Farewell 2019 and Recap

As 2019 is coming to a close, I want to post a recap of the year. There wasn’t much crafty-wise this year, but personally there was.

I started three new Design Teams this year, Bitten By The Bug, Love To Scrap Challenge Blog and Love To Craft Challenge Blog (BBTB, LTSCB and LTCCB) I’m having a lot of fun challenging myself to make DT worthy projects.

My YouTube channel has gained lots of new subscribers just in time for all the changes with them. I don’t know how much this will affect my channel, but it sure has raised a ruckus.

I have been using my Cricut more and more with different materials. I’m experimenting with things I haven’t tried like glass etching and soon, screen printing. I finally subscribed to Cricut Access so I have tons of images and fonts to chose from. I’m looking forward to many more custom projects for my friends and family.

I have joined a few FB groups that have been encouraging and challenging me. It’s fun to “meet” new friends and crafters. There are so many talented people out there!

Personally, we had a wedding, new granddaughter, milestone birthday and sadly, many deaths of family and close friends - the circle of life is hard.

It has been a tough year and I am so thankful for this creative outlet.

TGIF; Thankful Friday #113

Happy TGIF; Thankful Friday and Happy Holidays! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I know I sure did.

I am thankful that all of my family always shows up on Christmas Day. There are a lot of us and we always have a good time.

This year I got some crafty goodies besides my annual glue sticks I get in my stocking.

I think I’m good on my vinyl for awhile!

This is a photo of all my mother’s grand and great grandchildren.

Happy Holidays!!

BBTB; Use A Number

The current challenge at Bitten By The Bug 2 (BBTB2) is Use A Number.

My granddaughter wanted a 49er shirt, but I decided to make her these leggings instead.

How fun are these!?!

I downloaded the logo for the side leg and made it a SVG in Design Space.  The heart with a cursive 49ers was created using a combination of shapes and fonts available. I also used the Sports Flex HTV for this since these are stretchable leggings.

Now it’s your turn...click on over to the Bitten By The Bug 2 site and create a project using “number” as a starting point.

TGIF; Thankful Friday #112

Happy Holidays and Happy TGIF; Thankful Friday!
This week I am thankful for all the birthday greetings I received at work. YAY!

 We have a Birthday Crew and they really know how to "do it up" for all the birthdays!

Can you believe Christmas is just around the corner? What are you thankful for this week? Share your gratitude by leaving a comment below.

12 Days of Christmas Tags 2019; Giveaway Winner!

Happy Holidays!

Thanks for all the comments on the 12 Days of Christmas Tags 2019 series.  I put every name in wheelofnames.com, clicked to spin and the winner is...

Sarah Brennan!

Send me an email with your mailing address so I can mail the 2019 tag set to you. (Go to the "Contact Me" tab on the home page for my email.)

Congratulations!

If you are interested in purchasing a set of these tags, please contact me via email. I have a limited amount of sets available for sale.

12 Days of Christmas Tags 2019; Day Twelve

This is it! The last day of the 12 days series. Wow! I had so much fun making all twelve tags. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.

There’s still time to add a comment or two. One person will be awarded one set of all 12 tags of this series. To be eligible for the GIVEAWAY, you must be a follower and leave a comment. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have.

These tags were so fun to make! I am working from a Merry Mixed Media course put on by James Luke Burke (jlbCREATIVE). He’s one of my favorite Youtubers!

This is called, "Who Is She Though." He gives step by step instructions on how to draw this cute little Who Elf and the rest is up to us.

I recycled an old Manila folder to create the bases for these tags.

I used paint pens, markers, glitter markers, metallic markers and a white Sigmo pen to create the details and Distress Stain in Picket Fence, white acrylic paint and the Elements stamp set by Bloom Art (designed by me), and black archival ink to dress up the tag bases. So much fun!

Aren't these fabulous and just perfect to end the 12 Days of Christmas Tags series. They are all a little different sized, but approximately 3x7".

I added the red strip of paper by fishtailing the ends, curling up one edge and folded it on top of itself. I stamped "Be Jolly" from my stash.

I still can't believe I actually drew these things!

12 Days of Christmas Tags 2019; Day Eleven & TGIF

Merry Christmas! We're almost to the end of the tags series. Do you have a favorite? It's tough for me to choose, but these are definitely in the running.

I have a stamp that reads "Every Time A Bell Rings, An Angel Gets It's Wings" and knew I wanted to use it somehow. I cut out these shiny yellow cardstock bell shapes using my Cricut. The sentiment was stamped on vellum using Quick Quotes Gray ink. Their ink pads are perfect for all surfaces. I used a Christmas pad to cut out the large tag shapes also with my Cricut.

Used Distress Stain very sloppy around the large tag edges. I also stamped an ornament image using Lipstick Ink from Quick Quotes before layering everything together.

And because we need to hear a bell ringing...I tied the jingle bell to the top with twine.

 I also added some metallic gold marker highlights on the berries.

Don't forget to leave a comment on this post as well as all the other of the 12 Days of Christmas Tags series. To see previous years' tags, click on the 12 Days of Christmas Tags label to the right.

At the end of the series, I'll draw a name and one lucky person will win one of each of the 12 tags made this year.

If you are interested in purchasing the 2019 tag collection, leave me a message.

And since it's TGIF; Thankful Friday, this week I'm thankful for my daughter-in-law. She's been helping me with dinner this week and it has been really nice not having to cook! Thanks Girl!

12 Days of Christmas Tags 2019; Day Ten

I broke out the Cricut again for today's tags. I used the traditional color combination of red and green but mixed it up a little by using a bright green versus the standard "Christmas" green. You can literally use any color scheme on these - use your scraps!

These bulbs are just short of 4" long so these are nice and big sized tags. The cut did not include a base for the bulbs so I created my own by ungrouping the image and then pulling one of the bulbs to duplicate.

On the duplicated piece, I used the contour tool to remove the word and to make it a solid piece. That's it! Easy! There are so many cool things you can do in Design Space to customize your cuts. I felt the bulbs needed the white back ground so you can see the words clearly and also for extra stability especially between the letters.

I also use the ungroup tool to get rid of the "print" on the bulb hangers. I didn't feel like switching between pen and blade for this project.

I used my Xyron adhesive sticker maker to add adhesive to the back of each piece before layering them on top of the white bases.

I put a glue dot to stick them together just like this...add ribbon and viola!

Don't forget about the GIVEAWAY at the end of this 12 day series. One person will win a set of all twelve of these tags. To be eligible, you must be a follower of my blog and leave a comment. The more comments you leave, the more entries you'll have in the drawing.

Leave a comment each day to increase your chances.

If you're interested in seeing the tags from previous years, click on the 12 Days of Christmas Tags label to the right.

12 Days of Christmas Tags 2019; Day Nine & WOYWW

Day Nine of the Twelve Days of Christmas Tags series includes super cute tags using my Cricut.

For all the WOYWW deskers, this is also a shot of what's been on my desk lately - a huge mess!

Lots of paper scraps for these tags! Sorry I didn't get around to commenting last week. This time of year is so busy and with my decision to have a booth at a local Holiday Craft Fair this weekend has left me with very little extra time!
When I chose this image, I originally wanted to make them shaker tags, but once they were cut, I felt like the outline was too thin to try to get the 3D adhesive there - or at least too difficult for this project. They are about 3.5" tall and I love them!

I stamped the "For You" on the toe to add a little something. I'm going to write the name on the cuff once I'm ready to use the tag.

I want to note that if you don't have the Design Space subscription, you are really missing out. There are so many images that are available and all sorts of styles. I recently became a member because I was holding out for some reason and I LOVE all the options!

Don't forget about the GIVEAWAY at the end of this 12 day series. One person will win a set of all twelve of these tags. To be eligible, you must be a follower of my blog and leave a comment. The more comments you leave, the more entries you'll have in the drawing.

Leave a comment each day to increase your chances.

If you're interested in seeing the tags from previous years, click on the 12 Days of Christmas Tags label to the right.

12 Days of Christmas Tags 2019; Day Eight

I'm noticing a stamping trend on my tags this year and here's another one. This stamp set is another oldie but goodie from Stampin Up! It's been a long while since I've used any of these cuties.

I stamped the right side of each of these small "cards" and used alcohol markers to color in all the parts. Once that was done, I cut a mask to cover the image and stamp a star background over everything.

I felt like it needed something else so I added some Nuvo drops here and there.

Don't forget about the GIVEAWAY at the end of this 12 day series. One person will win a set of all twelve of these tags. To be eligible, you must be a follower of my blog and leave a comment. The more comments you leave, the more entries you'll have in the drawing.

Leave a comment each day to increase your chances.

BBTB2; Pink/Gold Holiday & 12 Days of Christmas Tags 2019; Day Seven

The current challenge at the Bitten By The Bug challenge blog is; Pink/Gold Holiday.

So to stick to my 12 Days of Christmas Tags 2019 series, I chose to use my Cricut to create some gold/pink trees on some gift tags!

I created my own trees using the shapes that are available for free in Design Space. Check out this video to see how I use the slice, weld, and group tools to create these cool trees.

The video doesn't get into too many details on the tags so here's the scoop:
I used pink cardstock for the 2x4 tag bases. I added a strip of gold pattern paper on the bottom of each tag before spritzing each one with Heidi Swapp gold glimmer spray. Once those dried, I punched 1/2" circles from the gold glitter paper I used for the tree outlines (from the design I created) cut with the Cricut, folded them in half and adhered to each tag top.

The Cricut was used to cut the trees. Gold glitter paper was used for the outlines and some pink patterned paper was used for the tree bases. I don't know if these photos do these tags any justice...they are gorgeous in person!

Be sure to click on over to Bitten By The Bug site to see the DT inspiration projects and to link up your own Pink/Gold holiday project.

If you're new to my blog, you're in the middle of my 12 Days of Christmas Tags series. This is a series that I've done for the past few years. At the end of the series, I will draw a winner to receive a set of one of each of the tags created for the 2019 series.

In order to be eligible to win, you must be a follower of my blog, and you must leave a comment on these posts. Gain more entries by leaving a comment on each day of the series. You can go back as long as it's before the end of the series.

If you're interested in seeing tags from previous years', click on the 12 Days of Christmas Tags label to the bottom right.

12 Days of Christmas Tags 2019; Day Six

On the Sixth Day of Christmas Tags, my tags were made using Washi Tape. Not in the traditional sense, but as a tool versus a product.

They are part of a Merry Mixed Media course given by jlbCREATIVE. James Luke Burke - he's one of my favorite YouTubers, IGer and cool guy. I love his laugh!

This is a free course that he offers but you do have to enroll. Google it...check it out if you're interested. He did one last year that I loved so here I am again this year!

I won't get into too many details on how these were done, but check out the step by step photos to get an idea.

Aren't these fabulous!?!

He encourages using all sorts of media and that anyone can do it!

I hope you're following my series and leaving comments on each of the 12 days posts. At the end of the 12 Days of Christmas Tags series, I will be giving away a set of one each of these 12 tags. In order to be eligible for the drawing, you must be a follower and leave a comment. Each comment is an entry so if you haven't already, go back and comment on the previous five posts and continue to check out the tags.

Good luck!

12 Days of Christmas Tags 2019; Day Five

Day Five tags are made with a SU! stamp set that I haven't used before. I purchased this set from a local thrift store for $3.00! I own the punch for many, many years but didn't buy the coordinating stamp set and when I found the set at the thrift store, I was so excited!

And here they are all done!

Both patterned papers used are from the Holly Jolly collection from Quick Quotes. I love that butter yellow patterned paper - so pretty!

At the end of the series, I will be giving away a set of one each of the 12 tags. Be sure to become a follower of my blog and leave a comment on this post as well as each of the 12 posts for more entries in the giveaway.

To see tags from previous years', click on the 12 Days of Christmas Tags label to the right

12 Days of Christmas Tags 2019; Day Four AND TGIF; Thankful Friday

Can you believe there are only 19 more days until Christmas?! Are you ready? Me...no. I never used to be a last minute person, but I just can't seem to get into the shopping spirit.

But...at least I'll have the tags ready for all those gifts.

Day Four tags were made by slicing 1x5.5" strips from cardstock. I used this tag corner cutter to cut these strips into a tag shape.

I bought this at Tuesday Morning for next to nothing.

I used this stamp set, Wild Washi ink pad and paper scraps to create these cute tags.

I added a punched circle & some twine to finish them:

At the end of the series, I will be giving away a set of one each of the 12 tags. Be sure to become a follower of my blog and leave a comment on this post as well as each of the 12 posts for more entries in the giveaway.

To see tags from previous years', click on the 12 Days of Christmas Tags label to the right.

Since today is also FRIDAY. I want to give a Thankful Friday shout out to my granddaughter. She is hilarious! She makes me laugh every day especially when she attempts (and mostly successful) at scaring me every single day. It makes her happy...scares the "you know what" out of me, but that's ok. It is such a joy to have her around!

12 Days of Christmas Tags 2019; Day Three

Day Three and the tags are coming along! I love this series since it's a great way to use up scraps and play with Christmas stamps.

I had these cute little House Mouse stamped out from last year and never did anything with them. So I pulled out my alcohol markers and colored them in. I also stamped some Santa hats (CTMH), fussy cut them and attached to bare headed mice.

These little mice are so cute!

 I used a 2 3/4" circle punch for the tags and added a strip of glitter washi tape:

Be sure and leave a comment on this post and every post of this series. At the end of the series, I will pick a winner out of the commenters. Leave one each day for more chances to win.

The winner will receive one of each of the 12 Days of Christmas tags made.

If you missed a day, go back and comment!

12 Days of Christmas Tags 2019; Day Two & WOYWW

Happy Holidays! We're on Day Two of the 12 Days of Christmas Tags series.

These tags were made by cutting ovals using my circle/oval cutter from Creative Memories. I had these forever and they still work perfectly. What is your favorite circle/oval cutter?

I purchased these adhesive felt Santa hats from the Dollar Tree for this purpose...tags!

Here are the tags:

I have this huge ball of twine that I purchased from a local thrift store years ago. It never seems to get any smaller!

Be sure to be a follower of my blog & leave a comment on this post for an entry in the 12 Days of Christmas Tags giveaway.  The winner will receive a set of one of each tag made during the series.

You can go back and comment as well.

To see tags from previous years, click on the 12 Days of Christmas Tags label to the right.

And since this is Wednesday, I'm also saying HELLO to the fellow deskers on the Stamping Ground's website. Today is the day we share what's on our desk. WOYWW??? A big mess!

12 Days of Christmas Tags 2019; Day One

Happy 12 Days of Christmas Tags! It's that time again. I know I'm starting on a random date, but it's been a weird week already. LOL

Day One tags are using these super cute gnomes from the Gnome For The Holiday stamp set from Fun Stampers Journey/Spellbinders.

Check out this video introduction of the 2019 series:

The finished tags:

These are a sample of the tags that I made. I made eight total.

Don't forget, at the end of the series, I will have a GIVEAWAY - one of each tag made.

To be eligible for the giveaway, you must be a follower of my blog and to comment. Be sure to comment each day for 12 total chances.

To see tags from previous years, click on the 12 Days of Christmas Tags label to the right.

Creative With Stamps #45; Polar Bear

Click on over to the Creative With Stamps blog to see the DT cards and to add your own for this month's challenge.

I do not have any polar bear stamps in my stash. I was going to use any bear stamp and just keep it white, but most of mine are teddy bears so it didn't look right. But I did find this paper with polar bears and decided to use that as my inspiration piece.

I stamped a sentiment on white cardstock and cut in a circle using a circle cutter. I added gray/white twine by wrapping it around the top piece of patterned paper. I used a lt grey marker to add stitched lines around the sentiment circle & a glitter pen over the JOY to add extra sparkle. To finish the card, I added three enamel dots around the card.

For the second card, I layered the same patterned papers and adhered glitter ribbon around a piece of red cardstock. I stamped and fussy cut three snowy trees to add a cluster along with a sentiment and enamel dots.

Remember this is a CARD challenge blog so please only link up your cards for your chance to win the month prize at CWS.