Myths & Magic Trio - Another Sneak Peek!

Before I turn off my computer for a few days and focus on Christmas, I have one last sneak peek to show you from the upcoming Occasions Catalog.  I love this adorable stamp set and coordinating framelits. The stamp set Magical Day grabbed my attention right away and I knew it would be on my pre-order.

I'm a mom of 4 kids.  Three boys that will love the knight, wizard and dragon - and a little unicorn and mermaid for our little girl.  Perfect kid set and really fun to color!

Another product coming out on January 3rd is the Brusho Crystal Colour - a watercolor ink crystal that you use to watercolor in a beautiful way.  I had never used this before, but I'm loving this!  I had a lot of fun using this technique.

Another coordinating product in the Magic and Myths suite is the washi tape.  This sparkly silver star tape is part of the 3 pack.

This one was really fun to see come together.  I used different Brusho colors and mixed them by adding more and more and drying in between the layers.  Once it was dry, I added Wink of Stella all over.  It looks very celestial - so pretty in person!

The unicorn was colored using the Stampin' Blends Markers and because I loved the background so much, I decided to use a skinnier sentiment from the Fairy Celebrations stamp set (Annual Catalog).

My final card I made using the sketch from The Global Design Project.

My boys really like this dragon.  I told my mascot in elementary school was the "Red Dragon" - it was gray and red - so I might have to make another with those colors.

I used the Moss Green Brusho for the Stitched Shapes Circle that matched the Old Olive Blends Marker.  I also added Wink of Stella on the dragon. 

The sentiment is from Epic Celebrations - a stamp set you can earn free from Jan 3-Mar 31st with a $50 purchase!  (The Magical Day bundle gets you pretty close!)

I sure hope you enjoyed these cards!

Praying you have a wonderful Christmas!

Blessings,

Holly

A Card for Sara - Dragonfly Dreams

Hello there!  It's been a little quiet on my blog and I'm happy to say I'm just enjoying the Christmas season and relaxing with my family.  However, a few of the ladies from the Artisan team decided to share some cards that we made for Sara Douglass - the CEO of Stampin' Up!  

Sometime in October, the Artisan Design Team was asked if we would like to contribute a card for Sara to be displayed at her desk.  Um... no need to ask twice!

Then reality hit...  I had to create a card for "the boss" basically!  Talk about pressure to make something perfect - yet still make it fit my style.  The only "rule" was that it needed to include Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist and Basic Black - these are Sara's favorite colors.

Here's the card I cam up with for Sara:

I decided to break up the background with different textures and product.  I used the Petal Burst embossing folder, the Decorative Ribbon Border Punch for the Lemon Lime Twist piece, some washi tape from the Paper Pumpkin Kit that Sara designed this Spring and finished the background with some tone on tone stamping with the dots stamp from Dragonfly Dreams.

I added 4 different ribbons to make it extra pretty.

I have a thing for ribbon.

If you look closely, you can see the Clear Emboss Powder that I used on the stamped dragonfly.  The Black Rhinestones were perfect for this too.

I colored the reverse side of the stamped vellum with my Lemon Lime Twist and Berry Burst Stampin' Write Markers.

For the inside, I added some more of the Smoky Slate dots and the washi tape.

Lo and behold - my card was displayed at her desk (top left)!  

One of the coolest stampin' memories (and honors) ever!

So hop around and see some more Sara inspired creations! There are only 5-6 of us hopping, so you have plenty of time to check them out!  Plus, you'll get a closer look at a few more of the cards on the cork board above! 

Next up is my lovely and talented friend Paula Dobson!

Have a blessed day!

-Holly

Display Stamper Application

Last month Stampin' Up! hosted a gathering of demonstrators for OnStage in Salt Lake City.  I was unable to attend and was pretty bummed out about it.  Not as bummed as I am that I will be missing the 30th anniversary celebration in Orlando, FL next fall.  But the excited news is that the next event in April will be held in my backyard - Fort Worth!  I'm so excited that I only have 20 minutes to drive!

I was fortunate enough to attend Minneapolis last year as a Display Stamper.  It was a huge honor as an ADT member to get to represent Stampin' Up! in another way.

Now normally, I would have made new projects, but our 3yo has been sick for over a week now and I have had very little stamping time (and sleep) - so I'll be sharing a few of my favorite projects that I've made this year for the application.  I will also link the original posts if you would like to see more details.

My 3 card submissions:

Country Livin' Meets Glamper Greetings

I absolutely love the new Blends and couldn't wait to give them a try with the truck from Country Livin'.  When I was looking for a birthday sentiment I saw the small balloons and banner from Glamper Greetings and thought they'd work great together - and to my surprise - the perfect pairing!

Lovely Little Framelits Background

The bottom half of the card is made using one of the framelits from the Little Loves Framelits. I really like the soft textured look it gives.  (I think SU! needs an embossing folder that looks like this!)

Cheers for the Old Man

I love the challenge of making masculine cards - for all ages.  This one was for my father-in-law that enjoys a cold beer.  A mix of textures and patterns makes this bold card one of my favorites.

Scrapbook Page:

Sharing Sweet Thoughts

I couldn't love the Ruffled TIEF anymore than I do - and I'm so glad it worked out when I made this 6x10" background.

3D Submissions:

Foil Frenzy Cupcake Holder

A quick and simple cupcake box made from the Foil Frenzy DSP.

Birthday Window Box

This particular box features retired DSP but this box could be made with any current designer series paper.  The box is made using the Window Box Framelits and the Large Number Dies.

Hope you enjoyed the recap of some of my projects this year!  I have some new product from the Occasions catalog, so stay tuned!  Tomorrow I will be showing you some cards from one of my "must have" sets - Waterfront.

Have a wonderful weekend!  If you live in Texas and want to join me and the fun at OnStage in April - join my team!  You'll have a blast!

Blessings,

Holly

A Cup of Merry Christmas Cheer - Artisan Design Team Blog Hop Farewell

Hello there and welcome to the farewell post for this year's Artisan Design Team!  What an adventure this has been and I am forever grateful for the opportunity I have had to represent Stampin' Up! over the last year.  I have had so much fun creating for my customers and blog followers and I am so blessed by the friendships I have made because of this dream come true!  I know that you will love the new team that will start in January.  Maybe you will recognize a few returning ADT members, as well as some brand new ones that are very deserving of the title!

So as well say farewell, let me send you off with "a cup of Merry Christmas cheer"!

Today we are featuring the Merry Cafe stamp set from the Holiday Catalog.  This set coordinates with the suite from the Annual Catalog and has a lot of really cute stamps to decorate the mug stamp with.

For the cup, I wanted to make it look like the "red cups" you see here in the states from a particular coffee chain.  (That's my quite way of not throwing a name out there.)  I used the Light and Dark Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Blends Markers as well as the Light and Dark Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends Markers for the lid.

I chose the Be Merry Designer Series Paper (DSP) for the background.  I thought the reindeer were subtle enough yet festive!

For the inside of the card, I used the "branches" from the cup sleeve on the inside as well to make a little mistletoe hanging down.  Cute, huh? :) I thought so at least! 

Well my friends, the time has come to say farewell to the Artisan Design Team!  You will find this year's list as well as the new team listed below!  Please click on their blogs and bookmark them - you will be glad you did!  Thanks for hanging out with me, encouraging me and supporting the team this year!  I hope you continue to follow me here on my blog and on Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram.

Next up is the lovely Jennifer Sootkoos from New Jersey!

Have a wonderful Christmas season!

Holly

Allison Okamitsu, Aurelie Fabre, Cathy Caines, Dani Dziama, Holly Stene, Jennifer Sootkoos, Jessica Winter, Katy Harrison, Kimberly Van Diepen, Louise Sharp , Maike Ulbrich, Martha Inchley, Mercedes Weber, Mindy Bingamon , Miriam van Eyden, Paula Dobson, Rochelle Blok, Shannon Lane, Sylwia Schreck , Tanya Boser

ARTISAN DESIGN TEAM 2018

United States

Lauren Alaird

Charlet Mallett

Connie Collins (returning)

Elizabeth Price

Canada

Cathy Caines (returning)

Kim McGillis

United Kingdom

Emma Goddard

Rhoda MacPherson

France

Sarah Lancaster

Netherlands

Linda van Wely-Zwolle

Germany

Sylwia Schreck (returning)

Jenni Pauli

Austria

Jessica Winter (returning)

New Zealand

Susan Wong (returning)

Australia

Jennifer Frost (returning)

Kayla MacAulay

December Birthday Hop! My Favorite Birthday Cards of 2017!

Welcome to a very special hop!  My birthday is a in a few days and I've gathered with some stamping friends to help celebrate birthdays and December in general!  If you came from Charlet, thanks for continuing on to me! (Make sure to head back quick and tell her congrats on making the Artisan Design Team!)

Now to be honest... life has not been very fun the last few days.  Our 3yo son has been very sick with strep, double ear infection and a viral condition on his tongue that has caused him so much pain that he's having a hard time eating and drinking.  He spent a day in the hospital to get rehydrated.  It's so hard to see your kids sick :( Needless to say, I did not get around to making a special card for this hop.

So my dear friend Kelly Kent that we are hopping with today suggested that I share some of my favorite birthday cards that I have made in 2017.  I thought that was a great idea (and a great save!)

So I will share some of my favorite birthday cards that I have made this year.  I will be sharing the stamp set title only but feel free to comment with any questions and I'd be happy to help!

Big On Birthdays (142877)

Five for All (143781 - 143784)

Happy Celebrations (143012)

Happy Birthday Gorgeous (143662)

Five for All (143781 - 143784) and Mixed Drinks (141928)

Merry Little Labels (144798 - 144795) and Birthday Delivery (143660)

Five for All

Quirky Critters (143697 - 144761)

Special Celebrations (143882 - 143885) and Blooms & Wishes (141784)

Magical Mermaid (144014 - 144017)

Country Livin' (141922 - 141925)

Country Livin' and Glamper Greetings (142202)

I hope this gives you great inspiration for birthday cards!

Before you go, I'd love to know what your favorite birthday cake flavor is.  I used to request Peanut Butter Pie until I discovered that my husband makes the BEST Carrot Cake!  mmmm.. I can almost taste it!  Only six more days...

Thanks for hopping along with me!  Next up is the lovely Janneke de Jong!

(birthday) Blessings,

Holly

Amy Koenders 

Carolynn Sander 

Charlet Mallett 

Holly Stene 

Janneke de Jong 

Jay Soriano 

Jenny Hall 

Jessie Holton 

Kelly Kent 

Natalie Lapakko 

Rochelle Blok 

Stesha Bloodhart 

Sylwia Schreck 

Tanya Boser

Flying Home Sneak Peek

Hello there! I hope you are doing well on this Saturday! I wanted to share with you a fun new set that will be available January 3rd from the Occasions Catalog.  This set is called Flying Home and it was love at first sight :) I love these cute little bird houses!  I didn't buy much for my pre-order, but this set was a must! 

I decided to make multiple cards since I would be coloring a lot.  I was inspired by the sample in the catalog and stuck to a very similar color scheme.

I used a variety of Stampin' Blends Markers with some new designer series paper called Sweet Soiree Specialty DSP.  

The Pool Party tags are made with the Thoughtful Banners stamp set.  I made 3 thank you's and 3 congrats.  I think this stamp would make really cute "new home" or "welcome to the neighborhood" cards.

It's a very cute set and I will be sharing more of the other stamps from this set soon!  Would you be interested in this set next month?  I'd love for you to get some Stampin' Blends in your hands and earn this set free!

I'm putting together a special Stamps in the Mail kit for January! (Old Olive markers not pictured). Stay tuned for more!

Have a blessed Saturday!
-Holly

A Dino-rrific 7th Birthday!

Yesterday our oldest went to his classmate's birthday party and I wanted to share the card I made for him.  I love making a card with someone in mind - I think it makes it even more special.  I had a lot of fun making this one!

I knew I wanted to do a number card with the "th" from the Happy Birthday Thinlit.  I saw this similar card made by Teneale Williams and I thought it was so clever!  (That woman right there is one amazing card maker!)  I decided to color the Silver Glimmer Paper with the Pool Party Dark Stampin' Blends marker because I couldn't decide on the silver to go with the Smoky Slate, or gold to go with the Crushed Curry - and I think the Pool Party was great after all.

The background was made using the large splatter stamp from Timeless Textures, an Aqua Painter  with Tangerine Tango ink and some smoky slate dinosaur skeletons from the No Bones About It stamp set.

I stamped the happy birthday sentiment from Five for All and added some frayed edges with my scissors around the edges of the rectangle.  Finished off with some Pear Pizzazz Enamel Shapes.

The inside has the same 2 splatters and the cute little sentiment from the dinosaur set.

Pretty cute, huh?  Next Saturday we have another kid birthday party to attend and I'm hoping to share a card using a new (soon to be released) stamp set that's great for the kiddos!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Blessings,

-Holly