Christmas is Here w/Stamp Simply

Hello to all my crafty friends and thank you for visiting me here today.  Are you all ready for Christmas?  Are all those gifts ready and under the tree?  If not, I'm sharing some sweet little gift tags that can be attached to any present going under your tree or being hand-delivered to a special friend at church, work, or just about anywhere.  How FUN it is to decorate our presents (boxes) and gift bags with cute tags that add something extra, and some special, to proudly give your gifts to loved ones.  Those extra little touches show people just how very loved they truly are.  Stamp Simply will always help you find the perfect stamps and products to help you make something memorable.

I used three little kraft bags from a darling company (The Kraft Outlet) that I designed for many years ago.  They've long since gone out of business, but I still enjoy using these sweet little bags.  You can find them at most kraft stores including Hobby Lobby.  I'm guessing you still have a few gifts to wrap, right?  Why not grab a fabulous stamp set like the Farmhouse Christmas Stamp Set to help you make some sweet tags to adorn those gifts.

Using the Fishtail Banner Dies, I cut several strips of paper from various Echo Park 6x6 Patterned Papers including Happy Christmas, Home for Christmas and Farmer's Market.  I used the darling Stockings & Mittens Dies to cut the mittens and the snowflakes.  Each tag has a little tab cut from a piece of Echo Park 6x6 Patterned Paper and each is tied with some Baker's Twine.

On each tag, I stamped the to:___and from:____ using the sweet Farmhouse Christmas Stamp Set.  This set has so many darling images and sentiments.  It's always a Winter favorite of mine.  I did a touch of machine stitching on the papers for a homespun feel.  You can use these gift tags to tuck in some candies, a gift card, cash, a small gift or a note of thanks.  This Farmhouse Christmas Stamp Set is super helpful for making tags.

You'll always find lots of amazing inspiration on the Stamp Simply Blog.  This is also where you'll stay informed about any special sales and promotions to help you SAVE on the awesome products from Stamp Simply.  Don't settle for fakes (sadly, yes, they exist - please avoid), but rather, shop and support small Christian-owned business owners like Stamp Simply.  You'll LOVE everything you find there.

Blessings,

Karen

Fun New Challenge at The Card Concept

Are you ready for another fun challenge?  My guess is that you're already creating something that will fit in perfectly at the challenge over at The Card Concept.  The beautiful inspiration photo is just a starting place for your creativity.  You can clearly see that I completely ignored the suggested color palette.  Instead, I used the elements I saw that drew my eye.  The items, specifically, that captured my eye include all the darling little cottages/villages that are scattered around the photo.  I also spotted the pretty Christmas wreath in the window, and I loved the black/white plaid or gingham.  SO many pretty elements from which to choose, so....I just include them ALL.  lol

Let me tell you the TRUTH about this card.  My friend and teammate at Creative Worship, the talented Angy Hughes, created the top portion of this card.  She sent it to me along with some lovely stamps, dies and goodies from her stash.  Anyway....my youngest grandson (Benjamin 10 mo.) decided to eat it.  My fault. I left it where he could get at it.  So, I salvaged the top portion of the card and used it to put this together.  The Village Dies, Thoughtful Wreaths Dies and star stamps are from Creative Worship Stamps.  They have SO many fabulous products.

I added a bow that includes lengths of gorgeous Iridescent White String and lovely Blue Jay Seam Binding, and it's topped with a Gold Rhinestone Embellishment and secured in place using Scor-Tape.  Don't miss out on the BIG RETIREMENT SALE taking place now at Really Reasonable Ribbon.  The discounts will continue as the store closes its doors forever; but for the very best selection, I'd suggest grabbing a few things before they're gone.  The deals on (my favorite) Baker's Twine are AMAZING. 💗Just thought I'd mention that again.

Like I said, I went with a completely different color scheme than what you see in the photo above.  That doesn't matter!  We just want you to be inspired by SOMETHING....ANYTHING in the photo.  What is calling your name?  Is there anything that you see in the photo that you could create and share with us at The Card Concept?  We'd sure🍬LOVE to have you come play along with us.  There's a PRIZE.  Go check it out, friends.

Can you see all those pretty gold flecks?  SO pretty.  Thank you, Angy.  She did the difficult work on this card.  I just embellished it using a cute sentiment stamp found in the Lantern Light Stamp Set from Creative Worship and lots of great (DISCOUNTED) trims from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  It really would be awesome to have you come play along with us this month at The Card Concept.  It's always more FUN when everyone (including you) plays along.  Happy crafting.

I'm playing along here:

A Cut Above Challenge Blog - December: Anything Goes Using Dies - I used village dies, wreath dies and a sentiment die.

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge Blog - Challenge #2549 - Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenges - Simon Says "Add Sparkle & Shine" - I added a Gold Rhinestone Embellishment to add some sparkle and shine, and there's also lots of gold sparkle splashed on the top half of the card.

Blessings,

Karen

Sending Holiday Cheer w/Really Reasonable Ribbon

I have absolutely loved my time on the Really Reasonable Ribbon Design Team.  Adding ribbons, trims and twines to my projects is just something that I enjoy.  It adds so much texture and color to our cards.  And, hey, you can't make tags and other things without trims.  They're rather essential in crafting.  Items like Baker's Twine and Burlap String are SUPER affordable, and SO versatile in crafting.  Now is a great time to stock up on some really AMAZING DISCOUNTS on ribbons, trims and twines (among many other great things) at Really Reasonable Ribbon during their BIG RETIREMENT SALE.

I used a deep forest green cardstock to cut my base using the Stitched Rectangle Dies from Creative Worship.  I used their Postage Stamp Cover Plate Die to cut the next layer from vintage sheet music.  I cut some red cardstock to cover two of the openings, and I stamped those using the fun Going Postal Stamp Set.  The sentiment is also from Creative Worship and can be found in the Holiday Cheer Stamp Set.

Like I tend to do rather often, I piled a lot on here.  I'll try to mention everything I used.  The small coffee cups are from V's Sweet Ideas, the "cookie" is from Paper Sweeties, the bobbin and holly leaves are from PTI.  My ribbon treatment includes lots of great Baker's Twine which is now just $0.75/yard.  WOW!  What a bargain!  You'll find so many AMAZING DISCOUNTS right now at Really Reasonable Ribbon, and you'll want to stock up before the best colors are gone.  SO pretty!

I also tucked in some delicious Cherry Baker's Twine, Solid Red Baker's Twine, Ivory Burlap String and Iridescent String for a touch of shimmery sparkle.  Aren't all those wonderful textures just so cool?  I used 3-D Foam Tabs to raise up the dimensional items a bit.  Grab these awesome items now at bargain prices and stay ahead of things so that you don't run out of Adhesives, Mulberry Flowers, Stamens or other essentials.

Thank you so much for visiting today.  It's always a real blessing to have you stop by and leave your thoughts.  Why not treat yourself today?  Take advantage of these DISCOUNTED PRICES on all your favorite ribbons, trims and more.  Go on ahead, you deserve it.

I'm sharing my sweet caffeinated Christmas card in the following challenges where I enjoy playing along whenever I'm able to do so:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - SPARKLE & SHINE - I added white sugar glitter to the inside of my layered cookie to add some Sparkle & Shine to this card.  Every card needs a touch of Sparkle & Shine.

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge Blog - Challenge #2549 Sponsored by Newton's Nook

The Die Cuttin' Diva's Challenges - December: Christmas/Winter Theme using die-cuts.  All the dies I used on my card are mentioned and linked above.

Coffee Loving Papercrafters' Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge #49 - December: Anything Goes Christmas and caffeinated.  I used a mish mash of different products on this card, and they're all mentioned above.  I love to play along here whenever I can.  It's so much FUN!

Double D Challenges - December: Christmas Wrappings - I love to tie things up in a bow.  Tucking a gift card or a bookmark inside my cards is always something unexpected that I try to incorporate.  This card has a Starbucks card tucked inside.

Stay creative, everyone.

Blessings,

Karen

Peace & Joy w/Stamp Simply

As Christmas draws near, and all year round, it's so nice to know that I can always count on Stamp Simply Clear Stamps to have just the right sentiments, scriptures, images and products to help me create the perfect cards every time.  Today I'm sharing a sweet card created in traditional Christmas colors that combines two of the many fabulous Christmas stamp sets you'll find at Stamp Simply.  I hope you enjoy my card.

I started with basic black cardstock and I layered it with a sweet patterned paper from the Carta Bella Happy Christmas 6x6 Paper Pad.  I stamped the background image using the fabulous Vintage Christmas Background Stamp Set, and I colored everything with my Copics.  I fussy cut the frame by hand.  I used the coordinating Ovals & Twigs Die Set to cut the oval opening in the center of the image, and I placed a piece of paper from the Craft Consortium's Tartan Plaid 6x6 Paper Pad.  I do love the fact that the Vintage Christmas Background Stamp Set already says Merry Christmas at the top.

Next, I used the darling Vintage Christmas Images Stamp Set to stamp the cute birdhouse.  Again, I colored the image with my Copics, and this time I added some ultra-fine white glitter to the snow-topped birdhouse.  I cut the birdhouse image using the coordinating Vintage Christmas Images Dies.  The small sentiment I added (Peace & Joy) is also found in the Vintage Christmas Background Stamp Set.  It's on a banner that was cut using the Fishtail Banner Dies.  Did you know that you can manipulate these dies to accommodate any size sentiment (as I did here with this tiny sentiment.  A wee bit of machine stitching on the edges was my final touch.  I just couldn't resist.

Don't forget to visit the Stamp Simply Blog for lots of great inspiration each day as well as to stay up-to-date about special sales and promotions taking place at Stamp Simply.  It's always a treat to have you stop by my blog, and I hope you know that I truly appreciate you doing so.  Thank you so much.

I'm linking up here:

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenges - Challenge #2549 sponsored by the amazing Newton's Nook.  Oh, my heart, how I'd love to win this amazing prize.  I own only two Newton's Nook sets, and I could never get enough of their super sweet products.

The Inspiration Station Challenges - December Inspiration #80 - I was drawn to the traditional Christmas colors and images.  Just like we gather warmth and comfort indoors, God cares for every creature, including the birds like the one on my card.  When I see this photo below, I think of peace and joy.

Blessings,

Karen

Christmas JOY w/Really Reasonable Ribbon

It made me feel a little bit (or maybe a lot) sad when I first heard that Really Reasonable Ribbon is going out of business.  I've been on this Design Team for over 15 years, and I've really enjoyed it.  But when I heard WHY Really Reasonable Ribbon is going out of business, it made complete sense.  My friend, the Owner of Really Reasonable Ribbon, Bonnie, has recently become a Grandma.

Her sweet new grandson has, rightfully, claimed a BIG piece of her heart.  For this reason, Bonnie has decided to close the doors of this AMAZING long-time business of hers.  But hey...who could blame her?  Certainly not me.  Those grandbabies are SO precious.  They grow up much too quickly; as we've all learned from raising our own kids.  She's not going to miss a minute of this little guy's life, and I couldn't be any more excited for her.  It would be awesome for her to be able to SELL OUT of everything.  Can you be a part of this?  You'd not only be helping out a truly wonderful small-business owner, but you'd be able to really SAVE on lots of fabulous products.

This means BIG SAVINGS for all of us.  Hurray!  It's a great time to stock up on Baker's Twine (currently $0.75 per yard) in many colors solid and striped or Seam Binding at $0.30/yard.  There are fabulous bargains on ribbons, adhesives, hair accessories, embellishments, mulberry flowers and much more.  The discounts are absolutely amazing, and this is the time to grab yours before the best things sell out (and they're going quickly).  I used an old Papertrey Ink Mitten Die to cut my mittens from wool felt.  I machine stitched them together.  The red wool felt border was cut using the Scalloped Border Dies from Creative Worship Stamps.

I used a leaf die from Paper Sweeties to cut some green leaves from wool felt, and I hand-stitched those.  The word JOY was cut from the red wool felt using the Peace & Joy Word Dies from Stamp Simply.  I attached more of the hand-stitched leaves to the word as accents of color and texture.  I attached some rusty jingle bells using Solid Red Baker's Twine, Solid Ivory Baker's Twine and Cherry Baker's Twine.  ANYONE who places an order this month at Really Reasonable Ribbon and lets me know will receive a special prize from me personally (minimum value $20).  Promise!!

OK...what else?  I tucked in some Christmas candy sticks and a Starbucks gift card.  This little mitten could easily become a Christmas ornament by simple attaching a piece of Grosgrain Ribbon or Gingham Ribbon to the top left (where the bow is).  Easy!  By using RIBBONS, it's easy to create lots of great projects.  You've seen the darling Christmas Trees and sweet projects on Pinterest and Instagram that are created with trims, right?  Check out ←those links for SUPER CUTE ideas for using Baker's Twine, Ric-Rac or Jute.  Well, now is the time to really STOCK UP on these DISCOUNTED Ribbons, Trims and Twines to help you create ornaments and projects of all kinds.

Thanks for stopping by.  It really would be a blessing to Bonnie as well as to me personally to know that you stopped by Really Reasonable Ribbon to see if there's anything that might catch your eye during this Retirement Sale.  I appreciate you visiting, and of course as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this little mitten.  Really Reasonable Ribbon has so many great products still in stock to help you make something extra sweet.  And if you do end up making a purchase this month at Really Reasonable Ribbon, don't forget to let me know so that you can claim your extra BONUS GIFT from me (mentioned above).  Have a creative week and use RIBBONS!

I'm sharing my project here:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says Use Dies in DieCember - I used lots of different die-cuts on this project.  They're all mentioned and linked above.

The Die Cuttin' Diva's Challenges - December: Christmas/Winter Theme using die-cuts.  All the dies I used on my card are mentioned and linked above.

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Simon Says Use Dies in DieCember - Again, lots of dies were used on my project and you can find them all linked in my blog post above.

Double D Challenge Blog - Christmas Wrappings Challenge - I came up with a very different to "wrap" and give a small gift.

Happy crafting!

Blessings,

Karen

It's Instagram Hop Time w/Creative Worship

This is the day that the LORD has made.  I will rejoice and be glad in it.  Every day is a new opportunity to PRAISE GOD for all His goodness towards us.  I praise Him today and every day for His mercy and goodness towards me.  I am truly blessed.  Today begins the December Instagram Hop with Creative Worship Stamps, and I hope you'll join the fun for your chance to win a $25 gift card to Creative Worship Stamps.

I saw a lovely card on Instagram that was created by someone on the Brass & Bliss DT that used this basic idea, and I absolutely loved it.  I used products from Creative Worship to create my own version of this lovely card.  The base is black cardstock layered with deep red cardstock layered with white cardstock.  I used the Psalm 23 Background Stamp to stamp the words onto my background.  I did this twice, and I cut pieces of the background using the Stitched Rectangle Dies.  I raised up the three panels and matched them up to the words underneath as best as I could.

I used the Thoughtful Wreaths Stamp Set to stamp the wreath, the holly leaves and for the sentiment.  I cut extra wreaths using the Thoughtful Wreaths Dies, and I layered them to give my wreath some dimension.  I attached the holly leaves and added some "berries" by attaching red miniature floral prills in little clusters.  I used the beautiful Lantern Light Stamp Set to stamp my bow.  I painted it with Fired Brich Oxide Ink and cut it using the Lantern Light Dies.

Head on over to my Instagram Page to find the Insta Hop.  You won't want to miss any of the fabulous inspiration, and you won't want to miss the opportunity to WIN a $25 gift card to Creative Worship Stamps.  Thanks so much for your visit here today.

Here's where I'm sharing this fun Christmas card:

Double D Challenges: Christmas Wrap Theme - I used the traditional colors as seen below and I added a pretty red bow to "wrap" up my pretty wreath.  Everything needs a bow, right??  I even see some holly sprigs on these pretty packages.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says "Use Dies in DieCember" and I used lots of fun dies on this card.

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Simon Says "Use Dies in DieCember" as I mentioned above, I used lots of great dies to create my wreath card that I'm sharing today. 

Blessings,

Karen

Merry Christmas w/Stamp Simply

Christmas is approaching faster than I can believe.  It just sora crept on me this year; and before I knew it, Christmas was upon us.  While I'm not prepared yet in the way of gifts, decorating and planning, I do have a nice head start on my Christmas cards that need to get in the mail this week.  Stamp Simply always helps me find the perfect stamps and products to create beautiful cards at Christmas and all year round.  The card I'm sharing today uses just two of their (many) fabulous stamp sets.

I started with black cardstock that I layered with a green patterned paper from the Craft Consortium's Retro Summer 6x6 Paper Pad that I machine stitched together.  I used a larger cluster sentiment with the names of Jesus found in the Jesus Stamp Set at the top of my card.  I used the O Christmas Tree Stamp Set and the coordinating O Christmas Tree Dies to create my trees in various colors (using Tim Holtz Oxide Inks).  I added some tiny foam balls to each tree as ornaments.  The Merry Christmas sentiment at the bottom of the card is also found in the Jesus Stamp Set.

There are so many fabulous stamps, dies, stencils, embossing folders, ribbons and products at Stamp Simply to help you create something special.  We hope you'll take a look around at Stamp Simply and treat yourself.  After all, Christmas is approaching and we all deserve a new treat (or two), right?  You'll also find lots of great inspiration each day on the Stamp Simply Blog.  Oh, I also wrapped some pretty Baker's Twine around my card and topped the bow with a sugar-coated bead from the Petaloo Teal Botanical Floral Ephemera package.

Thanks so much for visiting me here today.  I'm also sharing my card on Instagram if you'd like to stop by and Follow me there @karenletchworth.  I'd sure appreciate it.  Have a blessed and creative week, and please know that I truly appreciate you for stopping by to take a peek at my art.  Stay safe, friends, and I hope you've got all your Christmas chores in line at this point better than I do.  LOL

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says "Anything Goes" - and I'd LOVE to pick up some new Lawn Fawn and other goodies from Simon Says Stamp.  Let's go!

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Simon Says "Use Dies" - I do own several awesome SSS dies, but this card uses dies from Stamp Simply.

Make My Monday Challenge Blog - Challenge #266 - Christmas Trees

The Inspiration Station Challenge - December - I was drawn to the tree in the inspiration photo

Cupcake Inspirations - Challenge #632 - I was drawn to the gorgeous teal color and the snowflakes.

Blessings,

Karen