Nine Patch Shuffle Cards

I'm still working on my Christmas cards. I was able to whip out several using a file from Accents by Eddita (Nine Patch Shuffle). This is also a great way to use up scraps.

Supplies:
Cardstock (red, green, white)
Patterned paper (DCWV, Colorbok, miscellaneous scraps)
Sentiment stamp (Winter Wishes Stamp Set by K Andrew Designs)
Pigment Ink (True Red, Kelly Green)
Nine Patch Shuffle cutter file (Accents by Eddita)


CHALLENGES:
*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #38 - Christmas is Coming)
*Hooked on Craft Challenges (Challenge #27 - Christmas)
*Party Time Tuesdays (Challenge #96 - Anything Goes)
*Simon Says Stamp (Challenge - Anything Goes)
*Tuesday Alchemy (Challenge #42 - Anything Goes) 








Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Another Candy Cane

Today I am sharing a card that was made with the same cutter file as yesterday, but has a completely different look.

Supplies:
Cardstock (white, red, green, dark green)
Patterned paper (Colorbok C9 Harvest Holiday 2 Paper Pad)
Red glitter ribbon (Joann's)
Candy cane ribbon (Michael's)
Candy cane cutter file (from Christmas Card Shapers 1 by Sam & Hailey Designs)



CHALLENGES:
*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #38 - Christmas is Coming)
*Hooked on Craft Challenges (Challenge #27 - Christmas)


Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Candy Cane Shaped Card

Here is another shaped card from the same cutter file set as yesterday (Christmas Card Shapers 1 by Sam & Hailey Designs). Quick and simple but super cute.

I took my son to see Santa yesterday. He did much better than last year. Last year I only managed one quick photo before Alex started crying. This year he sat on Santa's lap long enough to get a few good shots, although I couldn't get him to smile. We are planning on visiting another Santa in a couple of weeks. Maybe I'll get a smile out of him then.


CHALLENGES:
*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #38 - Christmas is Coming)
*Hooked on Craft Challenges (Challenge #27 - Christmas)


Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Gingerbread Man

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent a fabulous day with family and ate way too much (as usual). Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, I need to get moving with my Christmas cards. I have only finished a handful so far. Expect to see quite a few over the next several weeks. Can you believe Christmas is only a month away? So much to do and so little time. Every year I say I am going to start my cards and my shopping and everything else earlier so I don't get all stressed out. And yet every year I find myself in the same situation - Thanksgiving ends and I start the mad dash to complete all my projects before Christmas. And then I make the excuse of "Oh, I work better under pressure anyway". And the cycle repeats. :-) One of these years I am going to start my Christmas cards in the summer and really get myself ahead of the game. One of these years . . .

Anyway, today I have a fun shaped card to share. Sam & Hailey Designs has a whole series of shaped Christmas card cutter files to choose from. I bought the whole set so expect to see a number of shaped Christmas cards in the near future. I find it enjoyable to break out of the rectangular card mold every so often. Gift someone with an unexpected card.

 

This cute little gingerbread man is from the set Christmas Card Shapers 1. The base is cut from white cardstock and the next layer is brown cardstock. The bowtie and buttons are red cardstock, with red Stickles added to the buttons. I used Liquid Applique to look like icing for his face and squiggles. I think he is pretty cute.


CHALLENGES:
*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #38 - Christmas is Coming)
*Hooked on Craft Challenges (Challenge #27 - Christmas)


Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Happy Thanksgiving

I just want to take today to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. May you enjoy a wonderful day with friends and family. We are expecting an unusually warm and sunny day here in upstate NY. It is supposed to be near 60 degrees. Typically this time of year we would be in the 30s and probably see snow. Yet another reason to give thanks today. We will probably be able to send the kids outside to run off some of their boundless energy. My son and I are heading to my brother-in-law's for Thanksgiving. Looking forward to spending time with family. And Alex is sure to have a blast playing with his cousins. And, of course, everyone will eat way too much. But that is part of the Thanksgiving tradition, right? :-) Here is a photo of the cheesecake I made for dessert.

And, finally, I just want to share a picture of my son. He is my greatest blessing and the reason I am most thankful. He is a wonderful, amazing, silly little boy whom I love with every fiber of my being.

Happy Thanksgiving! And thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Subway Art

Subway art is very popular right now. I have purchased a couple of signs with fun/inspirational sayings on them. I have one in my bedroom that begins with "Wake Up Smiling" and I have one in the living room that includes "Create Something Every Day" and "Snuggle as Much as Possible". All things which I strive to do. Anyway, there are a lot of great subway art signs out there you can buy. But today I want to share a sign that I made myself. You may have noticed it in the photo of the vinyl alphabet I put up in my son's room. If you missed that post, you can find it here.


Here is the sign that I made.

I started with an 8" x 24" canvas and painted it with dark chocolate acrylic paint. Then I cut the words and images from vinyl. They are all from a cutter file by Chris Durnan (which you can find here). The file cut so beautifully! I love cutting vinyl. It was a little tricky adhering the vinyl to the canvas because the vinyl didn't really want to stick to it. I couldn't use transfer tape so I ended up sticking all of the pieces on by hand. I learned later that you are supposed to let it sit for up to a week after painting before applying the vinyl. Next time I will try to wait the requisite time and see if it works better. It took longer having to apply the vinyl piece by piece, but it was well worth the effort. I just love how it turned out! After I was finished,  I sprayed a few coats of clear Krylon on top to hold the vinyl in place. That didn't really do the trick so I ended up applying a few coats of decoupage medium over the canvas. That seemed to seal it well.


CHALLENGES:
* Tuesday Alchemy (Challenge #41 - Anything But a Card)



Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Thanksgiving Blessings

Here is my last Thanksgiving card for this year. I sent this card to my parents, who have been such a blessing my entire life.

It features two different patterned papers from Cloud 9 Design. I added brown grosgrain ribbon to hide the seam. Underneath the ribbon, I used my Sew Easy to add stitching. The cornucopia is a cutter file from Chris Durnan. And the sentiment is from K Andrew Designs (Amazing You Stamp Set).


CHALLENGES:
*Anything Goes Challenge Blog (Challenge #80 - Stitching: Real or Faux)
*Die Cuttin Divas (Challenge #92 - Thanksgiving) 
*Party Time Tuesdays (Challenge #95 - Color/Picture Challenge)
*The Pink Elephant (Challenge #175 - Giving Thanks)



Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Fun Thanksgiving Card

Just a few more days until Thanksgiving. I am looking forward to a day of family, fun and turkey. The Thanksgiving meal has to be one of my favorites - turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc. Yummy! I go to my brother-in-law's for Thanksgiving and he is an amazing cook. Yet another reason to be thankful - I get a wonderful meal without all of the hard work. :-) Well, I do take a dessert with me, usually some form of cheesecake. Last year it was a triple chocolate cheesecake. This year I am making a chocolate mousse cheesecake. Anyway, enough talk about food. I have a Thanksgiving card to share with you today.

The background paper is from the Cloud 9 Design Harvest Holiday 2 paper pad, which I matted on brown cardstock. I added some brown grosgrain ribbon and a few rhinestones along the bottom of the card. The little bow was made with brown cord I found in amongst my ribbon. The focal image, the darling turkey with his protest sign, is a cutter file from Shirley Clark. I think he is one of the cutest turkeys I have ever seen, although not cute enough to get me to give up my turkey dinner.


CHALLENGES:
*My Craft Spot (Challenge #76 - Thanksgiving)
*Party Time Tuesdays (Challenge #94 - Happy Thanksgiving)
*365 Cards (Challenge #259 - Wordy)


Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Quick & Easy Thanksgiving Card

Today I have another Thanksgiving card to share. This was a super quick and easy card to make.

I used two layers of cardstock for the base - brown and then maroon. Then I added a piece of patterned paper from that same seasonal pack I have been using (Cloud 9 Design Harvest Holiday 2). The sentiment is from K Andrew Designs (Fall-O-Ween Stamp Set) and was stamped with gold ink. The acorns and purple oak leaves are puffy stickers I found at Wal-Mart.



CHALLENGES:
*Party Time Tuesdays (Challenge #94 - Happy Thanksgiving)
*Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge (Challenge #44 - Color Inspiration)
*Simon Says Stamp (Challenge - Thanksgiving / Thank You)
*Tuesday Alchemy (Challenge #40 - Anything Goes)


Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Christmas Card with Non-Traditional Colors

I love making Christmas cards. Ornaments, Christmas trees, candy canes, wreaths, Santa, snowflakes, snowmen, etc. There are so many images associated with Christmas. And the colors of red and green are everywhere during the Christmas season. So sometimes it is a nice change to make a card in non-traditional colors. Think blue and silver or, in this case, pink and black.

I made this card based on a sketch I found over at Cupcake Craft Challenges. The patterned papers are from a DCWV Christmas Stack from a few years ago. The focal image is a stamp by Hampton Art Stamps. After coloring the image, I added a few pink gems to one of the ornaments with my i-rock. The sentiment is from K Andrew Designs (Winter Wishes Stamp Set). I added pen stitching around some of the elements and adhered them with foam squares for added dimension. So what do you think of the non-traditional colors? Do you like it or would you prefer the standard red and green?


CHALLENGES:
*Anything Goes Challenge Blog (Challenge #80 - Stitching: Real or Faux)
*Cupcake Craft Challenges (Challenge #218 - Sketch)
*Hooked on Craft Challenges (Challenge #26 - Christmas: No Red or Green)
*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #38 - Christmas is Coming)


Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Christmas Explosion Box

Today I am sharing a fun Christmas gift I made - an explosion box. I have seen explosion boxes that others have made and always thought they looked like fun. I finally made one of my own with the help of a cutter file by Shelly's Art. Now that I have it finished, the big question is who to give it to.


Here it is all closed up, tied with a sparkly green ribbon from Joann's. The patterned papers used throughout the project are all from that same seasonal paper pad I have been using by Colorbok (Cloud 9 Design Harvest Holiday 2). The glittery snowflake attached to the ribbon is from Shelly's Build a Wreath file. I layered two pieces together and then coated both sides with red Stickles.

 Here it is open and you can see all of the layers and a fun 3D tree in the center. The tree actually comes with the explosion box file, which you can find here.

Here are all of the layers side by side. Some of the panels are decorated with patterned paper, and to some I have added photos. The Merry Christmas sentiment is from Shelly's Christmas Word Charms file and the snowman is from her Build a Snowman file. After attaching the snowman to the panel, I added some Sparkly Fluff to look like a snow drift.

Here is a closeup of the 3D tree in the center of the box. The green cardstock underneath the tree was embossed with a snowflake embossing folder. I decorated the tree with gems using my i-rock and added yellow Stickles to the star.

Isn't this a fun project? And the recipient will get such a surprise when they remove the lid of the box! With all of the photos of my son, I am thinking this will be a good gift for the grandparents. What do you think?

CHALLENGES:

*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #38 - Christmas is Coming)

*Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog (Challenge #102 - Anything Goes) 

*Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog (Challenge #23 - Layer it Up & Let it Snow)

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Christmas Reindeer

I will have a few more Thanksgiving cards to share within the next week, but I have also begun working on my Christmas cards. So today I would like to share one of those.

The patterned paper is from a paper pad by Colorbok (Cloud 9 Design Harvest Holiday 2). I picked this paper pack up last year and there are a lot of great designs in it. You may have noticed that I have used it in most of my recent posts. The cute little reindeer are from a cutter file by Beloved Keepsakes. I added several Christmas brads I had in my stash that matched the background paper.

Come back tomorrow to see a fun Christmas gift I made.

CHALLENGES:

*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #38 - Christmas is Coming)

*Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog (Challenge #102 - Anything Goes) 

*One Stop Craft Challenge (Challenge #204 - Anything Goes)

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Be Thankful

Next week is Thanksgiving, a time to reflect on your blessings and reasons to be thankful. Although I have had a very rough year, there is still much to be thankful for. I am thankful for my amazing son, who is the light of my life. I am thankful for my parents and sister and the rest of my caring and supportive family, who have been my rocks over the last year. I am thankful for my friends who have been there through tears and laughter. I am thankful for my crafting, which is a wonderful outlet and stress reliever, and has introduced me to wonderful new friends. There is more, but let's leave it at that for now.

Today I am sharing a Thanksgiving card. As we reflect on our blessings, why not send a card to those for whom you are thankful? Share with them what they mean to you and you will give them another reason to be thankful.

I used a sketch file by I Scrap Designs as the base for this card. The patterned papers are from Colorbok (Cloud 9 Design Seasonal Paper Pad). I dug into some of my hoarded supplies for the accents. The brown buckle (a brad) and the raffia I looped through it have been hanging out in my craft supplies for who knows how long. Many years, I can tell you. The turkey and Be Thankful sentiment are layered stickers I found at Wal-Mart. I like the idea of sending out Thanksgiving cards. Not many people do it so it is a nice surprise for the recipient.

CHALLENGES:

*VDBC Forum (Nov/Dec Sketch Challenge)

*Use It Tuesday (Challenge #43: Be Thankful)

*Party Time Tuesdays (Challenge #94 - Happy Thanksgiving)

*Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog (Challenge #102 - Anything Goes)

*Scrapalicious (Challenge - Being Thankful)

*Die Cuttin Divas (Challenge #91 - Color Challenge)

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

A Day at the Park

We had an unseasonably warm day a few weeks ago and my son and I took advantage of it by going to a nearby park. My son had such a fun time and I, of course, took lots of pictures. It is fun to scrap an everyday kind of thing like playing at the park, rather than just the usual focus of big holidays and events.

 Patterned papers are all from EK Success. I used several files on this layout (all from Beloved Keepsakes) - the title, the sun and clouds, and the extra suns. The clouds were embossed with swirls and I added Stickles to the center of the small sun. The faces on the two large suns is a Peachy Keen stamp.

Looking at these pictures shows me just how much my son has grown recently. At the beginning of the summer, he couldn't/wouldn't go on the slide by himself. Now he climbs right up those steps like there is nothing to it. My baby is growing way too fast!



CHALLENGES:
*Peachy Keen Stamps (Challenge #43 - Anything Goes)
*One Stop Craft Challenge (Challenge #204 - Anything Goes)


Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Up & Away

I have been trying hard to complete more scrapbook layouts. When I saw that the challenge this week over at Celebrate the Occasion was "Up & Away" I decided to pull out my photo box and finally scrap the hot air balloon ride I went on back in 2001. It was a wonderful experience. If you haven never been up in a hot air balloon, I highly recommend it.

Here is the left page. The title is a file from Accents by Eddita. The ribbon is from American Crafts.

As you can see, the bottom left photo is mounted on a flap that opens to allow more pictures (this is a file from I Scrap Designs). I took many pictures of the scenery and wanted to be able to include several without cluttering the page. This was the perfect way.

The right page uses the same ribbon from American Crafts. I used a photo I took of the sign on the hot air balloon as a page accent.

Come back tomorrow. I have another scrapbook layout to share.

CHALLENGES:

*Celebrate the Occasion (Challenge #87 - Up & Away)

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Vinyl Wall Art

I love vinyl. I use it on my cards. I decorate ceramic tiles. And today I decorated my son's room with vinyl. This particular project was not made with my cutter, although it certainly could have been. I found a super deal (50% off) online last week for this vinyl alphabet set. Comparing the cost of the pre-made set with the time it would have taken me to create my own, I decided it was worth buying. And I am so thrilled with how it looks.

Here are some close-up shots of the whole alphabet. I was able to space it out so it wrapped completely around my son's room.

Tomorrow I will be back with another project that I made myself.


Thanks for stopping by!


Kelly

Halloween Layout

Okay, I missed a day. But I am still doing much better about blogging than I have in a VERY long time. So yeah for me! :-) Today I am sharing a Halloween layout. This is of a costume party I went to last year with my son and sister. Finally got around to scrapping it a few weeks ago since I was in the Halloween mood.

 

The background paper is from My Mind's Eye. The title and bats are from files by Beloved Keepsakes. I added gems for the bats' eyes. The top left photo is mounted on a flap so I can journal underneath. That way I could fit lots of pictures and still have room to journal.

CHALLENGES:

*Anything Goes (Challenge #79 - Anything Goes at Anything Goes) 

*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #37 - Halloween) 

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Autumn Colors

Fall is my favorite time of year. The colors of the leaves are magnificent. I only wish it lasted longer. This year it seemed especially brief, probably due to the dry summer. The leaves were off the trees in short order. Not to worry though. I have a card to share today that captures those wonderful autumn colors.

This card was made using a file from Sam & Hailey Designs. Jan has a whole collection of round cards. It is fun making non-rectangular cards. A little something unexpected. I used various cardstock from my stash to make this - six layers for the front of the card (green, brown, red, orange, yellow, beige) and two layers for the back (green, beige). Then the two parts were attached with a small brad.

CHALLENGES:

*Anything Goes (Challenge #79 - Anything Goes at Anything Goes) 

*Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog (Challenge #101 - Lots of Layers)

*Scrapalicious (Challenge - Happy Fall Y'all)

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

More Halloween Cards

Today I am sharing the last of the Halloween cards I made this year. I used the same sketch as the basis for both cards and the same patterned papers as well, and yet they each have a different look. I love that about papercrafts - you can create many unique projects from the same starting point.

The sketch came from Ileana of I Scrap Designs. And the patterned papers are from a seasonal paper pack by Colorbok (Cloud 9 Design Harvest Holiday 2). The sentiment and the candy corn on the top card are from Visual Designs by Chris. For the bottom card, I cut out a yellow circle to mimic the moon. The bats are from an I Scrap Designs file. The sheer orange ribbon is from Michael's.

CHALLENGES:

*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #37 - Halloween) 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

 

Skeleton Halloween Card

I'm cutting it a little close today, but I did it. 4 days of blogging in a row. It feels good to be back at it again. Hopefully my streak will continue. And hopefully you are enjoying the craft projects I'm sharing. Today I have another Hallowen card. Just a couple more of these to share and then I will move onto something else.

The patterned paper is from K & Company. The skeleton border is a file from Visual Designs by Chris and I cut it from white vinyl. I added rhinestones to the skeleton's eye sockets to mimic the skeletons in the patterned paper. I finished it off with a simple black velvet ribbon from my stash.

CHALLENGES:

*Anything Goes (Challenge #79 - Anything Goes at Anything Goes)

*Creative Craft Challenges 2 (Challenge: Special Occasion - NOT Birthday)

*One Stop Craft Challenge (Challenge #203 - Color Challenge)

*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #37 - Halloween)

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Cupcake Birthday Card

Here I am again. 3 days in a row. Can you believe it? I might actually be able to stick with this goal of daily blogging. :-) Today I want to take a break from the Halloween projects and share a birthday card.

 

I made this for a friend's daughter, who just turned 7. This card uses a template from I Scrap Designs for the basic layout and the cupcake is a file from Visual Designs by Chris. The patterned papers are from Imaginisce (they came in a great kit I picked up through Scrapbook Steals). I often have a hard time mixing several patterned papers on the same project, but using papers all from the same kit makes it so much easier. The cupcake wrapper was cut from silver vinyl. I added gem sprinkles with my i-rock and Stickles to the candle flame. Finally I used liquid applique to make the stripes on the candle.

CHALLENGES:
*Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog (Challenge #100 - Birthdays)
*Anything Goes (Challenge #79 - Anything Goes at Anything Goes)
*Party Time Tuesdays (Challenge #92 - Anything Goes)

Thanks for stopping by!
Kelly

Scare Up Some Fun

I am here again. 2 days in a row. Woohoo! I hope you enjoyed yesterday's Halloween card. I have another one for you today.

 

I have used several cutter files from Shelly's Art to create this card. The layout is from her Card Base 15 file, the spider web is a freebie she gave out on her blog at some point in the past and the spider is from her Halloween Title file. The patterned papers are from Cloud 9 Design (Colorbok). The black cardstock is embossed with the D'vine Swirls folder. The spider web is cut from holographic paper. I added green rhinestones for the spider's eyes and dotted ribbon from Michael's. The sentiment is a stamp from K Andrew.

CHALLENGES:

*Creative Craft Challenges 2 (Challenge: Special Occasion - NOT Birthday)

*Die Cuttin Divas (Challenge #89 - Anything Goes)

*Party Time Tuesdays (Challenge #92 - Anything Goes)

*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #37 - Halloween)

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Pumpkin Witch Halloween Card

I'm back! And I have been crafting quite a bit lately. My goal is to post a new project at least a few times a week, possibly every day. We'll see how things go. For today I want to share a Halloween card I made.

 

The patterned papers are from K & Company and the ribbon is from Michael's. I have been holding onto this ribbon for quite some time now and it seemed to be the perfect fit for this Halloween card. The focal image is a digi stamp from Shelly's Art. I don't own any fancy markers (like Copics) so I just used my Marvy markers to color the image and then added yellow Stickles to the stars and face. I think it turned out pretty cute.

I have several more Halloween cards to share as well as some scrapbook layouts, other cards, and a home decor project. Come back and see what else I have created!

CHALLENGES:

*My Craft Spot (Challenge #75 - Too Cute to Spook)

*Anything Goes (Challenge #79 - Anything Goes at Anything Goes)

*Celebrate the Occasion (Challenge #86 - Fall)

*Sparkles Monthly Challenges (Challenge #37 - Halloween)

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly