BIG NEWS!!

Way back in November, A Blog Named Hero had a call for new design team members - so on a lark, I sent in an application never expecting I would be one of the "chosen"!!  A few weeks ago I received the good news that I would be one of their new DT members.

Linda Trace who coordinates all the emails, asked for a "hello" card.  Stamped the HA butterfly in versamark and embossed with HA gold.  Then die cut the butterfly, positioned the stamped butterfly on the card base, added a piece of acetate, foam tape and some sequins and made a shaker card.  Spattered the background with some gold metallic watercolor, added the little "hello" sentiment and few more sequins - done and dusted. 

Am looking forward to 2016 and designing cards for ABNH and also for all the fun challenges out there in blogland.

Check out the ABNH post for an intro to all the new DT members.  

Thanks for stopping by and love reading your kind comments.  Betty

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YOU PROBABLY NEVER...

thought you'd see the day with a card from me with penguins on it!!  Last summer I met Linda Wetterlin for lunch and mentioned I could never do a cutsey card with little animals, big eyed children, mermaids or anything else like that.   And I think mentioned penguins in my list of stuff.  Shortly afterwards, a nice little packet of penguins came in the mail!!  Can't imagine who sent them???  So I HAD to make a card for Linda just to prove myself wrong - and I actually had a fun time making this card for her - I may have to eat my words.

 

The penguins, sentiment and snowflakes are from HA and the little trees and hearts are from Ellen Hutson.  The snowflakes were embossed with HA white embossing powder (the best there is!).   I put some glossy accents on the little hearts and embossed the sentiment with clear HA powder.  I hand cut the white snowbanks and added some WOS for some sparkle.  Little gold stars and clear sequins from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by today and always love reading your kind comments.  Betty

NEEDED A FEW MORE...

Christmas cards - and this design fit the bill for mass producing about six cards.  Die cut the ornament (stick-it on the back of the metallic cardstock) in both gold and silver.  Then adhered the outlines on the card base and used the opposite colors to fill in the bits and bobs.  Stamped the sentiment with black HA ink twice (used my MISTI) and sprinkled with clear HA powder and heat embossed.  Added the "merry" and the sprigs of pine with sequins and done and dusted.

Am entering this in Happy LIttle Stampers "favorite technique" challenge for December - love die cutting.

Probably last card I will make this year (altho I have two special posts scheduled for the next few weeks) as I'm off to London on Tuesday to spend Christmas my family there.  Wishing you all a very merry and a wonderful 2016.  Hugs, Betty 

A SNOWFLAKE IS...

Color Throwdown and Time Out Challenges are combined in today's card.  The colors (black, gold, white) are from Color Throwdown and the theme is from Time Out (same as the sentiment).

I die cut the snowflakes from Neenah gold metallic and vellum adding the gold glitter enamel dot to the center.  The black and gold paper on the bottom is from MME Fancy That.  The sentiment is a HA clear stamp which I stamped in HA black ink (used my MISTI to get it nice and black) and then embossed with HA clear powder.  The base of the card is Neenah white gold card.

Thanks for visiting today and your kind comments.  Betty

SILVER BIRD

After all the stitching of the past two weeks, a card was finally produced for a couple of challenges.  Fusion Challenge is all about color and a sketch which I rather loosely used and Merry Monday needed a bird.  Virginia's last challenge is to use glitter altho you can't see it in the picture.

 

The background was stamped with PTI Meadow Greens and embossed with white HA emobssing powder and then watercolored.  Then I die cut out the MFT frame and put it all back together on a card base.  Die cutting an embossed piece is not the best idea since the embossing comes off in the die and it's a pain to clean out - also some of the design is lost.  Since it wasn't noticeable for this card that didn't matter tho. The bird and branch are from Memory Box (no longer available) - cut from some silver metallic paper with WOS silver on top to give it some more shine (which doesn't show up very well in the photo).  A few sequins for sparkle and done.

All for today - thanks for stopping by and love to read your kind comments.  Betty

WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING...

instead of making cards!!  Two weeks ago I had lunch with a long-time friend and she brought along a pink bootie ornament I had made for her daughter in 1986!!  Needless to say, I didn't even remember doing that, but it was back in my counted cross-stitch days.  Well, Claire is now married and having her first baby (who may well have arrived by now as she went into the hospital yesterday).  Anyway, Meredith wanted me to make a bootie ornament for Madeleine and also for Claire's husband, Greg.  I told her I would see if I still had the pattern (I did - never throw anything away - you might need it 30 years later!!).  It was a challenge tho as I didn't have all of the pattern pieces, but was able to figure it out.  I used pieces of an old quilt to make the new ones and besides the pattern had lots of aida cloth for the stitching.

Meredith picked them last nite and hope by now she is a proud grandma - she was delighted to have them by the time of Madeleine's birth.

Next project was felt ornaments from Memory Box's stocking die.  I have grown grandchildren and usually give them money or a gift card for Christmas.  So made these cute felt ornaments.  

 

Made them in two layers and left the top open so the gift can be tucked inside.  The picture on the die package shows them sewn with a running stitch, but I didn't do that and think they look just fine.  Very quick to die cut and put together - especially since I had lots of felt and embroidery floss in my stash of crafting stuff!!  Actually made 4 stockings but couldn't get them all in the picture.

All for now - hope to get a few cards made for various challenges this week - busy week ahead and am off to England on the 15th for 3 weeks with my family there.  Thanks for stopping by and love reading your kind comments.  Betty