A Lot Like Christmas?

This weekend I am enjoying a few extra quiet days at the beach, 

YES, the beach is great in the winter too!

And here in South Carolina it is actually a bit cooler as we had our first freeze last night...

well it is December.  

In between my shopping excursions and enjoying the wonderful 

fresh seafood meals, I'm steadily working on completing my

Christmas cards for 2016.  

Today's posting is also another entry for the weekend challenge on 

Addicted to Card Making as well as the other blog challenges listed at the end of the posting.  

For this card I used the Unity stamp, Just Skating By.  

I don't know about you - but I can never just skate by Unity, I always have to stop and shop!  

So with my limited supplies of 12 pieces of Christmas paper, some white cardstock, a handful of Copic markers, a few tools, some scraps of yarn and plenty of ink ~ here's what I came up with.

Did I mention poor lighting?  My green designed paper and inked matted paper look more brown.  And the glossy accents aren't showing up very well, but hopefully you can use your imagination on this one. 

The cute little fellow does remind me that the closer we get to Christmas, we need to take time to stop and enjoy the reason for this wonderful season.  I made four of these cards - they are going to four of the ladies I worked closely with before retirement 

and who's friendship I still treasure.  

So in your busy schedules, make time this month for your girlfriends.  

Be sure they know how important they are to you and how blessed you are to have them in your life. 

This posting will also be listed on:

Unity {Show & Tell}

Crafty Catz - Challenge #350

Creative Knockouts Challenge #171

Karle's Passion

Artsy Cards and my personal site, Not Just Scraps.

Thank you for stopping by - your comments are welcomed.

Serving a Risen Savior ~ Pam 

  

SNOW in South Carolina?

There are tons of cute stamps and sentiments for Christmas and winter that focus on SNOW.  

Yet living in South Carolina my entire life, my personal stash is very limited in snowmen, mittens, sleds, cute winter words etc. 

The card today is a combination of two stamp and die sets, both of which were in my box to sell ... never used.  But I decided to give them a try and am tickled with the results!

While you could use a white card base and add a blue background, I selected a light blue card base for this one.  The snow mounds are two strips cut with my old, reliable, Creative Memories wavy 12" cutter.  As an addition, I did ink the top edge of the snow mounds to give dimension before adding to the card base.  The tree stamps are a set of three with the design on each and the matching die.  The sentiment set has several holiday words that fit nicely into the die shape. So even though we don't have mounds of snow in South Carolina - I can still send mounds of Merry CHRISTmas wishes out very soon.

This posting will be featured on 

Alphabet Challenge T for Trees

Christmas Cards All Year Long

Addicted to Card Making 

Artsy Cards

Karle's Passion 

and on my personal site, Not Just Scraps. 

Thanks for stopping by ~ 

Serving a Risen Savior, Pam 

Winter Card Challenges Everywhere

Of course with the season comes all the facebook and blog challenges to match. Today's posting started with the weekend challenge on Addicted to Card Making

Celebrating National Mitten Day (December 6th).  

However it also easily fit into the blog challenges for snowflakes on

Change Up Your Life Snowflake #55 Challenge

and Sweet Stampin Let It Snow Challenge.

For this card, I used a Stampin Up Not Quite Navy ink to coat the inside of the snowflake embossing folder prior to running the 4 x 6 white paper through the sizzix.  The  background matting for the snowman and sentiment were scraps and of course, a matching button was used to hold the pink glitter paper die cut mittens  from Whimsy Stamps. 

This card will also be posted on 

Karle's Passion and Artsy Cards, 

along with my personal site, Not Just Scraps.

Thank you for stopping by - Your comments are always welcome.

Serving a Risen Savior ~ Pam 

When the Tradition Continues

As a crafting mother, when your daughter wants to make her on Christmas cards

 with your help, you can't help but be excited!

No matter how busy my days in December are, 

my time will be set aside to spend with her to guide her 

yet allow her to be her on creative self.  

So this blog posting is for my daughter - from one proud Moma!

Cutting the background papers

Cutting the strip for the words

First time stamping (testing)

Inking the moon (yep, she thought this was cool!)

Adding her signature stamp ~ a little manger 

And her completed card! 

We started out needing 12, made 15 and now she's ready to come back to make more.  

Yes, our crafting can be addictive.

Thank you for stopping by  ~ and for today sharing a little piece of my heart.

Kimberly's card will be shared on:

Christian Card Maker

Karle's Passion

Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes #258-259 

and on my personal site, Not Just Scraps

Serving a Risen Savior, Pam 

Christmas Cards ~ Technique One

With wanting to send out as many Christmas cards as I can, 

and definitely not wanting to tire of the design, 

this year I decided to do my cards in groups of 6-8 of several different techniques.

My first set was inspired by the lovely cards my friend Jennie is currently making, using the method of inking your embossing folders prior to running them through the machine.

I quickly realized in my vast collection of folders, I must be attracted to border folders versus folders background folders.  

But I finally found several that would work for the season.

Next I discovered that I ended up with just about as much ink on my hands as on the folders, AND that I liked the inked designs both Embossed and Debossed.

With several panels inked, I then selected smaller Christmas stamps or mounted vellum panels that would appropriately fit on the card fronts and matted them after finding matching ribbon.

These are the final cards from this technique. 

I have my favorite ~ What's yours? 

This posting will be submitted and shared to the following sites:

I encourage you to visit each of them to see other inspiring ideas for the Christmas season.

Jingle Bells December Challenge

Jo's Scrap Shack Challenge with a Twist

Karle's Passion

Christian Card Maker

and on my personal site, Not Just Scraps

Thank you for stopping by.  

Serving a Risen Savior ~ Pam  

Masculine Gift Card Idea ~ Christmas or Anytime

My swap partner for the Masculine Card on Addicted to Card Making last month was all the way over in Australia!  

What an honor to get to send a card that far away though 

and this one I also made a duplicate for my own son's birthday. 

If you have an avid deer hunter in your family, this card idea is really a great one for  them.

+

When you have a large stamp, such as the mounted deer, 

consider using a legal size envelope.  

This option gave me plenty of room to add the premade mini bag (for your gift card or cash) behind the stamped image.  Die cut arrows were used under a metal charm gear die from 

Lori's Lovely Paper Crafts,

The Sentiment was computer printed and inked around the edges

before adding to the layered base. 

I hope your recipient will get past the front of the card ... as my son just went for the cash and a 'thanks Mom!'

This card will be submitted and shared on the following sites.  I encourage you to visit them for great inspirational ideas.

Artsy Cards and Crafts

Brown Sugar Challenge #227 Anything Goes

Craft for the Craic Ho Ho Ho

Karle's Passion

and on my personal site, Not Just Scraps.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Serving a Risen Savior ~ Pam

Seek The Lord and His Strength

The first time someone commented that one of my cards was "CAS", 

I truly didn't know if that was a good thing or not.  

Clean and Simple ~ it is a good, especially when the need for 

get well wishes, expressions of sympathy, or other immediate

card needs are at hand.

Today's card fits the CAS category, as it wasn't a card that took hours

to build the layers, cut out the details, or find just the right embellishments.  

It is simply an image from Hunky Dory Crafts, a beautify scripture  from the Bible Files on Christian Card Maker cut with a simple

oval shaped die, a couple of layers of matting and a matching bow.

What makes the card special is that it is in the mail.  

On the way to brighten someone's day, to let them know that even though I don't know them, they were listed on a site as needing 

a prayer and a card of encouragement and someone responded.

Just over three years ago, my Dad was severely burned in a unfortunate accident, one we as a family try to forget the months of pain that followed and the many times we didn't think he could ever recover.  

However, we are so very grateful that he survived, and is still with us today.  The outpouring of cards he received from the vast areas of the world, not just the United States, was simply overwhelming.

The prayers that came were even larger, and Our God listened. 

Gratefully we continue to serve a Risen Savior!

This will be submitted to the following sites ~ 

I invite you to visit to see other inspiring cards and ideas.

Christian Card Makers

Word Art Wednesday #258-259

City Crafters Challenge #340 Garden Bliss

Karle's Passion

and on my personal site, Not Just Scraps.

Thank you for stopping by ~ Pam 

Casting all your cares upon Him

This morning's card will be sent to a friend's father-in-law

who is undergoing treatment for three major illnesses at one time.

How very overwhelming, especially as an elderly gentleman.

Yet our Lord tells us throughout the Bible that He will be with us,

 as He reminds us in 1 Peter 5:7

There are many today who are suffering and need an extra prayer.

  Be sure to add them to your conversation with the Holy Father today. 

This card is being submitted to:

Word Art Wednesday ~ Challenge #258-259

Christian Card Maker ~ Encouragement Postings

Karle's Passion

and on my selling site, Not Just Scraps.

Thank you for stopping by  ~ may your day be blessed.

Serving a Risen Savior, Pam 

As the Season Begins ~ I SHALL...

Maintain My Focus 

On the Birth of Jesus Christ!

With 55-60 Christmas addresses on my list, no two will be alike and definitely they will all come from my crafting desk.  

Even the Christmas stamps and dies that are not religious in 

nature, they will be worked in with other scriptures to include a reference 

to the greatest birth ever!

I can't wait to share a few of them with you over the upcoming days till Christmas.

Today's card, which is focused on the nativity scene, was stamped

with navy embossing ink, sprinkled lightly with silver, and heat set.

  The sentiment was added after both cut image edges were inked with Stampin Up Not Quiet Navy.  

A scrap of silver sparkly ribbon was glued to the top before attaching to the card base.

This card will be submitted to the following and is also available for purchase on

my selling site, Not Just Scraps

Christian Card Maker ~ Short Challenge 11/26

Moving Along with the Times ~ Challenge #34

Karle's Passion

Thank you for stopping by ~ May your day be blessed.

Serving a Risen Savior, Pam 

Fox & Friends Happy Birthday

When I re-entered the world of stamping about 2 years ago, 

I had a self imposed new rule.  When I get a new stamp, I have to use it, before I put it away. 

So those that know me and those that are true stampers,

know how long that rule lasted, right? 

The supply comes in a lot faster than the cardmaker can churn out quality card.  

But this week a sweet friend sent me a duplicate set of the Stampin Up Fox & Friends cling set, and I had just read the Critters and Creatures blog so what perfect timing to make a 

quick boy birthday card using the Gina Marie Stitched Background Circle Die Cut.

Even with the gel pen coloring (which didn't show up well in the photo), this design card can be put together in less than 15 minutes.

And what little fellow wouldn't love to receive one?

I encourage you to use your stamps as they are received and certainly send at least one card on to make someone day!  We all love Happy Mail. 

This posting is being submitted to 

Ellibelle's Creations Party 9

Ooh-la-la Birthday Challenge #218

and on my personal selling page Not Just Scraps.

Thank you for stopping by - your comments are welcomed and appreciated.

Serving a Risen Savior ~ Pam