Top 10 Layouts and Projects of 2010

Happy New Year's Eve everyone!!!!! What a year 2010 was. It was a year full of dreams, hopes and difficulties. Step by step and day by day we made it through. God provided what we needed and miracle of miracles, my job was increased to full time!!!!! What a blessing that was!!!! It will take a while to bounce back from all the pay cuts of the past two years, but the light at the end of the tunnel is much brighter today than yesterday!!! My sweet husband and I have a love that has grown beyond measure through the difficulties and for that I am ever grateful!!! We have new hopes and dreams for 2011 and the year looks very bright!!!! I will share more with you about that tomorrow!!!! In the meantime, here are my favorite layouts and projects from 2010:

Misting became my favorite technique of the year!!!! I loved making my own mist using Tim Holtz Distress Reinkers!!! Way fun!!!! I just love this layout of me and my sweetie!!!

Tim Holtz Distress Inks continue to be a favorite and I incorporated my PTI background stamps on this one!!!! One of my favorites of the year!!!!

Making my own embellishments was another highlight of the year!!! These roses were a favorite for sure!!!!

My son doesn't like a lot of fluff on his layouts and it is always so hard for me not to use flowers and bling on my work!!! I was so proud of myself when I finished this layout!!! Not a flower to be found!!!!

This is one of my all-time favorites of the year. Our kids have a special relationship and I made this especially for them!!

My daughter has some very special friends and this layout was a celebration of those relationships!!!!

I loved working on Benny's senior board!!! I am so proud of him!!!!!

This little triptych celebrates the relationship our kids have!!!! Another one of those projects where I made my own embellishments!!!!

One of my favorite little projects for Little Red Scrapbook. Way fun!!!!

A little Easter project that I had a blast making!!!!! Way fun!!!

This little project was made for a Papertrey Ink Blog Hop. We were supposed to make a project with a paper bag and this is what I came up with!!!! One of my most creative moments of the year!!! I love PTI!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by my blog in 2010!!!! I look so forward to what 2011 has in store!!!!!

See you in the New Year!!!!

Kristii

Top 10 Cards of 2010

Hi there dear friends!!!! I hope you are having a wonderful Holiday week!!! I am totally enjoying the time off and having my kids home is just the icing on the cake!!!! We have gone hiking, shopping, dining, and we even threw in a surprise birthday party for my sweet daughter Bethany!!!! What a blast!!! If you are my friends on my Facebook, you can see the pictures from our amazing Grotto Falls hike and also pictures of Bethany's Surprise Party!!!

I wanted to share with you today my favorite cards from 2o10!!! I really feel like I found my niche in card making and I am totally going to run with it in 2011!!! Stay tuned on January 1, as a I will have very exciting news to share with you!!!!!! Until then, here are my favorite cards from 2010:

1. This is my favorite of the year!!!!! Papertrey Ink totally changed the way I create forever!!!! I'm hooked!!!!!

2. This one was a close second!!! I just love my Copic Markers!!!!

3. The Chickadee Stamp from Red Lead Paperworks was one of my favorites of the year!!!!

4. I just loved The Girl's Paperie Tinsel and Twig papers. I can't wait to see what Margie has in store for CHA!!!!!

5. This little set will be a favorite for gift giving all year long!!! I have plans for selling these in my Etsy Store the first of the year!!!!!

6. Did I mention how much I love PTI???? The leaves will be a fall favorite forever!!!!

7. These colors just tickle my heart!!!! You know how much I love pink!!!

8. The colors of this card make me swoon too!!!! I just love the beautiful blue seam binding I created with Tim Holtz Distress Reinkers.

9. This card was made in memory of my mom!!! The Girl's Paperie and Crafty Secrets are a perfect combination!!!!

10. I had a ton of fun with the Farm Fresh line from October afternoon!!! Such a fun line!!!

There you have it! My top 10 favorite cards of 2010. I did have a couple of cards that were picked up for publication that I couldn't post in this thread, but you will see them again when the publication comes out!!!

Thanks for taking time to stop by my blog!!!! I look forward to seeing you here again and at my Etsy store in 2011!!!!

Happy New Years!!!!

Kristii

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!!!

May love, peace and joy be yours today and in the New Year to come!!!!

I am thankful for each and every one of you!!!

Kristii

Little Red Scrapbook Sneaks!!

Hi my dear friends!!! I hope this Monday finds you healthy and happy and celebrating the Season!! Today started off a little rough, but I am feeling a bit better this afternoon! Over the weekend I finished up my Little Red Scrapbook designs and I have a few sneaks to show you!!

I totally loved the addition of glitter in this kit!! Nothing like a little glitter to jazz things up!

I used my Copic Markers to add some color to my alphas and a little PTI die for the coffee cup!

Of course I had to use a little Tim Holtz Barn Door Mist!!

I also love the Prima Vines and the jewel buttons!! Such a fun kit to play with!!!

Thanks for stopping by for this month's peeks!!!!

I hope you have a wonderful day!!!

Kristii

Day 12

Hi again dear friends!!!!! It is the 12th and final day of the 12 days of Christmas!!!! 12 posts in 12 days!!! I do believe that is a record for me!!!! I have enjoyed it so much and I hope you have too!!!

Today I am going to post one last blast from the past. I had full intentions of posting a new Christmas Banner that I am working on, but time being a factor, I will have to post it some time next week.

Vintage Ornament Card

Supplies Used:

PTI Cardstock: Rustic White

Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses Patterned Paper

PTI Stamps: Vintage Ornaments and Communique Curves

McGill Greenery Punch

PTI Buttons and Twine

Red Check Ribbon from Joanns

Fruit Punch Stickles

Sizzix Snowflake Embossing Folder

PTI Pure Poppy Ink

Tim Holtz Distress Ink by Ranger: Brushed Corduroy

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

I embossed the upper front of the card with the Sizzix Snowflake embossing folder. You can't see it very well on the front of the card in the picture, but you can see it a little better on the inside of the card. I usually like to decorate the inside of my cards, so I added the greenery and button embellishments to the inside of the card.

Thanks for joining me on this 12 days of Christmas journey. I have several more Christmas projects planned, so stay tuned over the next several days!!!! I look forward to seeing you here once again!!!

May the Reason for the Season bring you joy during this Holiday Season!!!

Kristii

Day 11

Happy 11th day of Christmas!!!! I have a fun project for you today!!!! I follow Ellen Hutson's Blog and she posted a wonderful project that I knew I just had to make for myself!!!! I decided to use The Girl's Paperie Tinsel and Twig papers and some of Tim Holtz techniques and I also wanted to throw in some Papertrey Ink goodies and this is what I came up with!

Vintage Family Christmas

Supplies Used:

7 Gypsies Shadowbox Tray

The Girl's Paperie Tinsel and Twig Patterned Paper

Bazzill Cardstock

PTI Rustic White Cardstock

Tim Holtz Grunge Paper

Tim Holt Grungeboard Alphabet

Tim Holtz Ideology

Tim Holtz Stamps: Tree, Grand Tree, Postcard, December Calendar

Tim Holtz Dies: Paper Rosette, Reindeer Flight, and Tattered Florals

Tim Holtz Inks: Barn Door and Brushed Corduroy

Papertrey Ink Stamps: Vintage Ornaments and 2010 Holiday Tags

PTI Ink: Pure Poppy

PTI Buttons and Twine

K and Company Chipbox

Graphic 45 Christmas Past Tags

Webster's Pages Green Bloomers

Read Lead Paperworks Stamps Vintage Worn Dot

Crate Paper Chipboard Frame

Martha Stewart Glitter

Making Memories Paint Manila

Jenni Bowlin Peal Flowers

Copic Marker: Y32 Cashmere

Red Lead Paperworks Bells

I used Tim Holtz Paper Rosette Die to make the accordian medallions. I painted the alphas with Manila paint and coated them with Glitter.
I found an old box of K and Company Vintage Chipboard pieced and they went perfectly with this project!
I cut out 6 red Tattered Florals and 3 green Tattered Florals. I stamped the red flowers with the Vintage Dot stamp inked in Pure Poppy Ink and inked all the edges with Brushed Corduroy. I I layered 2 red florals and 1 green floral per flower. I added a Jenni Bowlin Pearl Flower that I colored with a Cashmere Copic Marker.
I put together a fun little Tim Holtz Ideology Chain and I covered a Graphic 45 Tag with Tim Holtz Fragment by spreading some Glossy Accents on the tag.

I cut out the Reindeer and I inked and embellished them with some PTI Twine and some Bells I found at Read Lead Paperworks. I added some Webster's Pages Bloomers and some rusty snowflakes from my stash.

This was such a fun project and I thank Ellen Hutson for the inspiration!!!

Thanks for stopping by and I will see you tomorrow for the final day of the 12 days of Christmas!!!

Kristii

Day 10

Hi there dear friends!!! It's hard to believe that we are only 15 days away from Christmas!!!! My hubby and I are going to go out tonight and do a little shopping tonight, so I thought I would bring back one last blast from the past!!

Use Your Scraps

Like me, I imagine that you have lots of Christmasy patterned paper laying around your scraproom that you just can't bear to throw away...well I have great news for you!! I have an easy card pattern that will use up those scraps and it will make a great Thank You card as well!! I used some Merry Mint papers from American Crafts that I had laying on my scrap table and they were perfect for this project!!!

This card starts with a standard 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" base. Add a 2 x 5 1/2" strip over the fold and you have the start of a cute little card. Stamp some cute images on your base and add some embellies and you have the perfect Thank You Card for after the holidays!!!

I stamped some basic snowflakes from the PTI Holiday Tree Set and a PTI Signature Greetings sentiment on the Kraft Card Base.

I stamped the sentiment on some scrap paper and I cut it out to use as a mask. I adhered the mask to the card base with removable adhesive.

I stamped the tree images over the masked sentiment with Versamark ink and some transparent, glittered embossing powder and used the heat gun to set it.

Then I peeled off the mask and added all the embellishments and it looks like it took you hours to make a special thank you note for your friends and loved ones!! Only you will be all the wiser!!

Supplies Used:

Cardstock: PTI Kraft and Rustic White

Patterned Paper: American Crafts

Stamps: Tim Holtz Trees; PTI Holiday Tree and Signature Greetings

Versamark Ink

Embossing Powder: Stampendous Stardust Transparent Embossing Powder

Memento Ink: Tuxedo Black

Tim Holtz Distress Ink Brushed Corduroy

PTI Button and Button Twine

Martha Stewart Punch

Kaiser Craft Pearls

Thanks for stopping by!!!

See you tomorrow for day 11 of the 12 days of Christmas!!!!

Have a wonderful evening!!

Kristii

Day 9!!!

Oh my goodness!!!! I can't believe that it's already Day 9 of the 12 Days of Christmas!!!!!! This has been so much fun and I want to thank all of you who have stopped by each day to see my new creation!!!! I appreciate each and every one of you!!!!!!

Today I have a fun little project for you!!! This would be a perfect gift for anyone on your gift-giving list!!!!

Friendship Soup Mix in a Jar

I used an old spaghetti sauce jar to store the soup mix in. It was a little big, but the jar topper helped hide that fact. PTI's Frienship Jar and Friendship Jar Holiday Fillers stamps were perfect for this gift!!!!

Supplies used:

Patterned Paper: The Girl's Paperie by Margie Tinsel and Twig

PTI Rustic White and Kraft Cardstock

Bazzill Red Cardstock

PTI Stamps: Friendship Jar and Friendship Jar Holiday Fillers

PTI Ribbon and Button Twine

Memento Ink: Tuxedo Black

PTI Buttons: Vintage Cream

Tim Holtz Distress Ink Barn Door

Muslin and Lace from Joann's Fabrics

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dry split peas
• 1/3 cup beef bouillon granules
• 1/4 cup pearl barley
• 1/2 cup dry lentils
• 1/4 cup dried onion flakes
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup uncooked alphabet pasta

Directions

1. In a 1 1/2 pint jar, layer the split peas, bouillon, barley, lentils, onion flakes, Italian seasoning, rice, and bay leaves. Wrap the pasta in plastic wrap, and place in the jar. Seal tightly.
2. Attach a label to the jar with the following instructions: Friendship Soup ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS: 1 pound ground beef, black pepper to taste, garlic powder to taste, 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes - undrained, 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste, and 3 quarts water. TO PREPARE SOUP: Remove pasta from top of jar, and set aside. In a large pot over medium heat, brown beef with pepper and garlic; drain excess fat. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and soup mix. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir in the pasta, cover, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pasta, peas, lentils and barley are tender.

My family just loves this recipe and it's healthy for you too!!!!

Thanks for Stopping by and I wish you a wonderful Friday!!!!!

Kristii

Happy mail!!!!

Hi dear friends!!!!! I just have to say that I am so lucky to have made so many wonderful friends through papercrafting!!!! I want to share with you some happy mail that I received this week!!!! I participated in a holiday swap through Papertrey Ink and my Swap Sister, Lori, was so very kind and generous!!!!! Here is a look at the complete package she sent to me!!!And a close-up of all the goodies!!! Look at the bling!!!!!! I just love me some bling!!!!!!
As you can see, she spoiled me rotten!!!!! Look at these beautiful hand-made creations!!!!! The colors are my favorite and the snowflakes are sooooo pretty!!!
Look at all these PTI goodies!!!!! I'm going to be in heaven!!!! The Year of Flowers: Morning Glory Set is one I have wanted for quite some time, but haven't been able to purchase!!!! The ribbon and the buttons are my favorite color and she even stuck in a Library Card Die!!!!!
Lori, thank you soooooo much!!!! I am going to have tons of fun with all these goodies!!!!!!

You rock!!!!

Kristii

Day 8

Hi there dear friends!!! It's hard to believe we are already in day 8 of the 12 days of Christmas!!! The days are just flying by!!!! I have to apologize before I start! I had another project planned to post today, but the day just didn't work out as I had planned. So, I am pulling out another one of my favorite projects to share with you!!!

Christmas Through the Years Album

Last Christmas I put together a little Christmas album celebrating Christmas through the years. It is so much fun to see how the kids have grown over the years and how our family has changed!!! The Maya Road Christmas Tree Album makes it fun and very easy to do!!!

Supplies Used:

Maya Road Christmas Tree Album

Patterned Paper: October Afternoon and Basic Grey

Stickers: October Afternoon and Basic Grey

Claudine Hellmuth Paints

Martha Stewart Glitter

Basic Grey Buttons

Ribbon and Tulle from my stash

Thank you so very much for stopping by!!!!! I hope you have a wonderful evening!!! I am off to a concert at Montana State University. I am looking forward to getting into the Christmas Spirit!!!

Kristii

Day 7

Hi there dear sweet friends!!!! I hope this post finds you relaxing in the easy chair enjoying your evening!!! I have been busy at work on another project for the 12 days of Christmas Challenge. Today's project is a gift of thanks. Everyone needs thank you cards this time of the year, so why not make up a little set for a special friend?

Gift of Thanks Card Set

I love to make sets of cards that use the same idea and use different colors to make them all unique! It takes no time at all to make a set once you have the basic idea!!!

Supplies Used:

All items are PTI unless otherwise noted:

Cardstock: Rustic Cream, Lemon Tart, Sweet Blush, Aqua Mist

Cardstock: Bazzill Red

Larger than Life Stamps and Dies

Signature Greetings Stamp

Banner Borders Die

Yellow Plaid Ribbon: Joann's Fabrics

Ribbon: Lemon Tart, Sweet Blush, Aqua Mist

Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Crushed Olive, Barn Red, Brushed Corduroy

PTI Inks: Aqua Mist, Sweet Blush

Colorbox Classic Pigments Cateye

Patterned Paper: The Girls Paperie by Margie Tinsel and Twig

PTI Button in Sweet Blush

PTI Button Twine

The dots were stamped with an eraser using one of the Banner Borders as a template

Here's a close-up of each of the cards:

The cards all measure 4 3/4" x 4 1/4".

For gift giving, I tied them with PTI Button Twine and added a button embellishment.

I changed the base colors of each card, but used the same green on each design.I want to thank you for stopping by my blog and I hope that you have been inspired!!!

Hope you have a wonderful evening!!!

See you tomorrow for day 8!!!

Kristii