Little Christmas Angel!

Hi Everyone!  Here's a cutie share for you today! This is a picture of my niece when she was about 3 years old. She was in a little ballet concert and I found this darling shot in my Mom's picture box. Isn't she a doll? She's all grown up now and still a doll!

I couldn't resist making Christmas cards for her Mom and Dad and for her too...she was so surprised and her Mom cried and her Dad had a definite tear in his eye!  Aww.......!

I used Cherry Cobbler Cardstock and layered it with Deck the Halls DSP.  Then I layered the picture on Cherry Cobbler and punched gold cardstock with the Ribbon Punch.  Then I added Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon and our Chunky Gold Glass Glitter for her halo.  It's so sweet in real life!

 

I can't believe it's nearly Christmas!!  I've still got wrapping to do, I'd like to do some baking, I finally finished my cards tonight....a bit late but they're made with love!  I have my family and friends conditioned...they know I'm always a teeny bit late...next year I plan to surprise them (and myself) and get my cards made early!!  Gotta run....take care!

 

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me!

Judy

Vintage Christmas Tags

Hi again!

Here's a quick little share today...some Christmas tags for you. These are made with the Two Tags Die with Crumb Cake Cardstock.  On the folded tag I used a tiny piece of Deck the Halls DSP and on the Scallop tag, I ran the music wheel for the background  and the stamps are from Winter Post Stamp set.  On both tags I sponged the edges, added Victoria Crocheted ribbon, snowflakes from Northern Frost Die Cut, buttons and ribbons from my stash.

On the next tags I used a Bigz Sizzix Tag Die and cut them out of cardboard.  Then I stamped the Christmas Collage background stamp in Bravo Burgundy and sponged the edges...I took the picture before I added some heavy burlap twine for the tie.  I used Old Olive Satin ribbon for one tag and Rich Razzleberry for the other one.

I stamped the bells and painted them with my inks and blender pen and the other one I used a snowflake from the Northern Frost Decorative Strip die and added a rhinestone to the center.  Quick, easy and fun!

Hope you like todays share!  Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me!

Judy

From Our House to Yours!

This card was a make and take at one of Alison's meetings....isn't it pretty? I'm in her second level downline and I love to go to her meetings {g} She always has great make and takes and her meetings are so friendly...I also love the new techniques and samples that Alison shares too!

I added the little sentiment on the top of the card, it's a retired sentiment...sorry...I can't think of what set this is from!  

The colours are Cherry Cobbler and Very Vanilla, the Designer paper is Deck the Halls.  The stamp set is Contempo Christmas and the flower is punched with the 5 petal punch (twice) and spritzed with water, then crumpled and when it's dry, you just need to add an antique brad. 

The embossed layer is done with the Petals a Plenty Embossing folder, the centres of the flowers are painted with the Gold Smooch Accent Ink...it's a bit hard to see in the picture, but if you click on it, it will make it larger (!) and the border is punched with the Scallop edge border punch. 

So pretty!

Thanks for stopping by ~ Judy

A Christmas Wish

Here's another Christmas card share...I have lots more to show you too!

There are a lot of great tutorials on this technique, even some videos, but Patty Bennett has a great tutorial here.  For my card I made my own template from the DSP cardboard, instead of using the wooden frame as shown on Patty's tutorial.   I cut circles, lined them up and adhered them together to make my background, so that when I put the cardstock and embossing folder through my Big Shot (this technique works great with the Cuttlebug too), it left a lovely space in the centre. 

I punched out an ornament in Pretty in Pink and also ran it through the same embossing folder, Finial Press...love this folder!  Then I ran my 2 way glue pen over the raised embossing on the ornament and added Dazzling Diamonds.  The sentiment is from the set Home for Christmas.

To finish it I added a knot bow with our White Tafetta Ribbon (this makes the best bows!) and drew a light pencil line fromt the top of the ornament to the top edge of the card.  The ferns are from a Martha punch.

Hope you like it....thanks for stopping by!

Judy

Happy December! It's time to look for Fairy Dust!

Hi Everyone!   Happy December!

This is my last calendar share for the year, I've had so much fun with this little calender. The picture isn't the greatest, it so pretty in real life!  The papers and images are from Crafty Secrets, the Christmas tree is from my stash and so is the little metal piece that says 'Magic'  I love this calendar so much I'm going to update it with the new 2011 calendar, so I can use it all over again.

December is always such a busy month, but it's always been a fun filled month too.  When my kids were small, my daughter was just a baby and my son was about 3 years old, and he was being a little mischief (that's my nice term for misbehaving!) I told him that he'd better be good because Santa's Fairy's were watching him.  He...being a practical little boy, told me that there were no such things as fairys..I was so surprised because when my Mom told me the fairies were watching me...well....I just believed it!

And so it started....one of our most precious family traditions!

I wanted my son to believe in the magic of Christmas and Fairies and so when he went to bed that night, I sprinked some gold glitter beside his bed as well as his sisters.  In the morning, I said....Look at this!  It's fairy dust!  He bent over and really examined it and then gathered it up in a little kleenex to show his Dad. 

But first he wanted to know how the dust got there.  I said it fell from the fairies shoes as they landed by his and his sisters bedside.  Every night I'd find a different spot to sprinkle the dust, I don't know who was more excited, him or me!  On Christmas eve, I sprinkled it over the stockings and all the presents, and of course on Santa's dish of cookies. 

Eventually, as he grew up, he took over the all important job of sprinkling Fairy Dust for his sister and then as she grew up, they would both sprinkle it for me and their Dad.  What could be more special than that!

December is magic, pure and simple.  Traditions are made from the most ordinary things, they make us smile and bring wonderful memories!  And the bonus was that I had the best behaved children in December..LOL! ... so be good this month, you never know when Santa's fairies are watching you!

I hope you have a wonderful month, filled with all of your favourite things and some of your own fairy dust!  Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me.

Judy

Santa's Sleigh

I'm on a roll with my Christmas cards this year! Here's another one for you...I wanted to do a one layer card so I did a faux layer by tearing a strip that looked like snow, then added a circle punch for the moon and then brayered over the top of it with Pacific Point ink for the sky.

This was a really easy card to do and I love the effect!  Once I was happy with the sky I used one of my all time favourite sets, Lovely as a Tree and stamped the trees in Early Espresso.  I stamped the Santa which is a retired stamp set called Wandering Words. 

All it needed then was some glitter on the trees and for the snowflakes.  Rudolf has a red glittery nose, but it's hard to see in the picture {g}

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me!  I hope you come back soon to see the rest of my Christmas cards!

Judy

Oh my...!

Well for heaven's sake...I've been so darned busy, I totally forgot to share my November Vintage calendar with you! LOL...I've only missed the first half of the month! That's not so bad is it?  {g} 

Here it is... the images and paper are from Crafty Secrets and the ribbon and little curly paper clip thingy is from Stampin'Up!

 

The way time is flying I'm going to have to peel off the 2010 calendar from my little vintage project and redo it with the 2011 calendar .... soon!  You can download the 2011 CraftySecrets calendar here....hope you have a happy November!

Thanks for stopping by!

Judy

Merry & Bright

I saw this idea ages ago...and of course can't remember where!  It's a fairly simple card to make, I first made a template using the cardboard that comes in our Designer Paper.  I cut a rectangle using my Nestabilities and then taped it to my white layer with painters tape to keep it in place.  Then I sponged Old Olive all over the cut out of the template. 

Edited to add:  Thanks so much to Carol for jogging my memory as to where I saw this card...it was Julie Buhlers Blog!  Of course it was Julie's...I love her blog!! It's Paper Pleasing Ideas.  I still haven't found the direct link, got lost enjoying her blog and all of her amazing tutorials...if you haven't vistited Julie's site....you need to!  Lots of great ideas and pictures there...thanks Julie and thanks again Carol for pointing me in the right direction to give proper credit!

 

I stamped the Pine tree, from Lovely as a Tree over the space, stamping a couple of times, before reinking until I liked the effect.  Then I carefully removed the cardboard template and inked up the tree again and stamped it on the side.  I added a bow to the corner, a retired greeting (sorry I can't remember what set this is from!) and then added liquid embroidery to the tree and under the tree as well.

I adhered all the layers and then with my stylus, I added snow dots with the White Shimmer Paint to make snow.  It's a bit hard to see, if you doulble click the picture it should show a larger image!

Hope you like my latest Christmas card share!  Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me!

Hugs ~ Judy

Remember

Today is Remembrance Day...the day we remember our soldiers and all of their sacrifices for us. 

Let’s remember them every day and pray that our soldiers will return home safely to us.

Remember them.

Now and always.

Remember them with pride and deepest respect.

Judy

Pizza Cookie

Here's the recipe I promised when I had my last class....it's a Pizza Cookie and it's seriously yummy! The kids love it and so does everyone else....you can use any toppings you like as well. 

I've been making this for years, I originally found the recipe in the Company's Coming cookbooks when they first came out.  Give it a try, I'm sure it will be a favourite with your family too!

Oatmeal Chip Pizza Cookie

1 cup Butter or Margarine (softened)

2 cups Brown Sugar (packed)

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

2 cups Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

2 cups Rolled Oats

2 cups SemiSweet Chocolate Chips

3/4 cup medium Coconut

Cream butter and sugar together.  Beat in eggs 1 at a time.  Add vanilla and remaining ingredients.  Mix well.  Press 3 cups of dough into a greased 12" pizza pan.  Sprinkle with more semisweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, nuts, coconut, candy coated chocolates (Smarties, M&M's), and or any other treat you like!

This makes 1 large pizza and 1 small pizza.  Bake in a 350 oven for 10 minutes. (This time is good for my convection oven.  If you don't have a convection oven I would just bake it for about 5 minutes longer until it's golden on top).

The toppings for the pizza cookie above in the photo were:

M&M Peanuts

M&M's

Peanut Butter Chipits

Skor Chipits

Long and Bead Sprinkles (have no idea what the real name for these are!)

Coconut

I hope you give this a try and hope you and your family love it as much as we do!  Enjoy!!

Judy

Christmas Collage

More Christmas cards for you {g} Don't you feel that as soon as Halloween is over we're in a headlong rush to get ready for Christmas? 

Here's my share for you today...I love this stamp set, well there are two of them and I love them both!  I know I always say it but seriously these are two of my favourite things!!  I used the Christmas Collage background set and the Bells and Boughs stamp set...isn't it pretty!

I stamped with Crumb Cake ink on Very Vanilla paper, then I stamped the bells on a Very Vanilla scrap and punched it out with the 1 3/4" punch.  Then I sponged the edges of the circle and adhered it on the background.  I added some homemade Champagne Shimmer Mist and spritzed the whole layer.  When it was dry I adhered it to the Crumb Cake base, added a cream organza bow and its done!  Simple and oh so pretty!

To make the Shimmer Mist, I filled a tiny spritz bottle with rubbing alcolol, about 3/4 full and then added a couple of good sized drops of Champagne Shimmer Paint.  Shake it up really good each time you use it.  I spritzed it inside a large cardboard box as there is some overspray.  The effect is totally awesome and so pretty in real life! If you click on the picture and then enlarge it, you might be able to see the shimmer!

Hope you like my Christmas share...thanks so much for stopping by!

Hugs ~ Judy

Happy Birthday LilyBean!

Wow...our little LilyBean is a year old! She's still as sweet and gentle and mischievious as ever and we love her so much! As you can see, she still snuggles in her favourite pink blanket....aww...isn't she cute!!

She's a little crafter too and loves to get into my stuff and run away with my sponges and flowers, really anything I'm working on she loves to get into!

She really loves it when my Stampin'Up! order arrives and I start to pull out the brown paper...she thinks its just for her! LOL! She tunnels into it and hides her toys in it and even has a little cat nap or two on top of it

When I saw the cute little Halloween cones on Kimberly's blog, I thought to myself...hmmmm....I think that would make the perfect birthday hat for Lily...what do you think?  LOL...do you think she likes it?  She didn't mind for a few minutes but then she just wanted to get it off and play with it!  I used the Jolly Holiday DSP and Pink Satin Ribbon and retired silver elastic cording.  

Here she is with our Halloween pumpkins...at first she didn't know what to make of them, but then decided to have a dainty chomp of the stem!

I hope you've enjoyed this little peek into my world!  Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me!

Judy

My last Halloween projects!

Well, Halloween is over and it was so busy around here I didn't have time to post my Halloween Shop or my Halloween Luminary....but, better late than never!  I just love this card design, I can think of all kinds of wonderful ways to use it.  Imagine a Bakery shop, or a Wine shop...a Florist shop, or a cute Christmas shop....the list is endless!

I hope you all had a wonderful and safe Halloween! My pumpkins are still sitting on my porch..I hate to toss them out...maybe I'll cook them up and make Pumpkin loaf or Pumpkin muffins {g}

I used Old Olive and Black for the card, the SU spider web folder and 4 stamp sets!!!  What fun!  The stamp sets are Halloween Hoot, Dark and Dreary, Fangtastic and Wicked Cool.  I gold embossed the little broom and added gold glitter for magic dust.

I found a little package of spiders at the dollar store and tied a thread around it's body and legs and taped it up behind the awning...then I added some purple webby floss that I had in my stash.  The ribbon on the bottom was attached with sticky strip and just folded up and down to make a zigzag.

Here is the last of my Halloween goodies for this year, I had so much fun making this little luminary. I found the directions on Stamp and Scrap with Frenchie's blog...what a great idea!  After my box was cut, I ran it through the SU spider web folder and ran my sponge over Whisper White craft ink to give it dimension and to make it look cloudy.


To finish it, I added some googlie eyes and a spider.  I used black cardstock and cardstock vellum, and the Haunting Wheel...I just love these little goblins! 

Now I have to post the Christmas cards I've been making!  Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me!

Judy

A Christmas Wish

Hi again!

Here's another Christmas Card for you....it's a complete case of this card that Christine did. When I saw this card, I absolutely fell in love with it and had the retired DSP to make one like hers. All I did was add a couple of embellishments.  I added some liquid embroidery for snow on the tree and the steps and then added some Iridescent Stickles to it.  I also added some red glitter holly berries and some Dazzling Diamonds to the porch light.

 

I used my aqua painter and painted the scene with Pretty in Pink, Basic Gray and Close to Cocoa. The wreath and garland are painted Garden Green and the light inside the lantern is So Saffron Ink.  The Snowflakes are non Stampin'Up!....the top one is the same as the bottom one, I just cut it down. 

Stamp set: Home for Christmas, Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Watercolour Paper and retired DSP, Accessories: Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon, Snowflakes and Rhinestones. 

Hope you like my case!  Thanks for stopping by!

Judy

Waiting for Santa!

Are you ready for some Christmas cards?

I have been having such fun making Christmas cards this year, I can't believe how early I'm getting started!  Usually I'm rushing around like a maniac and am totally late in gettting them mailed! {g}   So here is my first and most favourite card of the Christmas cards I've made so far.

 

I'm really loving this little Vintage stamp set!  It's called 'Bells and Boughs' and it makes me think of times past, charming, quaint and cozy times. Magical moments waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve, putting out cookies and milk, certainly not forgetting the carrots and oats for the reindeer too...wonderful memories! Fabulous stamp set!!

I found this darling picture of the little girls on Christmas Eve and couldn't resist it!  Isn't it sweet?  I found the clip art picture at The Graphics Fairy blog.  You can find it here. 

I sponged So Saffron into the inside of the fireplace to give it a bit of a glow.  The background is stamped with my retired Music Background stamp but you could easily get the same effect with the music wheel in the large catalogue.  I tapped it here and there onto Very Vanilla cardstock to give it a vintage look and then sponged it lightly with Close to Cocoa and So Saffron.

I added dots with my Cherry Cobbler marker on the sentiment. The bow is Cherry Cobbler seam binding....I love this ribbon!!  I made a bow using a plastic picnic fork....I will have to put together a picture tutorial for the fork bow...it really needs a new name..LOL!!  I don't know who came up with the ingenious idea of using a fork to make perfect bows...but they are perfect...every time!

The colours I used were Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke and Cherry Cobbler.  The inks were Close to Cocoa and So Saffron. 

I hope you like this card and come back to see the rest of my Christmas Cards as I post them!  Thanks for stopping by!

Judy

Spiderweb Leaves!

Hi Everyone

Just a quick share today, I love to wrap up my orders and include a thank you tag with a little note for my special ladies. Who doesn't love to get a pretty package!

This little tag is really a plain shipping tag, stamped with the Bella Toile Background stamp in Early Espresso and sponged with Cajun Craze, More Mustard and Old Olive. Then I cut out the leaves with the Leaves #2 Bigz Die. To add some interest I ran it through my Bigshot again putting the leaves in the Spiderweb embossing folder...cool eh?

As a final step, I sponged Early Espresso ink over the 'ribs' and rubbed some gold glitter on top.  Then I tied it to the brown paper bag with a pretty Orange Organza ribbon.

Hope you enjoyed my quick and easy tag!  Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me!

Judy

I'm Batty For You!!

Hi everyone!

A quick and fun share for you today... a cute little Halloween Treat Holder!  These are so adorable and so easy to make {g}. 

I saw this idea on Heather Nichols blog ages ago and just loved it and popped the idea right into my idea file!  And guess what it's made with....a file folder!  I actually searched for ages to find Pixie Stix and no luck, it seems we don't have them where I live.  But I have a wonderful friend who sometimes shops in the States and she brought me some! {Thanks Alex!!}

You could also use the seasonal pencils that are sold at the Dollar Stores, you would just need to adjust the size a bit! And you can easily change these little holders up for any occassion, they would be so sweet for Valentines or Christmas...the ideas are endless!  LOL!! 

Note: If you want to make pencil holders then cut right under the tab thingies, about 8 1/4" from bottom fold on file folder...I'm assuming that all file folders are the same size!!

So here's how I made it.  I used a kraft coloured file folder and cut it at these measurements:

Measuring from the bottom fold on the file folder, measure and cut at 7 1/2", cutting through both layers.  This will cut off both of the tabs. Now open up your folder and cut 4" off one side only.  Fold back up.  Now measure and cut treat holders at 2 " wide, you should get 5 little holders per folder.

Then I stiched up each side on my sewing machine.  Use your corner rounder for the top of the treat holder. 

I sponged all the edges with Basic Black, and the stamp sets I used were: Wicked Cool, To/From is from Winter Post, and the spider is from Batty for You.  The ribbon is Rich Razzleberry.  I also stamped and sponged the back of the treat holder. 

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me!  I hope you enjoy this little treat and make some of  your own!

Judy

          

Happy October!

Good Morning!

Can you believe it's October already? Where has the summer gone, in fact I'm wondering where the year has gone!  LOL!  My little LilyBean will be 1 year old this month and she's still so adorable.  She's curled up with her pink blankie by the fireplace after a busy morning of mischief!

October is one of my favourite months... I love the coloured leaves, pumpkin patches, pumpkin pie (yumm!) and gingersnap cookies with a cup of hot tea. I love going to the Cranberry Festival in Fort Langley and getting bags of cranberries, and sharing a bag of cranberry kettle corn.  I love preparing for and having Thanksgiving dinner with our family....turning on the fireplace on cool nights and curling up with a good book.  And I love Halloween!  Of course Halloween!  Who doesn't love Halloween??  LOL!

Here's my October page from my Vintage Calendar.  I only have 2 more to share with you after this month!

All the supplies I used were from Crafty Secrets, except for the ribbon and the little brass photo corners, they are from Stampin'Up!

Thanks for stopping by ~ I hope you have a wonderful October filled with good things!!

Judy

Spooky, Easy and Fun!

Today I have a quick share for you, a really easy 4 x 4 Halloween Card and matching envelope! I had fun making up a sheet of Halloween words and printed them off on the computer.

I used an old font I purchased long ago called CK Twilight and sized it at 22.  Then I printed a sheet of Old Olive for the front and for the inside liner of the envelope I used the computer copy paper.

I used "Spooky" from the Wicked Cool stamp set, and wrapped Black satin ribbon around the card front.  The spider is one of those Dollar Store rings that have lots in a bag, I cut off the ring part and then secured the spider to the card with glue dots.  

The envelope is a regular sized envie, I trimmed each side so that it opened up flat (longways) measured and cut the liner piece.  Then I adhered it, just below the pre glued edge.  I used really skinny adhesive tape on each side and folded it up.  Makes a perfect little envelope!

If you would like a copy of my Halloween Words, send me an email, there's a little email link on the right hand side of my blog and I would be more than happy to share it with you!  I've tried to upload this to Google Docs but the format is all wrong...so I give up!  LOL!!  Techie I'm not!!

I've saved the document in Times New Roman, size 22 font, so that it's readable in case you don't have the same font I do! Feel free to change it to whatever font you have on your own computer to make it work for you! 

I hope you enjoy this little share!  Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me!

Judy

Booglie Eyes

Here's a quick Halloween share for you!

I made these two cards last year with my Haunted House Cuttlebug folder and some Yellow/Gold Twinkling H20's. The stamp set is one of my favourite Halloween sets,  but it retired long ago...it's called Booglie Eyes.  I inked up the embossing folder using my brayer and Whisper White craft ink to give it a foggy look.

Here's the little ghostie doing the monster mash dance!  Isn't he hilarious?

 

Same folder, same technique but with the little Vampire, 'The Count'.... I love these guys!

I added googlie eyes to both as well as white Signo pen for the bat's eyes.   The cardstock is Black and Pumpkin Pie and the Counts cape is coloured with a purple marker.

Hope you enjoyed today's share!  Have a happy weekend!

Hugs ~ Judy

Loving the Newsprint DSP!

I love this card...it's a total case from Jen's blog.  I found it when I was blog surfing ages ago... blog surfing is one of my favourite things to do!  When I was putting this card together, I found it needed just a little something extra so I added the background circles with Crumb Cake ink. 

I used an old retired set but when we did this at my last class, I wanted to use something current so I cut out the circles with fun foam with the Circle Bigz Die, added the green tombow glue to the back and mounted it on a clear mount (once it was dry) and there you have it...instant stamps!  The button is from the Sizzlit button die.  I popped it up on a dimentional and added household twine to it

 

The large star is also from the Star Bigz Die and once it was cut out I embossed it with the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing folder.

The sentiment is from the Level 3 Hostess set 'Occasional Quotes'.  It's a bit hard to see...I pierced it on both long sides and distressed it all around with our distressing tool.  This was a really fun and easy card to make!  Hope you like it!

Thanks for sharing your time with me!

Judy

Artistic Etchings

Hi everyone!  I hope you had a great weekend!  It's been raining here today and was so cozy to be tucked up in the house!

Here's a card I made.... I love this set and colours!  I loved making this ribbon flower too, it was so easy and I love making them!  I saw a card similar to this one at an upline meeting and thought it was so pretty! I added the large flower from the Blossom Party Big Shot Die using the Newsprint DSP and placed it behind my ribbon flower. 

What I used: 

Cardstock:  Very Vanilla, Soft Suede and Newspaper DSP

Stamp Sets:  Artistic Etchings, Charming, Winter Post

Ink: Crumb Cake and Early Espresso

Assessories:  Blossom Party Die, Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon, Half back Pearl

Hope you like my latest card! Thanks for stopping by!

Judy

Happy 40th Anniversary....to us!

Yesterday was a such a special day for us, Gary and I celebrated our 40th anniversary!  I've been trying to find a picture of us together and although the quality of this one isn't super great, I think it's a great shot of us at our daughters wedding. 

I don't know where the time has gone!  We've had lots of love, laughter and adventures throughout our marriage.  We've had crazy times and truly special times! We are so lucky to have 2 grown kids with wonderful lives of their own and family and friends who make our lives complete. We've learned a lot along the way and have created so many wonderful memories!  We're looking forward to many more years having fun together!

And just for fun....here's a picture of our wedding day!  We were married on September 4, 1970 and my wedding boquet had the same flowers that my Mom had on her wedding day!  Yellow roses and white carnations. Oh my...didn't we look young?  LOL!!  I guess we were young way back then! 

I hope you've enjoyed this little peek into my world!  Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me!

Wishing you all love, happiness and good health....those are lifes real treasures!

Hugs ~ Judy

My Easy Card Layers

Hi everyone, well I just don't know how to get a document into my blog, so I've cut and pasted my chart for you!

This is a handy chart I made to keep on my craft table and it makes it really easy to cut the layers for my cards. When I first started making cards I used the guessing game method which resulted in a lot of work, crazy dimensions and lots of wasted cardstock and time!

It’s pretty easy to make any size card and mat the layers so they’ll look great….just use increments of ¼”….it’s really that easy! You can add as many or as few layers as you like, although the small cards usually only need 1 or 2 layers.

Also when you want to mat something on your card, stamp your image first, then measure it and cut.  Add layers to your image piece by adding increments of 1/4" all around for each layer.  To give you an idea of what I mean, here are a couple of my favourite cards here and here.  See what I mean...1/4" layers and it looks great!

**Just a note: Irregular size cards, including square or small cards may require extra postage...check your post office first before you pop it in the mail!

Standard card size Card 
The Medium white and coloured envelopes will fit this size (page 171)

My fave...side fold or top fold: (5 ½”x 4 ¼”) card base.
Alternate cut for this size ....side fold or top fold: (4 ¼” x 11) card base.

Layers
• Layer 1 – 5 ¼” x 4”
• Layer 2 – 5” x 3 ¾”
• Layer 3 – 4 ¾” x 3 ½”
• Layer 4 – 4 ½” x 3 ¼”

2” x 2” Square Card (2” x 4”) card base

Layers
:• Layer 1 – 1 ¾” x 1 ¾”
 • Layer 2 – 1 ½” x 1 ½”

3” x 3” Square Card (3” x 6”) card base
 #107309 Envelope will fit this size

Layers:
• Layer 1 – 2 ¾” x 2 ¾”
• Layer 2 – 2 ½” x 2 ½”
• Layer 3 – 2 ¼” x 2 ¼”
• Layer 4 – 2” x 2”

4” x 4” Square Card (4” x 8”) card base

Layers:
• Layer 1 – 3 ¾” x 3 ¾”
• Layer 2 – 3 ½” x 3 ½”
• Layer 3 – 3 ¼” x 3 ¼”
• Layer 4 – 3” x 3”

4 ¼” x 4 ¼” Square Card (4 ¼” x 8 ½”) card base

Layers:
• Layer 1 – 4” x 4”
• Layer 2 – 3 ¾” x 3 ¾”
• Layer 3 – 3 ½” x 3 ½”
• Layer 4 – 3 ¼” x 3 ¼”

4 ½” x 4 ½ ” Square (4 ½” x 9”) card base

Layers:
• Layer 1 – 4 ¼” x 4 ¼”
• Layer 2 – 4” x 4”
• Layer 3 – 3 ¾” x 3 ¾”
• Layer 4 – 3 ½” x 3 ½”

4 ¾” x 4 ¾ Square (4 ¾ x 9 ½ ) card base

Layers:
• Layer 1 – 4 ½” x 4 ½”
• Layer 2 – 4 ¼” x 4 ¼”
• Layer 3– 4” x 4”
• Layer 4 – 3 ¾” x 3 ¾”

5” x 5” Square Card (10” x 10”) card base
#107289 Envelopes will fit this size

Layers:
• Layer 1 – 4 ¾” x 4 ¾”
• Layer 2 – 4 ½” x 4 ½”
• Layer 3 – 4 ¼” x 4 ¼”
• Layer 4 – 4” x 4”

5¼” x 5 ¼” Square Card (5 ¼” x 10 ½”) card base
#107289 Envelopes will fit this size

Layers:
• Layer 1 – 5” x 5”
• Layer 2 – 4 ¾” x 4 ¾”
• Layer 3 – 4 ½” x 4 ½”
• Layer 4 – 4 ¼” x 4 ¼”

5 ½” x 5½ ” Square (5 ½” x 11”) card base

Layers:
• Layer 1 – 5 ¼” x 5 ¼”
• Layer 2 – 5” x 5”
• Layer 3 – 4 ¾” x 4 ¾”
• Layer 4 – 4 ½” x 4 ½”

5 ¾” x 5¾ Square (5 ¾ x 11 ½” ) card base

Layers:
• Layer 1 – 5 ½” x 5 ½”
• Layer 2 – 5 ¼” x 5 ¼”
• Layer 3– 5” x 5”
• Layer 4 – 4 ¾” x 4 ¾”

6” x 6” Square Card (6” x 12”) card base

Layers:
• Layer 1 – 5 ¾” x 5 ¾”
• Layer 2 – 5 ½” x 5 ½”
• Layer 3 – 5 ¼” x 5 ¼”
• Layer 4 – 5” x 5”

3” x 6” Long Card (6” x 6” card base)
#107286 Envelopes fit this size

Layers:
• Layer 1 – 2 ¾” x 5 ¾”
• Layer 2 – 2 ½” x 5 ½”
• Layer 3 – 2 ¼” x 5 ¼”
• Layer 4 – 2” x 5”

3 ½” x 7” Long Card (7” x 7” card base)

Layers:
• Layer 1 – 3 ¼” x 6 ¾”
• Layer 2 – 3” x 6 ½”
• Layer 3 – 2 ¾” x 6 ¼”

4” x 8” Long Card (8” x 8” card base)
This size will fit into an A10 or legal envelope

Layers:
• Layer 1 – 3 ¾” x 7 ¾”
• Layer 2 – 3 ½” x 7 ½”
• Layer 3 – 3 ¼” x 7 ¼”
• Layer 4 – 3 x 7

If you'd like to print the layer list out just highlight it, copy and paste it into a Word document and then all you need to do is print it out...you'll have a handy layer guide too! Well, there you go...hope it helps you as much as it's helped me!!  It’s my very own little cheat sheet....enjoy!



Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me ~ Judy

Happy September!

Hi! 

Happy September everyone!  Just a quick share of my vintage calendar for you today{g} I can't believe it's September already....it always seems that this is the real start of the year, I guess it's because it's back to school for the kiddies and that means back to routines! 

I love the approach of the Fall, it's one of my absolute favourite times of the year.  I love the cooler nights and changing colours, the falling leaves.  I love the crisp but warm days and I love the hint of spice in the air...it's probably the chysanthemums!  I love to smell the changes in the air, you can actually smell when the rain is coming or the snow which hopefully we won't have to smell for a long, long time!  LOL!!

Once again I made my vintage calendar and it's a total case from our local scrapbook store.  I just fell in love with it and Jesse (such a doll!) let me take pictures of it.  The papers and images are Crafty Secrets as well as the calendar.  The ribbon is our Old Olive Satin and the gold elastic is now retired.  The little key I've had for ages in the depths of my stash of goodies!

Hope you like it and have a fabulous and fun month!

Thanks for stopping by ~ Judy

Ohmigosh...Spider alert!!

Seriously!!!....look how big this guy is! {{{shudder}}}  My daughter and I were sitting on the couch the other night when my husband said 'Hey, there's a spider running right for you'...you've never seen two people move so fast as Brandy and I! 

We had to move the couch, LilyBean ran right over top of the huge spider, we had the giant flashlight out and Brandy caught it in a glass.....oh my....this guy is so big he could be wearing boots!  At least he didn't have hairy legs!!! 

As much as I don't like spiders...well I like cardstock spiders and of course stamped spiders ...we just can't kill them, so Brandy tossed it out in the garden!  I just hope he doesn't find his way back in again!  It always seems that as Fall approaches those crazy spiders want to find a way to come into the house...I'll be on the lookout from now on!

 

Is he not seriously scary??  I keep thinking what if Gary hadn't noticed him....would he have crawled on us....Omigosh...I can't think about it!  LilyBean is not really a spider hunter...how do you train your cat to do that??? 

That's your shiver for today!!

Thanks for stopping by ~ Judy..who's now paranoid and on the lookout for anymore spiders!

Another Anniversary!

Ta da....another Anniversary to celebrate!

This is a card I made for my wonderful Sister of the Heart and her husband.  They celebrated their anniversary last week and I know they enjoyed their special day!  I had so much fun making this card for them!!

I used Very Vanilla cardstock and matted it on Black, then I inked up the front of the card with the medallion stamp from Artistic Etchings.

The main focal point of the card is a piece of the fabulous Newsprint Designer Paper.  I used the Scallop Edge punch to place behind this piece.  Then I used the Oval Punch and the Scallop Oval Punch for the sentiment.  I punched out some hearts in Real Red using the Heart to Heart punch and then I used the Black Satin ribbon and made a bow....using a fork!!  Honestly it makes a perfect bow every time! 

This bow is not my invention...I've seen it so much lately on the internet and had to try it! I'd love to give credit to the genious who came up with this great technique so if you know who the original creator is, please let me know so I can give proper credit!!

I love this card!  And I love this new stamp set!  Hopefully I will be able to do a picture tutorial on how to make this bow as soon as I have an extra set of hands!  This bow has such a crazy name...it really needs a new name because it makes a fabulous, perfect bow...every time!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me!

Hugs ~ Judy

Where am I...

LOL!! Where am I? pat..pat...pat...oh....here I am!!!!  Wow...that was a super long time that I haven't posted to my blog! I'm not sure if you missed me or not {g} but I missed you!!

I've been busy with summer things, enjoying the warm weather and my air conditioning (!!), a lovely summer wedding, a couple of anniversaries, birthdays, family times and lots of BBQ's and a very fun Stamp class.  I hope you've all been having a great summer too!  This coming week we're off to the Okanagan for the last summer get away...I honestly can't believe it's nearly September! 

Here's a little share of the anniversary card I made for our daughter and son in law, they just celebrated their 3rd anniversary this month!  Wishing them many more happy years to come!! 

 

Here's how I made it: 

Whisper White and Black Cardstock, Cuttlebug embossing folders, Stampin'Up! Heart Punch and Heart Embosslit, Large Oval  and Scallop Oval punches, Black gel pen for the buttons, computer generated sentiment, organza ribbon.  The bow tie is made from the heart punch, I cut it freehand and added rhinestones to the other heart!  Hope you like it!

Thanks for stopping by...enjoy the last days of August!!
Judy

Happy August!

Happy August everyone!  I hope you're all having a great summer.  Here's a quick share today of my August page for my Vintage Calendar.  Once again the papers and images are from Crafty Secrets and the ribbon and hardware are Stampin'Up!

 

Hope you enjoy this little page and have a great long weekend!  We're celebrating BC day this weekend so most people get Monday off. 

It's a time to celebrate our history and culture, a time to enjoy family and friends as well as trying to take in some of the events in many communities.  We live in the Greater Vancouver area, so there are Sea Festivals, Fireworks, Parades, Concerts and parties all around town!  Great fun for all!

Hope you're having a great weekend wherever you live!  Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Cheers ~ Judy

Cherry Cobbler Goes Vintage!

Hi Everyone ~ I had fun making this card....I just love the new Cherry Cobbler colour!  I paired it with Very Vanilla and Black and used the new Newsprint DSP.  It's a deep, bold vintage look...I love it!

On the first layer (Cherry Cobbler), the background is stamped with En Francais using Early Espresso Ink. I ran the next layer (Very Vanilla) through the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder and rubbed Early Espresso Ink over the top with a sponge....then I ripped it and distressed the edges. Then I spritzed it all over with the Colour Spritzer and my Early Espresso marker...this is a very fun tool!

Next I took a piece of the Newsprint DSP, embossed it, ripped it and layered it onto ripped and sponged Cherry Cobbler, then again colour spritzed it.  The ribbon is Black Satin...this is such nice ribbon! The flowers are cut in the Big Shot with the Birds and Blooms Die, sponged with Early Espresso and layered together with a vintage brad in the centre.  The Very Vanilla Flower is embossed and sponged and spritzed.  To finish, I used the sentiment from Elements of Style.

Hope you enjoy this card!  Thanks for stopping by!

Judy

Garden Fairies

Happy Monday everyone!

I have a quick card to share today, it's for a girlfriends birthday and she loves Fairies...me too!  I found this really cute little vintage looking picture in my stash and touched it up with a little glitter on her wings and dress.  I also used the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, this new embossing folder is absolutely one of my favourite things!!  This card is so soft and pretty in real life!

 

The colours I used were Blush Blossom cardstock (retired) and Very Vanilla.  The ribbon is some pale pink organza that I also found in my stash...I think it's a perfect match!  Hope you enjoy this card...I love it!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me ~ hope you have a wonderful week!

Judy

Crocheted Flowers.....Part 2

Wow...I've had so many questions about these cute little flowers and meant to include the link for them...sorry!  Here you go {g} I found a great pattern  here on Nichole Heady's blog.  She has a wonderful tutorial for making these little cuties! 

The other pattern is one I got from my cousin ages ago, it's for the 3 layered rose (top right in the picture below) here you go...hope you can figure it out!

Rose

To start: Chain 6. Sl st to join ring.

Round 2: Chain 6, dc in ring, chain 3. Repeat until you have 6 segments.

To form petals: 1 sc, 1 hdc, 3 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc (6 times)

Next round: In back of flower, 5 chains joined between each of the petals, then 1 sc, 1hdc, 5 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc (repeat for all petals)

Next round: In back of flower, 7 chains joined between each of the petals, then 1 sc, 1hdc, 7 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc (repeat for all petals)

Fasten off.

A couple of my flowers I did variables of the rose pattern. I used:  a) one row of petals and 2) 2 rows of petals and 3) decreased the six segments to 5....LOL!  Is that confusing enough?  Hope you can figure it all out!

Happy hooking ~ Judy

DMC Colours to match the new Colour Collections

I just love the new Colour Collections and wanted to match my DMC embroidery floss to them.  Here's a few of my crocheted flowers to show you.  There are lots of patterns online for these easy flowers, I'm a self taught crocheter, so if I can do it....anyone can! 

 

I saved an old list I found ages ago on Splitcoaststampers for matching embroidery floss to go with our cardstock. I’ve just updated the list for my personal use and added my own selections for the new colours. Someone else did the initial work on this list and I’d love to give credit for the old file if anyone knows who originally compiled it!

I like to make my own embellishments (especially in the winter time!) things like little crocheted flowers, or snowflakes, and I like to tie matching floss through buttons for my cards.  Here's a quick and easy 4 x 4 card using the floss to match the Melon Mambo cardstock. Easy...just a bit of layering, a polka dot embossing folder and the Little Leaves Sizzix die and half back pearls.

 

PS...These are the closest matches to my floss collection...there are new colours all the time, I haven’t bought any for a few years...so you might just find a closer match than I did {g}

Brights Collection

Daffodil Delight 727

Pumpkin Pie 3853

Tangerine Tango 720

Regal Rose 3733

Melon Mambo 3805/335/956

Old Olive 3012

Tempting Turquoise 3846

Pacific Point 517

Rich Razzleberry 3802/327

Real Red 304/321

Subtles Collection

Rose Red 3731/3350

Pretty in Pink 776/3326

Pink Pirouette 963

So Saffron 676

Certainly Celery 369

Baja Breeze 598

Bashful Blue 3841

Marina Mist 813

Perfect Plum 3041

Wild Wasabi 320

Regals Collection

More Mustard 977

Cajun Craze 920

Cherry Cobbler 816

Riding Hood Red 3721

Bravo Burgundy 902

Garden Green 3345

Always Artichoke 936

Not Quite Navy 3765

Night of Navy 336

Elegant Eggplant 550

Neutrals Collection

Early Espresso 839/3781

Crumb Cake 3782

Sahara Sand 3024

Very Vanilla Ecru

Whisper White White

Basic Black 310

Chocolate Chip 838/779

Soft Suede 610/3790

River Rock 372

Basic Gray 413

In Colour Collection for 2010-2011

Peach Parfait 402

Poppy Parade 3705

Pear Pizzazz 3348

Concord Crush 791

Blushing Bride 761/3713

I hope you can use this and have fun with it....feel free to share it {g}  Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me!  Hope you enjoy my updated version of the list!


 Judy

You Only Live Once!

Hi everyone!

Well, it's been ages since I've added anything to my blog...I've been meaning to, but sometimes life gets very busy! I've been having some arthritis issues with my knee which has resulted in me not sleeping too well. That in turn results in me dragging my butt around and not getting much done! Not even much stamping, much to my dismay!!  And I have new stuff to play with....it's waiting for me and I think I need to go up to my craft room and play!

Here's a quick little share for you today, it's a very easy to make distressed flower.  I made the flower for the Bermuda Bay card with the XL Flower Punch and punched out 4 pieces. (The Old Olive card is made with the Scallop circle punch exactly the same way)  One will be for your base.  The other 3 I attached together with a brad in the centre and then spritzed them heavily with water.  Crumple them up until you get the shape you like and set your flower aside to dry.

While my flower was drying I stamped the Bella Toile in Bermuda Bay for my background.  I added a ribbon and some pearls down the side and the sentiment is from 5th Avenue Floral, punched out with the wide oval punch.  I punched out 2 pieces in Bermuda Bay and added one to each side of the sentiment to finish it off.

I did exactly the same thing here, only I used Old Olive ink and grosgrain ribbon and the Scallop Circle punch.  It's not as full as the one above, but it would be much better for mailing.  Then I added a little rhinestone to the centre of the flower.

 

This was a lovely flower until my sweet little kitty, LilyBean ran off with it and chomped it up....what a little mischief!  She hopped right up onto my craft table when I wasn't looking and the next thing I knew she was making off with her treasure...this is what it looked like by the time I rescued it!  LOL!!

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your time with me!  

Judy

Fast, Easy and Oh So Pretty!

Hi everyone....wow....2 blog posts in 2 days after not having too much time to blog! LOL!!  I'm impressed with myself. {g} I really missed blogging....I love sharing with you and love the little bit of writing too.

This card was made when I needed a card in a hurry. I really wasn't sure what I thought about this set, I wasn't quite sure it was my style...but let me tell you I absolutely love it now...there are so many things you can do with it! It's a must have!!

I stamped the simple daisy outline with Black Stazon and the leaves and stem with Old Olive.  The Sentiment is also stamped in Black Stazon.  I coloured the centres of the daisy with my Summer Sun marker which is retired now.  I'm sure Daffodil Delight would be just as effective! 

The daisy piece was layered on Black and then on Whisper White embossed with the Finial Press Embossing Folder, layered on Whisper White as well.  I did another card and added the Fine Galaxy Gold Glitter (mixed with Crystal Effects to make your own stickles) and that was very pretty  too.

Stamp sets are Flowers Awash and  All Holidays.  Hope you like my fast and easy card!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me ~ hugs Judy

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day Everyone!

Today we are celebrating our 143rd birthday! Happy Birthday to us, Happy Birthday to us, Happy Birthday dear Canada, Happy Birthday to us!! 

Although it's a drizzly, rainy day here on the south coast, there are lots of celebrations going on all over and there will be fireworks tonight.  We are very lucky to live so high up on the mountain that we can see a couple of cities lighting off their fireworks. If it's still raining we can stay warm, munching on goodies and of course a nice glass of wine while we look out the window to enjoy the show!

Here is my July Vintage calendar page, it's so pretty in real life!  I've just realized that I forgot to share the June calendar so I'm including it below {g} 

It's been so busy here in June, but what a fun month! We've had my cousin from England here with us for nearly 3 weeks and we've had so much fun. We've been tourists in our own city, we've taken tons of pictures, laughed until our sides hurt and had lots of family time and I ate entirely too much! I miss her so much now that she's back home!  Love you Izzy!!

Today is the first day of the new catalogue, I've added it to my sidebar thanks to Michelle Laycock and her generous sharing of the little gadget thingy!  I hope to be able to get into my craft room soon and share some things with you before too long!  I need to get inky!!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today!  Hope your day is wonderful!

Judy