Doggie Christmas Gifts for Brownie and Sophia

This year I was wayyyy behind with my Christmas tag and card making
But with the flu and a nasty head cold behind me this week...

I kicked it into gear and got a lot done.

(I feel so much better now)

Yesterday I had SO MUCH FUN working on two gift tins for Brownie and Sophia...

My daughter's boyfriends 2 adorable dachshunds.

I filled two clear topped hinged tins with teeny little Milk-Bones...

created a belly band and a personalized gift tag for each

and asked my daughter, Chelsea...who does amazing hand lettering...

to personalize each tag.

The tags were die cut using MFT Stitched Tag Die set

I topped each tag with a double looped bow

that I created with the DecoFun Bow Maker

and a looped piece of silver cording

(so that the tags can be hung on Brownie and Sophia's Christmas tree)
I chose 2 different print doggy Christmas papers  

and LCI metallic card stock for the belly band on the tin...

and the tags.
I used Clarity Stencil Brushes and ink lifted from ink pads
to add background color to each tag

The stamp sets used to create the tags are:

Sparkle and Sprinkle: HOT DOG PUPPY Stamp Set # 564

and

Newtons Nook: FURR-EVER FRIENDS

I colored each image with Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers

and made sure that each image colored image looked like Brownie and Sophia.

I've got some photos to share...

Wanna see?

This is Brownie's tin...

 I filled the tins with lots of tiny Milk-Bone treats..

created the belly band with one of the prints and green metallic card stock
I used the same green metallic card stock for the larger (mat layer) tag

I love that the lids of these tins are clear

In the past I've filled them with candy...for non-canine friends 😀

Here's a close up of the print ...

The belly band slips onto the tin easily...

My daughter...Chelsea...

is so talented when it comes to hand drawn lettering.

(Something that I'm NOT good at...at all)

The little paw print is a stamped image from the FURR-EVER FRIENDS stamp set.

Sophia's tin was created the same way as Brownie's tin...

This time...I colored the image to look like Sophia!

I used another adorable doggy print for the belly band

and this time...

I use red LCI metallic card stock for the band and larger (mat layer) tag.
I created another double looped bow with the DecoFun Bow maker

to finish the tag...

along with the looped silver cording.

I have to note that without the DecoFun Bow Maker..

I'd be in BIG Bow making trouble!

I CANNOT tie a bow...at all.
I am seriously bow-challenged.
BUT....since getting the Bow Maker...I can make bows..in a snap..

and they're perfect every time!

I'm happy with how the tins turned out...

and am happy that Chelsea added the personalized brush stroke lettering..

I think that the brush stroke lettering makes the tag!

The tins were lots of fun to make...
If I have time...after doing some baking today...

I'll head out into the studio to create a few tins for 3 of my favorite humans

(Which..by the way...will NOT be filled with Milk Bone treats!!)
But just in case I get caught up in baking until the wee hours...
I've got a few tags on stand by for their tins

and these

Thanks for visiting today, my friends
Wishing you a Merry Christmas...

and a most beautiful Holiday Season!
Michelle.

A Few More Tags

Hello my crafty and creative friends!
Today I've got a few more tags to share with you.

Today's tags were created with the following supplies and materials:

Stampin Up stamp sets: White Christmas & Jolly Old Saint Nick
DIE SET: MFT TAG STAX
Card Stock used for the tags: 

LCI's New  CURIOUS METALLICS ~ RED LACQUER
LCI's GMUND MATTE FOREST GREEN

LCI's  SILVER MIRRISparkle
For stamping:  Spectrum Noir Ultra Smooth Card Stock

COLORING: Copic Markers

Ribbon: DecoFun BOW MAKER RIBBON

For bow making: DecoFun Bow Maker

Other: Clear Wink of Stella

I love this print ribbon from DecoFun..

and decided to use the DecoFun bow maker to create a single loop bow for this tag.

The image was colored with Copics 

and the larger tag was die cute with the tag STAX die set 

  using LCI's GMUND Matte Forest Green card stock

(Love the stitched detail)

The images are from the White Christmas stamp set.

The second tag was created an image from the Jolly Old Saint Nick stamp set.

It was colored with Copic markers.

I added  Clear Wink of Stella to the snowman and snow.

Te tag was topped with the red print Merry Christmas Ribbon fro DecoFun Bow maker.

The larger tag layer was die cut using LCI's SILVER MIRRISparkle paper .

The sparkle of this paper is AMAZING...and its gentle on your trimmer...
(unlike some other glittered paper and card stock)  

Here's a close up of this cutie pie snow man...

and the gorgeous LCI sparkle paper.

The last tag that I have to share today was also created with the Jolly Old Saint Nick stamp set

and the image was also colored with Copic markers.

Clear Wink of Stella was brushed over the fur on Santa's Cap.

I finished this tag with a double loop bow...created with the DecoFun Bow maker...
using this wonderful green print Merry Christmas Satin Ribbon from DecoFun Bow Maker.

The larger tag was die cut using LCI's Curios Metallics Red Lacquer card stock

Here's a close up of Santa....the ribbon...and the shimmery metallic card stock

It felt good to be "creating " again...
I've missed spending time in my studio while I wasn't feeling well.
Working on tags for a few days was a good way to get back to doing what I love..

in small doses.
I've given up on the notion of creating a significant number of Christmas cards at this late date

but I'm hopeful that by the end of the week I'll feel well enough to spend an hour or two here and there in the studio...

where I'll hopefully make (at least) a few Christmas cards.

Thanks so much for visiting today...

I hope that today's tags have inspired you to create a few tags of your own!

Have a great day!
Michelle

Tag Time

I REALLY needed to create a few Christmas tags...

and with Christmas being one week away

I thought that I better crack the whip with myself...

and get started with the tag making.

I had some great new DecoFun BowMaker ribbon...

Some awesome LCI card stock

and a few stamp sets that I had set aside for tag making.
I use MFT's STAX Tag Die set for all of the tags.

Today I'm sharing the first 3 tags that I created...

I created the first tag with a a new-to-me stamp set from Crafter's Companion

called Winter Joy

I stamped the image onto a die cut tag cut from LCI's ENVIRONMENT Kraft Card stock

I wanted soft vintage like colors for this tag...
So...The image and background color were created with  

and assortment of Distress Ink colors.
I added some detail color to the image with Copic Markers

The larger mat layer tag was created with 

LCIs MirriSPARKLE SPARKLE GOLD Glitter Paper 

The GOLD Ribbon is from The Ribbon Place (DecoFun).

I used heavy gold thread to gather and tie the ribbon. 

Here's a close up...

I wanted to create another tag with this image...
A brighter version...with more vibrant colors.

Stamping it onto white card stock...and coloring it with Copic Markers

I use the same DecoFun Gold ribbon to top the tag.

The larger tag was created with LCI's GMUND Matte Merlot card stock

I was happy with the brighter version...

and the addition of the Merlot tag layer against the bright ornament colors

The gold ribbon has such a pretty sheen...This makes me want to try the silver version..

The last of today's tags was created with the Mistletoe stamp 

Also from the same WINTER JOY stamp set.

I stamped the image onto LCI's ENVIRONMENT KRAFT card stock.

I colored the image with Copic Markers.

The large tag was created with LCI's Curious Metallic RED LACQUER card stock.

I topped the tag with DecoFun's ROYAL STEWART Plaid Ribbon

Here's a close up...

You can see the metallic card stock shimmer in this photo...

This year I'm wayyyyy behind with my holiday tag making....card making...gift bag making...

and other holiday papercrafting...
(Thanks to having the flu )

So...I was really happy to get started with the tag making.

Thanks for visiting today, my crafty and creative friends...

Hope to see you again tomorrow...when I'll be sharing a few more tags.

Michelle

A Quick Project: Winter Themed Book Marks

I needed to create 24 Winter themed book marks...

and I needed to create them ASAP.

(Emphasis on the ASAP part)

So...

I got out a few stamp sets that had Winter-like images..

I chose the stamps that I wanted to use...

Got out some ink...some markers...

my MISTI and Cutterpillar Pro 

Some card stock for stamping...

and metallic card stock for matting..

a Stampin Up Tag Topper punch...

1/8 inch Scor-Tape

some gold cording and an assortment of ribbon...

and I got to work.

and...

this is what I whipped up....at lightening speed...

6 of each of these...

Using the MISTI for stamping most of the images little project a breeze.

I stamped the smaller images like the snow flakes..cardinal..and the two tiny snowmen 

with an acrylic block.

I wanted hints of color here and there...

and use the same color palette for all of the book marks.

Some were finished with ribbon...

Some were finished with gold cording.

I really enjoyed creating this little project...

and they were a hit with the recipient as well.

My next plan is to create some tags. to use on our Christmas gifts.

The tags will have the same image combinations...

but the tags will be larger..(wider and shorter) than the book marks.

Thanks for stopping by today...

Have a wonderful Sunday my crafty and creative friends!

Michelle

Baby Bears for Twins

Hello my crafty and creative friends!

I haven't shared a card with you in a while

because...

I haven had time to create a card in a while.

My daughter asked me to create a card for newborn baby twins...

So I made sure to get myself into the studio...

and enjoyed creating today's card.

I knew that I wanted to use a stamp set that I have had since it first came out...

but had never inked up....

Stampin Up's BABY BEAR.

I also knew that I wanted to create the card in some soft vintage-like colors

I chose three ink colors for the bears..

some dotted print paper...

my Clarity Stencil Brushes

some LCI Kraft card stock for matting..

and this is what I came up with.

I stamped the bear on the left first...

Then masked him..and stamped the bear on the right.

I chose a sentiment from the Baby Bear stamp set

and

Background color was added with ink pads and Clarity Stencil Brushes

I stamped the bows onto the dotted print paper and hand cut them.

Next I inked the edges to finish the bows

and added Clear Wink of Stella to each bow for some shimmer.

I positioned the bows with foam dimensionals.
The print and the image layer were matted with the Kraft card stock

and the image layer was positioned with fun foam.

My daughter was very happy with the finished card

and loved the soft vintage colors that I chose.

as opposed to using l pink and/or  blue..

(familiar and traditional baby colors)

I'm so glad that my daughter had a card request..

because it forced me to make time for card making.

It felt great to spend some time in my studio

and I'm already thinking of my next little project request...

Winter themed bookmarks!

Thanks so much for stopping by today...

Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday!

Michelle.

Wedding Wishes...A Card for a Friend

I've been off resting...

hoping to kick the butt of a flu-type of thing that I've had all week.
while I was doing lots of "NOTHING"...

I had lots of time to think about cards that I'd like to create

when I was feeling better...and able to spend time in my studio again.

Today...I'm sharing one of the cards that I had been thinking of.

First on the list when I got back into the studio

 was a wedding card that a friend asked me to create.

I had all week to envision the card in my crafty little head...

and finally..when I felt a little better...I went right out to the studio 

to make the vision I'd been holding in my head..become a card!

To create this 5x7 card I used the following:

Haute Wedding Dress stamp set (by The Ton)

Loose Peonies stamp set (by the Ton)

Versamark Ink and Fine Detail Gold Embossing Powder
Gansai Tombi Starry Colors

Luminarte Twinkling H2Os
and LCI Metallic card stock for matting.

I started out by stamping and heat embossing the Haute Wedding Dress image.

I water colored the image and background with Twinkling H2Os

While the water colored image was drying

I created a background print with the Loose Peonies stamp set.

The I did a wash of gold from the Starry Colors collection...and let it dry.

Then...I stamped the peony images and leaves onto the same piece of card stock.

I added some color and shading to the peonies and leaves with twinkling H2Os

and let the piece dry completely

while I cut and prepared the 5x7 card...and metallic matting layers.

When the water coloring had air dried on both pieces..

I put the card together...

and this is what I had!
(A card that was exactly as I had envisioned it to be..in my crafty little head!)

 had to take lots of photos to capture the shimmer on the image

 and the floral background.

The gold embossing and shimmery water coloring are so pretty

(Thanks to the Gansai Tombi paints and Twinkling H2Os) 

Lately...I've been creating quite a few backgrounds of my own

as opposed to using print paper.

The more I do this...the more I am liking it.
You can see the shimmery peony background in this photo...

and the metallic card stock matting.

I used fun foam to position the matted image

I stamped the sentiment with a combination of stamps from 

The Ton..Hero Arts and Concord & 9th

I'm very happy with how this card turned out

an am hoping that my friend is happy with it as well.

Thanks for visiting today my crafty and creative friends!

Have a marvelous Monday!

Michelle.

Let the Turkeys Show You to Your Seat

We are a small family...

Sometimes...Holidays at our house is just the 3 of us...
But..this doesn't mean that I don't keep family traditions...and recipes...

and I never forget to add some personal touches...or go the extra mile...

to make the day memorable.

So..to get started on Thanksgiving plans...

I decided to create a small decorative piece and place cards....

 for the brunch table.

I started out with creating a gold double loop bow

with my DecoFun Bow Maker...

(*The little bow maker that I credit with making a bow maker out of me!!

Me!!...The person who was never able to make a bow...until a few weeks ago...

When I got this fabulous Bow Maker.)

So..I made my double looped bow

(Literally in less than 5 minutes...start to finish)

Next...I stamped the Creative Visions large turkey...and 3 smaller turkeys 

onto ivory LCI Metallic card stock

I cut some small lengths of ribbon

I punched out some tiny tags

and then...

I put all of the parts and pieces together!

And...

This is what I whipped up...

A little decorative tabletop piece...and matching place cards

I think that the bow makes this peace...
and I like the simplicity of stamping in cocoa ink over ivory metallic card stock.

I matted the turkey with chocolate brown metallic card stock...

a nice contrast to the ivory metallic card stock...gold ribbon and bow...

and a nice complement to the cocoa ink.
The Thanksgiving banner was created with Lawn Fawn's Bannerific stamp set

The sentiment words are from the Hero Arts Celebrate Everyday stamp set

and...

I created a place card for each of us...

As it turns out...We will be sharing Thanksgiving dinner with my best friend and her family...

so...this weekend...I'll create 5 more place cards for everyone who we will share the day with)

I really enjoyed putting this little project together...

and am looking forward to creating a few more place cards

for everyone that we will share Thanksgiving dinner with.

I can't help thinking that without my handy little Bow maker..

This project would have been made..

but the beautiful bow would be missing.

If you're wondering where my DecoFun Bow Maker 

and this beautiful ribbon came from...
take a peek at The Ribbon Place.... HERE

Thanks for visiting today...

I'll be M I A for a while..

I've got the flu...and am feeling really crummy...

Aches from head to toe...killer throat and ear pain....sick stomach...and feeling weak

(I'll just have to use my time in bed to think of some ideas for the cards I'll create next week!)

I hope that you've escaped this season's early flu that's going around...
and that you have a wonderful day!

Michelle.

GIVEAWAY WINNER!!.... and...Thanksgiving Inspiration from a Bow Making Tool

We have a WINNER!
Theresa D'Amico...

Your name was pulled out of Gary's baseball cap late last night

as the winner of the beautiful HELLO Catherine Scanlon Designs Stamp Set!

Please email your mailing info to me at: tobellissimacards@gmail.com

                      

CONGRATULATIONS THERESA!

and now...

It's time to share today's project!
Since getting the DecoFun Bow Maker

I've been enjoying the fact that I can now make bows! 

(Something that I was never able to say before)

and..

While I am a passionate and dedicated card maker...

I'm finding that being able to make perfect bows 

has inspired me to use some of my creative time working on "other" paper crafting projects!

I've been in the Autumn mode lately...

creating lots of Autumn-y cards../

Thanksgiving cards  ...cards with Autumn leaves...

and Autumn-like inspiring quotes.

Today...I'm sharing a small non-card project...

It's Autumn-y...and allowed me to make a bow!

 I started out with the larger of this Creative Visions turkey stamp
(I have plans already for the smaller turkey...so stay tuned)

In addition to the large turkey stamp....

I got out my DecoFun Bow Maker...

some gold ribbon from The Ribbon Place

Memento Rich Cocoa Ink

and some gold cording.

I also used the Fawn Fawn Bannerific stamp set 

and a Hero Arts Celebrate Everyday sentiment set.

I stamped the large turkey image and colored it with Copics

and cut it out.
Next, I stamped and cut out the banner...and the word "Happy" separately

I created a gold bow...

and cut and scored a small base card using LCI dark brown metallic card stock
I positioned the turkey so that it extended beyond the top of the base card.

The sentiment banner was positioned with foam dimensionals.

I used a brown marker to edge the word "Happy" with brown ink

then positioned it with foam dimensionals.
Next...I attached the double looped bow to complete this piece.
I attached the completed piece to a long narrow wood pick/skewer 

I've chosen to use this as a floral pick...for a pot of Mums

and will write a Thanksgiving greeting on the inside of the card.

This piece can also be used as a gift bag tag.

I am thrilled with the bow...and still can't believe that I can now make bows!

Thank you DecoFun Bow Maker 

for making a bow maker out of bow-challenged me!

PS...This gold double looped bow took me approximately 4 minutes to make

Honestly.

That's an amazing thing for me...who was never able to make a single loop bow...

never mind  a double loop bow!

I really enjoyed creating this floral pick/gift bag tag/card...

and am looking forward to creating more ribbon and bow related projects 

in the future.

I've already got plans for the smaller turkey image...

and would love it if you visit again tomorrow 

to see what Ive got up my crafty little sleeve!

If you're wondering where you can find the DecoFun Bow Maker...
It's right HERE...at The Ribbon Place!

Thanks for visiting today my crafty and creative friends!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Michelle

One More Catherine Scanlon Treasure and a Fast Giveaway!

I was having such a good time creating cards 

with Catherine Scanlon's new release stamp sets a few weeks ago...
I (thought) that I was really organized...

Creating cards...taking photos...
Sharing cards every day at my blog.
The week passed so quickly.
I was happy with how the week went...and how excited so many people were about the stamps...

and especially for having discovered Catherine Scanlon Designs Stamps via my blog!

And then it happened.
I realized that I forgot to create a cards & share one stamp set with you.

So I am back today to share a card created with the forgotten stamp set!

and...

I've got a GIVEAWAY as well!
A fast..."Post a comment today...and a winner will be announced tomorrow" kind of giveaway.
**So don't forget to post a comment below..and check back tomorrow to see who the winner will be!

I'll also share a link to the July Catherine Scanlon Week re-cap blog post

in response to some inquiries I've received about that.
If you've become a lover of Catherine's designs...
You won't want to miss taking a peek at the July re-cap.

Please note: I won't be offended when you come back and tell me that I am a huge enabler!
I hear it all of the time.

But first...I'd like to share the card

The forgotten stamp set is called HELLO.

This fab stamp set comes with a large floral image with lots of fantastic detail

and an assortment of 3 sentiments.

I chose to stamp the image with Rich Cocoa Memento Ink.

I colored the image with a combination of Copic Markers

with an overlay of Polychromos pencil blending on the flowers and larger leaves.
The pencil shading was blended with a colorless blender pen/marker

I brushed background color on with Clarity Stencil Brushes

and ink lifted from ink pads.

The image is matted with deep purple metallic card stock (LCI).

The larger mat layer is a print that looks like shades of purple water coloring

I stamped the sentiment then hand cut and matted the sentiment.

The image layer and the sentiment were positioned with fun foam

for added dimension and a sturdy lift.

Here's a close up...

Look at all of those fantastic details!
(A dream for card makers like me...who love to color and shade and blend)

Isn't HELLO  beautiful?
If you'd like to see more of Catherine's beautiful stamps at work..

Take a look at the July Catherine Scanlon Week Re-cap

HERE

These are just a few of many cards shared in the July re-cap blog post

Don't forget to leave a comment below

to be in on tonight's giveaway!
(I'll toss the names of those who comment into a hat...
and will pick a winner...he old fashioned way...
I'll post the winner's name... here at my blog tomorrow)

Thank for visiting today, my crafty and creative friends!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Michelle.