Baby Jesus

 I realized that I had only made 4 cards for this month and I like to get at least 5 done, so I decided to use this new stamp I bought.  Spellbinders is now selling Stampendous stamps and this one was on sale just before Christmas, it was so sweet I had to get it.  

I used the technique where you add glue stick around the edges and then put down the foil over top and let dry and remove, it gives a rustic look, I think it would have worked better with a plain square then a scalloped one like this but it still has that rustic feel to it.  This set has different sentiments you can use with the stamp too.

• Stampendous - Nativity Frame stamp set, colored w/markers, added Press and Peel foiling around edges using Simon says craft glue stick to apply it with
• Spellbinders - Lacy Squares die
• Anna Griffin - Christmas paper

You can see the shine of the foiling a little better in this picture.  There I finished them by the end of January :)

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today, 

Connie

Furbabies

 I have had two friends lose their furbabies in the past couple of weeks. First up is the girl that leads are music worship at church. Her and her husband don't have kids so they are extra close to their furbabies and he even writes comics about this cat they lost.  

I colored the cat stamp and then fussy cut and added it just above some lines that I scored on the front to frame the sentiment. I used a stencil to add clouds.

• ODBD - Kitty stamp, colored w/markers and fussy cut
• My Favorite things - Cloud stencil
• Score lines

Shortly after that Donna told me that her dog was bitten by a snake and he didn't make it. They are in our lives for so many years and so apart of our daily lives. You can read about it on her blog.

• Impression Obsession - Dog set die, cut from kraft and inked
• Poppystamps - Stitched Landscape die
• Memory Box - Grove leaves die and Bare Sapling die
• birds hand drawn

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

sending flowers

 Once again using some goodies from fellow cardmakers, this envelope and tag from Esther, I added some very old Prima flowers to them along with some die cut leaves and punches.

For the base of my card I used an embossing folder and I am still having troubles getting good impressions using my Tim Holtz 3 D folders, I am lightly misting the paper and putting them through my Gemini machine, I have tried all kinds of shims and such trying to get a good impression, was wondering if any of you have a Gemini and if you are having the same troubles.

• Envelope and tag given from cardmaking friend
• Prima flowers
• Tim Holtz - Funky Floral #3 dies and 3D Quilted embossing folder
• Spellbinders - Circle Delight die
• Me & My big ideas - Gems
• Martha Stewart - Leaf punch, I have added score lines to it

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Twisted Easel

 In our last zoom meeting April showed us how to do a twisted easel card, and a technique with our stencils.

We inked our backgrounds with distress inks, then we sprayed the back of our stencil with water and immediately, turned the wet side to the inked background and let sit for awhile, blotting with a paper towel, when you remove the stencil you will see the bits were the water hit the ink has now been removed leaving the look of the stencil.   I am sure if you search for twisted easel card you will find all kinds of tutorials.

We were to have an image colored and ready to go and I had done a no line coloring of this image and did not like it, so the next day I colored a new one using black ink and liked it much better, although I wonder if the coloring is a little dark for the background.  I also punched a butterfly and added it to the top, I know you don't see it when it is open but I liked it for when my friend opens the envelope it will be there.

• Hero Arts - Filigree Patterns 2 stencil (inside of card)
• Simon Says - Freestyle flowers (outside of card)
• ODBD - Fragrance stamp set
• Martha Stewart - Butterfly punch
• Starform - Glitter purple/silver stickers
• Provocraft - scissors to cut out sentiment

I used the wrong weight cardstock on this and I think the paper was still a bit damp from using the stencil when I applied it to the base, I have it under books right now hoping it flattens out a bit.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Foil Christmas

 The Christmas challenge in our stamp group was to use foil on our cards. This first die I had bought with my winnings from Penny black last year, I used mega flake foil to adhere to the joy die and the picture inside was also purchased from Penny black. I stamped snowflakes on the background and added a few more with my gel pen since the stamping wasn't showing up well.

• Penny Black - Immense Joy die and Masterpieces Made simple, Home for Christmas image
• IndigoBlu - Mega Flakes, Morris Dance
• Stampabilities - Snowflake stamps 
• Hampton Art - snowflake cluster
• Gel pen stars

 I had also remembered that I had purchased these foil sheets a few years ago and then forgot and couldn't find the project I bought to use them for, so they finally are being used, the trees and deer foil all came from the same pack, I cut the smaller trees a few times to layer them up, and the deer were cut 3 times to give them a bit of dimension, I usually use my scrap cardstock for the background layers. In order to fit everything I went with a 5x6 inch card on this one.

• Frantic Stamper - Oregon Fir and Small Oregon Fir dies
• Rinea - Double sided foiled papers, Variety Woodlands
• Impression Obsession - small deer die
• ODBD - Christmas collection 2014 paper
• Hobby Lobby - Christmas sticker book for sentiment

I am sharing my cards today with :

Four Season Challenge winter challenge

Peace on Earth Challenge 

Double D Challenge Snow

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

A little note

 A friend was admitted to the hospital trying to figure out what is going on, just a little note to let her know I am thinking of her and praying they can figure out what is going on.

Do you remember those $ spot stamps at Michaels a few years back, I broke them out to use on this card. I fussy cut just the flower tops so that I could add a bit of foam tape underneath. The die set I used to frame it has an inner and outer piece, I could not find cardstock to match well so I ended up coloring the outer frame with a marker.

• Studio G - flower stamp, colored w/markers
• Lawn Fawn - Outside in Stitched scalloped rectangle stackables die
• Cloud 9 design - paper
• Spellbinders - Lacey circles die

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by,

Connie

Specimen Birthday

 I was wanting to play with my specimen goodies again along with some ephemera so I made a card for my nephew using them.

• Tim Holtz - Field Notes Ephemera pack and Specimen dies
• ODBD - Vintage Ephemera collection paper
• Simon Says - Tiny words and Phrases sentiment stamp
• Inkessentials - Black enamel

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Prayers and Thoughts

 A lady in our church fell on one of her daily walks and broke her hip, she had just retired from working in the nursery of our church for 43 years.  I had to let her know that she was in my prayers and I had just been given this stamped sentiment a few days earlier.

• Hero Arts - Prayers and Thoughts stamp
• Spellbinders - Majestic Labels 25 die
• K&co. - K-ology Hannah paper
• Tim Holtz - Funky Floral #3 dies

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Hip hip hooray

 I am starting off using goodies from my friends very good this month so far, lets hope I can keep that up all year :)

This image and paper was given to me from a cardmaking friend many years ago. I colored it with markers. I think my great nephew will think this is funny.

• Stamp and papers from friend, colored w/markers
• Gemini - Torn edges circle dies
• K&co. - Birthday  & Celebrate Vellum stickers sentiment
• Stars saved from a background die

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Hunter

 My nephew is quite the outdoorsman, he bow hunts and fishes.  In my cardmaking group one of the girls posted an image of a hunter and I said Oh that would be perfect for my nephew.  Well guess what I got in the mail a little later, I have waited until his birthday this month to make the card but with the extra pieces of paper she sent with two images I may be able to get a couple cards made for him so I am all set for a couple years :)  Here is the one he will get this year.

• Papers and image from friend
• Tim Holtz - small talk sentiment

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

New supplies

 When I saw the new Sisterhjood of Crafters Challenge to use something new, I thought what great timing I had just finished using a new die I had gotten. 

I will have to say I am not that thrilled with how it turned out though, the other sets I have bought in the series I have liked but this one gave me some challenges.  The set comes with two dies and the first one I tried well let's just say I haven't seen anything so ugly, usually I keep trying and not give up but this one went right in the trash, believe me there was no saving it.  So I thought I would try the other die in the set and it wasn't horrible so I used it but I think this is one of those dies I may pass on to a fellow cardmaker and see if they have better luck with it.

• Gemini - Create a card - Foxglove die
• Hot off the press - Cardmakers Instant card art (tag) 130 tiny words & Phrases sticker
• Ms. Sparkle & co. - Wood grain paper
• Crafters Companion - Advent Paper (purple strip)
• Recollection - Heart Brad
• Starform - Border sticker

As you can see I popped up the panel die just a bit.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today!

Connie

Flowers in Winter

 Who doesn't love receiving flowers in winter time, it just perks you up and makes you think of spring that will be arriving soon, and what better time to feel good then on your birthday.  I have been gifted with some lovely items from fellow cardmakers and I am going to try and use them at least once a month if not more in my cards this year.  These flowers and buttons were given to me. The top left flower I added a paper flower I had left over from another project between the felt flower and button.

• Flowers, buttons and gifted to me
• Lilybee design - Head over heels paper
• PPD - Stitched Mini scallop borders die
• Vellum
• Papercraft inspirations - Greetings stamp set
• Spellbinders - Back to basics tags die
• Bazzill Brad
• Gems

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

NOEL

 My cardmaking group is doing their Christmas challenges again and each of us take a week to share what we have done to hopefully inspire others to get their Christmas cards made.  Our challenge for the month of January is use our sentiment as the focal. 

My challenge for everyone is to use those big letters that we have had from years ago for our scrapbooking and use them on our cards.  I have these thick chipboard letters and I went through them trying to see if I could come up with a Christmas sentiment and I had enough letters for NOEL :)

I made another mini slimline card.

• K&co. - Roam Chipboard Alphabet
• Spellbinders - Resplendent Rectangles die
• Graphic 45 - Christmas Emporium paper
• Die-versions - Holly die w/gold sequins

Maybe I have inspired you to give it a try, using up our old goodies and getting one more card closer to having them ready for this Christmas.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Birthday Challenge

 Double D Challenge blog has a Birthday Challenge to celebrate their 7th birthday, wow how time flies.  I needed a card for my great nieces birthday and thought this would be perfect, I had recently come across this banner that a cardmaking friend had sent me awhile ago and thought it might be perfect for a 14 year old.  I added it with my new die cut sentiment I bought last year through HSN.

• Gemini - Wish you a Happy Birthday die
• Forever in time - Mini Pennant Flags
• DCWV - Old World Stack paper
• Stamps of Life - Cupcake stamp set, colored sprinkles w/markers
• Sequins

Here is the mood board to give us ideas of what we can do on our cards, my inspiration came from the bottom left photo.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Hello

 A lady from church fell and broke both her ankles, even had to have surgery on one, I wanted to let her know I was praying for her so I sent her this card. I know I don't need anymore but I bought another bird for myself for Christmas.  I had to use it on her card. The hello die is from the Advent Calendar this year.

• Simon Says stamps - Layered Warbler die
• Poppystamps - Grand Gothic Luminary and Climbing Vine dies
• Basic Grey - Periphery Paper
• Crafter's Companion - Advent Calendar (Hello) die

Hope you are all staying well in this new year!

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

50th

 One of the ladies in our cardmaking group recently celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary so all of us girls decided to send her cards. I tried going for a more elegant feel to the card.

• Anna Griffin - Christmas scrapbook paper
• Gemini - Opulent swirls die
• Spellbinders - Splendid circles die
• Memory Box - Stitched circle layers
• Taylored Expressions -  Whimsy #'s die
• Tim Holtz - Funky Festive dies and Metallic cardstock

Thank you for stopping by today, I hope you enjoyed a nice New year and that the year ahead will be a wonderful one!

Hugs,

Connie