Who Ate My Gingerbread Man?Unscripted Sketches #139 Reveal

Welcome to my last regularly scheduled Sketch-it Saturday creation for the year 2011!!! I know you are probably scratching your head saying to yourself - why another Christmas card??? This girl is off her rocker!!! Well, I am, admittedly a few crayons short, but only in a fun & creative way. I have been challenged to go all year by my crafty friend SK {aka Christmas Countdown Lady}, to do Christmas cards all year. So here it goes this being #1.

ALSO - to up the ANTE {hope I'm spelling this right}, I have joined Terri Sprouls bi-weekly Festive Friday Blog Hop which is a group bringing you all things Christmas starting January 13th. I must have had too much spiked eggnog! Please be on the lookout for the new things going around here in the New Year.

Using this week's sketch #139, I created this cute little card with this stamped and Gold embossed gingerbread man who has a bite taken out of his head. These were some pieces left over from a card class and REMEMBER my one touch rule...this was first out of the baggie of Christmas patterned stuff. So it's in. This cute little guy is an Imaginesce snag-em stamp. He has a bite taken out of his head because when trimming him out, a big chunk of the gold embossing flaked off and I couldn't salvage it. So with my 1/8" hole punch, chomp...chomp...

The two background papers are Bo-Bunny and this is finished off with some festive teal satin ribbon bows and mounted on a cream cardstock card. Short and SWEET!

What is Sketch it Saturdays at Unscripted Sketches? Every Saturday morning a new sketch is posted for the week. Flip the sketch, rotate it… create a card, a scrapbook page, a wall hanging, digital, paper, fabric, paint, anything your imagination comes up with! There is no right or wrong way, as long as you are using the Unscripted sketch as the inspiration for your creation! And everyone is invited to join in the fun...and post your creation on their page for all the world to see!

I hope everyone has a Happy and Healthy fresh start in the NEW YEAR! Please join me tomorrow along with the Design Team of Viva Las Vegastamps! for a New Year's Day Celebration Blog Hop! There are 9 chances to win blog candy, too!!! One day only this time, I promise.

Thanks to everyone for following along here, and also to those who I have gotten to know and work with over the past year. It has gone by pretty fast and I am having a fantastic adventure on the three design teams. I don't know what the New Year will bring, but January is shaping up to be full of surprises...some of my work {along with my fellow AMP design team members} will be on display at the CHA in California, too! I can't wait to share it all with you.

: ) Sb

Project featured at Viva Las Vegastamps! today...

Here's a little teaser for my post over at Viva Las Vegastamps! Blog today... It's a good one : )

Click HERE to see it. SUNDAY is the big New Year's Bloghop...don't forget to visit. Every stop on the hop will be giving away $15 to VLVS online store and one lucky winner who's visited & commented on each stop will win $25 to the VLVS online store...WOW!!! What a way to see out the old and RING in the NEW!!!

Below is the Hop order so you can get ready!

Join me for a Bloghop this Saturday - NEW YEAR'S EVE!!!

Glitter Snowflake Card using Unscripted Sketches #138

First let me start by answering the looming question...what happened to sketch 137? Well, due to working regular job, having two freelance projects and a custom order of 35 kinetic Christmas Cards that had to shop last Friday, this elf had to take a break. I will post it next week. So here is the my regularly scheduled Sketch-it Saturday creation!!!

Using this week's sketch #138, I created this glittery snowflake card using a piece of reclaimed wrapping paper from last year. Remember - my one touch rule! Since I'm in the middle of gift wrapping and trimmings are strewn all over the dining room table, this paper ended up in my hand. OK - now it's in the project. It's one of those lovely holographic papers that has snowflakes on it in blue and white.

I wrapped a piece of it around chipboard and mounted it to a piece of blue cardstock scrap. Then, with a whale of a punch, I punched 3 scalloped circles out of cardstock and 3 out of the wrapping paper. Now the fun begins...I have all these new Martha Stewart punches from my HSN autoship program and I broke open the winter set that has one of those new "ANYWHERE" punches {I couldn't resist - it was a great deal...4 punches for less than 1/2 of retail price and free shipping and flexpay}. This one punches a snowflake out of a circle - very lovely. I took the scallop punched wrapping paper, put a dab of adhesive on the punch to hold it in place and punched the snowflake out of the shape. SO COOL!!! Then I mounted these onto the cardstock scallops. The strips are Basic Grey and the center horizontal stripe is a speckled stamped white cardstock that I smudged with pearlescent blue dew drop ink. I finished the center of each snowflake with a gem brad and adhered with 3D pop dots! Sorry that the scanner is making interference in the hologram - but it's so wintery...I just love it!

What is Sketch it Saturdays at Unscripted Sketches? Every Saturday morning a new sketch is posted for the week. Flip the sketch, rotate it… create a card, a scrapbook page, a wall hanging, digital, paper, fabric, paint, anything your imagination comes up with! There is no right or wrong way, as long as you are using the Unscripted sketch as the inspiration for your creation! And everyone is invited to join in the fun...and post your creation on their page for all the world to see!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! Hope you have a great weekend with your loved ones. That's where I will be. Check back next week for my regular end of the month Viva Las Vegastamps! post and a New Year's Day Blog Hop special post, too! So three times the fun!

: ) Sb

Guest project over at Amazing Mold Putty

Hello everyone...hope everyone is done with all the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations - and well into the enjoying of the holidays. I certainly am. I have a special "FUNctional" project today over at the Amazing Mold Putty Blog. And for all my crafty STAMPER friends...this is right up your alley.

 

 CLICK HERE to go check it out!

Kinderstampo Ornaments, Ornaments...AND MORE ORNAMENTS BlogHOP

Thanks for visiting!!! I am so excited to be part of the Kinderstampo Ornaments, Ornaments and MORE Ornaments blog hop. Christmas is a very special time and I enjoy collecting and making ornaments. This bloghop is so unique, as you could win one of each of the ornaments on this hop - INCLUDING MINE!!! So leave on comment on each and every stop on the hop to secure your entry to win each ornament to be drawn at the end of the hop - 11:59pm on Dec. 18th. If you arrived here in the middle of the hop CLICK HERE to return to the start.

ALSO - there will be ONE GRAND PRIZE winner that will be picked from all the comments left on all the blogs...A stocking full of suprises - Some Lindy's Stamp Gang, KinderStampO, Karlas001, Helmar, PYMII and Unity Stamps...YAY!

I LOVE making handmade things, too. Each year I create a handmade ornament for my Grandmother to give to two dozen of her painting students. This has become a tradition for us and this year's creation just safely arrived in Chicago two days ago. This ornament I am sharing today was my very first creation for her...a folded paper origami ornament.

A perfect compliment to silver bell or glass ball ornaments.

This is made using retired Anna Griffin AG1095 patterned paper - a lovely light blue, white, & grey pattern with touches of gold. The ornament is approximately 5" high from top to bottom of tassel, has a white 1/8" satin ribbon loop to hang from {approx. 2 1/2"}, and finished with silver plated filigree cone. A silver lined glass bead adorns a handmade embroidery floss tassel. 

I make and sell these in different colors and patterned papers in my Etsy shoppe, SalonDArte. I also create larger size paper lanterns and create many by custom order.

Next stop is with Jessica Baker at That'z Uneek - CLICK HERE!

Just in case you get lost along the way...here is the complete bloghop list.

• KinderStampO: www.KinderStampO.com
• Karlas001: http://karlasloveblog.blogspot.com/
• Angie Blom: http://angieblomdesigns.blogspot.com/
• Liz Mullen: Scrapiliciouslife.Blogspot.com
• My Quilling Nest: www.myquillingnest.com
• Shelley: http://heartstring-designs.blogspot.com/
• Tanya: http://evilscrapper.blogspot.com/
• Celine: http://ptitesmimines.blogspot.com/
• Canadian Nickel Scrapn: http://canadiannickelscrapn.blogspot.com/
• Pam Bray: http://pammejo-scrapbookflair.blogspot.com/ 
• Kristina Byers: http://yourmemorieshere.blogspot.com/
• Elisa Kammerdiener: http://www.perpetualstew.blogspot.com/
• Corri Garza: www.buglvr.blogspot.com 
• Angela: http://delightfuldoings.blogspot.com/
• Sigrid Martin: http://www.lovescrapreflect.blogspot.com/
• Funky Cards: http://www.funkycards.blogspot.com/
• Nicolette Simpson: www.beyondscrapin.blogspot.com
• Lilli: http://crazycardmaker.blogspot.com/
• **YOU ARE HERE** Susan Brown: http://sbartist.blogspot.com/
• Jessica Baker: http://thatzuneek.blogspot.com/
• Sandy Jones: http://teardrop-loveandbeloved.blogspot.com/
• Kari Sanchez: http://purplefuntastickcreations.blogspot.com/
• Scrappinpinkpiglet: http://scrappinpinkpiglet.blogspot.com/
• Sandra Rosario: http://365daysofcricut.blogspot.com/

Thanks for visiting! Please don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win my ornament. Also, you can sign up to receive my posts in your inbox with the widget at the top right of my page. I am always up in the wee hours creating...perhaps an altered book project, ATCs, ornaments, or projects for the Unscripted Sketches, Viva Las Vegastamps! & Amazing Mold Putty Design Teams.

Twelve Tags of Christmas....Whooooaaaaa!Something happened on the way to Santa's Village

"Whoooaaahhhh!!!!"

On the way to Santa's Village with the special bonus tag, this crafty elf was ambushed by Bumble the Abominable Snowman. "HELP!!!!!" He says he won't give up the 13th tag until Friday, Dec 16th...so that all his friends at the Island of Misfit Toys can have a chance to view all of the 12 tags of Christmas with the Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team and enter to win the Blog Candy.

So here's how you can help... CLICK HERE to go and check out the 12 Tags of Christmas Bloghop and leave comments to enter for the blog candy Also visit the Viva Las Vegastamps! online store where there is a 20% off sale now until December 26th including FREE shipping.

This is BLOG CANDY!!! AND there is still time...YOU can still WIN these stamps, too! All you have to do is go back to day one and leave a comment on each the bloghop posts {this is for all 12 days times 6 players}. Winner will be drawn randomly on SATURDAY. I know you will just have to have these after seeing all of the fantastic creations we have shared.

VLVS Plate 1363 of stamps is 8 1/2" x 6" and has TWELVE stamps {retail value $21.95}.

Please help save the 13th Tag!!!

Check back Friday to see my rescued creation : )

Twelve Tags of Christmas with Viva Las Vegastamps! - Day #12

It's Day #12...the end is here!!!

Twelve Tags of Christmas with
Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team!!!

Thanks for stopping by! To get back to the top of the hop,

 CLICK HERE.

Thanks so much for joining us today and the previous eleven days, too! We hope you enjoyed our creations as much as we enjoyed creating them. Want more creative ideas? Checkout the Viva Las Vegastamps! blog for fantastic projects each Monday, Wednesday and Friday {and an occasional Saturday}. Make sure you sign up to follow the page so you do not miss out on the fun.

There is BLOG CANDY!!! AND there is still time...YOU can still WIN these stamps, too! All you have to do is go back to day one and leave a comment on each the bloghop posts {this is for all 12 days times 6 players}. Winner will be drawn randomly after completion of event. HURRY - today is the last day of the bloghop! I know you just have to have these after all of the fantastic creations we have shared.

VLVS Plate 1363 of stamps is 8 1/2" x 6" and has TWELVE stamps {retail value $21.95}.

Pssst... There is also a double chance for you to win...if you win this plate from the bloghop, you can also create something to submit to the VLVS monthly theme challenge {which happens to be Christmas} for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the Viva Las Vegastamps! online store - YIPPEE!!!

Here is my creation for today...

AND this isn't even the last of my ideas!!!

Can you believe it - I still have a few up my sleeve.

 

 This tag uses Viva Las Vegastamps! "Have a great Christmas" and Shopping Cart Santa from plate 1363 and also "Let's Celebrate Christmas" #11126. As soon as I joined this bloghop, I knew I was going to pair these stamps up.

Today I was inspired by T!m Holtz day 11 tag on his 12 tags extravaganza. I always wanted to play along...and today I did - finally! Following along his tag, I made a background using 4 colors of blue and a blending tool on glossy paper. Then I gently splatted a little water on it which gave a neat bleach spot look, like big chunky snow. You have to heat set this so that nothing smears off. I also went back and added a little weathered wood and walnut ink softly blended to give a ground for my shopping spree Santa. Also on glossy paper, I stamped my three images with black ink. I cut out image and quotes and colored similar to Tim's sample using the blending tool and various inks.

I have to admit, there is a method to this tool and this was my very first time breaking it out of it's package {I have had it for quite some time now}. I will have to practice with the blending tool a little more to get the hang of it. Lucky for me, the glossy paper is pretty forgiving since the distress inks stay fluid on it long enough to fix an area that may be to dark or not as softly blended. I meant to keep the center of the image white like T!m's, but I blended colors in too far. It would be nice to have some different size blending tools. I went back and added back in the white areas and added some gelly hologram pen on the shopping cart and he came to life. I popped up everything with 3-D dots and finished off with a pretty plaid ribbon and a reclaimed holly with berry cluster. I have to admit, I am pretty impressed with this tag - reminds me of the old K-mart blue light special ads.

The 12 tags bloghop contributors from

Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team are:

This isn't the end - I am always creating with my crafty friends at Viva Las Vegastamps!!! Want to keep up with what I'm doing...sign up to receive my posts in your inbox with the widget at the top right of my blogpage. This will send you an email when I have a post {a little secret...I am on three - yes three - design teams.}. There are plenty of exciting things to come. ALSO...are you still reading???? I will have a special BAKER'S DOZEN post on December 13th in the spirit of cookie baking & I'm throwing in an extra tag for good measure! See you tomorrow : )

Twelve Tags of Christmas with Viva Las Vegastamps! - Day #11

It's Day Eleven - just one day left!!!
 Twelve Tags of Christmas with
Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team!!!

Myself along with members of the Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team

will each be making tags every day December 1st thru 12th,

all using the same plate of stamps

{plate 1363 from Viva Las Vegastamps!}. 

Thanks for stopping by! To get back to the top of the hop,

 CLICK HERE.

Here is my creation for today....

It has been so fun making this tags every day. The icing on the cake is that I have all these scribbles and ideas I have jotted down {I can't remember anything these days}, and that I get to visualize them. This is one of these "BRIGHT" ideas. This is the second attempt - the first attempt didn't come out, because I stamped it in green and embossed and it looked like a blurry mess. OK - so try...try again. Stamping is a constant evolving experiment. When you try new things, you never know what you will get...the fun is in the playing.

OK - so this looks pretty elaborate, right??? Nope. Really simple. First I took a piece of green patterned paper by My Minds Eye and stamped the "Have a Great Christmas" from plate 1363 in black cats eye pigment ink and embossed with Viva Las Vegastamps! Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder. Before I stamped I rubbed the ink off of the light bulbs {they are larger then my mini strand bulbs}. I kept the strand and the base of the lights.

Then I made the background more interesting...

 Know what this is??? YES a clipping from a 9 foot piece of pine garland from the Dollar Tree {I'm waiting for my royalty check Dollar Tree...hehe}. So I took the branch and used it as a stamp and pressed it into my green distress ink. You may want to wear gloves for this. I pressed it into the ink and then press it onto the paper, sort of like you would make a leaf print. I kept it really flat and changed angles for each pressing. It really gives the effect of tree bristles. YAY! Easy peasy...just a little messy.

You will need a piece of faux pine garland/branch.

Try out technique on scrap paper first.

After completing my pine needle texture, I colored in the bulbs and made glow with markers and my water brush, then clipped mini bulbs from these Darice mini lights. I love these and I have this pack in my stash so I always have some when I need them. These are about 8 years old left over from some reindeer heads I made out of popsicle sticks. CLICK HERE to see that project. I clipped the bulbs off the string and super glued them to my tag. Why super glue??? Because they are too tiny for glue dots and hot glue, they roll around, and most importantly, I didn't want to stand there holding them while anything else dried. These made this stamp come to life. I finished it off with a pretty bow. Enjoy!! Hope you try the technique : )

The 12 tags bloghop contributors from

Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team are:

Thanks so much for joining us today! We hope you enjoyed our creations. Want more creative ideas? Checkout the Viva Las Vegastamps! blog for fantastic projects each Monday, Wednesday and Friday {and an occasional Saturday}. Make sure you sign up to follow the page so you do not miss out on the fun.

How about some blog candy??? You can WIN these stamps, too! All you have to do is leaving a comment every day on each of the bloghop posts {this is for all 12 days}. Winner will be drawn randomly after completion of event.

VLVS Plate 1363 of stamps is 8 1/2" x 6" and has TWELVE stamps {retail value $21.95}.

Pssst... There is also a double chance for you to win...if you win this plate from the bloghop, you can also create something to submit to the VLVS monthly theme challenge {which happens to be Christmas} for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the Viva Las Vegastamps! online store - YIPPEE!!!

See you again tomorrow!!! The bloghop each day will begin with Terri HERE. Looking forward to seeing you there and what everybody dreams up!

Twelve Tags of Christmas with Viva Las Vegastamps! - Day #10

It's Day #10 and all is Golden and Bright!
Twelve Tags of Christmas with
Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team!!!

Myself along with members of the Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team

will each be making tags every day December 1st thru 12th,

all using the same plate of stamps

{plate 1363 from Viva Las Vegastamps!}. 

Thanks for stopping by! To get back to the top of the hop,

 CLICK HERE.

Here is my creation for today....

I used these VLVS stamps: "Have a Blessed Christmas" sentiment from Plate 1363, Holly Leaf #3760, Leafy Border #6292, and Angel Blowing Horn #6303.

All stamps used are from Viva Las Vegastamps!

Close-up view of raised sentiment and richness achieved
with gold embossing powder.

This is a pretty simple tag. I selected a dark holly patterned paper by My Minds Eye and I stamped each of the stamps, one at a time, then applied gold embossing powder. I did not heat until I was done with all stamping so I didn't overcook any of the embossing powder from repeated heating. Then I rubbed the background with antique gold and silver pearlescent dew drop ink. I duplicated the saying again and trimmed out, used a corner punch on the top corners and adhered with Miracle tape. I achieved the raised look by adhering a layer of paper underneath. I finished off with a green organza ribbon bow. Simple design with a stunning result.

The 12 tags bloghop contributors from

Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team are:

Thanks so much for joining us today! We hope you enjoyed our creations. Want more creative ideas? Checkout the Viva Las Vegastamps! blog for fantastic projects each Monday, Wednesday and Friday {and an occasional Saturday}. Make sure you sign up to follow the page so you do not miss out on the fun.

How about some blog candy??? You can WIN these stamps, too! All you have to do is leaving a comment every day on each of the bloghop posts {this is for all 12 days}. Winner will be drawn randomly after completion of event.

VLVS Plate 1363 of stamps is 8 1/2" x 6" and has TWELVE stamps {retail value $21.95}.

Pssst... There is also a double chance for you to win...if you win this plate from the bloghop, you can also create something to submit to the VLVS monthly theme challenge {which happens to be Christmas} for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the Viva Las Vegastamps! online store - YIPPEE!!!

See you again tomorrow!!! The bloghop each day will begin with Terri HERE. Looking forward to seeing you there and what everybody dreams up!