Catalog Cat

There are so many wonderful products in the Stampin' Up! catalog that sometimes you need a nap after looking at them all!  :)  

Just Add Kathy!

I hope you don't pass out when you see this post!   I actually did a challenge that I'm NOT on the design team for!   It feels like forever since I've done that.   I just had to play along with this one though.   The challenge this week at Just Add Ink is to CASE my awesome friend Kathy!   So, I did!  :)

Here's the card of Kathy's that I picked to do:

Gorgeous, huh? I thought so.  In fact, I got bought the square punch just to make similar cards!   I just hadn't found the time to do one yet, so this challenge was perfect!  I wanted to do a birthday card for mine, and here is what I ended up with:

My pictures never turn out that great anymore, but I promise this is just stunning in person.   I combined some of my favorite sets, both current and retired, along with one of my favorite colors, Early Espresso.    I didn't have the Neutrals brads, so I used some of the much-neglected Vintage Trinkets instead.   I think it turned out wonderfully and now I'm thinking up other stamp sets that would work with this design.   Thanks so much Kathy for the inspiration! 

Stamps:  Gently Falling (R), All Holidays (R), French Foliage

Ink:  Early Espresso

Paper:  Early Espresso, Naturals White

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Framed Tulips embossing folder, sponges, 1 3/8 square punch, Vintage Trinkets

FM43: Sketchy Fun

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

1. Make a project using the "Sketch".
2. Or Make a project using "Something NEW in your stash". (Stamps, ribbon, pretty paper...anything!)
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project "using the Sketch & something NEW in your stash".

It's Friday, Friday, Friday!   Oh sorry.  I got stuck on the most annoying song ever.   Goodness.   Anyway, it IS Friday and time for a challenge from The Friday Mashup!   Kim has a fun sketch challenge for us this week!  The other part of the challenge is to use something NEW in your stash of stampin' goodies.   I just know you have something that's sitting there unloved, so that part should be easy!  :)

I went to bed on Wednesday night knowing that I had to make my card yesterday morning.  I guess my brain was processing the sketch all night because I had the idea for this card when I woke up!  Don't you love when that happens?   I couldn't remember the colors my brain picked, but I wanted to use Crumb Cake for some reason or other.   The new product was the Wisteria Wonder baker's twine and of course I had to use my new diagonal scoring plate!  :)

This is a very different card for me.   I love clean-and-simple, but to me they are the most difficult cards to create.   I like to challenge myself to try them sometimes but get frustrated with them pretty quickly.   My sweet friend Marla helped me via our iPhones yesterday so it was good to have a buddy to talk out the design with. I love my demo friends so much!  I hope you enjoy it and will come play along with us!  

Stamps:  Fresh Vintage (SAB), Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Versamark, Elegant Eggplant

Paper:  Crumb Cake, Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Very Vanilla, Neutrals DSP stack

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Beautiful Butterflies die, Boho Blossoms punch, Simply Scored w/ Diagonal Plate, In Color Dotted brads, Wisteria Wonder baker's twine

Baby Talk

So I thought I'd do a little sharing about the little one.   Since she is apparently eating my creativity, I don't have cards to post as often as I wish.  I sure hope she comes out stamping!   lol    I've already discovered one huge drawback to having a girl...pink!   Everything is PINK!   Guess who doesn't like pink?   Yeah.   So, I keep looking around for yellow, green, purple...anything that's NOT pink.  However, seeing as how we are doing her room in giraffes, I had to buy this cute little sleeper last week.   The giraffe print caught my eye and had me laughing and the cute little giraffe on the front just won my heart.  So, we have some pink in the house now.   

The other part that has been making me crazy is trying to pick a name!  I wanted a traditional name (Elizabeth, Catherine, something like that) while Jason was all into unique or different names.   The only thing we both liked was Elise for the middle name.   To be funny, during my Target trip this week I went and checked out the names of the Cabbage Patch Kids.    Well, there were two that actually had good names!   (I still have mine from childhood and her name is Lorna Zora.  What?)   Anyway...we talked about the two and decided that we did like one of them a lot!   AGREEMENT?  Sound the alarms!!  That night we went back and purchased Laila Elyse!    So now we have a strong possibility for a name, but have to figure out the spelling.   It's never just simple, right?    I like Layla Elise, but he likes Laila.   I'm thinking a good game of paper, rock, scissors might happen at the hospital!   Either way, our little girl will have a cute doll with her name.   That's kinda cool, but I hope she isn't upset about being named after a doll!  

The moral of that story? You can find everything at Target, even a name for your baby.   :)

FMS19: Roar!!

The fabulous Jen Mitchell has a great sketch for everyone this week at Freshly Made Sketches.   I love scallop borders, so I was all ready to jump in and get to stamping!    I hope you'll find some time to join us as well!

I had so much fun making my card.   I used some new products and a new-to-me stamp set.   I have always loved Wild About You and was thrilled when my former demonstrator gave me of box of things with it in there.   I think it is one of my favorite sets ever!   I paired it with my favorite die, Tasteful Trim, and a brand new product that will be available on March 1st, the Simply Scored Diagonal Plate!   I was lucky and won it at the Regional on Saturday!   Exciting, huh?  I hope you can see the scoring on the Baja Breeze card stock.   The Color Coach picked out the colors for me.  I wanted to use Island Indigo since it has been a while.  I love that color and I think I was trying to hoard it a bit.  :)    

Be sure to stop by and check out all the fabulous cards by the design team!

Stamps:  Wild About You

Ink:  Island Indigo, Rich Razzleberry

Paper:  Island Indigo, Baja Breeze, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Tasteful Trim die, Simply Scored Diagonal Plate, Brights brads

Sale-a-brate Good Times!

Woo Hoo!  I hope you are as excited as I am to welcome in the most wonderful time of the year, Sale-a-bration!  There are some amazing products this year that you can get for FREE!   Who doesn't LOVE free?   I know I do.   I've been enjoying my SAB goodies for a while, but now it is your turn!    Be sure to go check out the catalog here.  

For customers, you guys get one free product from the SAB catalog for each $50 you spend (before tax/shipping).    Yay for free stuff; there are lots of fun goodies to pick from too!

For workshop hostesses, you earn an exclusive tote bag for a $150 workshop and a free Hostess Bundle for a $400 workshop.    The bundle includes the Fresh Vintage stamp set, the Everyday Enchantment designer paper, and the Everyday Enchantment ribbon and brad bundle.  Those are my favorite products from Sale-a-bration, so what a deal!

If you want to sign up as a demonstrator, you get a great discount on the Starter Kit!  It's only $125 during SAB AND you get an amazing bonus!   For each month that you remain active in 2012 and place an order, you get a free pack of designer series paper or digital download!  I wish I could sign back up for that deal!  Wow!

Be sure to contact me if you want to place an order, host a workshop, or want more information about signing up as a demonstrator!   :)

San Antonio Regional 2012

I thought I'd share some pictures from my day at the Regional on Saturday.   It was a huge event and freaked me out a little.  I don't do that well in crowds, so I was thankful to have some wonderful friends to lean on.  I finally got to meet my sweet friend Anne Marie and she came with two bonus friends, Amy and Minnie!   As we were wandering around, we ran into Shellie and got this awesome picture!  I also got to see my friend Ann Schach again which was wonderful.   She is so feisty and cracks me up!

These pictures are our make-and-takes.   I can't even tell you how stressed we were trying to make these!  You would have thought we'd never stamped before in our lives!   I think being in unfamiliar settings was stressful for our creativity or something.  :)    Both cards use the adorable kite set that you can find in the Occasions Mini catalog.   

This card is too cool because it turns so you can see 3 different kites!   It was a bit of challenge to put together and I totally forgot a few details, but I still love it.  I think both cards have a whimsical feel to them.  While I love that look, I have no idea how to design cards like that!

Finally, my sweet roomie from Convention, Jackie Topa, found me and gave me this adorable gift!   Isn't it the cutest?  I LOVE purple, so it was just perfect for me!  

It was a very nice weekend away with one of my best friends, Rebecca.  I hope she found some inspiration in the event and enjoyed the magical feel of a Stampin' Up! event.  

FM42: Lovely Heart

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

1. Make a project featuring "Paper Piercing".
2. Or Make a project using the colors "Blushing Bride, Riding Hood Red & Early Espresso".
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project using the colors "Blushing Bride, Riding Hood Red & Early Espresso with some Paper Piercing" .

It's Friday, which means a new challenge from The Friday Mashup!   I am the hostess this week and I'm excited to share my fun challenge.   You already know that I've been stuck on Valentine's Day cards, so my challenge includes some fun colors that are just perfect for those.   However, if you are not really lovin' your Valentine right now, this challenge is also for you.   You can work out some of that anger and frustration by paper piercing!  :)    

For my card, I used the sketch from this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch to help get me going.  I also used a new product, the Lots of Love letterpress plate!   It looked so pretty that I was a bit sad to cover up all that Early Espresso.   I definitely want to make a card that will let that part shine, so stay tuned.   I love the look of the letterpress plates with Versamark.   So, so pretty!    Other than that touch, I kept it pretty clean, simple, and sweet!  Not much stamping at all in fact.  :)

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Versamark, Riding Hood Red

Paper:  Riding Hood Red, Blushing Bride, Early Espresso, In Color Hostess DSP stack (retired)

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Lots of Love letterpress plate, Scalloped Heart of Hearts embosslit, Full Heart punch, Itty Bitty Punch pack, Mat Pack, Paper Piercing tool, Riding Hood Red ribbon (retired), Basic Pearls

I'll be heading out today for a fun weekend in San Antonio!   I can't wait to attend the Regional event and hang out with some of my fellow demonstrators.   Blogging has really blessed me with some amazing friends and I sure hope they aren't afraid of hugs because I am a hugger.  :)

FMS 18: Candy!

My buddy Linda has a fun new sketch for everyone this week at Freshly Made Sketches.  I love simple sketches because it really allows my mind to think up so many possibilities!    I did struggle to narrow down what I wanted to do this week, but as I was waking up yesterday I got an idea for a card.   I love when that happens.  

My idea was to make a shaker card using the Candy Conversations a la carte stamp from the new Mini catalog.   I LOVE candy hearts, so this stamp was on my very first order from the catalog.  Unfortunately, it didn't turn out quite like what I wanted as I am not feeling very creative lately.   I know I had mentioned that I wanted to stamp every day this month, but it just hasn't happened.  Hopefully I will get around to doing it a bit more. I've just been so discouraged with my results lately that I've been avoiding my room.   I do think I'll try the idea again in some different colors.  Pretty in Pink is just not a color that I like that much so maybe that's why I'm not loving my card.

I hope you'll come play along with us this week!   I'm off to find some candy now.   :)  

I'll try to post a few pictures of the new things I picked up for the baby this week and some ideas I had for the wall color of the nursery.   I know a few of you warned me about the gray, but Pinterest has me determined to make it happen!  

Remembering Eli

Today is one of the two days of the year that I dread seeing.  Three years ago we said goodbye to our beautiful little boy.  The anniversaries (today, his birthday) always bring the emotions flooding back just like it was yesterday.   I figure we'll be going through a lot of tissues today.   I am hoping I can at least go in his room and find some good memories that might bring a little smile as well.

Here's Eli with his crab toy.   In his short time with us, it was his favorite and the crab has become somewhat of a symbol of remembrance for us.  We've bought hundreds of them so that the infants in the children's hospital can have a little brightness in their stay.   This year we will be donating 108 of them once they arrive next week.     I hope the tradition is one that we can keep up for a while as it feels like we are doing something to keep his spirit alive.  

I wasn't planning on stamping today, but perhaps I should dust off Crab & Company and make up some cards to drop off at Ronald McDonald House.   If I do, I'll be sure to share them with you.

FM41: Thank You Flower

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

1. Make a "Thank You" themed Project.
2. Or Make a project "Using Designer/Patterned Paper".
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a "Thank You project with Designer/Patterned Paper".

It's Friday, so time for a new challenge from The Friday Mashup!   This week's challenge was put forth by Lesley and it is a perfect one for this time of year.   If you are like me, you are a bit behind on those Thank You cards for Christmas and could use a kick in the butt to get them finished.  :)    

After battling a bit of food poisoning, I was a bit wiped out yesterday.  I decided to keep my card fairly simple; that's best anyway because I need to do quite a few of them.  I started with black and vanilla, but I plan on trying a range of colors today.  I'll be sure to post the successful attempts.  :)   I seriously love my Fun Flowers die.  I had been wanting to use it on the First Edition designer paper and I love the result.   I recently got the Boho Blossoms punch and I love how it finishes off the center of the flowers.   It doesn't show up well in the picture, but the whole card is shimmery as I sprayed it with my homemade shimmer mist.  

I hope you'll find the time to join us this week!  

Blue Valentine #2

As I was working on my card for Freshly Made Sketches, I couldn't help but think how it would look all dirtied up.  :)    I decided to make another one with some distressing and sponging.  I ended up not liking it nearly as much as the other one, but I think I might go back and add a few more hearts to the panel and see if that will help.   These cards were the first ones I had used my new Netting background on and I really liked it.   Do you have that one yet?  It add a fun bit of interest to your background which is nice.  

MJ Update

I just wanted to share that I got a note from MJ's caregiver today letting me know that MJ has received a number of hand-stamped cards.   They wanted to send lots of hugs to everyone for taking the time to send them.    Today made day one hundred for them this hospital stay.   Can you even imagine that?   I am ready to leave the hospital after an hour so I can't imagine one hundred days.   Please continue to keep them in your thoughts.

FMS 17: Blue Valentine

It is my week to host the challenge at Freshly Made Sketches and here is the sketch I came up with to challenge everyone.  I was excited because I saw a reason to pull out my new favorite thing, the Tasteful Trim die!   I am definitely happy that I picked it to use my awesome birthday discount on from Stampin' Up!   It is such a great die; who doesn't LOVE rick rack?!  

I decided to continue my efforts to get a lot of Valentine's Day cards made up.   I took the colors from the the Pals Paper Arts color challenge (Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla) and came up with this card.   I do have to go back and straighten up that crooked rick rack, but just pretend it is straight, okay?  :)    I wanted to leave off the ribbon and bling to make it a truly masculine card, but I felt that it really need SOMETHING and that ended up being rhinestones!  

I hope you'll come play along with us this week!    

Inspiration Stamping

I found some really cute baby bedding on clearance at Target today and I went ahead and picked it up.   They didn't have all the pieces, so I will have to go check out the other Target near me tomorrow to see if they might!   I love gray and yellow together and had been thinking about that combination for the room.   I hope I didn't jinx myself by buying something so early.   

Anyway, I wanted to stamp a bit more today so I decided to go make a card inspired by the bedding!   I think it turned out really cute too.   

Stamps:  Fox & Friends, Petite Pairs

Ink:  Basic Gray

Paper:  Basic Gray, Whisper White (textured), So Saffron

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Designer Frames embossing folder, XL Oval punch, Basic Gray 3/8 taffeta ribbon (retired)

I'm not sure Jason is looking forward to all the painting, but at least it will just be one color this time!  I'm thinking gray walls and yellow curtains right now!  If anyone has any ideas for wall decor, please share!   I wanted to try and make a few things myself to put in there, but we'll see how that goes. I'm not very crafty with decor items.  I know I want to get a tree (vinyl wall art) to go on the wall behind the crib, but that's about all I've come up with so far.  

Before I go, isn't the matching mobile just adorable?  

Exciting News!

Well, I finally feel like it is about time to share a bit of news with all of my wonderful followers.    That picture up there is our little girl that we will hopefully be welcoming into our family in July.   My lack of blog posts and stamping for the past few months are totally her fault as she thinks we need lots of naps and rest (and strawberries and cake too!).  :)    Thankfully the nausea has finally let up a bit now that I hit the second trimester.   We still have a long road ahead, but for now we know she has a normal set of chromosomes and will not be affected with SMA.   I can't even tell you how much I cried the day our genetic counselor called with that news.  The holidays were spent waiting on test results and I was so glad that they came much quicker than we hoped.   I feel like we are over one big hurdle for now and am crossing my fingers that we can just be a normal pregnant couple for the rest of the journey.

Before I sign off, I want to thank those of you who took time to mail off cards to MJ.  I know they will be so appreciated; I can't even begin to imagine how trying it must be to spend months at a time in the hospital!  Also, I've received some really nice emails lately from a few of you and I will try to get some replies out soon.  I'm so behind with everything these days! 

I wish everyone a wonderful week.   

Stamp Club Valentine pt. 2

Did you miss me yesterday?  :o)   I took a bit of a day off from paper crafting and spent it with a good friend. We shopped for all the 'ingredients' for a diaper cake and managed to get the diaper part of it put together.   She was going to add the ribbon and little accessories later, so I don't have any pictures to share.  It was a fun adventure for sure!   We managed to mix in some football and snacks too!  

The project I'm sharing with you today is the second one we did at my stamp club on Friday night.   I wanted to do a cute little box to match the card we were making.  The Kraft Boxes were just perfect for that!   Everyone got to pick the pattern of designer paper they wanted and cut all their own layers.  We then used the new Apothecary Art stamps and matching Framelit dies to make a cute little label for the top.  Isn't it cute?  

Stamps:  Apothecary Art

Ink:  Real Red

Paper:  Real Red, Brights DSP stack, Whisper White

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Labels framelits dies, Basic Rhinestones, Whisper White 3/8 taffeta ribbon, Kraft Boxes

FM40: Happy Birthday!

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

1. Make a "Birthday" project.
2. Or Make a project using "Pastels".
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a "Birthday project using Pastels" .

Time for a fresh opportunity to mash it up with The Friday Mashup!    A great way to start off the new year is to get that supply of birthday cards restocked, so this one is a great one to play along with!  We have two new guest designers and some great samples from all to get you inspired!

I used the sketch from this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch for the layout of my card this week.   I thought it worked well to showcase all those lovely designer papers that I just can't use enough!  I can't wait for Sale-a-bration to begin so that you can get some of it as well!  I hope you'll join us this week and create a birthday card!   If you are more skilled than I am, perhaps you can even mash it up and use your pastels!

Stamps:  Fresh Vintage (SAB), Watercolor Trio (retired)

Ink:  Poppy Parade, Lucky Limeade, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede

Paper:  Poppy Parade, Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla, Everyday Enchantment (SAB)

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Scallop Circles #2 die, 3 inch circle die, sponges, Pool Party ruffled ribbon, color spritzer, basic pearls

Stamp Club Valentine

I hope you hadn't given up on me for today!  I'm still hanging in there with my goal to create something daily.  Toady I didn't manage to do a challenge, but I did make a card for my stamp club that meets tomorrow.  I loved the card I made last week using the envelope full of hearts, so I thought I'd try another version of it today.   It just makes me happy to see all that LOVE flowing out of that bitty envelope.  I have a feeling I'll be making a lot of these.  :)    

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Real Red

Paper:  Basic Black, Whisper White, Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Brights & Subtles DSP stacks

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Framed Tulips embossing folder, Scallop Envelope die, Tasteful Trim die, Full Heart punch, Heart to Heart punch, Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, basic rhinestones

*Inspired by Darlene's card that you can find here. 

Special Request

As a maker of cards, I know how much one of them can mean to someone going through a rough patch.   Today I'll be sending out a birthday card to an amazing lady who does so much for others.   If you are a frequent reader or friend, you probably know that we lost our only child almost 3 years ago to a disease called spinal muscular atrophy.  MJ is a survivor of SMA and will turn 24 on the 8th of this month.   She and her caregiver Brenda are absolutely amazing.  They coordinate many fundraisers for various SMA organizations and also make and send out blankets to newly diagnosed families.   MJ is currently in the hospital and will be spending her birthday there. To make her day a bit brighter, she would love lots and lots of cards.   I'm getting ready to put mine in the mail and I thought I'd see if some of my readers might also send one for her.   If you have an extra one you've made on hand, that would be awesome, but any type of card would bring a smile.  

Here is the address of the hospital if you have a moment to do this:
Nationwide Children's Hospital
c/o MJ Purk
700 Children's Dr. 5 Tower Room #5121
Columbus, OH 43205


Thanks so much!
Rita

FMS 16: Owl Valentine

It is time for Freshly Made Sketches to start up again for the year!  Yay!   Tui has a fun sketch this week that should have your imagination going wild!   There are so many possibilities for this one as you can see from the design team.   We also have two new guest designers with us, so there are lots of fabulous examples to get you started.

Right now I'm trying to do as many Valentine's Day cards as I can to get my display stocked up at a local shop.   I hope you won't get too sick of the red/pink before I meet my goal!  For this one I pulled out a retired Simply Scrappin' Kit to use up some of the stuff I hoard have stored away.   I thought it would work well with my cute little owl and new heart punch.   

I hope you will find some time to come play along with us!  Maybe you can make a Valentine for your sweetheart.  :)   

Valentine Hearts

Tonight I decided to play along with the stampers over at Try Stampin' On Tuesday.   I figured since I WAS trying to stamp on Tuesday, it was the perfect challenge!  I love their sketch this week.  So many possibilities!

In an effort to use up some of my retired things, I've been making some Valentine's Day cards with it.   If there is ever a time to use up red and pink, it is this month, right? :o)   This paper comes from an old Simply Scrappin' Kit that I LOVE.  I'm a bit sad to use it, but I have SO MUCH STUFF and it really needs to get used.   I did  use some of my new heart punches, so it's not all old stuff AND I managed to sneak a few pearls on there too! 

Bookmarks!

In addition to creating something every day this month, my other goal is to get my area in a local shop well stocked.   Today I made up two bookmarks to take over.  This was my first time making them with the Fun Flowers die and I really like them!    

Paper:  Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade

Tools/Accessories: Big Shot, Fun Flowers die, Boho Blossoms punch, Subtles glimmer brads, crimper, giant paper clips (Target)

CCMC182: Vintage Valentine

Isn't this a fun sketch?!  I'm definitely pinning it so I can use it again later!   It is this week's fun challenge at Create with Connie and Mary.    One of my goals for this month is to stamp something every day.  It might be a card for a challenge, a project for stamp club, or something to sell in my little space at a local shop.    Today I wanted to do a challenge because I love them and I do miss doing them.  I have club this Friday, so you'll be seeing a few of those projects in the days to come!

If you've followed my blog for a while, you know how much I love my Stampin' Up! and blogging friends.   As I was emailing with my friend Kathy this weekend, she asked if I had gotten the new stamp set and ribbon/brad bundle that's coming up for Sale-a-bration.  Well, I had but hadn't used them yet.    She inspired me to pull those out tonight and try to make a card with them.   I can tell by the way it turned out that I'm a bit rusty, but hopefully I'll be churning out works of art with it by the end of the month!  

Stamps:  Fresh Vintage (Sale-a-bration), Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Pool Party, Poppy Parade, Lucky Limeade, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso

Paper:  Pool Party, Poppy Parade, Whisper White, Everyday Enchantment designer paper (Sale-a-bration)

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Tasteful Trim die, sponges, color spritzer, Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad pack (Sale-a-bration)

Remember that Sale-a-bration begins on January 24th and runs until March 31st.   

Year in Review pt. 2

Let's finish off those favorites from last year so that we can get to some new stuff soon!

August:  This card is now known as the million dollar card.   I made it for a birthday blog hop for my sweet friend Lesley and thought it turned out so awesome.  Well, others did too apparently!  It has been copied without credit a few times that I've found and someone even went as far as taking my picture and posting it as their own. I joking said it is obviously the best card ever made and for sale for a million bucks.  :)  

September:  August and September were good stamping months for me. I guess I must stamp better when I'm feeling sad?   I had quite a few cards during these months that I really like.   This next card was one I made for a Freshly Made Sketches challenge.  I love the colors so much and the snowmen from Snow Much Fun are some of my absolute favorite stamps!

October:  My other favorite Christmas stamp set and one I just might cry about in a few days when the Mini expires is Bright Hopes.  My favorite card for this month uses it and I love it!   It was another Freshly Made Sketches card that turned out way better than I could have hoped.

November:  This card was actually a card I made for a class.  I love the colors; I think purple and green look gorgeous together!   It was actually inspired by a card from the Idea Book and Catalog.  If you ever need a bit of inspiration, that's a great place to look!

December:  I didn't find much time to stamp in December, but I did make one card that I adore.  Again, it is using the chubby snowman from Snow Much Fun.   I combined him with some of the new designer paper that will be available later this month for free during Sale-A-Bration!   I wasn't sure about a distressed Christmas card, but I love it!

I hope you enjoyed my look back!   I hope this year will be filled with a lot of good surprises and much happiness!  Happy New Year!