Catch some zzzzzzzz's

Ever feel just so run down and ill and only a good sleep will help?  That's what this adorable bear is doing.  Catching some zzzz's to get better soon.

That cute guy is from The Stamping Boutique.  He is called Get Well Beary Soon!  This wonderful company is also sponsoring the challenge at Your ScrapbookPlace blog!  Thanks so much!

This challenge is to make a "Get Well" card using a color scheme.  Here are the colors (or something similar).

Here is my submission. 

I tried to match the colors as close as I could.  I used Sunset, Chocolate and Juniper from CTMH.  I think it matches close, don't you?  This little guy is snoring away.  I do that too when I am not feeling well.  At least that what hubby says!  This is the outside of the card. 

And the inside.  I have someone in mind to send this card to already, so I won't have it for long!

I hope you can join us at Your ScrapbookPlace blog challenge.  You can win some really cool prizes!!!!  You've even have lots of time to get it done.  This challenge starts August 15 and ends August 30 at midnight.

So catch some zzzz's and come over and play!

Have a creative day!
Mel

Materials used:
Copics - E37 E13 E11 R20 BG13YR02 E81
Key to My Heart paper, White Daisy and Chocolate cardstock - CTMH
Peacock Feathers Tim Holtz Distress ink - Ranger
C1350 Dainty Thoughts - CTMH
Enamel dots, foam dots and glue dots - unknown
#410 Get Well Beary Soon Digital Stamp - The Stamping Boutique

Ever had one of those days?

Ever have one of those days where nothing seems to go right for you?  

I needed to work on a DT project today.  To start out with, I was just not able to focus on anything.   That should have threw up a big ole red flag.   So, I started coloring.  Even bigger mistake.   Everything looked horrible.  I even tried to focus somewhere else by watching a little TV and then go back at it.   WRONG!!!

Finally I took a cop out because I was getting really frustrated.   I outlined the animal instead of full color.   But I actually likes the way it turned out. 

I guess the moral of the story is to never give up, no matter how many times you have to start over.  

The pic of my chaos is below.  I ended up using the very first image at the top.  I worked from the bottom up. 

Have a creative day!
Mel

Winter Wonderland in August!!!

Yes, more Christmas/holiday cards!  Here is some Winter Wonderland/Let it Snow cards I made with one set of CTMH paper called Wonderland.  These colors are so awesome together!!!

I made four different sets - three to sell and one for Operation Write Home.

Here they are:

 

 

The tree is heat embossed with white powder.  I went a little overboard with the fancy embellies.  But I think it came out fine.

 

 

This set has the heat embossed white tree too.  It pops on that Twilight cardstock.  I did a mix of rhinestone and enamel dot embellies.

 

 

This set is a little simpler.  The trees are inked with distressing ink.  Minimal embellies with overlays underneath the right lower corner.

This is the set for Operation Write Home.  I always try and keep these with simple embellies. 

Four different looks from one paper pack.  I love how everything coordinates so well.

Next to work on some religious Christmas cards then I should be done with Christmas cards. 

Have a creative day!
Mel

Materials used:
Wonderland paper, Chocolate/Grey Flannel, Twilight, Crystal Blue and White Daisy cardstock, Rhinestone Designer Brads, Wonderfelt shapes, Icing Top Coats, Ribbon, Chocolate Distressing Ink - CTMH
Seafoam White embossing Powder, Broken China & Vintage Photo Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Ranger
Versamark - Tsukineko
Christmas Words - Inkadinkado
Classic Ovals Large Nesties - Spellbinders
Snowflake diecuts, pop dots, glue dots, rhinestones, enamel dots - unknown
White glitter brads - Oriental Trading
Flocked Brads - Paper Studio
Rhinestones - Want 2 Scrap
C1402 In the Month of January - CTMH

Organizing digi stamps

I don't know if you have started working with digi stamps or not, but I love them!  You pay one small price, download it and can use it over and over and over and over......  You can size it small or big, add another digi to it to make a scene.  The possibilities are almost endless. 

I have a pretty good amount of digi stamps from different sources.  I keep them on a thumb drive separated into folders by website.  I have to go thru every folder to see what I have when I need an image.  I thought that there has to be something better. 

This is what I came up with.  It works great for me.   I opened up a Word document and imported all of the digis from one folder.  I then resized them to fit 3 or 4 wide on a 8.5x11 sheet of paper.  I titled each set by website.  I then printed them and put them in plastic sheets and into a three-ring binder. 

 

I keep the binder next to my desk where I craft so that it can always be handy.  My next step is to put tabs, but that will be later.

Hope this helps you organize your stash and help to be a little more creative!

Have a creative day!
Mel

One paper pack collection, so many cards (lots of pics)

I am a self-confessed paper-holic.  I love to buy paper in packs so that they all coordinate.  It's easy to combine and mix and match that way.

I had a great paper pack from Bazzill called Believe.  It included patterned paper and Bazzill cardstock.  Can we say, PERFECT!!!  I pulled the pack out of my Christmas stash and that is what I played with for a couple of days.

Here is what I came up with using the entire pack of paper.  I think it had 12 12x12 patterned papers and 10 12x12 cardstock papers. 

I ended up with 53 cards in total from this one pack.  The layout is the same but changed up the patterns, etc.  It was so easy to do the assembly line production with these!

Up next I want to work on some Winter themed cards then on to religious themed Christmas cards (my fave)!

Have a creative day!
Mel

Materials for Merry Bells cards:
Believe paper and cardstock - Bazzill Basics
Colonial White cardstock - CTMH
Chevron embossing folder - Paper Studio
Antique Linen, Fired Brick and Mowed Lawn Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Ranger
Bells & Boughs, Angelic Joy, Glimmering Gold embossing powder - SU!
Versamark - Tsukineko
Ribbon - Big Lots
Sequins - Studio Calico American Crafts
Brads - Unknown
Doodlebrads - Karen Foster Designs
Pearls - Want 2 Scrap

Operation Write Home cards

I took a break from making Christmas cards and made some cards for Operation Write Home. 

 If you don't know about Operation Write Home, check them out here.  They send handmade cards to our service people overseas to be able to send home handwritten letters to their families.  This is something I hold very near and dear to my heart.  Many members of my family have served over the years and have been away from their family and friends.  I've been making cards and sending them to various groups like this for about 5 years now. 

Both these sets of cards were made with scraps and older paper stash from CTMH.  Easy to make!  I knocked out 22 cards in two days.  I took lots of breaks and really wasn't feeling well.  Normally, I could make them in one day but didn't want to push too hard.

I've got a box started to send to OWH.  I'm going to work on some Christmas cards with my leftovers of the cards I'm in the middle of making now.  Won't you join me and sending them some too?

Back to Christmas cards tomorrow.  I really want to be done with Christmas cards by the beginning of next week. 

Have a creative day!
Mel


Materials used for Animal Cookie set:
Animal Cookie paper, Clover Meadow and White Daisy cardstock, Dutch Blue ribbon - CTMH
Enamel Dots, brads and rhinestones - unknown
C1350 Dainty Thoughts and D1187 For Every Occasion - CTMH
Black Soot Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Ranger.
Birds Galore - Inkadinkado
Travel - Heidi Grace

Materials used for Promise of Spring set:
Promise of Spring paper, Smokey Plum and Colonial White cardstock, Pearls - CTMH
D1187 For Every Occasion - CTMH
Vintage Photo Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Ranger
Enamel Dots - unknown
Textured Fleur De Lis - Stampabilities

A Christmas Santa

It's early August and Christmas will be here before you know it!  I know, no one wants to hear that but you can't hide from it.

I am determined to have all of my holiday/Christmas projects/gifts done by November.  I think I am on track for my goal! 

Here are more Christmas cards.  These are "vintagy" too!

I think the burlap and twill accents make it!  The Santa images are heat embossed with gold powder, as is the "Christmas" sentiment.  The maroon cardstock is dry embossed with a Chevron folder.  These colors look great on the kraft card bases and the pearls complete the look!

I used up some very old patterned paper from my stash!  BONUS!

Taking a break from Christmas tomorrow and will show some cards I sent to Operation Write Home.

Have a creative day!
Mel

Materials used:
Kraft card & envelopes, Burlap ribbon, chevron embossing folder - Paper Studio
Maroon & Green cardstock - Bazzill
Colonial White cardstock - CTMH
Vintage postcard & Diamond paper, Twill - unknown
Versamark - Tsukineko
B1077 Night Before Christmas & D1243 Peace On Earth - CTMH
Gold embossing powder, Aged Mahogany Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Ranger
Cranberry pearls - Want 2 Scrap

More Vintage Christmas cards

Can you tell that I love to work with vintage images/paper?  Here is the other half of the vintage set of Christmas cards I made. 

If you like the image, check out Squigglefly.com.  The image is called A JOYFUL CHRISTMAS PAPERS BY INGER HARDING.  This set also includes some beautiful background paper you can print to use that coordinates perfectly with the images.  I chose to use my own patterned paper, as I am trying to destash!

Here they are:

Not too much embellishment.  Just some leaves and a couple of rhinestones with some crochet ribbon.  I used up some old CTMH paper and other embellishments.

More Christmas cards tomorrow!

Have a creative day!
Mel

Materials used:
Chocolate & Colonial White cardstock, Mistletoe paper, Colonial White crochet ribbon  - CTMH
Twine - Elements
Red brads, white cardstock - unknown
Red brad assortment - Paper Studio
Vintage Photo Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Ranger
Rhinestones - Want2Scrap
Leaves - Prima
Snow Village paper - Pink Paislee
Crochet flower - Linda Weber
D1283 Say it In Style - CTMH

Vintage Christmas

I've been working on Christmas cards since finishing the calendars.  As of today, 08/03/2014, I've made a little over 100 Christmas cards.  I'll be posting them this week.

This set is the newest set that I completed.  Half of this set has twine and the other half has crochet ribbon.  I used A JOYFUL CHRISTMAS PAPERS BY INGER HARDING.  I love the different ways you can use this set!!!

Here are my cards:

They came out so pretty.  I don't think the pic does them justice.  Very understated! 

Well, it's rumbling outside and starting to pour.  I better get off of here.  I'll post the other half of this set tomorrow!

Make something creative today!
Mel