Cheers!

Happy New Year to you and yours!

The challenge at Dragonfly Journeys this week is Bling on the New Year, so I'm linking this post to that.

Supplies:
Card stock, ribbon, washi tape, ink and stamp:  Stampin' Up!
DSP:  Lawn Fawn
All dies:  My Favorite Things

Also linking to Word Art Wednesday's Challenge 216 - Anything  Goes!

Hope you will be blessed in 2016 with good health, love and joy!

Smiles,
Denise

Santa Suit

OK, so I couldn't pass up one more opportunity to post a Christmas card this year!  I'm linking this to a new blog I heard about called Dragonfly Journeys, and their challenge this week is Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

Also linking this to Word Art Wednesday, which I suspect will have tens of entries for you to peruse since this time their challenge lasts two weeks, instead of one!

Supplies:
Dies and stamps:  My Favorite Things
Card stock, ink and baker's twine:  Stampin' Up!

Thanks a lot for visiting, and have a very merry Christmas!!

Smiles,
Denise

Don We Now Our Ugly Sweaters!

Greetings!  Thought it was time to share the Christmas card I made this year for most of my friends and family:

I had a lot of fun with this card -- it was a bit labor intensive, but worth it!

Supplies:
Card stock, ink, tree punch:  Stampin' Up!

Stamps and dies (except for hanger die):  My Favorite Things

Hanger die:  The Stamps of Life

DSP:  Carta Bella, Have a Very Merry Christmas collection

I probably won't post again for several days, as I'll be off work and enjoying the wonderful Christmas season with my family and friends.  So, I'd like to leave you with this beautiful image depicting our Savior's most humble birth:

Thank you so much for visiting , and have a very merry and blessed Christmas!

Denise

Hug in a Mug

It's not exactly parka weather here, yet, but that didn't stop me from using this new adorable stamp set from My Favorite Things called Hug in a Mug, and its coordinating dies to put this card together:

I followed this week's MOJO sketch for it, which looks like this:

Supplies:

Cardstock and ink:  Stampin' Up!

DSP:  Hello Winter by Echo Park

Tag Die:  Reverse Confetti

Also linking this to Word Art Wednesday's challenge #214 (Anything Goes).

Thank you for clicking by!  See you soon,

Denise

No Peeking!!

Hi, and thank you for stopping by!  Here is a Christmas gift tag I made for the last issue of Create magazine:

Supplies:

Card stock, ribbon, pearl, gold twine, stamps, red and green inks, ticket punch, banner triple punch, label, ornament and banner dies:  Stampin’ Up!

Bow, word bubble, reinforcer and star dies:  My Favorite Things

White Ink:  Stazon

Gold Ink:  Metallic Encore

DSP:  Merry Moments by Stampin’ Up! and The Story of Christmas by Echo Park

Here is the sketch I used:

Have fun making your own!!

Best,
Denise

Snow!

No, it hasn't snowed here, yet, but not because I haven't been doing my part!  Here is a card I made for the last (sniff, sniff) issue of Create magazine:

Supplies:
Cardstock, cording, white snowflakes, scallop punch:  Stampin' Up!
Snowflake and word dies:  Reverse Confetti
DSP:   Echo Park Hello Winter collection

Even though there won't be any more new issues of Create produced, you will still be able to download all the previous issues (for free, of course!).

Linking this to Word Art Wednesday too!

Thanks for clicking by,
Denise

Merry Snowmen!

I have this cute snowman set that was only sold by Stampin' Up! for one year - I think it was the 2011-2012 catalog.  I haven't used it much, either, but I always really liked it.  Then I saw that the December challenge from 52 Christmas Card Throwdown is to pick any challenge from the past year, and there was a snowman challenge from July, so I decided to go with that and finally use these adorable s'more shaped snowmen!

Supplies:
Cardstock, pearls, inks and stamps:  SU
DSP:  Hello Winter by Echo Park
Snowflake dies:  All Seasons Tree by Karen Burniston at Elizabeth Crafts
All other dies:  My Favorite Things
Copic marker

So glad I held onto this set!

Check out this week's Word Art Wednesday for a ton of wonderful ideas, too!

Thanks for visiting,
Denise

A Jolly Hello

We put up our tree today, plus decorated the front of the house, so in keeping with the season, I thought I'd share with you a Christmas card I did for one of my recent classes at Angela's Happy Stamper in Herndon, VA.

Supplies:
Cardstock and inks:  SU
Dies and stamps:  My Favorite Things
DSP:  Echo Park, The Story of Christmas collection
Copic markers
Rhinestone from Michael's


Also linking this to Word Art Wednesday -- check out their blog for so many ideas!!

Enjoy the Season,
Denise

Christmas Wishes

Greetings!  I'm so mad at myself, because I had this new card ready to post yesterday, but I forgot all about it!  Does that ever happen to you?  Anyway, this is December's Card of the Month:

The entire card front is glittery, which doesn't show up well in the picture, but it's really beautiful. Click here to see the inside message.

Thank you for visiting, and I hope you're having a wonderful day!

Denise

Happy Christmas

The challenge this week at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown is "friends and family", so I put together the following card for it:

As you can tell, I'm so excited for the Christmas season!  BTW, the Story of Christmas paper collection by Echo Park is just awesome -- check it out!

Supplies:
Family and Happy Christmas stamps, card stock, bow builder punch, pearl and inks:  Stampin Up!
Holly die:  Elizabeth Crafts
Designer Paper:  The Story of Christmas, by Echo Park 
All other dies and stamps:  My Favorite Things
Ribbon:  Michael's

Last but not least, also linking this to Word Art Wednesday, for consideration in their "anything goes" challenge.

Thanks for visiting, and have a wonderful day!
Denise

Classic Birthday

Happy Saturday to you!  I was inspired to make this card from this week's MOJO Monday sketch:

Here is the sketch:

I took a little bit of creative liberty, but that's what sketches are all about! 

In case you're curious, here is the inside message:

Also linking this to Word Art Wednesday's weekly challenge.

Supplies:
Stamps and dies:  My Favorite Things
Papers, embossing folder and inks:  Stampin' Up!

Thanks for clicking by, and have a creative day!

Denise

You Like That!

Unless you're living under a rock, or are just not a football fan, you probably saw the viral video of Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins quarterback, giving it to reporters after a huge come from behind win.  Well, the next day, my husband and I got to meet him at a product launch he was promoting at our local Microsoft store!  Here is a scrapbook layout I made of it, which also appears on page 48 of the latest FREE issue of Create magazine:

He was really nice and though the moment was short, it was memorable!  Also linking this to Word Art Wednesday's blog.  The supplies I used are listed on the same page in the magazine.

Thanks for clicking by!

Smiles,
Denise

Silent Night

Hi!  Here is a new Christmas card design I am offering for purchase:

This lovely card is made on extra-heavy white card stock, beautifully embossed with gold lettering, and accented with red foil borders.  Click here to check out the inside message, and here for pricing.

Thank you so much for visiting.  Have a blessed day!

Smiles,
Denise

Cozy Christmas

Hi!  Today I'm sharing with you a card I made for the November color challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.  The colors to use are purple and green, which I LOVE together!  In fact, my living room is purple and green:

The picture is a little dark but you get the idea.  So with that in mind, here is the card I put together:

What do you think?  A bit unconventional, but kinda fun!  Also linking this with Word Art Wednesday's challenge #209 "Anything Goes".

Supplies:
Cardstock, baker's twine, inks and pearls:  Stampin' Up!
Dies and stamps:  My Favorite Things

Thanks so much for visiting, and have a wonderful day!

Denise

Ho, ho, ho!

Greetings!  It's getting closer and closer to the holidays, and I can almost hear the jingle bells!  I spent my day off yesterday at an outlet mall and had so much fun shopping!  I'd rather avoid the madness in December, so all the Veteran's Day sales worked out perfectly for me, and it was also a gorgeous day.

Since December will be here before you know it, I thought I'd share a cute card that goes together pretty quickly, using primarily products from My Favorite Things.  I'm also teaching this card (plus a few other Christmas items) at Angela's Happy Stamper in Herndon, VA on December 5 -- come join me!  Would love to craft with you!!

I used the Santa Suit and Tag Builder 4 Dies, plus the coordinating Gift Tag Greetings stamps.  So easy!  Inks, card stock and twine are from Stampin' Up!  

Also  linking this post to Word Art Wednesday, whose weekly posts inspire both my spirituality and creativity!

Thanks so much for visiting,

Denise

Merry!

Greetings!!  I hope you had a good weekend!  I'm happy because I was able to get a lot of crafting done.  I purchased a half-sized folding table at Costco and set it up in front of the T.V. so I could watch football and work on my Christmas cards at the same time.  Score!  

Anyway, this card I'm posting today is for 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.  I love that if you participate in each challenge all year, you'll have 52 cards ready to send come Christmastime!  This week they have a sketch challenge, so this is what I did:

This is the sketch:

Here's the supplies I used:

Word die:  Reverse Confetti

Ribbon, cardstock, embossing folder, stamp, tree die, stickles, ink:  Stampin' Up!

Gift tag die:  My Favorite Things

Designer paper:  The Story of Christmas, by Echo Park

Hope you're inspired to get going on your own cards!!

Thanks so much for visiting, and have a wonderful day,

Denise

More Word Art Wednesday 207

Hi!  I was busy over the weekend, working on my Christmas cards plus some swaps I'm doing for a Stampin' Up! event next weekend.  I was asked to make a personalized anniversary card, so I worked on that as well.  Here is what I came up with:

I'm not big on fru-fru, so I made a trip to my local stamp store to find those gorgeous papers -- they're from Bo Bunny's Juliet collection.  They're so pretty - I think I'm going to go back to get some more!  Here are the other supplies I used:

Gold twine, pearls, banner triple punch, card stock and window framelits:  Stampin' Up!
Heart, "love", and scallop dies:  My Favorite Things

I used a French Script font that was already on my computer to make the greeting.

Linking up with Word Art Wednesday, since their "Anything Goes" challenges are easy to comply with!!

Thank you so much for visiting, and have a creative day!

Smiles,
Denise

November Card of the Month!

I'm happy to offer this sweet card to you suitable for all your pie-loving friends and family, and who doesn't like pie?  Perfect for a Thanksgiving greeting!

To see the cute message inside the card, click here.

All the best,
Denise

Hey Ghoulfriend!

Happy Halloween!  Thought I'd share the card I made for my friends:

It was a bit labor-intensive, but worth it! I'm also linking this to Word Art Wednesday's challenge "anything goes".

Here's my supply list:
Card stock:  Stampin' Up!
Stamps and ghost dies:  Lil Inkers
Pumpkin die:  Impression Obsession
All other dies:  My Favorite Things

Thanks so much for visiting, and hope you have a faboolous Halloween!

Denise

Great sketch from MOJO Monday!

Happy autumn day to you,

I've been home most of the day preparing my projects for the next issue of Create magazine, but I also made time to make this birthday card using the latest sketch from MOJO Monday:

Here is the sketch:

What a great basic sketch!  I see myself using it over and over again.  Also, giving a nod to Word Art Wednesday, who once again has provided creative and spiritual nourishment!

Supply List:
Card Stock, ink, baker's twine:  SU
DSP:  Summer Fun by Fancy Pants Designs
Stitched sun die:   Lil Inker Designs
All other dies:  My Favorite Things
Button: found it in my stash

Thanks for clicking by!

Smiles,
Denise

Noel

Here is another Christmas card for you to choose from!

The card base is a gorgeous brushed gold, which looks beautiful with the different shades of blue.  You can see the message inside the card here.

Thanks for clicking by, and have a nice week!

Denise

Halloween Cutie

Hi!  Here is another layout that was published in the September issue of Create magazine.  Remember, it's a free on-line magazine that you can download.  It's packed with wonderful ideas and product information, not just for scrapbooking but cards, tags and gift wrap ideas, too, so you'll never need to go anywhere else for your scrapbooking hobby!

The supply list is on page 152.

Also linking this to the awesome Word Art Wednesday blog, for another one of their Anything Goes challenges.  Check out their blog - so many great projects are posted! 

Have fun perusing the magazine, and enjoy your day!

Smiles,
Denise

O Come All Ye Faithful

Hi!  It really isn't too early to start thinking about Christmas, especially in terms of getting your cards ready.  With that in mind, I made this new one to add to the selection of Christmas cards that you can purchase from my blog:

It's hard to tell, but the white paper has a gorgeous shimmer to it.  To see the inside, check out this link.

I hope you like this new card.  Thank you for visiting, and see you soon!
Denise

Personal Get Well Card

Greetings,

Am I glad I have this great hobby!  Not only does making cards help to take my mind off things, but I get to help others feel better.  I made this card for a friend who requested it say something personal to his friend, who is recovering from a serious illness:

I made the saying with a lobster font and my computer.  All the dies are from My Favorite Things, and the card stock is from Stampin' Up!  The DSP is from the Secret Garden collection by KaiserCraft.

Since this week's challenge from Word Art Wednesday is "anything goes", I'm linking this to their page as well. 

Thanks so much for visiting.

Smiles,
Denise

Grateful

Hi!  Thanks for visiting today!  I was inspired to make this card based on this week's MOJO Monday challenge, and the gorgeous weather that was outside my office window today:

This is the sketch:

Supplies:
Stitched rectangle dies:  My Favorite Things
Inks, cardstock, embellishments, stamps and leaf die:  SU
Designer Paper:  Fall Blessings by Echo Park

Just love using all the fall colors together!  I'm sure I'll be using a lot more of them the next few weeks.  Hope they inspire you to do some creating, too!

Smiles,
Denise

Yeti or Not!

OK, so it may be a little early for this, but I saw this week's sketch by MOJO Monday and had just received this new stamp set in the mail, which I knew would work perfectly with the sketch...so this is the result:

This is the sketch:

Yea, I changed it up a bit, but that's the fun of sketches...they get your creativity going and you never know what you end up with!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Kelly's Yeti Stamp & Cut by Hero Arts
Card Stock and Ink:  SU
DSP:  Graphic 45
Tab Die:  My Favorite Things

Thanks for visiting!

Best,
Denise

Hello, Autumn

Happy day to you!  Thought I'd share what I spent my spare time over the weekend working on.  It was inspired by a card from Karen Burniston:

And here is the inside, using Karen's Adirondack Chair pop it up, her bear, tree and leaves:

Other supplies:
Hello Autumn stamps:  Hero Arts
Sending you a hug stamp:  Verses
Ink and Card Stock:  SU
DSP:   Echo Park I Love Sunshine
Pumpkin Dies:  Impression Obsession
Sunshine Die:  Lil Linkers
Copic Marker for the pumpkin tops

The chair was a little tricky, but worth the effort!  I was going to make two of them, but since it took two days, decided to stop at one!

Also linking this to Word Art Wednesday's Challenge 202 - "Anything Goes".

Thanks for clicking by,
Denise

Open if You Dare!

Greetings,

I loved putting together this cute card, as it combines fall and Halloween:

To design the card, I used a My Favorite Things sketch for Blueprints 20.  The DSP is Fall Blessings from Carta Bella, and the stamps and ghost dies are from Lil Inkers.

It's going to be a rainy weekend here -- perfect for crafting!  Hope you find some time this weekend to get your crafting on.

Smiles,
Denise

Create with me this Saturday!

Greetings!  This Saturday, I will be teaching another card making class at Angela's Happy Stamper in Herndon, Virginia!  We will focus on using Blueprints 20 from My Favorite things, and all materials except adhesives will be provided.  We will meet at 1:00 for a couple of hours.  If you would like to join me, please call Angela's (703-657-2952) to reserve your spot, so I know to make up materials for you.  Here is one of the cards we will be making:

I know you will love working with Blueprints as much as I do!

Also linking this to Word Art Wednesday, whose challenge this week is Anything Goes!

Hope to see you there,
Denise

May All Your Pumpkins Make Pies

Ok, that saying is just too cute not to use!  Thought it would like nice with MOJO Monday's sketch this week, so here's what I put together:

This is the sketch:

Supplies:
Card Stock, inks, tag punch and Gobble stamp:  SU
Pumpkins saying stamp:  Stamps by Judith
DSP:  The Story of Fall by Lori Whitlock
Leaves die:  Elizabeth Crafts
All other dies: My Favorite Things
Twine:  Target

Hope this helps inspire you to do some creating today!

Best,
Denise

Incredible Tokyo

Hi!  Today I'm sharing with you the two page layout I did for the September issue of Create magazine (a free digital magazine published by Scrapbook Generation).   It highlights some of the main activities I did while in Japan earlier this year, visiting my daughter:

Here is the sketch that I was asked to work from:

As is my usual MO, I followed the sketch pretty closely.  I like this sketch a lot because I was able to get so much into it!  Normally for documenting vacations, I would make one or two pages to showcase each day.  But I was able to put most of the things I did during the week into this one layout.  Love that!!

You can check page 52 of the magazine for my supply list.

Thanks for visiting,
Denise

Check Out the September Issue of CREATE!

Greetings!  I'm so excited to share with you the newest issue of Create!  Here is the cover:

It's packed with dozens of wonderful ideas.  Definitely check it out and remember, it's free, even for downloading!!

Enjoy!
Denise

Celebrating with Word Art Wednesday!

This week is Word Art Wednesday's 200th challenge!  There's all kinds of fun going on over there, so check it out!  Here is my submission to help them celebrate:

I used a simple sketch from My Favorite things, and as a result, the card went together really easy!

Supply List:
Card stock, ink, ribbon, tag punch:  SU
Dies, stamp:  My Favorite Things

Thanks for clicking by,
Denise

September's Card of the Month

I'm happy to share with you September's card of the month:

The inside of this sweet card is blank.  Hope you like it!!

Sending You Warm Thoughts

Hi, long time no see!  I know I've been quiet lately -- went away for the long weekend with my husband.  Told him I was giving up three days of crafting!  He still loves me.  :)  We really had fun!  We sailed to St. Michael's, Maryland, and stayed two nights in a B&B.  Lovely couples escape!  Here's a couple of shots of the harbor.

It's a beautiful little old town, so yea, it was worth giving up three days of crafting!

When I saw MOJO Monday's latest sketch, I instantly fell in love with it.  It's so versatile!!  Easy and perfect for so many card options!!

Here's the sketch:

 

I changed it up a little bit but not much. 

 

Supplies:

Plum cardstock:  Bazzill

Green cardstock, ink and embossing folder:  SU

Stamp and all die cuts:  My Favorite Things

Designer Paper:  Graphic 45 Rare Oddities

 

I would be totally remiss if I didn't honor those who lost their lives on this day 14 years ago.

In remembrance,

Denise