More stamping fun

Yeah, I got in some play time and what better way right now then with some Christmas cards.

 I have had this embossing folder for a while and found this to be a great time to pull it out. I used The Play Date Cafe color combination on it.

 The sentiment is from a stamp set by WOW! I embossed it with silver embossing powder.

 Here is The Play Date Cafe combo.

 Next up, I wanted to use the color combination at Colour Q.  I used the card sketch at Clean & Simple for my inspiration. I made sure to say "for my inspiration" because it might not really look like the sketch to you, but it really was my starting off place.

 When I saw this snowflake stamp set, I knew I needed it ASAP. It is from The Craft's Meow. Are the colors just yummy!!!

 Here is the Colour Q combo.

 This is the Clean & Simple sketch.

I also put together this little tag the other day. I had recently watched Tim Holtz doing some demo's at a stamp convention and I came home to try a few of the technques he showed. I picked up the Seedless Preserves Distress Stain and needed to use that. The ornament is from Hero Arts. I didn't have any branch stamps so I used the antlers to one of the little reindeer stamps! This does fit in with the Simon Stays Stamp and Show challenge.

For a couple fun photos...

 We had rain the other day (and we even have some this weekend too). This is just unusual for us so we had to go out and find some puddles. I used my Hipstamatic camera and the lens I used turned out this bizarre photo of duplicate pics of my grandson as he was running.

 

This guy loves puddles!

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

A "deer" here and a "deer" there

I get to share a couple cards with some fun deer images on them, fitting for Christmas or Winter.

 

 My first card uses some really neat stamps from Flower Soft.  They released a few different silhouette style stamp sets this year and this deer and the trees are from the Winter Wonderland set. I love that they come in different sizes.

 Along with these great stamps, I added some White Flower Soft to my trees and to the ground below the deer to make it look like a wonderful winter scene.  These stamps are silhouette in style so they could be stamped in just black but it was fun to stamp them with some color.

 I added a snowflake punch to my scene. Some white Flower Soft was added to that too along with some brown ink rubbed on the edges and a pearl for the center.

 This card was so fun and so fast.  I pulled out two rolls of paper tape from Recollections along with some new BasicGrey papers. 

 The label shape was cut with the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge.  I cut the label shape down the center and added in the two rolls of tape along with the stamped sentiment, a Hero Arts stamp.

And for a couple photos...

 Guess where we went this last weekend??? This is the huge ferris wheel at California Adventures. It is lighted up at night and what is cool is the colors keep changing.

And, this photo is from the special lighting ceremony at the castle.  It is so gorgeous to watch the snowy looking lights come on all over the castle.

 

This is Small World, all decorated for Christmas. If you have never seen what this place looks like during the holidays, put a trip on your "must do" list!!! Extremely stunning.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Black Christmas Trees and Angel Snow Ladies

I am having so much fun creating cards around the themes of the season.

 This first one uses the retro sketch for this week and some really neat WOW stamps I recently won.

 I was a winner of this great stamp set by WOW from Gina Lideros blog.  I wanted my image to be on the simple side so I just stamped it with black ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder. Next came maybe my new most favorite supply, some Heidi Swapp Gold spray. Can you tell how amazing that gold is? I even sprayed it on that little strip of black cardstock.

 I wanted to show off a Kreaxions 4-in-1 punch so I used it on the corners of my square piece of cardstock that I had already embossed with a Cuttlebug embossing folder. This was also rubbed with some brown and some green stamp pad ink.

 Here is the retro sketch.

 Now for my adorable little Snow Lady, a Printworks stamp.  I just love how girly she is.  She also fits the Simon Says Stamp blog, Snowflakes challenge and the CASology SPARKLE challenge.

 Another new purchase that I am loving is some Rock Candy Ranger Sticklers. LOVING the glittery look. The hat was coated with Glossy Accents.

 This snowflake is cut with the Cricut and another example of the Rock Candy Sticklers. I thought the little heart she is holding looked something like a Bauble to go along with the Addicted to CAS challenge.

 This is the Addicted to CAS challenge.

CASology Sparkle challenge.
And for a couple cute photos...

 We picked up this adorable Santa advent calendar at Ikea and my youngest grandson has had so much fun opening a box each day. He was getting mad that Christmas wasn't here since we said it was Christmas time, so this helps him, I hope!

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Snowflakes and more Snowflakes

Even though we don't get snow around these parts, I just love using snowflakes for winter themed projects.

 I just picked up this new Martha Stewart snowflake punch and of course needed to put it to use. That great background piece is cut with the Cricut.

 Notice the white pearl looking dots, I used Liquid Pearls.  This product seems to be my "go to" look for now! So easy to use and they make such a neat little accent.  This also fits Simon Says Stamps "Anything Goes" challenge using Martha Stewart products.

 I put the Colour Q color combination to use on my card.  It was fun to try to include all of the yummy colors in this combo.

 Next up, I wanted to use The Play Date Cafe combination and the CAS(E) this sketch sketch.  This time I pulled out a great image using the Cricut for the snowflake.  I stamped the zig zag design on the red cardstock with red ink. I didn't really want to use a plain piece of cardstock. 

 Notice that chunky glitter? I got it from Impress Rubber Stamps.

 Here is The Play Date Cafe combo. This is one I would want to use over and over.

And, the CAS(E) this sketch.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

One die - two ways

I picked up a new shape die.  It is from Spellbinders and it is so cool.

 Of course, I needed to play with it so I made it fit in with a few challenges.  First off, the retro sketch.  LOVE this sketch!

 This die is a two step die. One piece cuts the shape and the other piece cuts the doily design.  Here I didn't cut the doily design, I embossed it.  I used a little bit of a rub of brown stamp pad ink to help the details show off a bit.

 Here is the retro sketch that was my inspiration.

 Next off, this card uses the Dynamic Duos color combination and the Freshly Made sketch. 

 I embossed the silver paper for the card and the die shape is cut with the same die using a mirror finish placemat.  I was hoping that the die would cut the plastic and it wouldn't but how cool is the design that was cut into the plastic?  I had to hand cut the outside of the die along the lines that it did cut.

 Here is the Dynamic Duos color combo.

And the Freshly Made sketch.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

CardMaker Magazine - Flower Soft blog hop

Hope you are having fun on this great blog hop. You should have arrived here from Krista's blog.

If you are just starting at my blog, you can catch up by starting at the CardMaker blog or the Flower Soft blog.

 The theme is cards with animals so I went straight to my Cricut machine and pulled out my Create a Critter cartridge. 

 I wanted to make sure I used some Flower Soft on my card too, so I added some Ultra Fine green Flower Soft to the leaves on my little vine.  The flowers here are punched.

I also added some of the same Flower Soft to my cut grass pieces.

From here, hop on over to Kimberly's blog for more inspiration and the next step in the hop.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Flowers and Wise Men

No, those two don't go together except in this post!

 I wish you could see this card in real life! It turned out way more exciting then I expected.  I embossed the Hero Arts background stamp with clear ink and clear embossing powder on white cardstock. Next, I took a brownish color of paint and painted over the entire piece.  Before this was completely dry, I carefully wiped off the paint and revealed this great look.

 It looks like porcelain or china since it turned out shiny with the clear embossing powder.

 I used this CAS(E) this sketch for my inspiration.

 Next up, I used some really neat new Flower Soft stamps for this card.  I used a EK Success border punch on this too.

 I love the look of silhouette stamps and this entire set is just that.  For the blue background, I took some Distress Stain and applied it directly to an acrylic stamping block and then touched that inked block to my paper and slightly turned the block which gave me that swirl pattern.

 This card fits in with the Cas-ual Fridays Winter Blues challenge.

And for a fun photo...

We came across this cutie in the parking garage of our Target!

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)