One last Christmas card!

We spent Christmas Day with our friends Kathy and Scott. Every year I browse through the cards they have received-- Kathy has some stamping friends who are amazing. This year was no exception. I particularly liked one card. Later when I saw my friend Heidi (who is also a friend of Kathy's), I described a card I saw at Kathy's made with Frosty. Heidi burst out laughing and told me she thought it was her card! Then she brought me one the next time we got together, and yep, she was right! I LOVE this card.

A very Happy New Year's Eve to all of you, and please be safe!

New Year cards!

Here are the first designs of New Year's cards we sent this year. I have to confess that at a certain point, I stopped making Christmas cards and switched to New Year's instead, so I'd have a chance of sending them on time! As long as they arrive sometime in January, I'm good, right? Hope so anyway!

Glass Block Gifts

I try to make something for Russell's Sunday School teachers' gifts. Maybe because I am in there once a month and I know how hard it can be to still smile at the end of the hour? I really appreciate them and want them to know it. You all KNOW my wonderful Russell (yes I mean that) and what a handful he can be (boy do I mean that). Now imagine a class full of Russells!! Enough said.

With our epic snowstorm, church was canceled last weekend, which gave me just enough time to finish these and get them into bags. I know we'll see Miss Melinda at church tonight, and I hope Miss Amy will be there too, but if not, she's around the corner and I will drop it off. The Santa image is from Wandering Words, from the Holiday Mini. I had all sorts of plans to use this, but as my time ran out, I only used it for these gifts!

I stamped with Staz On after dabbing Lovely Lavendar, Brocade Blue, and Night of Navy in a circular pattern around my Barely Banana moon. The tree is from (what else?) Lovely as a Tree, and to get the perfectly circular moon I punched a 1-3/4" circle out of a post-it note for a mask, and used the circle opening left over to sponge the moon. Microbeads diffuse the light. It is hard to get a good picture, but these are really pretty sitting in a dimly lit room!

Chrismas cards

Back when a local scrapbooking store went out of business, I found a pack of Vintage Victorian paper whose colors matched the then In Color Purely Pomegranate. I tucked away the last of my PP paper with that and basically forgot about it until a friend asked if I had any more Purely Pom paper. I gave her what I could find, but KNEW I had more somewhere. It was a happy surprise to find this patterned paper! Not all the designs worked with the images I wanted to use (Gifts of Christmas) but I do like what I came up with.

I embossed the edge of the Very Vanilla card in gold, and the designer paper as well (but not the mat). I liked that so much I carried on with the envelopes (there you go, that's my over the top touch for this year!). The sentiment on the inside is embossed as well, and matted with the coordinating color. Making 40 of these in one day, I started to worry about my heat gun giving out!





This patterned paper (from the same pack) is shot through with silver marbling, so I decided to try a few with silver. I like these better with the Happy New Year stamp (I will show you those in a few days)-- I think it is just personal preference, I like the gold better.



This paper (still the same pack) was a perfect match for Mellow Moss, and had gold marbling (hard to see that). I liked this combo, too, but my favorite of all was the Purely Pomegranate-- it seemed more the Victorian look I was going for.

The snow meant I couldn't get out and do last minute shopping for my sister's grandkids in KY. NavyFed gift cards to the rescue! These gift card holders are patterned after one given to me by Audrey at least 2 years ago (I never throw anything away that I might be able to use as a pattern!). It is a strip of CS 2.75 by 8.5, scored at 3.5, and folded up to form the holder. Clip the ends with scissors and decorate as desired. That's it! I used Holiday Tag Team for the images. My wonderful husband rushed these and some other goodies to the Post Office. I hope they get there in time!

Kim's card

A friend who used to stamp in one my clubs sent me this card-- she's moved away but we email occasionally. I bought this set-- Delightful Decorations--- and the matching punch, but due to going back to work, haven't had a chance to use it! Notice this is a gate fold card, which is always a WOW. Kim, I hope it is OK I show off your creation since I don't have one of my own!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

The wish of every school child (and not a few teachers, LOL!) on the Eastern Seaboard was granted over the weekend. Snow began falling Friday night and didn't stop here in Northern Virginia until late Saturday night. This is the view from my front door around 4 pm Saturday. At 11 am Saturday the reindeer were up to their knees in snow. At 5, it was up to their rumps! The plows have not yet made it even to the somewhat major street that leads to our subdivision; church is canceled and I imagine the stores are still shut. A good day to get overdue Christmas cards done, yes? Though I am beginning to think I should just make New Year cards instead-- then it will look like I PLANNED to be late!

In honor of the snow-- another snowman card! This one is from Tracy. Wasn't this a good swap, I loved both Heidi's and Tracy's cards. My kids think this one is adorable--love that little snowman! He is from Punch Pals.

I'm back!!

I do apologize for not posting regularly!! My excuse is, of course, going back to work. I have been exhausted and boy do I have new respect for moms who work full-time and still manage everything. Grades were due this week for the all-year classes and being in the "taking over at the end of the grading period" situation, there was a lot of paper to check and grade and enter but it is done!! And with 12 inches of snow on the ground and more falling (we may get 24"!!!), it looks like school will be out Monday and Tuesday.

Here is the gorgeous Christmas card I spoke about maybe 2 weeks ago (Heidi is so organized that hers was the first card I received). I love Gifts of Christmas and I think she did a beautiful job!

Heidi's Thank You

This week I will start by sharing Heidi's and Tracy's cards for our swap. Both chose snowmen. Heidi's choice was Frosty, a set I have always regretted not purchasing. I'm going to have to borrow hers after seeing this card!

I forgot to post this yesterday! I get emails from a demo named Gretchen Barron. She takes as much care with the inside of her cards as the card itself. She has inspired me to start doing a little more with the inside of my cards. This is the inside of the Snowflake Thank You posted yesterday. I used the 1/16th inch circle punch to make the circle scallops match.

Here's today's card, and the last of the thank you's I made for the swap with Heidi and Tracy. Again, designer paper for a colorful background, then some felt flurries and bling to top it off. What makes this card, though, is the Lace Edge punch.

another Thank You

Here's another Thank You. I know I saw this general idea-- using designer paper with a ribbon bow-- on Splitcoast, but I'm not sure who did it first. Cards like this are EXACTLY the reason I bought the "thank you" Sizzlit for my Big Shot-- I think this looks great (so modest, yes?). Have a WONDERFUL Friday and keep your fingers crossed-- we might get some snow Saturday!

Thank you cards

One great way to keep your stamping going is to join a swap or organize one informally. Heidi, Tracy, and I decided to make thank you cards so that one more Christmas "to do" would be off our lists. We decided each of us would make 12 cards and divide them amongst the three of us. I actually made 3 designs of 12 cards each because I forgot to check my supplies before starting! I'll show them all to you over the next few days, plus I will post Tracy's and Heidi's after I get them. Here's the first, inspired by a Gretchen Barron creation. I do love these colors together!

Petra's Christmas card

Petra came over on Black Friday-- while the kids visited, she and I stamped! She finalized the design for her Christmas card, while I did "thank you's" for a swap I am in -- I'll post those later in the week. Forgive the short posts, I am getting used to my work schedule and getting up earlier than usual.

Petra chose Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, and Brushed Silver. She was inspired by a card on SCS. The tree is from Lovely as a Tree and the sentiment from Season of Joy. Heat and Stick powder holds the Dazzling Diamonds on the image. Isn't this pretty?