Rudolph the red nosed reindeer

Hello out there in bloggyville, I have a quick Holiday card to show you. I made this card for the Winter release pre-view for the new cuttlebug folders. This is a GREAT card for Marathon card making..if you are one of those people that have to make and mail out 200 cards :) I love this card because it contains so many Christmas elements that are close to my heart.
1) I'm a snowflake {and by way of association snowman} freak. There is something so beautiful about a snowflake that just makes me melt. {did I mention I grew up on the beach}
2)These reindeer MADE me buy this stamp set, they are so darn cute! {sleigh full of toys SU retired}
and 3) the neutral colors, with a touch of glitz that is so "me". I have been racking my brain, trying to decide what cards I want to send out this year. Last year my cards took 6 long days to assemble *whew* they were a lot of work! you can see them here. What was I thinking?

I can't wait to start my annual non-stop Christmas music listening, its drives my girls crazy :0)
Ahhh we do so enjoy tormenting our children don't we? they already dread the fact that "frosty the snowman" specials are on the way! hehehehe

Grateful for my Family Cuttlebug Be Inspired Challenge 56

Its another Wednesday challenge at cuttlebug challenge blog, and this week we are working with a kit from our sponsor Teresa Collins. Our challenge this week is to create a project with a Thanksgiving or grateful theme.

ETA: How lucky!! we have Teresa Collins and Jamie Harper as our guest designers this week. They are both super talented! I know you will want to check out the quick Q&A they did for us.

My round pull out mini album has a magnet on the back so this can be placed on a table or have a place of honor on my magnetic message board for all to see.

Lets start with the top of the metal canister, I stamped & cut out a leaves and embossed one, and sprayed both with wheat fields glimmer mist. I used the modern label punch to cut out my "grateful" sentiment{ falling leaves Stampin'Up!} The center circle is embossed with the harlequin folder, and sponged with close to cocoa ink.
The bottom of the canister, has a little surprise of another leaf and a punch art acorn. the exterior of the round photo album is trimmed with one of the gorgeous Teresa Collins prints.
This is a photo of my girls at a birthday party, I'm ever grateful for the friendship they have. Despite the 7 years in age between them ,they are close. {yes they do squabble from time to time} and they are as different as night and day...but I wouldn't have it any other way.

I love how manly and strong Davids hands are, even the beautiful fall leaves look small in his grasp. Of all the beautiful quotes and sentiments in this Teresa Collins kit, I chose to use only a segment on my photo to remind me that happiness is a choice, and art makes me joyous!

Count your blessings! No matter what is happening in you day or your life we need to always remember we are so blessed in so many ways. I get all "misty" when I start to think of how wonderful life is, one of my favorite verses in any song is "its not getting what you want, its wanting what you've got" .....So true!

We are family, and to me that is the single most important aspect of my life, I'm a mother, a wife, a daughter, an aunt, a sister, a sister in law, a cousin, a friend, a neighbor, and I'm so grateful for the connections I have with nature, with humanity, and with art and music. The fleur-de-lisa embossing folder is a perfect match for the Journal it kit, and is one of my favorites.

I hope you will be inspired to create a Thanksgiving or grateful themed project and enter this weeks challenge, the rest of the Design Team have tons of stunning examples for you make sure to visit them all.

If you would like to see the other album I made with this fabulous kit see this post

We have something new and Fabulous for you called cuttlebug university.Cuttlebug challenge university is an in depth online series of classes to educate, and inspire you. The first lesson is coloring digital images with copics...what a seriously great step by step tutorial Cindy has for you. Want to graduate from our university? Of course you do :)

Altered Scallop treat bags

I'm one of those people that LOVE to give little gifts, trinkets and candy, I will on occasion even part with chocolate. *wink* These darling favors are made with the "bag with scallop" sizzix die from Stampin'Up! I put my own spin on them, you know I just can't leave things be! To make this star topped bag, you will need to emboss the die cut bag with a texture plate, and cut off the scallop flap leaving a small strip to attach the star to. I used the tombow mono multi glue {fabulous stuff} to apply chunky red glitter, its so sparkly and festive.
Close bag with silver cording and a star in the center. I stamped the word sparkle from*warm words* stamp set and punched out with the modern label punch.

The second bag is cut from Stampin'Up!s Merry Moments designer series paper, and a window was made with the curly label punch (punches are our friends) and inserted a small piece of window sheet.

Attach a snowflake in real red cut with the jumbo snowflake punch, and a clear rhinestone brad in the center. The closure is really different, I punched out a 1/2" circle and inserted a basic jumbo grommet and wrapped the sleigh bells ribbon through to make a knot, I adore the fact that you can see the beautiful pattern through the window.

The Holidays go by so quickly, I want to put everything in "slow motion" so I can enjoy every moment...that is probably better suited for the movies and not real life! I have decided to

s t r e t c h the Holidays out and start early,I know everyone says that, so how are you planning to enjoy the season to the fullest?

I want to hear your ideas and plans. leave me a comment sharing your thoughts!

to place a Stampin'Up! order with me click here

I also wanted to share a link with you, Scrapstreet magazine wrote an 8 page article featured the cuttlebug challenge blog and 3 of my projects were published. Thanks scrapstreet, and tank you!!

Happy Halloween!

Happy, Spooky, Scary, candy coated Halloween to you! I have a quick post for you today of a scrapbook layout I did with my class last month. We get together once a month on Friday nights and play with paper, eat chocolate, and giggle :) This adorable not so scary Frankenstein was inspired by a project made by Shannon, and her fabulous card can be seen here on splitcoast This is my 12x12 page. My Frankie looks sleepy :) he must need a nap after all that stomping through the village & scaring the locals!! Simone Connerly made hers spiderific! I love the grimace she made for her "Frank"

Laura Hirst is always a hoot, "smell my feet" is the most perfect title for a monster page dontcha' think?

I hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween, take lots of photos and capture the moments you treasure most! And "grunt" from Frankie!!

There's More to Life Than Chocolate?

Well its Wednesday again {already} and that means its time for the weekly "be inspired" challenge at cuttlebug challenge blog. This week we are working with stamps from our generous sponsor My favorite Things. I Love the sentiment that comes with this little set, { even if I did stamp it a wee bit crooked} I mean really if you have ever read my blog you know that I have a piece of chocolate every day! I have got to have my chocolaty goodness!! :)
The first layer of patterned paper is embossed with the distressed stripes folder, although it doesn't show up in the photo, I debossed the largest nestabilities label die with the Moroccan screen folder and I paper pieced the cozy chair and debossed it with the Swiss dots folder.

The inside of my card is sprinkled with chocolate chips {oh so sweet stampin'Up!} and coordinating DSP, with a cute greeting from the set. check out all the inspiration the rest of the talented team has to share with you, get your mojo going and enter this weeks challenge!! maybe i will share my chocolate with you if you do!!!

Stamps: My favorite things chocolate bunny, Stampin'Up! Oh so sweet

Paper: coredinations orange, StampinUp! very vanilla, DSP {retired} water color paper

Ink: stazon black, chocolate chip, creamy caramel more mustard, close to cocoa and chocolate chip reinkers

SU pumpkin pie ribbon, hodgepodge hardware, aquapainter, cuttlebug folders, nestabilities label die, dimensionals.

Halloween Is Creeping Up

I could not pass up the chance to make a Halloween card for todays color challenge at splitcoast stampers {kraft,melon mambo, and black} I knew right away I wanted to use this image from my brand spankin' new stamp set "from the crypt. This card also works perfectly for the challenge at OCC this week to make a project inspired by one of your favorite holiday movies or books. My daughter Meagan loves the movie Van Helsing so this card is for her, every year I give the girls a little gift for Halloween, they of course have to say "trick or treat" first, she is 21 so maybe a wee bit too old for my silly game but I know she will play along ....after all who doesn't want a treat!!

This card is 5" square, with a layer of ghostly greetings DSP, the kraft pinking circle was cut with a nestabilities die, and a circle of melon mambo, stitched in an overlapping circle. I embossed the image and sentiment [web wishes] with black EP

I Love Chocolate

OK so that's an obvious statement for most women!
That also makes this the perfect all occasion card for any girl in your life! I will be making a set of these as a gift...I may even pop a chocolate or two into the gift box!This card was made for today's clean and simple challenge at splitcoaststampers, to use brads or eyelets on your card. I don't always get a clean and simple card right {I'm a "more is more" kind of girl} but this one turned out really cute! Wouldn't it be fun to have a side by side comparison one clean and one over the top card with the same stamps and layout!

I added a teensy weensy bit of crystal effects to make my chocolate "glossy" and lets face it this is the only 'calorie free' chocolate we are going to find this Halloween! I'm so bad!! "its one for the trick or treater and one for me" :)