Sunday, December 1, 2013

Holiday Tag Hop!!

Today's the day!  Our Poppystamps design team will be posting some wonderful ideas on each of their blogs, so it's time to start hopping! If you are following along the blog hop, you should have reached me from Sherry Eckblad.  You can get all the details, including what candy we're giving away by clicking on the following link: Poppystamps Blog


I created a two-part tag just for fun.

I have to apologize for the lighting on these pictures which, in spite of many tries, did not pick up the sparkle.  You'll have to trust me, there's lots of sparkle!  I embossed the Clarissa Ornament Background die and added the bling.  I had a pretty piece of Memory Box paper, and used it to layer a strip onto dark green cardstock, then added that to the tag base.  I cut apart the Breezy Wreath to make the leafy accent and added a Berry Sprig.  I love the Merry script and it fit perfectly across the bottom.  I cut three of the scallops from the Petit Four Border and added that at the very bottom.  I used the same paper for the inside tag, and again used a couple of the Berry Sprigs and the Petit Four Border to tie it all together. Did I mention there is sparkle?!  Here are links to the dies used:



This is the last stop on the hop.  Hopefully you've left comments on each of the blogs for your chance to win one of three prizes.  As mentioned in my previous post, you have until December 8th to leave a comment, and winners will be posted on the Poppystamps blog on December 9th.  For your convenience, here's a list of all the designers with projects today:  

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Poinsettia Thank You

I absolutely love the Small Blooming Poinsettia die and I’ve used it once again … well really, six times again … on this Thank You card.

Thank You So Much - poinsettias
The Diamond background was cut using the same cardstock as the base card to give it an embossed look.  I used a strip of ivory burlap behind the Lovely Tendril pieces, and arranged the gold and ivory poinsettias in a cascade fashion, then added a pearl to each of the centers.  I also used a glitter pen on the ivory petals to give it a little shine. Hope you like this one!!


Here's more news:  Poppystamps will be having a Holiday Tag Hop on Monday, December 2nd. Just click on the Poppystamps logo on the top right to begin! Be sure to hop to all of the blogs and leave a comment as there are three prizes to be given away and they're hidden amongst our blogs. You will have until December 8th to leave a comment for your chance to win.  Winners will be posted on the Poppystamps blog on December 9th. 

In the meantime, I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!


Monday, November 25, 2013

Autumn Greetings

Honestly, I didn't take another vacation!  Life has simply been a little nuts.  I'm posting a couple of fall cards that were featured in my classes at Ultimate Hobbies last month, and I thought it would be a good idea to post them on my blog for visitors who haven't yet seen them.


This card features the Leaves Die Set and the Wheat set from Obsession Impression, along with the Grove Branch from Memory Box.  The "Thanks" is an Elizabeth Craft Designs die that fit just perfectly.  I sponged various Distress Inks in fall colors onto the leaves and blended them together to create the turning colors.  I die cut one leaf and the "Thanks" from gold cardstock, and finished it with a bow of gold thread and a red button.  I love how the wheat stalks and the added branch balanced everything out for a clean, simple look.

This next card uses the Pumpkin Set of dies from Elizabeth Craft Designs, and I couldn't resist once again using the Wheat set from Obsession Impression.  The "With Gratitude" words are from a great set of stamps from Paper Smooches called "Many Thanks".

I used a Swiss Dots embossing folder to create the background, and mounted that onto the card base.  I stamped the background of the white pumpkin using the Birch Branch stamp from Memory Box, and cut the leaves from dark green and dark orange cardstock.  I like the way the two layers of the pumpkin pieces fit together to give them texture and definition. 

I have to share one of those "happy accidents" that happen once in a while.  I'm a big fan of the Zig Wink of Stella glitter pens, and I discovered that if you squiggle the brush onto an acrylic block or a craft sheet and pick up the ink with a sponge, you can dab it onto the surface of your die cuts to give them a very subtle mist of glitter.  It's a little difficult to see on these cards, but give it a try and see if you like the look of it! 

Thanks for stopping by!!

Friday, October 18, 2013

A Merry Little Christmas



I'm back from a much needed vacation and ready to start posting again!  Here is another simple Christmas greeting using more dies from the Poppystamps newest release.  The more I play with these wonderful dies, the more I love them!



I cut apart the Diamond Background die so that I’d have two rows of diamonds for a delicate border at the top.  I used the Lovely Tendril die on gold cardstock and adhered that to the card front.  The Clarissa Ornament Outline and Background  pieces were cut from  dark blue cardstock and I layered them for an embossed look.  I then threaded some gold twine through two gold jingle bells, and tied it around the top of the ornament.  I used the Pine Sprigs die to cut three sprigs, one light green, one darker green and one gold, and gathered them behind the ornament, then used mounting tape, adhered the ornament ensemble over the gold tendril.  I used a glitter brush to add highlights to the leaves on the ornament and on the border.  The “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” stamp was the perfect touch to finish the card.   

This is one of three cards we will be making in my upcoming classes at Ultimate Hobbies on Wednesday, October 30th, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.  Hope you enjoy, and so glad you stopped by!



Saturday, October 5, 2013

Poppystamps Blog Hop for World Card Making Day!

The Poppystamps Design Team is celebrating World Card Making Day with a blog hop!  If you've been following along, you should have reached me from Yvonne Dunlap's blog.  If you want to start from the beginning, click on the Poppystamps button on the right side bar to hop over to the Poppystamps blog where you'll see a list of the team and their blogs.  There will be hidden candy along the way, so be sure to leave a comment on all of the blogs.  Four lucky winners will each receive one die.  You can leave comments through October 8th, and the winners will be announced on October 10th.   


For this card, I used the Tall Vase and embossed it the same as the background.  I added the Lovely Tendril to the vase and three of the Small Blooming Poinsettia die, and then mounted them all onto a red die cut label.  I added green gemstones to the flower centers, and red gemstones to the tendril.  An easy card for a special friend!

This is the last stop on the hop!  Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to leave a comment.  Happy hopping!

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Do You See What I See




Here is a card featuring a couple of the brand new Poppystamps dies, Woodland Fawn and Trulani Wreath dies, along with the Mountain Top Trees and “Do You See What I See” cling stamps. There is also a matching die that goes with the Mountain Top Trees. What a great new collection from Poppystamps!

 
I always love to find alternate ways to use larger dies by cutting them apart and using the pieces on more than one card.  For this card, I chose to cut apart the Trulani Wreath in two places, using one of the cut pieces to peek through and around the oval opening.  Using red glitter on the berries gave them a sparkly pop, and I added the same red glitter to the fawn’s scarf.  I also fanned out the fringe a little.  I sponged a darker brown ink around the edges of the fawn, and gave its ears a bit of a bend to bring it a little more to life. Clear glitter around the bottoms of the trees also gives the look of shimmering snow.  

Love these new dies!  I know you’ll love them too!  Be sure to hop over to the Poppystamps blog (click on the Poppystamps badge on the right), and leave a comment for a chance to win the Charming Stars die!