Wadja get?

  Now that the holidays are over and the presents I received put in their places, I have a little time to play with the crafting toys that have found a home in my room.  I received a wax sealing kit, which I am still deciding if I should keep or not.  What can I do with it, looking with an eye toward my card making? 

  Meanwhile, I made this card today for those friends to whom I send New Year cards.  With December being so busy, I don't send a lot of Christmas cards, but I do send new year cards to them in January.  I used the stamp called "Bodice".  Would you believe that I won this as a blog prize and it was one of my very first stamps from QKD?  And I couldn't imagine how I was going to use it!  Now I find myself using it time and again.
  Here, I have a little after-Christmas theme going on.  I can't remember where I heard the sentiment, but I knew it was the perfect sentiment to go with my Christmas present corset.  Inside, the card reads. "And what did you get for Christmas?"
  So, whether you have been nice or naughty, what did you get for the holidays??

Extra Friday Means Extra Card

And I get to play with my newest addition to my growing collection of QKD stamps.  I fell in love with Che Gilson's Hot Chocolate Mouse stamp, and so I knew I had to have it before the year was out!  I took advantage of the December sales and snagged an early Christmas present for myself.


Hot Chocolate Mouse

 With all the Christmas cards I made this year, I had a lot of leftover pieces of paper, so I just pulled together some leftovers: a couple torn pieces of patterned paper from My Mind's Eye Christmas Paper Stack, a short piece of discolored lace, a lonely chipboard heart, a dark teal bow from martha Stewart, a single diecut snowflake, and some adhesive-backed pearls.
I made a 6x6 card for my girlfriend. We're getting together today to close out the old year and plan for the new one.  Then I'm off to Wisconsin for an overnight getaway with my teen daughter.  We are both in need of some quality time together, pampering and spa-ing while looking out over Lake Michigan.
Hope you enjoyed the year. I know I look forward to crafting in the New year, with lots of new stamp and tools and learning new techniques.  Don't forget to check out the QKD Facebook page, as well as the Shoppe for all your stamping needs!
Happy Crafting!

It's Time for a New Year...

...and with a New Year comes new releases, new inspiration, new techniques to try, new cards to make--the list is endless! I can't wait to show you what QKD has to offer in january!  Let's just say that whatever extra time I snag for crafting, you'll see the end result here  on the blog!
But until then, you have time to make your resolutions for a new crafting year.  Personally, I would like to make more time for myself, to craft, to create, to explore, to discover, to share, to give, to love.
Meanwhile, I do have some new-to-me stamps with which to play, so it's time to get crafty with a stamp from Jeanie Dickinson called Time Piece.
I thought it worked perfectly for my New Year's card.  Every year we get together for dinner and the evening with friends of ours--actually, I met my girlfriend in college, and our families have lived close by since. We've shared a lot of play dates with their son and my daughter.  Anyway, we usually start the evening off with a special dinner.  one year it was crab legs and lobster.  Another it was a turkey and a ham.  Another year we enjoyed finger foods and sweets all night long.
Do you like my little New Year's mouse,  scampering across the bottom, on his way to climbing up the clock?
Now for this year's resolution:

A happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.
~Edgar Guest  (from thequotegarden.com)

Robin in Ivy

Chicago weather is confusing enough for us humans, but when it confuses the animals, you know it's bad.  We have geese flying north in December and south in February, squirrels looking for handouts at your front door when they should be snuggled somewhere in our bare trees, and skunks that go traipsing about our backyard when they should be sound asleep.

So this little robin decided to brave the Windy City winter, and is seen resting amongst the ivy.  The new QKD stamp set from Joanna Bromley is aptly called Robin in Ivy, and I love coloring this little guy over and over.  Today I set him against a blue sky twinkling with snowflakes, and gave him more color than is normally seen in the winter.  That's because I remember a poem/song from my childhood called "little Robin Red-breast" and wanted him to match the song lyrics.

The card is one of several I am making for Christmas showcasing this beautiful image. 
There are lots more beautiful stamp sets available at the shoppe. 

Eight More Crafting Days Until Christmas

...and I wanted to show you another card I made for friends and family this year.  I used Queen Kat Design's rubber stamp called Robin in Ivy by Joanna Bromley.  This little bird looks ready for the holidays--sure wish I were!  I have 25 people coming to my house for dinner (27 if the queen and her gram come), but the walls of my house stretch for family and friends.  I need to finish off a few more projects before I can breathe, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!  It helps that I love what I do, so it doesn't feel like work.  I just need some time in an alternate universe, so I can craft to my heart's content, finish my projects, catch a few zzz's, and return refreshed and at the very moment that I left (alternate time works that way---cool, huh?!).

Back to reality (as I know it):  I love this little robin so much, he is on quite a few of my cards this year.  I framed him with diecut ever-greenery, forming a wreath around him.  The diecut trees below are topped off with a little snow, and flakes are falling from the sky all around him.  Don't you love that Christmas song sheet patterned paper from My Mind's Eye?  I wish I had a few more stacks!!
Keep on crafting, all.  If you're in need of any last minute gifts for your crafty friends, you can find some beautiful stamps over at QKD. 

Getting Ready for Christmas

Okay, crafters, I hope you're more on schedule than I am! I have my cards finished and ready to mail out, but I still have quite a few projects to finish before the big day (did I say that there were only 15 more crafting days until Christmas???).  Here's one of the cards I'm sending out this week.  It uses the new stamp release by Joanna Bromley called Christmas Elf.  Now that's a guy who takes his work seriously, yet looks like he's having fun with it!

I colored him with Copics and added some sparkle (what's Christmas without some sparkle?) with a little Stickles applied here and there.  Some felt fusion to form a border for my card, a cardstock sentiment, and a few pieces of patterned paper finish off my festive card, along with a couple of well-placed jewels. 

I wonder how many ornaments this little fellow has to polish before his next coffee break?
Check out the wonderful holiday stamps available at The Shoppe, and remember to keep on crafting!

Twenty-two More Crafting Days Until Christmas

Today I wanted to show you a present I made for my bff.  She is the Queen of List Making, and I thought I'd gift her with more than just a card this year.  I altered a notebook so she can jot down all her New Year's Resolutions in it now, and laugh over the lists at next New Year's Eve!

I used Queen Kat Design's Christmas Elf by Joanna Bromley, who looks so happy at what she's doing that she inspired me to use the sentiment "Love What You Do; Do What You Love".  It's a shortened version of "Love what you do and you'll never work a day in your life", but I didn't have enough room for that! LOL
I couldn't stop coloring my image, and then I couldn't choose which one to use on the cover, so I decided to go with them all!  Some Stickles added shine to the ornaments and the starry backgrounds, and some skittles glitzed up the patterned paper I used to cover the notebook.  I adhered a wide ribbon down the spine and cut the end in four, then braided it and attached some beads.
I already made my friend her card, so I'm finished with one person, except for wrapping it!  Only umpteen more for whom to craft!  I'm going to be busy this month, but I'm sure I'm not alone!