Another Medallion Card

I don't know about where you live, but here in Chicago, medallions are big -- very popular this year.  People are buying them in stained glass, as ornaments for Christmas trees...So I thought I would hop on the trend wagon and make a few medallion cards and give them to my Chicago friends while they're hot!

I made today's card for a friend whose birthday is on New Year's Eve.  I used a Queen Kat Designs stamp from the Chakra Collection by artist Crystal Moore.  It's called "Root".

I used a monochromatic color scheme, with bits of lace and a bow to embellish.  The sentiment is from another stamp company.  I like how, even though it will be given out after Christmas, my medallion almost looks like an ornament hanging in its frame.

Check out all of Crystal's medallions, as well as all the gorgeous stamps that QKD has to offer at the Shoppe.

Thinking About Birthdays

I am done, finished terminado, with making Christmas cards!  Enough is enough, and I've made enough.  So for a lovely change of pace, I created a birthday card.  Not that I can't escape Christmas creations just yet.  This one is the last one to complete my Gram's Christmas present of a year's worth of birthday cards for each family member.  This one is for her son, my uncle, who's four years older than I.

I colored a Queen Kat Designs stamped image called Cranium Man from Studio 77. onto patterned paper, and then framed it in coordinating colors of cardstock.  The patterned paper on the card base is a wonderful collection of gears, arrows and circles.  The sentiment is stamped with an acrylic stamp from my stash.

Not that my uncle is brainy or anything, but I do like to remind him he IS older than I am!! LOL  Hope you like the change of pace (and holiday) with my card.  Find all your Steampunk stamps at the SHOPPE.

Merry Christmas!!!

I'm writing this post two days before Christmas.  I will be very busy for the next two days cleaning house, preparing dinner, putting final touches on presents, pretty much checking my list at least twice, then spending time with family and friends (and eating too much)!
I wanted to showcase this gorgeous, gooey gingerbread house, a team effort between my teen daughter and my new granddaughter.  I have so much to be thankful for this year--
a new family that my son married into, complete with young kids,  in-laws, and a beautiful wife, both outwardly and inside;
 a job, complete with co-workers I call my friends (not to mention a salary);
 a home in which to keep warm this winter, whose walls stretch to welcome guests;
food to eat and share with family and friends, and with those less fortunate;
 good health and insurance to cover us when our health takes a slight dip;
 friends, neighbors and family to love and be loved by, to lean on, to help, to share successes and failures, and with whom to celebrate life's events;
 a strong faith on which to lean in times of hurt, anger, stress and despair, with which to share with those who need more than this earth can provide, who have lost (especially this year).
As I sit at my computer (another thing for which to be thankful), watching another Christmas movie, the nearby twinkling lights of the tree catching my eye, I can't help but feel blessed in this life.  So no matter what presents I unwrap, the best gift I received this year is life and love and my faith.  I have everything I need, and much more than I want!!  I am so lucky, and wish all of you who read this a very Merry Christmas!!

Anything Goes at Forever Night Creepy Challenges

What a great way to end the year--a great challenge and the news that I will be a 2012 DT member for Forever Night Creepy Challenge Blog!!  So please hop on over to the blog and check them out--you can celebrate your dark side of crafting, where it's Halloween all year round!!  Tell them Pat sent you!!

The Anything Goes Challenge runs through January 3, and her's my entry.  I used two of my fave images from Queen Kat Designs, Holly Fairy from artist Catherine Swinford, and Vampire Bat Eye by artist Nora Blansett.  First, I used patterned papers from DCWV stacks.  The I colored my images with a mix of Copics and Spectrum Noir.  I fussy-cut both images, using only a part of each.  The sentiment was printed in Word and punched with an scallop oval punch, and distressed with Tim Holtz Distress Inks.  I drew the "cracks" in the sentiment freehand.
I had the most fun with the embellishments.  I used some gross grain black ribbon along the side, and part of a feather and jingle bell wreath embellishment that was 70% discounted at Joann's!  A black flower covers the end of the feather embellie.
Do you like my card?  I love the sentiment: "Be careful what you wish for..."  I think this fairy asked for a pet, but didn't specify what kind.  I think Santa's evil twin (look for the book by Dean Koontz-I have it out for overnight guests to read before going to bed-guaranteed nightmares) has a morbid sense of humor, don't you?
I hope you were very specific when you made your wish list this year!!  Happy crafting, y'all!!

Christmas Wishes

Well, the presents are wrapped and under the tree. The food is in the fridge (or thawing out) and I'm starting on the pies.  The lights are on, the tree is up, the house smells like peppermint and holly and pumpkin pie.  Are you ready for Christmas?

I made this card earlier in the month so I could mail it off to a friend.  I used a Queen Kat Designs stamp from artist Catherine Swinford called Holly Fairy.  It's another simple card--white embossed image onto red cardstock, faux stitching, adhered to patterned paper base and embellished with a funky "Noel" and a glittery butterfly.

I look at this fairy as she bends over her gifts.  I like to think that, as a fairy, there are wishes in those boxes, not toys or clothes.  Wishes for people who need miracles, like my little Girl Scout who has a brain tumor and wants more time here on earth...like my friend's son who is deployed in Afghanistan and wants to return safely to his family...like my friend's family who have lost their jobs and their home and wish for cheap housing and job opportunities...like those East Coast families whose homes were lost to the Hurricane and are still without shelter as winter arrives...like the families of those young children lost to the insanity of a young man with a gun.

If Holly Fairy were to give me one of her boxes, I would wish for someone else's miracle this Christmas.  I have enough shoes and sweaters and tech toys and crafting supplies.  I have a home and food and a job and a car.  I have a healthy husband and kids and grandkids and sisters and Mom (and even a Grandma who's 102 years old!).  I have the luxury to give away my wish to someone who really needs it.  And for that, I drop down to my knees and thank God every day.

So this Christmas, enjoy the love, the lights, the food and family.  Make a wish for someone who has that missing in their lives.  Make it a Merry Wish!!

Christmas FAVOR-ites

Five days left until Christmas Day and I am (almost) finished making all the favors for my dinner guests!  It's really helped me to have a wonderful collection of stamps from Queen Kat Designs.  This one is from artist Terra Bidlespacher and it's called "Brain Storming".

I colored my stamped image with Copics and cut her out.  I framed her with a white diecut snowflakes and then adhered her onto the front of a small notepad I picked up on clearance for,,,wait for it...49 cents!!  I also inked the edges with white and added a single white rose.

This notepad will be added to my growing pile of dinner favors for my guests.  I'm thinking of giving them out to my guests, all wrapped up, then playing the Lefty-Righty Game.  I wrote special lines to the holiday favorite "'twas the Night Before Christmas".  The idea of the game is for all guests to pass their favors to the left when the word LEFT is read, and to pass to the right when the word RIGHT is read.  At the end of the poem, the guests open their favors to keep.  I have several ornaments, notepads, and small gifties.  I need to count them up--I'll need 18 this year!!
Lucky I have so many pretty stamps from QKD from which to choose to decorate my items!  You can too, and will want to, once you check out all the lovely images from the QKD artists HERE.

Letters FROM Santa

Trying to pump out a few more handmade presents this Christmas, and came up with one for my granddaughter Bella.  She's back in our lives after paperwork for immediate temporary visitation was served to her mommy.  We may not have her for Christmas (this year) but we have her for this coming weekend, and there's a Christmas brunch tomorrow, so she may get a couple presents early this year.

So I colored up a Queen Kat Designs stamp from artist Sandra Caldwell called Silly Santa.  I decorated (minimally) a Quaker Oats canister and popped the image on the top and made my Bella a game I call "Santa's Letters".  Inside are tons of letters, from A to Z and back (several times) again.  She is in Kindergarten and loves to spell words and read.  We will have so much fun with this game, sorting letters, piling capital letters separate from small letters, and spelling words!

I love using QKD stamps for more than cards--altered art, gift boxes, ornaments!!  You can see the wide range of stamps QKD offers HERE. 

 From now until 12/24 12, QKD is having a special sale called Reindeer Games.  

Sentiment-ally Yours

Do you have a way with words?  Then you should play in the new challenge at Squigglefly Challenge Blog!!

 This week all you're asked to do is make a card using a Squigglefly digi image and a sentiment!!  Easy peasy!!  So today, I made a card using an image from Squigglefly's newest artist, Elizabeta Kushner.  This one is called Christmas Candle.  I colored it with my trusty Copics--I love how you can use alcohol inks to get a dimensional look with just one marker!
I had some leftover sheet music (picked up at a summer estate sale) with some patterned paper from my stash.  I made a couple of blocks of paper to set the scene for my digi image.  Then I printed the sentiment: Peace on Earth, circular punched it, framed it and popped it on my card.  I finished it off with a cream colored rose and my card is complete!  Like I said, easy peasy!
I am almost finished making all the Christmas cards I need for the Big Day.  I'm having about 20 people over for Christmas dinner, and each one gets a card and a favor at their place at the dinner table.  If I get the time, I'll try to make some decorations for the table as well, although that table gets pretty tight with all the mounds of food served!!
So how are you doing with your holiday crafting?  I hope you're on track and having fun!!

Christmas Greetings

Today I have another Christmas card for you, using Crystal Moore's "Root" Chakra Medallion.  I used some great patterned paper from the Paper Studio to make a set of four "panes".  I circular-cut out the center and used wreath branch punches to form a frame around the image (which was stamped and embossed before coloring with Copics).

The only embellishment I added were four red heart-shaped buttons in the corners  I hope you like this card.  If you like "Root" Chakra Medallion, check out the image and all the new Queen Kat Designs December releases at the QKD Shoppe!!

House Renovations

A while back I posted a photo of a candy container that I had embellished for a Halloween gift for my mom. In fact, I made four of these and gave them away to my sisters, mom and new daughter-in-law, filled with candy corn.

When I gave them to my family, they were delighted with them.  Then I haphazardly made the comment, "And you can change it out for Christmas in December."

Well, I received my mom's back, with a request to "change it out for Christmas".  I wonder if I should expect them all to come back for changing out now?!

Well, here is the same house, now decked out in all its Christmas finery.

I switched out the patterned papers with CTMH Christmas collection.  I also used some Martha Stewart gingerbread man felt border.  The flower is handmade by my very talented friend, Shannon.  (I used the last of the ones I had, so I'll have to visit her Etsy shop for more)  I added a few snowflake and sentiment stickers and filled it with mints, which are one of my mom's favorite sweet treats.

Since Christmas is just over two weeks away, I had better finish off my handmade projects and start wrapping those presents I have already, or I just might be caught working as hard as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve this year!

Happy crafting!

Humphrey's Snow Day

I haven't played with a Crafter's Companion stamp set in a while, so I pulled out my new Christmas set called "At Christmas" from the Humphrey's Corner Collection.  I made this card for their December challenge, with a theme of WINTER FRIENDS.

I started with a green cardstock base and stamped it with white ink and a background stamp of distressed dots, then embossed it.  I added a side border with the sentiment "Merry Christmas" in it.

I colored Humphrey and his winter friend with a combination of Copics and Spectrum Noir markers.  When I went to put the image on the card, it seemed a bit spare, so I added a large diecut snowflake as a sort of frame for the image, and then added a few smaller snowflakes in the background.

This is my clean and simple Christmas card for the Crafter's Companion December challenge.  If you want a chance to win a store voucher, you must use one of the following:

• Stamps
• All CC brands (Humphrey, Toread, SWALK, Sheena, Paintbox Poppets, etc)
• US Specific (Art Kure, Anthony/Burt, Stamp-It Australia)
• UK Specific (Snowman)
• Die’sire folders, flower quilling, etc (as long as you state which it is, or that it came from CC)
• Anything using the Ultimate Tool, Envelobox, etc (please state which board you have used)
• The Darice Embossing Folders 
• CC branded products card toppers, anything from the CD-ROMS, the Reddy kits, etc

All challenge entries must be in before December 25, so get that crafting whip cracking! Ho, ho, ho!  Enjoy the holidays, and as always, keep crafting!

Red and Green Equals Merry Christmas!

The new challenge on the Squigglefly Challenge Blog is to make a card or project using a Squigglefly digi image and the color combo of RED AND GREEN.  I decided to make a small Christmas gift box. 

 I started with a small paper mache box from Michaels on clearance when my local store closed down.  It maybe cost me ten cents!
I covered it with some Christmas patterned papers leftover from another project.  I attached a couple "Merry Christmas" sentimebnt stickers to the long edges of the lid.
Next I printed this newly released Squigglefly digi image from Fawn Palmer called Winter Owl.  Due to the small size of my box, I had to cut off part of the image.  On the inside, I printed up the sentiment that goes with the image: "Owl be Home for Christmas".

I have some apple red nail polish that I plan on placing in the box to give to my teen daughter.  It's already under the tree!  I love this cute winter owl, don't you?  I colored him with red and green holiday flair, instead of making him look "realistic".
Now it's your turn to pull out the red and green colors (like they aren't out already) and play in the Squigglefly Challenge this week.  Use a Squigglefly image (FREEBIE HERE) and you're in the drawing for a free digi!  Everyone likes free, right?  Have fun and happy crafting!

When Christmas Gets a Little Creepy

...then you know it's time for a new challenge at the Forever Night Creepy Challenge Blog.  This week the challenge is to use a little lace.  I made a Christmas card using a Queen Kat Designs image called Voodoo Child by artist Charles Bristow.

I used a gorgeous thick black lace on the bottom, under the poem I wrote, but you can't really see it well here.  The poem is a take-off from the Christmas carol, Winter Wonderland:
"Slay bells ring, are you listening? In the fields, blood is glistening.  Some gruesome sounds, black magic abounds, Walking in a Voodoo Wonderland."  Now I need a like-minded (twisted) friend who will appreciate my dark humor in this card.  Any takers?

Holly Fairy in Red

I had so much fun with this new Queen Kat Designs December release stamp!!!  The stamp is called Holly Fairy and is by artist Catherine Swinford.  The first card I'm showing you is a simple corner fold card.  I stamped and then embossed in red on some CTMH double-sided Christmas patterned paper.  I left the coloring to a minimum to let some of the pattern show through.
When I folded the corner, I knew I wanted to layer it with red cardstock to frame the scene.  I put a bling snowflake where I would normally have put a big blossom, and added a few sprinkles of jewels.  Then I pulled the whole scene together with some faux stitching around the edges.
My sentiment is a metal tag from Tim Holtz Idealogy Word Bands, reading: "Possibility begins with Imagination".  Very simple, very pretty, very easy!!  And it will go in the mail at regular postage rates!  That's a win-win card!
QKD is releasing some gorgeous fun stamps this month--go check them out at the Shoppe!

Handmade Christmas Gifts Blog Hop

Well, we're in the home stretch and I have a ton of crafting to finish.  But I made some headway for today's Handmade Christmas Gifts Blog Hop.  If you came here from Miranda's blog, you're hopping along.  If not, try starting at Shannon's Blog so you don't miss all the handmade inspiration for the holidays.

I have a lot more people coming over for Christmas this year.  My son got married, and his new wife has four kids.  So this year not only are they coming for dinner on the 25th, but her parents are joining us as well.  So here is the gift I made for them.

I found this cool frame at Good Will for a couple dollars. It was originally a wedding frame but I removed the background paper and adhered some patterned paper  I had leftover in my stash.
Next came the small glass ornaments.  I had to glue them in so they wouldn't roll around.  Then I printed the words in brown ink on clear transparency and attached it to the inside of the glass.
The white wood framing with its thin lines of silver and gold was just distressed enough to keep it original, without being nasty enough to have to fix.
Did I mention that the "other grandma" also is a card crafter?  We already have plans to get together and craft after Christmas!!  Looking forward to getting to know her better.  Nothing breaks the ice better than a little ink, don't you think??

Next stop on the Hop is Shannon.  Please leave a little love before you go!
And, if you get lost along the way, here's the complete blog order:
Shannon - http://shannonleffew.blogspot.com/
Kristy - http://scraptasticalkreations.blogspot.com
Maria - http://JoyfulStamper.blogspot.com
Angela - http://3crazymonkeys.com/
Lisa- http://mycraftyspaces.blogspot.com
Lissa Marie- www.somanycrafts.com
Miranda - http://www.nanasscrapspot.com/
Pat - http://patacakespages.blogspot.com
Shannon - http://shannonleffew.blogspot.com/  Let her know what inspired you most!

Tag You're It--Christmas Tags, That Is!

The house is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  The tree is up, there are even presents underneath it already!  Started my Christmas baking and froze the dough (you can't trust me with chocolate chip cookie dough).  And I am up to my elbows in ink and ribbon and bows and Mod Podge!!  I'm making it a homemade Christmas this year!

I had my newest granddaughter over to the house for some Christmas crafting recently.  When I asked her in October what she wanted for her birthday, she said a day crafting with my new grandma!  She has already won my heart, and now she's won my Copics (and my stash and whatever else she can create with).

Here she is working on some "Santa Hat" brownies.
We took a break from our painting and stamping to make some sweet treats for later.

She made some awesome presents for her siblings and her cousins.  Two of her cousins are getting an altered Starbucks Frappe bottle crafted into a Christmas treat container.  The youngest cousin and her new step-sister (my Bella) are getting handmade fleece pillows.  And she also made snowman ornaments out of round coasters for her uncles, aunts and grandparents!  She was one busy crafter.

Meanwhile, I managed to pump out a couple projects myself.  One of them are these cute wooden Christmas tags using Crafters' Companion stamps from the Humphrey collection.

First I used alcohol inks and blotted some red and green ink onto my tags.  I used a green Copic marker on the edges.  Then I stamped small reindeer from the Humphrey Christmas set and used a scallop circle punch on them.  I framed them with red cardstock and adhered them to the tags.  The set came with a couple sentiments, so I used the "For You" sentiment and framed them in red as well.

I tied the sentiments onto the tags with white ribbon and finished off each with some Stickles around the edges.  I added a bit of green lace to the bottom of one.

Come back tomorrow for the Handmade Christmas Gift Blog Hop!  I'll show you my next project and if you hop along the way, you're bound to find inspiration around every corner!!

What Do You Give a 102 Year Old Grandma?!

Every Christmas for the last 8 or so years, my present to my Grandma has been a box full of handmade Birthday cards, one for every member of the family--stuffed in envies, labeled with names and placed in in calendar order.  

Every Christmas for the last 8 or so years, my present to my Grandma has been a box full of handmade Birthday cards, one for every member of the family--stuffed in envies, labeled with names and placed in calendar order.

Seeing as she is 102 years old, there isn't much that I can buy for her.  She can't read or sew or do her puzzles any more because of macular degeneration in hr eyes.  She has no interest in TV because her hearing is so bad, so no DVDs or even family movies.  She doesn't get out of the house much--gets tired from the house to the car, so gift certificates for restaurants are out.

But the first year I made her cards, she loved them, and has wanted them since.  I think if I got her something else, she'd miss them!  I had to make a few more this year, after my son went and got married to a woman with four children.  I love them all to pieces and couldn't be happier with his soulmate.  But that's five more cards to make!  Lucky I have a little bit of a stash of cards to pick from, huh?!

Winterize Your Cards!

New challenge at Squigglefly this week!!  Make a winter card.  Use a Squigglefly image and you have a chance to win a prize!

So here's my winter card.  I used Squigglefly digi image Angeld Up Christmas Caroler by artist Cheryl Alger.  I love this character, and have a collection of images featuring her in all kinds of poses and seasons.
I popped Christmas patterned paper onto a green cardstock base.  I colored my digi image with a mix of Spectrum Noir and Copic markers, then used Liquid Glass and Stickles for some shininess!  I then fussy-cut the image and popped it onto a red "frame.
I embellished my scene with red ribbon, candy cane border stickers and a couple snowflakes. 
I have a few Christmas cards already signed, stuffed and addressed, and it's not even December yet!!  But I know (from previous years' experience) that once December hits, it flies faster than Santa's sleigh.  So I may as well get ahead of the game for a very short time LOL
Happy crafting!

Chakra Medallion "Root" by Crystal Moore

I love the beginning of the month.  It means that Queen Kat Designs has a new batch of stamps to release from its artists!  I made this gate-fold card using a December release stamp from the lovely and talented Crystal Moore, whose line of Chakra Medallions has captured the hearts of many a crafter.

Today's featured stamp is called "Root", and I wanted to make a special card to showcase her image, so I punched out a "frame" of sorts with a scallop circle punch, centered on the edges of each "gate" of my card.
I stamped "Root" with ink that coordinated with this winter patterned paper I had leftover in my Christmas craft box.

It all came together with some dark teal-colored card stock and a sentiment that comes from another QKD stamp set called Winter Deer.  A vintage button and a paper rose finish off my newest Christmas card.

For more of Crystal's fabulous stamps, check out the Shoppe.

December Home Decor Blog Hop

Welcome to the December Home Decor Blog Hop.  If you came here from Diane's blog, you're on the right track.  If not, you won't want to miss out on all the inspiration, so start at Shannon's Blog.

Today I want to show you a wreath I made.  I started with a Styrofoam base and wrapped several different wired ribbons and strings of beads around it.  I tied bows at the bottom, and added some greenery.

It's hanging on my front door, ready to greet guests as they come into our home!  Well, that's it, and now it's time to hop along to Shelly Lynn's blog for more inspiration and fun.

If you get lost along the way, here's the blog order for you.  Happy Hopping!

   Shannon - http://shannonleffew.blogspot.com/
   Tonya - http://ittybittyladybugs.blogspot.com/

   Pam - http://lovebugcreations3.blogspot.com/
   Esther - http://forthejoyofcreating.blospot.com/
   Lisa - http://lisascreativeniche.blogspot.com/
   Diana - http://daisylovecreations.blogspot.com/
   Pat -  http://patacakespages.blogspot.com

   Shelly Lynn – http://kccroppers.blogspot.com