December 18, 2016

Ornaments for Christmas

Hello friends!  It's Sunday night here, and today has finally warmed up after we've been in a major (MAJOR) cold snap for the last two weeks.  Unfortunately, I'm also sick as a dog so I haven't been able to enjoy any of it!  

This past Friday night, my Stampin' Up! leader hosted her annual christmas dinner and gift exchange.  Firstly, my apologies if I infected anyone while I was there - I think that was when this nastiness was setting in - and secondly, I wanted to share the ornament I made for the exchange.  


Each of us brings a handmade item to swap with our teammates, and I like to make ornaments - a nice handmade ornament fits every decor and there's always a bit of room on the tree!  This little beauty came packaged in a simple box to match, made with the envelope punch board.

I'm off to place a grocery order and get my booty to bed.  Here's to a healthier day tomorrow!

Cheers,
Shannon

December 15, 2016

Fancy Friday Blog Hop - Neutrals Challenge!


Hello friends!  I was delighted this week when I received a message from one of my friends who participates in the Fancy Friday blog hop, asking if I would like to join their team.  Fancy Friday is one of my faves, and since the group has so many of my new Artisan Team friends from this past year, I was thrilled to join them.  The first challenge was coming up immediately, and hey - there's no time like the present!

Our challenge this week is a "Neutrals Challenge" - to feature a mostly-white project featuring one neutral card.  Easier said than done!  I chose silver, because to me, it's neutral without being boring.  And white and silver is PERFECT for a New Year's card.


A little glimmer paper, some dies and punches, and a silver embossed sentiment pack a real punch with the white and vellum background.  So lovely - frosty, celebratory, and beautiful.  The Fancy Frost Specialty DSP is a gorgeous alternative to plain white - and you'll want to be sure to grab it before it retires in January!  

Let's hop over to Cindy Schuster and see what amaziness she has for us this week.
See you again soon, my friends!

Cheers,
Shannon



December 14, 2016

Holly Jolly Merry December - my LAST Stampin' Up! ADT blog hop for 2016!

Hello friends!  Thank you for joining me and happy December!  It is a bittersweet blog hop tonight as I join my friends from the 2016 Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team for one last virtual trip around the world.  

The last 13 months have been an unbelievable adventure.  As much fun as being on the Artisan Design Team has been, the best part - hands down - has been the amazing friendships I've made.  This team of women has some of the biggest hearts of anyone I've met.  I've seen support from people all around the world that brought me to tears.  We've had hilarious conversations, created running inside jokes (I'm looking at you and your tomato knife, Sue!) and shared in one another's joys and struggles for over a year.  I'm so sad to see it come to an end, but I also know I will treasure the year I've had with these 19 amazing women from all around the world.  Each and every one of them has inspired me - not just by their amazing talents with paper and adhesive, but with their kindness, humor, and love.  

With all of this said, though, our journey is coming to a close and it's time for one last set of projects.  I'll be ending the year with some simple cards from the Hello December 2016 Project Life kit, and welcoming in the new Artisan Design Team for 2017.  

We had a handful of supplies we could choose from for this hop, and I don't doubt you'll be seeing some variety tonight.  My choice was easy - when there's a choice, I'll almost always choose Project Life!  I've said it before and I'll say it again, but the Project Life card collections are perfect for making easy handmade cards; with everything pre-cut and printed to coordinate, it's as easy as choosing and gluing.  

And with Christmas a mere 10 days away, now is the time for quick and easy!  


I made these first two cards with the same style, changing up the embellishments every so slightly - little touches can take the monotony out of batch-creating and bring some variety into things!  And since that was done, I decided to change things up once more.  Using the same sketch but totally different colours and cards, I made one more... 


Kraft and Real Red are so beautiful together - this card would go beautifully with a handmade cookie tray!

Now that that's out of the way, without further adieu, let's look forward to 2017 and the brand new Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team!  This team of brilliant paper crafters from around the world has so much to share with you; I can't wait to see what everyone brings to the table this year!  There is such a huge variety of styles and strengths, and I know the blog hops are going to blow us away.

Allison Okamitsu - Canada
AurĂ©lie Fabre - France
Cathy Caines - Canada
Dani Dziama - United States
Holly Stene - United States
Jennifer Sootkoos - United States
Jessica Winter - Austria
Katy Harrison - United Kingdom
Kimberly Van Diepen - United States
Louise Sharp - Australia
Maike Ulbrich - Germany
Martha Inchley - Canada
Mercedes Weber - United States
Mindy Bingamon-Backes - United States
Miriam van Eyden - Netherlands
Paula Dobson - New Zealand
Rochelle Blok - Australia
Shannon Lane - Canada
Sylwia Schreck - Germany
Tanya Boser - United States

I am BEYOND excited to see my local bestie, Allison Okamitsu, back for a third consecutive year (how amazing is she?!) and my new friends Kimberly Van Diepen and Jessica Winter returning to the team as well.  


And yes, I was over the moon to receive another phone call this year, inviting me to serve for a second year on the team.  I am absolutely humbled, honoured, and delighted!  My beautiful box arrived last month to welcome me to the team, and I've already created my first team post for January - things are rolling along nicely!

My beautiful readers, thank you so much for joining me this past year.  Your support, comments, and "likes" mean so much to me, and I truly appreciate you taking time out of your busy days to check in on my blog.  I hope I've inspired you in your own creations, and I am looking forward to another year of just that!

Don't forget to continue on our final blog hop with a visit to Steffi in Germany.  


With love, I'll see you again in 2017 (officially, at least!)

Cheers,
Shannon

December 13, 2016

Merry & Bright

Hello friends!  Just popping in with an easy and simple card - I've got another busy day ahead (as it is in the weeks leading up to Christmas!)  

This card is a fun little creation with the Stitched With Cheer stamp set - this set is intended to go with the Project Kit of the same name, but it works beautifully as a stand-alone kit!  I quite love it.  Really great, simple images and perfect sentiments for the holidays. 


This card is clean and simple, and would be relatively easy to mass-produce - perfect if you haven't whipped up your christmas cards yet!

See you tomorrow night for an Artisan Design Team blog hop - the very last one of the 2016 Design Team.  Waaaah!



Cheers and have a great day,
Shannon

December 11, 2016

Merry Bears

Good morning!  I'm back again with more - you guessed it - watercolour!  I wasn't kidding when I said I was working hard at this!

These adorable little bears are from the same stamp set as the last card I made, called Fa-la-la-la Friends.  There are some fantastic images in this set, and they're great to colour!

These adorable little bears were so cute, I made three.


How could I resist?!  Their Buffalo Plaid jammies pair perfectly with the rustic Hardwood background stamp, and a touch of gold foil paper fancies it up.  Love!

Cheers,
Shannon