Check out this ADORABLE Santa!!!

I am going to have to research the lovely woman who posted this on Beate's list serve...but I CASE-d this....because it is SO STINKIN" CUTE!! It uses the Big Shot (available from Stampin' Up!) and the Top Note die ... It consists of 3 die cuts in Whisper White, Real Red, and Blush Blossom. I used the small 1/2" round punch for the holly berries, used the small oval punch on Handsome Hunter paper and then trimmed them up to look like holly leaves, the 1" round punch for his nose and the 3/4 punch for his mouth, and 1/4" round punch for his hat pom pom...I sponged pink cheeks and edged his nose with Pretty In Pink ink...and lastly, used some googlie eyes from the craft store...I kept the Santa on the candy cane stick but cutting a strip of whisper white 1 3/4 X 5 1/5, scored the piece at approximately 1 1/2 inches from both ends and then used the 1" round punch on both ends, and attached the middle portion of the white strip to the back of Santa. Then I was able to slip the candy cane stick through the two circles to hold it in place. The candy cane stick was one of those fabulous finds at the Dollar Tree, where they are 2 for $1....Put the whole thing in a clear gift bag and tied it off with Real Red grosgrain ribbon... DONE!!!! I am making them for my students and for my grand kids....they are so very quick and easy!!!! Try 'em, you'll like 'em!!! LOL

It's that Ol' Black Magic...

..hmmm...I think I'm humming that post title to the song of "That ol' devil moon, in your eye...." from Finian's Rainbow....oh - you didn't know I was a theater freak? Just another of my endearing qualities...just ask my daughter! LOL Did you know there is a song for everything? And that I usually sing it and "someone we know" gets EMBARRASSED??? LOL Remind me to tell you the story of HOW I got Stef to not say out loud that she was embarrassed by me....LOL She laughs about it now, then not so much!!

OK - onto that Ol' Black Magic....

I demonstrated this at our workshop the other evening...it was too much to do in our time frame as a make and take. However, I had a great group of gals over at Eileen's house that were already versed in the card craft, and wanted to throw in a WOW they could do themselves....this card was inspired by the colors in a card by Leonie Schroder.....

Recipe:
Stamps: Canvas BG, Fabulous Flowers, All Holidays

Paper: Basic Black, Bashful Blue, Brilliant Blue, Whisper White

Ink: White Craft, Bashful Blue, Brilliant Blue

Access: SU Watercolor Pencils, White Gel Pen, Ticket Corner Punch, 1/16 circle hand held punch, silver brads, black gingham ribbon, dimensionals

EASY!!! Just stamp your image onto black paper with the white craft ink - LET DRY (key) - or help it along with your heat gun if you are impatient like me ;-) Then when dry color with your pencils...I used the light blue and medium blue watercolor pencils. I decided which way the sun was hitting my flower and put the dark at the bottom of the petals where I thought there should be shadow...I meant to only put the white gel pen around the top part - but I boo-booed and so the whole she-bang got white gel pen...still looks good though....REMEMBER.....THERE ARE NO MISTAKES IN STAMPING - ONLY CREATIVE DIFFERENCES! So I creatively made this one different than I wanted!! LOL Then - you just mount the piece however you want, and AWAY you go!!! ENJOY!

5 petal punch flower directions

I will need to come back and add some pics but wanted to get the directions for this flower up if you have not already figured it out...

In the flower on the right I did the following steps:

1. Punched out 2 purely pomegranate 5 petal flowers; punched out 1 pumpkin pie 5 petal flower and 1 old olive 5 petal flower.
2. I took one of the purely pomegranate flowers and put dotto removable sticky on it and attached it to a piece of scrap paper
3. I took the 5 petal punch and re-punched it again (hold the punch over the actual way you first punched out the flower and rotate it to the left or right - so the punch will cut the petals into 2 petals - hence producing a 10 petal flower layer)
4. I used direct to paper of the same color on the full purely pomegranate and the pumpkin pie flowers- and I used direct to paper with craft white on the now 10 petal flower.
5. I used a square punch (one corner of it anyway) to snip out the end V piece of the 2 of the larger flowers. You could also just snip it with your paper snips. I liked the consistency of the punch.
6. I put the old olive flower through my crimper
7. I stamped the circle from the flower set in pretty in pink on whisper white paper and punched it out with the small circle punch.
8. I layered large 5 petal purely pomegranate, then the pumpkin pie, then the small now 10 petal flower, and lastly the small circle flower center done in pretty in pink on white.
9. I molded the petals on all flower layers up with my hands
10. I cut the petals apart on the old olive and attached them to the back of the flower randomly as petals.
11. Add flower to card as embellishment.
12. DONE!