Emboss Resist

Happy Friday everyone and thanks for taking the time to visit the charmed life blog. I cant believe that 2011 is drawing to a close. Where did the year go to??

As I reminisce back on this year, I realize I had the opportunity to visit my new granddaughter Phoenix Daisy 6x. She lives in San Francisco. I see my grandsons once a week. That always warms my heart. My desire for more family time is being met. Although, I still wish I lived closer to my grandsons and that Phoenix Daisy lived here in Pittsburgh.

On my stamping front I was a designer for Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps & Creative Belli.  I did guest design stints for ODBD-stamping in time challenge, Pals Paper Arts, Craft your Passion and Raise the Bar challenge. I am still a design hostess for the color challenge on Splitcoaststampers.

So my creative goals are being met. I have set goals for 2012 as well. So as the year unfolds, I will see how that progresses.

Now onto my card for today. I wanted to try an emboss resist technique and I knew I had the perfect stamp for it. This image is from Our Daily Bread Designs-"worship the Lord" set. I stamped in versamark and heat embossed with white embossing powder.

I sponged with Stampin-Up crumb cake and soft suede inks. I like how it turned out. I may make a few more of these for next year's Christmas stash.

I used cherry cobbler and soft suede card stock. The designer paper is from Stampin-Up as well-"Christmas Cocoa" speciality paper. It's retired now. Used a scallop border punch on the image panel.

Added cherry cobbler ribbon, an angel charm and some glittery stars to complete this card.

That's it for today. So until next time.........God bless.

Some challenges:
1.  ODBD "shining the light challenge" has an anything goes.
2.  The Stamping in Time challenge also at OurDaily Bread Designs is anything goes as well.
3.  The crafty purple frog has a Christmas challenge.
4.  Art Impressions Stamps has a die cut or punches challenge.
5.  Craft Us Crazy has a Christmas challenge with anything new. I used a new angel charm and ribbon.
6.  Paper Play Challenges also has a Christmas challenge.

Winter Time

Happy Wednesday and thanks for taking the time to visit the charmed life blog. We are still relaxing and enjoying the holiday week. This afternoon we went to watch Aidin (middle grandson) play a basketball game. It was a good game and their team won.

My hubby is funny at these games. He yells out from the stands somethings the refs have missed( IE). "over the back, 3 seconds, walk, goal tending". The boys know when he is there because they hear him. He isn't obnoxious in the least. His knowledge of basketball is just so evident and some of the refs are quite as good.

This is another card I made for the color challenge #355 on splitcoaststampers. Our colors for this week are navy, bashful blue and white. Vicki is our hostess and she made an amazing sample. Click here to check it out.

For this card I again used some old Stampin-Up rub-ons. It's from the "word flurries" collection.

Since the sentiment had the word time in it, I decided to pick up on that with the clock image and my background embossing. I used the Cuttlebug "clockworks" embossing folder and a clock image from Marks Finest Papers Stamps.

I used some white mesh from May Arts ribbon and a glittery snowflake on the clock to complete my card.

It's late now and time to dim the lights in charmed life land for another day. So until next time.........God bless.

Some other challenges:
1.  Little Darlings has a cold challenge.
2.  Simon Says Stamp has an anything goes challenge.
3.  Anything Goes Challenge blog wants us to use the color blue + one other color.
4.  Karen's Doodles wants us to use a clock on our card.
5.  Top Tip Tuesday has an anything goes challenge.

One Kind Word

Happy Tuesday everyone and thanks for taking the time to visit the charmed life blog. Hope your Christmas celebration was a great one. Ours was wonderful. We are having my husbands extended family here tonight for a get-together. It will be simple as far as food goes. We are just having pizza and a salad. So I will be able to mingle with my guests instead of spending all my time in the kitchen.

My grandsons also are in school basketball tournaments so Wednesday and Thursday will be spent with them. It will be fun and we love watching them play.

My card for today is one that I created for the color challenge on splitcoaststampers. Vicki is our hostess and she chose the fab color trio of night of navy, bashful blue and white. She also wanted us to use some glitter on our card. 

For my card I used some old Stampin-Up rub-ons for the sentiment panel. It is from their "word flurries" collection.

This panel was completed with a scallop Martha Stewart border punch and some white ribbon. I thought the ribbon picked up the swirly snowflakes.

My background layer is embossed hearts cardstock from lasting impressions and I sponged bashful blue ink on this panel..

For the glitter option I added a snowflake button that has glitter on it. Although the sparkle didn't show up well in the photo.

That's my card for today. So until next time.......God bless

Some other challenges:
1.  Incy Wincy Designs has a winter wonderland challenge 126.
2.  The Outlawz  Monday challenge has an "anything goes". You have to use a sentiment on your card.
3.  Paper a la Mode from Outlawz blog has a shades of blue challenge.

Merry Christmas



close-up view of poinsettia

 Merry Christmas to all my blogger friends. Hope your celebration is a blessed one.

We are having our family celebration today. My son, daughter-in-law and grandsons will be here shortly for our Christmas dinner.

I will be back in a couple of days with regular posts.

We have several family & friend celebrations here so my card making will be on hold until mid-week.

This card was one that I made for Christmas.

God bless!!

Creative Belli Challenge #133

Happy Wednesday and thanks for taking the time to visit the charmed life blog. It's time for another Creative Belli Challenge. This is the last one for 2011 and also the last one for me. I am leaving this design team as of December 31. Something else is coming but more about that in January.

This challenge is all about "Merry Christmas".  You have to have the word "Christmas" on your card. The spirit of the Belli challenges is to encourage you to use your OLD and FORGOTTEN embellishments! Everyone is welcome to play along! Challenge a stamping friend! Just follow the theme.

For my card I used an image from  the stamp set "Christmas light" from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. It has a matching die so the cutting out of the image is super easy.

I used the Cheery Lynn die 'deco border light". I love this die. I think it makes for such an elegan card.
I also used the Spellbinder "lacy circle" for my candle image.

My old and forgotten part is paper from my stash. I had this BoBunny green striped designer paper and I was able to use it on this card. I found the perfect shade of gold to match it. The red border and circle are Stampin-Up's real red cardstock.

I colored the image with prismacolor pencils and gamsol. I stamped the word "peace" on the candle from another set I had. No name on that one.

Well that's my card for today. Hope you will join in on the challenge at the Creative Belli Blog.

Some other challenges:

1.  Creative Card Crew has the lights of Christmas challenge.
2.  Papertake Weekly has a last Christmas card of the year challenge.
3.  Top Tip Tuesday has an anything Christmas challenge.
4.  Cheery Lynn Designs has a "tis the season" challenge. I used the deco light border die.

Christmas Tag

Happy Tuesday and thanks for taking the time to visit the charmed life blog. The countdown continues. It's only 5 days until Christmas. I felt very good about all that I accomplished today.

I finished my decorating and the majority of my cleaning. I am on track for the goals that I set for this week. There is less stress for me that way.

The Christmas tag I am showing today is one that I made as my sample for the color challenge on Splitcoaststampers. Peggy is our hostess and she chose a fabulous color trio of calypso coral, wisteria wonder and lucky limeade.

These colors certainly didn't lend themselves to Christmas but Peggy wasn't intending that they would.

However, I need a slew of tags for gifts so I decided to create one using these colors. I like how it turned out.

I cut my tag in white cardstock using a Sizzix die. I wanted some texture so I used the Cuttlebug embossing folder "Kassie's Brocade" . I sponged this in wisteria wonder and calypso coral.

My calypso coral and lucky limeade layer has the same embossing folder and sponged in calypso coral and lucky limeade. The sentiment is from the Stampin Up “winter post” set.


I used the Spellbinders “poinsettia die” for a coral poinsettia with limeade leaves. I finished my tag with lucky limeade and calypso coral ribbon tied with gold memory thread and a gold pearl.

Well, it's late and time to dime the lights in charmed life land for another day.

So until next time...........God bless

Some other challenges:
1.  Crafty Cardmakers has a challenge to use it 3 times. I used the same embossing folder 3x. First on my white tag-then on my coral layer and finally on my limeade layer.
2.  Crafty Boots has a Christmas challenge.
3.  Lawnscaping Challenge wants us to add texture to our project. I used embossing.
4.  Lexi's Creations has a non-traditional Christmas color challenge.
5.  Make My Monday has a seasonal tag challenge.
6.  Ooh-La-La creations has an "anything but a card" challenge.

Merry Christmas

Happy Sunday and thanks for taking the time to visit the charmed life blog. The countdown to Christmas continues and today we are at 7 days. 

Don't know how your preparations are going but mine are running behind.  I haven't started to wrap any of my gifts as yet. And, I do special wraps on each gift. So probably Tuesday will be the start of a marathon day of gift wrapping.

I sort of have my menus for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day worked out so I will have to make my shopping list for the grocery store. I will probably do that on Friday morning. The rest of the week will be cleaning and finishing up other tasks. So maybe I am not so behind. Glad I talked this out I just made myself feel better (lol)!!

Now onto my card for today. This one I made for the inspiration challenge on Splitcoastampers. Anne was our hostess and she sent us to the "at west end" site. It is a great site with lots of rustic and recycled items.

I chose the "red mercury glass votives" as my inspiration to create a card. The cranberry striped paper I thought was a good match for the color of the votives. And my candle image is in keeping with the votive.

My image & sentiment are from the stamp set "Christmas light" from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. It has a matching die so the cutting out of the image is super easy. I used the Cheery Lynn die 'deco border light" and a Spellbinder "lacy circle" for my candle image.

Well, it's time to close this post and dim the light in charmed life land for another day..........

Some other challenges:

1.  Craftyhazlenut's Christmas Challenge #51 has an "anything goes".

2.  Just Us Girls has a color challenge. We are to use red, olive and white or kraft. I stamped my image on white cardstock before coloring with prismacolor pencils.

3.  Speedy the cat's friends challenge wants us to make a Christmas card.

 

 

Snowflake Joy

Happy Friday and thanks for taking the time to visit the charmed life blog. Well it's just 9 days to Christmas now. I mailed the last of my cards today and I am finishing up on some decorating. On Monday my friend will come over and we make pizzelles together. My house will have the smell of anise for several days after this.

Earlier this week I attended a holiday tea at my neighbors. Everything was so beautiful and the food was incredible. She had 8 of us there. Her dishes were the blue willow pattern and she read us the story behind this dishware that started our afternoon.  

Our tea menu started of with roasted tomato soup and a sun-dried cheddar biscuit. then we had a delicious quiche with sun-dried tomatoes, onion and ham. She had a strawberry on the plate that was sliced in a fan effect. Loved the quiches as well as the presentation.

Then we were served an orange scone and a cranberry-ginger scone. These were served with lemon curd, orange marmalade and some clotted cream. These were also incredibly delicious.
then she served from tea sandwiches with egg salad, a strawberry-almond cheese and some smoked salmon served in a cucumber round. Fabulous!!

And, if we weren't filled enough she served us some excellent chocolate cake. This was followed by sorbet with kiwi slices. we had 3 different kind of teas served with all this. Our take home gift was an angel from this blue willow pattern. The piece is titled "wishes of grace for a palace". It is a limited edition and just beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed this afternoon and was so honored to be invited.

Now I want to have one at my home. Maybe I will think about it for next Christmas.

Onto my card for today. This one I made for the VSN challenge on splitcoaststampers. We were to use a snowflake on our card.

My background paper is from Stampin-Up's "ski slope" collection. The red snowflakes are feltand the white one is a button.  I also used a Stampin-Up border punch, oval punches and some espresso bakers twine. The sentiment is from Amuse stamps.

That completes this card and also this post. So until next time.......God bless.

Some other challenges:
1.  Raise the Bar has a Christmas challenge.
2.  Really reasonable ribbon challenge has an anything goes & ribbon theme. I used bakers twine on my card.
3.  4 crafty chicks blog has a Christmas card challenge.
4.  Card Makin Mamas has a Christmas challenge.

Herald Angels Sing

Happy Tuesday and thanks for taking the time to visit the charmed life blog. Wow the busyness of the season has me going. I just finished my Christmas cards and will get them in the mail tomorrow. Then I have to finish my inside decorating. I am really excited for that. I love all the decorations and lights.

Today I went to my friends home and we made candy together. Its become a tradition with us now. She said to me today-with names like "Mary & Holly" how could we not do something together for Christmas.

We made all chocolate candy-chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate covered oreos, chocolate peanut butter sandwiches and cashew clusters. It took us 7 hours, but it is so worth it.  I give this candy to my grandsons and neighbors. They all love it.

always artichoke

crumb cake

cherry cobbler

So onto my card for today. This one I made for the color challenge #353 on Splitcoaststampers. I am the hostess today and I chose the regal color trio of cherry cobbler, crumb cake and always artichoke.

My image is from Just-Rite Stamps-the "O Christmas Tree" set. I stamped it in cherry cobbler and then again in always artichoke. I cut some of the artichoke pieces and layered it over the cobbler.

I used the spellbinders pennant and lacy pennant dies to cut the image. I also used the Spellbinders “poinsettia die” for a corner embellishment.

My ribbon is Stampin-Up’s quilted satin cherry cobbler ribbon and I added an angel button to my bow.

The background designer paper is from Bo Bunny “Father Christmas” collection.

A star placed atop the tree completed my card.

Well, it's time to get back to my Christmas preparations. So until next time..........God bless.

Some other challenges:

1.  Make My Monday has a "red ribbon" challenge.

2.  Stamps R Us has an angels challenge.

3.  Stampin Sisterhood Sundays has a Sunday inspiration challenge.

Believe

Happy Wednesday and thanks for taking the time to visit the charmed life blog. It's time for another Creative Belli Challenge. This time around the challenge is anything related to Winter or Christmas

************************

The spirit of the Belli challenges is to encourage you to use your OLD and FORGOTTEN embellishments!Everyone is welcome to play along! Challenge a stamping friend! Just follow the theme.

For my card I decided to use this Santa image that I bought this summer at a stamp show here in Pittsburgh. It's from Darcie Stamps and is a die cut. Well actually the company calls them U-cuts because you cut the image out yourself. I think this Santa is so cute.

I used some retired Stampin-Up designer paper from the "merry moments" collection. On the white background panel I used the Cuttlebug folder "winter wonderland". I added some green velvet May Arts ribbon to this panel also.

I stamped the believe sentiment and that completed my card.

I hope you will play with us at the Creative Belli blog. Drop over to see what the other design team members have done with this challenge. You won't be disappointed.

We are so excited to bring back the "Belle of the Belli"! For each challenge, we will choose the one card that WOW'd us and closely followed the theme! If you are chosen as a Belle, you will be asked to be a Guest Designer for one of our challenges and have a badge to proudly post on your blog!


There is also a design team call going on so if you're interested in becoming a "Belli Girl" go to this post. You have until December 15 to apply.

So until next time........... God bless

Some other challenges:
1.  Creative Card Crew has a "tis the season" challenge.
2.  Ribbon Carousel has an inspiration challenge called "peppermint twist".
3.  TopTip Tuesday has a "let it snow" challenge. I used a snowflake embossing folder behind my Santa.
4.  Tuesday Throwdown has a "celebrate the season" challenge.

Christmas Candle

Happy Tuesday and thanks for taking the time to visit the charmed life blog. I am knee deep in Christmas as is everyone I suppose. I am still making Christmas cards even after I said I wouldn't be so late this year. My problem is I don't do a clean & simple design. I thought I had one the other day and it still took me all day to make 10 cards.

I have another idea for one that I will try today.  I may be able to mass produce this one easily. We will see.
I also have a cookie exchange that I am going to tonight. It should be fun. Its with the younger women in our church. They invited me-probably because I am part of the leadership so I am going. They are making some good cookies. I will bring my signature Christmas cookie-a mini lady lock. I fill them with french vanilla butter creme.

Anyway onto my card for today. This one I made for the color challenge #352  on Splitcoaststampers.

Karen is our hostess and she chose a great Christmas color trio- wild wasabi, real red and vanilla.

My candle image is from the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps set “Christmas light” and the background text is from the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps  set “light of Christmas”.


The text on my candle is from an unmounted stamp that I bought but I don’t have a name. The idea to stamp the text on the candle came from  Christmas banners in our church. They have a candle image and the names of Jesus (IE.) Shepherd, Ruler, Redeemer and Savior.

The candle image is colored with prismacolor pencils and gamsol and then cut with the die from this set. I used glossy accents on the berries and the candle wax. The text is stamped in wild wasabi ink.

I punched a layer to use over my text. Its done with the fiskars holly border punch.
My layout is one that I have used before. In fact I copied myself  from this card.

Well time to close this post. So until next time God bless..........

Some other challenges:
1.  The Ribbon Girl blog has a "jingle all the way to Christmas" challenge.
2.  2 Sisters Challenge blog wants us to use punches/dies. I used both on my card.
3.  So Artful challenges has a "tis the season". I used red and green.
4.  Daring Cardmakers has a December flower challenge-either Holly or Narcissus.
5.   Raise the Bar has a "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas challenge.
6.  Tuesday Throwdown has a "celebrate the season" challenge.

Dec 25

Happy Thursday and thanks for taking the time to visit the charmed life blog.  We got our outside window wreaths put up today. They are the type that have led lights on them and work from batteries. I noticed on one of them that some of the lights are dim and one or two don't come on. If anyone knows if these type lights can be replaced let me know.

They are Bethlehem Lights wreaths that I purchased from QVC a couple of years ago. I looked on  their but they did have any info about replacement bulbs. Any help would be appreciated.

So onto my card for today. I made this one for the "ways to use it" challenge on Splitcoaststampers. We were to use a "faux letterpress" technique with our embossing folder. I inked up one side of my folder and placed my cardstock in. I used bashful blue ink because I wanted a soft background.

I was happy with how it turned out. My tree image is from a Christmas patterned paper pack from DCWV. I did some fussy cutting and placed it on my card. I punched a mini tag and used some Stampin-Up rub-ons for the "Dec 25" sentiment. The gold cord is "memory cord" that Betty Wright gave me a heads-up on.

To complete my card I added some green and red ribbon. And I have another Christmas card finished and this one is flat for mailing. How nice is that!!

Well, its late and I have a busy day tomorrow so until next time.......God Bless

Some other challenges:
1.  Our Creative Corner has a "O Christmas Tree" challenge.
2.  Colour Create Blog has a red, green and white challenge.
3.  Crafty Ribbons Challenge is to make a tag.
4..  Incy Wincy Designs has a "trees" challenge.
5.  Stamps R Us has an "emboss it" challenge.