Garden Gnome Santa Set

I know it's early, but I am starting on Christmas cards for next year. Not because I am super-organized, but because I have tons of Christmas papers, I didn't have time to make as many cards this year, and because I found a new challenge site. :)

I am entering this set in the Christmas Cards All Year 'Round challenge for December. For this challenge, you need to make 5 Christmas cards using a Santa image or the word Santa. I chose this adorable little gnome Santa from Imaginisce.
Each of these cards will also be entered in other challenges, as well:

"Be Merry": Clean and Simple Sketch challenge #121

"Ribbon Sentiment": Sweet Stop Sketch challenge SSS88

"Ho! Ho! Ho!": Card Positioning Systems #180

"Happy Holidays": The Cat's Pajamas TCP#139

"Believe": Card Patterns #96

A Love Beyond Measure

One more quick share this morning before I head upstairs to clean the scraproom. (Ugh!)

This is my entry for this week's CPS challenge. Lots of choices this week, as the challenge was to pick any sketch from 2010 and create a new card. I chose Sketch #180. I used a mix of Unity and {ippity} stamps for this card, and did some coloring and masking (I masked the sentiment before stamping the heart.)

Thanks for stopping by! Hopefully the scraproom will look much better in a few hours. :)

Vintage Birdcage

This week I have found lots of new challenge blogs online-and I actually have time to play along with them! This card was made using this week's sketch at Cute Card Thursday. As promised, I broke out some of my older papers to make this card. These papers are from Basic Grey's Lilykate collection. I paired them with a cute little birdcage stamp from {ippity} which you can get right HERE.

This is another card that's going right into my stash to have a sentiment added later. This would make a really cute thinking of you or thank you card.

Love Birds

Just a quick share this morning: a Valentine's Day card. I don't even have my Christmas decorations put away yet, but I am already thinking about Valentine's Day. Yesterday, I even saw Cadbury Creme Eggs at the grocery store. As much as I love those eggs, that's jumping the gun a little bit. :)
Today's card uses stamps from the Fall for You set by {ippity} which you can get HERE. The papers actually came from Target's Dollar Spot a couple of years ago! I have so much paper in my scraproom right now-hopefully you will see lots of new projects in the new year using some of my stash. I need to downsize, lol!

I am entering this card in the "Stamp It Out" challenge over on the City Crafter Challenge blog.
Thanks for stopping by today!

Bohemian Flower Card

Today's share is a quick card made from the sketch I found on the Repeat Impressions blog. I am also entering it in the "Stamp It Out" challenge on the City Crafter Challenge blog. The stamp is from Ippity (you can get it HERE) and the papers and ink are from Stampin' Up! I stamped the flower image once on white cardstock with Crushed Curry ink, then I stamped it again with black ink on two different patterned papers and Crushed Curry cardstock. Then I paper-pieced the flower and added some Glossy Accents to the center. Yellow and purple pearls and a bit of purple ribbon finish this super-easy card. I think that I will keep this card in my stash and add a sentiment inside when I need a quick birthday or thinking of you card. Thanks for stopping by!

Snowbody Like You

Although I tried, I didn't finish all of my handmade Christmas cards before Christmas. I am sending out some handmade winter cards to those people who I didn't send cards to before Christmas. This is a great way to use some of my snowman stamps, such as this one from {ippity}. I paired the snowman with Imaginisce papers and felt snowflakes that I die-cut using Spellbinders dies.

This card is my entry for two challenges: Unity's Friends with Flair 57 and Critter Sketch Challenge #45.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Sew Sweet Thank You Card

We are all recovering from the busy holiday, and in Maine we are gearing up for our first big snow of the season. I love snow, so this makes me very happy. :)

Our family is also taking today to play with our "toys". With 2 teenagers, this means lots of electonics, lol. My husband is enjoying the fact that he is in control of the TV today, and I am playing with lots of stamps, ink, and other crafty things. I am also happy that this is a vacation week for me, so I will get to play along with some of the online challenges that I have missed so much this past semester!

Today's card is based on two challenges: the Skipping Stones Design Sketch #56 and the Curtain Call Color Challenge: Act 62. Check out the links to these challenges and play along! For this card, I used stamps from Lawn Fawn and Unity Stamp Co., and papers from Cosmo Cricket and Momenta.

Quick & Easy Ornament Cards

Yes, it's December 21st and I am still working on christmas cards. :)

These ornament cards came together in a flash this morning-just what Santa ordered! I made them in an assembly line by cutting 2.75" x 3.75" panels of white cardstock. Then, I applied glittery ornament rub-ons from Momenta. Using my paper piercer, I pierced a tiny hole thru the "hanger" of each ornament, then knotted white twine around the panel so it looks like the ornaments are hanging from the top of the panel. I added a "Happy Holidays" rub-on sentiment from Imaginisce and mounted the panels to red cards from DeNami Design. Super easy to create and relatively flat to mail!

Paper Poinsettia

When I saw the tutorial for this poinsettia in the December issue of Cards magazine, I couldn't wait to try it. After a couple of attempts using different papers, I finally came up with this one, which I love! First, I "cheated" again by using a premade card base from Making Memories. To make my poinsettia, I stamped a text background stamp from Hero Arts onto rosy-red patterned paper from Momenta's Family Ties collection. I then cut and folded the petals, added some hand-cut leaves, and topped the poinsettia with a chunky brown button. Finishing touches included some American Crafts ribbon and a stamped sentiment (stamps from Unity and Ippity.) Hope to finish up my Christmas cards tonight-at least the ones that I need to mail! :)

More Winterberry Christmas Cards

I am in love with the Winterberry Line from Momenta! I am having so much fun using these chipboard stickers-and honestly, I am not a sticker girl. I do love chipboard, however, and these chipboard stickers are so cute you can whip up a cute card in minutes! These are a few more that I have made just this morning-I told you they were quick and easy!

Another Unity Christmas Card

Here is another Christmas card design that I am sending out this year. This one features the the little tree from "25 Days"-this is a fabulous set! I stamped the tree onto an embossed die cut shape (love this Spellbinders die!) I also love that I was able to cut a perfect mat by using my Spellbinders die with felt.

I "cheated" a bit on this card by using a premade card base from Making Memoris. This pad came with 20 cards in 4 designs. Each card had background print and die-cut border, so it saved me a few steps. I also added some Making Memories felt poinsettias and leaves. So easy, yet just my style with all of the layers.

Thanks for stopping by-be sure to check back all this week for lots of new Christmas projects!

CAS Christmas Cards

I got an early Christmas present from my friend Rachael, who also happens to be the DT Coordinator for Momenta. I love the Winterberry line-gorgeous paper and embellishments! For these super easy cards, I just layered embossed cardstock onto my card front using foam tape, tied silver ribbon around the embossed panel, then adhered a chipboard sticker and string. How easy is that? Quick + cute = two more Christmas cards ready to mail. :)

Unity Christmas Cards

Finally-a new post! :)

First, exciting news to share-I am now a college graduate! YAY! Now for the job hunt...but in the meantime it means that I will have lots of time to create and share. :)

I am finally getting a chance to work on my Christmas cards. Today's share is a card that I made using some stamps from one of my favorite stamp companies: Unity Stamp Co. I combined a couple of different stamp sets for this one, but I think they look great together. The tag and ornaments are popped up with foam squares, and I added a little touch of Crystal Stickles to add some sparkle.

I have a few other designs that I will be sharing over the next few days-be sure to check back!

December Daily Album

I haven't been crafting much lately, so there hasn't been anything new to share. :(

I am trying to get back into scrapping, and this December Daily Album is one of my first projects in quite a while. I also got a chance to play with my newest scrappy toy, the Jolly Holidays Cricut cartridge. The album was one from my stash (I have quite a few of these-if you are interested, please let me know. Price: $3 plus shipping!) All cardstock is from Momenta. Please check back in during the month of December, as I will be sharing the pages then!

Thanks to everyone for stopping back and for encouraging me to post new projects here. So many of you have asked for more cards-holiday cards will be coming soon, I promise!

Wee Memories Blog Hop

Welcome to your next stop on the Wee Memories Blog Hop! You should have arrived here from Simone's blog. If you haven't been hopping along from the beginning, you are missing out! Make sure you start right at the beginning on the Wee Memories blog.

Our theme for this week's challenge is CAS or Tags. You can make a "Clean and Simple" card or a card that uses a tag. I decided to use a tag, along with some adorable papers from Echo Park and stamps from {ippity}.

Your next stop on the Wee Memories blog hop is our fabulous Michele! You're going to love her blog-amazing cards and such a sweetie. :) Have fun hopping!

Two new cards to share...

from last week's challenges. I had scheduled two posts for last weekend when we were in Vermont, and I just realized that the posts have disappeared into thin air. Not quite sure what I did-I was so tired at the end of last week, who knows what happened!

I still wanted to share these cards with you. The first was my card for last week's Get Sketchy Challenge. I used papers, stacked stickers and a denim dino sticker from Imaginisce.

My second card is my "SOS" card for the Wee Memories Challenge. "SOS" stand for the card recipe in this challenge: Scallops, Orange, and String! I love the Apple Cider line from Imaginisce-the colors, the prints, and this cute little chipboard sticker. My card is very simple, but includes some fun little detials. Thanks for looking!

I hope you can come back today. Wee Memories is hosting a blog hop beginning this morning at 8 AM EST! You can start hopping on the Wee Memories blog.

DeNami Sketch Challenge #4

Good Monday morning! It is 42 degrees here in Maine this morning-a chilly start! It's almost fall, though, so I guess that is inevitable.

My card for this month's sketch challenge features some other signs of fall, like a cute little scarecrow, leaves, acorns, and pumpkins. Not to mention some warm and cozy fall colors! I used DeNami's new little Scarecrow and the Autumn Stamp Set, along with Leaf Green and Cream Cardstock. A few Harvest Boutique Buttons finish the card off nicely.

I'm so excited about this month's sketch-it's MY sketch! It 's my first time drawing the actual sketch for a challenge. What do you think? When I first drew this, I had planned on using just buttons for the little accents. As you can see, I changed that idea when I saw how perfectly the autumn stamps matched my scarecrow.

What would you use for accents? We want to see! You can see all of the details for this month's Sketch Challenge over on the DeNami blog. I'm anxious to check it out myself so I can see our fabulous DT's creations! By linking your project made from this sketch, you have a chance to win some yummy DeNami goodies! check it out!

Cuddly Critters Blog Hop!

Welcome to your very first stop on DeNami's Cuddly Critters Blog Hop! I'm so glad you could stop by! You should have arrived here from the DeNami Design Blog. If at any time during the blog hop you get "lost", you can always head on over to the DeNami blog and start hopping again! Remember to leave comments as you hop along because DeNami Design is giving away two $20 gift certificates to two random commenters along the hop!

I've been making a lot of CAS cards lately. CAS stand for "clean and simple". It's a great way to showcase your stamps and sentiments! I chose cute and cuddly pups from the Playful Puppies stamp set. I was a little unsure of what I wanted to use for a sentiment on this card. When I saw the "Let's Get Together" stamp from the Let's Get Together stamp set, I knew it would be perfect with these little critters. Square Raspberry Boutique Buttons finish this card off perfectly.

I am so honored to be linking you to the next stop on our blog hop. This designer is one of the sweetest people I've ever worked with. I know you'll be in awe when you see her creations!

Vera Yates

Product Spotlight: Halloween Petit Fours

I love Halloween! Anyone who visits my house in October can easily see that-I go a little overboard when decorating for Halloween. Nothing scary..just spooky-cute.

"Spooky-cute". Now there's a phrase that describes this month's Product Spotlight perfectly. This month, DeNami is featuring it's adorable new Halloween Petit Fours set. This set is really cute. It contains a little jack-o-lantern face, a cute little spider, a spiderweb and "Boo!" I've used three of these images on my card above. First, I used the spiderweb to make a fun background on purple cardstock. Then, I used the "Boo!" stamp with StazOn ink to stamp my sentiment on DeNami's 5/8" white grosgrain ribbon. Finally, I stamped a little tag with spider and tied it to my ribbon. A few buttons finish off my card.

Please make sure you visit the DeNami blog today-we're hosting our September Blog Hop beginning at 11 AM EST (8 AM PST). Lots of inspiration and prizes to be won!

Yay-It's Scrappy Saturday!

Saturdays mean that it's time for a new Wee Memories Challenge! Our theme this week is: FALL! So appropriate, too, because it is starting to feel like fall here in Maine. The leaves are starting to change here at my house, we bought fresh apples yesterday, and I was in the mood to bake! I love this time of year. :)

Our sponsor this week is one of my favorite companies-SEI. I have a subscription to the Club SEI kit club, and let me tell you, I LOVE IT! Especially now that I am super-busy with school. It's so nice to have everything perfectly coordinated for you. Works great for layouts, cards, altered projects...you can use the instructions provided or just use the supplies for your own project (which is what I usually do.)

My project today features the fun new Apple Cider collection from Imaginisce (papers and chipboard sticker.) The ribbon and button are from DeNami Design. I love the colors in this collection. Don't you love fall as inspiration?

What kind of inspiration will you take from our photo above? My card features the colors and apples, but you can create anything that uses fall as your inspiration. Please head over to the Wee Memories blog to see the details of this challenge and to see all of the fabulous cards by our Design team Darlings!

Get Sketchy #55

I love our sponsor this week: The Greeting Farm! I have been wanting to try images from The Greeting Farm for the longest time, and I finally got my chance this week. Isn't this little girl just the cutest? I was a little nervous, though, because I've always seen cardmakers color the images with Copics. I have a few Copics (thanks to a sweet and generous friend) but haven't mastered the art of blending them yet. I decided to paper-piece the image. I added some patterned paper from Momenta and Love, Elsie, and a mix of paper flowers and pearls.

Will you join us this week for your chance to win some adorable images from The Greeting Farm? Check out all of the details over on the Get Sketchy blog and make sure you leave some love for all of the DT members-their projects this week are amazing! Everyone truly outdid themselves. Love these girls!

Wee Memories Challenge #21

All of us on the Wee Memories Design Team were thrilled to have such adorable images to work with this week! Digital Stamp Characters, our wonderful sponsor this week, has a wide variety of images, which are perfect for our challenge this week: Wee Ones! The challenge was to incorporate children or babies into our project.

I printed the digi image on white cardstock and colored it in using c olored pencils and markers. I used bright, cheery colors and paired it with a fun, flowery patterned paper from DCWV. The rub-on is from K & Co.

I hope you will join us for the Wee Ones challenge! You still have one more day to enter. See all of the details HERE, along with the other adorable cards from the Wee Memories Darlings.

Bad, bad blogger...

that's what I am. I have been seriously neglecting my blog since starting my student teaching two weeks ago. I have been scrapping and typing lesson plans into the wee hours some nights. Still trying to find that balance between the two, plus take care of my home and family. It's tricky-and I definitely have to work on my time management skills!

I am sharing (a bit late) the card I made using last week's Get Sketchy Sketch #54. Our sponsor for this challenge was the amazingly generous Janlynn Corporation. The snowman stamp that I used on my card is one of their new wood-mounted stamps. He is just adorable, don't you think?

I paired the snowman with some fun patterned paper from my stash. The dot paper reverses to the blue stripes-love how they coordinate perfectly but in a funky way. The paper is from SEI. I also thought that the line details on the sketch looked like blanket stitching, which complimented the snowman/winter hat theme.

You still have a few hours left to join in this week's challenge-just hop on over to the Get Sketchy blog to see the details and to see all of the GS design team's fabulous cards!

DeNami Design Color Challenge

We're bringing our color challenge to you a little early this month-so you will have the long weekend to play along! Our colors were selected by DT member Michele. These colors look fabulous together! I always admire cards that feature black and white with a splash of color, but I have to admit that I struggle to use just one color! Most of my cards feature lots of colors because I love patterned paper and images that you can color or paper-piece. So this "Challenge" was definitely a challenge for me! If I can do it, though, so can you!

While I love patterned paper, I didn't have any that used just the featured colors. So, I made my own! I stamped black polka dots on hot pink cardstock using DeNami's Polka Dot Background. Then I stamped my focal point image-one of my favorite DeNami stamps-the Cupcake Tower. I colored the image with markers and added some Crystal stickles to the frosting. Although this didn't add any color, it added some sparkle and a little bit of texture., which I love. The final touch was to stamp Happy Birthday and add a touch of bling. Easy design, but a fun result.

I hope that you can play along with our Color Challenge! You can see the details of the challenge, along with the Design Team's beautiful cards, over on the DeNami Design blog. Thanks for stopping by today!

It's Scrappy Saturday Again!

The Wee Memories Darlings had fun this week playing "In the Forest"! This was the theme chosen by Darling Ann. I love all types of critters on my cards, so this was an easy challenge for me. My biggest dilemma? Which critter stamp to choose! (Tough dilemma, huh?) I decided on this cute little squirrel from Hampton Arts. He is so sweet! Plus, it comes with this cute little sentiment-something I always look for in stamp sets.

I paired my stamps with some new Echo Park paper (Life is Good) and some felt trim from Creative Imaginations. The heart stamp on the bottom is from the I {Heart} Hearts set by Stampin' Up!

What do you think of when you're "In the Forest"? We want to see it on a card! You can choose critters, like I did, or something else. Think trees, leaves, mushrooms, fairies, owls, acorns, woodgrain...anything forest-related! Link your card on the Wee Memories blog for your chance to win a prize from our fabulous sponsor this week: Third Coast Rubber Stamps!

Get Sketchy #53

I am just loving my {ippity} stamps lately, so when I saw this week's Get Sketchy sketch, I immediately went to my {ippity} drawer to find the perfect stamps! I used a flower from the "Because of You" set, which is available on my {ippity} blog. I paired it with leaves from {ippity}'s "Fall for You" set and a birthday sentiment from Unity's "It's Your Day" set. The "Fall for You" set is also available on my {ippity} blog.

You will be amazed when you see the gorgeous cards from the Get Sketchy DT. You can see them all on the Get Sketchy blog, along with this week's sketch. Hope you can play along with us this week!

Also, there is still time to enter this week's challenge over on the Wee Memories blog! Our theme this week is "Sweet Treats-with a ribbon on top!" Simply make a card that incorporates a sweet treat-candy, cupcakes, birthday cakes, donuts, etc.-and add some ribbon. Easy as pie-oh, there's another idea for you! :)

Wee Memories Challenge #19

It's Scrappy Saturday! Woo-hoo! I've been scrapping all morning-how about you? If you're looking for some inspiration or just a chance to share your creations, this is the place to be. Since it's Saturday, Wee Memories has a new challenge for you and tons of inspiration to share from our fabulous design team.

This week's challenge is from our designer Kim. The yummy theme: Sweet Treats! It could be anything-candy, cupcakes, birthday cakes, even donuts! I used the Have a Donut set from Hero Arts for this card. It's a gift card holder-perfect for holding a gift card to your favorite coffee shop! I paper pieced the cup using white and kraft cardstock, and used markers to color in the icing on the donuts. Because our wonderful sponsor this week is May Arts, which has an amazing ribbon selection, I also added a little ribbon closure.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the Design Team's beautiful cards on the Wee Memories blog! You can also see all of the details of this week's challenge and link your card. Hope you can join us!

It's a Birthday Challenge!

About half of the cards that I make are birthday cards. Sometimes, I feel like I have made the same designs over and over again. Do you ever feel that way? Well, the DeNami Design team is here to inspire you! Today over on the DeNami Design blog, each of the DT members has created a special birthday project. Lots of great ideas!

My card features Mimi with Birthday Cake, Polka Dot Background, and All Occasion Sentiments. I also used Magenta and Charcoal cardstocks, and I added a splash of color with Lime Green grosgrain ribbon.

DeNami is also sponsoring our third "Theme Challenge". The theme, of course, is birthdays! All you have to do is create a birthday project using at least one DeNami stamp and link it to the DeNami blog. You can see all of the details HERE. Can't wait to see what you all come up with!

Good Get Sketchy Morning!

I'm so glad it's Friday-my hubby's on vacation starting at 5 PM! Not quite sure what we're going to do on vacation yet, but it will be good to have some family time.

On to "official business"...but it's FUN business! You can see this week's sketch on the Get Sketchy blog. Our incredibly generous sponsor this week is Storage Solutions. They sent the design team some awesome modular storage racks! This is one challenge you will not want to miss!

For my card, I used stamps and papers from {ippity} . The heart is from "Life's Little Moments; the sentiment is from "Straight from the Heart." You can order both of these sets from my {ippity} website, www.sharecropperskits.blogspot.com/. I also have some of this paper in stock. Please email me at sharecropperskits@gmail.com if you'd like to add this to your order, as it's not listed on my website.

Here are some photos of the storage rack that Storage Solutions sent me:

You can build it any way you would like. It is actually designed like a "hutch" to sit on top of a desk or work table. What I really needed help with was organizing my paper and other products that I use for my DT work. I decided to make a single freestanding unit to sort my products by manufacturer or product. love the way it turned out! I also used the magnetic corkboards for an entire side of my unit so I can sit at my counter and reach for my most used clear stamps. I simply attached the stamps to the side using magnets.

Would you like to win a prize from Storage Solutions? We'd love to have you join us for this week's challenge!

Lawn Fawn {Hearts} Cards for Kids Blog Hop

Good morning, blog hoppers! This is such an exciting day for all of the bloggers who are participating in the blog hop. Thanks, Kelly Marie, for organizing this for us!

You should have been linked here by the fabulous Libby Hickson. I am always so nervous to follow these wonderful papercrafters! You won't want to miss ANY of the cards created by the 80+ bloggers participating in this hop. You can start the hop HERE on the Lawn Fawn blog. If you get lost along the way, you can find the complete list of bloggers HERE. To learn more about Cards for Kids, please visit Jennifer McGuire's post HERE.

OK, let's get on to the cards! I made two cards using Lawn Fawn stamps. The first uses the "How Delightful" stamp set. I paired it with a cute Jillybean Soup paper and added some yellow stickles.

The second card combines a sentiment from "Sew Lovely" with a cute little girl from Hero Arts. I thought that this sentiment just went perfectly with her-isn't she just as cute as a button? Papers by Momenta and buttons by DeNami Design.

You can see another card set that I made for the Cards for Kids drive HERE.

I'm so glad you hopped on over today. Now you're headed to Tami Jo's blog to see her adorable creations!