A Vintage Merry Christmas for GIU

Coffee of the Day - Butter Rum

We're to my mid week project for Growing in Unity (GIU) and I am going to show all of you what my typical card style is really like....  :)

As I was browsing through the Unity store one day looking for stamps for this week, I came across this gorgeous stamp by Susan Weckesser called "World of Christmas." I instantly fell in love!

oh good golly, look at all of that vintage glory!!! doesn't it just make you swoon right in your computer chair?! into my shopping cart it went!

I stamped the image onto natural vanilla cs from Stampin' Up! and only used a q-tip to shade it. this helps give such an ethereal, shabby look to the piece.

papers are from the Basic Grey Evergreen collection, flowers are an assortment from Wild Orchid Crafts, Petaloo, and Hobby Lobby, and lace & buttons are from my vintage stash.

corner snowflake die is by Creative Expressions and large rectangular die is by Spellbinders. a gold doily, distressed seam binding snippet tied with linen thread, and rusty jingle bell finish the card. a wink of stella glitter pen was brushed over the 'Merry Christmas' to give it a light sparkle.

thank you so much for stopping by today for my coffee of the day! I hope you have enjoyed the things I've created for you so far! :)

be sure to leave a comment on any of my GIU posts for a chance to win a Unity grab bag of stamps!

see you tomorrow! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
Fussy and Fancy - angels and fairies or winter
Morgan's Art World - anything goes
QKR - Christmas cards
Holly Jolly Christmas - Christmas card or abc
Inky Chicks - Christmas in traditional colors

Christmas Curls in July

Coffee of the Day - Pecan Toffee

Hello and Happy Friday!

It's Christmas in July! have you made any of your holiday cards yet? there are so many cuties available in Elisabeth Bell's digi shop, and if you subscribe to her newsletter, you just might find a few popping into your mailbox, too! :)

One of those freebies that showed up in my inbox was this adorable image, 'Christmas Curls.' isn't she precious with her little kitty?! since we have just rescued a cat here in our home, this one really struck a chord with me. in face my own kitty cat is sitting in his special bed right here on top of the desk beside me as I type this post! yes, he might just be a bit spoiled, but as a rescue, he has a right to be! :)

papers are from the Basic Grey Evergreen collection, main die is by Spellbinders, pretty snowflake border die is by Sue Wilson for Creative Expressions, and little flower is by Petaloo. lace along bottom, buttons, and holly sprig are all vintage stash. pink seam binding (distressed) and gold cord are from Really Reasonable Ribbon. tag was sprayed with glimmer mist. distress stickles were added to holly berries and shimmerz was painted onto bells of main image. some faux stitching and a burlap doily complete the card.

this is my last post on the Digi Bell blog as a guest designer, and I have had such a lovely time! I still have a few more posts with them, but no more on the blog. it's sure been a fun ride!

it's also a mid month posting over at Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra challenge, so be sure to link up those Christmas cards you are making!

have a great weekend! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - anything Christmas goes
Whoopsi Daisy - Christmas in July
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes
Classic DT Challenge - anything goes
World Wide Open DT Challenge - anything goes
Craft Rocket - anything goes
Crafting With an Attitude - anything goes
Crimbo Crackers - anything Christmas goes
DL Art July linky party - anything goes
Little Miss Muffet - anything goes
Kraftin' Kimmie's Wonderful Wed - anything goes
Craft Your Passion - anything goes

Merry Little Snowman

Design Team Favorite at Tuesday Morning Sketches

Coffee of the Day - Irish Creme

A new challenge is starting over at Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra (I'm posting early due to the time difference) as well as it's Oldie But Goodie day on the Bugaboo challenge and inspiration blog. so you get a two-fer from me today! :)

I am using the ever adorable 'Chibi Snowman' image on my card, printed directly onto kraft cardstock. isn't he such a cutie?! :)

papers are from the Basic Grey 25th and Pine collection, satin ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon, and snowflake corner die is by Sue Wilson for Creative Expressions. main die is by Spellbinders.

doily was sprayed with glimmer mist, snow on main image was covered in frosted stickles, and little snow drops were created with a Viva Decor pearl pen. I used a white chalk pencil to color the snowman. more sparkly accents were added with my spica clear glitter pen.

little holly piece is vintage as are the buttons. sentiment was generated on the label maker. sorry it's a bit hard to see.

thanks for stopping by! my crafty posts will be a bit further apart, I'm afraid. have left most of my Design Teams due to some health issues I'm having. hope a bit of rest will get me back on my feet in  a few months. :)

until then you'll see me a few times a week, I hope. :)

Challenges:
Tues. Morning Sketches - sketch
Crafty Gals Corner - anything goes
Fab 'n Funky - Christmas
House That Stamps Built - anything goes
Crimbo Crackers - anything Christmas goes
Simon Says Stamp Wed - anything goes
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes
Digi Choosday - bling, gems, or glitter ( stickles glitter glue - hope that counts. also glimmer mist on doily which shimmers, glitter pen and pearl pen drops which are also sparkly.)
Holly Jolly Christmas - add a ribbon
Inky Chicks - Christmas in summer
Christmas Card Ch - anything goes
Winter Wonderland - stitching or use 2 designer papers (2 papers option)

Merry Christmas, Meadow Magic

Winner at Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge
Winner at Hiding in My Craft Room

this is my 2nd post for the day. for my Bugaboo Guest challenge post, please go here. thanks! :)

I am so thankful to be a guest designer for Elisabeth Bell and the Digi Bells challenge blog through July. the images are just so cute and fun! :)

being a guest designer means I also get to play along in the monthly challenges. a new one begins today and the theme is 'Holidays.' since y'all know I'm trying to get a jump start on my Christmas cards, (especially since my MIL took every one of the cards I had in my stash with her when she was here on her visit a few weeks ago), I opted for a Christmas card.

I'm using the oh, so adorable 'Meadow Magic' image along with papers from the Basic Grey Aspen Frost collection. I printed the image onto kraft cs for something a bit different this time. I did my usual watercoloring with SU! inks, with the exception of the snow and snowman. those were colored with a white chalk pencil. talk about something VERY different for me!  snowflakes were accented with a white gel pen.

both main dies are by Spellbinders, 'Merry Christmas' die is by Sue Wilson for Creative Expressions, flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, seam binding is from Paper Sweeties, and buttons from my vintage stash. angel wings are accented with a wink of stella glitter pen.

that's it for me today! enjoy your weekend, whatever fun plans you have!
Jennifer

Challenges:
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - use a sentiment
Crimbo Crackers - anything goes
Crafty Friends - inspired by a song (Frosty the Snowman)
Hiding in My Craft Room - any holiday
Crafty Catz - let's button it
Simply Create Too - Christmas in July
Ruby's Rainbow - hip to be square
Digi Choosday - pretty ribbon/twine
Incy Wincy - buttons & bows

Sending Warm Winter Wishes

Coffee of the Day - Maple Fudge

I realize my post is late in the day, but it's actually going live over in Europe at the proper time. ;) and it's a two-fer, too! not only am I here with a reminder for Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra, but I was privileged to be asked as a Guest Designer over at Paradise of Stamps for their newest challenge.  because the themes coincided, I thought I would combine it all into one fun card for you! I hope you enjoy! :)

The theme at Paradise of Stamps is 'Winter', and what says winter here in northeast Ohio more than SNOW! while we didn't have much before Christmas, we have been making up for it this week. I wanted to add a sentiment on the outside, but just ran out of space. so I did add it to the inside and it reads, "Sending Warm Winter Wishes." this makes it perfect for any kind of a winter holiday card!

The cute bear image comes from Sandra Caldwell, papers are from the My Mind's Eye Winter Wonderland collection, snowflake template is by Shape EZ, pale blue ribbon and burlap string are from Really Reasonable Ribbon, flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, and buttons are vintage. beautiful doily die for the iridescent vellum is by Prima and the pretty tree dies are by Sue Wilson for Creative Expressions. I added snow to the trees with acrylic paints and to the main image with stickles.

I hope you will play along in both challenges since you've seen how easy it is to combine them into one card! :) and just think - you'll be getting a head start on your holiday cards, too!

thanks so much for stopping by!
Jennifer

Challenges:
Crafty Time - make it sparkle (stickles on the snow & snowballs)
Creatalicious - snowflakes (template & paper)
Southern Ridge Trading - anything winter
Stempelgarten - Winter Wonderland
Creaine Ch - bingo: blue, flowers, glitter (stickles)
Craft for the Craic - January Blues
The Stamping Boutique - winter
Christmas at Sweet Stamping - bows

Merry Christmas with Dies and Paper Temptress

Coffee of the Day - Spiced Pecan

Are you as behind on making your Christmas cards as I am? Paper Temptress makes it easy to use the dies in your stash for quick to make Christmas cards.

thank goodness it's easy to pull out a few dies, some great card stock from the PT store, a handfull of embellies, and complete a card in less time than you can finish singing all the verses from "The 12 Days of Christmas"!

for my card I used Red Basis card stock for the base and olive Basis for the trees.  the 'Merry Christmas' was cut twice with Cryogen White Iridescent. the 2 pieces were then glued together for extra thickness. 1/4" red grosgrain ribbon was tied into a bow around the bottom of the card.

paper is from the Basic Grey Evergreen collection, flowers and berry sprays are by Wild Orchid Crafts, wooden veneer snowflakes are from Studio Calico, and buttons are from my vintage stash. the beautiful dies are by Sue Wilson and Creative Expressions. I was blessed to win a wonderful selection of these dies a bit ago. :)

and I simply must do a quick shout out to our youngest son, Ryan. hubby and I did a quickie trip to Indiana on Sunday to surprise Ry at his church. it was his first time to preach, and we knew that we couldn't miss it.  a few tears, of course, but most importantly, lots and lots of laughter and JOY! God truly used this amazing young man to spread His message! I am so very proud! :)

thanks so much for stopping by! :)

Challenges:
Eclectic Ellapu - use more than 1 die
Robyn's Fetish - add a Christmas die cut
That Craft Place - Christmas
Allsorts - golden days (doily)
Creatalicious - something old (flair, buttons, doily, wood veneer snowflakes), something new (dies)
Southern Ridge Trading Co - Christmas words
Through the Purple Haze - Christmas
Choux Choux Paper Art - Visions of Sugar Plums Linky Party