Poppystamps: Peace on Earth

 I'm on the Poppystamps blog today with this gorgeous Pondering Layered Deer die set.

I find him stunning.  I love his expression.  (BTW - the antlers are a separate piece so it doesn't have to be a "he"!) I love the dimension that the dies give you with just a few dies (all good-sized, none of the tiny fiddly pieces that some other companies give you!)  I put him on a simple background using the Snowflake Flurry Collage with glittery white behind it and grounded him with one of the Flowing Curves.

There are many more pictures and details on the Poppystamps blog!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Gilded Christmas Wishes clear stamp and die set

Dies: Poppystamps Pondering Layered Deer, Snowflake Flurry Collage, Flowing Curves

Paper: Memory Box Majestic Hues Glitter pad (white behind the snowflakes), cardstock pads in Earth Neutrals and Fresh Aqua

Freshly Made Sketches: Joyful, Merry, Blessed

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Narelle and here’s what I did with it!

The flowers and greenery are a beautiful set of dies from The Stamp Market. I love that it can be elegant but just a bit quirky too. Then I really wanted to use that sentiment from Penny Black so I moved the sketch around a bit to accommodate it. In this case, I was making the card for someone specific so I also added a tapestry looking background to give it a classic look. 

This is the last sketch of the year for Freshly Made Sketches. I have a few other posts scheduled over the next few weeks, but mostly it's going to be quiet here.  It's not so much that I need a break from making cards, but I do need to clean up the chaos that has occurred in my craft room during the rush of the Christmas season!  

My youngest son gets home tomorrow.  Then this weekend we are heading north to where my oldest son lives to do a few days of no-holds-barred food and breweries.  (He lives in Fort Collins, CO - a fabulous town for both food and drink!)  Even my husband has promised not to cringe when drinks are ordered (he hates paying the prices for restaurant meals and he gets even more annoyed when he has to pay for drinks).  But this is literally going to be our Christmas present for all of us - the "ho-holds-barred" part being the important part. 

If you can find time in your busy holiday - I hope you play along with us at Freshly Made Sketches. And I'll see you next year!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Penny Black Jolly Snippets

Dies: The Stamp Market Adorning Blooms

Paper: Stampin' Up Real Red and Sweet Sorbet, Taylored Expressions Peapod and Cilantro

Poppystamps: Joyful Whittle Gnome

 I'm on the Poppystamps blog today with their charming Whittle Gnome!

I had not jumped on the gnome trend...until this year.  I found some cute ones - including a pillow with two little elderly gnomes holding hands (perfect for these empty-nesters) and a tacky little guy that flops his jingle bell hat and plays a Christmas version of Shout. They all look a little odd next to my beautiful nativity set - but they make me smile!!  So when it came time to make a Poppystamps card, the new Whittle Gnome was my obvious choice!

There are many more pictures and details on the Poppystamps blog.

SUPPLY LIST 

Dies: Poppystamps Whittle Gnome, Joy Freestyle Script, Layered Holly Leaf Trio, Evangeline Pinpoint Frame, Snowflake Flurry Collage (just the bitty little gold bursts)

Paper: Memory Box Jolly Christmas, Polished Foil pad and cardstock pads in Lush Green and Berry Red (the cardstock pads are available on the Poppystamps website)

Freshly Made Sketches: Snow Buddy Greetings

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Karren and here’s what I did with it!

 

This die was hard to get.  I did not buy it when it first came out. It's a die from My Favorite Things and I also needed a couple packages of their cardstock that were out of stock so I waited.  Big mistake.  It was out of stock everywhere for more than a month. I was thrilled when I finally saw on online store that said it would be in stock on 11/22 and by golly, I ordered it on 11/22!!

He is so darn cute. I LOVE the way he is looking up with his big hat and striped scarf. It's just such a happy look. I got the simple sentiment stamps that MFT was using for him - they work perfectly on any strip that you would put underneath him.

The paper is from an older package. This card is for my boss - she's not really into Christmas and she's a person who works hard and plays hard - so this happy snowman with his party lights seemed just right!

I hope to see you playing along with us at Freshly Made Sketches.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: My Favorite Things Cool Christmas Greetings

Dies: My Favorite Things Snow Buddy

Paper: Simple Stories Claus & Co. (buried deep in my stash so likely long gone), Stampin' Up Poppy Parade and Mango Melody, Taylored Expressions Peapod and Granny Smith

Freshly Made Sketches: Poinsettia Peace

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Cécile and here’s what I did with it. I definitely took some liberties!!

 

I normally stick pretty close to the sketch but I recently sorted my not-yet-used Christmas stash (which is still overflowing and some products date back years) and I pulled out those that I am absolutely definitely for-sure going to use this year. Then I looked at the sketch and realized I hadn't pulled out anything close to a those circles.  But I had pulled out a poinsettia that's roughly circular.  Of course, the leaves aren't close to circles but I got the right number of them in the right directions and even the right sizes!  So I'm going with it.

The die set is a recent addition to my stash, but definitely not new. I hadn't noticed the Seasonal Sketches set before it retired but I'm glad I did. LOVE the look and, retired or not, it will be used over the years.  (Greta's card is what caught my eye - a totally different look with gorgeous results.)

I hope to see you playing along with us this week at Freshly Made Sketches (whether you use circles or not!)

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Sizzix/Tim Holtz Seasonal Sketches

Paper: Stampin' Up Sweet Sorbet and Flirty Flamingo, Taylored Expressions Peapod and Granny Smith

Other: Stampin' Up Petals a Plenty embossing folder (old), Simon Says Christmas pre-printed strips, Studio Katia Gold Foil Pearls

The Card Concept: Christmas Greetings

 There's a new inspiration challenge at The Card Concept: Christmas Greetings. My Clean and Layered card was inspired by the wreaths, the colors and textures, and the wintery feel.

I thought about using a big wreath with lots of decorations, but I was taken by the simplicity of the wreaths in the photo. So as I looked further in my stash, I found the Joyful Snowman Etched Dies by Photoplay. It includes the "J" and the "Y" plus the simple wreath for the "O" and that sweet little snowman for the center.  

 I love the look of the wreaths against the red door and the pop of the white skates so I tried to recreate that look. I added the brown - although a lighter brown - with a woodgrain paper inspired by the sled. The door in the photo adds a lot of texture and while I didn't do a door on my card, I was inspired to add texture with a gingham embossing folder. Then with the wintery feel of the skates and the sled, I added a variety of snowflakes around my little snowman.

I hope to see you playing along with us at The Card Concept!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Photoplay Joyful Snowman Etched Dies

Paper: Taylored Expressions Cilantro, Stampin' Up Poppy Parade and Balmy Blue, Poppystamps Kraft Woodgrain

Other: Stampin' Up Gingham and Winter Snow embossing folders, Hero Arts Snow & Berry sequins

A Magical Christmas

I sorted out all of my Christmas cards yesterday and joy oh joy - I have enough cards!!  BUT, I don't have exactly the right cards for everybody. Am I the only one who makes Christmas cards with no one in mind and then crosses fingers at the end that the stash matches the recipients?? I was really close this year and to me this is a great scenario.  I can totally relax because I do have enough, but I can still stay in Christmas mode and make a few more that are just right!  In this case, I needed cheerful colors.

I had this idea in my head after I used the same die to make this more classic card. I envisioned a rainbow of bright stripes with the icons flipped. It didn't stand out enough after I got it done so I glittered them. I have used shockingly little glitter this Christmas season which I realized when my husband commented for the first time in a long time that I had glitter in my eyebrows!  No matter how careful I think I am, it ends up everywhere!!

This is a retired die from My Favorite Things but I recently noticed that Sizzix/Tim Holtz has words that are equivalent (although in a Tim Holtz style) - the Christmas Cutouts die. It even has a few little houses and trees! For both of my cards using the MFT die, I didn't trim the words apart so that they stayed perfectly aligned.

I have to admit that I am feeling the "magic" already! It's been a very relaxed Thanksgiving since neither of our sons came home and my husband worked. So I took the opportunity to decorate for Christmas.  I don't do it Hallmark movie style (although if anybody ever wants to come over and do it for me - and take it down - you would be welcome!) The simplest but most amazing decoration we do are candles (LED) in all of our windows.  The come on at sunset and once they start twinkling every night - the magic is here!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: My Favorite Things Itty Bitty Holiday

Dies: My Favorite Things Joy, Peace, Love (retired)

Paper: Stampin' Up Daffodil Delight, My Favorite Things Pineapple, Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist, SU Coastal Cabana, SU Flirty Flamingo, Sweet Sorbet, Parakeet Party and Granny Apple Green