Fairy Christmas!

Hello, my dear friends! I hope you're having a wonderful week. :o)

When this Elisabeth Bell stamp was released last month, my heart pirouetted with delight! She created the sweetest dancing fairy, which I've been so excited to color. While she will be lovely in all hues, I gravitated to Christmas. :o) (A purple Sugar Plum Fairy will appear at some point, too!)

Leaving a trail of peppermint candy pixie dust along the card bottom, Fairy Merrily is fluttering up to Santa's sleigh: 

A peek inside, which is filled with golden Christmas trees and flourishes:

My sweetheart blessed me with some new crafty goodies, which I've used to combine elegance and whimsy for this card. :o) The gorgeous Christmas papers are from Bo Bunny's Silver and Gold collection, which I backed with their Wild Berry double dot cardstock. The middle panel is trimmed in gold with Cheery Lynn Designs Anastasia borders (one of my favorite dies).

Fairy Merrily is festively colored with Copics. Part of my new stash includes Glamour Dust, which I used for her wings to give them an icy appearance. She is fluttering in the snow up to Santa, after all! Bo Bunny jewels provide her magic spark, shooting out of her perfectly drawn ballet hand and also in a flourish from behind her. A warm holiday glow embraces her. 

Stars, peppermint candy, and rhinestones make up the pixie dust, which stems from the corner detailing. Holly leaves are topped with candy canes, crinkle ribbon, and jingly bells for ultimate Christmas happiness. For one last touch of elegance, I used a favorite metal filigree corner. Since I only own them in silver, I heat-embossed one with gold embossing powder to better match my card. It was my first time embossing metal, which I ended up loving.

Creating around this adorable image brought me so much joy, which I hope will also fill the future recipient! :o) Thank you for pirouetting on by and I wish you a sparkly day. :o) (Card details are listed below for easier reference.)

Challenges entered:

 *52 Christmas Card Throwdown~ Holly (Holding the candy canes)

 *Card Crafter's Circle~ Winged Things

 *Christmas Card Challenges~ Anything Goes (Optional: Non-traditional Image)

 *Craft-room Challenge~ Something New (Stamp, designer papers, flourishes, and heat-embossing metal)

 *Crafty Ribbons~ Use Three of Something (Three peppermint candies and rhinestone colors)

 *Created With Love~ Something Sweet

 *Elisabeth Bell's World~ Christmas in July

 *Jingle Belles~ Tic-Tac-Toe (Embossing-Ribbon-Stamping; metal corner is heat-embossed)

 *Love to Scrap!~ Bingo! (Bling-Embossing-Ribbon; metal corner is heat-embossed)

 *Sweet Stampin'~ Bold and Beautiful!

 *The Ribbon Girl~ Red 

Card Recipe

Image: Elisabeth Bell~ Fairy Merrily

Coloring Medium: Copics

Designer Papers: Bo Bunny Silver and Gold

Cheery Lynn Designs: Anastasia Border

Wild Orchid Crafts: Filigree Metal Corner

Spellbinders: Picot Edge Circles, Small Standard Circles

Silhouette Online Store cut files: Candy Canes; Peppermint Candy Pixie Dust

Rhinestone Flourishes: Bo Bunny Jewels

Ribbon: My Craft Spot (Scarlet Red)

Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Scattered Straw, Walnut Stain

Miscellaneous: Glamour Dust (wings and dress); Star Dust Stickles (shoes); Jingly Bells (Michael's)

Birthday Wishes!

Hello, my crafty friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. :o)

Today I have another card to share for August's I Feel the Love Project collection. Each month Madison highlights a particular person, family, or organization in need of extra love and sunshine. In turn, we have the privilege of making cards to bless them. :o) As I mentioned last week, we are creating for SAFEHOME, a shelter for victims of domestic violence. We are making a stash of unsigned birthday cards for the shelter to have on hand for the women and children. How extraordinary that they will be given handmade cards as they celebrate their special days while residing in the shelter.

For one of the women residents, I made a birthday card using one of my favorite Elisabeth Bell stamps: Cinnamon Sugar. She is colored with Copics and dressed up with pearls for the special occasion. I made her sky background with a cloud template and Tumbled Glass distress ink. She is nested within a Spellbinders Floral Oval.

To coordinate with her basket of treats, I wanted to make a fancy cupcake for the card. I fell over-the-moon in love with this cupcake from a Daniela Angelova card in the Silhouette Online Store. I did some tweaking, as she designed it to be a negative cut. I love the result! It combines the elegance and whimsy I was looking for for this creation. :o) The cupcake wrapper is embossed with the Cuttlebug Victoria folder and the sugared flower decorations are centered with graduating sizes of pearls. I used sunshiny flower paper for the frosting and candle. The flame is coated in Gold Stickles for maximum sparkle.

The papers throughout are from the My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline pad, which I lightly distressed with Walnut Stain distress ink. For an extra touch of love for this future recipient, I used the Martha Stewart Lace Heart Edge Punch. The buttercup crinkle ribbon is from My Craft Spot, which I centered with a scalloped pearl from Wild Orchid Crafts. A Cheery Lynn Designs Mini Fanciful Flourish dances out from the bow, which is accented with white Wild Orchid Crafts roses. To finish it off, I used my sewing machine to stitch a border around the card.

A peek inside, where a coordinating pastel floral paper awaits! The birthday greeting is inside as well, atop another Floral Oval. This card is all about blessing the shelter resident with sunshine, cupcakes, and floral delights. :o)

Thank you for fluttering on by! I wish you a beautiful day of sparkles and cupcakes. :o)

Challenges entered:

 *Card Mania~ Your Favorite Embellishment (Pearls and flowers)

 *Charisma Cardz~ Stitching

 *Crafty Ribbons~ Anything Goes with Ribbon

 *Cupcake Inspirations~ Birthday

 *Cute Card Thursday~ Dies/Punches (Border punch and Frame/Flourish dies)

 *Divas by Design~ Bingo (Embossing-Dies/Punches-Flowers)

 *Elphine House Australia~ Distressing

 *Fab 'n' Funky~ Anything That Looks Like Summer

 *Fussy and Fancy~ Bingo (Green-Free-Ribbon)

 *Pile It On~ Outdoors

3D Hot Air Balloon Birthday Card

Happy Thursday, my dear friends! I hope you're having a lovely day. :o)

Tomorrow is my sweet dad's birthday! Given time constraints and such, I wanted to make him a card that is simpler, yet still special. I figured a 3D hot air balloon can stand pretty well on its own. :o)

A closer peek to *try* to better show the pretty flowers in the center panels of the balloon:

This was such fun to create! The hot air ballon is a Lori Whitlock cut file, purchased at the Silhouette Online Store. For it and the background paper, I used gorgeous Susan Winget K & Company papers. I liked the color palette for my dad... plus, he loves nature, so little pops of flowers and leaves was ideal. The script that beautifully scrolls throughout the fluttering leaves is reminiscent of journaled memories we've created together, as well as those to come. Everything is inked with Faded Jeans distress ink. White pearlescent cardstock is my base, as I wanted my card engulfed in a fluffy cloud. :o)

I used Sky twine from My Craft Spot for the balloon and embossed the basket with a single blossom from the Cuttlebug Baby's Breath embossing folder. Tucked inside are precious little hearts, as there's no greater gift than love. :o)

The banner is from a Megan Hardy cut file. The sentiments are mixed from two Whimsical Designs stamps sets: Everyday Sentiments and Snow Much Fun. I created two tiny pearl flourishes on each end to provide the appearance of additional movement. 

Inside, a glittery bouquet awaits his flower-loving self. :o) I hope he loves it.

Thank you for floating on by! I wish you a beautifully blessed day. :o)

Challenges entered:
 *DL.Art Thankful Thursday~ August Linky Party (Anything Goes)
 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes
 *My Craft Spot~ Clean and Simple
 *Papertake Weekly~ Anything Goes
 *Silhouette Challenges~ Shaped Card

Ladybug Sweetheart Birthday Card

Hello, my crafty friends! I hope you're having a wonderful week. :o)

A new month means new recipients for the marvelous I Feel the Love Project. For August, we are creating birthday cards for residents of SAFEHOME... a place where victims of domestic violence go to gain inner strength, build self-esteem, explore options, and establish a life free of violence. It is a privilege to help celebrate the birthdays of survivors of unspeakable violence.

At any given time, at least 50% of shelter residents are under the age of 17. Therefore, we are not only creating birthday cards for mothers, but also for their children as they rebuild their lives together.

All of my cuts are from the Silhouette Online Store. The ladybug girl tugs at my heartstrings, so I call her Ladybug Sweetheart. :o) I've been saving her for the perfect occasion and the moment I read about this month's IFTL collection, I knew it was time. I gave her a sweet Peachy Keen face for character, which is from the In the Garden Face Assortment. (A DT member used the same combo... it's truly a match made in heaven.) She's ready for the festivities with her rhinestone accents and Peppermint Stick trendy twine bows. :o)

Not only is our Ladybug Sweetheart sharing a precious friend with the little birthday girl, but also a bouquet of balloons! Three of them are filled with hearts, while the other two match her sparkling ladybug dress. :o)

For her landscape, I opted to put her in a rolling field of flowers with a dotty sky above. The papers are from Doodlebug's Lovebirds collection. Sporadic flowers are centered with sparkles, while a bunny off in the distance awaits the birthday girl. :o) The bunny is a Martha Stewart stamp. The sparkly tree leaves are embossed with the D'vine Swirls folder and its cute trunk are embossed with the Swiss Dots folder. I always adore texture, but especially when it's for a kiddo... their fingers love to explore.

The sentiment is from the Whimsical Designs' Everyday Sentiments stamp set. The fun ribbon along the bottom was purchased at Michael's, specifically for our Ladybug Sweetheart. She wanted to bring tons of her fluttery friends to the birthday celebration at the shelter. :o)

The interior is lined with ladybug paper for a fun surprise upon opening. :o)

I hope when it is received, the sweet child's heart is filled with an abundance of ladybug love. :o) I am so thankful for shelters like SAFEHOME, where mothers and children (like this beautiful daughter below) are shielded from the violence that was once a part of their lives.

Thank you for fluttering on by! I hope your day sparkles with love and sunshine. :o)

Challenges entered:
 *Card Crafter's Circle~ Dotty for Spots
 *Cute Card Thursday~ Anything Goes
 *Delightful Challenges~ Add Stars or Sparkle
 *DL.Art Thankful Thursday~ August Linky Party (Anything Goes)
 *Dream Valley~ Summer Days
 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes
 *Peachy Keen Stamps~ Anything Goes
 *Simon Says Stamp~ Anything Goes