Christmas Cards - Martha Syle

 

Time for Christmas cards and I have been making a few.  Let me tell you, I love that Martha Stewart branch punch.  I used it to make both trees and the wreath on the cards above.   Just punch, punch, punch and glue and voila!

Beautiful Ornaments

I haven't been posting, but that does not mean that I haven't been busy crafting.  I would like to take credit for the ornament and tag above, but alas I cannot.  These were gifts in a ornament exchange and tag exchange on CropChocolate.com.  BTW that is a great site, with a lot of wonderful and very talented people and they have such delicious goodies for sale at unbelievable prices.  All crafters should visit daily, personally, I try to visit hourly, as they change their items almost hourly.  They also sponsor weekly challenges, where you can win credits to shop on line with CC.  The very dimensional ornament was made by MomCleo and is incredibly beautiful - certainly cannot capture all that beauty in a flat photograph.  It just took my breath away when I opened the box.  The tag below the ornament was made by Pollyzas and while you can't really see it in the picture, those pine cones look real, she did  such an amazing job.  and there are little red berries though out the greenery.  They are both just breathtaking.  Pollyzas is a member of the CropChocolate design team, so check daily to see more of her creations.

Easel Card

This is a simple easle card I made last night for the weekly Crop Chocolate Challenge.  I used MM Twinkle paper, assorted pearl bling, bakers twine and embossing folder.  TH Fired Brick distress ink. The card base is white Letterpress paper and SU Very Cherry.   I used assorted pearls from my bling collections and just glued them on in a three shape.    Hope you enjoy.

Fall is in the Air

The drop in the temperature has made me think of Fall.  I am so looking forward to Fall and Winter, when the air is cooler and the leaves change, then the snow falls (hopefully).  I must say I am a cold weather friend.  I decided to work on Halloween crafts today.  Here is a shadow box I made this morning. 

This is a shadow box, using an old cardboard shadow box that I have had some time.  I covered it with MM Toil and Trouble cardstock.  I cut the haunted house fromt he same cardstock.  I used vinyl I received in HC to cut the fence, Bird, Witch, Bat, Spider Wed and Spider using the Slice Elite with the Spooky Alley Cartridge.  The brad and banner in the upper right corner is Lost and Found Halloween.  The skelton was plucked from a halloween necklace from Dollar Tree.

Fisher River Park

My youngest son, Tyler, and I went to Fisher River Park in Dobson, NC last weekend.  It is an absolutely gorgeous place to take pictures and enjoy a nice day.  Above is a page I have created with one of the photos i  took of Tyler.  I used Trinity Sincerely paper - they have such beautiful lines of paper.  Thanks for looking.

Merry Christmas

Good evening.  Today seemed like a perfect day to make Christmas Cards . . . but really what day isn't a perfect day to make Christmas cards and get into the Christmas spirit.  Above you see three variations of the same card using Spellbinder Holiday Tree 2012.  Gold on Cream, White on White and Cream on Cream.  I really hate that you can't see in the picture the white on white, it is really my favorite.  So subtle.   Yesterday I took my youngest son to Fisher River Park and took some great pictures, but I just can't decide how to scrapbook them.  They will be coming soon.  See you later.

Rainbow of Butterflies.

CC Challenge this week was simply rainbows.  I had an idea in my mind since i first saw the post, but of course, I waited until the last minute to create my card.  Although I am happy with my card, I did not have time to iron out the fine details . . . but that is the way it goes sometimes.   I used Stampin Up Top Note for the blue background, Butterfly die from Stampin up to cut the butterflies, Stampin Up sentiment stamp.  I then added some glitz with Black Diamond, Diamond and Baby Blue Stickles.

Thanks for taking time to visit.

Went to CKC convention today.  Sure did get a lot of good deals.  They had the bling for Spellbinders at 99 Cents per pack.  I certainly stocked up at that price.  Also purchased some idea books . . . . go go away mental block - i now have fresh ideas.  I found the gelatos colors - which was my goal - can't wait to use.  Must go play now.

A Little Early

Although my daughters birthday isn't for a few months yet, Crop Chocolate had a banner challenge and I just went ahead and made the banner, I had been planning for my daughters birthday.  I began this project with a pack of Tinkering Ink Garland Chipboard.  I covered each piece of chipboard with Echo Park Be Mine Collection Paper.  (I do own other paper - i am just infatuated with this paper right now).  i then used the Slice Elite (which I won on this sight) with the Vintage Findings chip to cut my letters from black vinyl which i received in my CC Chocolate.  After placing the letters on the garland I inked the edges with Tim Holtz Black Soot distressing Ink.  I used coordinating papers and covered clothes pin.  I used the clothes pin to hang my garland pieces Beach Babe trim and Petaloo trim.   Hope you enjoy and I hope she likes it when her birthday comes around.  By then, I may add some more bling and a big 21

Hello again . . .

Well, again it has been a while since I have posted.  Wanted to share with everyone a canvas i made for my youngest sons bedroom.  It has pictures from a recent white water rafting trip he and his father went on.  Mom stayed at home and played in the craft room. . . . not as much exercise, but a lot more fun.   I purchased a plain white canvas, used acrylic paint and painted the background, double matted my pictures and used Modge Podge to adhere them to the canvas.  Now he can relive his day anytime he looks up to the wall.  

The second picture you see is a group of cards I received from a card swap on Crop Chocolate.  These cards are beautiful in the picture, but so much prettier in real life.  They all have so much dimension and character.  I love the shirt pocket  (the pocket is a place for a gift card)  how crafty:   

The CKC show is in Charlotte this weekend.  Can't wait to get there and see all the new products and chat with some new and old friends.  See you there.

Special Moments

I created this box for the storage of some special pictures and memories.  I created a similar box for my daughter and then decided I wanted one for myself.  I used EP Be Mine paper and stickers for the whole box, The trim and buckle is from Making Memories, Maddi.  This has been entered in the Crop Chocolate weekly challenge.  Wish me luck.

Christmas in July

This is a Christmas ornament I saw at the Heartfelt Creations booth yesterday.  Have no clue who designed it, or even if my copy is correct.  I made this from memory, but I really enjoyed making it.  I used:

Spellbinders Heirloom Ornaments, Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia, Heartfelt Creations Poinsettia Ornament stamps, Gold Embossing powder, some odd beads, Red ribbon.  Each Ornament has six panels.    Hope you enjoy it.

No post yesterday.  Instead I went with Olga and Patty to a Paper Craft show in Winston-Salem.  Had a wonderful time. . . these ladies are so much fun.  Olga knows everyone . . . so  we met some new people.  Bought lots of Heartfelt Creations and some other little nuggets, which I can't wait to use.  Today hopefully, I will get a Christmas ornament made from some of my purchases.  If I do, it will be my very next post.  Talk to you soon.

Again I scraplifted this idea from an old Paper Crafts magazine.  I used MM meadow paint and MM glittered chipboard flowers, with a sentiment from SU and misc. brads.  Very simple card i made for a friends birthday.  Hope it brightens her day.

One more Halloween card . . . well maybe just one more  . . . who knows.  I really do love Halloween.  This is a very simple card, with a twist on the paper.  I used a simple SU green background for the base of the card and a black and white patterned paper by Teresa Collins for the top part of the card.  To make it match the base, I mixed re-inker with water and spritzed the paper so that the white took on a light shade of the base.  I used a misc. skeleton stamp and heat embossed it.  Added a small amount of bling and SU "Happy Halloween" sentiment.    What I really wanted to share with you was the use of the re-inker to make Thanksgiving paper into Halloween paper.    Well see you again tomorrow.

Well  . . . now is the time for the Halloween cards.  This very simple card is one of my favorites.  I scrap lifted this from an older Paper Crafts magazine.  I didn't have the stamp for the sentiment. . . so i went to my trusty computer and MS Word and created it.  The only embellishments used were bling, felt and red satin ribbon.  So simple, but so elegant . . . that is for a Halloween card.  See you tomorrow with more Halloween cards.

Hey, it is me again.  It has been a very busy day.  Why is it that when you only work half a day. . . your day suddenly become more busy than if you worked the whole day.  Well, I am trying to be more committed to posting several times a week, if not daily.  This is a page I did for a challenge on Crop Chocolate.com/  This is a picture taken of my daughter several years ago in Charleston.  This page was made for the current challenge on CropChocolate.  The background paper is EP Little Boy Sky and the red border is EP Park Little Boy Strawberry.  The inner border around the picture is EP Cotton Candy.  I used naked chipboard and colored it with re-inker and then used several layers of UTEE embossing powder and then added a bit of bling.  My daughter is still kissing those toads in hopes of finding her Prince.  LOL  - she will kill me for that comment.

The Bride

Hey. . . this is a layout I made from pictures taken last year.  This was made for  http://www.stuckonusketches.blogspot.com Sketch Challenge.  I used EP Berry/Cotton Candy for both the background and the Circle.  I used SU Black papers for mat.  Used Want2Scrap bling, the bling at the bottom reads "the Bride".  The rosettes and ribbon are pieces I purchased at a stamp show I went to last year.

Well actually, it has been a while.  Sorry about that but I have been working very hard and having lots of fun.  I will be posting my Halloween cards, but later in the week.  I got sidetracked and wanted to share with you a doggie bed I made for one of our inside dogs.  The dog pictured in the bed is Harley, but Harley gets a different bed, later when I get hers made.  I re-purposed a vintage suitcase.  My husband made a wooden frame which I used to stuff with batting and cover with a tan suede stapled to the frame.  I did this both for the top and bottom of the suitcase.  Inserted the tan framed pillows . . .added legs and Voila - instant "Green" doggie bed, which the dogs love and I think is really cute.

Well you all are going to think I am totally crazy.  I am just not a summer person.  My favorite holidays are Halloween and Christmas and I hate hot weather.  I am not crazy about all the summer storms we are experiencing either.  So . . . . I am in a Halloween mood.  I am working on Halloween cards and decorations.  I hope to post some pictures tomorrow . . . but yes they will be Halloween and who knows . . . maybe next week i will work on Christmas and Snow . . . snow. . . snow.  I love winter.  See you tomorrow. . . hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Holiday.

Well I am not great at this blogging thing.  Olga urged me to be more active.  So here it is.  My last post before today showed a picture of an inspiration box I made for my daughter.  I entered it into a contest on Crop  Chocolate and unbelievably I won a new Pink Slice.  I was so excited . . . you see I never win anything.  By the way - everyone should visit Crop Chocolate, they have great crafting supplies really cheap and they also have weekly contests.

Well on to more current events.  Each year my family tries to go to the Wizard of Oz - it is a great day trip for us and we all enjoy it very much.  Even though my children are older, they enjoy the hike, the characters and just letting our hair down.  Above is picture board I made recently of each of my children with their favorite character the Scarecrow.  I always love these pictures each year.  I have a lot of them, great way to watch my children grow.  Oz is only open one weekend each year and that would be the first weekend in October.  So these characters are local volunteers, but they sure do get into character and have so much fun with the visitors.  I can't wait to hang this on my wall . . . it makes me smile every time i see it . . . just remembering the fun times with my family traveling down the yellow brick road . . . . .

Hey - been doing some more contest entries for Crop Chocolate.  My latest is an inspiration box.  I purchased a cardboard recipe box from the dollar bin at walmart.  I used Be Mine collection by Echo Park to cover the box and to make little inspiration cards that were to go inside the box (two are pictured by the box).  Since this is a graduation gift I used the Bravissomo Silver Tulle Rosette combined with the graduation sentiment in the center.  I used some misc. ribbon to go around the box and to make a pull tag to open the box.  I hope the inspirations are inspiring to my graduate.  I just love the Be Mine collection.

CC Challenge 2- Something New
This thank you card was made with L letterpress starter kit and the L letterpress Wedding plates.  This was inked in L letterpress red ink on letterpress cardstock.  I really hate that you cannot see the details in a photograph, but the debossed image is so clean and crisp and the ink is so smooth.  These really look very professional.  I think I am going to love letterpress.

CC Challenge No. 8 - The Honeymoom.  This is a mini album of my daughters recent vacation at the beach.  This was created in a round tin.  All of the paper and stickers are from Echo Park's Be Mine Collection (I love this collection of paper).  I added to the front Imaginisce flowers from Love and Cherish collection and bling from Want 2 Scrap and tied the tin together with black and white Baker's Twine..  There are also pictures on the back side of each page.

Crop Chocolate Challenge No. 4 Something Blue.

This is a 5 x 7 card on cream cardstock.  I have used Spellbinders Wings of Hope, Floral Ovals, Fancy Tags, Iron Works Accents to cut the oval, border, tag and Butterfly.  This are cut from Echo Park paper, Robins Egg and Splash.  The Bling is from Bling it On and Basic Grays Opaline Pearls.  The coordinating envelope has Flight of Butterfly from Stampin Up stamped in Baja Breeze.    Thanks for looking.

I have been working all day on some challenges for Crop Chocolate.  This is Challenge No. 7 Strike Up the Band.  This is an accordion card, with the back panel being 4-1/4 by 5-1/2.  On this fold I have placed the haunted house and the witch flying in front of the moon.  The next accordion fold holds the tree cut out and the front fold has a fence  and gate attached with a black cat at the gate entrance.  All of the above items were cut with Spook Alley Slice Cartridge.  I then cut Spellbinder Fancy Tags Three label and stamped Happy Halloween on the tag.  Stamp is from Waltzing Mouse stamps.  There is a black crow perched on the tag.  The Crow is also from Spook Alley.  The dimensions in this card from the accordion folds brings this card to life, but does not really show up well in the picture.

Hello again.  Today has just been a great day for crafting.  The above layout is of my oldest son, Chris.  He is currently in law school in California and this picture was taken somewhere in Northern California.  This is a 12 x 12 layout and I will be using it in the "Something Borrowed" contest on Crop Chocolate.  I borrowed the sketch from a layout designed by 4myk9's on Crop Chocolate.  The background paper is Teresa Collins' Giving Thanks cardstock.  If you look very closely, you will see that I have used masks of Slice's Paper Reverie Bird Cutout and inked around the mask with Stampin Up's Bashful Blue ink and some Soft Suede in the lower right corner.  The picture is doubled matted with some blue and brown paper of unknown origin.  I used Fancy Pants Lilac House Notebook Journals for the background of the name, then some more of the blue paper again.  The letters are from Kimberly Polson Chipboard letters.

Green and Pink

Today my friend Olga came over and we did some crafting. Here is a card I made for the Sketch 164 on CardPatterns. I have used 5 x 7 white card base and cut the ornate pink circle with Spellbinders Spendid Circle (whicl Olga loaned to me) using Regal Rose Stampin Up paper. I then then cut out a circle from white cardstock for stamping the "Blooming with Happiness" dress stamp also from Stampin up. This is all placed on the green and pink polka dot grosgrain ribbon. I used green seed beads on the beautiful little dress, added Fanciful Flouish die cut from Cherry Lynn and toped that with Want2Stamp pearsl. I finally added a green Flora Doodles Flower. Hope you enjoy this card.

The Little Things

Today is a great day. Had fun making this Baby card. The sentiment reads "It's the little things that makes life Big". That is so true. I used some newly obtained items to create this card, incluidng Spellbinders Floral Ovals, Fancy Tags and Ironwork Accents. Plain cream card base, Oval was cut from Echo Park Yours Truly line, Dk. Pink. Tag and butterfly was cut from pink Stampin Up. All ink was Stampin Up Soft Suede. Body of butterly was black beads strung on wire. I also used a small piece of ribbon from unknown origins. I absolutely love these new Spellbinders. I think I will remake this card in some other baby colors. See you later and have fun with your crafts.