Monthly Archives: December 2011

an inspiration

Posted on December 10, 2011 | 4 comments

Today was a day of mixed feelings.

There’s a lady that is part of our church that I’ve known all my life. She has a caring heart. A servant’s heart. She inspires me.

Today my family and I went to a farewell party for her. She’s getting aged. She’s moving on to a retirement home and one that will be near her daughter. Unfortunately for us, that means she’ll be moving out of town and we will feel the loss. This sweet card was created for her to tell her how we feel.

This card uses the 6×6 Tiny Tablet from the Head Over Heels line by Lily Bee Design. I was excited to finally try out a product I’ve had on hand for quite a while. Why, oh why do I hoard things at times? Now that I’ve used the Prima Resist Canvas die cuts, you can be sure that you’ll be seeing them again. Love them! In this project I’ve misted a die cut leaf piece with two colors of mist for a fun pop of color.

The colors and design were inspired by this dear lady who always amazed me with her flower gardens that were so bold and beautiful. The most amazing thing was the life she lived. I hope one day to be like her.

An inspiration.

Have an inspiring day!

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

additional supplies: Apple and Patina Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels, leaves by Prima, Doily Transparency by Maya Road

4 Comments

Posted in Card Designs, Lily Bee, Maya Road

feeling festive

Posted on December 7, 2011 | 2 comments

These days I’m really starting to feel a little festive. I have holiday music coming through my speakers, my craft room is producing lots of festive projects, I have lots of presents just waiting to be wrapped, I’m counting the days till my daughter comes home, and tonight my kitchen is full of young people baking cookies for Christmas. It smells wonderful!

One thing I’ve been enjoying each day with my coffee is the holiday inspiration online.

Have you been following the 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Touch? I’ve been enjoying all the fabulous and creative ideas. Today was my day to contribute and above you’ll find a peek at what I’ve created. I hope you’ll join me in the CLASSroom for the tutorial and step outs.

Happy holidays!

2 Comments

Posted in Ellen Hutson LLC projects, Maya Road

a vintage holiday banner

Posted on December 7, 2011 | 11 comments

I admit it.

I’m a bit of a banner addict.

It’s just that they are so sweet and so much fun to create.

Today I have a vintage style holiday banner to share that is now gracing a dresser-turned-sideboard in our eating area. I’ve been so busy (thank goodness everything is now off the printers) that it’s one of the few holiday decorations I have up yet. It’s adding some holiday cheer for which I am most grateful. I can’t wait till tomorrow. I actually have a “free” day that I’ve slated for pulling out my decorations.

My holiday banner is created with Craft-a-Board bases that I’ve cut into triangles. Craft-a-Board is a great chipboard alternative. It’s an off-white color that is so much easier to ink and stamp on.

Here’s a closeup peek at one of the pennants. I’ve covered and accessorize each triangle with the beautiful Jingle collection by Lily Bee Design. I love the elegant and subtle festive look of this line.

Each pennant is trimmed with some pretty ruffled crochet trim and some wintery goodies.

For more photos and instructions on how to create this banner, check out Day 7 of the Lily Bee 24 Days of Christmas Inspiration.

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Wishing you a beautiful day and lots of holiday spirit!

11 Comments

Posted in Holiday, Lily Bee, Maya Road, Papercraft projects

Classic Pink

Posted on December 2, 2011 | 10 comments

In my mind, pink, brown and white are a winning combination that will never go out of style. It’s classic. Inspired by some beautiful new stamps and a gorgeous piece of ribbon, today I have a very classic and feminine card to share with you. It’s perfect for any time of year and has no sentiment making it a great card to have on hand.

The beautiful floral damask stamp that I was inspired by is a new background stamp from Market Street Stamps and is called Grace. I know that this is one stamp I’m going to be using a lot!

The focal point of this design is some new Maya Road chipboard. The two pieces are die cut to fit right into each other. I decided to use them together and pop up the center square chipboard piece on some pop dots. The scalloped frame outer piece is spritzed with some white color mist. To create the inner chipboard accent, I’ve covered it with a piece of Sticky Back Canvas for added texture and then stamped and misted it.

Market Street Stamps is having a fun block party this weekend! I hope you’ll join us for some inspiration and play along! All the details are here.

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

addtional supplies: twine, lace by Making Memories, brown leaf trinket pins by Maya Road

Happy Friday!

10 Comments

Posted in Card Designs, Market Street Stamps, Maya Road

Christmas Countdown Inspiration

Posted on December 2, 2011 | 1 comment

Can you believe it? The Christmas countdown is on! Just over three more weeks to the big day and the month of December is packed with preparations and fun! Are you looking for a little inspiration?

First off… The Gifted Stamper class is now on at the HOWnow School of Creative Arts. It’s packed full of great gift ideas for Christmas and the entire year. You can still join in on the fun.

I’m excited to be able to give away a free class to someone today. Thanks to all who commented yesterday! I used the random.org number generator to choose #10

Kathy Ethington I’d love to win a spot….these are so much fun and I might even get something made!!

Congrats KathyEthington! You’re number 10 and have won a spot in the class! I’ll be in touch with the detail shortly on how to get started.

You can also find some fabulous holiday inspiration each day at Lily Bee Design. I’m so excited about 24 days of holiday projects and there are some fabulous prizes to be won as well!

Still looking for more holiday ideas? You won’t want to miss the 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist brought to you in the CLASSroom. It runs from December 1st through 12th and Ellen has started it off with a deliciously beautiful creation. You must see it!

One last thing you won’t want to miss…the 12 Tags of Christmas also brings a great sale on all kinds of fabulous products to create them with. Pages and pages of creative goodies are on sale and you can find them here.

Have an inspiring weekend!

1 Comment

Posted in Card Designs

The Gifted Stamper

Posted on December 1, 2011 | 20 comments

I’m so excited about a new place to learn creative arts from Ellen Hutson LLC! It’s taking the creative CLASSroom to a whole new level!

Ready for the first offering? It’s going to rock!

Do you love the idea of creating beautiful handmade, heart-felt gifts for the men, women, family and friends in your life? If this sounds wonderful and you don’t know where to start – we have a solution!

Please join long-time instructor Julie Ebersole in her class, The Gifted Stamper: One Dozen Easy-to-Make Gifts For All Occasions. Julie will guide you through 12 beautiful, easy-to-make gift ideas and projects suitable for any occasion. This interactive online class will feature a work-at-your-own pace schedule, supported with video tutorials and detailed downloadable PDF instruction sheets. Participate in a dedicated forum and gallery during class. This fantastic class is only $36 and will run from December 1st through December 12th, but all content will always remain available to students. During class there will be fun prizes and a special discount code for all students. For complete details please visit HOWnow School of Creative Arts. Whether it’s for the upcoming holidays, a birthday, or “just because,” nothing conveys heart-felt like handmade – click here to register now.

Would you like a chance to win a spot in class? I will choose a winner via the random number generator from all comments on this blog post left before 9 pm EST tonight! I know…it’s a quickie! I’ve had my nose to the grindstone with some product design and am just coming up for air. But I know you just really want to get started on the fun!

Good luck and happy creating!

20 Comments

Posted in Card Designs

snow much

Posted on December 1, 2011 | 1 comment

How about a little snow? It’s a great way to kick off the snowy month of December! I have another snow-themed project to share today and this time it’s a card. I love snowflakes on a clean and simple white card.

Yesterday I shared an ornament project for the latest Avocado Arts Brrr! and the Snow Peeps stamp set and this card uses the same set. I’ve gone for a totally different look using one of my favorite stamping techniques – reverse masking.

To create this card I first die cut a piece of Eclipse tape using a Sizzix die and then blocked off the outside edges of the card. By stamping my snowflakes inside the negative shape area and then sponging the edges I get a beautiful shape and defined edges without the bulk of another layer.

Once again, some of the Avocado Arts team is sharing their creative takes on this set. Stop by for some great inspiration…