Cuttlebug - Version 2

Well, I guess I have not been paying attention to everything - and stumbled upon the fact that Provo Craft has re-designed the CuttleBug and there is now "Cuttlebug V2." I have ordered one for the store so we can see what it is like and ensure that the important features (width through the machine, etc) are as good as the original or better. Hopefully it will be in later next week. What I have read about it says that it has improved grips for holding it on a table and the handle is now all metal. We'll have it out for folks to look at and play with once we get it in.

Jeannette

Pantone announces 2011 Color of the Year

Pantone has announced the "Color of the Year" for 2011 - it is officially Pantone 18-2120 - most of us know it by the name "Honeysuckle." Look for this color in upcoming paper and embellishment collections for the new year.

Start thinking PINK!

Jeannette

Flourishes 2011 Calendar...

I took the Flourishes "Calendar Flowers" set and came up with this calendar for 2011. Last year you could buy a calendar template on the Flourishes website, but I could not find one for 2011, so I decided to make on myself. I printed the calendar on a color laser, then stamped each month's flower above it and colored them with Copic markers. Each piece is then layered to a piece of gold cardstock, then to different colors of Bazzill. The cards rest in a gold stand like a deck of cards. I gave several for gifts and they were very well received.

Thanks for stopping by!
Jeannette

Last Minute Card #2...

This is the other card I finished this morning. For those of you who have been stamping for a long time will recognize the image as one from the company Personal Stamp Exchange (PSX) who is not even in business anymore. I loved the artist who used to draw for PSX - her images are very recognizable and they are gorgeous. Colored with Staedtler watercolor pencils and a Dove blender again (even with the Copics, this is still my "go to" coloring method). I used a strip of BoBunny striped paper, layered to a piece of Bazzill Ivy cardstock. I added a navy bow made with Midori ribbon. I went around the edge of the natural cardstock the birds are stamped on with Ranger Distress ink in Brushed Corduroy to age it a bit. Layered to a piece of Bazzill Crimson, then an A-6 card made of Bazzill Ivy.

That's it for posting for a couple days. Tomorrow will be a whirlwind. Merry Christmas!

Jeannette

Little Tote Bag Treats...

As promised, these are the 3 little tote bags I spoke about in my last post. The instructions are in a book called Paper for all Seasons. The are adorable little totes to make. In this case, I filled them with candy treats and gift cards, which are the prizes for the post-Christmas dinner round of "Jeannette's Trivia Bingo." I am sure that my family has other names for it! If you decide to make these bags, one tip I have is to use red-liner or Scor-Tape for putting the bags together - glue is messy and takes a while to dry. The only place I use glue is to attach the colored bottom piece to the top if the bag.

Jeannette

Last Minute Card #1

Where would we be without the last second crunch to make a few things? This morning I got up and had 2 cards to make and 3 little cardstock "tote bags" that look like the boat bags sold by some of the outdoor stores. I have the cards done - this is one of them. It is using the Alleluia Angel set from Flourishes and is done in ivory, gold and blues. I embossed the angel in gold and colored her with Staedtler watercolor pencils and a Dove blender. I did the wings with Twinkling H2Os. Layered to a piece of dotted swiss Bazzill, I added a strip punched with an EK Success border punch and some bone color Midori double-face satin ribbon - theirs is truly the nicest! Added a couple layers and success! This is an A-6 card, if you're wondering - which measures 4-1/2 x 6-1/4 folded. It is really a great size to work with.

Off to make those tote bags!

Jeannette

Christmas Card from the cats...

Besides giving a gift, the cats also make a card every year. Either they are crafty felines or they know who to commission for the job! I did not have a lot of cat Christmas images this year, so I had to improvise. I started with an old QuicKutz cat die - cut them out in 2 colors for the different cats and added some tabby striping. If you noticed the picture of Dora from a few posts back, she is actually a patch tabby with both orange and gray patches, but that is WAY too difficult to try to recreate, so she becomes the orange one. Bucle (pronounced buckle -the name the folks at the humane society gave here) is a classic gray and black tabby - much easier! The tree and swirl is from the new Spellbinders set. I stenciled some green onto the tree, then cut the tree out again from gold and red foil paper. I discovered that it looks like faux metal! It is beautiful! Good thing to discover for future projects! Everything got glued down and I added some little holly springs from a Tonic punch to make the girls more festive! Phew! Now I am off to the gift wrapping phase!

Merry Christmas Eve to everyone!
Jeannette

Skating Bunny...

This is the last card we made in a "Snow Bunny" class and is the skating bunny by the Cat's Pajama's. The bunny's scarf and skates are stamped a second time on a BoBunny double-dot cardstock and paper pieced onto the base image. I also stamped the head a second time, cut it out and popped it onto the base. Add some DP and layers, and you have a great card!

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day!

Jeannette

Custom calendars...

The more uses you can come up with your stamping and scrapping supplies, the more you can justify your expense! At least that is how I look at it. My husband and I own 2 cats. Last year I started making him a calendar with the cats for their Christmas gift. It is one that stands on a little stand. Last year, I think I made the entire calendar on December 24th. This year I started it on the 19th, so I am WAY ahead of the game. I got 3 months done, so I am 1/4 of the way there! This is the January page (when I get it completed, I will show how I make the stand). I used a 6x6" piece of Bazzill cardstock, then stamped an Impression Obsession snowflake image from one of their clear sets over the cardstock with VersaMark ink. I trimmed and attached the photo and calendar piece. I make the calendars with MicroSoft Excel and a fancy font. I added a few punches snowflakes and some self-adhesive pearls from Queen and Company. Their pearls are extra nice because there is not a "strip" of adhesive that you have to cut through and then trim off any excess!

I hope everyone is surviving the last rush before Christmas!

Jeannette

2011 Spring Colors

I know, we have not even officially started Winter yet, but the anticipated colors for Spring 2011 have been released. Here in New Hampshire, we're snowless, but I have heard from a good source that Syracuse, NY has had over 70 inches of snow! And it is only mid-December! Of course, that snow is all "lake effect" and once Lake Ontario freezes, that machine is not nearly as strong. So, if you're looking for a white Christmas...

Expect to see these colors in wedding colors, clothing colors and new lines of paper. Nice and earthy with a little bit of spice!

Thanks for checking out the blog today!

Jeannette

If you're not crashing...

This is another fun stamp from The Cat's Pajama's. I was a skier in my younger days. I did not start until high school, so I had a healthy appreciation for injury when I started (the thing that kids don't seem to have when they ski). The wording with this is pretty much true. I used some BoBunny paper and coordinating Bazzill cardstock to complete this fun card.

It's very cold here in New Hampshire. Not quite as bad as the folks in the Midwest, but cold enough for me. We have been spared the snow, so far. Fine with me! The mountains can have the snow for the skiers. I hate shoveling and don't have time for that with trying to get ready for Christmas.

Stay warm, wherever you are!
Jeannette

Outlines Dove Card...

This is one of the new holiday images from Outlines. It is part of a collection of images that can be "inside-outside" designs. The complete design is stamped on the inside. The front of the card has a circle cut out of it and the image is stamped a second time with parts of the design cut out and attached to the front - lined up with the design on the inside. In this particular case, the wing of the dove is cut out and attached with the tip of the wing coming through the circle to the front of the card.

Thanks for coming by for a look!

Jeannette

Define Good...

I am sure that there are a lot of kids saying exactly that during this month as they impatiently wait for Christmas! This adorable image is from The Cat's Pajama's and I just LOVE IT! The image is stamped on a circle cut out with a Spellbinders circle die then layered to one of the Spellbinders labels die. I took the stripe DP and ran it through an embossing folder, then rubbed a Ranger Distress pad (Brushed Corduroy - my fave brown) over the embossed design so that the design was highlited. It totally changes the look of the paper and I love the way it "de-stripes" the paper a bit. I punched a few snowflakes and added gold pearls.

Thanks for visiting today!

Jeannette