Stencil (Memory Box), White Embossing Powder (SU), Mini Distress Tool (Tim Holtz), Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Spritz (Tsukineko)

10.22.2014

Fall is in the Air

Today is a day Winnie the Pooh would call a blustery day.   The wind is howling through the trees and leaves are dancing across the way.  Rain is pouring down in buckets.  (or at least is was while I was loading groceries in the car)  It's a perfect day for sitting in front of the fire with a warm beverage or at the stamp table without guilt.  :)

The weather is also perfect for the challenge this week at StampNation.  The challenge is to use leaves on your project.  If you have not checked it out yet, you have to see the AMAZING card that Allison created with some Holly Leaves.  Oh my gorgeousness!  One of my all time favorite cards. 
 

For my card, I went all out.  I went into my yard and picked up some colorful leaves off the ground for inspiration.

Either I had a stroke of genius or I may have gone a bit too far with my craft when I punched shapes out of those leaves to add to my card.  What do you think?  Aren't the colors incredible? YES!  These are leaves I see when I look out my windows.  In fact, now I have some brilliant yellow and orange leaves out there as well.   I love living in the Pacific Northwest.


Soon after I made this card I made a card for the Inspired By series at StampNation.   Leaves were still on my mind, as  you can tell.  I wanted to add some gold and chocolate sequins to my cards, but didn't have any.  Then in a stroke of genius I checked out my mixes of sequins from Pretty Pink Posh and found both in her different Christmas mixes!  Woot-Woot!  It was like finding a treasure.  :)  I'm so easy to please.  


This time I stamped the leaves.  Want to see how this card was created?  Be sure to check out my video in the Classroom at StampNation.   Clicky here if you are a member.  Not yet a member?  Click here to join today.



One last bit of info for your midweek.  Tomorrow A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0 Card class officially launches.  The class is open today, a day early, for StampNation members only.  Be sure to grab your $10 off coupon if you are a member.   

Supplies
Stamps: Fall Foliage (My Favorite Things) Defining Words (Wplus9)
Ink: Golden Glitz Delicata (Tsukineko),Cajun Craze - Cherry Cobbler - Hello Honey - Mossy Meadow - Tangelo Twist (Stampin' UP!)
Paper: Very Vanilla
Accessories: Linen Thread (Stampin' UP!), Stitched Film Strip Die - Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), Wood Heart (Studio Calico)

10.21.2014

Trendy Tuesday ~ Stenciled Christmas

Are you ready to see my first official Trendy Christmas card of 2014?  A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0 begins on Thursday.  (Wednesday for StampNation members with a $10 off coupon)  In the meantime I thought I would show you a card I made that was inspired by the class.


Believe it or not, this would be an easy card to mass produce if you like all your Christmas cards to be the same.  Watch the video below to see just how easy it is.




Be sure to come back on Thursday, the official launch day, where I will have a special giveaway and a look at another card I made with similar supplies in a watercolor rainbow look.



Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Merry Christmas Messages (Hero Arts)
Ink: Broken China, Peacock Feathers, Salty Ocean, Tumbled Glass (Distress Inks), Black Onyx (Versafine)
Paper: Vellum Cardstock (SU), Distress Watercolor Paper (Tim Holtz), Whisper White Cardstock (SU)
Accessories: Cursive Merry Stencil (Memory Box), Glimmer Mist Pearl (Tattered Angels), Clear Embossing Powder (SU)

10.16.2014

Christmas is Coming

Just like you I hate going to the store and seeing Christmas lights on the same aisle as the Halloween candy. I like to celebrate my holidays one at at time, but us crafters have to work ahead a little bit if we want our projects done on time.

Stenciled Christmas-Mixed Font
Blue Christmas (Left)
Rainbow Christmas (Right)
That is what I have been doing for the past couple of weeks.  Catherine Pooler and Maureen Merritt invited me, along with several other designers, to join in their upcoming class. A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0  To say I was excited is an understatement.  We've actually been working on this class since last summer, but my creative juices really started flowing after the weather turned cold.  It's just hard for me to think of reindeer dashing through the snow when I'm outside baking in the hot sun pulling weeds.  Know what I mean?

Wishing You
If you are like me and you have been putting off working on your holiday cards, don't fear.   This class is sure to put you in the Christmas spirit and give a serious jumpstart to your creativity.  In fact I have been so inspired that I've made several cards that aren't even a part of that class.  I'll be sharing some of them on my blog and StampNation.

Holly Jolly

Class starts next week.  Wednesday for StampNation members and Thursday for everyone else.  How about I kick off my Holiday card series with a video on Monday?   Can you spot some of the trends I used on the card sneak peeks?

Blendabilities Bird

Let me know what you think the most popular trend is for Christmas cards this year.  Do you have a favorite among these sneak peeks?  Let me know that too and I will pick the most popular for my video on Monday.


P.S.  All of these sneak peeks were either inspired by the trends showcased in A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0 or were made for the class and weren't needed.  If these didn't make the cut, you know you will want to see the ones that did.   Did I mention we have an awesome line-up of designers?  So many samples to inspire you!  Thank you for being patient with me the past couple of weeks as I worked on this instead of posting daily cards.





10.15.2014

Hope You Can Cling To

October is breast cancer awareness month, a subject that is near and dear to my heart, as it is to so many of you.  Every woman on my dad's side of the family, over the age of 50 has had breast cancer.  Most of them have fought the battle and survived, which gives me hope.  My aunt fought cancer and went into remission.  She started feeling sick about 10 years later and ignored it.  By the time she went to the doctor her cancer had come back and quickly spread through her body.  She passed soon after.  




My hope is that a cure for cancer will be found soon!  In the meantime, be sure to get your yearly exams and have every lump checked.  Early detection is key and it might just put your mind at ease to find out your cyst is benign.  If not, then girlfriend, we are in this fight together.  Just today I said a prayer for you for strength to make it through the day and healing for your tomorrows.

PinkPowerBloghop-01

Chiatali created a wonderful stamp set for Breast Cancer Awareness in honor of her mother who was recently diagnosed. I will be ordering this stamp set soon.  In the meantime, you can check it out, read her story and hop along with her blog hop here.


My card colors came from last week's Colour Q challenge.



The current inspiration at The Cutting Edge Challenge is a card with an adorable airplane in the sky.  My card design is similar, with the wreath of hope at the top of the card, gaps in the die cut to see the background paper behind it and lots of "white space".  (or pink space, in my case)



Last, but not least, is the hope you can cling to month long challenges at Splitcoast Stampers.  This card fits at least 3 categories.  Missing element (the hole in the wreath), Holding It Together (I used a safety pin to stick my ribbon onto the wreath), and Chicks Stick Together (I used silver ink to ink up the word friend on the background stamp).

Supplies:
Stamps: Defining Words (Wplus9), Fight Like A Girl (A*Muse Studio), Woodland Wreaths (Wplus9)
Ink: Pink Pirouette (SU), Black Onyx (Versamark), Silver Shimmer Delicata (Tsukineko)
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Basic Black, Whisper White (SU)
Accessories: Woodland Wreath Die (Wplus9), Pink Pirouette Taffeta Ribbon (SU), Basic Rhinestones (SU)









10.13.2014

Merry Monday with Stampin' Celebration

This week at Stampin' Celebration Challenge we have a sketch for you!


It's time for me to get serious about making Christmas cards, so I pulled out this new set, White Christmas from Stampin' UP!, to get my mojo flowing.  To add just a bit of color to my snow white scene I pulled out my blendabilities.


Head on over to the Stampin' Celebration blog to see how the rest of the design team did, and to welcome our newest design team member.  Then, be sure to enter your own creation into the challenge.

Supplies
Stamps: White Christmas (SU)
Ink: London Fog & Tuxedo Black(Memento), Coastal Cabana & Pumpkin Pie & Rich Razzleberry Blendabilities (SU)
Paper: All is Calm DSP (SU), Smoky Slate & Whisper White Cardstock (SU)
Accessories: All is Calm Washi Tape (SU), Circles Framelits (SU)

White ChristmasClear Photoplolymer
All is Calm Washi Tape


10.05.2014

Sew Sunday ~ ALYOF

October is a great month for quilting.  As the weather gets cold it is nice to stay warm under a soft quilt.   My ALYOF goal for this month is to finish  my Michael Miller MQG challenge quilt.  All that is left is the binding.  Last Wednesday I chose my fabric thanks to help from a few of my guild mates.  I was planning on using yellow or the lighter orange, but that is not what I ended up with.


Orange is not a color I am drawn to, but it was the perfect choice for this fabric.  As you can see I also had to buy some orange thread because I own none. Today I will cut the binding into strips, sew them together and machine sew it to the front of my quilt.  For the rest of the month I will hand sew the binding to the back of my quilt.  I'm so happy it is finally cool enough in the mornings and evenings to snuggle under a quilt and sew.


I've also put together the 3rd block for my Holiday Chic quilt and will be working on appliquing the pieces after I finish the binding.  While my husband watches TV at night I have to keep my hands busy.  :)

If our guild puts up the instructions for a block of the month I will hopefully get that done by the end of the month.  We meet the first Wednesday of the month, so I have a little play room there.  Speaking of the South Sound Modern Quilt Guild, at our last meeting we did a pincushion exchange.  Here is the pincushion I made.


I filled the mason jar with some bright buttons from Stampin' UP! and an empty spool from Pretty Pink Posh.  The stretch ribbon also came from my Stampin' UP! stash.  I love it when my two hobbies collide and make something wonderful! This was so easy to make that I am thinking about doing a video tutorial for you.  Let me know if that is something you would be interested in.  ;)

My last 2 goals are to quilt the Christmas Jelly Roll Race quilt and to decide which quilt to piece next.  Perhaps I should get back to work on my star quilt I abandoned last year.  Or, I could finish off the rest of the Jelly Roll and piece the pink/teal/purple strips.   Then again, I did get some super cute Christmas themed charm packs that are begging to be made into a quilt before the holidays are upon us.   It's funny how big I dream at the beginning of the month and how I struggle to just finish the first thing on my sewing list at the end.

ALYoF2014
October Goals

10.04.2014

World Card Making Day

Happy World Card Making Day to you!  Are you spending the weekend crafting?  To be honest, I haven't made a card all weekend, but I have been inspired by all the cards up at StampNation and around blog land.

At StampNation we started the celebration  yesterday when WCMD first hit the globe and we are traveling to 12 iconic destinations as WCMD hits around the world.  Fun, right?  I have 3 exclusive videos up for members and cards made for 4 of the challenges.  As a design team member, I'm not eligible to win one of the fabulous prizes, but YOU ARE!  Here is the long list of sponsors giving away prizes just for making a card and uploading it to one of our challenges...  










This event is exclusive to StampNation members!
You WILL want to join in the fun.

There are also a couple of coupon codes, so be sure to check out the sponsor page before you shop.  ;)  Would you like to see a sneak peek of my cards? The first 3 have videos up in the Classroom forum.









How are you spending World Card Making Day?  As soon as I finish my next blog post I will be doing some Copic coloring and avoiding making dinner.  :)


10.01.2014

World Card Making Day is Coming!

Did you know there is a day each year set aside just for cardmaking?  I knew National Scrapbook Day is the first Saturday in May, but when I became a card maker I heard that the first Saturday in October is World Card Making Day.  (or WCMD for short)

You will find lots of celebrations in blog land.  Over at StampNation we are planning an awesome party to celebrate.  We will be starting at 8am EST on October 3rd when WCMD officially hits earth and traveling around the globe until Sunday morning when it last reaches our planet.  Pretty fun, huh?  Along the way we will be stopping at some of the 24 countries represented by StampNation members.



Oh, and did I forget to mention, there will be prizes and discount shopping codes?  What could be more fun than spending the weekend making cards, shopping and possibly winning a new stampy goody?  I'm in!  (ok, so I can't win any prizes, but I can sure shop with the discount. ;)

Here is a sneak peek of just a handful of the inspiration coming your way from the dream team and guests.


Are you inspired already?  I know I am!   I hope you will be joining us at StampNation, or at least take some time this weekend to make a card.  If you are not yet and member and want to participate you can do so by joining now.  Clicky.

If you are curious about StampNation and want to learn more, Clicky.