sharing a little bit of Christmas with you...

Updated to add on 11/27/11 - Thank you to Tiffany at My Crafty World for choosing my snowman punch art card (3rd card below) for one of her crafty picks from Sunday's Crafty Picks #44. What an honor it is to be chosen among so many talented stampers and crafters!

A couple of weeks ago I held two events on back to back evenings! Probably not my smartest idea ever, but I had a great time at each event, so I would do it again if I had the choice (well...only if my mom was still able to help me with the prep work...and my sanity!)

The first event was at my mother-in-law's home. I come visit her and her friends every other month and hold a 3 for $6 card making night since the distance is a little longer for her friends to commute to me. It has turned out to be a great idea since there is always a packed house!

CARD #1

Stamp Set: Delightful Dozen

Paper: Wild Wasabi, Early Espresso, Real Red, Red Glimmer Paper, Holly Berry Bouquet DSP

Ink: Early Espresso, Wild Wasabi

Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Pearl Accents (largest size)

Tools: 1-3/8" Square punch, 5 Petal Flower punch, sponges

Tips:

• Ink the edges of the bottom layer of the flower "leaves" (Wild Wasabi card stock) using Wild Wasabi ink to make it a little darker from the base of the card.
  
• I used SNAIL adhesive to assemble the poinsettia together and then used a Dimensional to pop it up from the card.
  
• Make sure to push hard on the pearls to make them stick well to the Red Glimmer paper.

CARD #2

This card was inspired by the talented Andrea Walford. Her card can be found HERE.

Stamp Set: Delightful Decorations, Christmas Greetings (sentiment)

Paper: Real Red, Garden Green, Whisper White

Ink: Real Red, Garden Green

Accessories: 5/8" Real Red Satin ribbon, Linen Thread, Rhinestones, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter (on the ornament), Stampin' Dimensionals

Tools: Ornament punch, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder

CARD #3

This card proved to be a bit more time consuming than the first two cards! In hindsight, I probably would have punched out all of the pieces. There was just too much of wanting to know where this punch was or that punch. But the end result (in my opinion) is worth it! He {or she} is just too cute!! I found a couple different versions of this snowman all over the web, so I'm not exactly sure who to give credit to, but just so you know...I did not create this out of thin air! *wink*

**Note: The size of the card below is 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" and will still fit in a regular envelope without extra postage.

Stamp Set: Seasons of Joy (sentiment)

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Baja Breeze, Candy Cane Christmas DSP (retired)

Ink: Real Red, Baja Breeze, White Gel Pen

Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals

Tools: Decorative Label punch, 3/4" Circle punch, Small heart punch, Two Step Owl punch, 1-1/4" Square punch, Ornament punch, Word Window punch, Scallop Edge punch, Scallop Oval punch, Crop-A-Dile

Tips:

• Sponge each of the edges of the white parts of the snowman using Baja Breeze ink. It helps the pieces stand out without being too stark white.
• The last two pieces to attach to the card should be the "hands" using Dimensionals, so that they go over the sign the snowman is holding.

If you would like a copy of the page I created to show all of the pieces of the snowman with tips on how to assemble him, leave me a comment below with your e-mail address.

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The next evening was a workshop at a friend's house I met through my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group. She invited a handful of friends to come over so that I could share about Stampin' Up! and demonstrate a couple of fun things and then at the end they were able to make a card for free!

Stamp Set: Delightful Dozen, Pennant Parade

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White

Ink: Old Olive, Early Espresso, markers - Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive

Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, sponges

Tools: Top Note die, Pennant Punch, Heart to Heart punch

Tips:

• To make two colors on the sentiment, use Stampin' Write markers to color each of the sections (Cherry Cobbler & Old Olive). "Huff" on them to make the ink a little juicy and then stamp onto the paper.
• The middle tree is raised with a Stampin' Dimensional and the baker's twine is attached with a little bit of SNAIL adhesive.
  

I have a couple more Christmas cards to come...

and lots of craft fair items, too!

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And, don't forget about the Online Extravaganza happening now through November 30th! There are so many great deals to snag up...some at 60% off!! Check out my online store to order!

{click on each picture below to view larger}

Wednesday workshop

Yesterday I had the pleasure of holding a 3 for $6 stamping get together at my mother-in-law's home for her and her friends. She lives about an hour away, so it's not often that her friends are able to join me for my card making nights or events that I hold at my own home. My mother-in-law holds a weekly Bible study with a group of ladies, so we planned to do some stamping during the day on a regularly scheduled Bible study day. There were a great group of 10 ladies who came to stamp together. Because there are a handful of ladies who live "that way" who are interested in getting together on a regular basis for card nights, I'll be starting a stamp night every other month to be held at my mother-in-law's home. Should be a fun time!

The first card we made was an Easter card...

{I love those pearls!}

Stamp Set: Easter Blossoms (clear mount)

Paper: Pink Pirouette, Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Soft Suede, Pawsitively Prints (pastel version, retired)

Ink: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Dimensionals, Pink Gingham ribbon (retired), Basic Pearls Jewel Accents

Tools: Scallop Edge Border punch

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The next card you may have seen HERE before from a workshop I did about a year and a half ago. My mother-in-law really liked it and thought it would be a good one for her friends. On Tuesday, I shared how to make a faux knot in my Tuesday Tip using this card - check it out HERE!

{the butterfly is cut out and "popped up" with a Dimensional}

Stamp Set: Great Friend

Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Whisper White

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Bashful Blue

Accessories: 5/8" Rich Razzleberry Grosgrain ribbon, Dimensionals

Tools: Eyelet Border punch, Paper Snips (used to cut out the butterfly)

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For the third project, my mother-in-law wanted to make a little treat holder. We made these at our stamp club a couple of months ago. The ladies yesterday had their choice between using Pacific Point or Rose Red. Inside we put Jelly Belly candies.

Stamp Set: Perfect Punches (clear mount)

Paper: Pacific Point & Rose Red DSP (polka dots), So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red

Accessories: 1/2" So Saffron Striped Grosgrain ribbon (retired), 1/2" Pumpkin Pie Striped Grosgrain ribbon (retired), Basic Rhinestones Jewel Accents

Tools: Wide Oval punch, Punch Pack (flower)

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Don't forget there are only 7 days left until Sale-A-Bration ends! Spend $50 in catalog product and get a free gift! For more information, visit my website HERE.

A Valentine's Day themed workshop

My friend Tammy contacted me at the beginning of January and thought it would be fun to hold a Valentine's workshop for her and her friends. She was really itching to do some of her own card making and what better way to get some supplies than to hold a workshop and get some things for free?!

I wanted to bring a hostess gift that would cater to the needs of what Tammy was interested in and so I brought a baggie of misc. items that could be used for her to make cards of her own. Inside were punched shapes, some sayings, a few die cut outs, and a couple of ribbon pieces.


I like to bring some sort of little treat to each of my workshops and when I saw these over at Dawn's Stamping Thoughts, I knew they would be fast and fun to put together, but yet still make a great little addition to each person's seat.



Stamp Set: Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Red Glimmer Paper

Ink: Real Red

Accessories:

Tools: Curly Label punch

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Tammy wanted to hold the kind of workshop where her guests would pay a pre-determined fee and then I would bring all the supplies needed to make projects and/or cards. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, we opted to stick with that theme. We made 1 project and 1 card for $5.

I wanted the guests to make a different style of card other than your normal "open and close" card. I like to go a little more detailed and out of the box when someone is paying to make a card. So, we used a design called the "joy fold" card. I was inspired by a card I had seen at Inking Idaho.

{front view}

{the card stays closed by tucking the front flap behind the heart}
{open - I thought the addition of the three little hearts finished it off nicely}

Stamp Set: Occasional Quotes (Hostess Level 3 set)

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink DSP, Red Glimmer Paper

Ink: Real Red

Accessories: Rhinestone Jewel Accents