Snow Friends

This cute little card is made with a stamp by  C & C Designs and colored with Copic markers.

You'll notice that I tend to do a lot with the Copic markers. These are simply the BEST markers around. They are an alcohol ink and SUPER for blending. And with over 350 different colors, I can always find a color combination that I like. Even though I DO think they need more purples (but I like that I can mix two markers together to get the purple I want and the markers don't cross contaminate!!) For more information on Copic Markers check out https://copicmarker.com/
But I digress.

Back to the card. C.C. Designs makes tons of cute stamps. These cute little guys were purchased at Picture This and used in a class that I taught there. I used this colorful snowflake paper by Bella Blvd. as the backdrop for my stamp as well as coordinating purple cardstock. I added some matching ribbon and a snowflake by Impression Obsession. I popped out a Candi dot in the center and embellished with Crystal Stickles. I used the Versa ink square 'Cement' to ink around the stamped image.

Contact me for information on the Copic colors I used to complete this stamp!

Happy Snow Day!

Rosette Snowman

 All this snow and cold has me thinking snowmen. I made this one for a class earlier in the month. Cute border die by Impression Obsession was used on the left side of the card. The snowman was made using the Tim Holtz Sizzix Rosette dies. The snowman arms are cut from a tree die by Impression Obsession. I just cut off twigs for his arms like I do at home:) The hat and scarf are from the Winter Owl die by Spellbinders. I hand cut the carrot for the nose.

I thought my little snowman turned out cute. I put the carrot nose facing up and the hat way back on the head as if he was looking up, but you could put the carrot off to the side and add eyes and a mouth with black pearls.

White On White

Using white on white for your cards can make them look classy. I like using white on white for winter cards. I made this card for a class I taught at Picture This.

Started with a white card base. White card stock embossed with a snowflake embossing folder cut to 5 1/4 x 4 then adhered to the top. Then card stock torn into strips to make 2 different size hills was added next. I added Crystal Stickles to make the hills and selected snow flakes stand out. Then added my Marianne Filagree Snowman (both layers) to the top. I did cut off the little hanging part from the head. You may remember that I used this die in a card earlier this month. http://craftingconnieo.blogspot.com/2014/10/filigree-snowmen.html

Cozy Fireplace

Snow and cold and Christmas is coming, what better way to keep warm than a nice cozy fireplace? Who wouldn't like to get this sweet card in the mail? I know I would! Perfect way to say Merry Christmas!

Fireplace, logs, fire and stocking are all by Memory Box. Cats are by Impression Obsession. Greenery is a strip die by Cheery Lynn. I added red pearl accents to make the berries. Layered on top of a patterned paper to look like wall paper to bring it all together. You could add some mini ornaments to the greenery to spice it up a little....I could see those playful kitties definitely wanting to break some of those! Or how about part of a tree peeking in from one side? The options are limitless!

Yummy Cheesy Bacon Potato Soup

With the arrival of colder temperatures and snow I thought it was the perfect time to throw some soup in the crock pot. Last year I discovered a recipe for Easy Crock Pot Potato Soup. I couldn't find the same recipe this year, so took what I could remember from when I made it last year and added some other things I found in recipes this year and made this soup. Better than last years!! Doesn't take my family of 5 long to go through a 5qt crock of soup!!

Here is my 'adjusted' recipe for Cheesy Bacon Potato Soup!
(all items listed for a single batch unless otherwise noted)

32 oz box chicken broth
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
Sliced carrots (I used about 1 1/2 cups for a double batch)
Diced onions (I used half a large onion for a double batch)
32 oz bag of frozen hashbrowns (the big chunky kind)
Cooked, diced bacon (I used a pound, divided, for a double batch. 3/4 lb in soup, 1/4 lb for garnish)
Salt and pepper to taste

I cooked in on high for 4 hours then turned it on low until the family was all home and ready to eat.
Served with shredded cheddar cheese and bacon

SO good. My husband raved and raved about this soup! Hope you enjoy!

Pretty Poinsettia

Christmas wouldn't be complete without some poinsettias!! This classic looking card is made using the Great Impressions Poinsettia stamp.I stamped it on cream colored paper with a brown ink. Colored it in using Copic Markers and cut it out with the Spellbinders Nestabilities circle dies.
I cut out burgundy paper using a Spellbinders scalloped circle die.

Background papers.....bottom paper is a patterned quilt looking snowflake. Top paper is coordinating metallic paper embossed with the Darice wire fence embossing folder. Coordinating ribbon is used to meld the two pieces of background. Everything is put together on a green cardstock that matches the greens used in the poinsettia stamp.

Put all together this card has a vintage look towards it that reminds me of my childhood. Nostalgia reigns this holiday season!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Here is a quick and easy card that could be used as a Christmas card or for someone's winter birthday.

Card front is cut 5 1/4 inches by 4 inches and then embossed with a fun winter embossing folder then attached to a white A2 sized card.

Banners are cut out of coordinating papers using the Dienamics fish tail banner dies and overlapped slightly. Snowflakes are cut from Impression Obsession snow flake dies and Basic Grey Sizzix snow flake die.
Inked with coordinating Versa ink and the smaller flake popped up.

I finished it off with coordinating bakers twine tied into a bow, leaving the tails hanging down to add a touch of whimsy.

I used teals/aqua because it is one of the most popular colors for Christmas this year (in the scrapbooking/card making world anyway!)

Happy Creating!

Paisley Daze!!

It is no secret to those that know me really well that I LOVE Paisley!! All kinds of paisley. So when I found this little lost and lonely single paper on the sales floor I was in HEAVEN!!! And what better to go with paisley than banners? Nothing, right? It's a total country thing, I think.

There is definitely a lot going on with this page! Another simple layout that can be flipped into just about anything. I used the Dienamics fishtail banner dies to do the banners in coordinating patterns and colors. Inked them with the Aged Paper Distress Ink then punched holes in each corner with the Crop-a-dile. (Don't you LOVE that little tool?) Then I just strung my twine through and adhered to the page. I added a contrasting line of paper in bright green behind my photo mats that were embossed with one of the dot embossing folders. In the corner I used a little rosette made using the Tim Holtz Sizzix rosette die and added some green vines.

I think this might be one of my top 10 favorite pages that I have done!! What is your take on this simple layout?

Gobble Gobble Gobble

Sometimes great creations are sparked from 'waste' from other creations. This cute little fella was inspired by the negative from the Elizabeth Craft Penguin Die. (The below circled section of the die.)

When I saw the cut out, I thought it looked like an alien. So added some green on the back and cut around it. Still needed something.......google eyes!! After the eyes were added, I thought it looked like a bird! Someone said it was a turkey (with Thanksgiving coming around you can imagine how quickly the mind took that leap!!)! So we came up with this card! Totally cracks me up every time I look at it!

 The fence is by Impression Obsession, tree dies from Memory Box, turkey rosette is a Tim Holtz Sizzix die strip and the turkey feet are a flower by Cheery Lynn. (So many uses for dies other than what they are intended for!!).
Gobble Gobble!! Happy Thanksgiving!

Bright and Cheery Summer Fun

Here is another of those scrapbook pages I got done the other day. This is #3 of the 4. (Come back in a couple of days to see #4!!) This was yet ANOTHER lonely little paper sitting on the store shelf. All alone.....feeling neglected! Seriously, I'm a sucker for those last sheets of paper that it seems like no one wants. I even seek them out. Don't like doing 1 page layouts? Cut that sweet little paper in half and use a coordinating color cut in half and viola! you've got 2 pages!!

Okay, now back to the page. I'm really happy with the way that this page turned out. LOVE the bright oranges and pinks and greens! The flower on the lower left is a design on the paper and I wanted to bring that out in the of the page!

Flowers are cut out using a Cheery Lynn die and topped with a Candi Dot in opposite colors. Green borders are punched out with a Martha Stewart lace scalloped punch. I used one of my many floral embossing folders to emboss the mats. Title is custom made by the girls at Picture This. Page is inked with Faded Paper Distress Ink by Tim Holtz.

Word of caution on the ink I used. It goes on really GREEN, but as the ink dries and sets it is fades more into the color you see here. So don't get all weirded out like I did (I only freaked out a little!!)
What can you do with this simple layout? Let me know what you came up with!

Dancing Penguin

It is almost impossible to not smile and want to cuddle this adorable Dancing Penguin stamp by Great Impressions! Just looking at this little sweetie puts a smile on my face and warms my heart. He's just so dang adorable!

He reminds me of the penguin from Happy Feet. Too cute for words! (Squeeeeee)

I made this card using Teresa Collins papers, cardstock and Kpress for stamping on with black Momentos ink. Momentos is my FAVORITE ink to stamp with if I am going to be coloring with Copics.

I used the Dienamics fish tail banner dies for the saying. And highlighted the words with Copics R39 & B41. I added a little bit of tan and green twine to finish it off.

For 'Happy' (I don't know if he has a real name, but I'm going with Happy!!) I used Copics R20 for his blush, YR16 for his beak and feet, R37, R39 for his scarf, B41 for the snowflakes, C3 for his fluffy coat and outlined his face and tummy inside the fluff with C0.

I cut him out with Spellbinders Nestabilities circle dies and Viola! We are all set for dancing!! Can't you just imagine the smiles getting this little gem in the mail would give a person? Gonna send some smiles out this year! Ho! Ho! Ho!

Perfect in Plaid

A couple days ago I told you I had found some time to get some scrapbook pages made. Here is another one of the ones I created using a simple basic design. Once again you can use pretty much anything to flip this into a page to fit your needs.

The colors and patterns in this one were made with the inspiration of some pictures that I need to scrapbook of one of my nephews on a camping trip.

I cut the banners different lengths and embossed 2 of them in different patterns to give the page more texture. I also inked the banners with a white ink to help that texture pop a little  more.

I left a large white rectangle to either put a row of smaller pictures in, a title or some journaling. Or perhaps a combination of the three. I inked the white and the stars with a brown ink to give it a little more bang and popped up a couple of the stars for even more dimension.

Oh, and this was another of those lonely single sheets still left on the sales floor.You could hear the poor thing crying (or maybe that was me?) So sad to see those poor lonely papers!

Little Floating Reindeer

Great Impressions has come out with some really cute Christmas stamps on their recently released stamp boards. This little floating (or is he sinking?) reindeer is one of my favorites!! Just brings out the kid in me!

Isn't he just the cutest? Here I used some of the new Teresa Collins new Christmas papers for the background. I cut my ovals out using metallic text weight paper in brown and cream. I also used the metallic text weight papers for the bow that I cut out with the new Marianne die. Isn't is adorable?

I used the following Copics:

  B41 for the snowflakes,  

  R37, R39 for the scarf,

   E21, E23, E93 for the reindeer

  (E93 being used only for the insides of the ears)

 and then finished is off by using

Clear Wink of Stella for glittery accents. 

Speaking of Wink of Stella....have you tried any of them yet? Do you like the brush or the pen ones the best? I've used both and can't get enough of them. And by all the buzz in the blog world, no one else can either! If you haven't tried them out yet, you really should!!

 

Pretty in Pink....and purple

Finally had a little bit of extra time to work on some scrapbook pages. Between home and work everything has pretty much revolved around Thanksgiving and Christmas lately.

This was a lonely paper sitting on the shelf at the store. Don't you feel sad for all those lonely papers? I do. I think they just beg for someone to buy them and turn them into something pretty!

This is a basic layout that you can do with pretty much anything you have laying around. Don't like flowers? Try using stars, or just circles or any other favorite embellishment! You can use brads instead of the gems. Or turn it on its side and use the small squares as blocks for your title. 3 letters not enough? Add more squares.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!!

Feel free to share with me your take on this simple layout! I love to see your finished projects!

Snowman Fun

 Well, they say that tonight we are going to start getting some accumulation of that nasty white stuff. Yes, snow is on the way. And if you can believe the weather guessers, there will be a lot of it.
Just what all of us crafting people want to here. (NOT) One good thing about a snow storm is that we are forced to stay in the house. And what better thing to work on in early November snow storms than our Christmas cards?

 Here is one of the Christmas cards I made this year. Cute little Great Impressions snowman having a bit of fun with some snow flakes. Copics used were: C7, C10, R37, R39 for the hat, R37, R39 for the scarf, B04 for eyes, B97 for buttons, YR09 for carrot nose, R20 for blush, E57 for branches, B41 for snowflakes, Outlined in B000. Clear Wink of Stella brush was used to accent snowflakes and ground.

Happy Snowman making!!