Delightful Bear

I would like to take this time to thank all the wonderful women who left comments about my Grandson Camden Riley. Thank you all for the congrats and well wishes!

Designed2delights' blog Delightful Inspirations has such an inspiring challenges. Not only that, but she gives away a free digi image every time you participate! She has plenty for sale also. Her images are so adorable and versatile, just the type of stamp that is worth every penny!

Here is a card made with her last free digi. This Bear is so adorable, and of course, it is perfect for valentines day. I can see it being used any day, though, as we tell our love one how much we love them every day of the year :o)

I love how he is made perfectly to layer. I decided that 4 layers would look just right.

I used a few pearls and crystals to dress up the card without distracting from the main focal point. I used my own writing for the heart.

I must say I am starting to love digi's more that rubber stamp {{{shocked smiley goes here, LOL}}}

I use the Paper Temptress white paper which goes through my printer perfectly. Also, the ink dries well, so no heat setting. I have read that it is often the type of ink that one has in their printer, but I have had digis that refuse to dry with other papers. Heavier weight papers tend to get stuck in the printer at the end also.

I would like to add that, as you can see, the copics work magnificently on this paper also, with no smudging at all!!!

Do you like to layer images? If so, this site as well as Fred She Said, are worth checking out!  

After checking them out, leave a comment and let me know what you think. I would love to see the creations you come up with using these wonderful images.

Have a happy and blessed New Years Eve and first day of the new yeat!!!

hugs, Sandy O
  

Fred's Candle

WOW, 2 posts in one day, LOL

I made a card for a few challenges, and some of them are due today...YIKES...so I am posting the card now.

The challenges I made this for are:

Stampin' B's: Use a candle image

Pile it on: Anything digital

Stamp Something: Holiday something

Craft Creations Challenges: Sparkle, glitter and bling

I used another of the beautiful Fred She Said digital images on Paper Temptress paper.

Instead of layering, I decided to but parts of the leaves and flower with my craft knife, I then bent the paper so that it would give dimension. I then colored the back side and edges of the leaves and flower so the color would match the outside instead of the white from the card stock. Next I cute the flower and leaves from another image and glued it onto the back, lining up the flower and leaves. This prevented the inside from being white also.

Here is a close up.

You can click on the photo to get an even better look. I embossed parts with gold, other parts I used my Sakura glitter gel pans. I embossing the outer part of the flame and put glitter on the inside. I also used crystal effects on the white part of the candle, as well as the dripping parts.

I embossed the outer edges of the nestability cut outs to match the image. Finally adding ribbon and a small bow on the bottom. I adhered the top layer with the candle image on it with dimensionals.

Here is a peek at the inside.

 I am hoping to make a tutorial on how I did the flower next time I do this technique.

Thank you for stopping by and reading a 2nd post, LOL

 

 

 

 

  

Happy New Year, I hope you night is wonderful and that your year will start off with blessings.

Sandy O

 

Ornaments galore

WOW, only 3 days until Christmas. Hard to believe that it is upon us and 2009 is almost over! As I wrote about in this post, we will be celebrating Christmas in January. Therefore, we decided to put up the tree Christmas day, LOL.

I made some ornament this year to hang on this tree during our unusual holiday season. These ornament will always remind me of the unusual but truly blessed Christmas of 2009 (2010).

   

You can click on any of the photos to see more detail.

A few are unusual for a Christmas tree, the dragonfly, butterfly and birds. They certainly represent Christmas this year, LOL.

I made these by adding about 20 drops of Stampin' Up re-inkers inside, swirled around until the inside was covered, then put upside down over a paper cup to let the excess drip out.

I then added some fine glitter (I found the chunky does not give good coverage), covered the hole with my thumb and shook until the inside was completely covered. Finally shaking the excess glitter out and let dry a bit before replacing the top.

I used rub-ons I found in the home decor section of the big box craft store. These are really thick rub-ons and difficult to adhere. I would definitely suggest using good quality glass ornaments as the cheaper ones broke in my hand as I rubbed. This was the most difficult part of the process, UNTIL...I found that heating the bulb first with my heat gun helps the rub-on adhere quicker and easier. If there was a stubborn section, I simply heated that section and voila...no problem.

These will make a lovely last minute gift or a gift for folks like the mailman, UPS guy...we love our UPS guy right, LOL, hairdresser, etc.

Have you made any home made gifts this year. I would love to hear what you have done. Perhaps using your ideas for next year {{{wink}}}

Again, thank you for stopping by my blog today! hugs, Sandy O

A Challenging Day

Well, here in NH, just like much of the east coast, we had a snowy day. How pretty. I love the way it sparkles in the light before the plows come around. As I am not much of a TV watcher, especially during the day, I decided to do some challenges.

With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I've been low on mojo, so have been seeking out some challenges to get my "spark" back. I have been using the site Daily Dare, which lists blogs with challenges for that particular day. It has been such a blessing to me. I like being able to choose the type of challenges I prefer, such as use a certain item challenge over a theme challenge.

Today I found a cute blog by a 10 year old stamper named Aly. She posts a sketch she made every other week. You can find the current sketch here. Though sketches are not among my favorite challenges, this one was to cute to pass up!

 
I kept the card simple since the sketch was fairly simple. I must say, I really enjoyed making this card.

The dragonfly is from the SU set Nature's Nest. The flowers are Prima.

The next card I made was actually for 2 different challenges.

You know I adore the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenges, which are posted each Sunday.  This week, being a busy holiday week, the challenge is a sketch. I combined this challenge with the one from a site called Pile It On. I am so glad I found the Daily Dare. Through them I have found some wonderful challenge sites that I will be visiting weekly, which works out really well with some only posting every other week.

The Pile It On challenge is to use chipboard. I was torn as to what to do since chipboard is a medium that has the potential to become just about anything! I decided to combine it with the Stampin' Sisters sketch.

Armed with the 2 challenges, off I went. I was only sure of 1 thing, to use the SU butterfly big shot die with the chipboard. After cutting those cuties out, I decided to use my wonderful Jolie Chocolat paper, YUM. Of course I had to use the Paper Temptress Sparkle paper as a layer! I also used her paper as a base, such incredibley DELICIOUS paper she has!! Then the card just seemed to take on a life of it's own, LOL

Here is the final result. As always, you can click on any of these photos to get a larger picture to view more details.

 Isn't this little charm cute. This is not the first time I have used the shrink paper, but I have to admit I saw a blog this week where the person used this set with it. It seemed to be a good idea for this particular card. I can not remember whose site it was, so if you know, could you drop me the name in a comment? Thanks so much!

EDIT: Found the site with the tutuial for the charm. Here is the link charm.

Since just the right charm is difficult for me to find on hand (no matter how many I seem to have, LOL) I am sure I will be doing many more of this type in the future!

I would love to know what you think :o) REALLY...who doesn't like to read comments, tee he he

Thank you for stopping by my little blog on this busy week. Hugs, Sandy O

Packaging

Today I would like to share some of the packaging I made for my home made Christmas gifts.

I love the Timeless Templates designed by Lauren Meader which are sold by Papertrey Ink. 

Two fo the templates were perfect for the gifts.

The Around Town Tote (large)

Small Around Town Tote attached to the back

Get A Handle On It  

I made the 2 template to match since they will be going to the same recipients.

These template are so easy to down load and make.

Tomorrow I will share some of the items I put in these packages.

Thanks so much for stopping by, hugs, Sandy O

 

Delightful Challenge

As I searched for some fun challenges to do, I happened upon the wonderful Delightful Inspiration blog/store. What a wonderful array of digital stamps she carries. If you have not jumped on the bandwagon of digi stamps, the monthly challenge on this site is a great way to start.

The monthly challenge is not only fun, but the image you need to use is given to you free! YUP...that's right...FREE. And everyone is a winner. As long as you participate, you will receive a free digi stamp the next week. Repeat the process and you will receive another free digi!! Doing this you will receive a free digi each week!

Also, if you always desired to be on a design team, this is your time. Everyone who plays is considered a member of the design team and you even will get a fun blinky for your blog! NICE. You can read all about it here.

To see all the wonderful digi stamps that you can buy...and digi stamps come to you right way with not shipping! YEAH...Check them out at Designed2Delight Digital Stamps.

Here is my entry

Isn't he adorable! You can resize him and even change the color of the outlines. She has a tutorial here.

Thank you for stopping by again today, LOL...Sandy O

Gift Bundle

HomeDecember 15, 2009

Today I have a short post, but not a small project to share. I made this bundle for this weeks Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge.
You can read all about the challenge here, which is based on the bible verses Matthew 6:19-20 "Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth..."
The challenge is to use up some of the crafting items we have been hoarding...which is usually accessories...bling.
For me, the first thing I thought of was the beautiful hand made chinese paper, matching swede paper and German made gold paper butterflies I purchased a LONG time ago. I would often think of using them...but...once I did, that was it...it would be gone. I would no longer have those sheets of paper since they are very difficult, if at all able to be replaced.
So I pulled out my treasured paper and butterflies, gold ribbon I have been saving for when just the right project came, my charm I bought at an egg craft conventions, a wonderfully thick jewelry box that I have had for so long I don't know where I got it, LOL, and my misc. other supplies.
Here are some individual pictures for you. Just click on the photo to see the detail.

Since the egg fits inside the box, I cut the remaining swede paper to cushion the bottom. Yes...it hurt, LOL

This is a 2 1/2 x 3" note card. Inside I stamped "for you" leaving lots of room for a personal note.

This is a real chicken egg shell wrapped in the same paper as the box and card. After adhering the paper, I coated it with 3 layers of mod podge. I then applied one final coat and rolled it in transparent ultra fine glitter. I purchaed this glitter from Scor-Pal when they very first opened. She no longer sells it, so I have very rarely used it.

The box seems as though it was made for the egg to fit!

Over the next few posts I will be sharing some of the projects I have completed for Christmas. Many have already been wrapped, so I think it is safe to post them. Thank you for stopping by :o) hugs,

Prayer Tin

Stampin' Sisters in Christ had another challenge this week. The challenge:

To make a card to let someone know you are praying for them, using images of people (men, women and/or children...angles are OK too)

I looked through all my stamps and was surprised to find I have very few stamps depicting people. The few I have did not seem to match the prayer part of the challenge, which I felt was more important than the image of a person. Perhaps the SUN could be considered the SON, who is a person though unseen to us until we are called home.

Though I won't win using this image, I thought it was appropriate to the verse.

I do not know anyone who does not know Thomas Kinkade. His paintings are magnificent. Cornish Heritage Farms has had the blessing of being able to transform these paintings into marvelous rubber stamps that, as you can see, create a marvelous image.

I colored only the sunrise, leaving the sea, mountains and cross plain. I also made rays coming from the sun with my Sukora glitter gel pen. LOVE those pens!!! This is to represent the beauty of our Lord and the dull world that we now reside in. I also used some Sparkle paper from the Paper Temptress as my goldish layer. Again larger and brighter than the black (darkness/sin of this world).

Here is a close up of the front. If you click on it to get a larger picture of it, you can see the sparkle of the paper though the shimmer of the sun rays does not show. 

The verse is adhered with dimensionals with a magnet attached between them. This is to hold the card closed when the tin is open.

Here is the inside of the card:

I used one of Stampin' Up's thin hinged tins to make the prayer card holder, in which I attached the actual card to using Scor Tape.

 

Inside the tin I put 4 prayer cards, on which I hand wrote verses about prayer. This is to represent the fact that I am praying for her. I also added 4 blank prayer cards and a fine tipped mini marker. On these she can write verses that encourage or remind her that the Lord is always with her.

Well, I hope you like the card. Perhaps I will find a digital image I can use to have a card that matches the actual challenge.

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I would love to hear what you think of this card/gift, so leave me a comment if you have the time :o)

Hugs, Sandy O
 

I Love Chocolate

Yummy, chocolate in any form is my second favorite treat. My first favorite is salad but....that takes a lot of time out of my stamping, LOL.

I have some terrific chocolate that goes perfect with stamping to share with you. It is the Chocolat paper from SEI. Yummy...the glitter paper is so pretty. I have used this paper on many cards and am in need of more, LOL

Here is my most recent card:

On the right of the card is a book mark that is perforated to easily remove. The ribbon (held up here with a tiny paper clip since the charm kept making the card fall, LOL) and cute charm add a really pretty touch.  Here is a close up:

See that glitter, it is already on the paper and butterfly sticker! Less work for me and no glitter clean up LOL. What is not showing, unless you click on the photo, is the pretty shimmery card stock I used from Paper Temptress as well as the shimmer of the Brilliance ink I used. Can you say SHIMMER!

I am so addicted to these papers that I am having a hard time using plain old card stock. It looks so flat and unfinished compared to Paper Temptress and the Chocolat.

Ha ha ha...I was just thinking how weird it is to brag about my own cards {blush} Doing a blog it does not seem so weird, BUT.....it does feels a bit odd. Do any of you have the same trouble, LOL???

And...did you see the pretty white lace! LOVE it!

I hope you liked the chocolat!

hugs

Another challenge

I am in love with the Stampin' Sisters challenges. This week the challenge is to make a card with a gift somewhere on it. How fun. Here is my submission for this week:

 

I am sure you can guess what the gift is. I was instantly reminded of the olden days when people would bring lovely smelling home made gifts to the house of friends and family which they visited. No Glade back then, LOL. What wonderful gifts I think they were.

I used the Outlines minis stamps to make the wreath and popped up the edges just a bit by gently bending them. The card is simple, like the wonderful old fashioned gift it represents.

Short and few posts until the Holidays are over. I love making home made gifts, but usually don't give them. Strange I know but I tend to think they are just not good enough for gift giving. Not this year though, for two reasons. One, I am running out of room to keep all my un-given creations and two, money is tight this year, LOL

We are going to celebrate Christmas in January this year! Don't think me weird. The reasoning is well worth the delay. My daughter Alicia is due for her first baby and our first grandchild on Dec. 20th. Since it is so close to Christmas, we really don't know if she will even be home for it. Also, Patrick is in Iraq and his 2 week trip home will be sometime in January :o) YEAH!!! and Peter is working at the power plant that day. Sigh...

Such is the dilemma of having adult children, LOL. We, Paul and I, will be celebrating the holiday on the 25th with extended family though, which is nice. 

I keep thinking of all the after Christmas sales that will help the finance this year. I so love the hunt of finding awesome deals those few days after the Holidays. I wonder if this is the start of a new family tradition with Camden's birthday so close to Christmas, tee he he. Yup, that is my family...the unusual is our norm.

Thanks for taking the time to visit on thise busy preholiday week. 

Until next time...hugs