Holiday Die Exchange Cards

Coffee of the Day - Bourbon Pecan with Eggnog

Woooo Hoooo! It's Saturday!

So have all of you recovered from holiday and new year festivities? has life gotten back to whatever form of normal is at your house? hopefully it will at our home in the next few days. we have had company in and out ever since before Christmas. it's been wonderful seeing so many people, but I do confess it will be nice to have a bit less stressful environment again. ;)

The Digi Bells Design Team had a fun card and gift exchange over the holidays. Each of us created a card for one team member and then also sent a collection of dies. it was a wonderful treat to receive such a beautiful handmade card from one of our teammates and know that they had spent so much time creating it just for us. :)

I'm sharing with you both the card I made as well as the fabulous gift package I received. I sent my card to Alethea along with some fun dies I found from Whimsy Stamps. I also included one of Elisabeth's lovely rubber stamps, because at the time, Alethea had been having trouble with her printer. this way she would have a back-up anytime she wanted to use one of Elisabeth's wonderful images! :)

First up is the card I made. I used 'Sweet Country Christmas' and lots of fun holiday embellies. papers are from a pack I found at Hobby Lobby, buttons and holly sprigs are from my vintage stash, and distressed seam binding is from Zipper Stop. 'Believe' wood veneer is from Michael's, poinsettia is by Petaloo, and other flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts. main image and matting dies are by Spellbinders. banner die is from SU!

This is the GORGEOUS card and die assortment I received from the VERY talented, Lynda! isn't it fabulous??!!!? and I know that I will use these dies quite a bit on projects. :) she used the cutey 'Meadow Magic' image on the card she made for me.

Enjoy your weekend! :)

Challenges:
Crafty Friends - anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Ch - anything Christmas goes
Creative Corner - anything goes
Creative Fingers - anything goes
Jingle Belles - no time like the presents
Fab 'n Funky - little girls

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

Holiday Gift Ideas with GIU

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

Welcome back for my second Growing in Unity (GIU) gal post. How's your holiday shopping going? have you finished? started? ;) my husband used to have a tradition of waiting until Christmas Eve to actually BEGIN his shopping! thankfully after 30 years of marriage, I can happily say that is no longer a tradition of his! grins! he likes to start in October or so like the most of us....

today I want to share with you a few somewhat 'quick' little ideas for gifts using Unity stamps. now bear in mind that quick for me might not be quick for you, I am a VERY slow crafter. I kinda like it that way, as it gives me plenty of time to think about the people I am making things for. once upon a time I could whip up a card in less than 10 minutes, but these days it takes me several hours just to paint my images. but it is sooooooooo relaxing! my cat, Moon Pie loves to come into my craft room with me, so it's really a special time. :)

now on to my gift ideas ~

first up is a tag I made to go on a candle that was sent to my Mother-in-law. if you have a Michael's craft store nearby, these jar candles are fabulous! every once in a while they go on sale 4/$10. otherwise I'll use my 40% off coupons on them. the fragrances are quite nice and even when I burn the candles all day long, they'll still last almost a week.

when my MIL came for a visit this spring, I hooked her on them, too. so I found one in a scent I knew she would like and added it along with some other goodies for her for Christmas.

the tag is made using the pretty "Peace Dove" image, stamped in versamark on one of the freebie tags that came along in the 'thank you' gift Unity sent in my last order. I then embossed it in copper ep, once that dried, I added some frantage powders and spritzes of a few shades of glimmer mist. touches of distressing to the tag's edges, a vintage holly sprig, and pretty ribbons turn this into a fabulous gift!

Next up are some cutey little gift bags that I also found at Michael's. These use a combination of stamp sets that might cause you to scratch your head at first, but they really look great together!

I stamped various snowflakes from the Layers of Life Magical Bliss and Wonder set in Prima chalk inks on the muslin bags as well as the little wooden tags my husband made. I then stamped the snowman from Susan Weckesser's "One of a Kind Winter" set using Staz-on. Tim Holtz distress markers were used to color it in, and the snow drops were made with a Viva Decor pearl pen.

several shades of glimmer mist was sprayed to add a bit of sparkly shine.  poinsettias are from Hobby Lobby. finally, the 'joy' is from a sentiment from the "Joy to Go" set.

Thank you so much for stopping by for a cuppa with me! be sure to leave a comment on any one of my GIU posts this week for a chance to win a Unity grab bag of stamps! :)

Jennifer

Challenges:
Crafty Boots - Winter Wonderland (gift bags)
Love to Scrap - anything goes
Melonheadz - time for Christmas
Marker Pop - winter (gift bags, colored with Tim Holtz distress markers)
Use Your Stuff - Merry Christmas ( buttons, ribbons, twine, and Viva Decor pearl pen are all from my older stash)
Simon Says Stamp Wed Ch - gift it

A Cup of Joy Fold-a-Long cards for GIU

Coffee of the Day - Maple Fudge

Hip Hip Hooray! the long awaited day is finally here! Today begins my stint as a Growing in Unity gal, or GIU gal for short! to say I've been a Nervous Nelly is putting it MILDLY! my lawsie, do you have any idea how humbling it is to be chosen, but then to be assigned the week prior to Christmas?! ack!!! ;) no pressure..... nah..... NOT!

okay, so here we go....
I am a coffee lover. alright. some MIGHT say I'm an addict. of course I don't, but then I do drink out of a cup that can hold 30 oz. of the beverage of my choice! tee hee!

so to start off my GIU week, yep, I had to go with coffee projects!
now I'm going to warn you. all of my projects this week are going to be all mixy matchy. I've used stamps from various sets, so I will link them all in the body of my posts. I'm not very conventional. and my projects are about as far from CAS as you can get. that's just how I roll. :)

yeah, I also tend to 'talk' a lot! you should hear me irl! (insert my hubby's eye roll here....)

I came across this way cool card die from Sizzix and knew it would be great fun to use at some point this week. the die is called the Ornate Label Fold-a-long. papers are from Basic Grey, sniff sniff sniff..... okay, no more lamenting my fave paper company closing it's doors.....

I decorated the outsides with vintage button cards and distressed seam binding. each was stamped with a sentiment from the "Joy to Go" set. poinsettias from Hobby Lobby were then added.

inside I added images from the "Hello Love" and "Joy to Go" sets. the sentiment is also from "Joy to Go" and accented with vintage holly sprigs & pearl-ex drops. each image has accents of white gel pen stickles, shimmerz paint, and/or Viva Decor pearl paint.

thank you so much for stopping by! if you would like a chance to win a Unity grab bag of stamps, just leave a comment on this or any of my GIU posts this week. see you tomorrow! :)

Jennifer

Challenges:
613 Avenue Create - holiday happiness (coffee is my happiness every day & season!)
Come and Get it - Christmas
The Stamping Boutique - fancy folds
52 Christmas Card Throwdown - any previous challenge (May dies/punches combined with August watercoloring, since that is how I color all of my images)
Kraftin' Kimmie's Wonderful Wed - anything goes
Pattie's Creations - anything goes that's Christmas or winter
Color Inspiration Monday link up - anything goes as long as it's hand colored (water colored with SU! inks)

A Holiday Cookie Swap Blog Hop with The Digi Bells! :)

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Peppermint, just the thing to go with an assortment of cookies! :)

Hello to all of you on this bright and beautiful Sunday morning! :) I am so not ready for Christmas to arrive, but I know by the time it gets here, my house will have been tinseled and hollied and bedecked in ribbons gallore! you see, I've been so very busy working on holiday projects for everyone that not one decoration has been put up yet. that changes as of next week! I am almost finished with projects in the craft room! hooray! :)

but you are here today because you want to taste a yummy cookie, don't you? you have arrived here from LYNDA's absolutely gorgeous blog if you are on our hop with The Digi Bells. if you are just starting out, please stop by The Digi Bells blog for the complete list. you don't want to miss even one stop of the fun, since everyone is sharing cookie recipe cards and this adorable new digi stamp, "Home Baked Christmas," that is making it's way into the store today. :)

every year for Christmas, each of my sons gets to choose at least one Christmas cookie that I will bake, plus we have several favorites that are always on the list. the recipe that follows is one of the 'always' cookies! if you follow my blog, you know that our oldest son, Tyler, became engaged just this past week. I decided to make this card for his fiance, Danielle, so she could have one of Tyler's favorite cookie recipes for her collection. :) we all know that Santa's favorite cookies are Daddy's favorite cookies! :)

Because the recipe is a bit long, I wasn't sure how I was going to fit it into a standard card format. that is when I came up with the idea of making a 'Z fold' card.

papers are from a pretty vintage pad I picked up at Hobby Lobby.

all of the dies are by Spellbinders.

flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts with the exception of the poinsettia on the frosting page. that one is by Making Memories.

buttons and lace are from my vintage stash. accents were made with shimmerz paint and crystal effects.

digital images on the recipe pages are some of the free ones Elisabeth so kindly sends out each week to her newsletter subscribers. you can sign up here if you aren't already on the list. you'll receive a free image every week in your mailbox! :)

If you would like to see any of the photos larger, just click on them and they will open in another window for you.

I'm the last hop on the stop, so thank you very much for popping over! head to The Digi Bells blog and leave a lovely comment for Elisabeth!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Jennifer

p.s. to my regular blog followers, tomorrow begins my Growing in Unity week. I am so VERY excited to share all of my projects with you! I hope you check back each day, not only to see what I have created, but for a chance to win some fun stamps!

Challenges:
The Stamping Boutique - fancy folds (Z fold)
Dragonfly Dreams - Christmas
Pile it On - any holiday/celebration
The Ribbon Girl - any image with ribbons/lace/trim
A Gem of a Challenge - anything Christmas
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - cute Christmas
Di's Digi's - winter holiday
Kraftin' Kimmie's Wonderful Wed - anything goes
Morgan's Art World - anything goes
Little Miss Muffet - anything goes

Christmas is Love AND Gingerbread Men

Top Pick at Crafty Catz

Coffee of the Day - Starbuck's Holiday Blend

It's Saturday and Christmas is right around the corner! How are your preparations coming? I feel a bit like a hamster on a treadmill, to tell you quite honestly. ;) lots of running and running and not getting anywhere! grins!

I'm sharing a new card with all of you today, made with one of the cutey freebies Elisabeth Bell so graciously sends into the mailboxes of all of her newsletter subscribers. I sure hope each of YOU has signed up for the newsletter! if not, just pop over here right away.

The little image is called "Gingerbread Man Corner" and I've paired it with a sentiment from Create with TLC. by using png formatted images, layering is super easy!

papers are some fun ones I found on a recent trip to Michael's. main and matting die are by Spellbinders, tree die  from Sizzix, and holly flourish die is by Cheery Lynn. little poinsettias are from Petaloo. vintage buttons and twine are from my stahs. some little accent dots were added to the card base border with my white gel pen for interest.

enjoy your weekend!
Jennifer

Challenges:
Art by Miran - anything goes
Crafty Catz - anything goes
Jingle Belles - I think it's an anything Christmas theme?
DL Art - any winter holiday
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - cute Christmas
Die Cut Divas - layer it up
Polkadoodles - traditional Christmas

Collect Moments Christmas Tea Cup Card

Coffee of the Day - Creamy Chestnuts

I have been such a VERY busy bee in my craft room, so be prepared to be inundated with a LOT of crafty goodies. :) it's been fun, but I am a whooped puppy! still going at it until my list is done...

Today I'm sharing with you a card I made for one of my bestest friends in the whole world. she used to be a coffee buddy, but she no longer drinks coffee. she does still drink tea, though, so I was happy to make a card for her with several yummy tea bags added. we used to go to a wonderful tea room here in town until they sadly closed their doors.

the stamp is by Prima and was added to a library pocket. the pocket and the library card the tea bags are adhered to are sprayed with several shades of glimmer mist. I also used my SU! ink squirty tool. little ribbon snippet is from Really Reasonable Ribbon and pretty lace trim is from Hobby Lobby. holly flourish die is by Cheery Lynn and doily die is from Little Darlings Rubber Stamps. paper & poinsettia are from Hobby Lobby as well. button is from my vintage stash.

have a most amazing day! see you back here tomorrow! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
Winter Coffee Lover's blog hop
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes
Everybody Art - doily (die)
Inky Chicks - Christmas card in traditional colors
Ike's World - photo inspiration
Crafty Boots - Christmas

A Cup of Christmas Joy

Coffee of the Day - Moon Pie (yes, it's an actual coffee flavor!)

The long anticipated day is finally here! I have a crafty post on my blog once again! hooray! :) Thanks so much to those of you who have left such kind and encouraging comments as well as emailed me. you have been so sweet and patient. :)

Today also kicks off the Winter Coffee Loving Cardmaker's blog hop. while I might not have something for every day of the hop, I hope to have several projects to share. :) you know me and my love of coffee!

My card uses the precious 'Willow with Hot Chocolate' image by Elisabeth Bell and a sentiment from the 'Joy to Go' stamp set by Unity.

main image and die for polka dot paper are both by Spellbinders while the holly leaf flourish die is from Cheery Lynn. papers and poinsettia are some I found at Hobby Lobby. buttons are from my vintage stash.

tag was sprayed with glimmer mist and then also sprayed with my SU! ink squirty tool. seam binding is from Zipper Stop & distressed, and that gorgeous trim along the side is a vintage find. :)  other flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts.

have a most lovely weekend! hope to see you back here again soon! :)
Jennifer

p.s. I'll have some new DT news to post shortly! so excited! now just need to find a new year 'round Christmas team..... I LOVE to make Christmas cards all year long! grins! yes, I'm strange that way.... ;)

Challenges:
Winter Coffee Loving Cardmaker's blog hop
Choux Choux Paper Art - Visions of Sugar Plums Christmas challenge
Christmas Cards All Year Long - anything Christmas Goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - vintage or anything Christmas
Crafty Calendar - Christmas Time
Christmas with the Cuties - Christmas and cute
Scribbles Designs - Happy Holidays
Crafty Ribbons - Christmas
613 Avenue Create - Holiday Happiness (you had better believe that coffee is my happiness! ha!)
Morgan's Art World - anything goes