A Blog Called Wanda

Season's Givings Blog Hop! Happy New Year 2016!

Updated 1-5-16: My Lucky Winner is Brenda Lee! Thank you everyone for your comments and kind words! XO

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016!

MANY BLESSINGS FOR AN AMAZING YEAR AHEAD!

Thank you very much for coming by my blog today to celebrate "Season's Givings" with a giant blog hop and awesome prize giveaways! This is my second year doing this great hop! BIG GIANT thanks to Latisha for organizing this. I hope you are having fun looking at everyone's blogs! What a great way to start off the new year right? The entire link list is further down in my post. And every blog has a prize! There are all kinds of beautiful projects to look at! 

This blog hop is all about us thanking YOU, our awesome followers and readers, for supporting us and sharing our joy of crafting. For lots of us, the main reason we blog, is that we develop wonderful friendships with a greater creative community and we uplift and inspire each other. Truly, thank you for joining me on my blog journey. If you are new to my site - welcome! I hope you find something(s) you like and I'm happy to have you here today. CLICK HERE to see my end of the year 2015 wrap up post. 

You heard me correctly - every stop on the hop has PRIZES! It's our way of saying thanks! I have a great prize package of Simon Says Stamp goodies to give away to one lucky winner (see photo below)! In order to be eligible to win, please leave a comment on this post and tell me your New Year's resolution for crafting and creativity! I will draw the winner on Tuesday January 5th and notify you via email. What projects are you going to work on in 2016? Maybe a new technique? New style? 

 

I thought since we are all getting together today, and it's New Year's Day....I would post a fun, funky, bright New Year card! I had so much fun making these shaker cards. Loads of cool confetti and stars inside. I used my Fuse Tool and some fav dies. The Joy die is from Simon Says Stamp and the numbers dies are from Papertrey Ink. The stamp is Impression Obsession. I used bright bold colors! This was my first project using my fuse tool, also. I think I might be hooked. 

 

 

My finished cards inside the pockets are five and a quarter inch square. The plastic covering is the Avery Elle stamp storage pockets. They are really nice and thick plastic. I cut the numbers out of silver glitter paper. More bling is better, right? 

 

 

 

 

I put the card inside the plastic sleeves and fused the bottom edge. Then I dumped in a whole lot of confetti! And sequins! The tiny confetti is from Martha Stewart and the sequins are just a mix of what I have in my stash. After I put the confetti inside, I fused the top edge and trimmed it. There you have it! Fun without the mess! 

 

 

 

 

 

Be sure to hook up with me on social media - all the links are in my left sidebar! And, I would love to have you as an email subscriber too - just put your email in the box under my photo. Oh, and I have to warn you, I am pretty addicted to Instagram! I would be happy to share with you there! Thank you for coming by today. Enjoy the hop! 

 

 CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL HOP LIST!

HAVE FUN! 

Simon Says Stamp - You Have My Heart - Blog Hop!

 

Hi blogging friends! I am SO excited for this blog hop today! I made this project like two weeks ago!! I am happy to finally share with you! Thank you for joining us for a great hop and lots of inspiration. Welcome! Be sure to leave comments on all the blogs for chances to win prizes! Each prize is valued at $50! 

First of all.....Happy New Year! I hope you have a great evening tonight and an AWESOME 2016! Best wishes for health, happiness and success in the coming year. I'm ready for a new year, fresh start, renewed perspective! Welcome 2016...bring it! 

The latest release from the awesome folks at Simon Says Stamp is called "You Have My Heart" and it's full of beautiful and fun products for love and Valentine's Day. It is really hard for me to pick a favorite item from this release.... It's all good. The Nested Hearts Dies are going to get a LOT of use in my studio. I think this is already the third project I've used them on. The Roses for You stamp set is wonderful.

Here's my card for today! I used the largest size Nested Heart die to make my card. To do this simply fold a piece of paper in half and then place the die on the paper, leaving just a tiny bit of the die hanging over the folded edge. The die will cut everything except that one part - letting it open as a card! I do this a lot with circle cards too. What's more Valentine-y than a heart card?! 

 

 

 

I stamped and die cut several of the roses and leaves from the Roses for You stamp set. I colored them with my Prismacolor pencils. My card layers are gingham, then white paper, then vellum. I thought the vellum softened all the red just a little bit. 

 

 

 

I clustered the roses and leaves around the edges of the white heart layer and then put little pearls in the centers. SO romantic! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In order to have my die cut words pop off the page, I cut them out four times from red paper. Then I glued them on top of each other - for a stacked effect. Here you can see what I mean! I have never done this before, and I like this look! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's what the card looks like when it's opened. It will fit into an A6 envelope.

 

 

 

 

 Next up on this fun hop today is the super talented Nichol Magouirk! 

 Be sure to comment on all of the stops on the blog hop! There will be a prize given out on every blog! YAY! 

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ENTIRE BLOG HOP LIST

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE NEW RELEASE

 

 SUPPLIES FOR TODAY! 

InLinkz.com

SIX YEAR BLOGAVERSARY! And my 2015 end of the year wrap-up!

Hello my dear blogging friends! Today I'm celebrating my SIX YEAR BLOGAVERSARY! How much fun is that?! Every year when I do my end-of-the-year wrap up post I can't even believe that another year of fun has gone by! I love doing this each December, and sharing with you my favorite projects from the past year. (Here's my wrap up from last year) This post helps me reflect on where I've been and think about where I'm going. I like to chronicle stats and numbers once a year too. Having a craft blog is a lot like having a diary and it is so fun to have all my projects in one place to keep track of my creative journey. Thank you so much for being a part of it all. I always go back and re-read my VERY FIRST BLOG POST at this time of year. And I think of how grateful I am to have this place to call my own. Blogging has opened so many doors for me and introduced me to so many wonderful people. It's rewarding, meaningful and fun all at the same time. I am so lucky! All of you lift me up and inspire me with your kind words and funny stories and love - so much love. Thank you!! 

Later today my Color Pop project for Lucky Clover goes live on the Simon Says Stamp Blog! Check back here or over there for the details! 

Tomorrow there is a big Simon Says Stamp Valentine Blog Hop for the new You Have My Heart release! LOTS going on!! Next week I'll be leaving for CHA and I'll be sharing on social media all the new goodies for 2016. 

Happy New Year - a little early! I have a neat blog post coming up at midnight on New Year's Eve, with prizes, so be sure to check in then! It's the Season's Givings Blog Hop and it's really going to be cool. All of the bloggers in the hop are giving away a prize! I did this last year and it was a blast! 

2015 was an interesting year! Wow. The things that happened at the beginning of 2015 seem way more than a year ago. This year was hard...lots of lessons and so much personal growth. Coming at me every day it seemed. Not bad, just hard. You know, like growing pains. I eased into being 50 years old okay (LOL) and now that doesn't seem to be bugging me as much. As many of you know, I left my corporate job of 28 years to become a full time creative professional. That happened in July and my life has been completely different since then. I've learned so much about myself and what is important to me and how to stand on my own. I've learned that I can do things that I would have thought impossible just a short time ago. I've learned more than ever to trust God and take a leap of faith and that things will always be okay. I'm SO GRATEFUL. I can't even put it into words. The opportunities and the kindness shown to me by people this year - gets me teary eyed in the best possible way. 

My three words for 2015 were: PLANS (God's plans are bigger than my dreams - proven fact), MINDFULNESS (this message keeps coming to me) and CREATE (Time to grow as an artist in my own style). Boy, were those words right on target. True that God's plans for me were not even a glimmer at the end of last year. 

My word for 2016 is PEACE. By that I mean inner peace and calm. Free from noise and clutter and negativity. Space to breathe and relax. Being present in all things and with my relationships. Slowing down. Calming down. Surrendering more. That seems like where I need to be right now.Do you choose focus words or resolutions for the new year? I'd love to hear! 

Something I love to do here on the blog at the end of the year, is to take a look back on my creative journey from the year before! This annual post is kind of like a cyber scrapbook! Thank you for joining along with me. My blog is my journal and here I keep a record of my statistical progress.  So, on that note, here are some fun stats from the year. At the end of 2014... I had written 855 total blog posts, received 10,365 kind comments, had 259,000 total visitors, 665 email subscribers... and...618,000 total blog hits! At the end of 2015... I have now written 989 total blog posts, received 17,165 comments, had 372,000 total visitors, 900 email subscribers...and...773,000 total blog hits! I wonder if I might hit one million visitors in 2016? That's a huge goal...but maybe!! We will have to think of a celebration if that happens! 

Three years ago, I started a tradition of recapping my favorite projects from the past year. I get so many nice comments about this! Here are my favorites from 2015... There are a lot - sorry! It was very hard to pick favorites this year! I hope you enjoy the look back with me!  

 

 

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

I appreciate all of you so much, all of your love and kindness and support!

I wish you the very best year ever! Cheers to 2016!

 

Color Pop! Lucky Clover!

Happy Color Pop Day! I have a fun coffee card to share today with bright green and rich brown! I am so happy every month when I get to share my Color Pop feature with you! Thanks for being there with me all year as we craft with the new Distress colors on the Simon Says Stamp Blog! There is only one more color after this one (sad face)..... The last color will be Candied Apple.

Today's installment is live on the SSS Blog right now. There is a lot of news and also some updates on the fabulous Simon Says Stamp Blog and I hope you will pop over there and leave some love.

Our newest post is for the ink color for November, which is Lucky Clover! Another beautiful shade of green to add to our stash. It's bright, clear, and oh so pretty. It reminds me of emeralds! 

You know if it's Simon Says Stamp, then there must be cool prizes...and there are! Leave a comment over on my SSS Blog Post post for some prize swag! Sweet! Big thanks to Heidi and the rest of the crew at SSS for giving away such great prizes all the time. Right!? 

Here is a very sneaky peek at my project:  

 

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ENTIRE PROJECT! 

Here is my color swatch for this month. Lucky Clover fits right in with all the pretty green tones in the Distress Ink family. It is very vivid and clear. CLICK on the photo below to see all the different mediums it comes in.  

 

In case you didn't see it - CLICK HERE to see last month's project tutorial. It features the gorgeous Carved Pumpkin Ink. Here are the Thanksgiving place cards I made! 

 

 

 

Next month's color is Candied Apple. I'm still waiting for it to arrive at my house! I think I'll have to make something Valentine-y! Thanks for following along with me on this Color Pop adventure! Have an awesome day. Until we meet again - happy crafting! 

 

 

Happy Birthday Elephant Card!

I'm back already! Dang, there is A LOT happening around here lately!! I can hardly keep up with myself! LOL. How was your Christmas? I hope it was merry and wonderful! We spent the day at home with a roaring fire and had a very nice cozy day. I love a no-drama holiday! Hard to believe Christmas 2015 is already over. Now we have a new year and a fresh start to look forward to. Today is the day for Weekender with Wanda over on the Simon Says Stamp Blog. I really am having the best time doing my weekly feature! Thank you all for following along with me! 

I'm posting a sneak peek here of my card. Head over to the SSS Blog to see the entire card and learn how I made it! I'm featuring cute new stamps from My Favorite Things. I'll be back in a few days with more crafty fun. Have a great weekend! XO 

 

 

Merry Christmas 2015 from our home to yours!

 

 

Christmas Prayer
by Robert Louis Stevenson

"Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clean hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake, Amen!"

 

Who wants cake?

Hi everyone! Just popping in here really quick today! Happy Christmas Eve! We will be going out to a nice dinner and then going to evening service at church tonight - that is our tradition - and I really look forward to it so much. Our church has candlelight service and it's magical to see all the candles in the dark sanctuary, and hear everyone singing. It's one of my favorite things of the entire season. I hope you and your family have a great day today!

I'm posting a sneak peek of a project I have up on the Simon Says Stamp blog today! It has NOTHING to do with Christmas! LOL. It's a really bright and colorful birthday card made using Reverse Confetti products. Hint - there's an adorable alligator! I hope you'll head over to the SSS blog and leave some love - as always, there are prizes! Take care! XO

Warmest Wishes for Christmas!

Do you want to build a snowman??? That song is still playing in my head! When I sat down to make this cheery Christmas card I could not stop singing! I just absolutely adore this stamp set from Simon Says Stamp and it's called "Build a Snowman!" It is the best snowman stamp set out there. It's super fun to die cut all the snowman parts, and hats and scarves. EEEP. Love it. This card is full of sparkle and shine too! I used Simon Says Stamp exclusive products and my Copic Markers....and lots of Stickles!

I think snowmen don't only have to be specifically for Christmas either. You could use this stamp set well into the rest of the winter - for greetings and winter birthdays....or Thank you cards! I hope you like him too. 

 

 

 

I was trying to get a close up of the strand of lights! I colored them with Copic markers in vivid primary colors. Then I took a Sakura Glaze pen (clear) and added 10 coats of glaze! It dries pretty fast.... You just put down the first coat, wait for it to dry, and repeat. Just keep going over the old layer. It looks really cool and shiny - just like lights! You can also see all the Stickles I added. I couldn't really help myself! 

 

 

 

This is an A2 card when finished. I cut my white layer and then die cut a circle in the upper center of it. Then I stamped snowflakes in pretty blue ink and added Stickles to the centers of the snowflakes. I added my sentiment in dark black ink. Next I stamped and cut out all my snowman pieces and parts! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I added a cute white pom pom to the top of his hat...and guess what? I covered that with Stickles too! I added some of the clear glaze pen to his eyes also. Makes them shiny like coal!

 

 

 

 

This card totally makes me happy!! I hope you have a wonderful day and a fantastic Christmas week! Lots of love and warm winter wishes from my house to yours! XOXO 

 

SUPPLY LINKS!

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Retro Reindeer in pink and mint!

Howdy craft peeps! I have a really fun and colorful holiday card to share today! This card is funky and retro and silly and happy! All in one card! LOL. I had purchased these adorable stamps from Savvy Stamps and wanted to ink 'em up before the season got away from me. Heck, it's Christmas week already! I think that the "happy deer" stamp totally looks like Clarice from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer!!! (CLICK HERE) So, thinking of that, took me back to the 60's which is how I chose my color palette. I used mint and pink! This is a one layer card - which is something I hardly ever do... I feel like I'm just not that great at CAS cards. I always keep overthinking it, or adding ONE MORE thing! 

Best wishes for a happy holiday week! You guys make my day, every day..... I hope this card makes you smile....

 

 

 

I used a kraft card base, and some pretty striped paper from Lawn Fawn.... The little scallop edge is a Fiskars border punch I've had for years! The deer and the sentiment are both from Savvy Stamps and the snow is from Neat & Tangled. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for hanging out with me this holiday season! Lots going on! Hope all is well in your corner of the world! XO

Treat Bags/Gift Card Holders Idea!

Hey everyone! Just popping in really quick today! It's Saturday - which means I'm up on the Simon Says Stamp Blog today! I have a fun gift card holder/treat bag idea using loads of colorful Doodlebug products. Hope you will check it out! CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE POST!

Happy last-weekend-before-Christmas! Are you out running around, or are you all done shopping? We have some fun stuff going on - but the stressful part is done now! YAY! Enjoy your lovely weekend. XOXO  

Here's a little sneak peek for you! 

 

Simon Says Stamp New Release Day - You Have My Heart!

 

Hey friends! Will you be my Valentine? Yes, that's right, I said Valentine! I'm so excited to make and share my first Valentine card for next year! Yay! There is a new release today from Simon Says Stamp and it's called "You Have My Heart" and it's gorgeous! Lots of pretty, elegant, cute, sweet treats to help you with your Valentine's day projects. I love it all! We will be having a blog hop later in the month to share more inspiration....but I couldn't wait to share today! Everything is now available in the SSS Store - CLICK HERE!

My card for today is a shabby chic creation! When I first started stamping I did a lot of shabby chic - because I love it! I enjoy layers of pretty elements and doilies and sewing...all of it. I hope you like it too! I combined the Nested Hearts Dies, the Love Bouquet Die and the Roses for You stamp set. 

 

 

I started with a kraft carstock card base. Then I layered some cream cardstock, and then a pretty sheet of polka dot paper (from Lawn Fawn). I stitched my base layers and distressed the edges with ink and by tearing some of the pieces. After I die cut my hearts, I sprinkled them, and my polka dot layer, with Mr. Huey's Mist. I really like this look! 

 

 

I die cut the Love Bouquet Die out of brown paper, and then only used part of it - peeking out from behind the doily. The doily was crinkled by hand, as were the two hearts dies. There are no rules for this - just have fun!! I thought it would be appropriate to use this sentiment - since that's the name of the release today! 

 

 

In this photo you can see how I've layered everything - foam tape of course! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Here's wishing you a most lovely day! Are you excited about the new items? What is your favorite thing? I cannot pick a favorite this time around! Have fun, until we meet again crafty people! XOXO 

*SUPPLIES!

                                                                                                                                       InLinkz.com

 

*Here you can find links to the supplies I used to make today's project. If you click on the picture you will be directed to the specific product. When possible, I use affiliate links - which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting me - I am so grateful! 

Simon Says Stamp January 2016 Card Kit! Penguins!

Hi friends! I'm so excited to share this SUPER cute new card kit from Simon Says Stamp today! It was just released and I think this one is going to sell out for sure! It's really adorable and I had fun making a frosty, fun card to show you! The card kit is called Flurries of Love (EEK) and you can also buy just the stamp set separately. The stamp set is called Cute Snowflakes. I really like the snowy swirls that come with the stamps!  I love how our friends at SSS made this kit - with shades of blue and purple with silver and white sparkly accents. What's not to love? I'm thinking this would be a cute set for Winter birthdays or Thank you notes. 

My card uses the enclosed stickers as my focal point! These penguins are fab - and you know I love all this color!  

 

 

 

All the papers are with the kit. I used a strip of the patterned paper to make a banner down the center of my card. Then I cut a piece of the silver tape and layered that on top. My focal point penguins are inside a circle and a scalloped circle. I had fun stamping the snowflakes and hearts in matching ink shades. 

 

 

 

I also added a little penguin to the inside of the card! See him peeking out? The stickers are mounted onto the front of the card with foam squares. I took the stickers off the sheet and then put them on the sleeve of my shirt to make them not sticky anymore. This way they are dimensional instead of flat. It looks like they're holding hands! 

 

 

 

These are the three ink colors I liked with the card kit: Stone, Spring Rain and Wisteria! MMMMMMM.

 

 

 

I used the Doodlebug Glitter Sprinkles to accent the centers of my stamped snowflakes. You can never have to much sparkle! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUPPLY LINKS!

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A bright and colorful Birthday card in the middle of Christmas crafting!

Hey everyone! I've been going a hundred miles an hour non stop the past few days! I stayed up until midnight the other night addressing Christmas cards -- and only got about half of them done! YEEKS! I'm still waiting for some online orders to come in so I can wrap gifts and get those in the mail too. Yesterday was my hubs' birthday and he chose for his birthday activity a trip to the San Francisco Zoo! So we had a really nice day outside all day in the fresh air. The zoo was deserted so it was like it was open just for us! CLICK HERE if you would like to see some of my photos from the Zoo! Today we are heading out to one of the little mountain towns near our house - they have a real old fashioned Santa Parade every year and we are going to see that and get some more holiday spirit! I hope you have a really fun weekend planned! 

Today it's another edition of Weekender with Wanda on the Simon Says Stamp Blog! Here's a sneak peek of my project. CLICK HERE to go over and see my tutorial for making watercolor roses with the new dies from SSS. I hope you like it! (Also leave a comment for a chance to win a prize!)

 

 

Dashing through the snow!

Hey everyone! How are you? What's going on? For me, right now, I am FREAKING OUT that I haven't started addressing Christmas cards yet and I haven't taken packages to the post office either! AAAAACCKKKKKK! Where did the time go? I'm just sitting down now to write our Christmas letter, and I'm reminded of how much there is to be grateful for this year! On a good note, the fact that all that stuff isn't done means that I have been relaxing and actually enjoying the season this year. But, maybe I need to get a little bit stressed out to move me along! The hubs' birthday is tomorrow and we have fun things planned. We have been running all around looking at Christmas lights and shopping and just hanging out. Last weekend he installed Christmas lights IN MY CAR! LOL. I love it so much. They are hanging along the windows and wrapped around the back window. I love that people look at me and wave or smile. I just really try to not take myself too seriously.  

In the studio there is talk of Valentine's Day projects already! Yes, we really work ahead and I'm loving the look of hearts and pink! CHA is happening in just about a month. I'll be part of the Simon Says Stamp team at the show this year and I am so lucky!! Looking forward to hanging out with the SSS squad. My hotel is booked....and I am ready.

My studio is a crazy mess right now. There is stuff everywhere!!! Buddy doesn't even want to come in here....and yesterday I full on stepped on a (WOOD) stamp on the floor. That was not pretty. #lotsofcusswords  I still have a lot of Christmas card ideas in my head, so I'm posting one today to share. This card was inspired by a decoration I bought for the house. I remembered I had this super cute stamp set from Stampin' Up. It's called Warm Wishes. I used some plaid paper and some faux snow too! 

 

 

I wanted this card to feel rustic and retro. Mark and I spent part of our honeymoon in Lake Placid in the Adirondacks and I adore anything that has that cabin-y feel to it. Sleds and skis and ice skates... This set has all that. I stamped my images in Memento Rich Cocoa Ink and then layered pretty red, green and plaid papers. I added lots of Rock Candy Distress Glitter to everything. At the end I used Polar White Flower Soft to make snow! Yeah! 

 

 

 

All of my cardstock pieces are edged with Antique Linen Distress Ink to give a warm, vintage feeling. The images are popped onto the card with foam tape. I finished off the sled greenery with some twine and a pretty red bell accent. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a photo of the sled that inspired this card. I bought the sled and the greenery separately and put them together. Well, the plan was to hang it on the front door....but that didn't exactly go as planned! I know that the hubs will come up with a plan! For now, it's sitting on the fireplace hearth, and I kinda like it there too. I bought this painting a while ago and I love it. It's sitting on our entry way table next to a basket for our Christmas cards. 

 

 

 

For the first time ever I put a little Christmas tree in the kitchen. This tree was supposed to be for the studio....but well....there's no where to put it right now! I promise to get organized in 2016. I keep telling myself that! It looks cute in the kitchen window though!

 

 

 

I'm obsessed with buffalo check plaid this season. And reindeers....and red fingernails....

 

Thanks for stopping by today. I truly wish for all of you a peaceful, happy, joyful, calm holiday season. Whatever it is that you like to do and however you celebrate...I hope you are happy. That's all that matters in this world. Being grateful and happy and being with people who love you. That's really it. All the other stuff is extra. The holidays are hard for a lot of people, so try to be accepting and compassionate if people are being wonky. We're all truly doing the best we can right? Love to all! XOXO

 

Theatre of Dreams - at Christmas!

Hi crafty friends! Today I have a photo essay to share instead of a crafty project! You know how much I love to explore and take pictures...and meet exciting new creative people! Well, that's what this post is about! Do you remember when I posted this blog post in October? When I visited the Amazing Theatre of Dreams in Port Costa? I was lucky enough last weekend to return to the lovely and magical studio when it was decorated for Christmas! A sight to behold, truly! My friend Brenda and I made the trip down to Port Costa and had a really fun day together laughing and taking photos. (See Brenda's post here) We got the opportunity to talk with Wendy Addison, the amazing artist, about her work and about the studio. We also got to talk with Marcia Ceppos, the lovely owner of Tinsel Trading in Manhattan. Her store is on my bucket list for sure - I've always wanted to go there. It was so interesting to talk to her about the history of the store in her family. It was the most delightful day!! If you are in Northern California - you really need to go here and see this lovely place! There is one more weekend for the Christmas open house, this coming weekend. Click the photo below to go to Wendy's website for more information. 

Here is the front of the studio decked out for Christmas!

 

 

Here is a lovely photo of Wendy and Marcia!

 

 

Sparkly, shiny, glitter ornaments hanging all in a row. These are made with antique German glitter and they are really lovely!

 

 

A gorgeous handmade crown of stars and a mannequin full of Paris banners, in tribute. 

 

 

Each piece is beautifully and lovingly handmade....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The entire studio is filled with magical, glittery things hanging from the ceilings! Party lights, ornaments, stars, wreaths! It creates such a special environment. It feels so warm and Christmasy. The entire space is an artistic vision. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a cute picture of Brenda as she's about to go inside. She had never been here before and it was really exciting to see her reaction and watch her oooh and aaah at all the beauty! 

 

 

 

And a silly photo of me (taken by Brenda)! 

 

Thanks for coming by to see my photo essay about the wonderful Theatre of Dreams! Have a great week!! Are you getting ready for Christmas? My shopping is all done now (I think) and I need to get busy on addressing cards now. That is such a big task! I have been putting that off....need to just do it! Talk to you soon. Be well and take care! XOXO

Simon Says Stamp Die-Cember Release! Christmas Treat Bags and tags!

 

Hi everybody! Well...you thought Stamp-tember was fun right??!! And, now, it's Die-Cember! Yay! It's another fabulous release of all new dies from our friends at Simon Says Stamp! There is something for everyone with this release. Lots of new word dies, some hearts and some other cool stuff! My favorite thing from this release is the new Stitched Dress Up Tags. LOVE them! CLICK HERE to see the entire release. 

A whole fun bunch of us made projects to share with you today! CLICK HERE to see the list of designers and find your DieCember inspiration! 

I am continuing in full-on Christmas crafting mode in my studio. Still trying to get gifts and cards made for my friends and family. So I used the pretty new tags to dress up some treat bags for my holiday giving. This is a project that I do a lot - treat bags! It's fun to give little presents of candy to my friends. I did some inlaid die cutting with the pretty snowflakes die and used a crisp color palette of red, green and kraft with pops of white.  

 

 

 

Here's a close up of my tag! I cut my tag base from kraft paper and then cut the topper out of crisp red. To make it look like snow, I spritzed some white mist onto the kraft. Love that look. I tied a bell onto the clip with some natural twine. This makes it feel homey and warm. Also, the person can unclip the tag and save it! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I started with some glassine bags. I cut strips of green patterned paper to add a pop of color on the first layer. Then I added doilies, and then my tag. SO FUN! After I put my candy in the bag, I folded it over and stapled it to secure it. The embellishments cover the staples! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Simon Says Stamp Holiday 2015 Card Kit! Retro Christmas!

 

Hi creative friends! I'm on the blog today to share a fun card I made with the awesome new Limited Edition Holiday Card Kit from Simon Says Stamp! It's called Holly Jolly Christmas...and it is jolly for sure! This kit is jam packed with so much retro goodness! If you love vintage Christmas like I do, this kit was made for you. I've had a hard time keeping this one a secret! I love the cute stamp set, and all the accents too! From this kit you can make cards, gift bags, tags, gift card holders....anything! I know you'll love it!

I made a fun snowman card using the new stamps and some of the pretty retro papers. I like how this one came out - very nostalgic! I used cream cardstock (included in the kit) for my card base and my stamped pieces. I chose Copic markers to match the colors in the paper. LOVE the pink! 

 

 

All of the papers you see are included with your kit. If you look closely you can see that I used the Stickles to add accents to my cute snowman. The red stars are self adhesive....easy peasy to put on your projects. 

 

 

 

I die cut a Stitched Circle and gently edged all my pieces with a sponge dauber and Antique Linen ink. My circle, and my snowman cut out are popped up on the card with foam squares. The sentiment was stamped in crisp black on another piece of paper. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used my Copic Markers to color my snowman and they are my favorite coloring medium! It's an awesome time to stock up on your markers --- they are 25% off right now in the Simon Says Stamp store! YAHOOOOO! Click the photo below and use the code "Markers" when you check out to receive your discount. Thanks Simon!  

 

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Happy December - Mad about Plaid!

Happy December! OMG how did that happen?! The year is practically over...we are on the slide now... Christmas is coming! There is so much to love about the holidays - and crafting is so much fun this time of year. I love vintage inspired Christmas items, and the look of 50's and 60's Christmas things especially. I am also totally obsessed with plaid right now. I have a few plaid scarves, a plaid vest, a plaid tote bag....and now I've gone and made a plaid card! Yay! Mad about Plaid! 

I sat down to craft last week to make my Flip Frame project for the Simon Says Stamp Blog, (I hope you will check it out!) and I had all my Tim Holtz Christmas stuff laid out on my desk... Well, then the idea for this card came to me! I really like how it came out. I wish I had thought to make about a dozen more to have on hand. I'm thinking it might look pretty with a bright cobalt blue or kelly green background too... Hmmmmm... 

 

 

To make my red and black plaid background I simply too bright red card stock and stamped the plaid background stamp in crisp deep black ink! BAM! That's all there was to it! I LOOOOVE this so much! Next I took some silver glitter paper and adhered it to some chipboard to make it thicker. I ran that through my Big Shot and cut out the pretty Noel word with the Vintage Noel Die. Next I took some green Core-dinations Kraft Core cardstock and cut out the pine leaves with the Holiday Greens Die. I gently sanded the edges to let the kraft paper show through. Lastly, I added a few enamel dots and some black and white twine to finish it! 

 

 

 

This might be one of my favorite Christmas cards I've ever made...and it's not complicated!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pine leaves are glued right to the paper. The Noel die is raised up with some foam tape for some dimension. I added a small border of black cardstock to ground all that red. Just the right amount of sparkle. This would be a great masculine card too! 

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Holidays! Happy Christmas! Happy December! Hope you are having fun and out doing whatever makes you happy this time of year. You guys are a blessing to me and I'm glad to be sharing another holiday season with you! Take care until we meet again! XOXO

 

 

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