12 Kits of Occasion ~ December

Good morning ~  It's that time once again for the big reveal of the 12 Kits of Occasion cards for the month of December.  This month our hostess was Tracey McNeely of In My Creative Opinion and I must say that Tracey totally outdid herself with this adorable kit just filled to the brim with feminine sweetness. Everything in this kit was new to me and I had so much fun creating with it.  Thanks Tracey!

Before I get started, I want to let you all know that Jeanne (our Jan. 2018 hostess) is giving away one of her {Snow Day} kits! All you have to do is leave a comment on the 12 Kits blog! USA destinations only please so you have time to receive the kit and play along.

Tracey had three pretty flowing dress images in the kit and all I could think of was seeing them through the window at a fancy boutique so that's the direction I went with this card.

A better angle to show you the depth of this card with the pink striped awning.

As always, Tracey has flawless taste in color and style.  

I had a hard time cutting into this printed paper she sent.  I wanted to hoard it all!

You can find the complete list of products Tracey sent and see how my team mates used Tracey's sweet kit over at the 12 Kits of Occasion blog.  Don't forget to leave a comment on the 12 Kits blog for your chance to win next month's kit.  I just know it will be fabulous!

Thanks for stopping by!

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Hello frosty friends~  We've been waking up to -24 degrees below zero for the last two mornings. Brrrrr....  Perfect weather for hibernating inside and playing in my craft room with some new stamps and dies.  

 This darling snow couple is from Avery Elle Frosty Friends.  Are they adorable or what??  The Poppystamps Stitched Majestic Mountains in the background were perfect for this warm wintery scene.

I colored this fella slightly different, adding Frantic Stampers Birch Tree Forest in the background.  Poppystamps Stitched Landscapes always adds a nice snowy base.

I'll be adding one of these cards to the following challenges:
Work It Wednesday ~ Something NEW

Time Out Challenges ~ New Beginnings

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Double D Challenges ~ Baby It's Cold Outside
Word Art Wednesday ~ Anything Goes

I am also having a giveaway for this stamp set as I was sent two by accident when I ordered and they said I could re-gift it.  How awesome is that?  Leave a comment to win!  I'll pick a winner on January 7th!

Stay warm, my friends!

Thanks for stopping by!

Beautiful Snowflake Candle Mats

Good morning and Merry Christmas to you and your family!  We're blessed with a white Christmas here in Maine so today's project can be used during the cold wintery months ahead to add a warm glow to your home.  

These Snowflake Candle Mats are so easy, you'll be whipping them out by the dozen!  

Here's a snapshot of the products I used:

I cut several large snowflakes using Elizabeth Craft Designs Ornate Snowflakes and Dotted Scallop Circles out of the Stardream Metallic Silver Cardstock

and glued the snowflakes onto the scalloped circles using Tombow Mono Multi-Purpose Glue.

I added some pretty colored gems to the snowflakes and lifted the fractals of the snowflakes to add depth.

The battery operated tea lights fit perfectly in the center of the candle mats.

These particular candles change color and I just happened to get lucky enough to have them all at different colors when I snapped the picture.  

You'll find all the Stardream Metallic Cardstock on sale this month at Cut Cardstock.  While you're there, be sure to sign up for their newsletter so you'll be the first to know about their amazing sales and deals!

Would you like to receive lots of free cardstock, envelopes and other supplies?  CutCardStock is having a design team call.  You can find all the details here. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Primitive Angel Brings Peace On Earth

Hello friends~  I've got another card for the Merry Monday Christmas Challenge that fits in to their tic tac toe board

 This one goes down the board on the left using Stamping, Die Cut & Red

 I stamped the music background on the ECD Stitched Heart.  The patterned paper has red in it and the die cut angel is from Echo Park.

I have a few friends who love the primitive style so each year I make a handful of primitive cards to send to them. 

I'll also be entering this card into the following challenges:

The Sisterhood of Crafters ~ It's all about Christmas

Word Art Wednesday ~ Anything Goes

Use Your Stuff ~ Holiday Stamp

Thanks for stopping by!

Elizabeth Craft Designs Designer Challenge

Hello friends~ Elizabeth Craft Designs is starting a new Designer's Challenge today and the theme is to make a creative background.

I created my background by using Gelato's on a piece of water color cardstock.  I colored the Gelato's on and then generously spritzed it with water and let the colors run.  Once it was dry I spritzed it again using Heidi Swapp Gold Color Shine and allowed it to dry.

I then ran it through the die cutting machine using the new Abstract Background Die and mounted it to an A2 sized top folding card base.

 I used the Stitched Heart and layered two of these cute Buttons that also have stitched details.  The sentiment is from Valentine Sentiments.

Be sure to visit the Elizabeth Craft Designs blog to see how the other designers were inspired to make creative backgrounds then leave a comment answering the following question for your chance to win a $20 Gift Card to Elizabeth Craft Designs.
 What Elizabeth Craft Designs dies or stamp sets would you use to create a background on something you were creating?

This is my final post for Elizabeth Craft Designs and I just wanted to say thanks to everyone and I'll miss you all!

Thanks for stopping by!

Primitive Filled Christmas Crock

Good morning friends ~ Although I haven't been spending as much time crafting as I'd like to be, I have a card that I made earlier in the season that meets the requirements for the tic tac toe challenge they're having at Merry Monday Christmas blog. 

 I hope it's ok to enter it.  It uses Die Cut, Twine & Green:

The image is an old wood mounted stamp that I colored with copics and added lots of glittery Wink Of Stella to.  The greens are from Elizabeth Craft Designs Festive Glow and the berries are from Cheery Lynn Designs Floral Bouquet.  The heart is an older Spellbinders die.

I'll also be entering this card into the following challenges:
Use Your Stuff ~ Holiday Stamp
Curtain Call ~ Pines

May you all have a blessed Christmas as I leave you with this final thought:

Thanks for stopping by!

Vintage Inspired Santa

Good morning friends ~ I've got a sweet vintage Santa card up for you today.  

I started by embossing a piece of white A2 sized cardstock using a snowflake embossing folder then mounted it onto an A2 sized top folding card.

I cut the Sue Wilson Bold Snowflake Frame out of kraft cardstock and rubbed a bit of Gathered Twigs Distress Ink around the outside edges.  This die set includes 5 dies that can be mixed and matched in lots of different ways.

I cut the Poppystamps Evangeline Snowflakes out of white cardstock that had double sided adhesive on the top.  I removed the release paper from the snowflakes and added Elizabeth Craft Designs Cool Diamond Silk Microfine Glitter to the tops.  They're so sparkly and pretty in real life but hard to capture in a photo.

I've had this vintage Santa image in my stash for a long time and finally decided that it was time to use it.  I cut the image out using one of the circle dies from the Sue Wilson Bold Snowflake Frame and mounted it to the inside of the snowflake frame.  Then I scattered the Evangeline Snowflakes on the front of the card and finished it off with clear gems.

A quick and easy last minute Christmas card!

I hope you're inspired by today's project.  Don't forget to join in on all the fun at the Dies R Us Challenge Blog.  There's a new challenge theme offered on the 1st and 15th of each month and one lucky randomly drawn winner will receive a gift voucher prize to the Dies R Us Store.  For your convenience, all the important Dies R Us links are provided below.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Blessings~ Birgit

click below for:

STORE
CHALLENGE BLOG
FACEBOOK
INSPIRATION BLOG

FRIENDS OF DIES R US PINTEREST PAGE

Thanks for stopping by!

Peaceful Scene Shaker Card

Hello crafty friends~  It's with much sadness that I announce that I'll be stepping down from the Elizabeth Craft Designs design team.  It's been such a fun year working with ECD design team and I wanted to send a special thanks to Els & Joep, Joset and Frances for letting me be part of this amazing team for a whole year.  Life has just gotten crazy busy for me and it's taking me down a different path that doesn't allow as much time in my craft room as many of you who visit me may have noticed.    

I thought the sentiment on this card was very fitting to let everyone at Elizabeth Craft Designs know how much I'll miss them.

 I had a scrap of an ink blended background left over from a previous project that was just a little too small so I cut two snowdrifts using the snowdrift die from the Reindeer set and added Cool Diamond Silk Microfine Glitter to the top edges and then adhered them to the background.

Using an A2 size piece of Christmas Holidays Paper Pack from Moda Scrap,  I cut one of the Stitched Stars out of the center, saving the cut star for a future project.

  I adhered a piece of clear acetate to the back of the cut printed paper using Clear Double Sided Adhesive.  This particular acetate has a protective blue film on both sides.  It really is clear once the blue film is removed as you'll see in the following pictures.

  Using foam tape,  I made it into a shaker window by adding sequins and seed beads.

I cut one of the deer from the Reindeer set out of Kraft cardstock and added some Gathered Twigs Distress Ink to the outside edges and antlers.

 I Stamped and die cut the sentiment from Sentiments 1 Celebration and Sentiments 1 Celebration Dies and mounted it to the window using foam tape.

You can find all these great products and more at Elizabeth Craft Designs

Thanks for stopping by!