Embellish Magazine Holidays Color Challenge

I adore this color combination From Embellish Magazine!

 This is my first time playing this challenge, and I was so inspired by the color choices!



I don't know this made me think of circles but it did!  I used SU's Early Expresso, Regal Rose, Cherry Cobbler, and Certainly Celery.  The rhinestone circles are from Michaels; the sentiment is K&Co.; and I used Spellbinders to cut the tag for the sentiment.

 I love these glittery greetings!  What's great is you get several strips in the package so you can make many cards with just one package.

This is my new favorite way to make a bow.  Easy, quick, and very polished results!  My kinda technique!

I had a lot of fun with this challenge!  Thanks for looking - leave a comment!

PTI Blog Hop!

This is the first time I've participated in the PTI blog hop!  I'm excited!

I don't normally create tags so this challenge was hard for me.  I was inspired by what I've seen on Nichole's blog so I let my imagination go to work.  I think what I've created is simple, but I like all the colors and accents!

To create this little tag, I first used SU's Top Note die cut from PTI's Pure Poppy cardstock.  Then I layered a second Top Note die cut from PTI's new Christmas paper (LOVE!).  I trimmed around the edge of the patterned paper so the red would show, creating a nice border.

I added an accordion fold circle as a focal point, layered with a PTI sentiment.  The little snowflake inside mirrors the snowflakes on the paper.  The photo doesn't show it very well, but I use a little Smooch Spritz for extra pizazz on the sentiment.  Of course, everything needs more bling than you really think is necessary, so I edged the sentiment in silver glass glitter!

Speaking of bling, I just couldn't resist adding these fabulous rhinestone swirls to the opposite corner to balance out the weight of the accordion focal point.

Are they fabulous?!  I love how they mirror the silver glass glitter on the sentiment and the polka dots on the paper.

This challenge was a lot of fun and I had a great time going through my stash (and some of my older PTI sets) to make a creation I would normally not make!

Thanks for looking!  Leave a comment!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Week 4

Happy Thanksgiving!  As we draw to a close on this part of our holiday season, I thought I'd share more of what I've been thankful for over the past year or so.

Mon, Nov. 22 - I am thankful for another year of life.
Tues, Nov. 23 -I am thankful for a loving God.
Wed, Nov. 24 - I am thankful for my cute little kitty cat.
Thur, Nov. 25 - I am thankful to be able to get away with NOT cooking on Thanksgiving day!
Fri, Nov. 26 -I am thankful to spend the day with my mom & sister, scooping up all the Black Friday deals.
Sat, Nov. 27 - I am thankful to have my house decorated for Christmas.
Sun, Nov. 28 - I am thankful for the life lessons that have brought me this far.
Mon, Nov. 29 - I am thankful for the privilege of being college-educated!
Tues, Nov. 30 -I am thankful that Christmas is less than a month away!

And I'm thankful that you've shared in these last 30 days of thankfulness with me.

Unnatural obsession...

It's true.  I have an unnatural obsession with beaded ornament covers.  I saw these at a local beading store and was intrigued.  It took several years before I could work taking the class into my schedule, but once I did, I was hooked.  In the last 2 years I've made at least a dozen, if not more.  This is the latest in my collection.  I hope to one day have enough to cover an entire 6' Christmas tree.  See.  I told you it was unnatural.

This pattern was designed by Michelle Skobel.  I like her designs because they are simple but stunning and most use readily available materials instead of pricey, hard-to-find beads!

Tuesday Tigger - Its Snowing Gingerbread!

I adore this week's trigger!

Here's my card, inspired by the white icing on the gingerbread...

I used white craft ink on clear acetate to stamp a flourished holly branch (TAC).  I glued a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock on the inside and decided it need a little touch of a soft blue.  I added PTI Aqua Mist ribbon and cardstock for a small pop of color.  I embellished the sentiment with small pearls to mirror the white craft ink.  I adore!

A few more views so you can see the white on the acetate.

Another fun, fun challenge!  Thanks for looking!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Week 3

Wow.  The last few weeks have been so enjoyable!  I'm just starting to see some of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season start, but I am feeling remarkably at ease.  I am determined to not let this holiday season become overcrowded with stress!

Week 3 of being thankful finds me thankful for the following things:

Mon, Nov. 15 - I am thankful for not being stressed out about the holidays.
Tues, Nov. 16 -I am thankful for not having to worry during these difficult economic times.
Wed, Nov. 17 - I am thankful the realization that having lots of "stuff" isn't meaningful.
Thur, Nov. 18 - I am thankful for a warm place to lay my head at night.
Fri, Nov. 19 -I am thankful for a good mind.
Sat, Nov. 20 - I am thankful to have wonderful people in my life who inspire me to continue moving forward and try new things.
Sun, Nov. 21 - I am thankful to spend the day with my extended family, celebrating an early Thanksgiving.

What are you thankful for today?

Tuesday Trigger - Moxie Chic

Another fabulous trigger from Moxie Fab World!

 

I liked the ruffles and the red, black, and pink combination!  I decided to try a technique that is totally out of the norm of what I usually make.

I used SU's Cherry Cobbler, Melon Mambo, Basic Black, and Whisper White card stock.  I stamped "Merry Christmas" then drew a straight line on either side of the stamped sentiment.  I edged the Melon Mambo using SU's scallop corner & edge punches.

 Adding ruffled fabric and tulle to a card is not something I would normally do to embellish a card. 

 I tore the fabric to give it a shabby chic feel.  The tulle adds a pop of pink color without being overwhelming!

Thanks for looking!  Leave a comment!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Week 2

Wow, what a week it's been.  The holiday season is in full swing and it's getting busy!  We've finished one of our craft shows and I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping.  I have just one present to make and one present to buy.

So, here's this week's list of things I am thankful for!

Mon, Nov. 8 - I am thankful to be blessed with good health.
Tues, Nov. 9 -I am thankful for cooler weather.
Wed, Nov. 10 - I am thankful to have a day off from work!
Thur, Nov. 11 - I am thankful to all the men & women who guard my everyday freedoms.
Fri, Nov. 12 -I am thankful that my daughter is a healthy (and typical) 3-year old!
Sat, Nov. 13 - I am thankful to celebrate another year's birthday with my dad.
Sun, Nov. 14 - I am thankful to be employed!

What are you thankful for this week?

Silhouette Ornaments

As we draw closer to Christmas, I'm finishing up some projects that I started over the summer.  My intention was to get an early start on handmade Christmas presents but alas, it didn't work out the way I planned!  Oh well - at least I finished it before the holiday!

I usually give the grandparents a framed picture of my daughter but after seeing this fabulous idea on Roots & Wings, I knew this year would be different!

So I purchased 4 wooden circles, a remnant of Christmas-y material, red paint, and some Modge Podge and went to work!

First, I painted the circles red.  While they were drying, I cut 4 circles from the material.  Then I glued the material on to the circles.  I drilled small holes in the top of the ornament and set an eye hook for the hanger.

The hardest part of this whole project was getting my child to sit still long enough to get a decent side photo!  It happened at the zoo one day, as she was watching the lions sleep.  Very exciting stuff.

It wasn't the best photo, but it was all I had to work with!  I cut the size down about 75%, printed it out, and then used a black marker to color it in so I could get a good perspective on what it would look like as a silhouette.  I had to reposition her head a little since she was looking down, but after about 4 iterations, I finally came up with a silhouette I was happy with.

Roots & Wings suggests painting your silhouette directly on your material, but I stink at painting so I decided to cut mine out of black cardstock.  So I traced my pattern silhouette 4 times and cut them out.  Then I glued the silhouettes on each of the circles and covered in a good coat of Modge Podge.

I thought it wasn't quite finished with just the coat of Modge Podge, so I decided to pour a thin coat of resin on just the top.  It makes it feel more finished to me.  Plus, I like the shiny top coat!  I added a gold cord for the hanger.

The only other thing I added to my ornament was my daughter's name, age, and the year to the back of the ornament (all covered with Modge Podge).

I think this is a nice keepsake that the grandparents are going to love!

Yarn Wreath, Part 1

I was inspired to make my own yarn wreath by the great selection on Etsy, especially the ones created by KnockKnocking.  I love her whimsical style and funky colors!

I found a great tutorial at The Constant Gatherer and got to work.  I bought a straw wreath and some pretty holiday yarn and set to work.  I wrapped mine first with batting but skipped the tulle.  Then I started wrapping with yarn.  I used a red and green mix with gold thread running through it.  It is soft and has lots of great texture.  It took maybe 2/3 of the skein to finish wrapping the wreath.

Once I was done wrapping with the yarn, it was time to dress it up!  I made these cute little ruffle flowers from white felt by cutting 1/2 strip length-wise.  

I ran a basting thread near the bottom and pulled to create a ruffle, then curled it around on itself.  I secured the edges with a little hot glue. I grouped 3 of them together on the bottom left of the wreath.

I added a faceted red plastic bead to the centers of the flowers (also with hot glue), then glued a pretty little red bird and some greenery to the top of them, creating the focal point for my wreath.

 

I made a simple bow from some of the yarn and glued that to the top of the wreath, finishing it off with another white felt flower.

 

It took about an hour to wrap the wreath and maybe another hour to decorate it.  I love the way it turned out!  Festive, old-fashioned, but stylish.  And I had a great time making it.  In fact, I loved making it so much that I whipped up another one tonight.  I'm not quite done with that one, but I'll post pictures once I finish.

Check out this great giveaway!

Check out The Vintage Pearl for a great giveaway of personalized sterling silver jewelry!

Fall Festival Tuesday Trigger

This week's Moxie Fab trigger is a beautiful pumpkin & flower arrangement by Martha Stewart.  I love this color combination - it very similar to the color scheme I used for my wedding.

 

I used the colors as the inspiration for my trigger card.  The oranges, yellows, and peaches really pop against the creme.  I selected various patterned papers with similar colors, cut into 1.5 inch strips.  I then scalloped the edges to give them more interest and layered them on a vanilla piece of cardstock base.

I used a Stampin' Up! rub-on from the Hidden Garden collection nestled in the corner and highlighted with stick-on rhinestones.  I like the simplicity of this card.

 

Fall is a beautiful time of year!  I just love the colors - this was a really fun challenge!

30 Days of Thankfulness

I'm joining my friend Tessa in 30 Days of Thankfulness!

Rather than do a post a day, I'm going to post every week what I've been thankful for in that week.

Mon, Nov. 1 - I am thankful for beautiful weather.

Tues, Nov. 2 - I am thankful for a beautiful daughter.
Wed, Nov. 3 - I am thankful for a flexible work schedule.
Thurs, Nov. 4 - I am thankful for a warm home.
Fri, Nov. 5 - I am thankful to spend the day with my mom.
Sat, Nov. 6 - I am thankful to spend a day doing what I love with my mom and extended family.
Sun, Nov. 7 - I am thankful to have a day with my parents all to myself (plus my mom's home cooking!).

What are you thankful for this holiday season?

Snowman Diorama

I'd been wanting for a while to try and make a diorama.  I was inspired by mmmcrafts's winter diorama...wow!  Blown away is more like it!

I decided to give it a go.  I bought a 4x4 frame at a local art store and with an idea in mind, this is what I created.

 

A little snowman (cut with my Cricut) hanging a star on a Christmas tree (cut out of felt with the tree die from Papertrey Ink).  I don't think mine is as elaborate or breathtaking as mmmcraft's is, but I think it's not bad for a first try!

Another Tuesday Trigger

This week's Moxie Fab trigger is a "study in blue".

This trigger really had me stumped!  I've thought about it since it was posted yesterday and then decided that what really stuck out for me was the juxtaposition of the bold blue color with the rawness of the old hardwood floor.  The blue seems so refined but the floor seems so rough.

My dad's birthday is coming up and, as a fan of Ford trucks and the owner of a blue Ford truck, I thought I'd use this trigger as the inspiration for his birthday card.  Yeah.  I'm probably the only person who'd use a picture with high heels, a purse, and bracelets to inspire a manly man's birthday card.  Let's just not tell Dad, okay?


So here's my card:

I used Early Espresso as my base and then dragged Early Espresso ink across a piece of Crumb Cake to mimic the grain of the hardwood floor.  I used the truck stamp from "Homegrown" and shaded it blue with my Copics (I am by no means a Copic coloring expert!).  I think it's a pretty close match to the traditional Ford blue. 

The most special part of this card is the little oval Ford emblem on the tailgate of the truck.  I knew when I bought this set that this old truck was the perfect match to my dad's truck, the Blue Angel.  I immediately disliked the "apples" sign on the back though.  As luck would have it, I found an entire box of old Ford advertising plates as a yard sale this summer!  They were perfect.  For what, I didn't know at the time.  It wasn't until I started designing this card in my head today that the idea came to me to use one of the small oval advertising plates as the emblem on the tailgate of this truck.  I think my dad will secretly smile when he sees it.

 Thanks for another great trigger for inspiration!