Willow & Paisley

Embellish Color Trends Challenge - Leaves

 

 

 

 

Hey Everyone.  I'm back with the newest Embellish Color Challenge for you.

 

Almost every week I think to myself that there is NO WAY I would have EVER put these colors together on my own.  No way.  But I always know I'm going to love them together so it's really something I do look forward to.  And so is the little twist we add for you.  The element we need you to add this week to your creation, along with the colors above, is LEAVES.  You can do anything your heart desires.  What pops into your mind when you think "leaves"?

 

{{And don't ya love the inspiration photo?  That's our girl Tina (aka Travelling Mama).}}

 

 

 

 

The first thing that popped into my head for a "Leaves" element was a Poinsettia because the colored "flowers" of the plant are actually leaves themselves.  {{Honest!  I even looked it up and Wikipedia says so.}}

 

I could not believe I did not have any burgundy felt.  I have every other color under the sun but not burgundy?!!  Also, I've been trying to find the Spellbinders Poinsettia die to buy locally but I have had no luck so far.  I ended up just drawing and hand cutting the leaves and I think it turned out ok even though it was ALOT bigger than I had planned on.  {{Also, the more I played with it the more it started looking like a water lily to me.  Maybe because it was 2:00 am and I was delirious.}}  

 

 

 

 

I used my all time favorite Christmas stamp set......Good Cheer by Ali Edwards for my sentiment.   I scattered a bunch of tiny Martha Stewart rhinestones on the bottom half of the card.  Then I changed my mind about adding those on but it was too late.  I couldn't get them off.  Those little guys stuck!

 

Thank you so much for checking out my "leaves" card.  Now it's your turn.....I can't wait to see what you create for this challenge.  Bring it!

 

{{p.s....has anyone ever noticed that when I do the Embellish posts I spell "color" like they do in the US but when I do my regular posts I spell it "colour" like we do in Canada?  Ok, am I getting delirious again?  Randomness.}}  

 

 

 

 

 

Loonie Stampers - Green and Red

 

 

 

I'm sure you all are used to seeing orange and black these days but today I got to pick our Loonie challenge and I chose Green and Red.  I told you I'd be making Christmas cards and I'm happy to say I have a few done!  I also went through my boxes and boxes of cards and pulled out all the old cards from last year and those will also be used and mailed out this year.  I'm actually doing my best to clean and purge my craft room.  It's slow going but I'm plugging away at it.  Some neighbors kids are going to be very happy little girls when they see what's coming their way!  Maybe I should save it and give it to them for Christmas.  heehee. 

 

 

 

 

When I was sorting items to be purged I came across a package of dollar store pom poms (hoarder) so I sat down to make my card using them.  I threaded my twine with a needle and strung the pom poms on.

 

The Technique Tuesday stamps that I used are Harlequin Harmony which was heat embossed with clear on the white.  In real life it looks much better than my lack of photography skills could show.  The sentiment is Good Cheer by Ali Edwards.  Also heat embossed. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for visiting.  Have yourself a merry little day! 

 

Dee   Regan   Wendy   Maria   Rhonda

 

 

 

 

 

Loonie Stampers - A Recipe

 

 

 

Hey Everyone.......Happy Friday to you!  It's an awesome Friday in my world because I am now on 2 weeks vacation!!  Woohoo.  OK, so I may not be going to some tropical island or getting on a plane to go anywhere but we are going to my mom and dad's and you cannot get more relaxing than that.  We will spend Thanksgiving with them and my brother and his family.  I can't wait to see my amazing niece and nephew.  They are such cool kids.  {{Oh and let's not forget the best thrift store ever in a nearby town}}.  After that we will head off to Mike's mom's farm for another relaxing visit.  I love Fall vacations and I love nothing more than spending it enjoying small town living.

 

 

 {click for close up}

 

I told you I'd be making Christmas cards!  Well this one isn't going to be very easy to put in the mail with those jingle bells is it?  Rhonda set our challenge for us today and it's a "RECIPE".  She asked us to make a card using 3 Patterned Papers, 2 Embellishments and 1 image.  How fun is that?  

 

Two of my patterned papers are obvious and the 3rd one is the glittery gold paper that the star is made from.  I might have ended up using 3 Embellishments if you consider the bells, twine AND the lace to all be embellies.  If you've visited my blog for any length of time you know that I don't really do "images" but I do have an insane love for Ali Edwards sentiments.  That is what I consider to be my "image".  This particular sentiment is from Good Cheer by Ali Edwards.  Seriously....I cannot stop using that stamp set!

 

 

 

 

Thanks for visiting.  

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving my friends!

Dee   Regan   Wendy   Maria   Rhonda 

 

 

 

 

 

Loonie Stampers - Get Flakey

 

 

 

We're getting FLAKEY!  Maria challenged us to use snow flakes in any way we wished.  This is great for me because it means I already have one Christmas card made!!  Hey.....it's a start.  In fact, I think I will try to work on doing at least one Christmas card a week from now till mid December.  I might just help me take the pressure off when the time comes to get them in the mail. 

 

 

 

 

This one is even ideal for mailing as those buttons are small and there's no bulky bow.  The stamp is Good Cheer by Ali Edwards {{Technique Tuesday}}.  It's one of my all time favorite stamp sets!

 

 

 

 

Speaking of flakes....lets go see what the girls have made!

 

Dee   Regan   Wendy   Maria   Rhonda

 

 

 

 

 

January 2011 ~ Happy{est} New Year to You!

 

 

 

Happy New Year everyone!!  I hope you had a wonderful New Years Eve with family and friends.  Mike and I had a very low key night with just the 2 of us at home.  Pretty much perfect if you ask me.

 

I think 2011 is going to be a fantastic year ~~ I can just feel it.  I hope to have a relaxing but productive year.  I've never been one to set Resolutions so I won't be bothering to start now.  Haha.

 

Here's to a wonderful year of being creative, making new friends, enjoying old friends and loving our families.  I wish you all the very best twenty eleven.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vintage Spools of Twine Goodness

 
 Hey everyone....HOW WAS YOUR CHRISTMAS?  Wonderful I hope!  I wanted to show you the gifts I made for my local crafty girlfriends.  I am part of a monthly card party with the best friends a girl could ask for.

 

I purchased the 240 yard spools of twine on-line in 8 colours.  So cost effective to buy those large spools (about 0.5 cents a yard!) and I have so much left over it'll last me forever!  Plus they just look great displayed in my craft room.  hehe.

 

 

 

I was not eager to wrap twine around 80 spools and thankfully I didn't have to.  Mike has the brilliant idea to use his cordless drill.  He stuck the spool on the end of it and spun that twine around each one in no time.  That was such a time saver ~~~ especially since he did them all for me. 

This photos shows the first 4 sets of 8 colours that were complete.

 

 

 

I bought 80 empty vintage spools on Etsy.  They are SO awesome and with shipping to Canada they worked out to be about 50 cents each.  That was enough spools to make 10 sets with 8 different coloured twines.  That might seem expensive for a spool but it was only $4 per set plus the cost of twine per spool (which really couldn't have been more than another 50 cents if I had to guess).  So for about $8 (if that) per gift I was thrilled!  Last year the girls got a $10 Starbucks gift card and this is so much cuter, don'tcha think?

 

 

 

Here's how I packaged them up.  I think the girls really liked them.  Now I have to think of something just as fun for next Christmas!

 

 

 

 




 

Joy = Family {& coffee}

  

 

Our very first bit of family arrives today.  My brother in law and his 2 children (ages 13 and 9) from Sugar Land,Texas will be here for a week.  {{{along with the most kick-ass coffee machine ever....I ordered that baby from Costco.COM and my BIL is bringing it as luggage.  My new kitchen is waiting on pins and needles to welcome it with open arms.  Seriously though...the US gets such good deals.  That machine is miniumum $750 in Canada and it was $399 in the US. SCORE!!  My BFF Wendy had one so I had to have one too!!}}}.

  The rest of my in-laws and my parents arrive starting on Wednesday.  It will be a full house for the next week that's for sure.  It's going to be alot of fun and I'm pretty sure I'll be playing more board games than I have in the last 20 years.  I've never known a family that has so much fun with each other just by hanging out and laughing together.  I doubt that I can talk them into a game of Pictionary though....I am such a freak when trying to win that game.  haha.

 

Have a wonderful day everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Santa

 

 

 

Christmas is approaching so fast, don't ya think?!!  It's all coming together though and I know it's going to be a great week with family.  Yesterday (Saturday) I made 4 batches of Bits & Bites, 2 apple pies, 2 Pull Apart Loaves (bread dough rolled in cinnamon/sugar and baked in an angel food cake pan) and I'll make 2 more today.  SO Yummy.  It feels great to get these things done and cross off so many things on my to-do list.

 

Here's another old card for ya.  I gotta get these posted before Christmas so I can start 2011 brand new and fresh.  All these cards have gone to a new home already.

 

How's your holiday preparations going?  Are you panicking or do you have it under control?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

A New One. Not Old.

 

 

Oh Oh Oh!  I found a "newer" card to post today!!  I made this for a World Card Making Day challenge on the Technique Tuesday forum over at Splitcoaststampers back in October.  I can't believe I didn't post this then.  Seriously....I can barely function in this computer aged world....lol.

 

The Technique Tuesday stamps I used are Good Cheer by Ali Edwards for the sentiment.  Glee for the hand stamped musical note paper (a must have set for sure!) and do you see that little tree?  Well I used Message in a Banner to make that tree.  That was Teri's brilliant idea and I just had to be a copy cat.

 

 

Have a wonderful day!  I hope you are all doing well with the Christmas preparations?  I am loving it all....decorating, Christmas tunes, organizing and soon ....some baking!

 

 
 

 

'Tis the Season

 

 

 

Welcome to ........Monday!  Can I get a woohoo for Mondays?  Just kidding. 

It's as good a day as any, however, to share another of my "old" cards from my stash.

I hope you are all feeling super prepared for Christmas.  I'm loving our house and how cozy, cheery and festive it's feeling now that I have finished my decorating.  There are a few things I want to show you so I hope to get photos taken and posted before Christmas {{but who knows if that will actually happen.  As it is I'm blogging about cards from years past that I've never even posted.}}

 

 Have a GREAT day everyone!