Almost Ready

I think I am almost ready for the Parkinson's Support Group's Christmas auction which will be November 12. This year I tried to think of new items to make for the event. First, I made this table runner. It is 15 1/2-inches wide and 44 1/2-inches long. It is made from fabric that I already had on hand.

Second, I made these "Angel" earrings from beads I purchased from JoAnn's and Micheal's. Then I wanted a little box to put them in. So--- My next project turned out to be designing and making little boxes to put them in to. These boxes measure 2" x 3 1/2". I love little gifts in little boxes.

Christmas Joy

Another Christmas card. I used the Stampin' Up set called "Painted Harvest". I love how many ways you can use this stamp set. I found the stripped paper in my stash. It worked perfectly with Stampin' Up's real red card stock. I cut the letters twice -- once in real red and the second time in black. The black card stock really made this card.

December 1 was the last card class I will have this year. For our Christmas celebration , we exchanged "Christmas Gift Tags". The is the tag I made. Very simple.

I was also working on this little milk carton. We didn't have time to make it. I love doing little projects like this. We will make it in class on of these days. You can find instructions HERE.

Love Buffalo Plaid

I really love the new Stampin' Up's background stamp called "Buffalo Plaid". I used Raspberry Ripple ink on Very Vanilla card stock to create this background. The focal sentiment is from the stamp set called "Snowflake Sentiments". For the black accent piece, I used a 3-inch strip of card stock and a punch to create the decorative edge.

I tried to get a close up picture of the bow. I placed a small piece of Raspberry Ripple card stock in the embossing folder called "Subtle". This is a simple folder but it makes a big impact. After embossing the card stock, I cut out the bow keeping the grain going vertically. It made the bow look like it was made with grosgrain ribbon. 

A Christmas Card

I struggled with this card all day. I searched and searched for ideas. Finally,I saw some cards on Pinterest that gave me some ideas. I especially liked the idea of embossing the Vellum with the SU Softly Falling folder. It softened the trees in the background and gave the impression of falling snow. That worked really well. It is one of the cards I will use for my class on December 1. I also added a little Stickles on the raised parts of the tree and along the curved edge of the bottom piece of white card stock.

Card Stock used -- Old Olive, Early Espresso, White and Vellum
Stamps -- Winter Woods with coordinating dies, Sentiment from Snowflake Sentiments
Ink -- Early Espresso
Embossing Folder -- Stampin Up Softly Falling

Three More Cards

I want to share three more cards that I made last week. The first two are made using the stamp set "Painted Harvest". This stamp set is so versatile and one that I have really enjoyed creating with. If you have the stamp set, I hope that you will spend a little time playing with it.

A Christmas card made using "Painted Harvest"

Finally, as I was looking in a box that contained pieces from last years Christmas cards, I found the pieces to put this Christmas card together. I love it when that happens.

It's Christmas Time

Christmas time is almost here. It has always been one of my favorite times of the year. My family is in Tennessee and our kids live in Chicago and Cincinnati. We will celebrate with our church family mostly. I have just about got all my Christmas cards done. It seems like it is always a mad dash to the finish line for me. I wanted to share some of the cards that I made.

This first card was made from a sketch that I used in a class earlier of this year. The designer paper is from Graphic 45. I used a piece of both sides on the card. Red and yellow card stock became my accent colors.

This next card is a CASE from one I saw on Pinterest. Here is a link the one I saw on Splitcoaststampers. It really caught my attention since I have both of the Memory Box dies used on the card. Instead of using the lighter blue card stock, I used Pacific Pointe card stock. It sure does come together quickly.

Party Time

Tomorrow night is our Stamp Club's annual Christmas Dinner. We will meet at Olive Garden for a fun evening and a time of sharing. We will do a "Christmas Tag Swap" and a Christmas card swap.

This is my Christmas gift tag for this year.

This is my card for the card swap.

And this if a small favor that I made to go by each person's place. 

 They were so much fun to make.

Finished Table Runner and Topper

Finished up the table runner and table topper this past week end. I am still in love with this fabric. The measurement of this one 16" x 40".

 

This one measures 28" x 28".

Christmas Quilt

Sewing/quilting is my other love. Over the years I have made quilts, table runners, placemats, tote bags, etc. For the past 10 years I have taken something hand made to our Parkinson's Support Group's Christmas Auction, This year I took two table runners and three sets/boxes of greeting cards. Now I wanted to do something that would be mine. Selfish? Maybe.

Back in June, while visiting "Quilts at the Marshall House" in Marshall, Michigan I saw this Christmas panel that I fell in love with on the spot. I brought one panel. They had only one coordinating fabric to go with the panel. I got 2 yards. A few weeks later, while in Frankenmuth, I discovered that there were other fabrics in the family called "Forever Green" by Moda. I visited Missouri Star Quilt Company's web site and found that they had just about all of the different fabrics. I placed an order and ended up with a number of half yard pieces. I knew that I wanted to make a wall hanging and maybe some table runners. It took me longer to find a pattern than it took to finally make the wall hanging. Yesterday, November 20, I finished the quilt and got it hung in my living room. Now I have a spot that I can hang other quilts in the future.

And I still have enough fabric left for those table runners.

Into The Forest

"Into the Forest" is today's CAS challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers. This challenge was the motivation that I needed to try to make the card that has been playing around in my imagination for several weeks.

After breakfast one morning at Cracker Barrel, I saw this wooden plaque that really caught my attention. Right away I could tell that it was going to be the perfect inspiration for a special Christmas card. I did not get a good picture because, at the time, there were lots of things in front of it.

The card was perfect for today's challenge. 

The card basically used dies. The trees are from Impression Obsession. The deer is from Memory Box (I think). The larger stars were made using a punch, and the tiny stars were cut from a new Stampin' Up die in the set called "Card Front Builder Thinlet Dies".I was hoping that the small tree and the tiny stars would add depth to the picture. For the background I used Night of Navy card stock. For the die cuts I used a beautiful glitter card stock from Core'dinations. The greeting is from the Our Daily Bread Designs set called "Luke 2:11" which was heat embossed with silver embossing powder.

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Cards from the Stamp Club meeting on Saturday September 23--

The gals had fun creating their own unique quilt block. This first picture is the card sample that I had made for the class. I purchased the glitter paper at my local JoAnn's store. It worked beautifully. We die cut several different colors and then re-assembled the block using colors of our choice. So much fun!

As I was cleaning up after class, there were lots of little pieces left from the other blocks that had been made. I started putting a block together and this is the resulting card. I love the contrasts between the blue glitter paper and the natural card stock. I know; it looks white in the picture but it is very similar to Stampin' Up's Very Vanilla card stock. This card also uses the new Quilt Top Textured Impressions embossing folder.

The next two cards are very simple.The first card is made using core'dinations card stock . The piece I used was black on one side and a blue on the back side. After embossing the paper using the new Winter Wonder embossing folder from Stampin' Up, I sanded the embossed image lightly. I just wanted to take off enough of the black so that the blue would show through. This is a very simple technique that acheives very pretty results.

The next picture shows the card that most of the gals made. Only half of the image is embossed which leaves room to add embellishments and a sentiment. The smallest snow flake was cut from the Stampin' Up's thinlet die set called "Swirly Snowflakes".

This last 4 1/4 inch square card is the 9-patch quilt block. It is  made using 1 1/4 inch squares from two different sheets of card stock. After glueing the squares together on a piece of white card stock and getting the piece trimmed, it was embossed using the "Quilt Top" embossing folder. Love that pretty quilted texture. Note: I made this card last year for a group of friends that I quilt with. They loved it.

Christmas Quilt

Sometime it is fun to create a project that really is not the traditional way of doing things. Example--making quit blocks out of paper instead of fabric. That is what I did the last few days. I was able to pre-order the Christmas Quilt Bundle from Stampin' Up a few weeks ago. Last week I had a few days to try it out. This is my latest project. The picture is not the greatest because of the reflections on the glass, but I didn't want to take it apart because it is tricky to get back together.

I used glitter paper that I purchased from JoAnn's and it worked beautifully. I had seen a few pictures on Pinterest using four blocks to create a larger unit. Finding square picture frames is a bit of a challenge. Here, I used an 8" x 8" frame that I found at JoAnn's. It turned out to be a perfect fit. I was wondering -- Could I create blocks that would represent all four seasons for the year?

Christmas Bells

SC661

I printed a copy of this week's Splitcoast Stampers sketch Wednesday morning. I didn't get to work on a card until late this morning. I knew I wanted to make a Christmas card. I pulled out a sheet of designer paper that I thought might work well with my new stamp set "Seasonal Bells". After trying many color combinations, this is what I created.

First -- the sketch

Now for my card. The designer paper is from Graphic 45's St. Nicholas Collection. The card base is real red card stock. The yellow was a scrap piece so I do not know what color it is. It just worked. I used Memento Rick Cocoa ink to do my stamping. The sentiment is from a new Stampin' Up set called "Snowflake Sentiments".  For the bells, I used the stamp set "Seasonal Bells" with the coordinating punch. The red bow was made using a new Memory Box die that I purchased yesterday. When I saw it, I knew that it was one I had to have.

I started to use an embossing folder on the yellow piece, but I ended up adding score lines 1/4-inch along all four sides. A simple process but it does add a little interest.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Weekly  Favorite for week ending Sept. 9, 2017

Christmas Cards Continued

The last few days, I have been enjoying going through my Christmas stamps and dies. I am finding some lovely stamps and dies that have never been used or used very little. These two cards were made with some Our Daily Bread Designs dies that I got a couple of years ago. I had cut it out before but never finished a card.

The die set, from Our Daily Bread Designs, is called "Delightful Decorations" released in 2015. The cardstock used in this first card is Stampin' Up's Cherry Cobbler. The top layer of the ornament is a gold foil cardstock that I found at JoAnn's. The sentiment comes from Our Daily Bread Designs set called "Christmas Mimi". I added two score lines above and below the sentiment to give a little more interest to the white background.

A special tip--When I have scraps of green cardstock left over, I try to cut as many leaves and branches as I can get out of that piece. I store them in a clear stamp box until needed. I love using different shades of greenery in a single project. I think it gives a natural feel to the card and adds more interest to the design.

This second card uses the second top layer die of the same set. The accent layer of cardstock on this card is Stampin' Up's Rich Razzleberry. The branch of greenery came from my little box. I also found the embossed piece of white card stock laying on my work space. Just had to trim one side. This is a 4 1/4-inch square card. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up's set called "Petite Pairs".

Card Sample for Christmas

I am beginning to think about my "Christmas cards" for 2018. I know that it seems a long way off. I would really like to have some ideas of what I am going to do this year so I can begin to prepare. Last year I was not able to get started until after Thanksgiving and I remember how frustrated I felt. I don't want that to happen this year. I love Christmas and I want it to be a happy time.

Here is one of my first samples. I saw a card made like this on Pinterest but when I went back to see it, I could not find it among my "pins". So this was done from my memory (which is not always right). That being said, I really do like this card. A little time consuming but quite easy.

For the card base I used Stampin' Up's Island Indigo cardstock and ink. After cutting the oval from the front panel, I wanted to add some embossing texture. So I cut a piece of  cardstock 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".  After some careful measuring, I cut out the oval to match the original card base and then used my new "Holly" embossing folder. It was then glued to the card front.

For the inside card, I started with a white piece measuring 8" x 5 1/4" folded in half. I placed the card on the inside of the card base and lightly traced some of the oval. I added my stamped image and erased the marks. Then I opened it and stamped the inside greeting.  Finally, I glued the inside card on to the inside back of the card base. I think it creates a unique fold. I don't have a name for the fold but I really do like it. Different.

Christmas Card Using SC657

I saw a video on how to glue vellum onto your project. I wanted to give it a try. I was also experimenting with embossing vellum using an embossing folder. This card let me do both.

To emboss the vellum, I first placed my card stock in the folder. I then laid my piece of vellum on top, closed the folder and ran it through my machine. The cracking of the vellum was kept to a minimum.

I then decided to use the layout from a sketch I had done just days before. I chose to use Stampin' Up's Cherry Cobbler card stock as my accent. Such a beautiful color. I trimmed the embossed vellum to the size I wanted, cut the Cherry Cobbler layer to the correct size, added glue to the vellum and laid it onto the card stock. Glue, tape or any kind of adhesive has a tendency to show when used on vellum. I followed the technique I saw on Connie Stewart's blog called "Simply Simple Stamping". Here is the link to her video -- Adhering Vellum Perfectly. It worked "perfectly". Finished up the other layers, assembled all and my card was finished.

Blessings of the Christmas Season

This has truly been a month of celebrations. The Lord has brought many blessings and surprises into our lives this month.  The first event was a Christmas Ballet Celebration which was produced by the daughter of dear friends from our church.

The next night we drove to Northville for a Christmas concert by David Britton and Jean Watson. You ask "Who is David Britton". Well, he was our son, Daniel's very best friend growing up. David trained as a classical vocalist at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. Our granddaughter, Sarah, is a freshman at Westmont College in Santa Barbara. Daniel's son is named Alex and David's son is named Alex. It had been almost thirty years since we had last seen David. We were truly blessed to spend a few moments with him.

Next, we attended the fall drama production of "The Miracle Worker", at Lumen Christi High School here in Jackson. The students did an awesome job with such an emotional story.

Then there was a Christmas party for volunteers of the Henry Ford Allegiance Health Hospital. Our Quilting group comes under the volunteers for their Hospice program. Sunday night there was a Christmas event at our church which we were able to attend.

During all these events, I have been trying to work on my Christmas cards. I still need to do a few more; it feels good to be almost done.

I ended up doing two cards. I used Spellbinders dies to create the front of the card. Punches were used to make the flowers. I spritzed the layers for the flowers with a spray from Tattered Angels before gluing them together.

The second card was done in white and SU's Pool Party card stock and ink. To create my background I embossed my white card. Leaving the card stock attached to the folder, I brayered the Pool Party ink on the top of the folder and ran it through the Big Kick again. I love the icy look of the Pool Party ink and card stock. Instead of using rhinestones, I punched 1/8-inch circles from glitter paper and added them to my card. I achieved the same effect. This made the card more mail friendly.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Christmas Celebration

Christmas is a time to celebrate our faith, our family and our friends. I am part of a group of ladies who love to get together, create cards and to encourage one another. Each December, we get together for our Christmas celebration at the Olive Garden restaurant here in Jackson. After enjoying a delicious dinner, we exchange gift tags and a Christmas card with each other. We bring a Christmas tag for each one and then one Christmas card to be exchanged.

Here are pictures of the Christmas card and gift tags that I made for the event. I love to use the "nine-patch" quilt block for many of my quilting projects. That inspired my Christmas card. Even though I used non traditional colors ( Pool Party and Early Espresso) for my card, I love the result. The pool party color is so cool and icy. I used my 1 1/4--inch punch to create my squares.

The inside greeting was created on my laptop.

For the gift tags, I cut navy blue card stock into circles. Then using a die from Memory Box and the same circle die, I made the accent piece that I glued on top of the first circle. I found the marbled color card stock in my collection which was perfect for that snowy look.
 

Additional Christmas Cards

I started this post last week, but didn't get it finished. I have a couple more Christmas cards to share with you. Posting to my blog is a way of keeping track of the cards that I made for this season.

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Tiny Cards

During the holiday season, I needed several cards for different events. I ended up making "little" cards. They were 3 x 3-inches. So much fun. I was able to make the envelopes using the We R Memory Keepers envelop punch board. What a great tool.

 

Also made gift tags which were a little smaller than the cards.