Bob made me do it!

Ok... not really I came up with this on my own!!

Here is a birthday card for my sister-in-law, Mary Kay.  I selected the vintage papers from Graphic 45 because she has admired them in my recent blog posts.  I thought these ladies looked like they might be gossiping so I was "inspired" to add this sassy sentiment all on my own! Bob really didn't have anything to do with it heehee.  I thought a little black feather boa embellishment was in order to capture "their" naughty behavior. : )

I hope I will still be Kay's favorite sister-in-law after she receives this card! *wink*

The card design was taken from the MojoMonday  sketch 323.  Please blurf on over to Mojo Monday's blog for some wonderful inspiration!

Join me in wishing Mary Kay a Happy Happy Birthday!

Patti

For my dear ol' Dad

I've been working on some Christmas cards this weekend.  This one is for my Dad.  His favorite color is blue and if he were a mouse he would be a "House Mouse" getting into all sorts of mischief just like this!!

Check out some other really sweet House Mouse cards here at the HMFMC159 challenge.

Happy Holidays!!

Patti

Gifting... Gift Tags

This time of year we can all use ideas for simple and inexpensive gifts.  I want to share a simple and inexpensive gift idea that I have created and you can too!

 In my "hApPy mAiL" post I talked about the little bags of gift tags that Diane and I are including in our outgoing packages as "Thank-you" gifts for our neckStyles™ customers.  Today I will share some pictures of what some of the tags we sent look like and another packaging idea for these sweet little tags.

Wonderful gifts for Teachers, Mail Carriers, Dentist, Friends, Neighbors... the list is endless!

This is an A6 size clear bag.  I created the topper by cutting white paper  5" high by 5.25"wide - then scored at 2.5".  I layered a red piece of paper and another piece of white card stock on top of that.  Then I stamped my ADORABLE!! image on the top white card stock.  The image is from my friends at Peachy Keen Stamps.  I sandwiched a red gingham ribbon between the layers and stuck my red bow on top.  I colored my adorable little snowman with watercolor pencils and highlighted some of the features with a glitter pen.  The next step is to staple the topper on to the BOTTOM of the clear bag.  Finally fill the bag with as many tags as you like.  If you want a different size bag of tags simply customize your topper to fit the bag size of your choice.   I will show off some of the tags in individual photos below. 

The best part about these gifts is that you can create the little tags over the course of the whole year and when the busy holiday season comes around all you have left to do is select the tags you want to include in your gift bag and in no time you have simple and inexpensive gifts that will sure to please and impress!

These little book-fold tags were created by taking a 5.25" x 1.75" piece of paper and folding it in three equal parts along the long side. I punched out my snowman and set it aside for use with a different tag.  Then sandwich narrow strips of ribbon scraps in the first fold and close it securely.  What will be left is a finished 1.75" square book-fold tag.  You may then stamp your To and From images on the inside of the tag.  Easy and sweet!! I added some snowflakes and a teeny sentiment from CTMH.

1.5" square book-fold tag. Snowflake punched from a Martha Stewart hand held punch.  I embellished the snowflake with  a teeny tiny pearl.  All papers were from my scrap bin.

These snow faces are easy peasy! 1 3/8 circle punch for the white card stock then stamp more ADORABLE from Peachy Keen stamps and give them some color! The hats are simply a rectangle and a thin strip for the brim cut from scraps stamped with To and From from CTMH (D1497).  I added some glitter to the brim of some of my hats.

Skate 2.25" cut from "Christmas Noel" Cricut Cartridge

Old TAC image and a new Martha Stewart edge punch

The finished size of this tag is 2.25 x 1.75".  I cut this tag with the Cricut machine using "A Child's Year" cartridge.  I layered a piece of green card stock on the inside so that the holly cut out would be highlighted.  I added a red rhinestone for the holly berry and stamped "Joy" from CTMH (1498)

This is simply a 2.5" square piece of cardstock with a tiny bow I got at the Dollar Store.  Some of the tags were stamped with a "Just for you" sentiment on the front of the card and some were stamped with the To and From on the back.  The paper is from my scrap bin.

This tag is approximately 3.25 x 1.5" high.  It was cut on the Cricut machine using the "Create a Critter" cartridge.  I tied a wired silver ribbon through the snowflake in the hold of the "o".

This tag was created using "Wild Card" Cricut cartridge.  I wanted to show this one because it highlights that not all the tags need to be "Christmasy" nor does your tag bag need to be related to the Christmas holiday only.  You could create a neat bag of tags for birthdays or any occasion! The possibilities are endless? heehee

1 3/8" Circle

Finished size is 2 1/8 x 1 1/4" Stamp set used is CTMH

This is simply a 2" circle with holly attached.  The holly was cut using my old pal Quic Kutz! : ) one of the first papercrafting tools I obtained.  I added glitter because that's what I LOVE!

This tag was created using a Cut and Emboss set from Cuttlebug.  I created a back - like an easel -  and stamped it with the To and From stamps.  I applied a small amount of light blue ink to highlight the embossed snowflakes and attached a pretty "Peace on Earth" silver trimmed white ribbon from... from... gulp! I used the last of this ribbon and threw out the roll - oopie! sorry.  Then I applied a small bow from the Dollar Store. 

Tags!

3" Oval cut with Nestabilities by Spellbinders. Gold 1.25 " glitter covered cardboard snowflake is from a bag of confetti sold at Wal-Mart.  To & From images are Clear Art stamps "Mini Memories".

Felt Penguin stands approximately 1.25" tall - purchased at Joann Fabric and Crafts. To & From images are from CTMH (D1497). Paper is from my scrap bin.

This red glitter covered cardboard snowflake was also in the bag of confetti that was purchased at Wal-Mart.  This snowflake is approximately 1.25" and sits on black cardstock from my scrap bin. Finished size of this tag is 2.25 x 1.5.

The blue cardstock measures approximately 1.75" and was cut on my Cricut using "A Child's Year" cartridge.  The snowman was punched from an EK Success hand held punch

The finished size of this tag is 4 and  7/8" x 1.75".  The mustache was purchased in a bag of 20 count confetti at Wal-Mart.  The To and From images are from CTMH (D1497)

The finished size of this "book fold" tag is 2" square.  The paper is from my scrap bin and the blue plastic snowflake was purchased at Wal-Mart in a bag of 48 count confetti (for only $1.47!) To & From are stamped on the inside of the tag.

The finished size of this "book fold" tag is 2" square.  The paper is from my scrap bin.  I used "Swiss Dots" Cuttlebug embossing folder.  The felt candy piece was purchased at JoAnn Fabrics & Crafts.  These felt pieces from JoAnn's have a sticker back for easy application.  For this tag I added the red ribbon and some red Stickles glitter to make the red of the candy stand out. To & From are stamped on the inside of the tag.

This tag was embellished with Washi Tape, some embossing on the left side and a ribbon from my stash. The finished size of this tag is 3" x 1.75"

hApPy mAiL

This is such an exciting time of year for my business partner, Diane and I.  We are sending our neckStyles™ scarves to women ALL OVER THE WORLD!! We love sending "happy mail".  With each scarf we like to include a special little thank-you for our customers.  From Thanksgiving Day to December 25th we will be including a little gift bag of hand crafted gift tags like this:

These are 3" x 4.75" clear bags with a hand crafted "topper" Each bag has 5 little gift tags in them all hand crafted by me.

I simply love creating gifts like this for the Holidays.  Tomorrow I will post pictures of some of the individual tags. 

I hope you are enjoying your preparations for the holidays as much as we are at neckStyles™  If you are looking for some beautiful and inexpensive gifts for special ladies in your life or for yourself please visit our Etsy shop and let us send YOU some hApPy mAiL!! : )

Thank you for looking!

Patti

2 Cute Penguin

 Isn't this little guy cute!? I really love the digi images that Heidi has created at 2 Cute Ink.  And as I was blurfing over the internet this past week I happened across a sketch challenge at the Friday Sketch Challenge blog sponsored by 2 Cute Ink! I created this card for the challenge.

The challenge was to create a card based on this sketch:

I used a beautiful patterned paper by Heidi Grace Designs called Snowflake Garden.  My Foam snowflakes are from??? Stampin Up?? hmmm now that I think on it I am not quite sure.  They are old : ) and my new favorite winter embellishment is the Silver Glitter Spray that I applied after my card was finished.

And just for giggles I created another card (not following the sketch) using the same digi image by 2 Cute Ink.  This time I selected some paper that simulated bubbles under water and showed what that fishing hook might look like heehee - no fish around though.  Maybe next time.

That's all for today! Please be sure to check out the fun sketch challenges at the Friday Sketch Challenge and the amazing images at 2 Cute Ink!!

Have a great day!

Patti

Keeping Cozy

"Cozy Cardinals" by Keeping Cozy is the name of the paper I used for this card.  It is by Echo Park and I just love it!! The beautiful trees pattern is printed on one side and the cardinal pattern is on the other. Lovely!!

I created this card using a sketch from Mojo Monday - the place I love to go first when I need inspiration and a shot of Mojo!! : )

If you look closely you will see fine silver glitter all over the card simulating falling snow.  This is the very first time I have used this glitter spray.  I bought it at (ahem) Wal-Mart (hate promoting that store) but it is wonderful!  Used sparingly it applies the faintest shimmer that transforms a snowy card. : ).

I could not decide which ribbon I liked better so I created two cards and used one of each.  At this time of year we can ALWAYS find a use for a card with a winter scene.

The  ribbon on the card on the left is an Offray brand ribbon - the sheer ribbon on the card on the right is from Michaels. And finally... (insert busting buttons here) I drew and cut out the cardinals by hand! heehee I'm no artist but I really like how they turned out... am I allowed to say that?? LOL

Thank you so much for looking and please be sure to stop by the Mojo Monday blog if you hve not been there today.  I promise you will be inspired too!

Patti

Sweets for the sweet!

I just love this design which I lifted from a cardmaker I saw on Pinterest.  I hate it that I can't find the original card! I wanted to credit the designer for her wonderful design.  I changed it up a bit and added an image from Close to My Heart because I made this card for Theresa my CTMH demonstrator!.

The twine is from Doodlebug Design. I used watercolor pencils to add a bit of soft color to the cake.

Thank you for looking!

Patti

Washi Tape wishes

I'm really jazzed about Washi Tape.  I love the all the colors becoming available for this useful embellishment.  I cut the three different colored tapes and applied them to my card then embossed the whole card face with "Charles" a Chevron patterned Cuttlebug embossing folder. Washi tape is so thin that it embosses wonderfully! : )

My circle and scallop are Spellbinders - love those things!! and the sentiment is from The Angel Company.

Thank you for looking!

Patti : )

Isn't this sweet!?

My sister, not Beverly because she never sends me cards, LOL (sorry Bev just giving you a hard time!) sent me this card for a thank you and Happy Thanksgiving card.

I love it!! I think it is so sweet  how she sewed the sides of this card.  I especially like how she varied both the stitches and the width of the zig zag stitches she used.  Clever!! It is difficult to see here but she also layered two leaves on top of one another in each spot for added dimension.  She cut the leaves from paint chips with her Martha Stewart punch and then applied chalk for the shading. Ingenious!!

Thank you for looking! and Thank you, Susan, for the card : )

(((Hugs)))
Patti

Blessings Abound

Here is a Thanksgiving card that Diane and I created for some VIP neckStyles™ customers : )

I have accidentally thrown away the strip of paper that gives the company name of the patterned paper.  If you are interested please let me know because I can get it. : )

We used a Stampin Up punch for the corners and the image is SU as well.

We actually sewed the card on the sewing machine - without thread - for the paper piercing but did pierce the corners by hand.

Thank you for looking!

Patti