Giving Thanks

Hello friends!
It's been too long since I last posted and I wanted you all to know I'm still kickin' :)  Unfortunately life's been a bit stressful lately due to an extremely difficult personal crisis one of my family members is going through.  I don't want to go into any details out of respect for their privacy but I can tell you it's been a tough time for my whole family.  Lots of tears and lots of prayers.  Doesn't always leave alot of energy for anything else. 

While I just haven't been "feeling it" lately with respect to creating for a specific contest I have been trying to do alot of creating just to create.  Wanted to share a couple of these cards with you:

Was totally inspired by Joy to create this one!  I've had this poinsettia stamp from Holly Berry House for a long time.  I embossed it in white several times on some old book pages, colored it with distress markers then heavily spritzed it with perfect pearls and water.  The shine is magnificent IRL!  I paired it with some pp from my fave BG Aspen Frost collection and a sentiment from Hero Arts.


 

The last card I made with this Memory Box window frame die was an outside looking in scene.  This time I wanted it to be inside looking out :)  Stamped Hero Arts woodgrain bg on the die cut window frame.  The Hero Arts evergreen trees were embossed on watercolor paper then watercolored with distress markers.  Difficult to see in the photo but I added lots of stickles to the finished wintry scene.  Sentiment is also from Hero Arts.

Was inspired by Julie's card on the Hero Arts blog to create this one.  Used my all-time fave Hero Arts wreath stamp, my beloved Basic Grey Aspen Frost pp's and a sentiment from my new fave Hero Arts holiday sentiment set :)

And last but not least is this little cutie patootie I die cut from Cricut Winter Frolic cart and paired with a Hero Arts sentiment.  Last year I searched high and low for this cartridge at all the area craft stores with no luck.  One of the last gifts I opened on Christmas day was from "Santa" and it contained this cartridge :)  When my dh was on an overnight hunting trip he did a little "hunting" at that area's craft stores and found it!  So thankful for him and his thoughtfulness:)

For those of you celebrating Thanksgiving Day tomorrow may it be a blessed one!!  So thankful for all of you!!  Love this inspiring and supportive online community to bits!!

Hugs,

Robin

Frosty Christmas

Got inky yesterday by white embossing Hero Arts CG330 Flower Dot Pattern on a piece of watercolor paper, inking it up with a shaded lilac distress re-inker and broken china and picket fence distress stains then spritzing heavily with a mixture of perfect pearls and water.  I happened to notice a snowflake I had die cut a few days ago from shimmery white cs on my desk and thought it would pair nicely with my inked panel to create a cool, frosty Christmas card :)

Other Materials Used:  Hero Arts clear gems, Martha Stewart ribbon, Stampin' Up cs and pp, Papertrey ink white cs, Stamp On It shimmer cs, Cricut Christmas Noel cart

I'm entering this in the current Hero Arts challenge that ends tomorrow as it fits both the holiday card theme and one of the challenge sketches (bottom right):



Happy Wednesday!  Thanks for all your comments!

Sending Christmas Wishes

Don't fall off your chair but I actually have another Christmas card to share and it was NOT made with any BG Aspen Frost papers!

I don't think I'll ever tire of these roses from Hero Arts CG434 Floral Blossoms:)  I inked them up with a Ranger barn door distress marker and a Stampin' Up handsome hunter marker before stamping on a piece of Papertrey ink rustic white cs.  The old Stampin' Up Merry Christmas sentiment was framed with the tag from Hero Arts CL588 Sending You Love and die cut with the matching HA frame cut.  I matted the stamped piece with some diagonally striped pp from the Echo Park Christmas This & That collection - I like the old fashioned wallpaper feel it gives this. 
Other Materials Used:  Stampin' Up handsome hunter cs, Queen & Co red pearls, Ranger antique linen distress ink (to lightly distress edges)

Of course I'll be popping this into the current Hero Arts challenge  



All the sunshine from yesterday has disappeared and it looks like it may rain all day  - good excuse to stay inside and make more cards:)  Thanks for all your lovely comments!

Believe

Imagine that!  Another Christmas card created with Basic Grey Aspen Frost designer papers :)

I love how the piece I used in the background really looks like birch bark!  The reindeer is from Hero Arts CL540 Christmas Reindeer and the sentiment circle from Hero Arts CL634 Believe.
Other Materials Used:  Stampin' Up soft suede and pool party cs, Martha Stewart baker's twine, Papertrey ink scalloped border die, copic markers, googly eyes from stash, Spellbinder circle Nestie

I'm entering this in the current Hero Arts challenge:

Happy Monday everyone!

Peace

Seems like the Basic Grey Aspen Frost collection is definitely going to be my "go to" paper for making Christmas cards this year :)

I white embossed Hero Arts CG211 Magical Background on a piece of solid paper from this collection.  The sentiment (stamped in Ranger Barn Door distress ink) is from Hero Arts CL540 Christmas Reindeer.  The Arboscello Tree and Nestled Bird are both Memory Box dies.  It took a bit of effort to die cut the tree (used both selective shimming with masking tape AND the MB metal shim) but it was worth it. 
Other Materials Used:  Hero Arts clear gems, Papertrey ink white cs, WPlus 9 banner die

I'm going to enter this in the current Hero Arts challenge :



Just realized the colors I used in my card kinda match the colors in the challenge banner :)

Happy weekend everyone!

Runway Inspired Challenge #22 - Tommy Hilfiger

I haven't played along with a Runway Inspired Challenge in a long time and while the inspiration is from Tommy Hilfiger's Spring 2013 collection I couldn't help but think of Christmas when I saw it:

I used some new products (pp from Echo Park This & That Christmas 6 x 6 pad, sentiment circle from Hero Arts C634 Believe and Cuttlebug Christmas Stitches embossing border) to create my card:



Other Materials Used:  Cricut Christmas Noel cart (die cut snowflake), Stampin' Up old olive cs and ink, Papertrey ink rustic white cs, Hero Arts clear gems, Queen & Co red gems, Ranger antique linen distress ink (to lightly distress all edges), W R Memory Keepers corner rounder

I'm also going to enter this in the current Hero Arts challenge:



Happy creating and thanks for all your lovely comments!

SSS Challenge: Joy's Eerie Inspiration Board

Take a look at the eerie inspiration for the current Simon Says Stamp challenge:

When it comes to Halloween I'm all about the candy :)

I used Hero Arts H5330 Girl Holding Flowers (legs only) and gave her a spooky costume by die cutting a treat bag from Cricut Doodlecharms cart, flipping it over and die cutting it again with an oval Nestie.  The candy and trick or treat bag images are from an old Stampin' Up set.  Sentiment came from a $1 clear set.  All edges were lightly distressed with Ranger antique linen.

Other Materials Used:  Ranger dusty concord, worn lipstick and spiced marmalade distress inks, Papertrey ink rustic white cs, WPlus 9 banner die, Cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder, Spellbinder circle Nestie, googly eyes

This card will go out in our youngest niece's Halloween care package - Katie's in her first year at Clemson in S.C. :)  Happy Wednesday everyone!