SAVE THE DATE POCKET CARD

Wow!  It's been such a long time since I've posted to my blog.  I've still been checking out all the wonderfully creative papercrafters out there, but I haven't allowed myself the time to actually create for myself.  I apologize for not posting or updating.  Thanks for your patience with me.

A couple months ago, my dear friend Kim asked me to design her Save the Date cards for her upcoming "Diva Christmas Cookie Exchange".  I was very flattered and extremely nervous about her offer.  After much contemplating, I got down to business and created two styles of cards for my dear friend.  One is whimsical.  Yes, this card.  The other card is "diva-esque" with a lot more bling, schmling, diamonds and glitter!  (I'll show that one to you later this week.) 

I used the Owl Occasions stamp set from the Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog for this little pocket card.  I found a tutorial for pocket cards on Splitcoaststampers.  The inside card pulls out to display all the invitation information.  Oh, and have you tried the new Stampin' Up! Core'dinations cardstock.  It's great stuff I'm telling you!  I've used the Early Espresso paired with the Woodgrain Embossing Folder.  I love the woodgrain look especially when you run the sanding block over it!  It gives the effect of a real tree!

I'm going to forego the supplies list this evening.  If you have any questions regarding the supplies used, please contact me.

Thanks for peeking in this evening!  I'll try to not to be a stranger around here.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

I pray all of you are enjoying this Christmas with those that you love.  I will go to my sister's house today to watch my two year old nephew open his presents. Then it's back home for some time with my husband and son.  I'm hoping to enjoy a peaceful Christmas today.  Whatever your plans are today, may God bless you each.

Here's another card that was made during my Christmas card class earlier this month.  This card was inspired by the ever talented Corinne Somerville.

I know it's hard to see, but the trees have Dazzling Diamond glitter on them to make them look snow covered.

Thanks for peeking in on me today!  I'm wishing you each a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2011.

MERRY CHRISTMAS WISHES

Just wanted to share a couple cards we made at my Christmas Card Stamp-A-Stack class. 

The dove card is a remake of card I made last year.  I love that chunky glitter on the dove.

I've seen the snowman card on several blogs and I'm not sure who originally came up with this cute idea.  I think this was one of the class favorites.

I do have another post scheduled for tomorrow.  So be sure to peek in on me.  Sorry I haven't blogged in forever.  That was not my intention this holiday season.

FROSTY THE SNOWMAN

Isn't this snowman just the cutest thing?  I've seen the idea for this gift box using the Big Shot Top Note die on several blogs I visit.  So, I'm not exactly sure who to give the original credit.  I used Angie Juda Kennedy's tutorial for the box.  You can check it out here.   

I needed some bags to put Christmas goodies in for my piano students. They have all been working hard on their Christmas songs this season. I just wanted to show my appreciation to each of them. I purchased some treat size bags of mini M&M's, small boxes of Nerds and different flavors of lip balm to put inside their goodie bags. I hope they like them! I guess I'll find out tomorrow night.

I ran Basic Black and Whisper White card stock through the Big Shot to form the snowman's face and hat.  The brim of the hat was rounded with a SU! corner rounder punch.  Next, I punched out the 5-Petal Flower punch twice on Real Red card stock and once on Garden Green card stock with Summer Sun card stock 1/4" circle punch (retired) circles to make the middle of the poinsettia.  I freehanded the nose and the "coal" pieces for the mouth.  The eyes were made using SU!'s large and small oval punches.  I used a sponge dauber with Pretty in Pink classic ink to create his rosy cheeks.  I also sponged Whisper White craft ink on his hat and nose to give him a more "frosty" look.   I think the rest is fairly self-explanatory.  If you have any questions, just give me a shout.

Well, that's all for me tonight.  My son wants to start a puzzle before he heads off to bed.  Thanks for peeking in on me today!

WELCOME CHRISTMAS

Busy, busy, busy .............  Isn't it that way each Christmas season?  Tonight I wanted to create a fairly simplistic card - nothing too over the top.  And you know what?  I think I accomplished that.  I'm using a sketch from Diva Coffee Break Designs.  It's sketch #147 to be exact.  Here's the sketch layout.  I love playing along with their weekly challenges even

if I don't always complete them within the week.  Plus, I have some exciting news!  I was the picked as the Featured Artist for the Diva Coffee Break Designs Challenge #155.  I was thrilled beyond words!  Okay, enough babbling and on with the card.  I added Stampin' Up!'s Chunky Glitter to my dove image.  I wasn't sure how it would look, but I was pleased with the results.  It just gives it a little somethin' somethin'.  You know what I mean?  To get the poinsettia on this card, I simply used my 5-Petal Flower punch and punched the flower out twice on Real Red card stock and added a dimensional to make it more pronounced.  I also punched the flower out once on Garden Green card stock and cut two of the petals off to get the leaves.  Look closely at the buttons at the top of the card.  Did you notice that I didn't actually thread the buttons with real thread?  I cut small strips of Whisper White card stock and threaded it through each button and attached the strips with mini glue dots on the back of the buttons.  It's so much easier!

Well, that's it for me tonight.  I'm going to check out ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas.  I'm not sure what's being shown tonight, but I enjoy the Christmas shows.  Thanks for peeking in on me today!  If you have previously commented on my posts, I'd like to give you a great big thank you!  Comments are always welcome and so greatly appreciated!

Supplies:  Stamps - Gifts of Christmas, Heard from the Heart; Card Stock - Garden Green, Real Red, Whisper White; Ink - Garden Green, Real Red Marker; Accessories - Playground Buttons (Red), White Chunky Essentials Stampin' Glitter, Earth Elements Brads, 5-Petal Flower Punch, Dimensionals, Paper Piercer, Mini Glue Dots

Christmas Wreath

There is nothing like a Christmas wreath on the front door to say, "Come on in and stay for a while!" Here's yet another 10 for $10 Christmas class card. Again, this is not my original idea. It came directly from the Stampin' Up! Demonstrator website. We demonstrators know that there are all kinds of great ideas posted on the Demonstrator website and these ideas are a tremendous help!

Believer it or not the wreath wasn't even made with a Christmas stamp set. It was made using the Autumn Days stamp set pictured to the left! How clever is that?? It was made using the stamp to the left of the pine cones. Yes, the one with the berries on it. Just simply ink the stamp up and rotate your cardstock in a circle using Old Olive ink first, then Always Artichoke ink on the next layer and lastly Real Red ink on the top layer.

Tomorrow starts the beginning of Stampin' Up!'s ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA sale offered through November 30th. Be on the lookout for amazing discounts offered on wonderful Stampin' Up! products. For more information, check it out here on Monday morning.

That's all for me today. Thanks for peeking in on me!

Supplies: Stamps - Autumn Days, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper - Real Red, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Natural Ivory; Ink - Real Red, Always Artichoke, Old Olive; Accessories - Rel Red Polka Dot Ribbon, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Gold Brads, Dimensionals

A Little Something For You

Warning: Long post. Be sure to scroll down to see the inside of this card.

Isn't this the coolest thing ever? Bet you didn't guess that it's not only a card but a gift card holder. Now before I go into all the details I have to give credit where credit is due. This gift card holder was created by my so brilliantly clever Stampin' Up! upline, Chrystal Amato. The only thing I did was change the striped paper slightly and the ribbon from Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon to Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon. This gift card holder is also a "CASE" (copy and share everything) of a "CASE". Chrystal's inspiration came from this gift card holder created by Gretchen Barron. Check Gretchen out on her blog. She's also very, incredibly talented.

All I did was cut a 12" x 12" piece of cardstock into and folded it in half. Next, using your Big Shot machine, line the score line of your card almost all the way to the top of the Scallop Square die design but not quite. If you line up the score line of your card past the top of the Scallop Square die you'll end up with two beautiful scallop squares. Not the look you're going for, trust me : ) Once you've got the edge where you want it just run the die through the Big Shot machine and voila'. You get this beautiful scalloped card. To get the oval cutout in the middle of the card you'll need to use the scallop oval punch. Just line up the punch with the middle of the card and slide it up as far as it will go from the bottom of the card and punch out the oval. You'll then adhere your second piece of cardstock right over the front. Yes, you'll cover up your pretty scallop oval, but don't worry. Flip the card over so you can see where you've punched out the first oval and line the punch up and punch again. You never want to try to punch through two pieces of heavy cardstock at the same time. This may break your punch.

So, do you want to see inside? Do you?? Do you?? Okay, here it is ........................... Super cool, huh? To make the pocket for the gift card you'll just run the patterned paper through the Big Shot using the Scallop Square die again and just adhere it to the sides and bottom of your card base. DO NOT place adhesive to the middle or to the top of your patterned paper. You won't have a gift card holder then : )

This was another card my guests made at the 10 for $10 Christmas card class I had at my house last week. This card was a big hit.

If you live in or near the Waverly area and would like to attend one of my classes, please email me at l_burkitt@yahoo.com. I'll be glad to send you information about my upcoming classes and would be thrilled to have you there.

Thanks for peeking in on me today! Have a great evening!

Supplies: All Stampin' Up! unless noted; Stamps - Christmas Punches; Paper - Old Olive, Real Red, Very Vanilla, Old Olive DSP; SU! Markers- Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Old Olive; Accessories - Big Shot Machine, Scallop Square Die, Scallop Oval Punch, Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Petal-A-Plenty Embossing Folder, Dimensionals

Shop Stampin' Up! 24/7 here.

FROSTY AND FRIENDS

Here's another card that was created for my 10 for $10 Christmas card class last week. I cased my card from the ever so talented Jan Tink. You can view her card here. I kept her same color combinations and card layout. I just changed the color combination around and used a different stamp set. If you look closely (or click on the picture to enlarge) you can see I added Dazzling Diamond Glitter to the snow drift. I love that stuff. It shimmers just like diamonds. I guess that's how it got its name :~)


Have a great day and thanks for peeking in on me today! I'm a little under the weather but hope to be feeling better soon.


Supplies: Stamps - The More the Merrier, Happy Everything; Ink - Basic Black, Su! Markers - Old Olive, Real Red, Black, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie; Cardstock - Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Real Red, Whisper White; Accessories - Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, 2 Way Glue Pen, Eyelet Border Punch, Mellow Moss Grosgrain Ribon, 1/16" Punch, Real Red Brad

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless noted.

Shop Stampin' Up! 24/7 here.

BACK IN THE SADDLE AND A CHALLENGE TO BOOT

My, oh, my! Has it really been that long since my last post??? I've got a million excuses, but let me just give you the condensed version. I've been busy prepping for my 10 for $10 Christmas card class and dealing with the "Kiddie Crud". My class is now over and was a big success - thanks ladies! The "kiddie crud" is subsiding and life is getting back to normal. So on with the show!

The above card is one I created for my Christmas card class and also for the Pals Paper Arts PPA16 Challenge for this week. This week's challenge is a "Christmas Cheer" theme. Check it out here. This is the first time I've participated in the Pals Paper Arts Challenge and I'm pumped. From time to time I play along with challenges, but usually long after the challenge is over.

Well, that's it for me today. I'm going shopping with my little sister. Thanks for peeking in on me today. Oh, and a very "Happy Birthday" to my oldest brother, Eric. Love you big guy!

Supplies: Stamps - Winter Post, Snow Swirled; Paper - Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Merry Moments DSP; Ink-Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Old Olive; Accessories - Mistletoe Ribbon, Big Shot Machine, Top Note Die, Dimensionals (All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless noted.)

Shop Stampin' Up! here.

YOU KNOW DASHER AND DANCER AND PRANCER...........

Can you believe Christmas is less than two months away? That's totally insane. I have started shopping, though. Don't get too excited - I've only purchased two things. I'm far, far away from even putting a dent in Christmas shopping.

I just returned from my birthday dinner at Dakota's. I'm feeling very full and very blessed. Along with celebrating with my husband and son, my father-in-law, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, sister, brother-in-law, baby nephew and my father were there with me. I love my family and I love spending time with them. I've had an awesome 40th birthday. The only way my birthday could have been better was if my mom and my son, Evan, were living to celebrate with me. I'm missing them terribly tonight. Perhaps, they are celebrating my birthday together in Heaven. I hope so!

I received some really great birthday cards today, too. I'm such a sap. I cried when I read almost every one of them. Well, with the exception of the card which had a baby on a potty chair on the front of the card. Just trust me. It wasn't sappy : ) I'm grateful for the 40 years I've had. I've been very fortunate to have had my health and such wonderful friends and family. Well, that's it for me tonight.

Thanks for peeking in on me! Have a great day!

Supplies: Stamp - Dasher; Paper - Garden Green, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Christmas Cocoa DSP; Ink - Chocolate Chip; Accessories - Big Shot Machine, Scallop Circle #2, Circle Scissors Plus, Paper Piercer, Eyelet Border Punch, Chocolate Chip 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Fire Rhinestone Brads (Red), Filigree Designer Brad, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter

CHRISTMAS IN BERMUDA

Well, not actually Christmas "in" Bermuda - just Bermuda Bay ink. It got your attention though, didn't it? I know these are pretty non-traditional Christmas colors, but I thought I'd give them a try together. After talking to fellow demo, Lisa Curry, at the Cincinnati Stampin' Up! Regional I decided to try out the new Bermuda Bay In Color. (Hi, Lisa!) You see, we had a discussion on whether or not we've used this color yet. Well, I had not - until now.

I'm not sure you can see it in this image, but I've used the new Frost White Shimmer Paint from the new Holiday Mini Catalog to ink up my snowflakes. I love the sparkle of the Shimmer Paint. It is very pretty in real life. I've paired the Bermuda Bay with Soft Suede and added a clear rhinestone from the Pretties Kit for a little extra bling. I used the Pals Paper Art Simple Sketch for the layout of my card.

Well, that's it for me. For some reason, I have a monster headache today. Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend and thanks for peeking in on me today.

Supplies: Stamps - Serene Snowflakes, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Ink - Soft Suede, Frost White Shimmer Paint;
Paper - Thoroughly Modern DSP, Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede; Accessories - Clear Rhinestone from the Pretties Kit, Bermuda Bay 1/2" Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Sponge Dauber, Paper Piercer

Shop Stampin' Up! here 24/7!