Friday, December 30, 2016

Intertwining Hearts of Love

I finally finished the 4 cards I need for a class I have scheduled January 27 in Green Valley, AZ called "Love Is In The Air".  I will be getting my email out shortly to my customers and to Susan to add to her Women With Scissors newsletter to advertise.


I love how this turned out though I agonize over my designs to make them relatively easy yet fun to make.


It was a bit of a challenge to make the hearts intertwine without it being obvious how to hide how I did it.

Supplies:
Card stocks:  Bubble Gum, Candy Apple, Raspberry Berry, and Whip Cream
Dies: Heart-Felt and Piercing Elements, and Snapshot Frames
Other: Whip Cream Thread and Pink World Sequins

Notice there is NO stamping.  I love our dies and use them on almost every card I make.  I also need to make a bunch of Valentine cards for family.  Maybe I can use my new MISTI!

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

WOYWW 395 and a Start on My Planner

Can you believe this is the LAST Wednesday and WOYWW post this year?  Oh, do you know what WOYWW means?  It's What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday and this is the 395th week this blog tour has been going on.  I remember when I started about week 185 (that's the number stuck in my head but I'm not going to look to verify) there was over 100 participating.  Now it's under 50.  Oh well.  But if you want to know more you have to head over to our head desker Julia's blog, the Stamping Ground.

Ok, my desk, and it's rather busy as I prepare for my "Love Is In the Air" class on January 27 next year. But I'm not showing any of those cards yet. Maybe Friday.


There's lots here. Paper, dies,  my new Misti yet unopened, a HUGE roll of foam tape (I used instead of pricey pop dots), and my Amaze die cut machine.  Just click on the photo to enlarge.  I haven't stamped for a week so am working like crazy!

 I'm starting a Planner and have slowly started to decorate it.  I have birthdays and anniversaries already entered and a few other special "dates".


This planner is about 7 1/2" x 10".  I stamped my name and such to personalize it more.  (Planner, stamps, etc. from the company I'm with.)  I love this cool shiny blueish green cover and the photo doesn't come very close to it's color.  The cover did make stamping a bit more difficult and took forever for the stamped images to dry.  I did smudge the center top star a bit.


This is the cover for my January calendar.  I stamped snowflakes all over and added Crystal Stickles.
I'm nowhere near as fancy as others but I like the more simple pages that don't add oodles of bulk.


This is a die cut pocket (opening on other side) and a die cut arrow. Since I'm going to Las Vegas next month for a conference the pocket can hold receipts for car fuel, food, whatever. This die was made for a personal sized planner so I covered the holes and repunched to fit this larger planner. Worked pretty good.

Ok, I'm done.  I missed joining last week due to SO much happening and I had to work with priorities.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I pray for a great new year!  See you next year!  God bless!

Monday, December 26, 2016

It's All About the Glitter

Each month at our S.A.L.S.A. meeting we can accept a mystery item to use on a card or some project.  At our November meeting we got a packet of glitter.  I'm NOT a glitter person, much prefer Stickles, as I really dislike loose glitter.  But I got a pack of turquoise and was determined to do something with it.  Hence this card:



I die cut the Candy Apple card stock with our Sun Rays die.  I placed that on a piece of our White Liner Sheet and sprinkled ALL the glitter on the exposed sticky sheet.  I then adhered this glittered piece on a A2 piece of Summer Days card stock


I stamped on Whip Cream card stock and cut out the ornament from our retired Classic Ornaments Bundle, colored with Copic markers.  I used Red and Crystal Stickles on the snowflake.  I found some really old little red circle stickers and added one to the center.  I have to say this card has OODLES of bling!

Now it's time to start working on some other projects!  After work today I'll probably start taking down our tree and getting the house back to our normal.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!  We went to a special Christmas service at church then dinner at the Golden Corral then over to Harkins Theater and watched Trolls.

Friday, December 23, 2016

Snowman Pop & Twist

I haven't been stamping this week due to Christmas and priorities but I did make this last Pop & Twist card last week.  I took oodles of pictures of step by step as I hope to teach this next fall.  I think this card would be wonderful for children of all ages!


I'll start with the cover and belly band.  Very simple as I didn't want to take away from the inside. The cute little snowman is from the Jolly Friends set and I stamped him on Whip Cream card stock die cut with our Circles die set. I used our Candy Apple card stock for the base.


Isn't he just TOO cute!!!!  I used our smallest circle die on Black Licorice then punched the holes to make the buttons. The pattern paper is from last year's fun 6" x 6" Christmas paper pack as I didn't have much left over from this year's 'Tis the Season pack (retires Dec. 31). I used a scrap of Citrus Cooler for the nose and 1/4" circles (from an old paper punch I've had forever) for the eyes.


I used our Banner Party Bundle to make the banner.  The letters and stitches are hand drawn as are the eyes and mouth. You can add maybe 1 more banner piece if needed.  I used Pool Play card stock for the banner. 

I also just got the picture of the cards we'll be making with our January 2017 Bloom Box!


These cards would be great for graduates, retirees, birthdays, and more!  I have the info for purchasing on my FSJ Specials page but you can't order until Jan. 1, 2017!

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Another Pop & Twist Christmas Card

I got a text from our granddaughter so now I can post this card!  She texted me saying she LOVED this card and my thought, what's not to love?  LOL!






This is the cover and belly band of my card.  The base is Whip Cream and the band is Candy Apple.  The blue is from my old pre-FSJ stash and the pattern is FSJ retired (last's years Christmas paper).



I used the same blue and pattern inside.













These fun characters are from the Jolly Friends stamp set. (I don't have the dies but the Bundle is a great deal!)  I colored all with my Copic markers.  The ho ho ho is also from this fun set.  I also used some Crystal Stickles on the characters.






This text is from a retired Bloom Benefit and I love this font!  I traced the phrase with a Black Stardust Gel pen to add a glimmer of bling.

Before mailing I did add a personal note under the Merry Christmas.  I also heard from our daughter about her Pop & Twist card and she, too, loved her card.  She told me I had a tough act to follow with my cards to them next year.  Hmmm.....  I've not made them the Pop Up Box card yet....



Monday, December 19, 2016

December Bloom Box Cards, Part 2

You seen the 2 cards on my previous post, today are the other 2 from our December Bloom Box.  I love getting this each month as I get a great stamp set (and right now I do know what the January cards are since they are shown in the back of our upcoming Bloom This Way mini catalog for January - March 2017), 4 precut and prepared card kits, and a great full color booklet of directions.  You supply the ink, coloring medium, and adhesives (such as Glaze, pop dots, etc.).  Hmmm.... I just gave a infomercial.  But then, that's my job!  LOL!  Anyway....


Again I switched out the words to make Christmas cards.  My Merry Christmas is retired.


This card has cute embellies.  I love our Journey Thread Gold but it does have a tendency to unravel so one has to be careful. I love the use of the Blue Lagoon die cut, just makes the card pop!
A note about the Dark Roast Silk... it is very thick and a bit harder to splatter than all our other colors.  When dry it has a bit of a raised surface.  I do love its look.

Card stocks: Oatmeal Cookie, Blue Lagoon, Cranberry Bliss, and Whip Cream
Inks: Dark Roast and Cranberry Bliss
Coloring: Color Burst Pencils
Die: Border Basics
Silks: Gold and Dark Roast
Embellies: Rainbow Drops, Amazing Accents, and Journey Thread Gold


I think this card may be my favorite of the 4.  Interesting as it was the easiest to make but to me it was the most elegant.  The vellum really helped.


We also sponged the edges of the Oatmeal Cookie strip which seems to make it pop a bit more.

Card stocks: Lemon Grass, Whip Cream, Oatmeal Cookie, and Designer Vellum Prints
Ink: Dark Roast, Oatmeal Cookie, Lemon Grass, and Cranberry Bliss
Silk: Gold
Embellies: Journey Thread Gold and Wooden Accents

I do have enough Christmas cards as I went to the store where I sell my cards and picked up the 3 packs of cards (a dozen per pack) since they didn't sell.  The store owner was concerned as business is very slow and she (a massage therapist) had 2 cancellations from ill customers while I was there.  I did get my January class scheduled but have no samples made as of yet.

Friday, December 16, 2016

December Bloom Box Cards

Last Saturday my friend Angie came out (her hubby was working with my hubby) and we worked on our December Bloom Box cards.  Since I was needing more Christmas cards I did alter mine a bit.


This is the first one in our direction booklet. I love this fun Welcome Wreaths stamp set as it has a couple pine cones, a pine bough, a couple different wreaths, and some words.  To me they're very rustic.


Great elements really help make the card and we used a few on this first card. My Merry Christmas script is from a retired Bloom Benefit stamp. We stamped the pine cones on the Oatmeal Cookie card stock then used browns and white pencils to color.  I even added some more green to the boughs for more dimension. Did you notice the bow?  It's a triple loop bow.  I love the look of it and is easier than you think.  I didn't even use my Bow Maker but made the loops on my fingers!  Richard Garay is make a video for us on how to make these and his YouTube may even be available for your viewing, do a search as he has LOTS of great videos!

Card stocks: Lemon Grass, Blue lagoon, Whip Cream, Dark Roast, Oatmeal Cookie
Ink: Dark Roast and Lemon Grass
Coloring: Color Burst Pencils
Silks: Gold and Dark Roast
Die: Journey Squares
Embellies: Metal Buttons and Journey Thread Gold


Since the name of the new set is about wreaths we made a couple wreath cards.  Here's the first.


Very cheerful!  Fairly bright in person.

Card stocks: Blue Lagoon, Oatmeal Cookie, Whip Cream, and Lemon Grass
Inks: Lemon Grass, Dark Roast, and Cranberry Bliss
Die: Journey Squares
Silk: Dark Roast (and I added Gold)
Embellies: Sparkle Cuts (bigger chunks than glitter)
Other: Journey Glaze

I'll share the other 2 cards on Monday.  You'all come back!  And did you notice I now have the new Bloom This Way Mini catalog in the sidebar?  You can now view it but it doesn't take effect until Jan. 1 and runs through March 31, 2017.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Desks and More

It is so warm here in southern Arizona that it does NOT feel like Christmas!  I even had my air conditioner on in my car Monday!  But one thing is does feel like is Wednesday and the day many of us share a view of our desks in all their "glory".  This fun weekly tour of desks is brought together by Julia at the Stamping Ground.  (I was MIA last  week due to many commitments.)  This is a view of my desk yesterday as I was cleaning piles, mailing Christmas cards, and what not.


Hmmm, what is here...   Left to right, in front is my Planner with a pad of paper on it, and sheets of projects from the company I'm with.  Kinda center... my address book on my paper trimmer, some cards, a roll of carpet tape (for an upcoming project) with my blue stamp cleaning rag toward the back. Next to the rag is a small box with the most frequently used acrylic blocks, my bone folder and Bloom tool.  Far right, some scraps of paper, my ATG adhesive roller, clear boxes for projects.

A couple of my recent projects:


A new paint can...  It holds gift cards, a bag of fancy Pecans from a local Pecan store, and some chocolate nuggets. I've had this can for a few years and decided it was time.  The opener is taped to the lid.


And a little treat box with some Christmas goodies.  Simple but cute. (I needed a break from all the Pop & Twist cards I've been making.)

I have now gotten all my gifts mailed.  Only local gifts are left.  Still mailing out cards and probably will up until Christmas Eve.

How are you coming with your Christmas goodies?  And now you can head over to the Stamping Ground to see more "goodies" and fun stuff!

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Popping and Twisting Snowflakes

Last week you seen my first attempt at the Pop and Twist card and today I have my 2nd attempt (out of 5 total).  These are SO fun!!!


I'll start with the cover.  The fun print comes from our 'Tis the Season printed paper pack will is only available until the end of this month, then it retires. (In making these 5 cards I used up most all of my pack and have only pieces left.)  The solid card stocks are Catalina Splash and Whip Cream.  The fun snowflake comes from the Snow Burst Bundle.


I used some Crystal Stickles on this snowflakes as I have 2 or 3 bottles of that stuff and I'm not a glitter fan (though our Sparkle Dust is pretty cool). The phrase is also from our Snow Burst Bundle.  I used our Catalina Splash ink to stamp.


Now the inside.  I used the same card stocks but the Merry Christmas is from a Bloom Benefit called Christmas Mug (which had a coordinating die) that retired.  I really like the phrase!


Here's the snowflake at the top of the inside. I have oodles and oodles of bottles of embossing powder from my 20+ years of stamping and this one has a bit of iridescence to it.  I started with another bottle but that powder was long past it's ability to work.  This one is still good and perfect for what I wanted.


All 4 snowflakes on the pop out panel are the same and from the Pretty Flakes Bundle. This bundle is still available but retiring at the end of the month.

I made 2 more cards very similar to the one posted last week.  I'll be sharing those 2 and a fun one for the kiddos soon. 

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Popping and Twisting

I spent quite a few days preparing very special cards for friends and family and I can show this one card as I gave it to my "secret sister" at church last night at our ladies Christmas dinner.  I found a great tutorial by a demo (Dawns Stamping Thoughts) of another company (after looking at a few) who simplified the directions.


Here's the cover with the belly band.  The pattern paper is from the "Tis the Season Prints", a 6" x 6" pad of Christmas paper that was in our Holiday Mini and is still available this month.


I used my Crystal Stickles (have oodles from before my start with FSJ) both outside and inside.


Here's the inside fully opened. I used 2 bundles, Classic Ornaments and Holiday Sparkle (retired).


Here you can see the open "arms" and the layers on the base.  I used Whip Cream and Cranberry Bliss for the solid colors.






















You can see my coloring (Copic markers) and Stickles embellishing for the panels and upper cover.


This card was so much fun I made a total of 5 and hope to make more.  I almost have the directions memorized!

Also this week Fun Stampers Journey is presenting "5 Days of Journey Gifts"!  Head over to the FSJ Blog to see the great projects!  I gave the link to day 1 to get you started.  Usually today I'm taking part in a weekly Blog Hop of Desks but since I'm spending all my morning in town getting a new GPS/Bluetooth/Radio/CD unit put in my car I decided it was fair to link and not hop. But you can head over to the Stamping Ground and enjoy.  I plan on getting back to the hop next week.