Simple Petite Petals

I LOVE Friday mornings!  It is my one chance in the week to have the house all to myself!  Once the my son is safely off at JK I hurry my daughter over to her preschool program and then I'm FREE for 1 1/2 hours!

So this morning after having a HOT cup of coffee I decided to neglect all of my housework and come down and play a little.  I saw a card on Pinterest last night that inspired this Clean and Simple (CAS) card.

Isn't it pretty?!  I went a little out of my comfort zone with the colours and pulled out two Regals; Elegant Egglplant and Rose Red.  I love how using my Simply Scored tool I can create a quick and simple frame around the image.

Here's what you'll need to make this card:

Stamps:  Petite Petals (Occasions 2014 catalogue), Teeny Tiny Wishes, Fabulous Florets

Ink and Paper:  Elegant Egglplant, Rose Red, Soft Sky, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White

Other:  Simply Scored tool, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Happy Stamping!

Chalk Talk Christmas Card for SSC62

The card I have for you tonight was inspired by a sketch I saw on Sunday Stamps, a bi-weekly blog challenge.  The card I posted yesterday is also based on this sketch.  Please click here to view it.

First here is the sketch for this challenge:

Here is what I came up with:

Classic Christmas colours -- Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive and Very Vanilla.  This could also be done with Whisper White.  I really like the intricacy of the "Chalk Talk" stamp used here.  I inked the stamp with Sahara Sand and then "thumped" Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive ink on it with my Stampin' Write Markers.

Here are all of the supplies needed for this card:

Paper:  Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Season of Style DSP
Stamp Sets:  Chalk Talk, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Accessories:  Chalk Talk Framelits, Polka Dot TIEF, Modern Label punch

Happy Stamping!

Refreshing Colours for CAS Challenge

Have I mentioned how thrilled I am about Stampin' Up's "Colour Refresh"?!  I am so excited that some colours are staying (Pool Party, Island Indigo...yay!) and that some are coming back!  About this time last year I fell in love with "Blushing Bride" while making my daughter's birth announcements.  I was sad to see it go last year to make way for new In Colours but it's coming back along with Pear Pizzazz, Soft Sky, Bermuda Bay, and Crushed Curry!  Yay!!!

So, in celebration, I used "Blushing Bride" and "Pear Pizzazz" in one of my cards for my Mother's Day Make and Take tomorrow evening.   For sketch inspiration I turned to CAS - Colours and Sketches Challenge.  Here is this week's sketch:



CAS - Colours and Sketches Challenge #20

Here is my card:

Pretty, eh?  I love the softness of the Blushing Bride and Crumb Cake card stocks together.   I also used Pear Pizzazz, Calypso Coral and Daffodil Delight.  I finally got my hands on some Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon and really wanted to use it here.  While it's hard to see here, I also used some Basic Pearls on either side of the sentiment.

I'm looking forward to seeing what my guests do with this card tomorrow evening!

Happy Stamping!

Boho Flowers

Happy Friday!  I have a card for you today inspired by a sketch that my friend, Leena, over at A la Cards designed.  She created this feature on her blog to show how different cards based on one sketch can look so different and to inspire her followers.  Well, I was inspired!  Here is her sketch:



February Sketch Inspiration from Leena

I love how simple it is but one can create so many different variations.  Be sure to head over to her blog (click on the image or link above) to see what she's done with it.....please note: I've only linked to one of her posts for this sketch.  Search her website to see her other variations!

Here's what I did with it:

I had originally set out to use this week's ColourQ colours but forgot the "Brilliant Blue".  No worries though, I still really like the colour combo and how this card turned out!  I FINALLY got my own Boho Blossoms punch and was itching to use it.  I really like how one can layer the flowers or use them on their own.

Here are the details:

Ink and Paper:  Midnight Muse, Pool Party, Summer Starfruit and Whisper White.

Stamp Sets;  Teeny Tiny Wishes

Other:  Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon, Vintage Wallpaper TIEF, Boho Blossoms Punch, Basic Pearls, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch

Masking with friends

I had my monthly techniques class last evening and we were working on "masking" again.   It was just me and three good friends for this class and because I trust them with my stuff I gave them carte blanche for the first card....literally.....just white card stock and instructions to create something using reverse masking.  I was really impressed with what they came up with and I'm going to share their creations with you tonight.

EC made this first one.  She claims to not have a "crafty" bone in her body but I think she's fibbing. 

Isn't it so pretty?!  She used a combination of Real Red, Raspberry Ripple, Garden Green and Old Olive inks to create the multicoloured ornaments and then "glitzed" them up using Dazzling Diamonds.....which, by the way, are now all over my house : )  Then she added a Real Red matte and a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  I love it!


The next card was done by my friend, JS, who makes very pretty cards.  For some reason I couldn't get my picture to rotate today, so apologies for all of the cricks in your necks for having to look at it sideways.

She sent me a photo of the completed project this morning. 

This card uses a combination of reds...Real Red, Cherry Cobbler, Raspberry Ripple and Rich Razzleberry.  I like how she did the gradation in colour.  She used a Cherry Cobbler matte with a woodgrain texture and then added some of the Champagne Shimmer paper, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine and gold brads to finish it up.

Finally, DF made this gorgeous card for her grandmother's 92nd birthday this weekend.

Perfect Plum is her favourite Stampin' Up colour and so, of course, being given free reign she used it on this card.  She first used reverse masking to create the butterflies on the card stock and then sponged the butterfly punch outs to create 3 different shades before adhering them.  Finally she pierced the perimeter of the Whisper White (although it's had to see here). 

I LOVE all three cards for different reasons and am now setting about to copy them : )  Stayed tuned for more masking and other creations.....I am very backlogged in my blog posts.

And....if you haven't already, don't forget to check out my new blog, "Magpie Sisters", to see what Meg and I have been up to.

Happy Stamping!

Pretty Poinsettia and Big Stamp News

Here's a card I made for a fellow demonstrator to thank her for letting me borrow her "Watercolour Winter" stamp set.

I literally put it together in a minute from some scraps I had on my desk and an image that I had been experimenting with.  I embossed the Lucky Limeade strip using the Delicate Design TIEF.  Here's a close-up of the poinsettia:

I love the Watercolour Winter set partly because it is a 2-step stamping set.  I stamped the poinsettia in Real Red ink first and then took the "outline" stamp and sponged it with Frost White Shimmer paint to give it a little sparkle.  I like how understated it is.....it's actually more overstated in the photo than in "real" life.

If you love this stamp set you can get it for 15% off on Monday, October 29th!  That's right....ALL  Stampin' Up Stamps are 15% off on Monday.  You can place your order online by clicking the "Shop 24/7" link on the side bar or by contacting me directly.

Stampin' Up has recently released a number of SINGLE stamps for already great prices and these too will be 15% off.  Just place your order on Monday to get a great deal!

Pile of Leaves

My son went on his first field trip today!  It was all very exciting.  His preschool class went to a local Heritage Farm to learn a little bit about farming and livestock today.  He LOVES tractors and was so excited this morning!!!  He had a great time and we both learnt a lot!

While the day started off cold and rainy (not great for an outdoor field trip) it ended up as a gorgeous sunny fall day.  When I was creating this card for my Technique Tuesday class I was thinking about jumping in leaf piles on a clear, autumn day.  We worked on the "masking" technique last night which is a great technique for making a leaf pile : )

Create a leaf "pile" using the masking technique

In a previous class a couple of us were talking about the colour combination in Stampin' Up's Orchard Harvest DSP....Raspberry Ripple, Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade and Early Espresso.  Those colours seem an unlikely combination but really do work together.  My friend mentioned that the Island Indigo is like a clear blue sky on a fall day....so I went all "artsy" and captured a fun afternoon of raking and then jumping in leaves on this card.  Have I mentioned how much I love fall?!

The layout comes from a sketch that I saw on Sketch Frenzy Friday last week.  It's so simple and lends itself to so many options.  Be sure to check out all of the other cards created with this sketch by clicking here.

For the sentiment I turned to my trusty "Teeny Tiny Wishes" set and used the Bitty Banners framelits dies to "frame" it.  The card was missing something so I pierced the perimeter of it using my new Paper Piercing Essentials Pack.  It's SO much better than the old one that Stampin' Up used to offer because this one actually has a set of holes that goes down the entire long side of the card!

BLOG CANDY ALERT!

If you haven't already, become a follower of my blog by noon (EDT) on Friday, October 19th and you will be eligible to win some blog candy.  Click here to see what you could win.

Happy Stamping!

Blooming Bricks

It was another gorgeous day here in my part of the world.  I "enjoyed" my first day back at my regular fitness class this morning and boy am I ever feeling it now!  I'm not sure if I'll even be able to roll out of bed tomorrow morning.   Hunching over my crafting desk hasn't really helped but I'd like to share one of the cards I'll be do tomorrow evening at my Technique Tuesday's class.

I find this particular technique a little time consuming but it's nice to do for a unique card that you want to give to someone special.  For this brick wall I used the "Blooming with Kindness" set....which I absolutely LOVE!!!  I decided to stick with a monochromatic look here so that things didn't get too busy.  The DSP is from the "Orchard Harvest" package in Stampin' Up's Holiday Catalogue. 

Not too much else to say about this one except that there is still lots of space in tomorrow's class....just email me and let me know you're coming and I'll have the supplies ready for you : )

Happy Stamping!

Happy Anniversary

Tonight I've got a card that I made for my parents' anniversary a couple of weeks ago.  The "bones" of this card actually had been sitting on my desk for a couple of months because I just couldn't get it to work in a way that I way happy with.  But, after a number of weeks away on vacation I was able to put this card together rather quickly.  Take a look...

This is a CASE from something I saw on Pinterest....although I can't remember the exact source at the moment.  My original idea (sometime in May or June) was to showcase Stampin' Up's 2012-2013 In Colours.  I took strips of each In Colour and adhere them to the Whisper White matte and then ran the whole thing through my Big Shot using the Flower Garden Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.

What brought the card together for me though was the addition of the little flowers that I made using my brand new "Floral Fusion" Sizzlits die.  I really like how they can be layered to create a small focal point.  I finished the flowers off with some Pearl Basic Jewels.

I really liked how it turned out....and it's another project off my desk : )

Here are the details of the supplies I used:

Stamp Sets:  Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Raspberry Ripple

Paper:  Whisper White, Primrose Petals, Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit, Midnight Muse and Gumball Green cardstock.

Accessories:  Flower Garden TIEF, Floral Fusion Sizzlits die, Pearl Basic Jewels.

To those who live in the KW/Cambridge/Guelph area....my fall classes begin again on Sept. 10.  Check out my "Upcoming Classes" page for more information and please RSVP by Sunday, Sept. 9. 

Happy Stamping!

Another Manly Birthday Card!

It is my brother's birthday today and I created a simple card for him using some of Stampin' Up's new goodies.  Check it out:

I know, I know....more Comfort Cafe.....have I mentioned how much I like it?!!!  It's a must (in my opinion) for everyone's stash of Designer Series Paper!!!  And isn't the Itty Bitty Banner Framelit so cute?!!  The Framelit dies are great.....and there are some FANTASTIC ones coming in the new Holiday Catalogue! 

Here are the rest of the details:

Stamp Sets:  Teeny Tiny Phrases

Paper:  Midnight Muse, Pool Party, Very Vanilla card stocks, Comfort Cafe DSP

Ink:  Midnight Muse

Other:  Itty Bitty Banners Framelits dies,  Word Window Punch

Elegant Butterflies

OMGosh....my new Stampin' Up! stuff came last Friday and I'm in love!!!!  Unfortunately, I've been really busy and am about to head away for a week so I haven't really got a chance to play too much with it but I did sit down last night to create a little.  I was inspired by a card my SIL made with her new Elegant Butterfly punch.  I set out to create a bunch of little 3x3 cards to thank my customers for their orders using limited supplies.

Here's what I came up with:

I had fun creating with limited supplies and trying not to have any waste.  Every time I punched out a butterfly I used the "hole" to create another card.  I'm pretty pleased with myself.  It was really nice to "de-complicate" things and really limit myself.  It was so much less overwhelming for me.  I didn't feel the pressure of having to create the "perfect" card with tons of different elements.  For my week away I've packed 2 pieces of DSP, 2 sheets each of about 6 colours, 4 stamp pads, 1 stamp set and 2 punches.....it's like how it was before I became a demonstrator : )

Here what I used:

Stamp Sets;  Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper:  Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, International Bazaar DSP

Ink:  Rich Razzleberry

Punches and Tools:  Simply Scored, Simply Scored Diagonal Plate, Elegant Butterfly, Word Window, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Happy Stamping!

Mixed Bunch Simplicity

Here's the second card I did for my Annual Stampin' Up! Catalogue Launch Party.  Again, I wanted it to be simple enough for my guests to do without guidance and I wanted it to showcase the new 2012-2014 In-Colours.

I chose to use a plain white background with no embossing to showcase the gorgeous new in-colours.  The stamps come from the Mixed Bunch stamp set that has been carried into the new Stampin' Up catalogue.  I really like the simplicity of this card.  The only "embellishing" I did for this card was to pop up every other circle with a Stampin' Dimensional.  It could be "jazzed-up" with embossing, rhinestones, brads or ribbon but sometimes it's nice to just to focus on the stamps and the colour. 

This is a great way for someone who is new to stamping to start.  All that is needed is one basic stamp set, a small collection of colours and some Whisper White cardstock.  The great thing about the In-Colours is that they all coordinate with eachother and can be purchased as a set at a discount.  Check out my Stampin' Up! website to learn how you can get your hands on the new 2012-2014 In-Colours.

Details:

Stamp Sets:  Mixed Bunch, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper and Ink:  Whisper White, Midnight Muse, Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit, and Primrose Petals.

Happy Stamping!

Going Girly for Monkey 108

Happy Saturday....and Happy Mother's Day to all you mom's out there....I hope it's a great weekend.  It's surprisingly quiet in my house at the moment.  I was "allowed" to sleep in this morning, my daughter is still sleeping and the boys have disappeared....aah...peace : ) 

I was chosen to be a guest designer for this week's A la Card Monkey Challenge---"girly-girl".  Can't say that I'm a girly-girl myself and growing up with brothers and having a son first I haven't really been exposed to much girly stuff in my lifetime : )  But then along came my little baby daughter a few weeks ago and suddenly I was inundated with pink stuff!  So that's my inspiration for today's challenge....pink and brown.   First, here's the sketch:

Girly-girl for Monkey 108

Here's what I came up with:

Pink and Brown Girly

I won't tell you how long it took me to put this together....let's just say I was rushing to meet a deadline : )  Luckily my friend, CB, had come over for the evening and brought the "Mixed Bunch" stamp set and Blossom punch for me to borrow and the nice UPS man brought me my Labels Collection Framelits.  Inspired by a cute brown and pink corduroy dress that my daughter wears I came up with this cute butterfly card.

My colour combination is Perfect in Pink, Melon Mambo and Chocolate Chip.  I stamped on of the "Mixed Bunch" flower images in Perfect in Pink and then "thumped" with the other two.  After punching out the flower I clipped off the top and bottom petals to create these cute little butterflies.  Then I "blinged it up" with rhinestones.

Only 3 1/2 weeks now until the new catalogue launches and it's FABULOUS!!!!  I can't wait to share it with you.  If you're in my neighbourhood and free on Tuesday, June 5th come on over for my annual Catalogue Launch Party.  Send me an email to let me know if you can come!

Happy Stamping!

A Bit of Blue for Monkey and PP93

It's been quite a while since I've entered any challenges and this week I've finally had some time and some inspiration.  This week's A la Card Monkey Challenge was to design a "blue" card and The Paper Players challenge was "anything goes" using a tic-tac-toe format (very fun!).  Be sure to go to these blogs to see the sketches and samples...the designers do fabulous work!!!!

My inspiration this week is all of the blue forget-me-nots that are taking over my backyard (and kitchen).  We back onto an urban forest and these little blue flowers are everywhere.  Thankfully they are one of my favourite flowers : )  My 3-year old son has discovered this so I get a handful of them every morning....so sweet!!! 

I designed a Mother's Day Card using blue, ribbon and spring flowers.



I used the "Bordering on Romance" stamp set from Stampin' Up's last mini catalogue to stamp the forget-me-nots.  I'm so pleased that it is carrying over into the new catalogue!!  I stamped the images in black and then used my blender pens to colour the flowers and leaves using Marina Mist and Wild Wasabi lists.  The sentiment comes from Teeny Tiny Wishes (an essential stamp set in my opinion).

Here are the details:

Stamp sets:  Bordering on Romance, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Staz-on Black, Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi

Paper:  Marina Mist and Whisper White cardstock

Other:  Marina Mist 1/4" grosgrain ribbon (retiring), Perfect Polka Dots Textured Embossing Folder.

Happy Stamping!!!

Beyond the Garden for SFF

This mini card was inspired by Sketch Frenzy Friday's April 27th sketch.  We did this card at my recent Mother's Day class and also used Stampin' Up's new Simply Scored Diagonal Plate to make a matching mini envelope.  I love these mini cards to slip into gifts!

I used "Beyond the Garden" DSP as my base for colours:  Wild Wasabi, Pacific Point and Whisper White.  Here's the card:

Isn't it cute?!  And SO easy to put together.  Be sure to check out all the gorgeous projects that the designers at Sketch Frenzy Friday put together.

Happy Stamping!

A Fresh Start Thank You

After my "Fresh Start" baby card adventure last night I had a bunch of scraps left over that I wanted to use up this morning.  I also wanted to get a head start on "thank you" cards that I suspect I may be needing soon.  Here's what I came up with this morning....a slight variation on the sketch I used in my last post.

It is a 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" square card with a heart sticking off the top.  Here are the details:

Stamp Sets:  Baby Prints, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper:  Pear Pizazz CS, Island Indigo CS, Blushing Bride CS, Whisper White CS, Riding Hood Red CS, Twitterpated DSP

Inks:  Island Indigo

Accessories:  Blushing Bride Smooch Spritz, Adorning Accents Embossing Folder, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Hearts Framelits

Happy Stamping!

A Fresh Start

I love using new products!  I'm especially excited about all the new things that the 2012 Occasions Mini has to offer.  When I got the catalogue in December I couldn't put it down and every page held something else to love!  So now that Christmas cards are finally over I've delved into the new stuff to create a card for my cousin's baby shower on Friday evening (so E.M. if you're reading....stop now until after Friday night!).   My cousin and I are due ONE DAY apart in March....what are the chances?!!   I'm so excited for her, as this will be her first baby. 

I based her card on this week's A la Card Monkey's sketch...."A Fresh Start"....so fitting for this time of year and also for the card I needed : )  Thanks again ladies for the inspiration!

Monkey Challenge 89 Sketch

Here's my card:

Baby Prints Card

And here's a different angle of the same card:

Baby Prints...a second view

I wish I could say that I just "whipped" this card out, but in reality it went through a number of incarnations.  One of the choices I had to make was what colour to make the hand prints.  Neither of us know the gender of our baby so I decided to one of each colour.....as I finished I realised it could double as a wedding card : )  

So many fun new products....Twitterpated DSP, Blushing Bride Smooch Spritz, Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon, Hearts FRAMELITS  (I LOVE these!!!!!), new embossing folders.....so great!

Hearts close-up

The other stamp I've been wanting to use is "All Packed for Baby".   I selectively coloured just the onesie from it for this card....but stayed tuned for more using the whole stamp.

Inside view

I could go on and on about this new mini....but it's time for bed : )  Here are the details:

Stamp Sets:  Baby Prints, All Packed for Baby, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Four Frames, Occasions Alphabet

Papers:  Basic Grey CS, Blushing Bride CS, Pear Pizazz CS, Whisper White CS, Twitterpated DSP

Inks:  Riding Hood Red, Island Indigo, Blushing Bride, Basic Grey, Pear Pizazz

Accessories:  Hearts Framelits, Adorning Accents Embossing Folders, Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon, Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon, Blushing Bride Smooch Spritz, various punches


Happy Stamping!!  More to come : )

Soft Suede Christmas

It's snowing (finally)!!!!  We've had so much rain the past few days and it's finally decided to snow!  YAY!!!!!  Can't wait to go and out and play in it tomorrow morning with my son : )

I stayed inside this evening, however, and created a card for a couple of challenges:  Stamping 411's SSC 232 and the Paper Players Challenge 75.  I really liked the sketch on Stamping 411 and the idea of using non-traditional holiday colours for it.

Here is the sketch:

And here is what I decided to do with it:

Soft Suede holiday card

 The non-traditional holiday colour scheme I chose is Soft Suede, Early Espresso and Very Vanilla.  The only stamp set I used on the front was for the sentiment.  It is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  This is a really simple card to make actually.  The Very Vanilla card stock is embossed using the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder and then sponged with Soft Suede ink.  I used the Modern Label and Decorative Label punches for the sentiment and then embellished with basic pearls and Early Espresso quilted ribbon.

Circle Circus interior

 For the interior of the card I used one of the stamps from the Circle Circus sets and again lightly sponged the edges with Soft Suede ink.  Super simple but elegant nonetheless.

Happy Stamping!

Medallion for the Monkeys

Well, here I am again, entering a Monkey Challenge at the very last minute.  I think what happens is I get all inspired by the weekly sketch and then think about it rather than actually doing something about it.  Story of my life : )  In this case, however, I am really glad I waited because I was also really inspired by a friend's card that I saw on Tuesday evening.  In fact, I basically copied her idea and added a couple of elements to fit the sketch.  So thanks, DF, for the great idea!

Here's the sketch from A la Card Monkey:

Here is my version:




Spice Cake Medallion

I just love the medallion in the centre of big medallion.  I decided to go back to my Spice Cake DSP tonight for 2 reasons: 1.  I promised my faithful friends that I wouldn't do all Christmas cards at my Make and Take next week and 2. While I'm sad to see it go, I have to move on to the new and exciting product coming out in the new Occasions Mini in January and my crafting space can't take too many more "left overs". 

Here's a close-up of the medallion which, by the way, are super easy to make using the Simply Scored tool!

Medallion close-up

So pretty, if I do say so myself.  I finished it off with a Vintage Brad.  Here are the particulars:

Papers:  Pear Pizazz, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla card stock, Spice Cake Designer Series Paper
Stamp Sets: Day of Gratitude, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Pear Pizazz and Soft Suede
Ribbon and Embellishments:  Chantilly Lace, Spice Cake Fabric, Neutrals Brad, Vintage Brads
Tools: Simply Scored, Mat Pack and Paper Piercer, Modern Label Punch
Other info:  I used TONS of sticky strip/pages to adhere the fabric, ribbon and medallion.

I'm excited to take this idea and run....stayed tuned for a Christmas version.

Happy Stamping!

Serene Snowflakes for Monkey Challenge 80

Well with Halloween behind us, now I'm in full-on Christmas mode.  I know I complained about Christmas marketing starting too early in an earlier post, but it seems that this year all I can think about is Christmas cards.  Maybe that's because my calendar has quickly filled up with Christmas workshops!

So, with weeks of wanting to do the A la Card Monkey challenge but just never getting around to it in time....here's another entry.  I actually made this card a few days ago, but this is the first time I've had the energy and time to sit down and do a blog post.  It's been hectic around here lately as I am getting a "new" home for my stamping corner in what was the spare bedroom....lots of moving around going on in my house to make room for our new arrival in March : )

Without further ado (and rambling) here is this week's Monkey sketch:

Monkey Challenge 80

Here is my take on it:


Serene Snowflakes with a Snow Burst backing

 I knew immediately when I saw this week's sketch that I wanted to do something with the "Serene Snowflakes" set and creating a  "broken" image.  Thanks to Leena over at A la Cards for the colour inspiration (I've been using it a lot lately) of Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade and Marina Mist.  It is a really simple concept but takes some concentration to pull off.  I began with a 3 3/4" square of Whisper White card stock which I stamped randomly using the "Serene Snowflakes" and chosen colours.  Then I cut that square into 9 smaller 1 1/4" squares....and here's the tricky part....keeping them in order and adhering them onto a Lucky Limeade matte.  I had a lady on Tuesday evening mix up her pieces (she had stamped on both sides to boot).  It was like putting a puzzle back together with no guide : )

The Marina Mist matte was run through the Big Shot using the Snow Burst embossing folder.  I think it would look just as nice unembossed though. 

Merry Christmas sparkle

I used Lucky Limeade 3/8" ruffled ribbon taped behind this time rather than tying a knot.  The sentiment comes from "Teeny Tiny Wishes".  I have been coveting this set for a couple of years now and finally got it.  It's great because this card can be made into a birthday card or thank you (Happy Mother's day...) whatever you want : )  I finished the sentiment and snowflakes with Dazzling Details....I really can't resist this stuff, it's fantastic (and cheap)!!!!

More cards to come soon.  Happy Stamping!