WHAT MATTERS IS HOW WE LIVE AND LOVE . . . AND THIS IS THE FACE OF LOVE

For the past several days, I have been spending time with my family, celebrating the life of the sweetest woman I've ever known . . . my grandmother.  She passed peacefully in her sleep on Friday, December 26th.  It's just like her to put her family first by waiting until after Christmas to take her journey.  See that smile?  That's how her face would light up when one of her grandchildren would walk into the room--regardless of how she might be feeling.  Mamaw loved, and she was love--a gentle angel on earth.  She was the sweetest, kindest, extremely talented, and most gentle person EVER.  I will never forget the way she would examine something (anything) that I had made.  She would hold it carefully--as if it was a priceless treasure--and rub her hand lightly over it, zooming in for closer inspection.  Of course, a compliment would follow the inspection, and she would hand the treasure back to me--very carefully.  She was a treasure!  When my son was younger, he shared an observation with me when he said that "mamaw never gets mad or yells at us (the children)", and he was absolutely right.  Although our family will miss her greatly, I can't help but be happy for her.  I figure her "meet and greet" session began on Friday, and I can only imagine that she's still beyond happy, glowing, and asking, "Why did it have to take so long to get here?"

In closing, an excerpt from Linda Ellis' poem, "The Dash" because mamaw made the most of hers, and ours is much richer for having the opportunity to know and love her:

For that dash represents all the time
that they spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved them
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,
the cars…the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.

 12/03/19 - 12/26/14

FLORAL PURSE CARD SET - BONUS PROJECT AT CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL

This beautiful purse has a set of six cards with envelopes inside. There are two card designs, and they are both made with the Beautiful Bunch stamp set, Moonlight Designer Series Paper Stack, and Fun Frames Textured Impressions Embossing Folders to coordinate with the purse. The purse is made with Coaster Board, and there are two pockets inside to hold three of each card design and envelopes. This would make a wonderful gift and a great card class.

How pretty is this?  I love the details on this purse, which was designed by the talented Christy Fulk.  This purse and card set is the December Bonus project at Craft Project Central.  Qualifying for the bonus tutorial is easy . . . just subscribe to two or more months in a row, put the Craft Project Central badge on your blog, or refer a friend to the site.  When your friend subscribes, just let us know!

 

ELEGANT GREETING CARD SET

Nothing makes a better present than a set of handmade greeting cards. Make this elegant card set, showcasing four different layouts, using the same stamp sets and colors. Learn how to make your own striped paper using a stencil. The cards come in an envelope-style box with its own decorative band. Great for a stamp camp, or as a class project.

Besides the fact that you'll enjoy creating this project, anyone who receives it will fall in love with the color combo.  Monika Davis, who designed this project, always does a superb job of combining colors and creating soft, feminine designs.  Her tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central, and it is not too late to get your subscription started. 

FROM MY HOUSE TO YOURS AT CHRISTMASTIME

On this Christmas Eve, I thought it would be nice to share some other cards that I've made for the holiday.  First up is one of my favorites featuring Stampin' Up!'s White Christmas and Holiday Home stamp sets.

My second card features Festival of Trees and White Christmas and just enough sparkle and glimmer.  I loved the trendy design of this one.

Lastly, one of my Gentle Peace cards, which features the Stampin' Blendabilities Markers.  The image takes quite a while to color, but the end result is worth the effort.

My wish for you . . . a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a blessed 2015!

SPIRAL FLOWERS & POLKA DOTS

This project uses an embroidery hoop to make a fun and easy work of art for your home. The coordinating card has a matching envelope with a unique twist on your “average” envelope. This trendy piece of art will put a smile on anybody’s face. It is so easy to make that you will want to make two so you can keep one for yourself!

The color of those spiral flowers is so striking, isn't it?  This lovely project was designed by Boni Montano, and her tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

This is truly one of the easiest Christmas gifts I've ever made.  Actually, the gift was money, and this order of french fries was just a fun way to package the bills.  I didn't expect my nephew to go ga-ga over the neat packaging, but I also didn't expect him to totally dig the bills out of the fries and leave the packaging at my house.  Ha!  I guess I can fill it up and give it to him again next year, and that will be an even easier and quicker gift to assemble!  To create this project, I used Stampin' Up!'s Fry Box die to cut the Real Red card stock and the strip of Basic Black card stock, and the sentiments are from the Good Greetings stamp set.  I used a retired die to cut the snowflake from silver glittery thin foam, and the french fries were made from Very Vanilla card stock.  For each fry, I began with a 2-1/2" x 3-3/4" piece of card stock, scored it at every 1/2", crimped it, folded it into shape, and placed adhesive on one of the 1/2" flaps to finish it.  The top and bottom of the fries is open, and rolled dollar bills slip easily inside.  I love french fries, and I would love them even more if they were filled with $$$.

ORNAMENT TREE

What if you had a tree base that you could decorate year-round?  This project features a unique and beautiful handmade sculpted tree.  In this tutorial you will learn how to create an armature using upcycled cardboard.  You will also learn how to color your Simply Pressed Clay to create realistic color for your tree. The tutorial also includes instructions for four different types of mini ornaments you can use to decorate your tree.  You might even choose to make customized ornaments for holidays throughout the year and change the look of your tree with the changing seasons.  Of course, there are also instructions for a coordinating gift card so that you can gift these trees to friends and family for the holiday season.   You might even choose to spend an afternoon or evening making ornaments with them! 

Isn't this a gorgeous project?!?!  The complete tutorial, which was created by Michelle Wecksler, can be found at Craft Project Central.  Have you started your subscription yet?

 

LOTUS BLOSSOM

One of Stampin' Up!'s products for the upcoming Sale-a-Bration promotion is the gorgeous Lotus Blossom stamp set.  It's a 3-step stamping stamp set that is so very easy to use and makes you say WOW!  For my card, I chose Smoky Slate, Blackberry Bliss, and Whisper White card stock.

It's just lovely, isn't it?  My finishing touches were a few sequins and silver twine for just the right amount of sparkle.

"TOTE"ALLY TERRIFIC GOLDEN CARD TRIO GIFT SET

Who doesn't love a fashionable tote?  Just in time for the new year, this project features an elegant tote and three sophisticated cards, all featuring gold accents & embellishments.  Think Watercolor Wonder Washi Tape, Gold Foil sheets, Gold Glimmer papers, Gold Brushed cardstock, Gold Fancy Foil Designer Vellum, gold heat embossing, Gold Glitter, and Baked Brown Sugar Classic Stampin' Ink Pad for a faux gold look.  This tutorial will show you step-by-step how to coordinate all these wonderful products together for an amazing, perfectly finished look.  This project is easy to assemble but looks like you spent hours on it.  It's a perfect New Year's gift for that stylish and chic friend on your list!

The tutorial for this project, which was designed by Carol Lovenstein, can be found at Craft Project Central.

NATIVITY SHADOWBOX CARD

I like to send extra special cards to my aunt Betty, and I wracked my brain for weeks trying to think of what kind of Christmas card I would make for her this year.  And then the Silhouette Online Store had a 50% off sale on all SVG designs, which is where I found this one by Lori Whitlock.  It looked easy enough, and I barely added anything to it.  The design really didn't need anything--for Christmas, doesn't a nativity scene suffice?  My apologies for the bad photo, but there was something special about the way the light was shining down from the top of the card.

I actually made two of these cards and sent one to aunt Betty and one to my parents.  Can you tell that the card is a shadowbox design, and can you guess that it folds flat for mailing?  Awesome!  What you definitely can't see is that the card has a depth of approximately 1" from front to back.  It was a bit tricky for me to initially figure out how to put the card together.  I knew how the three layers were supposed to fit, but I wasn't sure how much space to leave between each layer or whether it mattered when and how to adhere the front and back panels.  In the end, I thought I might have "overthunk" it.  It's a stunning design, isn't it?  I've been a fan of Lori Whitlock's designs for a while now, and this one doesn't disappoint!  My three additions are the rhinestone jewel in the center of the star, the navy organza ribbon, and the stamped sentiment from Stampin' Up!'s Gentle Peace stamp set.  When I first received that stamp set, I thought that I must have been out of my mind to buy it, but I have come to really enjoy and respect it.  It had the perfect, most appropriate sentiment for this card.  Soon, I will share a photo of the main image from that stamp set that I took the time to color.  In the meantime, you can get a glimpse HERE.

MONOGRAMMED NOTE CARD GIFT SET

This festive set of note cards makes a wonderful gift for teachers, college students, and anyone else who might enjoy sending a personalized note. The handsome display case holds six single-sided note cards plus six folded note cards, for a total of twelve cards in three different designs. Wrapped in cellophane and finished with a tag, the completed project is ready for gift giving. This monogrammed gift pack is great for a stamp camp, a class, or making a gift for a friend.

If you would like to see the complete project, which was designed by Yapha Mason, and learn how to make this pretty gift set, you'll want to subscribe for the month of December. With your subscription, you'll get illustrated, step-by-step instructions for 10 wonderful projects for only $10! 

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

Today's MISM project features some really fun Stampin' Up! products that will be available in January.  That beautiful bunch of tulips wrapped in newspaper . . . don't you just love it???  That stamp, Love is Kindness, was the first item added to my pre-order, which I expedited and received early last week.  It's a total indulgence to expedite an order (perhaps a slight waste of money), but I knew that I'd be out of town during the latter part of the week and wanted to be able to have the products early enough to touch and use them.  ;-)  After tearing open the box, the first stamp set that I worked with had to be the tulips.  I colored the stamped image with Stampin' Blendabilities Markers, embossed it with a script embossing folder, lightly sponged the card stock with Soft Suede ink, applied Crystal Effects to the tulips, and then set it aside to dry.  I enjoyed working with other new products and then went out of town for the weekend--totally forgetting about my tulips--until I got home late last night and realized that I needed a MISM project.  There they were . . . laying on the shelf, waiting to be given the spotlight on a card.  On a Crumb Cake card, I adhered the brick DSP from the brand new Adventure Bound DSP Stack and, before adhering the tulip layer, I cut the left wing from an Early Espresso die-cut butterfly (isn't it gorgeous), and adhered the remaining body and wing to the stamped layer.  The sentiment, which is from another new stamp set (Moon Lake) was stamped on a scrap of card stock, rough cut with scissors, and adhered to the bottom of the card.  It's always exciting to see (and work with) brand new Stampin' Up! products, and there are so many "must haves" coming our way!  This little card is just a taste of the goodness that awaits us all on January 6th.

GOLD & SILVER NEW YEAR PARTY ENSEMBLE

You will be ready to celebrate the New Year in style with this classic Gold and Silver New Year Party Ensemble! This fun and festive set features a banner, party hat, party blowers and a card/invitation! The banner will look fabulous hanging in your home anywhere you want to add some sparkle! You can create the decorative bottom edges of the banner pieces using the Labels Collection Framelits. The party hat can either be worn or used as a focal point in a centerpiece. And don’t forget party blowers! You can make them yourself to coordinate beautifully with your party décor. They are simple to put together and make any event a celebration! For the finishing touch, the matching card is perfect for invitations for your friends and family to come and ring in the New Year!

What's not to love about the colors and sparkle of this project, which was designed by Julie?  Her tutorial, complete with full-project step-by-step photos and written instructions, is available at Craft Project Central.  Have you subscribed yet?

SNOW DAY PARTY!

Unless you live near the equator – or Florida – you’re going to have snow in the winter.  It’s inevitable, so you might as well enjoy it and have a party!  Here are some fun – and “out of the box” - ways to use the Gift Box Punch Board and All Is Calm suite from the 2014 Stampin’ Up! Holiday catalog to make party favor boxes and a basket of snow party refreshments.  Add a fun invitation and a sparkly snow banner using the Build a Banner Simply Created Kit, and you’ll have the best party ever.  If you live in an area that doesn’t get much snow, or your party is in the spring or summer, it’s easy to switch it to a “no snow” or beach party just by changing the designer series paper and colors. 

Doesn't this look like a lovely and fun project?  Anything with Glimmer Paper catches my eye these days!  The full-project photo and tutorial for this project, designed by Buffy Cooper, is available at Craft Project Central.  Have you subscribed yet?

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY" . . . AND THE WINNER OF A FREE ONE-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION TO CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL

This week's MISM project features a patriotic background technique that I have shared before (HERE).  I needed a masculine birthday card and was all too happy to do a "take two" from a few  years ago, but I wanted to make this one with as little bulk as possible.  On Naturals Ivory card stock, I placed a few swipes of ink using a Cherry Cobbler ink pad, being mindful to leave a blank space where I could sponge Night of Navy ink in the top left corner.  A torn piece of paper was placed over the top half of the card stock, and then I used a sponge to color the lower half with Soft Suede ink, letting the torn edge from the paper create a mountain in the distance.  The stamped images are from Remembering Your Birthday and Countryside stamp sets, and the stars were cut from Naturals Ivory card stock using the star punch from Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack.  The other card stock colors are Night of Navy and Cherry Cobbler.

WINNER!  WINNER!  WINNER!

With my December 1st blog post (HERE), I mentioned that I had a one-month FREE subscription to Craft Project Central to give to one lucky person. The one and only easy requirement to get your name in the drawing was to leave a comment HERE, and I promised to announce the winner today.  I appreciate each of the kind comments and the time taken to get entered in the drawing.  The winner is #15:

Sue Root

who wrote, "Great project, Regina! Useful and pretty!"

  Sue, if you'll email me at randari at hotmail dot com, 

we'll get your subscription started.

UNDER THE TREE WINDOW TREAT BOX & MONEY HOLDER

Fill this festive Window Treat Box with your favorite goodies for the perfect gift!  These boxes are easy to make, but sure to impress – and the window in the front adds just the right touch!  The coordinating money holder makes this ensemble the perfect gift for anyone on your list!

This handy project was designed by Laurie, and her tutorial (complete with written instructions and step-by-step photos) is available when you subscribe to this month's line-up of awesome tutorials at Craft Project Central.

 

CREATING PRETTY CARDS - CARD CHALLENGE #42

Each month, Craft Project Central has a Creating Pretty Cards - Card Challenge, and it's a tag this time!  How perfect since we're going to be needing a lot of tags for those Christmas gifts.  

It is a rare occasion for me to spend much time making tags.  I always need them for wrapped (or bagged) gifts, and it's embarrassing to admit that I normally find myself needing one immediately and end up grabbing a piece of card stock to write on.  Sometimes I don't even do that.  And so it's kind of a big deal that I made a tag tonight for Card Challenge #42.

Don't you love Stampin' Up!'s Glimmer paper?  If it's not already my favorite product, it must be somewhere near the top of the list.  The fun thing about my tag is that I used scraps to create the whole thing . . . scraps of Glimmer paper for the "tree" and punched star, scrap of Old Olive card stock for the sentiment, a portion of a doily, and I used leftover Santa & Co. DSP and Basic Black card stock (from a project that I was working on earlier in the day) for the actual tag.

Have you created a card for this month's Creating Pretty Cards - Card Challenge #42?  There's a FREE tutorial for the sketch in case you need it!  If you create a card and upload it to the web site, your name will be entered into a drawing for a FREE one-month subscription to Craft Project Central!  For every 10 cards uploaded to the web site, a winner will be selected!  

"ALL IS CALM" DESK ACCESSORIES GIFT SET

Get ready for the New Year by organizing your desk in fashion!! This compact and practical Calendar Easel sits atop a secret pull out drawer to store your note cards. Plus it folds flat if you needed to stow it away. The coordinating Pen Cup is an easy up-cycling project that is super fun to make! And when you buy the tutorial, you’ll see the super sweet and simple card that will make this the perfect gift set to give!

Of course, the photo above is a sneak peek of the project designed by Julie Beltramo.  When you subscribe to Craft Project Central's December edition of awesome tutorials, you'll have access to step-by-step instructions and photos for this beautiful gift set.

THINKING OF MAMAW ON HER 95th BIRTHDAY

95 years.  Say it slowly . . . ninety . . . five . . . years on this earth.  Can you imagine all of the things--the changes--mamaw has seen?  I won't give away my own age, but it is a blessing to have had my grandmother in my life this long.  Most people who are my age haven't had a grandparent for years--some don't even remember their grandparents.  To clarify, some people were young when their grandparents passed away and weren't given the chance to really know them.  Of course, there are people whose most extravagant waste of opportunity is the time they could be spending with a family treasure . . . a grandparent.  Until a year or so ago, mamaw's health was remarkably . . . amazingly . . . well, but things have been changing.  It's never easy to come up with a perfect card for a perfect little mamaw (and she would love whatever I send), but I chose this peony quilt block image (from silhouetteonlinestore.com), reduced the size of it, and made it the focal point for my card.  The sentiment that I chose is one that I felt really defines her since she has made so many quilts through the years.  Happy Birthday, dear mamaw!

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY" . . . A DAY LATE

So MISM is a day late this week, but only because I was excited to share the project yesterday that I designed for the December edition of Craft Project Central.  If you like what you saw, go ahead and start your subscription and gain access to all of the awesome projects this month!

I had a hard time deciding what to share for this week's MISM project.  Even though the card might not necessarily be a snappy one to make, it's definitely not difficult.  A lot of the time that goes into making a pop-up box card is directly proportionate to the decorative accents that go on the card; therefore, you (I) control how detailed and time-intensive a card like this will be.

This card features Stampin' Up!'s Tap Tap Tap stamp set.  I haven't used this set as much as I thought I would, but that could be because prepping for holiday projects comes right behind the release of Stampin' Up!'s annual catalogs.  The colors used for this card are Crumb Cake, Hello Honey, and Mossy Meadow.  Thanks for visiting today, and don't forget to leave a comment HERE to be entered in the drawing for a FREE one-month subscription to the awesome tutorials at Craft Project Central!

MONTHLY MEMORIES ALBUM FOR CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL & A FREE ONE-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION! GET ENTERED TO WIN!

The "Make-It-Snappy-Monday" project will be delayed this week since the project that I designed for Craft Project Central is featured today.  I hope you'll come back tomorrow to see the MISM project!  

It's a brand new month at Craft Project Central--a month filled with inspiring, creative, and fun tutorials, and this is an ideal time to get your subscription started.  There's even time to add a subscription to your Christmas Wish List.  As I mentioned, the tutorial that I designed is up first and following is the introduction that I wrote for it:

Let’s face it . . . not every stamper is a scrapbooker, but we all have dates, events, activities, milestones, etc. that we’d like to record and remember.  This Monthly Memories Album, which can stand on its own, is comprised of pockets—one for each month—with at least one card in each pocket to record (with journaling and/or photos) special events.  Of course, photos and mementos can be included or attached to the front (and/or back) of each pocket.  The whole family can be involved in recording a memory about something special for each month!  The handy gift bag features a really neat way to make sure the card doesn’t get lost or separated from the gift and, of course, there’s a gift box for the album!  This is an especially perfect gift for a New Year’s party hostess, or host your own party and give this ensemble to each of your guests!

On Monday, December 8th, I will give to a lucky winner a FREE one-month subscription to Craft Project Central.  To be entered into the drawing for the subscription, all you need to do is go HERE and leave a comment on the post where my project is featured.  Be sure to visit my blog on the 8th to see if yours was the winning name.  It's that simple!

GIFT BOW CHRISTMAS CREATIONS - BONUS PROJECT AT CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL

It’s time to create all of those cute Christmas projects you need to make! Be sure to add these three projects to your list! All three are made using the Gift Bow Bigz L Die. The cute snowman makes a great decoration for any room, the angel ornament is perfect for any tree, and everyone would love to get a treat in this cute Santa box. These projects can be made quickly, so you can make them for all of your friends and family. Don’t forget to make one for yourself, too! This would also make a great Christmas, product-based class.

Isn't this a fun and festive ensemble?!?!  This project, designed by Christy Fulk, is the November Bonus project at Craft Project Central.  Qualifying for the bonus tutorial is easy . . . just subscribe to two or more months in a row, put the Craft Project Central badge on your blog, or refer a friend to the site.  When your friend subscribes, just let us know!

TEA TIME

I apologize for the terrible photo, but I really wanted to share the card that I made for my sister's recent birthday.  This is such a dainty, feminine card and seemed like a good match for my sister.  It was quite an easy card to make, thanks to the Box Cards file that I had purchased a while back from svgcuts.com.  Due to the size of the card, I used the Envelope Punch Board to create a 6" square coordinating envelope and, as you can see, I placed pearl jewels on most of the flowers.  It's difficult to see, but the white panels on the front, left, and right of the box are dry-embossed, and I left the back panel blank so that I would have space for a handwritten sentiment. 

SNOWFLAKE FLIP CARDS & MINI ALBUM

Are you ready for some snow? Or at least a few snowflakes? This set explores using the Snowflake Flip Card Thinlits set to make four cards that double as gift card holders, a box to hold those lovely cards and a mini album. This would make a wonderful gift for someone special or a fabulous winter class project!

The tutorial for this project, designed by Amanda, can be found at Craft Project Central.  Even though we're at the end of November, it's not too late to subscribe!

CREATING PRETTY CARDS - CARD CHALLENGE #41

Each month, Craft Project Central has a Creating Pretty Cards - Card Challenge, and I liked this month's sketch so much that I wanted to make another card for the challenge.  You can see my first card HERE.  I've made all kinds of cards in the past, but I don't recall ever making a card where the layers were positioned in the top left corner as is called for with Card Challenge #41.  I love this sketch, and I actually really, really liked the way this card turned out.  Each step of the way, I had no idea what I would do next.  The first thing that I did was stamp the leaf image (For all Things stamp set) using Pear Pizzazz, Cajun Craze, Hello Honey, and Island Indigo ink, and I then embossed the stamped card stock with the Tiny Triangles embossing folder.  The die-cut house image (Holiday Home stamp set, Homemade Holiday Framelits) was colored with markers, and then I used the same colors of card stock to create the banner.  The Island Indigo and Pear Pizzazz layers were assembled onto the Naturals Ivory card, and tiny linen thread bows were adhered to the ends of the banner.  

Have you created a card for this month's Creating Pretty Cards - Card Challenge #41?  If you create a card and upload it to the web site, your name will be entered into a drawing for a FREE one-month subscription to Craft Project Central!  For every 10 cards uploaded to the web site, a winner will be selected! 

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

For today's MISM project, I used a couple of elements (die-cut thankful and the punched heart from Champagne glimmer paper) that were lying on my table.  I arranged them on a piece of Naturals Ivory card stock that had been stamped with the leaf image from For All Things stamp set using Pear Pizzazz, Cajun Craze, Island Indigo, and Hello Honey ink.  I used the Scallop Edge Border punch to create a decorative "line" for the sentiment from Naturals Ivory card stock and added part of a doily to the top left edge of the card.  Using Hello Honey and Island Indigo ink, I stamped two banners from Banner Banter stamp set, cut them with the Banner punch, adhered them to the card, and added a row of three rhinestone jewels.  The finishing touch was a piece of crochet trim tied around the right edge before adhering the layer to a Cajun Craze 3" x 6" card.  I love the punch of color that the stamped leaves add to this feminine card!

SEASONAL PRINTER'S TRAY

This Christmas Printers Tray and matching card would make a unique gift, that will be used year-after-year for someone special on your list.  The colors – Lost Lagoon, Soft Sky, Smoky Slake and Pear Pizazz - go together to capture the image of a silent, snowy night.

Isn't this a pretty project?  I've decorated a printer's tray before, and I know that it's a lot of work and takes a chunk of time.  Sharon Maranich designed this project, and her tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.

TRIANGLE-SHAPED LANTERN

Make this triangle-shaped lantern and learn how easy it is to make your own template. Switch out the vellum for cardstock and turn it into a gift box for teachers, friends, and neighbors or fill it with some treats as a party favor. Either way, it would also look great as a party or holiday table decoration. You can also make it in different sizes. Learn how to make your own heat embossed design, using a mask. Great for class projects, stamp clubs and/or camps.

This pretty ensemble was designed by Monika Davis, and didn't she do a great job?  Her tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.

A WREATH FOR EVERY SEASON

Inside this lovely box are six different card designs using the Wonderful Wreath stamps and Framelits. Get a glimpse of the endless possibilities of this truly wonderful wreath set. This makes a wonderful gift or class project, and it’s all wrapped up ready to give to someone special!

I'm excited about this idea and look forward to following Amanda's tutorial, which you can find at Craft Project Central.  Have you started your subscription yet?  

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY" . . . AND A WINNER OF THE CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL SUBSCRIPTION

The November My Paper Pumpkin (MPP) kit from Stampin' Up! arrived on Saturday, and it is pure awesomeness!  I don't often use the word "delighted", but that's what I was when I opened the box and saw the projects--8 gorgeous die-cut gate-fold cards and 8 festive tags!  Of course, the kit also included a stamp set, Stampin' Spot ink, and all of the elements to complete the projects.  Since they were so quick to make, they were perfect for my MISM share today.  

If you received this card, wouldn't it make you smile?

 The kit even included a decoration for the envelope.

After taking the photo, I added some stamped snowflakes to it.

The tags in the kit aren't just tags . . . they are awesome tags!

Lastly, I want to share a card that I made using the punched out letters (Happy Holidays) from the Lost Lagoon tag.  It just seemed like the right thing to do to create something with them and, since there are extra silver foil die-cut snowflakes, following is what I made:

Wouldn't you love to receive a fun project kit each month?  There are enough supplies in the kits for you to share with a couple of friends, and we all know how relaxing and therapeutic it is to get together with friends to stamp and create.

Get your subscription started by clicking on the Paper Pumpkin link in the left sidebar!  Or just click HERE.

WINNER!  WINNER!  WINNER!

With my November 11th blog post (HERE), I mentioned that I had a one-month FREE subscription to Craft Project Central to give to one lucky person. The one and only easy requirement to get your name in the drawing was to leave a comment HERE, and I promised to announce the winner today.  I appreciate each of the kind comments and the time taken to get entered in the drawing.  The winner is:

Marcia Enns

who wrote, "As always, Regina, your projects are fabulous! I love repurposed items and your ideas are so creative."  Marcia, if you'll email me at randari at hotmail dot com,
we'll get your subscription started.

CHRISTMAS TREE IN GIFT BOX

This gift set is perfect for a hostess, friend or co-worker.  The box is easy and quick to make with Stampin' Up!'s Gift Box Punch Board.  The lucky recipients will burst with excitement when they open the "exploding" box and find the beautiful free-standing Christmas tree ornament inside!  The tree can be removed from the box and used as a decoration for their desk or kept as a keepsake ornament to treasure for years to come.  The accompanying card makes the gift box feel even more like a gift!

I love this adorable gift set, which was designed by Carol Lovenstein.  That satin ribbon . . . my, oh my, and that 3D tree!  The complete tutorial for this beautiful ensemble can be found at Craft Project Central.  Have you subscribed yet?  You should treat yourself right now!

"TODAY & EVERYDAY"

What is it about those three lanterns that kept calling to me from the Stampin' Up! catalog?  The Today & Everyday stamp set is (IMHO) an odd mix of images, and I recently gave in to the urge to own it.  I used an Aqua Painter to color the lanterns and added a doily and ribbon before calling this card "done".  I like this image just as much as I did when I dreamed of being able to make a card with it, and it's one that I will surely use again and again.  There's something to be loved about an image so generic that it is basically along for the ride to deliver a message.

The matryoshka dolls . . . now this is the image in the set that I thought I'd never use, but sometimes I just don't know very much about myself.  Although the dolls could have been much more elaborately colored, I kept things simple so that I could get this card of thanks ready to go.  Each image in the set has a sentiment, but I cut them off to be used independently and chose my sentiment from Stampin' Up!'s And Many More stamp set.

TRIO OF TREES

This sweet holiday gift display comes together quickly and uses just one package of designer series paper! Plus, with all of the leftover designer series paper pieces, you’ll be able to add a bunch more custom little gift boxes – they’re fun and addicting to make! You can frame the card to make a great mantle display, or use it as it’s displayed for a special gift to give someone!

If you're like me, you are really liking that blue and green color combo in Julie Beltramo's ensemble.  Her complete tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central beginning today.

RECYCLED BOTTLE GIFTS

Guess whose project is featured at Craft Project Central today?  That's right!  Mine!  How did you know that?  :-)  Following is the description that accompanies the tutorial for the recycled bottle gifts:

Create three holiday gifts by recycling Starbuck’s drink bottles.  This tutorial will demonstrate three unique gift ideas with festive decoration, and the gifts are sure to be a perfect fit for some of the names on your list. 

 

I had a wonderful time working on the three bottles, but I have to admit that I had an early start on the painted bottle (the one in the center that's boxed) since I made painted vases (shown below) for the ladies in my family a few months ago.  The one that I did for Craft Project Central is definitely nicer (I promise!), and I demonstrate a really neat technique in the tutorial! 

Be sure to visit Craft Project Central and get your November subscription started.  I will be giving a FREE subscription to one lucky person with my Make-It-Snappy-Monday blog post on Monday, November 17th.  To be entered in the drawing, click HERE and leave a comment on the post that features my project.  That's all you have to do!  Don't forget to come back here on the 17th to see if you're the winner.

DID YOU KNOW . . . that no matter when your Craft Project Central subscription gets started, you will have access to your subscription month's tutorials for 11 months?!?! 

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

Today's MISM project is a card that wasn't exactly a snap to make; however, it will be the next time--now that I know the easiest way to achieve the stained glass look that I wanted.  It actually took about six tries before it occurred to me to just stamp and emboss the image onto glossy white card stock and, believe me, I did call out a few times to Mary, Jesus, and Joseph.  Lovingly, of course.  When I first got Stampin' Up!'s Gentle Peace stamp set, I will not lie . . . I looked at it and wondered how in the world would I use it.  I gave it a try, though, and still wondered what possessed me to order it.  Tossed it to the side, thinking I'd never use it, but it kept calling to me--I was so bugged that I would have a stamp set for which I truly had no use.  The image is beautiful!  Finally, I convinced myself that I could color all of those little sections, and it wouldn't kill me.  And I did that, but I'm not ready to share those cards yet.  ;-)  So how did I create this card?  I inked the image with VersaMark, stamped it onto glossy card stock, sprinkled black embossing powder all over (and all over the table, the floor, the room!), and heat set it.  Stamping Sponges were used to swipe ink (Elegant Eggplant, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, and Tempting Turquoise) all over the embossed image, and then I used scissors to cut out the stamped and colored image.  It needed a mat, though, so I scanned the cut image into the Brother Scan 'n Cut and let that machine cut the perfect mat, which was then adhered to the Wisteria Wonder card stock that was embossed with Stampin' Up!'s Tiny Triangles embossing folder.  I guess you're understanding how this card wasn't a snap to make, but all of the trial, error, and set-up is now complete so that I can make many more cards like this one in much less time.  Finishing touches were a pretty white satin bow tied around the Wisteria Wonder layer, but I forgot to add a rhinestone jewel to the star before taking the photo.  I'm glad that I found an easy way to enjoy creating with this gorgeous stamp set, and I will admit that the time it has taken for me to color the image with Stampin' Blendabilities markers also feels like a worthwhile investment of time because it absolutely looks stunning when colored.  Okay . . . just because it doesn't seem fair to talk about it and not show it, below is a sneak peek of two cards that I've made where the images were colored with the Blendabilities markers.  

'TIS THE SEASON TO BE FANCY - CARD CHALLENGE #41

Each month, there's a new sketch challenge at Craft Project Central, and this is the card that I created for Creating Pretty Cards - Card Challenge #41:

I had the most fun with this challenge!  For one thing, it's an interesting design, but I further challenged myself to use Stampin' Up!'s Visions of Santa stamp set and coordinating DSP and have to admit that this is my favorite project thus far featuring that quirky stamp set.  My banner was created by punching assorted images from the DSP, which seemed really appropriate for the sentiment.  Stampin' Up! products featured on my card include:

Card Stock:  Naturals Ivory, Real Red
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz (ink pads & markers)
Stamp Set:  Visions of Santa
Sizzix:  Circles Collection Framelits
Punch:  Banner
Accessories:  Stampin' Dimensionals, rhinestone jewels, linen thread, Santa & Co. DSP

Wouldn't you like to create a card using this month's sketch? 

Did you know that for every ten cards submitted for the Sketch Challenge, Craft Project Central will choose one winner who will receive a FREE one-month subscription to the site?  That would be a fun prize!  You can find a tutorial for the sketch and upload your card HERE.