Merry Christmas!

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!  Thanks for all your comments, friendship, and love over the past year.   I'm taking the rest of the week to enjoy my family and celebrate Christmas.  See you after the Holidays!

Easy Gift Card Holder

 
Hey everyone!  You getting ready for Christmas?  All your shopping done yet?  I have more shopping to do this week, and with the kids home, it will be crazy I'm sure.  It wouldn't be Christmas without a little crazy though... right?

This is a quick easy gift card holder.  I used mostly scraps to make the entire thing.  You all know I love the Colorful Christmas paper pack from MME... so I got busy and threw together a couple gift cards.  I HAD to use up every piece of that wonderful paper.  The band across the bottom holds it closed, so when you take that off, the card pops open and a gift card is in the center.

My friend Lana did a great tutorial, click here to see.  Another talented friend, Nancy Morgan made one card sized, which you can see here.  


Supplies Used:


Stamps: Reindeer Kisses, Tag, You're It (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper: Pink Passion, Colorful Christmas Paper Pack by MME, Kiwi Prism, Neenah White.
Ink: Ranger Soot Black, Copic Markers
Other: Chunky Sparkles, Glossy Accents, Blue Gingham, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, BG Rhinestones, atyou Spica Pens, circle Punches, Scallop Punch, Oval Punch, Zip Dry, Scor-pal.


Thanks for stopping by! Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Easy Holiday CD Holders

 

We made these fun CD holders down at Memories of Time for Michelle's VIP night.  Super fun, and super easy.  Perfect to share some holiday tunes or a CD of photos for family and friends.

My favorite way to close the flap is to use Snap Magnets.... they are small and not bulky, you can hide them under the cardstock so when the flap "snaps" shut... it seems like magic.  I did not plan far enough ahead, so we had to use Velcro tabs for these.  I will share a couple more I did tomorrow.

These are SO easy to make. My friend Ang Fab shared this with me at a stamping retreat years ago.  Start with an 8.5 by 11 piece of cardstock or two sided designer paper. Cut long ways at 5 1/8 (so you have a piece that is 11 x 5 1/8) Score this piece at 2.5 and 7.5.  Cut the left over strip down to 7 1/8.  Score each end in 1 inch.  This piece goes in the inside to hold the CD in place.  Adhere it to the front pocket applying glue to the 1 inch strips you scored.  Add Zip Dry to the back and close it shut.  I will try and get a tutorial written up after the holidays, but if you have any questions, just shoot me an email.  

We used Snowflake Nestie dies to make the snowflakes and added little Kaiser Pearls for the centers. We stamped Merry Christmas on the CD with Red Stazon Ink using the stamp set Merry Wishes.  The designer paper is from Imaginisce called Polar Expressions Sugar Sprinkles... it has all kinds of glitter on those dots! We used the stamp set Snow Place Like Home.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Pink Penguins

 

I know, I know, MORE penguins... I can't help it... I love them!  During the holidays, I always need easy things to stamp... and this will carry through after the holidays for quick thank you's too!

These penguins came from the Copic Penguin Kit, which is available at Archivers and a few other stores, including my LSS, Memories of Time.  Tomorrow I will show you a really easy CD holder we did at Michelle's (the owner of MOT) VIP night.  They are the same penguins that are in the set called Snow Place Like Home.... only you don't have to do any masking to get the hat and scarf on.... but you also get the adorable igloo.  The cardstock is from Prism, the designer paper is from my favorite holiday paper pack called Colorful Christmas by MME.  I also used a snowflake Cuttlebug folder to emboss the background, and the sentiment stamp set called Merry Wishes from Our Craft Lounge.  Of course I also used Sparkly Fluff applied with a Quickie Glue Pen, and our Chunky Sparkles applied with Glossy Accents to make that fun chunky snow.  

Have you tried Sparkly Fluff?  eP has really cool bundles that are PERFECT!  Check them out by clicking here:

I Want Candy 

Sweet Music 

The Sparkly Blues 

Going Green 

Hope you are surviving the Holiday madness.  I'm almost done with my shopping.  I can't believe it's next week!  Thanks for stopping by... I'll post the CD holder tomorrow.  Merry Christmas!

Weekend Sketch 110

Hello everyone! Welcome to Beate's Weekend Sketch!  I'm sorry I've been MIA.  The holidays are just so busy and my work load has been crazy too.  I hope you are all staying warm and finding time to create.

I cheated this week... but I didn't want to miss another sketch challenge!  I grabbed my all time favorite Colorful Christmas Paper Pack from My Mind's Eye and popped out the die cuts for the oval piece and the snow flake.  The designer paper is also included in the pack.  It's doubled sided so I used the same piece. 

I DID stamp the adorable little Parka Penguin and the sentiment From our Family to Yours (from the set Merry Wishes).   I used a brad to attach the snowflake and covered it with Quickie Glue and sprinkled on Sugar Sparkly Fluff.  Of course the penguin's cute little parka needed some too.

On a side note... did you SEE what Tim Holtz did with our Sparkly Fluff?  GET YOUR FLUFF ON BABY!  :)

Okay... so, check out the girls, and play along if you can.  Hope you are all staying warm!  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Cambria



Beate Johns
Charmaine Ikach
Jenn Balcer
Lori Craig
Sharon Harnist

Fairy Dust is a Must

I've got one more Fairy Dust is a Must card to show you today.  I just had so much fun coloring these images.  I think this frog is just THE cutest! 

Oh, I forgot to announce the winner of this set!  I had events this weekend at my LSS and got sidetracked (I'm sorry). 
Lisa Hjulberg.... you win Fairy Dust is a Must!  Please send me an email at Cambria@ourcraftlounge.com and your set will be on the way!  Congratulations and thanks for Blog Hopping with us! Thanks to everyone for the nice comments!

The designer paper is from a 6x6 pad called Urban Prairie by Basic Grey.  The button is also from Basic Grey.  I used Appletini Sparkly Fluff on the grass and atyou Spica Pens to add some glitter to the frog's crown and flowers and little bug.

I hope you all had a great weekend!  Kisa and I had a blast at Memories of Time stampin with our girls.  I'll show you what we made this weekend over the next few days.  Thanks for stopping by!

Beate's Weekend Sketch #107

You ready for the Weekend Sketch Challenge? It's Friday again!  Here we go, sketch number 107!


I'm using the new stamp set from Our Craft Lounge called Fairy Dust is a Must, and Hearts and Hugs.  They are releasing today (see previous post).

I used Crafty Sparkles on those lips and the frog's crown.  It was super easy using a Quickie Glue Pen.    The center of the flower is popped up by using my cool I-Top Bradmaker. I went over the letters Kiss me with my black atyou Spica Pen, so it's nice and shimmery!   The paper is from  Dancing Girl Fancy Pants Designer Paper Kit.  Those tiny little brads are from Bazzill, along with the cardstock for the base. 

Stop by and see the rest of the sketch team...

 

Beate Johns
Charmaine Ikach
Jenn Balcer

Lori Craig
MaryJo Albright
Sharon Harnist

Hope you have a great weekend!

 

Whoo Hooo! It's Release Day!

Hello Stampers!  Welcome to Our Craft Lounge's Release day!  13 brand new stamp sets available today at your favorite retailers!  Please head over to  The Lounge for all the details.

This set is called Fairy Dust is a Must.  It's SUPER cute!  I love stamp sets that you can use for many occasions.... don't you?  I think you'll find that is true with most of stamp sets in this new release.

Here's the panel with all the images included in this set. The images are so sweet and fun to color!   Someone will win this set today!  Just leave a comment on this post.  I'd love to hear which set is your favorite, but you can leave any comment you'd like. 

I used designer paper from My Mind's Eye, gorgeous Maya Road Trim, Curved Rectangle Nesties,  Sparkly Fluff and Crafty Sparkles.  Cardstock is from Bazzill along with those tiny little adorable mini brads.

Click on the following names to take advantage of the blog hop give-away! We are giving away all 13 stamp sets.   And, it's not too late for a chance to win a $100.00 shopping spree at Our Craft Lounge too.  Click here for details about our birthday celebration.



Bird and Groom - Beth 
Hang it Up Cupid - Carol, Vicki
Hearts & Hugs - Holly, Joy
The Journey - Charmaine
Life Is -Amber
Love Notes - Heather, Beate
Out for a Spin - Pam
Fairy Dust is a Must - Cami, Broni
Granny's Truffles - Val
Jungle Love - Deb, Kendra
Shamrock Blessings -Cindy
Sweet on You -Kisa
Wanted - Lila

Again, thanks for your support and friendship over the past year! We could not have done it without you! 

Sweet on You Sneak Peek

Ready for more Sneak Peeks of our new Valentine Release? Tomorrow, we release all 13 sets available for purchase through retailers online and in stores near you!  More details over at The Lounge. 

Both samples today are from the set called Sweet on You, illustrated by Marianne Walker. The designer paper used on both cards are by My Mind's Eye. Both have Sparkly Fluff and Crafty Sparkles.... of course.

Want to see more?  Click on the names below.  Don't forget to leave a comment so that you can have chance to win a newly released stamp set on Friday during our Blog Hop!

Bird and Groom - Beth
Hang it Up Cupid - Lila
Hearts & Hugs – Holly, Kendra
The Journey - Charmaine, Beate
Life Is – Charmaine, Beate
Love Notes - Kisa, Joy
Out for a Spin – Carol
Fairy Dust is a Must - Kendra , Vicki
Granny's Truffles - Broni
Jungle Love - Heather
Shamrock Blessings - Pam
Sweet on You - Cami
Wanted - Kisa


The first card I shared today is the sketch challenge for this month.  You could win $100.00 in OCL products by making your own version.  Check out the details here.

As always, I appreciate the comments and your visit today!  Have a great day, see you tomorrow!  

Ready for Sneak Peeks?

Sneak peeks of the OCL Valentine Release start today! Click here to get all the details about the release and the Blog Hop Friday.  

This set is called Wanted.  I really love it.  It's illustrated by Marianne Walker and full of fun stamps and sentiments.  You'll have to wait until Friday to see the entire set, but there are more sneak peeks through the rest of the week!  Although we call this release the Valentine release, it's full of all kinds of  love.  You'll have to see it, but I think we included something for everyone! 

Hard to see in the photo, but the grass patches and dirt have patches of Sparkly Fluff... cuz you know it just makes everything better. *wink*


Check out The Lounge for all the details, and if you'd like to see  Sneak Peeks from other new sets, check out these great designers!  More to come tomorrow!  Thanks for stopping by!


Bird and Groom  - Cindy, Kisa
Hang it Up Cupid - Heather
Hearts & Hugs - Deb
The Journey - Kendra
Life Is - Kendra
Love Notes - Pam
Out for a Spin - Lila, Vicki
Fairy Dust is a Must - Carol
Granny's Truffles - Pam
Jungle Love -  Joy Charmaine,
Shamrock Blessings - Holly
Sweet on You - Amber
Wanted - Beth, Carol 

Don't forget to check out the challenges... you could win $100.00 to spend at Our Craft Lounge!  Click here for the details!

OCL Brithday Celebrations Continue!

Hey Stampers!

Ready for more birthday fun?  Our design team member and friend Heather,  posted super fun challenges starting today over at The Lounge.   

Did you know that every month we have a Sketch Challenge and the winner gets to pick a free stamp set from OCL?  It's true!  Check out the OCL Sketch Challenge forum!   Combine this with the other birthday party challenges for a chance to win $100.00 to spend at Our Craft Lounge!

Again, thanks to all of you for making it a great first year for Our Craft Lounge!   I can't tell you how blessed I feel to have such wonderful friends out there!  Stampers are THE best peeps EVAH!


pssst......Did you know that OCL is now on Facebook?  Want to become a fan?  Check it out! Click here.   One lucky winner who becomes a fan this week will win a free stamp set!  Come on over and lounge with us!

Have a wonderful day!  I hope to find some time later today to try  the great sketch above.  If you play along, please comment and leave a link so I can check out your creation!

Weekend Sketch 106

Happy Friday! I kept thinking yesterday was Friday since the kids were home on Wednesday. I think I'm finally getting better and will survive this nasty cold! Oh man, I've had a horrible time... and I'm still coughing, but I'm finally getting my energy back.

I used the stamp set Happy Holly-days and designer paper from the Fancy Pants Christmas Magic Kit to make my weekend sketch card. The sentiment is made with my Nesties and Wizard. I added sparkle using my atyou Spica pens, Sparkly Fluff, and Kaiser Rhinestones.

Hope you can play along this weekend and find some time to stamp!

Check out what the sketch team made!

Beate Johns
Charmaine Ikach
Laurie Schmidlin
MaryJo Albright
Sharon Harnist

So... you know what time it is? It's an exciting time for Our Craft Lounge. We are celebrating ONE year! Our first year, and it's been an awesome one... thanks to you! I've experienced SO much this past year! I went to both winter and summer CHAs, and this September we were invited to participate at Scrapfest in the Mall of America. THAT was fun! It was for sure the highlight of the year for me! I look forward to many more exciting times ahead! I know the entire OCL team (we've had a lot of help!) appreciates each one of you! Your support and friendship mean the world to us!

Back to the fun.....Want a chance to win some AWESOME prizes? Our friend Heather has come up with a fun Scavenger hunt that starts at 6 am (pacific time)!Get all the the details at The Lounge. If you are a member in our forums, you can also find details and post questions here. Good luck! Now, go..... get started (after you visit the sketch team). *wink*

Have a SUPER weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Holiday Recipe Blog Hop

Hello everyone! Today is the second day of the Creative Cuts & More Mega Recipe Blog Hop which features the Apron Holiday Treats Recipe Kit.

As part of the celebration CC&M will be having a great sale. For the next six days, They will offer 20% off the entire store. But act quickly, it is only for six days – this sale will end on Nov 14^th. Make sure you enter this code recipebloghop2009 during checkout.

As a continuing part of the celebration CC&M will of course give away great gifts. Each day we will give away one kit. Here is the twist – go through the blog hop, leave wonderful comments for the great designers. After you have finished the blog hop, return to www.diecutdiva.com and instead of leaving a comment, you need to share a recipe to have a chance at winning the kit. Share the recipe on your blog and link it back and get another chance to win the kit. Help us also make this a great recipe swap.

I was so excited to get my kit in the mail! I used two stamp sets from OCL, plus a few other accessories, but the rest all came from the kit... what a bargain! Those chipboard letters I got from eP, dabbed then with my Adirondack Paint Dabber, then sprinkled Sugar Crafty Sparkles all over each one, then let them dry.

I've been really sick, and just when I thought I was getting better, I'm worse again. I'm going to show you a couple of my favorite pages, and how I made my recipe cards, then post a full list of items used later this afternoon.

I'm leaving my cards blank for now, because I'm going to give this away as a gift. I did each from the Curved Rectangle Nestie die, then cut two pieces of white cardstock for the front and the back. One side for the ingredients, the backside for the directions.



I used the stamp sets Gingerbread Fun, and Lovin' From the Oven from OCL.

So, want to see my favorite cookie recipe? Click here! My husband (yes.. he's the cookie maker at my house), always makes these during the holidays! They are melt in your mouth awesome!

Check out the Holiday Treats Apron Kit!

Have fun with the rest of the blog hop! Thanks for stopping by to see me today!

Die Cut Diva
Pam Smerker
Nathalia Castelllon

Dawn Lusk

Stephany Zerbe
Jennifer Hansen

Lisa Somerville

Lila Holgate

Kazan Clark

Rachel Hope Baird
Ellen Sosnoski

Cecilia Stricklin

Cambria Turnbow
Angie Pearl

Laura Davis

Noelle Reese

Holly Brown

Rachel Sztonyk

Deb Felts

Jen Johnson

Amber Hillman

Carla Mayfield

Cindy Lawrence

Chris Dickinson

Die Cut Diva

Weekend Sketch 105

Good Friday morning everyone! I hope you have plans to play along with us over the weekend and try Beate's fun sketch. It's suppose to storm and rain all weekend here on the coast, so looks like it's a good excuse to stay indoors and play!

I turned this sketch into a shaker card! The frame on the front is made with my circle Nesties as well as the hole in the card front. The Crystal Chunky Sparkles are held in with a frame around the back side of the circle with double stick foam tape. The fabulous paper is from my Basic Grey 6x6 Urban Prairie Paper Pad. I know it looks black in the photo, but it's actually a dark brown paper that is included in that pack.





Check out the rest of the team to see their take on this fun sketch:

Beate Johns
Charmaine Ikach
Jenn Balcer
Lori Craig
MaryJo Albright
Sharon Harnist



Supplies:

Stamps: Granny's Secrets (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper: Basic Grey Urban Prairie 6x6 pad, Neenah White.
Ink: Ranger Soot Black, Copic Markers.
Other: Chunky Crystal Sparkles, Foam Tape, Nesties, Wizard, BasicGrey Rhinestones, Zip Dry, Scor-Pal, Acetate.

Hope you have a super weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Frog-la-la-la...

La, la, la la! How cute is the holiday froggie? I think he's super cute! He's out in the cold singing his little heart out... just for you! LOL.

I'm still feeling really horrible, so I didn't get much done yesterday except for more coloring. Most of it is top secret, to be revealed soon, SUPER cute new stuff. :) I'm so excited to show you our next release. More on that later.....

I'm still diggin' into my MME Colorful Christmas paper kit. YES.. I have other Christmas paper and I will open it up soon... I promise. Can I just say that the Sparkly Fluff on the ear muffs and scarf are super cool in real life? I wish you could all see it and touch it!

I'm getting delirious... dang cold. I'll see you all on Friday for the Weekend Sketch. Man, I can't believe it's almost Friday... AGAIN! I need to go to the grocery store.... Did any of this post make any sense?

Supplies:

Stamps: Hoppy Holiday (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper: MME Colorful Christmas, Prism, Neenah White.
Ink: Ranger Soot Black, Copic Markers.
Other: Kaiser Rhinestones, Foam Dots, Oval Nesties, Word Window Punch, Sparkly Fluff, Quickie Glue Pen, Zip Dry, Scor-pal.

Have a great day everyone! Thanks for stopping by!

Hoppy Holidays

I told you that I love the Colorful Christmas Designer paper pack from MME right? I think I did *wink*.

This set is illustrated by Marianne Walker and it's called Hoppy Holidays. How cute is that frog? I just love that happy frog face!

He's just diggin up the snow and it's flying everywhere. Of course I added Chunky Crystal Sparkles so it's all glittery to boot! And, no card is complete without Sparkly Fluff! You can click on the images to see them larger. Don't those frog mittens crack you up?


Supplies:

Stamps: Hoppy Holidays (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper: MME Colorful Christmas, Bazzill, Neenah White.
Ink: Ranger Soot Black, Copic Markers.
Other: Crystal Chunky Sparkles, Glossy Accents, Sugar Sparkly Fluff, Quickie Glue Pen, 7Gypsy Brads, Oval Nesties, Circle Punch, Scor-Pal, Zip Dry.

It seems the bug caught me. I'm sure it's not the flu, but it's a horrible cold and I've been miserable the last couple of days. It kills me to lay around, so I color... when my head isn't pounding and my nose stops running long enough. I hope tomorrow is better..... hope you are all staying healthy. Thanks for stopping by... I have another Hoppy Froggie to share with you tomorrow. :)