November Christmas Cards

Here are my Christmas cards for Lynne's Christmas Card Challenge over at R-C-S. I am so glad I participated. I haven't counted up the number of cards I have but I know it is more than enough. Now to just finish (yes, I said finish...as in I have already started) my shopping.

This is another card I made for my co-workers this year. It is flat so nothing fancy. I used my Stampendous Santa Tree image and my NEW Elzybells sentiment which reads, When you stop believing in Santa Claus, you get underwear for Christmas. Isn't that cute!?! I colored the image in with markers and set aside. I will be doing a large batch of these.

Card #2. I used TLC cardstock with Making Memories Green Polka-dotted paper. My stamp is one of the cutest Elzybells images I have seen. I matted it and catty-cornered it on the card front then added a cute red gross-grain ribbon. The sentiment on the inside reads, Wishing you a Christmas filled with angel wishes and reindeer kisses! Everyone with me...Awwww!

Here is #3. I used Beate's Weekend Sketch as the layout. I thought it turned out very cute. The polka-dotted paper is from Making Memories. I rounded opposite corners of the image before coloring it in. To finish if off I added faux stitching around the outside and cute ribbon to fill space in the right corner. I love Beate's sketches; I just never seem to have time to play along.

Card #4 if fairly simple. I rounded opposite corners of the card than added this cute snowflake paper, also from MM. I stamped the Santa Tree image and mounted it on green cardstock. To bring more green into the card, I colored a few of the snowflakes in.

Last, but not least, this is cute card disguised as a gift. I added this yummy candy stripe paper from MM on green cardstock. I added a green strip across the middle and distressed the edges. The sentiment on the tag is the same Reindeer kisses sentiment used on a previous card.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope ya'll had a great weekend!

I Heart Spring Colors

Hey everyone. This weekend brought another great sketch from BEATE. I wanted to do a happy card for my boss since I will be leaving work in a couple of weeks. I owe her a lot of gratitude for being a great mentor so I hope she enjoys the card.



The SKETCH was fairly simple and let a lot of room for creativity. Just the way I like it :) The base is 4 1/2 inche square piece of basic black. (Can you tell I am using my stash? Almost all of my cards have had black bases.) The polka dotted paper came from a kit paper pack, although I am not sure what kit is was. It was a gift. I just love it! The strip of squares is actually a sticker adhered to basic black and comes from the same kit. I stamped these great flowers on white cardstock then stamped the hello sentiment from Stampendous below. After coloring those in I mounted it in pink cardstock then adhered it to the card. For some space filler, I stamped 'Just a Note' from Studio G in the top corner and added a ribbon at the main image.

I just love these bright colors and I hope you do to. Mahalo for stopping by!

Hey Friend

Aloha ladies and gents! I hope everyone's weekend is off to a good start. I have a Beate sketch to show you but I am not quite sure which weekend this was for. Everything just runs together as school starts to wind down.



I just love how this turned out. The card base is 4 1/2 inch square of basic black with a 4 inch square of this great American Traditions flower paper. Very Hawaiian =) I scalloped the edges of a piece of Bazzil green and added it to the left side. My main image is a kitty from Studio G stamped on white then layered on black. The words "you're purrrfect" are beside the image, also from Studio G. I stamped 'my friend' from Stampendous on the bazzil green and added a piece of wild ribbon around the card. I finished the card off by adding doodles on the scallops and the main image, which I am not sure you can actually see.

Mahalo for stopping by!

Another Beate Sketch

I just love browsing Beate's blog. Her weekend sketches are just so fun. This card is made with the last sketch she provided. I believe it was week 42.



The card is a 4 1/2 x 10 square of Bazzil red cardstock folded in half. I used matching paper from American Traditions for the squares and mounted them on basic black. Next I used the Creative Memories circle cutting system to cut three nesting circles in red, black, and white then mounted them off-center to the base. Don't you just love the flower? I punched a 1/2 inch white circle then used 1 inch ribbons folded together taped to the circle to make the ribbon base. Then I attached the flowers with brads to the ribbon base. If anyone would like more descriptive instructions, let me know and I get get a tutorial up. I used a glitter pen to doodle lots of faux stitching, although I am not sure you can see all of it in the photo. Lastly, I wrapped the same green ribbon around the card, tied it off in a knot and added 3 brads to the bottom left.

A Little Early...

but that's alright. In a previous post I told ya'll about a Christmas card challenge that I am working on with an online group I am a part of. Well, I have been busy! I got three Christmas cards done yesterday. My goal every month is five which should give me plenty of cards for Christmas time and I won't have to rush in.

This first card was created using Beate's Weekend Sketch. She is such a talented lady. I haven't been able to play with any of her sketches in a while so I was excited to have time for this card. The accomplishment: All these cards were make with my stash! woo-hoo! The base is a 4 1/4" x 9" piece of Bazzil red folded in half. The polka-dotted paper is from My Mind's Eye and the brads were left-over from last year's Ebay binge. I'm not sure what brand that ribbon is; I got it is a huge mass of ribbon in a gift this past Christmas. The Christmas tree stamp is from Stampendous and was colored with Bic Markers.

This second card was inspired by a fellow sistahs February sketch challenge. Lynn had a great sketch so I decided to play along. This card is the same size as the previous one and uses the same Stampendous stamp. I started with Bazzil green as a base and then used last year's left-over star paper by My Mind's Eye. The ribbon you see is from American Crafts and coordinated perfectly with the colors in the paper. I used a present stamp from Hero Arts to put under the tree and popped it up with pop-dots. Lastly I used a glitter gel pen to doodle along the edges of the layers.

Last but not least is a card I am especially proud of. I took this 4 1/2" x 9" piece of Bazzil green and layered it under a 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" piece of basic white. I then used my Bic Markers to hand-draw this tree and limbs along with the 'Christmas lights' around the branches. I added heart die-cuts as ornaments. One of the added challenges was to find a way to incorporate hearts into a Christmas card since it is February. I think I did pretty well getting those hearts in there. The largest ones are popped up with pop-dots. I'm not sure why I am so proud of this one. I think it is because I drew it myself and didn't rely on stamps to make the image. Anywho, I hope you like it just as much as I do. This is going to be one I mass-produce for people, but without the hearts I think.

Mahalo for stopping by! Sorry about the long post!

True Beauty

This past Saturday at SCS was a W-I-L-D one! I participated in my very first virtual scrapbooking night which was a preview par-tee for an even larger night coming in November. I didn't know what to expect but I had a lot of fun. While scrapping I was able to chat with other people working on their pages and share inspiration and stories. It has been great getting to 'know' the people at SCS. They are a great bunch! I thought I would share one of the pages that I completed for the challenge.

The page is 6x6 and is the start of a small ABOUT ME album that I have been wanting to do, if for no other reason than to laugh at myself in a few years. The sketch actually came from the sketch challenge by Beate. I LOVE hibiscus plants. They are by far my favorite flower, especially the pink ones. I may have grown as em mountain folk but I sure do love me some hibiscus'. My friend swears that I should have been an island gal :) I might have to agree if I didn't like snow so much! Anywho, these are 2 photos of that beautiful flower mounted first on baby blue and then pink card stock from Paperbilities. For the background I used my Fiskars Texture Plates to dry emboss a flower print. I then added a layer of black with a ribbon wrapped around. I used an alphabet stamp set my wonderful Mom bought me by Hero Arts to stamp True Beauty on white then cut it out and added it with dimensionals. After adhering the photos I added 4 Making Memories brads to the four corners of the black.

I wanted a simple layout and page that really made those hibiscus' stand out. I think I accomplished just that :) As for the journaling, the photos lift up to reveal my thoughts on how I just wish I had a green thumb :) Mahalo for stopping by! I have lots more pages to show you in the next few days!

A Christmas Gift Already

I know, I know. It is too early. But when you have to worry about a job, school, and getting everything mailed in time to make it from Hawaii, I feel the need to start early to get it all done! This is an expandable scrapbook that I made for a gift for my aunt. I just love these and they are so easy to make. I changed computer so I lost the link to the directions but I will search for them and get it posted. The sketch for the front came from Beate's weekend sketch. I know you are supposed to create a card but I just had to give it a try for the cover. The paper is from a local scrap store and is from Creative Native. They have an online store...Paper Island...and it is on the right hand side of my blog down there ---> I cut a piece of basic white and wrote a great quote on the front: What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And most importantly, COOKIES! I just loved that :) I made 2 photo corners and used a green glitter gel pen to doodle a border. And what about those flowers! Aren't those SCRUMPTIOUS! You can find the tutorial on those here. They are so simple and so beautiful! Definitely give them a try! You will most definitely be seeing those from me more often! I closed the book with a white ribbon. Since it is for my aunt, it will be filled with photos of my cousins with chipboard letter names. I am so excited for her to get this. If only I was going to be home for Christmas...*sigh*

Beate's Weekend Challenge

Aloha everyone! It is the weekend and I am so glad. I have some fun activities planned for tomorrow and my LSS is having a HUGE sale! They issued 50% off coupons for Sunday along with half off all their clearance! I am so excited!

Something very special happened that I know only stampin addicts can understand...my
BF asked me to create a card for his grandma for her birthday. How sweet is that? I decided to use Beate's weekend challenge and create a File Folder Card. This was so cute and very creative. I think she will love it.

Please refer to the tutorial by Beate for dimensions. My card base is Paperbilities dark blue and the designer paper is from American Traditions Beach Fun Paper Pack. I really love the paper packs from American Traditions. A good product for a good value. The strip of blue stripped designer paper is also from American Traditions and wraps around the entire card where it is attached together with double-sided tape. I then took a piece of ribbon, knotted the middle, and then wrapped around the stripped paper. I added two brads to the top corners, a cute little blue flower at the knot in the ribbon and the card is finished. You can leave it like this to open or you can create an insert for the pocket.

How cute is this! The insert sits perfectly hidden for a cute surprise. The base for my insert is 3" x 5" Paperbilities blue again and I cut a piece of the designer paper 1/4" smaller than the blue. I then printed out the sentiment and layered that on a piece of red card stock and then a layer of the stripped designer paper. I added a strip of basic white to the bottom and attached the sentiment. For the tag I attached it to the back of the card then used a brad to attach a cute pink flower. So easy and so cute!

Time for Baby

This is for Beate's Weekend Sketch as well as Kimmie's Theme Challenge. I really loved this sketch...definitely will use it more often. I am so glad Kimmie decided to do a baby theme because I needed a baby card! A dear friend is expecting a new baby girl sometime in the very near future.

I started with a 4 1/4" x 8 1/2" piece of cream Paperbilities card stock. I layered a 1/4" smaller piece of Paperbilities mint green next. The first layer of designer paper, the stripped paper, measures 4 7/8" x 2 3/4" and is layered on the bottom half. The next layer of designer paper is pink marble and is a 2 1/2" square. I distressed the edges before mounting. The focal layer is a piece of Paperbilities blue layered on a piece of tan and overall measures 2 3/4" x 2". The booties I found on the web at a free clip art site. I don't recall the site just yet but I will look for it and link back to it. I outlined the booties with a green gel pen., cut them out and adhered them to the blue. Next I added faux stitching to all the layers in a variety of ways. The mint green is larger slashes with curly-q's, the blue is a doodled squiggly line, and the pink designer paper is smaller slashes. Lastly I tied a bow with white ribbon onto a baby safety pin and added it to the card.

I love how this card came out. I am so excited to send it to my friend. Now if she would just hurry up and have that kid :)

I can't wait to SEA you

For this weekend sketch challenge at Beate's Blog I decided to get a little glittery! I had seen these glitter windows in the resource section at SCS and just had to give it a try.

I started out with a piece of 4 1/4" x 8 1/2" basic black folded in half for my card base. I used a Fiskars Texture Plate to dry emboss a stone look on the card front. Next I cut a 3 1/2" square in the mint green card stock and rounded two edges. The blue card stock is the frame for the glitter window. Check out the tutorial for how to create this window. Behind the window is a piece of American Traditions beach fun paper with fish and waves. I layered these pieces together on the card. I added a border from the same beach fun paper pack to the bottom and a seashell die-cut. I used a blue gel pen to write my sentiment up the side and lastly I rounded the corners of the card using my corner rounder. Love this great twist on a card.

Happy Holidays!

Aloha everyone. Another weekend is here and that means giving another Beate's Weekend Challenge a try. I have a project underway, well actually just started, where I am making cards to send to the children's hospital down the road for the holidays. I decided to use this challenge to try and create the card I will be mass reproducing for this project. The sketch seemed simple enough but held lots of potential. Be sure to check out the sketch challenge by Beate and her other creations.

Because I will be making more of these I decided I had to limit myself to only the supplies in my two duffel bags. I had to resist the urge to head out to the LSS and get new stuff! So this is the card that I created. I wanted to keep it holiday neutral so I stuck with Happy Holidays. My card base is a 4 1/4" x 9" piece of white card stock folded in half. I started by cutting a 1" circle out of white card stock (this is where I wanted to run to the store and by a larger circle punch) and stamping a snowflake from the Made From Scratch stamp set in Archival Teal. I layered that on a piece of black card stock and cut around the edges with Scallop Scissors from Provo Craft to give it that fluffy effect.

Next I cut out a 4" x 2 3/4" piece of white card stock and a piece of green card stock that is 1/4" smaller than the white. I decided to stress the edges of the green card stock (I also wanted to run out here and get a stressing tool) with a fingernail file and my fingernail to give it that fabric look. I layered these two and used a glitter gel pen to do faux stitching around the green. I adhered the card stock layers to the left side of a 4 1/4" x 4 1/2" piece of red card stock. I then used the corner rounder and rounded two corners of the opening of the card. I then adhered the snowflake and tied a small red bow to attach to the bottom. Lastly I used a gel pen to write Happy Holidays on white and then layered on red card stock for the sentiment and added a button to the opening of the card.

Country Bumpkin

Aloha and Good evening! This is going to be a busy weekend! The opening game for Hawaii is Saturday against Northern Colorado so I decided to hurry and finish the weekend challenge soon! This card was created for a Beate's weekend sketch challenge. The sketch was too cute and I had to give it a try.

Here is the card I created. Falls shy of Beate's fantastic work but I think it came out great. After all, I am still a beginner :) I saw the pinwheel technique on a post at SCS although I am not sure who posted it. I decided to give it a try as the sidebar for the card. The pinwheel takes 8 tags to make the wheel. I used two different colors of paper-Paperbilities Polka-Dots and plaid. The tags were the cresent shape from the Sizzlits Tag Set. These are on the small side but make a great addition. If you want complete directions for this pinwheel leave a comment and I will be glad to send them to you.

The base is a Basic Green color. I added a strip of Basic Red that measures 2" x 5 1/2". This was stamped with Delightful Doodles Leaf stamp from Stampin' Up that was inked with Teal Archival. I used cropping scissors from Provo Craft to create the semi-circle in Basic Blue and then layered that on a slightly larger semi-circle of Basic White. This was adhered on top of the red layer.

I then used a gel pen in metallic blue to create faux stitching along the top and bottom of the red layer and along the white circle (which you can't really see in the photo, sorry). I used red ribbon to attach a tag in the same plaid paper to the top. The ribbon is wrapped around that top corner and adhered to the back of the green. I used glue dots to attach three blue buttons along the semi-circle. Lastly, using the gel pen I scribbled country bumpkin between the leafs.

There you go. This is probably the most detailed card I have made so far. I hope you enjoy the card and give it a try! Especially the pinwheel-there are endless possibilities for that one! FYI-I also posted this in the GALLERY at SCS if you want to check out all the cards featuring Beate's challenge.

Mahalo!!!