Flashback Friday-Scrappy Holidays!

Hello! I'm so glad you stopped by today!  I am doing my very best to keep up with the Christmas card making plan and I have four more cards to share today!  Once again, I used the retired Ski Slope DSP and  the package is looking even more pitiful than before. 

I was so excited as this card came together for three reasons. 1. It used a lot of smaller scraps that I always struggle to use (but yet can't seem to throw away!). 2. It used almost all retired product. and 3. It came together so quickly!

a close up of the design

and all four cards...

I have to admit that it feels pretty good to use up some of my older goodies and add to the growing stack of Christmas cards.

**Revised** I am linking this card up at Merry Monday where they are having an Anything Goes-Christmas challenge all month long!  I've also linked up with Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge, who also has an anything goes as long as it's Christmas challenge for the month of July!

I hope you have a marvelous weekend and happy crafting!

Card Recipe: Paper-riding hood red, scraps of whisper white, Ski Slope DSP (ret), Stamp- non SU from my stash, Ink-kiwi kiss (ret), Accessories- brads, photo corner punch

CAS and CASE

Today's card is the last of my stampin' club cards.  I already had a design in mind and then I saw Tiffany's card.  I loved the clean design and how simple it was to put together. I swapped the butterfly for a flower and changed the sentiment stamp, and colors, but other than that, it's pretty much a CASE.  This is also a great card for using up scraps and I'm sure I will be using this layout a lot!

Card Recipe: Cardstock-whisper white, pink pirouette DSP from subtles stack, certainly celery, Baja breeze, Ink-soft suede, Stamp Set- Curly Cute, Accessories-corner punch, little leaves sizzlit, Boho blossom punch, silver brad from metallics collection

Another CASE!

I had grand plans of spending full days of my spring break crafting the hours away.  But the reality was days full of cleaning out closets, laundry, grocery shopping, gardening, running DD to practice, and hanging out with my girls.  We even had a cookout and campfire one evening!  Not a bad way to spend a week, but it did make it a bit difficult to be completely immersed in creating.  So I did the next best thing.  I looked at other's fantastic creations and made my version.  Super creative...not really.  Relaxing and quick...definitely!

Today's card is a CASE of a card made a long time ago by my upline Kelly.  I loved the overall design of the card and after spending most of the day outside, I thought the butterfly stamp was just calling to be inked up!

A pretty self explanatory card.  Hope you have a wonderful day and a great rest of the week!

Card Recipe: Cardstock-Cheerful Treat DSP, bashful blue, lucky limeade, whisper white, Ink-bashful blue, black Stazon, Stamp Sets- Butterfly Prints, Precious Butterflies (sent) Punches-corner rounder, butterfly punch, scallop trim border punch, Extras-melon mambo scallop dots ribbon

A Three Hour Card, A Three Hour Card...

I think I know how the people from Gilligan's Island feel now! They only intended to take a 3 hour tour and spent what felt like an eternity on the island instead.  I set out to make a bridal shower card, not a big feat, and ended up spending 3 HOURS from start to finish on this!!  Those of you who follow my blog will understand immediately why this took me so long! I'm a CAS card maker by nature.  I do enjoy vintage and shabby, but they still end up being pretty simple.  Not this card, my friends...

In an effort to spare those from the challenge blogs who don't really want to hear my tale of endless crafting, here are the challenges I chose to  submit my card.  Shopping Our Stash is asking for all that glitters, sparkles, or shines (not a problem on this one!), SUO Challenges is asking for an infrequently used or new technique (lots of embellishing and Smooch spritz), and Top Tip Tuesday has an anything goes challenge. And my 3 hour card...

and the inside...

I saw the inspiration card on Robyn's Stamping Hood a few months ago and thought this would be fun to recreate. I must have been channeling Anne Marie  (aka the Bling Queen!) because the next thing I knew I was pulling out pearls, embossing folders, ribbon, smooch spritz, glimmer paper, and lots of other shimmery bling!  In all fairness, there are a lot of crafters out there who could have made this in 15 minutes, but this was so far out of my comfort zone that I would pull paper out, then put it back. Try this punch? No... What about this one?  Big pearls or tiny pearls?  It needs texture... No, that's too much...Hmm...which sentiment should I use... Even cutting the paper for the cake layers was an ordeal (cut 3 different times til I was happy)! When I finally was committed (or needed to be!), and adhered everything to the card, it still needed something.  Out came the Smooches!  When I finished, my table looked like the entire SU catalog had exploded and I had shimmery fingers from the smooch spray! But I have to say, when I picked up the finished project, this truly is one amazing card, by my standards.  Of course, with snow and freezing temperatures, I was not about to go outside just to get better lighting, so even though you may not be able to see all of the shimmery, glittery goodness, believe me! It's there!!

I used a LOT of goodies on this card and amazingly 90% was stuff I've had for quite a while! I am hoping that the bride-to-be will enjoy this card! I honestly don't know her, but she is marrying our neighbors son, and I have known him since he was a baby! Hope you have managed to make it through my extremely long post and that you enjoyed visiting!!

Card Recipe: Cardstock-pretty in pink, real red, very vanilla, Sending Love DSP (ret), red glimmer paper, Ink-real red, blush blossom marker (for shading edges and hearts inside), Stamp Sets- Loving Thoughts, Sprinkles (ret), Punches-modern label, heart to heart, scallop oval, corner rounder, large oval, Accessories-elegant lines embossing folder, basic pearls, vanilla shimmer and blushing bride smooch spritz, Chantilly crochet trim

A Sneak Peek Valentine

In an effort to actually have my Valentines finished before Valentine's Day, I'm trying to make a few each week.  I don't send out a lot of cards for this holiday, so if I can keep with this plan, I should be ready!

Today's card is a CAS sneak peek at the Sale-A-Bration's Catalog.  The inspiration for my card came from the catalog itself.  I changed the flower and instead of stitching the stem and leaf, I used one of the sentiments from the stamp set to create them.

The stamp set is called Outlined Occasions and both stamped images you see are from this set.  If you would love to own this set, it can be your's for FREE during Sale-A-Bration (starts January 24th) with a purchase of $50 or host a workshop or class and get it free with a qualifying total!

I punched 3 flowers using the 5 petal punch and sponged the edges, then attached them together with a glitter brad.  The Love tag was created by rolling one side of the tag and threading white bakers twine through the curl before tying a bow.  It is hard to tell from the picture (in hindsight, I should have went w/ a darker ink), but the stem and leaves are made with the sentiment 'be mine'.

Card Recipe: Cardstock-crumb cake, pretty in pink, whisper white, Ink-pretty in pink, certainly celery, Stazon black, pretty in pink & wisteria wonder markers, Stamp Set-Outlined Occasions, Accessories- 5 petal flower punch, pretty in pink glitter brad, white bakers twine, corner rounder punch

Jr Varsity cards

OK, quiz time...Who remembers the year of the DSP Jr Varsity? That's right, it's from the 2008 catalog! Well, in an effort to use up some of my stash, I was digging through a container of retired paper and found Jr. Varsity! I have really got to start using up my DSP!! So, today's post is a couple of cards I made using the very retired, JV!

Card Recipe: Cardstock-old olive, whisper white, bashful blue, Jr. Varsity DSP, Ink- bashful blue, Stamp Sets- Riveting and Birthday Wish (both ret), Accessories-corner, scallop circle, and 1 3/8 circle punch, whisper white 1/4" grosgrain ribbon