Merry Monday Ornament Keepsakes

It's Merry Monday time again!  This week I'm going for the gold.

Here's this week's sketch.  It amazes me that Lesley can come up with a different sketch each week! She is amazing!

I've got to admit that this sketch really challenged me.  First I saw 3 trees.  Do you see them when you turn the sketch over?

I couldn't make that work. But by adding some trees I was able to make a great Father's Day card for DH.

I hadn't used my Ornament Keepsake set in quite a while.  (Even though they're not in the new catalog, the stamps and the dies are still available.)  So I pulled out my gold embossing powder and went to work.

When I saw the fantastic cards the rest of the design team did, I wondered why I didn't just pull out some DSP?  Oh, well, you know me.  DSP is to hoard and not to use.  Oh, it's not? 

Pixie's Crafty Workshop is looking for cards made with snippets and I was able to use quite a few snippets on this so I'm going to skip over to the playground.  Have I ever mentioned that Di has some lovely prizes each week?  Well she does and I am the happy (oh so happy) winner if Ryn's Water Droplet stamp that I mentioned 3 or 4 times last week.  I am so excited, Di and can't wait to stamp with them.

CAS-ual Fridays is asking for

  

Crafty Hazelnut's Challenge #128 is looking for Diecuts or Punched Shapes

Christmas Cards All Year Round is looking for Vintage Cards this month.  

Festive Friday Challenge #10 is looking for a vintage theme too.  These look like vintage ornaments to me.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Ornament Keepsakes, More Merry Messages

Ink:  Encore Gold

Paper: Very Vanilla, Brushed Gold

Other:  Gold EP, Holiday Ornaments Framelits, Square Lattice EF, Gold Cord

We're almost half way through the year.  Have you started on your Christmas cards yet?  Now's a good time to start and I hope you'll join us at Merry Monday.  And be sure to check out the rest of the Design Team's cards.  They're awesome!

Lesley Croghan

Allisa Chilton

LeAnne Pugliese

Nina Forsyth

Wendy Aungst

Narelle Farrugia

Sue Joyce

Sherry Eckblad

Margaret Moody 

Vicki Burdick

Debbie Marcinkiewicz (FD)

Brenda Hofstatter (GD)

I hope I haven't kept you too long.  I appreciate your visit and especially your comments.  

Enjoy!

For Maddy

Yesterday one of my commentors, Melissa,  left me a message about cards for Maddy.  I went to the link above and my heart was wrenched and warmed at the same time.  Briefly, Maddy is struggling with her second onset of  Acute Myeloid Leukemia and is again undergoing treatments.

The Simon Says Stamp is sponsoring a card drive for this remarkable young lady.  Do follow the links and read about her yourself and think about sending her a card.  This is the card I'll be putting in the mail for her tomorrow.

There isn't a bit of stamping on this card.  I embossed the flowers and punched the centers and butterfly out of some snippets of last years Sale-a-bration paper.  Easy peasy and uses several pieces of snippets.  I made it bright and cheerful and I pray it will cheer a very special young lady.

St. Jude Children's Hospital

Maddy Justice - Patient

262 Danny Thomas Place

Attntion Mail Stop 108

Memphis, TN 38105

Oh, and both Simon Says and Melissa are offering prizes if you link your card to their blogs.  Not as good a reason to send a card as Maddy herself, but it is added incentive.

Thank you, Melissa, for leaving the tip on my blog and I'm happy to participate.

Pixie's Crafty Workshop going to laugh at me coming back with these snippets.  I know it won't get me another chance at those droplets, but the caring ladies at the Playground would maybe like to join in the card drive.  It might keep them out of trouble for a few minutes!

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe

Stamps: None

Ink:  None

Paper:  Calypso Coral, Whisper White, DSP (retired)

Other:  Elegant Butterfly Punch, Basic Pearls, Small flower Punch (???), EF  (Cuttlebug)

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Enjoy!

Featuring Ellibelle

The Featured Stamper this week at SCS is Ellie, aka Ellibelle!  This was a new gallery for me to peruse and I had a good time going through.  There's something for everyone there.  I chose this card for the nautical theme and used an image from my UFO (UnFinished Objects) box.  I really like her card much better!

CAS on Sunday going to the guys this week with a MAKE IT MASCULINE challenge.

The background paper and label are snippets as well as the design piece so I'm going to Pixie's with my boat ship. 

The theme at Paper Players is

I don't see a cruise in my summer plans, but I can sure dream of it.  Wouldn't it be fun to ride on one of those tall ships? 

Simon Says Stamp is looking for Masculine/Father's Day cards.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Open Sea, Something to Celebrate

Ink:  Early Espresso, Chocolate Chip

Paper:  Naturals White, Chocolate Chip, DP (unknown)

Other:  2 1/2" Circle Punch, Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, Paper Piercing Tool, Labels 3 (Spellbinders)

Thanks so much for the visit.

Enjoy!

Circle Piercing for Queen Stacy

The Queen at SCS this week is Stacy, aka twinshappy!  Stacy has a wonderful gallery, full of inspiration.  She's also very encouraging with her comments and has endeared herself to many, many of us at SCS.  I chose this card as my inspiration.  Here's my version....

Did you notice that I've jumped on that Washi wagon?  LOL, I wasn't going to get caught in that.  Then I was visiting Hobby Lobby and they had some on clearance.  And it was yellow!  So what was I to do?  It jumped in my hands and rode home with me.  Then I got the new Stampin' Up! catalog and saw that they have some.  That jumped in my cart too. So I guess I'm going to be using Washi!

The daisy is inspired by my friend Loll.  You may remember that I've used some of her beautiful, big daisies that she sent me.  You can see one of those cards here and another here.  Loll has also made some small daisies that fell in love with on her blog.  So while I was at Hobby Lobby, a daisy punch landed in my bag too. LOL, I need to stay out of that place!  I think I got it pretty close to Loll's.  Thanks, my friend, for giving the details so I could make some candy!

I punched 2 daisies from some scraps of Whisper White and folded each petal by laying my bone folder along the center and pulling the sides up with my fingers.  Does that make sense? Then I laid each on my piercing mat and used a large stylus to press the center.  This brings the petals up.  I punched a scrap of Daffodil Delight with the circle from the Itty Bitty Punch Pack and added some Crystal Effects to the top of it.  After it was good and dry I glued one punched daisy on top of the other and added the circle.  And did a joyful dance!  It looked like I wanted it to! 

Loll has a tutorial for her large daisy.  If my how to is clear as mud, check that out.  She did pictures and a wonderful, step by step tutorial.

Addicted to CAS is going in Circles this week

The CAS challenge at SCS this week is Tool Time-Use Your Paper Piercer!  The daisy is a circle with a circle in the middle and I've pierced a big circle all round.

Simon Says Challenge is still doing ANYTHING GOES so I'm taking this over there to join the nearly 1000 other cards in that gallery.

Pixies Playground is still in one piece despite the fact that Di is off celebrating elsewhere.  So I'll take my snippet daisy over there to play.

Wow, that's a lot of challenges for this super CAS card!

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe

Stamps: So Happy for You (retired)

Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Paper:  Daffodil Delight, Whisper White

Other: Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Scallop Edge Corner Punch (retired), Essenstials Paper Piercing Pack, Paper  Piercing Tool, Crystal Effects, Daisy Punch (Paper Studio), Washi Tape

I'm so glad you could stop by. I hope you'll come again soon.

Enjoy!

Merry Monday Blessings with Holly

Good Merry Monday morning! We have another of Lesley's wonderful CAS sketches this week. 

It's a perfect sketch for using Designer Series Paper isn't it?  

I didn't though.  

I was going to. 

But I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  I pulled out an embossing folder instead.  I fear I'm addicted to these things!

I had bought this Memory Box holly die a while back and hadn't used it.  I thought that it would work really well for the banner in the sketc so I cut it from Whisper White and sponged ink on it with eye shadow applicators.  It was a perfect match for the holly embossing folder.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe

Stamps:  More Merry Messages

Ink:  Encore Gold, Soft Suede, Garden Green

Paper:  Very Vanilla, Brushed Gold, Whisper White (for holly)

Other:  Gold EP, Holly EF (Sizzix), Holly Branch die (Memory Box), Red Rhinestones (?)

Edited to add:

Festive Friday is having an inspiration challenge this week and this card fits!  Thanks for the tip, Ardyth.

Di is away but she's left the Pixie's playground open so I'm skipping over there with my snippets for a look see at what's going on. And a chance to win some bubbles. 

Before you go over there to take a look, be sure to check out the rest of the Merry Makers Team cards.  You'll be glad you did!

Lesley Croghan

Allisa Chilton

LeAnne Pugliese

Nina Forsyth

Wendy Aungst

Narelle Farrugia

Sue Joyce

Sherry Eckblad

Margaret Moody 

Vicki Burdick

Debbie Marcinkiewicz (FD)

Cindy Majoy (GD)

And if you want to get a head start on your Christmas cards, join us at Merry Monday.

Lesley had some exciting news! She is in the top 20 of the Gallery Idol Contest at Paper Crafts Connection.  She'll be posting her next card today and we get to vote for our favorite.  Do go to her blog and check it out.  Congratulations, Lesley!  I'm so happy for you.  (Hope you win the whole shebang!)

I'm so glad you stopped by.  I don't say it often, but your visits and comments mean so much. 

Enjoy!