Wednesday, December 23, 2009

2 days until Christmas

I Can't believe there are only two days left until Christmas and I am still working on Christmas cards. well, I guess that is the way when you have over 50 people to give cards to then sell some that you made at craft fairs.
I made this one today. This is the final one, I made it as part of the splitcoast sketch challenge, I had to come up with something, why not do a challenge! I used very vanilla as my base, then added real red as a "mat" layer, along with SU's Christmas dp for several years ago. I used the snowflake from snowswirled, stamped it in real red then went over it with versamark and dazzling diamonds and a heat gun to give it shimmer, then I used my punch and punched it out. I added a gold ribbon for extra shimmer, and my tree is done the same way but with always artichoke ink.

I saw something on SU's demonstrator magazine where the images were stacked, I thought that was a neet concept, so I tried it with the delightful decorations set. I used mellon mambo, pretty in pink and old olive as my colors. I had to mask the images so the ink wouldn't bleed between colors, so I used a post it, and stamped the image twice then cut it out and used them as my mask.


This was a splitcoast challenge to use gold. I think it was a limited supply challenge. I used mellon mambo as my base, then old olive, then used gold as my mat, then white, and stamped the "Sanded" background stamp in gold. I then used my delightful decorations set in mambo and olive, and popped them up with pop dots, added an artichoke ribbon wrapped like a present.


This was for the gold or silver challenge mentioned above. I used artichoke as my base, then stamped bella toile bg stamp in silver. My main image is stamped in gold then heat embossed in gold, then colored in using a blender pen in ruby red, and gold gel pen. The image is matted on ruby red, and gold. I added some candycane eyelets I had.


I think this is one of my fave cards of the season. This was part of a featured stamper challenge, where you take the image and change it up at last two ways. I used always artichoke as my base, then I took white, stamped the sanded bg stamp in artichoke, LOVE IT! I added a real red ribbon. The main image is stamped in artichoke and mounted on artichoke. I used deckling scissors for the edges. The snowflakes are a very tiny punch that I have, I punched them in real red then used glue dots to secure them. I added 3 brads to the bottom of the card.




This was a ways to use it challenge from splitcoaststampers.com, we were to make a card using a recipie or something we made to eat for the holidays. My fave thing to bake is choc chip, m&m cookies. I use the tollhouse recipie and add in m&m's for those of you who were wondering. So I made this card using creamy caramel cardstock. I then added a Choc Chip ribbon, and stamped my delightful decorations in mellon mambo, kiwi kiss and pacific point to represent the m&m's I also used my cuttlebug and used my dots folder to emboss the front panel of the card. I added a cool ribbon that had choc dots of all things as hangers for the ornaments.

Well, it seems like that is all she wrote as far as my recent cards. I think it is a little easier to do it the way I did today. I think I will try it in the future.
If I could figure out how, would you ladies be interested in doing color challenges, or sketch challenges? Let me know

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Where does the time go?

Omg, I can't believe it 10 days until Christmas! I am so done by now, and this year, considering I am home, I still have lots to do. I can't believe how disorganized I have been with things this year. Totally unlike me!

Well, this is the first year as a single mom. I worked for a while, but set the recovery of my arms back by doing so. Also when I worked, the differentials with workers comp were coming late, therefore, all my bills got backed up, and dug myself into a hole. Now I am trying to dig myself out. I guess that is where all this unorganized chaos is coming from called my life! HA!

I am waiting for the workers comp people to approve my physical therapy. Ever since the prp injections in my arm, my right lateral (outside) arm has not been right. I have been in pain everyday, some days worse than others. It is terrible to just move your arm and to hurt. I know people think I complain alot, in essence I don't because I am in pain every day. I just complain on the days when I can't stand the pain.

I am worried. I am driving down to NC to see my parents in a few weeks. I still can't use my right arm to drive for more than 5 minutes at a time. Lately, if I go to stretch it, it locks up too, so I am nervous. It will be just me and my son, and he can't drive he's not even 10 yet! I do have a plan though. I am going to make sure I bring lots of ice, and if it hurts too much, I will pull over and put my little elbow patch with the ice on, and I have my ointments, ladocaine patches and of course narcotics. I wont' use those until I am at my parents, and only if needed.

Anyway, this has caused me to be way behind in my stamping. I usually have my Christmas cards out the weekend of Thanksgiving. I have been putting it off. I don't know if it is because of my arm, or I just don't care this year. Who knows. I have about 10 more to still make, but these are my most recent ones.





Thank goodness for the Splitcoaststampers challenges. If it weren't for them and seeing all the ladies marvelous works, I don't think I would have been inspired to make what I have made. I even cut down my Christmas list this year. I'm only mailing to 50 people this year. Years past, it was as high as 100 people.

Thanks for looking, have a great day.