Believe... Welcome Back From Summer / NAC #53

Pin It
Hey y'all. Happy Tuesday! I hope you had a safe, restful, and happy Labor Day weekend with your family and friends. :) Now normally I would be trying to post the new Digital Downloads for you this morning but I'm very excited to be sharing something new with you instead. I'm on the Nacho Average Design Team and every Tuesday Morning we will have a new challenge for you. It will either be a sketch or a color challenge. My teammates and I will share our takes on the challenge with you and we hope you'll show us what you come up with too! This is my first time being on a Design Team and I'm so excited to be taking this journey with all of you.

Here's my card for this week-

And here's this week's sketch-

Do you ever see a certain type of card and love how it looks but never make it yourself? I have never designed and stamped on newsprint/patterned paper before. I've loved the look on plenty of other's cards, but have just shied away from it personally. I even bought the whole pack of DSP and horror of horrors never stamped on it. But, I figured being with the Nacho's was a chance for me to Challenge myself so Go Big or Go Home and you know what? I really like the effect! It's so subtle.  I inked up part of my background stamp with my Stampin' Write Markers and stamped it directly on my new Modern Medley Print DSP. 

It's hard to see but for just a little something extra, I added a some Dazzling Details to the little hummingbird and scattered around on the flowers.

                          

The sentiment is from Snowflake Soiree and is stamped in Warm Brown Sugar to match the card base. I thought it just went well with the overall feel of the card. I used my paper snips to flag the end. I know a lot of people use their square punch, but I swear, I just can't get it even that way! Old school for me I guess. I sponged the edges with Strawberry Slush and used my bone folder to give it a little dimension. A little Tombow at the end and in the middle was all it took to secure it.

Here's a look at the inside, you know I like pretty insides-

The sentiment here is from Blooming with Kindness. See that sweet little bird at the bottom? He's just left over from the front. Let's not tell him that though. :) I just huffed on the stamp to re-moisten it and stamped it again. I added a little more Dazzling Details and my card was done. I know just who this card is going to and I sure hope they like it! How about you?

Well, that's all I have for you today. I hope you liked my card and I hope it inspired you to play along with us over at Nacho Average Challenges. We can't wait to see what you come up with! I'd love to hear what you think, so if you have questions or comments, don't forget to leave me a message below. 

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to visit my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! Till Next Time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the Rain.

Be Safe,

Shan

Pin It

MDS to the Rescue! / NAC #30 / My Challenge #57

Pin It
Hey y'all. I hope you're having a great week so far and are staying warm! Do you ever start something and then have things beyond your control change those plans? Well, that's what happened to me this week.

I knew I wanted to do snowflakes for this week's color challenge (it's a bit of an inside story, Hi Tammy!) and so I got out my supplies and got started making my card Tuesday evening when it all went you know where in a hand-basket! I got very sick and wasn't able to get more than halfway through. I had card stock cut, stamps and pads out and even with pain meds I wasn't able to make my card. I even had it all planned out and knew just what I wanted. AUGH! Many of you don't know this about me but not only am I a nurse, but I ran with our local Fire and Rescue department for many years driving our Medic Units. I've only called for an ambulance once before and I was sooo sick Tuesday night that I actually called 911. Of course, as I was talking to the dispatcher I was crying because I was almost more distressed about the fact that I was calling 911than the fact that I was sick enough to need to call them. Well, needless to say, it was definitely a good thing that I called because less than 4 hours after I called I was being admitted to the hospital for emergency surgery. :( Since they had to work me into the O.R. schedule I had a few hours with nothing to do but distract myself from the pain. When my sweet son-in-law went to my house to get my overnight bag I had him get my mac-book and I decided to finish making my card. Here's how my card would have looked, if I had been able to finish it on Tuesday evening-

This is for this week's color challenge with the Nacho Average Challenge. Here's this weeks Color challenge-

I started with a base of Primrose Petals and then layered on images from the Snowflake Soiree, and embellishments from the More Amore set. A few rhinestones and a Pool Party ribbon and my card was finished. I actually like it so much, I will likely finish the original paper card with this same design. There's still plenty of time to play along with this week's challenge. The fabulous team of ladies over at NAC do great challenges each week and the DT is always full of wonderful inspiration. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

I hope you liked today's card and I hope the fabulous ladies over at NAC like it too! I love hearing from you and read every one of your comments. They really do make my day! If you liked today's card and would like to +1 or Pin it, I've put those buttons here on my blog for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! Till Next Time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,

Shan

P.S. I'm back home post-op and other than being sore and moving slow I'm doing ok. :)

Pin It

Just Believe / NAC #25 / My Challenge # 52

Pin It
Hey y'all. I hope you've had a great week and are having a wonderful start to a long holiday weekend. Just a quick post for you now, because I've got another post coming up right after this one. :)

This is the season to believe. Believe in the seen and the unseen... Believe that there is not only a reason for the season, but even as hard as it may seem a reason for those things that we can simply not comprehend. Sometimes we just have to Believe. Believe in ourselves and those around us, that we are not alone, and that someone or something more powerful than us is watching out for us and over us. For me that's a belief in God. For you it may be something or someone else. At the end of the day, I hope you remember to also Believe in yourself.

When I started to make this card, I wanted to make one that was gender neutral and could be given for any reason. I used the Candlelight Christmas DSP and the Snowflake Soiree stamp set, so I may not be able to really give it at any time of the year, I've still got a few months till Spring that I can give it to someone to let them know that I'm with them. Here's today's card-

Snowflake Soiree and Candlelight Christmas Card

I think Masculine cards are hard to make and even though I didn't intend to make a "masculine" card, I think this could easily be given to a guy as well as a girl.

Here's the sketch I used-

It's from the Nacho Average Challenge's weekly challenge. There's even still time for you to join along in the fun and whip up a card to enter. If you haven't checked them out yet, I really hope you will. They alternate between sketch challenges and color challenges and even though I find color challenges to be really challenging (no pun intended) they really make me step out of my comfort zone and get creative. Know what else, the ladies on the DT are so stinking creative and leave the nicest comments. I really do hope you'll check them out!

I altered my card only slightly from the sketch in that I offset my scallops so they alternated instead of layering right on top of each other. And just in case you're wondering, I cut them at 6 x 2 and this gave me enough paper to overlap and still fit on the card. I simply layered the all, adhered them (with Tombow of course) and then flipped my card over and trimmed the excess off using my paper snips. I used my Scalloped Edgelet to cut the layers.

Here's a close-up of the center piece-

I used Early Espresso and Crumb Cake inks to stamp the snowflakes on a scrap of Very Vanilla c/s.and then sponged around the edge with more E.E. I couldn't help myself and let Tink have her way with the snowflakes even though it's hard to see here. This is adhered with Dimensionals to make it stand out just a little. Oh and I forgot to tell you that I used a piece of Very Vanilla Seam Binding that I wrapped around the card front and adhered with SNAIL. The ends are hidden beneath this piece.

Here's the inside-

I just love the font they used with the Snowflake Soiree set. Just a little sponging and a few more snowflakes here and my card was finished.

So what do you think? I hope you liked it and I hope the ladies over at NAC do too. I love hearing from you so if you liked today's card or have questions about it, I hope you'll leave me a comment below. I read all off them and they really do make my day! If you'd like to +1 or Pin it, I've put those buttons here on my page for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world.  You are very appreciated! Till Next Time (which in this case is just a few minutes)-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,
Shan 

Pin It

Snowman Tic-Tac Holders / Secret Santa Ideas End of the Week Technique # 59

Pin It
Hey y'all. Just a quick post tonight. I'm a week behind on my EWT's so I'm throwing an extra one in. These Tic-Tac Holders are all over the place but of course when I went to look up directions I saw a few different ones that I liked, with different measurements & different decorations so I just kind combined to make my own.

We're doing a 12 Days of Christmas/Secret Santa gift exchange at my work and I though this would be a nice little stocking stuffer. I'm happy to say I've also done a few other projects that I will be posting soon with  tutorials too.

Here's today's project-

Ok, so I'm a little disappointed that the picture came out so washed out, but you can get the idea and unfortunately, I'm too tired to get back up and take some more. :( Sorry.

Here's what you need for this project- Cardstock in your choice of colors. I used Bashful Blue and Whisper White, Ribbon- I used our stitched ribbon in White. Circle Punches in the following sizes- 1 1/4, 1, and 3/4. Corner Rounder Punch, Perfect Polka Dots E. F., Big Shot, Stamp Set of your choice for the background, Pumpkin Pie Stampin Write Marker, Pearls and Black Sharpie Marker. Oh and of course a pack of Tic-Tacs. :)

Here's how you make your project-
1- I Started with a base of Bashful Blue Cardstock cut to 3 x 4 7/16 and rounded the edges. I know this is an odd measurement but I took one that was from another blog and when I scored it, the front & back weren't even (so you know the OCD in me made me change it). Score this at 1 15/16 & 2 13/16.
2- Cut your Whisper White c/s at 1 3/4 x 2 13/16 and round two edges.
3- Stamp your background. I chose to use the smallest snowflake from the Snowflake Soiree set. I stamped it in Marina Mist 3 times full strength and 3 times stamping off once.
4- Adhere the ribbon to your base. I did this 2 different ways, once under my W.W. piece and once over it (simply because I had already adhered my W.W. c/s to my base. Adhering it under your W.W. piece is much easier.
5- Adhere your W.W. c/s and then using your 1 1/4 Circle punch, punch your circle near the bottom of your W.W. piece.
6- Punch a 1" circle from a scrap piece of c W.W. c/s and run it through your Big Shot in your Perfect Polka Dot E.F. Adhere this to your c/s, slightly overlapping your punched c.s base. Add 3 medium pearls to this for buttons. You can color them with a black Sharpie while they are still on the adhesive page.
7- Punch a 3/4" W.W. Circle from scrap c/s. Color the small pearls that are attached in a row for the eyes and mouth and once they are dry, attach them to this piece. Using your Pumpkin Pie Marker draw a little triangle for the carrot nose. This piece gets attached with a Dimensional.
8- Apply a line of Sticky Strip in the middle of your two score lines and use this to attach the c/s to your Tic-Tac container. and tie your ribbon in a bow or knot.
9- Smile when you see your finished product and smile even bigger when you think of the joy it will bring it's recipient. :) That part just never gets old!

That's all I have for you tonight. I hope you like it and I hope it inspires you to try something new. This is a quick and easy project that is sure to bring a smile to someone's face. It's also quick to make and you could easily make a large batch for your office friends in no time at all. If you like today's project or have questions about it, I hope you'll take a moment to leave me a comment in the space below. I love hearing from you and your comments really do make my day! If you'd like to +1 or Pin it, I've put those buttons on my b log for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! Till Next Time-

Remember- Life is often more about the Storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,
Shan

Pin It

C&S Shimmering Snowflake Soiree / My Challenge #41/ Card Cafe Week #10

Pin It
Hey y'all. Happy Tuesday! Did you miss me yesterday? I missed you, but it was a crazy day and since I did an extra post on Saturday, I figured it would all even out. It's a ugly, rainy, gloomy sort of day here in the DMV, so I thought I'd share a pretty card with you today. I hope it's warm and dry wherever you might be.

I did this card a few weeks back and am just now getting to post it. It works out though because there's a challenge over at the Pink Paper Bakery's Card Cafe Challenge that it works for. Have you been over there yet? They have lots of great creative ideas. This is my first time playing along with them so I'm very excited about that. :) Their challenge was to use Masking or Reverse Masking on a card.





Here's today's card-

C&S Card featuring
Snowflake Soiree

Yes, you are seeing correctly. No, you don't need glasses. Well, ok, maybe you do need them I'm not an Optometrist, but you don't need them because you're not seeing correctly. :) This is a C&S, 1 Layer Card. *HappyDance* Hey April, Lookie, Lookie!

I cut out a snowflake using my new Bigz Snowflurry Die for another card and decided I should be able to come up with something to use the negative cut-out for. This is what I did with it and It's so pretty. The picture is simply not doing it justice. :'(

I used the negative image to do the Reverse Masking Technique. I started with a base of Early Espresso and laid the cut-out image on my c/s and then spritzed it with some home-made smooch spray. I used Frost White Shimmer Paint, alcohol, a spray bottle and my paint catcher and spritzed away. After I did the center snowflake, I just kept moving the mask around making sure to cover the rest of the card except the section I was spritzing. Here's what it looked like-

I masked the heck out of that card! :)

It took a little time, but it sure was worth it to get all those pretty shimmery snowflakes. They just seem to float on the E.E. c/s-

There is an extra layer on the inside however, but only so a message could be written. I used a piece of Very Vanilla c/s. My sentiment is from the Snowflake Soiree set and is stamped in E.E. Love the font! It's so pretty.

Inside of Sowflake Soiree card

There's a snowflake on the inside of the card too. You know how I like the inside's to be as pretty as the outside, or at least close. :) This snowflake is from the same die. The same masking technique was used and it's so amazing to me how just changing the color of the c/s changes the whole look.

That's all I have for you today. Just a quick little post on my lunch break. Who needs to eat? I'd rather spend time with you. Did you bring chocolate with you by any chance? No? I still love you anyways. :) I hope you liked today's card and I hope the ladies over at Pink Paper bakery like it too. As always, I love hearing from you, so if you liked today's card or have questions about it, I hope you'll leave me a message below. I read all of your comments and they really do make my day! If you'd like to +1 or Pin today's card, I've put those buttons on my blog for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! I hope to see you back here real soon. Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,
Shan

Pin It

Spin-ny Gingie

Pin It
Hey y'all. Happy Friday! Just a quick post today as I'm actually a little busy. I hope you've had a great week and are looking forward to an Amazing weekend. I'm going to Annapolis tomorrow for lunch with a bunch of friends but other than that, not sure what the weekend holds yet.

I did today's card a few weeks back. It's one of my favorite types of cards and it just makes me happy. I hope it makes you happy too....

Holiday Spinner Card featuring
Scentsational Season & Snowflake Soiree Stamp Sets

Isn't he cute? This is one of the cards I showed my friend Brenda last week to show her the versatility of this set. She was tickled when she saw him spinning his way across the card. This was a very quick and easy card but it sure makes an impact. I started with a base of Very Vanilla c/s and added DSP  from the Be of Good Cheer collection. I cut two pieces, one for the front and another to layer underneath. A lot of times the mat or card base shows behind the slide and while there's nothing wrong with that look (I've used it before) I wanted it to look like my sweet little Gingie was just spinning his way across the DSP. For my border I used a scrap of Cherry Cobbler c/s that I punched with my Dotted Scalloped Ribbon Border Punch and cut in half. It was adhered to the bottom of the DSP with Tombow. This panel was adhered with Dimensionals so Gingie could spin.  The slide is cut using the Word Window Punch. I know you've heard me say it a million times before, o.k. maybe not a million but it's a lot, but this is a must have punch. In fact, if you're only getting one punch to start with, this is the one. Just so you know, the other two must haves would be the Decorative Label and Large Scalloped Circle. Just line up your punch on one side of the paper an punch your way across to the other. I actually punched too close to the sides. :( You know I tell it like it is. But there was no way I was going to cut another piece of DSP that size. I just needed to make it work. So, in order to keep the DSP from tearing when Gingie spun to fast towards the ends, I added Dimensional "stops" under the DSP to keep him from spinning to close to the edge.  

My sweet little cookie was inked with Soft Suede and then stamped off once to give a softer color. He was cut out with the coordinating Holiday Framelet. The bow-tie is punched from the Owl Builder Punch. A few little pearls for his buttons and he was finished.    :) The sentiment is from Snowflake Soiree an was stamped in Soft Suede onto a scrap of V.V. c/s and punched out with the Decorative Label Punch. It was sponged lightly around the edges with Cherry Cobbler Classic Ink and adhered with more Dimensionals and the front was done.

Here's the inside-

This sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes. I really don't know what I did before I purchased this set. My tasty little friend is stamped again and then a little visit from Tink made him even yummier, hard to believe that's possible. :)

That's all I have for you today. What did you think? I wish you could see it in person. He's just so darn cute spinning head over heels across this card. In addition to the diagonal strip being unexpected, it also gives him more room to spin and therefore gives more opportunities for smiles. I hope he inspires you to make a fun card soon. As soon as I saw this little guy, I knew he would be perfect for this type of card and I was right. I hope you think so too! If you liked today's card or have questions about it I hope you'll take a moment to leave me a message below. I love hearing from you and read all of your comments. They really do make my day. If you'd like to +1 or Pin it, I've put those buttons on my blog for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! I hope you have an Amazing weekend filled with lots of time for Family, Friends, and of course Creativity. Till Next Time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,

Shan

Pin It

Scentsational Triple Layer Stamping

Pin It
Hey y'all. Happy Tuesday! I hope you're having a great day wherever you may be. It's a beautiful day in the DMV. The sun is shining and even though it was cool this morning waiting for a ride to work, it's supposed to end up being warm this afternoon.

I want to just take a moment real quick to say Thanks! Thanks to everyone who takes time out of their busy days to stop by here. Thanks to those of you that actually read my posts, verbose as they often are. And Many Thanks to those of you that take the time to not only stop by and read about what's going on in my life but leave comments about my cards/projects and even kinder, to ask about what's going on in my life and let me know you care. My first goal of this blog was to make myself step out of my small little OCD box and try to do more and be more. Over time, that desire has really evolved to hoping I can inspire others to do the same. Although I, of course, hoped for visitors and yes even followers, I never really expected that it would happen. To have blog-pals, that I communicate with on a fairly regular basis, and friends I have never me, leave me messages that not only show me that they actually read what I have put out in the universe, but that they care too....well that just means the world to me. When I say at the end of my posts that your comments make my day, I really mean it. Big Glittery Hugs (that way the love stays a little longer, you know that stuff hangs around "for-ever") and much love to you all!!!! Now if only today's card was a Thank-You card it would be just right! :)

I don't have a Thank-You card for you today, but I do have one for you that I hope will make you smile. My very good friend Brenda, (you know the one that's not going away any more *HappyDance*) really liked the new set Scentsational Season when she first saw it in the Holiday Catalog. She thought it would be fun to use. I have to say she's right and it's one of my favorite Holiday sets so far this year. I've made 4 different cards with this set and they are all totally different from each other. Love the versatility!!! Any-who, I decided to make this card last week to show her when we had dinner, so she would have lots of different ideas on how to use it. I also wanted to show her a technique that really makes a statement, but is Super Easy, especially for a beginner. She loved it and I hope you will too.

Here's today's card-

Hoiday Card withTriple Layer Stamping featuring
Scentsational Season and Holiday Framelets

This is a fun card and would be great for a holiday stamp-camp or stamp-a-stack type event. I used 4 of the 6 stamps in this set (not the cocoa mug or steam), stamped a few times added a little glitter and ribbon and I was done. I did use my Holiday Framelets to cut out the tree and the star. They make it soooo easy. Of course, I recommend getting both together and saving 15%. That's extra money to spend on more supplies, duh! Colors used are Raspberry Ripple, Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight and Gumball Green. Love that new In-Color Stitched Ribbon. :) I really reined Tink in on this card and there's just a little sparkle on the white parts of the tree and a little more on the star. These two elements were elevated with Dimensionals.

Here's the inside-

Inside of Holiday Card featuring
Scentsational Season and Snowflake Soiree

Love, Love, Love this font from Snowflake Soiree. It's so pretty, It does make me a little nutz-o because you have to angle it a little to get it to not stamp at an angle, but it's so pretty it's worth it. A little shimmer on my yummy little candy cane and the inside was finished. I told you this was super easy. Want to know what else makes me a little nutz-o? Those STOOOPID lines on my pictures from my ott-light. I thought it was just with my B.B. but nope, my I-Pad does it too. Usually just with white c/s but still. AUGH! I guess I need to see if it does with my camera too, but it's just such a pain to then upload the pictures in the computer. So much easier to just e-mail them to myself. That way I have them saved in another spot in case, Heaven Forbid, I have another computer malfunction. Don't ask. *SMH*

Well, that's all I have for you today. I hope you liked it and I hope it inspires you to get creative and play around with your stamps today. Why not see, how many different looks you can get out of a set. I know there's lots more to be had with this set. If you liked today's card or have questions about it, I hope you have a moment to leave me message below. I read them all and like I said, they really do make my day and they mean more to me than many of you will ever know. If you'd like to +1 or Pin today's card, I've put the buttons on here for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Don't forget to stop back by tomorrow. It's time for another round of The Great Pumpkin Blog Hop and I have a card where I did something for the first time. Can't wait to show it to you!!! : D

Thanks sooooo much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. I know there are lots of blogs to visit out there in blog-landia. You are very appreciated!!! Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,

Shan

Pin It

Believe You Are Wonderful Card and Tag / 2 Challenges in 1 / My Challenge #39

Pin It

Hey y'all. Happy Thursday! I hope you're having a great week so far. I have the day off but it'll be busy none-the-less. I'm going to see some of my most favorite people ever. True Heroes. Then I have to go see the orthopedist to see if we can get my feet feeling better. For those of you that don't know I started running almost 4 months ago and was doing really good, running 2 hours/day, 5 days/week (in non-running shoes) & doing pretty good. Then I switched to expensive "running" shoes and messed my arches up. Yep, arches, as in both of them. They have been painful for a month now and just walking is uncomfortable. Even a round of oral steroids has not fixed it. I'm expecting steroid shots in both arches and right now they hurt so bad the thought of the shots is the lesser evil of the two. :(

Know what makes me smile? When a card comes together like you visualized (or at least pretty close). Know what else? Getting my card for the Nacho Average Challenge done early, even though it's a dreaded "color challenge". Top that off with being able to combine it with another challenge makes it even better. Here's what I came up with-

Encouragement Card featuring
Snowflake Soiree Stamp Set, Northern Flurries Embossing Folder,
Delicate Designs Embossing Folder &
Large Scallop Edgelet

I was able to use this for Nacho Average Challenge's Color Challenge #12-

I was actually pretty excited about this color combo. It didn't totally terrify me, always a good thing! I don't usually look at the DT's cards before I do my own, because I don't want to be influenced by them. For some reason I did this time and I'm really glad I did, because Tammy loves her some snowflakes and had posted a card very similar to what I had in mind. I wonder if she would be offended if I were to say "Great minds & all that?" Have you seen her cards? Fab-u-lous! I would love to have someone think my cards were on her level. :) So anyways, I knew I had to change my game-plan just a little and went in search for a new sketch to use.

Lucky for me I have Try Stamping on Tuesday on my RSS feed and this was just waiting for me. It's been a while since I was able to play with them so it's nice to get to join up with them again. :) Here's their great sketch-

I'm pretty excited with what I came up with, how bout you? The only thing I'm missing is the 3 brads at the bottom of the tag. I do however have 3 pearls on my card. Do you think the fine D.T. over at TST will think that's sufficient? I sure hope so. :)

I decided to make the tag a functional part of the card and I think it still looks pretty good even once the tag's been removed-

I started with a base of Crumb Cake cardstock. Such a nice color, I'm not sure why I don't use it more. I ran my Island Indigo layer through the Big Shot with my Northern Flurries Embossing folder and then lightly sponged the raised embossed areas with my Whisper White Craft Classic Ink and a sponge dauber. Initially I tried coloring a Whisper White piece of c/s by inking up the E.F. with the Island Indigo ink and then embossing it. It came out ok, but it just wasn't even coverage everywhere and well, you know how I am so I had to formulate a new plan. I'm really happy with how Plan B turned out. My Lucky Limeade layer was run through the Big Shot with my Delicate Designs Embossing Folder and then used my Large Scallop Edgelet to cut it out. A little L.L. sponging helped define the embossed areas a little more. This layer was adhered with Dimensionals so the tag could be removed a little easier. I needed something to keep the tag from falling off the card so I added a pearl to my bottom snowflake as a stop. Since I didn't want it to be lonely I added a few more, cuz I'm just nice like that. :)

Here's a picture of the tag with the card-

I used my Two-Tags Die and cut the bookmark out of some scrap Very Vanilla c/s. The smallest snowflake in the Snowflake Soiree set was stamped in Crumb Cake and Lucky Limeade. The sentiment was stamped in Island Indigo. Don't you just love that font? So pretty! A little sponging in L.L. and I.I. and some I.I. Bakers twine finishes the tag. I did  stamp the snowflakes on both sides so it's pretty either way.

Here's the inside-

The sentiment is from Fabulous Phrases and I thought it went really well with the sentiment I used on the front. I went a little crazy with the snowflakes on the inside, but I couldn't help myself. There's still plenty of room for a hand-written note so I wasn't too worried. You know what I didn't add? Not a bit of glitter. I know you're reading that twice to see if you read that right. You did. Not a bit of glitz or glimmer on this card. And guess what, I still think it's pretty. :) I don't have enough cards that I could give to a guy, so I left it off this one. However, I think this is one I'll make multiples of for an upcoming craft show and some of those will have a little shimmer.

Well, that's all I have for you today. What do you think? I hope you like it and I hope those fabulous ladies over at NAC and TST like it too. I love hearing what you think, so if you liked today's card or have questions about it I hope you'll take a moment to leave me a message below. I read them all and they really do make my day! If you'd like to +1 or Pin today's card, I've put the buttons on here for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! I hope you'll stop back by tomorrow for this week's End of the Week Technique. I think you're going to like it. Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the Rain.

Be Safe,

Shan

Pin It

Believe & Peace on Earth on Freedom Day / End of the Week Technique #47 Making a Wavy Border / RHSSC #53

Pin It
Hey y'all. Happy Tuesday. I don't know about you, but I'd really like a Do-Over for the whole week so far. Major accident on the road this morning turned my 30 minute ride into a 1 1/2 hr ride.

On top of that, I think today should be a National Holiday of Remembrance anyways. Remembrance for the way our lives were forever changed and of Thankfulness, not just for the many who gave their lives but for those that continue to put their lives at risk for our continued Freedoms. And yes even a small amount of Thankfulness for the cowards who planned and carried out the horrific events of that day. Not because of the lives lost since that tragic day or the families that have been irrevocably changed. But because of them, those small, weak and cowardly few, that caused us as country to remember who we were, a country united, and created a need in us to band together in ways many had never witnessed and God Willing will never have to witness again. We are a stronger country because a few let hate into their lives and because many let their love show.

That being said it is Freedom Day. I'm sure all of us, old enough to remember where we were that fateful morning 11 years ago, will never forget the tragic events of that day and they many days to follow. I actually don't have a "Freedom Day" themed card for today but I think the sentiment still applies.

Here's today's card-

Holiday Card featuring
Snowflake Soiree Stamp Set and Candlelight Christmas DSP and
Snow Flurries Bigz Die

Another Clean and Simple card for me. O.K., lets call it fairly simple. The layout is C&S I just bumped it up a little. I started with a base of Very Vanilla c/s. I topped it with a piece of DSP from the Candlelight Christmas DSP. My sentiment is from the Snowflake Soiree set and is stamped in Early Espresso. Next came some snowflakes I cut out with my Snow Flurries Bigz Die (I was so happy to finally be using this!) and the border I'm going to show you how to make in just a moment. Everything is adhered with Tombow except for my snowflakes. They are Tombowed together but adhered to the card with a Dimensional. Of course I used my SAMJ to position my sentiment .

*Tip*- I'm pretty sure I said this yesterday (if not, it was fairly recent) Stamp your sentiment before deciding on your other measurements. Luckily, I didn't have any problems but I could have. Especially since all of my other elements were already adhered. *SMH*

Here's the sketch I used for my inspiration.

 I'm not 100% sure, but I think this is the first time I've played along with the Red Hot Stampers (sadly there are only so many challenges you can enter in a given week) even though they have great sketches. Check them out, but finish here first, kay? I think I stuck pretty close to the sketch. When I first saw the sketch, I thought of the Tasteful Trim Die. Unfortunately, I don't own that die so I had to come up with something else. Even though my solution doesn't have the same wide, wavy, curves I think it follows the essence of the sketch. I hope you'll let me know what you think. :)

Here's the inside-

Inside of Holiday Card featuring Seasons Greetings
and Snow Flurries Big Die

The greeting is stamped in Early Espresso. I think the sentiments of Believe and Peace on earth are well suited to today. Of course I don't think snow or the flakes they come from are too suited for any day, unless of course my pantry is stocked and I have no where to go for the next week or so and someone to magically appear and shovel my walkway and of course my sweetie is snuggled next to me. Somehow though, those things never seem to happen together so the only time I really like snowflakes is when they're on a card. :) The snowflakes were sponged using Soft Suede Classic Ink and the negatives from my snowflakes on the front of the card-

Today's End of the Week Technique is Quick and Easy. I'm not sure where I first saw it. I think it was either on Tammy Fite or Selene Kempton's blog. I tried it with different sized strips of paper and you can make this as wide or as narrow as you choose.

Here's what you need- Scalloped Border Punch and Cardstock

Here's what you do-
1- Cut your c/s to your desired length. Punch your strip of c/s as you normally would. This will give you a scalloped border on one side.
2- Flip your punched c/s over and slide it back into the punch making sure that your old scallops are in between the scallops printed on the bottom of your punch.

See how the top "bump" is between the scallops on the bottom? Don't punch your strip with the c/s up like this.
I moved it up so you could see the guides. Make sure to seat your c/s against the bottom just like you normally would.

3- Punch the entire length of your c/s You will now have a nice little "double scalloped border" that looks a lot like the rik-rak found in embroidery/sewing shops.

4- Apply to your project and smile when you see your completed work of art. Smile even more when you think about the smile it will bring to its recipients face. ( I always love that part the most!)

Well, what do you think about today's technique? Simple but effective, or at least I think so. I hope you liked today's card and this week's technique and I hope it inspires you to try something new today. If you liked today's card or have questions or comments, I hope you'll take a moment and leave me a message below. I read all my messages and they really do make my day! If you'd like to +1 or Pin today's card, I've put the buttons on my blog for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! I hope you find time to drop back in soon or better yet sign up for my RSS feed or have my posts delivered directly to your inbox.

I hope you make time today to tell those that are important to you, just how much you love them. We never know if we are going to have another day or even another breath to tell them this. Also if you happen to see an Armed Service member, a Police Officer or Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician think about taking just a moment to tell them how much their service is appreciated not just today, but everyday. Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,
Shan

Pin It