Friday, December 27, 2024

Postage Style Holiday Card

 

I have another holiday card to share with you, this time using the very popular postage design.  This card will be going into my 2025 holiday stash.




I die cut the postage background, stenciled the edges lightly with pink ink and began a search through my holiday dies for elements small enough to fit within the perforations.  Layering these tiny elements is a bit fiddly but like I've said before, it reminds me of paper dolls and I'm all in.  I really love how sweet this turned .... pun intended.

Supplies:
Waffle Flower - Postage Collage die and stencil
Waffle Flower - Wine dies
Waffle Flower - Shelf Additions dies set
Spellbinders - Santa's Sippin' Sayings stamp set
Miscellaneous - holiday dies...very old (Right at Home, Impression Obsession, Poppystamps)

Happy Holiday Season!  Thanks for visiting!

Jules

Thursday, December 26, 2024

One Stencil / Three Ways / Four Cards

 
I took advantage of (too) many Black Friday crafty sales but put a few of my new goodies to use right away.  (Like my justification?)  One of the first things I wanted to try was a layered poinsettia set from Simon Says Stamp.  I used three different color combinations with this one stencil resulting in completely different holiday feels on four different cards.








and my personal favorite....




I used dye inks on the white cards and Distress Oxides on the black one.  After completing the stenciling I stamped over top of each panel using a crackle background with white pigment ink.  It tends to just soften the overall look, something I prefer.  I used different die and stamp sets for the sentiments and added pearls for a finishing touch.  These will come in very handy next year.  


Supplies:
Simon Says Stamp - Layering Poinsettia stencils
Simon Says Stamp - Crackle Background stamp
Simon Says Stamp - Merry die and shadow
Simon Says Stamp - Noted Holiday stamp set
Simon Says Stamp - Ho, Ho, Hello die set
Simon Says Stamp - Layered Vine embossing folder
Spellbinders - Sending Joy Better Press plate set
Altenew - Notebook Edge die
Neat & Tangled - Gift Card Christmas set
Trinity - pearls

Thanks so much for visiting!!!

Jules

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Gingerbread Men

 

A couple of weeks ago I shared two felt stitched gingerbread ornaments using dies sent to me by Spellbinders.  (If you missed that post you can find them here.)  I wasn't quite ready to put these away yet so I die cut them from cardstock and used them on holiday cards.  






Because of their large size I enlarged these cards from A2 to A7 (aka, 5x7) and popped them up onto some holiday designer papers, added tag sentiments and a bit of glitter glue to the hats.  These will go into my stash for next year.

Supplies:
Spellbinders - Swallowtail Tag dies
Spellbinders - In the Pines embossing folder
Spellbinders - Santa's Sippin' Sayings stamp set
MFT - Tiny Tag dies
Spellbinders - Christmas Memories Included stamp set


Thanks so much for visiting!!!  Happiest of Holidays to All!

Jules



Monday, December 23, 2024

Elegant Holiday Cards

 

I have been seeing a lot of magnificent cards made by dry embossing metallic cardstock and wanted to have a go at it myself.  They are just as pretty in real life as featured on Instagram.  Take a look!



This one started with the beaded ornament.  My BFF recently retired 
and is dipping her toes into the crafty world.  She's been making these 
"paint by numbers" bead creations and I just had to turn mine into a
card. And being the snarky friend that I am, I added the "I Made This" 
to my tag's tag and mailed it to her.  I'm sure she will get a big kick out of it.






While I had the embossing folder out I decided to create 
another metallic card in green.


I added a huge Joy sentiment and a few pearls and called this one done.

Supplies:
Spellbinders - Loops embossing folder
Spellbinders - Swallowtail Tags die set.
Spellbinders - Christmas Memories Enclosed stamp set
Spellbinders - gold pearl stickers
Simon Says Stamp - Joy die

If you haven't tried running your metallic cardstocks through a 3D embossing folder I highly recommend you give it a whirl.  It provides a lot of bang for the buck.

Thanks so much for visiting!!!

Jules

Saturday, December 21, 2024

Christmas Cards for Mom

 

My mom was searching the aisle of the grocery store for holiday cards.  Let's hear it for a Collective GASP!!!

In her defense she was looking for cards that would hold unfolded cash and we all know that A2 size cards are too small for that.  She didn't want me to go to any extra trouble but ... she's my mama.  :-)  

Today I'm sharing two new holiday A2 sized cards (perfect size for gift cards) and five mini slim line cards that are perfect for a crisp bill.  I dug deep into my holiday stamp and die stash and have a wide variety of well loved products and even a sprinkling of NBUS to share with you.

This is going to be a long post so I'm skipping the design processes of each card.  I will however leave the supply list at the very bottom of the post.  If you have any questions regarding the design/assembly leave it in the comments and I'll get back to you.  

I tried to personalize these for each recipient (all family members) so you will see they are totally different with the exception of the two for my nephews.



Up first...a card for my niece who has a black kitty named Puff.




Next is the card for my daughter.  She longs to live in a 
mild climate with occasional snow.





A gender neutral design for each of my two nephews.









One for my North Carolina grandson.  



And two A2 sized cards.  One for my future Son-in-Law...



and probably my favorite of the bunch...one for my nephew's fiancé.


Mission Accomplished!!!  Mom was very happy and these were a fun break from assignments.  Keep reading if you're interested in the supplies.  Otherwise Happiest of Holidays to Everyone!

Love ya!
Jules

________________________________________________________________

Kitty
Cottage Cutz - Santa's Hat Cat die set
Cottage Cutz - Pine Tree Forest die set
Colorado Craft Company - Savvy Sentiments Holiday Wishes stamp set
Poppystamps - Art Deco Celebrate Christmas stamp set (inside)
Honeybee Stamps - designer paper

Snowman
Spellbinders - Snowman die set (NBUS)
Spellbinders - Twinkle Lights die set
Spellbinders - To You and Yours stamp set
Spellbinders - In the Pines embossing folder

Santa Belts
Spellbinders -  buckle from really old die set
Spellbinders - Brushed Black cardstock
Spellbinders - In the Pines embossing folder
Spellbinders - Deco Holiday stamp set


Alligators
Poppystamps - Whittle Tropical Gator die set
Right at Home - Holidays are on the Way die set (gifts)
Impression Obsession - Candy Cane die
Poppystamps - Holly die
Spellbinders - To You and Yours stamp set
Kaisercraft - Yuletide stamp set (inside sentiment)
Simply Graphic - designer paper


Candy Canes
Spellbinders - Holly Jolly candy canes (really old)
Poppystamps - Art Deco stamp set
Poppystamps - Celebrate Christmas stamp set (inside)
Fun Stampers Journey - Love Stripes embossing folder

Flamingos
Cottage Cutz - Christmas Flamingo die set
MFT - Festive Flamingo stamp set
Fun Stampers Journey - Cozy Knit embossing folder
Colorado Craft Company - Holiday Wishes stamp set (inside sentiment)


If you made it all the way here, thank you!  I appreciate each and every one of you.  

Jules



Sunday, December 8, 2024

Spellbinders - Felt Snowy Owl and Felt Fox

I'm back with the last of my felt projects for Spellbinders.  Today I'm featuring the Forest Fox and the Snowy Owl created with the Felt Stitch and Create Collection by Nichol Spohr. 


I kept with a traditional color scheme for my fox.  


I stitched him with his head cocked to the side just for some extra cuteness.
The loop to use him as a tree ornament is hidden behind him.


I decided to create my owl in a funky color scheme, just for kicks.


For something a bit different (but extremely subtle) I arranged her wings 
opposite of Nichol's version.  I think she turned out pretty darned adorable too.

Don't critique my stitching too harshly.  I haven't done this in many years and my eyesight and dexterity are not what they used to be but once I got into the swing of things these became very addicting.  I'm hoping to make a few more before the holiday arrives.  

Thanks so much Spellbinders!  And thank you so much for visiting!

Jules  

Saturday, December 7, 2024

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers #257

 

Merry December to all of my Snarky Friends!  The year 2024 has been a rather tumultuous one but thankfully we have the Snarky Sisterhood to provide us with a bit of humor.  Our final challenge for 2024 is Naughty Ho Ho Ho.  I thought this stamp set perfectly fit the bill.

 







I thought this Pissy Kitty stamp looked fab in black and white so all I did was color the eyes a spooky green and add some sparkly glitter glue to the hat.  I die cut the panel with a decorative die, shaded in the edges very lightly and then matted it onto a slightly larger black panel.  I felt kitty needed some grounding so I colored in the slightest of green shadows underneath.  The background paper is from my stash, manufacturer unknown.  This would be a great design to mass produce, don't you think?

Supplies:
Unity Stamps - Ho Ho No Pissy Kitty stamp set
LDRS - Hand Torn Arches die set
Distress Oxide - Lost Shadow for the vintage look edging
designer paper - really old 6x6 paper pad

I invite you to visit our blog for more seasonal snark and hope to see your holiday sass in our gallery!  See you all back here in 2025!

Jules

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Spellbinders - Candy Cane Felt Plushies

 

As promised I'm back with another set of felt projects for Spellbinders.  Today I'm featuring a trio of candy canes created with the Felt Stitch and Create Collection by Nichol Spohr.




Spellbinders carries their own felt collection however because I had some fancy felt in my stash I opted to use that on two of my candy canes.  (The red is metallic.  The white and green are glittered felt.  I used regular wool felt for the center candy cane.)  I purchased the cute buttons from Spellbinders several years ago and they're perfect for this project.  

If you're interested in creating any of these felt projects I highly encourage you to visit Nichol's YouTube video for tips and tricks.  

Thanks so much for visiting!!!  And thanks Yana and Spellbinders for the continues opportunity to work with you.  I'm currently finishing up two additional felt projects that I'll be sharing soon.

Jules

Sunday, December 1, 2024

Color Hues #100 ... with Giveaway!!!

 
The Color Hues team is celebrating their 100th design challenge!  I have played along with this challenge pretty much from it's inception however I didn't become a Design Team member until January of 2023, starting with challenge #55.  To say that I've thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this wonderful challenge and team is a definitely an understatement.  Nancy, our fearless leader and founder of Color Hues, is our host for this special 100th edition and she has a giveaway planned.  Please visit our blog for details on how you could be eligible to win.  

In the meantime, as much as I love my dear friend, I do wish she'd stop tormenting me with her frequent choice of PURPLE.  *wink*





As usual, I went with my tried and true "die cutting in white and coloring with Distress Oxides" approach.  I chose to color the leaves and stems in blue and the daffodils in purple using a nonstick mat and blending brushes.  I added a bit of purple blending along the bottom, fading mid panel to white and stamped the sentiment in the top right corner.  The florals were adhered with liquid glue and the panel was popped up with fun foam onto a white card base.  Whew!  Another purple card is HISTORY!


Supplies:
Cottage Cutz - Spring Daffodils
MFT  - Friends Like Us stamp set
Distress Oxides - Wilted Violet, Milled Lavender, Shaded Lilac, Uncharted Mariner, Prize Ribbon

I invite you to visit our blog and play along for a chance at a wonderful prize package, courtesy of Nancy.  May you celebrate the holidays in the festive style of your choosing and I'll see you back in 2025 for more Color Hues inspiration.

Jules