Jingle Belles Header Inspired

Well, for the final Jingle Belles challenge of 2019 Lauren and Steph asked us to design our cards based on the beautiful header for their blog that Lauren designed.

So I took my inspiration from the deer, the lace, the doily, the snowflakes, and the frame.  My frame and snowflakes are a little inside out and my deer is a midget in comparison to the one on the header, but nonetheless cute.  I used the doily horizontally to make some snow mounds - there is one to the right of the tree it just doesn't show up too well in the photo.  I found some lace and added some gold ribbon to go with the deer antlers, the star on the tree, and the sentiment.  

My card base is Confetti White cardstock, all the rest is Whisper White.  I might just add some sequins or another snowflake on that hill, but for now I'm pretty please with the way they came out.  Oh, and as I've been trying to do throughout the year, I made two of this design.  

I have to thank Steph and Lauren for all the time and effort, AND all the love they put into this Christmas card challenge.  I know their time is precious and they give so much of it to the planning, creating their own cards, and commenting on everyone's cards.  And they do comment on every card.  I invite you all to click here to see all the wonderful contributions for this fortnight's challenge, and encourage you to leave a comment or two, or three.  

One last thing - Merry Christmas to all the Jingle Belles.  I hope to see you and create with you again next year.  Blessings to you all.

Jingle Belles - Mittens, Scarves, and Sweaters

Sometimes you just don't know where or when inspiration will pop up.  I knew that the theme for this fortnight's Jingle Belle challenge was "winter wear" and in getting ready to make a trip to IKEA this past weekend, when I saw the mitten gift tags and this beautiful blue plaid wrapping paper on the website the idea bloomed.  Sort of.  The tags were only $.99 for a pkg. of 12 and the paper was a couple of bucks and that paper can be used year-round and not just for the holidays.  

But what to do with the mittens and how to hide the holes? So I came up with a mitten snowflake with some pom-pom snowballs.  It did turn out to be an oversized card measuring 6"x6" so I used some bristol board as my card base, and it will need an oversized envelope to go with it, but I do like the way it came out especially when I found just the right sentiment to add. 

And since I had 12 tags and that whole roll of paper I decided to make 2! (Should have gotten more tags!)

I picked up some different tags at both the Dollar Tree and Target recently and have ideas for them that I hope to share in the near future.  In the meantime, let me jump over to the Jingle Belles and see what other cozy winter garb is being featured.  You can join me by clicking here. 

Jingle Belles - Rudolph and Friends

HWNSNBP keeps prodding me about my small stash of Christmas cards....still.  So I spent a little time this weekend catching up a bit using this fortnight's theme from the Jingle Belles of "creatures".  Having recently getting some dies featuring deer, this was the perfect challenge.

The first card uses a Sizzix die and makes a 3-D card.  I can't take much creative credit for this one as I followed the picture on the die package almost to the T.  I did choose my own colors and added the snowflakes to the background.  I will be making a couple more of these for sure.  

I don't remember the source for this die, but I do remember seeing the color combo recently on someone's blog and the kraft and cherry cobbler really looked so pretty I had to give it a try.

The next couple were a bit experimental with a technique I don't think I fully accomplished.  In fact I know I didn't.  It's supposed to be Oxidized Metal and I goofed and used Memento Black ink instead of Stazon, so all my black disappeared.  However, I'm not totally bummed about the results.  I tried it on gold, copper, and silver foil.  The gold and copper didn't turn out too bad.  The silver was another story.  My silver foil paper was a bit too matte and didn't look like much when done. Well, at least it didn't look like what I wanted it to look like for this particular experiment.  I used two different embossing folders.  

The reindeer die is from Tutti Designs.  The technique in question only used metallic embossing powders, but I decided to sprinkle on some white too.  

So, with the one of the first, three of the second, and four of the third, I wound up with eight cards.

Still have more to catch up with, but first I'm catching up with the Jingle Belles and checking out the other creatures that are stirring.  You can join me by clicking here.  

Pink Christmas for the Cure - Jingle Belles

I haven't finished a Christmas card in quite a long time.  I've started a few, but my Christmas mojo has seemed to have lost its spark.  There are a few cards that I started over the last months that just didn't come together.  I'll get back to them.  But I couldn't go without taking part in the annual Jingle Belles Pink Christmas Challenge.  Our lovely hostesses Stephanie and Lauren each make a donation for each card posted to the challenge to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.  Kudos to them and kudos to all the participants for backing such a great cause. 

This lovely angel from Tutti Designs just arrived this week and I paired her with some white embossed snowflakes from Hero Arts and an SU sentiment.  She's die cut from some sparkly white paper on Pink Pirouette background.   

Our school wears pink on the third Wednesday in October in honor of two teachers that we lost to breast cancer and ovarian cancer.  We have a crab apple tree and a redbud tree planted in front of the school in their memory.   This was the message on my message board.

I'm heading over to the Jingle Belles to check out all the other Pink Christmas cards.  You can join me by clicking here.

Jingle Belles - Sketch Challenge

The Jingle Belles gave us a really great sketch to work with this time.  

I used a square image in place of the tag, so I hope this qualifies.  The stamp set is Feathers and Frost from SU.  You know I had to make that bird a bluebird.  

If you read my last post, you'll see that I've been a little bit occupied with family business so I am lucky to have a card today, but I actually did make two of them - just not two different ones.  Please check out the other entries on the Jingle Belles blog by clicking here.  

Jingle Belles - Joy to the Earth ..... One More Recycled Card

My tidying up yesterday had me finding lots more goodies in my craft room that I had forgotten.  There's a meme about that somewhere, I know because it could be about me!  

One more card for the Jingle Belles Earth Day challenge.  This card was made with a flyer that I picked up on a day trip to Princeton last December whilst we were doing some Christmas shopping.  It was in a little shop that sells all kinds of kitchen utensils and I can't, for the life of me, remember the name of the store.  It was an advertisement for a new line of linens I think.  I cropped it to fit a 5x7 card front - unfortunately that meant cropping off the tallest goose's hat because of some print that ran through it, but if I hadn't told you, would you have known? 

I found a piece of scrapbook paper with the same colors and a added that and a strip of cork at the bottom.  The last touch was a wooden snowflake (another one of those goodies forgotten but no longer lost).  

Once again I thank these ladies for this challenge allowing me to use those bits and bobs of Christmases past.  I do find it rewarding to be able to repurpose things and make something usable from them.  

Join me over at the Jingle Belles blog to see what all the others have come up with this fortnight.

Jingle Belles - Peace on Earth Day

One of my favorite Jingle Belle challenges is the one that happens right around Earth Day.  We try very hard to keep up with the mantra Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and by the looks of the stamp cave, you can tell that there's always something to be repurposed.  If only we could recycle time so that those lost minutes that occur in our everyday lives could be put to better use.  Oh well.  Let me not waste any more of your time fantasizing about that.  

HWNSNBP received one of those "tower" gifts last Christmas from someone he works with.  The kind where every box contains some nice little treat.   We shared the treats and I saved the boxes because they were beautiful royal blue metallic boxes with gold, pewter, and white dots of varying sizes on the various sized boxes.  I used the largest box to make not one, not two, but three cards for this challenge.  (I actually have a picture of the box before I used it but I'm having the darndest time transferring photos from my phone to my computer.  The computer seems to pick and choose the pictures it wants to download and I wind up having to duplicate the ones that it didn't take the first time and doing the process all over again.  The most aggravating thing is the next day, when I go to my photos on my computer, I have 3 copies of each picture.  I just didn't take the time today to duplicated the box pic - sorry.)

The first card is based on this card from Mary Fish that I found on Pinterest.  My recycled bits, besides the royal blue metallic panel, are the Bethlehem cityscape that I die cut out of some tissue paper from a gift and the circle is cut from an envelope insert that I had saved.  

First I adhered the tissue paper to my 6" roll of double-sided sticky tape and then stuck that to some white cardstock to give it some sturdiness.  In the picture below I hope you can see how the first row of buildings was popped up.  Once again, taking pictures of glossy backgrounds is pretty tricky and I haven't mastered that yet.

The second card used the panel that had the most dots and also had two slits on either side which I believe had some ribbon in it originally - don't really remember.  I could have cut it down and omitted those slits, but instead I found a length of gold ribbon that fit through them.  JOY was die cut from another card insert that had been saved.  The stars were punched from a scrap of gold glitter CS.

The last card uses a smaller piece of the box.....with the smallest dots too.  I found this metallic stocking gift tag from a coworker that I had saved and added to that the one gold pointsettia that I had left.  The holly and berries are cut off of some wired ribbon in the scrap box and joy was die cut from a scrap of red metallic fabric paper.  The cardinal is an Eyelet Outlet brad (I keep forgetting about those things - so glad I remembered this one.)

I also used a gold gel pen to outline the metallic panel on this one.  I just might go back and do the same to the other two.

So there you have it.  Three cards from one box.  

I've got some tidying up of my craft table to do and then I'll be over to the Jingle Belles to see all the other recycled wonders.  You should check it out too - Lauren and Steph always have such beautiful inspiration cards for all the challenges and these are no exception.  

Since I'm posting on Earth Day I'll add this piece that I did in my large sketchbook for the #everythingcircles challenge.  The tree contains all kinds of circular tags, stamps, logos and stickers that I had saved I guess for just this reason!

Jingle Belles - We Three Kings

I know.  You're saying "what the heck?".  Look closely though.  Those cacti are bedecked in their Christmas finery and all ready to celebrate.  I've even given you the date - Dec. 25.  Going through some papers I came across this package of Christmas cactus stickers and, well, that's when I remembered that I hadn't yet made my card for the Jingle Belles We Three Kings Challenge yet.  I tried, believe me, to come up with a different sentiment, but aside from Feliz Navidad, I couldn't think of one.  Who will I send this card to?  Not sure right now, but probably someone a little prickly.

(It is colorful though, dontcha think!)

Jingle Belles - Tweet Tweet

I came back with this little Honey Bee birdie inside a Reverse Confetti wreath made again with the Gina K Wreath Builder template for the Jingle Belles challenge.  I thought I had some of those wobbler thingies to make the birdie wobble but I couldn't find them.  Nevertheless, he is popped up off the wreath.  The DSP is pretty old and from SU.  I need to make more birdies with that Honey Bee set.  

I'll be heading over to the Jingle Belles blog in the morning to visit all the birds, er, ladies.  You can join me by clicking here.

Jingle Belles - Rockin' Robin - Put a Bird on It

The Jingle Belles want us to Put a Bird on It this fortnight.  I have no shortage of Christmas bird stamps. In fact, I think I've used a couple of them in the last couple of challenges.  But that didn't stop me from finding some more to play with.  This came together with a new tool - the Gina K Wreath Builder template in conjunction with my Misti and some Avery Elle stamps.  Those little penguins and snowflakes are all individually stamped - that's not one big stamp.  The Wreath Builder let's you make a mandala or wreath out of basically any small stamps.  

We've got some synchronized penguin swimmers here circling Esther who is wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.  I colored those penguins with some alcohol markers.  The sentiment is die cut and I added some white sequins for sparkle.

I hope to be back tomorrow with another birdie to share.  It's already colored, just have to pull it all together.  In the meantime, you can stop by the Jingle Belles blog to take a look at the Christmas aviary over there.  

Jingle Belles - Fa la la la la

One more musical card for the Jingle Belles challenge this fortnight.  I apologize for the poor quality of the picture.  I accidentally left my cell phone in Delaware this weekend and I had been relying on it for pictures so much that I neglected my little point and shoot's battery.  I have two batteries and the spare had just enough juice for one or two quick pics before that one faded out.  This was the best.

This cute singing birdies stamp was a gift from Sabrina and is perfect for this challenge.  I was looking for some music background paper and came across this layered-looking sheet in these non-traditional colors.  I knew these were going to be bluebirds!

Speaking of bluebirds...... look who came for a visit the other day......

and someone who was "drunk in love with himself"...... he fell asleep in the mirror!

Stop by the Jingle Belles if you can and check out the concert going on.  I'll be heading there soon.

Jingle Belles - Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Here in NJ we have snow on the ground which, if it came in late November or early December might prompt me into a few Christmas Carols.  Not so much in March. However, I am getting prompted by the Jingle Belles who have asked us to make our cards with a musical theme.  I paired a Unity stamp with the lyrics to O Holy Night (one of my favorite carols) with the starry background from Amuse for this with some additional die cut trees.  

The stars are embossed in silver and the lyrics are in gold.

I have one more idea brewing for this that I hope to get to later today.  See you then!

Jingle Belles - More Glitter

I'm glad I squeezed some time in to move forward with this idea for the Jingle Belles Glitter/Metallic challenge.  I used a Lil'Inker stamp - Tis the Season.  Stamped it in VersaMark on Crumb Cake paper and embossed with gold EP.  Then I got out my Gansi Tambi Starry Colors metallic watercolors and painted away.  Yep, I stamped it three times.

I used an oval die to cut out one of the  images and trimmed down the other two into slightly smaller rectangles. 

The oval piece I added to a gold foil card back from a package of such that I picked up last year at an after Christmas sale.  They are very shiny and hard to photograph.  They are also very warped right now which made it even harder to take a decent picture of it. 

I layered some brushed gold paper on a Crumb Cake card base for this one.

And on this one added those two layers to another gold foil card base.

I really like the way these came out.  I have another stamp that I think I might try with this method and will certainly share it if I do.

Heading on over to the Jingle Belles blog to see all the other glittery goodness.  You can join me by clicking here.

Jingle Belles - All That Glitters

This fortnight the Jingle Belles have challenged us to make glittery/metallic creations.  I've got a little of both here, though you might not see the entire sparkle of it.  The outside frame is some silver metallic paper that looks like it's been hammered.  Onto that I added a frame of royal blue glitter paper (which doesn't shed too much glitter thank goodness - don't you just hate when that happens!).  The bells are die cut from silver metallic paper and I laid them over a piece of watercolor paper that I had been experimenting with Colorburst powders on.  IRL it has a real 3-D kind of effect of the sky beyond those bells.  

I'm still mulling over whether to add a sentiment to the front, and if I did, what would it be?  

I don't know if I'll get to a second card before the challenge runs out, but I will try.  I have several ideas that I'm going to write down in case time becomes a factor because I'm sure I will forget if I don't.  

You should check out the other glittery creations over at Jingle Belles - just click the highlighted link.

Jingle Belles - Shaping Up for the New Year

Okay, this may look like a rectangular card but it is not.  The card is a triangle that I did some tangling on with a Christmas tree that I water colored and then also tangled.  I'm not 100% sold on the background that I did, but the tree came out okay.  

I was cleaning up my work space after completing all those baby shower invites and had this scrap piece of watercolor paper ready to put in the scrap box when I remembered that I hadn't been able to get to the JB challenge yet.  I took the cheap set of watercolors out and quickly painted some rainbow stripes onto it.  When it dried I drew the tree shape and cut it out.  I measured out and created a template for the card base in this triangular shape making it big enough to show a decent frame after the tree would be glued.  The longest part of this whole project was creating the background for the tree.  Once I got this all together I liked it a lot more.  

We're expecting snow to begin sometime late tonight and I already have a delayed opening called so I will have a bit of time in the morning to visit all the other shapely creations.  Won't you join me by clicking here to take a look..  

Jingle Belles - Thank You Santa

Our Jingle Belle Challenge this week is to feature something that you got for Christmas - be it from Santa or something you treated yourself to.  I have no shortage of things to choose from as I went a little overboard on some of the pre-Christmas sales.  What I chose to feature this time however is the stamp that I won during the last JB Challenge of 2018 - this beautiful Magenta holiday foliage triple.  I paired that with a Penny Black die that I gifted myself, and some background paper from Moments that was also a gift. 

Once again I stamped the image twice so I could play around with colors and now have two.

I'm hoping to grab some time again this evening to fit in another one or two more..... I have some very thoughtful people in my life (HWNSNBP included who I usually tell "this is what you're giving me for Christmas" when the package(s) come in).

Please join me in checking out all the other lovely creations over at the Jingle Belles.  And you just have to see the gorgeous inspiration cards that Steph and Lauren have made for the second week too!

Jingle Belles - All Wrapped Up Again

Another quick sweep of my work table this past weekend and I came up with this cool Santa that was actually on the front of a card that was given to me last year I'd been saving.  I first attached it to a piece of red cardstock and then fussy cut around it.  And it's popped up with some dimensionals.  You can't tell from the picture, but the dark pattern on it is actually silver which is why I chose to add the white ribbon with the silver snowflakes.  There is wrapping paper on this too.  The kraft with the red twigs and white snow is one of my favorites from IKEA.  All of this was added to a red card base.  

I don't quite like how the whites match up in the picture - the lighting was just not right this morning.  IRL the ribbon is not as blue-white and the Santa is not as yellow-white trust me.  

Once again, I invite you to head over to the Jingle Belles blog to see all the great additions to the gallery there.  You might get some good ideas.  I always do!

Jingle Belles - No Time Like the Presents

We just undecorated the tree on Sunday.  So glad that it takes a lot less time undecorating than decorating.  We have mostly what I call "directional" ornaments which take time placing just so so that they face outward on the branches.  And we have a lot of ornaments collected over the years so the decorating process is both fun and lengthy.  It's all packed up now.  But that doesn't really put an end to Christmas because there is a transition right into Christmas for 2019 in the form of the Jingle Belles Blog Christmas card challenges.  

As you might be able to tell from the title, the theme this fortnight is "presents" in the form of gift wrap or tags - used or new.

For my first card I chose to use something used.  This double-sided gift wrap lent itself well to be repurposed into a card.  I rescued a portion of the striped side for my background and found one of the deer motifs that was not wrinkled and easily isolated.

The card base is white and the deer is framed in white also.  I found a scrap of white to add the sentiment to.  The deer pattern is ghosting through the white parts of the wrapping paper, but I actually think it looks a little cool.  

Okay, so I've saved a few more bits of Christmas wrapping that I hope to get to before then end of this challenge.  Until then, you can always check out what's been shared already at the Jingle Belles blog by clicking here.