Sharon, Sharon, She's Our Gal!

It's time again for the Crafty Gals Blog group to honor another member.

This month it's Sharon's turn. Sharon is a girl after my own heart. She loves using nature as inspiration in her cards. In other words, she like flowers. So do I. This was a treat for me to CASE her style.

Just look at how many cards are in this one post! "Good times....Great Friends"

I love her use of the Secret Garden stamp set and patterned papers. I don't use enough patterned paper, I'm trying, but Sharon inspired me to use it on my card this time....

Believe it or not, this is my first time using the wood grain embossing folder from SU! I had to take it out of the package....for shame. :) I decided it would be a good natural element to go along with my nature inspired creation.

Thank you Sharon for being a Crafty Gal! Love and hugs!

I can't wait to visit the other Gals to see how they were inspired by Sharon.

I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches #102

Clean is their game over at FMS and that's why I like playing there.......it challenges me not to distress the edges of my card stock or ink them or tear it or crumple it..... *giggle*

Thanks for visiting my blog. Comments are very much appreciated!

Until next time...

Blessings...

Melina

Layered Blossoms

This is my second post today! :~)

Scroll down for "Baby Love"

Hiya!

Pink and green, yummo!

I love that combo and I really loved making this card. So much so that I made 2 of them! hahahaha

 

I made my card 4.25" square.

My outside sentiment is from Petite Pairs. I stamped another flower image on the inside and stamped "Thanks so much" from the Three Little Words set.

I layered the middle flower (Mixed Bunch set by SU!) twice. It's stamped in Lucky Limeade, then layered in Pretty in Pink, then in Soft Suede with a little pearl middle. I am addicted to punching with circles and then matching the punched out piece with the original stamped image. I guess that's my "technique" of choice right now! :)

These cards will go to the two ladies that helped me so much at the Valentine's Banquet we had at church Saturday night. They saw I was overwhelmed and on the verge of a panic attack (LOL) and came to my rescue. They are truly dear, sweet ladies and I'm happy they are in my life.

Challenges:

Today's CAS challenge over at SCS

Our Creative Corner ~ Best Friend and include a flower

CAS-ual Fridays ~ Paper piecing (#39)

Thank you so much for visiting today!

Until next time...

Blessings...

Melina

25 Days of Christmas Creations Day 21

Day 21! Almost there!

Well, has there been anyone at your door? Holiday guests? Family coming in? Here's a card that goes right along with all my questions today!

I've seen lots of door cards on SCS and I wanted to try my hand at one. I used my woodgrain stamp on the white c/s and a white gel pen on the knob. The inside circle on the wreath is cut with the Cricut then I punched the circle out with my scallop circle punch. The square windows are punched with a CM punch (discontinued). The ribbon is real red. The sentiment is from the Curly Cute set. I loved making this card. This is also one we made in card class 2 weeks ago.
Thanks for visiting my blog during my daily posts this month. I really appreciate it!
Have a great day!
Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

25 Days of Christmas Creations Day 20

We're at Day 20! Oh My! 20th day of my 25 Days of Christmas Creations that is! hahaha I can't believe Christmas it is only 6 days away! Wow! (my Nov. 30th post will let you know what all the hoop la is about)
Today's creation is a card I went circle crazy with!

The circle has to be my favorite shape when paper crafting. I gravitate toward that shape more than any other. I used my nesties, punches, Jolly Holiday dsp and SU! Tree Trimming and Petite Pairs stamp sets with this CAS card. I'm hoarding that retired pack of dsp by the way :)
I thought the ribbons sticking out of the top made this look like a hanging ornament.

Thanks so much for stopping by
Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

25 Days of Christmas Creations Day 17

Day 17?! Already?! Wow, time is flying by with my daily posts. I hope you're enjoying my 25 Days of Christmas Creations. (check out my Nov. 30th post to see what all the hoop la is about)
This card is not CAS. It took me a while but it was so worth it. I wanted to use Bravo Burgundy b/c at my house, that ink/card stock does not get enough attention. It is a beautiful shade for Christmas though...

First I stamped on a piece of white card stock. I then found the center line cut it then cut it into thirds. I inked around all the edges and mounted it on basic black. Then! I stamped versamark ink all over the image and clear embossed it! Yes, it is so pretty in person. You can't see it good in the pic. Like I said, this was a very involved card but it was well worth it. Needless to say, I will be sending this to someone I know will cherish it and not just look at it and throw it away! :)
I hope you try this technique!
Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

25 Days of Christmas Creations Day 15

It's Day 15 of my 25 Days of Christmas Creations. (check out my post of Nov. 30th to see what all the hoop la is about).........and today I am showing you that even if you haven't finished your Christmas cards and think it's too late............think again!

This has to be one of the easiest Holiday cards I've made this year. One piece of Cherry cobbler c/s for the background and then a scrap of dsp.....then some circle punches with old olive and very vanilla scraps after I stamped the vv with a poinsettia stamp (SU! Jolly Bingo Bits)....add a sentiment at the bottom and you're done! I made this card in less than 5 minutes! Easy peasy!
You CAN do it! Don't go buy a box of cards, make em, make em! :~)
Have a wonderful day!
Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

25 Days of Christmas Creations Day 11

Day 11 is here! Are you enjoying my 25 days of Christmas Creations? I hope so. (see my November 30th post to see what all the hoop la is about)

Today I'm sharing a card we made in class Tuesday night. I had this idea while using the SU! stocking punch one day. What if you put something "in" the stocking? So, this card was born...

So, very simple, but so darling! :)
I used the Jolly Bingo Bits stamp set for the peppermint candy and gingerbread man. Just stamp them and cut them out. Then, put the stocking on with dimensionals after you adhere the "stocking stuffers" to the back.
The last few weeks I'm all about making my sentiment it's own show piece. I've been layering my sentiments all different ways. This card was no exception. :)
Thank you so much for stopping by!
Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

25 Days of Christmas Creations! Day 9

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the 9th day of my 25 Days of Christmas event here at the Crafty Scrapper! Thank you so much for visiting. I appreciate your comments :) (check out my post from November 30 to see what all the hoop la is about!)
This card started out as a very simple "red on white stamp a little" card. It just looked too plain so I dolled it up a bit :)

I added the black strips punched with the dotted scallop ribbon punch and then added the 3 black brads. I love the new Sounding Joy stamp set from SU!. Joy to the World is one of my favorite Christmas songs.
Have a good one!

Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

25 Days of Christmas Creations! Day 8

Happy Day 8 of my 25 Days of Christmas event here at the Crafty Scrapper! Thank you so much for visiting. I appreciate your comments :) (check out my post from November 30 to see what all the hoop la is about!)

Here' my first attempt at a pennant punch tree...

I know what you're thinking..."Where is she when all these things are posted and created by the professionals and tutorial are made". I know! I'm so behind with the trends. (If you follow my blog, you'll know that last month I made my first Lollie (scored piece of dsp laid flat to look like a flower/pinwheel). But, why am I telling you the description of those pretty little circles? I'm the one that's behind.
Anywho, I'm rambling. So, I used old olive dsp and my pennant punch to make my Christmas tree. The gifts are from the Party Hearty set and the sentiment is from the Petite Pairs set.
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

25 Days of Christmas Creations! Day 7

Happy Day 7 of my 25 Days of Christmas event here at the Crafty Scrapper! Thank you so much for visiting. I appreciate your comments :) (check out my post from November 30 to see what all the hoop la is about!)
Here is the last card we made at October's Christmas card class.

I love the look of kraft/crumb cake with the white gel pen accents. It almost looks like you're looking into a snow globe at the lodge. I also like how she demonstrated the sentiment on the banner. Before we made our card she showed us to use the square punch to make the banner ends. I would always use my scissors and mess it up! Good Grief! Why didn't I know this?! I feel like a doe doe sometimes! :)
Happy Sunday to ya! Be sure to check back tomorrow for another "installment" of my 25 days of Christmas event!!!!

Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

25 Days of Christmas Creations! Day 4

Happy Day 4 of my 25 Days of Christmas event here at the Crafty Scrapper! Thank you so much for visiting. I appreciate your comments :) (check out my post from November 30 to see what all the hoop la is about!)
This card has to be my favorite of all the cards I made at the Christmas card class I went to in October. I love the addition of the scored dsp...

Also, I love that Snow Burst embossing folder. I think I've already sang my praises for that ef before on my blog. Sorry, I just love that thing! :)
As you can tell from all these card I made at the class, it centered around the Christmas Lodge stamps set and matching dsp. I don't have that set. Usually when I go to a class, I wind up buying the stamp set. It's a lovely set but I thought of other in the catalog I wanted more! hahaha
I hope you enjoy visiting my blog! Have a great day

Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

25 Days of Christmas Creations! Day 3

Happy Day 3 of my 25 Days of Christmas event here at the Crafty Scrapper! Thank you so much for visiting. I appreciate your comments :) (check out my post from November 30 to see what all the hoop la is about!)

This card has to be one of my favorite ones I made this Season.

I used the new Snow Burst embossing folder on the white snowflake panel (Snow Swirled set). I love that ef. Then, I also got to use my build a stocking punch. Yay! I finished it off with some sheer white ribbon and white baker's twine. Oh and I also decorated the inside. That's a rarity for me. :)
I hope you are enjoying my Christmas creations! Have a great day.

Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

Note: I will not be listing supplies for these Christmas posts. But, if you have questions, feel free to email me and I will get you a list.

25 Days of Christmas Creations! Day 2

Happy Day 2 of my 25 Days of Christmas event here at the Crafty Scrapper! And of course, happy 1st day of December! Thank you so much for visiting. I appreciate your comments :) (check out my post from November 30 to see what all the hoop la is about!)

Here's another card I made at the Christmas card class in October.


This is also another "out of my league" card. I was super intimidated by this card when my demonstrator showed it to us. 1st off all the layers, then stamping on velum and then tying a perfect little bow! Yikes! I made it through though. :) The little parentheses on the velum are made with the curly label punch. Who knew?! I wish I could think up all these creative way to use punches! I have a ton and always get my ideas from other bloggers! giggle. I guess that's what we're here for right?!
I hope you're enjoying my Christmas creations! See you tomorrow for another one :)

Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

Note: I will not be listing supplies on these Christmas posts. If you have questions, please feel free to email me for the list :)

25 Days of Christmas Creations! Day 1

Hello! Happy last day of November!
I have decided to do my own 25 days of Christmas event here on my blog. I'll be posting Christmas creations from now until Dec. 24th. I'll try to have a little something different posted on the 25th.
I really don't like posting to my blog every day. I like trying for every other day. That way you ladies have a chance to get around to them. Every day is a hard task. Anyway, I thought if I tried posting all my Christmas creations every other day, you'd still be seeing Christmas stuff into February! LOL! So, I'll be posting my Christmas Cheer everyday. Some days there may be more than one pic in a post. Some days I have Challenge obligations so those cards will also be in the post. But, all post from now til Christmas Eve will be Christmas themed.
You might say, that's not a new concept....why wouldn't you post Christmas creations during December? I know this, but I think this will keep me blogging throughout the month, so maybe I won't be absent for weeks without posting something b/c I got too busy with life! :)
So, I'll stop rambling now and let you see my first Christmas card of my "25 days of Christmas event"....


So, not my usual CAS creation huh? This is an easel card I created at a SU! card class in October. We used the new jingle bells and pewter embossing powder and the Frostwood Lodge dsp.
I love the layering on this card and will definetly be sending this card to someone that will appreciate it! :)

Thanks for visiting today! I hope you can make it back for all 25 days!

Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

Note: There won't be supplies lists on these Christmas posts. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me and I'll get you the list :)

My First Attempt at a Lollie!

Goodness, goodness, I know what you're thinking. How can this be the first time I've ever attempted a Lollie (the pleated circle on the card). Well, I tend to stay behind on trends. I'm too busy trying to catch up. Usually I get to the "it" thing about 3 months after it's become popular! LOL
Anyway, this is the card I made for Monday's CAS challenge over on SCS. Jen challenged us to make our projects centering around the word "Party". That was our inspirational word to use as we wished.

I had just gotten the Party Hearty SU! set about 1 month before the new catalog came out. Wouldn't you know it would be on the retired list, just after I got the money to buy it? Well, the bright side is, I got it before it was gone!
My Lollie flower/pinwheel whatever you call them, is 3/4" wide by 6" long. I scored the dsp (numbers paper from Celebrations pack) at every 1/4" Then after I pleated and laid it flat, I adhered it to some pacific point c/s that I punched with the small scallop circle punch. Then for the top I used a 3/4" circle punch on some more pacific point c/s and on top of that used a punch from the Itty Bitty Punch pack on some old olive dsp.
I found that ribbon at the back of my drawer. It's real red taffeta that I bought a long time ago.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend! :)

Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

supplies: white c/s, Celebrations dsp, pacific point c/s and old olive dsp, real red and pacific point ink, real red taffeta ribbon, scor tool, circle punch, scallop circle punch, Itty Bitty punch pack
stamps: Party Hearty

Backyard Inspiration!

Hi All! Happy Veteran's Day and while I'm at it, Happy weekend!
Take time today to pray for our soldiers, veterans and their families.
I made a card for the Featured Stamper's challenge and Ways to Use It challenge over on SCS. I love when I can combine a couple challenges into one card :)


I chose the colors mostly because I get to look at these colors everyday in my backyard. We have lots of trees on our property and it's a joy to watch the colors changes. So, I decided to go with a "backyard" color palette :)
For the panel, I started with a scrap of summer sun c/s. I tore the edges and then stamped my flowers. I then sponged the piece with cajun craze, chocolate chip and early espresso inks. For my butterflies I stamped them in cajun craze ink onto textured crumb cake c/s and cut them out. I adhered them with glue dots and then lifted their wings a little to give dimension. I love how this turned out. It's a little more involved than I'm used too and was afraid of doing too much. I hope you enjoyed it though. Ever get in a rut....take inspiration from the things around you!
I hope you have a blessed day. Thank you so much for stopping by my little blog!

Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

suppiles: textured crumb cake c/s, early espresso c/s, summer sun c/s, cajun craze, early espresso and chocolate chip inks, sponge daubers, early espresso brads, modern label punch
stamps: watercolor trio and three little words

Christmas is Only How Many Days Away?!!!!

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those that jumps directly into Christmas mode and forgets about Thanksgiving. My house is Fall decorated right now. I am very thankful for my family and friends. We will get together and eat way too much in 3 weeks.
But, you do have to admit, it is very hard to ignore the calender! Have you done any Holiday shopping? I have my dear hubby 2 things. He's great at dropping hints and when I run across those things, I grab 'em! :)
Another reason I tend to gravitate toward Christmas sooner is that I don't send that many Fall cards, unless they're Fall Birthdays. Christmas is my biggest card giving holiday as I know it probably is yours. So, I'm sharing the cards I've been making these past few weeks. I like making all different designed cards to send. I know some of my friends like to make 1 card and mass produce for their card each year. What do you prefer?


This is a card I made for a CAS sketch last week over on SCS. The 3 pieces in the background are made with some scrap dsp and real red card stock. I ran the scallop border punch over the rr.
I love, love the Tree Trimming set from SU! I put a little pearl at the top of the ornament image. Mostly b/c there was too much space between the ornament and the stamp string! LOL :)

Thanks so much for visiting me today.
Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

supplies: very vanilla c/s, SU! dsp (can't remember the name), real red c/s, old olive c/s, old olive ribbon, linen thread, Cricut George basic shapes cart for ovals, real red ink, scallop border punch, pearl, sponge daubers, choc. chip ink
stamps: Christmas Greetings, Tree Trimmings

Patterned Paper is My Friend!

Hi all!
I hope your week is totally crafty so far!
I made a card last week for a couple of challenges over on SCS. In making the card, I wanted to do something I don't do a lot and that's use patterned paper. It's a real challenge for me. I most of the time, think it looks to busy on my creations.
I do really like how this one turned out though...

I like how the tree from the SU! "Snow Swirled" set looks when you off set it. Probably cause I never can get it straight when I want it front and center! This is the first project I have used my red corduroy buttons on. I am hoarding them! :~)
Well, what do you think? Did I use the patterned paper well? To give the card a little more dimension, I inked around the paper, image and red frame for the image with crumb cake ink. The sentiment is from the SU! set "Word Play".
Thanks for visiting! Your comments make my day!
Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

supplies: white, old olive and cherry cobbler c/s, jolly holiday dsp, cherry cobbler baker's twine, real red corduroy button, sponge daubers, old olive, crumb cake and cherry cobbler ink, ticket corner punch
stamps: Snow Swirled, Word Play

From All Us Penquins!

Hello!
I hope you've had a great week so far.
Even though there is no snow on the ground quite yet around here......I am in Christmas card mode and made this card for yesterday's Card Sketch Challenge over on SCS.


We have 4 family members but our 3rd member is a little silly and is hiding inside the card. Well, if he would have joined us on the front, I wouldn't have had the right sketch LOL! Anyway, I can see him doing this, hiding, when we have Family Christmas pics made! hahaha!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderfully crafty weekend!

Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

supplies: All SU! white, bashful blue and not quite navy c/s. northern flurry ef, circle punches, dotted scallop ribbon border punch, silver brad, white baker's twine, sponge daubers, basic black and craft white ink, white gel pen
stamps: Jolly Bingo Bits, Family Phrases

You're in My Heart

Hiya! I hope you're having a great day.
Have you been crafting today? :)

I made this card last week. But, with all my crafting for the sale, I've just now had a chance to upload it.
Sympathy cards are tough. I think there are a few of us that think that.

I like the crumb cake, black and cherry cobbler combo. It's very subtle, a trait I think all of these types of cards should be. I haven't double stamped in quite a while. The stamps in this set work well for that. I made the corners of the crumb cake piece by placing them slightly in the decorative label punch (the point).
Thanks so much for visiting me!
Until next time...
Blessings...

Melina

supplies: SU! natural white c/s, cherry cobbler c/s, basic black c/s, and crumb cake c/s, scallop circle punch, circle punch, decorative label punch, black marker, crumb cake, cherry cobbler and basic black inks
stamps: SU! Fabulous Florets, Word Play