2024 Covers

Happy Saturday to you! I always think this time of Christmas break won't be weird, but it always is! On Wednesday I had to pull up my computer calendar to tell me what day of the week it was, and in relation to New Year's Eve, ha. 

Today I'm sharing the calendar covers this year. I have done many things for covers thru the years, but this time I kept it simple with just a family picture, some DP and a bit of embellishment.

This photo was taken on Thanksgiving. 

And this picture was taken on Christmas Eve of 2022! haha! And the baby was born in the middle of the year so she was added to the side. 

And if you were wondering, of course the calendars were a hit, again. Which honestly, ha, is a relief...

I hope you have a safe and happy New Year's Eve celebration, however you enjoy it! 

Merry Christmas!

Life just keeps getting busy and going faster, so one thing I have simplified is making a photo card to send our family and friends. We send about 80 cards out each year, and that doesn't include what I send out for customers. This year we did something totally different, using a trip photo instead of a "family portrait". So if you didn't get a card from us this year, here you go! 

I hope your day is filled with peace and love, whatever you're doing! 

Merry Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve seems to be a holier day in our house, in preparation of Christmas, and I'm happy it falls on a Sunday this year. So here is my favorite Christmas music video for you:

December 2024 Calendar Pages

Happy Saturday! 
I did make two calendars this year, as I have many years. This is our Christmas gift to our parents (and my siblings too) so I make two separate ones for each side of the family. This has kind of been pretty much all the creative time I've had since September or so.
This year was much more difficult. My sweet mother in law passed away this year, and she was always so animated in her excitement of the pictures we chose. And it was trickier to get my siblings to send me pictures and my side of the family simply didn't gather as much this past year for me to have enough photos of my own!
So, to mix things up, ha, today I am starting by sharing our December pages, which really use photos from December 2022. I always use the year before because I need them done by December, ha.

And as a bit of a reminder, the calendar for my inlaws is mostly of the people in my household, with a smattering of grandparents, or other family members as events may happen. 

And my parents calendar "has" to have each grandchild on every page, and on a "great" page I manage to get all of my parents descendants. haha! 

Lots of Christmas festivities last December! hahaha! 

When the paper matches!

These were two layouts of the same event but for different books again. Love that those are getting done! Because many times I'll stop at just one......
This was from last Christmas as well, and the only year we've ever done matching jammies for everyone.
It was another big night- we watched a Christmas Devotional, then opened our new jammies, took family pictures for the Christmas card that year (ha!) and then had our Polar Express night tradition- which is to watch the movie with a hot chocolate intermission! 

Supplies:

Paper: Real Red, Peaceful Prints DP

Accessories: Metallic Pearls

Journaling Font: Xiomara

Supplies:

Paper: Real Red card stock, Peaceful Prints DP

Accessories: Santa Express Memories & More Cards, forgotten washi tape

Journaling Font: Dreaming Outloud Pro

Christmas Play!

Happy Monday! I have more projects for you this week! 

Today I have an event from last December, but for my younger daughter. This page was made in June. The children in our church congregation did a bit of a nativity play for a local assisted living center, and my little one was asked to be a sheep. She was terribly upset about that, and then decided she could be a lamb. ha. Whatever it takes! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Alphabest, For Unto Us, Joyful Nativity, God's Peace

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Delicata Gold

Paper: Very Vanilla & Cherry Cobbler card stock, All is Bright DP

Accessories: Cherry Cobbler & Gold Metallic ribbon, Festive Pearls

Journaling Font: Fairwater Script

and a smidge of a close up

A Busy Night!

This page has no title, or stamping. This one was also made in May and is also of Christmas 2022, and all of one evening. We went to see A Christmas Carol at a local theater, and then got a delicious dinner, annd then my husband's car wouldn't start so we had to jump it, ha. But it was all worth scrapping! 

Supplies:
Paper: Old Olive card stock, Night Before Christmas DP
Accessories: 1/8 Striped Ribbon, Regals Candy Dots, Metal Edge Tags 
Journaling Font: Baguet Script

Graham Cracker House!

Today I have a page I made in May, and the photos are only from this past Christmas! Yeay! ha! 

My MIL made gingerbread houses but at our house we make them from graham crackers. We "glue" it together with burned sugar (method HERE) and turn the kids loose with whatever frosting or icing we have, and alllll the sprinkles and things. Two of them eat every bit, haha, but this girl is not a fan. They all enjoy creating them tho, and that's the point.

The embellishments all come from a Paper Pumpkin kit! One of those past Christmas ones I love. 

Supplies:
Stamps: Whimsical Lower Alpha
Ink: Cinnamon Cider
Paper: Mint Macaron card stock, 
Accessories: November 2020 Paper Pumpkin 

Do you make a gingerbread house at your house? Or just cookies? I make those too! 

Christmas Baking!

Do you like to bake at the holidays? This year we have seven kinds of treats that someone or other in the house has requested..! Mostly cookies, but also a super simple "fudge". (it isn't a true fudge, but it IS yummy, and it is fast, so that's good enough for me!)

I scrapped this page for my daughter in January and also saved this one to share in December. The photos are very old, because she had a shoe box of all sorts of photos I'd printed over the span of many years and just hadn't gotten to... She had 31 "old" events fully printed, waiting to be scrapped in January, and since she graduated in May I was cramming. So here was this one! 
...The photos are older than the DP and might be older than the stamps too! 

Supplies:
Stamps: A Merry Little Christmas, ABC-123 Sketch Alpha
Ink: Real Red, Mossy Meadow marker
Paper: Basic White, Candy Cane Lane DP

October's Paper Pumpkin!

Good morning! Have you ever subscribed to Paper Pumpkin? I have a few customers and friends who have. I've been a subscriber for a very long time, tho not the beginning. And I will tell you- the October and November kits are always my favorites!!

This time I preferred the October kit! I couldn't wrap my head around it when I saw the pictures of it, but the houses and trees are layers you add with Dimensionals. 

This time I even got the add-on! I think I've only done that one other time, but this time I realized it was a steal for a stack of quick cards and I send out approximately 90* cards a year sooo....! Here's the add-on, as we made it in my Christmas Card class in November. 

You COULD stick a die cut house on between the trees, but I thought it was so pretty exactly as it was! I just added a strip of ribbon, which we adhered with scotch tape! and a few Dimensionals on the greeting and voila! And! The add-on set, and the original kit refills are still available for subscribers HERE! 

*I do not send out 90 hand made cards. Most of our family gets a photo card and a newsletter of sorts. In recent years it's just been a short note I call our highlights. Customers who have purchased during the year, and a handful of others get a hand stamped card. It just depends. This year was actually probably the least hand-made I have sent since joining Stampin' Up! and that is saying something. 

Christmas Love Notes

I don't know about you, but around here, life is just. so. packed. Mostly that's okay, but I am missing the creative side!! 

I made these pages in January and thought I'd save them to share in December. It's decidedly December! The photos are all the same, just for different people's books. I took the photo and we wrote the notes in December 2021. My daughter wanted the notes on punched out gingerbread men, and we taped the notes to the bedroom door of those who the note was for. 

Everything is very long retired, but there is a page for my husband and I, 

my youngest...

And this one for my son. And this one used a sketch from my scrappy friend Cheryl's blog, HERE.

Supplies:
Stamps: Whimsical Alpha Lower
Ink: Early Espresso, Real Red
Paper: Real Red, Candy Cane Lane DP
Accessories: Neutrals Candy Dots, Espresso Quilted Satin Ribbon, 1/8" Striped Ribbon, Gingerbread Man Punch
Journaling Font: Cinnamon Cake 

Customer Thanks

I needed a couple thank you cards for some customers so today I combined the latest Freshly Made Sketch with the latest from Color Throwdown and whipped up these cute cards! 

Supplies:
Stamps: Sending Smiles
Ink: Old Olive, Balmy Blue, Petal Pink
Paper: Petal Pink & Basic White card stocks
Accessories: Classic Matte Dots

I would love to say blogging will pick back up soon, but this year is just not a fan of that... But everything I have made has shown up here, so that tells you something too. 

Bright Happy Birthday!

I needed a happy birthday card for a sweet friend and actually, I made this last week. At this point, I'm sure I missed linking with the challenges, but this is what I used to make it! 

I started with the SUO Challenge for food colors, which is a detail I have observed for ever, haha. I combined it with the Festive Friday's World Hello Day (bright colors, alphabet, patterned paper, two patterned paper, more than two letters) And I thought I was following the TGIF Challenge sketch...but I missed. ha. Oh well. She will like it anyway. 

Supplies:

Stamps: Alphabest, Sending Smiles

Ink: Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist

Paper: Basic White, Lemon Lolly, Bright & Beautiful DP

Accessories: Best Label Punch, Circle Dies, Dimensionals, big shot

Heaven & Nature!

I've kind of done this one before- I love this world map stamp anyway, but to do it with a Christmas phrase is such a great combination. I was glad I found a current phrase that worked, ha! And I like how it worked! I also happen to love both of these shades of blue! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Watercolor World, Perched in a Tree
Ink: Boho Blue, Starry Sky
Paper: Starry Sky, Basic White card stocks
Accessories: Merry Melody embossing folder, Starry Sky Metallic Woven ribbon, Dimensionals

*and yes, I embossed my stamped sheet backwards...... It's fine. haha! 

Horse & Sleigh

A favorite old Disney animated movie at our house is called Melody Time. It's a calmer movie, so we watched it a lot when my kids were little and needed a bit of quieter time with distraction. The first short in it, is so similar to this stamp set that when it was released I showed my son and said "We've already watched that one, right?" haha. He knew exactly what I was talking about. The couple in the sleigh, that particular horse, the bunny, seriously. I feel like it was inspired by that cartoon, ha! And that is the story of why I had to have this one. 

Supplies:

Stamps: Horse & Sleigh

Ink: Memento Black, Old Olive

Paper: Basic White card stock, One Horse Open Sleigh

Accessories: Horse & Sleigh dies, Dimensionals, big shot (retired)

But that DP...! Oh my goodness, there are some star paper packages across the years that are just my very favorite and this is on that list!! I kiiiinda wanna frame some of these. And I have done that before! ha... But for this card, I decided to share. just a little bit. ahem.
This card uses the sheet that is 7th here, cut in half horizontally. Both ways, the sleigh looks like it's going thru a beautiful wintery forest! 

~~~

And for my own note keeping, and if you want to copy it, haha, here are the Stampin' Blends I used for this one. 

Light Basic Black- horse hooves

Light Smoky Slate - horse body

Dark Smoky Slate - horse mane & tail, shading on body

bronze - horse hardware

Light Cherry Cobbler- sleigh

Dark Cherry Cobbler - sleigh top, back edge

Light Old Olive - man's hat and top of jacket

Dark Old Olive - man's coat, ball on hat

Dark Petal Pink - woman's hat, jacket, muff

Dark & Light Night of Navy - blankets
SU800 - faces, hand

Peaceful Christmas

I really love this paper. When I was little, my dad had a record with a perfect Christmas scene on it- a little boy who had fallen asleep in a huge, old fashioned arm chair, by the fireplace and tree, and a plate of cookies for Santa, and this page reminds me of that. 

This is one of those ideas that works in my head better than in real life. I tried a couple options and I don't really love either, even tho I do love all the elements... 

Supplies:

Stamps: Perched in a Tree

Ink: Cherry Cobbler

Paper: Basic White & Cherry Cobbler card stocks, Traditions of St Nick DP

Accessories: Festive Pearls, Circle dies, big shot (retired)

I stewed about it a while because I really want this to be part of my class and it helps to love the selection...! I added a cardstock mat to the DP and that seemed to solve it! So this is what we'll make!

And because you really should see this pack of paper up close, here's a quick sampling of it all.

Christmas Post

Soo there was a small hiccup in my class plan. When things are on the Online Exclusives section, they're only there while supplies last. A detail I sort of forgot about when I came up with my original plan... And that means the stamp set I was going to feature is now sold out and gone. Arrrggh!! So I had written up my plan and when I pulled everything to put my ideas together I thought it would be quick. But once I realized I can't use that, I had to make a bunch of adjustments. 

All that to say, this particular card might not look exactly "Christmas". But I love that the letter stamp goes so nicely with the beautiful mailbox DP, so I'm offering it anyway. Maybe people will send it out in November instead. 

Supplies:

Stamps: Stamped With Love, Beside Me
Ink: Mossy Meadow
Paper: Crumb Cake & Basic White card stocks
Accessories: Burlap Ribbon

This paper is also from the Online Exclusives, so don't miss out! It's so lovely and has such a peaceful cozy vibe! I'm looking forward to using it in scrapbooks too! 

Bright Christmas!

Today I'm switching gears because I'm going to need to do a card class very soon if I can fit it in at all...! This first one is very happy and bright! Full disclosure: Lemon Lime Twist is not a color I use very easily, but! I do love this cute Santa hat paper! And it worked so nicely with the latest Just Add Ink sketch! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Hope & Peace (recently retired)

Ink: Poppy Parade

Paper: Lemon Lime Twist & Basic White card stocks, Merry Bold & Bright DP

Accessories: White Iridescent ribbon

The DP and ribbon come from page 5 of the Sept-Dec mini catalog. They just arrived to my house and even tho they're much more bright than my usual style, I'm really happy with this one! 

Quick & Grateful!

Back in August, I trimmed a whole sheet of DP into card fronts, as it was designed. You can see it by clicking HERE. I had three bits left over that I didn't use that day so I used two for this quick card! And it's already been sent!

Supplies:
Stamps: Beside Me

Ink: Moody Mauve

Paper: Gray Granite & Basic White card stock, Fresh As A Daisy DP

Accessories: Moody Mauve Textured Ribbon, 2023-25 In Color Dots, Glue Dots, Dimensionals 

Sending Autumn Thanks

Goodness. I think I'm back! I've held a card class, been sick, Halloween-ed and worked on other projects I haven't shared, like the calendars, which I will share soon! And all the other things with life! But today I needed some cards, so I got to play a bit! 

The first one I'm sharing used the latest from Color Throwdown, and since it says "thanks" right on it, it fits The Paper Players challenge too! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Sending Smiles

Ink: Petal Pink, Wild Wheat, Copper Clay, Soft Seafoam

Paper: Soft Seafoam, Basic White card stocks

Accessories: Brass Butterflies

Autumn Leaves

are in fact my favorite. And autumn is WAY too short! So of course we were gonna play with them for a fall card class! The only leaves I own that are current are dies, but I still used the coordinating stamp set for the greeting.

Supplies:

Stamps: Perched In A Tree 

Ink: Cajun Craze, Old Olive

Paper: Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze card stocks

Accessories: Linen Thread, Dimensionals, Timeworn Type embossing folder, Aspen Trees dies, big shot (retired)

Single Flower

I have used this set a number of times but I don't think I've ever done just one of the flowers at a time, haha. I played with a few different colors and I think my class will do the red variation. 

Supplies:

Stamps: Sending Smiles 

Ink: Garden Green, Gray Granite, Gorgeous Grape (today's card is sponsored by the letter G!)

Paper: Gorgeous Grape, Basic White card stocks

Accessories: Brass Butterflies

Supplies:

Stamps: Sending Smiles

Ink: Garden Green, Gray Granite, Berry Burst

Paper: Gray Granite, Basic White card stocks

Accessories: Festive Pearls 

Supplies:

Stamps: Sending Smiles

Ink: Garden Green, Gray Granite, Real Red

Paper: Gray Granite, Basic White card stocks

Accessories: Festive Pearls 

Treblemaker!

This is a stamp set I really liked in the catalog, but I struggle to make it work... As in, I have only used the "happy birthday" in the 4.5 months I have had it. I really wanted it to work for this card class, so after a lot of stewing, I finally came up with this.

It may have helped that the SUO Challenge is to make it masculine, which really does simplify things. The words make it feel more masculine to me too, ha! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Enjoy the Rhythm

Ink: Misty Moonlight

Paper: Dry Brushed Metallic DP, Pool Party & Basic White card stock 
Accessories: Tinsel Gems  

I like you!

I had this color combo in my head a few days ago, wondering if it would work as nicely as I hoped, and then I saw another demonstrator had used it, ha, so that was a YES. Her card is stunning (see it HERE). My card is quick for a class. But I think I'll use this combo again!  

This is a funny kind of phrase to me, but I also like it. The post boxes feel a bit more random than I might like, but it works for a class and people can do what they like anyway. 

Supplies:

Stamps: Stamped With Love

Ink: Moody Mauve, Early Espresso

Paper: Moody Mauve, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla card stocks

Accessories: Moody Mauve Textured Ribbon, Classic Matte Dots

Leveled up birthday!

This is a fun little birthday card. Once again I had to google what this kind of controller is supposed to look like, haha, but I think it will work for the person it's going to. 

Supplies:
Stamps: Level Complete
Ink: Gray Granite, Starry Sky, Crushed Curry
Stampin' Blends: Smoky Slate Light, Cherry Cobbler Dark, Old Olive Dark, Night of Navy Light, Daffodil Delight Dark (retired)
Paper: Basic White, Starry Sky card stocks
Accessories: Starry Sky metallic woven ribbon, 2022-24 In Color Pearls, Dimensionals

Rich with Sympathy

I needed another sympathy card, and these colors came out soo rich! I think the ink pads are a bit too juicy, ha, but at least it wasn't all bright, which I was a little concerned about. (but if it had turned out bright, I would have used other words and made it a different kind of card) I do love the versatility of making this little garden any way I need. This time the colors came from the Hand Stamped Sentiments color challenge. 

Supplies:

Stamps: Sending Smiles

Ink: Pebbled Path, Blackberry Bliss, Calypso Coral, Lost Lagoon

Paper: Lost Lagoon, Calypso Coral & Basic White card stocks

Accessories: Brass Butterflies 

Davy Crockett's Canoes!

Let's go back to sharing some Disney pages, shall we? 

This was actually one of the first layouts I made after we got home (it was the fourth page). It is SO simple and quick, but that was exactly what we needed that minute so it fit perfectly. (Disneyland can be a bit overwhelming to beginners...)

Supplies:

All MDS: Well Worn DP, Island Indigo mat, Vanilla front
Font: Playbill, Berlin Sans FB

Birthday Balloons!

This card could go to a couple different people, or it might be put in my stash for a time. But for today here it is! Today I combined the Freshly Made Sketch (flipped upside down) and the Color Throwdown, and two very old Paper Pumpkin stamp sets! Quick and happy and you just can't beat that! 

Supplies:

Stamps: very old Paper Pumpkin - words 2016

Ink: Starry Sky, Balmy Blue, Calypso Coral

Paper: Balmy Blue, Basic White card stocks

Accessories: Festive Pearls

99!

Yep really, my father in law turns 99 in just a few days! So for his birthday card, I used the As You See It sketch, with the colors from Inspire.Create.Challenges.  I like the pop of red and yellow, even if half the products are now retired. 

Supplies:

Stamps: Beside Me

Ink: Pretty Peacock
Paper: Basic White, Pretty Peacock & Cherry Cobbler card stocks, Come to Gather DP (retired)

Accessories: Alphabet A La Mode dies, Crushed Curry Baker's Twine (retired), Dimensionals, big shot (retired)

Purple Camera

That moment when you ask what someone's favorite colors are so you can make a card for them, and it matches a color challenge that is live right now...! I mean, how fortuitous is that? So thank you SUO Challenges for suggesting these colors, and also thanks to Just Add Ink for the fun sketch, haha! 

I did use a retired stamp set for this card, which I don't often do for my blog, but sometimes you just have to for birthdays! 

I am loving the Blending Brush technique AND found a happy accident! If you hit the paper first with the brush, instead of the scratch paper, you get these big marks...but it gives it a bokeh kind of look, and that works nicely with a camera, ha! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Capture The Good (retired)

Ink: Gorgeous Grape, Parakeet Party, Pumpkin Pie, Memento Black

Paper: Basic White card stock

Accessories: Gingham Ribbon, Dimensionals, Blending Brushes, Lucky Limeade organdy ribbon (retired)

I hope you get to make something happy today! 

Grateful in Copper

Today's card was guided by my son. I need a stack of birthday cards over the next couple weeks and I'm a bit stumped as to what direction to go with my current inventory for any of them. My son pointed out that this image would work for one, and these words would too. I found a sketch with Global Design Project and put it together and there it is! Quick and sweet and perfectly masculine! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Beside Me

Ink: Copper Clay

Paper: Copper Clay, Very Vanilla card stocks

Accessories: 2023-25 In Color Dots, Dimensionals, Circle dies, big shot (retired)

Are you making anything today?

Learn to Swim!

I might not have many cards at the moment, but I have scrapbooked rather a lot that hasn't been shared here.

This page was for a challenge to include water on a page in some form. Got it! This was a couple summers ago, and the papers, ink and stamp set for the title are all very long retired! 

Supplies:
Stamps: Whimsical Alpha Lower

Ink: Pacific Point

Paper: Basic White, Marina Mist card stock, Sunshine & Sprinkles DP

Journaling Font: Baguet Script

Are you making pretty things today? I am hoping to...! 

We Create Blog Hop: Haunts & Harvests

I blinked and it's already October! I haven't hopped the last two months because life was just too crazy. But for today I'm back, so let's get to it! 

I don't have anything current that is Halloweeny, and I don't have much that brings to mind "harvest", so I went for an autumn sunset with a few trees. I do love tree silhouettes in art and in real life, so this worked great. I used the latest sketch from Freshly Made Sketches, combined with the color combination from Global Design Project. And this stamp set comes from our Online Exclusives product line, which you can find HERE. (It also comes bundled with dies, and with gorgeous coordinating DP.) Also, I'm still loving those Blending Brushes! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Horse & Sleigh

Ink: Memento Black, Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry

Paper: Very Vanilla, Crushed Curry & Cajun Craze card stocks

Accessories: Gingham Ribbon, Circle Dies, Blending Brushes, Dimensionals, big shot (retired)

Now hop along over to Libby's blog, using the button below, and see what they've got created for you. And let us know what you think! We all love comments! And happy October to you! 

Kimberley Morris
Cheryl Curtis
Tanya Harvey (me!)
Libby Fens
Tricia Butts