I hope you all had a great Christmas! I certainly did. The best part was being with all my family!

At the request of my youngest grandson, I made a pan of lemon squares. As you can see from the photo, we are a family of edge eaters! lol Well, I do have a daughter in law that likes the middles, but most of us fight over corners and edges. My daughter gave me an all edge pan to make brownies so we always get at least two edges. I should have used it for the lemon bars. Uh oh, too late smart once again.

In case you would like to have some lemon squares at your home, here is the recipe:

Lemon Squares

1 C butter, softened
2 C flour
1/2 C powdered sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 C granulated sugar
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 C lemon juice
5 T. flour
1 tsp. baking powder

Beat butter, powdered sugar and 2 c. flour until smooth. Spread into greased 13X9 pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Beat together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, 5 T flour and baking powder. The mixture will be thin. Pour over the top of the baked crust and continue to bake for 25 minutes more. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cool and cut into squares.

Thanks for stopping by.

Busy, busy, busy!

Here is a card I want to share with you today. Does it, brighten your day? I hope so. Butterflies are always so cheery aren't they? I used a cotton scrap from Crafty Secrets on this and then added the butterflies which are reverse embossed. To do this, ink the inside cutting side of your Spellbinders™ die template before cutting and embossing, then add your embossing powder and heat emboss. It gives a great look to your finished projects. The background of the card was created using the die template as a stencil and airbrushing! I love how it turned out.

I am very busy getting ready for Christmas and my daughter's wedding on Jan. 2! Yikes, so much to do. Actually I am doing pretty well, but it doesn't leave much time for creating. Sorry! I will have more surprises for you. I have some tutorials I want to create and share with you and I will be doing them in the very near future, so keep checking back.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Hugs,

Karen

A great resource

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by my blog.

I want to share a great resource with you. I'm sure you love your Spellbinders™ Nestabilities, Nesties™, and other die templates as much as I do, so here is a chart that lets you know which dies are compatible with which JustRite stamps! It also has some punches listed as well. What a great resource. I hope it helps you out:

Punch and Die Compatibility Chart

Boys n Ice Cream

Two things that go together oh so well - boys and ice cream. Can anything be better for these boys than a nice warm day, no shirts and unlimited ice cream just so Mom could get pictures of them?



Here is how I created the ice cream cone: Use computer to print “ ice cream” onto vanilla cardstock. Cut/emboss using Spellbinders blossom die template, aligning text. Leave cardstock in die and emboss with Spellbinders Snowflakes Impressabilities. Emboss 3 ½ X 2 rectangle with diamond and stars Impressabilities. Leave cardstock in place and airbrush with Copic airbrush system and Sketch Marker E43 Dull Ivory. Cut into cone shape and adhere to page with cone overlapping photo. Use foam squares to pop ice cream up and attach to top of cone. I used Spellbinders Labels 8 to cut/emboss the photo.

Thanks for stopping by! Please come again soon.

Hugs,
Karen

And colder!

Last night my husband and I went to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Extravaganza in downtown Salt Lake City. The doors were to open at 6:30 for the 8:00 performance. We wanted to get a good seat, so we joined the line at about 6:10. I don't know how cold it was, but I'm sure it wasn't more than 20 degreees, and for this Phoenix girl, that is COLD! We were there a few minutes when a lady lined up behind me. She did not have on a coat or scarf or gloves or anything warm. She thought the doors opened at 6:00. She said she didn't own a coat, as she usually just drives somewhere, gets out and goes into a heated building. Well, we had at least 15 minutes to wait there. Another lady near her put her own scarf around her neck. I turned and gave her my gloves. She kept insisting she was all right, but . . . she was freezing! We all huddled up around her trying to share our warmth. What a wonderful thing to see, so many giving and sharing people around this woman who resisted but was given warmth from strangers. I hope we can all look outside ourselves this season for those around us needing a little warmth, whether it is a smile, a kind word, food or a coat! Let's open our hearts and share the blessings we have been given.

Hugs to you all!
Karen

Coldness!

So here I am in Utah with lots of snow outside. Luckily I'm toasty warm inside. Brrrrr! I don't do snow, ice and cold very well at all! I'm on "vacation" so I didn't bring my own computer and trying to just relax and enjoy some quiet time. I thought I would update my blog and post a new photo for you.

I created this card for my daughter's bridal shower. It's kind of over the top, don't you think? Lots and lots of layers, but keeping it all white. I love the elegance of an all white card. I used shimmery white cardstock for all the layers except the top blossom which is vellum cardstock. I added lots of pearls too. So pretty on the Spellbinders Fleur de Lis pendant and the Labels One. This card is 5 1/2" X 5 1/2 " and very thick. I couldn't just put it into an envelope, so I used it on top of the package as the bow, adding some white organdy ribbon. Delicious!

I hope you like what you saw today and will stop by again soon! Stay warm everyone!

Happy Birthday Erinn!

I had such a fun time last night. Jamie asked me to do a surprise birthday party for her daughter Erinn along with two of her friends. She got a Cuttlebug for her birthday! She was so excited. She is a really great crafter and enjoys making cards for friends and family. I had three projects for the girls to create. They had a great time and were such good students.

Project One: Sour Cream Container

Erinn likes bright fun colors, so we used a great paper to create the fun containers. Inside are three Hershey nuggets. Candy's always a hit. The girls thought these containers were a lot of fun and easier to make than they thought they would be. I'll bet they will make more of them.

Next each of them made a personalized notecard with their own initial. They used the cuttlebug for the texture on the bottom of the card. Embossing is a blast.


After the Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream birthday cake - oh yum! We did our last project which is a little mini album to preserve the memory of the night. It is just a square of cardstock with folds. The outside has a cuttlebug embossed front with a fun flower and a ribbon which wraps around the whole thing to hold it closed.

Now open it up and look! We stamped some fun images and colored them and added a photo of the girls. We even did a little heat embossing on the blue square. Lots of ooohs and aaaaahs on that one. lol It's like magic! The blank area is for them to journal about the evening.

They got a little crazy by the end. Was it a sugar high? Or being up late? Whatever it was they laughed and had a great time and that is the point.

Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon!

Published!!!

I just got back from Wal Mart where I picked up a copy of Scrapbooking and Beyond. Just inside the front cover is the Spellbinders ad with my very own layout featured. Wooo hooo! My name and project are in a publication. I'm feeling veclempt. lol

Here is the layout used in the ad.

Holidays!

Holidays are so much fun with family and lots of good food. Oh yum! I had a great Thanksgiving - I hope your's was too.

I'm sharing a layout I did for Spellbinders. My friend Christen has these four cute little boys and she took photos of them eating ice cream cones. What could be better?



Can you pick out the Spellbinders Die Templates? It might surprise you what I used, but I love how it worked out.

Instructions: Tear strip of red cardstock approximately 2” wide. Attach 3 metallic brads on each end of strip. Cut letter B and corresponding mat from gold cardstock with classic rectangle. Cut O from alphabet and mat onto dark brown mat cut/embossed with deckled rectangle. Cut/emboss square using navy blue cardstock. Cut Y using Tags Trio and mount onto navy square. Place brad through hole. Cut/emboss rectangle from kraft cardstock and apply S. Ink edges with Chestnut ink. On computer, print boys’ names, & and journaling with blue ink and B-o-y-s with brown ink onto gold cardstock. Cut/emboss & with oval die and ink edges with Chestnut ink. Apply title to red strip and attach to top of page. Cut boys names into strips and ink edges with chestnut ink. Cut brown letters and ink edges with chestnut ink. Use foam square to pop up in proper place on each name. Cut two strips of red cardstock 8X4 and emboss with Paisley Impressabilities. Glue together to form square and cover seam with ¼” strip of red cardstock. Attach to page. Stagger names to align brown letters in each name to spell boy down left side of red square. Cut/emboss photo with Curved Rectangles die template and mat with blue and brown cardstock. Adhere to red block. Cut/emboss journaling block and mat using rectangle die template. Attach brads in journaling block and attach to red mat. Use computer to print “ ice cream” onto vanilla cardstock. Cut/emboss blossom aligning text. Leave cardstock in die and emboss with snowflakes Impressabilities. Emboss 3 ½ X 2 rectangle with diamond and stars Impressabilities. Leave cardstock in place and airbrush with Copic airbrush system and Sketch Marker E43 Dull Ivory. Cut into cone shape and adhere to page with cone overlapping photo. Use foam squares to pop ice cream up and attach to top of cone. Glue journaling block to lower right corner of photo and red square. Cut/emboss doodle part from Gold cardstock. Leave cardstock in die template and airbrush with B24 Sky and then E44 clay. Remove from die and attach to bottom left corner of red panel. Cut/emboss three of the smallest circles from classic Circles Small. Punch hole in center. Using 12” length of twine, thread through circles and tie knots above each. Apply glue to back of circles and adhere to left side of page.

Snow glorious snow!

This is a photo layout I created from photos of friends having fun in the snow. I used Spellbinders Nested Pine Trees and added dimension by embossing them with Spellbinders Diamond and Stars Impressabilties. I also added lots of snowflakes created with Spellbinders Create a Flake Two.

Excitement in the air!

My blog is spotlighted on Spellbinders' blog today featuring my little video tip on positioning of the die templates. Wooo hooo! If you haven't seen it yet, scroll down and take a look. It will make your life easier. lol

Today I want to show you a project I did for Spellbinders in September.



I created a project to encourage looking at all the blessings in our lives and doing some fun activities together to reinforce the feelings of love and appreciation in a family. I used Spellbinders Nested Maple leaves.

I used an empty Laughing Cow container, inked it up and covered it with paper, a few leaves and ribbon. I've typed up the blessings and activities found inside so you can easily duplicate my project.

Thanksgiving Countdown

Thanksgiving Day brings to mind the blessings in our lives that usually go unnoticed.
On each of the enclosed leaves is a blessing and activity. Remove one each day leading up to Thanksgiving Day. Doing the activity will help you recall some of the blessings in your lives.


We are thankful for our teeth.
Give mom and dad some of our
Halloween candy in exchange
for a gift.

We are thankful for our legs.
Go outside and run and jump!

We are thankful for our cousins.
Call or write a letter to one of your cousins.

We are thankful for our kitchen.
Cook or bake something fun
together in the kitchen.


We are thankful for good food.
Go to the grocery store and pick out
a food that you haven’t tried yet.

We are thankful for Turkeys!
Art Project: Make paper turkeys.

We are thankful for giving hearts.
Think of something fun to give
someone in the neighborhood.

We are thankful for Daddy.
Do something nice for daddy and
be extra nice to him all day!



We are thankful for Mommy.
Do something nice for mommy and
be extra nice to her all day!

We are thankful for the seasons.
Go on a bike ride and enjoy
the beautiful weather.

We are thankful for our brothers.
Do something nice for them and be
extra nice to them all day!

We are thankful for our sisters.
Do something nice for them and be
extra nice to them all day!

We are thankful for our house.
Play a cleaning game.

We are thankful for each other.
Play a game together.

We are thankful for our hands.
Art Project: Finger painting.

We are thankful for our eyes.
Watch a special Thanksgiving show together.

We are thankful for our ears.
Play some fun music and dance.

We are thankful for books.
Go to the library and pick out some
Thanksgiving books.



We are thankful for pies.
Make or buy a pie and
deliver it to someone.


We are thankful for our grandparents.
Call grandma and grandpa and tell
them you love them!

We are thankful for Heavenly Father.
Go on a nature walk and notice all
of Heavenly Father’s creations.

We are thankful for our friends.
Make a special visit to some friends.

We are thankful for the computer.
Send an email to someone you love.
Send them some pictures of your family.

We are thankful for all of our toys.
Donate some of the toys you haven’t been
Playing with to a charity.

We are thankful for our car.
Go on a special outing of your choice.

Grateful Heart

I wanted to share this Thanksgiving card with you. I created it to send to some special people so I had to make it larger so I would have enough room to write my thoughts. I still ran out of room, but I got most of my gratitude in it.

The card base is a red card measured to fit a legal size envelope, with the brown mat behind it. I used another piece of brown and then a piece of striped designer paper, cut/embossed with Spellbinders Deckled Mega Rectangles. I added machine stitching around the edges. On that is mounted a Spellbinders oval of Always Artichoke cardstock which was embossed with the Flowers Impressabilities. The JustRite image was stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa ink and colored with Copic markers before being cut/embossed with Spellbinders Standard Circles. I colored the embossed edge with a Copic Spica pen and mounted it onto a Scalloped Circle cut from Real Red Cardstock. I added some square jewels and a rich chocolate satin ribbon with two loops on the left side.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look.

Velveteen Poinsettia

I love this Spellbinders Poinsettia die, especially when it is cut/embossed using Velveteen paper. Unfortunately, I can't seem to capture it in the photo. I also embossed it with the Spellbinders Snowflakes Impressabilities. I've included a close up of the flower and you can see that embossing a little better.
The center is a brad from The Paper Company. I cut the holly leaves out and slipped the Spellbinders Labels Four die underneath to do the "out of the box" technique. The sentiment and holly leaves are stamped with craft ink and clear embossed. The outer embossed edge is colored with a Copic Spica pen, as are the holly leaves. The bg dp is from Basic Grey' Figgy collection. I also stamped a snowflake onto the sentiment panel to tie in the dp.
Thanks for dropping by.

My first instructional video!

Hey look! I figured out how to put a video on youtube and on my blog! I'm so proud! I'm not very techno savvy, so I am pretty impressed with myself. Okay, enough patting myself on the back. Take a look at my little tip!



A few of you have said you wanted to see the card I created using the tip in my video. Well, here it is!

For this card, I inked the JustRite stamp with markers before stamping. After stamping I used a watercolor brush and some ink to color the leaves pink. Using the video tip, I cut/embossed the stamped image out perfectly using Spellbinders Large Oval Die Template. I then used a Copic marker and the airbrush system to add some light color to the panel. I cut/embossed a regal rose scalloped oval to back the sentiment panel. I added a little airbrushed copic to the ribbon to add some of the deeper rose color to it and used a glue dot to adhere it. The dp squares are 2 ¼” and they are backed with regal rose 2 ½” squares. The green panel is 1 ¾” X 5 ¼” with borders of 1/16th of Old Olive. I embossed the green panel with the Sizzix Happy Birthday folder and added a bit of ribbon. The card is white but I used ”Mini Cosmic Swirl” template from The Crafter’s Workshop to mask before airbrushing with two shades of pink Copic markers. I backed the whole card with a regal rose panel. The stamp is from JustRite’s Thinking of You set.

If you want to see just how close I could get the cutting using my tip, click on the photo for a close-up.

Products Used:
Spellbinders Wizard
Spellbinders Large Oval Die Templates
JustRite Thinking of You set
Copic Markers: RV11, RV14, airbrush system
Stampin' Up! Regal Rose, Rose Red and Old Olive inks, Cardstock: Regal Rose, White, Always Artichoke, dp also in Regal Rose and Certainly Celery. Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink ribbons.
The Crafter's Workshop Mini Cosmic Swirl template

Thanks for stopping by. I would love to know what you think of my first video!

Mailable too

Here is another easy peasy card for my girl's class.


Stamp image onto white cardstock using Brown ink. I used colored pencils to color the leaves and berries on border of the image and the gingerbread man. Cut/emboss image with circle die template. Cut/emboss red scalloped circle. Adhere image circle to red circle. Emboss front of card with snowflake embossing folder. Tie ribbon around front of card near the bottom. Use foam squares on back of circle and adhere to card front on right side, over ribbon. Carefully apply small bits of Candy Cane stickles to berries and to buttons and cheeks. Be very careful not to smear them. Ask me how I know! lol Set aside to dry!

I hope you like this little cutie. Thanks for stopping by today! Make it a great day!

Do you like to color?

It seems there are many people that like to color images. If you are one of those people, this card is for you!

Stamp image on left side of card front near fold. Color image with colored pencils or markers. Cut off right edge of card with scallop scissors. Sponge edge with Blue ink. Stamp sentiment on inside edge of card as shown. Adhere card to blue cardstock. Another simple, mailable card.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week!

Another Christmas card

Here is a Christmas card I wanted to share with you today, another I will be doing in a class with the eight young girls. It is a fairly simple card, which makes it good for mailing and mass producing, if you have a mind to.

Punch holes in card front near left folded edge and top of card. Ink pine bough stamp with green inkpad. Carefully stamp it with the stems between the holes you punched, then, without re-inking, huff on it and stamp it again away a little bit, with the stems touching. Ink berries stamp and stamp it twice, as shown. Ink sentiment stamp with red and stamp it near bottom of card, under boughs. Emboss right side of card with snowflakes embossing folder. Thread ribbon thru holes from front, cross ends and put ends up through holes to front of card.

See, I told you it was an easy card, but I think the results are lovely. What do you think?

Sticker

Today's card features a sticker. Now I have a lot of stickers here in my craft room, but rarely reach for them when I begin a creation.

I used the Cloud 9 Design flower sticker in the center, mounted it onto vanilla cardstock. I outlined the inside of my Spellbinders Nested Poinsettia die template with my red marker before cutting/embossing in the Wizard. I really like the mottled look it gave, instead of the very opaque look lining it later would give. It's a little softer. I added candy cane stickles to the center of the flower and curled the edges a bit over a marker. The red poinsettia was cut/embossed/impressed with the Spellbinders Snowflakes Impressabilities. It is mounted with a foam square, and the petals curled slightly. The navy oval was also cut/embossed/impressed with Spellbinders Petite Ovals Large and Snowflakes Impressabilities. The dp is by Kaiser scrapbook and mounted onto real red before being adhered to the blue card front. I added a little Christmas plaid bow and DONE.

I hope you like it.

Emboss, emboss

This card shows an interesting technique I've heard called a few different things: selective embossing, double embossing or blank embossing. First of all, I cut an opening in two pieces of chipboard (a cereal box) and glued those two pieces together. I used Spellbinders Labels 3 die template. Now to the embossing: I found this sandwich worked best for me in the Cuttlebug. A plate, B plate, cardstock in Cuttlebug folder, cut out chipboard on top of folder and then another folder (that design will not affect your final product) - another B plate was too thick. After embossing it, I carefully placed the Labels 3 die template and ran it through the Wizard to emboss the Labels 3. So basically what you are going for is a flat (unembossed) area surrounded by embossing. It's hard to really see in the photo, but it is there. You're gonna have to trust me! ;-) The butterfly and sentiment are stamped with Memento black ink and clear embossed. I used Spellbinders Fancy tags to back the sentiment, and mounted the whole card front onto black cs. I added the ribbons and bow to the top and voila.

What do you think?

Welcome to my blog!

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by. I love having visitors and I love reading your comments. So leave a comment - please!


Today I am sharing a Christmas/Holiday project I will be teaching 8 young girls in an upcoming class. I think they will enjoy making them, don't you?

Snowflake Sandwiches: These fun little snowflakes are hiding a little Peppermint Patty. Yum!

Using Bashful Blue ink, stamp image onto white cardstock eight times. Carefully align punch with the stamped image and punch out all four images. Use very small amount of icicle stickles on center and on small dots on outside of center snowflake on only four of your images. These will go on top. Set these aside to dry. Be very careful not to smear, as it takes several minutes to dry. Glue one scalloped circle on top and one on bottom of mint patty.

Have you tried this?

On this card, I wanted to use the Fancy tags to back my image, but the image was too tall. I also wanted to use the deckle rectangle for the image, but it wasn't quite the right size. What to do? Alter the dies, of course. Remember that you can alter the nesties to be different sizes and shapes by making just a few adjustments. This one is easy and I want to show you what I did. First of all, I cut the image with the Deckled Rectangle Die with the image to the far right.


Now I needed the image panel to be thinner, so I put the image into the die again, with the edge cutting off part of the previously cut panel. I taped it in place to be sure it didn't slip.

Here is the result - a longer, thinner image panel with deckled edges all around.
Now I wanted to use the Fancy tag to back my image panel, but as you can see, it is a little too short.
An easy peasy fix, just cut the fancy tags in half and adhere it to the back of the image panel. It won't show and only you will know.

To finish my card, I used a scalloped circle which is embossed with Cuttlebug's Textile Texture folder. I added my image panel, backed with my altered fancy tag, ran a bit of ribbon around the card front and tied a knot. I used EK Success border punch for the bottom of the card front, punched another strip of black cardstock and adhered that to the inside of the card. See the little embellishments on the top corners? That is the leftovers after the black panel was punched.

Here are the Spellbinders supplies I used on this card:
Spellbinders Fancy Tags die template S4-235
Spellbinders Small Deckled Rectangles S4-201
Spellbinders Scalloped Circles Large S4-124

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,
Karen

Color of the day

Today's color is PURPLE! I really like purple and probably use it in my creations a lot, I'm not sure. Today I've paired it with chocolate. Oh yum!

I've used a Christmas stamp set with these colors and you would never guess it is a Christmas set, would you?

The image was inked with chocolate chip ink, then using a wet cotton swab, I cleaned the ink off the berries and colored them with perfect plum marker before stamping. The outside of the main panel is airbrushed with Copic markers. The pearls are also colored with Copic Markers. Did you know you could do that? Oh so cool. The panels behind the main image and the little strip are pale plum stamped with the same stamp using Chocolate Chip ink. The dp is an old one from SU! What was it called? Porcelain Prints or Enchante - I'm not sure.

I love reading your comments, so please let me know what you think. Well, only if you like it. lol

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,
Karen

Snow in Arizona

This is the only kind of snow we are going to get here in Phoenix and it is the only kind I want. This stamp is Blustery by Stampers Anonymous. I stamped him with versamark and embossed with white embossing powder, then cut/embossed the image using Spellbinders Labels 8, sponged versamark around the edges and embossed using Irridescent Ice for a glistening effect. The bottom of the card is cut/embossed with Spellbinders Snowflake Borderabilities Petite and used the resulting snowflakes as embellishments. I used a Stardust clear pen to give them a little sparkle. The paper is from Kaiser. I used glue and a bit of chunky white glitter on the bottom icicles.

It is going to be cold here today with a high of 62. Brrrrr! Aren't you feeling sorry for me? lol Have a great day wherever you are.

Hugs,

Karen

A Great Color Combination

I really like this color combination of Kraft, Basic Black and Melon Mambo. The card base is kraft. The front of the card was created by stamping a piece of Melon Mambo cardstock with the Medallion stamp and clear embossed. The black panel was stamped with Polka Dot and clear embossed. The white border was created with Spellbinders Eyelet borderabilities. I stamped the image with black craft ink and clear embossed before cutting/embossing with Spellbinders Label One die and airbrushing with Copic RV14. It is popped up with foam squares. I added the very big ribbon. It is huge, but the colors were perfect and I like big bows! lol

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

A new creation

Today I did the Retiform technique on this card front. It's not one of my favorites, but I thought I would give it a try. I also wanted to use my new stamp. I love snowmen, and I think this one is very cute.

I stamped the image with versamark and embossed it with white then sponged with bashful blue ink. It was cut/embossed with Spellbinders Labels 8 and the edge is inked with Copic BG72. The sentiment is stamped with Buckaroo Blue and cut/embossed with Spellbinders Petite Ovals Large. I added a snowflake from the Spellbinders Snowflake Borderabilities petite. The inks I used on the card front are Bashful Blue, Buckaroo Blue and Cool Caribbean. I added a bit of ribbon and there ya go.

Thanks for stopping by!

Oh my goodness!

I can't believe it has been soooooooooo long since I posted to my blog. Did you think I'd fallen off the face of the earth? No, that's not the case. My DH and I celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary by spending a few days at a resort. I can't even believe it has been 37 years. That's almost twice as long as I was alive before we married. lol

After that I went to stay at my daughter's house for several days. It's always fun to be with her (she is a wonderful and delightful person) and with her darling children. I just can't get enough of them, even when they are loud and crazy! I love being Nana!

Well, I am back home now. Gee, it's quiet here. lol I'm back into my clean and organized craft room, I got some new tools to play with and so I am ready to create some fun things and share them with you. Be sure to come back later this week to see what's new.

I bought some bananas before I left here and boy were they ripe today. Now my house smells so good, as I made Banana Crumb Muffins. Oh they are yummy. Here is the recipe, if you would like to try it. I'll bet you will like them. They are delicious.

Thanks for stopping by! See you soon!

Hugs,
Karen

I enjoyed the clean.

I had this beautifully clean and neat stamp room when I got up this morning, so I had to go in and create. It was so easy when everything was in it's place and right within reach.

This is a very simple card. I cut/embossed two leaves using Spellbinders Nesting Maple Leaves die templates from The Paper Company paper and layered them with foam squares. The sentiment is embossed with gold detail. I tied a little brown ribbon around the card and backed it with the chocolate cardstock. The leaf dp is actually very shimmery. I'm sorry I can't seem to capture that in the photo.

Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon.

Hugs,
Karen

This is the before

I thought I would take a picture of my (s)crap room to show you what a mess it is. I recently got a LOT of new products and needed to find a place to put them all. My husband thinks I need a warehouse. lol I was looking on the internet at organizational products and then - light bulb! - I thought of some cd towers we have in the garage we were thinking of getting rid of. What if I used them for my organization? They aren't the perfect answer, but they will do, and I don't need to buy anything. Well, I do, I need some containers, but those are easy to come by and oh so cheap. Here is the before picture. Does it make you feel better about your space? It can't be as bad as this! lol Hopefully I will get my organization finished by tomorrow and get an after photo for you. It's getting better. ;-)

And after . . .

I stayed up way too late to get it finished, but I just couldn't stop, ya know! lol I think this is going to work for me. Lots of product right where I can see it and get to it easily. I'm excited to work in this neat and organized space now.

Two challenges on one card

I didn't get to stamp yesterday, so I combined two challenges on this card.



This technique is called Easel Card, as it folds flat to mail, but you can open it and stand it up. I love displaying cards, so this is a great solution, don't you think?

I stamped the baroque motif onto white cs, then mounted it onto Bermuda Bay and then seemingly a chocolate layer, but it is actually just strips of the chocolate added to the edges. I didn't want to add that much more bulk to the card. Under that is a layer of SU!'s Apricot Appeal dp. I then added a double bow of white organdy ribbon. The inside has a jeweled brad to hold the card front in place for display. I left the inside plain, other than the little strip of dp to coordinate with the front, so that there is room for adding a sentiment.

What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by and please come back soon!

Spellbinders Die Templates and Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist

I had such a great time making this project to share with you today.

Supplies:
Spellbinders S4-228 Nested Maple Leaves
Spellbinders S4-121 Doodle Parts
Spellbinders S4-227 Pumpkins Nestabilities®
Spellbinders S7-017 On The Vine Border Grand
Tattered Angels - Glimmer Mists: Gold, Coffee Shop, Forest Green, Sunflower.
Hero Arts Stamps: Happy Thanksgiving
Copic Sketch Markers: YG63, YR04 Copic Airbrush System
SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES by 3L, 3D Foam Squares
(2) 5 1/2" tags
(2) Vanilla cardstock (5 1/2 X 4 1/4)
Organdy Ribbon: Brown and Gold (approx. 12" of each 3/4" wide ribbon) and 1 piece of 1/4" gold ribbon (Approx. 10 inches)
Memento Ink: Rich Cocoa
Clear Embossing Powder
Heat Gun

The base of the card is a 5 1/2" tag. Using scrap paper, cut the largest Spellbinders Nested Maple Leaf die template. Use that as a stencil, laying it across your large tag and spraying with one color of Glimmer Mist, moving the stencil and spraying with another color until the tag is covered as desired. Let dry, or if you are impatient (as I am) use a heat gun to dry it. Isn't it beautiful?

Using the other tag, spray all the colors across the surface. Dry, and then cut/emboss On The Vine Border Grand, twice, using all the prepared tag. Set aside. Cut/emboss the largest Pumpkins Nestabilities ® from one of the pieces of vanilla cardstock. Using the Copic Airbrush System and Sketch Markers, color the pumpkin, masking the stem. Color the stem green.

Color the other piece of the vanilla cardstock using a base of Coffee Shop Glimmer Mist, then airbrush with the Orange Copic Marker. Glue them to the pumpkin as shown, then cut again with the Pumpkins Nestabilities ® die template. Trim ends of the Doodle Parts which are beyond the edge of the pumpkin.

Stamp sentiment on the top right corner of the tag and clear emboss.

Layer two 3D Foam Squares on the back of the pumpkin and adhere it to the large tag. Cut pieces of the vine and adhere to the card with some leaves over the pumpkin and some behind. Use 3D Foam Squares behind some of the leaves. Thread the two wider ribbons through the hole in the tag. Use the narrow gold ribbon to tie them together. Carefully heat with heat gun to curl the ribbons.

Thanks for stopping by, and come back soon!

I wanted to share this ornament I made using Spellbinders dies! Isn't it gorgeous? I used an old SU! designer paper in Bashful Blue and a shimmery white cardstock as well.

First of all, cut/emboss a Spellbinders Fleur de Lis from the blue designer paper. Use this as the base to build your ornament. Next cut snowflakes using the Spellbinders Create a Flake 2, alternating the blue and the white in the different sizes. Layer them using 3D foam squares between the layers. I added some glue and chunky white glitter and a silver cord to hang it. If both sides will be visible, make another one and adhere it to the back. This is a very easy project, but sure gets lots of ooohs and ahhhhhhhs! I think you will like it.

Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon!

This is a vertical Z fold card. I used Stampin' Up! Bella Rose papers to cover it, a Hero Arts stamp and the flowers are Spellbinders Flower Bouquet Miniabilities. The front panel tucks under the flower on the back panel so that the card stands up in the Z shape. I stamped the image and added the flower with a pop up overlaying the stamped flower.

I hope you like it. Thanks for stopping by! Come again soon!

I love this paper by 7 Gypsies and it works so well with Spellbinders Fleur de Lis pendant die template!!!! Notice that I used the negative piece I cut the pendant from behind the layered pendant. I then stamped the sentiment onto the oval and used the Copic Spica pen on the embossed edge to make it pop. I punched holes on each end, tying a knot in the ribbon and pushing both ends down through the hole. I love how that looks, don't you?

Thanks for stopping by and looking.

Be sure to come back soon. I will have something fun and exciting posting later in the week. Don't miss it!

See you soon!

Want to win a Spellbinders die template?

You can! Spellbinders™ is celebrating World Card Making Day and giving away a die to a randomly chosen winner. Just create something beautiful using a Spellbinders™ die template and post it on Spellbinders™ Facebook Page. You could win a free Spellbinders™ die template! Be sure to become a Spellbinders™ fan on Facebook!

Good luck!

Happy World Card Making Day!

Today is world card making day. Now that's my idea of a good day! But then again, most every day is card making day for me! lol

Here is a card I created for the occasion. Another Christmas card to add to my collection. I really need to send some of them out this year! lol

The Santa image is from Stampers Anonymous. I inked it with real red ink and then touched a Memento chocolate brilliance pad on it here and there before stamping it onto Vanilla cardstock. Then to distress: I used tea dye distress ink as well as close to cocoa and chocolate chip sponged and smooshed. I distressed the edges with my fingernail and then really inked it with the sponge as well. The top corner was turned down. To do this, I used my bone folder to soften the cardstock (use your thumb to scrape it, as if you were curling ribbon with scissors) and then rolled the corner down. I did the same to the chocolate chip layer. I then stamped the sentiment onto the ribbon using the Brilliance Chocolate ink and let it dry. dum dee dum dee dum - patience. Then I distressed it a bit with more of the tea dye and chocolate ink and a sponge. I mounted it onto the image panel and used brads on each end. Now I attached it to the real read card front which was also sponged with the inks to distress it a bit, gluing away from the edges a little so that the edges stand up just a tad for more dimension. Hmmmm, that corner looked a little bare, so I used a snowflake which was cut and embossed with Spellbinders Snowflake Borderabilities petite die template. Of course it was sponged as well.

So there you have it. I hope you enjoy my creations. I really appreciate you stopping by and I love hearing from you!

Hugs,
Karen

Fall is in the air!

When I woke up yesterday, the house was actually cooler than I have my thermostat set! Woooooo hoooooo, coolness without air conditioning! I love it.

This card is so Autumn, I thought it would share it with you. I designed this card for a class I am doing at Scrapbooks to Remember on Tuesday, Oct. 6. I hope the ladies will enjoy making this card.




For this card I used this gorgeous paper from The Paper Company. It is actually a shimmery paper, which isn't really captured in the photo. You'll have to take my word for it. I cut the cardstock 4 1/4 X 11 and folded in half to make the card. Next I cut/embossed the largest leaf from Spellbinders Nested Maple Leaf die set in the card front. Psssst - It is only available until the end of November, so if you don't have it yet, you'd better get it! The inside of the card (the other side of the paper) is a shimmery bronze color, which is pretty hard to color on, so I cut a piece of Prism smooth cardstock 4 X 5 1/4 and attached it inside the card. Next I stamped the Hero Arts image and sentiment with Memento Rich Cocoa Ink before coloring with Copic markers. The flourishes were inked with Tsukineko Brilliance inks in Chocolate and the leaves with Rocket Red Gold. Ooooo, these inks are gorgeous. They really do shimmer.

Happy Fall Y'all. I'm enjoying this beautiful time of year. Well, it's beautiful here in Phoenix! We had to put up with more than 100 days in triple digits to get here, so we so deserve it!

Thanks for stopping by. Please visit again soon!

High Heels

Do you love high heels? I do! I created this card for a class I am teaching on Monday, Oct. 5 at Scrapbooks to Remember in Anthem.

I used Core'dinations Black Magic cardstock for this card. Have I ever mentioned how much I love that stuff? It makes such loveliness when you emboss it, or crinkle it and then sand it to reveal the color from behind. It's delicious.


I used Spellbinders Lattice borderabilities on the right edge. I cut/embossed it and then sanded the detail to bring it out. In fact, I sanded the whole card front to show a bit of the rose color from the back. I then stamped the shoe (from Hero Arts) using Memento black ink on the reverse side of another piece of a lighter pink Core'dinations cardstock. I used clear embossing powder and heat embossed before coloring with a Copic Marker. I then cut/embossed it using Spellbinders Labels Five die. I cut the black side of the paper, using the same size die for just a little touch of a black mat. Now take your small detail scissors and trim off the embossed edge of the pink shoe label and adhere it to the black one. I then cut/embossed the rose side of the cardstock using Spellbinders Petite Ovals Large and mounted the shoe panel a little low onto the oval, using 3D foam squares. I mounted it a little lower so that I could put the ribbon detail on the top of the oval. Adhere the oval to the left side of the card front, and voila! a most lovely card.

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share this fun card with you.

Pizzazzy Sentiment!

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by and taking a look at my creations.

Here is a card I would like to share with you today.


I wanted the sentiment to be the main focus of my card, so I stamped it with black ink and used clear embossing powder. I then added the black dome stickers and even pizzazzed them up by gluing on a little black chunky glitter. That panel is matted with a shimmery black card stock and popped up. I added some flourishes cut/embossed with Spellbinders Doodle Parts from the same shimmery black cs. The harlequin panel is cs from Crafty Secrets and cut/embossed with Spellbinders Labels One. The pink card front is embossed with Spellbinders Flourish Impressabilities - it is one of my favorites. The whole card is mounted onto black for a little more pop - oh wait - more pizzazz!!!!!

I hope you like my card today. Come back soon! Please!

Sharing a fall lovely!

Hi there. Welcome to my blog. Thanks for stopping by.

I want to share a lovely fall card with you today. This card uses some of my favorites: fall leaves (I do love fall), several of my favorite and well used Spellbinders dies, and these delicious papers by The Paper Company.



This turned out to be a very Clean and Simple card. The center panel is Autumn Harvest Wheat Flourish mounted onto black cs. The small leaves were centered over the printed leaves on the Autumn Harvest Falling Leaves paper before cutting/embossing with Spellbinders Nested Maple Leaf dies. The leaves were mounted onto the reverse shimmery side of the same papers which were cut/embossed with Spellbinders Labels Four and that was mounted onto black cs cut/embossed with Spellbinders scalloped rectangles. These papers are so beautiful, with a metallic flourish, which I don't think you can really see in the photo. The inside of the card was also decorated with another three leaves cut/embossed from the shimmery copper paper.

What do you think?

Steppin' Out!

I have been creating, it is just things I can't share with you . . . yet!

This card, I can share.

I have a problem. I love high heels, can't wear them, but I can stamp them! I love this stamp set and thought the color combo was perfect to use with it today.

The shoe is stamped onto shimmery white cs with Versamark Dazzle Frost ink and embossed with Lana Pink by Sparkle N Sprinkle. I used the pretty in pink marker to go over elements of the shoe to make it pop. The image was cut out with Spellbinders circle and mounted onto Spellbinders Fleur de Lis pendant. I backed the ribbon with pretty in pink cs and going grey cs. The card front is embossed with a Sizzix folder. The sentiment was stamped onto pretty in pink cs with the Frost ink and embossed. I cut it into the strip and then cut/embossed the end using the Spellbinders Fleur de Lis borderabilities, rounded the other ends and added Crystal Stickers Mosaic tiles to the ribbon and to the sentiment.

What do you think? I love reading your comments.

A different color combination

but do you think it works? It's interesting.

I stamped the image with Melon Mambo ink onto white cs, coloring in the leaves with the crushed curry marker, then I cut/embossed it using an oval Spellbinders die. It is mounted onto a black oval and popped up. The duo color bg is embossed with Spellbinders Floral and Stone impressabilities with a border of Fleur de Lis. I think the black helps tie it together and makes it pop. What do you think?

Make your own buttons

Today I made a faux button to match my card. It really is easy, just takes a little patience, which I am not good at. lol Punch out five layers of cardstock (it doesn't have to be anything grand) and one punch out of your designer paper. Glue the layers together with the dp on top. Allow to dry (this is the patience part). I could have let mine dry a bit longer. Once dry, sand the edges to make them "one" and give a better appearance of a button. I colored the edge of my button with a black sharpie. Then punch holes. I used the crop-a-dile as it easily punches through multiple layers. Then cover top entirely with crystal effects, being careful to leave your holes open. PATIENTLY allow this to dry thoroughly, or if you are like me, let it dry most of the way and then move on. lol I used black embroidery floss to tie onto my button. Here is something I learned just a bit too late - I marked the holes on the back of my button and punched. Then I turned it over and noticed the buttons weren't level and where I would have wanted them with this pattern of paper. Most patterns probably wouldn't even matter.

The piano image is from a friend, Dawn Mercedes. I used Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink on the edges and mounted it onto black. The right side of the Bravo Burgundy card front is embossed with the Cuttlebug Textile Texture folder. The music panel is mounted on black cs as well. It is a fairly simple card, but takes time and patience.

Now I seriously need to take some time to clean up my stamp room! It has gotten really bad and I am losing things. lol It's gonna take a while.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,
Karen

Step by step

Double Aperture Triangle Fold Box

You can create these boxes in any size you wish. They are great for small treats or gifts like jewelry.

Supply list:
Spellbinders Nesting Pine Tree S4-220
Spellbinders Holiday Cheer S4-225
Color Core Cardstock by Core’dinations
Green Shimmer Paper by The Paper Company
Ribbon by Creative Impressions
Brad by Creative Impressions
Holiday Tags Stamp Set by Hero Arts
Smooch Moonlight by Colorbox
Glitter Winter Frost by Colorbox
Clear envelope
Clear embossing powder
Dark Green pigment ink


For this sample, cut a piece of cardstock 6 X 12”. Score at 6” and fold. Mark center of each end (3”) and score from that mark to the edge of center fold on each side, creating a triangle. Do this to both ends of the cardstock. Fold on scored lines.

Position die template on front of box, centering in triangle created by folds. Use repositionable tape to hold in place. Cut/emboss.




Cut a triangle just slightly smaller than the one created for the front of the box from the lighter green cardstock.

Apply a thin layer of adhesive to the edges of the lighter cardstock and adhere to the inside of the box. Position smaller tree die template onto lighter green cardstock and cut/emboss.







Cut a piece of acetate to cover the opening and adhere to the inside of the box. I actually used part of a clear envelope.

Fold along center and bring sides together, overlapping front over back. Mark position about ½” from top and centered and punch hole through all layers. Do the same on the other side.



Cut/emboss stocking from shimmery green cardstock. If desired, use Smooch to highlight the snowflakes, heel and toe and add glitter. Stamp front of box. Use brad to attach stocking to box front.

Fill with your small gift or treat.



Thread 16” length of ribbon through the holes, beginning at the outside of one side, through both layers, and from the inside to the outside on the other side. Tie ribbon into bow.




I hope you will try this fun little project. I know you will love it.

Hugs,
Karen