Friday, October 29, 2010

Tag for November Swap


I'm not sure who will receive 3 of these tags, but I've got them ready to go when my partner for the November Tag Swap is assigned. This tag was created using one of the To/From stamps from the Stampin Up Tags for All set. I covered up the tree image on the lower right with a sweet tree that I made by cutting a scalloped circle in triangle shapes (keeping the scallops on the edge) & layering. I chalked with ColorBox silver & added Red Glass Effects Gel ornaments by Viva. I made the snow using Viva's Cream Pearl Pen. The tag is chalked with evergreen & tied with a piece of red crepe (sorry I don't have the label) & the red/white string by Martha Stewart. I'm pleased with this tag ... It's simple, but reminds me of an old-fashioned Christmas. To top off the tree I added a tiny sticker star, but it would be easy to stamp the star, too.
The swaps that I've been doing have been really fun. I received a RAK packet from a partner that I'd sent my goodie to in May. She hadn't responded & I'd forgotten all about it. What a great surprise to get her package. She included some Make n Take cards which is a great idea for a swap RAK.

Card for November Tea Swap


Here's a photo of the card that I'm sending to Becky in Indiana for the November Tea Swap. I have really enjoyed participating in this swap as you make a "tea-themed" card & send along 2 tea bags ... How much fun is that? This month the theme was "autumn colors". The image was stamped using archival black ink with the Inky Antics rubber stamp. I then colored using markers. The background patterned paper is Family Tree by Bella. The bottom dark brown cardstock is Coredinations & I cut using my Spellbinders dies in graduated sizes. I added 3 deep burgundy blings to hold the image on the page.
I hope that Becky enjoys this card. I have to give credit for the blanket color to my husband. I had originally colored it with a soft, blue blanket & he reminded me that blue wasn't a typical Autumn color.... I think he's right.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Aloha RAK

I'm participating in a RAK (random acts of kindness) swap that you can sign up for until 10/31/10. Here is the link as the actual sign-up is happening on Facebook. If you haven't done a RAK -- please try it. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=42911284493

It really is great fun to receive a packet of cards (we will each need to make 5 cards [all the same image] & mail them to Hawaii).

Have a terrific Tuesday ~

Saturday, October 16, 2010

November Kit of the Month

This is the cover for the November Kit of the Month that I created for Life's Memories & More in Palmer, MA. The kits sell for $10 each & this month the kit is of a 4" x 6" mini-album which can easily be expanded as needed. The idea for this kit came from the thought that many of us have memories of Xmas cookies & some of us still begin baking cookies the weekend after Thanksgiving. For me - the cookie recipes are scattered in favorite cookbooks. loose pieces of paper & a couple on the backs of packaging. I knew that I could use a single place to house my cookie recipes & thought that at least one of my children (or grandchildren) might like to have these family favorites, too. I've included 5 recipes of cookies that I make each year to get the album started.




Each page is different & there's even a tag included for a batch of cookies that are given away. I tucked it behind a die-cut heart that can easily hold a recipe card when the tag's been used.




I have to thank Fern for this wonderful little gingerbread man. He's holding down a vellum envelope that contains a recipe for Pecan Tassies. This recipe only yields 2 dozen & I have to hide them when they're made as they don't make it onto a cookie tray.
I hope that you take time this year to make some holiday cookies. I'll be using my cookie album to finally put the family favorites in one place.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Christmas Tag for October Swap

I was partnered with my friend Mary for this month's swap & I'd seen a card in the newest Stampers Sampler (pg. 59 by Lynn Stevens of Kuna, ID). I loved the image she created & wanted to utilize some of the elements as I knew I had a pine cone stamp that I'd picked up at a Customer Tag Sale at Life's Memories & More... Thanks, Lynn for creating the original card & I hope that you consider this tag a compliment.

This tag is much more defined than it appears, but I couldn't wait for the sun to rise & give me natural lighting, so you'll have to crisp it up in your mind.


The elements are:
Vintage tag naturally aged
Border punch from Fiskars using a scrap of pale green card stock
Border chalked using Color Box pigment color: Celadon
Black piece of cardstock
Page from old Hans Brinker book
All Night Media pine cone stamp
Archival Ink
Vintage Photo Distress Ink sponged on the pine cone
Pale grey Prismacolor colored pencil for snow on the cone
Tiny holly leaves
Holly berries using Ruby Red Stickles
Soft fibers

I began this project yesterday after work & finally added the stickles at 6:30 this morning. I'm so pleased as it's just the final touch I was looking for. Mary loves bling, but this image is so natural that a crystal or even a flower didn't seem right. I played with the idea of a small cardinal, but didn't want to distract from the star of the show. I think a delicate chickadee would work with the color combination, but Katie taught me to add a "pop of color". The holly berries are because of you, Kate.

Mary's receiving 3 identical tags (per our organizer's instructions). I would add a separate To: From: tag attached with a brad so that I could keep the original tag intact ...

I might have to make more of these for my own gift-giving.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Just in time for Halloween



How's this for a wonderful spider web? During the summer I would try to go out on the boat before going to work. It was 6 a.m. on the water & this was one of the webs on our boat. The reason that it's visible is because of the dew on the web spokes. I loved the image & knew that Mary would want it for her Halloween cards. I kept it on my desktop wondering when I'd share & today seemed like the day. I've got cookies in the oven, an apple cake just out & plans for a pot roast over the weekend with the leftover meat & broth recycled into Minestrone soup on Sunday. It's my favorite time of the year ... I get to bake without overheating the house & we share the chocolate cookies with Paul, the oatmeal-based or anything with macadamia nuts cookies with Mike D., & wonderful cups of hot coffee with Mary. I think that I'm partial to apples & Jan & Dennis picked up Macoun apples for me & the aroma of them just baked in the cake is a little bit o' heaven. My hands head for the cookbooks .... I don't seem to run out of recipes when it comes to baking.
Watch for a new image. I was partnered with Mary C this month for my Christmas tag swap & I saw a card in a magazine that I'm going to recreate as a tag ... I think it will come out rather vintage (which I like) ... Hope she does, too.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Halloween Card for Tea Exchange & Xmas Tag



As everyone who knows me is fully aware - I don't like Halloween. I don't think I ever liked Halloween. As a kid it always felt like begging ... As an adult - it's the time of the year when I've made more Halloween costumes than I can count. I do, however, love Snickers candy bars & look forward to the after-Halloween candy sale.
I did love making this card to send to Fran in Hawaii for this month's Tea exchange. The card is slightly oversized (6" x 5 1/2") I built it on black cardstock & layered as follows: a small piece of recycled dryer sheet that was washed, bleached & lightly pressed on the left hand side. The frame was cut with my Sizzix out of My Minds Eye Spider Web paper that I then distressed with Wild Honey distress ink. The image underneath is stamped with archival ink on a scrap piece of muted orange cardstock that I had. The stamp is from Magenta & is on a wood block. I LOVE the image. I then added a gold organdy ribbon on the left side to anchor the dryer sheet & put 2 orange & spice tea bags inside with a removable glue dot. I hope that Fran enjoys it. I've seen her projects on her website: Little Paper Studio & love her techniques so I know this is different from what she makes.


I also sent out my 3 Christmas Tags to Loretta in Sugarland, TX ...
This is a simple tag but I LOVE the Santa image. My husband has his own Santa suit & Xmas is his favorite holiday. I once described him to someone as having Santa-blue eyes. This image is from a large stamp (about 4" x 6") that I printed onto a piece of white paper & then reduced on our copier & printed onto bond. I didn't want to fuss with the simplicity so only edged the white card in gold leaf, mounted onto green cardstock with a close border & added a scottish ribbon at the bottom. I hope that she likes it, but she can also add color, flock, etc if she wishes. I used a gel pen for the blue eyes.
As you can tell - I'm busy creating. I went to a scrapbook tag sale at Inspiration Station in CT & came home with a bag of treasures. Probably my favorite find was a pile of old Papercrafts magazines for .50 apiece. I love to look for inspiration, color combinations, techniques that I can try.
It's starting to feel like Fall. The colors on the trees are changing at our Lake. This morning it was in the high 30s. Soccer season is well underway & 2 of our kids are at college in Boston. Life feels like it's slowing down just a little - time for soups in the crockpot & cookies in the tins.
Enjoy this time of year ... winter is coming & this is Nature's last chance to flirt with us.