Tree of Gratitude

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for stopping in today. I made a card today that uses a new stamp set I received recently. I also used a die set that (Memory Box) I have had for a while. I just love these dies but I just wasn't sure how to use this set together.

There are 2 dies that make up this tree, one die is the  tree trunk/limbs and the other die is leaves and both work in conjunction with each other. I had looked at both dies for a few months and finally decided to get them when someone said Barb, you know you will have to place all the leaves by hand on the tree trunk/branches. Well I almost changed my mind but then I got a thought about how to use the leaves die in a different manner. So I decided to go for it.
                                        
                         Twiggy Tree
                
                          Leaf Canopy

I cut the leaves, and used the negative space instead of using those itty bitty leaves. Then I glued the trunk/branches on to the leaf canopy, fussy cut around the tree leaves, added  two sided tape to the back of the tree leaves and added glitter to the leaf openings. Well I loved the tree and how it came out, but wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the tree.So it sat for a while on my table,....... waiting.

Unity has a new monthly subscription set that I subscribe to, called Layers of Life (LOL) . The Tree of Gratitude set is one of the LOL stamp sets and it works perfect with my tree. Check it out.

Here is the Layers Of Life stamp set I used. And the images are a great compliment to my die cut tree.

 

To make the background panel:

I used DP as the panel on the card front and stamped the tree image directly on to it. I used the single leaf image with the typed words in the background and stamped it a few times onto the DP and sponged color in the leaf design. Next, using a Tim Holtz  Burlap layering stencil, I sponged more color and design which adds more visual interest. Last, I used a torn scrap of paper from a book page added ink to the edges and layered that on the DP. Now I had the background ready for my tree.

I used the sentiment from the stamp set but wanted it to appear differently than the way it was designed, so, I stamped it out on white CS and used a hand punch to punch the individual letters. I wanted the word to be vertical, instead of horizontal and lastly I glued those letters onto the panel.

Since my tree canopy was made with white CS, I sponged some red, orange and green inks into the canopy to soften it.

I attached the tree with dimensional foam over the DP panel.

Products used:

Burlap Layering Stencil - Tim Holtz (THS007)

Tree of Gratitude - Unity Stamps (Layers of Life)

Memory Box dies - Twiggy Tree 98143, Leaf Canopy 98142

Hand Punch

Glitters

Inks - Distress Ink - Shabby Shutters, Gathered Twig  Fresco Inks Cortez Sun, Bastille Brick, Golden Parchment

Sponge Dauber

CS/paper - Designer Paper (DP), White CS, Terra Cotta CS, Brown CS

Dimensional Foam

Scotch Quick-Dry Adhesive

Two Sided Tape

I am submitting my card in the following challenges:

• Hiding in my Craft Room - W, 1E  - #130  Anything but Holiday
• Scrapping4funChallenges - 2W, 1E - No.7 - Anything Goes till Jan 3, 2014
• Sister Act Card Challenge - W, Cards. - No. 38 - Anything Goes - challenge runs till Jan 10, 2014
• Stampin' For The Weekend - 2W, 1E – (W2 of 2) - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping in today. See you soon,

Its Gelli Plate Time

Hi Everyone,
Hope you have completed your Christmas shopping or at least you're nearing completion. I'm getting there.

It's Gelli Plate time. OK I can hear some of you saying "What....in the name of........ is she referring to".Are you familiar with a Gelli Plate? Yes, no?? Well I think it's the coolest product out right now. You can make your own background papers, or patterned paper for other projects as well. You use acrylic paints and stencils and a whole host of other items that can be used to incorporate shapes onto the print you are making. You might want to check out the video on the Gelli Arts home page here for a better explanation.

Let me show you a few of the papers I have made using my 8X10 plate.

 This is the 2nd generation (or 2nd pull as it is referred to at times) of the design right above

I used foam stamps to get the designs onto the plate.

I took the paper from the top photo and used my Envelope Punch board and made the envelope and I since had a strip of left over, I attached it to the bottom of a card to make a note card.

The way to mail these busy envelopes is to attach a label to the front to write the address in.

Here is the envelope

These designs can also make so pretty background papers.This card is using one of my papers I made as the background paper. I am sorry I didn't photograph the sheet before I cut it up. (Not thinking, duh... LOL)

I used ribbon in my stash to make my bow. And of course I used my Craft-Dee BowZ tool to make this lacy looking bow.

Here is a closer view of the right side of the card

And here is the left side of the card.

I love making these and you can get some interesting backgrounds for sure.

Well I will let you all digest this for a while

I am going to enter my card in the following challenges:

• Brown Sugar – No. 72 - Christmas
  
• Chocolate, Coffee & Cards -  No. 54 - (W1 of 2) - Happy Holidays
• Crafty Catz -  No.211 - Anything Goes
• Left of Center Creative Challenges -  No.20 - (W2 of 2) - LOC Winter or Holidays
• Polkadoodles -  No.50 -  Anything Goes
• Scrapping4funChallenges -  No.7 - (W2 of 2) - Anything Goes
• Sister Act Card Challenge -  No. 37 - Anything Goes
• Totally Papercrafts No. 197 - Christmas using Non-Traditional Colors
• Wags 'n Whiskers -  No. 119 - (W1 of 2) - Christmas

Have a great week and I will be back soon. Thanks for stopping in.

Wishing You All The Joys

Hi Everyone,
Welcome back.  Tuesday nite I went to dinner with the ladies in the club I belong to. We meet once a month but every December we go to dinner and hold our meeting at the restaurant. And at dinner we swap hand made tags and a card. We make 1 card and 9 tags, one tag for each club member. So we all come home with 9 different tags and 1 different card.

Let me share the card I made for the swap:

Project #1 - Card Front

Project #1 Inside of card

Stamps - Whipper Snapper Designs Inc, Verse - Stampa Rosa (no longer available)
Punches - Martha Stewart Alpine Snowflake
Die - Sizzix Tim Holtz On the Edge Snow Flurries
Ribbon
Bow made with Craft-Dee BowZ
Glitter
Paper - DP, White card stock, red shimmer card stock, vellum
Coloring done using Derwent Inktense colored pencils with Gamsol



Next is the tag that I made for each of the members.

Project #2 - Tag

Tags - Prima
Stamps - Santa image Gumbo Graphics stamps (no longer available), Merry Christmas To/From Catslife Press, Snowflakes Art Impressions.
Dies - Spellbinders Circles S4-114, S4-116, Corner flourish - Amazing Paper Graces Kit Club Becca Feeken (No longer available), S5-185  2013 Snowflake Pendant
Punches - Martha Stewart Alpine Snowflake, Himalayan Snowflake Large
Ribbons - Lace (unknown), Snowflake - May Arts, Thin Red Ribbon - Michael's
Cardstock - White, Red Shimmer, Vellum
Embossing Powder - White
Inks - Versamark, Memento - Espresso Truffle
Glitter

I am submitting my projects to the following challenges:

• Cheerful Stamp Pad - 2W, JFF, mixed media - (1st week) Signs of Christmas (project 1)
• C is for Challenge - 2W, Papercrafts only, E1 - (1st week) Traditional Christmas (project #2)
• Craft It Up & Link It Up Linky Party by Craftin Desert Divas - 2W - (1st week) Christmas (project 2)
• Crafting from the Heart - 2W, E3 - (1st week) Anything Goes (project 1)
• Crafty Boots - 2W, SIO - (1st week) Christmas (project 1)
• Created With Love Challenges - W, 3E - Anything Goes (project 2)
• Digi Darla Challenge - W, SIO - Santa or Snowman (Project 1 and 2) 
• Get Inky! - 2W, 3E - (1st week) Christmas (project 2)
• House of Cards - W, C10, Monthly inspiration with weekly themes - (deadline December 15) Holiday Blog Hop + DT CALL (project 1)
  
• Imagination Crafts - M, 3E, 7C, SIR to win prize - (December) Merry Christmas (Project 1 & 2)

Merry Kissmas

Welcome back everyone!!

Yesterday I showed a tri-shutter card design and today I have two more cards that I presented in my November Card Shop Class. Both of the cards below are center step cards. I call one design a Tall Center Step Card and the other one a Wide Center Step Card

Card #1 - Tall Center Step Card

Card #2 -  Wide Center Step Card

The great thing about the size of both of these cards is they fit in an A-2 size envelope.  Again all the stamps I used on both of these cards come from stamp set  Kissmas & Mistletoe  from Unity, (IPK-101). And the great thing is this set is still available. This set is perfect to use for winter theme cards, too.

Are you one of many people who hate to use an exacto knife. Tri shutter cards and step cards are cards that need to be cut with an exacto knife and they can be hard to cut. Great news!! I have blank cards, already pre cut and available in my Etsy store, CreativeEssences. I have them available in either white or cream card stock  and come packaged 5 blank cards to a pack. Let me eliminate your cutting woes, so you can concentrate on the decorating part of your card making.. Also available,  is a blank side step card, and it too is available in cream or white card stock. Visit CreativeEssences for all the details.

My next Card Shop class will be in January (I am on vacation this month) and the theme is man cards. After the January classes are finished I will share those designs with you.

Have a great rest of the week and hope you are finishing up on your Christmas chores. See you soon.


I am entering my cards in the following fabulous challenges

• Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Challenge #62 (2nd week) In the Holiday Spirit. (card #1)
• Glitter n Sparkle - Challenge #62 Show us some blue. (card #1)
• Scribble and Scrap - Challenge #7 (1st Week) Always Anything Goes. (card #1 and card #2) 
• Sentimental Sundays -  must include a Sentiment - Challenge #184 Snowman.(Card #1)
• That Craft Place - (1st week) Christmas. (card #1)

Snowbody Like You

Hi Everyone
I want to share with you one of the cards that I taught in my November Card Shop Class.

This tri-shutter card turned out darling and was so much fun to decorate.

Shutter cards are fun to work with and have quite a few great little areas to decorate. I made this one more of a clean and simple design. Sometimes less is more. 

The snowman, the sentiment and the snowflake are from a Unity set, Kissmas and Mistletoe, IPK101. That set came out a few years ago and is still available. It's one of my fav's. Always in style.I have used stamps from this set many, many times.  Unity has awesome sets. 

I will be back tomorrow to show two more cards from this class using the same stamp set. 

Have a great day.

Craft-Dee BowZ December Blog Hop

Hi Everyone,
Boy, December is here already!!  Today, Craft-Dee BowZ is hosting their last blog hop for the year!! The time has really flown by for me, how about you??

If you arrived here from Amber's blog then you are in the right spot. If not, then you may want to start at the Craft-Dee BowZ blog to get all the details to be eligible for the giveaway. There will be a prize awarded to one of the commenters, so please make sure to leave a comment at each blog including the Craft-Dee BowZ Blog. Here are the Designers in the hop:

Patti

Brenda

Amber 

Barbara 

Craft-Dee BowZ  (to leave one last comment)

Since this months blog hop celebrates Christmas, you have been treated to all things Christmas.I hope you have seen some things along the way that you will want to try for your projects.

Let me share what I have designed today. I've made an ensemble for the blog hop.

First let me present my card.

This card utilizes scraps of ribbons used as a woven background. I love the look this gives, lots of texture on your card canvas. LOL  The card has a great bow that is a three loop bow. I pulled the loops out to further define the loops and it reminded me of a snowflake of sorts. I then added over the bow knot, a rosette with a snowflake attached to the top. Those were made using vellum. The tree is made using a teabag folding technique and that and the snowflakes are also made using vellum.

Next lets check out a wrapped gift.

I used a a pillow box as the gift box. Using some shimmery card stock means no need to use wrapping paper.And you have to love that. So, all it needed was a bow.

Yummy multi-loop bow

A close up of the 3 loop bow.
The ribbon is 2 1/2" wide and wired on the edges.

This ribbon was so very easy to work with, even though it was wide, and the end result was really a a nice puffy bow. What a great presentation this will make to the recipient.

OK,  lets look at a gift tag.

I made a large gift tag. I wanted to use some larger items and a smaller tag just wouldn't work. Don't be afraid to make things larger than you normally would. I also used some elements that actually stuck out beyond the edge of the tag.That adds to the uniqueness of the design.

I had a bit of the blue ribbon left (from the cards that I made and posted here Sunday and then Tuesday) but definitely not enough for a bow, so I used it for the piece that threads through the hole on the tag.  I used a 1" silver (Oh So Glittery) ribbon that really compliments the tag and the blue ribbon. It looks great with that snowflake sprig of ribbon that I added just for more interest.

Hope you saw something that caught your eye, maybe a design that you can use on something you want to make.

I am the last designer in the blog hop, so don't forget to leave a comment here and then stop back at the Craft-Dee BowZ blog to make one last comment and you are done and you will be in the running for the prize of your very own Craft-Dee BowZ tool. Thanks for taking the time to hop along with us today.

By the Way, Craft-Dee BowZ will be announcing the new Design Team for 2014 on Sunday so you might want to come back Sunday for the news.

Hope you have a very Merry Christmas!!

The Wonder and Magic of Christmas

Hi Everyone,
If you haven't finished your Christmas cards yet, I have a little inspiration for you today.

 And here is a close-up of the bow.

The bow is a three loop bow and the ribbon has a little bit of wire in the edges. I love this type of ribbon, it makes for a great bow.

To order, click the BuyNowe button on the left sidebar over at Craft-Dee BowZ. The tool comes with instructions and there are YouTube videos to guide you thru making your first bow. After that you will be a pro, that is how easy it is.

Just a reminder that the last blog hop for 2013 here at Craft-Dee BowZ, starts Thursday. I sure hope you join us and leave comments. We will be awarding a Craft-Dee BowZ tool to one lucky commenter, and that could be you. Blog hop starts Thursday and the winner will be announced Saturday.

See you Thursday.

I am entering my card in the following exciting and fun challenges:

• Docerela Creations-  - No. 50 - (W2 of 2) -  Anything Goes
• Jellypark Friends Friday Challenge - - December -  Christmas
• Pattie's Creations -  No. 81 - (W1 of 2) - Christmas CARD
• QKR Stampede – No. 66 - It's Starting to Look a Lot Like Christmas!
• Sister Act Card Challenge -  No. 35 - Anything Goes
• Stampin' For The Weekend (W2 of 2) - Feeling Festive
• Totally Papercrafts – No. 195 - Ho, Ho, Holidays
• Addicted to Stamps Challenge -  #70 (2nd Week) embossing - heat or dry.
• Challenges 4 Everybody -  Challenge #34: Anything Goes 
• Fashionable Stamping Challenges -  - Challenge #62 (1st week) In the Holiday Spirit.

Magical Bliss and Wonder

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to December, the last month of the year. This is the month that houses the start of  winter, St. Nicholas Day, Christmas and New Years Eve. Some big events, don't you think! Since today is December 1, it's also the start of the new monthly challenge over at Craft-Dee BowZ. With the onset of winter in mind and the fact that we have already had snow in my area, I decided to spotlight a snowflake theme.

Here is a close up view of my double loop bow.

One other event that is taking place this month is the Craft-Dee BowZ blog hop on Thursday, December 5. Mark your calendar because you will want to stop in and check out the hop and leave comments and that will make you eligible to win your very own Craft-Dee BowZ  tool. The Craft-Dee BowZ tool really has made it easy for me to make beautiful bows for all my projects.Click here to order yours today. Or ask Santa to bring you one for Christmas.

Thanks for stopping in and have a great week. And I hope to see you back here Thursday. There will be some beautiful inspiration projects and just in time for your last minute cards and projects.