Three Santas and Some Cash

Hello, friends!  We are enjoying our very busy Christmas holidays but I wanted to pop in to share three cards I made to give some Christmas cash to three special teenagers in our lives.

I used my My Favorite Things stamps (Birdie Brown "Jingle All the Way," "Gifting Fun") and a gift card die ("Gift Card Grooves") for the inside.  I used a Simon Says Stamp sentiment ("Friendship Messages") on the front of the cards.

Here are the card fronts...

And here are the insides...

I think these sentiments are so funny...and so did our teens.

I also want to share a quick and easy project I made for all of my kids' specials teachers (i.e., art, gym, music, Spanish, etc.).  While I've shown three here, I actually made about fifteen of them total.  I used Starbucks Frappuccino bottles, spray painted the lids, printed and adhered free printed labels (found HERE) and finished off with the left over twine we used to tie our Christmas tree to the car roof (waste not, want not)!  I bought the holiday M&M's in bulk and could fill about six jars with one bag.  An easy, fun gift!

I have a Pinterest board dedicated to crafts you can make with these jars...you can check it out HERE if you are interested!

That's it for today...thanks for stopping by!
Judy

Precious Remembrance Shop Year End Sale!

Hello, friends!  Just stopping by today to let you know that Precious Remembrance Shop is having a end of the year sale through December 31!  You'll want to go take a look at the online store!

Take good care,
Judy

CASology #178: MERRY

Hello, friends!  Welcome back for the final CASology cue of 2015!  This challenge will run for two weeks due to the holidays, so you have plenty of time to play along.  It's time to get MERRY!

For my card, I used three digital images by Gerda Steiner Designs and printed them onto watercolor paper, then colored with Copics.  I grounded the images with a lovely sentiment from WPlus9.  The "merry" fits perfectly under the three images and serves as their base.

Be sure to check out the many ways our Design Team and Guest Designer interpreted the cue this time around...be sure to check out their blogs and then play along!

Ardyth Percy-Robb

Hannelie Bester
Hazel Hodgkins
Jen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Judy Marino --> that's me!
Kimberly Wiener
Kymona Tracey
Melissa Chipperfield
Ren Loh
Tracey McNeely

Guest Designer: Asa

Our Sponsor This Week:  Altenew

As this year comes to a close, I want to thank all of you who take the time to visit my blog.  I am coming up on the end of my fifth year of blogging (my first post was New Year's Day in 2011) and I am so grateful for all of your support, your lovely comments, and your constant support over the past five years!  I thank you and I wish you all the best in the coming year.

Thanks again for visiting,

Judy

Precious Remembrance Shop {Inspire Me Friday}

Hello, friends!  Just a heads up that today I'm sharing my final card for the Sketchy Christmas stamp set release over at the Precious Remembrance Shop blog.  

I hope you'll go check out my next installment of {Inspire Me Friday} to see the nontraditional Christmas card I'm sharing today!

Thanks for stopping by!
Judy

CASology #177: TOY

Hello, friends!  It's Tuesday, and I'm back with the next cue card for CASology!

I'm also sending Happy Birthday wishes to my Design Teammate Hazel Hodgkins who celebrates a birthday today!  Best wishes for a happy birthday and a wonderful year ahead, Hazel!

Now, on to the new cue card...it's time to play!

When I was a kid, I loved getting toys for my birthday.  And Christmas. (Unfortunately for me they are two days apart...it's either feast or famine!)  I still have some of my favorite toys from my childhood...my Tender Love doll...my Holly Hobby cloth doll...my teddy bear (my son sleeps with it now!).

I had a Miss Piggy puppet that was among my favorite all-time toys but my mom donated it without my knowledge...I was crushed!  Would you believe my darling husband heard that story and bought me the same puppet (from eBay) and gave it to me for Christmas a few years ago?  I was shocked...it literally brought me to tears when I opened it on Christmas morning!  I was immediately brought back to my childhood.  That's a nice feeling when you are in your mid-forties!

Yep, I still love toys.

I couldn't help thinking of the Paper Smooches "Knick Knacks" set in my stash for this cue card.  My kids had a rocking horse when they were little, and that inspired my card!

What does TOY bring to mind for you?  Be sure to link up your TOY card by noon on Monday (Central time). You will find more inspiration by our Design Team and Guest Designer at their blogs, too!

Ardyth Percy-Robb

Hannelie Bester
Hazel Hodgkins
Jen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Judy Marino --> that's me!
Kimberly Wiener
Kymona Tracey
Melissa Chipperfield
Ren Loh
Tracey McNeely

Guest Designer: Deidre

Our Sponsor This Week:  Concord & 9th

Thanks for visiting,

Judy

Holiday Coffee Lover's Blog Hop - Happy National Cocoa Day!

Hello, friends!  I'm happy to be here today with a card for the Holiday Coffee Lover's Blog Hop!  Today is National Cocoa Day, so I have made a card especially for the occasion.

When my kids were little and played in the snow, the first thing they asked for when they came in was a warm cup of hot chocolate.  That was the inspiration behind this card, with this sweet digi image from Gerda Steiner Designs ("Little Mug Bear" can be found HERE).  I added Glossy Accents to the mug for a little extra shine!

I'm also sharing this card in the current 12th Share Your Design Challenge at Gerda Steiner Designs.  You should play along there, too...there are some cute free digi images available in the shop if you want to get started!

Happy National Cocoa Day to you all!
Thanks for stopping by!
Judy

Gerda Steiner Designs: December Challenge

Hello, friends!  I'm here again today with another card using the digital stamps by Gerda Steiner Designs.  I am entering this card into the current Gerda Steiner Designs: December Challenge (image: Santa Peace).

I am really enjoying this Santa image!  Here is a colorful card I am happy to add to my stash.  I love adding ultra fine glitter to Santa's white fur for some extra sparkle and shine!

Quick post for today...we are off to pick out a Christmas tree!  It is hard to believe it is 70 degrees outside...this is the first time we didn't need to bundle up in winter coats to get the tree!

Thanks for stopping by!

Judy

CASology #176: TREE

Hello, friends!  After a quiet week last week, I am back with a new cue card at CASology that is sure to draw LOTS of participants!

There are SO many ways to go with this cue...I really encourage you to get creative and show us your best CAS designs!

I pulled out an oldie but a goodie in my stash...this pretty Hero Arts "Branch and Flourish Tree."  I think it looks beautiful when it is embossed in white against patterned paper.  One gem on the top of the tree finishes it off!

The dry embossing on the card base mimics the scrolls of the tree.

(I made another version using different patterned paper but I'll have to take pictures of it tomorrow, the afternoon light is fading quickly!)

Be sure to link up your TREE card by noon on Monday (Central time).  Check out the many ways our Design Team and Guest Designer interpreted the cue this week, too!

Ardyth Percy-Robb

Hannelie Bester
Hazel Hodgkins
Jen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Judy Marino --> that's me!
Kimberly Wiener
Kymona Tracey
Melissa Chipperfield
Ren Loh
Tracey McNeely

Guest Designer: Deidre

Our Sponsor This Week:  STAMPlorations

Thanks for visiting,

Judy

VV#21 and Gerda Steiner December Challenge: Santa Peace

Hello, friends!  I'm here again today with another card using the digital stamps by Gerda Steiner Designs.  I am entering this card into two challenges:

Gerda Steiner Designs: December Challenge (image: Santa Peace)

Virginia's View Challenge #21: All About Glitter

I printed my digi Santa onto white card stock, then die cut it with a WPLus9 frame die.  After coloring with Copic markers and adding distress ink to the border, I added a generous amount of ultra fine glitter to Santa's fur for some sparkle and fun.  I kept this design flat for easy mailing.

See the sparkle?

Thanks for stopping by!
Judy

VV#21 & Gerda Steiner Designs: Share Your Designs

Hello, friends!  I have been having a lot of fun coloring this weekend!  I printed off a bunch of digi images from Gerda Steiner Designs and I am having a good time making some fun Christmas cards!

Check out this fun rocking' Santa image!  He is a free digi called "Santa Rock."  I colored him in with Copic markers, die cut the image with a square Simon Says Stamp stitched die, added some blue distress ink, and finished it off with a cute little sentiment from My Favorite Things.

Oh, and of course I can't forget the best part: I added ultra fine glitter all over Santa's fur!  It is so sparkly in real life...definitely makes this girl happy!

I'm linking this card up to the last Virginia's View Challenge #21 (All About Glitter) as well as the 11th Share Your Designs challenge at Gerda Steiner Designs.

  

I want to thank Virginia for her amazing challenges...I don't know how she did it all for as long as she did!  I was lucky enough to be a guest designer for one of her challenges and I am going to miss her inspiring challenges each month.  Thanks for a great run, Virginia!

As always, I thank you for stopping by.
Rock on, friends!
Judy

Merry Monday #182, SSS Let It Snow & Gerda Steiner "Share Your Designs"

Hello, friends!  I'm stopping in today with a fun Christmas card I made for three challenges this week.

First up...the current "Share Your Designs" at Gerda Steiner Designs.  I had to share since I'm playing with one of the free digi images I won last month!

Next challenge...Merry Monday #182: Birds.  Kathy has challenged us to make a Christmas card with any kind of bird on it.

Finally, I'm linking up to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Let It Snow.

I used a sweet Gerda Steiner Designs digital image called "Snowman with Birdie," but it also comes as a rubber stamp if you are not a fan of digital images.  I tried to make my little bird look just like the bird in the Merry Monday inspiration photo!  The sentiment is from Hero Arts and the die cut frame is from WPlus9.

As always, thanks for stopping by!
Have a great day,
Judy

Precious Remembrance Shop: Stretching Your Stamps for the Holidays

Hello, friends!  Today I am over on the Precious Remembrance Shop blog sharing two cards I made using the newest release, Sketchy Christmas.  I shared two cards using two different PRS sets...and I stretched my stamps to make them work for Christmas, let me tell ya!  I'd love it if you would head over there and check it out.

Thanks for stopping by,

Judy

CASology #175: PIE

Hello, friends!  Look what CASology has in store this week!

We hosted Thanksgiving dinner this year and it was wonderful!  My sister-in-law brought four pies (apple, pecan, cherry and pumpkin) and they were all a big hit!  I may send her this card with a little thank you note to let her know how much we all appreciated her thoughtfulness.

Supplies:

Sweet Stamp Shop "Thanksgiving Owl-fits"

Hero Arts "All Occasion Messages" and "Brush Strokes"

WPlus9 "Sunshine Layers" dies

Copic markers

Be sure to link up your PIE card by noon on Monday (Central time). You will also be inspired by the many ways our Design Team and Guest Designer interpreted the cue this week, too!

Ardyth Percy-Robb

Hannelie Bester
Hazel Hodgkins
Jen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Judy Marino --> that's me!
Kimberly Wiener
Kymona Tracey
Melissa Chipperfield
Ren Loh - taking a break this week
Tracey McNeely

Guest Designer: Conil

Our Sponsor This Week:  Serendipity Stamps

Thanks for visiting,

Judy

Gerda Steiner November Challenge & PP#273

Hello, friends!  I'm enjoying a long holiday weekend and snuck in some crafting time after cleaning up from our Thanksgiving celebration.  What a wonderful day we had with family and food and so many blessings!  I am a firm believer in taking time to appreciate and express gratitude for all the blessings that have been bestowed upon us...and that's what we did as a family this week.  I love that.

Speaking of gratitude and appreciation, I was lucky enough to win a $15 certificate to the Gerda Steiner stamp shop last month, so I purchased few stamps (both digital and clear) and I had to play along with this little fella for the November's Challenge.

I'm also playing along with The Paper Players Tic Tac Toe Challenge # 273 from Sandy.  I used the White/Embossing/Die Cut combination (and actually I also used the Blue/Shine/Embossing combination!).  Be sure to check out the Design Team cards over there...they are so unique and creative!

For my card, I embossed the snow using white embossing powder, die cut the frame, and fussy cut the sweet bear after coloring with Copic markers.  I added shine to the mug with Glossy Accents and to his nose with black liquid enamel.  I used blue distress ink to highlight the sky and a blue card base.

I can't wait to get my other Gerda Steiner stamps and to play with the digital downloads I purchased. They are all so whimsical and CUTE!

I do appreciate your visits...thank you for stopping by!
Judy

Happy Thanksgiving...Whooo's Hungry?

Hello, friends!  Happy Thanksgiving wishes to all my American friends who are celebrating today, and Happy Birthday to my former CASology Design Teammate, May Park!

I wanted to share a quick and easy card I made for Thanksgiving and it fits the current CASology cue card OWL.

This owl and sentiment are from an old, retired Sweet Stamp Shop set.  I love this fella, and he is very fun to emboss and watercolor!

In a special way today I'd like to thank all of you who so faithfully visit my blog and leave such kind comments...I appreciate you today and every day of the year!

Have a wonderful day!
Judy

CASology #174: OWL

Hello, friends!  Welcome back for the next CASology cue card!

This week we are sponsored by Concord & 9th, a fun company with some pretty cool stamps and supplies.  One of my favorite recent Concord & 9th purchases is this set of "Happy Hues" notecards that are pre-watercolored!  You can find the set in their shop.  I thought the card base was a perfect backdrop for this Hero Arts owl and a Concord & 9th stamped and die cut sentiment.

I like the monochrome version of this owl...sometimes a busy image is daunting to color!

Be sure to link up your OWL card by noon on Monday (Central time). You will also be inspired by the many ways our Design Team and Guest Designer interpreted the cue this week...be sure to check out their blogs, too!

Ardyth Percy-Robb

Hannelie Bester
Hazel Hodgkins
Jen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Judy Marino --> that's me!
Kimberly Wiener
Kymona Tracey
Melissa Chipperfield
Ren Loh
Tracey McNeely

Guest Designer: Nancy

Our Sponsor This Week: Concord & 9th

I may be back later this week with another owl card just in time for Thanksgiving, although I am hosting our holiday dinner for the first time ever and we are expecting 18 people.   I really should be cooking and cleaning...not crafting!  We'll see, maybe I can swing both!

Thanks for visiting,

Judy

25 Days of Christmas Tags with Precious Remembrance Shop!

Hello, friends!  I'm so excited to be here today to share the projects I made for Tracey's fifth annual  25 Days of Christmas Tags!   You can find all the details at Tracey McNeely's blog, In My Creative Opinion.  There is SO much inspiration there, it is AMAZING!   (Oh, yes, there are prizes, too!)

Today Tracey is highlighting stamps from Precious Remembrance Shop, and the entire Design Team made tags for the occasion!  I know you will be inspired by what the entire team has to share with you today.  Be sure to check them out...you can start at the Precious Remembrance Shop blog and hop along from there.

Here are all of the tags I made for today's special occasion, using two of my favorite Precious Remembrance Shop Christmas sets:

The first set I played with is from the latest release, called Sketchy Christmas.  

Using Tim Holtz distress inks (Barn Door, Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters) and some strips of patterned paper, these tags were quick and easy to put together.  The red and gold Stickles on the tree added a nice, sparkly touch!

The second PRS stamp set I used is called "Joy"...and it has a classic wreath that I love so much!

I used the same tag dies, patterned paper strips, and distress inks, and I double stamped the wreath for added fullness.  The added touches of gold and red Stickles add some interest and sparkle to each wreath!

Now be sure too check out the tags shared by the other members of the Precious Remembrance Shop Design Team.  I hope you are able to make a tag or two and join in the fun at Tracey's 25 Days of Christmas Tags, too!

Thank you so much for visiting!

Judy

Precious Remembrance Shop: Clean and Simple Christmas

Hello, friends!  Today I am over on the Precious Remembrance Shop blog sharing a card I made using the newest release, Sketchy Christmas.  This time I shared a clean and simple paper-piecing project!  I'd love it if you would head over there and check it out.

Thanks for stopping by,

Judy