Year in Review Part 4

Our last look back at 2010.  We hope it was as good of a year for you as it was for us, and wish you even more joy and happiness in 2011.  Start the year off on the right foot by joining us for cards and cookies throughout January!  We have lots of dates available for hostesses, and both thank you and valentine cards ready to go, so send us an email to sign right up.  Can't wait to hear from you.  Cheers!

October 2010--Luminous Boxes  This reminds me that I want to make more of these!  

Maybe in time for NYE dinner, if I'm lucky...

Bonus Highlight from October: Kiran became a demonstrator.  Woohoo!

November 2010--Have a Seat and Celebrate!  Such a cute card...

and one that is bound to get lots of use as good friends get engaged.

December 2010--Sparkly Medallion  

We also had a blast playing holiday BINGO with you, and hope you enjoyed that too!

Year in Review Part 3

Our stamping picked up as life slowed down (barely) during the summer months.  Cheers!

July 2010--Three Little Owls  Actually, I love all the cards from July, but this is the most-viewed post ever on our blog, so it seems perfect for the year-in-review spot.

August 2010--Better Late Than Never  Still love Fox and Friends, don't you?

September 2010--The Holiday Mini is HERE!!!  I still love this card...and this year's holiday mini.  

Get your last-minute orders in--you have until January 3rd, but then it will be all gone!

Year in Review Part 2

More favorites, though these were lean months for blog posting.  Cheers!

April 2010--Crazy Circle Circus  Such a fun card to make, and so easy to reproduce!

May 2010--Happy Mother's Day  All texture, all the time.

June 2010--Bold Bright Wedding Invite 

Year in Review Part 1

At the start of 2010, I set a goal of blogging 3x per week.  While Kiran and I haven't exactly made that mark, we have had a wonderful time sharing our projects and our love of stamping with you.  We'll be back with all-new cards and ideas starting January 1st.  For the final days of 2010, we hope you'll enjoy a look back at some of our favorite posts.  Cheers!

January 2010--Bella Always  A lovely card inspired by Gretchen's creativity.

February 2010--Rub-ons for Everything!  Kiran's dresser is still one of our all-time favorite projects. 

It now stores Kiran's stamp collection--how perfect!

March 2010--Yes, We Do Invitations...  Still love this super-cute baby shower invitation...and all the furry friends in Fox and Friends.

Sneak Peek of Future Fun

Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope you are having a fun-filled holiday with family and friends, and that all your wishes will come true.  We had a winner yesterday, as the star gave Carol Bingo in two different directions...but since this is Christmas, I think we should keep playing for one more day.  Today's piece is the tree.  Good luck!

This card is a sneak peek of the fun things to come in the Occasions Mini catalog.  As I mentioned yesterday, I love two-step stamping for the layered look it gives, and I'm quickly becoming a huge fan of the builder punches.  (Check out previous posts with the bird and owl punches)  When you combine two-step stamps and a builder punch, you have a real winner!  That's exactly how I feel about the Build A Blossom options in the upcoming mini--keep your eyes peeled for its release on January 4th.

Also, check back tomorrow for the final notes on Bingo.  Have a very merry Christmas, everyone!
Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Build a Blossom
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Rose Red, Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi
Paper: Wild Wasabi, Rose Red, Daffodil Delight, Brights Patterns Stack
Extras: Blossom Petals punch, 1/2" Circle punch

Blast from the Past

We're getting right down to the wire.  Today's bingo piece is the star...and you're playing for a complete card kit that includes stamps, ink and cardstock pre-cut for your creative fun.  Anyone lucky?

This card is something I whipped up quickly...because I found a scrap that I had stamped long ago with A Rose is a Rose.  I love how two-step stamps give such a rich, layered look.  TIPS:  Always start with the solid image in the lighter color, and build from there.  Use a post-it to mask and layer flowers over leaves, etc.

Since I had already done the hard work of stamping, the only thing I did to make this card was carefully cut out the flowers using my Paper Snips, and adhere them to a card base.  The trimming is a little fussy, but well worth the effort, I think.

For those of you celebrating, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Eve.
Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: A Rose is a Rose
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Green Galore, Glorious Green
Paper: Whisper White, Close to Cocoa
Extras: Paper Snips, Stamp-a-majig

Sparkly Pine Redux

Here is my CASE of Kelli Lichentenberg's Regionals swap card, which I absolutely love.  Now that I know how to use Dazzling Diamonds, I thought I should try my hand at making my own.  How do they compare?

For this, I used Old Olive Craft ink, which is much thicker and stickier than the Classic ink pads, so I didn't need Versamark at all.  I dusted the Heat and Stick powder over the Old Olive tree, heated it, dusted everything with Dazzling Diamonds, and heated it again for a shine that won't rub off.  After I finished that, I realized that Kelli must have used a different adhesive on her card, since the color of the tree shines through more brightly in her version.  All the same, I really like how this turned out, and it was very simple to do!

The finishing touches are nearly the same as Kelli's--Serene Snowflakes in Old Olive on Whisper White, then embossed using the Big Shot and Square Lattice embossing folder.  The only alteration to her great layout that I made was to inch the tree a little higher, and use the Modern Label punch to pop out my sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

I hope you're ready for Christmas!  Today's bingo piece is the yellow bell.  Good luck!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Lovely As A Tree, Serene Snowflakes, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Old Olive, Old Olive Craft
Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White
Extras: Heat and Stick Powder, Dazzling Diamonds, heat tool, Big Shot, Square Lattice embossing folder, Modern Label punch

Sparkles from the Loft

I spent a few hours today at the Loft, and they were jam-packed with stamping fun!  Every time I visit, I come armed with a list of new things I want to see, try, and learn.  At the top of my list this time was Dazzling Diamonds, because I so loved the look of the fabulous sparkling pine card from regionals.

Check out that sparkle!!  Dazzling Diamonds really delivers the bling, and it is very easy to do.  For this card, we first stamped the focal piece with Serene Snowflakes in Pink Pirouette, Rose Red, and Basic Grey, then inked the entire piece with Versamark.  Next, we coated the piece with Heat and Stick powder (another great adhesive option), and used the heat tool to warm it.  TIP: You just need it warm enough that the colors look bright--don't go too far or you'll singe the paper!

Next, we coated the paper with Dazzling Diamonds and used the heat tool to reheat the Heat and Stick powder and adhere the diamonds to the paper.  That's all!  Unlike using glue and glitter, this won't come off your card...but it sure does shine!

Today's Bingo piece is the spearmint.  Good luck!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Serene Snowflakes
Ink: Rose Red, Pink Pirouette, Basic Grey, Versamark
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Basic Grey, Whisper White
Extras: Heat and Stick powder, Dazzling Diamonds, heat tool, Pink Pirouette taffeta ribbon

Can't Get Enough of Embossing!

Here is another one of the birthday cards--though this could easily work well for Chinese New Year (place your orders now!)  In case you haven't guessed, my customer's favorite color is red, so there was a definite theme for the cards.

After making this great silver medallion last week, I decided I should try gold against Cherry Cobbler.  Talk about a rich and wonderful combination!  The center medallion is from Artistic Etchings, stamped in Cherry Cobbler on Whisper White, and then mounted on Basic Black.  I used my Circle Scissors Plus and Glass Mat to cut out the circle pieces, and that was it.  No sentiment on this card, so that it can be used for any occasion.  It also has Valentine possibilities...though I won't be using it for that.

Today's bingo piece is the holly.  Good luck!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Medallion, Artistic Etchings
Ink: Versamark, Cherry Cobbler
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black, Whisper White
Extras: Gold embossing powder, heat tool, Circle Scissors Plus, Glass Mat

Mod Birthday

I'm late posting today, so I'll cut right to the chase.  Today's Bingo piece is the gingerbread man.  Good luck!

This is another of the birthday cards that I designed over the weekend.  Poppy Parade forms the base of this card, and I stamped the daisy silhouette in Poppy Parade as well for a nice tone-on-tone look.  This is a one stamp set card, since the sentiment is also from Upsy Daisy, and I used a color combination from the Color Coach--Poppy Parade, Sahara Sand, and Night of Navy.  To make the sentiment really stand out, and give this card its mod finish, I used the Modern Label, Designer Label and Decorative Label punches.

Cheers!

~Melanie

Stamps: Upsy Daisy

Ink: Poppy Parade, Night of Navy

Paper: Poppy Parade, Sahara Sand, Night of Navy

Extras: Modern Label punch, Designer Label punch, Decorative Label punch

French Birthday

Here's another one of the birthday cards I made yesterday.  Artistic Etchings has a great stamp of the Eiffel Tower..that I didn't know what to do with.  This was my first attempt, and I'm looking for more ideas, so please send them my way!

I paired the tower with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, which adds some lovely texture to that piece of Cherry Cobbler.  The final touch is the birthday greeting from Well Scripted (now retired) punched out with the Designer Label extra-large punch.  

This afternoon's bingo piece is Santa's hat.  Good luck--both with Bingo, and with your last weekend day of holiday prep!

Cheers!

~Melanie

Stamps: Artistic Etchings, Well Scripted (retired)

Ink: Basic Black

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black, Whisper White

Extras: Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Designer Label punch

Simple Birthday

It's another double Bingo Sunday, so stay tuned for another post, another card, and another Bingo piece late this afternoon.  This morning's piece is the snowflake.

One of the zillion things I did yesterday was make a stack of birthday cards to fill an order, and I just love how this one turned out.  It's just cute and simple...and my secret is that I did NOT use the Stamp-a-majig.  That's easy to do with clear mount stamps--but it's not easy to make a straight line.  My secret is that punched red square, which I can use to cover the square that's most out of line.  No one will ever know!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Cute by the Inch, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Real Red, Early Espresso
Paper: Crumb Cake, Real Red
Extras: 1-1/4" Square punch

Festive Pine

Here's another swap card from the Baltimore Regional--this one was made by Kelli Lichtenberg, and it's a monochromatic beauty!  And do you see that sparkle on the tree?  Kelli used something I haven't had the courage to try yet--Dazzling Diamands--and it really paid off!

This simple card uses Old Olive and Whisper White paper, three stamp sets (Serene Snowflakes, Lovely as a Tree, Sincere Salutations) and embossing with the Big Shot and square lattice folder for the textured snowflake base--I just love how this makes the white layers look different.  She punched her greeting with the wide oval punch, and those are all the secrets.

Who's been saying "c'mon figure skate"?  Today's your lucky day--our next bingo piece is the figure skate.  Good luck!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Serene Snowflakes, Lovely as a Tree, Sincere Salutations
Ink: Old Olive
Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White,
Extras: Big Shot, Square Lattice embossing folder, Heat and Stick powder, Dazzling Diamonds, heat tool, Wide Oval punch

Sparkly Medallion

This is just one of those cards that wows in person, and my inspiration comes directly from the winners of the Paper Pal Arts challenge for white on white announced yesterday--this card, made by Andrea Ewen, jumped up and begged to be CASEd.

This also gave me an excuse to break out some of my favorite things--the Medallion stamp, Basic Rhinestones and Pearls, Snow Swirled (which had yet to see ink this year!), and silver embossing powder.  Kiran used the Medallion for her holiday cards last year, but I had yet to do so.  I don't know why I waited so long--it's the perfect giant snowflake.

For the step-by-step, here's how I made this card.  Don't be deceived by the bling; it's really very simple!

--Stamp Medallion in VersaMark on Baja Breeze card base.  Then coat in Silver embossing powder, tap off the excess, and set using the heat tool.
--On a 1-3/4" circle of White Naturals, stamp the large snowflake from Snow Swirled in Baja Breeze.  Then ink "celebrate" in Baroque Burgundy and center it over the snowflake.
--Apply Basic Rhinestones and Basic Pearls liberally--use the dots of the Medallion and snowflake as your guide.
--Use dimensionals to pop the snowflake on the center of the Medallion.
--Need another sentiment?  I'm not sure I did, but I still inked "Peace on Earth" (from Four the Holidays) in Marina Mist, and embellished that with a line of Basic Pearls.

That's it!  Though this isn't the card I'll be sending this year, I think this is ripe for mass production.  Perhaps next year...

Today's bingo piece is the mittens.  Good luck!
Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Medallion, Snow Swirled, Fabulous Phrases, Four the Holidays
Ink: VersaMark, Baja Breeze, Marina Mist
Paper: Baja Breeze, White Naturals
Extras: Circle Scissors Plus, Glass Mat, Silver embossing powder, heat tool, Basic Pearls, Basic Rhinestones, dimmensionals

Sweet and Simple Wedding Invite

Today's Bingo piece is the snowman!  Did I mention that I love that guy?  I do.

Today's project is not for the holidays, but I needed a break.  This is by far the simplest wedding invitation that I've designed--and that works for me, since I'll be making lots of these!  A. and V. are planning a small, simple garden wedding and wanted invitations to match, but in bright colors that would match their spirits.  I made this demo just because I wanted to play with the Wedding Sweet set, but they loved it.  And why wouldn't they?  It's hard not to love silver heat embossing.

The invitation is flat, so this is the back.  The belly band holds together any inserts that they may want, like RSVP cards or directions.  It also makes it feel like you're "opening" the invitation, even though there's nothing to unfold.  The initials are from Monogram Sweet, and stamped in Night of Navy on White Naturals.  I used the Wide Oval punch to pop the initials, and mounted that on the Decorative Label punch from the holiday mini.

This is the back of the invitation, where the actual text will go.  Since this is a flat invite, I opted for three layers to make it feel more sturdy, and used my Corner Rounder punch on each layer for an easy, polished look.  What do you think?

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Wedding Sweet, Monogram Sweet
Ink: VersaMark, Night of Navy
Paper: Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, White Naturals
Extras: Decorative Label punch, Wide Oval punch, Corner Rounder punch, Silver embossing powder, heat tool

Textured Snowflakes

Great news--we have two more winners in Bingo!  Both Cassie and Divya hit the (very small) holiday jackpot with yesterday's post.  Congrats ladies!  Leave a comment to let me know what color you'd like your medallion in, and what initial I should use.

For everyone else, this means it's time to reset your Bingo cards again.  Clear off all the marks from the last two rounds, and check off the candle as the first piece in this round.  Good luck!

Today's card features a new technique--embedded elements.  I stamped the blue snowflakes in Pacific Point on Baja Breeze, using the Northern Hearts hostess set, and then cut out some additional snowflakes in Very Vanilla using my trusty Big Shot and the Northern Flurry decorative strip die.  For the first time, I used the adhesive backing for my paper before die-cutting it, and the result was just wonderful--I didn't get adhesive all over my table, and the snowflakes were very easy to position.  I like this!

Once I had everything in place, I used my Big Shot with the Square Lattice embossing folder to give the whole thing texture.  It's such a simple process, but the results are outstanding.  The Vanilla snowflakes get pressed together with the base paper so that it looks like they melted right into it.

I mounted my textured piece on Perfect Plum, but was at a loss for a sentiment (or where to put it).  Any suggestions?

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Northern Hearts
Ink: Pacific Point
Paper: Perfect Plum, Baja Breeze
Extras: Big Shot, Northern Flurry decorative strip die, Square Lattice embossing folder

Monograms for the Holidays

Our next bingo winner will get a set of these simple monogram cards (on the right).  Since I don't know who will win yet, I made this one with a K for Kiran, and in her favorite color, green.  Of course, my favorite color is purple, and that inspired the congratulations card on the left.  Both of these are on a 4.25x4.25" base of Very Vanilla, and were quick and easy to make with the clear mount stamps.  If I had these in wood-mount, I'd have to use the stamp-a-majig...which is a great tool, but doesn't make for quick cards.

Well Scripted is the perfect set to match the lovely designs from Artistic Etchings--I wish they'd carried this stamp with its fantastic font over from the Occasions Mini!  Sadly, you can't get your hands on this set any more, but I'd be happy to let you use mine if you come over to stamp.

Today's bingo piece is the cardinal.  Good luck!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Congratulations and Happy Birthday cards:
Stamps: Artistic Etchings, Well Scripted (ret)
Ink: Perfect Plum, Basic Black
Paper: Very Vanilla

Monogram Card
Stamps: Artistic Etchings
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Early Espresso
Paper: Very Vanilla

Scenic Season

You saw Dasher earlier on Kiran's holiday card for this year, but I wanted to play with this great single stamp as well (it costs less than $10, and gets lots of mileage).  For this card, I paired Dasher with a stand of three pines from Plant Hope, a nice set for tree lovers.  I embossed Dasher in gold, which entirely covers the stamping underneath and eliminates the need for masking.  The finishing touch to this simple card is the holiday greeting from Four the Holidays.

This evening's bingo piece is the holly.  In case you missed my earlier post, there were two bingo pieces today--be sure to scroll down so you mark them all.

Cheers!

~Melanie

Stamps: Four the Holidays, Plant Hope, Dasher

Ink: Early Espresso, Garden Green, VersaMark

Paper: Crumb Cake

Extras: Gold embossing powder, heat tool

Digital Snow

The holiday festivities took hold yesterday, and left me without any time to post the bingo piece!  So it's double or nothing today: I'm posting this morning, and again in the afternoon.  Be sure to keep checking!

This morning's bingo piece is the jingle bell.

This morning's card is another My Digital Studio creation.  I saw this quote in a magazine, and thought it would be perfect for a winter card.  It's exactly how I feel when it snows...though I've had no luck yet.  Rain today--blech.

This is the perfect time of year to use My Digital Studio...especially if you're behind on making your holiday cards!  In just a few minutes, you can put together a beautiful card that's easily personalized to your taste and style, and can even feature your own pictures...like this one from a snowy winter gone by.

Stampin' Up! just released new downloads with holiday layouts and elements for your cards.  Let me know if you need to get some.

Cheers!
~Melanie

Ingredients: My Digital Studio, holiday cheer

Holiday Gratitude

This is another card I received as a swap, but sadly I don't know who made it because there's no name on the back.  I want to share it with you though, because I think this is so clever--taking a fall/Thanksgiving stamp and remaking it for the holidays with those classic colors red and green.  Simple and easy!  It's inspired me to give this a try, and re-think a number of my stamp sets.  Stay tuned!

Today's bingo piece is....the present.  Hope you're getting close!  And stay tuned for holiday present ideas--I have a busy weekend ahead.

Cheers!
Melanie

Stamps: Day of Gratitude, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Real Red, Garden Green
Paper: Real Red, Garden Green, Whisper White, Shimmer White
Extras: Big Shot, Polka Dots embossing folder, Scallop Square die, Paper Snips, Basic Rhinestone

Ornamental Holiday Greetings

Since we watched Gremlins to get in the holiday spirit last night (yes, take that in), I didn't have any time to stamp.  This clean and simple card was made by fellow demonstrator Rae Richardson, and I received it in the swap at the Baltimore Regional.  Kiran and I got lots of great cards--and great ideas!--that day.

Today's bingo piece is the candy cane.  Yum!

Now that you've been playing along for a while, I want to take a few minutes to explain what this stamping thing is all about.  First and foremost, this is my hobby and I love it!  Unlike my work, I can sit down and do something from start to finish in under 15 minutes.  That alone is very satisfying.  This also lets me be a little more creative than I am normally...I was one of those kids who always wanted a big art kit for Christmas, but let's face it, I can't draw.  Stamping is a nice middle ground, and it's also a great way to keep in touch with my friends without raiding Hallmark (as I used to).

As much fun as I have creating on my own, it's always more fun to make cards with others.  Kiran and I have spent many fantastic hours together, chatting and stamping and comparing new ideas.  Sadly, those hours are few and far between now.  Sigh.  But I've also met lots of new people through stamping, every time someone has hosted a card party in their home or with their friends.  I'd love to meet some new people in Philly, and Kiran is hoping to make more friends in Jersey.  Would you be interested in hosting a workshop?

How does a workshop work?  Well, it's really simple and really fun.  As the hostess, you gather together a group of friends for a few hours of crafty fun and you provide the snacks.  You and I work together to decide what project you'd like to do with your friends--it could be a card, or decor elements, or a scrapbook page, or a 3-D object; there are plenty of options.  Then I bring everything we need to get started, and help everyone along the way.  Each of your guests makes their own project, and keeps it at the end of the workshop.  Everyone has a chance to order stamp, inks and paper of their own, but there's no obligation to do that.  The main goal is to have fun and unleash a little creative energy.  Even if you never wanted an art kit, you'd be surprised what you can make and how much fun you'll have!  If you're at all interested, send us an email to set up a workshop for after the holidays, when our focus will be thank you, valentine, and birthday cards.

The other thing that Kiran and I do, and are doing lots more of this year, is design and make wedding, shower, and general party invitations.  This is also great fun, but I'll talk about that another time.

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Sincere Salutations
Ink: Cherry Cobbler
Paper: Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Jolly Holiday DSP
Extras: Old Olive Taffeta ribbon, Ornament Punch, Big Shot, Perfect Details Texture Plates

Snowman Mojo

As I mentioned, I love snowmen.  I also prefer snow, especially if it's going to be this cold, but no luck yet.  The good news is that I head North for Christmas, and you can always count on a white blanket in the snow belt.  Whew!

This card uses the same sketch as yesterday's winking Santa--can you tell?  I used the Mojo Monday sketch 168, and my interpretation is a bit more literal this time...though it's still not an exact match.  But that's ok; sketches are for inspiration and this one has my creative juices flowing!  I stamped the snowman from Jolly Old Saint Nick in Pacific Point (my favorite shade of blue) on White Naturals, then inked the snowflakes from the same set in Bashful Blue for the background base of the card.  My sentiment is from Snow Swirled, a long time favorite, and the fun finishing pieces are the Bashful Blue ribbon (retired, sorry), Whisper White snowflakes cut out using the Big Shot and Northern Flurry decorative strip, and five Basic Rhinestones that I lined up with the Mat Pack guide.

A quick note about adhesives--you might have overlooked it, but there's a fantastic new addition to Stampin' Up!'s line-up on page 17 of the Holiday Mini.  Big Shot Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets are just the thing for adhering oddly shaped pieces to your cards and scrapbook pages.  You can either adhere the entire sheet to your paper before running it through the Big Shot, or press a cut piece (as I did with these snowflakes) between the backing paper and the glue to get them nice and sticky.  This is the perfect alternative to snail for die cuts and paper strips that are too thin.  It makes things much easier, and really cuts down on the use of the adhesive eraser!  Be sure to give these a try; you're bound to love them!

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for.  Today's bingo piece is...the ornament.  Good luck!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Jolly Old Saint Nick, Snow Swirled
Ink: Pacific Point, Bashful Blue
Paper: Pacific Point, White Naturals, Whisper White
Extras: Big Shot, Northern Flurry decorative strip die, Basic Rhinestones, Mat Pack, Bashful Blue Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon (retired)

We Have a Winner!

Actually, we have two!!  Congratulations to Kristi and Rosie, who both got bingo yesterday.  Their prizes are going in the mail this morning, and bingo starts again.  This means it's time to reset your cards: clear off all the marks, change your ink color, make a new copy or whatever you're doing to keep track.  We're starting fresh today.

Today's card is a very traditional Christmas card, but also very fun.  I can't stamp this Santa enough!  And since I was using this week's sketch from Mojo Monday, I also had to use some of my favorite new things: Glimmer Brads for a sparkly pop of red and green, and the Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding for that nice strip of red.

Since I was using new favorites, I also got out some old favorites--the retired hostess set Best Yet, and my large oval punch.  I also used dimensionals to lift Santa and the sentiment off the page.

I hope you like the card, and that you're ready for today's Bingo piece.  It's the reindeer.  This should now be the only space marked on your card...along with the free space, of course.  Good luck!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Jolly Old Saint Nick, Best Yet
Ink: Cherry Cobbler
Paper: White Naturals, Cherry Cobbler, Wild Wasabi
Extras: In Color Glimmer Brads, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, Large Oval Punch, dimensionals

Decor for the Holidays

One of my top priorities for the weekend was to make the apartment festive--decorations were in order.  So I thought I'd share a snapshot of my tree--with its cute snowman ornaments.  As requested, I promise some snowmen projects soon.

In the meantime, today's bingo piece is...the tree.  How fitting!

After the tree, I put up some decor elements.  I took down the fall wreath and replaced it with the leftover snowflakes from Jackie's decor party.  Remember the holiday plate I made earlier?  Well, I used some of the other GIANT snowflakes to decorate our door for the holidays.  A quick and easy way to spruce things up for the holidays.

I also put up these ornaments (on the left), which are now retired.  It was very quick and easy, and now that corner feels just as festive as the one with the (3 foot) tree.  Decor Elements are just great--easy to put up, and just as easy to take down when the time comes.  They adhere directly to the wall, but won't hurt wallpaper, paint, or wood.  If you'd like to see more about how to use Decor Elements, see this great post by Kiran--it's full of useful tips!

I wonder if it will snow soon?

Cheers!
~Melanie

Gift Tag Set

Today's bingo piece is...the snowman!  I must admit, he's my favorite, but I'm partial to snowmen.

The project I'm sharing today is another quick and easy project, thanks to Stampin' Up!'s Simply Scrappin' kits.  Each year, the Idea Book and Catalog has a holiday-themed kit, which includes everything you need to make nicely coordinated scrapbook pages of the holidays: four patterns of designer series paper, coordinating cardstock, and six sheets of self-adhesive die cuts.  I love these things...though I've yet to make a scrapbook with them!  For me, these are a perfect little kit of cardmaking essentials.

Of course, I hadn't actually used my Simply Scrappin' kits from the last two years, so these cards were made from the retired Christmas Jingle kit.  These four cards measure 3x3, and are perfect for gift tags, a quick note with baked goods for your neighbors, or to stick in lunch sacks and book bags for some extra holiday cheer.

I didn't even do any stamping for these!  The images on each card are from the die cut sheets, which essentially made this a sticker project.  Who doesn't like stickers, especially when they look this nice?

For the Dec. 25 box, I used my Big Shot and the Scallop Envelope die.  I cut two of the envelopes, then trimmed the long flap on each down to 1/2".  This way, they fit together perfectly to form a thin box that four cards and four envelopes fit into.  It's a quick and simple gift for a friend, a co-worker, a party hostess, a teacher.  I'm making up a number of these card boxes, both for the holidays and beyond, because these are also the perfect size for stocking stuffers.

In case you're close on Bingo, I'll give a set of these, along with some gift card holders and other gift giving essentials, to the winner of the first round.  Good luck!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Simply Scrappin' Christmas Jingle (retired), Big Shot, Scallop Envelope die, Crease Pad

If I didn't make Bingo cards...

Drumroll please...I just drew the wreath as today's bingo piece.  Mark your cards!

So, If I didn't make Bingo cards, what would I do with the Jolly Bingo Bits stamp set?  Oh, so many things!  First up is this simple holiday card, which is quick and easy to make.  Using grid paper, I lined up the stamps I wanted to use (cardinal, Santa, poinsettia) so that they were even and evenly spaced, then  pressed the clear mount block onto the stamps, so I knew they'd be just right when I put stamp to paper.  Next, I inked all three up with Cherry Cobbler (this is why I chose three symbols that could be red) and stamped them onto a 4x5.25" piece of Whisper White.  I added the Happy Holidays sentiment from Four the Holidays in Wild Wasabi, and was almost done.

Then I decided that it would be too plain this way, so I jazzed it up by adding two rows of paper piercing using the Mat Pack and Paper Piercer tool.  I also got out the Scallop Trim Corner punch to add a little interest before adhering the white to a card base of Cherry Cobbler.  Quick and simple!  That's another thing I love about the Jolly Bingo Bits, and the cards can all be different because there are 24 to choose from.

What combination would you use?  Let me know in the comments.  And don't forget to shout out if you get BINGO!

Cheers!

~Melanie

Stamps: Jolly Bingo Bits, Four the Holidays

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Wild Wasabi

Paper: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler

Extras: Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, Scallop Trim Corner punch

Jolly Santa

Today's bingo piece is...Christmas tree light.  Mark your cards!  Anyone getting close?  :)

I absolutely love this Santa image.  Not only is he jolly, but I swear that this is the same winking Santa face that was in the copy of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas that my Grandfather used to teach me to read.  It's possible that I didn't learn how to read with this book, that maybe I just memorized the poem and "read" it back to Grandpa using the pictures, but let's not be too picky, ok?

For this card, which measures 5x5, I used my Big Shot and Top Note die to make the fun, quasi-star background for Santa.  The trick to getting this funky square is to rote your Top Note 90 degrees after cutting, then cut it again.  I did this with Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, and White Naturals, then trimmed the perforated edge off the white piece with my Paper Snips.  I inked Santa in Riding Hood Red, and that was pretty much it.

But I wasn't satisfied.  So the final touch on this card is a little bit of bling--I used Basic Rhinestones for each of the corners of the Riding Hood Red square.  Now it's a festive card!

Cheers!

~Melanie

Stamps: Jolly Old Saint Nick

Ink: Riding Hood Red

Paper: White Naturals, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Crumb Cake

Extras: Big Shot, Top Note die, Paper Snips, Basic Rhinestones

Sparkly Snowflakes

Today's bingo piece is...the stocking!  Mark your cards.

The card I'm sharing today is definitely not the traditional holiday colors...and that works for me!  It's actually the same colors as this card from Kathy's party, but the combination looks so different when there's so much white space.  I used my Big Shot and the Northern Flurry decorative strip die to cut out these great snowflakes from Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant, and Baja Breeze.  Then I put a few snowflakes into the Color Catcher (an absolute must!  Unless you want a glittery table, that is) and sprayed these with the Smooch Spritz.  I used both Silver Foil and Vanilla Shimmer, and decided that I like the Vanilla Shimmer slightly more than the Silver Foil--it gives the snowflakes a subtle shimmer.  So subtle, in fact, that you might not be able to catch it in the picture.  But trust me, it's there and it's pretty!

The final touch for this card is the sentiment, from Four the Holidays and inked in Rose Red to match the snowflakes.  I just might send this one to a friend who moved South, and probably won't be seeing any snow for Hanukkah this year.

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Four the Holidays
Ink: Rose Red
Paper: Whisper White, Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant, Baja Breeze
Extras: Big Shot, Northern Flurry die, Color Catcher, Vanilla Shimmer & Silver Foil Smooch Spritz

The Game is On!

Welcome to Holiday Bingo!  I hope you have your cards in hand, and that you'll check daily to see what bingo piece to mark off next.  Since everything kicks off today, I thought we should begin with some ground rules or guide lines for how this will work.

• 5 in a row, in any direction (horizontal, vertical, diagonal) counts as BINGO!  When you get 5 in a row, leave us a comment to shout out BINGO and we'll send you an email so you can claim your prize.
• There are prizes!  You'll see these interspersed with other holiday projects, so it's another great reason to check in daily.
• Bingo is continuous until Dec 25, which means we'll start a new round as soon as one ends.  When we have a bingo winner, I'll announce at the top of the post and tell everyone to "reset your cards."  This means you should find a way to keep track of your bingo squares without crossing the whole thing off--maybe hash marks in the corner.  I recommend using different colors of ink for each round, just to make things easier.

If you have questions, just let us know.  The main goal is to have fun, and share some holiday warm-up excitement with each other.  HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Drumroll please...today's bingo piece is...the penguin!

Today's featured project is our blog's new look for December.  I whipped this up last night in My Digital Studio, using a combination of the newest downloads available and stamps that come with the software program.  I love the ornaments of the Tree Trimmings set, which you see on the sides of the blog (and saw on my holiday cards last year), and thought it was the perfect match for the tree decorating silhouette from Welcome Christmas, one of Stampin' Up!'s new stamp sets and digital downloads.  Trust me, I'll be doing more with that stamp!  The snowflakes blowing across our blog header also were included with My Digital Studio...and they're my wishful thinking on this gray, rainy day for some prettier winter weather.

Cheers!
~Melanie

My Digital Studio: Tree Trimmings, Welcome Christmas, Snow Burst, Old Saint Nick