A La Card Monkey Challenge 89: A Fresh Start + Sketch

New Year's is right around the corner, but before the clock ticks down there's still time for one more challenge over at A La Card Monkey. And this is another special week for me as I was lucky enough to be chosen as a Guest Designer for my Monkey 87 submission, so I'm really excited to play along with this challenge.   

http://www.pennytokensstampinspot.blogspot.com/2011/12/celebrate-decjan-birthdays-with.html

Appropriately this last Monkey Challenge of 2011 is called: Monkey 89: A Fresh Start + Sketch.  Just take a look at this adorable sketch.The Monkey Design Team did a great job choosing this sketch.  The card is a vertical fold card with an element centered and rising above the card top.  The theme can be anything that brings a fresh start to mind, so think New Year's, a new baby, a new home, a wedding or a trip.............. the possibilities are endless.

The moment I layed eyse on this adorable baby giraffe I decided to make a baby girl card.  It seems I  never have enough baby cards on hand so I'm making a "fresh start" for the New Year by pre-making some.  Here is my offering.  The card stock is 4 1/2 x 8":

For this card I chose something old and something new.  Isn't the baby sleeper adorable?  I stamped it in Soft Suede ink on a piece of Blushing Bride striped designer paper from the In Color Patterns Designer Paper Stack, # 117158 pg 186 IB&C.  I love stamping on DSP because it just adds life to the image and brings out the colours.  The Sleeper is from a retired hostess stamp set called "A Slice of Life". 

You're also getting a sneak peak at something from the new Mini Occasions Catalogue.  I've used the new Labels Collection Framelit Dies ( #125598 on page 6 ) to create the center element in layers of  Whisper White, Blushing Bride cardstock that was embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder (#117335 pg. 219 IB&C ).

This beautiful label is from a wonderful new stamp set called "Take it to Heart" which is in the Occasions Mini Catalogue on page 14.  It can be ordered in wood (125520) or clear mount (125522) versions.  The "Welcome Baby" sentiment is from the retired "Something to Celebrate" Hostess stamp set.  For a little pizzazz and feminine touch,  I've added 3 Basic Pearls (119247 pg 198 IB&C), on either side of the banner label. 

I kept the inside of the card simple adding a sentiment from the "Something to Celebrate" retired hostess set and a rattle from Button Buddies (#122735 w or122737(cm) pg. 71 IB&C).  Button Buddies is another one of those very sweet and versatile Stampin' Up sets that you'll find yourself reaching for time and again.  Although I didn't use any here, the Designer Buttons sold on pg 197 of the IB&C perfectly enhance these images. The inks used are Soft Suede from the Neutrals Collection and Blushing Bride from the 2010-11 Incolor Collection. 

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my latest card.  Hope you enjoyed it and seeing some of the newest products that will be coming your way after January 4th, 2012. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Cards From Friends and Family...........

I want to share some of the fabulous cards I received from friends, family, customers and my newest recruit. I think you'll love them too!

Love this stunning card from Shirley Sumption.  Shirley ran wonderful weekly Halloween and Christmas Blog Hops this year and I've so enjoyed her creative talents and becoming a great cyber friend!  Thanks Shirley!

This beautiful handmade card is from my wonderful SIL Elise!  Elise is very creative and always makes such fabulous cards.

Thought I'd add this wonderful Thank You card I received from Betty Lee.  Isn't it gorgeous.  The texture in the DSP is so nice and the colours blow me away!

A beautiful Cardinal Christmas card from my wonderful sister Heather.  I love the scallop circle card and the sentiment!

This gorgeous Delightful Decorations card was created by a friend and customer, Betty Lee.  Isn't it gorgeous!

Eileen, created this stunning Lovely as a Tree card.  I love the tone on tone and the beautiful embossed snowflakes.

Ethel my newest downline member, created this stunning Poinsettia card using a die cut.

A La Card Monkey Challenge #88: Thinking of You + Sketch

This week I have the wonderful honour of joining Jessica as a Guest Designer and Julie Gearinger, the Monkey 86 Princess in designing another great sketch with the A La Card Monkey crew.   I love these sketches.  They are so much fun to work with.  If you haven't played along yet, now's the time.

When  I found out the theme of  Monkey 88's sketch was to be a "Thinking of You", card I had no difficulty in picking out a stamp set.  The one I chose is called "You are Loved" and it's from Shelli's Signature collection.  This set comes in wood and clear mount and can be found on page 40 of the Holiday Mini, but only until January 4th when it will be retired forever.

Although the "You are Loved" set is basically a Valentines Day set I think it also lends itself well to creating a vintage "thinking of you" card.  Here is my finished card.  Hope you like it.    

The base of this card is in Crumb Cake and it's layered with Early Espresso cardstock.  Instead of adding designer paper to this card, I chose one of the floral images from the stamp set to create a background on the next layer.  I used Versa Mark and Crumb Cake inks to stamp the image and then heat set with  Clear Embossing powder for a shimmery finish.

The sentiment was stamped twice on Crumb Cake and embossed with Clear Embossing Powder.  The image was punched out using the Decorative Label punch (120907 pg. 209) and then the "love" portion of the image was punched out from the second stamping and mounted with dimensionals. 

Love those basic pearls (119247 pg 198 IB&C) layered on 3/8" Quilted Satin Ribbon in Early Espresso (#124104 Holiday Mini) and Victoria 5/8" Crochet Trim (#118481 IB&C pg. 194).

Images are from the You are Loved Stamp Set and the beautiful embossed line is from the new Adorning Accents Embossing Folders in the Occasions Mini catalogue.

I Needed a Wreath............

The big box store wreath ....$39.00.

Several yars ago when we moved from our 3-story home to a smaller place I decided it was a good time to unload some of our decorations. And trust me we had tons of them.  Every occasion was covered and Christmas and Halloween shared the prize for years of accumulation! 

One of the garage sales I held.  Lots of things went including most of my Christmas items!

I was planning on holding several garage sales in my quest to purge, and declutter my life, so  I went through all of my Halloween and Christmas treasures and decided what could go and what I couldn't part with.  Over the course of four weekends of garage sales, most of my wonderful decorations went, including the Christmas tree(s), bear collection, outdoor and indoor decorations, lights  and all my wreaths.  Some of my these things were actually purchased by a movie set decorator for a Christmas scene being shot locally.  That made me feel really good. 

Here's some of the Halloween goodies I unloaded. 

Since circumstances changed and we're home for Christmas this year decorating our new home began as a bit of a challenge.  First of all we had to get a new tree, and lights.  Then, we decided we needed   wreaths for the fireplace and front door.  My husband did some shopping and came home with a fancy wreath from Costco and I almost fell over when he told me how much he paid for it. Being me,  I decided it had to be much cheaper to make my own, and that I could probably  make one equally nice.  So the following pictorial is what I came up with and I'll let you be the judge of whether or not it turned out better.

I dug through my christmas box and found ribbon, christmas balls, and some pine cones.  I purchased picks and a wreath form at 60% off at Zellers.

The ribbon inserts were easy to make and luckily I had some florists wire on hand to make the job even easier.

These picks come together so quickly. 

Here's the finished wreath hanging on my front door. 

Here's a little closer shot to show all the details.   Total costs for the items I purchased $11.58, and I think it looks just as good as the one from Costco. DIY worked out pretty good!

Stocking Builder Punch - Holiday Mini

If you loved these cards and you want to duplicate them time is running out!  Sometimes Stampin' Up!  carries over seasonal specific items from their mini catalogues to the Idea Book and Catalogue, but I'm sorry to say the Stocking Builder punch will not be carried over after January 4th, 2012. 

 

Stampin' Up announced yesterday they've decided not to carry over the Stocking Builder Punch (item 124095) from the 2011 Holiday Mini Catalogue into the next Idea Book & Catalogue. Instead they  will offer other great designs in its place--not to mention a trendy, new design planned for next holiday season.  

Once the current inventory of this punch has been depleted, it will no longer be available for purchase.

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:25:14

Celebrate Dec/Jan Birthdays with Monkey87: Birthdays + Sketch

This week's sketch challenge at A La Card Monkey is about making a 10 minute birthday card. Even though the sketch picture says Monkey86 it really, really is Monkey87.  So after I got over that hurdle, I thought okay the sketch is there and this shouldn't be difficult, but when your Mojo isn't working it's not working.  LOL!  Anyway about 2 hours later in the wee hours of the night I came up with this card. I'll be sending it to a good friend whose birthday is January 3. 

One of the absolutely best perks about being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator is being able to pre-order and play with the new products.  Since my friend's birthday is so close to the launch of the new "Occasions and Sale-A-Bration" catties, I thought perfect timing to include some of the new products on it and a chance to play. I think that's why it took me so long to make this card.  Everything's so awesome I couldn't decide what I wanted to use.  Well anyway here's my finished card and I hope you like it

"The Stockings Were Hung"

I worked like the dickens and managed to be on time this year, finishing my cards, getting them addressed and in the mail!  Whew what a relief!  I love making them and I love sending them, but it's always such a panic to finish all the little notes, add pictures and make sure everything's properly in the envelopes.  And next year I swear I'm making some of those box envelopes so that all my embellishments lie flat, or maybe I'll make single layer cards.  I had to pay double postage on about 20 of my envelopes this year, just because the little rhinestone on the stockings stopped the envies from going through the postal slot.  Oh well at least they got mailed, and here's a closer look at what I sent.  I think all my friends will like them.  How about you? 

November Christmas Card Class

It seems like so very long ago but I actually held a card class before I left on my trip in November and I wanted to share the four cards we made.

I chose to remake my entry for the Stampin' Queen's Challenge #12 for this card.  The only difference between the two is that I chose to make this one from Concord Crush instead of Night of Navy.  It turned out beautifully and the combination of Whisper White, Concord Crush and Silver Glimmer Paper is stunning.  All the details for this card are included in the above link. 

Here's a view of the inside of the card.  The sentiment is from the Christmas Lodge stamp set #123769 pg 29 Hoiday Mini catalogue. 

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The base of this beautiful card is made from Riding Hood Red cardstock with a layer of Very Vanilla embossed with the Northern Flurry Embossing Folder #120903 pg 219 IB&C.  The Christmas stocking was punch using the Stocking Builder Punch #124095 pg 34 of the Holiday Mini.  Silver Glimmer Paper #124005 pg 41 of the Holiday Mini jazzes up the heel toe and cuff of the stocking. 

A view of the inside of the stocking card shows a Riding Hood Red and Very Vanilla DSP topped with a Very Vanilla Top Note die cut.  I chose not to add a sentiment to the inside of this card.

 

This snowflake card was fun and fast to make and everyone agreed it was a real show stopper.  The top fold card base is made from Crumb Cake card stock and the layers are Concord Crush and Whisper White.  The Whisper White layer was embossed with the Finial Press Embossing Folder #115963 pg. 219 IB&C. 

The snowflakes were die cut using the Original Dies Snowflake #2 pg 220 IB&C.  This die works beautifully with the Silver Glimmer Paper (Holiday Mini).  A Circle Ice Brad in Lilac #109111 pg 198 IB&C) holds the snowflake together through all layers of the snowflake and the Concord Crush and Whisper White cardstock.  TIP:  By piecing the snowflake pieces and cardstock together with a brad rather than adhesive you can reposition the snowflake layers to get the best look, plus the brad doesn't show through to the inside of the card. .

Here's the inside view of this card.  The sentiment is from the Christmas Lodge stamp set.  The Concord Crush lace border is made with the Lace Ribbon Border punch # 122362 on pg. 210 of the IB&C. 

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I previously show cased this card and all the details in my submission to Shirley's Christmas Blog hop.  Spotlighting parts of a card design is both fun and rewarding and no two cards will look alike. 

Hope you enjoyed seeing these cards even though they're a month behind in posting. Leave me a comment, I always love to have feedback.

 

Clearance Rack Blitz

Don't you just love Christmas clearances and sales?  Well here's one amazing deal from Stampin' Up!

225 new Clearance Rack items to the Online Store

Discounts of up to 80 percent off retail.

Only available while supplies last!

Don't miss out on this wonderful opportunity!  Browse the new items at my Online Store Now!

Here's How It Works:

These clearance rack specials are only available to demonstrators and customers who order online.  Your order can include non-Clearance Rack items, too!

• The Clearance Rack Blitz includes old-body style punches.
• There's no minimum purchase required to participate in this promotion.
• Qualifying Clearance Rack orders are eligible for hostess benefits/Stampin' Rewards.  If you're unsure ask me what you need to qualify.
• Following the ONLINE Clearance Rack Blitz sales period, some blitz items may remain in the Clearance Rack; others may be removed and reappear at an undesignated time in the future.
• Clearance Rack Blitz items are only available while supplies last. There are no refunds or exchanges on Clearance Rack items.

Check out the details at my On Line Store now.  This offer expires at 6:00pm Mountain Time on January 5th, 2012! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I'm Back With Monkey86: Holidays & Sketch Challenge

I've been away for awhile and really missing all of you. Hope you've missed me too. While trying to get back in the swing of things I wandered over to the Ala Card Monkey Blog and checked out this week's sketch.

What a great sketch.  I drew inspiration from it right away as well as a good chuckle looking at the little boy searching for santa.  Here is my rendition of this sketch.

I've been in a purple mood for the past month or so, and although it's a non traditional colour for Christmas for me it evokes serenity and a regal charm.  So with that in mind I chose Wisteria Wonder for my card base and layered it up with Whisper White, Prints Pattern DSP in Concord Crush and a strip of Concord Crush that's been embossed with the stripes embossing folder.

This close up will show a little more of the detail on this card.  As soon as I saw the sketch I knew I wanted to add an image from the Christmas Lodge Stamp Set.  I stamped the image of the lodge in Concord Crush on Whisper White card stock, sprinkled it with Clear Embossing powder and then heat set it. Then I punched a 1/2 inch circle from a post it note to make a mask for the moon, and sponged the sky with Concord Crush.  The circle layers are Whisper White for the scalloped layer, Concord Crush, Silber Glimmer Paper, and the image.  The sentiment is stamped, embossed and layered in the same sequence.

Here's a view of the inside of the card.  I again layered with the DSP, Concord Crush and Whisper White Card stock.  The birds on a branch image is from the Christmas Lodge Set.

I think I'll be storing this sketch in my favourites file.  It was fast and easy to do and looks oh so good in real life!  Don't forget to check out all the great submissions on A La Card Monkey.  There's still time to enter for this week's challenge which includes blog candy!  They're giving away Warmest Wishes stamp set.