Let It Snow

Today's card was created for the latest Less Is More challenge. This week's challenge called for a "recipe" of emboss resist. It's been a while since I used this technique on a card and wanted to play along and challenge myself. I started with a piece of white cardstock and, after prepping the surface with my powder tool, I stamped the two smallest snowflakes from the Stampabilities Winter Wonderland stamp set using Versamark ink and heat set them using Recollections snow white embossing powder. Once dry I inked the panel with Tim Holtz distress ink in broken china and faded jeans, creating a nice ombre effect. I took a tissue and brushed off the excess ink from the snowflakes and then spritzed the panel with both water and frost shimmer spray by Tsukineko. I love using that shimmer spray on snowy scenes because of the beautiful shimmer it gives. While that base panel was drying I stamped Purple Onion's Merry Snowman out onto some Copic-friendly cardstock and colored him in using my alcohol markers. I fussy cut around the image and freehand cut the snowy slopes around him. I edged the image using my dual tipped Memento tuxedo black marker. I then adhered the image directly to the distressed panel. I stamped the sentiment from Amy R's Big Christmas Wishes stamp set and, even though you can't see it in the photo, added some pretty shimmer to the letters using my clear Spica shimmer marker. I love how adorably sweet this card turned out and may have to mass produce this one. Thank you for visiting my blog today and if this card put a smile on your face be sure to leave a comment...I appreciate them all!

Wishing You A Warm & Cozy Day

I usually create all of my Christmas cards in the summer months so they are ready come holiday season but I fell short on that amount this year and needed to create a few more. I recently picked up the My Favorite Things Cozy Mittens stamp and die set from a fellow crafter on a destash sale and had yet to break it out and get it inky. I started with a pre-cut and scored kraft cardbase from American Crafts. I cut down a white cardstock panel and inked the edges using Tim Holtz distress ink in tea dye and added some faux brown stitches around the outer edge using the thin tip of my Zig writer pen in chocolate brown. I die cut the mittens using the same white cardstock and inked them up using the detail stamps from the set and inks in chocolate brown, sky blue, and baby pink and then inked around the edges for a nice vintage look. I die cut the buttons using a MFT button die and threaded some ivory twine from We R Memory Keepers through and tied a bow. I adhered each of the buttons down to the mittens using glue dots. I stamped the sentiment onto some white cardstock and used a few of the detail elements to add a nice border at the top and bottom and then using a tag die from Paper Smooches I created a fish tail banner out of it. I popped it and the mittens up off of the card using some 3M foam tape and then glued some twine down directly onto the card using some Stampin' UP liquid glue. A few chocolate chip sequins from Pretty Pink Posh complete this card. I hope you like it!

Christmas Wishes-Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb

Hello and welcome to another coffee and cards with Celeste and Deb collaboration. We loved our October collaboration so much that we decided to continue it as a monthly feature on our blogs and, as a special twist, we thought it might be fun to invite some of our fellow crafty friends to join us each month. This month we have Deb's friend Lynne Mizara. I have to admit that I was not familiar with Lynne's work up until our collaboration but after looking at her blog and checking out her work I am smitten. It's beautiful and very detailed! Deb and I let Lynne select the theme for this month's collaboration and she chose snow. It seems fitting since we are rapidly approaching the winter months. I wanted to keep my card subtle and simple. I don't typically do clean and simple cards but I had recently picked up a fun new stamp from Altenew and thought I'd try something different with it and put a slightly masculine twist on it. I started with a clean white card base and stamped the sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp mini Christmas stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink. Using a separate piece of Copic-friendly cardstock I cut a rectangular panel and added some dashed lines using a Paper Smooches edge die. I stamped the pretty winter cabin image onto the cardstock using Altenew's Winter Cottage mini stamp set and then stamped the trees from the Close To My Heart Always Grateful Seasons & Nature stamp set. I love how the trees frame out the scene. I took my Copic B60 pale blue gray maker and added some interest the sky. I then took my Zig two-way glue pen and added some glue to the roof and the trees and sprinkled on some pretty and shimmery clear micro glitter to look snow. To finish my card I popped the focal panel up off of the card using some 3M foam tape. The photo honestly doesn't do the sparkle and shimmer justice...it's so much prettier in person! Now, pop on over to Debra site and Lynne's site  and see what fun they have in store for you today!
As for my choice of beverage, I went for cocoa with a big pile of fluffy marshmallows instead of coffee. Don't get me wrong...I had coffee but it's a chilly 55 degrees here this morning in SE Missouri and after my morning bike ride I wanted something really warm and comforting. So, cocoa it is!

A Harvest Of Blessings

Today's card was created for the latest Sunday Stamps challenge. I adore autumn (it's my favorite time of the year) and I was really drawn to this color combo. I started by layering some crumbcake cardstock onto my white card base. Using patterned papers from the Echo Park Reflections fall 12x12 paper kit I added some pretty layers onto my card. I die cut stamped a die cut the adorable mouse and the accompanying autumn images onto some Copic-friendly cardstock using the My Favorite Things Harvest Mouse stamp set and it's coordinating dies. I colored them to compliment the papers and the adhered them to some circles that I die cut using some dies from My Favorite Things and Spellbinders. I adhered the leaves directly to the circle panel and popped the remaining images up using some Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. I added some dashed lines in dark brown ink around the outer edges of the card panel, the center striped panel, and the circle panel just to help add some contrast and set the papers apart from each other. For the finishing touch I added that beautiful sentiment from the same stamp set. Thank you for visiting my blog today and I hope my card put a smile on your face!

Hello

Today's card was created for the latest Tag You're It challenge. I absolutely love this gorgeous tag that the very talented Rubeena Naz created. If you're not familiar with Ruby's work you owe it to yourself to check out her blog. You can find it here. Anyway, I typically don't make tags but I was so inspired by this one, especially the colors that I chose to give it a go. I started by layering some beautiful patterned papers from the Mind's Eye Fancy That 6x6 paper pad onto my white card base. I added a pretty piece of gold glitter washi tape from the American Crafts Make It Happen tape combo pack to the side to break up the patterned papers. I then die cut my tag using a pierced edge tag die from My Favorite Things out of some Copic-friendly white cardstock. I stamped the beautiful flower from the Tim Holtz Stamper's Anonymous Flower Garden stamp set directly onto the tag. I stamped the flower top again onto a separate piece of cardstock and colored it in using my Copic alcohol markers. I fussy cut the image out and then covered it in Versamark clear sticky ink so I could cover it with some Zing clear embossing powder and heat set it for a nice shiny look. I popped the image up off of the tag using some Stampin' UP foam dimensionals for some great dimension. I then stamped the sentiment from the Winnie & Walter The Big, The Bold, & The Happy stamp set onto the tag using onyx black Versamfine pigment ink and then covered it with clear embossing powder and heat set it. I added a pretty scalloped edge in pink to the bottom of the tag using more of the papers from the paper pack and a bit of glitter washi tape the bottom. I popped the tag up off of the card using some 3M foam tape, added a few sequins from The Ton, and rounded the outer corners using my We R Memory Keepers corner chomper. I love this pretty card and may have to hoard it for a while before sending it off some lucky recipient. I hope you like it too!