Easy Shabby Cards

Here's another set of mass-produced cards I made that are more on the shabby side. I used my Heirloom Ornaments and Vintage Borders stamp sets, Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather papers and SRM Stickers Sentiments Happy Holidays.

This is what I did:

• I cut the coordinating 12 x 12 double-sided papers into 4 x 5.25 sheets (I got 6 from one 12 x 12 sheet with small strips leftover for other projects).
  
• I cut each small sheet on the 2" mark. I used the purple side for the bottom of the card and flipped the paper strip for the top portion.
  
• I inked all the edges of the strips and card front using Distress Antique Linen and Vintage Photo.
  
• Die cut the Spellbinders Lacey Circles and ink edges. Stamp text background stamp.
  
• Stamp world, then die cut or punch out (I used a 1-3/4 circle punch).
• Tie bow to hide seam between two papers.
• Adhere sticker sentiment.

To make it all go faster. I did one step at a time for all the cards. So, I inked all the edges of the pieces at the same time. I cut all the paper strips and sheets for all my cards. My kids even helped with making these. They love die cutting and punching out stamped images. They could have helped with inking the edges, too. It's more fun when it's a group effort. :-)

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!

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.

Introducing Winter Mittens and Heirloom Ornaments

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you have a great weekend ahead. The sun is shining in Croatia and the weekend is off to a good start already.

I am excited to show my two latest stamp sets from GinaK Designs. First is one that is perfect for gift giving, Winter Mittens and it coordinates with the Spellbinders Nested Mittens die set. Here are some tips on how to best utilize this set:

The sentiments all fit inside the oval and rectangular frames. The oval can be die cut using the Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities. The rectangular frame can be used as a cuff for the largest die as seen on my tutorial for Christmas tags at the end of this post.
My second set, Heirloom Ornaments, coordinates with the Spellbinders Heirloom Ornaments die set.
Here is a shabby vintage card I made with this set. The papers are Webster's Pages. The music background was made using the Vintage Borders stamp set.
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Quick Christmas Tags using the Winter Mittens and Spellbinders Nested Mittens die set:

I forgot to mention that I die cut two sheets of paper at a time and it cut without a problem.

Lovely Labels 2 Lovelies

I hope you are enjoying the GinaK Designs previews still going on now. I have one more set to show you tomorrow. And of course, it coordinates with Spellbinder dies!

Today's cards are by two of my talented friends who made these gorgeous Lovely Labels 2 cards. First is by Jennie Harper. I love this Graphic 45 paper that makes such an elegant, vintage card. The verse is from my Vintage Borders set. You can find more details of her card -->>HERE.

The second card is by Carla Suto, who makes such beautiful vintage cards. Here's another one of her beauties. She even made that beautiful flower. Find more info on her card-->>HERE.
I have tons to show you tomorrow featuring the new Heirloom Ornaments set. Can't wait! :-)

CHA Chicago - bound!

I'm on my way to Chicago as this goes live. It's my first ever as a CHA Trade Show participant. I will be working in the SRM Stickers booth and another company that I can't wait to share with you all. Hubby and I are traveling sans kids, which we don't do very often. We're taking advantage of my kind parents who are watching them for 5 days while we enjoy the sights and sounds of Chicago! I hope to post pics here of the beautiful paper crafting goodies I'll find at CHA.

Today's card is about two weeks late. It was highlighted in the Paper Crafts Connection blog to kickoff their Card Styles magazine publication. I have 5 other cards in this magazine. The butterfly is from Hope is Faith by GinaK. The frame is from my Lovely Labels set die cut with Spellbinders Labels 4. The subtle music background is from Vintage Borders. The beautiful flourish is from Nature Walk by Layers of Color. Yes, I meticulously fuzzy cut the flourish and it's so worth it :-).


Have a good week!

My Favorite Vacation

Gina issued the GinaK Designs DT a challenge to create a card inspired by a favorite summer memory. Hands down, my favorite summer vacation was 2 years ago when my whole family spent 2 weeks exploring Israel with many of our dear friends. It was an experience we will never forget. A friend told me that visiting Israel would change the way I would read my Bible from black and white to full color. She was so right. That experience just brought more meaning to the stories and lessons I read in the pages of Scripture.

Let me give you a short tour of that life-changing trip. First pic is with me and my DH showing the Temple Mount view from the Mt. of Olives.

This is the Sea of Galilee at sunset.

My girls thought it was very interesting to stand where David bravely faced and defeated Goliath. Of course, they had to gather some smooth stones like David did for souvenirs. (In case you're wondering, my youngest stayed in the hotel with some friends the whole time because she was too young to endure the high temps outside).

This was inside the Mt. Sepulcher church in Jerusalem.

This is Qumran where a shepherd boy discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Finally, my favorite photo from this trip. The road we're walking on in this picture was literally the road where Jesus walked because it's the road that leads to the Temple.
Here are my cards using my latest sets, Fine Furnishings and Fine Furnishings Additions. I followed the color scheme of the many places we saw: yellow (or gold), black and Kraft. The music background is from the Vintage Borders set. The elegant sentiment is from Elegant Post. I used Wild Dandelion for my card base. I also used the Spellbinders Fancy Tags for an added elegance.

Here is a simpler card with the classic chandelier and couch image from Fine Furnishings.

For all the specific details on how to enter your card in Gina's Design Team challenge, please visit GinaK's blog. Then, stop by these participating GinaK Design Team members' blogs for their projects for tonight's hop:

• Jessica Fick
• Nina Brackett <<--you are HERE!
  
• Theresa Momber
• Melanie Muenchinger
• Tami Mayberry
• Cathy Tidwell
• Lee Murphy
• Donna Baker
• Kurtis Amundson
• Carolyn King
• Emily Giovanni
• Erika Martin
• Kay Simmons
  

Finally, I have to share this interesting photo. Because everything's kosher, the meat and dairy are served from two different counters at a McDonald's in Jerusalem. It's amazing how the hamburger and fries taste the same no matter where it's located in the world. I hope you enjoyed my mini-virtual tour of my favorite vacation.

My Challenge Winners!

First, I just want to let you know how blown away I was with your beautiful creations. There were so many fantastic cards and each one was a feast for the eyes. Just in case you missed them, here are some of my favorites from the challenge participants.

Lynn - I love that ribbon rose.


Justine - another fabulous handmade embellishment flower.


Jennie - all the different elements just come together so well here and she used several of my Gina K stamp sets, Nana's Needlework and Vintage Backgrounds.


Amy - her color combo is one of my favorite and who wouldn't love a blinged out butterfly trail?


Janice M - I love the trail, too, but even more, I love the crocheted butterfly!

Janice W - another beautiful handmade flower and it's so clever how she did her ribbon. She used two of my Gina K sets, Lovely Shelf and Nana's Needlework.


Heather - I love her stitching, subtle backgrounds, fantastic color combo and lovely design. She used my GinaK sets Nana's Needlework, Vintage Borders, Lovely Shelf.


Last, but certainly not the least...Carla with this beautiful vintage card. I love her muted color combo, and the simple elegance of it all. She used my Lovely Labels set.


I am so glad I am picking the winner by random, or I wouldn't be able to choose one favorite. The winner of the $20 gift certificate from Lisa Walsh (Stampin' Up! demo) is...#4 Janice Whiting.

And before I give you the winner from the commenters and followers, I have to explain how I pick my winner. There were almost 400 comments and over 300 followers, so it's a little daunting to count them. What I do is I assign a number per day and the followers get two days:
#1 Followers
#2 Day 1 comments,
... Days 2 - 15
#17 Followers again

I picked a random number 1-17 (via random.org)...I got #7, so the winner will be picked from Day 6 comments. Using the random.org site again, from the comments the winner of some paper crafting goodies from me is... #17 Lynn! I will be in contact soon, ladies, to get your goodies out to you.

Another great giveaway from Gina K Designs

In celebration of Stamp It! magazine, Cath is giving away 8 fantastic Gina K. Designs stamp sets today in the Moxie Fab World Blog! Woohoo! Here are the sets up for grabs and all you need to do is leave a comment. You DO NOT need to participate in Moxie Fab's Tues Trigger to win these fabulous sets.

• Retro Boutique
• Happy Hearts
• Many Wishes
• Vintage Borders
• Dream Birds
• Hope is Faith
• Lovely Labels
• Sweetest Memories

I believe Stamp It! 2010 magazine is Paper Crafts magazine's most popular special issue. I have two cards published is this specific issue! The Gina K Designs crew has some projects to show you featuring the 8 sets that Cath picked for the give away. Make sure you go to Gina's blog to see a list of the participants.

I'm showing you a card using two of my stamp sets, Lovely Labels and Vintage Borders. I stamped the music background with Tuscan Tan ink on the birdcage paper (Postcards from Paris by Webster's Pages). The label is also stamped with tan ink, the sentiment with Olive ink. The card base is Gina K Designs' pure luxury ivory, which was sponged on the edges with Tuscan Tan ink. It's just perfect for vintage cards. The lovely satin ribbon and vintage lace are a local find.

Stop over to the Moxie Fab World Blog for a chance to win 8 Gina K Designs stamp sets!

And make sure you enter the Stamp TV's 10,000 member celebration where you can win a $200 shopping spree at the GinaK Designs store -->> HERE.