Lovely Snowflake Christmas Card

This week I have been traveling down to CA to see my family and new baby niece.  <3  I hope to have lots of pictures to share with you when I get back.  In the meantime I have another Clean and Simple Christmas card that will be perfect for mailing.  No bumpy/lumpy things to stop up the machines.

I'm linking up to the CAS-ual Fridays challenge to add a little metal.  Those tiny diamonds were die cut out of red foil paper.  The camera didn't even come close to capturing the sparkle of this card.

Stamps: Lovely Snowflake (CAS-ual Fridays Stamps) Scenery: Holiday Trimmings (Winnie & Walter)
Ink: Real Red, Soft Sky (Stampin' Up!)
Paper: Whisper White, Red Foil (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Wink of Stella Glitter pen,  Little Bits Dies (Neat & Tangled)

Pink Friday ~ Snowflakes

All month long I have been going pink on Fridays on my blog for breast cancer awareness.  My sincere hope is that by blogging about this serious topic we can start the dialog and that you would talk to your doctor.  Early detection is key to survival rate.

Today is National Mammogram Day.  Yes, it's a thing.  Make your appointment today if you haven't already had one this year.  Why you should you get a mammogram?  Do it for yourself, of course, but also for those who love you and want you around for a long time.  Here is a link to the National Breast Cancer Foundation with a video on Mammograms.  http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/mammogram

My pink card today really has nothing to do with breast cancer and that is ok.  Pink reminds me to stay on top of my breast health (no pun intended).  It's a reminder to schedule appointments and do a self check.  It reminds me to ask my loved ones if they are making their appointments and it prompts me to reach out to friends & family battling breast cancer.

  I made this card while on a business retreat for the Stamp of Approval and StampNation Design Team.  While there, Michele Gross, creator of CAS*ual Fridays Stamps, shared her story with us.  If you would like to read her story, and I encourage you to do so, CLICKY HERE.  Her story is changing lives.  It already has changed mine.  (more on that tomorrow)  Thank you, Michele for being so open with all of us, and of course for letting me play with all your CAS*ual Fridays goodies at the retreat.  <3  My prayers are with you and I know you will kick cancer's hiney!!!  Love ya, Sistah!!!

It just so happens that my card fits the middle row of this month's CAS-ual Fridays challenge.  Don't you love it when things work out that way?  I colored my card with Zig Clean Color Real Brush pink markers, then spritzed it with water.  This is a fun technique if you can stand to let the water & ink go where they want to.  I'm in love with that Lovely Snowflakes, so I had to stamp it out and then die cut it so it would be the star of my card.  Lastly I added a little sparkle with a thin strip of black diamond glimmer paper.  

Stamps: Lovely Snowflake (CAS*ual Fridays Stamps); I Got You (The Ton)
Ink: Shimmery Silver (Delicata) 202, 200, 82, 26 (Zig Clean Color Real Brush) Onyx Black (Versafine)
Paper: Black Diamond Glimmer Paper, Whisper White Cardstock (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories: Zig Zag Stitched Square Dies (My Favorite Things)

Lovely Snowflake (CFS)

My Favorite Things Die-namics, STAX Zig Zag Stitched Square

Delicata Ink Pad, Silvery Shimmer

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Marker 202, Peach Pink

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Marker 200, Sugared Almond Pink

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Marker 082, Purple

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Marker 026, Light Pink

Ranger Inkssentials Mister, 2 oz.

VersaFine Ink Pad, Onyx Black

Merry Tuesday (x3)

When it comes to stores putting out Christmas decorations in August and September I am vehemently opposed, but as crafters we need a little extra time to make our projects so they will be on time for Christmas.  It was only October 3rd when I saw this monstrosity at Lowe's.  <shake my head>  Told DH NO!!!! That's just wrong in any season! Although, it might be a fun gift for my father in law.  lol  He loves fishing...

Big Bass Santa

 Now that we are in October, you will likely see Christmas cards from me a couple of times a week, at least, as I work to get all my cards made.  Today I'm super inspired by the Merry Monday challenges and have 3 cards to show you.  :)

MM#173

First is this card I made for last week's Merry Monday Challenge: Rainbow Christmas.  I used the Stitched Alphabet Upper stamp set from Whimsy stamps and colored each letter in using my Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers.  Next I took my Wink of Stella glitter pen and smoothed them out.  Sorry the camera didn't pick up the sparkles.  I'm having a "throw your camera out the window in frustration" type of day. 

If you look closely at the top of my card you will also see a sneak peek of the soon to be released Stamp of Approval: Holiday Magic collection.  I just love the little star banners that come in the Scenery: Holiday Trimmings set from Winnie & Walter.  <3

Stamps: Scenery: Holiday Trimmings (Winnie & Walter for SOA); Stitched Alphabet Upper (Whimsy Stamps)
Ink: 32, 22, 52, 50, 40 (Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers); Onyx Black (Versafine); Golden Glitz, Silvery Shimmer (Delicata)
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White Thick, Red Foil (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Merry & Bright Die (Essentials by Ellen); Clear Embossing Powder (SU); MISTI; Black & White Twine (Doodlebug)

MM#174

If you check out the challenge blog you will see I was completely inspired by Kristie's card.  She was working on this card when we were together last week at a StampNation Design Team retreat.  I should have paid more attention to what she was doing, because then I would have known she embossed her image to get it a bright white.  Anyway, I was in my stamp room yesterday and decided to pull out my Heartfelt Holiday stamp set and make 2 cards.  One with Crumb Cake cardstock and the other with white.  

As I was trying to stamp the hearts inside the mugs on the Kraft card I made a little boo-boo.  To cover it up I decided to try out the tiny heart in the Little Bits die collection from Neat & Tangled (also in the SOA: Holiday Magic Collection)  They fit perfectly!  How cool is that?  Whenever I cut out those little bits I save the extras, and since the gold hearts were also sitting on my table I decided to add them to the card. Hopefully my card isn't too much of a CASE of Kristie.  It's difficult to make the same images look different when you are working in the same color pallet.  

Stamps: Heartfelt Holiday (Wplus9); Lovely Snowflake (CAS*ual Fridays Stamps)
Ink: Crumb Cake, Real Red (Stampin' Up!); White (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper: Crumb Cake, Gold Glimmer Paper, Red Foil Paper, Whisper White (SU)
Accessories: Little Bits (Neat & Tangled for SOA); Stitched Square Frames (My Favorite Things)

WPlus9 Design Studio Clear Stamps, Heartfelt Holiday

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Merry & Bright by Julie Ebersole

My Favorite Things Die-namics, Stitched Square Frames

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Marker 032, Persian Blue

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Marker 052, Bright Yellow

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Marker 050, Yellow

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Marker 040, Green

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Marker 022, Carmine Red

Doodle Twine Spool, Beetle Black

VersaFine Ink Pad, Onyx Black