First Frost with Frosted Bouquet Dies

I love the Frost set in the regular catalog.  You can use

the First Frost Stamp set (page 140), with coordinating

Frosted Bouquet Dies (page 193), for any occasion.

Adding bits of foil pumps up your project.

I layered the images and sentiment on a piece of 

Whisper White cardstock, run through the 

Hammered Metal 3D Embossing folder from the Holiday 

catalog.  I love the back/wrong side of this embossing folder.

Timeless Tropical with Beautiful Day Sentiment

Good grief!!  This is the final Stamp Off Challenge

for Susan,  Buffy, and I, for 2019.  Kind of hard

to believe!

This week, we are offering a "Thinking of You" or

Sympathy card.   These are always difficult cards,

because of the situation.  I didn't even try to create

a card for a male, because that is doubly challenging.

This is a sneak peak card, because the flower and leaves

were created with a set that will be released January 3rd.

This is the new Timeless Tropical set with coordinating

In the Tropics Dies (Jan-June Catalog, page 40).

I had a great time working with this bundle, while

stamping with my friends Mary and Jo.  

The sentiment comes from the Beautiful Day set

on page 131.  I masked the word "always" for this

"thinking of you" wording.   I really felt that the font

worked well with the Timeless Tropical set.  

The background Highland Heather layer was run through

the Subtles 3D Embossing folder and then sponged to

highlight the texture.  I added a strip of Neutrals

Designer Series Paper (page 168)

Thank you for checking out my challenge card.

Now please click on over to check out the project

offered by Buffy and Susan!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Peace on Earth

Pine Tree Punch with Detailed Skate Dies

This card uses a simple fun fold, with an oval 

connection between the top and bottom.  I added 

a Gold Foil Pine Tree punched image (Holiday page 13)

and layers of Wrapped in Plaid DSP (Holiday page 13). 

The Gold Foil leafing comes from the Detailed

Skate Dies on Holiday page 44.  Sadly, the Detailed

Skate Dies are retiring with this catalog. 

Merry Moose Punch

I almost forgot my final Merry Moose Monday!!

Please enjoy your holiday preparations,

that are hopefully done!

Snowman Season

Here is a happy snowman from Snowman Season

(Holiday page 20).   It is layered on to some

Subtles Designer Series Paper.

Snowman Season on Paint Strip

Surprise, it's an extra post.  I have a number of

Christmas cards waiting in the wings so plan to get

them all posted before the big day.

A friend of mine works at Lowes and I have a request 

in for paint strips.  I decided to go kind of monochromatic

and stamped the snowman from Snowman Season

(Holiday page 20) in Stazon.   I layered the paint strip

on some Hammered Metal 3D embossing folder

(Holiday page 31).

Detailed Skate Dies

It is so hard to believe that it is Friday again!

I think that our stormy weather this week has thrown

my internal calendar off.  Or maybe it is the very real

approach of Christmas next week!

I have to say that I think that the Detailed Skate Dies

(Holiday page 44) is one of the best products in the

Holiday catalog.  Sadly, it is not carrying over next year.

I love all the details on that skate, and the delightful bow.

The other feature is that delicious Wrapped in Plaid

Specialty Designer Series Paper.  It is "Specialty" paper,

because of the highlights of gold foil that run through it.

This makes it easy to coordinated a gold foil die

with the DSP.

You Always Deliver Merry Moose

This card is You Always Deliver (page 59), meets

Merry Moose (Holiday page 27), with a layer of Gold Foil

run through the Hammer Metal 3D Embossing Folder

(Holiday page 31).  I bent the packages a little, so

they fit in the postman's hand.  Stampin' Blends colors

were selected from the Wrapped in Plaid Specialty

Designer Series Paper (Holiday page 14).  I used the

Stitched Shapes and Stitched Rectangles Dies to cut

out card elements.

Moose Punch with Mercury Glass

Welcome to another Moose Punch Monday.  Today is another 

non-traditional Christmas card, this time Rococo Rose

and Night of Navy.  I added panels of Mercury Glass

Designer Acetate (Holiday p 33) and Silver Foil.
I wanted to try the Mercury Glass/foil combination,
so needed that idea "out of my head." 

Pine Tree Punch with Rose Glimmer

Hey Friends.  Susan, Buffy and I are here for another

installment of the Stamp Off Challenge.

This week, we are creating Christmas cards that

use nontraditional colors.

I made two cards for this challenge, so will

post the second card on Monday.

For this card, I used the Pine Tree Punch (Holiday page 13),

with some Rose Glimmer Paper (page 169).  This Glimmer
paper goes perfectly with the Rococo Rose In Color.

The Neutrals Designer Series Paper layers (page 168)

were run through the Subtles Embossing Folder.

The sentiment comes from Merry Moose, which

will be returning next year (yeah!!).

The Stitched Rectangles Dies were used to cut

out the various layers.  

I appreciate you stopping by, and hope that you will
click on over to see Buffy and Susan's card.

Mercury Glass Acetate with Pine Tree Punch

I thought that today was a perfect day for a sweet little

Pine Tree (Holiday p 13), paired with more Mercury Glass

Designer Acetate (Holiday p 33).  The silver on white

makes for a very wintery look.  Our weather is taking a 

sudden deep dive, so this reflects that temperature drop.

I used the sentiment from Merry Moose.  

The snowflakes were created with

the Christmas Layers Dies (Holiday p 16).

Merry Moose with Mercury Glass

Now I'm sure that you all knew what kind of card I was

going to post today.  That darn Merry Moose (Holiday p 27)

 with Moose punch strikes again.    I love the moose with

the Mercury Glass Designer Acetate (Holiday p 33).  It

really creates a cool, wintery feel on the card.

Detailed Peacock with Noble Peacock Foil

I thought that I'd give you a break from Christmas cards.

The Detailed Peacock dies (page 192) are a quick way

to make a pretty card.  In this case, I dabbed a watercolor

Peacock with colors and layered that on to some 

Noble Peacock Foil (page 167).

I cut out the sentiment with the die from Smooth Sailing

dies on page 195.

Plaid Pine Tree Punch with Merry Moose

This card features the Pine Tree Punch, with plaid

(Wrapped in Plaid DSP on page 13) and Gold Foil trees.

The sentiment comes from the Merry Moose set, 

cut out with the Stitched Rectangles dies.

The Whisper White background layer was run through

the Hammered Metal 3D Embossing Folder (p 31).

I was over joyed to learn that the Pine Tree Punch

Merry Moose set and Moose Punch will all be 

returning next year!

Merry Moose with Wrapped in Plaid DSP

Surprise!!  It's Moose Monday.  Merry Moose (Holiday p 27)

that is.  I paired it with Wrapped in Plaid Special Designer

Series Paper (Holiday p 15).  This DSP is simply lovely,

with gold fold lines throughout.  The Christmas trees 

were punched out of the DSP with the Pine Tree Punch (p 13), which made for very quick creation of this card.

Best Catch with Mercury Glass DSP

Welcome to our Stamp Off challenge and

the day after Thanksgiving!

Today Susan, Buffy and I are doing a wonderful

sketch challenge, created by Susan.

I like this sketch because it works well with so 

many of our images and dies.

I felt that the Best Catch set (page 150), with coordinating

Catch of the Day Dies (page 191) worked well with

this sketch.   I used the Mercury Glass Designer Acetate 

(Holiday page 33) because it provided a reflective feature

behind the fish.  I added some Wink of Stella to the fish,

so it makes for a very shiny card in person.

Thanks for stopping.  Now it's time to click on over
to Buffy and Susan's blogs, to see their cards.

Country Home with Well Written Thanks

Here's one more card in honor of Thanksgiving.

I used a variety of products on this card, in order to

get the look that I wanted.  I used the milk can from

Country Home (page 95), coloring it with Stampin' Blends

and then fussy cutting.  The can is layered on to

Catch of the Day (page 191) cattails in Bermuda Bay

and Shaded Spruce.  

The Shaded Spruce strip comes from

Smooth Sailing (page 195) and the sentiment from the

Well Written dies (page 197).  Finally, everything was glued

to a Whisper White layer, run through the Brick and Mortar 3D

Embossing Folder on page 198.  

Back on Your Feet with Here's a Card

Sometimes, the holidays are a struggle, so I felt that

today was a good day for this card!

The Back on Your Feet set on page 83 makes 

everyone smile. The images are wonderful and

perfect for coloring with the Stampin' Blends!

In this example, I used a layer of Petal Pink 

Subtles 6x6 Designer Series Paper, coloring the 

sloth with Petal Pink, Calypso Coral, Old Olive 

and Smoky Slate.

The sentiment comes from the wonderful

Here's a Card set on page 15.  I enjoy amusing

comments, so really like this set.  This stamp is

my favorite out of the set.

Snowman Season with Snowman Builder Punch

Snowman Season (page 19-20) with the coordinating

Snowman Builder Punch really celebrates the joyfulness

of a good snowfall.  As long as there is no ice involved,

snow just goes with winter.

In this example, I layered Silver Foil Christmas Layers 

snowflakes (page 16) on to the Mercury Glass

Designer Acetate (page 33).    Stampin' Blends were used

to color the snowman image.

Magnolia Lane Suite

This card was created with the Magnolia Lane Suite of products 

(p 37), including the Good Morning Magnolia stamp set and

Magnolia Memory Dies (p. 194).  The Magnolia Lane

DSP makes card making a quick process.  I added a bit of silver foil

for bling, and colored enamel dots with a Mossy Meadow

Stampin' Blend.

Sailing Home with Smooth Sailing Dies

  After all the news of flooding in Venice, I felt

the need to post a card connected to the oceans.

To that end, I used the Sailing Home stamp set (p 146)

with coordinating Smooth Sailing dies.  This is such an

elegant bundle, with wonderful sentiments.

For this card, I did a lot of sponging, to separate

sky from land.  Then I simply added images

and the sentiment.

Stamp Off Harvest Hellos with Apple Builder Punch

Welcome!  Today Buffy, Susan and I are creating

Thankful cards for our Stamp Off Challenge.

I bet you're really glad that I could not incorporate

a moose into my card!

I think of this as a "Thanksgiving" type of card,
so decided to make this for our challenge.
I think that the Harvest Hellos stamp set (Holiday page 49),

with coordinating Apple Builder Punch is a brilliant combo.

You can get a lot of mileage out of being able to make

apples or pumpkins with the same bundle.  

In this example, I ran the Calypso Coral layer through

the Subtles Embossing folder, and layered some Subtles

Designer Series Paper (page 168) over top.

That made a great background for the pumpkin

and sentiment.  The Pumpkin, linen thread and 
enamel dots were all colored with Stampin' Blends.

Thank you for popping by.  Please enjoy the
lovely Stamp Off Challenge cards offered by
Buffy and Susan!

Moose Punch on Mercury Glass

Sorry, but you get Moose both Monday and Wednesday.

Although the punch is now "gone", I have a fistful

of moose cards that I have enjoyed making.  The 

Merry Moose set is still very much available.  I stamped

the moose on to the Mercury Glass Designer Acetate,

using Stazon ink.

Next, is an example of what not to do.  First, I didn't take

the protective plastic off of the Mercury Glass Designer

 Acetate (page 33).  When I went to punch out the moose,

I almost broke my punch because of the acetate and plastic.

I have since removed the protective plastic layer

(use a piece of tape to start it at the corner), but have not

wanted to risk my punch.  I do love the effect of the glimmer

paper behind the Mercury Glass.  It is a very sparkly card!

Moose Punch with Wrapped in Plaid DSP

I guess that it's looking like Moose Monday.

Merry Moose Monday, that is.

I'm sad to say that Stampin' Up! has gone through

it's inventory of the Moose punch (Holiday page 27).

I cut out an oval of the Wrapped in Plaid DSP

(Holiday page 13) with the Stitched Shapes Dies.

Gold Foil was used for the Moose and layer.

Those elements were layered on to a piece of 

Shaded Spruce cardstock, run through the 

Hammered Metal 3D Embossing folder

(Holiday page 31).  

First Frost and Butterfly Gala

I am undeniably drawn to the First Frost stamp set

(page 140) with the coordinating Frosted Bouquet Dies

(page 193).  This combo allows you to create such

delicate, wistful images.  In this example, I paired this

dynamic duo with the Butterfly Gala set on page 46,

and the coordinating Butterfly Duet punch on page 188.

I love coordinating punches because they are a quick

way to cut a precise image. 

The Hammered Metal 3D Embossing Folder 

(Holiday page 31) seems to work with almost

any image or theme.  Holiday catalog samples show it used 

with SU foil sheets, but it works just as well with a

neutral Whisper White!

Best Catch with Let it Ride

My brother recently purchased lake property in

Wisconsin, which prompted my purchase of the

Best Catch set on page 20, with the coordinating 

Catch of the Day dies (page 191).  This product combination

reminded me so much of the fun we had out on the

lake (see story below).

The trees came from the Let It Ride set (page 154), birds

and grass from High Tide (page 152) and water and

shore from Waterfront (page 125).  I ran the focal

image through the Subtles 3D Embossing folder, layering

it on to some Neutrals Designer Series Paper (page 168).

OK, so on to the story.

Even a dead pontoon boat in the middle of

the lake was a hoot.  It was our first voyage and the

motor was a bit cranky throughout.  Eventually, it

died and would not restart.  First my BIL got out to try

to tow it (with the raft).   Mind you, he'd had a collapsed lung

 about a month prior.  He could barely budge the thing.  So 

my sister, and brother jumped into the lake,
to swim, push and ultimately walk the pontoon

back to the dock.  The rest of us had very comfortable

seats, taking pictures and cheering them on.

Merry Moose with Mercury Glass

Time for another moose, or should I say it's always

a good time for Merry Moose (Holiday page 27).

This was a quick card, given that you just stamp and then

punch with the Moose Punch.  I stamped the tree and

sentiment and then ran that through the Stitched Shapes

dies.   Finally, I added a layer of Mercury Glass 

Designer Acetate (page 33) to add that Christmas glitz.

Stamp Off Simply Scored Seasonal Layers

Susan, Buffy and I are enjoying another Stamp Off

Challenge.  This week, we are pulling out our score

boards to add some texture to our projects.

I enjoy using the Simply Scored Scoring Tool (page 189), 

to highlight aspects or portions of a card.  In this 

example, I scored around and below the images and 

sentiment.  The circle layer is taken from the

See a Silhouette Designer Series Paper on page 166.

The snowflakes, made from Sparkle Glimmer Paper

(page 169) was run through Seasonal Layers Dies

(page 195) to create the snowflakes.  The sentiment comes 

from the Merry Moose set on page 27 of the Holiday Catalog.

I liked the vertical aspect of the sentiment on this

particular layout.

Now please hop on over to check out the cards

created by Buffy and Susan!!

Pine Tree Punch on Wrapped in Plaid

I frequently pull out the Wrapped in Plaid Specialty Designer

Series Paper (Holiday page 14), because the gold accents make

simple cards sparkle.  It pairs really well with the Pine Tree

Punch on page 13.  The punch makes it quick and easy to

get to the section of the DSP that you want, or punch

a tree in a layer of DSP in order to recess an image.

Either way, it's a very rapid approach to making

a collection of Christmas Cards.

I stamped the sentiment from Merry Moose,

and used a die from the Garage Gears Dies on page

193, to cut it out.

Detailed Skate Dies on Wrapped in Plaid

Yes, indeed, I've pulled out the skates again.  That would

be the Detailed Skate Dies on page 44 of the

Holiday catalog.  I paired it with the Wrapped in

Plaid 6x6 Specialty Designer Series Paper on page 13.

I love this DSP because of the glints of gold running

throughout the paper.  It's really hard to see in photos.

The sentiment comes from the Merry Moose set

on page 27.  Love the moose, love those sentiments!

Wicked Halloween

It's crazy to look at the calendar and see that Halloween

is almost here.  I have candy in the back of my car for

trunk or treat, so I guess that I'm ready.

This is a quick Halloween card, using the Wicked Dies

on page 55 of the Holiday Catalog.  The background was

created with the smoke from Geared Up Garage on 

page 154.  All it needed was some background layers

and those google eyes!

First Frost with Frosted Bouquet Dies

I'm really enjoying using the First Frost Stamp set

(page 140) and coordinating Frosted Bouquet combination

for Christmas cards.  This is a set from last year and

it is just dandy.  Adding some die cut Gold Foil always pumps it

up a notch.  These products would also coordinate with 

the Frosted Foliage Suite

from this year's Holiday catalog.

I put all the bits and pieces on a layer of Whisper White

that was run through the Hammered Metal 3D Embossing

Folder on page 31 of the Holiday Catalog.

Moose Punch Christmas on Magnolia DSP

This is another card that I made for last Friday's 

Stamp Off Challenge.  I figured that people are tired of

seeing Merry Moose cards for challenges.  However,

this Moose punch (Holiday page 27), makes for the 

quickest Christmas cards.  In this example, I layered the moose 

on to some Magnolia suite DSP, Gold foil strips 

and Rhinestone jewels colored with Stampin' Blends.
 The card base was run through the Hammered Metal 3D
Embossing Folder on page 31 of the Holiday catalog.

Stamp Off Country Home Sketch Challenge

Wow, time flies when you are watching the leaves fly!

It's time for another stamp off challenge, featuring cards by

Buffy, Susan and I.  This one is a card sketch that I designed.

I have to admit that I really like this sketch.  I made a number

of cards following this layout, just because they really flowed.

This is the card that I decided to use for this challenge.

I love the fact that we now have Puff Paint in the Holiday

Catalog (page 19), so that I can add cotton to this

Country Home (p 95) image.  It really pumps up the 

look of this image.  The Stamping' Blends are no slouch either!

I added See a Silhouette DSP with a Silver Foil accent.  

The sentiment comes from the

Here's a Card set on page 15.  

Please click over to Buffy and Susan's blog's to see

their interpretation of this sketch.

Mom's Birthday Greetings

I have one last birthday story to share.

This is my Mom (who prefers pictures taken from behind)

on a walk in our favorite park.  When Mom/Patty visited

we went to Hills and Dales park frequently for picnics,

walks or to feed the fish.

My Mom is creative and a little twisted.  That is

apparently where I get it.  Anyway, several days before

my birthday, I received two birthday cards from Mom.

She loves shopping for sassy Birthday cards, so

I was not surprised (that one had a Wizard of Oz type

monkey on it, the other talked about life not having

intermissions so you have to pee when you can).

Traditionally, there is a birthday check enclosed with a

birthday card.  However, this year, both cards said:

"Gift is in the other card."  Of course, there was no check to

be found, in either card.  I came to that conclusion 

after ripping envelopes apart and closely inspecting both cards.

I called Mom and asked, so "was this a senile moment,

or were you messing with me?"  Her long, satisfied

laugh answered that question.