Oceans?? of Christmas Cheer

I love love love this beautiful DP!!! It reminds me not only of Christmas but of oceans and waves. The stamp set I used was Nina Brackett's, "Vintage Borders"... I can tell I'll be using this set TONS!!! I heat embossed the ornaments with silver EP. My paper that the ornaments are stamped on is called Marble White Vellum from the Paper Temptress. I think the marbled vellum would look so pretty on a baby card with it's "cloudy" design. I also used, along the bottom, the green Vellum Bristol. My ribbon and pearls just begged to be on this card and I just think it's so pretty. I got this from the Wedding section of Hobby Lobby. My sentiment (both outside and inside the card) are from Theresa Momber's, "A Very Merry Christmas" set which is also getting LOTS of use this year. On the inside, I wanted to use that pretty green vellum again but I layered it on top of the Iridescent Cryogen White. This paper is soooo pretty and truly, pictures just don't give it justice. You need to move it and see how it shimmers... just gorgeous! I took a close up hoping you could see the shimmer a bit more. Have a good day and I hope my card didn't make you to cold with the snow and ocean both going on! Hee Hee *smile*

"...A Blue... Blue Blue Blue Christmas...."

Oh that was bad, huh? LOL I love Theresa Momber's, "A Very Merry Christmas" because there are images that just hit about every aspect of a card. Formal, fun, and traditional. I love this holly image and the first time I did it, I used a burgundy ribbon. Well, I just didn't want to do a traditional red or gold so I went with the blue and I LOVE how it turned out. The corner image is also part of this set and I haven't used it enough because I think it just looks great on so many other cards I've seen using this set. True to my norm.. I also colored my white pearls with my Copics. But... I noticed I didn't have just the right color of ribbon to match. So... what else?? Out comes the white grosgrain!! Yep... I grabbed the Copic and ran it up and down my ribbon on both sides to make sure it was completely covered. Then... just to be safe, I ran my heat gun along it just to make sure it was completely dry. I think the Copic made it a bit stiff, which was fine because I wasn't trying to tie a bow. Although, I do think you could and it would work out and possibly make a more solid bow for you. Perhaps even easier to do those "buttony bows" that Joanne Basille taught us all to make. *smile* I also distressed the edges just a bit. I think this makes any paper look just a bit more expensive and luxurious. I hope you try coloring your white pearls AND your white ribbon!! Have a great day! *smile*

Embossing on Ribbon???!!!

Who knew???!!! Have you ever tried to heat emboss on ribbon??? I haven't! But I figured what do I have to lose but a piece of ribbon!! It worked!!!! My ribbon is satin and I KNOW you can't heat sheer ribbon this way but I would venture to guess the thicker ribbons would work just beautifully as well!! I LOVE how it turned out!! My card was originally for Cat's Monochromatic Card Color Challenge over on Stamp TV but uhhhh, I forgot to post it. Hee Hee I used Theresa Momber's, "A Very Merry Christmas" and various DP from the Cosmo, "Jolly by Golly" paper pack. Here's a close up of the embossed wording. I think my ribbon shifted (the gold edged one), because it looks crooked here and I didn't notice. Sorry about that. Give it a try sometime, I think this will be fun to try with other ribbons and I'm definitely going to do more. Have a great day! *smile*

The Family Card This Year

This year I have given myself one HUGE task for the cards I will be sending out to my family. I thought I would make the front VERY simple since I have so much to do on the inside! My sentiment is from Melanie Muechinger's, "Festive Frame". I told you I'd make it my focal image on my card. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this sentiment and I like that she put the cute little "swirls" on top and bottom. They just accent beautifully! I embossed the front with my Candy Cane Cuttlebug folder and added the ribbon and three tiny red rhinestones on the front. Of course you know me... I colored my rhinestones with my Copics to match the print on the card. Why not?! So... you've already seen the inside... if you read my blog or follow Gina K's blog hops. The inside will be Melanie's "Festive Frame" with pictures of my kids in them. I am soooo bad at giving family pictures of the kids and every time I see them (usually at mom and dad's Christmas Eve open house)... I hear... "I don't have any pics of your kids..."... or..."OMGosh they have grown... the last picture I have is from..". You get the idea. Melanie did a wonderful thing for me by adding this to my Christmas stamp sets. If you missed it... here... is the link to what my card inside will look like. Have a great day! *smile*

Showing My Wrinkles!!

HA!! And you thought I'd show you MY REAL wrinkles, didn't ya??!! Well not today!! The card today was made with Jessica Fick's Potluck Friday challenge on StampTV, to do a card and add a wrinkle here and there. I used Nina Brackett's, "Vintage Borders" for both the music background and as the main image on my card. I LOVE that she put a border on the verse! It just adds that much more attention to a card and, as with my card, made it so easy to use as my focal point. I don't always show the inside of my card but this time I wanted you to see how easy it is to decorate AND to show off yet another favorite sentiment from Melanie Muenchinger's, "Festive Frame". Again... the added "swirls" on the top and bottom of this sentiment makes it wonderful for a focal image as well. I love this sentiment also and really wanted to share it with you AND with my neighbors at home, whom this card will be going to. I added the crystal bling to the scalloped edge and in real life it just sparkles and adds so much. I also used them as my centers on the flowers from Gina K Designs. Have a great day and tomorrow... I'll show you a card I used Melanie's sentiment as the focal point. *smile*

Christmas Stocking

I think this chimney stamp from Theresa Momber's, "A Very Merry Christmas" is just wonderful. But, I admit... I am lazy... I just can't find the energy to color it in.. hee hee. So, what's the next best thing??? I embossed it!!! WooHoo! I layered the embossed chimney on the Silver and Gold Metallic Pure Luxury Card stock from Gina K and I just love it that way!! But it wasn't enough so I added the stocking from Gina's, "Spirit of Christmas". I used my Sakura glitter pens to color it in and though you can't tell it well here, this WHOLE card really sparkles. My top ribbons are two of Gina's Pure Luxury Sheer and gold and her red dotted ribbon. I just layered the two so you could see the edges of the white and the gold thread. My bottom ribbon is ooooohhhh so pretty in real life... it is sort of iridescent and sparkly sheer as well. I found this in the "wedding" section of Hobby Lobby. Some things they sneak over there and I have to go search them out!! Ha! The lace edging is sort of like paper (not sure it's not) and it really shines but looks so pretty combined with the sheer. I made the stocking with our family stockings in mind. Every year we have these WONDERFULLY HUGE stockings that were hand made by a lady I found at a local craft fair one year. When I initially bought them, there was just my husband and I. Then... Steven came along and somehow I found her again... and she agreed to make one for Steven. She was just so swamped with orders that a couple days before Christmas, she tracked me down (must have map quested me) and came knocking at my door with his first Christmas stocking. It was sooooo cute. She sews all the stockings and on the cuff she puts the name. Her stockings remind me of the cards we all make. Some have buttons, some have bows, some have ribbons strips and some have wonderfully appliqued items on them that she stitches in place as well. They all have a different fabric on the front and back and the heel and toe area. Plus... the inside is lined in a completely different fabric! My kids just love them. She lived in town at the time and since has moved to Illinois. But imagine my shock when I found her ONLINE!!! I was so thrilled she has grown so much with her hobby. Did any of you ever watch "Jon and Kate plus 8"??? SHE did the kids Christmas stockings for them!! I was so shocked and happy for her. I immediately e-mailed my congrats to her and she responded that though she knew they had been on the show, she herself had never seen them. How wonderful for her!! If you would like to see her work, here's her web site. Aunt Joy's Personalized Stockings If you go to the "teddy bear" section, you will see she actually has MY Emily's stocking on her site! When Emily's stocking first arrived... she had the toe pointing in the wrong direction in comparison to the rest of the family's stockings. So... I sent it back and she redid it. But... for having to wait... she sent me a cute mini-stocking with our last name on the cuff. Such a sweet lady. My husband has a green stocking with a camo fabric Christmas tree on his. I just ADORE these stockings! I have even given some as gifts at Christmas and they are so loved. She even makes tree skirts and baby stockings. They are all wonderfully crafted.