My Polka Dot Chair

I created a card with the Sizzix Base Card that accomodates the Pop 'N Cuts inserts.  The outside is cut without the chair or any other insert, just the plain base card die.   This snapshot is of the outside of the card which I designed to look like the outside of a house with a trellis and vining flowers.  The bricks are created with a Tim Holtz Sizzix embossing folder.   The flowers are a combination of die cuts and punches layered.  The trellis is from Cheery Lynn Designs.  The picket fence is a Martha Stewart edge punch.  The bricks and flowers were colored with Copic markers using both airbrushing and coloring.

This is the inside of the card.  The base of the card was cut with the diecut base including the chair insert.  The walls are were then cut with the base cut die and chair insert using paper  from Dear Lizzy Neapolitan Paper Pad 6 x 6 from American Crafts paper .  I'm uncertain of the name of the floor paper but it came from Hobby Lobby.  The polka dot chair paper is also from American Crafts from the paper pad below.

This is the base die (the larger black piece in the picture).  The smaller black piece is the circle insert which is taken out to cut the base of this card .

Paper used for wallpaper and chair.

Pop 'n Cuts chair insert this piece is placedn the magnetic portion of the die where the circle insert was before it was taken out.

Texture Fades bricks and wood grain.

Cheery Lynn Designs dies Ivy and trellis

Poppy Stamps die for flowers

Martha Stewart picket fence punch

Flowers are colored with Copic markers and layered.  I used the 3/16" Glue dots for the trellis and flowers.  I do wish that they made these in a smaller size.  Sometimes I cut them in half.  The QuicKutz quicker poker picker upper is a great tool for lifting the glue dots off the paper and rolling it to put on the backs of the flowers and trellis.

The sofa table, lamp, picture and throw rug are from this Sizzix embossing folder called "Foyer".  After embossing them, I fussy cut them  out and did some accent coloring and shading with Copic markers.

The girl on the horse is a stamp from Stampscapes colored with Copic Markers.

This sentiment from Cloud 9 Simple Thoughts Baby says it all.  It is airbrushed with Copic markers.

This little one gets photographed every month in her polka dot chair.  The photo was printed on cardstock and fussy cut.  The yellow scissors in the picture below are KAI.  They have the finest point that I have ever seen on a pair of scissors.  I would call them surgical quality....and have stabbed myself more than once.  However, I can cut things with these scissors that I never though possible.  I made the pillow with pop dots and the wallpaper paper.  

 Kia scisscors, Fiskar scissos, Spellbinders label and QuicKutz Quicker-Poker-Picker-Upper which is great for rolling the glue dots to fit on the back of small places..

Cloud 9 Simple Thoughts Baby

Would love to see these glue dots in a smaller size, at least half of this size.

Stampscapes stamp.

A Stampscape Inchie Birthday Card.
Inchies are cards with one inch vignettes.  This is a masculine birthday card made with a layout of 4 inchies using small parts of Stampscape stamps.

Let us Grow Old like Beautiful Lace, Cherished and Treasured and Cared for with Grace

I made this embellishment for a birthday card for my sister.  You can see the full card toward the end of the blog.  It turned out to be one of my all time favorite cards.  Maybe that is because of the sentimental value.  Some of my fondest memories of my childhood are centered around watching my sister draw and design clothing.  When she was in high school drawing was one of her favorite past times.  My mother had a desk from her childhood that she refinished and put in my sister's bedroom.  My sister would sit for hours drawing ladies with fashionable clothing.  Her dream was to be a designer of couture clothing.  My grandmother, mother and sister all sewed clothing.  I remember once my mother making turquoise (my favorite color) look alike dresses for the three of us.  They had those twirly skirts and mine had a big black K in a beautiful font on the bodice. I loved that dress! My sister helped me with my first sewing project in junior high school.

I started with Ranger Archival ink and stamped the image below on Cryogen card stock.  The image is an unmounted rubber stamp from a show...so I'm not sure who it belongs to.  If anyone knows, I will be happy to add the name here.  

Colored with Copic Markers below:

I used the Brother Scan'n Cut to cut out the image.  It did a great job!  And then I tried free hand writing the poem that I wanted to use and cutting that out.  FABULOUS!  This just amazed me that it would cut such a fine line.  So much fun to use my new Christmas present!!  Thank you to my wonderful husband!!!

So Cool!

Next, some deckle edged vanilla cardstock.

I found this really cool paper, Botanique!.

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I cut out layered ovals and mounted the sewing girl with pop-ups.

Colored up some scrap lace left over from a wedding recpetion invitation...

Added some tiny buttons. And a row of edging cut out on the Broteher Scan 'n Cut.

Voila!

Cock-a-Doodle Doo! and Hoo La La!

Hello, today's card is called a Triple Circle Swinging Z-fold card from The Paper Cut,  www.thepapercut.com.  You can see the name came from the Z shape made by the extra panel and mountain and valley folds.

I made this adorable card as a "make and take" during the Stampaway rubber stamp show last August in Cincinnati at the Endless Creations booth.  The owls and sayings are the Clara owl mini and the Fun Owl Cube.

Cock-a-doodle-doo is made with the gorgeous Graphic 45 French Country paper and punched with circle and scallop circle punches in many layers.  This card went together quickly and was  a lot of fun to make!

The Secret Garden Tri-Shutter Card

I don't know when I have enjoyed making a card as much as this one.  The tri-shutter Bigz XL die from Sizzix made this complex idea into a snap of a card to make.  However, it took me awhile to realize how easy that it could be.  The first thing that I took note of about this type of card is that it gives you space to use all of that coordinating cardstock and paper that we all have so much of.  I didn't use many layers on this one, but it is a great layout to layer with many different types of patterned and coordinating paper.  I learned quickly that the trick to this layout is to cut a die cut for each coordinating paper and then trim the small pieces down to layer them.  This was much better than measuring.

I started with a basic coral color cardstock.

Then chose images from the Graphic 45 Secret Garden pack.  This is a beautiful paper set.  I love the lilac and corals together, but ended up using the coral with blue.

 I remembered some K&Company embellishments that had similar colors.

IT WAS A COLD WINTER'S NIGHT...

 With snowfall predicted many were cancelling their travel arrangements. Santa had found the perfect gift idea  for Mrs. Claus.  However, there only a few of these special toys were made and production was not up to expectations in the workshop.  The local store had them on back order and who new when the next batch would be ready.  So, Santa hitched up the reindeer and made his sleigh ready for a treacherous 2 hour round trip south to Chillicothe.   right in the path of the expected snow. The elves had delivered an earlier shipment of only three of this special item to the settlement of Chillicothe and this night, just one remained.  It was a 120 mile trip, but Santa was up for it.  He made the trip safe and sound with Christmas presents in tow.

Mrs. Claus beamed with excitement to open this hard won gift.  "And to what did" her "wondering eyes appear?" 
 But a brother Scan N Cut prize so dear!  
Her "eyes how they twinkled so merry!"

Santa could see in a flash, 

That despite Jack Frost's winter dash,

she was brimming with pleasure,

 And there was spring in her heart,

 as she crafted with her new treasure.  
Thank you, Santa !!!!

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Copic colors of spring, in winter!

Rubber Stamp is by Penny Black, called Tom and Tilly, Stampscapes scenic stamps were used for the background.

Sentiment is red rubber unknown.

Christmas has changed.

  I know that the reason that we celebrate is still the same,
I know that God is still the same, yesterday, today and forever.
 
But for me, now, it is different. 

 The past 58 years of my life, I spent Christmas with my parents.  We may have been at home, or at somene else's home, but we were always together for Christmas, for 57 years.  This year it is different as my father is now celebrating Christmas in  a different home, his heavenly home. 

 While I am sure that Christmas is a very different celebration in heaven, I am consoled when I think about my father gathering with family that he has missed for almost 90 years.  His grandmother passed away the year he was born when he was only a few months old.   She lived in the mountains and my grandparents had walked from their home many miles to visit her.  Toward the evening they were leaving to walk home with their newborn and she was concerned about whether they had wrapped him warmly enough for the journey.  She has waited a long time to see him again.  

He had not seen his mother since he was about 17 years old.

 I know that all these years he missed her very much.  

Not anymore.

Yesterday, I'm sure they had a very nice Christmas together.  

So, maybe it isn't so different after all, 

he is just celebrating at someone else's house.  Someone that we will know and love very much someday.

Until then, we will continue to gather as a family and celebrate in the way that we know how.

  

We will make new traditions to celebrate this 2000 year old truth of Jesus birth. 

We will cling together with the love that Christ taught and spend many precious hours loving our family.