Looking Back at My Favorites from 2023!

 Every year I do a little round-up of my favorite cards from the past year - it's a good way to look back and remember. 

If you'd like details on any of these, just click on it, and you'll be taken back to its original post.  They are in chronological order, beginning last January.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Wishing you a creative 2024!

Winter Wishes

This Snowy Birdhouse was one of my favorites last year, but I was amazed that I only used it twice!  We need to fix that, so here is a card that mixes that 3D embossing folder with a bird from another. Friendly Birds.  

supplies: white and Schoolhouse Red cardstock, Simon Says Stamp Snowy Birdhouse and Friendly Birds 3D embossing folders and matching dies, markers to color details, tumbled glass distress ink for background, various small snowflake dies, sentiment from Tim Holtz Idea-ology Christmas 2023 sticker book, white gelly-roll pen for falling snow

I attempted to make a little chickadee visiting my birdhouse, as they are frequent visitors at our feeders in the winter - such perky little creatures!

Tim's Winter Wishes sticker was a happy accident as my sentiment, but doesn't it fit perfectly?!

Woodblock Wednesday December

 Here's my entry for this month's Woodblock Wednesday post!

supplies: white cardstock, red dotted dp, Hero Arts H5244 Winter Tree from 2009, LP103 Holiday Birds, sentiment from Mark's Finest Papers (retired) All is Calm clear set, various enamel dots

  

HERE is a link to a post way back in 2009 when I also used these stamps together, along with an adorable baby fawn from Hero Arts, also a woodblock.

I hope to see one of your cards using woodblocks, too!

Merry Christmas!

Here's my last Christmas card of the year - wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

supplies: cream, ivory, various greens, and reds, matte gold metallic cardstock, Spellbinders Holiday Blooms, Mix and Match Holiday Greetings, and Hemstitch Rectangle dies

 

Willow Snowflake

 Here are 2 cards that features the Willow Snowflake die from Simon's Season of Wonder release back in October.  I love snowflakes, and don't have many this large, so I scooped this one up!

supplies: white cardstock, silver glitter cardstock, vellum, various Christmas print dps in pink and green, Simon Willow Snowflake dies, pink heart gem

I used a sketch that my friend Mary Anne shared with me recently - it's a great way to use up leftover scraps!

Here's card #2.

supplies: Surf Blue and aqua glitter card, Willow Snowflake die, Snowflake Visions embossing folder, sentiment from Warmest Wishes clear set, white pigment and High Dive inks

This die is very delicate!  It comes with a matching shadow die that you see on my first card in vellum, but for this card I wanted only the snowflake by itself.  Adding the small circle sentiment in the center gave me a place to put an adhesive foam square so that I could lift it above my card base.  

Wish I could capture the extreme sparkle the glitter card adds.

Hope your week goes well - thanks for stopping by today!

Christmas Greens

I wanted to give some love to some older products, and here is the card that resulted.  

supplies: white, Lipstick Red and Schoolhouse Red cardstock, The Greetery Winter Budding Beauties layering stamp set and matching dies, Fit to be Tied bow dies, Spellbinders Holly Flourish embossing folder, sentiment from (retired) Concord&9th/Simon colab Festive Flower, Pink Fresh Studio Folk Edge Rectangle die

I believe this is the first time I've used these bow dies!  I popped it and the pine berry sprig up above the rest of the card.  

Are you ready for Christmas?   

3D Embossing for Christmas

I don't think I'd find many people who would disagree that Spellbinders 3D embossing folders are some of the best!  I've always been drawn to embossing, but the 3D really takes the folders over the top!  Today I have 3 simple Christmas cards that rely heavily on embossing.

supplies: Simon Schoolhouse Red, white,  and Matte Silver metallic cardstock, Spellbinders Adorning the Tree 3D folder, Brilliance Platinum Planet pigment ink, sentiment from (retired) Elegant Holiday Glimmer Sentiments foiling plate, Red glimmer foil

I've embossed this on greens before, but I wanted to do something else this time, and I'm so pleased with these results!  After embossing, I gently rubbed an old platinum pigment ink pad across the surface - it comes out silver and glimmery!  So then all I had to do was add a red-foiled sentiment and mat it in silver.

Next up, I tried inking direct to the folder before embossing.

supplies: Mint and Schoolhouse Red cardstock, Spellbinders 3D Holly and Foliage embossing folder, Rustic Wilderness oxide ink, Merry Little Christmas sentiments, Red glimmer foil, Sticko red glitter heart stickers 

I was pleasantly surprised at these result when I inked direct to the inside of the folder (in Spellbinders' case, the side behind the Spellbinders logo).  I did so 2 or 3 times until I had a nice contrast with my cardstock.  The sentiment is a reverse foiling, using a solid foiling plate and some "used" red foil.  Because that was red, I matted my panel in red, and added glitter hearts anywhere there were berries in the design.

The thing I really like about this particular folder is the delicate skeleton outline of a few of the leaves, in contrast to the rest of the design!  So I did the whole thing over again, except this time I inked the folder with white pigment ink.

supplies: white and Mint cardstock, 3D Holly and Foliage embossing folder, white pigment ink and white embossing powder, Merry Little Christmas Sentiments foiling plate, Matte Gold glimmer foil

My white ink didn't give me enough contrast against the mint cardstock, so after about the 3rd time inking the folder, I pulled out some white detail embossing powder and sprinkled it over just as I took the panel out of the folder, then heated it - much better!  I loved the softness of this result, so I just added a gold-glimmered sentiment and called it done.

I hope that you'll give any of the 3D folders a try if you haven't already - I love the tactile nature they add to our cards!

A set of Glimmered Christmas Cards

Today I have some cards made using some favorite Spellbinders Christmas products: the Holly Background Glimmer plate and its matching stencils, part of Yana's De-Light-ful Christmas Collection, released back in July.

I love the effect that the foiling gives to the card when it's tilted just a bit, like an extra surprise!  I originally did it in traditional Christmas colors with a green glimmer foil, (lower right in picture below), but recently I made 3 more cards using 3 different foil colors: blue, gold, and silver.  Here are all 4 of my cards.  

Here are my 3 newest designs using this combo.

supplies: white cardstock, Holly Background glimmer plate and matching stencils, gold glimmer foil, pink and green inks (Rose Quartz, Fuschia, Lime, Green Field), (retired) Elegant Holiday Glimmer Sentiment, adhesive foam squares

supplies: white and royal blue cardstock, Holly Background glimmer plate and matching stencils, Cobalt Blue glimmer foil, Lapis Lazuli and Sea Side ink cubes, Hero Arts (retired) woodblock Beauty of the Season sentiment, embossed in white

supplies: white and pink cardstock, Holly Background Glimmer plate and matching stencils, Silver glimmer foil, Cotton Candy, Aqualicious, Volcano Lake, and Ocean Waves ink cubes, Joyful Christmas glimmer plate

I heartily recommend this particular glimmer plate - having used it several times now, I can attest that it foils like a dream every single time!

Merry Christmas Stencils

 One of my favorite products this year from Spellbinders was this layering stencil/die set called Merry Christmas Foliage.  The first time I used it, I did it in pinks and teals, but today, I'm using traditional Christmas colors.

supplies: white and bright green cardstock, Merry Christmas Foliage set, Altenew Just Green, Hunter Green, Crimson, Ruby Red, and Ocean Waves mini ink cubes, distress inks in evergreen bough and pine needles, Lawn Fawn Fancy Scallop Rectangle die

I am SO pleased to hear that Spellbinders is adding a Stencil club to it's monthly Club Kits!  I look forward to what they have in store for us in the New Year!

From Our House to Yours

 Here's another "little house" card, as I think of them.

supplies: white, kraft, pale blue, black, lipstick red, green, and audrey blue cardstock, white glitter cardstock, Concord & 9th Home for the Holidays houses, pines, lampposts, wreaths, and hills, leafless trees from Tim Holtz Countryside cover die, Wild Rose Studio (retired) Snowman Family sentiment, a retired snowflake embossing folder

I chose this set of dies because it enables you to piece the houses, and also because of that TEENSY wreath and bow!  Since I was adding snow to the houses and trees, I did those parts in glitter cardstock so that they would stand out a bit from the white background.

What IS it about miniature things?  I guess I'm not the only one drawn to these little homes, as I see new sets being released pretty often now!

Thank you for visiting today - I hope you have a lovely day.

Christmas Window

 I fell in love with Kath's card HERE that she shared earlier this year, and decided to try and CASE it, using my own supplies.  Here's the result.

supplies: kraft, black, reds, and green cardstock, vellum, Craft Consortium Wood Textures woodplank dp, Idea-ology Window Frames Baseboard, Snowfall distress grit paste, Clear Rock Candy distress glitter, Mini Holiday Greens, Taylored Expressions Cardinal dies, (retired) Memory Box branch die, Joyful Christmas Sentiments foiling plate (reverse) and red foil

I'm sorry that my snow on the window looks more like soapsuds here, but irl it is sparkly and quite realistic!  This was a bit fiddly to put together, since the greens are so diminutive, but I stuck with it, and am happy with my results.  Thank you, Kath, for your endless inspiration!

Blog Hop - My Favorite Spellbinders 2023 Club Product!

 Welcome to my stop on the Spellbinders Blog Hop featuring our favorite 2023 Club Products!

To celebrate, we are giving away a $25.00 gift certificate to 3 lucky blog readers, selected from the comments on the Spellbinders Blog!  The Giveaway closes on Sunday, Dec. 10 at 11:59 PM MST.  Winners will be announced on the Spellbinders Blog Hop post the following Wednesday, Dec. 12.  Winners are responsible for shipping costs, duties, and taxes.

You should have arrived here from Michelle Woerner's blog, and your NEXT STOP will be Alanna Moses' blog.

If you know me at all, you'll know that I'm a flower girl, and so I've chosen the January 2023 Large Dies of the Month as my favorite club kit from this year.  They are named Club Blooms, and I've chosen this set because of the lovely variety of elements Spellbinders has provided us in this set.  The single flowers are lovely and can be used singly or layered, and there is a wonderful variety of leaves, but I really enjoyed having the berry sprig and the mini-flower sprig to work with!  

For my new card today, I used a dark background embossed in a favorite 3D folder, and a favorite color scheme of blue and yellow.

supplies: Soft Navy, Cornflower Blue, light blue, Green Apple, and 2 yellow cardstock, Club Blooms dies, sentiment from Snowflake Wishes Stamp/Die set, Flower Frenzy 3D embossing folder

I'm also sharing 2 cards using this set that I've previously blogged back in January when this set was released.

supplies: white cardstock, Club Blooms, Spring Bouquet and Chamomile mini ink cubes, finger daubers, January Embossing Folder of the Month: Stylized Trellis, sentiment from Sentimental Greetings clear stamps

supplies: cream, yellow, pinks and greens cardstock, Spellbinders Club Blooms, Embossing Folder of the Month: Stylized Trellis, and sentiment from Log Cabin and Flower Mini Quilts

The complete list for the Hop can be found HERE at the Spellbinders Blog.  Thanks for visiting me today, and enjoy the Hop!

Spellbinders Club Kits for December: Stitching, Large, Small, and Glimmer dies

 The Club Kits from Spellbinders for December are now available.  Here are more cards from this month's clubs.

The Stitching dies are called Stitched Love.  This month I did not do any stitching, just used the dies as they are.

supplies: white, pink, and green cardstock, scallop cover die, large word and rosebud dies from Stitched Love kit, pink and cream enamel dots

That large scallop die will come in handy for all kinds of projects going forward, and I like the effect that the word die gives when the stitching dots are punched out but not stitched.

Next is the Large Dies of the Month, Cheers to Us.  This kit makes a 5 X 7" card.

supplies: cream, white, pinks, green, and metallic pink cardstock, vellum, Cheers to Us dies, Tiled Hearts embossing folder of the month

I'm envisioning pink champagne in this bottle!  I cut an extra set of glasses from vellum and overlaid them over those cut from white after piecing in the pink champagne.  The vellum softened everything nicely.

Here are the Dies of the Month, Stealing a Kiss!  I have 2 cards using them.

supplies: white, red, and black cardstock, Stealing a Kiss dies of the Month, sentiment from Big Love stamp and die of the month, heart embossing folder

supplies: pink and white cardstock, Stealing a Kiss dies of the Month, Tiled Hearts embossing folder of the month

I glued the long word or heart strips onto a white panel, then ran the whole thing through the Tiled Hearts folder, and added 2 hearts to finish.  

And finally, here is the Glimmer Kit, My Heart Smiles.  Mine came with Aura Glimmer foil, so that's what I used.

supplies: purple/pink Color Blend cardstock, gold metallic cardstock, hot pink cardstock, My Heart Smiles Glimmer Kit, Aura glimmer foil, glimmer hot foil system, tiny heart dies

And another foiled in red, and colored in with alcohol markers.

supplies: kraft and red cardstock, My Heart Smiles glimmer kit (includes this Galentine sentiment), Red glimmer foil, enamel hearts

You can look HERE for information on Spellbinders Clubs.  Each is available only from the 6th until the 27th of each month.  If you click on my links under each card, you can see the specifics of each product.  You can subscribe to each of our 10 kits separately, and you can "unjoin" a subscription at any time without any penalty, or you can get them all and save 60% by choosing the Deluxe Caboodle!  

Spellbinders Club Kits for December: Stencils, Clear Stamps/Dies, 3D and Regular Embossing Folders

The Spellbinders Club Kits for December are now available!  This month we have a Valentine's Day/Heart theme!  

I'm excited to share with you that Spellbinders is adding another club, beginning this month and going forward: the Stencil club of the month!!  Of course, that's what I worked on first.  This month it's a set of 4 layering stencils, called My Love Grows.

supplies: white and Doll Pink cardstock, My Love Grows stencil set, kitsch flamingo, picked raspberry, twisted citron, and mowed lawn distress inks, blending brushes, sentiment from this month's Clear Stamp and Die sets: Big Love, embossed in white, adhesive foam squares

After doing all my stencilling and trimming out the panel with a scallop rectangle die, I overlaid the stencil that has all the leafy details on it, and ran it through my die-cutting machine with an embossing mat and folder.  I like the extra little dimension this gives!

Another new idea that Spellbinders is doing this month is giving us TWO designs in 1 3D embossing folder! They've named it  Two Hearts as One.  And both designs are gorgeous!  Here's the first:

supplies: white cardstock, December 3D embossing folder: Two Hearts as One, design 1, alcohol markers to color, sentiment from the Clear Stamp of the Month: Big Love

I am not the world's best colorist, but I just had to give this one a try.  After coloring in all the flowers and leaves, I thought I needed to also color the background so that the big heart showed up better.  I used another of the stamped sentiments from the Stamps of the Month set.

Here's the 2nd design in this month's 3D folder - it is such a delicate design, that I made 2 cards with it.

supplies: pale pink and black cardstock, December 3D embossing folder Two Hearts as One, white pigment ink, sentiment from Clear Stamp and die of the Month, Big Love

Here's another card using a brighter pink, and a foiled sentiment.

supplies: white and bright pink cardstock, 3D embossing folder, Two Hearts as One, white pigment ink, sentiment from Glimmer of the Month set My Heart Smiles, Bright Pink glimmer foil

My last card today features the regular Embossing Folder of the Month, and a better look at the Clear Stamps and Dies: Big Love.

supplies: white and Audrey Blue cardstock, Clear Stamp/Die of the Month: Big Love, Candied Apple and Broken China oxide inks, Embossing Folder of the Month, Tiled Hearts

As you can see, we have a really nice variety of goodies for your Valentine cards this month, but I'm not done yet!  I'll be back again tomorrow with more of the kits.

You can look HERE for information on Spellbinders Clubs.  Each is available only from the 6th until the 27th of each month.  If you click on my links under each card, you can see the specifics of each product.  You can subscribe to the kits separately, (and you can "unjoin" a subscription at any time without any penalty), or you can join our Deluxe Caboodle and save 60%!