Anything Goes! Celebrate!

Today’s card is being featured on Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration. The challenge was to create a card where anything goes! Every once in a while, I get the urge to make completely random cards, no design plan, no theme, just a card. This was my attempt at using no stamps but lots of fun DSP. I really wanted to feature the beautiful copper accents in the Joyous Noel DSP. Love how this one turned out! 

Check out that shine!

• Stamps:

• Inks:

• Cardstock: Joyous Noel DSP; Copper Foil; Crumb Cake

• Accessories:

• Tools: Celebrate You Thinlits; star punch (retired)

Holiday Catalog Swaps

Every new catalog, the demo team I am on does a card swap. I love seeing designs from other demos and stamp sets I don't have. Check out this catalog's examples:

Kathy Thisted

Nicole Flournoy @ Inky Fingers Stamping

Pamela Wu @ Stinky Tofu

Sandra Vargas

Carla Branton

Heather Green

Jennifer Blomquist @ Northwest Stamper

Christine Szekeres @ Artful Musings

Brighten Up Your Christmas

Today’s card is being featured on Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration. The challenge was to create a card featuring your favorite Holiday Catalog stamp set. I'm always a sucker for a good simple Christmas stamp set. The Making Christmas Bright stamp set is just the thing! I've already made a few cards using it and wanted another fun and simple card. I simple filled my white piece with strings of lights, added some layered DSP, and finished off my card with a great sentiment. Easy peasy!

• Stamps: Making Christmas Bright
• Inks: Basic Gray; Real Red; Call Me Clover; Daffodil Delight
• Cardstock: All is Bright DSP; Call Me Clover; Whisper White
• Accessories: 
• Tools: Layering Circles Dies

Fun n Crafty Blog Hop

It's time for another fun blog hop from the Fun n Crafty Stampers! Today we are celebrating the launch of the Holiday Catalog featuring cards showcasing various products. I choose to highlight my favorite bundle in the catalog with the Making Christmas Bright Bundle. I love the fun Christmas light images. So I created a card by stamping and punching a ton (and I do mean a ton) of separate bulbs and casings. I found a fancy trick to making stamping and punching easy. I punched out the image from a piece of random scrap paper and used that as a stamping template. So easy! From there, I spent some time varying the colors to create a fun multi-colored light strand. Love this card so much!

I made a few variations:

• Stamps: Making Christmas Bright
• Inks: Real Red; Call Me Clover; Flirty Flamingo; Daffodil Delight; Old Olive
• Cardstock: All is Bright DSP; Old Olive; Real Red; Flirty Flamingo; 
• Accessories: Sheer Old Olive Ribbon; Real Red Ribbon
• Tools: Stitched Shapes Framelits; Gold Embossing Powder; Christmas Bulb Builder Punch

Blog Hop List:

1. Stacey -- A Work of Carte
2. Christine -- Artful Musings
3. Merit -- MB Squared Designs
4. Nicole -- Inky Fingers Stamping
5. Jennifer -- NW Stamper
6. Tobe -- The Craft Sea (you are here)
7. Pamela -- Stinky Tofu

I Love Candy Canes!

Today’s card is being featured on Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration. The challenge was to create a card with something from the new Holiday Catalog. As a demo, I could start ordering from the catalog on August 1st, but I was good and just snagged a few sets to play with first. For non-demos, the catalog goes live on September 4th. For your consideration, I present the Candy Cane Season bundle! A cute Candy Cane themed stamp set and coordinating punch. I love a good coordinating punch and this one is perfect. For my card, I started with the special Dashing Through DSP, added a fun shimmery doily, and stamped and punched some candy canes. Look close and you can see I added some cute green and white enamel dots from the new Santa's Workshop Enamel Shapes pack. 

• Stamps: Candy Cane Season
• Inks: Cherry Cobbler; Garden Green 
• Cardstock: Dashing Through DSP; Cherry Cobbler; Whisper White
• Accessories: Santa's Workshop Enamel Shapes; Pearlized Doilies
• Tools: Candy Cane Punch

Throwback Christmas

Today’s card is being featured on Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration. The challenge was to create a card using the sketch below.

I always love playing along with sketch challenges. They give me a template while allowing for lots of fun paper, stamp, and embellishment choices. For this card, I really wanted to make a fun Christmas card. I paired the new Christmas DSP with a carried-over stamp set. Throw in some fun Stitched Shapes Die and fun Gold Faceted Gems and we get a complete card. 

• Stamps: Snowflake Sentiments
• Inks: Shaded Spruce
• Cardstock: Under the Mistletoe DSP; Early Espresso; Whisper White
• Accessories: Gold Faceted Gems
• Tools: Stitched Shapes Framelits

Top Ten 2017 Crafts

In no particular order, here are my 10 favorite craft projects of 2017!

1. I always have to include a butterfly card in my Top 10. This year's card is so shiny!

2. Love the Mint and Navy color combo on this floral card.

3. I love coffee so of course I had to get this stamp set and paper. Love these cute cups!

4. As soon as I saw the new catalog, I knew I needed the Pieces and Pattern Stamp Set and Pick a Pattern DSP. The dinosaurs are too adorable!

5. I made each of the boys a decorated letter for their birthday party. 

6. I took my quilted card idea from last year and made baby cards this year. 

7. Birthday Blooms continues to be one of my favorite stamp sets. For this card, I went super simple but it works!

8. My favorite technique from this past year: salted background. 

9. My favorite Christmas card from this season. The gold snowflake really makes this card!

10. This card is so incredibly simple, but I love it. The falling hearts are so much fun!

Simple Reindeer

To finish off my Christmas cards for the year, I present this simple reindeer card that uses vellum (why do I always forget I own this?), random scraps of DSP, and some retired candy dots. 

• Stamps: Merry Patterns
• Inks: Crumb Cake; Garden Green
• Cardstock: Be Merry DSP; Cherry Cobbler; Vellum; Whisper White
• Accessories: Regals Candy Dots (retired)
• Tools: Stitched Shapes Framelits

Tranquil Reindeer

Rose Red, Tranquil Tide, and Smoky Slate equal a great nontraditional color palette for today's card. The pattern of the DSP reminded me of Christmas decorations, so I had to use it.

• Stamps: Merry Patterns
• Inks: Smoky Slate; Rose Red
• Cardstock: Fresh Florals DSP; Basic Gray; Whisper White
• Accessories: Metallic Foil Snowflakes; Rhinestones
• Tools: Layering Circles Framelits

Candles Galore

Today's card is all about featuring the beautiful bold stamps from the Merry Patterns stamp set. I decided to let the stamps shine and only add some background DSP for color.

• Stamps: Merry Patterns
• Inks: Cherry Cobbler; Garden Green; Daffodil Delight; Basic Black
• Cardstock: Be Merry DSP; Basic Black; Whisper White
• Accessories: 
• Tools: