More Gift Card Holders!

I've been a bad blogger lately.  It's been so nice being on vacation from work that I'm just enjoying staying home and puttering around the house.  That is something I just don't get the time to do, working full time.  I thought I'd post some more gift card holders.  The first one was inspired by Diane http://dianejaquay.blogspot.com/2009/12/stocking-gift-card-holder.html 
She made some cute stocking gift card holders from the free Timeless Template at Papertrey Ink.  Here is my version.  Thanks Diane for the inspiration.

The next one was made using all Papertrey Ink products.  It uses the Cash and Carry Template (again) and the patterned paper is from last years Papertrey Ink holiday collection. The tag is from the Holiday Tag set.

The last holder today is from Lauren Meader's new company, My Time Made Easy http://www.mytimemadeeasy.com/  She is offering some free downloads of templates as well as Digital Paper.  Well, I was totally against the idea of Digital Paper, now that I have tried it, I'm a total convert.  Love being able to print off the color and size that I need.  I also like being able to print it on cream or white background.  (I also printed the same paper in pink for the stocking above).If I hadn't been able to try it for free, I wouldn't have know what I was missing. 

I hope you all have a fabulous, safe and Happiest of Holidays! Thank you for taking a peek today and I'd love to hear what you think..

GSS Submission - December

Back from a little trip with K.I.S.A. (knight in shining armour).  We ended up getting a great deal on a weekend flight and hotel to Chicago this past weekend.  We had so much fun.  Did all the tourist things, Top of the John Hancock Building, Shedd Aquarium, Chicago Pizza and did a bit of Christmas shopping too.  The city was decorated in it's finest Holiday sparkle.  It was just beautiful.

Now on to the project.  Here is a gift card holder that I submitted for the Guest Star Stamper for December on Papertrey Ink.  I again used the Gift Card template to create this.  All the products are Papertrey Ink except for the little pearly bling.  They were from some branches I got in the floral section at Michaels.  Really like how this one came out and the colors are great.

Thanks for taking a peek and let me know what you think.

Another Gift Package Idea

Happy Friday Everyone!  Hope you are all staying warm.  It is freezing cold here in Michigan today.  I think the wind chill was about -9 on my way in to work this morning.  We also have a light dusting of snow.

Now on to the project.  My daughter in law asked for a stockpile of Bath and Body works hand soap for Christmas.  Since I was able to get several bottles at the Outlet on sale, I was trying to think of a cute way to package them.  I bought six bottles and instantly thought 6-pack (and I don't even drink beer).  I covered the six-pack holder with several patterns of Cosmo Crickets, Early Bird paper for a fun cheery look that would work year round.  For a fun embellishment I cut the flower out of felt with a Sizzix die and my Cuttlebug.  I'd been wanting to try to cut felt and love the way it cut.  I will be doing this again for sure.  The only stamping on this project is on the tag.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek.  I'd love to hear what you think.

Wedding Card

My boss is getting married on Saturday and I thought I'd make him a card. It's not a big fancy affair, just a small group of family and friends out of town. So I thought a simple card would be best. Tried to make it not too masculine and not too feminine.

This card used products from Papertrey Ink, except for the ink for the flowers. I used kraft card stock and stamped the cake with Fresh Snow ink then stamped the flowers in Pink Grapefruit ink by Versa. I added the leaves using New Leaf ink then embossed the card with my nestabilities. The Cake, Flowers and Leaves are from the Piece of Cake set. The sentiment is from the Sweet Love set. This is another one of those cards that looks so much better in real life.

Thanks for taking a peek today and I'd love to hear what you think.

Gift Card Template

Today's post features one of the Gift Card Timeless Templates from Papertrey Ink. This is the first time I've used this particular template and loved how it turned out. I'll be making many more of this one. This particular one uses Cardstock, ink, button and stamps from Papertrey Ink. The patterned paper is from Cosmo Cricket's Holly Jolly line. The ribbon is from my stash. The tag is from a Quickutz die. The first picture shows the gift card holder closed. The second picture shows how the gift card slides right out of the pocket. Thanks for taking a peek and I'd love to hear what you think.

Gift Wrapping Alternative - Masculine look

My son has asked for a particular CD for Christmas this year. I thought I would try and do something with a rather masculine look to it. First I cut my kraft cardstock to the size I needed to cover the CD. Then I stamped it in two parts. First I used Faux Ribbon by Papertrey Ink to make the stripes. Then I stamped the rest of the cardstock with my new favorite Hero Arts background stamp. I then wrapped the CD, rounded the corners on the top flap and added the embellishments. The tag was stamped from the 2008 Holiday Tag set from Papertrey Ink. I found that I really liked the combination of Kraft with New Leaf ink and ribbon. Thanks for taking a peek and I'd love to hear what you think.

Homemade Gift Idea

I am in love with the new Homemade template and coordinating Stamp set from Papertrey Ink. I think the concept is pure genius. I can see a whole village of little houses and shops filled with fun little gifts and treats for the holidays or any time of year. (The second photo will show you what kind of goodies will be in this shop). I'll be doing lots more of these. Wish my photography skills were better. These pictures sure doesn't do the project justice. They look so much cuter in real life. Hope you like it and it inspires you. Thanks for taking a peek and let me know what you think.

Bella Friday Post (on Monday)

Hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving. Ours was wonderful, with time spent with family and friends. Also had a little r&r up at the cabin for the weekend. Did a bit of Black Friday shopping but not much to speak of.

Here is my card from the Bellariffic Friday post. It was a sketch challenge and here is my interpretation of it. I used Snowbunny Bella for the main image colored with prismas and gamsol. I also used some sparkle fluff for the white furry parts of her coat. The background paper was made from Snowflake Serenade (one of my all time favorites) by Papertrey ink. The paper and ink are also from Papertrey Ink. The swirl stamp is from an old Technique Tuesday set. Thanks for taking a peek today.

Treat Box

First and foremost I want to wish you all a safe and Happy Thanksgiving day. Hope it is filled with family, friends, fun and of course, good food. I would like to thank all of you for your good thoughts and well wishes from my previous post. It appears my job is stable for the time being and I am very thankful for that.

Now, on to my project. This project used the Timeless Template called "Time for Take Out". All of the papers, inks and stamps used on this project are from Papertrey Ink. I'm thinking of making several of these to hang on my Christmas tree to hold little treats for my Grandson. He is 3 1/2 and is really getting into the Santa thing this year. I thought I might hide a few little treat boxes for him to find every few days or so, leading up to Christmas. Sort of an alternative to an advent calendar. Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek. Let me know what you think. Edited to add: The red and white twine that I used to thread through the button is from Martha Stewart crafts that I bought at Michaels. It is also available at Two Peas in a Bucket. http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/shop/martha-stewart/87438-bakers-twine-multi-color/?filters=_martha_stewart+bakers+twine_

Another GSS Entry

Here is another card I entered in the Guest Star Stamper contest at Papertrey Ink earlier this month. The requirement was for a simple card. This one took about 5 minutes to make and I like the way it came out. It is a small 3x3 gift card. First I made a small embossed square with my nestabilities in the center of the card. I then used the Giga Guidelines set from Papertrey Ink and masked off the very center of the stamp to make the wreath. Stamped the word "Joy" in the center from Holiday Tree set. Added a tiny red bow and a bit of red glitter gel pen and it was done. Thanks for taking a peek today.

On a personal note, I'm having a very hard time right now as I don't know if I will have a job or not as budgets are being prepared for next year. As most of you know I work in Automotive Engineering and live in the Detroit suburbs. The economy here is very bad and there are basically no jobs out there. It's very scary knowing that everything you've worked for, for the last 25 years could be gone. If you have it in your heart to say a prayer or think some positive thoughts for me, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Bella-riffic Friday

So this weeks challenge over at Stamping Bella was to make a card using one of the original Bella stamps. These are pretty fun to do. I decided since it is so close to Thanksgiving I would do up Chef-a-Bella holding her yummy roast turkey and home baked pie. I can taste them already.

I colored her up with Prismacolors and Gamsol. The patterned paper is Nutmeg from Cosmo Cricket. I just love all their paper. Thanks for taking a peek today.

3 Gift Card Holders for you today.

I have recently become addicted to Lauren Meader's My Timeless Templates from Papertrey Ink. They are so much fun to create and decorate. One of the selection's last month was a set of gift card holders. Since my most of my gift giving consists of gift cards and cash. (My kids are adults) this is the perfect way to me to feel like I'm still wrapping a gift and they still have something to open.

You will also see that I used the same background stamp on all three holders. This is a background stamp from Hero Arts called Dots and Flowers. https://shop.heroarts.com/products/productdetail/part_number=S5213/1571.0 I just love vintage look and it is also versatile as well.

The first card holder uses the 2009 Holiday Tag set from Papertrey Ink. The ink and blue paper Enchanted Evening by Papertrey Ink. I also added a bit of red bling and some glitter on the tag. The patterned paper is from my stash and is by Daisy D's.

This second card holder uses the 2009 Holiday Tag set as well from Papertrey Ink. The ink colors are Pure Poppy and New Leaf. The gingham ribbon is from my stash. I also added a bit of bling and glitter to this tag.

I kept this 3rd tag pretty simple. The Papetrey Ink items are Chocolate Brown ink and paper. I also used their Kraft paper for the main part of the gift card holder. The Gingerbread man stamp is one of the $1 stamps from Snag 'm Stamps. I used my white gel pen to make the faux stitching and to highlight the Gingerbread man. The sentiment is from the Holiday Tree set. The mini red buttons and ribbon is from my stash.

I hope you enjoyed these projects today and will leave me a comment to let me know what you think. Thanks for taking a peek.

GSS Entry

Well, I didn't win anything again. Here is one of my entries in the Guest Star Stamper contest over at Papertrey Ink. I made this recipe book for my step-daughter as she and her boyfriend just got an apartment. She has always liked several of my recipes growing up and has recently asked me for some. I thought for Christmas I'd put together this little gift set which includes the recipe book (with some of my recipes written in) and the matching tote. The tote holds a wire wisk, a spatula, some measuring spoons and some wooden spoons. The stamp set used is called Fruitful. I really like how you can build different fruits to use. I also used my Bind It All machine to create the book. Hope she likes it. Thanks for taking a peek.

Bellariffic Friday card

This week's challenge at Stamping Bella was "Anything Goes" for Beffariffic Friday. I've had this cute VW bus stamp for a bit and thought it would be the perfect time to color it up. I used Prismacolors and gamsol to color it up. The patterned paper is my most favorite ever, Early Bird by Cosmo Cricket in the 6x6 paper pack. I really wish you could see this one in person as the colors came out so much better than the camera can pick up. The polka dots are all glittery and the headlights are covered with Crystal Effects Hope you like it.

Another Holiday Card

Well, I liked yesterday's color combo so much, I decided to do another card with the same colors. This time I used all Papertrey Ink products (except for the ribbon). The stamp set is called Holiday Tree and it really is great little set. You'll be seeing more of this set. I also used that old standard Polka Dot Basics for the background. It's a bit hard to see but the silver snowflakes have glitter on them and the stars and red branches are touched up with my Spica Pens for a bit of shine. The design is the same as yesterday. Hope you like it.

A Holiday Card.

I've had this old Hero Arts snowman stamp for years and it's always been one of my favorite images. Thought I would dust him off and do a holiday card with him. I had also purchased some Glimmer Mist the day I made this card and wanted to play with it. All of the paper and ink are from Papertrey Ink. The ribbon and button are from my stash. For the back base of the card, I ran some Spring Rain cardstock through my cuttlebug with the snowflake embossing folder. Then I sprayed it with the Glimmer Mist - Marshmallow, which is a limited time color. Love the look it gives the paper as it adds a shimmer to it. I also used Papertrey Ink, Background Basics - Text stamp, to stamp the poppy red on white for a matching background paper. The snowman was colored with Copic Markers and was cut out with Nestabilities. I really liked how this one came out and will be using this color combination again very soon ;) Thanks for taking a peek.

Invitation to Thanksgiving Dinner

Here is the invitation that I had just completed to invite my family to Thanksgiving dinner when the phone rang. It was my son saying that he and my daughter-in-law had decided they wanted to host Thanksgiving dinner this year. They moved into their new house in March and haven't been though any of the holidays there yet. So with some reservation, I agreed. Luckily I hadn't printed the inside yet, so I will just save them for another occasion. Or, maybe next year. The invitation uses all Papertrey Ink supplies except the wooden button. Stamps used are: 2009 Autumn Tags set and the Sentiment is from the Warm Hospitality set. Thanks for taking a peek.

Storage Idea

Edited to add the link to the clips only by request: http://www.amazon.com/Clip-Additional-Clips-Pkg-25-Pkg/dp/B001CRIZN4/ref=pd_sim_k_1

No card today as I've been working on a project for the Guest Star Stamper and Papertrey Ink and can't quite post it yet. My Scramp room looked like a cyclone went through when I was finished. Finally got the room cleaned up a bit and hope to have some time in there tonight.

Anyway, I was explaining to some friends how I store some of my stamp sets. I really like the idea of the Clip It Up http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Renee-01-001-Rotating-Craft-Storage/dp/B00164SAT2 but it's really large, takes up quite a bit of valuable desk space and it's a bit pricey. My alternative to this was to just buy the clips only. Got them on amazon. 50 of them for $16. Then went to Home Depot and got a towel bar for a bit over $3. The towel bar is about 13 inches long and will hold 50 clips. I have 30 stamp sets clipped up in the picture with room for the other 20. This takes up very little space on the wall, doesn't take up any valuable work surface, looks fairly neat and I can see everything right in front of me. Hope you like my storage solution for under $20.

For the Kids.

That's the title of this weeks challenge over at Stamping Bella. I used their Planets and Galaxies stamp. While this is not one of my better cards, I love the image. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink and I think it goes perfectly with that image. When my boys were little, I used to tell them that I loved them to the moon and back and now I say it to my grandson. The wild and crazy paper is from the Lime Ricky collection from Basic Grey. Thanks for taking a peek.

For the Hostess

This past Saturday was our group crop. We had so much fun just talking and creating and of course eating. It's really amazing how such a diverse group of 16 ladies ranging in age from the mid 20's to the early 60's can all become such a great group of friends and all get along so well. Our hostess this time was Judy and I made this card for her to thank her for all the hard work she did putting everything together. The card uses Flowahbella and the Indian Summer paper from Basic Grey. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. I used prismacolors and gamsol to color her up. Of course a bit of glitter to ad some sparkle. Thanks for taking a peek.

Bottoms Up! or Cheers!

My daughter-in-law and son had a big party at their house last weekend to celebrate her birthday. Along with some pj's and a few little goodies, I got her (and the party goers) a large bottle of Absolute Vodka. Instead of trying to wrap it, I decided to make a hang tag to go over the bottle. I cut a long strip of cardstock and scored it about 3 - 4 inches from the top. Then punched a round hole to go over the bottle neck. Cosmo Bella is the perfect stamp to go with a gift of Absolute. I used prismacolors and gamsol to color her. The patterned paper is from the Marakesh collection from Basic Grey. I also thought that a version of this might be good to use for a bottle of wine given as a gift. Thanks for taking a peek. Cheers!

Halloween Card

Here's a card I did while playing around with some stamps I purchased at a stamp show last summer. Of course, I can't for the life of me remember the brand of stamp right now. It was a whole Halloween set of this Haunted House image and several other Halloween images. I colored this one with just a bit of prismacolors. The roof and bushes were paper pieced. I also used a Spica Pen for the glow in the windows. The Patterned Paper is Basic Grey's Eerie line. Love that paper pack. Thanks for looking.

A Silly Little Card

I've had this card in my stash for quite a while. This is one of those $1 stamps that you buy because they're well, $1. Also, I was playing around with this particular card layout I saw on one of the sketch sites a while back. I used Copic Markers to color him and also some Stickles on his spots. Hope he makes you smile. Thanks for looking.

Another Holiday Card

Here is another card I did for an example of the card class I doing with my friends. This card uses another stamp from Stamping Bella. The patterned paper is an older print from Basic Grey. The cardstock, ribbon and button are from Papertrey Ink. The image is colored with Prismacolors and gamsol. A bit of glitter was also added. Thanks for taking a peek.

2 Holiday Cards.

Today I'm posting two cards to show my cropping group. We are all getting together to crop on the 24th. (They all scrapbook and I stamp). They have asked me to show them how to stamp and color so I will be "teaching" during the crop. The two cards I'm posting are examples of the images they will be able to color. Of course they will be able to choose their own color combinations. Both the images are from http://www.stampingbella.com/. They have great images for coloring. I have used Prismacolors and Gamsol to color the images. I've also used lots of glitter and sparkle. The Three Trees card uses patterned paper from Cosmo Cricket Holly Jolly Collection and the Minty Coffee Cup uses last years Basic Grey Wassail Collection. Hope you enjoy the cards. Thanks for taking a peek.

Great Minds Drink Alike!

That's the sentiment inside this card. I just love this image. Last weekend K.I.S.A. (knight in shining armour) and I went away for the weekend to celebrate our anniversary. We went up to Stratford, Ontario to the Shakespeare Festival.

I had heard about a little stamp store in Chatham, Ontario called The Paper Pickle, which just happened to be on the way to Stratford. What a great little store with lots of cool stamps as well as tons of Bellas. I fell in love and just had to pick up the stamp called "Happy Couple" among a few other goodies. They are all dressed up for a night out. Her dress has some sparkle on it and the glasses all have some crystal effects on them. The flower on her hat has some bling on it. I colored the image using Prismacolor pencils and gamsol. The punch at the bottom is a Martha punch.

Since this store is a great place to go for a Day Trip, I'm sure I'll be heading back there one day soon. Anyone want to tag along??

Hope you enjoy the card.

For the Fun of It!

This is one of my favorite images from Stamping Bella. I just love these doggies. Once I saw them, I just had to have them. I colored them up with prismacolors and gamsol and the patterned paper is Cosmo Cricket. (Again, sorry about the lighting) Thanks for looking.

WCMD Challenge #3

This time the world tour stopped in India. To me India represents lots of Jewel tones and gems. Hope you take a peek.

WCMD Challenge #2

Stop Number 2 on the world tour was Mexico. I loved Nichole's suggestion of using the Guide Lines set to make Mexican tiles. I loved how this came out.

WCMD Challenge 1

Here is my first card for the Papertrey Ink World Card Making Day. Nichole has posted 4 challenges for everyone to try. There is a chance to win some fabulous prizes too. Since we were out of town all weekend and I worked all day. I was able to throw a few cards together quickly to post this evening. I've only been able to do the first 3 challenges and ran out of time for the last one. Hope you take a peek. Here is card #1. Our first stop on the world tour was Japan.

Papertrey Princesses Challenge

This is the second post of the day. Be sure to scroll down if you want to see the first card.

Today is October 1 and that means it's my turn to post the challenge. My challenge for this time around is to use the very FIRST PapertreyInk set you ever bought. My very first set was Little Lady. I just loved the Lady Bug and the unique way she went together. Coincidentally on this card I used my very first PTI set as well as the most recent set I just purchased from PTI, Vintage Labels. I also used my black Spica pen to give the dots a bit of shimmer and used some glossy accents on the popped up wings. Hope you enjoy the card and can't wait to see what you all do with the challenge.

Bellariffic Card

This is the first of two posts for the day. I thought I might enter this card into the Bellariffic Friday contest over at Stamping Bella. The challenge as to use a Bella image on a Halloween card. I've never posted anything over in Bella Land, so I thought I'd give it a shot. This card uses WitchaBella. Prismacolors and Gamsol were used to color her with a bit of sparkle added. The patterned paper is from Basic Grey's new Eerie collection. I just love it. The ribbon is from my stash. Hope you enjoy the card.

Boss' Birthday Card

Well, today is my boss' birthday. He is always a witness to my friend/co-worker and I comparing cards and stamps and shopping trips. He told me a while back that he expected a handmade card for his birthday. So here is the card he's getting. I made him with Beerafella from Stamping Bella. The patterned paper is from Cosmo Cricket. I used a bit of glitter to make the ice sparkle and some Crystal Effects on the beer bottles for a bit of dimension. Thanks for looking.

Papertrey Princesses Challenge

This time it was Cheryl's turn to post a challenge. Her challenge to us was to make a card using no white or cream paper or ink. So here is my version of the challenge. All of the items used on this card are from Papertrey Ink. (I really need to get some better lights) Thanks for taking a peek.

Another Halloween Treat Box

Here is another Halloween Treat Box I did using the My Timeless Templates from Papertrey Ink. This one was also entered in the Guest Star Stamper contest. I really like how this one came out and is a bit more "grown up" that the other boxes I did on my last post.

This one uses Spooky Treats 2, Journaling Lines and the new 2009 Halloween Tags all from Papertrey Ink. I also used the circle and pinking nestabilities dies and the Martha Stewart Drippy Goo punch. I just love that punch.

Thanks for taking a peek.

GSS - Guest Star Stamper Honorable Mention!

Edited to add: OMG! I just saw that these made Honorable Mention for GSS at Papertrey Ink. Nichole thought these were worthy to be posted on her blog. I'm beyond excited and pleased.

I finally entered a few things for GSS at Papertrey Ink. Of course I knew I didn't stand a chance with the amazing talent that's on that board. So here are a few of my losing entries.

These are some boxes made with My Timeless Templates also availble on the Papertrey Ink website. They are great fun to print out, assemble and decorate. I'll be using this template alot.

I used several different stamp sets to make these boxes. However, they are all available at Papertrey Ink.

Hope you enjoy taking a peek.

Absolutely Fabulous

Here is another card from http://www.stampingbella.com/. This is the card that I made in the class that I took. This is a direct copy of Paula Williamson's card so I can't take credit for it. However, I'm really happy how my coloring came out in this one. The sentiment and cardstock is from Papertrey Ink. The patterned paper is from Basic grey. She also has a bit of sparkle on her.

Hope you like her.

Finally a new card reader so I can post again.

Lately I've been on a Bella kick and have several cards from http://www.stampingbella.com/. I took a couple of classes from the Bella Babe, Paula Williamson an amazingly talented card maker. Her blog is listed on my list to the left. She taught me some great techniques using Prismacolor Pencils. This card uses Rock A Bella. I also added a bit of sparkle to her shirt and the guitar has some crystal effects on it. The cardstock, ink, ribbon and Star Stamp are all from Papertrey Ink. The patterned paper is from Prima.

I have lots more stuff to show you now that I can post again. Thanks for looking at my blog.

A Baby Card

One of the girls here at work is having a baby next month. Yesterday we threw her a little pot luck/lunch baby shower. There are about 50 employees where I work, but only 7 of us girls. It was so nice to just sit, chat and visit with just the ladies. I really think we should do that more often. "Lunch just us girls". Here is the card I made to go along with the gift I purchased.



All the products used on this card are from Papertrey Ink.

The card uses the "Men of Life" stamp set and the sentiment is from "Bitty Baby Blessings" The patterned paper is from the "Men of Life" collection.

Thanks for taking a peek at my card and I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.