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

EMBRACEABLE YOU

I know!  I know!  Christmas is coming and I'm not posting a Christmas card.  Shame on me, but I just needed to take a break from Christmas cards for a while.  Today's card is actually a combination of two challenges!  Go, Lori, go!!!  And you know what's even more exciting for me?  This card was actually completed before the deadline.  Whoo!  Hoo!  (Sorry, I'm just so dang proud of myself.)  Okay, so here is the sketch layout that I used for the design of my card.  I found this challenge over at Diva Coffee Break Designs.  It is sketch challenge #155.  Here's the layout.

I also incorporated Splitcoast Stampers Inspiration Challenge IC208 from Saturday, November 28th, for my card.  I chose this purse as my inspiration for the color combination of my card - Cameo Coral, Real Red, Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla. 

I used my corner rounder punch on my panels to mimic the squares on the purse.  The corduroy buttons were an afterthought.  I actually had them laying out on my table and they fell out of their container and across my card.  After arranging them around a bit, I decided to add them.  How lucky is that?

Well, that's all for me this evening.  It's back to work for me tomorrow.  My four day weekend really spoiled me.  Hope all my American friends enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday.  I know I did! 

Thanks for peeking in on me today!

Supplies:  Stamps - Eastern Blooms, Embrace Life, Friends 24-7, Itty Bitty Backgrounds, Friendly Words Jumbo Wheel; Paper - Very Vanilla, Real Red, Cameo Coral, Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip; Ink- Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral, Soft Suede, SU! Markers - Soft Suede, Real Red, Cameo Coral; Accessories - Chocolate Chip Corduroy Buttons, 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Dimensionals, Jumbo Stampin' Around Wheel 

THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS

I wish you could see this card in real life. The colors are so much better. My husband tried to photograph it. I tried to photograph it and he even tried again. So I apologize for the picture, but I can't retake it. I already sent it to a retired co-worker whose health is declining. I hope it cheers him up to know that his old co-workers are thinking of him this holiday season.

I'm not really sure that this card went in the direction that I was hoping. Sometimes my cards just have a mind of their own. I just wanted to take a small break from making Christmas cards and focus on the holiday at hand - Thanksgiving. I just love this stamp set. I won it at the Cincinnati Stampin' Up! Regional in September. The leaves were stamped in Basic Brown ink and sponge daubers were used to color them in. I cut each one out, bent the leaves and added dimensionals to give them a more three dimensional look.

I'm going to make it a short post tonight as I need to clean house and prepare food for the next two days. We're off to my in-laws tomorrow and then dinner at my house on Friday.

Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope you share it with the ones you love! Thanks for peeking in on me today!

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