Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all!
Enjoy the time with your family and remember the true reason for the season--to celebrate the birth of our Savior!  Giving gifts is a wonderful way to remember the greatest gift of all:  That tiny baby in a manger so very long ago who came to pay the price for all our sins that we may have eternal life.

Here is one more Christmas card to share with you.  This blissful winter scene is done in all neutrals with a tiny smattering of silver glitter icing the trees.  It absolutely takes my breath away!  The very delicate snowflake is from the Snowflake Elements (I added a bit of Dazzling Diamonds Glitter to it so it would have an iridescent quality) and the stamp set is Wonderland.  This is definitely a hand-deliver card, as the snowflake is much too fragile to mail.  I did hand-deliver quite of few of these cards to special friends and family.

I have taken a second photo close up to show you some of the lovely detail that really isn't visible in the first photo.  Please leave comments to let me know what you think of this card.

More Christmas Projects

I have lots of projects to share with you, but all the Christmas preparations have overwhelmed me (again).  I say I will get it all together every year and then it sneaks up on me and I go round in circles.  Well here are some more of the projects I have made.  While it may be a bit late to make any of these this year, you can always save an idea for next year.  Enjoy!

Off to make a set of cards for a gift, bake some pumpkin bread, and make a pot of chili!

Oh What Fun with Fancy Foil!

Here is a lovely card that is easy to make but shimmers with holiday color.  I used the Holidays Fancy Foil Designer Vellum layered over Whisper White card stock, alternating with layers of Red Foil and Silver Foil Paper.  A bit of 1/8" Silver Ribbon ties off the package just perfectly!  I found the inspiration for this card from Jari Francis here.  You can see I added a few touches of red to spice things up a bit.  I just love shimmery red on Christmas cards!  The sentiment is from the Oh What Fun stamp set.

I had so much fun with this look that I made tags to coordinate.  One of my very favorite new sets is the Peaceful Pines stamp set with matching Perfect Pines Framelits!  Oh the possibilities with this combination are endless!!  This is one set I made.  Note the Red Foil "lights" peeking out of the tree branches.  This is done with one of the included dies to poke holes in your tree so the light can shine through!  The Scalloped Tag Topper Punch was used on the long tag and the Lots of Labels Framelits were used for the smaller one.

Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of my creations.

Christmas Event and Woodland Embossing Folder

Hello again!  I know that I have been lax in getting my posts up for you lately because I am elbow deep in card stock, glitter and adhesive!  In between paper projects, I am baking a few cookies.  I hope to finish cards and make tags tonight so I can wrap gifts.

Here is a picture of a few of the ladies who attended the annual Christmas Boxes, Bags & Tags Event on December 5th.  We had an excellent time and everyone made 14 projects to take home.  After stamping for 5 hours, we shared a potluck meal of holiday favorites.  I look forward to that event every year!

Mary showing Loki how to make the project as he listens intently.

Christmas fun with boxes, bags & tags.

Below is a picture of one of the Christmas cards I sent out this year.  I had so many great designs that I made several different cards this year instead of them all being the same.  I hope to get more Christmas cards and projects posted here for you to see.  The biggest issue is getting them photographed and then moved into a file so I can post them.  I'm not very efficient at that.

This card used the ever-so-popular Woodland Embossing Folder and Wonderland stamp set.  Amazing what a little ink, embossing folder and glitter can produce!  The photograph really does not do justice to this stunning card.  The entire card shimmers with little bits of glitter in all the trees and glittery piles of melting snow dripping off some of the embossed tree branches.  The Fine Tip Glue Pen is great for creating this effect with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.  The word "Peace" was made using the Christmas Greetings Thinlits Dies and Silver Foil Paper.  The shadow behind the silver "Peace" is Mossy Meadow card stock.  What do you think?

Year-End Clearance Sale Up to 60% off!!

It's the end of the year, so Stampin' Up! is cleaning up inventory and making room for new products--and they're offering you some great savings while they do it!  More products have been added to the Clearance Rack and select items from the holiday catalog have been discounted.  (Products on the Holiday Retiring List  are now discounted up to 40%!!)  During the Year-End Sale, you can find ALL discounted products in one location in the online store under the Year-End Sale category.  So don't panic if you don't see the category "Clearance Rack" in my online store right now--it has been integrated into the Year-End Sale.  Click HERE to begin shopping now!  Use Host Code 44SJB2G3 when shopping for even more great benefits!

New Year Mystery Hostess
You can win lots of FREE products just by placing an order between now and December 31st.  Everyone who uses Host Code 44SJB2G3 with an order of $20 or more will have their name entered into a drawing to be the Mystery Hostess.  I will contact the winner just after the new year to select her FREE products!  That's it!  You don't have to do anything else.  When you have finished shopping, click "view shopping bag" and you will see a box in the lower left corner for a host code.  Paste Code 44SJB2G3 in the box and click "apply" and your name will be entered into the drawing to be the New Year Mystery Hostess.  What a great way to start 2016!  Orders must be at least $20 and you must choose to allow Demonstrator contact or I won't know who you are to enter your name in the drawing.  If your order is $150 or more, you will earn FREE Stampin' Rewards immediately if you do not use the host code.

Good luck and enjoy the bargains!

Polar Bear Punch Art

Hello!  I'm so sorry I have been a bit lax about getting my posts up.  With preparing for Thanksgiving and my Stamp Club Christmas Event, I got a bit overwhelmed.  A weekend trip to Branson, Missouri, for some Christmas shows and shopping capped off Thanksgiving weekend for me.  Returning home, I was full swing into Christmas decorating and finishing preparing for the Holiday Boxes, Bags & Tags Event here on December 5th.  The day was filled with a variety of projects (14 to be exact) to make your holidays bright and festive.  After 5 hours of stamping, we shared a pot-luck meal of holiday favorites.  It was delicious!  Following that event, I was very focused on making my own personal Christmas cards and projects.

Unfortunately, I didn't have all the great holiday items photographed to show you and every day seemed to fly by so quickly.  Soooo, I didn't get my posts up on time.  So Sorry!

Here is one of the lovely cards I have been working on to send out for Christmas.  This is a sweet punch art card using Winter Wonderland Specialty Designer Series Paper as the background for my cute little polar bear family.  Some torn edges, a little sponging and a touch of Dazzling Diamonds Glitter adhered with the Fine Tip Glue Pen makes my card sparkle.  I like the Fine Tip Glue Pen for details like this because I can get a nice thick line of glue or spread it out and have just a touch.

The sentiment is from the Wonderland stamp set.  Isn't it amazing what some circle and oval punches can create?

Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of my little polar bear family.

The response I have been receiving from my polar bear card is incredible!  Here are the much requested directions for making this card.  I hope they are helpful!

POLAR BEARS

STAMP:  Wonderland

PAPER:  Whisper White, Basic Black, Winter Wonderland DSP

INK:  Soft Sky, Smoky Slate

TOOLS:  Punches – Word Window, Owl, 1” Circle, 1 ¾” Circle, 1 ¼” Circle, ½” Circle, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

Mama Bear Head & Body – 1 ¾” Circle X 2

Baby Head – 1” Circle X2

Baby Body – 1 ¼” Circle X1

Mama Ears – ½” Circle X2

Baby Ears – Large circle from Owl Punch X4

Eyes – Smallest circles from Owl Punch X6

*Mama Nose – Large Oval cropped with 1” Circle X1

*Baby Nose – Word Window cropped with Word Window X2

Mama Nose Tip – Largest circle from Owl Punch X1

Baby Nose Tip – Medium circle from Owl Punch X2

*Crop noses attaching a scrap of paper to the punched shape and sliding it into the punch.  For mama bear, crop with 1” Circle.  For baby bears, crop with Word Window Punch.

OTHER:  Fine Tip Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Dimensionals, White Gel Pen, Sponges, Sponge Daubers

  

DIRECTIONS:

Sponge all bear parts LIGHTLY with Smoky Slate

Mark eyes with pencil and glue on smallest black circles with Fine Tip Glue Pen

Glue on nose and ears

Highlight nose tip with White Gel Pen

Adhere DSP to top half of card front.

Tear Whisper White CS to make ragged edge.  Use both pieces to create look of snow drifts.  Trim bottom to fit.  LIGHTLY sponge edges with Soft Sky, including sides and bottom, and add glitter to edges using Fine Tip Glue Pen.

Stamp sentiment on smaller piece of Whisper White CS snow drift in bottom right corner.

DO NOT PUT GLUE UNDER TOP EDGE OF LARGE SNOW DRIFT.  Glue larger piece of snow drift to base putting glue at bottom and slightly up outer edges leaving room at the top for the bear bodies to slide underneath. 

Glue smaller piece of snow drift over first piece at the bottom of card front.

Place Dimensionals under mama bear’s ears and nose.  POSITION MAMA BEAR FIRST.  Slide her body in behind her head under the edge of the torn snow drift before attaching head with Dimensionals.

Attach 1 Dimensional to each baby bear head – One bear on right side of head and one bear on left side of head.  THE DIMENSIONAL ATTACHES TO THE SNOW DRIFT, NOT MAMA BEAR’S FACE.  Angle baby bear heads in slightly.  Attach baby bear heads to card front overlapping mama bear’s face. 

Slide right baby bear’s body in behind his head and under the edge of the torn snow drift.

Gingerbread Punch Art

This cute card was one of the projects we made at the Punch Art Class.  I got the original idea from a card Jackie Topa posted back in 2013.  You can see her original card here.  Putting my own spin on it and using current DSP, I love how it turned out!  What do you think?

The gingerbread bodies were made using the Pansy Punch and the 3/4" Circle Punch.  The Cookies were made with the 1/2" Circle Punch.  The rolling pin is the Word Window Punch and thin strips of Cherry Cobbler card stock.  Details added with sponging and a White Gel Pen make all the difference.  The sweet little buttons are the Home For Christmas Enamel Dots.  Of course, some carefully placed Dimensionals under the rolling pin and gingerbread kids are essential here as well.

The Designer Series Paper is from Season of Cheer and the sentiments are from the Oh What Fun stamp set.  Please leave me a comment!