First Christmas Card for 2016

I was bored out of my mind while recuperating last week and desperately needed to make something while at the same time taking care to not stress my hands that are still healing from surgery. So, I thought to myself, what better time to pull out the January 2016 Flurries of Love kit from Simon Says Stamp?

This was a super easy card to make since the sentiment on the front is actually a page from the DSP included in the kit. There's a strip of silver glitter ribbon with a thinner strip of DSP centered on it, and the snowman is a sticker. I added a trio of snowflake sequins, brushed the heart with a clear Wink of Stella pen, and the front panel was done. I layered it onto a piece of Audrey Blue cardstock from the kit.

The inside was even easier! I used a strip of the same DSP on the card front, and stamped a greeting from Simon Says Stamp's Big Scripty Greetings - Holiday stamp set using Hero Arts' Ombre Lilac to Grape purple inkpad. (The ink matches the patterned paper much better in real life.) A few more sequins and the card was completed.

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Thanks to a minor infection in my right hand, my surgeon says I need to slow down just a bit, so it may be another week before I try my hand at another card. With all of the ideas I have, it may take me that long to decide what to make next. :)

Smiles,
Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce
             

"Mugs and Kisses" Thank You Cards

Since I'm not much of a gift-giver during the Christmas season, I don't expect to get Christmas presents from other people. Three of my dear friends caught me by surprise this year though, (waving to Carey, Cathy, and Debbie), so I was eager to do something special for their thank-you cards

I recently acquired a set of dies from My Favorite Things called LLD Hot Cocoa Mugs along with a coordinating stamp set called LLD Hug in a Mug - and they are adorable! See for yourself:

 

The card base is Crushed Curry, and the printed Rich Razzleberry layer is DSP from Stampin' Up!'s annual catalog called Bohemian. The rest of the card is pieces cut from the die set using Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Real Red, and Chocolate Chip. I trimmed the ends of the sentiment piece using the Washi Label punch, also by SU!

I forgot to take pictures of the insides of the cards since they were all different (oops!), but each one said either "Warmest Thanks" or "You Warm My Heart" with either a stitched heart to coordinate with the ones on the mugs or stamped hearts from the stamp set. I added a strip of the same DSP I used on the front of the card for an accent piece.

I had SO much fun making these cards! I can hardly wait til I'm all healed up from my surgeries so I can play without pain or worries that I will be constantly dropping things (like inked stamps!). 

Until that time, please sit tight and know that I'll be dreaming up cards and projects in my head that will WOW you in the months to come. I thank each and every one of you for visiting or subscribing to my humble blog!

Mugs and Kisses,

Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce

               

Cathy's Cup of Clove Candy

I'm not much of a gift-giver during the winter holidays, but I did want to do something special for my dear friend Cathy. We try to get together every month or two for lunch, and every time she comes to pick me up she raids my candy dish for some of the old-fashioned clove candies that I keep on hand. It occurred to me that it might be nice to give her some of the candies for her to enjoy between our visits. I brainstormed over presentation, and was suddenly hit with an idea! What if, instead of giving her another dish to wash, I made a paper mug? I had seen one that a friend had made, so I asked her for the template and she sent me to YouTube. Here's how the project turned out:

Isn't that darling? Here it is from a slightly different angle, where you can see the curved bottom of the cup:

The inside:

And the bottom:

And finally, here it is with the candy inside of it. So cute!

Next up: A series of thank-you cards I made for the folks that surprised me with gifties this year. You may want to make yourself some hot chocolate!

Sweet smiles,

Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce

             

Christmas Cards 2015

Now that the holiday festivities are over, I realized I'm overdue in showing the Christmas cards I made this year (well, technically last year)... so here goes!

I used the Stampin' Up! single wood-mount stamp called Dove of Peace for these two cards:

I inlaid the stitched center layer into a frame of silver glimmer paper, and then layered the whole thing on a Wild Wasabi card base. I cut the word "peace" out of the same glimmer paper, stamped the dove with silver Delicata ink so it shines in real life, and then spot colored with a Wild Wasabi marker.

I did much of the same here, except I made the stitched frame from Old Olive cardstock and put it on a heavy Whisper White base. The bird is stamped in gold Delicata so it shimmers. Sweet and simple!

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Next up is a batch of cards I CASEd using the Stampin' Up! Sleigh Ride edgelits, glimmer paper, and Winter Wonderland specialty designer series paper. 

On this card and the next, I used silver glimmer paper. On the first card I placed six clear gemstones around the sentiment, but I decided it was embellishment overload when combined with the three black candy dots.

I "fixed" the problem by using a stamped-off silver Delicata snowflake over the sentiment on the rest of the cards in this set.

I don't have as much Dazzling Diamonds glimmer paper as I do the silver, but I thought I'd give the DD a try anyway. Turns out I like it best!

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Finally, here are two cards I made flying by the seat of my pants using the Stampin' Up! Peaceful Pines stamp set and stuff that was just sitting on my desk. When I started I had no layout in mind, and no plan for which supplies to use. I like these the best of this year's cards!

I embossed the pine tree in silver and then cut out the tree and star using the coordinating framelits. The DSP layered on Night of Navy is Season of Cheer from the Holiday mini catalog. A few strategically placed panels, some rounded corners, and a little sponging on the edges, and voila'! 

I had so much fun with the outside that I went on to make the inside festive as well. The three snowflakes are from the holiday Stamp of Approval collection.

I'm not sure whether I made the above card or the below one first, but I think they're equally eye-pleasing for different reasons.

I used two dies to cut out the tree on this second card: the outside frame and then a framelit that cuts cute little branches into the center of the tree. I forgot to be sure they were lifted up before I took the picture, but the effect is pretty cool.

Here's the inside of the card:

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I made a total of about eight cards this year, significantly less than I usually do, because I was struggling with carpel tunnel and pinched ulnar (elbow) nerves on both arms. At the time of this post, I've already had surgery on my left side and it is making a drastic improvement, and I await surgery on the right side with hopes that it will be equally successful. I'm told that the nerves in my hands and arms may take up to a year to regenerate, so I'm expecting to get a lot more done in 2016 with a lot less pain.

Up next: A small 3D project I made as a gift for a friend. I hope you'll be back to join me!

Warmest wishes to you for New Year! May it bring you much love, happiness, and creativity!

Smiles,
Joyce Spear, a.k.a. StamperJoyce