Christmas Tags Galore!

Hi Everyone!  Just love the tags we made in the Christmas Tags Galore class ---

And we will be making them again, on Saturday, August 29th, at 1PM.  Join the fun and get a head start on your Christmas projects all at the same time!!!

And here are close up pictures of the tags.

Looking forward to seeing you on the 29th!
              ~Anna

Birthday Cupcakes!

Hi All,  Hope you are enjoying your summer.  We've past the half way point of July :(  Boy where does the time fly?

I'd like to share with you a birthday card I made for my daughter, Maria, who loves a good cupcake.

It's a simple layout, yet it focused on the happiness of cupcakes.  I also got to use one of the new border dies from Tattered Lace, which was included in their #17 magazine.

Supplies used:
Dies:  Marianne Creatables Cupcakes die, Tattered Lace lacey border die
Stamps:  Impression Obsession "It's a cupcake kind of day"
Other:  Tattered Lace Ditsy Dots embossing folder
Card size:  4" X 8"

Thanks for "stamping" by,
             ~Anna

Awesome Flower Tags! and a Baby One too!

Happy July !!!  Due to popular demand, we will be repeating the Flower Tags Workshop this Sunday, July 5th, at 1:30pm.  (Don't worry, this should give everyone enough time to attend church before class.)

You'll make these 4 fabulous tags PLUS this very cute giraffe tag!!!!

Tags are so versatile, especially when you seem to run out of time to make a card!!! LOL And it always seems to happen to me!!!
I therefore, just added the orchid tag to the gift bag and look how it saved the day!!!

Supplies used:

Dies:   Orchid and Love dies by Dee's Distinctively Dies, Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles, Impression Obsession Mini Tags, Small Picket Fence and Mini Solid Butterflies, Pansy flower by Leane Creatief, Sunflower by Marianne Creatables, Cheery Lynn's Chrysanthemum and leaf flourish

Stamps:   Impression Obsession, Lawn Fawn and Outlines

Thanks so much for "stamping" by,

                ~Anna

Axios!

Last month our new parish priest graduated from seminary and our bishop also made Fr. Gregory's appointment to our parish permanent!  Everyone was very happy and in honor of the occasion, I made a special card for Father Gregory and Matushka Kathy.

I used all dies on the card and "Axios" was computer generated.  I really like the beautiful cross die by Die Versions.

By the way, the meaning of the Greek word Axios is an acclamation of faith. Adopted by the early Eastern Orthodox church, it is made by the faithful at the ordination of bishops, priests and deacons.


Supplies Used:
Dies:   Cross - Die Versions, Cherry Blossoms - Cheery Lynn, Stem flourish and Pretty oval - Marianne Creatables, Large square lattice - Nellie Snellen
Punches:   Mini flower/butterfly set - Nellie Snellen
Other:  Peel off circle ruby gems, Viva Decor pearl pen and Stickles

Thank you so much for stopping by,
                 ~Anna

An iPhone Birthday Card

It's the age of the iPhones and smart phones!  I have been wanting to create an iPhone card for the longest time and I finally made one for my son-in-law!  It was so much fun.  Gary has a black iPhone and I took it from there.  He doesn't use a case but I used my artistic license and "created" a teal one for him. 

On the inside, I even stamped #s to tag Gary's 30th birthday!

For your convenience, here are the dimensions of the card:
     Teal layer   3" X 5 1/2"
     Black     2 3/4" X 5 1/4"
     White    4" X 2 1/2"
Don't forget to round the corners except for the "screen".

Hope you'll try making a personalized iPhone card for your loved one soon!


Thanks so much for "stamping' by,
           ~Anna


Supplies used:
Stamps:     Impression Obsession, Hero Arts, Marianne, Just Rite alphabet
Other:     Star punch, Crop-a-dile

Happy Birthday with Gold Leafing

Happy Friday!

Today I want to share with you a simple birthday card with gold leafing for the background.

I know we had tried gold leafing years ago and sort of put it on the back burner.  Then I saw Sue Wilson using it with her dies and I said, OK, it's time to pull it out and use it again!!!

Actually, I COULDN'T find where I stashed it and so I had to re-order a container - LOL!!!  (OK, stop laughing because I KNOW you can relate!!!!)

It is so simple to use; I used the Be Creative tape and sprinkled some on and then just started to rub it in with my finger(s).  I forgot what an elegant look it gives!

And that's it!  QUICK and SIMPLE!  Love those cards!!!

Supplies used:
Dies:  Happy Birthday edge by Joy Crafts
Embossing folder:  A4 size (8 1/4" X 12") Dots embossing folder
Other: Calypso - Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Flakes

Thanks so much for stopping by and Have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!
                                         ~Anna

Love those Hummingbirds

I love to sit out on my back deck and watch the hummingbirds find their way to my feeder.  It always amazes me that these tiny birds know where the food is and find it within a day of hanging the sweet nectar after a long winter!  Just think, not being around for all those months and yet they find the feeder within a day or two!!!  Truly amazing!  And the sound the wings make - I remember the first time I heard it, I thought a huge bee was buzzing around!  Beautiful Mother Nature!

You can see pictures I was able to capture of these beautiful birds HERE.

Therefore, once I saw this new flower sprig die from Leane Creatief, I knew I could use it with the pretty small hummingbird from Dee!  And I have to say I love the way it came out -- such a happy card, full of spring and color (after this long and very cold winter).

I used mulberry paper for the wings to give it a light and feathery look.  I know you all have at least one or two huge sheets of mulberry paper stashed away from days ago and now you can pull it out and use it for bird feathers!  Love it when we use our old stash!

The overall size of the card is approximately 6 inches round and by using the envelope punch board, you can make a nice, one of a kind envelope for this special card.

Supplies Used:
Dies:  Dee's Distinctively Small hummingbird left,  
           Leane Creatief Lea'bilities flower sprig,
           Marianne Craftables Passe partout - oval, 
          Spellbinders Grand decorative circles and classic nesting circles
Embossing folder:  8 1/4" X 12" dots embossing folder
Other:  Viva Decor pearl pen, Stickles


Thanks so much for stopping by!
               ~Anna

Spring is in the Air with Daffodils

Happy Thursday!  Spring is clearly in the air and I wanted to share with you this pretty yet simple daffodil card.

I used this very versatile die set from Leane Creatief.  This die set has 14 pieces and allows you to  make two flowers in two sizes and two views.  It also includes the leaves, all at a very reasonable price of $18. Please, let me know if you want a set; and remember we  can easily ship this in a padded envelope to you!

And here is a picture of the die set:

Every year I pick up a bunch of daffodils at the supermarket and this year I was lucky to be able to do it for 2 weeks!  I always pick a bunch where the bulbs are mostly closed; this way they bloom for me at home and I get to enjoy them for a whole week!  When I made this card, I knew I wanted to take a picture of my vase of daffodils with my handmade card.  Hope you enjoy the look:

Now if you like this look, stop by on Saturday, March 28 for the Daffodil Card Make and Take.  

OR, you may decide to stay and make several cards in our Easter and spring cards class.

Either way you'll be ready for Easter if you do!

Thanks, have a wonderful day and celebrate; tomorrow is spring!
                                   ~Anna


Supplies used:
Dies:  Leane Creatief Lea'bilities daffodils
Stamps:  Impression Obsession Happy Easter
Embossing folder:  Leane Creatief garden tools border
Ink:  Tsukineko Versacolor Mango

Anja Large Oval Die and Two Cards

Happy Day Everyone!

Today I want to share with you two cards I made recently using the same Anja background die.  One card was an anniversary card for Maria & Gary (Can you believe that the kids celebrated their One Year Anniversary already?!?  Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday we were all celebrating in sunny Barbados.  Would have loved to have been there this horrendous winter.)  OK, I guess I'm going off on a tangent -- so back to the cards --- The second card was a card for a baby shower that a friend had asked me to make for her.  And so here are the cards...

The layouts are pretty much self explanatory and I have to say the cards look very elegant.  Also, you can see I used Dee's "Love" die on both cards.

Supplies used:
Dies:   Anja's Large Oval, Dee's "Love" word die, Marianne's Baby carriage and baby pins, Impression Obsession Tags
Stamps:   Impression Obsession "On Your Anniversary", Stampin' Up "Happy Hour"
Punches:  Nellie Snellen flower punch and embosser, Marvy heart punch
Embossing folder:  Tattered Lace Itsy bitsy embossing folder
Other:  Viva Decor pearl pens, Stick on crystals for bling

Hope you're enjoying the wonderful spring weather!
And thanks so much for "stamping" by,
                     ~Anna

Go Yankees!

Today is the first day of spring training for the Mets and the Yankees!  This can only mean that spring is just around the corner!!!  And hopefully warmer weather!!! We so need it!

In honor of spring training, here is a fabulous box card that Cecilia Prange made for Soni last year.  I finally came around to post it!  Sorry Ceci that it took so ling and that this post got away from me. 

Now, if you know Soni, you know that she is an avid Yankees fan and just loved this surprise box card that she was able to display through the entire baseball season!

Ceci gave us some tips: she went to the Party Store and was able to get Yankee themed wrapping paper and some other goodies to fill the box.  (The wrapping paper was very economical with lots of pictures that she was able to cut out and use.)

Here are some more views:

Ceci also used some Cheery Lynn dies as well as Marianne, Joy, and HeroArts dies, and even some punches.  It's a birthday gift in itself!

Now I know what I'll create for my brother for his birthday!  Though it will be Mets themed!  Go Mets!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
                ~Anna

One Die, Two Looks

Happy Sunday!  And it is finally sunny and quite warm (high 30's) after being in the negative digits!!!  As I say each day, we're ONE day closer to spring!!!

Today I want to show you two cards I completed with the same border die.

This card was inspired by Kittie Caracciolo.  You can see the card she made HERE.  I just love her work and when I saw the card she made with this border die (Sue Wilson's French collection border and tag set), I just had to get the die set!

I tried several flowers and they just didn't work.  Then I came across this Cheery Lynn Frangipani flower die, and I imagined that it should work.  I also love this flower because it reminds me of my many happy times in Barbados!  After I finished the card and looked on line at the flower again, I realized that I should have curled it a bit differently.  I will try improving the look of this flower in the next card I make.  But all in all, I like the look of this card - it just makes me smile and feel happy!  Hope it does that for you too.

The second card was inspired by Sue Wilson herself.  I watched a video where she demonstrated using not only the border but the card stock that is left behind.  I liked the look and tried it out here.  I added micro fine "cool highlights" glitter to the background of the card and it truly gives it a nice sparkle.  I even created a border by piercing the layered card stock; also a favorite detail of Sue Wilson. 

Supplies Used:
Dies:  Creative Expressions Sue Wilson French Collection border, corner and tag die set and Vinery Petite set,  Cheery Lynn Frangipani flower set, baby's breath set and Chrysanthemums, Dee's Distinctively With Love words, Marianne's open flower and leaf
Other:  Micro glitter ritz in cool highlights, Viva Decor pearl pen, Copic markers

Spring is on it's way and we can even see it in our card creations!
Have a wonderful day!
          ~Anna

Using an Old Fashioned Typewriter to Write Love Notes!

Happy Lincoln's Birthday!

I have created this card back in August and used it as one of the Make and Takes for our anniversary celebration.  I realized that I did not post it and looking at it now, it is perfect for Valentine's Day!  (And for any day for that matter; you do not need an occasion to tell someone that you love them!)

This is a simple layout, but so darn cute!

If you add a flower, it will make it more feminine.  The saying comes with the typewriter die set; it actually comes with 6 sayings!

Supplies used:
Stamps:  Hero Arts newspaper background
Dies:   Marianne Collectable, Eline's typewriter die and clear stamp set


Thanks for "stamping" by!
Have a great day!
        ~Anna

Love is in the Air

Join us for a cute Valentine Make and Take this Saturday, February 14th.

This owl stamp from Lawn Fawn is so cute and even though it comes in a Christmas stamp set, it can be used for any winter occasion.

Supplies used:
Stamp:  Lawn Fawn
Dies:  Impression Obsession Bare branch and heart border, Dee's Distinctively With        Love, Spellbinders Classic Circles nestabilities
Other:  Marvy tiny heart punch, Copic markers, stickles

Hope this card warms your heart and makes you feel warm on this cold and snowy day.
Thanks for stopping by,
             ~Anna

His and Her Get Well Cards!

As promised, more get well cards for you!

I really liked how this card came out.  It's clean, simple and puts a smile on my face! And hopefully, it will put a smile on the patient's face.

The only thing that started to bother me was that it does look a bit feminine.  Of course, that is only natural because I'm a woman who likes pretty colors, hearts and flowers and I am drawn to replicate that in my work!  The next day though, these thoughts were still swirling around in the back of my mind when the idea of stars came to me.  What about changing out the hearts for stars and changing the color combo.   And so, my mind began to race and I couldn't wait to get home and try it out.  (I just love it when an idea just pops into your head - and this all happened while I was driving on my lunch break!)  Here is the masculine version --- what do you think?

And here are the two cards, side by side ---

(Both cards are the same size - 3 1/2 X 5.  It's just an optical illusion that the white one looks bigger.)

Hope this gets your creative juices flowing!
                    ~Anna

Simple and Fun Get Well Cards

Hello Stamping Buddies!
It's the middle of January in the northeast and it seems like we are getting some kind of snow or ice once a week now and I just hate that.  But in turn it gives us time to be indoors and craft (yay)!  See, there's always a plus side!

Lawn Fawn has two great stamp sets with coordinating dies that can be used for some very cute get well cards.  If you know me, you know I don't take meds, unless it is totally necessary, but I just LOVE the little prescription bottle in the "Get Well Soon" stamp set!  It's just so cute - and here is the card that I came up with:

For my second card, I used Impression Obsession's "Under the weather" stamp, and umbrella & cloud dies.  The card is only 3 1/2 X 3 1/2 and perfect to be attached to a gift bag with some goodies for the patient!

There you have it!  These are two of the cards that you will be able to make in the Get Well Cards class.  Check us out tomorrow for more Get Well Cards!

Thanks for stopping by and we look forward to seeing you soon!
                       ~Anna