Trimming the Tree

Despite the post title, I am not trimming the Christmas tree this early.  But I thought I'd share with the Crafty Secrets November Linky Party a couple of photos of one the ornaments I made last year using one of my most favorite Christmas stamps from Crafty Secrets.

 I wanted an antique engraving look, so I stamped this sweet little bird in Memento Rich Cocoa ink on Rustic Cream cardstock from PTI. Then I framed it using an ornament from Hobby Lobby.

I was excited to see Hobby Lobby had these ornaments again this year, and when they were first on sale a few months ago, I bought some so I can make more of these vintage ornaments for trimming the tree and a few packages.

This is one quick-to-make elegant project.

Jaunty Jack

Jaunty Jack and I wish you a Happy Halloween!

If you are a fan of retro Halloween decor, you need to check out Midnight Jamboree from SVGcuts. Jaunty Jack is just one of the cute cut files included. I cut this file along with a rosette and label with my Cameo. I also used digital papers and stamp from Crafty Secrets for this card which I am linking to the Cameo Spotlight Halloween Challenge.

And here's a little treat box that will be filled with snack-sized candy to greet my sister-in-law when she gets home from work.

I used the 3d artisan box hanger by Snapdragon Snippets found in the Silhouette Online Store, removing the window and adding Jaunty Jack  The tag uses more Crafty Secrets stamps.

Wishing you a safe and trick- free Halloween,
Cammie

Jolly Halloween

For someone who does not have trick or treaters visit on Halloween, I still enjoy a wee bit of  Halloween decorating and making some treats for friends and family with some fun packaging.

Although not a card, I am linking these to the Cameo Spotlight  Challenge since I made these cones with the Silhouette Cameo; I  used digital files  from the Silhouette store for the cone, rosette, and jack o'lantern (made glossy with some UTEE embossing enamel); dies from MFT and PTI; stamp from Crafty Secrets; patterned and glittery papers; and some black tinsel garland.  Check out the Christmas decorating aisles at the local craft stores; there are many items that you can use for crafting for other holidays and seasons.

Last year I spied this variegated feathery yarn on clearance; a year later it's wrapped around a black chenille stem for the handle. I also used the yarn to tie the cellophane bag of sugar cookies tucked into the cone.

 The Halloween tickets are from Miss Cutie Pie

Don't you love the little star cut outs along the top of the cones?
Wishing you some creative time today,

Tea Towel Tags

I adore these stamps from vintage embroidery designs  from Crafty Secrets Birds of Happiness stamp set, so I made my paper version of  tea towels.  I would love to have similar real embroidered towels hanging in my kitchen; I may just have to embroider some when life here settles down some.

I actually made and photographed these tags this summer, but never posted them. I don't know why I photographed these without ribbon. I had planned to add ribbon and re-photograph over the weekend for the Crafty Secrets Linky party this week, but after the estate sale Saturday, I was exhausted and freezing, so when I got home, I wrapped up in my down throw and crashed on the sofa. (For those who read a  previous post, we sold many of the salt and pepper sets and shot glasses, so my scrubbing them was worth it) Some of the my mother-in-laws other collections didn't sell as well, so now they're boxed and stored in our basement. My husband wants to try again on Craig's list.  On Sunday I just had to finish a Kindle book I had borrowed from the library because the loan period expired. And Monday was spent cleaning out more items from my mother-in-law's house, cleaning my own house, and preparing for a brief trip to celebrate our 36th wedding anniversary.

I apologize for not visiting your blogs these last few weeks. Things have been busier than usual  around here,  but hopefully after this week, life will be a bit calmer. I do so appreciate your taking the time to leave comments and I promise to visit you soon.


Suppplies:
Stamps:Birds of Happiness (Crafty Secrets), Background Basics: Gingham (PTI)
Ink: Pure Poppy (PTI)
Paper:Rustic Cream, Aqua Mist (PTI)
Other: Tag Sale #1 die, Rickrack Border die (PTI)

WMSC #117

Good morning friends. I'm here to share a tag based on this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge with Kelly Schirmer providing this great sketch

Using four wonderful Waltzingmouse stamp sets, I made a Christmas tag.

After I die cut the tag and mat with my Cameo, I created the background using stamps from Nordic Winter, Text It, and Very Vintage Christmas. The sentiment  is from Seasonal Remedies. I stamped, fussy cut, and colored with Copics the trio of holly leaves and berries. I added a rusty bell with twine and twill ribbon for tying onto the gift.  The dimensions of the tag are 5 1/4 x 3, so there will be no chance of missing this under the tree.

For the next three days, I will be helping my sister-in-law with pricing and staging items for Saturday's small estate sale of my mother-in-law who certainly liked her collections (Let me say, I hope to never wash another greasy shot glass, salt/ pepper shaker, or souvenir spoon). Fortunately, the dog and pig collections didn't require heavy washing. Yard sales are not really my thing and definitely not my husband's who has sold many of the larger items on Craigs list., but I will enjoy spending time with my sister-in-law and niece and am glad I can help them during this difficult time.

Thanks for stopping by,

Celebrate-- The Cameo Spotlight Challenge #4

Hello peeps! I'm  here with a card for the Cameo Spotlight Challenge which is about triangles.

My interpretation of this challenge focuses on the triangles of the top of this circus tent, a gatefold card  Silhouette file by Jennifer Wambach. This card is such a fun way wish someone a happy birthday.

The tiny dot paper is from Crate Paper Pretty Party 6x6 pad.  The celebrate sentiment on the tent's flag is from Mixed Messages (PTI). The party banner, colored with Copics, is from Mini Banner Greetings(Pink Persmisson),  and the sweet party tickets are by Digital Paper.

Thanks for stopping by,

Pansy Charm--FTTC 188

Pansies and violas are my favorite fall flowers, so when I saw that Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge 188 was to make a fall card or project, I just had to ink up the pansy stamp from Flourishes A Year in Flowers 1.  I recently visited one of my favorite nurseries and wanted to bring several flats of the beautiful pastel pansies,  but I resisted and only bought one flat of violas that winter here  much better than pansies. I did however use the pastel colors of some those nursery pansies  for coloring this image with Copics. After coloring, I aged the focal point with a little Antique Linen Distress ink.

I complemented the old fashioned charm of the pansies with subtle patterned paper, lace, and wrinkled ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by,

Hocus Pocus--WMSC #116

Hello, Cammie here with a card for the current Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge.Ms Waltzingmouse, herself,Claire, has provided this week's sketch.

Using masking and fussy cutting, I created a  hocus pocus silhouette with Waltzinmouse Stamps Cameo Creations and Very Vintage Labels as well as the witch's hat from Crafty Secrets' Halloween Fun.  I aged the silhouette with a little distress ink and the mounted on  rolodex card.

The rolodex card is a Silhouette file, and the patterned papers are from Crafty Secrets digitial Halloween papers--love these papers!!!  The CD will be available soon. For now you can purchase the files at the Crafty Secrets Etsy store.

Hope your day is filled with magic,


Supplies:
Stamps: Cameo Creations, Very Vintage Labels (Waltzingmouse Stamps); Halloween Fun, Halloween Postcard, French Mail, Costume Cuties(Crafty Secrets); Bitty Background Blocks (PTI)
Ink:  Memento Black Tuxedo (Tsukineko);  Limeade Ice  (PTI), Old Paper Distress Ink (Ranger)
Paper: Vintage Cream, Limeade Ice  (PTI); Patterned paper (Crafty Secrets Halloween digital paper)
Other: Buttoned Up #1 die; Loop de Loop die(PTI); rolodex card (Studio file by Lori Whitlock), ticket (Miss Cutie Pie)

Season's Greetings--WMSC 115

Waltzingmouse Sketch 115 by Jennifer Holmes is such a fun sketch.

I used a Cuttlebug stamp die and a reindeer from Nordic Winter (WM) to create some postage stamps for Christmas mail. The greeting is from Very Vintage Christmas(WM).

Now that I have posted this, I am sure that missing stamped postage stamp will turn up. Hee-hee!

Have a great weekend!


Supplies:
Stamps: Nordic Winter, Very Vintage Christmas(Waltzingmouse Stamps); Postmarks (PTI); Ticking Stripe(Cornish Heritage Farms)
Ink:  Pure Poppy(PTI),Black Tuxedo(Tsukineko)
Paper: Vintage Cream, Aqua Mist, Pure Poppy (PTI)
Other: Twine (PTI), Stamp die (Provocraft)

Fall Favors--Waltzingmouse Stamp Blog Party

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.  ~Albert Camus

I am so fortunate to live in an area where the colors of autumn are as gorgeous as  the colors of spring,
and  I am looking forward to those days when "every leaf is a flower." But for now I am happy for September's Waltzingmouse's  Blog Party where the theme is fall because I know the  hostesses of this blog party will provide some wonderful fall delights.

A fall party! How lovely! 

How about some fall party favors?

I've been having loads of fun with my Silhouette Cameo! Some of the first items I added to my wish list when I got my Silhouette Cameo in the spring were the little containers with different shapes along the edge. This particular file is #21248.  With a little masking, I stamped the leaves with WMS  Text-It.

 I  used  Very Vintage Labels 4 and two sentiments from Vintage Ornaments for the labels.  A fussy cut leaf colored with Prismacolor pencils, a tiny acorn charm and some twine finish the outside of these little favors.

For the inside, how about some fall colored candies or some chocolate/chocolate chip acorn -shaped  mini muffins? ( I love fall baking with my Nordic Ware Acorn Cakelet pans).

 Nibbling on a few of these chocolate muffin acorns and sipping a warm drink will be perfect while I stop by your party. :)


Supplies:
Stamps: Text-It, Vintage Ornaments, Very Vintage Labels 4 (Waltzingmouse Stamps); Falling Leaves (Flourishes)
Ink: Scarlet Jewel, Canyon Clay( PTI);  Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko)
Paper: Paper Studio, PTI
Other: Label 4 dies(Spellbinders), Silhouette Cameo, Prismacolor pencils

Merry and Bright

Good Monday morning friends!   A busy day planned--- With temperatures in the low 80s, it's time to  tackle a few outside chores. But first---

the first Christmas post of the year

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge 185 is to make a small card--no larger than 4x3. I made three gift enclosures using Flourishes Holiday Greetings and All That Glitters and PTI's Label Basics.

An ornament stamped from All That Glitters on the envelopes finishes this trio.

Have a great week,

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 113

The calendar and temperatures may still say summer, but I was feeling a bit fallish when creating a card for Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 113 with this sketch by Lynn Mercurio.

With several layers of patterned paper from Lost and Found Two-Sunshine paper pad,I chose a bold sentiment from Say It Loud and a single embellishment. I coated some burlap with Mod Podge, let it dry, and then die cut. Not only does the Mod Podge give the burlap clean  cut edges, it also  gives some body so the burlap can be molded some. Be warned -- you will be seeing more die cut burlap here.



Supplies:
Stamps:  Say It Loud (Waltzingmouse Stamps),Stamped Stitches ( Hot Off the Press)
Ink: OceanTides (PTI), Expresso Truffle (Tsukineko)
Paper: Lost and Found Two-Sunshine (My Mind's Eye); Vintage Cream, Dark Chocolate (PTI)
Other: Foliage dies(Spellbinders), Beautiful Blooms II #1 dies (PTI)

Hydrangeas--FTTC184

A quick post today--a long to-do-list awaits.

Denise Marzec, hostess of Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge 184, challenges us to use purple and blue. This challenge was the perfect opportunity to ink up my newly purchased Flourishes Hydrangea stamp.

Off to tackle that list!

Have a wonderful weekend,


Supplies:
Stamps: Hydrangeas (Flourishes), Background Basics: Tin Types(PTI), Text-It (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Ink: Expresso Truffle, Versamark (Tsukineko);  Winter Wisteria (PTI),
Paper: Stamper's Select White, Spring Rain, Winter Wisteria (PTI); X-Press It Blending Card
Other: Labels One (Spellbinders); Linen Impression Plate, Half & Half die, Winter Wisteria  satin  ribbon (PTI); Copics

Back to School

Remember when Labor Day was officially the last day of summer vacation and school began after Labor Day? This certainly is not the norm any more in most locations in the U.S. Here my teaching friends headed  back to school on August 7 with students starting a week later. I will admit that this time of year makes me thankful that I am no longer teaching.  Of course, I may tutor again this year at one of our high schools.  However, now instead of spending an evening grading, I can head to the nearby mountains for a few hours with my husband as we did yesterday. And of course, on a weekday morning now I can play with stamps, ink, and paper.   With school on my mind lately, the latest Cameo Spotlight challenge to use numbers, led to   a back-to-school card.

The background panel is stamped with Impression Obsession  Cover a Card Notebook. Now for all the bits and bobs: Following a Kerri Bradford tutorial and using my Cameo, I made the abc-123 embellishment.  I stamped Mr. Smarty Cat from  Crafty Secrets Cutie Cats, fussy cut, colored with  Copics,  and attached with dimensional tape. The apples were die cut and stamped with PTI's Fruit Fusion. The sentiment is from Tag It #6.  Lastly,  PTI's star border die and twill ribbon to ground kitty.

Until later,


Supplies:
Stamps: Cutie Cats (Crafty Secrets); Fruit Fusion:Apple, Tag-It # (PTI);  (Impression Obsession)
Ink: Grey Flannel, Black Tuxedo (Tsukineko); Aqua Mist (PTI)
Paper: Aqua Mist, New Leaf (PTI); red, blue, yellow (the Paper Studio)
Other: Fruit Fusion, Star border die,New Leaf twill ribbon (PTI); Silhouette Cameo,

It's a Banner Day!

It's a banner day! Well, actually it's a typical Monday here. But for Flourishes it's a banner month.
This month Flourishes is celebrating their fifth anniversary--five years of gorgeous stamps and now cut files match their stamp for the Silhouette !  I am thrilled about these cut files! As part of the celebration, they are sponsoring several challenges.  One challenge, you guessed it, is to use banners.

I chose to have the banners hanging from a lace border, stamped with Flourishes Lace Edges in Memento  Expresso Truffle. Love this ink color!   The banners were cut with Spellbinder dies. Because the pearls used to "attach" the pennants to the lace were too white, I colored them with a pale yellow Copic to match the pennants borders.  The papers are from My  Mind's Eye Lost and Found Rosy paper pad.  (Shame on Hobby Lobby and Michael's for carrying these now, and for Hobby Lobby's frequent 50% off  paper discounts. I am so weak. I mean beautiful patterned paper pads for $3--those babies just jump in my shopping basket) I dry brushed some cream acrylic paint on the kraft base before adding the card panel.

Now for a bit of enabling. If like me you adore Flourishes stamps but have been hesitant to purchase from them because of shipping (a recent shipping estimate to Tennessee was $13.00 for some ribbon and one stamp set), check out  Chic and Savvy Crafters. Amber carries most of the Flourishes stamp sets and offers fee shipping in the US  for clear stamps and dies. I have ordered twice from her and will again.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!