Christmas Wine Charms: Spellbinders' Style

As we were preparing for Christmas Day dinner, I decided we needed wine charms to identify our glasses, so I threw these little charmers together on Christmas Eve -- I just had to take a break and do something "fun"! I used various Christmas Spellbinders' dies from  my collection and one (the bell) borrowed from a friend that she purchased through Heartfelt Creations. I did 'run out of steam' and time, so they're not totally perfect, but they were sooo much fun to make, using Shrinky Dink plastic and my Spellbinders' dies!!! My favs are the tree, reindeer, holly and snowflake.








Using Copic markers to color them I realized that the colors turn much darker when you heat your shrink plastic. I want to play a bit more so I'll have these all perfected for next year. I added pearls, gems, glittery EP (while the plastic is still very hot) and even used a Classic Ric Rac Edgeabilies' die cut on my bell! Wouldn't these be fun to have for all sorts of occasions/seasons? They'd also be perfect little gifts for friends, wouldn't they?! My mind is whirling with ideas!!!

Christmas Tag: Tim Holtz Steampunk style

When I saw Tim Holtz Tag #8 this year, I knew it would be perfect for my son! I downloaded the dictionary graphic from The Graphics Fairy and proceeded to put my tag together, basically following Tim's directions, but pulling things from my stash to improvise where necessary (which was quite a bit) but I LOVE the result.
If you've not checked out The Twelve Tags of Christmas, you are truly missing out on a fabulous resource!!! Just go to Tim's blog and click on the "Categories" link on the left for links to the past five years' tags. That's 60+ amazing tags, as T!m adds one or more at the end of each post!
Once again, I had sooo much fun putting this together and hearing from DS how much he loved it was the 'icing on the Christmas cake' -- LOL!!!

Paper: Papertrey Ink's Vintage Cream CS; Tim Holtz Grunge Paper
Stamps: Tim Holtz: Curious Possibility
Inks: Various Ranger Distress Inks
Embellishments: Tim Holtz Time Pieces & Spinner, Hug Snug Seam Binding; Spellbinders' Oval Die & Craft Foil; Stickles

Masculine Birthday Cards: Spellbinder's Style!

For our son & my stepson's shared birth date (16 years apart) this year I created the same card for both, deciding to elaborate on a card I first saw created by Judy Hayes. This time I changed the center by not only using a sprocket die & large metal brad, but I cut out the center area of my smaller Labels Twenty-One layer with a Crown Circles die.

Close-up view of center

Next, I stamped my greeting by Papertrey Ink in Staz-On ink on clear acrylic, adding it over the center to emulate looking through glass -- I LOVE how it turned out, including the masculine look of the sanded Core'dinations papers and screw brads --  with a "steam punk" feel to it!

For more details, see my previous similar posts here and here.
Ahhh, so many December birthdays and Christmas cards yet to complete/so little time -- two more down & 1 more birthday yet to create!!! ;~)

Paper: Core'dinations CS; WeRMemoryKeepers CS; Grafix Dura-Lar Clear Overlay Film (Medium Weight from Hobby Lobby)
Stamp: Papertrey Ink's Inside & Out Birthday
Ink: Staz-On
Dies: Spellbinders Labels Twenty-One, Labels Sixteen, Crown Circles, Sprightly Sprockets
Embellishments: from stash

Snowflake Christmas Card: Spellbinders' Style!

I just love the red, white and pale aqua color scheme in this Papertrey Ink Rustic Snowflakes DP. After misting it with Ranger's Perfect Pearl mist, a relatively new technique for me, it proved a bit difficult to photograph, but I really love the soft blowing snow effect!
My snowflake was created using the three largest dies from Spellbinders' Create a Flake Three, layering PTI's Shimmer White and Pale Aqua CS, and finishing it off with a gemstone snowflake from Hobby Lobby.
For my card's bottom edge detail I used two Spellbinders' Classic Postage Stamp and Classic Scallop Edgeabilities' dies. My sentiment and tiny snowflake stamp is from The Craft Lounge, stamped in VersaMark Ink and embossed with Silver EP to which I added MS White Gold glitter! Lastly, I ran 1/4" Scor-Tape across my card & covered it with Martha Stewart glitter.

Christmas Snowflake Card: Spellbinders'/JustRite Style

Because I need more Christmas cards, because I LOVE the way Becca Feeken created her snowflake, and because I love this paper and this sentiment, I had to create a card with these elements today!

Snowflake Detail

I've had this DCWV paper for at least two years and recently purchased Spellbinders' Create a Flake Three, but didn't really like the die -- until I saw Becca's take on it! Like her, I cut the snowflake die in white CS, silver glittered CS and blue CS, layered them with silver on the bottom, then blue, and then white, slightly offset, then gently pulled the silver & blue points up over the white. Once done, I gave my blue points a twist to the right, slightly offsetting the three colors, and added a sparkly Recollections snowflake gem.
My sentiment is from a set of clear stamps by The Craft Lounge that stamp so beautifully -- LOVE them! It is stamped & embossed on a JustRite Nested Frames & Sentiments die. The bottom edge consists of two Spellbinders Classic Postage Stamp and Classic Scallop Edgeabilities dies and underneath a strip of the same Core'dinations glitter paper used on my snowflake and sentiment edges! Lastly, I ran 1/4" Scor-Tape across my card & covered it with Martha Stewart's White Gold glitter. LOVE that stuff, thanks to Tim Holtz recommendation!

My Sheri Crafts Challenge #75: Let It Snow

I've been a huge fan of Tim Holtz Twelve Days of Christmas ever since he began his fabulous tag-making ritual five years ago, but this is the first tag I've actually made (#4). My supplies are somewhat limited, but I had so much fun creating this tag for My Sheri Crafts this week!!! I die cut my snowman/snowflake (Tim Holtz Winter Wonder die) from grunge board. I was able to partially die cut the 25 through the thick grunge board with Lifestyle Crafts dies and then finished cutting them out with a craft knife. Each piece was covered with Adirondack's Snow Cap Acrylic Paint Dabber, left to dry, then covered in a thick coat of Clear Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint and air dried until cracked.
The tag was cut from Papertrey Ink's Vintage Cream CS and misted lightly with water. I used various misting sprays on my craft mat (Ranger's Perfect Pearl Mist; Tattered Angels' Waterslide & Bubbles Glimmer Mists) and swiped the tag through them until I liked how it looked.  Once dry, I stamped the tag with a flourish stamp in Snow Cap paint and stamped various snowflake stamps in the upper area, as well as distressing the edges with Weathered Wood Distress ink.
To complete the snowman & flake I sponged their edges with Broken China and Weathered Wood Distress inks. I mounted a piece of Tim's Seasonal Music Paper to the back behind my 25, sealing with Glossy Accents. A piece of  crinkled seam binding was tied on for his scarf and white tulle was threaded through both buttons near the bottom of the tag. Lastly, I stamped a metal tag with JustRite Times News Roman alpha stamps and threaded silver sparkle tulle and crinkled ribbon through it and the top of the tag and added my snowflake. If you get a chance, be sure to visit Tim's site and see the various tags (and detailed tutorials) he presents daily for the 12 days of Christmas -- quite a sight to behold!!!
Hope you enjoy all the fabulous snowy creations from our DT members @ My Sheri Crafts today. Be sure to post your take on our Let It Snow challenge, as we'd LOVE to have you join us!!!

Also posting at Tim Holtz: 12 tags of Christmas...Tag 4

The Shabby Tea Room Week #90 Challenge: Winter Picnic

I love using white/silver for Christmas, so this card is for TSTR's challenge, which is sponsored by JustRite this week. My Nested Tea Cup die was first cut and then stamped with one of JustRite's Lace Borders and heat embossed in silver. I stamped my JustRite Charmed sentiment onto a Spellbinders' Ribbon Tag Trio die cut and stamped the same border from my cup onto both edges in VersaMark Ink and again embossed in silver. I then layered my tea cup over a shiny silver doily and a white doily I'd sprayed with Tattered Angels' Silver mist, giving it a soft silvery sparkle.
My card is edged with a combination of Spellbinders' Classic Scallop and Classic Bracket Edgeabilities, which has a Fleur de Lis that coordinates well with the Lacey Border I used on both my tea cup and tag. I then layered another Classic Scallop piece cut from Core'dinations silver glittered CS underneath my borders. A sheer white ribbon laced through my tag completes this card. I hope your Christmas card making is going well and you can relax and enjoy the upcoming holiday festivities. I think I'm nearly finished?!!!

JustRite Friday Challenge #63: Christmas

For JustRite's Friday Challenge this week, I wanted to work with Spellbinders' Nested Tea Cups won in their recent giveaway. The original out-of-the-box idea I had when I saw the dies isn't at all wintery or Christmas-like, so it will have to wait for now. Spellbinders' awesome DT member, Judy Hayes, posted this gorgeous example.
I've used the cup die as an outdoor hanging lamp, lighting my Christmas sign. The lamp, decorative hanger and sign are all cut from SBs' craft foil. My lampshade's holly and berries border are from JustRite's Christmas Nested Frames, stamped in StazOn ink and colored with red and green Copics. Season's Greetings is from JR's Christmas Nested Sentiments. I Copic colored a piece of vellum to light my sign.


Paper: PTI's Vintage Cream CS; vellum; DP from stash
Stamps: JustRite's Christmas Nested Frames and Christmas Nested Sentiments; Stamps by Judith (pine)
Ink: StazOn Jet Black; Tim Holtz Tea Dye, Antique Linen and Peeled Paint
Dies: (JustRite Custom Dies -- Nested Frame Dies and Nested Sentiment Dies); Spellbinders: Nested Tea Cups; Elegant Posts
Miscellaneous: SB's craft foil; Martha Stewart Coarse Glitter; Copic Markers

My Sheri Crafts Challenge #74: Decorate for Christmas

For My Sheri Crafts this week, I adapted this Splitcoaststampers gift box for use as a decor item using battery-operated tea lights. I love that you can create these with a few simple inexpensive items: coasters (large ones from the clearance aisle at my local grocery store and small ones saved from restaurant visits), CS or DP, ribbon/embroidery floss/cord and a battery-operated tea light ($1.13 ea. @ Walgreens). I've even seen them since I bought mine in 25-packs. They look so pretty with the tea lights flickering inside them, just like a real lit candle would -- minus the fire danger!

Both boxes were created following Taylor's instructions at the SCS link above, except that I die cut one coaster for each using Spellbinders' 2011 Heirloom Ornaments dies. On Vellum I stamped Heartfelt Creations (#HCPC 3417) Poinsettia Ornament 2 stamps with VersaMark, embossed with gold EP and sandwiched the vellum between my CS/DP on the front of my box.
FYI: My large coasters measure 4 5/16" square and are large enough for the largest ornament/stamp, whereas a smaller coaster may not allow enough space to punch holes along each side for lacing.

Hope you'll stop by to see all the Christmas ideas our DT has created for your inspiration  -- even better -- join us at My Sheri Crafts by posting your own Christmas decor creations for all our readers to enjoy!

Papertrey Ink November, 2011 Blog Hop

For my quick/easy Christmas card inspired by the photo Nichole chose for Papertrey Ink's November Blog Hop, I've used Papertrey's Half & Half die for my main focal piece and stamps from two Christmas sets. I was obviously inspired by the colors in the photo, the red/white checked pillow and the snowflakes. Since my card is quite simple and self-explanatory, I'll just list the supplies below and let you get on your way to the next blog, but thanks so much for stopping by today!

Papers: Pure Poppy, Shimmer, White CS; Holiday Vintage Prints DP
Stamps: 2009 Holiday Tag Collection; Vintage Ornaments (sentiment)
Inks: VersaMark & Ripe Avocado
Die: Half & Half (both for main focus & sentiment tag!)
Other: White Diamond Embossing Powder; Hero Arts Gems; Copic G07 Marker, ribbon from my stash

JustRite Friday Challenge #062: Give Thanks

For this JustRite Friday Challenge to make and give or send a thank you card or gift I kept my card fairly CAS to let the sentiment and fall frame take center stage!
My sentiment (Baroque Nested Frames) and frame (Give Thanks Nested Frames) are die cut using JustRite's Nested Frames and Nested Sentiment custom dies that are so fun to work with! I used the small additional die flower piece to back the cream frame and then cut an additional orange frame from a slightly larger Nested Frames' die to back the whole piece before mounting it over my ribbon. I LOVE that this adds just a smidge of border color in the background -- so many possibilities with these awesome custom dies.
My cream layer's border was cut/embossed with a combination of Spellbinders' Classic Bracket and Classic Ric Rac Edgeabilites and I ran machine stitching just above them. The little acorn accent piece was cut from shrink plastic (Spellbinders' retired die) and colored with Copic markers before shrinking.
I'm so happy you stopped by today and hope you'll make and send a thank you card to someone too. It's always so nice to discover a card in my mailbox and this card will be mailed right after our Thanksgiving celebration.

My Sheri Crafts Challenge #73: Be Thankful

After seeing this awesome Grateful banner by Kelli on Pinterest, I knew what I would make for our challenge this week at My Sheri Crafts!  I gathered my supplies and went to work die cutting my pennants and banner basics' decorative strips. After having made this Halloween banner (which DD was thrilled to receive!), this second one went together pretty quickly.
Something about the word "gather" on Kelli's banner just spoke to me:  the thought of what the original Thanksgiving was truly all about -- a gathering in of the harvest and a gathering of family and friends together to equally share in the bounty of that harvest and the love and thankfulness everyone was feeling way back then in their new homeland.
I think this project is pretty straightforward as far as assembly goes, so I'll just add that if anyone has any questions about any project or product, please feel free to leave a comment or email me, as I'm always happy to share! I hope you'll take a peek at all the lovely projects our DT Ladies and our Guest Designer at My Sheri Crafts' created this week and perhaps leave a comment or two and PLEASE JOIN US by posting your own project!!! Always thankful you stopped by today!

Supplies:  Spellbinders' Pennants/Lacey Pennants/Banner Basics Three; DP - Autumn Abundance from Papertrey Ink; CS - brown Bazzill, Orange Zest & Summer Sunrise from PTI; Dew Drops from The Robin's Nest and flocked chipboard letters, source unknown; Creamsicle Gingham ribbon & Boshers from Bazzill Basics, various fibers.

JustRite Christmas Linky Party: Card 4

Another favorite JustRite Christmas card for inspiration  sharing is this card I made for my DD last Christmas. I'd never tried Inchies, but thought it would be a FUN experience and it WAS -- need to do more like this for this year!
I simply cut my CS to the size of a "twinchie" (2 inches) to stamp my ice-skating penguin from JustRite's Whimsical Christmas set. For added pop, I embossed my twinchie with my Spellbinders' classic square die, colored him with Copic markers and airbrushed the ice and sky BG. A dot of Stickles on the snowflakes & he was ready to mount on my Lacey Squares cut from silver craft foil. I then added a foil snowflake and ice blue gem brad to finish off my penguin card. He sure does seem to be having a great time out there on the ice, doesn't he?

 
Paper: Papertrey Ink's Ocean Tides CS; DCWV plaid; Making Memories snowflake paper
Stamp: JustRite's 2" Whimsical Christmas Borders & Centers
Ink: Memento's Tuxedo Black
Embellishments: Crystal Stickles; gem brad from stash
Tools: Spellbinders' Wizard and Lacey Squares & Snowflake dies; Copic Markers

JustRite Christmas Linky Party: Card 3

The is one of my very favorite JustRite Christmas cards I created when their Friday challenges returned in August. That challenge was to create a shaped Holiday card and I was so happy with how this one turned out!
This one features JustRite's Vintage Christmas ornaments stamped on pearl vellum, embossed in silver and framed using Spellbinders' Labels Sixteen. My frame is cut from Papertrey Ink's Shimmer CS, stamped with a Vintage Christmas border, silver embossed and mounted with foam dots to a silver CS layer die cut from Label Twenty-One's largest die. I traced that same die onto Shimmer CS and a folded grey card from my stash, cut around both by hand and mounted the main image with foam dots.
I used JustRite's 25-pt. Times New Roman alphabet for my sentiment, die cut with a Spellbinders' Grommet Tag.  Accents include narrow silver ribbon from my stash tied into a bow on the left to secure my sentiment tag and Recollections rhinestones.

JustRite Christmas Linky Party: Card 2

For my 2nd card for JustRight's Christmas Linky Party, I kept it quite simple, as my mojo seems to be MIA at the moment.
My sentiment stamp from Christmas Nested Sentiments forms the focal point, stamped in VersaColor's Rose Red on Papertrey Ink White CS and die cut with Wonky Rectangles. The sentiment is backed with striped DCWV Christmas paper, cut using Labels Twenty-one -- a real favorite of mine!
My card is cut below the fold with Grand Large Labels and all edges were distressed using Antique Linen Distress Ink. I adhered green craft foil holly leaves cut from a retired Spellbinders' die and red gems for glitz, then attached the sentiment with foam squares, leaving room to thread my green ribbon underneath. That's it for this card -- thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment!

JustRite Christmas Linky Party: Card 1

JustRite is having a Christmas Linky Party through November 8th, so join the fun and link your JustRite Christmas cards -- the more the MERRIER -- between now and then! Besides all the fabulous inspiration you'll garner, there will be surprise gifts from JustRite -- what could be more fun than that?!
For my first card, I used cream and gold, a favorite Christmas color combo. The largest Spellbinders' 2010 Heirloom Ornament die, cut from Core'dinations' Glitter Silk and a SBs' circle die, frames the gold embossed ornament stamp from Vintage Christmas.
During SBs' Handmade Holidays Blog Hop today I was inspired to try Natasha's tulle lacing technique. I cut my folded Papertrey Gold Shimmer CS with a Creative Book Pages die, added my eyelets and laced my tulle. LOVE how this turned out!
My sentiment stamp from Christmas Nested Sentiments and star from a Vintage Christmas border are stamped on a SBs' Double-ended Tag. I cut off the right edge, threaded this tag through my tulle and tied a bow. Can't wait to see all the cards posted so far at JustRite's Linky Party!!!

JustRite Friday Challenge #061: Get Scrappy

What a FUN challenge JustRite's latest turned out to be! Stumped at first for what to make from my numerous scraps, mostly Halloween remnants, I spied a strip and left-over piece of 12" orange Bazzill CS in my heap -- the end result are these "strip" pumpkins for my Thanksgiving centerpiece and place cards, similar to ones I've seen all over the Web and on Pinterest that I'd been wanting to try my hand at!
My largest is made of twenty 1" x 12" strips through which I punched a small hole with my Crop-a-Dile at each end and threaded with brown ribbon. For my centerpiece I doubled a 14" long ribbon strip, threaded it through a 2-hole button at the bottom, then through the top holes. Then I simply tied a knot at the desired spot, and flared out my strips. Since I used wired ribbon, once I pushed it down and fanned out my strips, I merely added 1/4" Scor-Tape to secure my ribbon "stem" together and cut it diagonally. On my leaves, left over when I used  the flower on another project, I used Dried Marigold distress ink, then sprayed with Mimosa Glimmer Mist for a bit of sparkle and inserted the stems between the pumpkin and my taped stem. I airbrushed pipe cleaners with Copic E57, curled around a crochet hook and then around my stem.

I recently purchased Give Thanks Nested Frames during JustRite's Super Sale, so picking a stamp was easy! Since I don't yet have their Nested Frames Dies, I used the large frame as an accent border along my sentiment's left edge. I LOVE it! I die cut a Papertrey Ink Vintage Cream CS scrap (ALWAYS on my craft table!) with Spellbinders' Fancy Tags Two, masked the edges and stamped the little border and sentiment. A bit of Antique Linen distress ink, followed with a spritz of Mimosa Glimmer Mist and my sentiment tag simply slips over the stem. Once the holiday is over, you simply remove the tag/leaves/tendrils and fold all the strips under each other to easily store your pumpkin until next year! 
My little place card pumpkin uses 3/8" wide strips cut 3 1/2" long and secured with orange brads at each end. A name tag for each dinner guest is made again using Spellbinders' Fancy Tags Two and the Nested Frames border, plus JustRite's 50 pt. Curlz Alphabet letters for each guest's name. I cut the fancy right end off my tag as it seemed a bit long -- don't be afraid to make your dies "work" for your needs! I also added a small leaf cut from Spellbinders' Foilage die and cut a wire stem from a paper rose, again using my E57 Copic marker to color the wire's paper wrap, curled it and added it to my tiny pumpkin.
Hope the shimmer shows on my tag/leaves as it really adds a nice touch, kind of like "frost on the pumpkin" which I never see here in the AZ desert!

Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween to all my crafty friends!!!  I'm posting a couple of my final Halloween cards for this year that were sooo easy, as I just fell in love with this DCWV Ghosts & Goblins Matstack paper. In fact I used several of these patterns for my Halloween banner.

These two particular mats didn't need much else added to create these fun cards -- a Recollections' photograph on the front that morphs into a vampire (as seen on the photo on the orange card if you compare the two) and a bat for a fun ghoulish finish and Happy Halloween greeting inside! In retrospect, I wish I'd done a bit of distressing around the edges. I'll have to remember that next time!

Hope you all have a safe and spooky-fun holiday with family and friends!

My Sheri Crafts Challenge #72: All About Sports

Our challenge at My Sheri Crafts this week is "All About Sports", so I chose to focus on cycling for my project. A sweet friend had given me this awesome Hambly Screen Print bicycle paper a long time ago and it was fun to use here -- thanks, Gwen! I kept it fairly CAS for today's card with just some embossing behind my main image. My bicycle image and sentiment are mounted on Labels Eighteen die cuts and backed with hand-cut red layers. Can't wait to see what everyone creates this week -- stop by MSC (link above) to not only see her FABULOUS new blog design and latest challenge, but to check out all the AWESOME new DT gals and their SPECTACULAR creations -- WOW!!!

Paper: Papertrey Ink's Pure Poppy and Select White CS; Hambly Screen Prints
Stamps: Papertrey's Everyday Button Bits
Ink: Memento's Tuxedo Black
Dies: Spellbinders' Labels Eighteen
Embellishments: Cuttlebug EF: Diamonds In the Rough; Papertrey Ink Buttons; The Twinery's Baker's Twine;Copic R46

Halloween Fun at the Laboratory

Having created some "adult" Halloween decor fun here lately, I'm entering this both at PaperPlay Challenges (use black) and CCEE1142 (fall scene or fall-related) challenge.

Utilizing Spellbinders' Grand Large Labels, I cut various black & cream CS & book paper DP, and added the skull Flourish Sticker (Recollections). The matching flourish is my "shelf", attached with pop dots to hold my various ghoulish bottles & jars (Martha Stewart Epoxy Stickers), pop-dotting some for dimension also!

I created my Lab label with various JustRite Times New Roman alphas (25 & 50 pt.), adding some dripping blood/spots with a $1 stamp in Tim Holtz Fired Brick. For hanging, I used Tim Holtz Ball Chain, fed through black eyelets set into each corner.

Rather than also create a separate card, I'm simply attaching another cream CS Large Label die cut to the back onto which I stamped my "Happy  Halloween 2011" sentiment and we've signed our names. Hope it brings a smile when it reaches its destination!

Dies Used: Spellbinders LF-168 Grand Large Labels 
(#s 1, 3 & 4) and S4-168 Large Labels (#5)

JustRite Friday Challenge #060: Sketch

The challenge issued at JustRite this week is to use the given sketch. I chose to do a Halloween card, as I need to quickly get mine done for timely mailing -- where has the 1st half of October already disappeared to? YIKES!
I began with a Bazzill scalloped card, cutting the scallops off the sides and embossing the bottom edge with a veritically-striped embossing folder, distressing the edges and embossed area with black ink.You may have noticed I'm pretty smitten with Spellbinders' Labels Twenty-One, especially for masculine cards, and so it appears here on my post again today! I first cut using solid black CS, then trimmed that down, using just the center pieces for a narrow border behind my word paper's circular edges.
Next I added some ghoulish Recollections' stickers I picked up recently at Michaels with grown-up recipients in mind. Utilizing my Myriad Pro 50 pt. Uppercase font, I discovered it fits the border edge of my 3 1/4" Round Stamper. By carefully inking/stamping, as the letters don't fit snugly, it worked well for me to stamp "Beware!" above the curve of my Labels die cuts -- LOVE that and I'll use this trick again!
Finishing off my card, I flattened a bottle cap in my Spellbinders' Wizard, punched a 1" scrap of DP to glue inside, then topped it off with a Martha Stewart epoxy bottle sticker. I'm quite happy with how this ghoulish card turned out!

My Sheri Crafts Challenge #71 - It's the Great Pumpkin!

At My Sheri Crafts the challenge is to create a project with a pumpkin on it -- Halloween related or not -- it's entirely up to you. How easy it that?! We'd LOVE to have you join us!
My glow-in-the-dark pumpkin decor piece was created using Spellbinders' Fleur de Lis Squares for the BG and featuring one of SB's Jack 'O Lantern dies as the focal point. I die cut the largest square from Kraft CS and distressed those lovely edges.

(Taken with a black light shining into Photo Tent)

The next smaller square was cut from black CS and then for the fun part, I used 1/2" glow-in-the-dark tape to cut just the fancy edges again. Then it was simple to just tape them to my black square. Sadly, I used the last of this tape that I've had for many years, but I'll definitely be looking for more and in a wider format. I'd LOVE it in sheets too, as it cut so easily with these dies! I also used it for my Jack 'O Lantern's eyes/mouth, as you can see in these next two photos.  
My hubby is a much better photographer than I, so he helped me capture the "glow"!  ;~)  I also have some glow-in-the-dark embossing powder (also really old) that I'm going to try to see if it will still glow. A little eerie/spooky Halloween FUN added to a project!!!

(Taken in total darkness)

Products Used:
CS/DP: Papertrey Ink: Kraft CS (BG, stem, nose), Ripe Avacado; Bazzill Black; Making Memories' Spook Alley (orange DP for Jack)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress: Antique Linen
Dies: Spellbinders: Fleur de Lis Squares and Jack 'O Lanterns
Miscellaneous: Glow-in-the-Dark Tape and 1/4" black ribbon from my stash

My Sheri Crafts Challenge #70 - Think Pink

Copic Markers Used: E000, E32, E33, R00, R20, B00 

This lady (Hero Arts - retired stamp) is all dressed up for My Sheri Crafts Challenge and thinking pink to raise Breast Cancer Awareness. I've had her since 2002 when I took a class taught by a lovely lady at my local LSS which was then less than a mile from my house. I've since moved away and the store closed long ago, sadly. I still LOVE these awesome ladies in hats stamps which are mightily stained from much use. Gosh, that was five years before I even thought of blogging!
Today I stamped her in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink on white CS, die cut with Spellbinders' Big Scalloped Oval, colored her with Copic Markers and used a Sakura glitter pen to highlight her earrings. Her paper-pieced hat and collar were cut from pink suede paper, 1/8" pale pink ribbon was used for her hat band and the Breast Cancer symbol on her left shoulder. She's attached to a side-folded 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" white card embossed with Sizzix EF and my "HOPE" sentiment is made using JustRite 50pt. Curlz alphabet stamps onto a retired Spellbinders' tag die cut, tied on with the 1/8" ribbon along the card's folded edge.
Thankfully, beautiful weather is expected here tomorrow for the Phoenix Race for the Cure!

JustRite Friday Challenge 059: Fall Festival

I've been wanting to create a banner with Spellbinders' Nested Pennants' dies, so this JustRite challenge was perfect: "think warm, rich colors for your Fall themed project -- which can be anything you choose: a card, scrapbook page, 3D/altered project or maybe even share a Fall recipe/card that utilizes your JustRite stamps! For purposes of this challenge, “Fall Festival” covers the general Fall season or any occasion/holiday within: Back-to-School, Fall sports or outings, Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc.  If you don’t have any Fall themed stamps for this challenge, remember you can always use our Fonts to create anything you’d like!"

Awaiting the arrival of more fonts/stamps from JR's current Super Sale, I die cut each pennant from different Halloween-patterned papers and varied my CS colors for my Lacey cuts. Then adding Frilly Velvet Ribbon (Hobby Lobby) to each pennant's top edge, I taped with 1/8" Scor-Tape, punched and set eyelets with my Crop-a-Dile II.
'Halloween' was created using JR's 95-pt. TNR Upper Case Font in the center of their “Damask” 1-Letter Borders. Because I LOVE the decorative touch these borders add, I alternated each of the three across my nine pennants! They were stamped with VersaMark Ink, heat embossed with "Halloween" EP (black EP/orange glitter) onto Vintage Cream CS (Papertrey Ink), die cut with Spellbinders' Lacey Circles and mounted with foam squares. After stringing the pennants together with black hemp twine, I tied a Bazzill bosher and fun fiber trims to each end. It's all ready for my recipient's Halloween decorating (if I can bear parting with it)?!

Papertrey Ink September, 2011 Blog Hop: Inspirational Photo Challenge

Time for Papertrey Ink's monthly Blog Hop! Once again, I needed a male birthday card, always a challenge, so I've focused on the stripes in the inspiration photo, cutting strips from PTI's striped Turning a New Leaf DP and gluing them to Vintage Cream CS to create my BG. I love this paper's distressed look for masculine cards!
My focal image uses Half and Half's striped BG stamp with Spring Moss, stamped onto my Mat Stack 1 (Vintage Cream CS). My sentiment (Inside & Out: Birthday) and distressed edges are done in Dark Chocolate Ink.  For added dimension I cut a Ripe Avocado mat by just embossing/hand cutting it and using foam dots to attach. I notched the mat's left edge, secured my trim and threaded more trim through my button. For added interest I cut Spellbinders' Banner Basics and added flat-back metal pieces to dress up the top edge. That's it for my CAS striped masculine card!

Masculine Retirement Card: Spellbinders' Style

My good friend's husband recently retired and she attempted to have a surprise party for him -- LOL! We had fun in spite of the lack of surprise and this is the "manly" card I made for him.
The smaller Labels Twenty-one die cut is birch plywood from Michaels -- love it for guy cards and it cuts/embosses beautifully!  Labels Sixteen was cut from cardboard, then distressed even more with Vintage Photo Distress Ink after peeling off the top layer. I used the same cardboard for my sentiment tag.
Paper: Heidi Swapp's World Traveler (card BG, houndstooth; sprocket); cardboard from stash (Labels Sixteen die; sentiment tag)
Ink: Memento's Tuxedo Black; Vintage Photo Distress
Dies: Spellbinders' Labels Sixteen and Twenty-one; Sprightly Sprockets; Grommet Tags
Embellishments: Screw brads (stash)

JustRite Friday Challenge 058: Frugal Friday Sponsored by Spellbinders

The JustRite Frugal Friday challenge: "create an inexpensive gift idea (anything but a card), using something you have recycled and reused from around your house".
My tin originally held Mixed Nuts from Costco. I chose a Fall theme using the 3 1/4" round leaf border from Backyard Birds, colored with Copic Markers, and "The Beauty of Fall" sentiment from Nature Nested Sentiments and Verse stamped onto my oak leaf (a retired Spellbinders' die which includes the acorns) for decorating the lid. 
Note: I used thick CS for the acorns and misted with water before embossing to get a deep impression. My leaves were distressed with Antique Linen Distress Ink. The veins were distressed while still in the die.
I covered my container with Papertrey's Autumn Abundance DP, adding a border along the top edge cut with Spellbinders' Banner Basics Three, slightly offsetting the edges using solid CS and DP to add dimension. Another pair of oak leaves and acorns were added to the side and my sweet treat is all ready for my intended recipients! Below is my drab empty clean container before I had fun decorating and filling it!


Thanks so much for coming by today -- I'm anxious to see what fabulous ideas JustRite stampers come up with for frugal gifting (something we can ALL use in today's economy)!

Happy Birthday, Cupcake: Spellbinders/Nestabling Style

Needing a card for my cupcake-baking friend's birthday and needing to actually use my stash of Want2Scrap Nestabling, I chose this cupcake paper from The Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby).
Labels Five pink pearls by Nestabling really set off my focal Spellbinders' cupcake diecut image. I first cut/embossed the cuppie in Papertrey Ink's Kraft CS and distressed with Antique Linen distress ink for dimension. I used a metallic pink paper with embossed flowers for my "frosting", re-cutting the cuppie die and hand trimming along the bottom frosting edge. A single flower from that same paper sits atop and pink Cotton Candy Stickles dot the flower centers.
Fiskars' Upper Crust punch decorates the right edge and my focal image is pop-dotted over pink Making Memories ribbon. I stamped my PTI birthday greeting (curved to fit) onto a SBs' banner die to finish off this simple card.
LOVE how well the SBs dies, Nestabling and clear stamps all work so easily together to make a fun, blinged out greeting in quick fashion!

JustRite Friday Challenge 057: Shabby Chic

Creative struggles continue here, but compared to most things, it's really quite trivial. Our challenge for JustRite this week was to create a shabby chic card.
I combined papers from several K & Company lines, distressed all edges and stitched my two BG papers to Papertrey Ink's Linen CS. Next I stamped flowers from JR's Plant a Little Love and colored with Copics. My die cut is Spellbinders' Lacey Circles and I again distressed its edges with Antique Linen Distress Ink. My sentiment and heart BG stamps are both from JR's Charmed cling set, stamped/distressed and then cut/embossed with JR's Custom Charm heart die. I Copic colored a bit of lace from my stash, then added pearls and sheer ribbons from my stash for the final touches.
Hope you're all staying cooler than we are here -- we're tired of breaking heat records!

Masculine Birthday: Spellbinders' Sprockets Meets Papertrey Ink

We needed a masculine birthday card for a special friend from my hubby's past associations, so I chose Spellbinders' sprockets, die cut from their bronze metal foil. LOVE these metal foils for guy cards (and much more)!
My sentiment is heat embossed using two separate stamps from a fabulous Papertrey Ink set, Big Birthday Wishes, an awesome set for everyone from children to seniors!
To keep the masculine feel, I die cut the 80 from birch plywood purchased at Michaels with a retired Sizzix set and glued the "nail heads" (punch outs from the largest sprocket, actually!) to my numbers for added dimension.
We've had a couple "big" birthdays recently among friends/family, so I'm really putting this new PTI set to good use! Your visit today is much appreciated as well as any thoughts you'd like to share on my posts. :~)

Papertrey Ink August, 2011 Blog Hop: Inspirational Photo Challenge

An inspirational photo (shown below) challenged us this month for Papertrey Ink's blog hop -- another great photo because it can be interpreted in so many ways! My inspiration came from the lady's checked dress and the bouquet of flowers. Every product used on my very CAS card is available at Papertrey Ink with the exception of the DMC embroidery floss and Sakura Jelly Roll glitter pen.
Using PTI's Stampers Select White CS for my 1/4 fold card, I die cut the right edge with Edger's #3 Die. Bitty Box Basics paper was used to cut a Half & Half die shape, as well as a 1" piece with the Edger's die. I glued this inside my card's right edge so it just peeks out for a tiny pop of color. LOVE the Half & Half and edger dies and I will use the larger edger on my envelope's edge too!
My stem, flower and sentiment from Botanical Silhouettes are stamped with Landscape and Raspberry Fizz inks. I think the Jelly Roll glitter pen adds a nice touch to my bloom! Then I simply tied embroidery floss through a PTI button for a very quick and simple finish.

Thanks for coming by and have a hopping good time today!!!

JustRite Friday Challenge 056: Shaped Holiday Card or Tag

With 116-degree record-setting heat today in the desert, I chose white & silver for my Christmas card for the returning JustRite Friday Challenge. YAY!!! I'm very happy with the result and almost felt cool while working on it! Regardless, it's wonderful to have another holiday card for my stash.
This one features JustRite's Vintage Christmas ornaments stamped on pearl vellum, embossed in silver and framed using Spellbinders' Labels Sixteen. My frame is cut from Papertrey Ink's Shimmer CS, stamped with a Vintage Christmas border, silver embossed and mounted with foam dots to a silver CS layer die cut from Label Twenty-One's largest die. I traced that same die onto Shimmer CS and a folded grey card from my stash, cut around both by hand and mounted the main image with foam dots.
I used JustRite's 25-pt. Times New Roman alphabet for my sentiment, die cut with a Spellbinders' Grommet Tag.  Accents include narrow silver ribbon from my stash tied into a bow on the left to secure my sentiment tag and Recollections rhinestones.
I appreciate your stopping by today and hope you're keeping cool wherever you are!!!