Welcome to the November  "It's all about Christmas (or Hanukkah) Blog Hop. Doing the projects for this hop just reminded me how close to Christmas it is.  ARRGGHHHH!  I am never ready early. I am one of those late shoppers (thank heavens for the internet and online shopping).  At least I have my Christmas cards finished and now it's up to my DH to write the Christmas letter.  Now that I've imparted all that information....  As always this hop moves in a circle.  You can view the whole hop from the end, beginning or middle just by clicking on Next or Previous.

You arrived at my blog from Marsha's blog. She always has such beautiful creations.

My first card is actually my Christmas card for this year. I accompanied my husband on a hunting trip to Virginia and stayed at the house and created my cards. The first time I've had them done this far ahead.
                                                                                 

The card stock I used for this card is Blackberry Bliss. I love non traditional colors for Christmas and this is one of my favorites. I also used Gold Glimmer paper, the music sheet from Home for Christmas DSP, 1/8"gold ribbon, Gold EP and the background stars are from Too You and Yours stamp set and the main image is from All Ye Faithful stamp set.

My next card is an easy teachable card.

Starting with a Thick WW card base I created a mask from copy paper using the Delicate Ornament Die. I laid it on the card base and using a sponge dauber and Soft Sky and Night of Navy ink filled in the image.  Then I took another layer of WW CS (4 x 5 1/4) and cut the open die from the layer. The mask I had created also had the corners punched with the new Curvy Corner Trio punch. I sponged around the mask using the same Soft Sky and Night of Navy ink. Then I stamped some snowflakes from the Flurry of Wishes using both Night of Navy and Encore Silver. The top sponged layer was laid on the base card with the ornament showing through. Using the snowflake side of a sheet of DSP from the Season of Cheer collection I cut the detailed Delicate Ornament and overstamped it with some silver snowflakes from Flurry of Wishes. I used the fine tip glue pen to adhere it to the card and added the top cut from Silver Foil paper and added a Silver Cord bow.

My next project will take some space here as it needs multiple photos. Years a go I took a class on making Star Books. The instructions for making such a book can be found in a back issue of a magazine that is no longer in publication. I searched the internet for a copy as I had lost mine and was able to procure one. The magazine was called Expressions and this particular issue was Mar/Apr 2002. Needless to say this book was created using many stamp sets, some current, some retired. I will list them at the end of the photos of this book.

This is the front.

2 views of the open Star Book

Back Cover

The covers were made with board from the backing of our specialty designer paper which I covered with velvet paper.  The CS used was Basic Black, Hello Honey, and Crumb Cake. Every other page was done with Gold Glimmer and Black Glimmer paper. I used the Winter Wonderland DSP collection and Winter Wonderland Designer Vellum stack. I absolutely love this collection. The folios were hand stitched together using a coptic stitch method to bind them together. Tools I used were Stars Framelit, Confetti Stars Border, Curvy Corner Trio punch. Embellishments included Rhinestones Basics, retired Black Grosgrain ribbon, 1/8" gold ribbon, and Black and Gold EP.

The stamp sets I used are Wonderful Blessings (r), The Newborn King (r), The Sounding Joy (r), Snowflake Soiree (r), Comfort and Joy (r), Nature's Peace (r), Bright and Beautiful (r), All Ye Faithful, Reason for the Season, and Wonderland.

That's all I have this time.  Now on to Jean's wonderful creations.

Just an additional comment...I hope each and every one of you has a Joyful and Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah.

Great way to get those stamps you've been putting off buying. Let me know if you want to take advantage of this great promotion.

September...where did the last four weeks go. It has been one fast moving month. It seems the older I get the faster they go.

Here we are with a Mix-Up hop. As always our hop is done in a circle meaning you can go backwards and forwards, start in the middle, end or beginning. Whichever way you choose you will find some awesome projects from very talented people. I love hopping with them.

You arrived here from Miss Jaylin's blog if you started from the beginning.  She has learned well from a great teacher. If you are moving backwards you came from Deb's blog, she is one of those artists that I can't wait to see what she has in store this time.

I decided to go very simple with my cards this time, so with the exception of the last one, these take no time to put together. Here is #1.

                                                                             

The base card is Smokey Slate with a layer of Basic Black. The base card measures 5 1/2 x 5 1/2. The top layer is Crumb Cake stamped with stamps from Awesomely Artistic, Wild About Flowers, Butterfly Basics and Sheltering Tree using Basic Black and Basic Gray ink. The dragonfly was stamped with Night of Navy. I then embossed it with the new Brick Wall EF. I aged the wall using Smokey Slate ink and a sponge dauber. The wings of the dragonfly were accented with Dazzling Diamonds glitter glue.  With Smokey Slate CS and the Banner punch I fashioned the "thinking of you" banner. 

Card # 2 is super simple. I love birch trees and fall leaves so this put the 2 together. 

We are very lucky to have both the white paper birches and golden birches on our property. I decided to make this card the white variety. Using the new thick Whisper White CS this card base is 5 1/2 x 5 1/2. The top layer is Soft Suede CS embossed with the Woodland EF. I used White Craft ink to bring out those beautiful birches. I found the closest leaf possible to a birch leaf in our Vintage Leaves stamp set, and cut out the single leaf with the matching dies, Leaflets Framelits. After crinkling and pinching it into the shape I wanted it, I added a few drops of Crystal Effects. I have not decided on a sentiment for it, but maybe it doesn't need one.

My last card is one that is similar to one I created a couple years ago after seeing leaves done by Rae Deen Bittner. (I hope I spelled that right). 

With a card base of Delightful Dijon cut lengthwise at 5 1/2" to create an easel. I layered it with Real Red, Wild Wasabi and the "wood" layer uses the Woodgrain EF  on Crumb Cake with Chocolate Chip ink rubbed over the raised areas. The leaves were stamped using Vintage Leaves with Archival Black ink on watercolor paper. Using my blender pen and various fall maple leaf colors, I created these fall leaves. The were cut using the Leaflets Framelits and crinkled and pinched into shape.  Tags and Labels Framelits had the right size tag for the sentiment from Endless Thanks which I tied to the stem of the leaf with Linen Thread. 

That concludes my creations for this hop. Now you are off to the super talented Deb's blog. Enjoy!

Welcome everyone to the Wacky Watercooler  August Blog Hop.  Can you believe it is August already? This summer just flew by.  For some it has been cooler than normal, or rainier than normal, and for others it has been hotter with devastating fires.  As a "left coast" native, I am saddened by the fires and pray for those who have lost their lives and homes there.

As always our hop runs in a circle.  Hmmm, that could be construed as craziness, but this circle is not so crazy because you can go back and forth easily to see the wonderful creations of our very talented contributors.

Without further ado, let's begin our hop and as the lead off,  here are my creations. Our task this time was to make 2 projects using the Sprinkles of Life Stamp set and the matching Tree Builder punch plus a case from the Annual Catalog.  Sprinkles of Life  is our Ronald McDonald House stamp for this year. With the sale of each of these sets, $3 is donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities.  Not only is it a very cute set, but it is a way to share with others.

I have seen so many different ice cream cones, cupcakes, little trees, etc for this stamp that I wanted to do something entirely different.  Here it is....

                                                                                 

So where is the stamp set or punch you might ask. The flowers on this card are made with the cloud part of the Tree Builder punch.  I love big floppy flowers so here are floppy flowers.  The card base is made from our awesome new Thick WW CS. The card measures 5 1/2 x 5 1/2.  I then layered a piece of Basic Black followed by some retired vellum from a paper stack.  (I just realized that the flowers and vellum layer are retired DSP.  Guess I'd better move them to the retired pile so I don't use them again. Please forgive me for the oversight.)  Each of the flowers is centered with Tip Top Taupe Flower Blossoms. Tip Top Taupe is one of our 2015 - 2017 In Colors. I stamped Happy Birthday on Basic Black and white embossed it and punched it out using the Elegant Butterfly punch. I love the look of the "messy" silver thread so added that behind the butterfly. 

Here is my second Sprinkles of Life card. Using Watermelon Wonder as my base I layered it with paper from the Cherry on Top DSP stack. I love these smaller stacks as I don't feel so guilty cutting up a whole sheet of paper.  Next using the Ovals thinlit set I cut the large scalloped oval from Bermuda Bay CS and then embossed it with the Decorative Dots EF.  The next size oval was used to cut another layer from the Cherry on Top DSP.  My CHOCOLATE ice cream cone uses So Saffron CS for the cone and Whisper White for the ice cream. I watercolored the ice cream with Early Espresso and after it was dry stamped the sprinkles with Versa Mark and Early Espresso and then embossed with Clear EP to show off those chocolate sprinkles.  I have to say that if you could put hot fudge on a cone it would be there.  I used the Banner Triple punch for the tail of my  "revised" sentiment and edged with Soft Suede ink. 

My last card is a CASE from the Annual Catalog

I cased this card as exact as I could, because I love this card. Again I used a 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 base. I am loving that I can use Whisper White as a card now with the new thick one. The heart in the background is fashioned using the 1 1/4" White Jute ribbon. It leaves a gap which is covered with the layers of Sahara Sand Lace trim and the Venetian Crochet trim and reversed Chevron Ribbon stamped with StazOn.  One of the Very Vintage Designer buttons was added after tying linen thread through the holes.  The flower stamps are from Flower Shop stamped in Sahara Sand and Rose Red ink. The "dotty" stamp from Gorgeous Grunge was used to create the background using the same ink. Since I did not have the new Classy Designer buttons I used a small retired button from my stash for the center of the flower.  I do not own Endless Thanks, but it is now on my list to order for the friend stamp seen on the original on page 126 of the AC so I substituted from another set, Six Sided Sampler to achieve the effect.

I hope you have enjoyed my projects, despite the retirement boo boo. I had fun creating them. Now you are off to see Marie's wonderful creations.

                                                                           

It is that time again. Celebrating the new 2015-2016 Annual Catalog makes this a very happy blog hop for me. I got to get new stuff! I am last on the list this time, but since we move in a circle you can either go back to Buffy's blog by way of the Previous button or go back to the beginning to Marie's blog by clicking the Next button. This is such a great hop you might want to go in circles for awhile.

I love butterflies (and dragonflies) so my first card is a butterfly card. I used the new heavier weight Whisper White CS as my card base and it worked beautifully as a base.

                                                                               

On my new heavier WW base I added a layer using one of the designs found in new Everyday Chic DSP. Then using a piece of regular WW CS I die cut the large butterfly from the new Bold Butterfly Framelits from the center and tucked the white butterfly away for future use so I could use the negative as a layer. The new Fluttering EF then came into play as I embossed the layer with it. I then cut the small butterfly from a scrap of the same Everyday Chic DSP but turned him over to layer him in the opening. The antennae and sentiment came from Floral Wings hostess set.

I am always on the search for new ideas and techniques. So my next card is something I have wanted to try for a long time. I had heard somewhere that you could make paper look like leather so one of my searches I came across some videos by a lady in the UK. Her name is Sheena Douglass and of course she has her own line of embossing folders and stencils, but the technique is what caught my eye. Then when our new embossing folder Boho Chic came out, well, the rest is history.  I will be making more of this history again because I love the technique. 

I used the technique on Kraft CS with Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip and Crushed Curry inks. The technique involves carefully massaging glycerine and water into the paper until you have the desired look. You have to be careful as Sheena says because you do not want to cause the paper to pill or get rough. Then you crumple it up while it is still wet and carefully unfold it and set it aside to dry.  After it was dry a piece of Typeset Specialty DSP was adhered to the inside.  I embossed it with the folder and then rubbed ink over the wrinkles and the embossing. I wanted the card to look like a small book so I cut 2 pieces of Very Vanilla CS and folded them in half. Then with carefully chosen stamps from The Open Sea, Feel Goods, Guy Greetings, Gorgeous Grunge and Awesomely Artistic, the "pages" were decorated and tied into the book using Linen Thread. The sentiment on the outside came from the Feel Goods stamp set and cut from the new Lots of Labels Framelits. Here are some photos of the inside.

The minute I saw the Timeless Elegance DSP, I knew this would be my very favorite. There is so much you can do with every sheet in that package. I chose my favorite sheets for my next project.

For this project I colored some of the flowers off of one sheet of the paper using re inkers and my blender pen. I fussy cut the flowers. Then using the other sheet I cut my "mat", placed the photo and then added the flowers as accents. The frame was already distressed when I bought it. The photo was taken 34 years ago on the 27th of this month. We have both aged a bit and there's a little less hair on that Marine Officer's head, but we won't tell him that. My hair is now silver, gray and white and I love it. Love that man more today than then.

"Retirement Blues" is the theme of this month's blog hop. Though I am happy about the new Stampin'Up! Annual Catalog, soon to be released, I am sad and a little blue about some things retiring. Being a flower and butterfly person, you will see a theme to my "blue" creations. 

You arrived here from Kath's blog. She is such an inspiration, her creations are always awesome.

My first card features a retiring In Color, Coastal Cabana,  and a background stamp, Pleasant Poppies.  I also used the retiring Labels Collection framelit. Coastal Cabana was one of those colors that you could call green with blue undertones or blue with green undertones. For the purpose of my "blue" creations, I am calling it blue.

I stamped the poppies in Versa Mark and embossed with the Pool Party EP (also retiring).  With a blender pen and Coastal Cabana ink, I watercolored the flowers.  After cutting my top layer and cutting the opening with the Labels framelit,  I ran the piece through the Woodgrain EF and then rubbed Coastal Cabana ink on the raised portion. It was then attached to the watercolored piece and I wrapped the end with Bakers Twine and adhered all to the card base, also in Coastal Cabana. Then I added a pearl for accent. Sad to see this color go.

My next card is done using the retiring  Beautiful Wings Embosslit which I am VERY sad to see go. I also used the retiring Perfect Dots EF and the retiring Scallop Edge border punch.

After cutting all my butterflies from Pacific Point CS and Watercolor paper, I used Pacific Point ink and a blender pen to color the butterflies. The Soft Sky CS layer was run through the Perfect Dots EF and the edge trimmed with the  Scallop Edge punch. The sentiment was stamped from the Petite Pairs stamp set and punched using the retiring Curly Label punch. The butterflies have bodies created using the smallest Rhinestone Basics.  

Though my last project is not all blue, I used the Soft Sky side of the beautiful Painted Blooms DSP with all the beautiful flowers. I was so sad that this DSP and it's matching Painted Petals Stamp set and the other gorgeous things that went with it did not carry over.  Needless to say, I have a stash of this paper. I am anxiously waiting to see the English Garden DSP in person from the new catalog. 

I decided to decorate both front and back of this gift bag. Almost everything on this bag is retiring or not being carried over (retiring) except the ink. 

The bag was created using 2 sheets of DSP. The flowers and leaves were cut using the Flower Frenzy Bigz L die. The center pearls came from the beautiful Artisan Embellishment Kit that I wish I had ordered more of and stashed away. The lace and ribbon edging were also from this kit. I made the handles using last years retired Rose Red seam binding by braiding it.  The flowers and leaves were edged using Blackberry Bliss, Rose Red, Pacific Point and Mossy Meadow inks.

There were so many other retiring items I had ideas for but my contributions would have taken up several pages.  Though sad and blue to see favorites retire, I am excited about new things coming out.   That means I won't be blue very long.

Your next stop is to the wonderfully creative and talented Buffy's Blog. I wonder if Amelia has learned to stamp yet.

Like all of our hops you can go either to the previous blog or the next blog as this hop runs in a circle.

Enjoy and try not to be too blue.