Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a child is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

I will be taking a break from card making and blogging for a week or so. But I wanted to wish all of my blogger friends a great Christmas and Happy New Year. Thanks so much for all your visits.  See you in 2018.

God bless,
Verna

CAS Last Minute Christmas Card

This was one of the last cards I made and I simply used some leftover card stock, fastened them together with some Washi tape and then put it through a Darice Holly embossing folder.  I then die cut the panel out with a Memory Box Cross Stitched Frame Border die, added some leftover black for a border and then placed that panel onto a white card base.

Now all that was left was to add the sentiment and the holly which are both from a set from Carta Bella Designer Stamps called Jingle All the Way. I got this set as a prize one year and I used it several times on my cards. I hand cut the holly out.

I am entering this in the Stamplorations December 2017 CAS Challenge.

Well, I am so happy I managed to get another post in before Christmas. I am almost done with my preparations too. Take care everyone and enjoy this holiday season. Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

God bless,
Verna

Winter

I sneaked in a bit of card making today as there were a couple of challenges I wanted join in on and this card I made fits both of those challenges. I made it a Winter themed card. And what says winter better than an ice skating snowman and some snow.

The snowman image is from Heartfelt Creations and is from the Frolicking Frosty stamp set. After the scene was colored I cut it out with a My Favorite Things Die-Namics die from the Stitched Rounded Rectangle Stacker set. The outer snowflake die was cut with a Memory Box die called Frosty Border. After adding this design to a blue card base I then added some rhinestones to the die cut snowflake border and also used a white paint pen to add some snowflakes to the scene too. The card was finished by adding another white die cut panel inside the card.

I am adding this card to the following challenges:
Mod Squad Blog Challenge
Double D's Challenge

Well, I got an early Christmas gift in the mail. I got a post card in the mail saying that I was released from jury duty. I was so worried as I know all my health issues would make it very difficult for me to serve. And, the worst part was it was not local and I would have to drive and stay overnight. Or should I say my hubby would drive me as I seldom drive in winter and especially in a strange city. Not that I was not capable mentally to serve but physically it was not in the cards. I wish they had asked me when I was young and not waited until I was so old and decrepit. So I think I will be sleeping much better from now on. This was an answer to my prayers. The Lord did not let me down but then I knew he would help me through whatever happened.

Well, time to think about what to fix for supper. I hope your week is going great and thanks for all your visits and wonderful comments.

God bless,
Verna

Birch Tree Christmas

I had an occasion to play with a die that I had purchased and never used before recently. So today I thought I would share it with you. It implements a die set from Impression Obsession called Birch Trees. I die cut the trees in white and then die cut the birds in red.

These dies were added to a bluish gray card stock which has little flecks of glitter in it. And, I have no idea where I got it from. And, the sentiment is one of Gina K. Designs which I stamped in red. The final touch before adding it to a white card base was to add the red frame from My Favorite Things called Stitched Rectangle Scalloped Frame. I thought it showed off the inside image quite well.

Well, I am busy and I am sure most of you are as well getting the last minute things done for the holidays. I am in cleaning mode as I have all the baking done and all the presents wrapped that have arrived so far. And, this weekend I got the tree up so I think I will manage okay since we are not getting together until the weekend after Christmas. I might even have a bit of time to watch some of the holiday movies on Hallmark. I always love to do that this time of the year if possible.

Well, don't work and stress out too much with your holiday planning. I hope you have a great week.

God bless,
Verna

Final Card

This is my last project I did for the 2017 Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. My card is a very CAS design but I still love it. I am posting this for International Tea Day a bit early as I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and then later in the day we hope to get to our granddaughter's pre-school Christmas program. So time is limited tomorrow. Any time I do have at home will be used to check as many of the contributors designs for the hop and post some comments.

I named this card Christmas Tea. I got this cute little stamp set in a bargain section at Crafter's Companion named Verity Rose Cupcake Accessories.  The little coffee or tea pot had a floral design on it but I masked it off before stamping and then I hand drew in some holly to make it more festive looking before I colored it. I used my Copics.

I added a sentiment from Gina K. Designs which was in clear acrylic but to make it look in a rounded way I bent it on the stamping block. Then I stamped the small cupcakes. After coloring this design  I cut it using Gina K Designs Small Double Stitched Circle Die and also an outer layer with her Large Single Stitched Circle Die. My background paper is from Gina K. Designs too. I chose to color the images with the same colors as the pattern paper.

Well I am glad I could take part in the hop again this time around. I know I did not make so many projects but this is certainly a busy time of year so that I think was understandable. At any rate, I sure had fun. Thanks so much for your visits and comments and I hope you are enjoying all the festivities of the season.

God bless,
Verna

Card No. 7-A Valentine

I remembered that Valentine's Day falls in the Winter months so this time for the 2017 Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop I made a simple valentine. With  a cute owl image holding a cup and a sentiment along with the owl dies from Gina K. Designs and some Gina K. Designs pattern paper I created a really cute little valentine. I used some circle dies from Gina Marie Designs.

I also added some of the pattern paper along the bottom of the inside of the card to tie the inside and outside together. I like to do that if at all possible. I think it is a great way to finish off a card.

I am very happy with this look and I might have to do several more for my valentine designs this year for the shut-ins. I think the bright colors are so cheery.

Well, I hope you are enjoying some of my coffee theme card designs. I know I love to see all the comments you leave when you visit.

God bless,
Verna

Coffee Hop Entry-Day 6

I made a card for this entry into the 2017 Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop and used a hot cocoa mug and deer die set I won one other year from doing the hop. The die set used is from Gina Marie Designs. I thought it quite appropriate as this is National Hot Cocoa Day.

I die cut the front panel with the Memory Box Cross Stitched Border Frame die and then added all to a red card stock base. The sentiment and the steam are from Gina K. Designs as is the pattern paper. The ribbon I used is from Crafter's Companion. I thought it matched the pattern paper fairly well. I used some small gems to decorate the deer's face. I think he looked like Rudolph to me. Hahaa!

I must say I am enjoying doing projects again for the hop. I hope you can join in too as there are a lot of prizes up for grabs. Thanks for the visit and for your wonderful comments. I'm off to have me some hot cocoa now.

God bless,
Verna

Day 5 Card For 2017 Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

Wow! Day five already. What fun this is for me to do the 2017 Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. This card used images from Gina K. Designs.

The card stock, pattern paper and the ribbon are all from Gina K. Designs as is all the ink I used. She is your one stop place for lots of card making goodies. The red rhinestones on the cups are unknown.

I hope you got a chance to enter a project or two featuring hot cocoa, coffee or tea designs. I think I heard there were over 70 prizes up for grabs. Well, I have to go now but I thank you for stopping in and for all the comments.

God bless,
Verna

Day 4-2017 Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

Once again I am using the 3-D cup template from The Cutting Cafe for my fourth entry into the 2017 Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. I needed containers for giving some gifts to various delivery persons so I thought this was a great little way of doing that. This would be a great gift for a teacher or co-worker too. And, when empty they could store their pens inside it.

I placed cookies, hot cocoa packets and some Hershey's kisses inside a bag and then added it to the cup. The pattern paper used is very old and featured Christmas cookies on it. I do not know where it came from. But the tag die cut used was from Gina K. Designs. The sentiment was also from The Cutting Cafe 3-D Cup Template set. The card stock and the ribbon are from Gina K. Designs. The glitter paper for the tag is from Stampin' Up!

I hope you find time to join in. If not, I hope you are having a wonderful week. And thanks for the lovely comments.

God bless,
Verna

Day 3-2017 Winter Coffee Lovers Hop

In our family we have a few December birthdays that are just before and after Christmas and so I decided to not go with a Christmas or winter design for this card. Instead I made a card that would work for any season. But I did include cups in my design so I think it still qualifies. The stamps used are from Crafter Companion's Party Time stamp set. This is my third entry for the 2017 Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop ongoing now.

As you can see I hand cut out the images and popped them up. I also used a Memory Box Cross Stitched Frame Border die on the main panel and then cut out the black layer. Below is another view of the card.

I hope you can join in on the hop and show us a few of your own designs using either coffee, tea or hot cocoa images. Since this card is going to Japan I think it will be considered more of a stack of tea cups. Thanks for the visit and comments.

God bless,
Verna

2017 Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Post No. 2

This time I made a card for the 2017 Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop using a stamp set from Art Impressions and a Christmas tree die set from Kat Scrappiness. Along with some varied pattern papers and some sponging I made a cute little scene. I hope you like it too!

This was so much fun to make and I really love the way it looks. I hope you can join in on the fun at the hop too. And, there are awesome prizes. Thanks for visiting!

God bless,
Verna

2017 Winter Coffee Blog Hop Day 1

Well, I am so happy that I tried something other then a card for this 2017 Winter Coffee Blog hop. It took a bit of learning to do it but I was so happy with the outcome and pleased that I could make a fun way to give a gift of some hot cocoa packets. I  used the 3D Cup Template from The Cutting Cafe. Now I don't have the SVG capabilities but the nice thing about these designs is that Regina Easter also makes them in PDF form so that people like me can still use them by cutting the images out by hand.

Regina also includes a sentiment sheet which comes in really handy as well. I plan to use this cup as part of a gift this Christmas to give some hot cocoa packets in a gift basket.. The circle dies used were from Gina Marie Designs and Gina K. Designs. The card stock, pattern paper and the ribbon I used are from Gina K. Designs.

I did find out with this process that I did not have big enough sheets of pattern paper for the most part so I had to piece my designer paper to make it work. I know many really decorate their cups a lot more but for me this was a big accomplishment already.

Thanks for checking my blog post and for commenting and I hope many of you can join in the fun of the hop too.

God bless,
Verna

Made My Own Pattern Paper

I had a few minutes break so decided to do a quick card again which although has Christmas colors on it could technically be used for other winter occasions. My pattern paper was made with the use of snowflake stamps. My stamps on this card are all from Gina K. Designs Christmas Wishes stamp set and I also used the dies that accompany that set too.

I stamped the images from that set with Gina K. Designs Red Velvet and Christmas Pine inks. I also used Gina K. Designs Red Velvet and White card stock.

I added a white panel inside the red card base so that I could stamp or write a little message later on.

I am entering this in the following challenges:
Mix It Up Monday at Stamp TV
Double D's Challenge
Mod Squad Blog Challenge

I hope tomorrow I can get a start on making a few holiday goodies. We shall see if that happens or not. At any rate, I enjoyed a little crafting today. I hope your day is going well too and thanks for your visits and comments.

God bless,
Verna

Card for Big Sister

My daughter and her husband are expecting a new addition in February and she read somewhere that the transition of their daughter to a Big Sister would be easier if Little Brother gave her a little gift from him so that she won't feel so left out when more of the attention from her is transferred to him. Well my assignment was to come up with a card for that occasion. So I worked on that this week to get it done in time to send it along with another daughter who will be stopping in on her way to the expectant family's home.

I decided I wanted to make a bridge card and although in reality it was quite easy to do I of course, had to make it a lot more complicated. My card got done but it ended up being a lot of patching along the way. LOL I got the idea for the bridge card from Karen Hasheck's You Tube video. Hopefully, the next time I try it I will know what I am doing a lot better.

I computer generated the sentiments but the stamp images are from Gina K. Designs. And, the pattern paper is some I bought years ago when a stamp store went out of business and I thought it sort of looked like a snowy day. I have no idea who made it. I colored the little girl with the colors of my granddaughter's coat and hat so that she would right away think it was her. Excuse the poor coloring though as my hands were hurting and therefore I did not do as great of a job. Old Art Ritis was bugging me.

At any rate my daughter was very pleased with the card as I sent her a photo to get it approved. She had not expected anything so fun. And, it is so cool that it folds together and will fit flat in an envelope too.

Gina K. Designs Stamp sets  used: Warm and Cozy Christmas and Season's Greetings.

Also while I am here I will remind you that in a few days the 2017 Winter Coffee Lover's Blog Hop will be going on. So if you want to join in on the fun, make a few coffee, tea or hot cocoa themed designs using winter images.  Just check out the date information on my side bar. I know I am working on a few things for it. And there are lots of fantastic prizes being given too. When I show my first project I will include the blog site so you can read all the rules and more information.

Well, have a great week and thanks for visiting. I love your wonderful comments too.

God bless,
Verna

Clean and Simple

I saw where the Penny Black and More Challenge featured clean and simple designs so I just had to make a quick card and enter it. I used all Penny Black stamps. The snowman image is called Snowy and the sentiment is from the Yuletide Wishes set.

I colored the image with Tombo markers and then die cut the front panel with a Cottage Cutz double stitched rectangle die. To keep it simple I just added it to a white card base.

Now this was so fun and quick to do. And, it can be a card that could be sent during all the winter months. By the way I guess snow was on my mind as we are to get some overnight. The 70 degree weather is behind us again. It sure was nice while it lasted.

Thanks for checking in. I love to see you visit and leave some comments.

God bless,
Verna

Ornaments 2017 Style

This year's ornaments I made to Deck the Halls are using a die from Cheery Lynn Designs called Christmas Ornament #4. I purchased this die several months ago when I had a gift certificate to apply to my order and just yesterday started working on them. I really like them too. I used both glitter paper and foiled paper that I had in my stash and this die cut perfectly every time. I was so happy with it.

Now this ornament die does not mesh up on each side so since I wanted to cover both sides with the design I had to cut out one on the foil or glitter side and then flip the paper over and cut out a die on the other side. The pieces that fell right out were then added into each side using Scor Tape but any double stick type of tape would work. Then I added a little bit of gold thin thread between the sections before I placed them together. Very easy and fun design.

The glitter paper I used is from Stampin' Up! and the Deco Foils used were Emerald Watercolor and Summer Rainbow.

I am entering this in the Dies R Us Challenge #86-Christmas Carols. My carol I chose is Deck The Halls.

Well, thanks for the visit and I hope your weekend will be a great one. I love to read your comments too. They mean so much to me.

God bless,
Verna

Wreath as Focal Point

Today I made a quick card with the use of a couple stamps, a die and some pattern paper. It is amazing how wonderful a good pattern paper can make for a gorgeous background for a focal image. That was the case with this design I made.

The pattern paper I chose is from the Gina K. Designs Sparkling Christmas paper pack. And, the stamps are from a set I was fortunate enough to win and is from Carta Bella Designer Stamps called Jingle All The Way. I used my MISTI and some Tombo markers to color the image and the sentiment on white card stock and then I die cut it with a Gina K. Designs Small Double Stitched Circle die

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The die cut wreath design was popped up onto the pattern paper which had been added to a white card base. I also added some of the pattern paper into the inside of the card.

Well, this is going to be entered into the Mod Squad Challenge-Wreath Focal Point. I hope you liked my simple card design and I thank you for visiting and for all of the wonderful comments you leave me. I so enjoy reading them.

God bless,
Verna

Snowman Greetings

It was so nice to have company come but for the last week or so I have sure missed out on my stamping hobby gone wild. So it was a pleasure to once again get back into the groove with this simple card design.

I chose to use a Gina K. Designs Large Snowflakes Foil Mate design, Deco Foil Ocean Blue, Gina K. Designs Season's Greetings stamp set and dies, Zig Wink of Stella, Crafter's Companion Glue runner, the Gina K. Designs Decorative Tag Die set, blue chiffon ribbon and some blue metallic rick rack. Of course, that meant a laminator was used for the foiling process.

I just love the look of the foiled snowflakes and adding some Wink of Stella to the snowman sort of matched the shimmer a bit I thought. Both the snowman and the sentiment come from the same stamp set. The snowman was stamped with Black Memento ink and colored with Copics. The sentiment was stamped with Gina K. Designs Blue Lagoon ink.

I am so pleased with the way this turned out and I love the stitched design on that tag. I think that adds so much to the layout and by placing the tag that direction it worked great for the sentiment.

I am entering this in the November Rudolph Days Challenge in which we can use any Christmas project of our choosing. I almost always go with cards but at least this time I used a tag on my card as well.

Well, I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving weekend. My company just left today so we are trying to get used to a quiet house with just the two of us again. But we had a great time visiting and playing lots of card and board games.

Thanks for stopping by and for all the great comments as well.

God bless,
Verna

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is a photo I took one other year of some of the vegetables from my garden. I thought it a nice one to show you this Thanksgiving Day. 

I know I have so much to be thankful for as I have a Lord who loves me, a church to worship in, a wonderful family, good friends, plenty of food and clothes, and a roof over my head which means I am being provided for every day both spiritually and physically. And even though I don't always agree with the politics these days I am glad I live in this United States of America. And all of you are a blessing to me. I appreciate all who stop by to visit and leave such wonderful comments. I love reading them too!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving day and if you are traveling have a safe journey! My family has already started to arrive so I know it will be a great one for us. We are celebrating on the weekend with our big meal as some of them have to work on Black Friday.

God bless,
Verna

Baby oh Baby!

I am sharing a CAS card I made for our niece and her husband who are expecting a little girl in January. She will join a big sister so when I saw this stamp set #857 called Baby oh Baby from Sparkle N Sprinkle I decided it would be a good set to have on hand for making cards of congratulations for such an event. We are so happy for them and know this little girl will help to bring their family much joy!

I made the sentiment look pink since they are having a girl. I also made the rose in the same shade of pink. All were colored in with Tombo pens.

Well, Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I might pop back in Thanksgiving Day to wish you a great one but just in case I don't I hope you have a very happy one filled with God's blessings.  Enjoy the good eats too!

God bless,
Verna

Stamplorations CAS Card Challenge

I had not planned on doing any cards this week as I had other duties I needed to attend to but when I saw the Stamplorations CAS Card Challenge I had to join in. Right before I put my stamp supplies away I made this card for my hubby for Christmas. I think this fits perfectly. I had used the optional color twist too so I was happy about that.

My deer image and sentiment are from the Stamplorations Big Grins by Becca Cruger and is called Reindeer Games. The focal panel was die cut with my Memory Box Cross Stitched Border Frame Die and then I layered it onto a panel of red which I cut out with just a scissors. The pattern paper added to the white card base is from Gina K. Designs. I colored the image with Copics.

I am also adding this to the Stamplorations Never Ending Anything Goes challenge.

Well, back to the cleaning. I hate this part of the holidays. Hahaaa! You have a good week and if I don't post again, have a great Thanksgiving. I love your visits and comments. All of you are a wonderful blessing to me.

God bless,

Verna

Card and Tag

I made a quick little scene card and tag to match using Gina K. Designs inks and a stamp set called Peaceful Holidays. It involved masking off the edges with Post-It Tape and then adding another mask to make some snow and a sky line. It went together quite fast and was so fun to do.

I see I got the border a little off on the top on the card but I still like it. I found the Post-It Tape on Amazon so ordered some to use for a "no layer" type of card. I did another portion of the scene and then die cut a tag with a Gina K. Designs tag die set and added a chiffon gold trimmed ribbon to the tag.

A quick and easy creation and I am also entering this in the Art Impressions Challenge 221-Tag It.

Well, thanks for your visit and for all the comments you leave too. Have a good evening.

God bless,
Verna

Cards for Little Hearts

I got my cards done a bit early as I know I am going to be extra busy for the next weeks with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming soon. So I am sharing the cards I made using Penny Black stamps for them. The pattern papers are from Gina K. Designs and were purchased quite a few years ago. I think they are a retired paper pack.

If you want to participate in this cause you can read about it on the Cards for Little Hearts blog site.
Be sure you check all the rules and regulations for these cards which will be given to children who have heart disease by the hospital staff.

This afternoon I am writing out my Thanksgiving cards both from my hubby and me personally and also from the church. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are having a great Sunday.

God bless,
Verna

Humorous Birthday Cards

I fell in love with a couple stamp sets from Art Impressions and could hardly wait to make some fun birthday cards with them. But alas, it has been months and I am just now getting to use them. So on that thought I figured I would share a couple of them.

This one uses a sentiment and an image from the Art Impressions Spring Chicken set. I just could not resist that set as it has so many ways of letting someone know they are being though of on their birthday in a fun way! Hopefully, this will bring them much happiness. I know making it made me laugh! I stamped it with black Momento ink and then colored it with Copics.

And this second one is also a fun and hilarious set from Art Impressions and it is called Udderly Fantastic set. I hope you enjoy this card design as much as I enjoyed making it. It too was stamped with Memento black ink and colored with Copic markers.

Now in my days of living on a farm I had lots of experience with both chickens and cows but none made me laugh like these do. These both will be delivered to their recipients soon and I don't think they will read my blog so I think it will still be a fun surprise for them.

Well, today I am working on some Cards for Little Hearts in which fun cards are made for children up  to 19 years of age who are suffering with heart disease. These cards are not to be Get Well but instead a Thinking of You type and they will be distributed by the hospital staff to the patients with a little note the nurses or staff members write. So basically one has to make a card with just a design on the front. If any of you are interested in helping out with some cards let me know and I will include your name for membership on the private Facebook page for membership. On that page you can read all the rules and regulations. I do hope some of you will consider joining in. On my blog side bar is a badge with the card drive logo and web site. I think all the information will be included at the web site as well so perhaps even if you are not a Facebook user you can still join in.

Well, happy weekend to all of you.

God bless,

Verna

Peace, Joy & Love

While my dinner rolls were raising I worked up a quick card design using stamps from the Inspired by Stamping set called Poinsettia. I chose to use just one of the sentiments and the holly that was also included in the set to make my card.

I made this specifically for the Mod Squad Blog Challenge for this week in which we are not to use any white or ivory on our card. I thought this was a nice combination and worked up well for a very festive looking Christmas card. All the panels were die cut with a Memory Box Cross Stitched Border die. Since the stamps were silhouette type it went quite fast to stamp a design using the Gina K. Designs Red Velvet and Christmas Pine inks. I also used Gina's card stock for this card.

Well, thanks for taking a quick look and I guess this will do it for me today. As soon as my rolls are done I have to fetch hubby from town as he took one of our pickups in to get new tires on it. And, they won't do it until tomorrow so I guess he does not want to stand all night outside the shop waiting for it. Hahaaa!

God bless,
Verna

Baby Boy

I have been Christmas shopping and also shopping for a new grandson who will be arriving in February. He will be joining a big sister so therefore a lot of the things used for her won't work for a little boy. So I had some fun looking for things he will be able to use when he is born.

So on that note I downloaded a free digi from Sparkle N Sprinkle and made a baby card for a little boy. Now please excuse my blurry coloring of the digi. For some reason no matter what kind of coloring medium I use on digis they smear the black ink for me. So any suggestions on a remedy for that is appreciated. I guess that is the main reason I don't use them often.

The onesies I thought were a cute design to put on a baby card whether it be for a girl or a boy. I tried to stick to more masculine colors. And, I think I went a bit overboard with the Nuvo drops as it looks more like a freckled mess. LOL But none the less I did enjoy working on it as I am getting super excited to have a new addition to our family soon.

Well, yesterday I baked seven loaves of bread and today I plan to bake some buns and rolls. I hope your week is going well. Thanks for the visit too.

God bless,\
Verna

Winter Village

Hi everyone! Did you miss me? Hahaa! I have been busy doing some baking and also some Christmas shopping as I need to get my box ready fairly soon to send to the family in Japan. I want to be sure it reaches them by Christmas and so I usually send it to them by Thanksgiving. But in between baking I did make a few simple card designs as well so I am sharing one of them on this post.

I cut out a piece of blue card stock with a single stitch die from the Memory Box Blueprints 29 set and then I took some white acrylic paint and mixed it with a bit of water and then lightly tapped on the brush to make some snowflakes. Next I added the Winter Village die by Frantic Stamper Inc. and used a Zig 2-way glue pen to add it to the blue panel. This was all mounted onto a white card base. The finishing touch was to add a sentiment from Gina K. Designs.

Now I love this look and this is another clean and simple but still very lovely design for quick Christmas cards.

I hope all have been doing well this past week and that all remembered to turn your clocks back. That was our last task of the day Saturday night before we went to bed. So our clocks are on time but my body is out of sync again. It always takes me awhile to adjust after we change the time.

Thanks for the visit and for the comments you always leave. I love hearing them.

God bless,
Verna

Frosted Pines

This is my second post of the day. And again I used some NBUS images from Serendipity. I just love these stamps and together I think they make a wonderful card front.

Now these images could be done in any color but since I already had my blue inks from Gina K. Designs out I went with the blue and matched it to some blue card stock of Gina's as well. The panels were die cut with a Memory Box Cross Stitched Border die. And, I used my Crafter's Companion glue tape runner to adhered them all together. This card went together really fast so it would be a good one for using when you needed a lot of cards in a hurry.

I love the image of the pines and also the sentiment. The Serendipity image and sentiment are two separate stamps. The trees image is called Midnight Clear and the sentiment is called As The Frosted Pines.

I am also adding this to the October Crop Stop Blog Challenge. The challenge is trying to get 100 entries if at all possible so please link up your projects which use some of the products Crop Stop sells. If the 100 goal is reached she will give out two prizes.

Well, my crafting for today is done. I might take a break from card making and concentrate more on baking as we finally got a date for the church bake sale. I try to support that as much as I can as it is a big fund raiser so that we can use the money for outreach projects and other expenses.

Have a great evening and thanks for visiting.

God bless,
Verna

Winter

Well the snow we had gotten before melted yesterday but as I look outside my window I see the flakes once again falling softly. And, it is cold as we only reached a high of 35 above. Yes, I know later in winter we will think that is so warm but when one is adjusting from the mid-70's to half that amount it can feel ccccoold! So since the next season fast approaching is winter I made a card depicting that season.

I used some NBUS on this card as the stamp set and ribbon had not been used before. The stamp  from Serendipity is from the Steeple Cling Set and I have no idea where the ribbon is from. I just thought it fit the theme quite well and matched the blue.

I used some Black Magic Core'dinations card stock and embossed it with a Cuttlebug folder. Then I sanded it with sand paper to pull out the blue behind the black side. This type of card stock has a hidden core and you can sand it or tear it to reveal the other color or just leave it the way it is. I die cut it with a Memory Box Cross Stitched Border die. The blue snowflakes revealed matched to some blue card stock I had from Gina K. Designs so I used that for a card base. The stamp image was inked up with Versafine Black Onyx ink and added to some of the Gina K. Designs blue card stock. All the layers were then assembled with the use of my Crafter's Companion glue tape.

I wasn't sure I would like this combination but it seems it has grown on me as I began to assemble it all together. It has a chilly look to it I think and much like winter.

I am entering this in the October Crop Stop Blog Challenge #33.

Thanks for your kind words that you leave each time you visit. I really appreciate them.

God bless,
Verna

Snowflake Kisses

Apparently since we got our first snow of the 2017 season I am doing quite a few snowy scenes or snowy designs. But that is okay. This is a simple one that I just love. I hope you do too!

Supplies used:
Cuttlebug folder from Winter Collection
Snowflakes Dies from Fri-Dies from CAS-UAL Fridays
Sentiment from Penny Black Yuletide Wishes
Memory Box Stitched Rectangle Die from Blueprints 29
Crafter's Companion Tape Runner
Blue Rhinestones (unknown)
Card stock from Gina K. Designs
Silver halographic paper unknown
Zig 2-Way Glue Pen for adding dies

I am entering this in the October Crop Stop  Blog Challenge #33 and Simon Says Wednesday Challenge.

This went together so quickly that I might do some more if I can find more of the silver paper for the snowflakes. Thanks for coming by to see my lastest snowy creation.

God bless,
Verna

I

Snowman Christmas

This card used a lot of different stamp sets but that just goes to show that one can borrow various images and mix and match them still to make a great looking design. I was inspired by a charity solicitation envelope that came in the mail recently. So I did my own version of that idea.

Stamp Products used are:
Crafter's Companion:
Sheena Douglas Groovin' 60's Hattie stamp set
Sheena Douglas Wishes of the Season
Crafter's Companion Glue Runner

Heartfelt Creations Products:
Snow Kissed Spruce Stamp Set
Frolicking Frosty Stamp set
Frolicking Frosty Spruce Die Set

Other Products:
Memory Box Cross Stitched Frame Border Die
Gina K. Designs Card Stock and Inks
Scrapbook Adhesives Dots (for snowman)

This card is being entered into the October Crop Stop  Blog Challenge #33.

Thanks for the visit and for the wonderful comments you always leave. Have a good week.

God Bless,
Verna

Christmas Purple

Normally I am not a fan that much of purple when it comes to making cards but for some reason I am loving it for Christmas card designs. And, since I already had a lot of the supplies on the kitchen table I proceeded to make two Christmas card designs using the new stamp set I got from Gina K. Designs called Peaceful Holidays. It is illustrated by Theresa Momber who is always coming up with some fantastic scene images in her sets.

First up is the card I titled Peace Dove.

I cut two panels of layering weight white card stock. In the center of one I die cut a circle using a Gina Marie Designs die. I laid aside the positive circle for another project and instead used the negative as a mask. I like to tape it on each edge to the second piece of card stock so it won't slip when I do my sponging. I sponged the card with Gina K. Designs Wild Lilac ink until I had it solid. Then with Gina K. Designs black ink I stamped the silhouette dove image on the set. Before I removed the mask I took some white acrylic paint and mixed it with a bit of water. With a small paint brush I picked up some of that mixture and lightly tapped on the brush so that I got some dots that would appear as snowflakes. I then removed the mask and die cut the panel out with a stitched border die from the My Favorite Things Die-namics Blueprint 29 set. I wanted a frame so I used the My Favorite Things Die-Namics Single Stitched Line Circle Frame set and cut out two white ones and a third one from the Gina K. Designs Hot Dots Foil Mates which I had foiled with some of her Wild Lilac Fancy Foil. I glued all three frames together so that I had dimension around the sponged scene. I then finished the card by adding it to a card base of Gina K. Designs Wild Lilac card stock.

My second card is called Peaceful Winter.

I also uses the same circle mask to do some sponging but before I sponged I also cut a snow line and placed that under the bottom of the mask. Once I had the sponging done for the sky I stamped in the trees and the deer. Then I added blotches of snow the same way with the acrylic paint and water mix with flecks off a brush. After removing the mask I also die cut that panel with the Die-Namics stitched die from the Blueprints 29 set and then added it to a layer of Wild Lilac card stock which I cut by hand. This was then placed onto a white card base.

These are fairly quick and easy cards to do as they use solid silhouette images so there is not a lot of coloring involved. I really am happy with the way both look too. So all in all a very productive day. And I wanted some snow in my work as this morning we woke up to a cover of snow on the ground and strong winds. It just seemed right to make snowy scenes on a snowy day.

I will be entering this into the Mod Squad Blog Challenge in which we are to use snow and also into the Stamp TV Mix It Up Monday challenge in which we were to use the color of our birth month. Mine happened to be purple.

Well, that will do it for me today anyway. I think I will move away from purple too for awhile. Thanks for your continued support with your visits and comments.

God bless,
Verna

Christmas Deer

I was running low on my tape runners which I always get from Crafter's Companion and while at their website I saw this Sheena Douglas stamp set called Wishes of the Season which had the most awesome scene stamps  and sentiments. There was also dies that went with the set if you wanted them but I only purchased the one with the deer and trees on it. It is a huge die and if you used it the way it is it would be a very large square card design but I chose to cut it down to an A2 size card instead and I am very pleased with the way it looks too.

I think though I should have left the trees on the outside of the die cut area alone and not added the snow with a white paint pen but since the deed was done I left it go. Still I guess it is not too bad and does sort of go with the snow on the evergreens. The die cut part is the outer trees, bottom snow and the deer.

First thing I did was stamp the deer onto white card stock and then I aligned my die over that as it cuts very close to the image. I just thought I could not stamp that image into the frame after die cutting it since it is a rubber stamp and my eyesight is a bit off. This method worked better for me.

Next I stamped the background which is the evergreens with the snow using Gina K. Designs black ink. I also stamped the deer with that ink. I filled in the evergreen areas with a green Bic Mark-It alcohol ink pen and then sponged on some blue for the sky and the snowy areas. I also added some Wink of Stella to make the snowy areas a bit more shimmery. I could not get it to show up very well though on the photo but I think you get the idea.

Lastly I then sponged ink onto the deer and the outer trees die cut. I added them to the scene where I wanted them with adhesive and then I die cut the glued together layers with a My Favorite Things Di-Namics die. This panel was then added to a Gina K. Designs Christmas Pine card stock layer before I added it to the white card stock base.

Dies and stamps used are from Crafter's Companion Sheena Douglas Perfect Partners series using the Christmas Deer die and the Wishes of the Season stamp set. I also used a stitched border die from the My Favorite Things Di-Namics die set called Blueprints 29.

I am entering this in the following challenges:
October Rudolf Days
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge
Mod Squad Blog Challenge
Scrapy Land Challenge #76
October Crop Stop Challenge #33

Well, I certainly am so happy to see all of you stop by and visit. Thanks for the wonderful comments too.

God bless,
Verna

Purple Christmas

Since I already had my purple papers and inks out I made this card using the Gina K. Designs Fabulous Holiday Labels stamp set and the Fabulous Labels Die set. I went with the purple again as for the Stamp TV challenge we are to make a design using the color of our birthday month and some neutral colors only. Black and white were both on the neutral list but I chose to use just white with my purple. Purple is for the month of June which is my birth month.

I enjoyed making this card and with only the purple with the white I had to figure out how to add design elements that would look great together. Having those stamps on that set really made for great choices. I decided after I had it all stamped and layered together I still wanted some bling so I took little white pearls and outlined the oval area.

Also inside the card I added some white card stock where I can stamp a message or write a little note to whomever will be on the receiving end. I also stamped a few snowflakes inside as well. This tied the outside design into the inside of the card.

This set as well as other stamp sets illustrated by Melanie Muenchinger are so neat to work with using the label dies. And, you have lots and lots of choices on how you can add stamped designs to the labels. I really am glad I bought these products.

Well, I did get the dishes done and since it was too early to make my evening meal I proceeded to make this card. It went together fairly fast too. Thanks for your visit and have a great evening.

God bless,
Verna

Mary and Jesus

I really struggled with this card as I knew I wanted the focal image to be Mary and Jesus and finally came up with the idea of framing them with an ornate die frame from Cheery Lynn Designs. But for some reason I had difficulty getting the glitter paper I used to die cut very well and I had to do several passes and then poke almost all of the pieces out with a tool. That was time consuming.

The image of Mary and Jesus is from a Gina K. Designs set called Christmas Joy. I also die cut that image with the inner die that goes with the Cheery Lynn Designs die set. The Mary and Jesus image was stamped with Gina K. Designs Wild Lilac ink onto white glossy card stock. The base card is of Wild Lilac too. To add a bit more gold I hand cut a couple of narrow strips of the gold glitter paper and added that along each edge. Then I made a bow with Gina K. Designs ribbon to add to the top. Inside I added a white panel where I can stamp or write a message.

Cheery Lynn Die:
Mirror Mirror Doily Frame DL286


I am entering this in the following challenge:
Scrapy Land {Challenge #76} Anything Goes

Thanks for looking at my artwork so far for this afternoon. I really like the elegant simplicity of the design as that die really makes it look so regal. My dishes still await attention so guess I best quit playing and wash them up. You have a great evening.

God bless,
Verna

Peace on Earth

Today I played with a wonderful stamp set from Penny Black called Snowy Village. I had admired the way others had used it so I decided it was a set I would love and use a lot. So today I made three cards using that image. Also the sentiment on each of the cards is from the Gina K. Designs set called Peaceful Holidays. I thought it worked perfect for these cards. I will show all three versions and here is the first one.

Then I did another version which I liked as well as this one.

And, lastly the third way of using the stamp. However, I must explain that I messed up the big trees from the set so I downsized my design and used some of the trees from the Gina K. Designs Peaceful Holidays set instead. I had a leftover frame die cut so I put the smaller version into that cut out area so that it looked like a frame around the scene.

I was happy with all of them. Even the screw up turned out to be a nice design. I just wanted to share with you what I was doing today. And this is a stamp set that would work for any type of winter card needs such as a get well, thinking of you, birthday and even a sympathy card.

Thanks for the visit and for stopping in. I always love to see you look at my work and leave such lovely comments. Take care and have a good evening.

God bless,
Verna

Fabulous Designs

Well, the title is misleading. I named it that because my card and label I made go with the Gina K. Designs Fabulous Frames, Fabulous Holiday Labels  and the Fabulous Labels Dies that are all illustrated and designed by Melanie Muenchinger. She is the one who is fabulous and I am trying to at least make a great effort on reaching that status. So here is my card I made.

I also used some of the Gina K. Designs pattern paper from the Blizzard Paper Pack, Gina K. Designs White and Christmas Pine card stock, and Gina K. Designs Red Hot and Christmas Pine ink. I colored the white ribbon with the Christmas Pine ink to make it match, but be sure it is fully dry before adding it to the card. I got some smudges on mine but with the Tombo Sand Eraser I got rid of most of it.

And this is the label I made which will be used for future use on baked goods or some Christmas goodies for friends. I used some Copics to color around the inner framed design which was stamped from the Fabulous Frames set on pattern paper and then fussy cut and placed on the label die. And the end pieces had to be pieced in as I fussy cut them too. I wanted that Copic colored frame to show up. The cookies were used as a photo prop and actually will be eaten by us.

One can add a ribbon to the label as well and use it for tags on Christmas packages. I chose to just leave it as a label and will fasten it to a plate of goodies when the time comes.

Well, I think I might have to have one of those cookies now. Yummy! Most are in the freezer so they are not so tempting to me.

Thanks for the visit and I hope your Sunday evening is a great one.

God bless,
Verna