A Candlelight Christmas

Hi All,

Happy Saturday!  We are enjoying a wonderfully rainy day here in AZ.  Perfect for hanging our house lights, huh?  Luckily, the hubs got the lights up before it really started to come down this afternoon.  We were lucky to actually be hanging them, as we couldn't find any A4 lights anywhere.  He cleaned out Target as soon as they got back in stock :)

I have a super simple card for you today, but it packs a big punch! I got the idea, once again, from Kimberly Van Diepen over at Stampin' by the Sea.  She created this fabulous DSP circle that I couldn't resist trying.  Here is my version:

For my circle, I chose to use the Candlelight Christmas DSP.  I cut out multiple circles in the size that I wanted.  I then stacked the circles and cut them in half, in half again, and then cut each section in half. This will give you eight sections to piece together.  I decided on a pattern and pieced them together on a scrap piece of paper.  Once glued down, I cut the patterned circle out.  This is much easier than trying to design with eight separate sections.

I found through trial and error that it's better to stack the circles together, as this way, they are pretty unison in size.  I cut them individually the first time and they were all a bit different in size.  In the end, it really doesn't matter.  When you piece them together, focus on getting the outside of the circle uniform.  If the centers don't perfectly match up, you can cover them with the sentiment and it won't be seen anyways.

This is the perfect way to use up those scraps.  Pair it up with some embossing, a cute punch and a button and twine, and you have a perfectly beautiful card that you could easily make over and over with many different print combinations.  I love it!

My must have product from this card: Candlelight Christmas DSP (Item #126901) .  The prints in this pack are gorgeous. If you'd like to add this to your collection, just pop me an email or click on the Shop Online button in the top right hand corner.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Stamps: Four the Holidays
Paper: Early Espresso, Lucky Limeade, Real Red & Whisper White Cardstock; Candlelight Christmas DSP
Ink: Early Espresso Classic Ink
Accessories: Stripes Embossing Folder, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Circle Nesties, Designer Buttons-Naturals, Linen Thread, Glue Dots and Pop Dots/Dimensionals

A Merry Little Penguin

Hi All,

Happy Saturday!  We are lucky enough to have another beautiful day in Arizona.  I'll take the 70s in December any year.  We are dropping down into the 60s next week, so maybe winter is finally gonna settle in.

The card I have for you today is a shameless CASE from Kimberly Van Diepen over at Stampin' by the Sea.  I saw this card and Had.To.Have this stamp set!  I fell in love with this adorable little penguin. Is he not the cutest thing you've ever seen???  Well, this set also has an adorable deer (that was on my last card) and a sweet little snowman, both of which are just as cute.  These critters were the star of the show the other night.

My cards are definitely not usually this colorful, frilly or spritzed, but I LOVE what she did with all of these elements.  Your eye is immediately drawn to these fabulous colors: Rich Razzleberry,  Lucky Limeade and a pop of Melon Mambo.  That fun Lucky Limeade print is from the Summer Smooches DSP (Item 125409). Check it out, it is full of other fun colorful prints!

This card also has plenty of heat embossing.  The sentiment, our cute little penguin and the tiny tag are all embossed in black.  I think it really helped them pop against everything else that's going on.  Any time you're embossing, be sure to have the Embossing Buddy (Item 103083) on hand.  If you're wondering whether it's really worth it to have, it is!  Just rub it on your paper prior to stamping and it removes any static that's there.  This keeps the powder from sticking to the places you don't want it to.

I had looked through the catalog dozens of times and had never looked twice at this stamp set.  It's amazing how seeing it used one way, can totally open your eyes.  So glad I got it...as it has easily become one of my favorites!  It would also be great for tags.  So versatile!  If you're like me and can't wait to add this to your collection, it is (Item 126290 in Wood & Item 126292 in Clear).  You can order it by popping me an email or clicking the Order Online button in the top right corner.  Hope you enjoyed this card as much as I did.  TFL!

Stamps: No Peeking, All Holidays & Tiny Tags
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla cardstock; Summer Smooches and First Edition DSP
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Color Spritzer Tool, Rich Razzleberry Stampin' Marker, Distressing Tool,  Decorative Label Punch, Jewelry Tag Punch, Circle and Scallop Circle Nesties, Vintage Trinkets, Melon Mambo Polka Dot ribbon, Rich Razzleberry 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain ribbon, Gumball Green 3/8" Stitched Satin ribbon, Brights Designer Buttons, Linen Thread, Pop Dots/Dimensionals and Glue Dots