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A friend sent me several sheets of foil 3d image sets to use. I had them in my projects drawer when the snows struck.
This image was enhanced by the subtle leaf print on this scrapbook paper.
I simply added two heart brads on the background and this will make a nice anniversary card sor someone.
I haven't decided if I want to add a sentiment or not.
What do you think?
Ddd
My project drawer had a couple of sets of teabagfolding squares.
I had created them from the Christmas windows pictures from last year but had never even cut them out.
So, this week I did just that. I love the look of the stained glass and it just looked perfect when mounted on this lace printed scrapbook paper.
I added a pearl-centered brad to the center of the medallion.
I decided to leave this card without a greeting. I can always place a peel-off greeting when I select it to send to someone, but may ust leave it like this.
Ddd
Here is the third of the paper pricking patterns I had on hand.
This time I used a pearlized pink cardstock and after pricking out the whole pattern I used the needle to punch around the outer edges so they would tear away and create this lacy panel.
I cut the base card slightly smaller so the lace edges would hang over.
The three hearts are vellum stickers that I've had in my stash forever. I added white rubons for the greeting.
Here's a closeup of the lower right corner of the panel.
Ddd
I mentioned that I had three paper pricking patterns in my projects drawer.
This pattern fit perfectly on a scrap of tan card I brought up. I added two clear fern stickers and then a caribou head sticker I got in Alaska.
The green card was cut as a mat and then mounted together with the card onto a dark brown base.
I found the 'live' sticker matched the other colors perfectly, so I added it to the bottom corner.
This will come in handy for a 'guy' as I never have enough of these cards.
Ddd
This is another of my 'snowbound' cards.
I cut the Christmas tree off of an old card from last yeat and included it's little frame.
The background paper was from some Christmas projects I made last year.
I cut a little tented shape to frame out the tree and then realized it looked like a house.
So I guess the message of this card is "Merry Christmas From Our House to Yours!"
You can't tell from this picture but the tree has Stickles on the star and on the gold ornaments. I liked it so much that I added very light stripes of Stickles on top of the patterned paper as well.
You can see the glittery effect better in this closeup.
Ddd
Well we did get power back for most of the day, but the way it was flickering I did not trust it. I snagged a bunch of supplies out of the studio and went to work in the livingroom.
The challenge to myself was to use only what I brought upstairs plus whatever I had in my 'stuff to work on someday' drawer beside my livingroom chair. No more trips downstairs allowed!
So this is the first card I came up with. I had some paper pricking patterns and cardstock in the drawer so I used a golden yellow to create this piece. I added a little button brad in each scallop and placed a teddybear sticker inside.
A gold peel-off greeting was placed on the bear's cup.
Here you can see a closeup of the pricking I did. I wanted the dots to show up a little more so I used a pink chalk on a q-tip and rubbed gently over the surface.
Ddd
I am a little late in posting today ... no power for 36 hours. We got it back at about 10 pm last nite but it kept me from creating for a couple of days as my studio is in the depths of the basement without windows. I can't match papers by kerosene lamp so today we have only pictures of the storm. This is the limit of them because my camera froze when we took it outside!
This is the view down the road outside our front yard.
We had 11 inches of snow when we measured it last - it is snowing right now.
There is 1/2 inch of ice on everything - it is in a strata about 6 inches from the top of the snow.
We have one bird feeder and one squirrel feeder but it is not enough to take care of all our 'friends'. We have a troop of raccoons, flocks of sparrows, quail, doves, starlings and a host of other birds. We have lots of squirrels as well.
We had been feeding them dry dogfood, sunflower seeds until we ran out. Then we switched to dry oatmeal mixed in with peanut butter. We put it out under the truck which is the only place without a layer of the silver and white mess.
We're in for the day - again since Saturday morning - as our 4-wheel drive truck will not engage the front drive because it is too cold. We got stuck in our own driveway!
Now that I have power back, I'll get to do some crafting today and have more goodies to post tomorrow.
Ddd
When I first saw the photo of these three leaves in a graphic arts magazine I knew I had to use them. OK, that was probably 5 years ago, but better late that never, huh?
I used a square punch to cut out the leaves and mounted them on pop-dots on top of squares of burlap-print scrapbook paper. I had paper with kanji text (I have no idea what it says) and the green tones really pulls that color out of the leaf photo backgrounds. I added a strip of crackle print paper to anchor the three squares and made a small mat for the text sticker of the same. The square brads are only decorative and the little block is mounted with pop-dots.
The corner brackets started out as striped paper cut into two blocks with a Cuttlebug die. These I cut corner to corner, trimmed off some stray bars and glued them on.
Ddd
I thought I'd try a different alignment on the blog text today and see how I like it. If it's horrible, we won't go there again!
More snow and ice ...more butterflies!
I used pieces of coordunating scrapbook papers for this card, including motif cutouts from the solid purple version. Because of the reddish tones in the butterfly I used Aged Mahogany Ranger Distress Ink to tone the edges of every paper and the card base before attaching. I also used it on the text sticker and on the purple brads. The large brads down the left side have a wide bar on which the legs are mounted so it allowed me to thread ribbon under them without poking through them. I also added an amber rhinestone to each of them and used tiny flower brads to make a flight path for the butterfly. The butterfly is mounted just at the body and the wings tipped up. The antenna are drawn on.
This card has the most work I have done on any card in a long time and it was entirely pre-planned. That never happens!
6 pieces of designer paper (which I got at Dollar Tree); 7 little flower brads; 3 large flower brads; 3 rhinestones; 2 ribbons; 1 cutout magazine picture; 1 card base; 1 text sticker!
Ddd
Sometimes, when the snow is coming down and the ice is thick on the road, what you really need is to get a little floral and butterfly mojo goin' on! Such was the case today.
I used the dotted Cuttlebug folder to impress a large card base of golden sunshine yellow. I used a scalloped oval template with my Coluzzle to open an aperture and then lined the entire inside of the front panel with this batik print floral. I attached a buterfly cut from a magazine advertisement - just gluing down the body and tipping up the wings.
This close-up shot gives a better view of the 3-dimensional quality of this assemblage. The color is better on the image above. 
I added two stickers to read "priceless treasure".
Ddd
Last year at this time I showed some of the handmade ornaments from my tree. I had misplaced one box though and could not show these two.
This is one of a set my mother made for me - large and small wreaths crocheted in green, red, and white versions. They are made on milk jug rings.
These little drums are made from frozen orange juice cans which are cut down and have the tops reattached. I spray painted them gold, attached velvet ribbon around the sides, glued on gold pony beads and threaded with gold thread. The drumsticks are round toothpicks on which I glued gold beads.
Around the house this year I put together this centerpiece for the dining table:
This arrangement is on one end of the hearth:
I've had this nativity for about 30 years. This year it is arranged on the mantle:
This is the table I set up to display Christmas cards as they arrive. This year it features a cranberry cloth, green runner, and a Bible open to the Christmas story:
The arrangement on the bookcase is of poinsettias and two nesting box sets I got as gifts last year:
And that's the Christmas tour for this year...
Merry Christmas!
Ddd
How distressing when the camera skews my colors! Honestly, the tulips match the backing paper.
These flowers were a line drawing from a bulb catalog. It was drawn with blue line on glossy paper which made it perfect for coloring. I used Sharpie markers in three tones of each color and blended with the lightest tone. They are layered on a printed scrapbook paper and then green cardstock base.
The corners and the greeting are gold peeloffs.
Ddd
A magazine photo of the fall forest floor sets a peaceful scene. I used various patterned scrapbook papers in complementary colors to frame it out in layers and ended by placing on a colored card base.
I added two stickers and added handwritten text between them.
Ddd
I started this collage card with a lighthouse photograph. Then I added scraps of maps, lace print paper, denim print paper, and a pink paper to echo the color given off by the lamp. I roughed the edges of each, used 'weathered wood' Ranger distress ink, and then applied a little Stickles on the raw edges and on the lighthouse light.
Here you can see the glitter a little better.
The text is a sticker and I added glittery Stickles to the letters.
Ddd
Imagine that - another card with calendar illustrations! This sweet little bird was paired with scrapbook paper featuring whimsical clouds. I used a Tonic distressing tool to rough up the edges of both and another background paper. All were toned with Ranger Distressing Ink (tea dye). I punched a couple of holes to thread a pin from Idea-ology (in teeny tiny print it says "treasure". Then I added a sticker "cherish" through it and a metal text plate "memories".
I added three square brads to the top and glued all to a cream card base.
Ddd
This card started with the fishing illustration and I went through my piles of scrap paper and pulled out three with complementary colors. I used distress ink to tone the edges of all of them plus the 3D sticker.
After gluing all to one another I added the heart brad before attaching all to the card base.
I plucked this pair of birds from a calendar page, trimmed one right around with sharp scissors and craft blade and the other was punched with a circle punch. The circle bird was distressed with Tea Dye Ranger Distress ink. This was also used on the pre-printed frame and the background pink paper.
The frame and background were held together with pink flower brads at the 4 corners.
Ddd
Not only do I like making cards from calendar illustrations, but it pleases me to know that I'll never run out. They'll make more next year!
This is from a week-at-a-glance desk calendar. I found a scrapbook paper that complemented the picture and then made a mitered-corner frame out of a striped scrapbook paper. After layering all I used watercolor marker to sketch a doodle line around the picture.
I added a sticker for text.
Ddd
This card front does not show all I added. Every snowy rim has Stickles added giving this a wonderful shimmer.
I added a fabric text sticker.
Ddd
Four old cards were used to make this one. 1) The metallic greeting 2) the stack of presents 3) the stars on the packages 4) Santa. The little guy came with glitter on his red hat and suit. I added Stickles to his beard, tassel, and added dots between the red glitter dots.
