Should auld acquaintance be forgot....

My last card of 2013. Hope you are enjoying your evening. This card was made with a set of clock stamps in my stash as well as cardstock from the Club Scrap Up Up & Away kit from February of this year. The sketch I have used is #205  from Operation Write Home. 

For 2014, the Squirrels have challenged one another to use our stash. My way of dealing with this knotty issue is to schedule a different theme for each month. For years I have been collecting paper, stickers, dies, stencils, stamps and who knows what else featuring hot air balloons. My intention is to try to use all that stash on layouts and cards in January. So you will be seeing a lot of balloons in the coming month. I hope it doesn't bore you to tears but I am so wanting to use these things rather than continue to hoard them. And this seemed like a fun challenging way to do it. You may see a helium balloon now and then also. I realize I have jumped the gun a bit but I was so ready to stop making Christmas cards that I just had to move on. I hope you can indulge me in this little game. Thanks for visiting me and hope to see you soon in 2014 (if my balloon caper hasn't scared you off).

The Love Lasts Forever

My hubby's good buddy Ed was celebrating his 44th anniversary of marriage with wife Karen this month. Another card was requested. This one uses my favorite stamp set from mine from Papertrey Ink called Shutterbug Special. I guess you can deduce why I love this stamp. Papers used are from DCWV. The card allows for an interactive pull tab to include a greeting. Hubby requested the 44 in the corner. I think I could have been happy without it. The couple loved the card. Thanks for stopping by.

What Does the Fox Say????

Another birthday for another Squirrel hubby, this time the dear husband of good friend Farley. Farley indulges me with my silliness over this Norwegian hit song of 2013. I had to make a card using this adorable fox from the Silhouette. Papers are from a Simon Says Stamp card kit. Text is computer generated. Inks are all Distress Ink. So...what does the fox say???? Happy Belated Birthday, Bob!

Roll Out the Barrel....

Now that Christmas has passed, I would like to share a few cards I made for December events which didn't really qualify for my flurry of holiday card postings. This first one was for the hubby of my good friend and fellow Squirrel Nancy. He celebrated his birthday earlier this month. He shares our interest and taste for craft beers so I felt a card like this would be only appropriate. I cut the beer glass card on the Silhouette and colored all the pieces with Distress Inks. Of course, I had to put a bit of Stickles on the wonderful head. Belated Happy Birthday to you, Mark. 

There's No Place Like Gnome for the Holidays

One last card for the Holiday Season of 2013. This one uses digital graphics and text from the Club Scrap Gnome for the Holidays collection. I cut the snow globe shape on the Silhouette with transparency sheet and used Adirondack Pearl Dabber to create the snow, along with a sprinkling of glitter. I must admit I grabbed this gnome globe idea from fellow Club Scrapper Hetty in the Netherlands. Silhouette pieces were all colored with Distress Inks before assembling. The sentiment inside says There's no place like Gnome for the Holidays. Thanks for looking at all of these cards. Happy Holidays to you.

Merry Christmas

One last Christmas Flip It card for 2013. This one uses the paper stack from DCWV along with a cute Santa stamp recently acquired from my friend Toni Hinchcliffe of Close To My Heart. Still loving those dies from Stephanie Barnard and I'm dangerously close to ordering another one. They are addictive. Hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and enjoyed my meager effort to decorate the season, one card at a time.

Heavy Metal Flip It

What was I thinking??? I bought these metal embellishments over ten years ago, sharing the packages with my friend Susan and have been hoarding them, carefully meting out a couple each year. I thought the three circles of the Flip It card would be a fabulous place to feature three of them. However, it does make the card extremely heavy and there's no way on earth it will stand up. Oh, well, it looks very nice. Paper supplies from Simon Says Stamp Warm Winter Wishes card kit. The metal thingies are so old I'm not sure but I think they were made by Making Memories back in the day. Thanks for dropping by. 

Waninyatu Wiyuskinyan na Omaka Teca yuhabpo!

My niece Lexi and nephew John generously agreed to donate the gift I would have given them for Christmas to the children at St. Joseph's Indian School in Chamberlain, SD. In honor of this selfless gift, I created a Christmas card with an Indian flair to give to them. It isn't overly Christmas-y but does include the same colors and papers used on some of my other Christmas cards. I couldn't wait for the opportunity to combine my Dreamcatcher die from Cheery Lynn with the Stephanie Barnard Flip It card die. I love the result. Inside is a holiday greeting in the Lakota language. Thanks for looking.

Winter

This card was made using a stamp I bought last year but had never used. YAY! Using my stash. 

It's a lovely collage stamp from Memory Box. I stamped it on Bristol cardstock and Stickled the pine cones. The cardinal is my Martha Stewart punch (also Stickled) covering a different nondescript bird on the stamp. I just have to use as many cardinals as I can. I am posting this card in honor of the first day of Winter. The paper panel is from the 2012 Simon Says Stamp December card kit. Thanks for visiting.

Merry Kissmas Redux

Another card made using the Operation Write Home Sketch #202. Still working on that Simon Says Stamp kit Warm Winter Wishes. Hearts were cut with a die set from My Favorite Things. Stickles were used, of course. It wouldn't be Christmas without Stickles. 

Happy Bird-day

This card is a bit of a cheater. It's not actually a Christmas card but it certainly has a holiday appearance. My Mom's 79th birthday is today and it certainly is a wintry time of year to celebrate a birthday. Since she lives in Kentucky, I wanted to use a cardinal theme. This cardinal is from one of my favorite companies Northwoods Rubber Stamps. I also wanted to try the chalkboard technique which is so popular now. Paper used is from the Simon Says Stamp December 2012 kit. The little cardinal was punched with my Martha Stewart cardinal punch. Happy birthday, Mom!!!

Joy and Poinsettias

Another Joy card made in Cincinnati. Simple stamping with some bling. Can't provide any details. Sorry.

A Partridge and a Pear Tree

Another card from that 2011 card class at Stamp Your Art Out in Cincinnati. Unfortunately, I have no details on the supplies or technique used. I do love the stamp. If you recognize it, let me know. Thanks for stopping by.

Merry and Bright

Yet another card created from Simon Says Stamp's Warm Holiday Wishes kit. The embossing was done with a Spellbinders folder. I copied an idea from Nicol Magourik to make the rounded edge on the card and I really like it. The stamp is from a Darcie set. The Tree die cut with Papertrey Ink Christmas Tree die.

Joy

Believe it or not, I made this card in 2011 at Stamp Your Art Out in Cincinnati during a class with my sister. Buried it upon my return home and just relocated it. I can't give you any details on the materials or techniques. Sorry. But it is a nice card and I will be happy to have another hand made card to send this year. Thanks for looking.

Operation Write Home #202

This card was made using the weekly sketch #202 from Operation Write Home. The supplies are from the same Simon Says Stamp kit I've been using. Rudy was punched with a Quickutz die and dressed up with Stickles. As usual. Panel was embossed with a Valentine theme embossing folder from Spellbinders. Edges inked with white ink from Club Scrap. The deadline for the sketch is tomorrow so I'm going to have to post my daily card a little early. 

Another Snowflake Flip-It

Back to that Flip-It from Stephanie Barnard. And the same DCWV Merry Christmas stack. This time the patterned paper is a red theme. The snowflake was cut from glitter paper using a Spellbinders die set. Can you tell how much I adore these Framelits. Thanks for taking a look.

A Cardinal Christmas

Another blast from the past. Another Christmas card I evidently loved too much to mail away. Honestly, this is one of my favorite cards I have ever made. I think I wanted to hang onto it until I created a few more in the same style. All paper is from Club Scrap. The beautiful cardinal was cut on my Silhouette. White panel embossed on Cuttlebug. Love this card. I may have to let it go this year. What do you think???

Warm Holiday Wishes Revisited

Another version of a card I previously posted. Same Simon Says Stamp card kit. But everything went wrong on this one. Rather than using ink, I tried using a Memories Mist in Whipped Cream, thinking it would create a snowy effect. I don't know if mine has deteriorated or what, but as you may be able to see, it made a very faint design of the snowflake stencil but nothing more. It does provide a subtle image IRL so I decided to keep it, use the same stamp over it and then add some snowflakes from another stamp set. Also, the Memories Mist made a few unsightly marks on the card which I attempted to disguise with some drops of Diamond Stickles. A piece of ribbon and the kraft card base from Recollections. A card with many mistakes but I was still able to salvage it. Thanks for bearing with me. 

Stitched Tree

This is a card I made for a Christmas past and never got mailed. In order to stay up with my plan to post a card a day this month, I'm going to have to dig deep. So here you go. This card was made with all Club Scrap materials and stamps. Just shapes cut by hand and assembled to make another wonky tree. Stickles on the star.Thanks for looking.

Wonky Tree

Yep, we're still working on the Simon Says Stamp December card kit. I got my inspiration from Lin of Sending Hugs who made a wonky tree with scraps. Mine is a little bit different but I am quite happy with it. I guess I like wonky things. The star was cut with a Stephanie Barnard Sizzix die. The circles from dies from My Favorite Things. Everything else is from the kit except for scraps from my stash. Thanks for looking.

Merry Kissmas

Still working on my Simon Says Stamp December kit. Once again, I used the old Quickutz Vixen reindeer. He's so cute. The card base is from Recollections. All other supplies from the kit. Thanks so much for dropping by.

Twenty Five

Another card from my Simon Says Stamp December card kit. This time I used a piece of the Doodlebug paper and, again, that adorable little snowflake stencil. Another card directly copied from an expert, Sarah J. Moerman, who usually provides card samples for these kits. I copied her very closely, however, my washi tape peeled off before I could even photograph the card so off it stays. I like it fine as it is. A little bit of Christmas red Stickles on the numbers and the card is ready to fly.

Warm Holiday Wishes

Finally broke into my December Simon Says Stamp card kit. Love the paper provided in this kit, but my first card was a direct CASE from Kinsale Creations using only the stencil and stamp supplied by SSS. I used my favorite white ink from Club Scrap and brushed it on with a round applicator. The negative image is what you see. Or is that the positive? Anyway, I love the results. A little piece of ribbon from a past kit and card base from Recollections. Simple but sweet.

Happy St. Nick's Day

Still playing with that Flip-It from Stephanie Barnard. And the same DCWV Merry Christmas stack. The snowflake was cut from glitter paper using a Spellbinders die set. Sorry to be repetitive but I adore these Framelits. Thanks for stopping by.

Rudolph Flip-it

Back to my beloved Framelit Flip-It from Stephanie Barnard. Love it. So simple to put together a card with a big impact. For this one I used a past Merry Christmas stack from DCWV and my old Vixen Quickutz die to paper piece Rudolph. So adorable. 

Holiday Wishes

Here we are on the 4th day of December and a fourth card for you to enjoy. How long can I sustain??? This one was made very simply with a fun stamp set from Papertrey Ink called Tree Trimming Trio. You may see more of it. Cardstock from my stash. Thanks for taking a look.

Warm Winter Wishes

I realize this has been posted previously but I want to stay on track with my 25 Days of Christmas card presentation. Sooooo, this one is getting a curtain call. It was the third Holiday card I made this year and it is a favorite. Stamps are Papertrey Ink. Cardstock is Club Scrap. Thanks for looking. 

Snowflake Flip It Card

Second holiday card created this year. Used my Stephanie Barnard Sizzix Flip it die along with products from last year's Simon Says Stamp card kit. Thanks for looking. 

Merriest Christmas Wishes

This is the first card I made this year for the Holiday Season. It's a direct copy of one made by Farley using paper from a recent Simon Says Stamp kit and my old Martha Stewart cardinal punch. Apertures were cut with circle dies from My Favorite Things. Stickles may have been applied. Thank you for looking.

Happy Anniversary, John and Jean

Seems like I've had a flurry of birthday and anniversary cards lately. This one was created for my brother and wife rather last minute with my new favoritest die from Stephanie Barnard, the Triple Circle Flip It. Paper from another Simon Says Stamp card kit from last year. I tell you, those things go on forever and ever. Hearts were embossed with my Stampin' Up Embosslit punch. I apologize for the poor photograph but I had to snap it quickly in order to get it in the mail with half a hope of it arriving on time. Happy Anniversary, John and Jean! Thanks for looking.

Happy Birthday, Ismael

We are celebrating another birthday today. This one is for our son-in-law Ismael who works as an IT guy for a local bank. He loves his job and all things technical. So it was a natural choice to make a card using a circuit board for him. I cut this on my Silhouette and backed it with some coppery paper from Club Scrap. The sentiment was computer generated. I think he will like it a lot.

Papertrey Ink - Make It Monday #139

Five months later, I'm finally entering my second Make It Monday challenge from Papertrey Ink. I couldn't resist breaking in my new Two Feet Deep stamp set for this challenge. Cardstock is all from my Club Scrap stash. Thanks so much for looking. 

We all live in a.................

While on our recent visit to Newport, Oregon, I finally photographed the yellow submarine at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. Can you imagine my childish delight in this little beauty???

Layout made on Club Scrap materials. Sub and title were cut on my Silhouette. Posted in Ruth Ann's layout challenge at Club Scrap. Please excuse the inferior photograph. I was totally unprepared for the complete darkness by 5PM. Thanks for looking.

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween!

Just a little Halloween card I made on a recent Crafternoon with Farley. Stamps are Dollar stamps from Mike's or JoAnn's. The paper from my stash was a gift last year from my sister at Scramp Camp. Can't identify it. 

Boo!

Happy Birthday, Farley

Another October birthday, this one for my good friend Farley. I had another idea in my head for her card involving a Silhouette cut but had technical difficulties. THEN I saw this card by Nichole Magouirk and had to copy it. However, Nichole used supplies from the upcoming Simon Says Stamp card kit whereas my supplies are all various stamps and dies from My Favorite Things. I used Wild Honey and Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink for the stamping and edges. Hope she likes it. Happy Birthday, Girlfriend!!!

Happy Birthday, Young Nancy

Another birthday, this one for my Squirrely friend Nancy. The parts for this easel card and the birdie were cut on my Silhouette. The sentiment is cut from an old Sizzix die (I believe). I used Prima flowers from my stash. The cage was inked with Delicata ink from Tsukineko. Happy birthday to you, my good friend.

Happy Birthday, Saralee

Today my good friend Saralee in Pompano Beach is celebrating her birthday. She is starting a new story in her life and I felt this card would be an appropriate greeting for her at this time. Still using the Simon Says Stamp Season of Thanks card set along with a Memory Box balloon die and a sentiment stamp from My Favorite Things. I'm sure I copied the ideas on this card from someone on the web but unfortunately, I can't credit her. Hope Saralee has a wonderful day. Thanks for looking!

Nuts About You

I suppose you must think I am the one who is NUTS about this card kit. I just can't give up on it. Please check back and forward if you need a link. Love those Simon Says Stamp card kits. Check 'em out. 

Owl Always Be Here For You

Still plugging away at that recent Simon Says Stamp Card kit. Love these papers. Added a couple of stamps from Stephanie Barnard at The Stamps of Life and it's done. Sweet. Thanks for looking. 

Happy Fall

In September, Farley and I set a challenge over at Paperartistsonline to use some dusty old stamps in your collection. We started out looking for our old Paula Best stamps. That morphed into Michael Strong and, in general, any stamps that lend themselves to a coloring book style of enhancing. I pulled out a Paula Best pumpkin stamp that I have always loved, colored her up as best I could with Inktense pencils and then, paired her with more papers from the latest Simon Says Stamp card kit. I am pleased with the results. Thanks for looking.

Prairie Hair

This is my first layout for the recent South Dakota trip with my Mom. I used the October Sketch Challenge over at Paperartistsonline and some old Stampin' Up western style paper. The photos show that it is a complete waste of time to do anything to your hair in the morning before you head out on the prairie. This was a lesson learned on my great expedition. Thanks so much for looking.

A Tweet Thank You

Another quick card from Season of Thanks, the latest card kit from Simon Says Stamp. Love the fall colors and the little stamp set is a keeper. Thanks for looking.

You're So Tweet

A new month and time again for a new sketch over at Paperartistsonline. Being short on time as usual, I grabbed Sketch #192 from Operation Write Home to give me the opportunity to multi-task and post my card in a few different places. So this one will be posted at OWH as well as PAO. In addition, I used the latest card kit from Simon Says Stamp called Season of Thanks. It has great papers and the cutest stamps. Take a look here if you are interested. Thanks for dropping by.

Birds of a Feather

One last card before my journey to South Dakota. I wanted to make a card for the current sketch from My Favorite Things. I deviated a bit but I think it works. I used papers from various past card kits from Simon Says Stamp and my newest dies from MFT including Homespun Birdhouse. Stamp is also from MFT. A little inking on the edges and some Stickles and it's good to go. Thanks for looking.

Hola Amiga

Tomorrow is my hairdresser's birthday. Since I was seeing Ana today, I wanted to make a special birthday card for her. She has been performing wonders on my hair for at least 35 years and is a sweet gal. I wanted to use my new Avery Elle rubber stamp set called Papel Picado in honor of her heritage. The card may seem a bit disjointed because I started out with a Simon Says Stamp card kit and then veered off in another direction. Nevertheless, she liked the card a lot and I had fun playing with this set. I hope to make more cards and layouts using it so you should see it again. Thanks for looking. Oh, and by the way, I also used this for the August sketch over at Paper Artists Online. 

May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor

Here's a little card I made based upon a sample provided by Jennifer McGuire in her recent Onlinecardclass. I copied hers very closely with the exception of the sentiment. This is a birthday card for my bestie Teresa and we are both fans of The Hunger Games. You know I had to use this sentiment on her card. We are eagerly awaiting release of the Catching Fire movie. The feathers and apertures were cut with dies from My Favorite Things. The stamp set is also from MFT. The feathers were colored with Distress Inks. Sequins and bling from my stash. Thanks for looking. 

It's a Good Day

Another card made for a sketch, this one from My Favorite Things. Unfortunately I missed the deadline for posting at MFT but here's the card anyway.

I used cardstock from the Immortal Love stack from DCWV on a Club Scrap card base. Stamp and Double Dot die from My Favorite Things. White Pigment ink pad from Club Scrap. All other edging with Distress Inks. A little bling and it's done. Love the look of these fairly new Chalkboard Greetings stamps from MFT. Thanks for stopping by to look at my stuff.

Operation Write Home Sketch #188

Made this card using Sketch #188 from Operation Write Home. I also used it for the monthly PaperArtistsOnline Card Sketch. Supplies are from one of my aging Simon Says Stamp card kits. Shapes are cut with new dies from My Favorite Things and the stamp is also from MFT. All pieces edged with Distress Inks in various colors. Thanks for looking.

Club Scrap September Card Sketch Challenge

This is a card I put together for the monthly Card Sketch over at Club Scrap. I used all Club Scrap materials from various kits. All edges inked with Distress Ink. Black dots are Enamel Accents. My birdies were cut with my newest dies from My Favorite Things. Love them. Thanks for looking.