I can hardly believe that it’s Wednesday already! The days and weeks are flying by and Christmas and the New Year are going to be here before I am even ready. By now I normally have the house decorated for the holidays and at least have some shopping done – but not this year! I suppose I will need to concentrate on the decorations this weekend since I do have a few things happening here at the house during the holidays. I must admit that I love to decorate for Christmas and can’t bear to take it down until after the first of the year. To me the house is always bare once the decorations are taken down and put away for the year. I am struggling this year though on how to put up a tree (on the floor) and keep the puppies away from it. I’ve thought about a table top tree but can’t find just the right size. A 4-1/2 foot table top tree just doesn’t get it for the main tree in the house – especially for someone who has put up at least three trees for the last few years. Oh well, I’m sure I’ll end up with the 7-foot tree on the floor and get after the pups every time they get near it!

One good thing however, is that I went through my recently made cards and realize that I’m getting close to having what I need for the Holidays. WOO HOO! AND, I can add one more in the box – I checked the Splitcoast Sketch Challenge this morning and what a fun layout. Roxie always comes up with something new and fun – I don’t know how she does it week after week. Anyhoo, here’s my card for today’s challenge.

I wanted to try this image from Gina K. Designs using Copic markers instead of water coloring as I did before. Even though I love to watercolor, the colors and shading achieved with the Copics makes the images take on a different look. For the snow, I painted on some Tulip White Puffy Paint and then sprinkled on some glitter (well, a whole lot of glitter) and set it aside to dry. I used some scraps of BasicGrey Figgy paper for the small panels (as if I don’t have enough scraps of this paper by now) and Always Artichoke for the panel underneath. The edges of all the panels (except the main back panel) were sponged with distress ink. Once I had the card completely assembled, I puffed the Tulip paint with a heat gun. Oh, and as you can tell, I flipped the sketch to fit the image.

Stamps: Got Snow? From Gina K. Designs

Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, SU Soft and Always Artichoke, BasicGrey Figgy Pudding

Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black, Tim Holtz Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink, Soft Sky Double-Stitch Ribbon, SU Corner Punch, Brads

Accessories: Copic Markers, Tulip White Puffy Paint, Diamond Gold Ultra-Fine Glitter

Good Monday morning! My house is finally back to normal after the long Holiday weekend. Lance is finally back at work and Mallory is back at school. I didn’t realize how much I enjoy my quiet days during the week until they were all home at once. Don’t get me wrong, I love when everyone is together, but I also love the “ME” time I have during the days.

Yesterday afternoon, after Mallory had left and football was on the television, I headed in to stamp. I’ve had these adorable little tins from Gina K. Designs for weeks now and I’ve been wanting to do something with them. How nice it was to work on a project just for the heck of it.

To coordinate the set, I used BasicGrey Fruitcake paper and some new May Arts Ribbon that I just got from Jacksonbelle Embellishments.

I used the Punchy Words from Gina K. Designs for the card, coloring the stamp with Old Olive and Ruby Red makers. The edges of all the paper were sponged with distress ink. Ranger Liquid Pearls were added to each scallop, just because I wanted, and each layer of the sentiment is raised on mounting tape. My first instinct was to add antique copper brads (my favorite), but then realized that in order for the card to match the tin, I needed silver.

I cut strips of the Fruitcake paper. The bottom strip is 1″ wide and the strip around the lid is 5/8″ wide. The edges were sponged with the distress ink. The strips were then wrapped and fastened around the tin. I fastened the ribbon on the back of the tin with a little piece of double-stick tape and then tied off on the front in a bow. The sentiment on the top is from the Festive Labels set.

Stamps: Punchy Words and Festive Labels from Gina K. Designs

Paper: SU Ruby Red and Old Olive, BasicGrey Fruitcake

Ink: SU Ruby Red and Old Olive, Tim Holtz Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink

Accessories: May Arts Ribbon, Brads, Ranger Liquid Pearls, Various Punches, Mounting Tape, Sponge Dauber, Alterable Silver Tin from Gina K. Designs

As it has turned out, we are home today. We decided last night after watching the Weather Channel that we may want to shop just in case. Luckily we were able to find a fresh turkey breast and some other trimmings. This morning around 6:00 a.m., we made the decision to stay home. The weather in the Chicago region was not conducive for us traveling up I-65 and then turning around and coming home tonight. I made early morning phone calls and my mother and my aunt are now coming for dinner. I feel so much better knowing they will be with us this Holiday.

The turkey breast is in the oven now and I had an opportunity to check on Julia’s Ways to Use it Challenge on Splitcoast. It is such a fun one and heaven knows is right up my alley – stitching! Machine stitching, faux stitching, stitching stamps, stitching rub-ons, hand stitching…anything goes. I decided today that I could use one of the newer releases from Gina K. Designs – Got Snow.

The image was stamped on watercolor paper and then colored with Tim Holtz Distress Ink reinkers. The background paper, BasicGrey Dasher, is machine stitched to a layer of cardstock to match the card base. The edges of the image and the background were sponged in Vintage Photo Distress Ink. To create some added dimension to the image, I applied a small amount of Liquid Applique around the sled and the trees.

Stamps: Got Snow from Gina K. Designs

Paper: Watercolor, SU Old Olive and Soft Sky, BasicGrey Dasher

Ink: Palette Noir Black, Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink

Accessories: Sewing Machine, Distress Ink Reinkers, Liquid Applique, May Arts Ribbon, Watercolor Brush, Mounting Tape, Brads

I hope each and everyone of you have a wonderful holiday!

Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a great week so far and is looking forward to the weekend. I have a community service project tomorrow afternoon for Sorority and am looking forward to participating. We are boxing up items to send to our Service Men in Iraq. Of course, I still need to shop for some items, but I can get that done in the morning. If anyone has any ideas other than the typical books, magazines, toiletry items, please post a comment and let me know. One thing they requested was Ramen Noodles – we were all quite surprised, but after thinking about it, it did make sense. So anyhoo, I would love to have some other suggestions.

Yesterday I was able to get a few cards stamped just for fun and with my luck, none of them fit the Splitcoast Challenge today. One almost did, but I added just a few too many embellishments. Today’s Limited Supply Challenge is one embellishment or designer paper only. It is to only have one or two stamps - one of them a heart, and have limited layers.

You all know how much I love the new Way to Go by Gina K. Designs. Well an idea hit me this morning and I just had to RUN with it! There are just way too many possibilities with this set. I stamped the toilet bowl image and then stamped a heart. Colored them both with Copic Markers, cut a small slit in the water and slid the heart in. The sentiment, You Make My Heart Overflow, was typed on the computer (my specialty tool of choice) – hehe I just kill myself sometimes! Oh the joys of being BAD!

Stamps: Way to Go by Gina K. Designs, SU Love Matters

Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, SU Pretty in Pink and Basic Black

Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black

Accessories: Copic Markers, Ribbon, Mounting Tape, Computer (to generate sentiment), Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen

Sometimes a card just HAS to be made! This was the predicament I found myself in yesterday - do I make it or do I not? Jeanne sent me her idea for the JBWW Challenge this week – use a sentiment that is not a stamp, one that is either handwritten or computer generated. She opened the door me, and I really couldn’t help myself. The card had to be made!

I’ve had this idea running in my twisted, warped mind ever since I saw the Way to Go set by Gina K. Designs. I even told Kim of My Favorite Things about my idea and she kind of laughed - then said “that’s funny.” So in my attempt to be fair for all the Design Teams I’m on, I even threw in some Lizzie Anne Designs. It really is not my stamping choice to mix companies like this, BUT this card HAD to be made. The sets demand it, there is no other choice, and my mind could not let it go. I give you my sample for the JBWW Challenge – A Swirlin’ Birthday!

I stamped the toilet bowl from Way to Go by Gina K. Designs and the teacher from Back to School by My Favorite Things, and colored them with Copic markers. After layering the toilet bowl image, I cut a small slit in the middle of the seat, and stuck the teacher through to the back. There is a small piece of mounting tape on the back of her skirt, to hold her in place and to add a little dimension. For the background, I printed out my sentiment on a piece of Barely Banana cardstock, cut it to size, and then stamped in Versamark, one of the swirl images from So Swirly by Lizzie Anne Designs. Get it – swirl, so swirly, swirlin’ – BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, oh I slay myself! I added the photo corners, some black doodles and a little bit of ribbon to finish off the card.

Stamps: Way to Go by Gina K. Designs, Back to School by My Favorite Things, So Swirly by Lizzie Anne Designs

Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, SU Barely Banana and Buckaroo Blue

Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black, Versamark

Accessories: Copic Markers, Photo Corner Punch, Computer to generate sentiment, Mounting Tape, Ribbon, Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen

Now for the JBWW Challenge. As I stated earlier, before I got so carried away with my card, the challenge today is to to make your own phrase using the computer or writing it out yourself. Any image, any theme, just get creative with your phrases and have fun!!! If you upload to your SCS Gallery, please use the keyword JBWW. Please post a link to either your gallery or your blog here on my blog, or on Jeanne’s. Can’t wait to see what you create today!