Friends Forever - Love You

The Layers of Color team has a special hop today to honor one of our beloved friends, Grace, who will "retire" as a full-time designer for LOC and become a "Friend of LOC" officially. Her blog, Th-INK-ing of You, was one of the first blogs I discovered 1.5 years ago when I started paper crafting seriously. I was immediately drawn to her beautiful art, and I was ecstatic to find out that she is a sister in the Lord.

Grace, you have been a source of encouragement to me through your prayers and kind words about my work. Thank you for sharing your gorgeous projects that inspire others and for shining brightly for Christ in the paper crafting community. I made this card with you in mind because, I know I speak for everybody in the LOC team...we love you! The Lord bless you and keep you, Grace, on your artistic pursuits.

Here are the links to the other LOC team members:

Laura * Melisa * Nina (you are here) * Linda * Jennie * Janice *

I used Layers of Colors' Fleur Heart and Beloved Wings for my card. I covered the wings with glitter. The papers are Webster's Pages, stamped with the music stamp from Vintage Borders. The ribbon is my own hand-dyed seam binding and the flower is Prima. The sentiment is from SRM Stickers We've Got Your Stickers Sweet.

Christmas Cards, Part 1

Though I'm still not quite done, I now have the satisfaction of finishing 120 handmade Christmas cards and sent out. I usually semi-mass produce the cards, i.e., I make 6-12 of each design so I don't get bored. Starting today and over the course of the next 3 weeks, I'll be showing you some of the cards I made in groups and hope that you'll find inspiration in them.

This group was one of my elaborate designs. I stamped the globe from my Heirloom Ornaments set and punched it out with a 1-3/4 in circle punch. The lacy circle is by Spellbinders and was stamped with the vintage ribbon image from Vintage Borders. The sentiments are from SRM Stickers Sentiments Happy Holidays.

Here is the set with different sentiments from the same SRM Stickers Sentiments Happy Holidays set.

Finally, this card is for StampTV's Sketch spotlight challenge today. I used the Heirloom Ornaments set again for this one (die cut with Spellbinders Heirloom Ornaments dies), along with Fanciful Tags for the sentiment. The papers are Cosmo Cricket Jolly by Golly.

Snowflake Peace and Shopping Day!

I hope you all had a great thanksgiving and wonderful time with your loved ones. We had a quiet one with non-traditional pork roast. I did manage to make roasted potatoes, creamed corn, apple crumble, and cranberry salad. Some of these were treats for us because the ingredients (pecans, cranberry sauce) were brought from America and took up precious space in our limited luggage this summer. Turkeys are still not that popular here, could be quite pricey and come in small sizes (think a big chicken). We'll cook it for Christmas, usually deep fried. Yum!

Today's card is for StampTV's Color Spotlight challenge. The snowflakes are from the Winter Mittens set. The background text (Merry Christmas in many languages) and sentiment are from Vintage Borders. The papers are Cosmo Cricket's Winter Mittens collection. The ribbon is my hand-dyed seam binding. It matches GinaK's Green Apple perfectly.

Here is the color combo this week. I hope you can play along with us.

Finally, GinaK Designs is offering a Thankful for you sale. Happy shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I don't have a card to show you, but just want to wish my American friends a happy thanksgiving day tomorrow. May you have a memorable day full of laughter and memories with your loved ones, grateful to God for all the blessings in your life.

Here's a funny video for you to enjoy while you enjoy your turkey dinner :-)

I'll be back on Friday with a card for StampTV's Color Challenge.

Reindeer Joy

Happy Tuesday! It's quite a dreary day here, but there's NO snow! That's enough to make this island girl very happy :-).

Several months ago, I found a new fun site called The Color Room. They post a weekly inspiration photo, color combo and a sketch. It's a popular place to hang out for scrapbookers, which I'm not. So, for awhile I was lurker and wished I did scrapbooking. But inspiration hit and I've been joining their weekly challenges the last 4 weeks.

Here is my card for this week's TCR challenge. It is also based on their card sketch. The elegant reindeer is from Layers of Colors' Reindeer Waltz. The papers are Webster's Pages and K& Co. The sentiment is SRM Sticker Sentiments Thank You.

Don't you just love that reindeer? He looks as if he was strolling in a beautiful garden and something caught his attention up above. He stopped and stared at the sky anticipating that perhaps something wonderful was about to happen. I imagine that he saw the Angel Gabriel proclaiming "Joy" because the Savior of the world had been born. Of course, I don't know if there were reindeer in Israel back then, but it works for this card... :-)

Finally, have you been to the SRM Stickers blog? They are featuring SRM tubes that look so fun to doll up. Sadly, my tubes are still held up somewhere between CA and Croatia. But soon, I hope, I will have something to share with you.

Feeling so incredibly blessed

It's Thanksgiving week in the US, but unfortunately we don't have that in Croatia. But, that shouldn't stop my family and I from celebrating the holiday as we have much to be thankful for. We have the obvious reasons: loving parents/grandparents...friends from all over the world...our church family in Croatia...a warm home...healthy bodies, etc. There are also minor reasons: a computer to communicate with...a good night's sleep...a soothing cup of tea...the list goes on and on.

But above all these, we rejoice in the gift who is Christ Jesus. He has lavished us with every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3ff). He has made us see the blessings, big and small, in our life with appreciation. We have joy, hope, peace and contentment because of Him. We have no reason to worry for anything because we know God is in control and He is good. We have His Word to guide us in our everyday life. We enjoy and love our life. In short, we feel incredibly blessed because of Him. And what a great gift that is! How about you? What makes you feel incredibly blessed today?

Today I have two cards to share for the StampTV sketch #3 and color spotlight #2 challenges. I used Heirloom Ornaments stamps for both. The papers for the above card are Cosmo Cricket Winter Mittens. The background was stamped with the music stamp from Vintage Borders. The card below uses Graphic 45 Christmas Past papers,some hand-dyed seam bindings and a Prima flower.

Holiday Hoppin' with Spellbinders Paper Arts

Welcome to the second day of the Spellbinders™ Paper Arts Holiday Hoppin’ Blog Hop! Spellbinders, along with Gina K Designs are showcasing their newest products just in time for your Holiday crafting and gift giving. Lots of creative ideas are in store, as well as prizes galore! Each participating company has generously donated towards the prize package listed on the Spellbinders Blog. A total of two identical prize packages, one for each day, November 18 and 19 will be given away! To enter, just leave a comment on a participating blog! Comments in the first 48 hours of the post are eligible. One commenter each day will be randomly selected as the winner. Winners will be announced on November 22, on the Spellbinders Blog! Be sure to see all of yesterday’s Holiday Hoppin’ blogs for inspiring projects and another chance to win!

Visit all of today’s Holiday Hoppin’ blogs:

Mona Pendleton
Gina Hanson
Deborah Young
Becca Feeken
Julie Overby
Kimberly Crawford
AJ Otto
Margie Higuchi
Beth Pingry
Jennifer Holmes
Kerry Urbatch
Shona Erlenborn
Tammy Inman
Jessica Turner
Brenda Hurd
Julie Koerber
Rae Barthel
Rachel O’Crowley
Kellie Fortin
Kristen Cohen
Joy Dickson
Candy Rosenberg
Laura Craigie
Stephanie Hester
Leesa Crutcher
Nina Brackett <<--you are here!

I have lots to share with you today as I feature the following Spellbinder dies for my projects:

• S4-291 Labels 15
• S4-285 Nested Mittens
• S4-283 Heirloom Ornaments
• S4-293 Lacey Circles
• Nesties-005 Classic Circles
  

These dies coordinate with many Gina K Designs stamps, including:

• Lovely Labels 2
• Heirloom Ornaments
• Winter Mittens

This photo ornament was created using Lovely Labels 2 stamps, Labels 15 and Heirloom Ornaments dies. The papers are October Afternoon. Tutorial coming soon on this blog!
Here are some detailed shots.Here's another ornament or gift card holder using the Nested Mittens dies and felt. This is an easy project to do with your young kids. I handstitched the die cut felt together, along with the decorations.
This card uses the Heirloom Ornaments stamps, Classic Circles and Lacey Circles dies, which was stamped with the vintage ribbon image from Vintage Backgrounds stamp set. The papers are Graphic 45 Christmas Past. (This is a little preview of tomorrow's Card Patterns sketch).

Finally, another card using the Winter Mittens stamps and Nested Mittens dies. The papers are Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather.

Simply leave a comment on my blog to be eligible to win the Spellbinders Holiday Hoppin’ Prize Package, including some Gina K Designs stamps! One winner will be chosen from all the comments on all the blogs participating today. Comments made in the first 48 hours of this post will be eligible to win. Winner’s names will be published on the Spellbinders Blog on November 22, and they will have 48 hours to reply to Spellbinders to claim the prizes. Happy Hoppin'!

Hot Cocoa Weather

It's starting to get chilly here, but I'm so glad that we don't have snow yet. That didn't stop me from playing with my Winter Mittens set though :-). I used Cosmo Cricket's Jolly By Golly papers, which are perfect for this set. The mitten was colored with Memento markers and die cut with Spellbinders' Nested Mittens set.

Just a reminder that the Spellbinders blog is hosting the Holiday Hoppin' event. There are two huge giveaways from several companies and the winner will be picked from the comments in the participants' blogs. Make sure you stop by GinaK's blog where she'll be showcasing GinaK Designs stamps that coordinate with Spellbinder dies. I'll be back tomorrow with my projects for the Holiday Hoppin' Hop (that's a mouthful :-).

Lovely Rose

I'm taking a break from my Christmas cards and sharing one with you today using Layers of Color's Cottage Rose cling art stamp for the new Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger challenge. I love the colors together in the inspiration photo, as you can see on my card below.

I cut the straight lines with a craft knife and cut around the leaves and buds. I colored the image with Copics. The sentiment is by Stampin' Up! The cardstocks are GinaK.

Earthy Christmas card

This is my second post today. For my IPPITY BLOG HOP PROJECTS, scroll down or click -->> HERE.

This card is for Stamp TV's Sketch Spotlight Challenge. I used my Heirloom Ornaments set and Pink Paislee papers. I followed The Color Room's color combo. I hope you can play along with us.

One more thing, GinaK is making a HUGE announcement on Stamp TV today. Make sure you check it out.

Vintage Christmas Cards

I'm so excited to join my very first Ippity Stamps Blog Hop. I've been a fan ever since they opened for business several months ago. Make sure you stop by the Ippity blog for a list of participants and to see the SNEAK PEEKS.

My cards today use the Season of Joy set, courtesy of my friend JenMarie. I just love the big sentiments, snowflakes, and the frames that fit Spellbinder dies. My first card uses Pink Paislee's papers. And yes, I tore the paper on purpose. :-).

This card uses October Afternoon papers and Cosmo Cricket's tiny type alphabet stickers.

Your next stop is...The Crafty Frugalista

Crafting in Slovenia

What a busy day I had yesterday. I had a blast teaching a group of talented ladies in a city called Maribor in Slovenia. Here are some pictures from that class. These ladies were so enthusiastic and creative. I look forward to the next class.
I have lots of things going on in my blog this week. I'll see you back here tomorrow morning!

More Marvy Creations and Turquoise Christmas

I'm showing more Marvy and SRM Stickers creations today. This time, the SRM team is featuring the Paper Trimming Buddy and 8 interchangeable blades on the SRM blog, where they are giving away 3 of this trimmer and accessories.

For my first card, I used the pinking cartridge on the edges of the patterned paper (Togetherness by Cosmo Cricket). The ornament is from Heirloom Ornaments stamp set. And the sentiment is SRM Stickers Sentiments Happy Holidays.

My second card used the perforating Marvy cartridge and created a grid for a background. I also used the scallop to highlight the sentiment. "Merry" is from Quick Cards Merry by SRM. The papers and letter stickers are by Cosmo Cricket.

Make sure you visit the SRM Blog for more inspiration and information for the Marvy giveaway! Have a good weekend!

Christmas Ornament Box

Today's card is for the SRM Stickers Marvy's Quick Borders Craft Punch feature. The SRM team was spoiled with this new product that we used on our projects today on the SRM Blog. Make sure you check it out as I hear there are quite a few of this punch system being given away. :-)

I made a box using the Ribbon Stitch punch. What I like about this system is the no-guessing where to punch next to make sure the borders are lined up correctly. I also like the fact that it doesn't take up as much room as normal border punches. Storage space is precious to me in my little craft corner in our bedroom.

Here's the top view. I used my Heirloom Ornaments stamps to make a 3-D decoration on top. The sentiment is from SRM Stickers Sticker Sentiments Happy Holidays.

Don't forget to visit the SRM Blog for more inspiration and information for the Marvy giveaway!

Fruitful Harvest Thanks

Today's card features Layers of Color's Fruitful Harvest clear art stamp set and the Victorian Corner Art Stencil, The papers are Webster's Pages, cardstocks are GKD Grass Green and Passionate Pink. I followed The Color Room's palette this week.

Here's a close up. You can see better the stenciled pink cardstock. I think I really like that tone-on tone sponging.

For more projects using Fruitful Harvest clear art stamp set, make sure you check out the LOC blog and these talented ladies' blogs:

Janice, Linda and Melisa

Turquoise for Christmas?

I've been loving turquoise on my Christmas cards lately. Here's another one. I made this card for The Color Room color palette last week. The frame is Lovely Labels 2 and the sentiment is Banner of Joy from Penny Black. The doily paper is October Afternoon.

I hope you had the chance to hop with the Layers of Color team yesterday. Some of them are sharing new projects today. Go to the LOC blog for more info. I have a card to show you tomorrow with LOC.