December Pages Challenge

Once again, I'm finding a loophole in a challenge, but I think Beth will be OK with it.  This month she challenged the scrapbookers at the PTI forum to "make a 12 x 12 sheet (or smaller if you scrapbook smaller pages) of background paper." 

Hmmm.  I already did that here, here and here, but needed to complete some pages from last December.  I have moved a little bit from 12x12 scrapbooking to using some divided page protectors for some layouts.  It helps with the agonizing over a layout for me and lets me get some pages done quickly.  I still do full-spread layouts, but right now I am in catch-up mode...I'm a year behind on my self-imposed deadline.

Here's my layout for Beth's challenge:

Sorry for the reflection.  It was even cloudy when I took the picture but there's still a bit of a glare.  I stamped the green and long blue insert with the snowflake from 2010 Holiday Tags and added some red rhinestones to the center to bring out some of the red from the photos.  The journaling is done on a Mat Stack 1 die, and I traced around the die to mat the mat.  I love that look and am hoping PTI comes out with some different sizes to do this easily.  I was kicking myself for not having the Mat Stack 1 stamp set, but made due with my Bic Mark It Markers - which I love!  I inked all the edges with Fresh Snow ink. 

I bordered two of the pictures with the Banner Border die and topped them off with crystal gems.  The sentiment on the bottom picture is from Tiny Treats: Christmas - "Bundle of fun."  I thought it was appropriate with the picture of everyone bundled up! (That's my sister, brother-in-law and my son!)

Here's a close-up:

This was a fun day! I'm so glad I have it documented and I hope it fits the challenge well enough!


Other background pages noted above - again with some loopholes, perhaps!

Thanks for looking! 


Papertrey Ink Supplies:
Stamps:  2010 Holiday Tags, Tiny Treats Christams
Ink:  Fresh Snow
Tools:  Mat Stack 1 & Banner Border dies
Ribbon:  Pure Poppy Twill
Paper: Stampers Select White
Other: red & clear rhinestones, Bazzil paper (blue & green), Memento ink (blue)

Top Ten of 2010

Several of my blog friends (You know, the friends we have in our computer?) have been posting their Top 10 cards of this year.  It caused me to look back at my blog and see how things have changed for me.  I noticed I was stuck on several stamp sets and color combinations throughout the year, as well as seeing how my style is fluid. 

I've cheated a bit. (There's always a loophole, right?) I have my Top 10 Categories instead. You can click on the link below each card to see details and lists of supplies!

Here's my list:

Favorite Butterfly Cards Category:

Butterfly 1

Butterfly 2

Favorite Halloween Cards Category:

Spider 1

Spider 2

Favorite Cupcake Cards Category: 

Cupcake 1

Cupcake 2

Favorite Cards w/ Circles Category:

Celebrate Life!

Happy Fall

Favorite Long-Shaped Cards Category:  

Happy Birthday

Fly Away!

Favorite Pink & Green Cards Category:  

Precious and Few

Smile Friend!

Favorite Paper-Pieced Cards Category:  

Happy Fall

Share Joy

Favorite Cards w/ Sewing Category:  

Thank You

Thank You Teacher

Favorite Cards w/ Buttons Category:  

Basket of Joy

Life is so much better...

Favorite Cards w/ Knots Category:  

Ain't No Sunshine

In Sympathy

My Goals for 2011 are:

1.  Update my blog regularly - which means I need to create regularly!

2.  Use more patterned paper on my cards and layouts.

3.  Catch up on my scrapbooking and use stamping more often on my layouts!

 

Thanks for taking the time to get through this lengthy post!

Papertrey Ink's December Blog Hop!

ETA:  Thanks to Nichole and the random number generator for picking this card as one of the winners of the Blog Hop this month!  Now, I have the hard task of picking out a stamp set!   So many awesome sets to choose from!

I'm very excited for this month's PTI Blog Hop!  Here's Nichole's challenge for us:

Holiday Leftovers
It's that time again for our annual holiday leftovers challenge!  Use scraps of wrapping paper, parts of  holiday cards, recycle gift tags or bits of ribbon on a paper crafting project.  We all have plenty of it  laying around after all the holiday excitement and this is your chance to incorporate some of those pretty  little things into an amazing piece of art!

We had a family Christmas with my aunt the Saturday before Christmas, and she had the cutest little tags on everyone's gifts.  I used the one she gave me to create this card:

I stamped the background with Tin Types, cut out a border with the new Banner Borders die and some snowflakes from the Peace Be Still die set.  The sentiment is from this year's Holiday Tags (love them!!)

Here's another view:

I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with using their leftovers!  I have a few more of these cute tags that I snagged after my sisters opened their gifts...they don't know what they were overlooking!

Have fun on the hop!

Papertrey Ink Supplies:
Stamps:  Background Basics: Tin Type, 2010 Holiday Tags
Paper:  Kraft Stampers Select White
Ink:  Pure Poppy
Tools: Banner Border, Peace Be Still snowflake dies
Other:  Vintage Cream Felt, Pure Poppy Buttons, Rustic White Twine
Leftovers:  Tag from gift

Many Thanks

Merry Christmas to you all!  May you be blessed with family and friends today!

We spent last Saturday at my aunt's house celebrating Christmas with her, my uncle and some cousins.  We try to do it every year, just to revisit childhood for a moment.  I gave her a stack of 10 cards that I made - that was all she wanted - and she loved them.  I made this card to send her for the wonderful meal, gifts and planning of a great day.

I'm thrilled that I finally love my Wreath for All Seasons set and am looking forward to making many cards with this set.  I just purchased the Mat Stack 4 die and I can't wait for the Mat Stack 4 stamp set to match - it'll be awesome! 

Here's the inside:

Thanks for looking!

Papertrey Ink Supplies:
Stamps:  Wreath for All Seasons, Inside and Out: Thank You (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  New Leaf,  Stampers Select White, Pure Poppy, Christmas Prints
Ink:  New Leaf, True Black, Pure Poppy
Tools: Mat Stack 4 die, Pure Poppy Twill

Beep Beep Birthday

My brother-in-law's birthday is on Christmas Eve.  That stinks, doesn't it?  I always try to separate his birthday present from his Christmas present so that he feels a little special.  I didn't want anything Christmas related to his card.  Here's what I came up with:

I cut out the Mat Stack 1 and traced around the die on red cardstock to mat the mat.  (hee hee)  Then I paper pieced the robot.  After adding a little texture to the card base, I popped up the sentiment and added the eyelet lace border with some nailheads in the center. I stole some googley eyes from my son's stash (shhh!) and the card was finished.  Loved making it!

Here's the inside - with a gift card on the left:

 Thanks for looking!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Hero Arts Robot (CL242), Papertrey Ink Signature Greetings
Paper:  Smokey Shadow, Stampers Select White, Pure Poppy (PTI), random light grey
Ink:  True Black, Pure Poppy (PTI)
Tools: Mat Stack 1, Eyelet Lace Border dies, Linen Impression Plate (PTI)
Other:  Bic Mark It Markers, nailheads, rhinestone, stolen googley eyes

Fly Away

I'm sorry that my blogging has been hit or miss lately.  With the holidays approaching, I have been busy at home and at work, and I'm just worn out.  It's a little tiring trying to keep 115 eleven-year olds calm during the 3 weeks of school between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Then, I come home to a 5-year old that is even more excited!  Whew!

Because of all of that, the project I'm sharing with you took me over a week to complete.  I would do a little work, then have to leave it for another time.  One of my friends at school is sending her daughter to Washington D.C. for Spring Break and giving her the tickets (or the money??) for a Christmas present.  Rather than just stick it in an envelope, she asked me to make her something.  So here's what I came up with:

I had the design in my head for quite awhile before I was able to start, and it turned out pretty much how I imagined.  Don't you love it when that happens. 

Here's the inside.  I had no idea what I was going to do in there, but I like it!

I'm giving it to her tomorrow.  I'm sure she thought I forgot already, but I didn't!!  I hope she likes it!



Thanks for looking!

Enjoy the Ride!

This is one of the cards I created when I first received Every Day Button Bits from Papertrey Ink.  I've joked before about loving this set so much that I sleep with it under my pillow.  Even after 1.5 years later, I still love this set and it's still one of my favorites.

I used the bird image as a duck and the grass image as the water for the duck to float on.  I used glitter to give a little sparkle to the water.  I still love this card and that set.  Think I'll go play with it now!


Papertrey Ink Supplies:
Stamps:  Every Day Button Bits
Ink:  Enchanted Evening, Summer Sunrise
Paper:  Stampers Select White, Enchanted Evening
Accessories: Summer Sunrise grosgrain
Other: yellow button, Hero Arts prisma glitter

OTWC #36

To be honest, I was so relieved to make a card that had nothing to do with Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas.  I fell like I've been so busy trying to keep up with the holidays - all of them - that I haven't been able to enjoy my everyday stamps.

Kim gave us a great challenge on Off the Wall Craftiness this week.  Here's her inspiration:

 

 I pulled out my new stamps from Wilson Designs to create my card.  My aunt has requested handmade cards as her Christmas present, and she loves owls, so I may make several of these for her.

I used black embossing powder on the owl, sentiment and circle images.  I just purchased this powder and really, really like it!  Can't wait to use it again.

Thanks for looking!  Hope you can play along with the challenge.

Supplies:
Stamps:  Everything's Owlright (Wilson Designs)
Ink:  Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink), Versarmark
Paper:  Dark Chocolate, Fine Linen, Kraft (Papertrey Ink)

Accessories: Zing black embossing powder
Tools: Circle Cutter (EK Success)

Warm Winter Wishes

This is one of many Christmas cards I have been working on.  I want to do something a little differently on each card.  This time, I used a circle for the shape  - inspired by The Shabby Tea Room's challenge this week - to make a shaped card.

The circle is 4-inches in diameter and the patterned paper panel is cut from Nestabilities Blossom.  I also wanted to participate in the LAST Everything But the Kitchen Sink Challenge this week which was to create a card with texture.  So, I added some felt for texture, a button with twine and that awesome saddle stitch ribbon. 

Here's the inside:

Thanks for looking!


Papertrey Ink Supplies:
Stamps:  Holiday Button Bits, Tree Trimming Trio
Ink:  Pure Poppy

Paper:  Pure Poppy, Stampers Select White, Christmas Prints
Accessories: Pure Poppy Saddle Stitch, Rustic White Twine, Pure Poppy Button, Vintage Cream Felt
Tools: Peace Be Still die
Other: Nestabilites Blossom die