You're On the Nice List

Hi all and happy Saturday afternoon,

It's become a very gloomy afternoon in my neck of the woods. The fog has rolled in off the ocean to make for a dark and gray sky. I spent the morning doing chores and most of the afternoon shopping with a friend for Small Business Saturday. There's a street in Solana Beach with little shops known as Cedros Design Center. A few of the stores are similar to antique stores where there are little individual booths within the big building. Very fun to browse!

When I got home, I made one more Christmas card using this week's Merry Monday theme, which is to use Santa on our cards. I've used an older MFT set called Jingle All the Way.

I stamped the little reindeer using Crumb Cake ink on Neenah Desert Storm paper. Using a red Copic, I colored in their noses. The panel was trimmed down to 3.5 inches x 5.5 inches and placed on a card base that is covered with Lawn Fawn plaid holiday paper. I cut the tree and Santa images from X-Press It Blending paper and then stamped the images. They are colored with Copics and glued to the center of the top panel. The sentiment is stamped in Real Red and cut out with a Die-namics Fishtail Flag die, but I squared off the ends. I cut another from the plaid paper and glued the sentiment on top.

Here 's the inside:

On both the outside and inside Santas, I used some white Nuvo drops on the hats.

Have a great evening and thanks for stopping by,
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: Jingle All the Way set by My Favorite Things
Paper: Neenah Desert Storm, X-Press It Blending and SU Crumb Cake card stocks, Lawn Fawn Christmas Plaid patterned papers
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, SU Real Red, Copics
Other: Die-namics Jingle All the Way, Fishtail Flags dies, Wink of Stella, Nuvo drops, white gel pen, the Big Shot, dimensionals

May Your Days Be BEARY and BRIGHT

Hello,

I was up early this morning instead of sleeping in. Maybe because I had two really early conference calls this past week, so I was used to waking up. Whatever the reason, I went grocery shopping by 7:30 am, came home and washed sheets, then made some homemade black bean soup. It's not even 11:00 here yet. I'll have an early lunch then head to the craft table.

I made this super cute card last night while Mr. Personal Chef was making dinner. Another holiday card and fits both the Color Throwdown and the Merry Monday challenges for this week.

All of the stamps are from the Lawn Fawn Beary Happy Holidays set, and all of the dies are Lawn Fawn too except the top snow hill, which is from MFT. I started with a white panel that I stamped with a few of the snowflake stamps from the set using an old SU ink color called Cool Caribbean. All of the rest of the images are cut from the same white card stock. Using a sponge dauber, I sponged along the area behind the trees and the snow hill to add depth and shadow with the Cool Caribbean ink. The tree layer and the snow hill are raised up with foam tape. The bears and ice rinks are stamped with Memento tuxedo black and colored with Copics, and cut out with the set dies. I used the challenge colors of dark blue, light blue and silver to color the images. The skates are colored in with a silver Sharpie pen.


Here's the inside of the card.

The card base is Cool Caribbean and the layered panel is Pacific Point. I used generous amounts of Wink of Stella on the ice rinks, fishing hole and on the tree border. IRL, it really looks great.

Have a fun Saturday. Thanks for looking in,
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: Beary Happy Holiday set by Lawn Fawn
Paper: X-Press It Blending card stock, SU Pacific Point and Cool Caribbean card stock
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, Copics, Pacific Point
Other: Lawn Fawn dies, Die-namics die, the Big Shot, foam tape, Wink of Stella

Kraft and Red for Merry Monday #264

Hi all,

Once in awhile, I'm lucky that I have a rather slow day at work. Today was that day and I finished up all of my to do list and tasks fairly early this afternoon. Of course, I took the opportunity to work on more Holiday cards.

Over this past weekend, I watched this Jennifer McGuire video and made a couple of backgrounds using Kraft and white card stock. I didn't do anything with them after finishing the embossing figuring I'd decide what to do with them later. Lo and behold, this week's Merry Monday Challenge gave me the perfect vehicle.

I used both pieces as Jennifer did and made these two cards.

The kraft background was created by using the Simon Says Stamp Christmas Sweater background stamp with white craft ink and embossing it with white EP. I cut a piece white card stock the same size and layered them together then cut them with the second largest Die-namics Stitched Rectangle die. The rest of the stamps, papers and ribbon embellishments are from Stampin' Up.

Here are the insides:

The technique is quite fun and you should give it a try. Lot's of possibilities!

Thanks for looking in,
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: SSS Christmas Sweater Background stamp, SU sets Merry Cafe, Smitten Mittens, Every Good Wish, Snow Place, Hearts Come Home
Paper: SU Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Garden Green card stocks, SU Quilted Christmas and Be Merry DSP, X-Press It Blending card stock
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, SU Garden Green, Real Red, Cherry Cobbler, Hero Arts White Craft
Other: Misti Stamping Tool, Heat Tool, SU white EP, Die-namics Stitched Rectangle die, Smitten Mittens dies, SU Mini Tinsel Trim-Red, SU Quilted Christmas Ribbon, foam tape, red Stickles, the Big Shot

Believe

Hello and Happy Tuesday,

I've been furiously trying to finish up my holiday cards and I actually think that I have enough now. I made this one last night for the young guy that does our windows. We usually give hime gift cards to lunch spots like Panera and Rubios so he can grab a quick lunch while working.

I wanted a somewhat "masculine" looking card and found some great inspiration at Inspired By All the Little Things and CAS(E) This Sketch. Also, Merry Monday has a masculine theme this week.

I used a simple "chalk board" technique with the MFT Holiday Subway stamp set. Very quick and easy. To raise the black panel up I used some fun foam.

Thanks for looking in today,

Colleen

Supplies

Stamps: Holiday Subway set by My Favorite Things and Christmas Kitch set by Avery Elle

Paper: SU Basic Black card stock and My Minds Eye Necessities Wood Designer patterned paper

Ink: Memento Brilliance Moonlight White craft ink, Memento tuxedo black, SU Emerald Envy and Copics

Other: SU White EP, heat tool, Christmas Ktich dies, the Big Shot, fun foam

A Jolly Hello

Happy Saturday stampers,

I had a very busy and somewhat stressful work week and I for one am so happy it's the weekend! After doing some morning chores, I decided it was time to relax and do some stamping. Looking through my favorite sketch challenges I noticed that Linda has a fun one over at Freshly Made Sketches this week. Using her sketch and this week's colors from Color Throwdown, I came up with this Holiday card. In addition to these challenges, Merry Monday's challenge this week is to use plaid.

Rudolf and his friend Comet are stamped in Memento tuxedo black and colored with Copics. I used a scrap of water color paper and brushed water and a Zig Marker in Turquoise Green over it to make the panel, then when it was dry I cut out the trees. For the bottom sketch element, I used a piece of Lawn Fawn Winter plaid paper and rounded the corners. These elements are layered onto a piece of SU Pool Party paper embossed with the TE Falling Snow EF. The card base is also SU Pool Party.

The inside of the card uses images from the same set, but the greeting is from MFT Jingle All the Way set.

I'll see you back here tomorrow for another fun Paper Players challenge. You'll love it!

Thanks for looking in today,
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: Christmas Cuteness and Jingle All the Way sets by My Favorite Things
Paper: SU Pool Party and X-Press It Blending card stock, Lawn Fawn Christmas Plaid patterned paper
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, SU Real Red, Copics, Zig Real Brush Marker
Other: Christmas Cuteness Die-namics, TE Falling Snow EF, Lawn Fawn Forrest Border, Fiskers corner rounder punch, sequin, the Big Shot, dimensionals, Wink of Stella

A "Country Charm" Christmas Card

Hello fellow stampers,

I hope your Sunday is proving to be relaxing. As with many of my Sundays, I'm catching up on some of my favorite challenges from the week.

Here is my card for Merry Monday #98. This week, Leslie's challenge is to add "country charm with stitching and buttons." I pulled out a very, very old SU set and used a quilt theme as my inspiration.

The inside:

Supplies
Stamps: Little Somethings set and More Merry Messages set by Stampin' Up
Paper: SU Crumb Cake, Always Artichoke and Vanilla confetti card stock and Echo Park patterned papers
Ink: SU Always Artichoke, Real Red, More Mustard and Crumb Cake classic inks
Other: SU button, SU linen thread, Fiskars corner chomper, sewing machine, dimensionals

Hava a great week all and thanks for looking in,
Colleen

Sparkle & Cheer

Hey friends,

It's another rainy day here in So Cal. It's a good thing! This morning we went to breakfast early, then after we came home, I got busy to make my Merry Monday card for this week. Leslie has a very pretty color combo this week of white, aqua and silver.

I started with the Sweet Sunday Sketch 208. The TE wreath is stamped with Versamark ink and embossed with silver EP. I colored the balls with various BG Copics and a silver metallic pen. The wreath base is colored with my silver Spica glitter pen, hopefully it looks like silver toile material. The  background white paper is SU shimmery white paper that is embossed with a Spellbinders impressions plate. The greeting is embossed with the silver EP. 

Here is the simple inside:

Supplies

Stamps: Taylored Expressions Wreaths Of Joy and Sparkle and Cheer sets

Paper: SU Bermuda Bay, SU Whisper White and Shimmery White card stocks, X-Press It Blending and SU silver glimmer paper

Ink: Versamark, Copics, Spica glitter pen

Other: Spellbinders snowflake impressions plate, TE small scalloped border die, TE wreath die, SU and Fiskar's corner rounder punches, SU silver EP, heat tool, Lawn Fawn sequins, the Big Shot and dimensionals

Have a great weekend. We are expecting rain all weekend and as I said earlier, It's a good thing.

Thanks,

Colleen

Home For the Holidays

Happy Monday night,

I should be in bed, but I'm stamping while watching ice dancing instead. It will be an early morning. Last week, I squeaked in my Merry Monday card at the very last minute. This week, I did the opposite and got my Merry Monday #96 card done on Monday. This week's challenge is to use holly on our card.

I've used this week's Retro Sketches #102 for my layout.

I pulled out some old SU eyelets again for the top of the label die to thread the baker's twine through to make a bow. I colored the holly wreath with Copics and then added Xmas red Stickles on the berries to go with the SU red glimmer paper. The holly leaves in the bottom corner have black Stickles outlining the center, but it didn't show up in the photo. It looks pretty IRL.

Here's the inside. I used my all time favorite Christmas sentiment stamp. I bought this stamp years ago at Stamp Francisco in the city. The date on the label is 1982! Anyhoo, I love this saying:

I hope you enjoy the rest of your week. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: Wreaths Of Joy set by Taylored Expressions and Christmas sentiment stamp by Stamp Francisco
Paper: SU black and whisper white card stock, X-Press It Blending card stock, SU red glimmer paper, and Lawn Fawn patterned papers
Ink: Memento tuxedo black and Copics
Other: Die-namics dies (label and holly leaf), red and black Stickles, red pearls, baker's twine, SU eyelets, the Big Shot, dimensionals and SU mini glue dots

Happy Holidays

Hi all,

It's a foggy Sunday morning here in north San Diego. (Our version of winter this year) I know that there are many of you on the east coast getting yet more snow and ice. I pray that everyone is okay and stays warm.

I'm squeaking in with my Merry Monday challenge card this morning. I think the "linky" closes in another hour, LOL. No stamping time for me at all this past week until yesterday afternoon. This week's challenge is to use an animal on our card. I reached for one of my favorite Taylored Expressions sets called Woodland Winter. The layout comes from last week's Sweet Sunday Sketch.

The fox was stamped first, then masked. The deer was stamped second, then masked. Finally the trees were stamped. I colored them all with Copics and cut them out with circle Nesties. Before removing the die, I lightly sponged the background with Marina Mist ink.

Here's the inside:

Supplies
Stamps: Woodland Winter set by Taylored Expressions
Paper: SU Marina Mist, Old Olive card stock, white X-Press It Blending card stock, SU DSP
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, Copics, SU Marina Mist and Old Olive classic ink
Other: classic circle and scalloped circle Nesties, Die-namics flag die, TE label die (inside), TE holly leaves die, red pearls, green rhinestones, Crystal Effects, white gel pen, blue Stickles, the Big Shot and dimensionals

Have a great Sunday and week. Thanks for looking in,
Colleen