Red Green and White Christmas

Merry Monday's Challenge for the week was Red, White and Green.  I actually made this card on Thanksgiving day while waiting for the turkey to cook, but never got the picture taken or post put up.  What can I say?  I was enjoying creating without deadlines.  :)  I'm not in time for the challenge, but I still think this is a cute card design, so I'm sharing it with you.  Plus, it's week 5 in a row of completing the Merry Monday Challenge by making at least 2 cards inspired by the challenge in some way.

My first order from Whimsy Stamps came this week and they put in a couple of extra stamps that I just had to ink up.  I thought the "Candy Cane Wishes" was perfect for the candy cane brads that I've neglected to use yet.

My second card adds in the craft color, and uses the second freebie stamp sent to me.  I oopsied and got some red ink on my clear block which I then got onto my paper.  The solution I came up with was to add stickles to all the dots, including my oopsie, to make it look like I meant it to be there.

My favorite touch is that adorable stocking charm.  Stockings are my favorite part of Christmas morning.  It was in the clearance section, so if you like it, be sure to hop on over there ASAP.  I bought two packs and I'm thinking about buying a 3rd one during their cyber Monday sale to go along with the 30% stamp sets I need to buy.  

Sparkling Tree ~ Video

Happy Thanksgiving!  I'm so grateful to each and every one of  you that visits my blog.  The best way I know to thank you is to share a video with you.  The cards I am showing you today will soon (hopefully) be sent out to my Stampin' UP! customers that have ordered from me in the past couple of months.

One of the joys of being a Stampin' UP! demonstrator is that I get to send out cards to cardmakers.  They appreciate them so much.  My business has grown over the past 8 months to the point where I wasn't sure if I could continue to send out handmade cards, but the response I get from my customers when they receive their happy mail makes me want to continue.  

Here's what I love about this seasons thanks-to-you cards.
1.) Sparkly and pretty
2.) Easy to mail
3.) Quick to assemble
4.) Enough variety to keep my interest

If you haven't started making Christmas cards yet, you still can.  These cards come together at lightning speed! 

***Direct link to you tube if you cannot see the video below http://youtu.be/g3PgglStUKU

Thank you to each and every one of my customers, blog followers and youtube watchers!  You motivate me daily to create.

All supplies are from Stampin' UP!
Stamps: Festival of Trees
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Lost Lagoon, Versamark, Wild Wasabi
Paper: Soft Sky, Whisper White
Accessories: Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Dimensionals

BLACK FRIDAY- Just a head's up about some online deals going on.

Stampin' UP! is celebrating all week long with special deals available while supplies last.  Clicky

Pretty Pink Posh is offering 15% off all sequins & dies with a code you can find in the link.  It's a great tie to pick up some Sparkling Clear.   Clicky

Ellen Huston has a doorbuster starting at 12am PST and running until 7am PST! Don't worry if you miss it, because they have another sale running from Friday through Monday.  Clicky 

Plus they are giving away gifts with every order! I'm such a sucker for gifts with purchase, but I LOVE this limited edition die design by Julie Ebersol for this event.  I hope the turkey doesn't put me into too deep a sleep to get in on this deal. 

Butterfly Reflections is also having a week long sale.  Clicky

Check out your favorite individual stamp companies to see if any of them have special deals going on.  Bring Christmas to your mailbox early!  Happy Shopping!

Pink and Aqua Snowflakes

The current sketch at CAS(E) this sketch is so versatile, that I had to make another batch of cards.  Clicky to see my double wreath post.

Big Focal Point + Big Sentiment Underneath = Clean & Simple Perfection!  I'm adding this formula to my rotation.  :)

First up is this lovely Pink snowflake.  To make some of the layers sparkly I applied versamark to pink pirouette cardstock, then covered it with iridescent ice embossing powder.  I heat set the embossing powder, then ran it through the Big Shot with my dies.  

Here is my first design.  Clean and simple perfection, but I think I like the added layers of vellum and bling on the pink card.  Which do you prefer?

Just to be sure I made a few more.  6 in total, plus the 2 from the previous post.  I would say I was super inspired by this weeks sketch.  :)

Ink: Versamark
Paper: Pink Pirouette - Whisper White (Stampin' UP!), Surf Blue (Simon Says Stamp); Vellum Cardstock (SU)
Accessories: Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder (Stampin' UP!); Eliza Snowflake - Kate Snowflake (Simon Says Stamp); Joyous Wishes (Penny Black); Jewel Bling

Double Wreaths

Holiday goodness coming your way.  First up, in honor of American Thanksgiving tomorrow, I have a gratitude card.

Stamps: Woodland Wreath (Wplus9) ; Big Day-Today (Waltzing Mouse Stamps)

Ink: Versamark

Paper: Very Vanilla Cardstock (SU)
Accessories: Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder (Ranger); Woodland Wreath Die (Wplus9); 1/8" Silver Taffeta Ribbon (Stampin' UP!); Metallic Bronze Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh)

Both of my cards were made using the current sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch.

My second card got its color inspiration from a new blog challenge showCASe your style.   This week's challenge is sponsored by Whimsy Stamps.  Not a new company, but new to me.  I just placed my first order last weekend and my stamps were already in my mailbox today!  Clear across the county.  I love fast customer service!  Hopefully I will have energy to play with my new goodies after turkey tomorrow.  :)

Such an elegant combination.  I had to try to make an equally elegant card to go with it.

Stamps: Woodland Wreaths (Wplus9); Alpine Christmas (Waltzing Mouse Stamps)
Ink: Versmark
Paper: Basic Black & Whisper White (Stampin' UP!)

Accessories: Woodland Wreaths Die (Wplus9); Princess Gold Embossing Powder (Ranger); Deco Labels (Stampin' UP!); Silver Wired Ribbon (???); Gold Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh)

Check out my next post to see how I took the sketch and made it snow.  :)

Online Extravaganza

***If you are here for the Stampin' Celebration challenge, click here, or scroll down to see my previous post. ***

Stampin' UP! is running a week long Online Extravaganza with discounts from 30%-50% off!   They are also offering  2 special 24 hour door busters!  The first one is today, and products are only available while supplies last.  There will be another 24 hour door buster on Friday, so be sure to do some Black Friday shopping in your jammies.  :)

Be sure to stock up on your Fast Fuse refills at 50% off.  Pick some of the punches and embossing folders you've been holding out on.  If you haven't yet purchased the magnetic platform, TODAY IS THE DAY!  It's on sale for the first time.  I can't hardly use my Big Shot without it anymore.

Click here to see all the items in the Online Extravaganza

Here is a snapshot of my order that I placed this morning.  Do you think 10 Fast Fuse refills is going to be enough?  Perhaps I will order again on Friday's doorbuster.  :)

I'm working on editing the video of my Fall SU thank you cards. It should be up on my blog this week. Want to see a peek at one of the cards you might be getting if you place an order this month?

I better go make my shopping list for Thanksgiving.  The pie requests this year are Apple, Pumpkin and Chocolate.  There has also been 2 requests for a very large turkey.  I better go get one today!

Wreath on Weathered Wood ~ Video

Merry Monday to you.  Christmas is getting closer and I'm so excited to start decorating our house next week.  Every year my mom orders a wreath for herself and another one for me and it usually arrives Thanksgiving week.   Every time I walk through our front door, after my wreath arrives, I think of my mom and the fact that she is enjoying her wreath as much as I am.  It has become a sweet tradition since moving from CA to WA.  The miles may separate us, but love and tradition knit our heartstrings together.

This new tradition is probably why I love wreath stamps so much.  Each year I have to make a few cards with a wreath on them.  When I saw the new photo inspiration at Stampin' Celebration challenge I knew instantly I had to make a wreath on a weathered wood door.

The technique I used to create the faux wood is soooooo easy.  Here's a video to show you how.  Don't blink or you might miss it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ACiVIHvMzY

Stamps: Woodland Wreaths (WPlus9); Seasonal Flourish (WMS)
Ink: Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Versamark (Stampin' UP!); White Paper (Fresh Ink)
Paper: Basic Gray, Whisper White (Stampin' UP)
Accessories: Crystal Effects (Stampin' UP!); Princess Gold Embossing Powder (Ranger); Woodland Wreaths Die (Wplus9)

Want more fresh ideas for your Christmas cards and tags this season?  Be sure to check out A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0.

http://www.catherinepooler.com/trendyholidayHN

eta:  It just so happens that this card fits the new CAS(E) this Sketch challenge.  Great minds think alike.  I have 2 more cards sitting on my craft table that I hope to enter later this week, but I thought I would link this one up today.  :)

Jingling Bells of Christmas

Sorry, no sewing updates this week.  I'm on Christmas card crunch time.  My goal is to have all my cards done so that I can ship them the first week of December.  To help me reach my goal, and not get bored, I'm entering in lots of challenges.  :)

If you check out the design team samples at Merry Monday Challenge you will see that I was completely taken with Kristie Goulet's sample.   Let me tell you, it wasn't easy getting baker's twine through the tiny bells, but I knew it would be worth it!  The entire design team did a fabulous job, be sure to check them out if you want some inspiration for yourself.

Two Tips for creating this card:
1) Use a needle threader to get the twine through the hole at the top of the bell.

2) Swipe ink on the edges of white cardstock to get a perfectly matched mat.

3.) Use same ink to lightly sponge the edges of DSP and cardstock to add depth and contrast between the layers.

I'm also linking this card up with the current CASology challenge.  The little flag in the top left corner wasn't in my head in the original design, but I think it's the detail that finishes off the card.   I considered adding sequins, but wanted to keep my card "clean" and have the jingle bells be the star of the show.

Supplies:
Stamps: Peace On Earth (Verve)
Ink: Lost Lagoon (SU)
Paper: Winter in the Woods DSP Stack (DVWV); Whisper White (SU)
Accessories: Tiny Jingle Bells, White Baker's Twine (SU)

Merry & Bright ~ Fusion Challenge

Every year, when I was a child, the magic of Christmas was felt in my room nightly.  My dad would put up his large bulb, multi-colored lights on the front of the house and little multi-colored lights around each window.  My room was in the front of the house, along with my brother's, so we would go to sleep in the soft glow of Christmas lights all through December.

After taking the A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0 class I had to re-create Catherine Pooler's string of lights card.  I created a similar background using supplies I had on hand and purchased the string of lights die from Penny Black so I could make lights of my own.  They are a great reminder of my childhood Christmas.  (even though I insist of having white icicle lights on my own home)

My lights were colored with Copics, then wink of stella pen, and finally covered in glossy accents.  Then my background and lights sat on my table for a few weeks waiting for the perfect challenge or sketch to pull it all together.  The new Fusion Card Challenge seemed perfect to me!

When I saw the big circle in the sketch I knew I could use some yellow ink to create a nice glow.  To add just a bit more sparkle I used some Iridescent Ice embossing powder on my banner.  The lights were already sparkly and bright. Thank you Fusion Card Challenge for helping me create the card that will go to my parents this Christmas!

Stamps: Christmas Bliss (Stampin' UP!)
Ink: Black Onyx (Versafine); Festive Berries, Fired Brick, Salty Ocean, Squeezed Lemonade (Distress)
Copics: B02, B04, B05, G02, G05, YG41, RV25, R29, R59, Y11, Y08, Y19, YR65, YR68, R24
Paper: Neenah Solar White, Whisper White (SU)
Accessories: Translucent Embossing Paste (Wendy Vecchi), Zig Zag Stencil (SimonSaysStamp) , Sparkle String (Penny Black)

Inspired By ~ Gift Card Holders ~ StampNation Sneak Peek

Today in the StampNation classroom I am showing you how to create these simple, yet adorable, gift card holders.

Click here to learn more about StampNation benefits and to become a member.

Butterflies In November

There is a story here.   The current sketch at Retro Sketches had me wanting to create a snowflake border with watercolor blues & purples.   I went to my stamp room and discovered that I never bought the snowflake die.  (what is wrong with me?)  Instead I decided to try my design idea with my butterfly die. My idea was to die cut the watercolor background, but it was so pretty that I decided to cut the die out of Glimmer Paper and let both pieces shine.

Thank you Retro Sketches for a wonderful, and versatile sketch.  I look forward to seeing what the new one will be tomorrow.

Stamps: Big Day - Today (Waltzing Mouse Stamps)

Ink: Festive Berries, Peacock Feathers, Salty Ocean, Seedless Preserves (Distress Inks); Versamark (SU)

Paper: Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper (Stampin' UP!); Distress Watercolor Paper (Tim Holtz)

Accessories: Black Embossing Powder (SU); Kensington Border Die (Memory Box)

Bokeh Snowflakes ~ Video

Today's card was inspired by a card I made last summer exclusively for the StampNation classroom.  I made two watercolor backgrounds that day, and this card I'm showing on my blog today was inspired by that first card.

In the heat of August I created this snowy scene to cool me down. I've waited to share it with you because I made it for A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0 and I wasn't sure if it would make it into the class or not.  Can you spot the trends I used?  We had so many awesome samples from our amazing team of designers that this card didn't make the cut, so I get to share it with all of you!  Doesn't that make you want to see the other cards in this class that did make the cut?  

Check out the video below to see how it is made.  If you cannot see the video click the direct link to watch it on youtube.  http://youtu.be/M7yvDALmbPs

There may be a few too many sequins, or perhaps not.  It's almost Christmas time, so I say, "bring on the bling!".

If you are a StampNation member you can click the link to see my original Bokeh technique video: Inspired By #3  

If you are not a member and would like to become one, click the link:  Learn more about StampNation.   My next installment of Inspired By is coming out on Friday, and a new challenge went up today with a sponsor prize.

Imagine Crafts is our sponsor this week for StampNation.  Here is a sneak peek at how the design team was inspired.

If you are looking for the trendiest Christmas card class online be sure to check out A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0.  I have 4 exclusive videos for the class.  :)  http://www.catherinepooler.com/trendyholidayHN

REMINDER- Tomorrow is the LAST DAY for StampNation members to use their $10 off coupon code for A Very Trendy Holiday.  

Supplies
Stamps: Alpine Christmas (Waltzing Mouse Stamps); Snowflake Soiree (Stampin' UP!); Vintage Snowflakes (The Crafts Meow)
Ink: Broken China- Peacock Feathers- Tumbled Glass (Distress Inks); White Paper (Fresh Ink); Versamark (SU)
Paper: Basic Gray (SU); Distress Watercolor Paper (Ranger); White (Bazzil)
Accessories: Sparkling Clear- Sweetheart Mix- Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh); Stitched Rectangles Die (Lil' Inker Designs); Studio Matte Medium (Ranger); White Embossing Powder (SU)

Melting For You

Baby it's cold outside, but it's warm in the hobby room.  :)  When the space heater gets cranked up in that room in the garage it's a cozy warm place to be.  Walking through the frigid garage to get to it is the hard part.  Thankfully my husband went first and got the room heating up while I was at work on Sunday so I could come home and get crafty.

This is one of the cards I made.  The colors remind me of ice, so it was appropriate for our weather.  I was inspired by the gorgeous cake photo and sketch at Fusion Card Challenges.    I wish I had the camera setup to show you how I made the watercolor panel, but it was playtime and that would have meant cleaning up my stamp table first.   ;)  If you would like to see a video on this technique, leave me a comment letting me know.

As I was writing up the supply list, I realized this is a Stampin' UP only card.  That is pretty rare for me these days.  :) 

Supplies: (Stampin' UP)
Stamps: Chalk Lines, Tag Talk 

Ink: Coastal Cabana, Pool Party, Tempting Turquoise, Versamark
Paper: Watercolor Paper, Whisper White, Pool Party

Accessories: Aquapainter, Basic Rhinestones, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch, Artisan Label Punch, White Embossing Powder

Sew Saturday ~ In Progress

My sewing machine has seen some action this week.  :)  First up, my half square triangle quilt top is sewn together.

Now I need to decide if I want to do borders, what size, how many, which color/pattern design????  How would YOU finish this quilt?  I'm leaning towards no borders because I can't come up with something that will pull it all together.  Below is the gray scale version from my camera.

Since I was avoiding putting the mitered borders on my jelly roll race quilt, I decided to sew on some cards this week too.  Nothing like procrastinating on my ALYOF goal that I set for myself this month.  ;)

Did you know that you can sew on your cards?  Sewing through paper is SUPER easy!  It doesn't shift or move as much as fabric and the needle goes through paper like buttah.

Enough of sewing triangles.  I really do need to get the JRRace quilt done in time to give it to my guild in early December.  I'm happy to report that last night I finished the mitered borders.  If I can just decide how to quilt it, perhaps I can get started on that this weekend and maybe even have it finished next week.

The month is halfway done and I am 1/3 of the way to reaching my ALYOF goal.  Will I make it in time?  If I can decide soon how to quilt this thing, then I think I can.

Banner Christmas

After I made my pennant tag cards I had several leftover triangles.  While debating whether to save them or toss them I decided to just USE them to make another card.  (Novel idea, I know)  

This also gave me another chance to enter 2 of the challenges I did for my tag cards.  First up is The Card Concept.  My cards tend to be Clean & Layered or Classy & Elegant.  Both of those styles appeal to me.  I like having clean lines and more than one layer.   That fits this card when I added an extra piece of background paper to the card base.  If  you are looking to define your style, this challenge and the Design Team samples can be a great place to start.   See what you are drawn to, and which style most closely match your own.  

Christmas Banners are the perfect definition of "Festive" for me, so of course I have to add this card the CASology challenge again.   If you are looking for ways to make your cards become Clean & Simple to perfection, then check out this weekly challenge.  Focusing on one thing in a clean way really helps make my card sing.

Supplies:

Stamps: Wonderful & Jolly (Penny Black)

Ink: Cherry Cobbler (SU)

Paper: Crumb Cake, Champagne Glimmer Paper, Trim the Tree DSP Stack, Nordic Noel DSP (SU)

Accessories: Pennant Punch, Small Star Punch, Stitched Rectangles (SU) (Lil' Inker Designs); Sewing Machine

Negative Space with a Positive Outcome

Have you ever missed a deadline because you were in the wrong week in your planner?  Yes? No?  Just me?  I did that this week.  On Tuesday I missed my dog's grooming appointment in the morning because I thought it was the day I was supposed to be at the dentist.  On Wednesday I didn't have a card ready to go for the current challenge at StampNation because I thought it was our sponsor week, (that card was done weeks ago) when in fact that is next week as well.  Aye yi yi.  Some weeks I truly wonder about myself.

All is well, and I am back on track with my days.  Thankfully Maureen is very understanding and let me slide for this week.  Our groomer was also accommodating and Bella will be getting "pretty" next week.  Unfortunately I still have another week to dread going to the dentist.  On the bright side, I get to share my Design Team cards with YOU because I didn't get them posted in time for the challenge at StampNation.  How is that for turning negative into positive?

Did I mention the challenge this week (for real) is to use Negative Space on your cards?  Fitting isn't it?   Thankfully the challenges at StampNation never close, so I can go add them to the challenge thread after I post here.

As you can see I was super inspired by this theme.  I chose blue ornaments so I could keep up with my personal 6 week Merry Monday challenge.   For each of these cards I die cut my ornament/circle out of white cardstock, then layered the ornament stamp/glitter paper behind.  The die cut piece was embossed then popped up using dimensionals over the ornament paper.

MM#134

 If you have ever mixed up your weeks like this, I would love to hear about it in the comments below.  If you never have, then please share your organized secret!

If you would like more information on StampNation, and/or to join the fastest growing online community of passionate paper crafters, clicky here.

Fancy Stamped Ornament
Stamps: Ornament Keepsakes (SU); Seasonal Flourishes (WMS)

Ink: Night of Navy, Versamark (SU)

Paper: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Night of Navy
Accessories: Holiday Ornament Framelits (SU),;Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder (Ranger); Wink of Stella Glitter Pen

Glitter Ornament  (all Stampin' UP!)
Stamps: Christmas Bliss 

Ink: Lost Lagoon 

Paper: Various Glimmer Papers, Whisper White
Accessories: Circle Framelits, Early Espresso 1/8" Tafffeta Ribbon, Silver 1/8" Ribbon, Decorative Dots Embossing Folder

Festive Tags

Tracey McNeely's 25 tags of Christmas blog hop has me so inspired that I've made 3 more tags and put them on some Christmas cards.

Punches and dies made these tags super simple!  I used my Stampin' UP! Pennant Punch for the triangle banners, then used my sewing machine to attach them to a stitched tag I cut out using the Stitched Duo 1 tag from Pretty Pink Posh.

One of the tags leans to the left, the other one is straight.

Both fit the sketch for CASE this Sketch.  Which one do you prefer?

 

For good measure, I made a 3rd card and changed up the sketch a bit by adding a narrow border on each side.  I smudged my sentiment on this 3rd tag, so I used that as an opportunity to embellish.  ;)  The little sentiment strip was sewn on with my sewing machine to tie into the stitching on the pennants.

All 3 tags fit the current challenge on Addicted to CAS.   Festive makes me think "Christmas & Happy".  Pennant scream FUN to me. 

eta: I just have to link up to one more challenge in honor of my friend, Kristie Goulet's new design team spot over at the Card Concept.  This is an awesome challenge that inspires me every time I visit their blog.  I'm so proud of Kristie in her new role on their design team.  They are lucky to have her with her trendy CAS style!  My cards look like they were created with this challenge and CAS style in mind.

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Peace On Earth (Verve)
Ink: Versamark
Paper: Crumb Cake, Nordic Noel DSP, Whisper White (SU)
Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder, Pennant Punch (SU); Black Baker's Twine, Stitched Duo 1 Die (Pretty Pink Posh); Sewing Machine