Friday, December 30, 2011

Tea anyone?

I recently purchased a stamp set from Layers of Color and I follow their blog and a while back they offered a cool template to make a teacup and saucer.  Well, you know me, I grabbed onto that and today I'm showing you what I made!


The template printed out on an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of card stock.  I chose white for my first attempt.  Boy, that was a LOT of cutting!  I used 2 TAC (The Angel Co) sets called Petal Pack and Fancy Curls.  Next time I make this I'll double the handle, 1 layer just isn't very sturdy.


Here's the saucer.  You can see the seam at the back and I kinda screwed up in stamping the swirls along the bottom.  Other than that it turned out pretty good.


It took some finagling but I got the bottom piece inside where you don't see the edges.  Not bad!  I'll try this again some day.  Wouldn't this be a great little gift with a couple tea bags inside??


Wednesday, December 28, 2011

{TAC} Final Post for Totally Awesome Chicks Design Team

Today is my last post for being on this great design team.  Christine has been wonderful as a "leader" and all of the team has been so creative!  I truly enjoyed my time on this team. So, without further ado, here's my projects....


I'm using 2 very old sets on this card: Beauty of a Woman and Maude & Mitzi.  I have many of the old full-size background images and enjoy reminiscing the excitement of when they came out and how cool they made backgrounds!  I colored the white satin ribbon to match my card stocks and added the gems from the Assorted Gem & Pearl collection.


I used quite a few Copic markers to color this image and was going to do the ladies' hair kinda blue but decided I had enough blues already so, grey it was!


This card uses the set Paw Prints.  I had some cool dog-themed brads but didn't really realize I did the same layout until I took pictures!  What a hoot!  I used stamps from the set to make the background and colored the dog with my PrismaColor Watercolor Pencils and my aqua brush.  Isn't that little doxy cute?

As I thought of all the fun I had being an angel and "digging" through things I came across an item I received at one of the first Seminars (annual conventions) I attended.  The company was sponsoring a "prop swap", an event where participants made something and traded.  I got the coolest frame from my friend, Kim Hannan.  She experienced Hurricane Katrina and lost home contents (due to the flooding and looting) and had to evacuate north of New Orleans.  She is such a sweetie.


She made a 2nd cover for photos:


I have quite a few "props" but this one caught my attention and stopped me for a while with fond memories.  My heart does smile as I think of all the "angels"  I've associated with and have formed some lasting friendships.  As we move on I am also thankful to Pam Upper for purchasing the rights and inventory of The Angel Company and forming Red Rubber Designs.  She will be opening for business sometime in January 2012 and I'm looking forward to filling the wish list I had not filled prior to TAC closing in August 2011.  And, who knows, Pam may have a design team herself to showcase these great stamps on her blog!

Now, please leave a comment and check out the rest of the team!


Diana Maldonado 
Debra Miller 
Laura Nehring
Carol Norby --- You are here!
Christine Pennington (Coordinator)
Donna Thielker


Monday, December 26, 2011

Beautiful Wishes

I hope you all had a GREAT Christmas!  We sure did!  I hope to get back into stamping, etc...  In fact, I must as I have our FINAL blog post Wednesday for the Totally Awesome Chicks.  Working on some ideas!  This card was inspired as I blurfed the other day.  The stamp set is Dotted Dahlias that I purchased from Layers of Color Art Stamps.  They were redesigning the "store" when I scheduled this post so keep checking back to see what is available.  This large set (10 stamps for $24.95 plus shipping) was designed by Nina Brackett and are clear.  I'm struggling with clear stamps, I love "rubber" stamps.  They seem to clean up better and I think I get a better image. Oh well.

I like how this turned out.  It took a bit of work to get the 3 panels to fit like they did.  I started with the middle panel then went from there for my sizes.  I used a Fiskars border punch for the bottom edge.

I don't remember where I got this cool red sparkly paper but it really adds some bling to the flower, don't you think so?  Now I better get to working on my TAC project!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

CHRISTmas blessings!

(Scroll down for projects)
Today is Christmas Eve.  Tomorrow we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the only son of God Himself. 


I like this photo because so many do not believe in Jesus but push Santa Claus as the commercial spirit of Christmas.  (I even have a rubber stamp similar to this!) If it wasn't for Christ there'd be NO Christmas!  Yet those who hate Him enjoy celebrating this "holiday".  As you exchange gifts remember that Jesus is God's gift to us.

Luke 2: 6 - 14 from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation

     And while they were there, the time came for the baby to be born.  She gave birth to her first child, a son.  She wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
     That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them.  "Don't be afraid"! he said.  "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!  And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger."
      Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of other - the armies of Heaven - praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."

Now for a couple of projects.  I seen a really cool gift box somewhere while I was blurfing and I finally gave it a try:


Isn't this a hoot??  There is a big box of Reece's Cups inside for my hubby.  He really likes that candy (personally I can't stand chocolate and peanut butter together but love each separately.)  I used HVAC tape to make the buckle.  The black buttons were made using a pencil eraser in my black ink.  I'm sure Dean will get a kick out of this!


And this holds some gift cards for my folks.  My big question is... why do some pics come out so nice and clear and others don't??  Anyway, I used Beacon's 3 in 1 glue to attach the bottom and so far it's holding great.  Lot easier than a glue gun!  And not nearly as messy!

I hope as you celebrate this HOLY holiday that you'll reflect on the past blessings that you have received and celebrate the birth of our LORD and Savior.  And give Him a big  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Be Fabulous Double Twisted Easel Card

I had to take a break while preparing for Christmas and do something creative other than making fudge or wrapping gifts. So I got out my 3D and Fun Folds CD from Technique Junkies.  Hmmm.... I'll be teaching an Easel Card class on Jan. 25 so why not try the Double Twisted Easel Card??  Well...  Definitely an interesting card!  And I did NOT make it a Christmas card.  I got a bit burned out after making about 40 of them.  This card is either spring or summer as I used paper by K & Co.


 Here is the card closed.  It is 4" x 8" so it will take a large envelope to mail.  But, I can hear you say...  The "Be." is sideways! Well,  that's how it looks until it is open!


What do you think of this??  You can now see that the "Be." is upright like it should be!  I used a set by The Angel Company called Be Fabulous.  I LOVE sunflowers! And the words are wonderful!  I colored with Copic markers...
Y32, Y35, Y38, Y26, E33, E35, V01, and V04.

I used Memories Tuxedo Black on Copic X-Press cardstock.  The red flower on the base is by K & Co. made to go with the pattern paper.  The flower pattern and green is a double-sided sheet.



Here's a close up of the flower.  I used the Stardust Clear Gel pen on the center and a bit on the flower petals.



And my bee.  I added some Copic B00 on the wings along with the Stardust Clear Gel pen.  And I used some foam mounting tape for dimension.

My brother and his wife have been here the 15th through the 21st so I've been busy visiting, shopping, etc. with them and my folks.  I had to push myself to make a card but once I started I was on a roll!  I got the majority of my Christmas cards mailed Monday and more Tuesday.  This is my Monday pile...


At this point I guess I'll be doing New Year cards!  Well, back to getting other things done!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Fabulous Give-away!

I heard from a good friend about a wonderful give-away of a $150 Michaels gift card, the Copic Air Brush Starter system, and more Copic items!   Check out Creating From The Heart for your chance to win!


Monday, December 19, 2011

Merry Christmas!

Due to Christmas coming and getting gifts wrapped, fudge made, insurance redone, brother & his wife here from Dallas, and car broke done and running for parts, I did not get a post ready for today.  Please bear with me and I will have something soon!

I hope you have a very blessed Christmas.  My prayers go out to all my readers & followers for a most blessed time.


Saturday, December 17, 2011

{TAC} We LOVE Softpencil Studios and Phyllis Harris Blog Hop

Today is our Totally Awesome Chicks design team final blog hop. We will have one more post on Dec. 28 of honoring the great The Angel Company and it's images.  I'm so thrilled Red Rubber Designs purchased part of the company and will keep making their stamps plus add more.  Anyway, I LOVE Phyllis Harris images and especially her Brandy & Emma series.  I'm using the set "Brandy and Emma" today for my card.


I used a fancy fold called Twisted Easel.  When I show you the open card you'll see it better. I used dark green and yellow solid card stocks and a pattern paper by Simple Stories from the set Destinations.  I love these colors!


I colored Brandy with Copic markers: YR21, YR23, YR24,N0, N2, and BG72.  I really like how this turned out.  Are you ready for the open card???


Isn't this just cool?? This card is 5" x 5" so will need a large envelope to mail.  And the text is so wonderful.  You can click on the picture for a larger view.  I learned this card from a cool CD put out by Technique Junkies.



I have been a "junkie" for quite a few years and have learned SO much!!  If you chose to sign up for the newsletters please let Pat know you heard it from me!

Check out the rest of the Chicks...

    Diana Maldonado
    Debra Miller
    Carol Norby  ---You are here!
    Laura Nehring
    Missy Owoc
    Christine Pennington
    Donna Thielker

      Now for the goodies!


      We would love it if you joined us. Please use a Softpencil or Phyllis Harris stamp set that appeared in The Angel Company catalog. Add your creation using the linky below and a direct link to your blog.

      Two lucky winners will be randomly chosen from hop participants! 

      Prize 1:  Softpencil/Latina Crafter
      Diana Maldonado {Latina Crafter: http://www.latinacrafter.com/} is donating one rubber stamp set {a new release, Hello Cupcake}.  Elizabeth Pujalka {Softpencil Studios: http://softpencilstudios.com blog http://softpencilblog.blogspot.com} is donating 2 sheets of her stickers!  



      Prize 2:  Phyllis Harris
      Phyllis Harris {http://phyllisharris.blogspot.com/} is donating the new book she illustrated - My Book of Prayers:  http://www.amazon.com/Book-Prayers-Michelle-Medlock-Adams/dp/0824918665/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322499237&sr=1-1  Her “Brandy and Emma” and new “Happiness Is” girl stamps are now available at Unity Stamps -- http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/70-phyllis-harris.aspx



      get the InLinkz code



       

      Friday, December 16, 2011

      A Tri-Shutter in progress

      I'm prepping for my GVR classes (Green Valley Recreation in Green Valley, AZ) in January.  My first class is the 11th and I'll be teaching the Tri-Shutter card.  I can't find my original sample so I needed to make a new one.  And I got some gorgeous paper from Memory Works made by Crate Paper called Farmhouse.  I also got some stickers, buttons, and brads so I was off and running!



      Here's the card closed. The flower in the bottom left uses a felt and paper flower from  Audrey Collection Embellishment Jar by Making Memories.  The center is one of the brads that go with the paper.



      Isn't that brad just too cute??



      Here is a view of the card open.  I still have some sections that I want to decorate but I haven't decided what to do.  I did stamp a label, located far right, using a The Angel Co. set called No Place Like Home.  This set wasn't available very long.   If you have any ideas what more to add I'd sure appreciate hearing!

      And, tomorrow, I'm involved in our monthly Totally Awesome Chicks blog hop featuring Softpencil Studios and Phyllis Harris stamps.  You can join in if you use images by these 2 awesome designers and there are some cool gifts being awarded to some lucky participants!  Stay tuned!


      Wednesday, December 14, 2011

      {TAC} Christmas Can

      Today is our bimonthly blog hop featuring The Angel Company images and the Totally Awesome Chicks design team.  This is our final month of the design team as Pam Upper purchased the images from Mischelle and will be opening Red Rubber Designs mid to late January 2012.  I'm looking forward to her online only store.  This link is to her blog.

      I've finally got all our gifts shipped out and hopefully everyone will have their packages by next Monday.  I saved a few pull-tab cans (used my can opener on the bottom so the pull-tab is intact) and put some gift cards in them.  This is one of the cans...

      I used some red Bazzil card stock and a couple circle punches.  I found out the can is NOT perfectly round but was able to compensate a bit.  The cute little gingerbread guy is from the Christmas Fun set.  I colored him with some Copic markers.


      I used some white Liquid Applique on the frosting areas and added some bling on the hearts with my Stardust Clear Gel pen.  Isn't he just cute?  I bet the recipient will be trying to figure out how I got the gift card in the can but I did have problems with the hot glue on the bottom.

      My brother and his wife will be arriving today from Texas to spend the weekend with my folks (next door to us).  We'll be celebrating Christmas Saturday will my mother's sister's family at a large party that evening.  This party is a LOT of fun as we fellowship and eat and have a hoot of a gift exchange!

      Check out the rest of the team's projects and leave us all a comment!

      This Saturday we're having a blog hop showcasing Soft Pencil Studio and Phyllis Harris Designs.  Stay tuned!

      Sunday, December 11, 2011

      Christmas Gifts in Progress

      I've been working on some cool items for Christmas.  I'm just going to give you a hint here in case the recipients check my blog.


      Can you tell this is a shovel??  I did make the bow a bit top heavy but I like the snow effect on the top.





      Here's the face.  I added snow to the hat and nose.  What a hoot!

      Did you see the eclipse of the moon Sunday morning?  We had a great view until after this point...




      The moon went behind the neighbor's trees right after this so no more pictures.  I seen just a hint of the bottom edge when the sun came up.

      We've had some pretty good frosts (25 degrees for 2 mornings) and the doves were cold!  I got a picture of them sunning next to the bird feeder and just have to share!




      They were not moving much at all.  Kinda made me shiver even more!

      I noticed that I'm getting very few comments.  Hopefully you are still enjoying my posts!  I know this time of year is very hectic!  Now to get my Christmas cards mailed and finish decorating.  My brother and his wife will be here this week for a few days.  Are you having company for Christmas??


      Friday, December 9, 2011

      Two more Golf Easel Cards

      Are you ready to see the other 2 cards for the Dec. 28 class?  I enjoyed making the 4 samples for this class.  These came to me quickly which doesn't happen very often.





      My hubby thinks the grass on this 2nd card looks real.  How funny but, I have to agree! I've been working on my Christmas gifts lately and will post those later, like right after Christmas...  And I've been working on my January classes (hopefully they'll go) of which the first one will be southwest Valentines and the second will be some Vertical Accordian cards with 2 little extras.

      I also have to get LOTS of fudge made for a family Christmas party the 17th.  We do a fun gift exchange and fudge seems to get fought over.  Are you getting ready for Christmas?  Got your cards done? Gifts purchased or made?  Better hop to it!


      Wednesday, December 7, 2011

      Easel Cards with a Golf theme

      Well, my class for the Pull-Out Christmas cards was cancelled due to no interest.  Seems like a majority of classes at the LSS in Green Valley, AZ are suffering.  My next class is Dec. 28 at 1 pm and, since this area is big on golf, I decided to teach easel cards with a golf theme.  Stamps are all by Crafty Clear Stamps.






      Aren't these a hoot!  I will be teaching 4 cards but I bet the class won't run long enough if it has "students".  These cards are pretty easy and fast.  The cool white brad on the 2nd card looks like a golf ball, dimples and all!  Very cool!  And, as of today I have 2 taking my class.  It's a start!!

      If you are in Green Valley and interested in taking the class please call Debi at 520-393-7755.


      Monday, December 5, 2011

      Vertical Accordian Christmas Card

      I purchased a cool CD from Technique Junkies called Fancy Folds & Motion Paper Crafts a while back.  I've been enjoying going through it and found a relatively easy card and I was off and running.  I just got an order in from Memory Works which included the November Express Kit with lots of paper and embellishments.  Perfect for this!!

      I'm sorry about my finger being in the picture but I couldn't keep the card closed for a photo.  What do you think so far?  It gets better!

      Here it is open.  It's a long card! All stamping are images by The Angel Company. All the paper (except for the solid card stock) is from Memory Works along with the embellishments.

      I painted 2 snowflakes with gesso then  brushed a hint of brown ink on the ends.  Then I added some Stickles to the centers and a bit outward from there.


      I layered 3 flowers to get this beauty! This flower now makes the card hand delivered only but that's ok!  This style of card will be used for a class in January at the AZ Scrapbooking store in Green Valley, AZ.  I'll post those cards sometime in January closer to the class date.

      I have more than enough Christmas cards completed now and maybe even enough for next year!  Guess I need to start on gift bags and tags...