Cards-by-the-Sea: December 2013

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

2013--A Retrospective

Another year has come and gone, and I have taken this opportunity to look over all the cards I made and blogged about over the past year. I have a baker's dozen to share today--I tried to pick some of my favorites and also cards that represent something I really like--either a favorite style, stamp set, or technique. If you are looking to see all my cards in one place, click here and you will be taken to my Pinterest board, where I pin all of my own cards.

Click on each card to go back to the original post.

I love my Memory Box Landscape dies, so had to include one of my cards using this die.

http://cards-by-the-sea.blogspot.com/2013/02/crafting-just-for-fun.html

I love all the white space on this card, and how crisp the red and white look together.

http://cards-by-the-sea.blogspot.com/2013/01/waltzingmouse-january-2013-blog-party.html

I fell in love with speech bubbles this year, and made several cards along these same lines. This one is from a 4-of-a-kind kit sent to me by Renee. LOVE my 4-of-a-kind group!

http://cards-by-the-sea.blogspot.com/2013/10/four-of-kind-19-october-2013.html

It's no secret that I love owls, and one of my favorite owls to stamp with and paper piece is Lawn Fawn Winter Owl.

http://cards-by-the-sea.blogspot.com/2013/01/lawnscaping-simon-says-and-colourq.html

This card was my first foray into the feather trend.

http://cards-by-the-sea.blogspot.com/2013/06/case-study-144.html

I have to have a few flower cards as favorites, since flowers are some of my favorite stamps. I once considered counting all my flower stamp sets, but decided that I don't really want to know a number like that.

http://cards-by-the-sea.blogspot.com/2013/04/retro-sketches-60-muse-14-cas-ual.html

http://cards-by-the-sea.blogspot.com/2013/07/muse-27.html

http://cards-by-the-sea.blogspot.com/2013/09/muse-35-and-curtain-call-sunflower.html

I think that Harvest Berries is one of my all time favorite stamp sets. Every time I use it, I fall in love all over again. So, I had to include a card using this set.

http://cards-by-the-sea.blogspot.com/2013/01/retro-sketch-44-and-serendipity-2.html

My latest favorite stamp set is City Scenes. I am absolutely in love with this set, and hope they add more cities to it in the coming year. Although I live in a little beach town, I am a city girl at heart.

One of my favorite stamping techniques is basic background stamping. Whether I am stamping a pattern or just random, I really love just putting a simple sentiment flag on a stamped panel and calling it done.

http://cards-by-the-sea.blogspot.com/2013/07/my-crafty-sunday.html

I love Wonderfully Whimsical and do not use it nearly as much as I should. I used it on this card for a CASology challenge, where the cue word was 'UP'.

http://cards-by-the-sea.blogspot.com/2013/04/casology-38-and-muse-11.html

This card is a great example of my obsession this year with all sorts of subway sentiments as well as balloons. Birthday cards are my all time favorite kind of card to make.

Thank you for joining me on this trip down memory lane. I am so grateful for all the friends I have met in this crafty blogging community. Your visits, comments and friendship mean a lot to me.

I wish you all a happy and healthy new year.


PEACE ON EARTH

Thanks for Visiting

Monday, December 30, 2013

The 12 Kits of Occasions: December 2013

Well, it seems as though December has come and gone--actually the entire year is almost over, and that means it is time for my 12 Kits of Occasions post. Our theme this month is Christmas and our hostess is Jessica of The Paper Parade. Jessica is a new mom to baby Sonny, and she still managed to find the time to send an amazing kit with so many wonderful stamped images, die cuts, and patterned papers. Honestly, I don't know how she did it. If you have ever been over to Jessica's blog, then you know that she is the queen of cute. And, there were so many cute images in this kit--it was such fun to work with.
Here is a picture of the kit:

Photo courtesy of Kara

There is a lot to see here as well as on the other blogs, so I will get right into it--starting with my personal favorite.

This card actually came pre-made--All I needed to do was attach a sentiment and mount it on a card base. Talk about self-assembling cards--this was it.

Jessica included several wooden stamps in the kit--so we could stamp some of our own stuff. I used the full size snow stamp to stamp a background which I then embossed and sponged over to create my snowy sky for this card.

And, I am ending with my second favorite card. I just cannot seem to get enough of this adorable Winter Bunny.

That's it for me this month. I am interested to see what everyone else did. I still do have quite a few things left over that I can use for CASE-ing. Thank you so very much, Jessica, for sending such a wonderful kit.

Did you know that Sharron has been running a contest for a guest designer spot using next month's kit? You can see who Sharron has chosen over on our 12 Kits of Occasions blog. You can also see a complete supply list on the 12 Kits of Occasions blog, by clicking on the Supplies tab on the upper right.

Please stop by our 12 Kits of Occasions blog page, our Facebook Page, our Pinterest page, and also visit all the other members of our 12 Kits of Occasions group.

Joyce (that's me)

Amy

Kim

Kara

Kelly

Jessica

Thanks for Visiting

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Make it Monday #145: 2013 A la Carte

Hi there. I am squeaking in at the very last minute with two pillow boxes made per the instructions in Make it Monday #102, and I am entering them into this week's Make it Monday #145: 2013 A la Carte.

I used Colorbox White Pigment ink and Pure Poppy ink to stamp Snowflake Flurries on this kraft pillow box. A bit of twine and some Tremendous Tags finish it off.

I stamped this pillowbox with stripes from Watercolor Wonder in Colorbox White Pigment and Dot Spot in Pure Poppy. The sentiment is from Tiny Treats Christmas.

Here they are together. I am all set for a few last minute gifts.

Come back by tomorrow for my December 12 Kits of Occasions post.

Thanks for Visiting

Friday, December 27, 2013

Make it Monday #145: A la Carte

I love the year end Make it Monday A la Carte, which provide a chance to catch up on any missed weeks. Today, I have a quick card using the Inlaid Die Cuts technique from Make it Monday #138. I used the long bubbles image from Propose a Toast, stamped in a rainbow of colors, cut with the Wonderful Words Congrats die.

I cut a second 'congrats' out of True Black, coated the entire die cut with Wink of Stella, and then inlaid the black into the stamped panel.

You can see the glitter better in this close up.

Thanks for Visiting

CASology WeeK 76: Party

This week's Cue Card for CAS-ology is 'PARTY' When I think of 'Party', I immediately think of birthday parties. I have thrown a good number of those for my daughters over the years. Here, I was aiming for a party on a card. Something very festive. Sorry if you are tired of these Tipped Tops dies. They have a permanent spot on my desk now.

This card above was my second attempt to make a card for this challenge. The colors are Soft Stone, Raspberry Fizz, Plum Pudding, Hawaiian Shores, Blueberry Sky and Winter Wisteria. My first attempt was a masculine card, as I have a BIL with a birthday coming up.

I did not think that my first card was festive enough, but I still like it enough to send and enough to enter as my second entry into this week's CAS-ology challenge. The colors on this card are Smokey Shadow, Enchanted Evening, Hawaiian Shores, Spring Rain, New Leaf and Limeade Ice.

And, have you seen this? It's not too late to try for a spot, to join the sweetest bunch of crafty gals for our January kit.

Want to be a guest designer for The 12 Kits Of Occasions?

Sharron is the hostess who is putting together and sending out the kits for January.

She has put together one extra kit that could be for you!

She would send you the kit for you to create projects to share along with us on the last day of January.

Sound like fun?

Head over to the 12 Kits blog to enter.

The winner will be announced on this month's reveal, December 30th!

Thanks for Visiting

Thursday, December 26, 2013

PTI December 2013 Blog Hop, Part 2

Hi there. I am back with some last minute gifts, and again, I am entering them into the Papertrey December Blog Hop because they are "...brown paper packages tied up with string..."

Please click here to see my first entry for today.

This tag uses Polka Dot Parade #10, Tag Sale #8, and a sentiment from Peaceful Pinecones.

This tag uses Candy Cane Christmas and Tag Sale #2, and that yummy pink, red and white twine is a gift from Tracey.

I picked the polka dotted kraft wrapping paper some time ago in the dollar bins at Target.

Thanks for visiting

PTI December 2013 Blog Hop

Our inspiration for the Papertrey December Blog Hop is "...brown paper packages tied up with string..." I used my Envelope Punch Board and this tutorial to make a brown paper box, and some PTI Twine to tie on a tag using Ruby Reprise Stamps, Ruby Rose Dies, and Tag Sale 9.