New and soon-to-vanish!

I definitely did not get enough card making in before Christmas, so I am making up for that right now, haha... I also haven't yet had a chance to play with my brand new Stampin' Blends markers! This stamp set is perfect for both problems! But, it is going to be unavailable in just a few days! January 2nd to be exact. So is the plaid paper, and the black crochet ribbon I used, so if you love this card, place your order very soon!
Otherwise, enjoy my first attempt at less-than-perfect coloring. I like the card anyway, haha....

Supplies:
Stamps: Christmas In the Making
Ink: Memento Black
Paper: Old Olive, Basic Black & Whisper White card stocks, Merry Little Christmas DP
Accessories: Vintage Crochet Ribbon, Dark Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Blends Marker, Dark Old Olive Stampin' Blends Marker, Dark Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Marker, Ivory Stampin' Blends Marker, Color Lifter Stampin' Blends Marker

I used the latest Freshly Made Sketch, which is still going, so that's handy! The Stampin' Blends markers are all available in the upcoming Occasions Mini. To get started, I picked a few colors I know I'll get a lot of use out of, and I also picked only the "dark" markers. I decided I could use the Color Lifter to get a lighter shade. You can see that I did that, but I think I'll like the "light" markers along side the "dark". And really, the retiring products are all found by clicking on the images below, and they'll be gone soon!

Calendar Pages #6

Today I have the end of the 2018 Calendar Pages. The calendars themselves turned out very nicely and of course they were a huge hit for everyone receiving them, and it is always nice to see people appreciating your hard work- that's for sure!

Here are the November pages. I totally focused on family being together for these.

And for December's pages I used almost the same layout.
This first one- all but one shot was taken last Christmas day, 2016.

and this one is a mix of December 2016 and December 2017.

To be perfectly honest, this is getting trickier every year, but I am really glad I do these. I am so happy to share our year with the family and like I said, I know they're enjoyed. It is also nice for me to recap the year, since it flies by so fast...! Not gonna lie- I am also glad I had a chance to do a tiny bit of scrapbooking.

Calendar Pages #5

Did you have a nice Christmas? We sure did! Today's post is short and sweet, I've got kids home and places to go!

I've got some more calendar pages for you today!
First up, September...

And then October:

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas day. I hope whatever you're doing and where ever you are, you have a wonderful day full of love. Above is the card we sent out, created once again using MDS.

Below is one of my very favorite Christmas song arrangements, and the video is just as beautiful. I have enjoyed watching it for the last five years with my family and I hope you enjoy it too.

A stamp-free card!

Cards were mailed, snow finally fell, school is out, gifts are all purchased ready for wrapping...! Just need to do a little more baking and Christmas movie watching!

When I was 15, my family hosted a girl from Germany for a month, and then I went to stay at her house for a month. Our communication is sporadic but we are still in touch with each other, emailing a few times a year, with a very occasional card or something in the mail- last Christmas she sent us a box of German chocolate treats and a baby gift!
In the Holiday Mini, there is this fantastic paper called Christmas Around the World. Many things about Christmas originated in Germany, and there are a lot of German bits in this paper. There is also a sheet of Christmas greetings in different languages. Obviously, I had to make this card!! And I finally got a minute to put it together and stick it in the mail!
I used an old sketch from Retro Sketches, and just paper and adhesive for the whole thing! And I am really happy with how it turned out!

Supplies:
Christmas Around the World DP, Whisper White & Real Red card stocks, Dimensionals

If you also love this paper, don't miss it! It's on the retiring list and will only be around another week or so, if it lasts that long! Order it HERE!

View all the other retiring items from the Holiday Mini HERE.

Gift Giving!

I am not much of a "tag" person, much to the disappointment of a few close customers. However, I needed to give a little something to a couple special people and it needed a tag.... I pulled out the 2016 Paper Pumpkin kit, that I have not even opened (tho I did use the stamps once last season...and actually the trees one other time this year) and created these:

I also used some cute Washi tape from last year, and some Baker's Twine from last year. 

And then I attached them just like this- super simple and cute. 

And then, last month a friend had a birthday and I've mentioned before my amazing knack of realizing that *today is someone's birthday. lame. Anyway, I whipped up a little birthday treat using a long-past Paper Pumpkin kit (the pouch and tags)

And I bought her some flowers, and that was that.

Lots of lousy pictures, lots of long-retired stuff, but still cute ideas if you're looking for last minute gifting. 

Liiiike my daughter's classmate who gave her a gift on Tuesday that we had no idea was coming...incredibly sweet, and now we need to think of something quick! 

Calendar Pages 4

July and August today!
This first page was one of the last I did for my inlaws. I was so fried, it was super late, and sleep is kind of hard to come by right now with a teething baby who also has a cold...and only wants her mama... My husband sat with me as I looked at past calendar pages for layout ideas (I didn't use any layout ideas this time. I just crammed photos on, with every page, snort...). He liked the pennants I used on a previous year and made some suggestions and pretty much designed this page! Incidentally he also designed his parents cover. Love that!!

My nieces' dance group was in a parade so I thought this parade of kids was perfect. Too bad it took til now to realize I should have included my son in marching band parades on the same page! whoops!

and here are some August pages.

Cards In The Mail swaps!

I really, really love swapping with these talented ladies. However, this might be my last post because this is my last month participating. I saved up the Christmasy cards to share in December, and there are a few others that are not, but I think we always need the inspiration! Also, I don't own a single one of these sets, so here's some inspiration you would definitely not get from me otherwise! haha...

Calendar Pages 3

Today I have May...

 And June pages...

These four pages have a lot of straight lines. You'll notice, if you haven't already, I kind of embraced the chaos of cramming so many photos and have a lot of not-straight-lined pages this year. Sometimes that's how it works out!

Mixing Old and New!

I have a customer who loves hand-stamped cards, but does not enjoy making them. That means I make them for her, haha...! That also means that she is happy to use retired product, and since I have plenty of that, I am also happy to use it up! And I like the chance to dust off old sets I loved!

I prepped seven card designs for her this Christmas, and you get to enjoy them now! (two I won't be sharing, they were designs from previous years that she had not used) Each of these might possibly use both current and retired products...I'll make a note.

This blue card was designed first and she asked for a different color combo instead. So here's the two of them together! The star and the words and the card stock are current, haha, the DP and the nativity image are retired. Which one is your favorite?

Supplies for the blue:

Stamps: Star of Light (words & star), Joyful Nativity (retired)

Ink: Soft Sky, Lost Lagoon (retired), Smoky Slate

Paper: Soft Sky & Whisper White card stocks, All Is Calm DP (retired)

Supplies for the brown:

Stamps: Star of Light (words & star), Joyful Nativity (retired)

Ink: Old Olive, Real Red, Early Espresso

Paper: Season of Style DP (retired)

This is a retake on a card I designed last year, but I like this gold-ish paper with it, so I'm sharing it anyway. It is a simple card but I think it has a big impact.

Supplies:

Stamps: Joyful Nativity (retired)

Ink: Real Red, Memento Black

Paper: Whisper White & Real Red card stocks, Season of Cheer DP (retired)

Accessories: Gold Bakers Twine (retired)

I've hardly got to touch my Paper Pumpkin kits lately, but these words come from the October kit, if you got one. If not, they were entirely sold out...

Supplies:

Stamps: October 2017 Paper Pumpkin (greeting- sold out), Winter Memories (retired)

Ink: Mossy Meadow, Cherry Cobbler

Paper: Soft Sky & Mossy Meadow (retired) card stocks

Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon (retired)

I feel like I used a sketch for this, but I'm not sure where from... I used all my usual sketch blogs, even those that are no longer up and running, and I browsed pinterest to death sooo...if this sketch is yours, I appreciated the inspiration!!

Supplies:

Stamps: Christmas Magic (retired)

Ink: Real Red

Paper: Whisper White card stock, Holidays Fancy Foil Vellum DP (retired)

Accessories: Emerald Envy ribbon (retired)

This is a retake on another card I made last year. I really was bummed that I didn't get to use those designs- can you tell?? This is just time consuming because the wreath is two die cuts layered, so however many cards you want to make, you have to run it thru the Big Shot twice. And the cute bow is retired...

Supplies:

Stamps: Star of Light

Ink: Real Red

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Garden Green card stocks

Accessories: Swirly Scribbles Dies, Festive Fireside Framelits (bow- retired), Garden Green Bakers Twine (retired)

And there you have it! Five (or six) cards to inspire you for your own last-week-before-Christmas creating! Which one is your favorite? 

Calendar Pages 2

So the other day when I started these, I totally lied to you. I have scrapbooked since last Christmas, but not a lot. I made a wedding album for my brother and his wife. I don't think I even shared that here, but I made it, and they have it. Same style of scrapping- MDS pages, little to no journaling, lol....

Here are the March and April pages...to remind you that it used to be warm...haha...

I knew I picked green for March because of spring finally arriving and St Patrick's Day, but this is the moment I realized I picked purple for April both calendars too, haha!

A Candy Santa!

Today I'm going to share the last card we would have made if I'd had my card classes...
gotta admit, cancelling those classes still makes me sad...!
But first, I want to share a bit of information that was shared in my facebook feed yesterday. This super interesting article tells us the history of why we even send Christmas cards!! Do you know? haha....well I know why *I send them. Why do YOU send them?

This is a pretty basic but still cute, card. I used a sketch I found on Pinterest HERE, but I've used many similar sketches before. I like this because it allows for just a bit of cute DP to mix things up, and still keep the focus on the stamped image, and in this case, the greeting too.

Supplies:

Stamps: Cookie Cutter Christmas

Ink: Archival Black

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Shimmery White card stocks, Christmas Around the World DP

Accessories: White Bakers Twine, Watercolor Pencils, Aquapainters

Calendar Pages!

The only reason I haven't posted every day this month is because I've been too busy- there is plenty to share and show off, haha! One of the things I've been doing as fast and furiously as possible is putting together the photo calendars I make every year for our parents Christmas gifts. There's a shipping date to consider here, people! And, I get to make two calendars because my mom wants her whole family (from my parents down) on as many pages as possible, and there is no way to do that with my in-laws. The family is simply waaaay too big.

Today I'll share both calendars' January and February. Then I plan to alternate pages with cards and post most weekdays.
I still make these pages in the now-long-retired MDS or My Digital Studio that Stampin' Up! sold a few years back. That means everything you see IS a Stampin' Up! image, even if it is no longer available.I figure, I own the software- I may as well use it! Then I upload the page as an image with a printing company, and that's how we get the calendar.
Also, keep in mind I haven't scrapbooked one single thing since last December when I crammed two calendars into something like a weekend.... to say I was rusty is a huge understatement... hahahahaha!! Some times I've done really detailed pages and added lots of sorts of things. These pages are some of the simplest I have ever made. But I'm still quite happy with how they turned out!

January:

 February:

A Musical Christmas

Well, winter arrived, more in temperature than in appearance. It was 16* when I drove the kids to school this morning, but we've only had a dusting of snow that melted the same day. I can see other places that got snow from my view, but we missed out.

Oh my word, as soon as I saw page 25 of the Holiday Mini I knew I was going to have to get it! I love music. I neeeed music. I don't play an instrument but I did...do? sing. Annnd I have a son in marching band and regular school band with his own trombone, and a daughter in both band and choir, and she owns a piano...! They don't play the instruments that are part of this stamp and dies bundle, and the music DP is limited to Christmas songs, but what I don't use on Christmas cards is absolutely going in scrapbooks!
...as soon as I get to scrapbook again...shhh.....it will happen! It WILL!

Anyway, there are a ton of gorgeous samples all over Pinterest using this bundle but I had a basic idea of what I wanted on the card for my class, and I am very happy with how this one turned out. It might be my favorite card for today!

Supplies:
Stamps: Musical Season
Ink: Memento Black
Paper: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler card stocks, Gold Foil, Merry Music DP
Accessories: Big Shot, Musical Instrument Framelits, Cherry Cobbler Double Stitched Ribbon, Metallic Thread-Gold, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Blog Hop: Stepped Up Snowflakes!

Annnd now it's December!! Another year almost in the books...!
I don't know about your neighborhood, but it's 50* and grassy out there, and doesn't look anything like December! Inside however, Our tree is up, (even if it is naked the whole bottom third...baby proofing) and we have a few shelves with decorations too. I keep a pot of holiday smelly stuff (apple cores/peel, orange peel, cinnamon stick and a few whole cloves) simmering on the stove most days and Christmas music has been on since last Friday! Sooo, okay, it can be December.

And since it is the 1st, we have another Blog Hop ready, just for you!

I completely ran of out time and threw this together yesterday afternoon. I found a cute sketch, ran downstairs to gather supplies, whipped them both up and managed to get photos before the sun was down! but...I did forget a bit of the sketch... That's okay- two more cards for my stash, and best of all, I really like them!

My first card was kept really quite simple. You don't need many supplies to make this one. I used the latest Clean & Simple sketch, minus the scallop on the top of the top panel. The snowflakes are all in Dapper Denim ink, I just stamped them off once and then twice to get the lighter shades. I wanted to make this one more Christmas-y so I used a word from a different stamp set, and I think a calm snowy scene is extremely peaceful, especially if you're not driving in it...!

Supplies:

Stamps: Musical Season, Colorful Seasons

Ink: Dapper Denim

Paper: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Dapper Denim card stocks

Accessories: White Bakers Twine 

For my stepped up version, I used the Silver Glimmer paper for the bottom panel, and thin silver ribbon instead of the Baker's Twine.

Supplies:

Stamps: Musical Season, Colorful Seasons

Ink: Dapper Denim

Paper: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Dapper Denim card stocks, Silver Glimmer DP

Accessories: thin Silver Ribbon, Dimensionals

And here's a side by side comparison for you!

Do you have a favorite? I'm not sure I do! But I definitely like this snowflake card better than my last one... haha!

Anyway, thanks for stopping by! Hop on over to Cheryl and then on to everyone else. Be sure and let us know what you think- we all love comments!