Sunday Sip and Share...Merry Christmas!

Hello there coffee loving friends!  It's Kerry here with a final 2016 Sip and Share post!  It's also Christmas Day!  Merry Christmas to you.  It's also day 2 of Hannukkah and I want to wish all those who are celebrating the festival of lights an amazing day!

While we gather to celebrate and carry on family traditions, one of those traditions is the sharing of gifts. I created this special gift box (with something special inside) to send to someone special.  I incorporated some of this person's very favorite things...To create this box, I used Fun Stampers Journey Treat Boxes. 

I love these little treat boxes (that come in a pack of TEN) and use them often for small crafty gifts.  I stamped a strip of Hazelnut Blend cardstock with the Knitted Houndstooth (retired) background stamp in Black Licorice Ink.  After that, I mounted a piece of Kiwi Slice onto a stamped and colored steamy coffee panel (Le Cafe stamp set).
After creating and mounting the stamped panel and belly band to the box, I added some twine to hold it tie the box closed.  I then focused on the deer.  I stamped the deer from Winter Holiday stamp and die bundle with Oatmeal Cookie ink then rubbed a bit of Brushed Gold Pan Pastel over the ink.  This allowed the slight shimmer/sheen from the gold to adhere to the ink creating a beautiful soft golden image. After that, I die cut the deer and applied some Black Journey Twine and a little Sparkle Drop.    
To finish the box off, I splattered some Gold Silk and Dark Roast Silk to the image and then a few more Sparkle Drops.
I had so much fun creating this quick and fun gift box.  Now, it's off to the mailbox it goes on Monday! Hoping it gets to its destination in short time! :)

Now, my Sip and Share wouldn't be complete without a fun sketch right?  Well, there's only ONE MORE WEEK to participate in this month's sketch challenges (you can use any of our December sketches).  I'll select one lucky participant to receive a yummy coffee loving prize!

When posting to social media, please tag @coffee_crafts as well as #clcsipandshare so we'll be sure to see it!  Then, come back here and add your link to our inlinkz below!  

An InLinkz Link-up

Cocoa Treats...

The Coffee Lovers Blog hop is in FULL SWING!  Are you participating in the hop?  Make sure to check out my creations while you're hopping along.  I hope you find they absolutely delish!  

Today, I'm sharing a Cocoa-Loving project!  Yep!  I've got to since today IS cocoa's day to SHINE!!! 

Hey there cocoa loving friends!  It's I'm back with a yummy Cocoa treat package for you.  Since it's International Cocoa Lovers Day, I thought I'd join in with a little tasty treat!   I paired up the fun Cozy Wishes stamp set and the Planner Sketch stamp set with some Cranberry Bliss cardstock to create a yummy little pouch that contains some Cocoa-Mallow popcorn! The Black Licorice Ink is a trendy companion to the rich red cardstock, don'tcha think?!

I colored the cozy with my Copic markers.  I also added a few swirls of color around the stamped circles too.  It allowed for a bit more dimension and helped finish off that circle pattern.  The Gold disc (from Target), The Black Journey Twine, Jute and little strip of black and white fabric, as well as an itty bitty black button finish this fun package off!

It's pretty simple to make this tasty treat!  All you need is some fresh popped popcorn (I used packaged Orville Redenbacher's Microwave Butter Flavored popcorn), a package of Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate and a few spoonfuls of Kraft Mini Marshmallows.  Mix all this together in a bowl and shake the excess hot chocolate powder off.  You can use the extra to make a cup of creamy hot chocolate afterwards!  Package the popcorn mixture into a zip-top bag and insert into the gusseted tag opening.  I add an extra pack of hot chocolate too because popcorn and hot chocolate are a perfect pair!  

Thanks for stopping by my blog on this Winter Coffee-Loving Hop!  I hope you've been inspired by the many tasty creations that have been shared thus far.  I'll be back again tomorrow with another treat to share...Until then, I'm off to hop, hop, hop away!  

Beary Cute Mug Rug...Winter Coffee Lovers Hop

It's DAY 3 of the Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop and I'm back with my third treat to share...This time, it's not a card.  It's a cute little Mug Rug created especially for...ME!  

Did you know I'm a bear collector?  On top of all the stamps, inks and other crafty things I *collect*, one of the most special collections I have is my collection of stuffed bears.  I love them!  The little bear in this photo is actually my Mom's childhood bear (and christening gown) and because I'm a teddy bear collector, she gave it to me.  It's one of my most treasured possessions.   

I decided to create a little Teddy Bear Mug Rug using an adorable Teddy Bear stamp called Beary Best.  It's such an adorable stamp and It worked well on my fabric design.  Oh, and those cookies, I made them today.  They're actually heading to my classroom for a fun Paint Your Own Cookie event this week.  They're pretty tasty!

So wanna know how I created this adorable quilted mug rug?  Well, first, I colored some cotton fabric (an old sheet) using some Sweet Berry Splash.  I have a collection of jars filled with water and Splashes in my fridge and they come in handy when I want to dye some fabric.  I heat set the color and then stamped the bear onto the fabric.  I heat set the bears too.

After that, I painted a light coating of reinker on the fabric.  In hindsight, I probably wouldn't do that again because the reinker bled a bit.  It was ok since the bear is a bit on the shabby side anyway.
See how the color bled a bit.  It's because of the oil in the reinker.  When I was light-handed on the ink it was ok, but when I added too much ink on my brush, it bled.

I do love how the Splash created a marbleized/tiedyed effect on the fabric!

After finishing my fabric design, it was time to sew it together. For the backing, I selected some fabric remnants that belonged to my grandma.  I also added some cotton batting and sewed it up on my sewing machine.  After it was sewn together, I used a meandering stitch all over the fabric to quilt the layers together.

After finishing the stitch work, I focused on a little girly pleated ruffle on one edge.  My needle broke right when I was done adding the pleats so I had to add a temporary pink bow to finish it off.  

I hope you enjoyed today's Winter Project.  It's such a fun little cookie/hot chocolate mat!  Tomorrow I'll be back to share the Beary Cute card and another tasty treat!  :)  Now back to hopping!  

Kisses and Hugs...Winter Coffee Lovers Hop

Hello there coffee loving friends!  Today is Day 2 of the Winter Coffee Lovers Hop and as promised, I have two new projects to share with you!  As a Super Sponsor for the hop, I'm excited to again be sharing my love for Fun Stampers Journey Products with my coffee-loving friends.  This time, I'm sharing some of our amazing dies, punches and embossing folders (with an itty bitty sentiment set too).  You can find my second project over on my NON FSJ blog HERE.  

To create my card, I first embossed my Whip Cream cardstock using the Petals Wall embossing folder.  I love the texture it provides to understated elegance cards.  I also diecut Kiwi Slice and Lemongrass Cardstock using the Summer Branch die.  Today, it wanted to be Mistletoe (hee hee).  I also punched the little tag out of Oatmeal Cookie cardstock using the Tag This punch and handle. The itty bitty sentiment comes from the ATS stamp set called Tag Elements.  To add a few red berries to the mix, I used my Press Punch and a few Cranberry Bliss scraps.  I mounted the card panel onto Lemongrass Cardstock and then onto a Rich Coral card base.

As a coordinating gift, I added more "Mistletoe", Candy Apple Red ribbon, Black Licorice twine and a little Sparkle Drop to tie off a bag of fresh green coffee beans.  This is a special blend of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Costa Rica Monte Brisas (White Honey) and Brazil Estancia Lecy.  I love roasting my own green coffee beans and I hope the recipient of this special gift will too!

Thanks so much for stopping by and for leaving some love.  I appreciate you visiting and wish you luck in the sponsorship prize draws!  Hope you have a fabulous time hopping along.  See you again tomorrow!  :)

Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop!

Woo Hoo!!!  It's finally here!  The most fun hop in town!  It's time for another fun Coffee Lovers Blog Hop and I'm excited to be joining all of YOU for a fabulous journey around the blog-a-sphere for some yummy coffee-tea-cocoa loving projects!  I'm excited to once again be a SUPER SPONSOR for this hop.  I'll be awarding one lucky participant a fabulous coffee-loving prize:  $25.00 gift certificate to my online FSJ shop. 

I'll be joining the hop each and every day to share some fun projects that feature coffee-tea-cocoa loving projects, so make sure to stop back every day for my treats.  

Today's treat is a little giftie I created.  I'd like to say it's a bit of aromatherapy.  When you feel the need for a caffeinated jolt, just open the bottle and take a whiff...Just don't whiff to strong- you don't want the grounds to go up your nose!  LOL

Yes, I took a trip to a Trader Joe's specifically on the search for yummy coffeelicious treats!  Since it's the holidays, I discovered a few yummy flavored coffees.  Oh this gingerbread coffee is deelish.  It's got a delicious ginger flavor with just the slightest hint of cinnamon and cloves.  It packs a chocolate aroma too-so it's just perfect for a little sniff-sniff.  Adding the coffee to a FSJ Journey Girl Bloom Catcher and chain creates the perfect coordinated gift...all that was left was the itty-bitty card!  

In order to make my gift complete, I created a little card to attach to my gift bag that this gift set will be delivered in.  I stamped and colored (with Copics) the steamy coffee mug from Le Cafe stamp set , added some red/white bakers twine and added a snippet of gold washi tape.  the card was attached to a Kraft card base using some of that yummy bakers twine!

MMM...It smells divine...and tastes good too! :)  Thanks for stopping by and for leaving your sweet comments.  I hope to see you again tomorrow as I share another coffee-loving creation.  Have fun on the hop!  :)

Sunday Sip and Share

Hey there Coffee Loving stampers!  I'm getting excited for the Coffee Lovers Winter hop and decided to post a card today that features a yummy wintery set!  Take a peek:  

A little Boba tea?!  Oh HECK YEAH!  Do you like Boba tea?  I REALLY do!  I especially love my homemade Boba tea.  If you haven't had any, you should give it a try!  

I got a little spritzer-happy with my FSJ Electric Lime Color Splash too.  Don't you just love the yummy green color?  I think it pairs well with the Gold Silk and the Candy Apple Red Ribbon.  it makes a mighty fine holiday splash of color!  :)

To create this design, I stamped the Deco Dots background stamp onto the splattered page using a light touch of Black Licorice Ink.  I added a swirl of Black Journey Twine to the base, then I started stamping!  (FSJ Ink:  Pumpkin Bread, Rich Coral) diecut and applied the gingerbread man and the snowflake icon from the Cookie Exchange stamp/die bundle and then stamped the cup (from the Lemonade Sip SS-0259 set) using Black Licorice ink.  I colored the Boba with Copics making sure to include some yummy black tapioca pearls at the bottom of the glass.  I also added some Journey Glaze to give the glass some shine.

Just look at those yummy pearls!  So chewy and delish!  I created the "Mocha" Boba because, well, it's just delish!  The only thing that's missing is the whipped cream on top!  If you haven't tried homemade Boba tea before, give it a try!  

Now let's move on to the sketch.  I created this sketch to coordinate perfectly with this card.  I hope you find some time to play with it!  Heck, if you want, give this sketch a try and post your card during the winter blog hop.  It'll be quite fun playing "I SPY the CLCSIPANDSHARE sketches during my hopping adventures!  

If you choose to play along, please link your card up to our linky below.  When posting to social media, please make sure to include the hashtag #clcsipandshare so we can find your card easily.  

An InLinkz Link-up

ALERT ALERT!  

Did you know that Fun Stampers Journey has launched a STEAL OF A DEAL promotion for new coaches?  Yes!  The new Designer Kit was created exclusively for the hobby stamper!  You know, the stamper that already has been bitten by the inky bug and has amassed quite an impressive collection of stamps, dies, tools and accoutrements!  Well, this kit was created for the stamper who wants to take advantage of the amazing Coach benefits  FSJ has to offer without worry of sales, sales and more sales.  Yes, this kit is perfect for the hobbyist...Perhaps that's YOU!  Take a look at the new Designer Kit offered now for the low sign-up price of $49.99.  

Not only will you receive the items listed above, you'll also receive 20% discounts on any and all products you purchase in your store.  You'll also receive Coach insider benefits!  If you're in the USA (and its territories), sign up today!  I'd love to have a few new coaches on my team! 

Sunday Sip and Share...With Sympathy

This week's Sunday Sip and Share is a memorable tribute to my college roomate's father who lost his battle with brain cancer just a few weeks ago.  I decided to take a memory walk through the fun memories I will hold in my heart forever.  I tried to capture these memories on this card...Although very personal, I think it's important to share. 

For me, cardmaking is not just a fun inky outlet.  It is a way to embrace the connections made with friends, family and loved ones.  It's a way to explore and understand troubling issues.  It's a way to comfort, calm, support and heal...

That's why I make cards.

For this card, each and every image used has special significance.  The colors, the stamps, the design...
*The Canada Red teacup (with his initials)...
*The Indy 500 Checkered Flags...
*The Hockey Puck...
*The Doodled Garlic Cloves...
*The Honeycomb background...
*The Feather...
*The Crimson and Gold...
*The gray card base...

Each and every one of the images/colors mean something pretty special.

I'm so very sorry that one of my bestest friends.  I'm sorry she had to say farewell to her dad.  I know she is comforted that he is no longer in pain and is now HOME...Until they meet again.

Love you Di.

(FSJ Products used include:  Feather ATS Stamp, Checkered Flag ATS, Honeycomb ATS, Sympathy Sentiment, Black Licorice, Sunshine Yellow Inks, River Stone, Cranberry Bliss, Whip Cream Cardstock, Black Licorice Twine, Foam Squares, Craft Glue)

Sunday Sip and Share...Trick or Treat!

Hello there coffee loving cardmakers!  It's Kerry here with another fun Sunday Sip and Share on the Coffee Loving Cardmakers Blog.  I always look forward to my Sunday posts and enjoy including a few FSJ creations in the mix every few weeks. 

As an elementary school teacher and a child at heart, I'm excited for Halloween tomorrow! How about you?  Are you going to partake in the festivities?  I love the imagination and the creativity that the holiday provides. I'm not too excited for the day after...as most of my kiddos will come back to school wound up on sugar.  OY...Pray for me!  

I'm not into scary and gross- but I do love to see adorable costumes...especially when they are handmade!  SOOO...to celebrate this fun-filled holiday, I decided to doodle up a little coffee mug and add a little stamped costume...Hee hee..Take a peek:  

I wanted to use this adorable Jack O Lanterns stamp and die bundle in this way ever since I saw it in the mini catalog!  I love the little mummy wrapper and imagined it wrapped around a coffee mug so perfectly! I always love to imagine up unexpected creations with my stamps and I'm so happy it turned out the way I "saw" it in my head!  :)  I love the little mummy wrap element and decided that IT would be my focal element...I just needed a mug that would be a perfect fit for the costume. LOL...Since I didn't have a stamp the perfect size, I doodled one with a Micron pen.  After doodling it up, I added a bit of Copic coloring to the wrap and the cup.  Using a few foam squares popped the mummy wrap up a bit and allowed the cute little eyes to peek through.  :)

I stamped the pumpkins on some orange cardstock then colored them with Copics too.  I like to color the images to give them a little more dimension.  After that, I was ready to create my background.

To create the background, I stamped the Deco Dots background stamp onto white cardstock using Black Licorice Ink.  I then splattered some Silks (Orange Rave, Dark Roast, Gold)  on that and immediately applied some Butter Cream acrylic ink on top using my finger.  It spread the splatter and created the most yummy background effect.  I let it dry and then added a bit more splatter to finish it off.  

To complete the card, I mounted the background onto Summer Days cardstock then applied some black thread and the pumpkins in a playful line-up.  I added some dots of Journey Glaze here and there (and on the pumpkin faces) and then it was done!  A perfectly cute little Trick-or-Treat line-up, don't you think?! 

After creating the card, I worked on the sketch...Hope you find some time to play along with it! If you do, please make sure to share it in our inlinks below.  This month there are four sketches for you to try, so I'm sure you can find one that is perfectly suited for your needs.

I think this sketch features the coffee cup quite nicely too!  It's front and center just as it should be!  Have a great day tomorrow and don't eat too much candy!  

An InLinkz Link-up

Be Brave...Part 2

Hey there journey friends!  I'm back again with another card for my BeBrave box!  I'm participating in the card drive above and this week, I used the October Bloom Box set.  I love this set for THIS purpose..It's a perfect fit!  I also incorporated the scripture from the Trust The Lord stamp set.

So to start things off,  I was inspired by the card sketch challenge at Watercolor Wednesday.  Check out Heidi's fun sketch:

I loved the painted pattern in the background and decided to use that as my starting point.  LOVE kraft cardstock so I incorporated that as my stamped panel.

I had fun creating the background using some FSJ acrylic paint.  I applied some Journey Glaze and Sparkle Dust over the paint to give it some bling.  I also added some Sparkle Dust to her fairy wings. If you look closely, you'll see I also added some Star-fetti elements on the fairy panel.  A little flick of Gold and Silver Silk as well as some black and pink thread added whimsy.  

It was a bit tricky to add the sentiment in the way the sketch was designed.  I tried vellum but my sentiment was too wide and it just covered too much of the fairy.  I decided to incorporate the sentiment anyway (I love it so) but modified it a bit to allow for more of the fairy to be seen.

In hindsight, I probably would have used a smaller Circles diecut so that the paint would have shown more...but I have another panel just the same and I'll be trying again.  I loved using my Sweet Berry and Butter Cream acrylic paint.

I used the following Copic colors to color the fairy:

Thanks for stopping by today!  I'll be back soon to share another card I'll be placing in my BeBrave Box.   I hope you consider joining the card drive.  Send a card...or two...or three!  :)

ETA:  WOO HOO!!! I'm a FAVORITE!  Check out the WaterCooler Wednesday post that PICKED ME!  (Click the watercooler below).  Some amazing projects too, right?!  Thanks so much!

Interested in purchasing the Fairy stamp set? It's available this month while supplies last in our Bloom Box club!  Join the club and receive a monthly kit right to your door.  You'll receive a complete red-rubber cling mount stamp set, four kitted card projects with full color instruction guide and a TON of inspiration!  :)  Check out the link on my sidebar or click here Join Today!