Do You Need A Tissue?

Hello Everyone! I hope this finds everyone safe, happy and healthy after the craziness of Black Friday. I wonder is America the only Country that has Black Friday Sales Events? With the Cold and Flu Season upon us I thought I might need to get a few cards ready. I came across a Get Well card and thought it was SO cute I had to make one and share it with you here is the address from the inspiration card. http://confessionsofapaperholic.blogspot.com/2013/10/jas-challenge-and-unity-friends-with.html I encourage you to stop by her blog and see what she has been up to. She is extremely talented. I got so excited about this card. I had to make it right away.

I will be entering this card in the following challenge

http://outlawzchallenges.ning.com/group/prismaandothermediums/forum/topics/twisted-thursday-challenge-for-nov-26-dec-2-2015-is-anything-goes

I embossed my 4" x 5 1/4" card stock with the "Cloud" embossing folder by Darice. 

I added some color using Broken China Tim Holtz Distress Ink and a mini blender.

I used the Something to Celebrate Cricut Cartridge to cut out a cloud at the #3 size setting and then used the same ink and method to add color to the cloud.

The Sentiment is from a Stampendous set. I used Blueberry embossing powder from Sparkle N Sprinkle and my heat gun to give the front of the card more detail.

The front of the card was adhered to a bottom opening A2 card (4 1/4" x 5 1/2")

The tissue box is made from a piece of paper 3" x 5". You need to score it along the 5" side at 1", 

2 1/2", and 3 1/2". 

I used a small oval template by Fiskars to cut my opening for the top of the tissue box. You need to make this cut between the 1" and 2 1/2" score marks.

You will glue the 1" side to the top of the inside of your card and the 3 1/2" side to the bottom of the inside of your card. 

I folded the tissue accordion style and slid it in from the side with a tip popping out the top of the tissue box opening.

The Get Well Sentiment is from the Hero Arts Thinking of you set.

Isn't this just adorable? I can't wait to give this card to a loved one when they are sick. I hope you get a chance to make a card like this. It's not a card the recipient can say they have ever received before. Please take a minute and leave a comment in the box below. I love reading them! If you have any questions feel free to ask. I'm more than happy to help. Have a Great weekend!

The story of the Turkey....

As I am sitting here this Thanksgiving Day I can't help but reminisce of the past and all the Thanksgiving Days as a child. We would visit all of the important people in our lives and celebrate them. Here I am an adult with three grown children, 3 in-law children, 7 grandchildren and friends that stick with me through thick and thin. Well, the Thankfulness I feel is over flowing. I may not be in the best of health but what more can someone ask for? Do you feel the thankfulness at this time of year? I know that other countries don't have the same Holiday's but Christmas is around the corner and these same feelings will flood over me then, too. I was so happy that one of our sister-in-laws decided to host the Thanksgiving meal for the Family today. I made her a card with one of the new stamps I bought. I designed this card for her.

This card will be entered in:

Outlawz Twisted Thursday challenge

http://outlawzchallenges.ning.com/group/prismaandothermediums/forum/topics/twisted-thursday-challenge-for-nov-26-dec-2-2015-is-anything-goes

The Addicted To Stamps and More Make Your Mark Challenge

http://addictedtostamps-challenge.blogspot.de/2015/11/challenge-172-make-your-mark-winners.html

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/

• So for today's card I started out with a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of water color paper and the Part of the Story Stamp from Unity Stamp Company. Once I decided my layout I was able to stamp my set and leave it to dry.
• I found a fall themed paper and cut it to 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".
• I water painted the stamps using Tim Holtz Distress Markers. I used the following colors to paint the woman and background.:

The Skirt: Faded Jeans

The Jacket: Tea Dye and Gathered Twigs

The Blouse: Weathered Wood

The Skin: Dried Marigold

The Finger Nails, Watch, Bracelet and Buttons: Barn Door

The Book: Hickory Smoke and Pumice Stone

The Hair: Mustard seed, Scattered Straw,Vintage Photo with a touch of black

The Background and sentiment: Antique Linen

• After everything was dry I took a fine tip pen and wrote "Recipe" on the binder of the book. 
• I stamped my sentiment onto the card front.
• The water color paper was adhered to the background.
• The "Happy Thanksgiving" sentiment was first distressed with Antique Linen Distress Ink. I cut a piece of the background thinner than the sentiment piece and adhered it to the back .
• I felt like the card needed dimension so I used foam tape to adhere it to the card front.
• I added some Jems and brad before I adhered it to the card front. 
• All that was left was a Mafia bow and the card was finished.

It was so rewarding to watch my sister-in-laws face brighten when she opened the card. Spending time with the Family and seeing everyone SO happy was amazing! The sense of peace in this world of chaos was overwhelming. This will give me the ability to tackle anything for another year. I hope that this finds everyone well. Take time to appreciate the people in your lives and the good fortune you all have experienced this last year. Please leave your questions and comments in the box below. I read and appreciate each and everyone. Peace be with you all. Have a blessed week! Jules

Heard it Through the Grapevine

Hi Everyone! I can't believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving already. Where has the time gone? Are you ready for all the festivities? I know I'm not quite ready. We did the last minute grocery shopping this afternoon. My very Best friend's Birthday is Saturday and I just now finished her card. I thought I would share it with you. I used a masking technique on the card for today. Here's the card.

This card is being entered in the ATSM Make Your Mark Challenge #172

http://addictedtostamps-challenge.blogspot.de/2015/11/challenge-172-make-your-mark-winners.html

• I used the Aged to Perfection Stamp Set by Fiskars. I found this set at Joann Fabrics,
• I used water color paper cut to 4" x 5 1/4" to do my stamping and water coloring.
• I cut a piece of burgundy card stock and adhered it to my A2 card front (4 1/4" x 5 1/2")
• I had to play with my layout design for a bit in order to decide what I needed to make masks for.
• When it was time to start my stamping I stamped the cutting board, the cheese and the grape leaf on a piece of white scrap paper. These will be the masks that I will use so I fussy cut the pieces.
• In order to make the board appear under the cheese I had to stamp the cheese and the grape leaf first. I then placed the pieces I cut out over both Items and then I stamped the board.
• After the board was stamped I placed the mask piece over it and stamped the wine glass.
• Once all the stamping was completed I removed the mask pieces and started my water coloring.
• I added color to the lettering of the sentiment so it blended in a bit and added some clear Jems to the card front.

The masking technique is actually pretty easy to do. I was pleasantly surprised. I hope this gives you some different ideas for some of the projects you have coming up. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. Just leave them in the comment box below. I am more than happy to help. I read all the comments you leave and appreciate them so much, so don't forget to leave me your comments before you go. I hope that you have a great Thanksgiving!

You Make Me Smile...DT

Hello visitors, followers, Bloggers, Family and Friends. I am so grateful for each and everyone of you! I want to take this time to let you know that I appreciate each and everyone of you. This Thanksgiving I will spend the day thinking about all of you and how fortunate to have you all in my life. I took some time today to make a card for a friend. It's a card meant to let her know that she was on my mind today and I just want to say Hi. I found this adorable stamp set on the Hallmark.com web sight and couldn't resist it. I am sure you will like it, too!

I am using this card for the ATSM card Challenge and DT call #171

http://addictedtostamps-challenge.blogspot.de/2015/11/challenge-171-anything-goes-winners.html

• I started with a piece of white card stock 4" x 5 1/4" and a Darice embossing folder.
• First I swiped the Stormy Sky Tim Holtz Distress ink on the flat side of the embossing folder. Then I placed the card stock into the folder and ran it through my Big Kick.
• After it dried I adhered it to the front of an A2 (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") card.
• I stamped the images from the Pick of the Liter Stamp Set by WPLUS9 Stamp Company onto water color paper.
• I used Prisma Water Color pencils to watercolor the images. 
• I used Tumbled Glass and Peeled Paint Distress Ink to water color the background of the images. 
• Once the images were dry I used a Sizzix Regal Label Die to cut out the little girl image and a Simon Says Tag Die to cut out the Kittens.
• The sentiment is from the Art-c Thinking of You Stamp Set. I used Tumbled glass distress ink to water color around the sentiment and then adhered it to the front of the card
• All I had left to do was add the pearl accents and make the bow.

Please remember to leave me an y comments or questions you may have today. Make subscripe so you never miss any of my posts. I look forward to seeing you again. Thank you for stopping by and checking out my tutorial today. Have a blessed week!

Happy Holidayth DT

Hi, How is everyone doing? I have a fun Christmas card in two colors for today. I came across this stamp set when I was shopping at Joann Fabrics. It's so cute I had to buy it and do a card right away. I get so excited when I come across something that gets me inspired. I will even wake in the middle of the night with an idea. Do you ever have them happen to you? Its so funny because I find that I won't remember the ideas in the morning....Well, here's my card. I hope you enjoy it.

This is being entered in:

ATSM Challenge and DT Call #171

http://addictedtostamps-challenge.blogspot.de/2015/11/challenge-171-anything-goes-winners.html

 Outlawz Twisted Monday Challenge GCC112315

http://outlawzchallenges.ning.com/group/monday-greetings/forum/topics/monday-greetings-challenge-christmas-in-2-colours-gcc112315

• I started with a Piece of red and white striped paper cut to 5" x 7" and adhered it to the front of my card.
• I then adhered white card stock cut to 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" to the center of the front of the card.
• Then I cut red card stock to 4 1/4" x 6 1/4" and adhered that to the center of the card front.
• The stamp set is Santa's Workshop L-1266 from The Rubber Cafe. I stamped it onto water color paper with black dye ink.
• I used Time Holtz Distress Markers to do the water coloring.
• After the water coloring was dry I cut the piece to 4" x 6" and adhered it to the center of the card.
• The Sentiment came with the set. After the ink dried I traced it with a Barn Door Distress Marker.

What a quick and easy card with great results. This stamp set is so much fun! There are other pieces included that I will use for a future card. I will be able to use this set for years to come. I Thank you for stopping by and checking out my blog. I appreciate each and everyone of you. Please make sure to subscribe to my blog so you don't miss any of my posts. I read each and every comment and enjoy them very much so please remember to leave a comment in the box below. I hope you have a great day!

Thinking of You.....DT

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my Blog today. I truly appreciate each and everyone of you and love reading all your comments. Today I made a Sympothy Card for a my son. My ex-Father-in-law recently passed away and my son was very close to him. It's hard to see your own Children in some much pain. I'm hopping the card will remind him that I'm here if he needs me. Cards just have a way of reaching out and touch someone's heart. The card lets a person know they are important to you and that you are always there whenever they need you. Thar's why I love sending cards to just say "Hi, I was thinking of you today." Here is the card. I hope you enjoy the tutorial.

I will be using this card in the ATSM Challenge #171

http://addictedtostamps-challenge.blogspot.de/

• I started with white card stock cut to 4" x 5 1/4" and ran it through my Big Kick with an embossing folder.
• I then used an oval Die from Sizzix to cut the sentiment label. I used Sky Blue Pwderpuff Chalk Ink around the edge of the label.
• The sentiment is from the Hero Arts Thinking of You Clear Stamp Set and I used black ink. 
• I used theses colors from Powder Puff Chalk Ink to color the leaves and things:

Fuchsia

Evergreen

Seafoam 

Sky Blue

Warm Sand

Buttercup

• I cut orange card stock 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" and glued that to the front of the card.
• Then I centered the embossed piece and adhered it onto the orange card stock.
• I used foam tape to adhere the label to the front of the card.

I hope you enjoyed today's card. It's a quick and easy way to add your own touch to a card. I appreciate all of your comments so please remember to leave them in the comment box below. I hope This finds all of you and your family's well. Have a blessed day!

Maple girl DT

This is Maple Girl from Unity Stamp Company.

This card is being used for a ATSM challenge #171

I used Prisma water color pencils to color her in.
Then I cut pieces of triangle shaped card stock and used Tim Holtz Distress Ink and a mini blender to do a mosaic background around her.
I stamped the sentiment worn black ink and attached the piece to a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card.

This was a great technique to do. It really shows her off well. This technique could be used for any type of cats and is fast and easy. Thanks for stopping by and please leave me a comment in the box below letting me know what you think.

Its a Bright Birthday DT

Hi everyone! Have you found time to craft this weekend? I have managed to do a little bit of crafting. We have a big Football game this afternoon with our rival team. We are play at home today and everyone is excited about it. Our family will be getting together this afternoon to watch it at my Sister-in-law's. Does your family get together for sport events? It's always fun to spend time with the family no matter what the reason. Today I made a Birthday card to celebrate my Granddaughters Birthday. She was born a week before Christmas and we try to make sure and make it special for her. It will be a fun celebration of life. Well, here's my card.

I will be posting this card in the Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #171

http://addictedtostamps-challenge.blogspot.de/2015/11/challenge-171-anything-goes-winners.html

• I started this card with a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" piece of water color paper. 
• I used removable glue dots to adhere the paper to my work surface. 
• I wet the entire paper with  water. I used a wide water color brush.
• To do the background I used Salty Ocean, Festive Berries, Mustard Seed, and Peeled Paint Tim Holtz Distress Ink.
• I dabbed the ink onto my mat and with a damp brush I picked up the colors and brushed it across the paper.
• I picked the paper up and tipped it around so the colors would run together and then I sprinkled table salt onto the entire paper.
• After the paper dried I ran the paper with the word Happy Die through my Big Kick. I also used the Happy Die in a coordinating green card stock.
• I adhered my background onto the card and placed the green Happy into the cut out and then placed all the cutout pieces from the background back into the loops of the word.
• I used a Label Die from Sizzix with a pink card stock and placed it onto the background with foam dots. 
• The Birthday sentiment is stamped on a small piece of velum and adhered with a dot of glue under the heart and flower.
• I scattered flowers, a butterfly and things around the card to finish it off.

The water color technique I did on the background is versatile and very pretty when its done. The salt mixes in and leaves a unique effect on the background. I encourage you to try this technique. Its fun to see the inks, water and salt work together. Please remember to leave a comment in the box below. I read everyone of them and cherish them so much. Thank you for stopping by and please feel free to subscribe. have a great day everyone!

A Bird and the Branch DT

Welcome Everyone. I'm so glad that you had time to stop by. Wow, the Holiday season and everything that comes with it is in full swing. Have you been busier than usual? This weekend seems to be busier for us. I've been in the craft room as much as I can so I can finish up on my Holiday cards for my Family and Friends. Are your cards finished? With Thanksgiving coming this week and the Black Friday shopping it will only get more and more festive around our house. I made a card today that Really speaks so self confidence and trust in your own instincts. Its something a lot of us need help with. Having confidence in yourself is never easy. We tend to worry about what others think and move our lives in a direction that makes others happy. This Holiday season I hope you all take time for yourself and trust your own instincts. Here is my card for today.

I will be posting this card in the:

Twisted Thursday Challenge http://outlawzchallenges.ning.com/group/prismaandothermediums/forum/topics/twisted-thursday-challenge-for-november-192-25-optional-twist 

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge http://addictedtostamps-challenge.blogspot.de/2015/11/challenge-171-anything-goes-winners.html

• The card is a 5" x 7" and I cut black card stock and adhered it to the front of the card.
• I used a TCW 6 x 6 Stencil and Tim Holtz Distress Ink pads to make the sun, trees and grassy area. Once it was dry I cut it to 4 3/4" wide and then cut it in half so each piece was 2 1/2" long.
• I glued two pieces on to the card front.
• The water coloring is Own Wings by Unity Stamp Company Stamp. I used my Tim Holtz Distress Markers and a T-prime water brush to paint the bird.
• After she dried I cut the water color paper down and adhered her to the middle of the card. Then I stamped the sentiment and water colored a light blue background around the bird. 
• I added sequins and ribbon to finish off the card.

This card was fun to paint. I love water coloring. The Bird and her little scarf makes me chuckle. It gets pretty cold in Minnesota and the birds here need a hat and scarf most the winter. Please remember to leave me a comment below. I truly appreciate each and everyone. If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comment box below. I am happy to help in anyway possible. Have a blessed weekend!

Peace Be With You This Holiday Season.

Good morning to all my Friends, Family and Followers. I'm so glad your here with me! What are you planning this weekend? Have you started your Holiday shopping yet? or maybe your almost done already? We are getting ready for Thanksgiving Day and looking forward to spending it with our Family and Friends. I love this time of year because everyone's spirits are so up lifted and happy. People seem to find a sense of Peace this time of year and are so celebratory. I love it! I had this in mind when I made this card today. I purchased a beautiful Angel from Unity Stamp Company a couple months ago and here is what I did today.

I'm posting this card on the Unity Brown Thursday Blog Hop

http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2015/11/hop-with-us-and-win-some-unity.html

• I started by stamping the Angie Girl Stamp on 100 lb water color paper.
• I used Tim Holtz Distress Markers, Ink and a T-Prime Water Brush to do the water coloring here is a list of all the colors I used on the stamp:

On her hair: Scattered Straw, Mustard Seed and Vintage Photo

On her skin: Dried Marigold and Spun Sugar

On her Wings and under her dress:Tumbled Glass

On her dress: Spun Sugar 

The roses: Barn Door

The leaves and stems: Peeled Paint and Mowed Lawn

The area around her: Squeezed Lemonade and Tumbled Glass

• I accented her necklace, the crosses and the sparkle spots on her gown with a silver metallic Gelly Roll Pen.
• After she dried completely I fussy cut her leaving a small area of the paper all the way around her.
• I cut a snowflake patterned paper to 4" x 5 1/4" and adhered it to an A2 size card (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") and then adhered the angel slightly off center.
• By having her off center it left room for me to stamp the sentiment and glue some Jems in the center of the snowflakes.
• The bow was made of a Metallic Cord by Cousin. 

That finish's the card for today. She is so pretty no matter how you paint or color her. I find making Holiday cards to be spiritual and up lifting. There are so many rewards and benefits from card making. It's so much fun to make the card for a specific person, holiday or event. Please make sure to visit the comment section below and let me know what you think. I'm always available for any questions you might have so feel free to leave them in the comment box below. Have a great day and I hope you enjoy your weekend.

Silent Night DT

Welcome Everyone. Thank you so much for stopping by. I'm so glad your here with me today. When I came to my craft room and started my day it was starting to snow. It's just a little flurry but I started thinking about the Holiday's and I'm getting excited. It is so much fun experiencing the Holiday's through my Grandchildren's eyes. The little twinkle and excitement builds as we get closer to Christmas. One of our Family traditions is that I read "The Night Before Christmas" after we finish setting up the tree. My children are grown and still enjoy when I read this story. This is a tradition that we have continued on and I love reading this story to my Grandchildren. With all of this running through my mind I find myself making a card for my Grandson. He is 11 yrs old now and the bond we have is amazing. Here is my card for today. I hope you enjoy it as much as my Grandson will.

I will be using this card in the Addicted to Stamps and More "Anything Goes"  and for a DT entry challenge #171 http://addictedtostamps-challenge.blogspot.de/

• I started this card by embossing 50 lb white card stock with a Darice Night Before Christmas embossing folder. I cut the piece down to 3 3/4" square
• I then cut the striped paper to 5" x 7".  I centered the embossed square on the back of the striped paper where I wanted my window. I traced the embossed square on the back of the striped paper and used my paper cutter to cut the window 1/4" smaller all the way around.
• Next I cut the acetate to 3 3/4" square and glued it to the back of the striped paper. This makes the shaker window.
• After I glued my acetate to the back of the striped paper I rubbed my powder tool on the acetate. This helps keep the sequins from sticking to the shaker window when the card is finished.
• I cut fun foam to cover the back of the striped paper. I used two pieces of foam so I have enough room for the shaker window.
• I glued the two pieces of foam together and then I adhered the foam to the back of the striped paper.
• Its time to add the sequins. I chose to use red and gold and placed them on top of the acetate.
• Then I glued the embossed square over the opening in the back and adhered the entire piece to a 5" x 7" card. This is the best part because now I turned the card over and got to see how my shaker is looking.
• I had a chip board piece that said "Silent Night" and I adhered this under the window. I added the pine cones to the top corners of the window.
• For the sentiment I used a Recollections stamp. I used my embossing medium and Recollections Ruby Tinsel embossing powder on white card stock. The Tinsel Powder is fun to watch melt when you heat it up.
• I used a Sizzix Regal Label Die to cut the sentiment out and adhered it to the front of the card with foam dots.

I'm so excited to send this to my Grandson. He will be thrilled with it. The Grandchildren enjoy the shaker items and I'm sure that he will enjoy that part of the card. As always I love to here your thoughts and idea's so please make sure to leave your comments or questions in the comment box below. Thank you so much for visiting my blog and I hope you have a Fantastic weekend!

Water Painting on a Rainy Day

Hello Everyone! I'm so glad that you stopped by. I hope your week is going well. It's raining for the 2nd day here and 52 degrees. It's so weird to have this kind of weather in Minnesota this late in November. I've been watching Netflix and working in my craft room and moving a little slower than usual. I took sometime to check You Tube and watched a couple video's of my favorite card makers early this morning. One of them is Kristina Werner. I think she shows fantastic technique's and her tutorial's are very easy to follow. Kristina did a water color technique that just caught my eye. The colors were so pretty together. I decided that this was going to be the technique I was going to do on today's card.

1. I took my water color paper cut to 5" x 6" and taped it down to one of my mats. 
2. I don't have water color paints so I had to use my Tim Holtz Distress Inks.
3. I started by wetting my paper with plain water and then blotted some Picked Raspberries Ink, Spun Sugar Ink, Muster seed and Squeezed Lemonade Ink onto my mat.
4. Starting with the Picked Raspberries and a wet brush I spread it across the top of the paper.
5. Then I added the Spun Sugar going approximately 1/2 way down the paper and blending the line between the two colors.
6. Now I could add the Mustard Seed and blending it slightly with the pink working down to 3/4 of the paper.
7. Finally adding the lemonade and blending the line between the two yellows.
8. After it was done drying I pulled the tape up and trimmed the white off all 4 sides. The finished size is 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".
9. I picked out an embossing folder of flowers and ran it through my Big Shot.
10. I found a nice light orange piece of card stock and cut it with my Banner Die Set and the Big Shot. 
11. I chose my sentiment from a Stampendous Happy Messages clear stamp set and used black ink to stamp it on the orange banner.
12. Then I found a blue ribbon that matched and tied it around the watercolor piece before adhering it to the front of my A2 size card (4 1/4" x 5 1/2").
13. Next I attached the banner with foam tape to the front of the card and embellished the center of the flowers with various sized pearls.

This card is so pretty and super easy to do. I'm really glad I saw Kristina's video! Here is the link to the video if you would like to check it out https://youtube.com/user/starofmay?feature=hovercard My Sister-in-law has a Birthday in a few weeks and I think she will love love this card! That's the tutorial for today. I hope that you stop by and visit again soon. Feel free to subscribe through email or follow my blog. You find the links up on the right hand side of the screen. I love reading all of your comments and questions so remember to visit the comment section below before you leave. I'm entering this card in the Outlawz Monday Greetings Challenge, too! Thanks again Jules

This is what got me hooked on cards....

Welcome everyone! I'm so glad you had time to stop by. Today I'm going to share with you what got me started on card making. I go to the Scrapbook Expo that comes to my area every July and this year I decided to invite my neighbor. We both picked a couple classes and had a great time. One of the classes was working with vellum. To my surprise it was a card making class! The card was beautiful!! I was HOOKED to say the least...It was so much fun. Here is what we made.

So I ran to the vendor and used my coupon and bought both the Birds of Bloom Stamp and Die set from Heartfelt Creations. I immediately began to buy things to make cards while I was there rather than Scrapbooking supplies. I'm sure it was funny to watch me. I was so excited about this new craft and I wanted to dive in with both feet. I still scrapbook, but not very often. I love the creativity in making cards. A card is a way to let a person know how you feel, how important they are to you, and it gives me a chance to brighten their day. It's so easy to see why there are so many people making cards.

Today I decided to step away from Holiday cards and make a card using the Birds of Bloom set. All of a sudden I decided to do a CASE card. This is what I made today. There are a lot of steps but they are quick and easy so please try something like this and share it so I can see.

I don't have background stamps BUT I do have embossing folders. So I inked the raised side of my embossing folder with Sea Foam Powder Puff Chalk Ink and hand pressed a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" piece of card stock on to it.

I then used my Ranger Medium on the Birds of Bloom stamps and stamped it onto a scrap piece of vellum. I used WOW white embossing powder and then ran my warm embossing gun on the back of the vellum.

After this it was time to use the coordinating Dies and cut the branch and birds out with my Big Shot.

I don't have the colors of ink that we used so I had to use Powder Puff Chalk Ink. I used Warm Sand on the branches, Hydrangea on the birds, and Fuchsia on the Blooms. This is done on the back of the vellum so you don't stain the white embossing.

While that dried I started on the center of the card. I took the same embossing folder and inked the raised side with Fuchsia Powder Puff Chalk Ink and pressed my white card stock 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" onto it. After the chalk ink dried the piece was still to light, so I took some Spun Sugar Distress Ink and distressed the piece from the edges inward. Instead of using foam tape to adhere it to my card front I glued two pieces of fun foam, cut slightly smaller, together and then glued it to the center piece and then onto the card. (fun foam is so much cheaper than foam tape and I'm frugal...haha)

I found a sentiment that I wanted to use and used white embossing powder on a scrap piece of vellum. I cut the vellum the same size as the center piece. You have to be very careful how you glue the vellum onto the center piece. Make sure you glue where the branch will cover it up, otherwise, you will see the glue through the vellum.

Before I glued the branch onto the vellum with the sentiment I placed a few layers of fun foam under the branch and used a small round tip to gently rub the center of the flowers. This will make them form a small cup like shape. Then I added drops of glue to the centers of the blooms and sprinkled some very very small pearls onto them.

When gluing the branch onto the center piece of the card you want to just add glue to the branch and not the leaves and flowers. This is the fun part because you can play with the placement of the birds and decide where you like them best. I added glue to the back of their feet and adhered them behind leaves.

Then to finish the card of I used Star Dust Stickles under the birds wings and on its chest. It was fun making this card.

I didn't think I would be able to do it on my own because I don't have all of the same things in my craft supplies that we used in class. A little thinking and I managed to pull it together. I approach things I see on the internet the same way. I figure out what I DO have that would be close so I can try to make some of the cards I see out there. I'm finding ways to do things without all of the expensive supplies and its so rewarding! Do you try to find a way to make things without the expensive equipment also? I would love to hear some of the things you have learned. Leave a comment below sharing some of your tips and tricks so we can all learn them. I appreciate everyone of you every single day. Thank you so much for stopping by and have a blessed day!

Be Strong and Go With Your Heart

I was inspired by a case it canyoucaseit.com challenge when I made this card. I have been saving this sentiment stamp for something special. The colors for the CASE are yellow, brown and white. Well, this sentiment was perfect! The yellow and brown make a strong but soft statement. It fit SO well I found myself getting excited about doing the card. Here is the card.....

1. I wanted the card itself to be simple and focus more on the sentiment so I took the same bunch of flowers I used on the Just a Note...Just Because....blog and I stamped them randomly around the card using Lawn Fawn's Sunflower Ink.
2. Then I stamped the sentiment on white card stock using Warm Sand Powder Puff Ink. I used the Sizzix Label Die (3rd from the smallest) and ran it through the Big Shot.
3. I took the next size up Die and brown card stock and ran that through the Big Shot as well.
4. The sentiment tag is edged with Lawn Fawn Sunflower Ink.
5. Then I used Mustard seed Distress ink on the front of the tag. Working it from the edges toward the center of the tag.
6. After I finished the tag I used a brass heart shaped brad to adhere both tags to the card front.
7. Once this was all put together I adhered it to the front of an A2 (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") card.
8. The card was a bit to plain so out came the little Jem's. These happen to be one of my favorite embellishments so you will see me use them often :)

I will use this card when one of my friends, or family members, are going through hard times and they need a little pick-me-up. A card is a great way to let them know that you are there if they need you. Besides, it just makes them feel better knowing that they aren't alone. As always, I love reading your comments so please remember to let me know what you think. I'm always here to answer any questions you might have. Have a blessed day!

Bits and Pieces Can Make a Card.

Happy Sunday! Are you in the craft room today? I have another card that can be made using simple pieces you have laying around your craft room. I see a lot of great idea's out there right now. If your like me you may not have all the fancy Dies and Stamps that other's do. Your cards can still be fun, elegant, pretty and meaningful without all of the expensive equipment. Here is a fun card and it took very little to make.

1. I took a piece of Holiday scrap I had left over from a scrapbook page I recently did and it was the perfect size for an A2 (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") size card.
2. I cut a piece of white card stock 3 3/4" x 5" and used one of my favorite embossing folders. I love embossing folders. They are an inexpensive way to add texture and detail to any card. I find that they are so versatile and can be used in so many different ways.
3. The Little pieces on the top left corner are pieces left over from other cards I have done and the round sentiment is from a holiday pack I bought earlier in the year.
4. The gift boxes are just pieces of ribbon's I've had for years. I just cut the pieces to size and glued them onto a piece of left over card stock and then I used foam tape to give the card a little dimension.
5. After I placed the gift boxes onto the card all I had to do was add a bow.

Don't let yourself get caught up in the idea that you have to buy all the expensive Dies and Stamps in order to make a nice card. If you take your time building your supplies slowly, and just use what you have, you will find that the cards are just as beautiful and satisfying to make. I hope this gives you some ideas and you have a chance to really look at what you have and create from there.

Please feel free to leave any comments you have below. I read each and everyone and truly appreciate them. If you have any questions at all you can also leave them below. I am happy to help. I hope that you enjoy the rest of weekend. 

Merry Christmas

Hello Everyone! I hope all of you found time to craft this weekend. I managed to squeeze in a little bit of time. I have been trying to organize my space a little better so that I can set up work stations and it took up most of my time yesterday. Here's my card for today its simple but still elegant.

1. I started with a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card base. The green card stock is cut to the same size.
2. I used a Darice embossing folder and ran it through my Big SHot.
3. The tag is from a Sizzix Die Frame set. I used silver glitter paper and also ran this through the Big Shot.
4. Before adhering the tag to the front of the card I ran a piece of Raffia through each side and behind the tag.
5. The sentiment is left over from a set I used on a scrapbook page recently.
6. After adhering the tag onto the front of the card I tied the Raffia in a small bow.

All of the supplies I used today were things I had laying around my craft room. When I was reorganizing I got distracted with all the stuff I was finding. I suppose if I would've focused on the task at hand The organizing would have been done sooner but what's the fun in that!? LOL I Truly appreciate you stopping by and all the comments you leave. If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the box below. Thank you and have a great day.

A Holiday way to say Thank you

Hello everyone! I try to include the feel of the season's into my cards. This card is no different. I wanted a Thank you card that was elegant and had a Holiday feel to it so I went with the tried and true white and red theme. I wanted this to be a little different so here is what I did.

• The top portion of the card is white card stock I ran through my Big Shot using a Darice Dot embossing folder.
• Then I found a red card stock I liked and used my Heidi Swapp Thank You Die and ran it through the Big Shot.
• In order to do the inlay I had to use the Thank you Die, a dryer sheet and the same white card stock I used on the dotted piece.
• When sandwiching this together you will lay the dryer sheet down, then the card stock and then the Die. The dryer sheet will assist you in keeping the tiny white pieces for later.
• The card needed a little bit more color so I used the Hill Die from Simon Says Stamps and cut the dotted card stock, the white Thank you piece and the same red I used for the sentiment.
• I then placed the Hill Die on the red edge and ran it through my Big Shot again in order to get the strip I needed. It was fun to do this and just for a bit of creativity I made it slightly wider on the left than the right.
• Now for piecing it all together. I adhered the white piece with the sentiment to my card front. Then I adhered the red arch and the dotted piece above that.
• Now it was time to do the inlay. I placed a few dots of my favorite glue down and then put the red thank you into the white cut out on the card front. 
• Remember the dryer sheet with the cut out on it? The white pieces inside the loops of the Y, O H and A need to be glued in place on the card front.
• The snow flake was added for a seasonal touch.

This card was fun! I've never done an inlay before and I LOVE the results! This is definitely a technique I will do again. The look of the card is so pretty. I encourage you to try this. I appreciate all of your input and hope that you leave me a comment or any questions you may have below. I hope you have a blessed day. Thank you for stopping by.

Just A Note...Just Because....

I needed to make something cheery today..So I chose a bright yellow ink. I thought I would do a monochromatic yellow on yellow. Once I decided on the flowers I wanted to use I quickly became excited about doing it white +one instead. It's funny how your plans can take a different turn right in the middle of your project. Does this happen to you? I have this happen often and I usually just go with it. My cards tend turn out better if I let my instincts lead the way. Here is what I ended up with.

• I used Lawn Fawn Sunflower yellow ink on the flower stamps. I can't remember were I got the flower set from....note to self...label the supplies as I get them.
• I placed the flowers in a cluster on my block and then stamped them in a way that filled a 4" x 5 1/4" white card stock.
• I used a Hero Arts Label and Die set to cut the sentiment tag out of yellow card stock.
• Then I decided to use Lawn Fawns Wow white embossing powder for the sentiment. The sentiment is also from a Hero Arts Thinking of you sentiment set.
• The card needed a little more sparkle so I used my white gel pen an drew some lines and dots on the petals. Then I added gems to the center of the flowers. 
• Before I adhered this to the card I ran the Sunflower Yellow Ink around the edges and added a white ribbon under the sentiment.

I hope this brightened your day. It is a sunny and warm card. I hope it gives a happy feeling to the card. I always appreciate your comments and advice so please remember to visit the comment box below. Thank you for stopping by and checking out my tutorial today. God Bless.

~Noel~ A Monday Mojo Challenge

Well, It's Tuesday and I'm going to share a Monday Mojo Challenge. You can find the blinkie on the right side of the page. I've never really done a challenge like this and it was a little bit more work than I thought. I usually come up with everything on my own so creating a card with a layout sketch that's already set for me was awkward. I kept thinking it would be better if I do it this way, or that. Here is my finished project. I can see that I should have used black on the edge of the flag like banner. It doesn't have the dimension it should and kind of runs into the stripes. I encourage you to try these challenges. It was fun and took my card making to a different way of doing things.

I truly appreciate your comments and insight. I hope to here what you think of a challenge like this. Have a great day everyone ~HUGZ~

The Positive Effects of Crafting is Amazing!!

Happy Monday Everyone! I hope your weekend went well. Did you get time to craft? I had a rough day yesterday but I still managed to get some crafting in. I have Lupus so some days are challenging. Do you have something that makes it hard for you? I'm always surprised at how much of an impact pain can effect my life. Crafting helps me focus away from the pain. Do you find crafting can take you away from whats bothering you? Its amazing to me how crafting can help people cope in so many different ways. There are studies that have proven crafting relieves stress. Do you feel the study to be true?
My Sister's Birthday is coming up and I wanted to make her a special card. I wanted something soft and feminine. It took me a little bit to figure out what I wanted to do. I had the paper and the colors picked but I really had to think about what we like to do together. Suddenly an idea swooped in and I was off.... Here's what I came up with :)

• I started with 2 pieces of the same size of the striped paper. I glued the gold handles (one piece is 1/2" smaller than the other) with tacky glue to the back of the front piece and waited for the glue to set.
• Once the glue started to set I adhered 2 pieces of fun foam together and cut them 1/4" smaller than the bag. You will need to cut out the area where the handles are. 
• I wrapped the tag around the front of the bag and heat embossed the sentiment with WOW! Bright white embossing powder.
• Then adhered the fun foam to the back of the front piece. The tissue paper was adhered to the back of the bag.
• I adhered the second striped piece of paper to the back of the bag, The stripes need to be facing forward.
• For the front of the card I took a piece of pink card stock (5" X 7") and used a Martha Stewart corner punch on the corners. Then attached it to the front of a 5 x 7 card.
• The Bag was adhered to the front of the card. 
• It still needed a little something so I added clear Jems to the center of the flowers, the sentiment and to the tissue paper.

I can't wait to give her this card! She will enjoy the fun of this card and it will bring a smile to her face. The best part of Card Making is seeing the joy on peoples faces. It gives me such a great feeling to be able to touch peoples hearts with something I made for them. Almost everything I craft is for somebody else. Keeping the things I make just isn't as satisfying to me. Do you give most everything you make to somebody important in your lives?

Please remember to leave comments below. Tell me how crafting helps you with stress, or illness, in your life. Let me know if most of what you make is for others or for yourself. Let me know why you craft. I LOVE your comments and its just awesome to share and get to know each other. Nobody understands a Crafter like another Crafter does! Happy Crafting Everyone! ~HUGZ~

Take Time for the Important People in Your Life...

What a beautiful Fall Day! I spent yesterday with a friend I haven't seen for a while. We had a great time catching up and just hanging out. Life gets SO busy sometimes and connecting with those who are important to you seems to get put on the back burner. Do you find the same thing happens in your life, too? I'm planning to connect with friends and family at least once a week during the Holiday's. What are you doing this Holiday season? Are you planning on seeing family and friends that are important in your life? How are you planning on reaching out to them? One of the ways I'm planning to reach out is by making a card for each person and including a hand written letter. I will then be following up with a phone call and asking them to coffee, or some kind of outing. We have ton's of free events going on in our area for the Holiday's. Wouldn't it be fun to ask family, or friends, to attend one of the outings? I'm going to make an effort to ask people who can't get out by themselves. I hope that all of you can do the same. We all have people in our lives that can't get out by themselves and the events pass them by. Here is one of the cards I've made. I know it will brighten her day and open the door to a great time together.

• This card was quick and easy to make. I started by stamping, coloring and fussy cutting my penguin out of card stock.
• I used the Hillside Die cut from Simon Says Stamps to cut the arch out of red card stock. The red card stock is 4" x 5 1/4".
• I adhered the card stock to the front of my card along with the penguin. The embellishment was from an old set I had in my stash.
• The word "JOY" was made using my Cricut and the Jasmine cartridge. The  letter size was set at 1 3/4.
• After I adhered "JOY" to the card I added some red jems. 

The card is simple but cute and the person I'm sending it to LOVES penguin's. I know this will bring a smile to her face. I know that everyone's schedules get crammed full of commitments during the Holiday Season but there is nothing more important than touching a loved one's life. I hope that all of you get time to follow me in this.

As always I love and appreciate all of your comments so please remember to leave a comment below. I would enjoy hearing how you will be reaching out to Family and Friends this Season. ~ Hugs ~

A Beautiful Angel for All Occasions!

I'm so excited to share this stamp with you. Angels can be used for so many occasions you just can't go wrong having a couple cards done and on hand. It's always fun to color an Angel. The options are endless. I did this one with a night sky because I'm using her for the Holidays, but I could easily see her done in a light golden background, too. The stamp is the Arianna girl stamp from UnityStampCompany.com. They have so many beautiful stamps and are one of my favorite companies! I encourage you to check them out. I'm not sponsored by them or anything. I'm saying this all on my own because I truly love their stuff! Okay well let's get to the card shall we?

• I stamped the Arianna girl image on a paper and fussy cut her to use as a mask on my card stock. 
• I temporarily adhered the image where I wanted her on my card stock then I used Tim Holtz distress ink to do the background. 
• Then I stamped her on another piece of card stock and used Prismacolor pencils to color her in. 
• After the coloring was done I fussy cut her and added foam tape to the back. I then placed her where it was masked off on the background. By doing this it gave her a bright shadow behind her.
• A gold gel pen was used it to place dots randomly around her and on her. I also used the pen to do her crosses and necklace. 
• Now here is where I made a mistake. I heat embossed the sentiment with gold embossing powder. The sentiment is to small for this. 

I left my mistake on the card because we as crafter's see what others do and get inspiration from them but rarely see what NOT to do, or what doesn't work out.... We all learn by making mistakes and nobody is perfect. I would have used a gold ink, however, the one I have dried out...Grrrr I plan to cut the top of the card off and buy new gold ink. Then I will add the sentiment to the bottom of the card instead :)

I truly appreciate all of you for visiting and thank you for all the kind comments. Feel free to add me to your circles, or leave an address so I can visit and be inspired by your work. Have a Fantastic Friday!!

You Decorate My Life...

Today I stepped away from Holiday cards and made a card for my Step-daughters birthday. Yep...She is a January baby. We have a lot of Birthday's in January in our circle of Family and Friends. I figure I have a lot of cards to do so I better get started. How about you? Do you have a lot of January Birthday's in your circle of family and friends also? I think this owl is a hoot! She is just darn cute!

• I am using the You Decorate My Life...stamp from Unity Stamp Company. I did the coloring with Tim Holtz Distress Markers.
• The Snow Flake stamp is from my stash and I used Broken China Distress Ink and stamped some of the ink off before stamping my paper for a more subtle look.
• Tumbled Glass Distress Marker was used around the edge of the paper before I adhered it to my card front.
• Then  I used my gel pen to add highlights to the feathers after everything was dry.
• The little Jem's added to the card was all that was left to do. 

The stamp is so cute I really didn't have to add much to the card. Sometimes less is more, I appreciate your comments so please let me know how your day is going and what kind of project you are working on in the comment section below.

Santa's Button's

Hi everyone! How's it going? I had a trip to the craft store and look what I found. As soon as I saw this Santa Suit I knew I had to have it. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but it came to me in the middle of the night. My Granddaughter is going to love this card. She is 4 1/2 yrs. old and loves when I send her cards. I try to keep them simple so her little sister, who's almost 2 yrs old, can't get hurt if she gets a hold of it. I send cards to her also but I try to keep them a one layer card. It's so much fun bringing smiles to their little faces! Do you send cards to small children in your life? Do you keep the design simple also? I would love to see what you do for them! Here's what I did.

• I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink Black Soot and applied it to a Darice Embossing folder and then ran it through my Big Shot. I just love this technique! The results always impress me and can really add a cool texture to a card.
• I cut the pieece down to 3 3/4" x 5" and adhered it to a piece of black card stock cut to 4" x 5 1/4"
• After I glued my pieces down I added it to a A2 size card (4 1/4" x 5 1/2"). 
• Then it was time to decide how I wanted to place the coat. I used a glue that has a really strong hold once it dries. It's one of my favorite glues. It's made by Lake City Craft Company and I use it for a lot of my crafting.
• I have been saving this sentiment for my granddaughters card and I was SO excited to be able to use it. Santa's hat had to hang from the edge. It was so obvious to me it belonged there. 

That finished off the card and I think it turned out rather cute. I just know she will enjoy this card and it will be on her dresser even after the Holiday's are over. I love hearing your comments and idea's so please let me know what your thinking and how you make cards for the little ones in your life.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

How are all of you doing? The weather is changing here and I didn't sleep well. While I laid in bed last night, praying for sleep, my mind was running a marathon of thoughts. Do you ever do that? I should've got up and just came to my craft room....I started getting excited about the idea's I had and sleep escaped me even  more. I LOVE the exhilaration no matter when it comes! Don't you? I found myself rushing through my shower so I could get in here and start putting things together...Hahaha My happy place...I LOVE it in here!

So, I got started on water painting a Bird stamp I bought from Unity Stamp Company. Have you ever checked out their stamps? They have such beautiful stuff and I find it easy to create with them. Here is my card. I went a head and took the picture with a background instead of my messy desk :)

• This card was very easy to do. I used the Own Wings stamp from Unity Stamp Company. I stamped it with Black dye based ink onto water color paper.
• I water color painted the bird using Tim Holtz Distress Markers. I used the markers to color the branch, hat and scarf.
• I cut the paining out using the Regal Label Die from Sizzix.
• I used red button shaped brads to attach it to green card stock cut 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". The bow was glued under the label and the sentiment was glued under the branch.

This was a fun card to make and went together quick. I'm not happy with the clouds but now I know not to do them that way next time...lol I want to thank you for stopping by and checking out my card. Make sure to leave a comment or any idea's you might have. I really appreciate your comments. Oh, let me know a better way to do the clouds. It would be helpful to me to find a better way to do them. Thank you and have a GREAT day!

Simple and quick Holiday card

Hey Hey Hey Everyone!! How's it going? I hope that your all having a great  Autumn day! We actually had the sun out for a little bit today and that always puts me a happy creative mood.  My dog, Daisy, has been goofy all day. She won't leave my side and I find myself stumbling over her as I move around my craft room. She gets like this sometimes when I'm not doing well. Dogs are so intuitive aren't they? I don't know what I would do without her! Do you have a favorite pet? Please post a picture in the comments I would love to see them!  Here is a picture of my baby. Isn't she adorable?!

I kept the card for today simple but very pretty. This is a Christmas card that I have had in my head for a while. I'm so happy it turned out so pretty. Never mind my messy desk in the background. I will be working on a better place to take my photo's this week.

1. I started with an A2 card (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") I cut a piece of red card stock from my stash the same size and glued it to the card.
2. The snow flake card stock is Winter Wonderland from My Minds EYE. I cut that 4" x 5 1/4" and glued that in the center of the card.
3. Then I used my medium from Ranger and the Merry Christmas stamp from a Hero Arts set #CL498. I sprinkled a red tinsel embossing powder over the sentiment and heat set it.
4. The card just seemed like it needed something more, so I took one of the snowflake dies, from Simon Says Stamps Snow Flake Die set, and cut a snow flake out of a piece of white card stock covered in red tinsel embossing. 
5. It was glued onto the sentiment tag using my favorite glue. The glue is from Lake City Craft Company and it works great for all different crafts.
6.  The sentiment tag still needed something to tie it all together. So I cut a piece of the red card stock 1/4" larger then the white tag. The white tag was adhered to the red piece.
7. Foam Dots were used to adhere the tag onto the lower right corner of the card. By doing this the card has a little dimension and it makes it more interesting.

So that's the finished card. I hope you like it. Please keep checking back and I would really appreciate it if you could leave a comment below telling me what you think. I value your Opinions so much and I'm excited to learn from all of you! Thank you for stopping by and Happy Creating!

Sharing Handmade Kindness

I made a card for a friend of mine today as a part of Jennifer McGuires   #sharehandmadekindness campaign. I encourage you to check out her blog and participate if you can. Make sure to leave comments and post pictures of what you have done so you can be entered in a random drawing Give away!

I have to tell you I really struggle with this and I need your opinions! When I take the pictures of my work should I have a staging area where everything is tidy and neat? Or is it better to take the picture right on my crafting desk.I just can't make up my mind...I feel as though staging gives off the idea my craft room is neat and tidy all the time and that couldn't be further that the truth. I start each day cleaning off my desk before I craft and by the time noon hits I have stuff everywhere. A messy desk is where the creativity flows, right??? please I want your thoughts on this so leave me a comment below. On to the tutorial shall we!?

1. I started out with an embossing folder from Paper Studios and watercolor  paper cut to 5" x 3 3/4".
2. The embossing folder has two sides. For this card I applied spiced marmalade, mustard seed, broken china, and seedless preserves from the Tim Holtz Distress Ink to the smooth side of the folder.
3. You need to be careful and make sure the paper doesn't slide, or smear, when placing the paper inside the folder. Then run your embossing folder through your machine. I use the Big Shot but anyone of them will work.
4. Look how beautiful the ink transfer is! Its instant results and looks awesome! I glued my paper to the card once it was dry. Make sure to clean the ink off of the embossing folder when your done.
5. Isn't the sentiment "Thank you" Pretty? I love the Script! Its a Die by Hiedi Swapp. I heat embossed a section of paper big enough for my sentiment die with black heat embossing powder. 
6. Once the black embossing cooled off I ran it through my big shot using the Hiedi Swapp Die and adhered it to the front of my card with tiny spots of glue. I love the end results and its a quick card that could work for any occasion.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your comments so please be sure to leave me a comment below letting me know how you feel about how I take the pictures. Thank you so much for stopping by today. Oh, don't forget to head over to Jennifer McGuires blog and take part in her campaign!

Oh Christmas Tree...

Good Morning! How are you doing? We have been busy getting ready for snow. I had to stop crafting for a little while and go outside to do chores..YUK! It was a nice Fall day so I really didn't mind that much. I love to garden and it's really hard for me to put all of my lawn ornaments away and get everything ready for winter. I'm always sad to say goodbye to my beautiful flowers and all the lovely summer birds we have here in Minnesota. The Orioles and Hummingbirds left a few weeks ago. I'm excited to see more of the Cardinal's during our long cold winter. Being outside and watching the birds and other little critter's has always brought me so much joy.

Today I have an Origami Christmas Tree card for you. It's so pretty when its done and is just a tad more challenging to explain so please bear with me here as we go along. I promise the end result is gorgeous!

• Start by cutting 4 squares of your favorite Holiday paper. I am using the same pattern on all 4 squares, However, you can mix it up and use different patterns if you want. I'm using a 3", 2 1/2", 2" and a 1 1/2" squares. You can use any size really as long as you make them all a 1/2" smaller then each other.
• Take one of your squares and fold it in half with the pattern inside the fold. Then fold it in half the other way so that you end up with 4 square folds when you open it up like you see here.

• Now you will take the square and folding it with the pattern side out into a triangle. Then you will open it up and match the other two corners to fold it in a triangle again. It may take a little practice but when you open it up it should look like this.

• For the next step you will hold two corners, opposite each other, and push them to the center until the papers meet. You will then fold it into a large triangle like this.

• For the last fold you will turn one corner into the center line and fold and do the same from the other side. You will need to fold all four pieces the same way. When you are done with all your folds they will look like this.

• Okay so lets get ready to assemble our tree. For the background I took 5 1/4" x 4" paper and I used a Snow Flake Die Set from Simon Says Stamps and embossed them on to the paper with my big shot.
• I used Tim Holtz Distress ink Broken China and a small sponge to blend the ink onto the paper. I allowed the ink to fade the closer I got to the middle of the paper.
• Taking the largest origami piece we will adhere toward the bottom center of the paper. Make sure NOT to glue the top of it down quite yet.

• You will take the next largest size and slip it over the top of the piece you glued down. Your tree will start to take form now. Always remembering not to glue the tip down and continue adding your pieces in the same fashion.
• I added a gold star on top of the tree, some sequins and my sentiment before adhere the final piece to the front of the card. There are so many ways to use this tree. Let your imagination run with it. Here are some examples of the tree's I have done.

This is a lot of fun to do and you can get the children, or grandchildren, involved. I love crafting with my Grandchildren and watching their eyes beam with pride when they finish a project! Please leave me a comment in the section below letting me know what you think. If you have any questions regarding today's tutorial feel free to ask. I am VERY interested in hearing what you have to say. I hope everyone has a Great Day!!