Simon helped me "do up" the Season!

Hello, Bloggers!

Gift Tag

Close-Up "Go, Giants!"

Now that I know the packages have been opened, I can share with you some of the gifts that I made for some dear friends.

Simon, from Simon Says Stamp, was a big help with my Boston-Terrier loving friends. I used the "Boston Terrier Love" set for this set of 4 note cards (with matching tag) and had such a blast with all the outfits!

I even made one wearing a San Francisco 49er jersey and one wearing a San Francisco Giants uniform for San Francisco sports fans!

49ers 4ever!

I am having trouble moving my photos into the correct places this morning (must be that nasty Elf on the Shelf!), so I am sorry about the formatting.

Cheers!

Good morning, bloggin' buddies!

I sure hope you had a wonderful Christmas! Ours certainly was - filled with love, laughter, great food, happy times and some nice quiet times. Lots of Christmas crafting, too!

It has been ages since I played along with Kim and the gang at Paper Smooches and boy, have I missed it! So, I thought I'd do the current Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge, "Anything Goes" to get myself motivated.

Thinking ahead to the New Year, here is a cute little card I made using lots of great Paper Smooches products: Chubby Chums (don't ya just want to hug him?), Chums Dies, Noggin Toppers, Free Spirits Icons and Birthday Words.

I inlaid the "cheers" that I cut from DCWV glitter paper, made some confetti, used an ek sucess punch for the stars and added some googley eyes (which just seemed so appropriate for a night of partying!). The "bubbly" is some DCM metallic thread.

Too darn cute. This party animal may just have to stay and party with me forever!

Check out these cool products and fun challenge - the blog is so full of amazing inspiration! Thanks for the visit,

Dancing Santas

Hello, dear blogging buddies!

You all know how hubby and I love to ZUMBA, right? We go to classes several times a week and get our hearts and spirits going.

When I saw this stamp set in the Stampin' Up Catalog, I just had to get it. The images are super-cute. What a total kick!

I made these cards for our ZUMBA teachers, for a couple of our ZUMBA class pals and for my silly brother.

There are several different dancing Santas in the set. I picked three of them and stamped them in a dancing group using the masking technique. After I colored them with Copics I attached them to some wood-grain textured card stock with a "wobbler" to give them some real dancin' action.

The sentiment on the front is using a "chalkboard" technique and the paper is some from my stash - can one have too much holiday paper?

We are enjoying the holiday festivities. Last night we went by bus to a nearby town for a "Cornish Christmas" event - very charming with lots of great music, unique vendors, decorations and yummy food. A little rain, but that didn't dampen our spirits.

Our house looks adorable - I wasn't sure how well our Christmas decorations would look in the new house, but they are great! We have more plans for fun with family and friends - it just doesn't get much better!

I sure hope your pre-holiday days are full of love and joy! Thanks for the visit,

Snowflake

Hello, dear bloggin' buddies!

This year it seems that snowflakes are very popular because of the movie "Frozen" (which I haven't seen). I have always loved snowflakes - but not the real ones! We moved from Pennsylvania when I was a child, and I have not been interested in real snowflakes since!

This is probably my favorite card of the season! I love the soft colors and the unique tri-fold design, the delicate texture (I had to buy this embossing folder) and just the right touch of sparkle.

I made it in my card-making class right here where we live. Yep, that is the one taught by my new friend, the amazing Dottie. She is so talented, patient and kind. She is also a Stampin' Up demonstrator, so check out her site. All products used here are Stampin' Up.

I sent this card to a special card-making friend (check out her blog, Escape to Stamping) I met right here online and she has received it, so I can post it now.

Thanks for the visit and I hope you have a wonderful day as the Christmas countdown continues.

Ellen's 12 Tags with a Feminine Twist

HI, bloggin' buddies!

I have been simply drooling over the amazing tags presented this year in Ellen Hutson's 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist. I finally had some time today - just under the gun - to give it a shot. It was so difficult to decide which tag to use as my inspiration - they are all so incredible!

I settled on tag #11 by Sharon Harnist. There are so many amazing techniques on this tag. I did my own take on the tag using some of them - specifically, layering the laurel wreath with rolled up glue dots and die-cutting corregated cardstock (never thought of either of these!) - and using the supplies I had on hand.

I didn't have gesso or Copic refillers, so I used Ranger's paint daubbers on watercolor paper. This resulted in an entirely different look, but I like it. To give it an extra feminine kick, I sprayed it with Perfect Pearls mist. To add to the home-spun feel, I used a tiny gingham checked paper in two places - on the grommet and behind the sentiment.

Of course, the dies and stamps are from the amazing Julie Elerbe - Essentials by Ellen (Cozy Christmas, Home & Hearth, Laurel Wreath)! Super-cool.

While I am typically not a "pink" person, I love this tag. Thanks to Ellen, Sharon and Julie! What great women! Thanks for the great inspiration.

Wishing you only the best and thanks for the visit,

Holiday Bracelet

Hello, blogging buddies!

As you may have seen (from previous posts and Facebook) I have been doing some beading lately.

I've taken a few classes from a great gal right here where we love and I have a few favorite designs for bracelets.

This style uses what are called tila beads, buggle beads, seed beads and sparkly crystals. I made this to wear with my holiday blazer. It is so twinkly!

Thanks for the visit and I hope you are enjoying the happy holiday preparations.

Golden Tree

Hi, blogging buddies!

Here is another Christmas card that I learned how to make a couple of years ago, but I put my own twist on it. This is a
Memory Box die. Such golden reflections and sparkle! Again, it is difficult to capture with the camera.

I used some Multi Medium Matte to tame the bow - a trick I learned from Emily Leiphart - check out her amazing blog: http://leiphartonart.blogspot.com/

This one is very elegant in person. I only have about 4 more cards to make.......but they are the ones I've been putting off.

I'm headed out for a walk but I'll return to my craft room to continue working.

Have a lovely day and thanks for the visit!

'Tis the Season!

Hello, bloggin' buddies!

I was so frustrated that all the blogs and websites I frequent were featuring Christmas cards even before we even had Thanksgiving......now, here I am getting in at the last minute!

I'll start with a bright and festive card that I actually learned to make at a marathon card making class in my old stompin' grounds (the San Francisco Bay area). I don't often use black on my holiday cards, but I like it in this instance. I modified my design slightly from that which was taught....always need to put a slight spin on things.

Hope you are enjoying the pre-holiday days. We are, but we are experiencing quite a storm today. At least we don't have to shovel it (sorry for our family and friends in the east and north). As long as our power stays on I plan to do some serious crafting this afternoon.

Take care, stay warm and dry and thanks for the visit!

Not Paper - Beads!

Dear blogging buddies:

I have been making jewelry since the 1960's (an old hippie gal, here!). I have recently gotten re-inspired by taking a few classes and learning new techniques, especially with using tiny "seed" beads for which I didn't believe I would ever have the patience.

I have been posting my work on Facebook, but I thought I'd share photos of a couple of my recent projects here. This is such a fun and rewarding hobby!

This one incorporates bugle, seed and tila beads along with some super-sparkly crystals in the center. This has an art nouveau look, don't ya think?

This one uses silver pyramid beads, along with seed beads and tiny purple crystals. This was difficult to capture with the camera because it is so reflective.

Thanks for the visit and for indulging my other creative outlets!

Have a great day. We are enjoying some much-needed rain!