All Good Things

Hi everyone, and Happy Monday! Less than a week now to go until Christmas. Think I’m slowly, slowly checking things off my to-do list, however it still feels like there’s an awful lot left to accomplish. Think it’s about time to don my Wonder Woman Cape. Anyone else feel in the same boat?

Today is a bit of a bittersweet day for me. It’s my very last week with The Kraft Outlet. I’ve had a wonderful year working with these wonderful products, and I’ve loved every minute. But as the title says, all good things must come to an end. :) This week’s challenge at The Kraft Journal is an easy one. Simply link up your favorite project that uses kraft paper to play along. I sure had a hard time picking my favorite. If you’d like to take a peek, you can see it here. Any guesses?

I do have a card to share today that I made for the Prickely Pear Rubber Stamp blog. I used their adorable red rubber image, Kitty & Bird.

This sweet image does make me smile. I think it would be perfect for any cat-lover on your list, or any animal-lover, too.

Stamped my image in black ink on white watercolor paper and then trimmed around the frame. I added color with my Prismas which were blended with Gamsol. Layered the image with pretty patterned papers and a journaling card from Fancy Pants.

Added a cardstock sticker and a mini paper clip. Some lace and seam binding and a vintage button from my collection. Stamped the With Christmas Goodwill sentiment in black ink on a strip of patterned paper and added it to the bottom.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! And here’s to wishing all of us a very productive week finishing up those holiday to-do lists!

With Christmas Goodwill

Hi everyone!! Happy Thursday! Another week is zooming by as we are, once again, quickly approaching the weekend. And can you believe we are half-way through the month already? That means it is time for a new sketch challenge at the PrickelyPear Rubber Stamp blog. Here is our fun December sketch for you all to play along with.

And here is my card using my favorite, oh-so adorable Snowman Postage red rubber image.

Sigh….

Isn’t he cute? I think I’ve mentioned before that I have sort of a soft spot for snowmen, and this one just melts my heart. Today, I used just a portion of the postage image. I stamped my guy on cream cardstock in black ink and then fussy cut around the snowman and little bird. Added color with my Prisma pencils and a light dusting of glitter, too, and then tucked him away inside a fancy chipboard frame. Foam adhesive behind his hat gives a bit of depth and dimension.

I am smitten with these adorable patterned papers. They are from October Afternoon’s new holiday line. I mixed them with Lunch Bag Kraft cardstock and cream lace, and painted the edges white for a wintery look. Added a few vintage buttons, too.

Stamped the With Christmas Goodwill red rubber sentiment onto kraft cardstock and cut it into a banner strip. I gave the banner a bit of a wave by wrapping it around my finger and then straightening it back out. By adhering just the two ends and leaving the center loose, your paper strip will remain curled.

I hope you will come and play along with our December sketch challenge on the Prickely Pear Rubber Stamp blog. Our lucky winner will receive a $15 gift certificate to the shop where you can choose from hundreds of fabulous red rubber and clear acrylic stamps and coordinating dies. Too fun!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I’m hoping to check a few more things off my holiday to-do list today. Seems to just keep getting longer instead of shorter. :) Hope you have a wonderful day!

Gift of the Season

Hi again! Welcome to Prickely Pear Monday. Today I have a bright and festive holiday card that I am so excited to share with you!

Isn’t this happy? Just makes me smile. I had a ball mixing and matching Prickely Pear rubber stamps and coordinating dies to make this sweet card, and I used a bunch on here. I have been loving the Holly and Berries Clear Stamp Set and Die this season, and once again, I turned to these favorites to kick off this project.

I started by die cutting 6 leaves from a solid patterned paper and stamping the coordinating leaf outlines in Stampin’Up’s Old Olive ink. Stamped the red rubber Gift of the Season sentiment in the same ink on white cardstock, and trimmed around the image. I added a light wash of sponged ink over the sentiment for a vintage feel, and layered it onto a Spellbinders die cut label and part of a paper doily. All were centered on a pieced patterned paper card base.

Once the label was in place, I was able to tuck my holly leaves here and there to form clusters on either side of the sentiment. Added red button holly berries and bows to each cluster. The final touch is a sweet little cardinal that I added to the top leaves. He is just part of the adorable Plump Cardinal on Berry Branch red rubber image that I cut out to use here. He is stamped in red ink on solid pink patterned paper, lightly colored with Prismas, and coated in glitter. So glam, and a perfect match for the pretty glittered paper. The girly girl in me can’t help but to love that little bit of sparkle!

Hope you’ll pop by the Prickely Pear Rubber Stamp blog to see the beautiful creations the rest of the team has created to share with you. And on Thursday, we’ll be launching our next sketch challenge for the month of December, so stay tuned! Thanks guys! Wishing you all a wonderful day.

Prickely Pear Monday

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I had a great time decking my halls and breaking out the Christmas decor. Things are looking pretty festive here, but I sure could have used about two more days to the weekend. Even after all those hours, I still couldn’t get it all finished. Don’t know if it’s me slowing down, or the fact that perhaps I have way tooooooo much holiday stuff. :)

Today I have a Christmas card to share that I made using one of Prickely Pear Rubber Stamps’ beautiful red rubber images, Poinsettia Bunch.

I just love the elegant beauty of these poinsettias. Kept my design very CAS with just a bit of patterned paper, a die cut holiday frame, and a pretty bow to enhance the lovely image. Vintage simplicity.

For more inspiration today using Prickely Pear Rubber Stamps, be sure to visit the blog. You’re going to love what the rest of the team has created for you.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I always love to have a visit from you!

Prickely Pear Monday

Hi again everyone! It’s the start of a new week, and time for some new inspiration on the Prickely Pear Rubber Stamps blog. This week, I created a card using one of my favorite holiday red rubber images, Snowman Postage.

Isn’t he a happy little cute thing? Love the slightly vintage look and the postage stamp edging. I cut my snowman out with pinking shears to enhance the postage look. Colored the image with Prismas and Gamsol and added a touch of sparkly glitter to his earmuff and mittens.

Layered my snowman on pretty holiday papers from Webster’s Pages and a big glittered snowflake. Tied the card up like a package with white satin ribbon and pink buttons. Used another red rubber image, With Christmas Goodwill, to stamp a sentiment banner for the bottom.

And into the top bow I tucked two holly leaves stamped and die cut using the Holly and Berries Clear Stamp Set and matching Holly and Berries Die.

Hope you’ll pop by the Prickely Pear blog to see all the other lovely holiday projects the rest of the team has for you today. And don’t forget about our November sketch challenge going on now. You still have until Wednesday to play along.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Wishing you all a wonderful day.

Prickely Pear Monday

*This is my third post of the day. Please scroll down to see my Shabby Tea Room and Kraft Journal projects for this week.

Hi everyone, and happy Monday to you! I’m so excited this morning to think about all the wonderful things to come this week with the thanksgiving holiday just a few days away, and my birthday tomorrow.  I have been spending quite a bit of time these last few days counting my many blessing! I am so very grateful for my family and friends and all the wonderful people I have met through scrapbooking who have enriched my life. You all mean the world to me!

I am a very lucky girl.

Today is a busy day here on the blog, as I’ve got lots of fun things to share with you. For Prickely Pear Monday, the team has come up with some amazing new card ideas that will definitely get you in the holiday spirit.

I created a serene, nature-scene card using an adorable bird from the Birdcage Winter 2 Clear Stamps Set and the Birdcage Die.

I love this fun woodland paper from We R Memory Keepers Autumn Splendor collection. Thought the forest of trees would make a fun background for my little bird. I simply cut a portion of one tree trunk and used it as the branch for my bird to sit on. I die cut the bird, then stamped it in brown ink and colored with pencils and Gamsol. Popped him on the branch with foam adhesive for depth. Stamped the holly bough in brown ink on a separate piece of cardstock, colored it, fussy cut it out, and added it to the branch.

Then for even more depth, I added two large holly leaves die cut from the Holly and Berries Die. Stamped the matching holly image from the Holly and Berries Clear Stamps Set and added them to the branch along with a grosgrain ribbon bow and button.

For lots more inspiring Prickely Pear projects, be sure to check out the blog today. And just scroll down for more goodies from me today, too. Thanks so much for stopping by. Wishing you all a wonderful day!

Prickely Pear Rubber Stamps November Sketch Challenge

Hi everyone, and happy Tuesday! We are halfway through the month already, and that means it is time for a new sketch challenge over at the Prickely Pear Rubber Stamps blog. This month, we’ve made some new changes to the challenge rules.  No PPRS products are needed to play along, making this challenge open to everyone! The winner will receive a $15 gift certificate to the shop to spend however you chose. I’m so excited about this and hope to see some of you playing along.

Here is this month’s wonderful sketch.

I created a Thanksgiving card using the beautiful Vintage Cornucopia red rubber image from Prickely Pear. The many round fruits pouring from the cornucopia reminded me of the circles on the sketch. I simply rotated the sketch and changed the orientation to better fit the image. Since the cornucopia image starts low on the right and moves upwards to the left, I flipped the sketch to do the same.

I stamped my image in brown ink on natural recycled cardstock and colored with Prismas blended with Gamsol. Kept the colors rather soft for an old-timey vintage look. Fussy cut the cornucopia out and adhered it to the card base on foam dots. Added a bit of my favorite seam binding ribbon and another circle element, a vintage mother-of-pearl button.

Stamped a Thanksgiving sentiment from the Oak and Maple Leaf Clear Stamp Set on kraft cardstock, trimmed it into a banner, and popped it up on foam dots for a bit of dimension. Paper is my very favorite Lunch Bag Kraft Cardstock mixed with lovely green patterns from My Mind’s Eye Lost & Found Christmas. A holiday line, yes, but so beautiful for the fall, too.

I so hope you’ll come and play along with our November Sketch Challenge at the Prickely Pear Rubber Stamp blog. Can’t wait to see what you all do!

And thanks so much for stopping by today. Wishing you all a wonderful day!