I'll have a blue Christmas...

 

I found the most beautiful technique card on Splicoatstampers. 

I just HAD to try and make one.

http://cardz.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/snow-laden-tree-2/

I usually stick with red, white and green but I just HAD to do the blue cards for a couple of friends at work.

The three tree card was another "find" on Splitcoaststampers!

http://www.kraftingkreations.com/2011/12/winter-field.html 

I fear I didn't darken the mountain enough, it shows more on the blog than in reality!

  

Up on the housetop, reindeer paws...

I found the greatest sample card on Splitcoaststampers!!!

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1608344?&si=reindeer 

I was so excited to know I had the Sizzix die for the antlers, yeah!

  From there I pulled out my punches, gems and had a ball.

Then the reindeer needed a mate...

 

I found this cute little tree...

 while searching online for card ideas.

http://stampingleeyours.blogspot.com/2012/11/awwwww-cute-little-tree.html

I really liked what she did but I wanted a bit bigger tree. So I pulled out my circle dies and found one about 4" and used that.

I also found my teapot punch from years ago. I punched it out and trimmed off the handle and spout...remind you of a song??? Used that as the pot to hold the tree. She suggests ZOTS in between the layers, use them. They give just enough height to the layers.

Punched out the star and layered with a pearl to finish the card.

Such fun!!! 

I filled out my Christmas cards today...

However they won't be mailed until next week. But I took pictures before I enveloped them and decided to get another blog posting up.

 Not long ago I posted about Spectrum Noir...remember?

Well I went to a friend's house not long ago to stamp up some of her images and play with color, she using her Copic and me the Spectrum Noir. Amazingly the colors were just about  the same.

My joy was playing and coloring a few images I was going to donate but now will keep for one more life, the alcohol ink way.

 Blending is SO much easier and really more like when I used different media in art class in school. 

I then came home to find sayings that go with the images and background papers...check out the one below...this is going to my sewing friend. The paper is from a pack of Swedish designs I picked up from Michael's last fall and it just went perfectly with the patchwork Santa.

This little snowman didn't need much "color" but it was fun to shadow the little guy. I used a very light blue, thought it looked more "icy".

 But my favorite, hands down, is the Christmas Rose.

(For obvious reasons, that being my name!!!)

But it was PERFECT for layering color for a very rich look.

There will be more through the season, I couldn't post another of my favorites as it is a surprise to the recipient...shhhhh!!!

I love to sing...

but a few years ago my singing voice left me.

 It may not sound like much but I have been singing in choirs, around the house and in the car for years.

 It made me VERY happy!

Now I search out any stamps with the lyrics to a song or hymn.

I found this stamp years ago from HERO ARTS and pulled it out this year to make a quick and simple card.

The vine is from a set by Stampin' Up, called Just Vine. It had the vine and a second stamping could put leaves, flowers, stars or dots on the vine. But not me....I went through my mini buttons and found enough to make them looks like holly berries on the vine!

Quick, simple and fun to do!  

Yes, folks it snowed this morning, so...

I decided to find a card or technique to use my "Polar Bears" set from Stampin Up.

 I found a great new technique, at least it was new to me.

http://stampingstyles.blogspot.com/2011/12/last-polar-bear-card.html#links

Don't you just LOVE the white coloring on the bears??? I used my white Colorbox for the ink and my Dove Blender.

The only thing I added was the white on the embossed background piece. Once embossed on my Cuttlebug I used my white Colorbox pad to smear white onto the raised flakes.

I'm sorry the card isn't even with the red cut off on the edge, however we had to get a new scanner and we are getting used to it!

 I wish I had scanned my friend's Thanksgiving card before I sent it to her as I tried my Spectrum Noir and I LOVED the results. I'm now trying to find a large winter image that I can color with my Spectrums.

More to come...