Saturday, December 23, 2017

Last-Minute Holiday Gift Bags


As usual, I was making these gift bags for my son's teachers the night before they were due! Lucky for me, a few handy supplies and the original MISTI made them easy to create. I used the Lawn Fawn Goodie Bag die and the smallest of the Paper Smooches Gift Tags 2 dies. The poinsettia and masked foliage were stamped with Catherine Pooler's Tis the Season stamp set with Red-to-PurpleYellow-to-Orange and Chartreuse-to-Blue neon ombre inks. 


The sentiment is from the Hero Arts Kelly's Fa La La La La stamp set and was stamped with Vintage Steel ombre ink. The flowers were stamped on both sides of the bag but the sentiment was only stamped on the front. I looped a bell through silver string and tied it to chevron ribbon, which was used to close the bag after it was filled with Lindt chocolate balls.


Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas with your loved ones!

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Friday, December 22, 2017

{Altenew} A Year in Review Blog Hop + Giveaway


Hello and welcome to Altenew's Year in Review Blog Hop! I'm delighted to be joining Altenew, its guest designers and friends for the 2017 Year in Review Blog Hop. We're all sharing our favourite cards from 2017 to celebrate the amazing year Altenew has had! Below, you'll find my four favourite cards and three of them have start-to-finish videos. Simply click on the photos or links to go to the original post, video tutorial or shop for products.


My first card goes all the way to last spring when Altenew invited me to be a guest designer on their card blog. I used the Farmers Market stamp set to create a clean and simple card. In the video, I show how I was able to stamp the sentiment cleanly across all four layers of vegetables.



My second card was featured most recently in the December Release. I used the Ninja Invasion stamp set to create a masculine encouragement card for my son featuring a trio of pastel ninjas on a background stencilled with Sketched Lines



My third card was a recent revival of a similar card I made earlier in the year for Altenew's 3rd Anniversary Blog Hop. I used the Celebrations, Coffee Love and Halftone Circles sets to create a celebratory card for a new mom.



This final card is probably the most favourite Altenew card I've ever made. Those little foxes from Hug Me will be featured whenever they fit into a card. LOL! I paired them up with Coffee Love and Coffee Talk because those are a must-have, too, and because everyone needs get well cards in their stash. 



GIVEAWAYS
Altenew is giving away a $40 gift certificate to FIVE lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and Altenew Scrapbook Blog by January 3, 2018 for a chance to win. The five winners will be announced on the Altenew Card Blog and Altenew Scrapbook Blog on January 6, 2018.

In addition, I'm also giving away a $20 gift certificate to the Altenew Store! Please leave a comment here on this post by 11:59pm EST on Friday, January 5th. I will announce my winner here on Saturday, January 6th.

PROMOTION
Altenew is offering FREE U.S. shipping with code GOODBYE2017 or $5 OFF international shipping with code WELCOME2018 at checkout. This offer is valid from December 22nd at 12:01 a.m. EST through December 24th at 11:59 p.m. EST. Not valid on prior purchases. Cannot be combined with other promo codes. Shop Altenew HERE or click on the banner below!


Be sure to visit all the other talented designers on this hop and leave some love at every stop for your chance to win!


Thanks so much for hopping with us!

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Wednesday, December 20, 2017

{Catherine Pooler Designs} It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year


Today, I'm on the Catherine Pooler blog sharing a card I made with the new Spa Collection of inks and products from the Paradise Found Release! I'm sure you've been swooning over the gorgeous new ink colors and I love the more autumn tones of this collection, especially since fall is my favourite season.


I used Sauna and Mandarin Spice and the masking technique to create a two-colored sentiment from the Wonderful Time of the Year Stamp Set. Then I used Juniper Mist and Royal Treatment on the Plaid Background Stamp to create an ombre plaid panel, which I hand-tore for the top and bottom of the card.


To finish, I die cut two sets of Perfect Vines Dies from vellum and embellished the leaves with tiny pearls.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

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Saturday, December 16, 2017

{Altenew} December Release Blog Hop Winner!


Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by for the December Release Blog Hop and left some love! I enjoyed reading every single one of your comments and appreciate all of your kind words!

I used Random.org to select a winner for the $30 gift certificate to shop at the Altenew online store and the lucky lady is Miriam Prantner!



Congratulations, Miriam! Please email winner@altenew.com by December 31, 2017 with the subject line Altenew December Release Blog Hop Winner from Emily's blog to be set up with your gift certificate. Happy shopping!

In addition, Altenew will be announcing the SIX winners of a $50 gift certificate to their store on the Altenew Card Blog and Altenew Scrapbook Blog, so be sure to check there tomorrow. ;) 

Friday, December 8, 2017

{Altenew} December Release Blog Hop + VIDEO + Giveaway


I'm so excited to be joining Altenew for their December 2017 Blog Hop! Altenew is releasing 14 stamp sets, 15 die sets and a mini die cutting machine!! What's on your wish list? I'm here to tell you that you need the die cutting machine, simply because it's the cutest thing ever. Be sure to watch my video to see how tiny it is - it fits in my purse!

Prizes:
To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to SIX lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and Altenew Scrapbook Blog by 11:59pm EST on Friday, December 15th for a chance to win! The winners will be announced on the Altenew Card Blog and Altenew Scrapbook Blog on Sunday, December 17th.

I'm also drawing a winner to receive a $30 gift certificate so be sure to leave a comment below by 11:59pm EST on Friday, December 15th. I will announce my winner here on Saturday, December 16th.



I used the same colour scheme for all three of my release cards to keep everything simple, proving that you can make all your cards in your favourite colours. It's not necessary to have a rainbow of inks. Plus, I made cards for three different occasions, in both masculine and feminine styles. You can do it all with limited supplies!



My first card has a video and it features the Ninja Invasion stamp set and Ninja Invasion Dies, as well as the existing Sketchy Lines Stencil. I share how easy it is to stamp these fun ninjas, plus some tips and tricks for stamping. See how this card comes together here:



My son has a big holiday concert coming up and I thought he would love a card featuring the Ninja Invasion stamp set and Ninja Invasion Dies. I'm currently obsessed with mint right now so I used Mountain Mist, Volcano Lake and Lagoon to stamp three of the six ninjas. I used Peach Perfect for the skin tone on the ninja in the centre, and Sand Dunes and Rocky Shore for the left and right ninjas, respectively. I wanted to vary the skin tones since the ninja colours were different.


For the background, I created an ombre effect by sponging the same three colours through the Sketched Lines Stencil. Then I added pearlescent embossing paste to the right side of the panel.


My second card features the stunning and so-easy-to-use Frosted Garden stamp set and Frosted Garden Dies. No colouring is required with these stamps but you can definitely add colour if you wanted to. 


Initially, I did think about stamping these in white or black and using vibrant watercolours to add pops of colour. In the end, I used a brayer on each floral stamp to create an ombre effect with Mountain MistVolcano Lake and Lagoon.


I originally stamped directly on to the card base to create a true one-layer card but I botched one of the flowers so I decided to re-stamp and die cut to salvage the card. I used the rock-and-roll technique to add embossing ink to the edges of the flowers and leaves, then heat embossed with gold tinsel embossing powder for a gilded look. The card is still clean and simple but with that bit of wow.


My third and final card, featuring the Flower Arrangement stamp set and Flower Arrangement Dies, pulls the cool greys and earth tones from the ninja card and uses them in abundance to balance the mint flowers and also showcases the gorgeous detail of these layering stamps. 


I stamped the flowers as well as the leaves in all three colours, then added gold tinsel embossing in the centres.


The sentiment was stamped first with Lagoon ink and then I used the coordinating die cut of the sentiment to die cut the words from gold glitter cardstock. I adhered the die cut letters slightly off-set so that a shadow of the Lagoon would show.


Be sure to leave a comment at each stop along the way for a chance to win!



Thanks so much for hopping with us today! Happy shopping!!

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Friday, December 1, 2017

Advent Calendar Extravaganza with Taheerah Atchia + VIDEO + Extra Giveaway!

Hi, everyone! I'm thrilled to be one of Taheerah's very special guests for her 3rd annual Advent Calendar Extravaganza!



Advent Calendar Extravaganza is the festive event of the season! This ‘hop with a twist’ was dreamed up by Taheerah Atchia and features surprise destinations each day! Joining in the fun with Taheerah are ONE HUNDRED special guests - each serving up some fantastic Christmas inspiration! Just like an Advent Calendar, you’ll never know where you’re going to be visiting next until you ‘open the door’!

And that’s not all! With 25 *amazing* sponsors taking part as guests as well, your crafty wish list is bound to get a boost with a chance to win a prize EVERY SINGLE DAY!!

Join in the fun every day at taheerah-atchia.com to see what special surprises await behind the door!


My card and video for today features Catherine Pooler Designs, which is also today's sponsor! More on that below. I'm featuring the very popular Plaid Background, as well as the Tis the Season stamp set, Tis the Season dies and Here We Come A-Caroling from the latest Stamp of Approval Winterhaven Collection. See how my card came together here:


Since this post is already long and my video explains the entire process, I won't write too much about the card. I used Mint To Be and Aquatini inks with a brayer to create the ombre plaid background.


I used Party Dress, Tiki Torch, Aquatini, Mint To Be and Grass Skirt to stamp the elements for the floral arrangement. All of the flowers and foliage are from the Tis the Season stamp set and Tis the Season dies.


The sentiment was double-stamped with Midnight ink on both the poinsettia and plaid background to create a perfect match. The sentiment is from the Here We Go A-Caroling stamp set, a copy of which I'm giving away on my YouTube Channel. :)


It’s not a party without a prize - and with prizes every day there are several chances to win! Today’s prize is generously supplied by Catherine Pooler Designs so you’ll definitely want to win! Simply leave a comment on this post - then head back to taheerah-atchia.com and leave a comment there too! Comments on my YouTube Channel will also qualify you for my personal giveaway of the Here We Come A-Caroling stamp set and those comments will close on Thursday, December 7th at 11:59pm EST so the winner can be announced on Friday, December 8th on my YouTube video for this postYou must leave a comment on Taheerah’s blog as well as mine in order to be eligible to win sponsor prizes! Don’t forget to grab the other surprise destinations from Taheerah’s blog and head over to them to leave comments there as well to improve your odds even more! You have until 23:59 EST on December 31, 2017 to enter.

Don’t forget Advent Calendar Extravaganza runs from December 1st through 25th, inclusive, so make sure you visit taheerah-atchia.com every day for fabulous inspiration and amazing prizes every single time!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

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