Final Holiday Mini Post 2011

We had a few cards that Nanci did this fall that we did not get around to sharing with you!  Hope you enjoy them!   

You cannot go wrong with the Top Note die!

I love this combination - Natural White, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso card stock with Cherry Cobbler accents!  It's absolutely gorgeous!

Punches add dimension and whimsy to your cards and they are quick and easy!

A vintage Christmas combo!

These cards and matching envelope were part of  a free class we offered with the Simply Scored Scoring Tool!  Have you tried the water color paper from Stampin' Up? 

 We will post pictures from our retreat last weekend soon!  Our guests created a scrapbook layout for each month of the year complete with photos and embellishments!  

It was unseasonably warm last weekend in Michigan.  Nanci spotted some Pansies blooming in the flower bed at the front entrance to Lake View Lodge.  

Yes, pansies in January, in Michigan!  Last Monday we had a snowstorm and this Sunday we have pansies! Even odder  . . . here is a photo of the same flowers with some of the leftover snow!  A little bit of spring in winter!

Holiday Mini 2011 Review

Happy New Year!  Nanci and I were at Lakeview Lodge this weekend preparing for next weekend's retreat - the first of 2012!  Monday morning we woke up to our first real snowfall of the winter season, so I decided to take some pictures of the fresh snow (through the screens on the porch).   

These are some cards we made earlier this fall. 

The door card design is cased from Jennifer Timko.  I love the simplicity of her design!

I love these two cards!  Nanci used the Natural White card stock, Cherry Cobbler embossing powder and Crumb cake Ink.  This color combination is fabulous-the picture just doesn't do it justice!

This card is cased from Sage Kimble's blog.  I changed the design slightly to make it easier and less costly to produce and mail!

The stocking is a gift card holder!

This card is also cased from Jennifer Timko!  The tree panel is Very Vanilla card stock sponged with Always Artichoke ink.  It looks like velvet!  

 

Nanci and I are looking forward to the creative possibilities in 2012.  We hope this season will afford you the opportunity to explore your artistic inspirations as well.  If you are looking for a craft weekend getaway, visit us at Lakeview Lodge!  We are running our Crazy Eight Special - bring your group of eight and the eighth guest is free - a $299 value!  

Pop Up Gift Card Simply Scored with Holly Berry Bouquet Specialty Paper

Isn't this gift card holder cute?  When the holder is opened the gift card inside pops up! It's a quick and easy project with the Simply Scored Scoring Tool and Table Top Cutter.  I selected  two patterns from the Holly Berry Bouquet Specialty Paper to dress it up.  I am completely addicted to this pine cone stamp from Pines and Poinsettias.  Use the Stampin' Write markers to ink the stamp and then highlight the stamped image with Dazzling Diamonds.

Gina K. posted a video tutorial to make this Gift Card holder and I had to give it a try!  My co-worker wanted a few gift card holders, so I decided to try out Gina K.'s tutorial.

I used sticky strip to adhere the belly bands and the scored areas that form the base which holds the gift card.  The area that the gift card stands in is open the entire width, so this design will hold gift cards of varying sizes.  

The Scallop Punches make an attractive embellishment for the belly-band, but I wish I had a Very Vanilla Gel Pen.  As you know Holly Berry Bouquet uses Very Vanilla as an accent color, so I did not want to use my white gel pen to decorate my Real Red scallop.  Does anyone else feel the need for a Very Vanilla Gel Pen or do you have an alternative suggestion for embellishing the Real Red scallop? Leave a comment, if you have a solution to the Very Vanilla/scallop circle dilemma!  Happy Holidays!

Village of Christmas Cuteness Featuring Holly Berry Bouquet DSP

Hello!  Remember us, Craft Haven Retreats?  This year has passed in the blink of an eye for Nanci and I.  We haven't posted since March!  My camera decided to stop working and I did not replace it until Black Friday!  Lake View Lodge kept us pretty busy this spring and summer.  Nanci attended the Stampin' Up! Convention in Utah this past July and I became a demonstrator later that month as well.  

We decided to hold our December Club meeting one week after our November Club, so that two hostesses from our club could take advantage of the additional hostess benefits that Stampin' Up! was offering.   While at Convention, Nanci participated in the Village of Cuteness class and she decided that our club should make a Village of Christmas Cuteness at our December meeting.

Village of  Christmas Cuteness

All our club members were thrilled with the project!  Our villages sparkle with Glimmer Paper, Mica Flakes, and Dazzling Diamonds!

Nanci downloaded this My Digital Studio stamp image from Welcome Christmas and sized it to fit the project!

We love the dimension that the wood sheet layers give this door.  

We will all enjoy our Village of Christmas Cuteness for years to come.  One of our club members suggested that we could add to it each year by adding a church, stores, or additional homes.  We hope this post will inspire you to start your own Village of Christmas Cuteness!  Nanci and I wish you, your family and friends a safe holiday season and a happy new year!

Stamp Club Road Trip!

Nanci and I had planned an overnight special at Lake View Lodge for February 19th.  Several members of Nanci's Stamp Club signed up, so we decided to have the February Club meeting at Lake View Lodge!  We had a blast!  We had planned to make this delicious cupcake card, but we forgot the Create a Cupcake stamp set!   

 

 What do you do when you are 125 miles from your sentiment?  You improvise! 

 

 Terry, the newest member of the Stamp Club, is modeling the re-design  with an extra cherry on her cheek!  We love the Red Glimmer paper--it makes the cherries on the cupcakes sparkle!  The Elegant Lines embossing folder really adds depth and swirl to the cupcake icing!  Nanci and I went to a Stampin' event at Carol Nee's home and she actually had the cutest cupcake stand and cupcakes that looked just like the one's on Nanci's card!  They were delicious too!

From cupcakes, we switched over to Ice Cream Parlor DSP from the sale-a-bration catalog!

The colors of this DSP are fun and fresh.  The Sew Suite stamp set is great!  I wish they had done sentiments to go with them!  Nanci and I want to suggest; Sew nice to meet you, Sew Sweet, Miss you sew much.  The possibilities are endless!  Share your sentiment ideas with us--leave us a comment at the end of this post!

 Puns from the Past stamp set does include--sew glad we're friends--I recently purchased that stamp set just because it had that sentiment in it! :)

 

The Sweet Stiches DSP paper and Pattern Pieces stamp are great too!  We used the coordinating fabric and buttons with a little bit of crochet trim to embellish our card.  Another great card using Sweet Stiches DSP and Designer Fabric! 

 Once we finished our club projects, we jumped right into full throttle crafting mode!  Michelle and Jessice were swapping pictures and the stories behind them!

 Have you ever made a diaper cake for a baby shower?  Becky's turned out so cute!

  Making sure that the stamp is inked thoroughly!

 Terry's very first scrapbook page!

A whole lot of scrapbooking is going on!

 Chris made her first Squash Book and has plans for a second one already!

These ladies are serious crafters!  Almost everyone was crafting until 2:30 AM, but I heard the first person head back to the craft room around 7:30 AM! 

 Jessica took several photos of our group before everyone left Sunday afternoon!  These two are my favorites. 

Which do you prefer the black and white or the color photo?  Please e-mail us at info@crafthavenretreats.com, if you would like to bring your group to Lake View Lodge for a crafting retreat!  We are running a Crazy 8 Special right now.  Bring your group of eight crafters and we will give you an additional $200 off our Spring 2011 Special of $199 per person!  Happy crafting!

Afternoon Delight!

We had a great card class on Wednesday.  Fourteen novice card makers attended our Beginner's Valentine class!  We made the three cards from our post, Be My Valentine on Monday.    Isn't this room perfect for crafting? 

We used Stampin' Up! glue sticks and Dimensionals for our adhesives with great success.  Everyone agreed that the Red Glitter Paper is fantastic!

A little concentration, smiles, and laughter made the afternoon fly by!

This lively group of neighbors were eager to learn about card making!  We had so many great questions!

Applying light even pressure after careful placement of the background layer.



All the participants loved the cards they made!  They stamped the backs of their cards with the Handmade By stamp from the Occaisions Mini catalog.  They also stamped their envelopes with coordinating stamps from the XOXO Stamp set.  We will be returning in April to make Easter/Spring cards!

Punch Art Montage!

Believe it or not . . . Nanci's daughter painted her room Basic Gray with Black, White, and Melon Mambo accents!  So Nanci created this montage of punch art to hang on her wall.  Yes, with the exception of the Melon Mambo button all the decorations were punched or cut with an embosslit die!

Here is a picture of the 12" X 12" page before it was framed!

This project is fast, fun, and fabulous!  Happy crafting!