Joy to the World...the Lord has come!

Fa-La-La to You!!

It's my day to post over at The Alley Way Stamps (TAWS) blog and it's Christmas Eve day, but there is nothing overtly Christmas-y in the newest release at TAWS.  Never fear - Doodle Frames can be used for anything - and it's PERFECT for chalkboard art!!


I used this week's sketch from retrosketches.

Fa-la-la to you!  I hope you are through with the hustle and bustle (or at least by the time stores close today!!) and are able to settle in for festive and peaceful and holy times with family and friends!

• Stamps: The Alley Way Stamps Doodle Frames, Jolly Holiday (one of the ornaments) and Fa-La-La (an ornament, the sentiment and the teeny tiny snowflake)
• Paper: Stampin' Up Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black, MME Winter Wonderland Stripes
• Ink: Colorbox Frost White
• Accessories: Stampin' Up Top Note die, Kiwi Kiss ribbon, misc gems colored with Copics

Joyful Bluebird with Memory Box Dies

I have a great cardmaking friend who has recently fallen IN LOVE with Memory Box dies, so there was no doubt, when it came time to make her card, that I would use a variety of dies!



I picked the bird and branch dies when I saw the colors at Stampin' Royalty.  It definitely seemed meant to be!!

And then somewhere I had seen the Tessatina Border die used on a banner - I wanted to use the same idea, so the sketch at Try Stampin' on Tuesday was perfect!

• Stamps: Papertrey Ink Beautiful Blooms ("joy")
• Paper: Stampin' Up Summer Starfruit, Riding Hood Red and Chocolate Chip CS, Island Indigo dsp, Lucky Limeade CS and dsp
• Ink: Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip
• Accessories: Stampin' Up Two Tags Sizzix die, Memory Box Perched Reed Bird, Twigs and Berries, Tessatina Border die

Near and Far, Follow His Star

{CAROL Y - yoyo - If you are reading this and have not yet received a card from me in the mail - STOP NOW!}

Now, I'm leaving lots of white space, so if Carol hasn't received her card, she won't see it.

The rest of you just need to scroll down a little!!

Recently I was visiting a dear friend (and cardmaking fanatic) when she commented on her all-time favorite card that I had made.  It was early in the life of my blog, but is still my most visited post - see it here.

Between coffee, conversation and a little bit of knitting, she also showed me some tags she was making for a swap and I told her about my all-time favorite tag die.  So, of course, for Christmas I had to pick up one of these dies as a surprise gift for her!!

So...these two things have come together to create her card...

You have to see the snow in close-up.  (Be sure to check out Kristina's video on how she flicks on the snow vs. spritzing.  You can also drool over the most amazing poinsettia that she has created!) I knew that I wanted the trees on her card, but I credit the star idea to this week's CASology challenge. I have to admit that this card would not have been simple had I not done it before.  But, having done the trees and the sponging on a previous card, and being able to use that blog post to remember all of the colors, this card was under 10 minutes!!

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If you haven't seen this yet, be sure to check out Amber's amazing Drawn Together program.  Amber is collecting craft supplies and cards for the surviving children in Newtown to be used as a creative coping mechanism.  Her initial plan was to create 50 kits, but not surprisingly, the cardmaking world has rallied together in love and generosity and the numbers have soared.  If you are feeling called to be part of this program, be sure to start with the most recent blog posts on her blog, Damask Love, and read the updates as to the needs.

I read a lot of blogs and so many people are joining Amber's effort.  And many others are passing along the details to their children's school classrooms and their Sunday School programs.  This is truly an amazing idea that will have a long-term impact. 

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• Stamps: Stampin' Up Lovely As A Tree, A Star-Studded Season
• Paper: Stampin' Up Old Olive, white
• Ink: Stampin' Up Soft Sky, Old Olive Daffodil Delight and markers in Old Olive, Always Artichoke and Crumb Cake, Versamark
• Accessories: Papertrey Ink's Tag Sale #3 Die, Sparkle 'n Sprinkle Chocolate Sparkle Embossing Powder, Mr. Huey's Calico White and Calico Shine mists, Stampin' Up embossing folder, Old Olive seam binding and silver cord.

Bethlehem Chalkboard Art

I have been so intrigued by various cardmakers and their chalkboard art cards.  Many of them combine fonts, sentiments and images for an incredible Subway Art look.  That just seemed like a little too much work for me!!

I have a great stamping buddy who is an incredible cardmaker.  Her cards are full of layers and embossing, patterns, ribbons, twine and charms - and she loves a vintage look.  When I make a card for her, I love to try to come up with something that, just perhaps, she hasn't seen and might interest her.  I thought chalkboard art would be the way to go, but I kept the image itself quite simple - with a few more layers than I would normally use as a nod to her style.



The sketch is from Tuesday Morning Sketches.

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Come to Bethlehem
• Paper: Stampin' Up Black, Poppy Parade, Crumb Cake, Gumball Green (dsp and CS)
• Ink: Colorbox Frost White
• Accessories: misc gems, Stampin' Up twine and embossing folder, Zing White embossing powder

Love Bird on Love Knots

I am in love with Love Knots by The Alley Way Stamps.  Woodgrain is so in style and can be used in so many ways.  It's extra fun when there is a "love knot" on the wood!!



For this card, I used a new-to-me challenge called Sunday Stamps.  They have color challenges and sketch challenges - this week is a sketch...

• Stamps: The Alley Way Stamps Love Knots
• Paper: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler
• Ink: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake
• Accessories: Memory Box Nestling Bird and Twigs & Berries dies, Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler twine, Circle and Heart punches, Martha Stewart Fine Crystal Glitter (on moon)

Soft Kitties and Snowflake Blessings

There is nothing particularly unique or creative about the cards that I am sharing today except for the amount of thought that I put it into each of them (or perhaps it was simply avoidance.)

I have shared many cards with you that I have been sending to my long-time friend in hospice care.  Tammy passed away on November 29th.  It was what she chose and her death ended a long period of suffering.  I have spoken to her husband many times by phone, but I haven't sat down and made a card.  I've thought it about it daily, but just haven't gotten it done.  It's amazing how much harder cards are when they have to have meaning to the recipient (vs. all the cards that I make for design teams and challenges that I may or may not use someday.)

Tammy and Jeff made the decision not to have children, but Tammy had cats - and those cats were definitely her children!  I wasn't entirely certain how Jeff felt about the cats until my last visit in October when he showed me how he played tag with Blossom.  He would run around the house like a crazy man and that cat would take off after him...they stalked each other...they surprised each other...Jeff laughed...and I was so glad to see it.  So, whether or not it is the common thing to do, my sympathy card for Jeff HAD to have a cat in tribute of his wife and my friend...

This is a very deliberately simple card.  A few flowers in honor of Tammy, but no frills for Jeff.  Jeff is a firefighter and spends his free time helping his dad with the cattle - frills would not have worked. Then I moved on from this card and started thinking what I could do for him for Christmas.  "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" just didn't work.  I decided upon a single snowflake based upon a sentiment I found in my stash. Snowflakes are kisses sent from above, falling from heaven to show God's great love.

Thank you to the following challenges who made these difficult cards a little easier to make.
CAS - Colours & Sketches

The Paper Players: CAS Snowflakes

CAS-ual Fridays: Even the Score.  (I had punched the snowflake and stamped the sentiment, but it looked too empty.  A few score lines filled it in and kept it all very simple!)

Sympathy

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Summer Solstice (sentiment), Hampton Arts cat
• Paper: Papertrey Ink Ocean Tides, Stampin' Up Summer Starfruit, Naturals White, Pink Paislee Indigo Bleu
• Ink: Papertrey Ink Ocean Tides, Stampin' Up Going Gray
• Accessories: MME Follow Your Heart twine

Christmas Blessings

• Stamps: Hero Arts Greatest Gift, the inside sentiment that I quoted was a set from Clear Dollar Stamps - they are moving to digital stamps and a quick search did not turn up this stamp
• Paper: Stampin' Up Baja Breeze
• Ink: Stampin' Up Baja Breeze
• Accessories: Martha Stewart snowflake punch, Stampin' Up Baja Corduroy button, silver cord