Monthly Archives: November 2012

all boxed up

Ready for the holidays? I’m far from it but I have been doing a little shopping and wrapping.

One thing I’ve been working on is a little holiday idea I started last year when my daughter was away for her first year at university. I miss her so much and we’re always counting down the days until we can all be together again.

Last year I came up with the idea of an advent-type countdown until she gets home. One present for each day of December for her to open to help get through the stress of exams. It was a big hit, as you can imagine, and I wasn’t going to do it again but…

As you can see, I caved.

Just couldn’t resist.

What’s inside? Well, lots of goodies, just like you’d put in a stocking. Things to help with the winter cold, school supplies and whatever else caught my eye.

And of course, a little chocolate.

I’m not going to say too much and spoil the surprise!

Here’s a peek at last year’s countdown box.

Along with the little note I crafted.

There’s not too much paper crafting going on in this project…just a few little alphabet stickers to label for which day the gifts are to be opened…but I thought it might inspire someone to do the same thing. There’s still time! 🙂  It’s a bit of work but I think I enjoy it as much as she does!

Thanks for stopping by!

color pop holidays

If you haven’t already started getting ready for the holidays…now’s the time to seriously rev things up. With just over four weeks left, the countdown has begun.

I don’t know about you but I’m really feeling a little behind this year. Yes, I do have quite a bit of shopping completed but absolutely no decorating or other prep done. And VERY few cards! I’m not sure what happened this year. Usually I have a ton made by now but it just hasn’t happened. It’s been a very busy fall…entire year for that matter. I think the key to staying sane through the holidays this year is just to take it one day at a time and not to try and do it all.

Perhaps what I need to get me in the Christmas mood is a little snow. It’s always so festive and what looks better with those holiday lights than a night white lawn and flurries in the air?!

If you like Christmas lights, I hope you’ll like this fun color pop holiday card. It reminds me of lights on a cold winter night. I’m in the CLASSroom sharing this card and fun technique. I hope you’ll join me for the tutorial here.

What do you do to get in the holiday spirit? I’d love to know!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Black Friday and a Winner

It’s Black Friday! Happy shopping to everyone brave enough to hit the stores. As someone not too fond of crowds, I’ll be staying home but there’s always some great shopping on-line as well! If you’re in need of some crafty treats, make sure you check out Ellen Hutson LLC and their anniversary/Black Friday sale going on this weekend. If you hurry, you’ll even get in on their early bird savings! Here’s the store link…. and all the sale details can be found here.

A few days ago I shared a giveaway for a new class from Julie Ebersole and friends called Christmas in a Flurry.

I’m excited to be back with a winner! random.org chose #7! What do you know? My favorite number! Congrats to Marg who wrote…

marge |this would be perfect…thanks much

I hope you enjoy the class! Please contact me (e-mail link in the top left sidebar under my photo) and we’ll get you all signed up to start on Monday!

Have a wonderful weekend!

the absence of color

Color is fabulous.

Can you imagine a world without color? I can’t even begin to!

But what about a card without color?

Take a look…

I don’t know about you but I’m thinking a card without color is not too bad of a thing. In fact, white on white cards are one of my favorites to make.

By taking one of the design elements away (color), and a strong design element at that, you really get to play up some of the other elements of design. Like texture and balance. Mmmmm….texture! I think that’s my favorite thing to create with.

Quick Tip: When creating an all white card, think of different ways to make the design interesting. Will it be texture? Design? Line?

White on white cards are great for a variety of occasions. With winter fast approaching, white on white is perfect for the holidays, and year-round…how about for a new baby, a wedding or just a pretty feminine design?

So take it away and have fun with the absence of color!

Enjoy your day!

Supplies:

CHRISTMAS IN A FLURRY!

Just in the nick of time for the holiday “procrasti-crafter”: Quick and easy cards, wraps and tag for the holidays, including favorite tips, tools & supplies for easy mass production so you can still enjoy a handmade holiday even at the last minute! There are even a few darling low-cost gift ideas you can quickly create with your paper crafting tools tucked into this class!

Join instructor Julie Ebersole and special guest designers, including me, for this 5-day class of holiday fun! The Christmas In a Flurry Online Class includes shopping discounts, prizes and video instruction with supporting downloadable PDFs. During this interactive course you will be able to ask questions and receive answers in a private forum, as well as upload and share your projects inspired by the class. Lifetime access ensures that you will be able to enjoy all course content at your own pace, and on your own schedule!

Class Dates: November 26-30, 2012 (Monday through Friday)

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do5eztIDCGY&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

Would you love to attend this online class? I’m excited to have one seat to give away! For a chance to win, just leave a comment on this blog post by 11 pm EST Wednesday November 21st! I’ll choose a randomly generated winner to join in the fun. One comment per person please! I’ll announce the winner on Thursday November 22nd so good luck!

Have a fabulous day!

Flutter

It’s feeling a little chilly these days. I’m thinking flurries are much more likely that butterflies so here’s a warmer weather card to cheer you up.

I thought I’d share one of my last cards from the past summer CHA show as it’s been a little busy around here. Again. It was really great to get away this past weekend and get out of town to visit my daughter. It was a bit of a whirlwind trip but we all had a wonderful time, took lots of photos and made some memories.

This is one of those super thick and embellishment laden cards that I love so much. You might not want to mail it or if you do put it in a padded envelope before doing so.

Quick Tip: When adhering lots of layers of embellishments, I like to use a hot glue gun to make sure everything stays in place.

Supplies:

Have a beautiful day!

splat … a simply saturday design

It’s been a few months since I first played around with Distress Stains and created some fun splatters with them. I thought it might be fun to get them out again and do some random “splats” for a very quick, fun and freestyle background.

I’ve had a lot of questions about the splats so I thought I’d just list a few points to help you achieve a nice and juicy splatter.

  1. you’re going to need lots of distress stain in your dabber so make sure you’re not running on empty. these last forever it seems so unless you use them all the time, you should be good
  2. pull out some scrap paper, you’ll want to practice and also make sure the sponge at the top is well loaded.
  3. to get lots of stain in the top of the sponge, press the dabber top down onto the scrap paper. every time the dabber top mechanism is depressed, it releases more fluid. if your sponge top isn’t saturated, keep depressing.
  4. to get a good splat, I hold the dabber upside down at about 6 inches above my paper. quickly bang the dabber down on the surface to create your splat
  5. if you’re not getting a good splatter, the sponge is probably too dry…see point 3
  6. remember that this is a very random technique…no two splats will be the same

Supplies:

Hope your Saturday is simply fabulous!