More Holiday Cards

(For my giveaway post click HERE, and go HERE to see my Clear and Simple Stamps Group Project)

I have 2 more holiday cards to share today!  My mom is one lucky lady, because all the ones I make are going to her!  I figured I'd make cards for her to give out first, then worry about my own when the time comes.  I'm trying to convince Dave that we should give photo cards this year- not only because they are cute, but because it's less work!  Laziness...that's the spirit of the holidays, right?  :)

The first card is inspired by Kristina's Day 4 holiday card.  (Check out this post if you want to know more about what I"m doing).  I kept mine one layer, with 2 neutral colors plus red.  And rhinestones.  And snow.  And, I added a wavy line like her card has:

Other than the aforementioned similarities, I think it gives off a totally different vibe.

Next up is a card inspired by Day 5.

Those sparkly letters mean this card is going to Cath's Alphabet Stickers challenge in the Moxie Fab World. I know I wasn't particularly clever in my use of the stickers, but I love how the shine in the glitter works with the shine in the foiled paper.

CSS Group Project

(if you are looking for my Bright and Cheery Giveaway post, please click here!)

We are celebrating the seasons today at Clear and Simple Stamps!  For the group project, each DT member chose one of the images above to inspire their project.

I adore warm weather, so I went with Spring :)  I know most people will think I'm crazy, but Autumn might be my least favorite season!

Using the colors and floral motif as a jumping-off point, I made this card:

My buddy Laura sometimes makes big and beautiful flowers on her cards, so I decided to give it a try.  I used one of the Leaflet dies to make the petals, and bunched up some tissue paper for the center. The rest is self-explanatory :)

Please visit the DT to see their contributions:

Dana

Elena
Jaclyn
Kim
Laurie
Lori
Tracy
Audrey (Guest)
Clear and Simple Stamps

CSS Cardstock Kraft Like a Rockstar	CSS Cardstock- On the Catwalk Cream	CSS Cardstock- A Blanc Check	CSS Leaflets
CSS Ink- Perfect Little Black Dress	CSS Leaflets Die	CSS Imprints 4

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Giveaway Time!

I'm calling this the "Bright and Cheery Embellishment Giveaway"

I would love to say that I went out and purchased these items especially for this giveaway, but in all honesty these are items that I have acquired within the past year and found that I never used them.  Instead of collecting dust in my craft room, I KNOW that one of you out there can do something amazing with them!  Here's what's included:

• American Crafts Delights Flower Stickers (Pina Colada)
• American Crafts Details Layered Embellishments (Cabana)
• American Crafts Remarks Accent Stickers (Refreshing)
• American Crafts Flair (Beach Bound)
• Pebbles Dimensional Butterflies
• Pebbles Layered Paper Flowers
• Doodle Bug Doodle Pops (Posie Patch)
• Doodle Bug Doodle Pops (Cuppy Cake)
• Doodle Bug Doodle Pops (Buttercup)
• Papyrus Do-Jiggies (Cupcake)
• KI Puffies (Hearts Pink)

Here's how to enter:

Leave a comment telling me if you drink soda.  I know...random. I stopped drinking soda about a year ago, and honestly I don't miss it.   (well, except when I eat pizza.  But a cold beer usually solves that problem, lol).  If you do drink soda, what's your favorite kind?  I was always into good ol' Coke, or Ginger Ale. 

Optional Second Entry:  If you follow my blog (through Google Reader, the "follow" button thingy, etc) you can leave a second comment.  PLEASE do not follow me just for this giveaway.  I only want legit-followers :)

Deadline:
Saturday, November 3 at 11:59pm EST

Fun news from RIC, and a card!

Did you know that there is currently a Design Team call for the Runway Inspired Challenge? I'd love to find 2 new girls to add to the team. Click over for all of the details!

Other fun news:
Simply Homemade Magazine recently interviewed me for a feature on the Runway Inspired Challenge!  It was so much fun to talk about the challenge, and to answer some great questions from the magazine.

I wanted to express my gratitude for the interview, so I made a thank you card :)

I used some fun goodies from Clear and Simple Stamps on my card, and a layout similar to Julie's card.  Thanks for stopping by!

CSS Ink Dish all the Dirt Brown	CSS Well Preserved Jars: Small Die	CSS Well Preserved Jars: Small	CSS Well Preserved Jars Extras
CSS Cloudy Days Sentiments

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jolly

Good morning friends! I'm back with another card for Fresh Squeezed Stamps.  Everyone has just been so in love with their set Subway Series: Holidays.

My craft room focus has been mainly on holiday cards, and I wanted to see how I could stretch the versatility of the Christmas subway stamp.  I decided to isolate the "Jolly" for my sentiment:

I stamped it three times in VersaMark ink and embossed it with white powder.  I loosely based this card on Kristina's Day 3 holiday card.

Don't forget to visit the Fresh Squeezed Stamps blog for more inspiration!

An important crew member

My friend Jessica just got picked up for a design team she was DYING to join- Paper Smooches Sparks!  I am so happy for her, and I know she's psyched! 

To congratulate her, I made this:

I gave the astronaut a bow and some rosy cheeks so you can tell it's a girl :)  I also made a mini stamp set, and wrapped it in acetate.

My color combo was inspired by the current Sparks challenge:

Congrats again, Jessica!

Holiday Card Challenge and Embellish Magazine

(This is my third post today.  To see my CSS Group Project or my card for YCU, please scroll down!)

Last year I issued myself a challenge- to CASE all of Kristina Werner's Holiday cards. Well, I didn't make it through all of them.  When I saw she started her Holiday Card Series once again, I felt determined to give it another try!  I have oodles of cards to make this Christmas, so I need all the help I can get :)

This first one is inspired by Day 1.  I love the layout and the big sentiment, so I kept those design features in my card:

My CASE of Day 2 includes a wooden tree that I painted with silver acrylic paint.  Don't you love my "palette" in the background? (aka a cheap plastic plate from the drugstore that has a million layers of dried paint on it...)

Here's the result:

I put some strips of subtly patterned paper behind the wood piece, similar to the washi tape tree on Kristina's card.

I'm submitting this card to embellish magazine's paint trends challenge.

I created the green shadow beneath the sentiment by cutting a piece of cardstock the same size as the part that is popped up.  I always see Lenae do this, and it looks cool!

YCU#15

(this is my 2nd post today- to see my Clear and Simple Stamps post, please scroll down)

Hooray! Time for another challenge at Young Crafters Unite!

Warm and cozy colors...nice, huh?  I feel like I need warm and cozy as the weather starts to get cooler.  I stuck to soft neutral browns and tans on my card:

Look at that! An embellishment! You don't see many of those on my cards, but I really like it.  I think I'll have to start using more!

Please visit the rest of the DT to check out their projects:

Britta

Chari
Chunyuan
Danielle
Marie
Stephanie

CSS Leaflets	CSS Cloudy Days Sentiments	CSS Cardstock- On the Catwalk Cream	CSS Ink Brown Leather Satchel
CSS Ink Dish all the Dirt Brown

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CSS Group Project

My favorite thing about Halloween is candy!  It's how I justify the massive amount of candy I consume throughout October :)

Today, the Clear and Simple Stamps design team is sharing some Halloween treats using products from the most recent Collection 5 release.

I mixed some old with some new to make the little candy box you see below:

I love the big scary mouth.  I used a die from the Raccoon Build-a-Critter (it's the stripey part for his tail).  I attached the bat to the box flap and the side of the box to create the opening.   Here's the view from the top:

Can you tell what the goodie is inside?  Yep- its the delightfully bright red packaging from a Kit-Kat bar!  Man...Kit-Kats are so good....

Lots of designers are sharing projects today, so make sure to check them all out:
Amber
Dana
Elena
Jaclyn
Kim
Laura
Laurie
Lori
Tracy
Clear and Simple Stamps

CSS Cardstock- A Blanc Check	CSS Cardstock - Perfect Little Black Dress	CSS Ink- Perfect Little Black Dress	CSS Watermark Ink From an Anonymous Source
CSS Party Favors 6 Die	CSS Favor Flags DIe	CSS Little Critters Dies	CSS Build-a-Critter Raccoon/Fox Die

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