Friends With Flair

And a Happy Black Friday to You!

Did you brave the crowds and find some deals?

Not me!!! Although I did end up going out to Lowe's to find some hardware stuff for little fix-ups around the house.

Yup, that's me...spending Black Friday cleaning the upstairs!

Oh well, at least I got into the craft room for a bit too!

I'm itching to sit down and play for hours with my new markers...but #1, I don't have a chair in my new room yet...and #2, I haven't had a few spare hours! 

I'll have to take what I can get for now, right?

I stamped a line image from one of the Unity KOM's and a quick sentiment...who doesn't always need some 'thank you's' on hand, right?

Then broke out some of the new markers and started coloring...and promptly learned how to use the colorless blender to fix mistakes!

Here it is...

Supplies:

• cardstock: copic
• stamps: Unity KOM
• markers: Spectrum Noir
• ribbon: the Paper Studio
• button: stash

Linking up over at Friends with Flair, always so fun!

Thanks for looking in!

Meredith

Gift Tags

Sometimes its fun to just whip out something simple...and tags can fit the bill!

Here are some simple yet elegant gift tags that I made in a quick evening.

I cut the cardstock into a rectangle, used an angle corner punch to snip off the top corners and stamped two snowflakes in versamark ink. I then heat embossed the snowflakes in silver and added gems with my irock tool. A quick hole punched in the top and ribbon knotted through, and they were done!

Here is a bit closer look...this shows the color more accurately and the shine of the embossing powder and gems.

Supplies:

• cardstock: stash
• corner punch: Stampin' Up
• stamp: Craftsmart
• ink: Versamark
• embossing powder: Recollections
• gems: irock
• ribbon: JoAnn's

I'm linking up to:

• OLW challenge: gift tags
• Try it on Tuesday : Christmas Sparkle

Thanks for looking!

Meredith

Friends with Flair

Quick post tonight, just for Unity Friends with Flair. 

I've been carrying some stamped images and my pencils to places that I know I'll have some downtime...some of my favorite to color have been my stamps of the week, they are all so cute!

Here is a birthday card that I've made several of...this image is great!

Supplies:

• cardstock: Wausau
• patterned cardstock: Basic Grey
• stamp: Unity 
• pencils: Prismacolor
• ribbons: the Paper Studio

Thanks for stopping by!

Meredith

Snowflake Wreath

There is a lovely challenge this week over at the Cardmaker Cardswap Challenge board, to make a card with a wreath on it.

Inspired by this card, found on Susan's Pinterest board, I came up with this...

It was so easy and fun to make!

Just punch out a bunch of snowflakes (I used 4 different papers for 20 total) and adhere them to a base. I pop-dotted the base onto the card base for a little extra dimension.

I probably should have taken a picture, but I made my wreath base by punching a 1 3/8" circle from paper, then lining that negative up inside a 2" circle punch. Once the second larger circle is punched you have a 'wreath form' to adhere your snowflakes to!

Simon Says Stamp is hosting a challenge to 'Just add pearl'...my card qualifies three ways! I used pearlized cardstock, I sprayed the snowflake wreath with 'frost' shimmer spray, and there are five tiny blue pearls on the top layer of snowflakes!

There is also a challenge over at Whoopsi Daisy Designs to 'punch it out', I'm pretty sure that 22 punches on the card qualifies! ;-)

Supplies:

• cardstock: Wausau
• patterned papers: DCWV
• punches: Paper Shapers (1 3/8 circle), Marvy (2" circle), EK Success (snowflake)
• stamp: Inkadinado
• ink: Colorbox

Thanks for stopping by!

Meredith

Halloween Cupcakes

I'm not much of a baker, but sometimes Pinterest gets to me...

I signed up to bring cupcakes to my church Halloween party, and after deciding that although I love the cute decorated cupcakes made into Halloween figures you can find all over, I would never spend that much time frosting and decorating them...but I still wanted to make something other than ordinary cupcakes.

Enter the fabulous Halloween cupcakes posted by The Sugar Turntable. 

Aren't they cute? And easy...so easy! Which is just my style!

Click through to The Sugar Turntable to get full instructions, but the short list is to mix up a white cake mix, divide it in half, tint one half orange and one half black, then alternate adding them to the baking pan. Bake normally...you're done!

The cupcake wrappers were cut on my Silhouette Cameo, the file is here. It is just a basic scallop, since I figured that rather than purchase a different file for every holiday, I could purchase this one, and use up some of the stash of patterned papers that I have.

Have a blast if you make some...and thanks for stopping by!

Meredith

Snowmen & Holidays

Oh wow, can you believe that we are already at the end of October! 

Where has this year gone? I feel as if the year just started...yet, when I look back at my calendar I can see just how much has happened! Lots of exciting things!

Dh has asked that we actually send out Christmas cards (and a letter) this year, so its looking a bit like Christmas around here.

The perfect image to start out with arrived in my email last week...

Faith at Designed 2 Delight restarted her progressive challenge last month, if you didn't join in then and receive this image for free, then you can purchase it in the shop and play along to receive the next one!

I also came across a delightful blog that lists current challenges for cardmakers and papercrafters, Feline Playful. Exploring their listings has introduced me to several new and fabulous challenges that I'll be entering as well.

Such as this one at 52 Card {Christmas} Throwdown to use diecuts or punches on a Christmas card.

My second card also qualifies for the challenge at Rogue Redhead Designs ~ Get Dotty (use dots in your creation).

I've been working on my coloring with pencils since taking a class a few weeks ago...sometimes it turns out really well, sometimes only okay...I still need more practice with choosing color families to blend, I think. Who would have thought that 92 colors of pencils wouldn't be enough? ;-)

In light of that effort, I used the same lovely image to make two cards...one turned into a snow-lady...

The second into a snow-man. 

I'm particularly pleased with the snowman's scarf...I think I did pretty darn well with the shading on that!

Supplies:

• image: Designed2Delight
• stamp: Penny Black
• cardstock: Wausau
• patterned paper: snowlady (K&Company), snowman (DCWV)
• pencils: Prismacolor
• ink: Ranger Distress Ink
• die cuts: Spellbinders
• punch: Paper Shapers

Thanks for looking!

Meredith

Baby Bunting

Well, I haven't been posting much...but I have been creating! I'll just share one tonight...

I have a friend who is in a neighboring state right now waiting for clearance from the authorities to bring her lovely newborn daughter home...oh, so heartwarmingly precious!

To congratulate her on the new addition, I used some Unity KOM stamps and some sweet heart buttons I had lying around...

This card was inspired by the banner/pennant challenge that Unity had for the last month...I'm posting too late to join in...but the card was too cute not to share anyway!

I'll link it up to Friends with Flair on friday!

Lots of pink, of course...

I pop-dotted the onesies after fussy cutting...

The sentiment on the inside was part of the prize package I won for commenting on a Friends with Flair post a bit ago...25 whole stamps...I couldn't believe how generous a prize it was!!! Thank you, Unity!!!

Supplies:

• Stamps: Unity KOM
• Card base: Recollections
• Patterned Cardstock: Recollections scrap pack
• Twine: LSS
• Buttons: stash

Thanks for looking!

Meredith