I love being able to...

... use stamp sets that I bought on a whim! With the Hostess Reward set "Sing Glory", I was able to come up with the fifth card that I promised my friend. When I use inspirations, sometimes I start somewhere and wind up totally different, and this one was one of those!

Inspiration: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/40884309092309793/ by Cards On The Table With Vicki.

The ribbon is sourced from somewhere... I'm a total ribbon hog! I love Christmas for what it is, but it also winds up being a massive ribbon grab for me! I'll keep anything that looks like it could be card fodder and this red ribbon was no exception.

I brought the patterned cardstock inside the card like I usually do along with the holly leaves and the berries. This was an old retired paper pack from a few years back : Pear and Partridge.

Other:
Kraft cardstock
Red ribbon

CTMH: 
Sing Glory
Holiday Commentary - retired
Card Chatter - Christmas - retired
Pear and Partridge Level 2 Paper Pack
Cranberry Pigment Ink
Ponderosa Pine Pigment Ink
Ruby Ink
Ponderosa Pine Ink

Time to go put up Christmas decorations!

Christmas is here...

Lately when I walk into the Hyatt on the way to work, they have been playing Christmas carols for weeks. I'm also connected into the Palliser Fairmont Hotel, and I decided to go for a walk down that way as I'm spending one night there to sleep off the liquor and go to work the next morning.

I walked into the Fairmont to be greeted by this:

This is carved from white chocolate, dark chocolate and sugar with a gingerbread chimney by one of the Palliser's newest pastry chefs. It took 40 hours to do. How amazing is that?

Today's inspiration is Case Study #118, in particular Maureen Merritt from Mama Mo Stamps' variation.

I've had the set Holiday Commentary for some time without not knowing what to do with it but it was the perfect pair to three cheery little raccoons. It's again a bit more simple than what I usually do, but the colors pop on this card so well and the Baker's Twine with green rhinestones just finishes it off.

As you can see, I carried the same theme throughout the rest of the card. I decided to do a bit of distressing throughout - on the front it's the paintbrush from the distressing tools from CTMH and inside the sponge for the edges.

My Stash:
* Green solid cardstock
* White cardstock

CTMH:
* Texture Tools
* Christmas Love
* Holiday Commentary (retired)
* Bundled Buddies (retired)
* Ponderosa Pine Ink
* Barn Red Ink
* Liquid Applique
* Blue and Green Assortment Sparkle
* Cranberry Baker's Twine

Stay warm and watch the ice on those slippery roads!

Wishes - Greeting Card Workshop

Jeanette Lynton has published two amazing books for cardmaking : Originals and Wishes. These books contain awesome layouts, tips and tricks, recipes on how to make them, and even printable templates on a CD! You can't get any better than that.

I thought I'd try out one of the card workshops in Wishes - Greeting Card Workshop found on page 111. These workshops make 16 standard 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 cards. It took me a total of three hours to finish the workshop, but most of the time was spent cutting. On average, the cards you see in my posts are an hour to make or more including fiddling, color coordination, and cutting/stamping/assembly.

I ended up with 16 beautiful cards which are much simpler than my usual style. I couldn't resist using foam squares though.

The biggest tip of all is: "keep it affordable by stamping your embellishments instead of using consumable accents". It's a great tip for those just starting out.

3 sheets of 12 x 12 paper and 9 pieces of 8 1/2 x 11 white paper for cardstock... plus additional embellishments and a few stamp sets later and voila!

Michaels:
* Cardstock, "White"
* Green cardstock
* Cardstock, "Gems" collection

CTMH:
* Holiday Warmth - October 2009 Stamp of the Month, retired
* Snowflakes
* Festive Thoughts
* Holiday Commentary
* Mistletoe Level 2 Paper Pack - retired
* Snow Flurries
* Bundled Buddies
* Cranberry Ink
* Ponderosa Pine Ink
* Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge

Christmas is fast approaching! P.S ... did you see the card I made with Mad About You (Dec 2011 SOTM) in the previous post?

It rains, but it hasn't snowed yet

I'm glad that Calgary has not yet decided to snow. I have not been ignoring - I have been cardmaking! However the night grows late so here's a quick post.

Today's inspiration is from Mojo Monday: MOJO209 and mostly scraplifted from Stephanie Kraft at Handkrafted By Stephanie: Mojo 209 - Winter Wishes. Her colors are so beautiful, but for me I injected a bit of green.

Michaels:
* Cardstock, various sets
* Fiskars border punch
* Fiskars circle cutter

CTMH:
* Mistletoe Paper Pack (retired)
* Holiday Magic (October SOTM)
* Holiday Commentary
* Grey Wool Ink
* Ponderosa Pine Ink
* Cranberry Ink