Sledding Critters (Avery Elle)

Hi there!

I have a fun card to share today, featuring Avery Elle's Sledding Critters.

I loooved the critters found in the previously-released Birthday Bus, and this one features a few of the same characters. I was so excited to ink them up and start coloring! The bear with the snow goggles? I die.

I colored and die-cut the main image and stamped a greeting from Brring On The Joy directly onto the sled.

To back the critters, I grabbed a sheet of minty cardstock and ran it through the die-cutter using the Falling Snow die. I used it a ton last year and don't see myself putting it out of reach for this holiday season either. 

To frame the snow and sledding animals, I layered a Horizontal Stripes die-cut over my white card base. The tone-on-tone isn't busy, but is so much more interesting than just layering onto a plain folded card.

Finally, I stamped a few strings of lights to go across the top, and in the center, a wreath (from Brring On The Joy.)

I hope you like it!

Thanks for stopping by!

♥.

Pinkfresh Studio Stamp release blog hop

Hi there!

Welcome to the Pinkfresh Studio September Stamp & Die Release blog hop! To celebrate there is a fun blog hop to inspire you and introduce you to some of the latest designs.

To make the hop even more fun Pinkfresh is hosting an amazing giveaway. One lucky winner will receive the entire September stamp & die release. To enter to win, please follow along with our blog hop and leave a comment on EACH post along the way! Comments will close at 11.59pm CST on Monday October 2nd 2017.

The winner will be randomly selected and announced on the Pinkfresh blog on Monday October 9th 2017.

I created a few cards to show off today.

First up, I couldn't wait to stamp and color the full-card-sized image from Happy Holidays.

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I used the MISTI tool to stamp the image, so that I could get a really good impression. I wanted the letters to be c-r-i-s-p.

I kept the color palette to light browns and reds and used a light copic marker to draw in some rolling hills to give some depth to the image.



I couldn't help but color the girl a second time, cut her out and pop her out a bit. I just think she is the sweetest!

Even un-colored the image is so cute. I could see making a set of folded cards to give out as gifts.

The next card I made uses the fun set, Simple Joy.

This Santa is in relaxation mode! I imagined him reading a few thank you notes or the paper on Christmas morning? I colored his sweater red, because you can't take that color away from Santa! and gave him a pair of jeans to wear (rolled up, hipster style! ha.) My favorite is the fading of his jeans on the butt! I used a colorless copic marker to remove some of the blog from that area.



I thought the graphic background worked nicely with the fun Santa! I cut out a circle where Santa could rest on the card base and popped up the patterned paper. I used a warm grey copic marker to color around Santa, so that he would stand out even more.

Instead of stamping a sentiment, I used Pinkfresh stickers to highlight that this scene is happening on Christmas morning.

I hope you like my cards!

It's time to hop on over and see what the rest of the team dreamed up:

1. Pinkfresh Studio Blog
2. Amy Tsuruta
3. Rebecca Luminarias
4. Elena Roussakis
5. Isha Gupta
6. Laura Contoni-Bassen
7. May Sukyong Park
8. Julia Stainton
9. Amy Kolling
10. Carly Tee Minner

♥.

Scalloped holiday treat box (Lawn Fawn inspiration week)

Hi there!

It's the last day of this month's Lawn Fawn inspiration week, and today I'm featuring the Scalloped Treat Box Winter House Add-On. Whew, that's a mouthful!



I love simplicity in my Christmas decor, so I decorated this box in colors that would fit my holiday look.

I cut the treat box out of the lighter woodgrain pattern paper, and adorned it with mostly white elements and a few pops of red.



The red bows add the perfect little punch to the front of the house! I also added 2 layers of the roof die-cut, which I think adds a touch of softness.

I added a little white chimney and a puff of "love" smoke rising from it. Having the chimney there allowed me to bring some height to the box, which I think makes it look even cuter.

I hope you like it! The box came together very easily and quickly but makes a huge impact. I can't wait to make a few more and hide little treats and gift cards in there for the kids' teachers.

Hop on over to the LF blog this morning to see more - click!

♥.

Christmas dreams (Lawn Fawn inspiration week)

Hi there!

Lawn Fawn inspiration week is moving along! Today, we're taking a closer look at the cozy set, Christmas Dreams.



I wanted to create a living room scene, and give some dimension to show that the fireplace is a little removed from the tree and the kitty, so I placed it within a cut-out to give that illusion of extra room space. I used a piece of subtle grey knit paper, from the Knit Picky paper collection to back the fireplace.



To ground all of the cute images, I used a strip of woodgrain paper for the "floor." I just love all of the elements included in this set! It was so much fun to color and put together.

I hope you like it! There's more to see on the LF blog this morning - click!

♥.

A wreath for Christmas (Lawn Fawn inspiration week)

Hi there!

Lawn Fawn inspiration week is in full swing, and today I'm showing off the Large Wreath dies.

I made the wreath even larger than intented by using it without the included circle frame. I cut a ton of sprigs in white, and layered them to make a snowy wreath. I then cut little red berries and added glossy accents to make them look more 3D.



I layered the wreath onto a sheet of light blue paper that I embossed with the Stitched Woodgrain Backdrop - I love a red and blue color combo!

A red paper bow and little hanging mittens finish things off.

I hope you like it!

There's more to see on the LF blog this morning - click!

♥.

Winter Village (Lawn Fawn inspiration week)

hi there!

It's Lawn Fawn inspiration week, and today we're showing off the super sweet Winter Village set.

I love this card! You know when you have an idea in your head and it works out perfectly and comes together so easily? Yeah, this one.

I cut a layer of Snowy Backdrop out of black cardstock and layed it onto the white card-base.

Then, I used the new Stitched Hillside Backdrop: Portrait to cut the rolling hills for the houses to sit on. I cut it out two times, and layered the full backdrop die-cut over one where I cut off the frame above the hills.



Then, I stamped and colored a whole slew of houses. I wanted the card to have more of a graphic feel, so I colored them all the same: red roofs, yellow windows, beige doors and just a touch of shading.

The trees were highlighted with the help of a snow marker, and I added some chunky glitter to the hillsides



I hope you like it!

There's more to see on the LF blog this morning - click!

♥.

Tiny Gift Box (Lawn Fawn inspiration week)

Hi there!

It's Lawn Fawn inspiration week, and today we're taking a close look at the new Tiny Gift Box die.



I love creating holiday gift packaging! These tiny boxes come together so easily, and I love that you can cut 3 boxes out of a single sheet of 8.5x11 inch cardstock. Here, I used the lighter brown woodgrain patterned paper (from the Knock On Wood Petite Paper pack) to cut all of the boxes.

I sponged all of the edges to give the box some depth.

Then, I created a 3D topper using the Christmas tree from the Winter Tiny Tags set. Here's what you'll need to make a tree of your own:



I cut 5 trees per topper, and scored each one in half. I then put adhesive on one side of each tree (the same side for all of them) and started sticking them together. Before adhering the last piece, I slid in a toothpick (I colored the part that will be showing with a copic marker) and closed up the tree.

To hide the star cut-out and add a pop of color to the tree-top, I added a yellow star (which is super glittery in real life!)

Tiny bits of ripped up cotton balls are a sweet touch, and make the trees look like even more snowy and Christmas-y.

I hope you like it! There's more to see on the LF blog this morning - click!

Beary Happy Holidays (Lawn Fawn inspiration week)

Hi there!

Sorry my post is coming to you so late - I'm a bit of a snotty/woozy mess and totally forgot to put up my latest Lawn Fawn card.

It's September's inspiration week, and today we're showing off Beary Happy Holidays.



I showed this card off on my blog a few months ago, when Lawn Fawn was doing their sneak peek week (click HERE for the original blog post.)

One thing I didn't mention in my original post was that before stamping down I removed the ink from the bear's ice skates. I wanted him to just be wearing regular boots. Once I die-cut the bear, it was easy to snip off the extra space where the blades of the ice-skates would have been.

I hope you like it!

There's more to see on the LF blog this morning - click!

♥.

Waddlers (Lawn Fawn September inspiration week)

Hi there!

Welcome to this month's Lawn Fawn inspiration week! We're kicking things off with a closer look at Here We Go A-Waddling:




Can you read the sentiment and not start humming? I can't! I stamped enough penguins to make a whole chorus of them. I love Christmas caroling!

I love how the sentiments wave. It gives so much movement to the card!



The top view gives you a closer look at the whole gang. I layered them all and popped up that front trio. The focal panel was adhered to a piece of Knit Picky patterned paper - I'm obsessed with this pattern and color! It looks like the perfect winter sweater.

I hope you like it! There's more to see on the LF blog this morning - click!

STAMPtember: Hello Pumpkin

Hi there!

Neat and Tangled is joining SSS for some STAMPtember fun with a brand new set that I illustrated, called Hello Pumpkin. It is available with dies too!

This stamp set is available for a limited time only. When it sells out, it won't be available again! The people over at SSS have hearts of gold: they have graciously offered all profits from the sale of this set to helping Danielle's father get the treatment he needs. You can read about it on the family's GO FUN ME page.

This set has such a storybook quality for me, so I wanted to create a little scene using my favorite images.

I did some masking to be able to stamp all of the images onto one layer, and then I sponged a light orange background over everything.

I could have colored it all on the card base to keep things simple, but I opted stamp everything again, color the images, cut them out, and lay them in place. In person, I love the subtle texture that it gives, even if you can't see it from the photo.

I hope you love this new set! Snag yourself one while you still can!

♥.

guesting with Ellen Hutson

Hi there!

I'm thrilled to be over on the EH blog this morning with a trio of Christmas treat packages.



Before you hop over to check out the full post, leave me a comment here! I have a 50$ gift certificate to the EH store up for grabs:

♥.

Neat and Tangled release week wrap-up

Hi there!

I'm blown away by all the sweet comments for my 2 new sets with Neat and Tangled. They will be available for purchase in the shop by 8am EST - I can't wait to see what you create with them!

I didn't create another card for today, but I did have fun coloring images and seeing what else I could do with them:



It started as a little experiment, to see if the bear from Holiday Baking could holding something other than the mixing bowl he comes with. I stamped and fussy-cut an extra arm, and tucked in the snowglobe from Elfs and Their Shelf. It was easier than I thought! I cut away the top of the wooden spoon and it looks perfect. I can't wait to use him on a holiday tag!

Then, I got to thinking about that bunny. With an outstretched arm, he could hold just about anything! The stocking (also from Elfs and Their Shelf) is a perfect fit.

The fox from Schoolhouse also has an outstretched arm, so I gave him that Santa mug (which is still my absolute favorite.) The little mice from Schoolhouse would be perfect for holding up holiday things too (but I didn't color them for now and you'll find out why TOMORROW. It might have something to do with something that mashes up the words S-T-A-M-P and S-E-P-T-E-M-B-E-R. But that's all I'll say about that.)

What do you think? Happy shopping this morning!

Merry Kisses:

Holiday Baking:

♥.

Warmest wishes (Neat and Tangled release week)

Hi there!

Welcome back to the last day of new product reveals over at Neat and Tangled. Everything will be available for purchase in the store tomorrow morning!

We're showing off my second illustrated set for this month, a 3x4 set called Merry Kisses.

I just love that little fox couple! I gave it some holiday flair with the mistletoe, but the cozy couple can be used for any fall or even valentines day cards.

I had to show them off in all of their Christmas glory:

I colored the foxes in warm browns and gave them a striped green and white scarf to share.

The bird flying in with the mistletoe is so sweet. I stamped the greeting below them and matted them onto a woodgrain and sweater patterned paper.

I hope you like it! Check out the NT blog this morning for more - CLICK!

♥.

Landscape textures (Neat and Tangled release week)

Hi there!

Welcome back to another day of Neat and Tangled's September release week. Today, we're featuring a stamp set and stencil duo designed by the always innovative Miriam Prantner, Landscape Textures and the Landscape duo stencils.

They works together or separately to make some funky backgrounds. On the other hand, I went a very literal route with today's card:



I used the stencils to create rolling hills, and then masked them to ink blend a rich blue sky. I used the trees, birds and sun/moon image from the stamp set.



The background is so soothing, isn't it? I wanted the sentiment to be something that would encourage a friend going through a rough time.

I heat embossed the first part of the greeting (from Awesome) and then die-cut the coordinating scripty Awesome. I layered 3 die-cuts on top of each other to give some oomph to the greeting.

I hope you like it! The rest of the design team rocked today's products! Check them out on the NT blog this morning - click!

♥.

Holiday baking (Neat and Tangled release week)

Hi there!

I'm really excited for today's post! We're showcasing my newest set for Neat and Tangled, Holiday Baking.

Fall and Christmas baking are my favorite: everything apple and cinnamon and warm spice. yum! I wanted to create a set that I could use to accompany the baked gifts I love to give out from now until Christmas.

I know it's mostly a holiday-themed set, but I added a little pie in there too, for Thanksgiving. ha.

I have 2 cards to show you today: one that is more Christmas-themed and the other, more fall-themed.



Let's start with Christmas, because it really is my favorite! I stamped the bear (I love him holding that mixing bowl!) and colored him in with my usual brown copic combo: E30, E31 and E33.

The little mouse is holding up a candy cane, and I'm dreaming of chocolate cake with peppermint frosting!

I started out by doing an easy sponged background with the only distress oxide ink color I have so far: Broken China. Man, that stuff spreads like butter! It's really foolproof.



To make the mouse-rolling pin-candy cane-image-cluster look as seamless as the bear, I went in and connected all of the lines once the images were adhered together.

A heat-embossed sentiment and some white gel pen accents and dots pulls the whole thing together.

My next card keeps to warmer fall colors:



I did another sponged background, this time in yellow and orange colors, with white ink flecked on to lighten it all up.

Using the same colors for the bear, I also added in some E37 for extra depth.

The bunny is holding a hot pie. I'm assuming it's apple. Instead of giving the mouse something to hold, I have him peering into the mixing bowl. I think he's so sweet with his huge ears!



The critters were adhered to the base with foam tape, as was the chunky frame and the sentiment flag. A smattering of gold sequins finishes it off.

I hope you like my cards! Let me know what you think of Holiday Baking, or tell me about your favorite thing to bake for the fall - you could win a Neat and Tangled store gift card at the end of the week.

Check out the NT blog this morning for more - CLICK!

♥.

You're pretty (Neat and Tangled release week)

Hi there!

If you are looking for my Lawn Fawn/SSS STAMPtember post, scroll down or click HERE.

We're kicking off this month's Neat and Tangled release with a closer look at You're Pretty, a set designed by Danielle.

I made a card to give to my daughter, all pink and girly. I added a few critters from another new set, Holiday Baking, which you'll see more of tomorrow!



I stamped the big, hand-lettered sentiment onto a piece of Lawn Fawn watercolor wishes paper, and added plenty of white gel pen accents.



I layered it onto a sheet of pink grid patterned paper and splattered pink ink over it. The bunny and mouse are pointing to the sentiments, which I think is pretty darn cute.

I hope you like it! Check out the NT blog this morning for more - CLICK!

♥.

Stamptember: Christmas Like No Otter!

Hi there!

Lawn Fawn is celebrating STAMPtember with their exclusive set, Christmas Like No Otter. The Lawn Fawn set for Simon Says Stamp is always in huge demand, so don't wait long to snatch it up!

My card is otter-filled and watery, with a huge pop of Christmas red:

I found that the Road Border worked very well with the curve of the sentiments. I love how it swoops across the front of the card, like a big Christmas bow! I also used the new Outside In Stitched Scalloped Rectangle to frame the entire scene.



My favorite is the dancing gingerbread at the bottom. hee. right on the otter's big Santa-otter belly.

I hope you like my card, and hurry over to the SSS store to buy your own set: CLICK!

♥.