Winter Wishes

It has been a wintery week here in NC.  Today was overcast and cold and then it started snowing/sleeting at 3:00 today.  I was inspired this morning to create a wintery card.  I have finished all of my swap cards and ATCs for December so thought I would make a card before I finished my shopping, started my baking and spent some quality time with my daughter and husband.  I hope you like this card.  I just love this stamp I got at Archivers, and the snowflakes are supposed to be a tree decoration, but just love them on cards.  Hope all are having a wonderful, wintery day!

Meet me under the Mistletoe

Here is a "saucy" card that I made for my husband for Christmas!  I love this stamp, which came with the sentiment.  I used the snow pen to make the fluffy fur collars and hat.  I love snowflakes so winter cards always seem to have a snowflake on them.  Hope you enjoy this card! 

Snowy Weekend

We put up our Christmas lights yesterday morning before some weather was going to come in.  We don't get a lot of snow here in NC, but they were forecasting a dusting.  It started snowing at 2:30 pm and continued until 8:00.  We got about an inch.  It was so pretty with the lights on and the snow coming down.  One thing I love about NC is that we can get snow but it rarely accumulates on streets and sidewalks.  It is like the perfect snow!  However, you wouldn't know we got a snow if you looked outside today.  Most of it has melted and we just have traces left.  It will be cold this week but no chance of anymore of the white stuff.  Maybe closer to Christmas!

Tilda Gift Tags

This has been a Magnolia weekend!  I have made numerous cards with the Maggie stamps and have even put together a class that I will be teaching on Thursday featuring the stamps. I created these gift tags with two of the newest stamps that I have gotten.  I just love blues at Christmas and the sleeping Tilda is so adorable.  The glittery snowflakes were given to me in a swap and I have used them all up now.  I just loved them.  I will have to find them somewhere because they really enhance the cards and tags. 

Thankful

This is a House Mouse card that I made before Thanksgiving.  It is stamped on the inside with the phrase "Thankful for the Simple Things".  I just love this stamp.  I used some items that a friend of mine sent me in a Mystery swap to make this card.  It was fun to do!  Hope you enjoy it!

Tilda and the snowman

I have been busily making cards this weekend for swaps and for Christmas.  I just love Christmas, I always act like a little kid.  I love snowmen, almost as much as ladybugs, LOL!  I just had to make a card with this Magnolia stamp - Tilda and snowman.  I love blues at Christmas so this seemed to be the perfect combo to put together.  Hope you like the card!

Awning Card

I have attached a Christmas Awning card that I made.  this is a really easy card to make, though it looks somewhat complicated.  The awning is made by using the Stampin Up word window punch and gluing the pieces to a strip of paper.  Both sides of the awning hang over the strip, so they are turned down, one side being glued to the card front and the other making the awning as shown above.  I love this stamp, that is a Christmas Window scene, that you can get from Susana's Custom Art and Card Design.  The folder used on the blue paper is a Tim Holtz Christmas folder.  I also made a matching tag to go with this. 

Every month, the yahoo group that I co-own, has a mystery swap.  This is where we send a packet of items to our swap partner that can be used to make at least one card.  I received a great packet on our last swap and made this card with some of the items.  I loved the colors I got in this swap and really loved how I did this.  Hope you enjoy it as well.  These are my favorite monthly swaps since they seem to push me to figure out how to put the items together that I receive.

Vintage - Visage

 This is a vintage card that I made for a swap.  I love this digital stamp.  I have started trying my hand at using digital stamps and am really enjoying them.  Some of them are really cool.  I love the vintage look, using Tim Holtz distress inks, and the colors associated with the vintage look.

House Mouse Bows

I love the House Mouse stamps.  These critters are so adorable.  I just had to post a Christmas card using a House Mouse stamp.  I have really gotten into the spirit of the holidays lately.  I am almost finished with all of my Christmas shopping.  I have a few more things to finish creating and then they will be done.  I have to purchase a few more things for my daughter, Brittany, and a few things for my hubby but then I am all set to start wrapping it all up.  I do need to create a few more Christmas cards so I can get them out the door after Thanksgiving.  I will try to wrap some of that up this coming weekend. 

I am wondering how everyone else is doing?  Leave me a message and let me know how things are shaping up for you all.  I still have a ways to go but last year I was so behind I vowed I wouldn't get that way this year.  So, there is still the baking and decorating and mailing and, oh well, not going to start stressing myself out this early in the morning!

Vintage in Purples

This weekend was crazy and busy.  We went to a football game this weekend and it was cold, misty, we lost, etc.  Not a good time was had by all, LOL!  Yesterday, however, I was able to get to the craft room and create a little.  I didn't create this card yesterday, but can't show the cards yet that I did create since they are swaps that are going out this morning.  I will post one later this week.  I also got over to Archivers for their make and take weekend.  I made a cute Christmas ornament, a Christmas card, and a cute little pail.  It was a lot of fun! 

This card was one that was put together with Mystery swap items.  I just love the vintage look, and use Tim Holtz distress inks whenever I get an opportunity.  This card has all of my favorite colors!  I love purples, yellows, and pinks.  Also I love glitter so you will always see some sparkle on my cards. 

Shaker Christmas Card

I know it is Halloween today, so it seems odd that I am posting a Christmas card, but I was trying out a new stamp and these very thin shaker boxes and just had to post this card.  I put polar white flower soft in the shaker box so that the snowman looks like he is in a snowglobe.  I just love this effect.  I added a touch of light blue glitter to give it a slightly different effect.  I had fun making this card.  I am going to look for other things to do with the shaker boxes, they are so fun to create with.

Anniversary in Asheville

Last weekend we went to Asheville, NC.  Dave had a conference there so we thought we would take a few days and celebrate an early Anniversary.  We will be married 28 years tomorrow.  This time of year in the mountains is gorgeous.  The leaves were turning, the air was crisp, the sun was out the entire time without a cloud in the sky, it was just perfect!  These are a few pictures that I took while we were there.  We went to the Biltmore Estate, which we hadn't been to in years, and so much had changed.  If you ever get a chance to go, it is well worth the admission fee.  They were already decorating the Biltmore House for Christmas, which is my favorite time of year.  I just wanted to show also, that Dave does stop to smell the roses!

E is for Ewe

I made this card for an "E is for..." swap.  This is the cutest digi stamp.  I used some DSP that was part of a Halloween pack, but thought it was perfect with the black and vanilla papers that I used.  I colored the Ewe lightly with copic markers.  This was a very simple card but I felt it went together really well.

Pink, brown, and orange

I had to make a swap card with the colors pink, orange and brown.  I was not sure if I was going to like that color combination at all.  However, I hadn't used my peg stamps in a while and decided to get them out and use the different colors to make the wreath.  The card just developed from there.  I thought it turned out pretty good!

Girl on a Swing

This is a card that I made for a sketch swap.  I just love this stamp of the girl on the swing.  I used a new embossing folder to emboss the top note.  Both of these are from Stamping Up, as is the DSP (designer specialty paper) and lace ribbon. 

Iris Folding

I love iris folding.  I think it is so cool, though it is complicated to do.  I hadn't posted this until now since it was a swap that I had sent to a friend in Australia.  I thought the the ribbon was perfect since it says Splish Splash.  I had fun making this "bikini".

Christmas Gift Card

This is a card that I have made for Christmas with a Magnolia Santa image.  On the inside of the card I have placed two different kinds of folders.  This card will be perfect to give a teenage a blank CD on the left side and an iTunes gift card on the right, make a CD with romantic music to place in the left side and a gift card to a wine store or grocery store on the right so they can make a romantic dinner, or put a restaurant menu in the left pocket and a gift card to that restaurant in the right pocket.  I believe the possibilities are endless.  This would make a great gift to give at Christmas, or any other time depending on the design you place on the front of the card.  I have so much fun making this card.  I will decorate the inside more once I decide which of the above I am going to do!

Inchie Card

Here is a card I made for an Inchie Card Swap.  I love making the inchies because it allows me to use up scraps. I have been making a lot of holiday cards, so look for some being posted here.

Pinwheel Card

Here is a card I made for Fall with the pinwheel technique.  I just love the Fall papers that are out right now.  The dsp on the left is a paper that I purchased.  The paper on the right is made from a stamp and gold emossing powder. 

Halloween Card

Here is a card that I made with a card kit that I received from a swap.  I added some twigs to it because I thought it needed a little something.  I love the feathers on this card, they really make the card.  I have to tell you that ever since I purchased the bow easy, I have been able to make perfect bows for all of my cards.  That is such a great little device.  I love the background DSP, it is so cute.  You can't really see it here, but it has a lot of writing on it that is pretty cute.  I decorated the inside of the card as well.  I will have to take a picture of the inside to show also.

Mystery Swap Card

This card was made with items someone sent me in a "Mystery Swap", which is a swap where items are sent and then you need to make a card from them.  These are fun to do since you never know what you are getting and it is like a puzzle to put it all together. 

Harley Card

I have been so swamped at work that I have not been on here much.  I am posting a card that I made for my husband.  He rides a Harley and I love to ride on the back.  This stamp just made me think of us.  I had to use black, orange and gold since they are Harley colors.

U is for Unique

Here is a card I did for an Alphabet swap - U is for Unique.  I thought the idea of stamping a card and then cutting into pieces to make a tiled image was pretty cool.  I had fun with it.  I need to make another card like this!

All About Me

This is a card that I created for an "All About Me" card swap.  As you know from my blog name, I am crazy about ladybugs so of course one had to be on the card.  I love walking my dog, wearing jeans, and enjoy being outside.  I am somewhat of a wine connoisseur and love flowers, gardening, etc.  Also, love bling so had to put some rhinestones on the card.  I thought it turned out well.

Soot Stamping

Have you ever tried Soot Stamping?  This is a really fun technique.  Here is a card that I did with soot stamping.  If you want more details about this technique, let me know.

Z is for.....

Here is a card that I made for an alphabet swap.  I just love these swaps, they really make you think.  I had fun with the Zebra!

Women's Card

Well, I am home with strep throat today and have no energy.  I haven't posted anything here in a while, so wanted to post something.  Here is a card that I did a few weeks ago.  I had to make a women's card for a swap.  I love this new stamp from Stampin Up.  Hope you like it too!

This is a birthday card that I made yesterday for a swap.  I love how it turned out with the pink and the black.  I used some shimmer paint on the wine, which makes it sparkle just a bit.  I used my bow easy to make the bow.  I just love that inexpensive little contraption.  I have really gotten into using my copic marker - C2, to do the shading around images.  I think it provides a little depth.  Let me know what you think of this!

Here is a card that I did for a Vacation Swap.  I couldn't stop thinking of the retreat that I went on recently with some cardmaking friends.  I just had to make this card.  I used muddpuddles to make the sand look like real sand. 

Here is a card that I also made on the retreat.  I love this image.  I just love the girl in it and the butterfly on her toes.  The Martha Stewart punches for the butterfly and the trim piece are just great.  These punches really make the card.  Hope you enjoy it.

Retreat and card

I have been away for 5 days at a cardmaking retreat at the Outer Banks of NC.  It was me and two other women that I met online in a cardmaking group.  We had the best time!  We all made up card kits for eachother so we had cards to make.  This is one that Faye designed.  The funny thing is, I designed one that was very similar, just a different stamp.  Here is the photo of that card.  The cups from Stampin Up are awesome to use to put keepsakes in.  The shells, sand, etc, were all gathered from the beach.  These were so much fun to make.

Easel Card

Here is an easel card that I did for a swap.  I just love these stamps.  They are so fun to color.  The butterflies are punched using a new Martha Stewart punch.  They layer really well.  Hope you enjoy this card!

Well, we went away for Easter to the Outer Banks of NC for a few days.  I didn't make any cards, because I didn't take any of my supplies.  I also didn't play any games on facebook (what a shocker) and we just had a good time.  Here is a pic of my daugher and her boyfriend - who went with us.  We are on the top of Jockey's Ridge, the highest sand dune on the east coast.  We had beautiful weather while we were there, and had a great time.

Tilda with Gate

I have had a lot going on a work so have not been as good about posting on my blog as I should have.  Tonight I put together a card with a Tilda that I had colored a while ago.  I have been taking a copics class online with Suzanne Dean.  I have learned so much.  I have started with the beginner class.  I see so many flaws in the coloring of the above Tilda based on what I have learned.  However, I think she is cute and love the fence.  I put ritz glitter on the filigree punched paper.  Ritz glitter is the best!  I won some on a blog and just love it.

Bunny

I have been on an iris folding kick lately.  Here is an iris folded bunny.  I love this technique, however, there will be other techniques this weekend posted on my blog.  Hope you enjoy!

Ok, all of the cards that I have been doing lately are for swaps, so I can't really show them yet.  I did take this adorable picture of my boxer, Murphy.  I decided that everyone needed to see this pic since he looks so peaceful. Most everyone that knows him never sees him like this - LOL!

Iris Folding - Triangle

Here was my first attempt at an iris folding card.  This was easier than the cat, and I think it turned out pretty good.  I actually like doing these.  It is pretty fun!

Iris Folding Cat

I have been practicing iris folding today.  This is actually pretty fun.  Hope you like it.  I really want to work up to doing some of the more difficult ones, but have started with the easy ones first.

Thanks

Thanks for all the comments you all leave on my cards.  I may not always thank you personally, but know that I read and appreciate each and every one of them.  I am so glad that you come by and visit me every once in a while!

I had to do an all white card for a swap.  I thought this would be really hard, however, it was really fun.  I think it turned out well.  What do you all think about doing cards that are in one color?

Interlocking Hearts

I made this interlocking hearts card today.  I really love doing this and it is so easy.  This is a Michael Strong stamp that I stamped with gold embossing powder.  The hearts are glued on the left side so that the right side is open to slip the heart under all the way around.  The inside looks like this:

Of course I used my new ladybug punch!

Blog Award

I received this blog award from my dear friend, Snoopy, from Snoopy's Homemade Fun.

THE RULES for this award are:

1.  Comment on this blog.

2.  Cut and past the award logo and use it on your own blog post.

3.  Nominate 10 blogs that make your heart smile.

4.  Link to your nominees within your blog post.

5.  Comment on their blogs to let them know they received the award.

6.  Link back to the person who gave you the award to show your appreciation.

The NOMINEES that I have selected, that make my heart smile, are:

1. 
   
    A Stamper's Paradise
2. 
   
   Faye's Creative Walkabout
3. 
   
   Ramblings from NC
4. 
   
    Pretty Pressings
5. Norma's Creations
6. Mindy's Blog
7. Laurel's Crafty Retreat
8. Scrap Bitz
9. Holley's Blog
10. Jacque's Joie De Vivre