Christmas~Making a Scene

I have been busily stamping for the week up until this past week. Then suddenly, everything had to come to a halt...as our Beulah had to have her TPLO (Taibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy) surgery. This type of surgery is done after a torn, or in our dog's case, a partial tear of the cruiate ligament (ACL) in dogs to stabilize the joint.  We had tried everything to avoid that, including a month long rehabilitation at our Colorado State University Vet Hospital. But we went in this Tuesday for a meeting and the outcome was next day surgery. Not what you want to do the month of December for sure...or any time! But,she is doing pretty well, very sedated and still limping. I won't post a picture just yet as it isn't pretty. But she is tolerating her cone much better than the last time she had surgery. I just feel so badly as animals don't understand and I wonder if she feels somehow betrayed by us.
Which is why I have to get lost in stamping once in awhile. It is a wonderful escape...especially with the scenes you can make with this new to me stamp set by Papertrey Ink. I spent a lot of time one day just stamping out all the components of the two houses and one church in the set...along with fences, mailboxes, snowy trees! This particular scene was one I pretty much copied from Mary Beth. You can find her inspirational blog here.
My brother is a postal carrier...so I wanted to use the mailbox and added a pretty red cardinal perched on the top!

I had a lot of fun making this card! The trees are all different shades of green...the roof has a snowy glittered cap on top...and a few snow drifts make it even more idyllic. The sentiment color is muted, keeping with the dreamy scene. I love the white linen card stock PTI carries...it has a wonderful subtle texture.
Thanks so much for stopping by! I'll be back sharing some of the cards I've been making soon!

Ho~Ho~Go!! Power Poppy Action Santa!

Hi friends...hope you're not feeling too frenzied or rushed right now. Every year I try to make a card for both of our daughters. Sometimes it is cute, or a fun shaker card, defininitely something a bit more special than the generic card.
When I saw the "Action Santa" Marcella Hawley designed for this year's Power Poppy Christmas release...I immediately thought of our youngest daughter who is always on the go and has wanted a Vespa scooter for awhile now. Not that we're getting her one...Ha! But she likes to get around...and boy does she! She has traveled  more countries than I ever will...and has spent 6 months in Singapore/China/Thailand and other areas with her career. And she has no fear. Anyway...as a Mom I say a lot of prayers on her behalf. I know God honors our prayers and I am so thankful I can lift up others to Christ when I am anxious or concerned and those I love are too far away to be of any help.
So isn't this the cutest?

This is Erin and her puppy, Walter taken last winter. He is too big to carry now...but the sweetest large animal I have ever known. Besides my dog.
So my card is for her:

She likes plaid (as seen in her vest above.) So I thought this festive Christmas red plaid was a good backdrop...then a blue with embossed snowflakes, topped with the Santa image. A Spellbinders dainty snowflake in Shimmer white and a red sparklette are the embellishments.

Here's a little close-up of Santa:

I will admit, this took me a long time to color. I am not fast by any means...but I am getting better over the years and Power Poppy images are my favorite to color because of the exquisite detail and vintage feel to so many of the images.

Thank you so much for indulging me another card and hope you have a wonderful day!

Not your Spring Chick-a-Dee~

We have regular visitors at our bird feeder and bath all season long...the sweet and chirpy Chickadees! This year I've noticed the bird bath freezing over and less and less visitors at the feeder which prompted me to ask for a heated bird bath for Christmas! Wouldn't that be fun to see the birds up close on our deck?
I was able to snap a photo of a chickadee  at our mountain condo last winter. A bit shadowed, it is hard to get a picture up close. They are a little bit shy.

I almost forgot about my card. I used a design very similar to my friend,  Grace Nyweing's , (at Th-inking-of-You, that she shared quite awhile ago...I had the same stamp (I think) and was inspired to use it in a Christmas card.

The image is colored in copic markers and I use a multiliner to add a bit of black to the eyes. The evergreen and pine cone are Spellbinder die cuts and a branch punch with diamond stickles added. I used a retired Stampin Up paper pack. A pretty double loop bow and my, this Chickadee is looking pretty festive. The sentiment is Papertrey Ink.

Thanks so much for your visit. I love hearing from you and knowing you were here. Wishing you blessings as you prepare your heart for Advent and this wonderful Christmas season anticipating the birth of our Lord and  Savior, Jesus! 

Christmas Card for Dad~Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

I love making Christmas cards. I do...and I probably spend too much time on it...but I like making miniature works of art, or if art doesn't qualify...at least it's from the heart. But every year, I still make my annual trip to Hallmark and get a big beautiful card for my Dad as I know how much it means to him...and making a card never seems like it's enough.
But this year I was inspired by Simon Says Wednesday Challenge.

I haven't participated in this particular challenge before, but I do love the Simon Says Stamp store and am always inspired by their designers. The first image reminded me of a deer stamp I've had for a few years (now retired)...and the card grew from there. Even though it is very feminine...it is from me to my Dad and I hope he will enjoy it.

The image was stamped on shimmery cream paper in Gold Encore ink which gives it such an ethereal dreamy effect. I had some Stampin Up paper pack with the music and lyrics from "Silent Night" which was used on the background. I added a scalloped note card background, offsetting the scallops (die from PTI), then added the Prima Poinsettia and some cream crochet lace. 

Thank you for looking and hope you were a bit inspired today! 

I am sharing this card on a wonderful blog, WordArtWednesday too! Blessings.

Christmas All Year Long!

For those of us that were feeling a bit behind the Christmas Card production last year...or you are like me and always get in the stamping swing a wee bit too late...there is a monthly Christmas card challenge on the Fan Club Forum at Splitcoast Stampers. This month's challenge is "Wedding~use something old, something new, something borrowed, or something blue."

I used Flourishes stamps for this stocking template card. The ribbon and heart were "borrowed" from another card.
I had a lot of fun making this card using the stocking template!! And if I am able to find this card by next Christmas, I will be ready!!
Thank you for coming by today!

Chickadee Christmas

Today's card was inspired by Lisa (LisaADD) on Splitcoast Stampers. I have had this chickadee on my shelf uninked and Lisa's card gave me the nudge I needed to Christmas up this chickadee~I made a lovely loopy bow to add in the corner, and colored some pearls with a red copic marker to add as little berries!

Well, everyone is gone this weekend doing their own thing. My youngest daughter is on an airplane right now from New York City to Boston. She called me from the plane saying she may not make the connecting flight and I could hear the pilot saying over the speaker that it was going to be "bumpy and miserable" flight. My husband is driving through snow covered passes and will stop in Denver and then meet her at the airport. Those connections are tricky, so I hope he doesn't have a late night of it. Our older daughter went for a weekend skiing for girls in Vail and will be driving back today. So this mama chickadee is in her nest, trying not to fret and staying busy doing a little "feathering of the nest" today!

Little Christmas Cardinal

Today is "Featured Stamper" on Splitcoast Stampers and Kris, SCS name: Krischir, was the chosen stamper! I adored her gallery, and decided to CASE one of her cards for today's submission.
A friend of mine sent me this stamp set as blog candy, and I had yet to ink it up until I saw it on another friend's blog!! What would we do without our friends?
Thanks for popping in...this is a busy week for so many and I appreciate your taking a peek here.
Have a blessed day!

Teapot Tuesday and my Stamp a Stack Christmas Cards

Is it Tuesday yet? I am late, as always, to the Teapot Tuesday party...but this week the destination is a hospice organization in Austin, Texas, and I couldn't miss sending a card to such a wonderful organization! You can view Cindy (Mothermark's) teapot Tuesday story by clicking on the black and white polka dotted teapot on my sidebar to read and laugh!!

The rest of the cards are from a Christmas card stamp-a-stack I attended over the weekend, at my demo, Carn's house. This was only 3 of the cards we made, I still have one more to make up! I don't have any of these stamps, so it is really nice to have a variety of cards to add to my small stash, and of course, I got home and had to add a silver pearl here, or some glitter there. The snowman was made of punches, and I am so punched challenged, I tell you, I had glue stuck everywhere. So if it were not for this class, I am sure my punches would be underused!
Tell me, which is your favorite of the Christmas designs? I'd really like to know!
We had snow last night, and this morning, a blanket of gentle peace covered the ground. So pretty!!
Thanks for stopping in, I've got French Roast on the menu, would you like a cup?

Serene Christmas

Today's card is my submission for this month's Christmas challenge by Flourishes Stamp Company! The challenge this month was to make a flat card, one that is mailable with one stamp. Now it didn't say the stamp had to be 44 cents postage, but that is what I think they are going for.
I have just recently received this set, Forest of Trees, and decided to create a circle mask using my nestabilities and sponging a soft sky ink around the inside perimeter. My image was inked and then a darker marker was thumped for color dimension, then spritzed and finally stamped on Flourishes watercolor paper.
I added some icicle stickles to the tree and some gingham ribbon around the corners attached with scor tape.
The sentiment was then added (holding my breath, I might add!)
I love the simplicity of this, although it took me a few tries to get the spritzing right on the paper.
Hope you enjoy! One card down...many more to go!!

Two Challenge Cards

Today's cards are two that are combined challenges. Why do I do this? I want to "play along," but with the time it takes me to decide on a layout, stamps, colors, accessories...the only way to participate is to combine!!

So the first one here is this pretty little SnowLady whom I love, this time with gold buttons and white puffy sleeves...she is for this week's Stamping Sisters in Christ challenge. This week is hosted by the gracious Grace, and her devotional regarding the verse along with the challenge can be found on the SSIC blog here. The challenge was to use a stamp as your focal point that requires some thought to construction. I thought of quilts, cabins, houses...etc...then decided what I really needed was an early start to Christmas cards. And this lil lady, just like me, needs some work everyday to look good!! Which reminds me I need to go find my blush...

And both cards are submissions for "Dare to Get Dirty" challenges hosted by the Dirty dozen design team on SCS...which I am not allowed to share specific challenges here, but you can look them up on the home page of SCS if you're a Fan Club member!!

The challenges were:

DTGD10CraftyCaro

DTGD10notimetostamp

DTGD10flowergal36

DTGD10sketch '

and one more I forget...

And last, but not least by any means....Mothermark's Teapot Tuesday challenge this week was to bring hearts to a little girl in need of a bit of cheer. The little girl has one heart to add to the collection this week~~You can see this week's Teapot Tuesday challenge by clicking on the button on my sidebar!! Such a wonderful group of teapotters and lots of fun too!

Whew, I think I did it...

Bless you for reading through this!! I so enjoy your comments and hope you are having a great day!!

Inspired Christmas

Good afternoon!

This week Splitcoast Stampers' Queen for the Day was Grace (aka:scrapingramma2). Grace has a gallery full of gorgeous heartfelt artwork. I have always admired her cards so this was my feeble attempt at a tribute in her honor.

This card follows Flourishes' blog's Christmas Spirit Challenge for the month of June as well. The inspiration was a beautiful room decorated for Christmas. (See top photo.) I chose the red, silver, and white as my theme for this card.

Also for this week's Stamping Sisters in Christ the Lovely Linda hosted with a Bible passage from Hebrews 11:6. You can visit the blog (on my sidebar) to read her wonderful devotional this week. Linda challenged us to make a card with a heart...could be an image, paper, or embellishment. I chose a tiny heart charm that has the word, "love" engraved on it.

I used the fancy tags and cut them up for the borders of my focal image. The ribbon is offray, and the tiny shimmery flowers are from the wedding department of Michael's. Silver pearls were added, along with the heart charm.

Recipe:

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs

Paper: PTI white, Bravo Burgundy, and Designer paper

Ink: Versamark

Access: Silver Embossing Powder, silver cord, silver heart charm, Offray ribbon, flowers, silver pearls, Fancy Tags by Spellbinders, Labels 4 Nestabilities

Stamping Sisters in Christ Challenge

Good day after Christmas!! This card was made for this week's SSIC blog challenge which was a sketch this week. I wanted to use this new stamp set and tried to incorporate it into the sketch. I love the peaceful quality and solitude of this stamp, so I paired it with the sentiment you see. It was supposed to be a thank you card for a Christmas gift, but it doesn't say "thank you." I think I will send it anyway.
Yesterday I had a house full of 12 kids, 10 adults, and 2 dogs chasing each other around the kitchen while I tried to cook for all of them...I am tired today. It was nice, but I am really enjoying the quiet and wanted to make a card that reflected what I felt.
I hope your Christmas was merry!!
Here is my stamp recipe:

Stamps: Serendipity:Winter Doe, SU Hostess: Patterned Pines (snowflake), SU: Peaceful Wishes
Ink: Papertrey Ink: Enchanted Evening, Lavender Moon
Accessories:
Circle Nestabilities, Impressabilities, Blue Organza ribbon from Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply Store (on sidebar), Spare Parts snowflakes coated with Ice Stickles , EK Success Border Punch, Silver Embossing Powder

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

It's the Most Wonderful Time...huh???

If you live in Colorado, you would know that we have had 9 straight days of severe weather...including sleet, baseball sized hail, tornadoes...and overall just yucky!! Even our weather reporters are starting to look a little haggard on the 9 o'clock news!! Yesterday's news showed a snowman constructed from hail complete with hat and glasses...

So that explains my confusing card today! My friend Charlene (Lilluvsstampin on SCS) issued a challenge on the CCEE blog today to make a Tri-Shutter card. Now, I have never made one of these and just the thought of cutting/scoring etc...was enough to slightly overwhelm me so I had to keep the rest just as simple as I could...Enter this adorable little gingerbread cooking set I purchased a couple of years ago...these little gingerbread men, mixing bowl and rolling pin, and cookie cutter pack were some left from cookie packages I made last year. I figured I can use this card to accompany some Christmas goodies, but more importantly, I completed a challenge on the same day!! Whoa, that's an accomplishment right there, plus I am ready for something come Christmas...maybe a cookie baking party. You want to come over??

You can see the CCEE blog here:http://www.cceestampers.blogspot.com/ and view all of the 8 entries for this friendly challenge! There is some truly amazingly talented women and you've got to take a look!!

This was actually pretty easy, but my little card won't fit into an A2 envelope because I really did go outside the box...oh well!

For the tutorial on how to do one of these Tri-shutter cards, visit Bonnie's blog here:

http://craftiblog.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/2009-04-23-quad-fold-card-sample-tutorial/

Thanks for stopping by today, and thanks for the challenge, Charlene!!