Last Day of 2013!

Can you believe it?  We are into the final hours of 2013...and what a year it has been!!  In honour of the year's end I've decided to do a countdown of my Top Ten favourite projects this year.  I'll show you five today and then you'll have to come back tomorrow to see the other five!  So, without further ado, here is the first set...I'm including links to the original post for each one in case you want the details :)

Number Ten...a fun Angry Birds Space easel card I made for my son's friends birthday.

Number Nine...a birthday card a tag ensemble featuring the Chalk Board technique.

Number Eight...a thank you card I did for The Technique Twist featuring the Emerging Colours technique

Number Seven...a birthday card I made for a dear friend and colleague.

Number Six...an over-the-top Man-card I did for The Technique Twist featuring the Faux Wax Seal and Burnished Vellum techniques.

So did I choose any of your fav's?  It really was fun to look back through all of the projects I completed this year!  If you aren't already, you really should get into the habit of photographing everything you make.  You'll be glad you did!
Before I go, just a reminder to  leave a comment on my post from yesterday to be entered in my draw for some awesome stamping swag!  The contest closes on January 1st, so don't miss out!  Be sure to stop by tomorrow for my Top Five of 2013...till then have a happy last day of the year!!

Finally Stamping Again...and a Give-away!

Well I finally found some time to get down to my stamping corner and put rubber to ink this weekend!  Wahoo!!  I have to admit that I was more than a bit rusty after nearly three weeks off...my Mojo just wasn't working for me.  So, I did what I always do when I need inspiration:  I visited some of my favourite challenge websites to get my creative juices flowing.  I landed on a colour challenge over at The Friday Mash-up and a sketch challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments...just what the doctor ordered!  Here are the two challenges:

Mashup Challenge:

1. Create a project using the colors "Real Red, Gumball Green, Bermuda Bay & Crumb Cake."
2. Create a project with some "Glimmer/Shimmer/Bling. "
3. Or Mash it Up and create a project "Real Red, Gumball Green, Bermuda Bay, Crumb Cake & Glimmer."

And here is my project...keep in mind that it is the first thing I've created in a looongg while...

Love note featuring the new Love You to The Moon stamp set (133143) available January 3rd

I have to say this colour challenge really was a tough one!  That is not a combination I would ever think of putting together, but I think I managed to make it work.  I was even  able to use up some scrap leftovers from one of the Christmas Simply Created Kits...can you tell which elements I used??

 You also may have noticed a few brand-new products as well!  The stamp set I used is called Love You to The Moon and is such a fabulous set for Valentine's Day or for anytime you want to let someone special know how much they are loved.  It will be available in just a few days when the new Occasions Catalogue goes live! 
Another new product is the TIEF I used for the background.  Aren't those polka dots adorable??  It is a little teaser from the upcoming Sale-a-bration brochure.  SO MANY awesome products available FOR FREE starting January 28th.  This embossing folder is called Decorative Dots...definitely one you'll want to snap up!

I decided to bling up the inside of the card too, adding some glimmery chevrons to highlight the sentiment, which is also from the Love you to the Moon set. 
So, have you guess which elements I used from the Christmas Simply Created Kit yet?  Leave me a comment before January 1st telling me which ones they are and I will choose one person to receive some free swag!  How's that for a happy way to ring in the New Year?!? 

Still here...

Were you wondering where I've been?  I'm still here!  The past couple of weeks have been crazy busy with Christmas preparations and the birth of my new neice...so much so that I've not set foot in my stamp corner.  Just when my Christmas break from school began and I was looking forward to spending quality time with rubber and ink, a crazy ice storm hit!  The devastation is unbelievable, but we have been fortunate enough to come through relatively unscathed.  We've had electricity throughout the storm and over the past several days since...unfortunately my brother and SIL have not been so fortunate.  They live in a more rural area with lots of old trees that have snapped under the weight of the 2 cm (1 inch) of ice that accumulated.  They have been without power since early on the 22nd.  They have a 5-day-old baby and a two-year-old and my SIL is recovering from a C-section, so they are staying with us until their power is restored.  It has made for a very busy household as we try to keep things upbeat and fun as Christmas approaches.  So, rather than photos of cute projects, I have photos of my cute little neice and some amazing shots of the ice left  by the storm...

Just one day old here!

Snug as a bug...at the ripe old age of 5 days!

This is what my bedroom window looked like when I woke up Sunday morning!

This is a shrub that now looks more like ground cover!

Each needle on this pine shrub is encased in ice.

Seed pods frozen in an inch of ice.

We are one of the few in our neighbourhood who didn't lose a treee.  Given the amount of ice on this branch it is easy to see why so many trees came down!

If it weren't so devastating it would be almost magical...everything sparkles in the sun.

Frozen hydrangea!

As I mentioned we are so blessed to have maintained power throughout.  Our city is like a little island amid a sea of devastation.  My SIL said that when they were driving to our house in the darkness seeing the lights of Cambridge was such a relief.  We weren't expecting to have guests for Christmas, but it is looking like we will, as the earliest prediction that they will have electricity back is 10:00 pm tonight.  The weather here has been very cold  (a high of  -10 C today!) so it will take a while for their house to warm back up, which likely means Santa will be delivering extra presents to our house tonight!
I hope you all are safe and warm...I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a very blessed new year!

It's Tuesday...

...which means more fabulous new Weekly Deals!  Lots of great products from the Holiday Catalogue on sale!  Remember...these deals are only good until Dec. 23rd...get them while you can!

	Encore Metallic Gold Pad Item # 132141 Regular Price: $12.95 Discounted Price: $9.71
	Encore Metallic Silver Pad Item # 132142 Regular Price: $12.95  Discounted Price: $9.71
	Holly Jolly Greetings Simply Sent Item # 132159 Regular Price: $18.95  Discounted Price: $14.21
	Season of Style Designer Journaling Tags Item # 132808 Regular Price: $5.95 Discounted Price: $4.46
	Pretty Presents Designer Bows Item # 132186 Regular Price: $4.95 Discounted Price: $3.71
	Blast Off Ensemble Digital Download Item # 130862 Regular Price: $21.95 Discounted Price: $13.17
	Build A Banner Refill Kit Item # 132699 Regular Price: $11.95 Discounted Price: $8.96
	Naughty And Nice This Rotary Stamp Item # 132278 Regular Price: $7.95 Discounted Price: $5.96
	Seasonal Stripes 8" X 8" Designer Album Item # 132259 Regular Price: $17.95 Discounted Price: $13.46
	Gold and Silver Stampin' Glitter Item # 132205 Regular Price:$9.95 Discounted Price: $7.46
	Christmas Banner Simply Created Accessory Kit Item # 132697 Regular Price: $11.95 Discounted Price: $8.96
	Snowflake Season Simply Sent Kit Item # 132176 Regular Price: $18.50 Discounted Price: $13.88
	Raspberry Ripple 3/8" Stitched Ribbon Item #126845  Regular Price: $12.25 Discounted Price: $9.19
	Extra Large Gift Box Item # 132147 Regular Price: $$ 4.95 Discounted Price: $3.71

Faux Tile for The Twist

It is a snowy Sunday, here in Cambridge!  We have our first real snowfall of the year last night and it truly looks like a winter wonderland.  Certainly puts one in the Christmas spirit!  Today, instead of a holiday card, I have an any-occasion card to show you for this week's challenge over at The Technique Twist...

Any Occasion card featuring the Faux Tile technique using the Flowering Flourishes stamp set.

Now, this card was anything but simple to make!  It involves a whole lot of sponging and embossing, but the result was worth it.  I didn't want to cover up my work with a sentiment, so I left it without one, making this card appropriate for just about any occasion.

 

Here is how I created this look:

• I started by stamping the flourish image twice on a 4"x4" piece of Whisper White card stock using Versamark ink.  Then I heat embossed in white.
• I cut the 4"x4" card stock into 1" squares.
• I sponged each little square with Marina Mist, Island Indigo and then Always Artichoke ink.
• I sponged the edges of each square lightly with Basic Gray ink.
• I covered each square with Versamark ink and then heat embossed using Glassy Glaze Enamel (retired from Stampin' Up!).  I repeated this step a second time for an even finish.
• I glued each square onto a 4-1/8" square piece of Basic Gray card stock.
• I added the ribbon and Antique Brad.
• I glued the whole thing on to a 5"x5" card base in Smoky Slate.

The photos of this card really don't do it justice.  The enamel really is glossy, giving lots of shine.  While this technique is a bit involved, it really is fun and creates amazing results.  Give it a go and link up over at The Technique Twist before the end of the year...we'd love to see what you come up with!

Special Season

I thought you might like to get a closer look at the cards from a Kit-to-Go that I offered this year.  I first showed this kit way back in September but I never showed you each individual card up close, so here they are:

Each of these cards features the Special Season stamp set (131769), Winter Frost DSP stack (132183), Festive Flurry Framelits (132193), Silver Glimmer Paper (124005) and uses Island Indigo and Pool Party ink. 
Amid the pre-Christmas craziness, I have had a couple of very special deliveries from Mr. UPS this week.  One contained my pre-order goodies from the new Occasions catalogue, which I can't wait to play with this weekend.  The other had $520 worth of FREE product courtesy of Stampin' Up!!!  It was a reward for my participation in a book-a-thon last month and boy, was I spoiled!  I am in amazed at all of the incredible goodies...it was like Christmas came early!  Watch for some fabulous give-aways in the new year, as I share my blessings with all of you!  Thank you, Stampin' Up! for making this a very special Christmas indeed!

Easy Gift Card Holder

Happy Hump Day!  Just two more weeks until Christmas Day and I'm sure you're all as busy as I am trying to get everything done.  Here is an easy way to wrap a gift card for just about anyone on your list!  It features the Pop-n-Cuts card base which is on sale this week for 25% off!  Check it out...

Gift card holder featuring the Pop 'n' Cuts Card Base, Season of Style DSP and the Very Merry Tags stamp set (130402)

Now I can't take credit for this design.  I totally CASE'd this project from the ever-talented Lori Heiling.  Check out her blog for easy-to-follow instructions to make this simple project.

I changed the way Lori decorated her design because I wanted to showcase the Bigz L Gift Bow die and the Season of Style DSP.

This project was one of the make-n-takes at my Customer Appreciation event last month and everyone loved it!  I see many more of these in my future!

Clearance Rack Blitz and Weekly Deals Too!

Today is the start of the Clearance Rack Blitz!  Get amazing deals on retired products at up to 80% off!  Hurry!  These fantastic prices will mean items will sell out quickly.  Don't be disappointed!  View all the Visit my webstore to view the sale items and place your order NOW!

As if that weren't enough, here's a new batch of Weekly Deals for you ...

	Designer Rosette Bigz XL Die Item # 125594 Regular Price: $52.95 Discounted Price: $39.71
	2013-2015 In Color Core'dinations Item # 129958 Regular Price: $14.95 Discounted Price: $11.21
	Blushing Bride 3/4" Chevron Ribbon Item # 130013 Regular Price: $12.50 Discounted Price: $9.38
	Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch Item # 119275 Regular Price: $20.95 Discounted Price: $15.71
	Holly Berry Bouquet Kit MDS Download Item # 127773 Regular Price: $10.95 Discounted Price: 6.57
	Ready. Set. Send. Item # 133384 Regular Price: $24.95 Discounted Price: $18.71
	Stampin' Write Makers Neutrals Item # 131261 Regular Price: $29.95  Discounted Price: $22.46
	Card Base Pop' N Cut Item # 130099 Regular Price: $48.95  Discounted Price: $36.71

 You can add any of these items to your Clearance Rack order in my online store.