Just For Fun Christmas Cards

This year I needed to make over 40 Christmas cards (for family, customers, friends, and classmates). I couldn't decided which set I wanted to use to make all those cards... so after a few days/weeks of thinking about it I decided to use retired sets to make some of the cards.

What follows is what I came up with. I am not going to add any recipe for any of these cards because they are retired. I just decided to add them to my blog for ideas, just incase you needed help. Enjoy!

This one did not scan well with the ribbons on it so here is what it looks like without them!

3x3 Re-do

After looking at my last swap in the 3x3 Valentines Day Swap I decided that I didn't like it at all. To me, it did not say "demonstrator quality". So I had to find a way to sprucing it up with out re-doing the whole card, or making a whole different one.

This is what I came up with:

I just added the Designer Series Paper in Certainly Celery, and I rolled the edges of the punch to give it a more distressed edge.

Christmas Cards

I am really behind this year with making my Christmas cards. I want to make enough cards for my family, and also for all the teachers and students in my LVN class.

I am hoping to use Flaky Friends to make most of my cards, and I have been looking for "inspiration".

This card I found on SCS. It was made and posted by user name Hummingbird.

I really like this design. It is simple and looks fast to make. I think if I use this design though I am going to change the design on the bottom and use a retired SU! punch instead.

This is another card that I found on SCS. It was made and posted by user name 4thefunofit.

I really like how this card uses just a couple of colors.... Christmas colors at that!

Well, now its time for me to start working and then post what I come up with!!!! Wish me luck!

3x3 Valentines Day Swap

I just finished working on a 3x3 Valentines Day swap. I sign up for the swap through Splitcoast Stampers.

I signed up for 3 groups. In each group I have to come up with 3 different 3x3 cards using current stamp sets.

In all I will be getting 15 cards back. I am hoping that I can use them for samples and ideas for up coming events.

Here is the first card that I made:

Card Recipe:

Pretty in Pink card stock

Apricot Appeal cardstock

Whisper White Card Stock

Sponges

Hologram Highlights Stampin' Emboss Powder

VersaMark

Pretty In Pink Classic Ink

Apricot Appeal Classic Ink

All Through the Year Stamp Set

Optional: Cutter Kit

I am actually hoping that this card will be ok because I used a discounued corner punch.... but the rules did say that it had to be SU! unless SU! didn't make it.

Here is the 2nd card that I have made:

Card Recipe:

Rose Red Cardstock

Regal Rose Carstock

Whisper White Cardstock

Vellum

Heartspeak Stamp Set

Chocolate Chip Classic Ink

Mellow Moss Stampin' Write Marker

So Saffron Stampin' Write Marker

Rose Red Stampin' Write Marker

Brocade Blue Stampin' Write Marker

Gold Mini Brads

Here is the 3rd card in the group:

Card Recipe:

Orchid Opulence Cardstock

Lovely Lilac Cardstock

Very Vanilla Cardstock

Orchid Opulence Classic Ink

Basic Black Classic Ink

Spiral Punch

Basic Black Stampin Write Marker

Stampin Pastels

All Through the Year Stamp Set

Unfrogettable Stamp Set

New Technique: Spotlighting

I just posted a new step-by-step picture guide to Spotlighting under my Techniques area. If you have never Spotlighted before, then this page might be able to help you out. Spotlighting is a very easy technique that anyone can use to help draw attention to certain areas of their artwork.

If you are interested, the link is on the right hand side of this page under: Techniques: Spotlighting. (Or by clicking the link provided for you here.)

Over the next few months I will be adding more Techniques to this area. Please check back often to see what is new. And, if you can not wait and would like to see a certain technique before its ready just reply to this post and I will move your technique to the top of my to-do list!

Booglie Eyes

I love this set right now. It seems like when ever I sit down to create I am grabbing Booglie Eyes. Maybe it is because its such a cute Halloween set. I can just picture little kids dressing up and heading out to go trick-or-treating.

As today is actually Halloween I decided that I should post one last Halloween picture. This was such a fun card to do, and I can imagine using it for just about any situation. Just change the colors, and the image, and you can have a great Birthday, Christmas, or Thinking of You card.

Card Recipe:

Booglie Eyes Stamp Set

Flannel Plaid Background Stamp

Only Orange Cardstock

Black Cardstock

Green Galore Cardstock

Whisper White Cardstock

Only Orange Classic Ink (for the Background stamp)

Basic Black Classic Ink

Marvelous Markers (in various colors)

Spiral Punch

A Twist on a 6x6 Page

During Melissa's workshop I had an opportunity to make all of my projects again to help show a couple of new stampers exactly how to make their make-n-takes. While playing with the scrapbook page I wanted to show how you can take any design and tweek it a little to make it work for your unique style, taste, and needs. So, I took the original page and tweeked it myself to make this page:

Page Recipe:
Booglie Eyes Stamp Set; Creepy Crawly Designer Series Paper; Black Cardstock; Pumpkin Pie Cardstock; Creamy Caramel Cardstock; Whisper White Cardstock; 1 3/8 Square Punch; 1 1/4 Square Punch; Stampin' Write Markers (in various colors)

I actually like this page better than the original. I think for my own use this coming Halloween I can use this layout to showcase my 2 boys in their Halloween costumes....

Melissa's Workshop

On Saturday, October 27, Melissa is having her 2nd workshop with me. She wanted to have at least on scrapbooking page shown at her workshop. So, with the help of my upline I came up with a card that can easily be turned into a 6x6 page. I also came up with a simple and easy project for new stampers to recreate using a brayer.

Here are the projects:

Card Recipe:

Booglie Eyes Stamp Set

Creepy Crawly Designer Series Paper

Black Cardstock

Pumpkin Pie Cardstock

Creamy Caramel Cardstock

Whisper White Cardstock

1 3/8 Square Punch

1 1/4 Square Punch

Gold Brads

Stampin' Write Markers (in various colors)

Page Recipe:

Booglie Eyes Stamp Set
Creepy Crawly Designer Series Paper
Black Cardstock
Pumpkin Pie Cardstock
Creamy Caramel Cardstock
Whisper White Cardstock
1 3/8 Square Punch
1 1/4 Square Punch
Stampin' Write Markers (in various colors)

Card Recipe:
Lovely As A Tree Stamp Set

Brayer

Pumpkin Patch Spectrum Pad

Really Rust Cardstock

Old Olive Cardstock

More Mustard Cardstock

Glossy White Cardstock

Basic Black Ribbon

Set Samplers

During this months upline meeting we all participated in a set sampler swap for current Holiday Stamp Sets. We each picked a different set to use, and we had to come up with 4 different cards (or Projects) to make with the set we chose.

I chose to use It's Snow Time.

Here are pictures of the sets that we all picked and the cards that were in each set.

(by Nanzie Dock)

(by: Margie Anderson)

(by: Linda Nelson-Barr)

(by: Barbara Olsen)

I really liked the way that the set samplers turned out and I can not wait to show them off at my next workshop!