Glittered Serendipity Stamps Christmas Card

Well, I can't believe it is that time of year again! Time for Christmas cards. For this one, I am using Serendipity Stamps Merry Christmas Stamp and ornament die. The technique for the glitter, I learned from a tutorial on Split Coast Stampers. It is called Colored Glitter Inlay. I had used it earlier in the year for my Easter cards using a bunny die from Serendipity with a napkin fold card. I think this creates a very elegant card. The background behind the glittered piece is flocked to add to the richness.

Well, while I am sharing, I might as well show off the grandchildren since their clothing matches the Christmas Card....I think that is good logic! They were just here for Thanksgiving.

Above are the two girls, Lara and Harper. Below, is Harper with her brother Jackson, giving a choke hold hug. I remember all to well my son Jason doing that to his little sister, Allison! Must be in the genes!

Below is Lara with her brother Clayton. Clayton loves to decorate for the holidays and he really enjoyed the gingerbread houses we decorated this year using my Cameo and pretty stickers!

I hope everyone has a nice Holiday Season and that 2016 will be a wonderful year!!!

First Birthday Party

My youngest granddaughter turned a year recently, so I thought I would post some photos of some of the crafting and cooking we did for it. We had seen this idea on Pinterest where the child holds the letters to spell ONE. I purchased paper mache letters and painted them white. We took her rocking chair outside and had a little photo session.

Even the outtakes were cute, but I might be prejudiced. Neither of my granddaughters want anything in their hair, as much as it pains me!

We also did a little wardrobe change. The little dress below is so delicate, just like little Lara. All the kids should be here for Father's Day, so today, I bought the letters D, A and P, thinking I could do photos to create "DAD" and "PAPA".  But with four grandchildren, ages four down, best laid plans....you just have to roll with the punches!

For her cake, we did the rose look. We did not have small cake pans so we did regular round pans and then I used a large round cookie cutter to cut the smaller "layers". We applied a crumb layer and then used a 1M tip to create the roses (a 2D will also work). It was a little fancy for a one year old, but it suited Lara. The theme of the party was birds so I made bird cookies and number 1 cookies and Allison made cupcakes.

We used the ONE on the mantle and then displayed the photo shoot through chromecast on Google+. If you have a smart TV, you might have an app on the TV that will allow you to show a slide show.
First we thought of printing some of the photos and displaying them, and then I said why don't we just show them on the television?

Also for the mantle, I created a banner, simply die cutting circles to which I added a folded rectangle, so the circle could be slid along the ribbon. The letters I die cut out of HVAC silver tape, which picked up the light well as the ceiling fan moved them around. Allison also had a onsie embroidered with Lara's name, a one and a bird in the party colors.

We did an ice cream bar, above Harper enjoying hers. Lara tasted the cake, but I think she was more interested in the balloons attached to her high chair.

And here are the boys also. When they are all four together, they can be a handful! Lara decided to begin walking right after her birthday, so she is really on the move now! Hope you enjoyed seeing some of the details of Lara's first birthday!

Handmade Patriotic cards for Fourth of July with Fun Folds

 June is here and before we know it, we will be celebrating Independence Day here in the United States. I thought I would share some of the designs I have come up with. Above and below are cascade cards, one using embellishments from K & Company and the one below, die cuts that I cut. The basic cascade card and the "liner" I cut from printed paper were cut using an Accucut die as was the statue of Liberty. I cut the Statue of Liberty out of a heavy chipboard and using embossing powder on it. I love being able to cut chipboard and multiple sheets of card stock with my Accucut die. I used an Accucut die for weaving strips to cut strips of transparency on which to mount my embellishments.

The card below was cut using a Karen Burniston die from Sizzix and the embellishments are from K & Company. Karen has a video on YouTube showing how to create this starry pop up.

Below is my card in a box card. I used an Accucut die to cut out the card in a box and I hand cut this Statue of Liberty after stamping it. This was a fun card to make. I began it last summer and when it did not get finished in time to mail, I sent them out last week. That is a little early, but I figured since I began them last summer, they were actually late. It is kind of a nice strategy to do the cards a year in advance and have them ready before the holiday is upon us!

Last but not least is this flag card I made using weaving strips I mentioned above. The die comes with these wavy strips and straight strips. Either could be used to create a flag. I might add something more on the front or I might just leave it as is.

I still want to create an Americana Quilt card, but thought I would go ahead an post these now. I am sure you are about finished with the cards you are making as it is only a month away, right? Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Easter Crafts

I hope each of you had a wonderful spring break and Easter! We traveled to the Huntsville, AL were we were able to see all four of our grandchildren. It has been a while since I have posted any photos of them, so here is a little update, as well as some cookies and cards I made for the kids.

The two in the center are brother and sister (and live in Memphis) while the other two are brother and sister, as I am sure you an tell! The one on the left is four, next three, next less than a year and the last is three. Yes, it is interesting when they are all together!

 

I made each of the kids large bunny cookies with their names on them and even Lara, who will turn one in May, figured out that the cookies taste much better than regular food!

I also made each of them Card in a Box cards, that hopefully their parents will save for them. Hoping someday they will realize that I make them cards because I love them so much!

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Serendipity Stamps Spring Flower Pops Card in a Box

I love spring flowers! They are such a welcome sight after a cold winter. Serendipity Stamps has some new die and matching stamps that I knew I had to have when I saw them! You can see them here. Just push the button to Shop. They are currently on the fifth page of the shopping area.

 

When I am stamping and cutting several images from a set, I will often place the cling stamps on an acrylic block, stamp as many times as I need and then arrange the die over the stamped images. I then tape the die together so that I don't have to align them individually subsequent times. Each stamped image is the same (as I keep them on the acrylic block) and each die cutting is the same. Saves time when you are cutting a lot.

I was doing these on a larger piece of watercolor paper. Sometimes if I am stamping on cut paper, I will do the same on my Misti (Most Important Stamping Tool Invented). It is especially helpful to get the placement the same over and over and is easier to use than an acrylic block.

 

 I used Twinkling H20s to paint my flowers and after they were cut, I used a larger ball embossing tool over a thick piece of fun foam to sculpt the flowers and add dimension.

On the back of the Card in a Box, I used the quote stamp shown above. I love that song and it will work for a lot of cards. I have an AccuCut die to make the card in a box and I made it out of watercolor paper as it is very sturdy and layered a print paper over the flaps.  These are easy to make and have a lot of wow factor when opened! Just search for Card in a Box for instructions if you have never made one. I added a little glitter on the flowers as I like that extra little pop. For the larger leaves, I stamped them on green paper to match the greeting and cut them separately.

I just put two of these in the mail to a couple of ladies in their eighties whose birthdays were this week. I think they will like them. I wrote a personal note on the backside of the full panel. Hope you are having a lovely day and enjoying the spring flowers where you live!

Easter Card, Napkin Fold with Serendipity Stamps and Colored Glitter Inlay

 

 Well, I am still among the living and thought I would post this fun card made with Serendipity Stamps and die, an Anna Griffin place mat (what works better for a "napkin fold" card?) and Colored Glitter Inlay belly band. As the card unfolds, it is kind of like going on an Easter Egg hunt! Below is a close up of the belly band and the inside of the card featuring Serendipity Stamps die and stamps.

 

 I used the Colored Glitter Inlay Tutorial from Splitcoast Stampers to make the belly band that features Serendipity Stamps bunny. I also used a Sizzix die to cut the frame from mat board.
There is also a tutorial on doing the Napkin Fold. Just today, I ordered the Accucut die that will make the folds on the napkin fold card for me. While they are not difficult at all to score and fold, getting everything precise can be a little more difficult if you are using thicker paper like the pink base of this card was made from.

 
The pink bow on the left releases the belly band, allowing the card to open up and reveal the inside message.

Below, you can see the filigree edge of the place mat that I used on my four corners on the front of the card.

Hope each of you has a wonderful springtime!

Barnsley Resort Adairsville Georgia

Last week, my husband had a meeting at Barnsley Resort, north of Atlanta. I tagged along and am I glad I did! I loved this place! It had history, scenery, gardens, good food....great place! The accommodations were built like little houses or cottages, with high ceilings, claw foot bath tubs and wonderful toiletries from the Spa (Lavender mint....yes, I am going to have to buy some!) Above was our porch, where I sat and read, overlooking the pond down below.
My husband played golf but they also had a pool, hunting trips, horseback riding, etc. There is a lot to do!
We had breakfast at the Woodlands Grill below, overlooking the golf course.

The ruins of the manor were fascinating to me! A tornado took the roof off in 1906, leaving the brick structure. What a great place for a wedding! There is a museum (in the building that was the kitchen) with a lot of information. I really enjoyed looking at the items and history there.

 Below is the Rice House built in 1854. I never quite figured out what was in the house, but it was lovely to look at!

More of the gardens and manor....I liked it so much, I made two trips to see it, one in the afternoon and one in the morning!

Our cottage was next to the swan pond and golf course.

Yes, I will have to return....after all, I have to go back and get some of the lavender Mint cream and soap!