PTI December Blog Hop & MIM

December 2013 Blog Hop

Good day after Christmas morning!

Hope your day was blessed with family and friends!

Welcome to Papertrey's December Blog Hop!

A very quick post, couldn't let a blog hop pass.

Tied up with String!

Time was so short this month, have my whole family in house, but here's 

my challenge card.

Red twine accents a shaker Valentine.

LL Heart cutout, Confetti Garland heart with heart glittered.

PTI cardstock: Rustic White

Sentiment: Love Lives Here

Buttons: PTI

Happy Hopping!

December 2013 Blog Hop

Make It Monday #50: Shaker Card

Paper Sweeties #14, December Challenge

Merriest of Christmas wishes to all!

Couldn't be busier with last minute arrangements,

but had to do a card for a granddaughter whose bd happens in a few days.

We call her our miracle baby.

Reagan Ryan was born at 29 weeks, but a fighter from the very beginning!

Her mommy, my daughter is my hero!

 Hospitalized and on magnesium to stop early labor, she fought for 5 weeks to keep little Reagan

inside where she belonged!

I stayed with my daughter during the day, her wonderful husband stayed at night. We never left her.

Magnesium does awful things to the body, but she wouldn't jeopardize her daughter's fate, 

and fought every day.

Reagan was born 10 weeks early, not a good sign. But constant prayer, and the amazing crew at Valley Children's Hopital pulled my little granddaughter through.

I think somehow my umbilical cord was attached to her too!

Reagan turns 8 Dec. 21st and shows no ill effects to having been born so early.

I know I'm a bit prejudiced, but covered with so much prayer, she seems to be 'graced'

and shines every time I look at her!

When I saw this month's challenge at Paper Sweeties, I could have sworn that sweet image 

was Reagan!

Feminine and wistful, with soft colors,

Her card came together easily. 

Every birthday is a celebration, Reagan's brings back memories I hold close to my heart!

Sweet Emma was colored with copics, and her outfit (from Warm Winter Wishes) is paper pieced.

Sentiment from Enjoy your Day

Celebrate provided the banner, balloon and party hat

Shaker card window die cut with PTI's Tipped Tops Die, and filled with lots 

of sequin goodies and german glass glitter.

Can you find a little time to join the fun?

Each Paper Sweeties challenge runs a whole month, 

still plenty of time!

Lots of great designer inspiration too!

Paper Sweeties December challenge

STR's Noel #196 Buttons and Polka Dots

One more post for The Shabby Tearoom's challenge.
Noel, use polka dots and buttons.
This time used one of the images from Digital Papers, who sponsors the challenge.

The sweet digital Christmas angel was antiqued using a technique 

Heather Nichols showed us.

3 layers of embossing produces the shiny coat, which is easily 'broken' to resemble

patina aging. I defined it a bit, as she suggested, with Chai ink stain.

Background is PTI's Background Basics: Tintype stamped in Oceantides.
I thought the dots in the tintype stamp look like polka dots.
PTI cardstocks: Aquamist, Antique Linen

Foil Edging and vintage lace layering. The swirling rhinestones reminded me of snow.

Glittered paper rose, buttons and felt holly on

seam binding by Paper Sweeties.

Noel sentiment on the inside.

Tucked in some snowflake sequins in the bouquet

You still have a day or 2 to play along!

Week #196 - 'Noel'

STR Week #196 Noel

It's been a while since I've played along at the Shabby Tea Room,

but I couldn't resist this opportunity to share some exciting news.

Debbie Marcinkiewicz, who hosts this lovely blog has asked me 

to join her design team on 'Paper Sweeties', a company of 

extraordinary stamps and dies.

Who couldn't resist sets of paper dolls and doll related stamp sets?

The challenge at the Tea Room this week is to use the word Noel,

along with polka dots and buttons.

Showcased Sophie, a stamp and die set, and dressed her as an angel,

presenting a Noel banner.

Buttons and lace, vintage, from my years of hoarding!

The dotted background stamp is from a border set by Paper Sweeties.

Sweet Sophie is copic colored and accented with Stickles.

Rustic Wreath, cardstock and red poppy paper: PTI

Designing for Paper Sweeties begins in Jan. I hope you'll 

follow along in this journey.

Meanwhile, check out Sophie and other fabulous

 stamp and die sets here:             

 Dream … Create … Shop!  

You'll find this week's  Shabby Tea Room challenge 

here:

Week #196 - 'Noel'

MIM #144: Heat Embossing Vellum

I absolutely love working on vellum!

So when Melissa Phillips took the helm at PTI's Make it Monday,

and her lesson was on embossing vellum, 

I couldn't wait to put on paper her wonderful pointers.

Such as: Using a pattern paper beneath the vellum.

Using many colors on the vellum.

And as Melissa always does, adding sweet accent touches. 

The challenge for me was choosing the stamps.

I haven't inked up Love Lives Here: Holiday this season, and thought 

it would work on vellum.

I first stamped the angel in Zing Grapefruit. Too bright.

Then I stamped over it with a red embossing powder, and liked the effect.

Masked the form and added wings in aqua, masked again, and added Rustic Wreath in white.

Rustic Wreath die cut in New Leaf to give definition, and a border of hearts die cut with 

Confetti Borders.

I know I'll use these techniques over and over again. Such fun to watch the powder colors pop 

off the vellum!

Watch Melissa's video here on Nichole's blog:

Make It Monday #144: Heat Embossing Vellum

MIM #143

I just love the Modern Whimsy Style Danielle showed us on this week's Make it Monday.

Danielle always details with style, and her sample card is no exception.

Going to a cookie exchange tonight, and did one more 

Modern Whimsy card to house a Starbuck's gift card.

Lots of PTI stamps dies and banners.

Glassine bag gold embossed with the holly from Holiday Button Bits.

Thanks from Thanks all Ways

Vellum Tag Sale #4 red embossed with merry Christmas from Tremendous Treats: Christmas

I love the ampersand and add it whenever I can.

This was glittered first with Stamp n Bond and then Martha Steward Black glitter.

My friend Sophie hosts the cookie exchange every year.

There are about 30 of us regulars, and we are always adding new friends!

At the end of nights we each take home a plateful of wonderful goodies.

How fun to have delicious treats for drop-ins during the holidays!

Had to show you my plate full of hand stamped and hand painted cookies.

Oh yeah, it's that competitive! (Ha!)

A few more hours to join in the fun at PTI!

Make It Monday #143: Modern Whimsy Style

Festive Friday & MIM #143

For the last Festive Friday challenge we were asked to look back on all the previous challenges

and choose one to create our card.

I chose an earlier color challenge.

Red, Green, and Gold.

Can't get more Christmasey than that!

Used Danielle Flanders' technique, Modern Whimsey, so also entering in PTI Make it Monday challenge.

PTI: Mistletoe and Holly embossed in gold,

Boutique Borders: Christmas stamp and die,

Limitless Layers: Oval

PTI card stocks and vellum

This is the last challenge for 2013. 

A short break and Christmas card making begins again for 2014. 

FINAL CHALLENGE OF 2013!

Merry Monday Challenge #86 Chalkboard Technique

This week's Merry Monday challenge is to create a card using the chalkboard technique.

Because I can't ever pass up a dp in plaid (especially a Christmas plaid), I used Pebbles Front Porch to be my background.

Gingerbread Lane from PTI 

The 'chalkboard' sentiments are a collage from Instant Photo: Holidays also PTI.

Come play along, challenge is through Sunday.

MIM #143

Mondays mean Make It Monday at PTI.

This week, Danielle gives a name to I style I love! 'Modern Whimsy'.

Layers and bling, vellum and washi, buttons and, well  you get the idea. 

My dear friend Brandy and I love to sew. Whenever I send her a card, it has a sewing theme.

This card's for her.

Vellum Paisienne Doily

Tag Sale #7

Button Boutique stamp set and die

Fan folded pinwheel from a vintage book (love the faded color)

Pure Poppy Ink

PTI cardstocks: Stampers Select White, Blush

Washi: Freckled Fawn

Come watch the video here on Nichole's blog:

Make It Monday #143: Modern Whimsy Style