Cardz TV Sketch Challenge Christmas Theme

Happy Holidays my Crafty Friends. Welcome to the last Cardz TV Sketch Challenge for the year 2016. WOW, where did the time go? Only a few more days until the big celebration when all the little girls and boys find what Santa left them under the tree. Christmas is pretty anti-climatic around here. We are far from all our family and we don't even put up a tree anymore. It was a lot more fun when there were little children at home. Today's theme is a Christmas card using Sketch #10, #11, or #12. I used Sketch #11. One of my all time favorite paper stacks from Recollections was from a couple years ago, called Sugar Plum. Mine is mostly used up, but I was able to salvage a few scraps to make this card. I thought it was perfect because of the little gingerbread men on it. I had to altar my sketch a little because of the pattern on the paper and moved my triangles to opposite sides from the sketch. I used the Cardz TV stamp set called Gingerbread Christmas. I stamped my gingerbread man using Ranger Archival Ink in Tree Branch. To balance out the front of the card I used some enamel dots in the empty corners. On the inside of the card I used a sentiment from the same stamp set and added a few pieces of peppermint candy in the lower corners to mimic the enamel dots on the front.

I'm so glad you stopped by today and as I sign off for the year I wish you the Happiest of Holidays. See you in 2017 with some new sketch challenges.

The Cutting Cafe "Let's Upcycle"

This week The Cutting Cafe Design Team is showcasing projects using recycled packaging. I was very excited about this assignment because I have been holding on to this bottle to make some Gingerbread Spice Syrup for coffee drinks. I found the recipe on Pinterest by searching Gingerbread Latte Syrup. To decorate my syrup bottle I used the Wine Bottle Gift Tag Set-Template and Cutting File. I did have to shorten the tag a bit because this bottle is smaller than a wine bottle. I also had to cut a slit at the hole to slip it around the bottle because the lid of this bottle was too large for the hole to slip over. I used the tag with the pocket on the front so I could slip a cute little gingergirl in. I wrote the directions on how to use the syrup on the inside. I cut her using a die from Paper Sweeties. I added a tag on the pocket that says, "Wishing You A Cup Full of Cheer". This came from the Hot Chocolate Holder Template - Cutting File. I stamped a cute little gingerbread man in the center of the tag, which also came from Paper Sweeties. Now I know you are going to want to see all the fabulous creations from the Design Team to give you some ideas on items you can upcycle into amazing gifts, so make sure you head over to The Cutting Cafe Blog on December 7th to see them all. Thanks for stopping by today.

Cardz TV Sketch Challenge Winter

Hello Crafty Friends! At this busy time of year I hope you can find some time to play along with the new Sketch Challenge over on the Cardz TV blog. This week the theme for the Design Team is a winter card using Sketch #7 or #8. I'm using Sketch #8 and one of Mary's newest stamp sets Winter Cheer. Love the little snowman image and knew she had to go on my card. I say she because I gave her pink earmuffs. As soon as I saw this snowman I thought about using pompoms for some earmuffs. I love how they turned out. I cut the headband of the muffs from pink felt using a circle die. I cut the circle and then ran it through my diecutting machine a second time so the circle die would cut off a thin slice. I have no idea what I bought these little pink pompoms for originally. I think I, maybe, just bought them because they were a package of 90 clearanced to 35 cents. Who could pass up a bargain like that? My patterned papers are from the Lawn Fawn 6x6 paper stack called Snow Day. (It's an older stack and I don't think they make it anymore). You can see the sketch below and you can find all of Mary's sketches on the Cardz TV blog under the Mary's Card Sketches tab. I altered the sketch just a tad by cutting my border strip a bit wider and adding a strip of cute snowflake washi tape. Thanks for stopping by.

The Cutting Cafe Anything Goes

It's time for my second Cutting Cafe post for the month. I love when we get to choose any file for our projects. I've been working on little token holiday gifts for friends and this is one of them. I used the Hot Chocolate Holder Template and Cutting File along with the Christmas All Around Printable Set for my cute Snowman tag. These Holders are so quick and easy to put together you can easily whip them up in minutes, slip in a couple envelopes of hot cocoa mix, add a ribbon and tag and there you have it. These make great hostess gifts or even a little something for a teacher. Head on over to The Cutting Cafe Blog to see what the rest of the Design Team came up with for their projects. Thanks for stopping by.

Cardz TV Sketch Challenge Thanksgiving

It's time for a new Sketch Challenge at Cardz TV. This week the Design Team is using Sketch #5 or Sketch #6. I decided to use #6 because I wanted to use this cute turkey image from Pink & Main and knew it would look best in a circle. I also wanted to use this awesome paper from a paper stack I found in the Target dollar section. It has these beautiful copper embossed papers in it and I fell in LOVE. Have you ever stamped and colored on kraft cardstock? I'm really fond of the look. I used colored pencils for this. So I started with a kraft cardstock base card then added a copper mat and topped it with the pretty copper leaf paper. Then I die cut a copper circle and topped it with my image on a smaller die cut circle. For my sentiment I used Cardz TV Thankful For You stamp set. I cut apart the "Gobble 'til you Wobble" sentiment so I had just the word Gobble, because obviously, my turkey needed to Gobble. I hope you'll play along in the challenge and link up your project at Cardz TV. You can find all of Mary's Sketches on the Cardz TV blog.

Paper Sweeties November 2016 Release Rewind

It's the final day of projects featuring the November Paper Sweeties release. Today I have a shaker card to share. When I saw all the sweet images from the Planner Series Happy Holidays stamp set I knew I wanted to fussy cut the images and add them to a shaker. For my shaker "window" I decided to cut out the Christmas tree shape using the Paper Sweeties Christmas Tree Tag Sweet Cuts. I cut the tree shape out of some green patterned paper then cut the stand, garland and star from white glitter paper. I filled my shaker with lots of sequin bits including Paper Sweeties Mistletoe, Sugar Sprinkles and Strawberry sequins. Then, of course, the red stamped, fussy cut images from the Happy Holidays Planner stamps. I wanted to make sure that they didn't all sink to the bottom of the card so I glued them in place, as well as some of the sequins. Please check out the projects from the rest of the design team using the links below. All this month's products are available in the Paper Sweeties Shop now HERE.

Beth Luetschwager
Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Jeri Thomas 
Jill Norwood 

Kathy Schweinfurth

Larissa Heskett
Lisa Bzibziak
Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michele Henderson
Michelle Bala

Nancy Salkeld

Merry and Bright Sweet Cuts - Paper Sweeties

Sequins - Mistletoe

Paper Sweeties - Sugar Sprinkles Sequins

Paper Sweeties - Strawberry Sequins

Paper Sweeties November 2016 Release Party

Welcome to Paper Sweeties Release Day! Oh my, I am just absolutely loving this adorable Jingle All the Way stamp set and Sweet Cuts. That reindeer is just too cute! I decided he had to go on a snowy scene card. I paper pieced the sleigh that he's pulling and colored him up with Copics. Of course, he had to have a little red nose. I embellished with a red twine bow, jingle bell and a gold sequin for the top of the tree. I added the sentiment stamped in red to finish it off. Catch the rest of the Design Team projects at the links below. Thanks for stopping by and come back tomorrow for a final new release project.

Beth Luetschwager
Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Jeri Thomas 
Jill Norwood 

Kathy Schweinfurth

Larissa Heskett
Lisa Bzibziak
Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michele Henderson
Michelle Bala

Nancy Salkeld

What′s new! Paper Sweeties

Paper Sweeties November 2016 Release Sneak Peek

 

Welcome to the first day of projects for the November Paper Sweeties release. You're going to love this month's products. Today I'm starting with a card using the new set Stand Add-on Sweet Treats and a couple of stamps from the new Planner Series stamp set Happy Holidays. Hopefully, it looks like a cute little bakery window with a display of holiday treats. (That's the look I was going for, anyway). I did a lot of paper piecing on this card. I stamped the stand on a cute scrap of holiday paper from my stash. I thought the cookie shapes were perfect for the base of the stand. Another scrap for the window valance. Next I stamped and die cut the roof and added a cute little wreath to the center. The wreath came from the new planner stamp set. A couple of sweet tiered cakes and two little gingerbread men decorate the front window of my bakery. In this set the Sweet Treats sentiment is stacked, but I cut it apart to stamp it across the sign for the shop.

Now I know you're going to want to see the rest of the Design Team projects. You can click on the names below to visit their blogs.

Beth Luetschwager
Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Jeri Thomas 
Jill Norwood 

Kathy Schweinfurth

Larissa Heskett
Lisa Bzibziak
Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michele Henderson
Michelle Bala

Nancy Salkeld

Make sure to visit again tomorrow for another project using this month's new release. I just love the set I'm using for my card tomorrow. Cute as can be!

What′s new! Paper Sweeties

Sweeties Stand

Paper Sweeties Planner Series November

I'm so excited to share my December Monthly Planner pages with you today. This month's Planner Series release is so adorable. It's called Planner Series Happy Holidays and it has the best holiday images. I think the teeny tiny gingerbread man is my favorite. I decided to do my pages in a traditional red and green color scheme. It's fun that this month's first day is on Thursday so that allowed for a cute little Christmas scene at the top of the page using some of this month's new releases. I decided to use the Christmas lights from last month's Basket Add-on release. I trimmed them down to be a single row of lights and strung them across both pages. This month I decided to stamp the images on cardstock and fussy cut them to make them literally pop off the page. A couple close up photos for a closer look.

I can hardly believe that this is my last monthly spread of the year. The year just flew by and it's time for a new planner. There are so many fabulous planners out for the new year. I'm having a hard time deciding which one to get. You can follow the links below to see the rest of the Design Team's planner projects.

Cardz TV Sketch Challenge #4 Thank You Theme

Welcome! So glad you're here to join me today for another Cardz TV sketch challenge. This time around the Design Team is using Sketch #9 or #10 and using a Thank You theme.  I decided to use Sketch #10 and used the Cardz TV Stamp set Big and Bold Sentiments. I wanted to make an elegant looking card this time around so I decided to add some touches of gold. I did that by inking around all my mats with some Delicata Golden Glitz ink and heat embossed my sentiment on vellum using WOW Embossing Glitter in Golden Sunrise. I don't really think my photo does this card justice. The touches of gold are just gorgeous in person. That Delicata ink is another supply that I have been hoarding. I found it while participating in an annual Scrapbook Store Shop Hop in the spring. This is the first time I have used it as it is a little pricey. I was lucky enough to find a special set with smaller ink cubes in four colors, the other colors are Silvery Shimmer, Bronze Burst and Celestial Copper. I thought this gave me a little more bang for my buck. (Also takes up less storage space in my tiny home). The papers I used on this card came from a very old stack made by Cloud9Design. Honestly, I'm not even sure that company is around anymore. I decided to add a pretty fall leaf popped with some foam tape in the middle of that center circle to draw the eye in. I love how this card turned out and I'm going to pop it in the mail for a friend back in Michigan. Just so she knows that I haven't forgotten about the beautiful fall colors I left behind when we moved to Florida. I hope you'll play along with the challenge. You can find the sketches and link your creation over at the Cardz TV blog HERE. Thanks for stopping by. I always appreciate your visit and your comments.

Sketch #10

The Cutting Cafe Mini Scalloped Gable Boxes

If you like to give small holiday gifts to friends or neighbors I have the perfect little boxes. I am so in love with these Cutting Cafe Mini Gable Boxes from the Gable Box Template and Cutting File. I put some cute little die cut bows on these so the scallop on the top of the boxes don't show up, but they are so cute. I used the SVG file and my Cricut Explore Air to cut these, but the Cutting Cafe files also come in a PDF, MTC and WPC formats. Because I tend to be lazy when it comes to my cutting machine, I imported the file to my Cricut and cut them one at a time instead of taking the time to copy and paste another one onto my mat. I just flipped the mat around and loaded it into my machine to cut on the other half of the paper.

There are so many options for what you could put into these little boxes. They are the perfect size for some little pocket hand sanitizer or chocolates. I always make some sort of little holiday gifts to give our friends and I usually put candy in them. Over the past few years my homemade Christmas cookie trays have become quite the hit at holiday gatherings so I decided to give out some fudge this year. For my cute little tags I used the Cutting Cafe Christmas Fudge Printable stamp set. I printed them out then used a die to cut the tag and scalloped backing. To finish off the box I added the tag to my die cut bow and tied them onto the boxes with twine. These boxes will be easy to mass produce so I can whip them out in no time at all. I guess I better put the fudge recipe items onto my grocery list so I can start my Christmas baking. I try to bake as much as I can in advance and put them in the freezer. Make sure to visit The Cutting Cafe blog on the 7th of November to see the rest of the Design Teams projects. Thanks for stopping by.

Paper Sweeties November 2016 Inspiration Challenge

Happy November, crafty friends! It's time for the November Paper Sweeties Inspiration Challenge. Here's the photo for this month's inspiration.

I used several elements from the challenge photo for my design. I started by taking a piece of gray paper and embossing it with lines to resemble the lines of the shutter then added a frame around it. I decided I wanted to add a wreath because there was one in the photo so I used the Hello Spring stamp set and coordinating Sweet Cuts. I stamped the wreath on a green polka dot paper I found in my scrap file then cut it out. I used the big bow from the set to hang the wreath from. Next I stamped and fussy cut a few leaves from the Planner Series Fall Sentiments on maroon and yellow papers and fussy cut them. I added a couple little vines to the wreath before adding the leaves (they came from the September release Thankful stamp set and Sweet Cuts). For my tiny chalkboard I used the stitched rectangle from the Sweet Cuts Window Elements. I cut one in black and one in brown then trimmed the black one at the stitching line before gluing them together. I white heat embossed my sentiment onto the chalkboard. I combined the words from two different stamp sets-Happy came from Planner Series Celebrate and Fall came from Happy Fall Y'all. I hope you'll have the chance to play along with this month's challenge. You can link your projects over on the Paper Sweeties Blog. Thanks for stopping by.

Beth Luetschwager  
Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties

Jeri Thomas 
Jill Norwood 

Julie Tucker-Wolek

Kathy Schweinfurth

Larissa Heskett
Lilian Forsyth  
Lisa Bzibziak

Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michele Henderson
Michelle Bala

Nancy Salkeld
November Guest Designer:  Lori Turner

Planner Series: Fall Sentiments - Paper Sweeties	Thankful - Paper Sweeties	Hello Spring Sweet Cuts - Paper Sweeties	Hello Spring - Paper Sweeties	Planner Series: Celebrate - Paper Sweeties
Happy Fall Y′all Stamp Set - Paper Sweeties

Cardz TV Sketch Challenge #3 Halloween Theme

It's time for Cardz TV's third sketch challenge. This week the Design Team chose from Sketch #4 or #5 and had to use a Halloween theme. When I saw the three mats on this sketch I knew it was perfect for the word BOO.

I used metal dies to create my images and letters. I've been working hard to use up some of my older paper stacks (yes, I'm a paper hoarder) so my patterned papers are from Cloud 9 Design and Pink Paislee. I simply cut my pieces according to the measurements on the sketch, added my images and picked a sentiment from the Cardz TV stamp set More Spooky Sayings. To finish off the card I added some sequins, colored dot gems and a little doodling to my letters. I hope you'll play along and link your creation over at the Cardz TV blog. You'll have a chance to win a set of Cardz TV Stamps. Have fun!

The Cutting Cafe Breast Cancer Awareness

Another October, another anniversary as a cancer survivor!!! This week at The Cutting Cafe the Designers are featuring cards for Breast Cancer Awareness month. In a few weeks from now I will mark the 8th year as a cancer survivor. In August of 2008 I was diagnosed with breast cancer and on November 12, 2008 I had a bilateral mastectomy. I've told my story before on my blog, but there may be someone reading this that doesn't know. I like to think it was Divine Intervention that led me to have my very FIRST mammogram. After returning from a three week trip to Hawaii where one of our daughter's got married we had a big pile of mail to sort through. There was a letter from our health insurance company that offered a $20 gift card after having a mammogram. Well, I couldn't turn down free money for one of my favorite stores. If I hadn't opened that letter, I might not be here to write this today. I hope my story of early detection encourages someone to go have a mammogram. It could save a life. 

For my card today I used The Cutting Cafe Think Pink printable stamp set and the You've Gotta Have Hope printable stamp set. Isn't that owl from the Think Pink set so cute? I simply printed her out and fussy cut her then added her to my scalloped oval shaped card. The sentiment came from You've Gotta Have Hope. If you have a family member or friend that is going through breast cancer I hope you'll make a quick card to send to them. It would have meant the world to me to have received a card when I was going through my journey. It was a long and difficult road. Make sure you head to The Cutting Cafe Blog on October 21st to see the rest of the Design Team projects. Thanks for visiting today and remember to have a yearly mammogram. 

Paper Sweeties October 2016 Release Rewind

Welcome back for the final day of projects for the Paper Sweeties October 2016 release. Today I used the Basket and Basket Add-On Baked With Love to create this adorable gift tag. I started by stamping the basket with red ink then cut it out with the coordinating die. Next I stamped and white heat-embossed the pile of gingerbread men from the Add-On then die cut them. I decided I wanted to decorate the top of the basket with a row of hearts using the die cut from the Paper Sweeties Sweet Borders. I added them then cut a green gingham bow using the die from the Hello Spring Stamp set and coordinating die. You may notice a "tiny" sneak peek from next month's release. For more inspiring ideas for using this month's release follow the links below for the rest of the Design Team. Thanks so much for coming by today.

Beth Luetschwager
Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Jeri Thomas 
Jill Norwood 

Kathy Schweinfurth

Larissa Heskett
Lisa Bzibziak
Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michele Henderson
Michelle Bala

Nancy Salkeld

Sweet Cuts Sweet Borders - Paper Sweeties

Hello Spring - Paper Sweeties

Hello Spring Sweet Cuts - Paper Sweeties

What′s new! Paper Sweeties

Paper Sweeties October 2016 Release Party

Today's the day for the Paper Sweeties October release to go live in the SHOP. I know you're going to love this month's products for your Christmas creations. For my card today I used the Paper Sweeties Basket Add-On Baked With Love stamp set and Sweet Cuts dies. I made a string of lights to stretch across my card with the lights stamp, colored them in with Copics to match the background paper colors and added a sentiment from last year's Paper Sweeties Christmas Tree Tag stamp set. Please follow along on the list below to see the rest of the Design Team Projects.

Beth Luetschwager
Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Jeri Thomas 
Jill Norwood 

Kathy Schweinfurth

Larissa Heskett
Lisa Bzibziak
Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michele Henderson
Michelle Bala

Nancy Salkeld

Merry and Bright - Paper Sweeties

What′s new! Paper Sweeties