Spellbound!

All I'm doing these days is making more Christmas cards! It's about the time of year when I tell dh we're just going to send out the photo cards and call it done. Honestly, this might be the year I break down and do it :)

For now, though, here are two more. This first one is my sample for Jen's awesome Sketch for You To Try this week. I love this non-traditional color combo! The patterned papers are all from the K&Co Christmas Cheer mat pack. I also got to play with some new Spellbinders products that came this week. I used the Labels 2 Nestabilities for the olive panel, and I used the Victorian Border Piercabilities for the decorative edge on the blue patterned vertical strip. The fun trim is something I found at Hancock Fabrics yesterday. The ornament is chipboard that's been covered with dp and embellished. I used a ton of "pearl" dew drops for accents.

Check out the sketch, Jen's sample, and a sample from the NEW guest designer at i{heart}2stamp. The rest of the crew has put together some awesome samples, too:

Amy
Carole
Shannan
Susan


Next up is my sample for this week's challenge at Our Creative Corner. Julee Tilman is our host this month, and she's starting us out with a fun sketch challenge. Here's my take:




For this one, I again used the Labels 2 Nestabilities on the sentiment panel. The poinsettia is a combination of Making Memories, Prima, and the Martha Stewart branch punch. The edges of most of the panels as well as the card base have been edged with a thin band of gold. I just dragged my Encore gold metallic pad across the edges. The white poinsettia has been painted with Angel Wings Shimmerz. Along the bottom, you can see some dry embossing and piercing that I did with the Victorian Border Piercabilities.

Be sure to check out the sketch at Our Creative Corner. You'll also find all the details on this week's PRIZE, generously provided by Alma de la Rosa of The Cat's Pajamas. Thank you for joining us, Alma! She also made the most beautiful sketch sample! As usual, you'll find samples from the OCC regulars there, too, and guess what, Laurie Schmidlin is back playing this week. We've missed you Laurie! For more chitchat about their projects, visit their blogs:

Cindy Haffner
Dawn Easton
Denise Marzec
Jennifer Meyer
Julee Tilman
Laurie Schmidlin
Lynda Benden

I received some questions yesterday about where to get the Shimmerz. I bought my Angel Wings a month or two ago at Jacksonbelle Embellishments. Now there is a Shimmerz blog, where you can find a list of online stores that carry them, including My Favorite Things and soon Our Daily Bread Designs, as well as tons of how-to and inspiration. They are great!!

Also, my friend Angel suggested I show my decorated insides. These are both very simple. I'll add an inside sentiment when I'm ready to send these:





Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!



Stamps: Ornamental Christmas (first card, Verve Stamps); All Year Cheer (second card, Stampin' Up)
Paper: Christmas Cheer mat pack (K&Co); SU Old Olive, Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Garden Green, Encore Gold Metallic
Accessories: Labels 2 Nestabilities and Victorian Border Piercabilities (Spellbinders); gold and pearl dew drops, SU ivory taffeta ribbon, Offray wide satin ribbon, Making Memories Christmas Blossoms, Prima leaves, Martha Stewart branch and snowflake punches, gold stickles, SU gold metallic grosgrain, foam adhesive, Angel Wings Shimmerz, chipboard ornament (source unknown), gold cord, Wright's trim, paper piercer
Sizes: SYFTT card is 5 1/2" square; OCC card is standard A2 (4 1/4 x 5 1/2)