Belle Papier {pretty paper}

I think this year, I am totally addicted to making Christmas cards! So festive and I just love Christmas. No…no decorations here yet and no…no tree but I’m still getting in the mood with all these Christmas stamps and a little holiday music. It is actually warmer this week here and actually raining but last week when I was creating this design…I was dreaming of all the snow outside and getting the skates out for winter. So much fun! I’m hoping to schedule some skating time in with my family over the next few months. After all….what’s the point of winter in Canada if you can’t enjoy it a little?!

A Merry Little Christmas

This stamp is the Thomas Kinkade Skater’s Pond image from Cornish Heritage Farms. Very quick to stamp by inking it all in Blue Bayou ink and stamping onto Whisper White cardstock. The image edges were sponged with the same ink and then matted with Bravo Burgundy and Whisper White layers. My sentiment was stamped right on top of the image and embossed with Claret embossing powder for a warm look.

To add a little extra to my simple stamping, I punched some photo corners out of Bravo Burgundy and added these great Making Memories Crystal Brads to the points. For my spine…I actually used the technique challenge from two weeks ago on SCS. I’ve been wanting to try my hand at this Japanese binding technique ever since I saw it on a notebook that I was sent from a very sweet person in Japan. If you’d like to do this challenge…you still can and here is the link to the instructions… TLC142 Before using my technique..I first wrapped the spine in this Creamy Caramel cardstock to add a little book-bound look. The gorgeous burgundy ribbon is from May Arts…I’m sure you’ve seen it popping up on lots of designs because I think it is fabulous for the holidays.

As for my computer update…my computer is now working in fits and starts! At least I can get it started most of the time. I’m hoping to get caught up on all my e-mails over the next couple days. Have a great week!

I’d love to share a {C’est Bon} entry with you today but the sad truth is…all the pics are on my own computer which is down. Rather than start again, I’m just going to wait until I can actually access it. We have a friend coming to look at it tomorrow for me…until then, I’m trying with limited success to claim my teenagers new laptop. After all the years I’ve allowed him to use my computer…you’d think he’d be more than happy to hand over his brand-new laptop…don’t you think?

So……I just HAD to pop in and say hello and also give you a link to take a peek at. I know you couldn’t live for a day without me and I know you just don’t want to miss this blog link. In fact, if you have any taste at all, I’m sure you already read Joan daily as your second blog of the day. Right after mine of course. That would definitely be your first choice.  And so, you must totally read Joan’s Dear Paperlicious Holiday Countdown complete with (and I quote) …

Get ready to take notes chickees, as Dear Paperlicious has a series of columns coming up designed to help you cope with the holidays.  My goal is to stick to the true meaning of Christmas and help you beat out your fellow humans learn clever and fun ways to enhance the holiday experience for you and your loved ones. and win, win, win!  These columns are packed with tips on organization, decorations, cooking, crafts, parenting, training your spouse, legal advice, teachers gifts, dealing with relatives, etc. 

When you are done following Dear Paperlicious’ advice, you will have the best Christmas ever and all your friends and relatives and neighbors will be so jealous happy to know you!

Have fun! Have a great day and a great Holiday Countdown. Hope you take this post as it was meant to be…a fun take on Joan’s inimitable style. I know…I didn’t pull it off did I? So….better go see Joan…she’s the real McCoy.

Thanksgiving weekend is a great time to get started on those Christmas designs if haven’t already done so! If you are short on crafting time, like many this holiday season, a great way to put together a pile of cards quickly is in a clean, simple style (this is Simply Saturday after all ) using coordinating papers and embellishments.

Today I have a couple quick cards to share with you in a very simple, scrappy style. Yes it is OK to switch up your styles once in a while. I always find I learn something new by looking at things in a different way. Only one of these cards has any ink…and it is a small amount at that but I had a lot of fun putting these designs together.

Christmas Joy

This quick simple design uses some textured cardstock and some fun glitter stickers to create a layered scrappy style card design. So quick and easy to put together with some coordinating papers and stickers…you could make a large variety of different designs for a quick set.

Supply List:

Cardstock: Bazzil Basics

Patterned Paper: Making Memories

Ink: White Craft - Stampin Up

Other: Glitter Stickers - making Memories, white eyelet, Crop-a-dile - We R Memory Keepers, Ribbon - Michael’s, snowflake rhinestone stickers - Me and My Big Ideas

I just love this patterned paper for this card design. This card actually was designed to coordinate with my Making a List covered notebook that was published in the Paper Crafts Holiday Cards and More issue. This is a super quick card to put together. The May Arts super thick Olive Ric Rak was one of my favorite additions. I set red Making Memories snaps in it to look like berries. The Basic Grey rub-on transfer is actually my favorite part of this design. I just love how it fits perfectly onto one of the ornaments…different products, different companies but it is almost as if they were made to go together. If you can’t see it in the pic…just click on it for a larger image. It says…Please Santa…I can explain.

Have a great weekend getting ready for the holidays. Hope you take time to enjoy some simple things and perhaps even put together some fun and simple designs.

I’m having MORE computer problems this morning. Today I’m grateful I had half of this already written, and that my son just bought a laptop this week! Unfortunately all my files and photos aren’t accessable on the other computer. Soooo….if I don’t appear much for the next few days….that is where I am. Stuck with more computer problems. LOL I’m really having a love/hate relationship with these babies!

I decided I was going to find some time to stamp today, even if it was just a few minutes. The Limited Supply Challenge sounded like fun. I love snowflakes…I guess the part I do have the trouble with is limiting my supplies. You know how I love my goodies! This challenge has you using snowflakes, a sentiment, neutral colors, limited layers, one embellishment, one tool…yikes! But I did it! Yes it is simple but there are time when I really like simple. What do you think?

Vanilla Peace

For this design, I used my Simply Singles Lizzie Anne Designs Snowflake stamp and stamped the image panel with Sahara Sand. I then overstamped the panel with Versamark ink and embossed with Irridescent Ice embossing powder to add some sparkle. I’m hoping that the embossing powder doesn’t count as an embellishment or I’ve totally bombed the challenge! LOL

To limit my layers, I decided to punch down for the sentiment instead of layer up. After punching out an oval for my sentiment, I adhered my vanilla panel adn then stamped the Peace sentiemnt from the LAD Glad Tidings set in the space…a perfect fit. Yay…something was going right for me today! The tool I chose (could only pick one!) was a no brainer…my sewing machine. I did a little free-style stitching around the edges and then crumpled up the edges with my fingers. See no tool .

For my embellishment…you could only use one type. I bought these darling little My Mind’s Eye buttons at my local scrapbook store last week and the colors are perfect. The little subtle shot of color that Jen requested…Jen…are you reading this? You can be quite demanding you know that?! LOL

And so…there it is. Honestly…I don’t think the photo does it justice but it will have to do! Have a great weekend and have fun with that holiday shopping!

I thought I’d share a little stamp room update for you. I’m sure you are all not as excited as I but…please forgive me…I just had to share! Since the last time when all you saw was a hole in the ground, I now have a gravel floor, concrete block walls, a window, it is actually framed over top with the floor joists of my new back entrance and the insulation and siding is on the new addition so we are 90% closed in. My hubby has been working day and night to get it moving along. Winter has arrived in Ontario so there is a bit of a push. Because we have a boiler/hot water heating system, I’m getting in-floor heating so it should be nice and toasty on my tootsies and won’t feel so much like a basement. Below is a pic I took yesterday afternoon. Stamping Room to the left, bedroom to the right. And my beautiful dog peeking in through the window opening. I know it doesn’t look like much yet but it has come a long way, baby! The floor is getting ready to be poured today. Can’t wait!

Thanks for putting up with me! I’m being thankful today too…with how far it has come along. That is the trick to big projects…celebrate each accomplishment along the way!