CAS Happy New Year

It's so hard to believe that it's the last day of 2014 already! Is it just me, or did this year fly by for everyone else, too?

Today I have a one layer CAS card to share. This was very quick and easy to make. Sorry for the poor photo, but it's another day with little to no sun.

I started with a top folding card base made with Neenah Solar White card stock. The Starbursts stamp is an older one from Hero Arts. I stamped it first with Versamark watermark ink and then embossed with my favorite silver embossing powder, Liquid Platinum,  by Ranger. I also embossed along the edges of the card, something I've seen Jennifer McGuire do to add more interest to CAS cards. If you've never visited her blog (where have you been?), you just must click  here now. She is a rock star and just an amazingly talented person.

My sentiment is a combination of two stamp sets, also embossed with Liquid Platinum. The 'happy' is from The Big, The Bold and The Happy by Winnie & Walter and the 'New Year' is from an old set by Papertrey Ink, Happy Day.

To finish my card, I added my favorite sequins, Sparkling Clear by Pretty Pink Posh, in both the 4mm and 6mm sizes. Paulina has the best sequins in so many colors. I love them so much that I seem to be using them on every card I make. Be sure to check out her new release on January 5th. I can't wait!

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

     CAS-ology : light     

     Inkspirational Challenge #72 : photo

     Splitcoaststampers CAS 305 Challenge : Welcome the New Year!

     Simon Says Wednesday Challenge : Anything Goes

   

I wish everyone a wonderful New Year, filled with happiness, joy and good health. (Oh, and lots of crafty time!)

                                                                     Pam

Merry Christmas Easel Card

Wow! The month of December has flown by. I can't believe that Christmas has come and gone. Although I haven't had time to post any cards or projects, I did somehow manage to complete several. This was one of my favorites.

I used the gorgeous Penny Black Winter Pine stamp and colored wth Distress Markers. Some sparkle was added to the pine cones with my clear Wink of Stella brush pen. Red rhinestones from my stash were added to the holly leaves. I also scattered green sequins from Pretty Pink Posh's Classic Christmas sequins around the image. 

The papers are from the Believe Collection by Authentique and green cardstock from my stash. The sentiment is popped up with foam and holds the easel upright. Some buttons with twine were added on the sentiment piece.

The lovely ribbons are from the October 2014 Really Reasonable Ribbon Club. Click on the link to find out about this fabulous ribbon club. I love getting my assortment every month!

I wove the red organza ribbon through the red and white swirl ribbon and then heated it gently with my heat gun. I love the effect this has on the ribbon. Some sequins were added to the ribbons, too. I also added some mini pine cones from my stash to the ribbon treatment.

I hope that all of you and your families had a wonderful holiday. 

                                                                 Pam

Ornament Shadowbox

Wow! Where has the time gone? Between being sick and computer issues, it's been awhile since I was able to post. Hard to believe that Christmas is in less than 3 weeks. I have to get going on a ton of projects!

I'm making ornament filled shadowboxes for my family. I'm the oldest of 9, so you can imagine how many of us there are now. I always make a handmade gift for my siblings and my married nieces and nephews with families of their own. The little ones still get presents. (Can't help it - I still spoil them!)

Don't tell any of them, but this is what I'm making this year. (Good thing none of them read my blog.)

I was perusing Pinterest for ideas and found this by Dawn Montagano and several by others. Dawn graciously sent me the link with directions on how she made her beautiful shadowbox. I've switched up a few things to make it my own, but the basics are the same. Clink  here for her Facebook page.

Thanks, Dawn!

These are easy and quick to make. Obviously, the choice I needed this year now that we're getting down to the wire. I purchased the 6x6 frames and the ornaments from Michaels. Both were on sale for 40% off plus I used a 20% off total purchase coupon. The rest of the supplies are from my stash. 

After taking the back off the shadowbox, I adhered scrapbook paper to the frame backing. I didn't want the ornaments to roll around, so I hot glued them in place. I'm going to try one with jingle bells and I'll leave those loose. Who can resist shaking jingle bells?

I used Winnie & Walter's new  The Big, the Bold and the Merry Cutaways dies to die cut Merry Christmas from gold paper I found in my stash. I ran the die cuts through my Xyron and adhered them to the glass. Then I only needed to replace the frame backing and add a bow made from some wired ribbon. (Yes, I have a rather extensive stash of that, too. Sigh.)

I hope they all like their gifts this year, Also, they're all be getting new monthly calendar inserts for the calendars I made them last year. Just no time for new calendars this year. Maybe I'll start in January for next year - with a brand new Graphic 45 collection I just had to buy the moment it came in at Creativ You & Co, my local LSS, last week. (I can at least say I'll start. I know that no one will believe me.)

Thanks for visiting! I'd love to know your thoughts.

                                                           Pam

I Won the Fancy Pants Giveaway!

I was so happy when I found out I was the winner of this fabulous giveaway from Fancy Pants on the Paper Crafters Library blog! Just look at this!

All of these wonderful goodies filled the mailing box. I couldn't wait to make something - anything - with some of this cute Oh DEER! collection. So the first thing I did was grab one of the cute photo frames and turned it into a shaker card.

I used this red striped frame as the shaker cover. I love that saying, because it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. The snowflake paper was from the 6x6 paper pad in the prize. I cut it to an A2 size piece and adhered it to my Neenah Solar White card base.

To make the shaker, I added a piece of acrylic to the back of the frame. Using a dryer sheet on the acrylic will eliminate any static and help the sequins move around freely. Then, a double thickness of foam tape was added around the perimeter of the frame. The extra thickness of the foam gives the sequins you add lots of room to shake around. Also, use some baby powder on the sides of the foam tape so the sequins don't stick to the foam. 

Lastly, I added some of the sequins, a strip of ribbon along the bottom and adhered the shaker portion to the card base. Oh, I just love shaker cards, don't you? So fun!

Now I think I need to turn the rest of the frames into shakers. More cards for my Christmas card stash.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you, too, are enjoying whatever it is you love to do. 

                                                           Pam

Hope & Dream Card

Recently, I was asked by a teacher in my building to make a card for a student's parents who just became US citizens.  I decided to make my card using Tim Holtz products.

I found lots of goodies in my Tim stash. Starting with a kraft card base, I added papers from his Seasonal Paper Stash. I distressed the edges of the red background paper with the paper distresser, then ink distressed those edges with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink. Two of the cut-aparts from the paper collection were distressed in the same way and then added to the card with foam for dimension. 

More pieces from Tim's Idea-ology line were added. I used a journaling ticket and two adage tickets. These pieces were also distressed with distress ink and added with foam. One of the mirrored stars was inked with Mushroom Alcohol Ink and then adhered atop the flag cut-apart. I also added one of the word bands to the bottom of the card with some linen ribbon and brads. 

My hope is that these new citizens from India will be able to achieve their hopes and dreams here in the US. 

Thanks for visiting and taking a look at my card. I'd love to know your thoughts.

As always, I hope you find some time to do whatever it is that you love.

                                                              Pam

Joy Double Tag

Hello. I've been busy making lots of tags for gifts. I love to use homemade tags on my Christmas gifts, so I make several every season. Today I created my first ever double tag using Sizzix Originals Die - Tags, Scallop Combo 2, which I believe you can find on clearance now. I love the shape and size of this tag die.

I die cut two of the tags from Neenah paper. The smallest stamp from the Stampendous Cling Jumbo Snowflakes set was heat embossed with white embossing powder. Next I stamped an old A Muse wooden snowflake stamp otro the tag with Faded Jeans Distress Ink in both first and second generation stamping. I then lightly went over the whole tag with the same DI. Notice how the embossed snowflake resists the ink. 

The joy and snowflake die cuts is from the W Plus 9 Seasonal Sentiments die, also cut from Neenah paper. I edged around the word joy with the distress ink and then added the snowflake on top of the "o" in joy. A white pearl was adhered to the center of my embossed snowflake.

On my second tag, I merely used a Julie Fei Fan Balzer mini stencil from my stash and inked with the distress ink. The two tags were attached with a thin white ribbon and I have another tag for my stash.

I'd like to enter this into the newest Tag You're It! Challenge #11,  inspired by this beauty by Maureen Merritt.

I am also entering into this month's Inspiration Journal at Inspiration Emporium - Happy Holidays.

Thanks for sharing some of your time with me. I hope you have a happy, crafty weekend! 

                                                           Pam

Snowy Trees

I made another quick Christmas card to add to my stash. Please excuse the photo. It's dark out now, but I wanted to post this tonight, hopefully to squeak into the latest Less is More  challenge.

My Neenah card base was embossed with a small dot folder to look like snow. The Poppy Stamps Mountain Top Trees were stamped with distress ink and then cut from the matching dies. Glitter was added onto the trees and the slope for snow. I also added a gold die cut Star of Wonder and a sentiment; both from Memory Box. 

I've missed the challenge deadline, but please check out all of the beautiful entries at Less is More.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you find some fun crafting time this weekend.

                                                                        Pam