Less is More 43... a Bit of BLING!!

This week's challenge at Less is More is to make a  card with some bling on it!  I made 3 cards...ALL TREES...ALL CHRISTMAS...go figure...that's the extent of my creativity this week...lol!!

I made this first one with a stamp that was given to me...I believe the co. name is Alias Smith and Rowe( small filagree tree).  Stamped both tree and sentiment with versamark and embossed in silver. Dotted  tree with rhinestones.  Sentiment is Hero Arts and used an embossing folder for the card.  Framed image with silver paper, too.

 This second one was made with a Stampin Up tree(Snow Swirled).  I stamped in Real Red, clear embossed and added some silver dots with Pen Touch silver pen and added a red rhinestone in center of each large snowflake.  I made the tree base by cutting a square, cutting an end off at a slant and using that cut piece to cut the opposite side(so their angle matched each other.  I stamped the card with Hero Arts Magical Background and clear embossed.  On a fluke, I decided to try to sponge some Stazon Silver Metallic ink over the embossed swirls....and I got a silver looking embossed card...kinda like it:)!!  Ran out of room for sentiment...will put a Merry Christmas on inside. Here's a close up of the tree and it's silver dots and bling.(my daughter said she could hardly see the bling on this card...so thus the close up:)!!

 This 3rd one I went CRAZY with Bling:)!!!!!  I stamped these trees from A Muse(Avian Notes) and couldn't stop dotting with red and green rhinestones!!  Added a sentiment from Hero Arts.  Popped up on poppy parade card....the ribbon...funny...I bought yesterday at Walmart for wrapping Christmas gifts...pulled it out of the bag remembering it was red and green...love that it has green dots...funny how things work, sometimes!!...another fun challenge:)!!!

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Let It Snow!

I used a Penny Black snowman and a Hero Arts background stamp(Majical Background).  I LOVE snowmen!!

I versamarked both the white and bashful blue papers and embossed with white powder.  I stamped and cut out the snowman and paper pieced all his pieces(SU design paper, soft suede and pumpkin pie). The sentiment is Penny Black, as well...used a Martha Stewart punch for the snowflake.  Popped up the snowman, the snow and then the whole blue panel.  Just a touch...colored above his head and the curls of his scarf with bashful blue and a blending pen, so the cut out was not obvious...a bit of obsessive detailing....lol!!
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Snowflakes and....the Rest of the Stamping Room

I made this card after I bought this ribbon at Mike's last week...big, textured ribbon that was just Shouting for a white snowflake...lol:

I used a Martha Stewart snowflake punch and the set Peace Be Still by Papertrey Ink. I FIRST stamped the sentiment(PTI Signature Christmas) with versamark and white embossed. I bunched the snowflake stamps together on one acrylic block and stamped the grouping randomly with versamark on the sentimented olive cardstock.  I learned by MUCH trial and error that to put the sentiment on AFTER the snowflakes DID NOT WORK!!  With the snowflakes stamped, no matter how dry or how long I waited, when I stamped the sentiment and put the white embossing powder on the sentiment, the powder remained on the nearby snowflakes....EVERY TIME!!  What a learning experience!!!
   I wanted to show you a couple more pics of my "room":

 Again...here's my space:

This is my closet punch holder:

I got an over-the-door shoe tree at Target and use it for my shaped punches.  I have my border punches in a drawer.  I used black paper and punched  one of each shape and stapled it to the pocket so I know what's in each pocket and makes it easier to find punches.  Here's a close up:

Inside the closet I have a tall set of drawers that I keep just about all my staples...above is xtra paper and MORE ribbon(so funny...I don't use much ribbon but have a TON of it....lol):

 I am not showing you the insides of my drawers...my room may be tidy, but my drawers...well that's a different story!!

 This is an akward space for stamps, but it's really the only place I have to store all these stamps.  I would love, someday, to have all these stamps in a more accessable space, but for now it's the way it is.  I have all my Stampin Up and random stamps on the shelves and in the drawers.  I was just given a whole bunch of stamp sets from a friend.  I had just "thinned the herd" by getting rid of ALOT of stamp sets, myself,  and had that whole top shelf empty...oh well...who doesn't love some new stamps?  I put big bold name tags on each set, with older eyes and being in this closet, it makes them so much easier to find than the SU tags that the stamps come with...the top shelf have yet to be tagged:

I recently bought this shelving unit from WalMart(I DO love WalMart) and it houses a WHOLE BUNCH of stuff:

 I labeled all my boxes and crates so you could "see" what they store...this is a great unit for storage!!  I have a monitor to watch my Noah while I stamp and he sleeps...just in case I am and he's not...lol!!  If you have any ideas or suggestions...something your eyes may see that mine do not...please let me know...thanks!!
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

My Craft Room/Space

I LOVE to see other stampers' spaces...love to see the rooms where card creativity happens.  Some spaces are huge, some not so much...but whatever size or condition, it's just cool to be invited in to other's creative spaces.  I love new ideas and actually just ordered some $5.99 dvd shelfs from IKEA from looking at Mary Fish's website and seeing her AMAZING space!(my daughter will be driving them from TN when she comes at Christmas, so will have to show you then. We don't have an IKEA anywhere near where I live, but a  company where Hannah lives in Nashville lets you order things from IKEA through THEM, they GET them at IKEA and you pick them up when they bring them back)  So...my space isn't that big, but it' mine!!  Thought you might be curious to see where I love to hang!

This is my space.  My craft room is a part of my daughter Hannah's bedroom.  We had her room built from part of the garage, so it's not big but it was her own space  She got married last September and moved with hubby to Nashville TN.  I took a corner of her room...and her closet...and her desk, and made a space for my stamping.  When she and Nic visit, they stay here...so it's still her room, but mine, too:)!!

She and her best friend painted a mural on the wall behind the bed, which she said we are NEVER allowed to paint over...here's the rest of her room.  Notice my pockets full of punches on the inside of the closet door...lol!!

She has always wanted to be a makeup artist...here's the other side of her closet door, these have stayed put, too:

Here is my desk:

 and our dog, Lucy...she is ALWAYS with me!!

I made the stamp pad holder for all my SU pads from THIS free template...yes about $6...alot better than  $60 or more.  I have my most used paper colors in the slotted spaces, the two boxes to the left of  the desk hold all the other colors.

I bought this little tower of drawers from WalMart...perfect to hold a whole bunch of little things, and sits perfectly in this space:

There is no other way to show these little basket shelves...they ALWAYS look this way...my chaos close at hand.  These tiered baskets hold scissors, clear ep, adhesives, corner punches, some twine and floss, my essential Enamel Accents, TWO pairs of reading glasses(in case one gets lost under a creative mess), postage stamps, some glues, bone folder and lots of other miscellaneous things:

 I found this at WalMart in the bath section...here's a side view, so you see it's shelves are arranged at a slight angle...notice the Dove chocolates on the top shelf...A MUST HAVE.lol!!!  The rubber feet keep it in place wonderfully, NEVER MOVES!!

I'll show you the closet and my shelving unit tomorrow...I've inundated you with enough pictures for one day:)!!  Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful, for those of you who celebrated the day...hope you are having a great start to your weekend today!!

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Thankful...

Happy Thanksgiving!!!  On this day of feasting and football games...just a moment to say I am thankful!!  I am so thankful for the Lord in my life...He is the reason I have true happiness, and have the hope in my heart that I do...the reason I can still dream and dream big, no matter what happens in this life...and that this life will not have the last word! Thankful for my handsome husband, David...my other rock and my beautiful children Hannah, Emma and Noah...and my son in law, Nic...I am blessed!!! Wonderful parents ... wonderful sisters...amazing church and church family...my SWEET stamping friends...wow...the list is long and seemingly unending...suffice it to say I have MUCH to be thankful for!!!!
Yesterday, I celebrated my 27th year being married to my darling David...still the love of my life!!  I made him a card with the staple sentiment from "our song"  first popular in 1969 from Spiral Staircase, " More Today Than Yesterday" from Verve and those birds I have come to just love:

Used a background stamp from Inkadinkado for the design on the birds...the black stamped with versamark and white embossed on black paper...the red was stamped with versamark on white paper, clear embossed and swiped with distress ink(Fired Brick).
My daughter is visting, and my stamp room is her bedroom, so my card making is on hold until next week, BUT...I DID clean my stamping space and TOOK PICTURES!!  SO....I will be showing you pictures of my stamp room for the next couple days...oh boy...it's not so big, but I have much in my small space,  I do think that my space is pretty cool..it works for me...and I've made it work!  Just want to share my space with you...maybe an idea for you or YOU might have some ideas for me:)!!  See you then!!
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

FTL 167...It's Christmas!!

I made these cards for Clean and Simple's challenge 167 and for Splitcoaststamper's CAS challenge 145 anything Christmas...

 I made this one with a Memory Box die for the wreath and a Spellbinders(layered poinsettias) for the flower.  I used a Martha Stewart punch for the leaves and a Hero Arts sentiment.  Dotted the flower with a sparkled red stick on dot and 2 olive pearls along sides of sentiment.

This one I made with Martha Stewart snowflake punch and Spellbinder circle and Lacey circle dies.  Used a piece of vellum(didn't want to cover up the snowflake so much) and put the Papertrey sentiment(Christmas Blessings) directly over the center rather than lower so that the center of my snowflake was covered.  Added white Enamel Accents around the scalloped circle as well as on each side of the sentiment.  The sentiment was stamped in versamark and embossed with white embossing powder.

Cool sketch!!

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Less is More 42...Silhouettes

A quick post...I made this card for Less is More's challenge of Silhouettes. Thought of this punch I have that I thought would be perfect for this challenge:

Used a Martha Stewart punch, a Cuttlebug embossing folder(raindrops/snowflakes) and a Papertrey Ink senitment(Christmas Blessings).  I dotted each of the snowflakes with white Enamel Accents(took a couple minutes) and on the birds' wire(had to let it dry before removing it from my work mat).  Popped up on Bashful Blue cardstock.
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Less is More 41...One Layer...LEAVES

One layer cards have become the most difficult and challenging of all kinds of cards I make...but it IS called a Challenge...lol!!  I was really stumped when I read the Less is More challenge was... LEAVES...I have used most of my leaf stamps throughout this Fall season, and the ones that are left...well they are too much of a challenge for a one layer card.  I really wish I had some of those really pretty skeleton type leaves like I have seen so many beautiful cards made with...will have to look now for NEXT Fall!  I took out a couple Papertrey Ink sets that had some leaves.  It was when I looked at the sentiments in Falling Leaves that I had an idea!!  I decided to put three of the similiar sentiments together on a long block, and because they are clear, bend them a bit to make one long WAVY sentiment.  I added leaves from Fall Elegance and here's what I got:

I inked the leaf stamp with Riding Hood Red, Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard and Cajun Craze.  The sentiments are Chocolate Chip.  I dotted with brown pearls and done!
Thanks to Mandi and Chrissie for Showcasing my Star card from the Star challenge!!!   I am honored beyond belief and I appreciate your acknowledgement SO VERY MUCH!!!  I have not found a challenge that I can say I feel like I "belong" to more than this, or one that I LOVE as much...THANK YOU, Mandi and Chrissie and all those who have encouraged me and made me feel such a part of this challenge from "across the pond", beyond and all over!!
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

FTL166

I made this card for Clean and Simple's sketch challenge #166 ...my card and the sketch:

           
I KNOW that my card doesn't seem clean and simple, but I have to say, this sketch was a bit involved...compared to many of the Clean and Simple challenges...and it really IS a simple card...just lots of patterns.  OR, maybe it just looks a bit involved to ME...LOL!
It is funny, though, how some cards come to be...like this one...it was a real evolution.  The sketch really shows a tag kind of piece in the center, but I took liberty and used the set from Papertrey Ink(Mat Stack 3 Collection) for the middle element with a bow on top.  The winter berries(going for mistletoe with the upside down thing going on) started off with Jesus, Mary and Joseph...but just didn't look right, no matter how many colors I tried(and I tried A LOT)...and then I thought of the Round and Round set with these berries and leaves, and thought....PERFECT with the bow from the sketch on top if I put the stem's end on the top!!!!  I used a Hero Arts background stamp(Large Fabric Design)  for the red and green stamped pieces....the riding hood red stamped in Versamark the Olive stamped with more Olive(made it darker than with just versamark...I tried it both ways:)!!).  The sentiment is also Hero Arts(Holiday Sayings)...dotted with red rhinestones like the berries.  Added ribbon and popped up white panel on red.
Card making is such fun!!
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

CAS143

Splitcoaststampers' Clean and Simple challenge 143 is a sketch based on a card of another stamper you can find it by clicking on the challenge...here is my card:

                                                                 

I made my card with a set from W Plus 9 Design Studio(Woodgrain Silhouettes Addition) and sentiment from Hero Arts(Holiday Sayings).  I stamped the leaves with Versamark and clear embossed.  I then covered the paper with Antique Linen distress ink and then sponged with Frayed Burlap distress ink, mostly over the leaves, leaving it a bit lighter in the middle.  Added the sentiment and red rhinestones.  I put the panel on light chipboard for stability after covering with so much ink...it was slightly warped without the added adhesive and bulk. I know the colors are not traditional Christmas...I know it's "different"...but I like "different"...lol!!

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

"LOVE" Birds

I went to a bridal shower last Saturday and wanted to make a card for the bride-to-be(I have known her since she was a little girl:)!!).  I had made a couple, and with each card, my DD would only slightly approve(she is my "cool" card barometer).  Then, she suggested I make a modified one from a few weeks back.  You can see the card HERE. I KNOW this is definitely NOT traditional shower material...not that kinda card, but I thought this was a GREAT idea, soooo,,, a very simplified version of the first, but great for a wedding...or in this case shower...:

Used bird template from a techniques class found HERE...stamped in chocolate chip on Hero Arts flower, clear embossed and swiped with distress ink.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink(Mega Mixed Messages)...also stamped in chocolate chip and clear embossed.

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Less is More 40...Color Challenge...Orange and Red!

This week's challenge at Simply Less is More is to make a card with Red and Orange  in commemoration of Guy Fawkes Night...a night of fireworks and bonfires in the the UK remembering the night that Guy Fawkes put barrels of gunpowder in the cellars of the  Houses of Parliment to blow it up.  He was caught, found guilty and put to death for his treason.  It is celebrated every November 5th in the UK...just in case you were wondering:)!!  I made one card two ways...here they are:

 I made the red card one first, but then thought...lots of white....lots of white...lots of white...and made another framed in white ON white:

I know that less is more means SIMPLY that...and color as long as not cluttered and is open is cool, but I really LIKE the white one:)!!  Although I would love to claim  the idea of the butterfly, I got the idea from a SU demo whose work I think is AMAZING...Mary Fish!!   I made them with a piece of Stampin Up Vellum and the stamp below(Fine Flourish).  I used an A Muse butterfly die(I think they are the most "fancy" of the butterfly dies I have and I was going for a little more than plain).  I used Stazon black and stamped the vellum and clear embossed. I then took the die and positioned it over the stamped vellum .  The cool thing with this stamp is that it mirrors itself, like a butterfly...so I positioned it so that it looked even in respect to the middle and the sides.

 Here's a close up of what it looked like after embossing, but before coloring.

Colored with Tangerine Tango and Cherry Cobbler...layered on Bazzill white and bazzill red paper and used a beautiful verse stamp from Verve that I thought was perfect to speak of how God makes a caterpillar a beautiful butterfly in its time...so cool!! I added a dark red rhinestone over the circle in the middle of the butterfly.
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

FTL164

I made this card for Clean and Simple's Fall to Layout 164...here's my card with the sketch:

                   

Now that I put the sketch next to my card, I see that I could have made my background square a bit smaller...hmmmm...didn't realize that when I made it.  Made with Basic Grey(Indian Summer) paper and the Rolled Rose die from My Favorite Things.  The sentiment is Inkadinkado.  Used Melon Mambo textured paper, felt from Papertrey Ink...Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Christmas Blessings

Quick post...I made this card with a Memory Box die and a sentiment from Hero Arts:

Used chocolate chip paper and ink, old olive and real red for the berries. I did use the Papertrey Impression plate Linen/Canvas to give the leaves some texture.  The hardest thing was having to make all the berries and leaves individually...I sort of wish that the die had come with 3 berries and 3 leaves for one swipe of the Big Shot for each branch...ok enough complaining..Hope your day is Blessed!!
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

SC357

The sketch at Splitcoaststampers for Wednesday's Sketch challenge is so sweet, so I couldn't resist finding a few extra minutes today to make a card for the challenge.  Here's my  card and the sketch:

I used a Papertrey Ink die(Bloom Builders 3) with Cherry Cobbler paper and layered on Crumb Cake card on which I stamped leaves with Versamark and a Papertrey Ink stamp(Turning a New Leaf).  The speckled cream colored paper has a stamped sentiment from Papertrey Ink's Signature Greetings stamped in Soft Suede and layered on a piece of kraft paper.
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Christmas Mittens

I made the mittens on this card for the Clean and Simple challenge on Splitcoaststampers on Monday, which was to use ivory, chocolate and red,  but just couldn't make the snowflakes in the middle of the mittens ivory...snowflakes just look better white...to me...if you know what I mean!!  Soooooo....I decided to figure out another way to use them on another card, so this is what I came up with:

The mittens are from a Darcie stamp set and are stamped on watercolor paper and painted with distress inks(Barn Door Red and Frayed Burlap).  I stamped the Papertrey sentiment(Christmas Blessings) in Soft Suede and layered on soft suede and poppy parade snowflake embossed card(Tim Holtz embossing folder).
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

OLW70...Red and White

I am REALLY under the wire...last I checked, 1 hour 37 minutes before the challenge closes...nothing like cutting it close:)!!  The challenge at One Layer Wednesday is to make a one layer card with Red and White for it's colors.  I just pulled a couple Stampin Up sets out of the closet and came up with a couple tonight:

 I made the first one with the set All I Have Seen(an old set, but with a quote I needed to stamp tonight...one I LIVE BY:)!!) and Barn Door distress ink.  I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to position the stamps and clear embossed the sentiment.  I was going to add ribbon, but it just didn't go, so I chopped 1/2" off the card to balance it, so the card is 5" x 4 1/4".

This one I used Beautiful Borders and Cherry Cobbler ink.  I squirted the stamp with Ink Potion No. 9 after stamping on Cherry. Scored with Martha Stewart score board and  clear embossed the sentiment.
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa