One Last Ornament Christmas Card

Eeek....I forgot to include a cat pic on my last post.....so here are two:

Stray mama cat gives birth in bird nest!  Story here.  Two sizes too small is just the right size, apparently!

And now for a different kind of cat in a different kind of nest.....

Bobcat in Squirrel's Nest.  That would be cool to see!!

Hi, Friends......

Here's one last Christmas card (didn't I say that already a couple of weeks ago??) before I get all my Christmas things tucked away.  I made some others of this design, inspired by Jennifer Grace's Frosty Festivities, but I wanted to try one in red, too.

As with my blue snowflake ones, I used my Spellbinders - Carnival Dream die set with some Echo Park double-sided paper. This fun die set has a fold and tuck design so your reverse pattern shows. Instead of a snowflake, this red one reminds me of a stylized poinsettia.  What do you think?

I die-cut a shimmery pre-made card base with my Sizzix - Circles, Scallop die set and used repositionable adhesive to attach the "poinsettia" on the front so the ornament can be removed and hung on the tree, if desired. The scalloped edge of the die cut allows the card to stand up nicely.  And....since the card base was an A2 size, this flat ornament card will fit in a standard sized envelope.
The addition of some sparkling rhinestones and silver ribbon trim was all that was needed to finish this card.  

Well, that's all for right now.  Thanks for stopping by.  Hope your weather is better than ours!  It is rainy and chilly here in Idaho today.  Most of the snow has melted and it is very muddy.  

The cats are all lying around the house in dark, quiet nests waiting out the weather. Little Judith was gone again for a few days, but showed up this morning.  Jetta, the kitty who showed up again on Christmas Day after being gone for over a year, amazingly has pretty much stuck around since then.  Perhaps she is finally getting too old to be traipsing back over to the old house!  So glad to have her cheery and chipper little "rah-ROW!" greeting me on the back porch!!  So sweet!

Hope you are having a good week....and getting ready for an awesome weekend.  Thank you for visiting and for your wonderful comments!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Scraps of Life January Rudolph Days - Anything Goes Christmas
2. DRS Designs Challenge #211 - Sparkle and Shine
3. Fab 'n' Funky Challenge #289 - Christmas
4. Fun Cuts Alphabet Challenge - J is for Jewels
5. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #158 - Punches and/or Dies
6. Craftin' Desert Divas Linky - Shaped Cards
7. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
8. DL.Art January Linky Challenge - Anything Goes

Altered Treat Jar with Butterfly

Hi, Friends.....

I am here with a decorated jar I upcycled to use as a treat jar for a girlfriend.  Oh, yum!!!

The star of the show today is a lovely Serendipity - Floral Butterfly that I die-cut from some orange Add a Little Dazzle - craft metal. (A few months ago, I bought a grab bag of odd-sized scratch and dent scraps when Monica was having a huge clearance sale in preparation for going out of business. I was hoping the grab bag would contain some different colors of the metal sheets that I didn't already have. Yay!! I got a bunch of new colors!! And best of all, they have decided to continue selling their craft metal, but with a more limited inventory.) This wonderful product is perfect for intricate die-cuts that might fall apart with a less substantial material....(like this did when I tried it with some vellum!!! EEEK!!) I am entering this in Mrs. A's "Butterfly + I is for Inks" Challenge.

Is there anyone else besides me who uses baby wipes, paper towels, or tissues for paint and ink clean-up....and then SAVES those colorful sheets for future projects???? Well that is what I used to cover this upcycled jar. I had some scraps of pretty orange ink-stained tissues that I Mod Podged on for a background and let dry overnight. This is for some of the "I is for Inks" part of the Butterfly Challenge.

Next, I dusted several colors of Perfect Pearls onto it...Sour Apple, Mandarin, and Biscotti....and misted it gently with water to set the powder. After the misting was dry, I took a fluffy brush and whisked the excess away and blended the rest of it together for a shimmery look. I love how the texture of the tissue shows with this fun technique.

I had some pretty floral wired ribbon from Terri at Terri's Making Cards. She sent this to me some time ago and I had not yet found just the right place for it. She also gave me the gorgeous dangling pearl trim. Both of these were just what I was needing for this project!!  (THANKS, Terri!!!)  

Can you see the pretty Memory Box - Gwyneth Flourish behind the butterfly? I cut it from watercolor paper that was dyed with my inky marker water refill experiment. :) This also counts for the I is for Inks.  

I prepared the lid by covering it with several coats of gesso and then rubbing with some Tangerine and Gold Gelatos and a bit of Mod Podge for sealing. I die cut some scraps with my Sizzix - Circles, Scallop and Paper Smooches - Gift Tags Dies and finished it with a bow made of crinkly ribbon.

Hope you like my altered jar.  I will fill it with candy as part of a little birthday gift for one of the gals.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a lovely week!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Mrs. A's Butterfly Plus I for Ink Challenge.

2. Pixie's Snippets Playground Week #213 - Use Snippets

3. Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers #51 - T is for Technique (I tried out a new technique for me with Mod Podge and Perfect Pearls)

4. Altered Eclectics December Challenge - Anything Goes (I think) Altered Art or Mixed Media

5. Little Scrap Pieces Show-it-Off Saturday Linky Party

6. Crafty Boots challenges - Ribbon or Lace
7. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #158 - Punches and/or Dies

Gate-Fold Sympathy Card

Hi, Friends......

I am back with my last in a series of three gate-fold cards I made for the current Mark's Finest Papers Speedy Fox & Friends Challenge. They included a very nice tutorial on making gate-fold cards to follow for this challenge.  This time I made a rather masculine-looking sympathy card to have on hand.  If you missed my first two gate-fold cards, you can see them here and here.  

For the simple floral image, I used my Mark's Finest Papers - Nature's Brushstrokes stamp set and Distress Ink in Black Soot.  I stamped off onto a different piece of paper to mute the intensity of the ink before stamping onto my focal panel and then I heat embossed it with clear powder. I cut scraps for my panels with my My Favorite Things Die-namics - Stitched Oval STAX die set.  I like the clean, tailored look.  I kept with dark tones so the card would be suitable for a man, but heat embossed the sentiment from my stash with white powder to make it stand out against the deep leafy patterned paper scraps.

Thanks for taking a look at my cards today!  I hope you are having a wonderful mid-week!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Mark's Finest Papers Speedy Fox & Friends Challenge - Gate Fold Card tutorial challenge
2. Word Art Wednesday Challenge #218 - Anything Goes Family Friendly
3. Pixie's Snippets Playground Week 212 - Use Snippets
4. House of Cards January Challenge - Embossing or Color Challenge
5. Make My Monday Challenge Blog - Stitching Real or Faux

Lacy Gate Fold Anniversary Card

Hi, Friends.....

I am back with my second in a series of three gate-fold cards I made for the current Mark's Finest Papers Speedy Fox & Friends Challenge. They included a very nice tutorial on making gate-fold cards to follow for this challenge. Making some extra anniversary cards to have on hand is on my January list, so I decided to do another one for this second entry.  If you missed my first entry, you can find it here.

I went with a more formal look for this card using my My Favorite Things Die-namics - Stitched Oval STAX die set and my Mark's Finest Papers - Lily of the Valley stamp set.  I stamped the flower image with Distress Ink in Victorian Velvet and the sentiment with Versafine ink in Smokey Gray on a scrap of cardstock.  The deep red oval mat and the black patterned paper are from my scrap bag, too.  The lace is a thrift store find.  I like the vintage look it gives.  Repositionable Zots secure the card closed and yet allow it to be opened easily.

Hope you like my card.  Thank you so much for stopping by!  I'll be back in a little bit with my last of the three gate-fold cards.

<3
Janis


Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Mark's Finest Papers Speedy Fox & Friends Challenge - Gate Fold Card tutorial challenge
2. Word Art Wednesday Challenge #218 - Anything Goes Family Friendly
3. Mod Squad Challenge - Love is in the air
4. Pixie's Snippets Playground Week 212 - Use Snippets
5. Rubber Dance Art Stamps January Challenge - Use Black, White + One Other Color (I used a dark red color)
6. House of Cards January Challenge - Embossing or Color Challenge
7. Make My Monday Challenge Blog - Stitching Real or Faux
8. Crafty Boots Challenges - Ribbon or Lace
9. Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Best Friends

Monochromatic Happy Anniversary

Hi, Friends.....

I am here with the first of a series of three gate-fold cards I made for the current Mark's Finest Papers Speedy Fox & Friends Challenge.  They included a very nice tutorial on making gate-fold cards to follow for this challenge.  Making some extra anniversary cards to have on hand is on my January list, so I decided to do one of them first.  

I chose cream and yellow pieces from my scrap bags and stamped a lovely dogwood branch image from my Mark's Finest Papers - Works of Art stamp set with Versamark ink and heat embossed with gold powder. I did the same thing with an old Inkadinkadoo Happy Anniversary stamp. This stamp has flowers on it, too, but I only inked the words.

I inked the edges of a couple layers and rolled them slightly for a vintage look on the "gate" part of the card and used some subtly patterned paper with a delicate print for the side panels.  I finished the outside with a bit of lace tied in a bow.  

For the inside, I used the sentiment from my Mark's Finest Papers - Lily of the Valley stamp set. It is actually a wedding set, but I think the words work well for an anniversary, also. I stamped them with Distress Ink in Walnut Stain and used Vintage Photo for some scattered hearts. Repositionable Zots hold the front panel closed but still let it be easily opened.

I have two other gate-fold cards to post, so I'll see you soon!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Mark's Finest Papers Speedy Fox & Friends Challenge - Gate Fold Card tutorial challenge
2. One Crazy Stamper January Challenge - Anything Goes
3. Word Art Wednesday Challenge #218 - Anything Goes Family Friendly
4. Double Click Connections Challenge #40 - Anything Goes
5. Mod Squad Challenge - Love is in the air
6. Pixie's Snippets Playground Week 212 - Use Snippets

7. Little Scrap Pieces - Show it Off Saturday Linky Party
8. Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Best Friends

Cat with Sneakers - Thank You!

One of my all-time fave Kliban Cat images.  :)

Hi, Friends.......

I am here with a really fun card for Ike's SUYP Cats Only Challenge this month with the theme of "Furrything Goes".  :)  If you haven't visited her SUYP blog, you are in for a treat.  Ike not only has fabulous cards, but challenge posts that make you smile as well as give you a place to sharpen your claws....skills!  

One fabulous part of the SUYP Cats Only Challenge Blog is Ike's wonderful FUR-EEEBIE, featured monthly.  She generously shares a kitty digi she designed each month.  This month I absolutely loved the crazy dancing cat she was offering, but wished so much the kitty had sneakers on because of a particular card I wanted to make.  No sooner said....than done!  Next thing I knew...I had a notification that the same kitty was now ready with sneakers.  THANK YOU, IKE!!!

Isn't that digi by Ike just so wacky and wonderful????  I LOVE IT!!  

The reason I wanted a kitty with sneakers is because a friend recently passed some tennis shoes to me that weren't right for her.  They were used, but still in fantastic shape for me!  I was so delighted that I wanted to make her a special thank you card.  

I wanted the colors of the shoes to really stand out, so I printed the digi onto kraft and used Sakura Gelly Roll Moonlight Gel Pens for them. I used subdued, but shimmery, colors of gel pens for the rest of the kitty, except the facial features and toe pads. I wrote in "Image by IKESART.com" as a special acknowledgement of Ike's wonderful gift of this wonderful image.

Other supplies used: Distress Ink - Walnut Stain, card base made from DCWV paper, Sizzix - Circles, Scallop die cut, ribbon and sentiment stamp from my stash.

Hope you enjoyed my card today.  I don't know if I have ever posted a card that I colored with gel pens before.....but I need to do this more often before the zillion-piece set of them that I got for Christmas last year...2014!....dries up!!  Eeek!  (For the record, I have never had my Sakura ones dry up, but I am not sure how long this big set of Brand X pens will last!)

Cat lovers, be sure to check out the SUYP Cats Only Challenge for tons of furry fun!!! See you there!!!

<3

Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. SUYP Cats Only Challenge
2. DL.Art Thankful Thursday #172 - Penguins or Black, White, Yellow / alt Thank You
3. Dragonfly Journeys Challenge #39 - You Crack Me Up :)
4. Word Art Wednesday Challenge #217 - Anything Goes Family Friendly
5. DL.ART January Linky Challenge - Anything Goes
6. Ike's World Challenge #54 - New Beginnings (Do new-to-me sneakers count?)

Pain in the Neck - Get Well Soon!

Hi, Friends......

I am here with my third (and, I think, final) entry for the Mark's Finest Papers Speedy Fox and Friends technique challenge - Acrylic Block Stamping. If you missed my first and second entries, you can see them here and here.  I got super-inspired and made four backgrounds with this fun technique, but I think I will save my fourth one for later.

On this card, I used a 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" acrylic block....but when I inked it up initially, I only made a roundish smoosh in the middle of it with the ink...and then stamped with it on white cardstock using Distress Inks in Tea Dye and Scattered Straw.  Then I turned the block on its side and inked the narrow edge and stamped with it using Vintage Photo.  Then I decided I didn't like the white background, so I sponged an ombre look using Fossilized Amber, Scattered Straw, Spiced Marmalade, Ripe Persimmon, and Barn Door.  Now, this I liked!

I stamped the giraffe image from Mark's Finest Papers - Above the Rest stamp set with Versafine Vintage Sepia on a scrap of vellum and heat embossed with clear powder.  This piece was my second attempt.....since I messed my first one up!  Arrrgh...  The first vellum scrap had some irregular cuts in it which I cut around for an interesting curvy edge.  I liked that effect so well that I cut this perfectly straight-edged second vellum scrap with a curvy edge, too!  lol...

The sentiment is from the same MFP set and I stamped and heat embossed it the same way as the giraffe on a scrap of cardstock.  I added the burlap paper scrap and the bit of jute for some safari texture.

Simple stamped sentiment inside of card.

This turned out to be a really fun card to make with the ombre sponging.  I don't do that nearly often enough.  

Hope you enjoyed my three cards for the MFP Acrylic Block Stamping challenge.  Thanks for stopping by!!!

<3
Janis


Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Mark's Finest Papers Speedy Fox and Friends technique challenge - Acrylic Block Stamping
2. Word Art Wednesday Challenge #217 - Anything Goes Family Friendly
3. DL.ART January Linky Challenge - Anything Goes
4. Craft Stamper TIMI January Challenge - Take a Stamp
5. House of Cards January Challenge - Embossing or Color Challenge
6. One Crazy Stamper January Challenge - Anything Goes
7. Dragonfly Journeys Challenge #39 - You Crack Me Up :)
8. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Ombre