Merry Christmas! I almost forgot that I'd uploaded these cards to share with you on Christmas. I made this first card earlier this month with the Shimmerz I won as blog candy (thanks Stacey!). I used the To You & Yours stamp set (SU) and painted on some Sky Blue Shimmerz. It's really easy to use and the results are so pretty (you can double click on the photo to see the shimmery details). The simple, elegant sentiment is from the All Holidays set (SU).
Here's another card made with the To You & Yours set ~
We are so grateful to our family & friends for their faithful prayers & encouragement as we've spent the past 8 days in the NICU and Pediatric ICU. God has answered those prayers and Chloe is getting stronger everyday!! Here she is, 8 days old, celebrating her first Christmas! She's showing off her beautiful hat, made with love by our special friend, Nancy Littrell :)
Experiences like these make you remember what's really important...and it's not the stuff under the tree, that's for sure. It's the love of family & friends and the gift of salvation that baby Jesus brought to this world. We've enjoyed a wonderful Christmas day & I hope you have too. Santa visited the PICU today bringing joy & toys to all the kids...even the youngest little patient...baby Chloe :) ! .jpg)
Peace, Love & Joy to you & yours










Here's a gift card I made with the
Instead of adding Eyelets, I just wrapped the
As I was reading through my tutorial, I thought of one step that might need to be clarified. When you're finishing your gift card (step #8), you'll close the gift card all the way up, then wrap the cord (or ribbon) around the gift card. The eyeletes (or image piece) just anchor it into place. Also, you'll want to pull the stretch cord just a little bit tight, so there's enough tension to hold the gift card closed, but leave enough slack, so it can be opened too. That part is really easy....just a little tricky to explain.
And here's how it looks when partially opened ~
And all the way open, to reveal a special treat...a yummy Starbucks giftcard! Speaking of yummy, OCL is now carrying some specially packaged assortments of Copic Markers. You can check it out right
And my last gift card idea ... create YOUR OWN customized gift card ~
I made a Stampin Up gift certificate, but you could make custom gift cards for any occasion. A "Dinner & Movie" certificate for the hubby. "One free carwash", "Dog wash" or "Babysitting" certificate. A "Mommy & Me Afternoon" certificate for the kids. Lots of possibilities. To make your gift card, just 

I finished up a few more quick cards last night and got them in the mail today. I used Crystal Effects and Chunky Sprinkles on the image and the snowflake, so the card pretty much looks like it just had a little sprinkling of snow :) ! Hey, have you seen the 







I used Graphite Brilliance ink with clear Embossing Powder for all the images and sentiments on today's cards. Embossing only takes a second and the results add a lot to an otherwise simple card. I love how that Graphite Brilliance ink just pops...it's SO black...I love it!The final touches for first 2 cards was just a touch of Crystal Effects with Chunky Sprinkles (glitter) !



