Thursday, December 31, 2020

Looking Back at My Favorite Cards from 2020

 This will be my 10th year for choosing my personal favorite cards that I've made throughout the year.  2020 is one that we will not soon forget, will we?  

I'll start at the beginning of the year, and this year I'm choosing only 1 card to represent each month.

If you need further details on any card, just click on it, and you'll be taken back to its original blog post, where I list all my supplies.

I hear that these dies from the Hero Arts January My Monthly Hero kit were voted the favorite from 5 years of their kits and will be brought back again this January in their new 2021 catalog!  For all of you who missed it first time around, here's your chance! 






















Do you have a favorite here?  I've love to see your post if you do something similar - just link it in the comments.  

Not much new this year;  I'm still a flower girl.  This year I've used lots more dies than I have in the past.  I've also been enjoying using sets that combine stencils and stamps, or layers of stamping.  Looking ahead, I'm seeing layering stencils coming into the picture, and I'm looking forward to playing with them next year.

Happy New Year 2021 - wishing you all a healthy one - I'm looking forward to lots and lots of face-to-face reunions and hugs with loved ones!

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

My December Favorites

 Here are my favorite cards I made this month.  


The nice thing about doing this post each month is that now when I do my yearly favorites on the last day of the year, my choices will have been narrowed down already for me! This year I made an average of 19 cards each month.

I'll see you again then!

Saturday, December 26, 2020

The First Snow Had Fallen

 I treated myself to Tim Holz's new Feathered Cardinal die set and it came just before Christmas.!  On Christmas Eve we had our first measurable snow here, I think about 8",  perfectly timed, and all through Christmas we were treated to lots of birds at our feeders.  It was a sweet blessing.


supplies: white, green, kraft, Schoolhouse Red, and Surf Blue cardstock, Tim Holtz Feathered Cardinal dies, Mini Holiday Greens dies, and a sticker sentiment from his Christmas Clippings stickers, (retired) snowflake embossing folder, Simon's white pigment ink and Unicorn Confetti glitter

I embossed my snowflake background, then lightly rubbed the white pigment ink direct to paper over it in a circular motion.  I used some fired brick distress ink to darken parts of the cardinal before assembling him.  I used markers to color in the beak, feet, and black area on his face, and also the berries on the branches.  Before assembling the pines, I used Diamond stickles on my finger to help the unicorn glitter to stick to the ends of the branches.  That detail is very visible to the eye, but not so much to the camera.

The sticker reads "The first snow had fallen".


Thanks for your visit today.  

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Simon Says........Time to Sparkle and Shine!

 

Happy Wednesday - welcome to our challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog!



"Time to Sparkle and Shine" is the theme we've chosen for you this week, and the team is featuring Whimsy Stamps.  You'll have 2 weeks for this challenge, so we can all fully enjoy our holidays!

Here's my card.  I used prisma glitter as my sparkle, and did minimal coloring, letting this lovely stamp do all the work.


supplies: white and Lipstick Red cardstock, Whimsy Stamps Snow Road cling stamp, tumbled glass distress ink, red ink and marker, an old PTI bird stamp, Simon Holiday Hellos sentiment, Unicorn Dust prisma glitter and glue pen

After stamping and trimming out my panel, I added a light layer of tumbled glass distress ink for the sky, and colored in only the house and the tree trunk, with a light grey shading on the fence posts.  I also stamped a little cardinal on the fence (not part of this set). Then, using my glue pen, I put down a thick layer of glue on the tree branches, the piles of snow on the little pines, the house roof, and on the shading of the landscape, then sprinkled glitter over it all.  This sentiment from a small set is the perfect size, and I stamped it in red.

This card has a lovely sparkle in real life, just like freshly fallen snow, but not so much in these photos, so sorry.  Here's a little closer shot.  At least it shows a bit of the dimension the glitter adds.  This is a really lovely stamp, one which I will use often, as a snowy scene like this reminds me of home and growing up. 


Now it's your turn!  We have a $25.00 gift certificate 


to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!  I can't wait to see what you all make this week!

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Merry Poinsettias

 One last card before Christmas!  I played this time with one of my new Taylored Expressions goodies, a stencil.


supplies: white, Doll Pink, and Green Apple cardstock, vellum, Taylored Expressions Poinsettia & Pine stencil, Altenew Cherry Blossom pinks and Spring Bouquet greens inks, Winnie & Walter In a Word Merry die

After doing my inking, I cleaned the stencil and then reattached it to the panel so that I could emboss it also.  It's a subtle effect, but one I love!

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 20, 2020

A Little Bird Tree

 Today I have a little craft project that was inspired by Jennifer McGuire's recent post.  I've had the original Take a Bough dies from Concord & 9th since they were first released, and I try to make at least 1 tree each Christmas season.  Jennifer gave us some ideas for decorating these little mini trees.  Here's this year's addition to my little forest.


supplies: 2 shades of dark green cardstock, Schoolhouse Red, and glitter cardstock, Concord & 9th Take a Bough dies, cardinals from Impression Obsession Birch Tree dies, an old wooden thread spool, dull gold organdy ribbon

Evidently the set of Take a Bough dies I have has been discontinued, replaced by THESE, which I admit should make it much faster to construct a tree, since in my original set there is some gluing together of the branches before building can commence.  I took Jennifer's suggestion to use 2 colors of cardstock for my tree.  

We have feeders just outside our living room window, and in the winter, we often see many pairs of cardinals there - especially pretty when there's snow outside to make them look even more brilliant!

Friday, December 18, 2020

A Favorite Sketch

It's getting close to Christmas, and my wish this year, since we can't be with family, is for a white Christmas.  And I've been wanting to make a card using Norine's sketch like the one I did in the fall.

Here's the resulting card for today.


supplies: white, kraft, 2 greens, and silver glitter cardstock, dotted patterned papers from MFT and Sunny Studio Holiday Cheer, The Greetery Pine Bough Botanicuts and Fit to Be Tied dies, (retired) Birch Press Design Let It Snow die, several little snowflake dies, Tim Holtz Rock Candy distress glitter

After constructing my pine bough and 2 pinecones, I used a glue pen along parts of them and then sprinkled on clear glitter for some sparkle.  I also did the same for the sentiment and snowflakes before gluing everything down to the base.  I liked that the dotted papers also give the effect of falling snow.  I tried several colors for my bow, but ended up with this silver glittery one.

I think I'll try to use this sketch to make a seasonal set of cards - 2 down, spring and summer to go!

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Simon Says..........Christmas Critters

 

Happy Wednesday - welcome to our challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!



This week the team is featuring Mama Elephant products, and our theme is Christmas Critters!


supplies: white and Lipstick Red cardstock, Mama Elephant So Many Snowmen, Simon's Christmas Blessings die and Winter Scene stamped sentiment, Falling Snow stencil, tumbled glass distress ink, modeling paste

This was fun to make!  I simply stamped the group of snowmen onto my A2 panel, then colored in the details.  The panel was then trimmed and I masked off the top couple of rows so that I could color in my sky with a light blue ink.  While the mask was still attached I also stenciled the falling snow.  Then all that was left was to add my sentiment.

Now it's your turn!  We have a $25.00 gift certificate 


to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!  I can't wait to see what you all make this week!

Monday, December 14, 2020

Christmas Cardinal

 I recently took advantage of a great sale at Taylored Expressions and scooped up some fun items.  Today's card features the Layer It Cardinal die set, mixed with some older supplies from a mix of other companies.


supplies: white, green, black, Lipstick Red, Schoolhouse Red, and Orange Peel cardstock, Taylored Expressions Layer It Cardinal dies, Hero Arts (retired) My Monthly Hero September 2016 Card Kit wreath, Simon's Christmas Blessings die and Winter Scene (merry), Echo Park (retired) Snow Flurry embossing folder

I cut 3 wreaths to make it fuller, and then just layered everything over the snowflake background.  The cardinal is just 3 pieces, easy to layer, and I think the perfect size for a card!

Christmas is coming!  How are you doing with your cards?

Saturday, December 12, 2020

Woodland Christmas card

 Another Christmas card today, in the woodland style that I love for the holidays.  Growing up, we lived out in the country, and saw this kind of thing frequently.  My card uses some products that have been retired for years, plus one of Tim's Darling Deer.


supplies: white, kraft, and Schoolhouse Red cardstock, Salty Ocean and Pine Needles distress ink, Hero Arts Red Royal ink, Simon's Falling Snow stencil and modelling paste, (retired) Mark's Finest Papers All is Calm pine tree stamp, Impression Obsession Birch Tree dies (includes birds), (retired) The Craft's Meow sentiment from Christmas Lanterns, Tim Holtz Darling Deer die

I first inked a panel with salty ocean distress ink about 2/3 of the way down, then overstamped my pines.  Next I attached my stencil and added some falling snow.  When that was dry I ripped a panel of white cardstock and attached it to the bottom, then glued on the trees, deer, and birds, and finally stamped my sentiment.  

What's your favorite kind of Christmas card to make?

Friday, December 11, 2020

Christmas Plaid

 Another Christmas card today, in case you're needing some last-minute inspiration.


supplies: white, Surf Blue and Doll Pink cardstock, a retired MFT plaid, Simon Holiday Frames die, The Greetery With Love at Christmas stamps, teal enamel dots

I've used this Holiday Frames die earlier; this time I paired it with a pretty floral spray, which is a multi-step stamped set.  These colors are a nice change from the usual green and red.  

Thanks for visiting!

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Simon Says.......Let It Snow!


Happy Wednesday - welcome to our challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge!


 

Our theme this week is "Let it Snow!", and my teamies and I are showcasing Lawn Fawn goodies!  Here's the card I made.


supplies: white cardstock, silver glitter card, Doodlebug and an unknown buffalo check  patterned papers, Lawn Fawn Stitched Snowflake dies, Memory Box (retired) Let it Snow dies, glittery silver ribbon and silver sequins

I die-cut 2 snowflakes, from 3 different colored and white dps, and also a white ring using 2 circle dies.  The flakes were layered, topped with a silver sequin, and then arranged around the ring before popping it above my buffalo check background.  I added a silver bow and my sentiment cut from silver glitter card to finish.

Now it's your turn!  We have a $25.00 gift certificate 


to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!  I can't wait to see what you all make this week!

Simon's New LOVE YOU release!

Simon's newest release, LOVE YOU, is live!  What a beautiful array of products for Valentine's Day or for just letting someone know you care!

I received the new Love Greetings Mix, an all-sentiment set that has a lovely variety of fonts.  I made 2 cards for you today.  For this first one, I combined one of the stamps with some other of my personal favorite Simon stamps.


supplies: white cardstock, Simon's NEW Love Greetings Mix, Crackle Background, and Roses for You stamps, adhesive foam squares, Pinkalicious and Soft Granite inks

I had decided first that I wanted to feature this heart-shaped sentiment, so I stamped that in pink and then fussy-cut it, leaving a little border around it.  Then I pulled out my Roses for You set and used the individual leaves, flowers and berries to stamp a heart-shaped wreath.  That was colored with my Zig markers and also fussy-cut.  To finish, I stamped and trimmed a panel of Crackle Background, inking around the edges with the same grey ink.  Then I layered everything together, and popped up the sentiment.

I used another of the sentiments with a new die set from earlier this month and an older cling background, just a variation of my first card.


supplies: white and Green Leaf cardstock, patterned papers from Sunny Studio Rainbow Bright and Doodlebug Gingham pads, Simon's  Love Is cling background stamp, Detailed Rose dies, and sentiment from new Love Greetings Mix  

Here's the stamp set I'm featuring today.



To see the entire release, click HERE, and for ideas using the new goodies, I hope you'll visit our gallery HERE.  

  

Monday, December 7, 2020

Winter Songbirds

I love birds, so when I saw this new MFT Winter Songbirds stamp set, it went immediately onto my wishlist.  Finally came home to live with me a few weeks ago. - here's my first play.


supplies: white and kraft cardstock, Bristol paper, an old snowflake patterned paper, My Favorite Things Winter Songbirds and sentiment from (retired) Tweet Holidays, Denami Design music note woodblock stamp, (retired) Memory Box Grove Branch die

Watching the birds at our feeders in the winter brings us lots of smiles, so these little cuties all decked out for the winter in their sweaters and hats and scarves were fun to play with!  I just perched them along the branch, tore some paper for the snowy ground, and added this appropriate sentiment!

After I made my first card,  my friend Linda sent me some stamped die-cuts of a new wreath from MFT.  So I added this Winter Wreath to the mix for my next card.


supplies: white cardstock, My Favorite Things Winter Wreath and Winter Songbird stamps, The Craft's Meow (retired) sentiment from Happy as a Lark, tumbled glass distress ink, a circle die

I thought I'd try and make this into a window card, so I first cut a circle from my card front, then shaded blue inside the card and around the opening on the outside.  Then I added the die-cut wreath and one of the birds.  Linda also sent me some plain die-cuts of the wreath with no stamping, so I used one of them to "line" the wreath on the inside to make it look a little cleaner from that viewpoint.  I love how this turned out!  Thank you, Linda!

Sunday, December 6, 2020

Pine Cones and Snowflakes

Another Christmas card share today.......this one is a mix of lots of different supplies!


supplies: 2 krafts, Peacock Teal, and silver foil cardstock, patterned silver foil paper from a retired KaiserCraft Christmas pad, Tim Holtz pine branch and berry branch dies, The Greetery bow and Pine Cone dies, Spellbinders sentiment dies from Santa Parade, Christmas Red stickles

I've not used much silver for the holidays in the past, so I'm glad that this pretty patterned paper got me moving in that direction!  I got smart when I made this card and did a duplicate design using another similar background from the same pad.  And you can see that I can't seem to make a card lately without this gorgeous bow die from The Greetery - it's just so pretty! 

Thanks for stopping by - have a good day! 

Friday, December 4, 2020

Christmas Blessings

  I enjoyed making this one!


supplies: red glitter, green, and Peacock Teal cardstock, dp from SN@P Wood and Notebook Basics pad, Simon's Christmas Foliage and Christmas Blessings dies, bow die, Christmas Red stickles 

I used a small kraft circle as a base to attach my foliage arrangement, then popped it above the card base. The red glitter cardstock for my sentiment and bow, and stickles as berries make this so festive!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Simon Says.......Fun with Dies!



Happy Wednesday - welcome to our challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!




Our theme this week is Fun with Dies.  The team is playing with our own Simon Says Stamp products this week, and I have 2 cards for you.  

First up, here's a card that uses a brand new snowflake from the DieCember release.


supplies: white, glitter white, and Bristol cardstock, mermaid lagoonpeacock feathers, and lucky clover distress oxide inks, Simon Jewel Snowflake and Holiday Frames dies, Lots of Snowflakes embossed in white, silver sequins

I smooshed an oxide background, then overstamped various sizes of snowflakes.  The panel was attached to a white cardbase, and then I simply added the sentiment frame and a glittery snowflake.

Here's another card, using a mix of dies and stencils.


supplies: white and silver glitter cardstock, Simon's Christmas Gnome Home stencil and Joy die, bow die, pink and aqua inks, Petal Pink Liquid Pearls

This Gnome Home stencil was part of a card kit from 2019, and I hadn't used it yet.  But when I saw the little leaf sprig and dots in it, I decided to try to make a wreath from it.  I started by using a circle die to lightly draw in a circle on my white panel, then repeatedly moved the stencil around the circle.  Then I haphazardly filled in with the single dots.  After matting my panel with silver cardstock and adding the sentiment and bow, I went back in and added some liquid pearls here and there for a little more dimension. I love this modern Christmas color palette of aqua, pink, and silver!

Now it's your turn!  We have a $25.00 gift certificate 


to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!  I can't wait to see what you all make this week!