Merry Christmas to All

May you have a day filled with love, laughter and lots of smiles.
Thank you to everyone who stops by to visit. I appreciate each and every comment, you fill my days with smiles!
Julie
Details: Stamp Set - PTI Holiday Tree, CS - PTI, and Ink - SU Real Red and Buckaroo Blue.

Glitter and Glue

I was inspired to use glitter after seeing several cards on Nichole Heady's blog. I love simple and by adding a little bit of sparkle it keeps white on white interesting.I liked the result so much that I turned it into a set.These cards are just a little bit smaller than standard so that the CB embossing goes from edge to edge. Super sticky tape covered with glitter crosses the seam between the embossing and plain paper. A little bit of glue on the trees creates glitter berries. I left out sentiments inside the cards because the recipient is a stamper and also because the sentiments (from Everyday Button Bits) on the front can be used for lots of occasions.
Smiles,
Julie
Details: Stamp Sets - PTI Holiday Tree and Everyday Button Bits, CS - PTI White, Ink - SU Old Olive, CB Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Super Sticky Tape, Dimensionals, Corner Rounder Punch, and Stampendous Glitter.

Where Has the Time Gone?

A few weeks ago I got together with friends and we made stockings to hold gift cards, using the free stocking template from PTI. I have since made quite a few of these stockings, I think I am up to 20. It seems like everything I do lately is in large quantities.I modified the stocking template just a little to vary the depth of the box. The original template holds quite a bit and since I plan on filling these with a gift card and candy I made mine a little smaller.
If you are looking for something quick to make these then give these a try.
Smiles,
Julie
Details: Stamps: PTI Holiday Tree and Holiday Button Bits, CS: SU and PTI, PP: Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses, Cosmo Cricket Holly Jolly, darker cranberry is SU, Ink: SU, PTI buttons and thread, and stash ribbon.

Toothpick Challenge

I found a few extra minutes to play along with Everything But the Kitchen Sink's around the house challenge to use toothpicks. First I had to buy the toothpicks, which took me forever, so I am getting this one in with just a couple hours to spare.
Toothpicks are actually perfect for cards because they are light and I like the bit of dimension that is created for this border.
Well that is it, everything is PTI except the ribbon and toothpicks of course (which I colored with a copic)! I should be organizing for tomorrow night's Daisy meeting - the girls will be scrapbooking :>) We already did card making at the last meeting :>)
Smiles,
Julie

Jennie is hosting her first sketch challenge on StampTV and I am excited to play along. She did both a card and LO sample, so I am going with a LO. I have lots of pics sitting on my desk that need to go on single page layouts for calendars that I create each year for the grandparents :>). Here is the gang at Halloween...I wish I had a little sound to go with the pics because my sons had the cutest bark and ribbit!
My blog may have been quiet this past week, but I have not been. I am busy working on my Christmas cards - the never ending 80 that I need to make LOL!!! Along with getting ready for my daughter's 6th Birthday.
Hope you are all having fun getting ready for the holidays.
Smiles,
Julie
Details: Stamp Set - GKD Spooky Silhoutte, CS - SU, PP - K&Co Whimsy

2 More Challenges Done!

I have 2 more of the Verve Blog Hop Release challenges to share. I just went on the blog to link up my projects and the contest has been extended until tomorrow night, so you still have time to join in.
If you have time to make just one project it should be challenge #4, a pizza box. It is so cute, super easy to make, and uses just one sheet of paper. The Verve blog has a link to the directions, so be sure to check it out, along with the great samples. This will be perfect for a bit of candy and a gift card.The other challenge I finished is #5, a gift card holder. I went with this little boxy purse/bag. I found the directions here. Be sure to check out the link - the template samples have the sides scored with a clasp at the top and definitely look more like a purse. I wanted to fit a little more in mine so I kept the sides straight.I am hoping that maybe I find time to squeeze in another project now that the deadline is extended. Tomorrow I have jury duty and I am leaving my crafting at home. I have plenty of fussy cutting to do, but doubt that I will be allowed to bring my Cutterbee scissors in!
Smiles,
Julie
Details: SU Sweet Slumber PP, SU and PTI CS, Stamp Set - Verve Up, Up and Away, along with PTI buttons.

Thankful Challenge

My first card meets two challenges. It uses the sketch from the Verve blog party release challenge #2 and also answers the following question...What is the one tool you are most thankful for? The challenge on Fairy Creative Place this week is to use the tool, and only the one tool, for which you are most thankful. I have 2 tools that I am thankful for, my sewing machine and my Cuttlebug. I decided to go with my Cuttlebug because I received it as a gift and it helped reinvigorate my love for paper crafting. I received it for my Birthday last year (thanks again Jen) and at the time I was not buying anything new, I was stuck in a crafting rut. Once I had my Cuttlebug, I started browsing SCS again and then found blogs of a couple wonderfully talented people. The rest is history...the on-line crafting community is so incredibly supportive and I am having so much fun. I hope you are all having fun too!
My second card I made for the purse that I posted earlier today. I really like all the yellow, including yellow clouds.That is it for right now. I am working away at more of the Verve release challenges.
Smiles,
Julie
Details: Yes, you should know by now...SU Sweet Slumber PP, and the stamp set - Verve, Up, Up and Away!, plus CB swiss dots and swirls, CS PTI and SU.

Paper Purse

I have the PERFECT organizer to hold the set of Verve cards that I have been making for what probably seems likes forever!With all the color inside, I kept the purse super simple and utilized the preprinted border on the SU Sweet Slumber paper that I used. This is really heavy textured PP that is strong enough to turn into a "box". The closure is embroidery floss.This past summer I joined in the fun with a "UStamp with Dawn and Friends". This is one of the many projects shown that I really liked, but did not get to make during the month. I saved all the tutorials for the projects and now have a great reference library. This purse was designed by Tracey Old and she offers a kit to make the purse on her blog. I modified the directions to make my purse big enough to hold standard cards and envelopes.
Smiles,
Julie
Details: PP - SU Sweet Slumber, stash screw brads, stitching and lots of red tape

Warning: More Verve Follows

I plan on using today's card as the main gift card for the Up, Up, and Away card set (see this post). A card within a card was the StampTV potluck challenge from the week before last.This card was so easy to make and I like that the inside has a surprise. There are directions how to make it located here.
Now I figured I better take a break from Verve before you decide to take a break from me! I recently received a blog award from Jennie - she is just so sweet :>)
This award comes with a quiz (which is why it has taken me awhile to find time to post it!):

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Your hair? a mess
3. Your mother? too far away
4. Your father? slowly fading
5. Your fave food? Dessert - I love sweets
6. Your dream last night? I rarely remember them
7. Your fave drink? Margarita (not that I have one that often, especially because 1 is enough to make me start giggling)
8. Your dream/goal? Be happy (and find time to make everything project I can think of)
9. What room are you in? Dining Room
10. Your hobby? Papercrafting
11. Your fear? That I will get arthritis
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? In my own crafting room LOL
13. Where you were last night? Home
14. Something that you aren’t? Bored
15. Muffins? Pumpkin - so happy Thanksgiving is this week, I love everything pumpkin and can not wait for my Grandma's pie :>)
16. Wish List Item? Lots of Nesties (seeing as how I own none right now)
17. Where did you grow up? Connecticut
18. Last thing you did? Put boys to bed
19. What are you wearing? work clothes
2 0. Your TV? off
21. Your Pets? 3 fish - Nemo, Dorie and a betta named Peanut
22. Friends? The best (but they could be even better if they started crafting more! - I miss getting together to craft!)
23. Your Life? non-stop
24. Your Mood? sleepy always
25. Missing Someone? Xandra
26. Vehicle? Toyota Sienna - so ironic, I always said I would never drive a mini van unless I had 3 kids. We got the van when it was just my daughter because it is so much better on gas mileage than an SUV...then the twins came along! Love those power sliding doors.
27. Something you are not wearing? jewelery, although I love it, there is just never enough time in the morning
28. Your fave store? Wal Mart - because it is close to my house and I realized recently that when I pick up adheshive or something craft related there that it gets lost in the list of purchases so I do not think of it as spending money on my crafts!
29. Your fave color? Blue - any shade
30. Last time you laughed? about 2 hours ago
31. Last time you cried? earlier today
32. Your best friend? Husband
33. One place that I go to over and over? My sons' bedroom
34. One person who emails regularly? My Sister!
35. Fave place to eat? This great Indian restaurant in town, yum, yum, yum
36. Facebook? I signed up and have even received friend requests, but I have never done anything!
I almost forgot...I am awarding this badge to Jen!
That is it for me today! Off to try to cure the sleepiness.
Smiles,
Julie
Details: Stamps - Verve Up, Up, and Away, PTI Handwritten Notes, PTI Everyday Button Bits, CS - PTI and SU, PP - SU Sweet Slumber.

Verve Joy

Since the Up, Up, and Away set is sitting out I reached for it to combine a few challenges. This card is based off the sketch from Everything But the Kitchen Sink - the blog's first sketch challenge. The sketch has a large circle in the center, so hopefully my rectangle with 2 circle shaped buttons qualifies. Regardless, I like the idea of the grid, but could not make a circle work in the center.
Splitting up the background qualifies for this week's StampTV Friday potluck challenge. The requirement was to use PP or create PP and split it up as a background and then only use a sentiment. Finally, the 3rd challenge this card qualifies for is Creative Clear Stamp's weekly challenge to make a non-standard sized card.
Hopefully seeing this stamp set again and again and again will make you realize that it is so easy to use!
Smiles,
Julie
Details - Stamp Sets Verve Up, Up and Away, sentiment - PTI Everyday Button Bits, CS - SU, Ink - SU.