Gingerbread and snow, what could be better? :)

 Hello everyone! It is a COLD day in CO today- just frrrrreeezing! We have had the most bizarre winter I have seen in a long time this year- and I've lived here most of my life, so that is saying alot! Hardly any snow, which in and of itself is odd. We usually have seen at LEAST 3 or 4 storms by this point in the year- so far nada! We got maybe an inch or 2 last night, but really not much and NOW it's just icy cold, very very weird! Well, anyway, pardon my ramble, but this chilly day DID seem to be the perfect day to work on the Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab World.

You can see the Trigger at the bottom of my page. The Target was "it's snowing gingerbread!" And, I fully admit, I MIGHT have taken it too literally, as soon as I saw it I couldn't help but think of this K& Company die cut I have that looks like a cookie snowflake, it just looked SO much like the Trigger! So I decided that needed to become my embellishment. I backed it with a brown satin bow and added some buttons, a jingle bell and some of my bargain Crate and Barrel baker's twine (scroll down to the post below for details...) I went around about what the main part of the card should feature- I even have a die cut that looks like a snowflake made from gingerbread men! BUT, in the end, I thought I would not take it TOO literally & chose to use this cute gingerbread boy instead. I cut him out on my Cricut and then dry embossed him in the Cuttlebug after I brayered some Early Espresso ink onto my embossing folder. I just love that look, it adds so much dimension:) Then I embellished him with some buttons, googly eyes, and more baker's twine. On the right side of the card, you can see I added some ruffled gingham ribbon & at the bottom a chipboard sentiment attached with some brown flocked brads.

Well I hope you like my card! Please comment or follow if you can, I would LOVE to hear from you! If you live in my neck of the woods, stay warm out there! :)

Have a stellar day! -Noelle

Supply list: patterned papers: Basic Grey & My Mind's Eye; solid cardstock; SU!, cookie die cut: K and Company; ruffled ribbon: My Favorite Things; buttons: Dress it Up!; bakers twine: Crate & Barrel and  Jillibean Soup; glitter buttons: American Crafts; die cut : Cricut "From My Kitchen;"chipboard sentiment: My Mind's Eye; embossing folder: Cuttlebug; flocked brads: The Paper Studio

Verve Trio Challenge (aka my biggish/littleish cutesy hoilday project;)

Hi everyone! Here is my submission for the Triple Play challenge over at Verve Project Parade. The challenge is to make a trio of projects. I chose to make a S'mores kit with 3 jars in a handmade box. If you are interested in the box construction, it's really very simple, scroll down to the bottom of this post for photos and instructions. These are Ball brand, half pint Elite canning jars & I got these at Target (set of 4) for around 6$. I used decorative papers from Crate Paper, a scallop circle die from Spellbinders and lots of punches, Verve stamps, glitter & rhinestones to embellish the jars. I labelled them with Cosmo Cricket tiny type letter stickers. I faced my ribbon bows and my "s'mores kit" tag towards the back of the box.
For my large label on the front of the box, I used 2 papers I cut with the Top Note die & then I stamped my sentiment in white craft ink and embossed with a latte scented embossing powder which is light caramel in color.
I used mini chocolate chips, mini marshmallows and those little graham cracker sticks to fit in the jar and up the cuteness factor. For the trees I stamped 2 trees, covered them in 2 way glue pen and green glitter and then cut them out, eliminating the trunk on one of them. Then I took the trunkless tree, folded it in half and glued it to the other one.
By the way, if you are looking for a SUPER good deal on baker's twine (particularly if you have a friend or 2 to share with...) check out Crate and Barrel! They sell a HUGE spool of it (think a couple THOUSAND feet!) for 8$. Here is the link. It's only in red, but a little chunkier than some of the other brands I have seen or bought. GREAT deal! :)

Scroll down for box construction and supply list.

I hope you like my project, PLEASE comment or follow if you can, I'm trying to hit 20 followers by the end of the year- Thanks!! :)

Have a STELLAR day!! - Noelle:)

Supply list: patterned paper:Crate Paper; stamps:Verve, solid cardstock:SU!, mini letter stickers: Cosmo Cricket; punches:SU!/EK Success; snowflake punch: Martha Stewart Crafts; large scallop punch: EK Success; red glittered cardstock: Recollections; scented embossing powder:Jellypop; glitter button: American Crafts; glitter tag rim: Making Memories; ribbon: Offray; scallop circle die: Spellbinders; baker's twine: Crate and Barrel

I

from the top

BOX CONSTRUCTION

Measure your jars and make two scores on a sheet of cardstock cut to fit
(the 12" paper actually worked well for these.)  Fold up so there are 2 sides on your box

Embellish as desired.

Make your two end pieces the same height as the rest of your box. Embellish.

Punch holes in both ends of your 2 end pieces
and in all 4 corners of your large piece.

Thread ribbons through holes and tie up in all 4 corners creating a box.

Voila! a tip: if using heavy items like jars you can stabilize the box by adding a
piece of chipboard covered in patterned paper to the inside bottom of the box.

Bright and Sassy Let It Snow

Hi all! I just wanted to get this card in for the color challenge over at EAD Designs before the linky closed! These were fun, bright colors I rarely use & particularly for winter cards, so I thought it would be fun:) You can see the inspiration at the bottom. This is a small card, 4" square, so it will fit in a regular envelope. I cut out the images on my Cricut and then embellished with rhinestones & Vanilla Smooch Spritz. Actually, the Smooch Spritz is ALL over this card, I was trying to give it a "snowy" look. I put the 2 extra pics on the bottom here with different flash settings, so you can kind of see that effect. For my "bow" I took little ribbon & trim scraps & used a piece of floral wire to draw them all together in the center. Then I layered 2 punched snowflakes and my punched sentiment on top. For my background embossed piece I did the technique where I inked up my embossing folder with the brayer before I embossed (I used the coordinating ink) I think that gives it more definition, then I sprayed it with the Smooch Spritz as well.

Supply List: SU!: solid cardstock in Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise, Confetti White, and Peach Parfait; Cricut: Winter Woodland cartridge. Cuttlebug: embossing folder; SU!: Tempting Turquoise & Peach Parfait inkpads; Martha Stewart Crafts: snowflake punch; Recollections: pompom trim, American Crafts: striped ribbon; Hobby Lobby: dotted ribbon; EK Success: Word Window Punch; green cardstock, green ribbon and rhinestones are generic.

Well, I really hope you all had a fabulous turkey day! Scroll down one post to see what I'M most thankful for! And please comment or follow if you can, I'm doing my darndest to hit 20 followers by the end of the year!

Have a super fun Black Friday! I'll be out there braving the crowds myself:) xoxox-Noelle

                                                                                  

What I'm most Thankful for.

                                          Have a safe, happy, and healthy Thanksgiving!!!!!! :)

Thankful for 2s4y and Curtain Call

 Hi all, sooooooo sorry it has been so long. HORRIBLE week last week, just horrible :( We were fighting multiple viruses around here and dealing with an absolutely insane schedules. But the worst part is that I have 2 friends both fighting cancer & they are both young & healthy otherwise. One of them started chemo last week and one of them had a tumor removed. I don't mind telling you, this has really got me down. One of those sobering times when you realize we are not guaranteed anything in this life & sometimes that's a bit of a tough pill to swallow. Plus my boys have just been in rare form & NOT in the good way. Oy- sorry for venting, I will pick myself up soon, I've just been feeling pretty down today.

Ok, so I figured I REALLY need to make a thankful card and maybe I can start counting my blessings again.  This is for 2 challenges Curtain Call 57 and 2s4y- Laura's sketch 66. Here are the pics.....













As you can see, I went with a long card again (maybe to go with my long face? Hey- made a little joke!) This card is hard to make fit on here because of the long size, click on any of the photos to get a better view. I had actually stamped out a few of these "thankful" pieces a few weeks ago with the intent of making Turkey Day cards, Hopefully I will get at least a couple done. These colors were a bit weird for me, I (for whatever reason...) don't usually mix warm and cool neutrals like brown and grey. So I kept the Basic Gray to a minimum, only stamping the Verve notebook paper stamp with it and just a teensy thin border of it beneath that printed wood piece. But see, THIS is why challenges are so good, they force you to think outside the box! :) I made that mini orange "bow at the bottom by pulling ribbon through two holes in my border punched piece, and then pulling them back through another hole between them-kapish? The flower "leaves" are just ribbon folded and then cut to give a leafy appearance.

Manufacturer list: solid cardstock, patterned paper, library clip, vintage brad, inkpads & alphabet stamps-SU!, quote & notebook stamp-Verve, ivory herringbone ribbon-MFT, orange ribbon-Hobby Lobby, border punch-Martha Stewart Crafts, ivory flower-making memories, plaid flower-Hero arts, brown flower-Prima, brown border sticker-Basic Grey.

Well, that's it for me tonight. I have some cool interior design pics to show you soon & some holiday decorating ideas as well. Hoping to get to some more challenges too! Please comment or follow if you can..... I would LOVE to hit 20 followers by the end of the year :) Have a super day!

xoxox-Noelle

Hello!!! Christmas Cards and Message Boards as gifts

Hi everyone!! Oh, how I have missed my blog! I am finally typing on my new computer, almost 5 days after my old desktop died :( Hubby is hoping to recover some of the hard drive, we will see what he can do;) The VERY exciting news is that I have always wanted a Mac computer
or a laptop & now I have both:) The photo editing software on this thing is SICK (in case you didn't know, that means GREAT, oh the things I'm learning from my 10 year old, lol....) so I think you'll find my pics to be much improved! Anyway, you just do NOT know how much you use your computer until you are without one, and I am SOOOOOOO very glad to not be without one anymore!

So, on Saturday I went to make some Christmas cards with my stamping buddies- I was gabbing too much to get alot done, but here are a few.....

Here are some Christmas gifts I'm making as well......

I saw this idea in the most recent issue of Scrapbooks, etc. 

I did mine a little differently than shown in the magazine, I decoupaged DSP onto cookie sheets & then punched holes in the top with my Crop-o-dile to thread some fun ribbon through. I used my Cricut to cut out vinyl letters, either with the surname or the word "notes." and then I made magnets from buttons, bottlecaps, large brads and leftover pieces of hardware I had laying around. Also, I used my i-top to make a few out of the fancy ribbon. On the bottom I added these little galvanized bins for post its and a pen or 2. I had these from last Christmas, actually. I bought them for a stamped coaster tile project I did and they ended up being too small for it, so here they sit. I don't have the Big Bite Crop-o-dile, so, instead, I had hubby drill holes through the cookie sheet for me & then I attached them with brads. I was able to punch the holes through the bins with my Crop-o-dile, fortunately!! If you want to try this project yourself, they have cookie sheets at Wal-Mart, a package of 3 (assorted sizes) for only 4$! Seriously, I spent about 10$ on fancy ribbons (although, I probably could have gotten away without buying any at all- this project was truly an excuse!;) and 7$ on a big pack of plain magnets, and 8$ on cookie sheets, and I now have 5 darling gifts plus one for me, so about 4-5$ per gift, not too shabby at all!!! 

Well, I am not posting a manufacturers list with all these projects, but please feel free to message me if you want to know the brand of something. 

I hope to be back VERY soon with some fun challenges, I have really missed this! Please comment or follow if you can, I'd LOVE to be up to 20 followers by the end of the year? Come on, you know you are stopping by anyway;) Have a STELLAR evening & I'll see you SOON!!!

xoxoxo

Noelle

Hi all! Just wanted to give you a quick update that I will be MIA for a few days. I came home to a completely DEAD hard drive & computer:( The good news is that I get a new computer, the bad news is that I can't fathom all that was on the hard drive. Fortunately, hubby had recently backed up the photos, so (thank goodness!!!) didn't lose TOO many of those...

On a brighter note, I am thrilled to be featured in the top 5 at Stacey's Stamping Stage this week! Check it out

http://stampinwithstacey.blogspot.com/2010/11/curtain-call-color-challenge-act-55.html

I will "see" you as soon as I'm up and running again. Thank goodness for the iPhone & Blogger mobile, huh?

xoxox- Noelle

Blue Skies (2s4y)

Hi everyone, this is another card for the sketch challenge at 2s4y. Just a quick post for tonight!

Supply list: Bashful Blue DSP: SU!, cloud die:MFT, embossing folders: Cuttlebug, buttons: Dress It Up, bakers twine: Jillibean Soup. stamp: Verve, brad: Oriental Trading.

Have a super Friday, my friends! -Noelle

Happy Birthday Collin! Blog Candy WINNER!!! :)

Hi everyone! Today is my son, Collin's 8th birthday! It is hard to believe that 8 years have gone by, I'm definitely feeling nostalgic today....... You may remember this card from a few weeks ago, it became Collin's birthday card as he is having an Aliens and Robots birthday party tomorrow night! I am making the CUTEST alien cupcakes for him & I will post some pictures when they are done. Then we are taking Collin, Ian, and Collin's 4 best buds to see Megamind in 3D! Should be a fun night:)

The BLOG CANDY winner who will share some of my goodies is (drawn randomly from a hat) is BERENICE!!!!! Berenice, message me your address & I will mail your package on Monday after all this birthday craziness has died down.

I am so looking forward to a fun weekend! I'm making Christmas cards with some of my best stamping buds on Saturday. I can't believe we are almost to mid-November??? ACK! I have SO much to get done, though I am very excited about the wood toy kitchen I scored for Ev this morning at US Toy/Constructive Playthings, it's full size and was on sale for only 40$!! Isn't that a killer deal? I think he will be very excited when Santa leaves that under the tree!

Gotta fly, busy evening tonight! Will "see" you all SOON!! :)

Noelle

2s4y Laura's Sketch 65 (and BLOG CANDY reminder!)

 

Hi everyone! Here's a couple submissions for this week's 2s4y. I made these two cards & loved the sketch so much, I may do some more! Very simple and LOTS of possibilities with this one:) I made the top card with some of my goodies from my prize package (and, in case you forgot, go here for a chance to win some BLOG CANDY out of my goodie box!) I embossed the stamps with black EP on the top card, then colored in the images with markers. I then used one of my new Verve stamps for the sentiment. A piece of retired SU! hardware completes the look.

The second card is made with some fun Crate Paper holiday papers and chipboard. I love the whimsy in this line & the non traditional Christmas colors are awesome! A simple card, I again used Verve stamp for the sentiment.

Supply list card 1: patterned paper: K and Company, stamps, Inkadinkadoo & Verve, hardware: SU!, library clip:SU!, solid cardstock:SU! markers: SU! and Copic

Card 2: solid cardstock:SU!, patterned paper and chipboard:Crate Paper, stamp:Verve

I hope to get some more posts in later this week! Have a great one! :)

-Noelle:)

just because I felt like it, butterflies and snowflakes card;) BLOG CANDY reminder!

Hi there! Another quick post for today, and then I will be back tomorrow with some cards I made with my SpottedCanary.com goodies! I just made this card because I wanted to play with my new stamps from Verve. I used another sheet of that cool no-name paper I talked about in the last post, it is flocked, so pretty! The only thing that you may be wondering about is the butterfly. I punched out a vellum butterfly and a flocked butterfly I layered the vellum one on top of the other and pinched them together in the middle. I stapled them on the back where I pinched them together, then I folded the flocked wings out to the right, and adhere them together inside. Then I just added some rhinestones to the center for it's body.

Supply list: stamps: Verve, starburst brads: Karen Foster, solid cardstock: SU!, dazzling diamonds glitter & clear embossing powder:SU!, silver craft inkpad: Martha Stewart Crafts, flocked paper: purchased at Xpedx, Chocolate inkpad, SU!, butterfly punch:SU!/EK Success

Don't forget about my BLOG CANDY giveaway! Go to this post on my blog and comment. Any comment will enter you, but I what want to know is what was the best prize you won and why. The winner will be drawn at random on Thursday morning! :)

"See" you soon! :) Noelle

Brocade For You (Curtain call 55) BLOG CANDY reminder

Hello, my dears! I'm so sorry, I'm not neglecting you- I actually have been working alot, just not posting, so I will try to make up for that today! Here is my card for the color challenge over at Stacey's Stamping Stage.



Here you can see the colors and the inspiration photo. I never ever have put bright red and orange together, so I KNEW I had to give it a shot! Here's my card: I bought this cool baroque flocked paper this week at Xpedx. No brand or anything on it, but WOW- isn't it pretty? I really liked it, and since it's red and white, perfect for this challenge! This is a legal sized card. I mounted the flocked paper onto Chocolate Chip cardstock and after I added my Tangerine top note die piece, I mounted the whole thing on a black card base. I stamped "for you" from SU! "All Holidays stamp set on the Top Note piece. For my embellishment, I layered 3 Tangerine Tango scalloped circles & put a brad through the center, I then did my water/ scrunching/ Smooch Spritz technique on the "flower." The red flower is cut from red craft felt on my Cuttlebug with a Cuttlebig die. I then stitched the whole embellishment together using some Chocolate baker's twine (Jillibean Soup) and a black button from my random jar. I hope you like my card!

Well, that's it for me today, scroll down to the post below or go to this link for a chance to win some blog candy! Any comment on that post will enter you, but what I really want to know is: what was the best prize you ever won and why? I will announce the winner on Thursday!

Thanks so much for stopping by, please comment or follow if you can, I would LOVE to hear from you!

-Noelle:)

Today is my Christmas!!! :) and BLOG CANDY for you!!

Hi all! I am sooooooooo excited to make this post!! Look at ALL the goodies I won from SpottedCanary.com!!! I have to admit they may have gone a wee bit;) overboard because my prize got lost in the shuffle for awhile, but WOW!!! What a way to make up for it!! I can't wait to make some cool new things with all these fabulous products! If you haven't yet, you should really check out their site, They do monthly challenges that are really fun, they draw the winners AT RANDOM (that's actually how I got this prize....) and the winners get 100$ value prize packages (like I said, I think this one is more than that, but I'm NOT complaining!;) The brands are EK Success, Inkadinkadoo, Martha Stewart Crafts, K&Company; so you REALLY can't go wrong with those AWESOME products, right? If you can comment, let me know what was the best prize you ever won and why, & the winner of my little challenge will get some BLOG CANDY from this box! That's it for me & have a great day! :)
xoxox-Noelle

Halloween 2010

Carving Ev's jack-o-lantern

Hi all! Here's a few Halloween pics, my kids had a great time! Little Ev really got into trick-or treat this year, very cute:) The boys went as a ninja, Harry potter and (are you really surprised?) Ev was Elmo. Well, I gotta fly, I will be back soon with some more fun challenges, thanks for stopping by! :) -Noelle

Ninja, Harry Potter, and Elmo ready to trick-or-treat!



Look at all that candy!!