Gnome for the Holidays

As you may know, one of the things that I like almost as much as I like cats, is a good pun. I also like gnomes, which means that I find it amusing to create cards that feature good/bad gnome puns.

Here's this year's groaner, which features the Garden Gnome* and Garden Home stamps (both by Stampendous). 

Garden Gnome was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento (Imagine Crafts) ink, colored with Copic markers, fussy-cut, and edged with a black marker. White spots were added to the mushroom with a White Gelly Roll pen (Sakura). The Garden Gnome was set aside while I created a background for him. I kept him amused by singing Christmas carols to him.

The Garden Home was stamped twice. Once onto Neenah cardstock and once onto Eclipse Tape, which was fussy-cut and placed over its counterpart on the white cardstock. Post-It Notes were placed along the base of the image, the the panel was airbrushed using B91 and C2 Copic markers.

The mask was lifted and the Garden Home was colored with Copic markers. When I was done, a few dots of Red Stardust Glitter pen (Sakura) were added to the trees and shrubbery. The image panel was trimmed, matted with red cardstock, then adhered to a piece of very old Christmas-themed patterned paper from the Yuletide Mat Pad (K&Company). The Garden Gnome was adhered to the card front.

A piece of off-white vellum was die-cut with one of the dies from the Dimensional Banners die set (Die-namics). Red Simply Sweet rub-ons were used to add the sentiment to the banner, which was folded, then adhered to the card front. The card front was adhered to a red card and I declared victory!

*Garden Gnome might be retired, but I was easily able to find it for sale online.

Merry Christmas. If you're traveling, stay safe!

Thanks for visiting today.

I shall enter this card into the following challenges:
• Crafty Calendar Challenges: December/It's Christmas
• Crafting By Designs Challenges: Anything Goes
• The Crafty Addicts Challenges: Anything Goes

Cat Christmas Card Mojo!

Apparently I'm feline the love of cat-themed Christmas cards. Perhaps it's because I'm a frustrated cat lady, living without cats for way too long. Alas. Poor me.

Today's card features the grumpy looking cat from the Les Chats Russe stamp set (Katzelkraft) sporting the Santa hat from Les Drôles D'Accessoires stamp set (Katzelkraft). If you know anything about cats, they hate being dressed up, so I went with that general theme.

Here it is.

The Santa hat was stamped onto an image panel, then masked with the Eclipse Tape mask that I've been saving. It's always a good idea to keep your fussy-cut masks if at all possible to save time and be ever-so-efficient. I'm all about efficiency.

Once the hat was masked, I stamped the grumpy cat using a hand-held stamp positioner. I'm old school that way.

I lifted off the mask, colored the image with Copic markers, die-cut it with one of the dies from the Card Creator die set (Spellbinders), then added the background with my markers. When I was done, Stickles glitter glue (Ranger) was used to outline the edges of the die-cut. This was put into another room to keep me from touching it while it was drying.

Patterned paper from the Jovial collection (Basic Grey) were cut down, sponged with Fired Brick and/or Ground Espresso Distress ink (Ranger), then layered.

Green patterned paper from the same collection was die-cut with one of the dies from the Puffy Clouds die set (Die-namics), then edged with Ground Espresso Distress ink. A scrap of the same paper was punched with small circle Paper Shaper punches (EK Success), then edged with Ground Espresso Distress ink.  The appropriate sentiment was added to the cloud using Lily White Simply Sweet Alphabet rub-ons (Doodlebug Designs).

The Stickles on the image panel had dried sufficiently to touch. A bit of white was showing around the edges, so Ground Espresso Distress ink was sponged onto them. The image panel was adhered to the layered patterned paper, the sentiment cloud/thought bubble was adhered, and the connecting small circle punches were added.

Orangey/gold rhinestones were added to the card front, which was then adhered to a white card.

Thanks for visiting today.

I shall enter this card into the following challenges:
• Die Cuttin' Divas Challenge #348: Holidays
• The Crafter's Cafe Challenges: Christmas
• Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies Challenges
• Scrapy Land Challenge #80: Anything Goes

Meowy Christmas! Yep. Again.

Since I'm all about cats all the time, lots of my holiday cards will feature cats. Seeing that I have a huge collection of feline images, the only problem is choosing which cat stamp to feature!

Today's card features The Fat Cats #6 (Katzelkraft), who I have dubbed The Cat Singer. 

The Fat Cats #6, aka The Cat Singer, was stamped onto Neenah cardstock and onto Eclipse Tape (Judikins). The Eclipse Tape version was fussy-cut and adhered over its counterpart as a mask. The Santa hat from Funny Accessories stamp set (Katzelkraft) was stamped onto the image, over the mask, then also stamped onto a scrap of Eclipse Tape. It was also fussy-cut, then adhered to the image panel to mask the hat. Post-It Notes were adhered over the base of the image panel, which was then airbrushed with G43 and G46 Copic markers using the airbrush system. The image panel was trimmed, the masks were lifted, then the scene was colored with Copic markers.

The excess Copic airbrushed cardstock was die-cut with the curtains dies from the Take The Stage die set (Die-namics). A scrap of red cardstock was die-cut with the tie-backs from this set. I set my little scene by adhering the curtains, swags, and tie-backs onto the image panel, which was matted with black cardstock.

Red cardstock was stamped with the fabulous new Decor Cling Music stamp (Stampendous) using Jet Black Archival ink and my new Tim Holtz Stamp Platform (Tonic Studios).  This music-stamped piece was trimmed, matted with black cardstock, and adhered to a red card.

The Meowy Christmas (The Cat's Pajamas) was stamped onto another scrap of the excess airbrushed cardstock, then die-cut with a nameplate die (Spellbinders).

The scenic image panel and sentiment were adhered to the card and I declared this card to be complete.

Thanks for visiting today!

I shall enter this card into the following challenges:
• Die Cuttin' Divas Challenge #348: Holidays
• The Crafter's Cafe Challenges: Christmas
• Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies Challenges

Meowy Christmas, v 2.0

I'm back with another holiday card featuring the ever-so-wonderful Cat Angel (Stampendous)!

Here it is!

Cat Angel was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts). I had retained the Cat Angel mask from the last card, which I adhered over its counterpart, then airbrushed with Copic markers in shades of blue, red violet, and cool black.

The mask was lifted and Cat Angel was colored with Copic markers. A Clear Sparkle Spectrum Noir glitter pen (Crafter's Companion) was used to add a glittery sparkle to the wings, star, and sky dots.

Shimmery black and blue cardstock was die-cut with the Globe Thinlits Alterations die (Sizzix). The shimmery black Globe die-cut was divested of its cut out bits. A Circle Nestabilities die (Spellbinders) was used to die-cut a circle from navy cardstock. The shimmery black cardstock Globe was adhered to the navy cardstock, which had been run through my Xyron machine to add a coat of adhesive to it. The blue Globe die-cut was placed over the top of the shimmery black one and the die-cut bits were pressed and/or placed into the apertures. I do love my tweezers!

Parchment printed vellum was die-cut with the Peaceful Greetings sentiment die and one of the Dimensional Banners dies (Die-namics). The Meowy Christmas sentiment (The Cat's Pajamas) was stamped onto the banner with Noir Palette Hybrid ink (Stewart Superior).

The sentiment banner, "Peaceful Greetings", and Globe die-cuts were added to the image panel, which was then trimmed, adhered to black cardstock, and then onto a white card. "Joy to the world" was added courtesy of the Christmastime Remnant Rubs (Idea-ology) to finish the card.

Thanks for visiting today!

I shall enter this card into the following challenges:

• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenges: Christmas/Winter Holidays

• Addicted to Stamps Challenge #159: Season's Greetings

• Country View Challenges: Christmas

• Show Us Your Pussies Challenge #25: Christmas

Meowy Christmas!

After another crafting hiatus, caused by more health woes, I've finally gotten back into my craft room and have been happily creating again!

Here's a holiday card with Cat Angel (Stampendous) and an old sentiment from justjohanna/Odd Bird Planets.

Cat Angel was stamped twice with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts), first onto Neenah cardstock, then onto Eclipse Tape (Judikins). The Eclipse Tape version was fussy-cut and adhered over its counterpart as a mask. The masked image panel was die-cut with one of the dies from the Stitched Squares Thinlits die set (Sizzix), then airbrushed with Copic markers.

The mask was lifted and Cat Angel was colored with Copic markers. A Clear Sparkle Spectrum Noir glitter pen (Crafter's Companion) was used to add a glittery sparkle to the wings, star, and sky dots.

"Twinkle", from a Christmastime Remnant Rubs sheet (Idea-ology), was added to the top left of the image panel.

Blue cardstock was cut to form a card. The scraps were die-cut with a nameplate die (Spellbinders) and a stitched strip die from one of the Blueprints die sets (Die-namics). Meowy Christmas (justjohanna/odd bird planet) was stamped onto the nameplate die.

Star patterned paper from the Beachside Pint-sized 6x6 pad (Lawn Fawn) was cut to size, then mounted onto the blue card. The image panel, stitched strip, and sentiment were added adhered to the card front. Two rhinestones were added to the nameplate to cover the holes and add a touch of bling.

Thanks for visiting today! 

I shall enter this card into the following challenges:

• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenges: Christmas/Winter Holidays

• Addicted to Stamps Challenge #159: Season's Greetings

• Country View Challenges: Christmas

• Show Us Your Pussies Challenge #25: Christmas

White Rabbit Time!

Hello again! Can you believe it? Two posts (with a coffee break between) in one day! Wow, it's shocking! Here's my second Wonderland ATC for the swap over at on Vera Lane Studio's Facebook page.

This one features the White Rabbit from the Alice and the Rabbit digi set (Vera Lane Studios).

The White Rabbit was resized in PhotoElements, printed onto Neenah cardstock with my laser printer, colored with Copic markers, fussy-cut, and edged with a black marker. He was set aside (where he enjoyed some tea with the The Mad Hatter) while I created a background for him.

Grey cardstock was embossed with the Clocks embossing plate (Cherry Lynn Designs). Worn Lipstick, Salty Ocean, Hickory Smoke, and Black Soot Distress inks (Ranger) were sponged over the keyhole stencil from the Shapes 2 stencil set (Dylusions/Ranger). The Time Tunnel stencil (Visible Image) was placed over the keyhole, then Hickory Smoke and Black Soot Distress inks were sponged over top. 

The stencils were lifted, the embossed panel was trimmed, then sponged with Black Soot Distress ink, and adhered to a black ATC. The White Rabbit was adhered to finish the ATC.

Thanks for visiting today!

We're All Mad Here!

You might have noticed that I've been MIA in the blogosphere for quite some time. I've also been missing from my craftroom too (the story follows below). I finally rectified that by creating two ATCs for a Wonderland-themed swap on Vera Lane Studio's Facebook page.

Here's the first one with The Mad Hatter (Vera Lane Studio).

The Mad Hatter and the sentiment were resized in PhotoElements and printed out onto Neenah cardstock with my laser printer.  The Mad Hatter was colored with Copic markers, fussy-cut, then edged with a black marker.

The panel was cut to size, then airbrushed with YG45, Y26, BV25, and V25 Copic markers. When I was happy with the coverage, a Post-it note was placed over the bottom of the panel, then  YG45 was airbrushed over the Small Keyholes stencil (Ranger). The Post-It note was removed and YG45 was airbrushed over the Chequered Dots stencil (Ranger).

The panel was trimmed, edged with Jet Black StazOn ink (Imagine Crafts), and adhered to an ATC-sized piece of black cardstock. The The Mad Hatter was adhered and the ATC was done! I must admit that it felt GREAT to be back in my craftroom, though my mad skillz are a bit rusty!

Thanks for visiting today!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now here's the very boring update of what kept me away for so long and why we're all mad here! As you might remember, I've been in the process of renovating my house and my mouth. Then in the beginning of October, while putting things back to rights, I twisted my knee. Unlike my usual practice, I went to the doctor immediately because I was going to go on vacation where I'd be doing a lot of walking. He told me it was likely arthritis, but there was a slight chance that I tore my meniscus, but I should be fine.

I continued on with my very frustrating dental work (three or four times to get a crown sized correctly and installed) and gum surgery. Then we left for our trip to Germany. Two days into the trip, my knee went out again.  However, being me, I still managed to to visit the countryside, do a castle tour, enjoy a (very short) river cruise, visit a Matisse exhibit, enjoy great beer, good food, and some good wine (plus a lot of dramatic whining when the pain got severe). I did absolutely NO shopping and didn't really get to explore as much as I wanted.

When we got back home, I got myself to the doctor, got some good anti-inflammatories, had a molar extracted, rested a bunch, and finally got myself back to the craft room. After two weeks, I got the result of my xrays, and in another ten days will have an MRI, which will likely confirm that I tore my meniscus. At least I won't be on crutches for Thankgsiving, though I will not be able to eat turkey, ham, or stuffing (due to the lack of molars from said dental work). I will be able to eat sweet potatoes. More importantly, I can drink wine. So that's my plan.

A Moving Halloween Card!

I've been MIA with dental woes and just a lot of not-so-fun life stuff. But I'm back and I have good news! I'm now on the design team for The Stamp Doctor! I've never been really good at paper engineering (all that pesky measuring and math stuff), but love cards that move and have interesting folds, so I was delighted to get my hands on the Flip Flop die.

Here's my first project (and my first video), using the Flip Flop die (The Stamp Doctor) with Kitty Skirt (Stampendous) and the Mini Branches Reversed stencil (The Crafter's Workshop).

Here's the unopened card:

And the opened card:

Kitty Skirt was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts), colored with Copic markers, then trimmed to fit the card.

Cardstock was die-cut with the Flip Flop die, folded per the enclosed directions, then Black Soot Distress ink (Ranger) was sponged over the Mini Branches Reversed stencil. Old crusty Remnant Rubs (Idea-ology) were used to add the "Happy Halloween) sentiment and the dangling spider. A piece of old Graphic 45 cardstock provided the cat Halloween quote. 

The panel was adhered to the front of the card, all edges were sponged with Black Soot Distress ink, and I called it done. I could NOT believe how quick and easy it was to create a moving card with the Flip Flop die. You definitely need to get this die now and to check out all the other fabulous dies and stamps available at The Stamp Doctor!

Thanks for visiting today.

A Sweet Gift Card!

I don't know about you, but I tend to give a lot of cards containing gift cards during the holiday season. Here's one  with  Sweet Holly Penguin (FRA-DIE-10309) and Gift Card Corner Holder (FRA-DIE-10301).

Outside

Inside:

Sweet Holly Penguin was die-cut from white cardstock and colored with Copic markers. Several layers of Clear Gelly Glaze pen (Sakura) were added to the Sweet Holly Penguin's holly berries to make 'em dimensional and shiny.

Old patterned paper was layered and Morning Dew Nuvo Crystal Drops (Tonic Studio) was added to the seam between the papers and to the grey and blue dotted paper. The Sweet Holly Penguin was adhered and more Morning Dew Nuvo Crystal Drop were added underneath him so he appeared to be on icy, snowy ground. 

White cardstock was cut to two 4" x 5.25" panels. The image panel was matted with one of them, then adhered adhered to an ice blue card.

The second trimmed white panel was die-cut with the Gift Card Corner Holder die, then adhered to the inside of the blue card. An Starbucks gift card was added to illustrate the way the Gift Card Corner Holder works.

A scrap of the icy blue cardstock was die-cut with the the sentiment "A Gift" from the Gift Card Corner Holder die set, then adhered to the card front to finish the card.

Thank you for visiting today!

Christmas Cardinals

Here's another holiday card with the Modern Cardinals (FRA-DIE-10308) die set from Frantic Stamper's September release.

Both cardinals from the the Modern Cardinals die set were die-cut from red textured specialty paper (FiberMark). The mask, beak, and eyes were die-cut from black, yellow, and white cardstock respectively. The red portions of cardinal were edged with a dark red Copic marker, then the both Modern Cardinals were assembled.

Patterned paper was layered and silver foil border stickers were adhered over the seams. Silver Metallic Leafing pen (Krylon) was run along all four sides to edge the card front. The cardinals were adhered to the card front.

Another piece of red textured specialty paper was adhered to 5.5" square card and the card front was adhered to complete the piece.

Thanks for visiting today!

Happy Holidays!

Here's the third holiday card with the Truck Tidings Cling Stamp and Die set (Stampendous). 

The truck and the gift pile from the Truck Tidings set were stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts), colored with Copic markers, die-cut with their corresponding dies, then edged with a black marker. The headlight was coated with several layers of Clear Gelly Glaze pen to add glassy dimension and shine.

Hickory Smoke Distress ink (Ranger) was sponged over the Cityscape stencil (The Crafter's Workshop) onto patterned paper. The paper was then trimmed and edged with more Hickory Smoke Distress ink. The Happy Holiday sentiment from Christmastime Remnant Rubs sheet (Idea-ology) was added to the top of the stenciled paper. Road-patterned washi tape was adhered along the bottom of the stenciled patterned paper, then the panel was matted with coordinating patterned paper.

A small scrap of vellum was adhered behind the truck's open window and the pile of gifts was adhered slightly behind the truck's bed. The truck was adhered to the card front as shown. The card front was adhered to an A2 card.

Thanks for visiting today!

Season's Greetings

Here's another card with the Truck Tidings Cling Stamp and Die set (Stampendous). 

The truck and the gift pile from the Truck Tidings set were stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts), colored with Copic markers, die-cut with their corresponding dies, then edged with a black marker. The headlight was coated with several layers of Clear Gelly Glaze pen to add glassy dimension and shine.

White cardstock was die-cut with the Stitched Valley dies (Die-namics), colored with Copic markers, then adhered to piece of patterned paper from a 6x6 pad. Road-patterned washi tape was adhered along the bottom of the patterned paper.

A small scrap of vellum was adhered behind the truck's open window and the pile of gifts was adhered slightly behind the truck's bed. The truck was adhered to the card front as shown. The card front was adhered to an A2 card.

Grey cardstock was die-cut with the Season's Greetings die (Elizabeth Craft Designs) and adhered to the top right to finish the card.

Thanks for visiting today!

Merry Christmas

I submitted a trio of cards using the Truck Tidings Cling Stamp and Die set (Stampendous). Unfortunately, they were not picked up for publication, though the cards themselves were then donated to charity by the publication. So, it's a win of sorts. That means that I can share the cards now, which is a good thing since I've been kept away from my craftroom because of  the renovation of my house and my mouth. Neither project has been much fun.

The truck and the tree from the Truck Tidings set were stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts), colored with Copic markers, die-cut with their corresponding dies, then edged with a black marker. The ornaments on the tree were touched with a Clear Stardust marker (Sakura) to add a touch of bling to them. The ornaments, headlight, and the side mirror were all coated with several layers of Clear Gelly Glaze pen to add glassy dimension and shine.

Bundled Sage Distress ink (Ranger) was sponged over the fir tree on the Woodland Mini Layering Stencil (Stamper's Anonymous) onto patterned paper from a 6x6 pad in a repeating manner, varying the darkness of the ink. The patterned paper was edged with Bundled Sage and Hickory Smoke Distress inks. Road-patterned washi tape was adhered along the bottom of the patterned paper. The stenciled patterned paper was adhered to a card.

A small scrap of vellum was adhered behind the truck's open window and the tree was adhered slightly behind the truck's bed. The truck was adhered to the card front as shown.

Grey cardstock was die-cut with the Merry Christmas dies (All Occasions) and the sentiment was added to finish the card.

Thanks for visiting today!

Happy Halloween!

Here's a Halloween card featuring the ever-so-dapper Skelly Tonn from the Randi Dandi Halloween Series 1 Collection of Rick St. Dennis rubber stamps available exclusively at I Brake for Stamps.

Skelly Tonn was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts) and colored with Copic markers. The tip of his cigarette, eyes, and nose apertures of the skulls on his bowtie and fashionable cufflink received dabs of Red, Orange, and Yellow Spica Glitter pens(Copic). The skulls, buttons, and his cigarette holder were coated with several layers of Clear Gelly Glaze pen (Sakura) to add dimension and shine. The Skelly Tonn image was then fussy-cut and edged with a black marker.

I selected a sheet of patterned paper from the Enchanted 6x6 pad (Authentique), then placed the Skelly Tonn image upon it. I loosely traced Skelly Tonn's shape onto the patterned paper using a charcoal pencil, lifted the image, then used the charcoal pencil to color the traced image. When I was happy with the coverage, I also used the charcoal pencil to edge the image panel. The image was loosely adhered inside the charcoal-colored area.

Orange cardstock was cut and folded to form the card. The image panel was adhered to it. A scrap of the excess cardstock was die-cut with a Happy Halloween sentiment die. Pale yellow orange vellum was die-cut with the shadow dies from Happy Halloween sentiment die set and the vapor die from the Grim Cauldron die set (Memory Box). The vapor die-cut was adhered behind the cigarette on the Skelly Tonn image, which was then more firmly adhered to the image panel. The orange Happy Halloween sentiments were adhered to their vellum shadow counterparts, which were then adhered to finish the card.

I Brake for Stamps has a huge and varied collection of rubber stamps that you ought to check out right now. Just so you know, I Brake for Stamps ships internationally!

Click HERE to be whisked I Brake for Stamps to check out all of the goodies! Best of all, if you buy something, you can get a 10% discount off of your purchase if you use this coupon code:  SAVE10KATHI .

Thanks for visiting today!

A Merry Christmas Gift

Here's a gift card tag that's perfect for the holidays! It uses Gift Card Corner Holder (FRA-DIE-10301) and Belly Band (FRA-DIE-10300) dies.

A scrap of very old gift-themed patterned paper was cut to a rectangle, then die-cut with the part of the Gift Card Corner Holder die, which cuts scalloped notches into opposite corners that are perfectly sized to hold a gift card. 

A sheet of red cardstock was cut to a tag shape. Scraps from the red cardstock were die-cut with "A Gift" from the Gift Card Corner Holder set and with the Belly Band  die. 

The sentiment was adhered to the tag front that was then mounted onto the red cardstock tag. A (used) iTunes gift card was tucked into scalloped notches created by the Gift Card Corner Holder die, the Belly Band  die-cut was secured around the tag and the gift card, and a foil sentiment sticker was added to the Belly Band. Green gingham ribbon was added to finish the tag.

Thanks for visiting today!

Good Tidings to You

Here's another holiday card with Sweet Holly Snowman (FRA-DIE-10310), Stitched Rounded Rectangles (FRA-DIE-10321), and Stitched Double Fishtails Labels (FRA-DIE-09735).

The Sweet Holly Snowman was die-cut from white cardstock then colored with Copic markers. Several layers of Clear Gelly Glaze pen (Sakura) were used to add dimension and shine to the holly's berries and the snowman's buttons. 

Blue and white cardstock were die-cut with one of the dies from the Stitched Rounded Rectangles. The white cardstock was torn, layered over the blue die-cut, then Morning Dew Nuvo Crystal Drops (Tonic Studio) was used on the seam between the blue and white cardstock.

White cardstock was die-cut with one of the dies from the  Stitched Double Fishtails Labels die set. A sentiment from the Christmastime Remnant Rub sheet (Idea-ology) was added.

Stitched Rounded Rectangle was adhered to a white card. The Sweet Holly Snowman was adhered to the card front, then the sentiment Fishtails Label was adhered to finish the card.

Thanks for visiting today!

Happy Holidays!

Here's another holiday card with the Modern Cardinals (FRA-DIE-10308) die set from Frantic Stamper's September release, Autumn Scrolls (FRA-DIE-10281), and Stitched Double Fishtail Labels (FRA-DIE-09735).

The bodies and wings of both of the cardinals included in the Modern Cardinals die set were die-cut from red and white patterned paper from the Jovial collection (Basic Grey). They were then colored with Copic markers. Black, white, and gold cardstock were die-cut with the mask and beak dies from Modern Cardinals die set. The cardinals were pieced together and set aside.

Metallic gold cardstock was die-cut with the Autumn Scrolls and Stitched Double Fishtail Labels dies. A scrap of the same red patterned paper was also die-cut with one of the Fishtail Labels dies, then colored with Copic markers.

Patterned paper from the Jovial 6x6 pad was edged with a Copic marker, matted with gold metallic cardstock, then adhered to a red card.

The Autumn Scrolls die-cuts were adhered to the bottom of the card front. The two Modern Cardinals were adhered atop the Autumn Scrolls.

A sentiment from the Seasonal Chit-Chat sticker book (Idea-ology) was adhered to red Fishtail Label, matted with the gold Fishtail Label, then adhered to the card to finish it.

Thanks for visiting today!

Christmas Greetings

Both Halloween and Christmas stuff is in the stores right now, so I guess it's time to start making holiday cards. Frantic Stamper's September release is all about winter and the holidays.

Here's my card with Sweet Holly Penguin (FRA-DIE-10309), the Belly Band (FRA-DIE-10300), and the Stitched Scene Builder Edgers (FRA-DIE-09403) dies.

Sweet Holly Penguin and the Belly Band were die-cut from white cardstock and colored with Copic markers. Several layers of Clear Gelly Glaze pen (Sakura) were added to the Sweet Holly Penguin's holly berries to make 'em dimensional and shiny.

Grey cardstock was die-cut with the Stitched Scene Builder Edgers, then layered over patterned paper. Clear Stardust Glitter pen (Sakura) was used to add a touch of glitter to the Stitched Scene Builder Edgers  and the Belly Band. 

Christmastime Remnant Rubs (Idea-ology) were used to add the sentiment to the Belly Band, which was then adhered to the card front. The Sweet Holly Penguin was adhered to the scene to finish the card.

Thank you for visiting today.

Happy Halloween!

Here's my card featuring Tworki, one of the Rick St. Dennis rubber stamps that is exclusively available at I Brake for Stamps.

I decided that Tworki would make a fabulous ghost, so he was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts) onto a piece of very old patterned paper from a 6x6 pad, then colored with Copic markers. When Tworki was fully colored, the patterned paper was sponged with Wild Honey Distress ink (Ranger), then edged with Black Soot Distress ink. 

The image panel was matted with green cardstock, which was then adhered to a black card. A scrap of the leftover green cardstock was die-cut with one of the dies from the A Birdie Told Me die set (Lawn Fawn). "Happy Halloween" from the Gothic Remnant Rubs (Idea-ology) was added to the speech bubble to finish the card.

I Brake for Stamps has a huge and varied collection of rubber stamps that you ought to check out right now. Just so you know, I Brake for Stamps ships internationally!

Click HERE to be whisked I Brake for Stamps to check out all of the goodies! Best of all, if you buy something, you can get a 10% discount off of your purchase if you use this coupon code:  SAVE10KATHI .

Thanks for visiting today!

Floral Sugar Skull

The weather has been cool lately, which makes me think of Autumn, which makes me think of Halloween and the Day of the Dead.

Here's a card with Sugar Floral Skull from the Skellies in the Closet rubber stamp collection by Carmen Medlin Designs, available at I Brake for Stamps.

The Sugar Floral Skull was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts) onto Neenah cardstock, fussy-cut, colored with Copic markers, then edged with a black marker. 

Patterned papers from an old 6x6 pad by Authentique were layered, then matted with yellow-orange cardstock. The Sugar Floral Skull was adhered and the card front was mounted onto a square black card.

I Brake for Stamps has a huge and varied collection of rubber stamps that you ought to check out right now. Just so you know, I Brake for Stamps ships internationally!

Click HERE to be whisked I Brake for Stamps to check out all of the goodies! Best of all, if you buy something, you can get a 10% discount off of your purchase if you use this code: SAVE10KATHI .

Thanks for visiting today!

Savor Life's Magic!

It's the end of August, the weather here in New Jersey has been wonderfully cool, squirrels have been very busy gathering acorns, and some leaves are beginning to fall. All this means is that Autumn will be here soon, which means that Halloween rapidly approacheth! Hurray!

Here's my card featuring Mardi Gras Beads, one of the Rick St. Dennis rubber stamps that is exclusively available at I Brake for Stamps.

I know the stamp's name is Mardi Gras Beads, but I think she's perfect for Halloween too! Mardi Gras Beads was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts) onto Neenah cardstock. The image panel was die-cut with one of the dies from the Card Creator Nestabilities die set (Spellbinders) then colored with Copic markers to match the wonderful Midnight Masquerade 8x8 patterned paper pad (Graphic 45).

Three different papers from the pad were layered, then the edges were distressed to reveal the white core. The card front was adhered to an off-white card and the image panel was adhered.

I Brake for Stamps has a huge and varied collection of rubber stamps that you ought to check out right now. Just so you know, I Brake for Stamps ships internationally!

Click HERE to be whisked I Brake for Stamps to check out all of the goodies! Best of all, if you buy something, you can get a 10% discount off of your purchase if you use this coupon code:  SAVE10KATHI .

Thanks for visiting today!

Autumn Greetings

Frantic Stamper's August release of stamps and dies is called Fall Greetings. Be sure to hop over there to check out the new release,  their wonderful line of precision cutting dies and clear stamps, and other crafting goodies.

Today's card features Autumn from the Fall Words (FRA-DIE-10271) die set, the Autumn Scrolls die (FRA-DIE-10281), and the Leaf Vignettes Squares die set (FRA-DIE-10288).

This card was fairly quick, easy, and fun to create with these fabulous new Frantic Stamper dies, Distress Oxide inks (Ranger), and Distress inks. Thus ends my shortest blog post ever. Tah-dah!

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Love Bird ATC

I was feeling rather birdbrained, so I decided to create an ATC featuring the Love Bird ATC rubber stamp available at I Brake for Stamps.

Here it is!

My single Love Bird was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts) onto Neenah cardstock. After googling Love Bird images, I decided on my Love Bird's coloration and colored him with the appropriate Copic markers. The lonely Love Bird's eye, beak, and talons were coated with several layers of Clear Gelly Glaze pen (Sakura) to add dimension and shine to them.

The image panel was matted with black cardstock, adhered to patterned paper from the Nature's Sketchbook 8x8 pad (Graphic 45), then matted again with black cardstock.

I Brake for Stamps has a huge and varied collection of rubber stamps that you ought to check out right now. Just so you know, I Brake for Stamps ships internationally!

Click HERE to be whisked I Brake for Stamps to check out all of the goodies! Best of all, if you buy something, you can get a 10% discount off of your purchase if you use this coupon code:  SAVE10KATHI .

Thanks for visiting today!

Get Well Soon!

Frantic Stamper's August release of stamps and dies is called Fall Greetings and includes flowers, leaves, Halloween, etc. Be sure to hop over there to check out the new release, their wonderful line of precision cutting dies and clear stamps, and other crafting goodies.

Here's a get well card that features the new Adhesive Bandage (FRA-DIE-10285) and one the dies from the very useful Stitched Double Fishtails die set (FRA-DIE-09735)

Solar Crest White cardstock (Neenah) was die-cut with the Adhesive Bandage die then colored with Copic markers. 

Red cardstock (Bazzill) was die-cut with the little heart included with the Adhesive Bandage die, one of the dies from the Stitched Double Fishtails die set, and one of the dies from the Plain Heart Nestabilities die set (Spellbinders). 

VersaMark ink (Imagine Crafts) was sponged over the Circuit stencil (Brett Weldele/Stampers Anonymous) onto the heart, then Ultra-Fine Detail Silver embossing powder (Ranger) was heat set. The Adhesive Bandage die-cut was adhered over the stenciled, embossed heart, and the small red heart die-cut was added.

The "Get Well Soon" sentiment from the Thank You Cards rub-on sheet (KaiserCraft) was added to the red Stitched Double Fishtails die-cut.

Patterned paper from two different 6x6 pads were layered and the edges distressed. The clocks along the right side were detailed with a R20 marker (Copic), then the bandaged heart and sentiment die-cuts were adhered.

The card front was adhered to a red A2 card and I called it done. BTW, this card was actually sent (shocking I know) to a friend recuperating from the installation of a pacemaker. 

Thanks for visiting today.