My Top 10 Cards For 2016

I was looking through the file of cards I've made this year and decided to share some of my favorites. Here are my top 10 picks:

Sweet Cupcake- this was a swap I did for the Stamp Share For Leaders group. I love this stamp set and the depth you get from the three layers of stamping for the frosting and cupcake liner.

Vintage Leaves- this was a swap for our monthly Stamp Share. I love leaves and fall colors!

Thoughtful Branches- one of my all time favorite stamp sets! I can't believe it was available for such a short time! Stampin' Up! PLEASE bring it back! And the matching Beautiful Branches Thinlits!

Remarkable You- this is not my usual style, so it was fun trying something new. I CASE'd (Copy And Share Everything!) a sample that was shown in the Stampin' Up! newsletter Stampin' Success.

Rose Wonder- another fun stamp set and Thinlits combination! This is such an easy card to make, but it looks so pretty! I think I need to make more of them...

Swirly Bird- this is one of the cards from my Customer Appreciation Party. Quick and easy, except for cutting all the little sailboats by hand. They're so cute though!

Washi Tape Balloons- these were fun to make! Just lay out strips of Washi Tape and punch!

Sassy Salutations- I miss this stamp set too! But you can easily substitute other sets for the greeting. This was fun to make too, once I figured out the measurements. The first card I made I didn't have wide enough Washi strips, so the ends showed.

Woodland Embossing Folder- this card started as an experiment with the embossing folder and ink. I put ink on once side, put a piece of Whisper White in and ran it through the Big Shot, then inked the other side of the folder, put the paper back in and ran it through again.

You've Got This- a pretty flower with a fun background. I added strips of Basic Black card stock to a piece of pink card stock and trimmed the ends to match. It adds texture as well as the design.

I hope you have enjoyed looking back at some of my favorite cards from 2016! 

Have a fun and safe New Year's weekend! See you in 2017!

Graduation Cards Ready For 2017

After my last craft sale at the beginning of December, I went through my card boxes and pulled out a few cards to update or change. On most I just changed the greeting to something I knew I would use. But I had a few graduation cards left with 2016 on them. Rather than throwing them away, I decided to remove the 6 and add a 7, so they're ready to go for next year! These would be cute for New Year's cards if you need them, too! Just put a different image inside the 0: fireworks, champagne glass, etc.

Large Numbers Framelits Dies
$31.00

Layering Ovals Framelits Dies
$35.00

Many Marvelous Markers
$110.00

Generated by SUDSOL, Free Trial at www.sudsol.org

Colors: Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White

I used My Digital Studio (I really miss that program!) and printed the graduation hats in the size I wanted, then colored them in with a marker and cut them out with the Oval Framelits.

SNEAK PEEK: Sale-A-Bration Pretty Pocket Card Kit

Betty's second Make & Take at our December Stamp Share was a card from the Pretty Pocket Card Kit that will be one of the choices in the Sale-A-Bration brochure, which starts on January 4th.

So quick and easy! Everything is included in the kit- the pockets, the inserts, envelopes, adhesive die cuts and Baker's Twine. There's no stamping!

SNEAK PEEK: Lift Me Up Up & Away Birthday

Betty had two Make & Takes for us at the December Stamp Share. Here's the first one, which uses items from the Occasions Catalog that starts on January 4th.

Stamp Set: Lift Me Up

Accessories: Up & Away Thinlits, Layering circles Framelits, Carried Away Designer Series Paper (Sale-A-Bration), Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper, markers, 1/16" Circle Punch, Whisper White Baker's Twine, Dimensionals

Colors: Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Mint Macaron, Watermelon Wonder, Whisper White

SNEAK PEEK: Hey Chick!

We did a non-Christmas card swap at our December Stamp Share, so I decided to use one of the sets that will be available during Sale-A-Bration, "Hey Chick". This is CASE'd from Pinterest, except I put the wild haired chicken in the middle and used the greeting from the set.

I also used the new Watercolor Pencils that are in the Occasions Catalog and Blender Pens.

I even had fun with the inside of the card! 

Handmade Ornaments From Our December Stamp Share

I shared the ornament I made for our Stamp Share yesterday. Today I'll show you the rest of the ornaments that everyone in our group made. They are awesome!

Amy- she used parts of the November Paper Pumpkin Kit

Betty- she used one of her grandson's socks for the hat!

Carol- she used the Delicate Ornaments Thinlits and Glimmer Paper. This is the ornament I received!

Debbie- there's a joke about this one, she found it at a local craft store and it's PERFECT!

Jan- she re-purposed found items

Jen- the ornament on the left and the rosette that was on the box on the right

Jen- her ornament has 2 sides!

Kathleen- she had to drink lots of (root) beer to get those bottle caps!

Lori- she used the Flurry of Wishes stamp set and lots of embossing

Sandy- she used LOTS of punched pieces (Petite Petals), pins and a styrofoam ball

I'm so proud to be part of such a talented group of stampers!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper Ornament

For our December Stamp Share, we had a Christmas Party! Betty suggested we do a homemade ornament exchange. This is what I made:

I bought the clear ornament at a local craft store, then cut 1/2 x 6" strips of now retired Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper, wrapped them around a skewer, put a little Fast Fuse on the ends to hold the curls, and put them all inside. I didn't have any Real Red ribbon, so I found some retired Early Espresso ribbon in my stash and added a Real Red tag cut with the Tags & Labels Framelits.

We played a Right Left game and passed all the presents, which is always fun. Then we opened the ornaments and the person who made it told us a little bit about how they were made. It was a fun night!

Candy Cane Lane Countdown To Christmas Calendar

I didn't make this, but I just have to share it with you! Jen, one of the other ladies in our group made this and brought it to our monthly Stamp Share. Isn't it adorable? She is so talented!

It uses the now retired Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper. That paper was so cute! Stampin' Up! should have known it was going to sell out before the end of the Holiday catalog! Jen said she made little boxes to attach the paper and numbers to, then put them inside the clear treat boxes.What a cute way to count down to Christmas!

Candy Cane Lane Christmas Houses

Today's cards are very similar to yesterday's, except the main image is cut out of the now retired Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper. 

Santa's Sleigh Photopolymer Stamp Set
$21.00

Generated by SUDSOL, Free Trial at www.sudsol.org

Colors: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Real Red, Whisper White

The middle houses have Dimensionals to make them stand out.

Cookie Cutter Christmas Reindeer, the Holiday Catalog Carryover List

I was so happy to see the Cookie Cutter Christmas stamp set and matching punch on the Carryover List! If you haven't seen it, I've included at the end of today's post- keep scrolling! Today I have 2 similar cards to share using the stamp set and punch, as well as the Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper, which unfortunately is now sold out.

Cookie Cutter Christmas Photopolymer Stamp Set
$21.00

Santa's Sleigh Photopolymer Stamp Set
$21.00

Cookie Cutter Builder Punch
$18.00

Generated by SUDSOL, Free Trial at www.sudsol.org

Colors: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Real Red

The nose is stamped with Real Red ink on Real Red card stock and cut out by hand. Too bad they didn't include a nose on the punch!

CARRYOVER LIST FROM THE HOLIDAY CATALOG

Page #     Name

Stamp Sets

6             Cookie Cutter Christmas

9             Star of Light

15           Hang Your Stocking

19           Christmas Pines                               

22           Father Christmas

24           Santa’s Sleigh

26           Seasonal Bells

27           Holly Berry Happiness

39           Here’s To Cheers

40           Sweet Home

42           Glamper Greetings

47           Paisleys & Posies

49           Basket of Wishes            

Accessories

5             Real Red 12 x 12” Cardstock

6             Cookie Cutter Builder Punch

7             Real Red Glitter Stampin’ Emboss Powder

7             Emerald Envy Glitter Stampin’ Emboss Powder

7             White Gift Boxes

9             Starlight Thinlits

11           Detailed Santa Thinlits

13           Cable Knit Dynamic Embossing Folder

15           Christmas Stocking Thinlits

19           Pretty Pines Thinlits

24           Santa’s Sleigh Thinlits

26           Bell Punch

27           Holly Berry Builder Punch

31           Emerald Envy 6 x 8” Project Life Album

31           Variety Pack 6 x 8” Project Life Photo Pocket Pages

39           Cheerful Tags Framelits

39           6 x 17” Gusseted Cello Bags

40           Home Sweet Home Thinlits

46           Paisley Framelits

47           Copper Foil Sheets

Hang Your Stocking Woodlands Double Embossed Christmas

Today's card started out as an experiment:

I was playing with the Woodland Embossing Folder and different ways to use it. For this one, I inked the inside of the folder with Pool Party ink, put a piece of Whisper White card stock inside and ran it through the Big Shot. Then I inked in the trees on the other side of the folder, put the same piece of card stock back in and ran it through again. Here's a picture of just that so you can see it without the extras:

It was kind of messy, but it's a unique look!

Hang Your Stocking Photopolymer Stamp Set
$21.00

Layering Ovals Framelits Dies
$35.00

Tree Builder Punch
$18.00

Woodland Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
$8.50

Sponge Brayers
$8.00

Generated by SUDSOL, Free Trial at www.sudsol.org

Colors: Pool Party, Real Red, Soft Suede, Whisper White

Thoughtful Branches Beautiful Branches The Wilderness Awaits

Last card made with samples from my Thoughtful Branches & Sheltering Tree display board. For some reason I used Soft Suede for the tree on this one- must have grabbed the wrong color since all the others are Early Espresso. I used the Thoughtful Branches stamp set to stamp the leaves, then the Beautiful Branches Thinlits to cut them and the tree out. I really miss them! 

The Wilderness Awaits Clear-Mount Stamp Set
$18.00

Generated by SUDSOL, Free Trial at www.sudsol.org

Colors: Garden Green, Soft Suede, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White

The Baker's Twine is Wild Wasabi and Whisper White- it's from a kit and isn't in the catalog.