May Your Christmas Be Filled With Love and Laughter - Color Throwdown #171

Ready for some Color Throwdown fun? It's that time again and this week Wanda is our host. She's chosen some colors inspired by MME Lost & Found Christmas. LOVE the vintage colors!!!

I let the papers and my MFT Die-namics dies do the work on my card :) I'm using the Dizzy Doily Die-namics die for the circle element and part of the Layered Labels set for my sentiment. And, of course, my favorite "poinsettia" die set for this year, Upsy Daisy Die-namics :) The sentiment is from Clearly Sentimental About Christmas, as is the one on the inside of the car.

Remember, you do not have to have the exact colors to play the Color Throwdown challenge. If you don't, just use the closest you have. So, c'mon over to the Color Throwdown blog and play along with us this week. Please use the link service to post your card and please link directly to your card so we can find it easily. And please include a link in your post to the Color Throwdown. If you upload your card to a public forum, please use the keyword CTD171 so we can see your beauty all in one place. Hope to see you there! Be sure to check out what the other team members have come up with this week, including December's Guest Designer.

Barbara Anders (<--- You are here!) 

Broni Holcombe

Danielle Kennedy

Joan Ervin

Kerri Michaud 

Keva Brown

Kristin Eberline

Lori Tecler

Lynn Put

Tammy Hershberger

Wanda Cullen

Lydia Fiedler (December Guest Designer)

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'll be back later with this week's MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge!

~Supplies~

Stamps: Clearly Sentimental About Christmas (MFT)

Paper: Fossil; Bravo Burgundy (SU!); Lost & Found Christmas 6 x 6 (MME)

Ink: Bravo Burgundy (SU!); Antique Linen Distress Ink (Ranger)

Accessories/tools: Vagabond (Tim Holtz); Dizzy Doily, Layered Labels, Upsy Daisy Die-namics dies (MFT), pearls, twine, button, distressing tool

MFT December New Product Review

It's that time of the month! It's time for MFT's December Product Tour and release! Tonight I'm showing you Inspired by Flowers (Set 4), which finishes up my gift set. And just in time :) You can see the purse box I created and more cards HERE. I decided to go with a sympathy card for my first one. I colored my chrysanthemum purple and added a sentiment that is perfect for a sympathy card. I used the Crown Border Die-namics die for my border and the Bracket Tab Die-namics for my sentiment, trimming off the ends to fit my image panel.

My second card would be perfect for a wedding or anniversary. Calendulas are bright and cheerful and I've added a happy sentiment from the set. I used Simply Scallops, Medium Die-namics die for my border and the sentiment was cut using part of the Sweet Stack Die-namics set.

And finally, my sweet little paperwhite. Paperwhites are perfect in their simplicity and this card could be used for any number or occasions. I used the Wonky Scallops Border and the flag from First Place Award Ribbon for my sentiment.

OK, so that's it for me this time. Thanks so much for stopping by! I'll be back later with this week's MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge! Hope to see you there! Now, go forth and SHOP!

~Supplies~

Stamps: Inspired by Flowers (Set 4) (MFT)

Paper: Black Licorice, Sweet Tooth card stock, Orange Fizz, Perfect Paper Panels; Soft Stone, Plum Pudding (PTI); Ebony and Alabaster 6 x 6 (Black Market Paper Society)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories/tools: Vagabond (Tim Holtz); Crown Border, Bracket Tab, Simply Scallops, Medium, Sweet Stack; Wonky Scallop Border, First Place Award Ribbon Die-namics dies (MFT); buttons, twine, ribbon

MFT December Die-namics Feature and Pep Rally

Now that we've teased and tempted you all week long, it's almost time for you to shop for your favorite Brand Spankin' New products from MFT. But first... it's time for our Die-namics Feature and Pre-Release Pep Rally! Our Design Team has been busy creating jaw-dropping and inspiring projects for you, and we've saved the best for last. We've taken an in-depth look at this month's Die-namics, while re-visiting the amazing sets being released tonight at 10 PM EST RIGHT HERE in the MFT Boutique. And while we are at it, how about we make your life even easier with a "cheat sheet" of all that's new?  Head over to the MFT Blog to print out a shopping list. Here are the details about the upcoming release on December 6 at 10 PM EST:

• You can attend the New Release Party on December 6th from 8-10 PM EST HERE in the MFT forum, where you can enjoy fun, games, and PRIZES!
• The MFT release, including all new stamp sets and Die-namics, is on December 6 at 10 PM EST.  You'll find all the newest products HERE at release time.
• You have just a few more hours to submit your entry for this month's guest designer contest.  Check out the forum for details on how YOU can win $200 in stamp sets and Die-namics, and play along with the MFT Design Team for a month.
• If you'd like to see all the designers' posts for today, please click on over to the MFT Blog NOW.  Be sure to leave comments as you go for the chance to win one of 2, $10 gift certificates given away daily.  The winners will be posted on December 6 just before the release party, on the MFT blog.

Heaven, I'm in Heaven... I've been wanting an MFT alphabet die FOREVER!! OK, so it just seemed like forever :) And now we have one and I'm so excited!! I knew the first thing I wanted to do with it was some Christmas subway art and I LOVE how it turned out!

First of all I made a list of Christmas words and arranged them in a Word Document to get an idea of which ones would fit best together. Then I cut them out with my By the Letters Die-namics (available TONIGHT at 10pm!) dies from card stock and sponged each one with Distress Ink. The frame I wanted to use was 11"x 14". Since it was larger than any card stock I have, I cut a piece of poster board to fit the frame and worked on that. I knew I was going to mat the piece so the poster board wouldn't show. I made pencil marks that would be my "margins" for letter placement and prepped my base card stock (8 1/2 "x 11") by sponging all around the edges with Distress Ink. Then I adhered it to my poster board, centering it within my "margin" marks.

Next I figured out how I would space each line and drew a pencil mark for each line--on each side, again on my poster board. 

To keep my letters straight, I lined up the marks on each side with a ruler and placed the die-cut letters right up against the ruler edge all the way across the sheet. The letters are adhered with liquid glue. When the letters were done, I added some holly leaf and ornament embellishments to fill in the larger spaces between letters, using Christmas Ornament and Upsy Daisy Die-namics dies.

Here it is matted with "designer" mats. I couldn't find mat board the colors I needed so I had three off white mats cut and simply covered two of them with patterned paper to create my own matching mats. This was done out of necessity, but you can bet I'll be doing it again just because they turned out so well!

And here it is framed and hanging on my living room wall :)

Thanks SO much for stopping by! Hope to see you tonight at the release party!

~Supplies~

Stamps: None

Paper: Rustic White (PTI); Sage Shadow, Pretty In Pink, Gold Metallic (SU!); Cosmo Cricket patterned paper

Ink: Antique Linen Distress Ink (Ranger)

Accessories/tools: Vagabond (Tim Holtz); By the Letters, Upsy Daisy, and Christmas Ornament Die-namics dies; bling; liquid glue

Holly Girl - MFT December Teaser, Day Six

Here are the details about the upcoming release on December 6 at 10 PM EST:

• You can attend the New Release Party on December 6th from 8-10 PM EST HERE in the MFT forum, where you can enjoy fun, games, and PRIZES!
• The MFT release, including all new stamp sets and Die-namics, is on December 6 at 10 PM EST.  You'll find all the newest products HERE at release time.
• The guest designer contest is ON!  Check out the forum for details on how YOU can win $200 in stamp sets and Die-namics, and play along with the MFT Design Team for a month.
• If you'd like to see all the teasers for today, please click on over to the MFT Blog NOW.  Be sure to leave comments as you go for the chance to win one of 2, $10 gift certificates given away daily.  The winners will be posted on December 6 just before the release party, on the MFT blog.

Today I'm finishing up one of my year-long projects: my PI calendar. Kinda sad in a way, but I know I have all these cuties to look at for years to come. You can see how I display my calendar pages HERE. I gave her a little paper pieced sweater dress, then colored everything else with my Copic markers. I'm using Simply Scallops, Medium Die-namics die for my border, and, of course, the Rounded Banner Die-namics and First Place Award Ribbon Die-namics dies for the sentiments.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope to see you back tomorrow for the Die-namics Feature and Pre-Release Pep Rally!

~Supplies~

Stamps: PI - Holly Girl (MFT)

Paper: Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, Going Gray (SU!); Perfect Paper Panel; Nordic Holiday 6 x 6 pad (Basic Grey)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories/tools: Vagabond (Tim Holtz); First Place Award Ribbon, Rounded Banner, and Simply Scallops, Medium Die-namics dies (MFT); buttons, baker's twine, birthstone gem, Copic markers, foam dots

Snuggle Time - MFT December Teaser, Day Five

Here are the details about the upcoming release on December 6 at 10 PM EST:

• You can attend the New Release Party on December 6th from 8-10 PM EST HERE in the MFT forum, where you can enjoy fun, games, and PRIZES!
• The MFT release, including all new stamp sets and Die-namics, is on December 6 at 10 PM EST.  You'll find all the newest products HERE at release time.
• The guest designer contest is ON!  Check out the forum for details on how YOU can win $200 in stamp sets and Die-namics, and play along with the MFT Design Team for a month.
• If you'd like to see all the teasers for today, please click on over to the MFT Blog NOW.  Be sure to leave comments as you go for the chance to win one of 2, $10 gift certificates given away daily.  The winners will be posted on December 6 just before the release party, on the MFT blog.

Here we are at Day Five of MFT's December teasers! Today we're previewing à la modes - Ski Bunny and à la modes - Hot Cocoa Cutie. It's getting colder so snuggling up with some hot cocoa and a good book definitely sounds good to me so I chose to show you à la modes - Hot Cocoa Cutie. And she is a cutie :) The mug is paper pieced and the rest of the image was colored with Copic markers. I'm using the new Oval Open Scallop Doily Die-namics die and one of the new Mini Tabs Foursome Die-namics dies for my sentiment.

And another warm sentiment for the inside.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'll be back tomorrow with Day Six! You know it's PI day, right?

~Supplies~

Stamps: à la modes - Hot Cocoa Cutie (MFT)

Paper: Fossil, Hot Fudge, Perfect Paper Panel; Fine Linen (PTI); Generations 6 x 6 pad (Simple Stories)

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa; Antique Linen Distress Ink (Ranger)

Accessories/tools: Vagabond (Tim  Holtz); Oval Open Scallop Doily and Mini Tabs Foursome Die-namics dies (MFT); ribbon, button, twine, Copic markers