CSS Blog Hop!

I'm so excited to be joining in this Gina K Designs Center Stage Spotlight Design Team blog hop! This time around we found our inspiration in a sketch by my talented friend Melissa Cash.  If you made it here from Cheri's, you're in the right spot!  To start at the beginning, visit the forum at StampTV.

My card is a very clean and simple design using Asela's set, Winter Wings.  I used a nestabilities  oval to cut a window from some kraft card stock to allow the sentiment to peek through from the layer underneath.  I stamped the bird to overhang the edge, and colored/cut another one from ivory card stock to pop up on dimensional dots to add even more depth.  The edges of the kraft card stock were inked with distress ink, but the ivory was left clean and bright like fresh snow for contrast.  It really would have been pretty to add some stamped snowflakes with Versamark or white craft ink, or even feathers from Asela's newest set, but time has been tight so I kept it super simple.  (I actually tried to add some lace, but liked it best without it after all!)

More Notes:

Copic markers

Martha Stewart snowflake punch

Diamond Range Polar White Flower Soft

buttons

jute thread

This photo angle is a little odd and makes the mat look uneven, but I actually took this picture outside the theatre as we were getting ready to go in to see Narnia on opening day!  Didn't want to make us late, so I actually (to the embarrassment of my fellas) took my foam board with me and went back out to the car to take it after we bought our tickets!  Matthew, sweet indulgent son that he is, held the whole set-up for me...it was just beginning to sprinkle, so we were crouched under the open window of the back of the Jeep to stay dry!  I feel lucky the picture turned out useable at all, and I'm glad my card survived!  I am planning to send it to a sweet friend from my church who recently lost her husband...I think it will make a nice sympathy card for her.  I love this verse from Ecclesiastes (are you singing it too?), and the little sparrow reminds me of His care for us.  That will hopefully bring comforting thoughts to Violet as she walks through this Winter of her life.  I would love if you'd whisper a prayer for her and her family, and for others in similar circumstances.  It is especially hard to lose a loved one so close to Christmas.

Thank you for your visit, and for your prayers!  Next on the hop is my friend Jen's!  Can't wait to see what she has for us to feast our eyes upon!

eta:  This card is one of two that I have made for the Order of the Opus Gluei! This week the challenge is to "Get Frosty!" 

Gnome Man's Land!

It's Lizzie Anne design team challenge day, and this month's challenge was to make a tag. Mine is a long tag that I intend to hang on my son's door knob for Christmas!  I really do think he's GREAT!  Of course, I love him no matter what, but he gives me lots of reasons to be proud of him!

I used these images together thinking that it would be kinda like "gnome man's land" with this little guy hanging out in the woods with the reindeer.  Matthew's room used to be no man's land, but I am very happy to say that he has gotten the clean gene and has been into keeping it nice and straightened up lately!  Shhhh, don't say it too loud...don't wanna mess things up!  ;)

I realize the ribbon hanger is a little frilly but I really wanted to use it because it is elastic that will stretch to fit over the door knob...I loved the look of the frayed edges of those fiber blossoms against the spiky branches of the evergreen.  Since Matthew is into guitar and saxophone, I had to include a little bit of music!  I think he'll like it!  Gotta keep the spirit of Santa close to heart! 

Notes:
Warmest Wishes, It's Good to be Queen
Basic Grey Jovial designer paper
Memento ink
Copic markers
satin ribbon
Tim Holtz Trimmings (dyed with distress inks)
distress inks (fired brick, vintage photo, tea dye, peeled paint)
nestabilities rectangle
Flower Soft (ivory, polar white)
corner punch
brads

Be sure to visit the Lizzie Anne blog for little thumbnail peeks and links to all our designers' projects!  Join us in welcoming back the amazing Rose Ann Reynolds!

Flower Soft Sprinkle Challenge

It's been a kinda crazy week in the Felts household!  December is always filled with extra activities!  It is busy to begin with, and there are always surprises!  This week, my big surprise was that I was recruited to be an angel in the Christmas play!  Lots of lines to memorize!  The time that it will take was not part of the "original plan" but I felt it was important for me to say yes!  My schedule will just have to adjust!

Sometimes it is hard to find time to squeeze in some stamping time between all of the real life stuff that is going on...that's when these Flower Soft card toppers come in really handy!  A beautifully colored image on quality card stock can be inked and stitched and given a pretty bow (Tim Holtz Trimmings dyed in a not-quite traditional color with Ranger distress inks) for a simple but lovely card to add to the Christmas stash!  A bit of Diamond Range Polar White snow adds some beautiful, sparkly texture to this sweet scene!  This will be just perfect for one of my choir friends!

Last minute holiday cards are this week's Flower Soft Sprinkle Challenge on SCS.  Hope you'll play along!

Marshmallow Friends!

Love this adorable scarf-sportin' marshmallow fellow!  Isn't he darling?!  This is for this week's Lizzie Anne sketch!  Hope you'll play along and upload your card to the LAD FaceBook page! 

Notes: 
Warmest Wishes
Basic Grey Jovial designer paper
Copic markers
Nestabilities squares,eyelet squares
crochet cotton

Ultra-simple Elegance

I went shopping at the LSS and found this gorgeous BoBunny flower...could not resist making a very simple and sweet Valentine with it using this hearts2love sentiment from the {stamps} of Life.  The Copic marker that I used to color in the open letters perfectly matches the ribbon...so simple and simple, and yet absolutely lovely! 

Sweet Pea!

Here's a card made with an image from Lizzie Anne Designs' adorable set, Great Expectations.  I made this back in October when these card stock scraps were sitting on my desk from some Halloween projects, but I thought they would make a cute wee baby welcome.  I had hoped that they would be appropriate for either a boy or girl, but I've decided that this is definitely girlie after all!  I love the way the black really gives some punch to these beautiful colors.  :)

Hopefully it is a bit refreshing to find a baby card in the midst of everything Christmas!  Maybe it is also accidentally appropriate that I was so late posting this card...have you seen Jeni's gorgeous new baby boy, Max Arden Allen? He is SO precious!

Notes:  
Memento ink
Copic markers
Cuttlebug embossing folder
silk ribbon
jute thread
Basic Grey ribbon tape

Another Gina K Preview!

Welcome to Day 3 of Gina K's December release previews!  Our amazingly creative artists and illustrators are sharing projects made using Floral Wreath by Gina K, the "free with three" for this release. 

I thought this set would look lovely with this gorgeous floral print from Basic Grey's Curio designer paper pad.  These colors are so elegant and peaceful!  Some distress inking, machine stitching and lustrous pearls make for a graceful, elegant design.

This particular sentiment is my favorite of the three that are included in the set, although I'm sure the other two will see ink equally often! It is easy to use a nestabilities circle to cut a perfectly aligned sentiment from the image and elevate it on foam tape to add dimension and color to your design.

Notes:
Basic Grey Curio designer paper
Pure luxury card stock
Memento ink
Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink
Copic markers
Sakura gold glitter pen (for the centers of the flowers)
circle nestabilities
sheer ribbon from the Spring Assortment
pearls (tinted with Copic markers)

Here are the links to other designers previewing this beautiful set!

• AJ Otto
• Asela Hopkins
• Carolina Buchting
• Carolyn King
• Cathy Tidwell
• Colleen Schaan
• Emily Giovanni
• Gina K
• Giovana Smith
• Lee Murphy
• Melanie Muenchinger
• Theresa Momber
• Tina Gilliland

Remember, the release party is tonight at 8 EST in the StampTV forum! Hope to see you there!

Home, Sweet Home!

Here are two new Lizzie Anne Designs singles that are absolutely adorable!  Love this sentiment!  I kept this card simple and sweet...if I could find the little red heart buttons that I know I have, I might still add one or two!

So thankful for my home, sweet home!  Love, family, friends, and rest!  Thank you, Lord!  Amen!  :)

Flower Soft Blog Hop!

Ready to Celebrate? 

This week’s Flower Soft Sprinkle Challenge (FSC14) – Winter Wonderland!

The Flower Soft designers will be featuring cards today using the Charlie’s Ark Creative Kits.

This week we’ll be giving away TWO prize packages! One prize package will be given away on the blog hop and another will be chosen among people who make a card using Flower Soft and post it in the Splitcoast Gallery using the keyword FSC14. Both prize winners will be chosen and announced on the Flower Soft blog on December 10. The winner of the Splitcoast Gallery challenge will have their card featured on the Flower Soft Blog on December 10th!!!

If you didn’t start at the beginning of the hop please go to the beginning at the Flower Soft Blog.

As you make your way through the hop make sure you comment on each and every post. There will be a prize winner chosen randomly among the blogs. The prizes (one set for Splitcoast players and one set for the blog hop!)

My card for today uses Charlie's Ark "Christmas with Friends" Creative Kit.  The images in this kit are so sweet!  They capture a child's excitement and wonder at the magic and meaning of Christmas...with the addition of the appropriate sentiment, they would make the perfect greeting card for a baby's first Christmas, especially with the soft pastel colors in this particular image! Today, though, I chose to go with a completely traditional card.

I *must* say...I am like Sheena (have you watched any Flower Soft TV episodes?)...I am not so fond (maybe I should say "so NOT fond!") of cutting lots of intricately shaped teeny tiny pieces, so I was really thrilled to see how easy the pieces of these layered images punch out and stack together to create an image with lovely dimension!  She uses diluted ink to shade hers...I used a pale gray Copic marker, then some Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink to warm the edges of the papers (for this card I trimmed off the pastel frame).  I matted the sentiment with a couple of layers of card stock cut with nestabilities circles, and added a stitched grosgrain bow and a few buttons.  I don't think it could have gotten any easier than that!  Isn't he SO cute?  Reminds me of my nephew, Nathan, when he was a wee boy!

Want even more inspiration? Do you like video tutorials? Make sure and visit Flower Soft TV!

****Next on the hop is my sweet friend, Cibele Glazer

New Club Set!

It's the first of December! Can you believe it?!  The first means a new release...here's a deep red Valentine using hearts2love, the new club set from the {stamps} of Life.  A little bit of his and hers love talk!

The birds were stamped with Memento ink, colored with Copic markers, cut/embossed with a nestabilities heart and scalloped heart mat, then given a little of PKGlitz sparkle!  They are nestled among the branches of some Basic Grey Indian Summer designer paper, with a little tulle and paper flower, a sheer black bow and some sexy black lace!