Welcome New Followers, a Birthday Tag and a PARTY! Die Cut Dreams Challenge #80

View from my kitchen

Brrrr......baby it's cold outside! Hope everyone is staying warm and cozy today. It was a snowy one here in the Hudson Valley.
Very pretty but not nice if you had to drive in it! I took advantage and worked on a few things that I have been putting off for awhile. Great excuse to sit back and be creative. Did you hear we can also PARTY?? Enfy from Going Buggy is having a party and a challenge for some GREAT CANDY!! So my B-day card tag is going to visit her blog as well! Hey Enfy....you did say Butterflies are "bugs" for this one! Join in the fun!
 I want  to welcome my new followers and thank those from Flaunt it Fridays who visited and left such nice comments on my Hello Kitty card. They didn't even scrutinize me for not following directions ( duh....that was a cupcake Kath not a plane!) and for that I am grateful. Sorry ladies I'm real new at this!(Can't read either obviously!) I was thrilled to see all of the sweet comments !

I have sat on the sidelines for months loving all of the Vintage Tags I have been seeing out there, I just adore them. So I decided to be brave and try one today. Actually I made one a few days ago but it was a bit drab and I wanted to use it as a Birthday card. So..if at first you don't succeed, isn't that what they say? So I tried again and I am happy I did!  The tag was cut from Tags,Bags & More (7 X 3.24) I used Kraft paper for the base and gorgeous papers  from K & Company for the layers. I used water distressing on the edges of the  papers. This is the very first time I used this technique. I love the vintage look it gives the over all appearance of the papers and tag. I used a MS punch for the butterflies and heat embossed them 3 times with clear embossing powder.  The pink was sprinkled with MS glitter. The key and heart charms were out of my stash. I do not know the brand however they were bought at Michaels on the clearance isle of course! The stick pin is one of the very first I made. Again the sentiment was from a set of stamps I purchased at Michaels but it had been out of it's packaging for sometime..long before I began blogging so I have no idea of the manufacturer. That is one of my favorite sentiments!
The lace border is Wrights brand "Pearls on Beading". Pretty isn't it? I coated the entire card, front and back with Modge Podge to give it some substance. As you can see in the picture I was impatient and took the picture before it was thoroughly dried. Patience is not one of my strong points!
I used my Helmar Tape Runner on this project and I have to tell you that I was really impressed. It glides easily across the paper and I was able to manipulate it around the scallops without a problem. I had no issues with the adhesive balling up as I have with other runners. I really love it! I can't find it in the stores yet but you can find it online. Follow the link for a list of retailers. 
So there you have it. Sure hope the recipient likes it! Lots of TLC went into this one!
Stay warm dear friends!
I getting braver peeps. I've entered this tag in yet another challenge-Die Cut Dreams . Check 'em out!
Happy Crafting!
Kathie

Countdown to Santa's Big Day!

Gift Baskets

Just 4 more days till Santa comes down our chimneys and our lives return to normal, if indeed there is such a thing as "normal"! The days have just flown by. I'm not even sure I remember this month. Dementia or busy...Hummm? The glass etching is finished as of early this morning. I have a few more ornaments to put finishing touches on, few more ribbons to tie and many tags to make and then Santa's mission is complete for another year

Oh oh....forgot the wrapping I have to start! Yes...I said start, not finish! On the bright side I completed my first "fancy" tag and am really pleased with it! The exciting part is I used my early Christmas gift to do it-my GYPSY! I couldn't believe how easy it was. I hate to admit this but I was just a little bit intimidated by it so I made a decision to use it after the Christmas rush.
That quickly changed today when I realized I wanted to use Tags, Bags, Boxes and have it only on the Gypsy..so much for that idea! I was amazed how easy it was and found myself making tags in record time. I think I'm going to love my Gypsy!
Welcome to  all my new followers. I can't tell you how excited I get every time I find a new face on my list! I foresee some Blog Candy happening next month- details to follow!
Later friends! Don't forget to take some time to enjoy your loved ones and feel the real spirit of Christmas!