Sharing my favorite projects of 2020

I shared with you the top 9 posts from Instagram yesterday, those were determined by the number of likes they got from you. Today I wanted to share with you some of my favorite projects from 2020. Even with a year as stressful as 2020 was, one thing I did enjoy is more creative time. I was able to contribute to my YouTube channel, offer online classes, and play with products that have been sitting in my studio for a long time. Chris and I were also able to enjoy where we live more, getting out and going on hikes and discovering places we haven’t been to on Cape Cod yet. Not all of 2020 was bad, sharing a bit of that with you here. I will link to the post for each card if you would like to read more about it or see the specific supplies I used for that card or project.

Favorite Lawn Fawn Cards from 2020

It’s no surprise, that I shared A LOT of Lawn Fawn cards this year. I just had to share with you some of my faves!

Sweet Strawberries: This card was inspired by the inspiration board from the Lawn Fawnatics Challenge, and the outcome was so unique and different then most Lawn Fawn cards I create.

Oh Bother: I am a HUGE Winnie the Pooh fan, and when I saw Grace’s Winnie the Pooh card, I knew I needed to try my hand at creating one. It was fun to manipulate the stamps to create each character.

Happy Summer: When the Lawn Fawnatics Challenge has an inspiration photo, I have a lot of fun trying to recreate that photo with Lawn Fawn supplies. This card is a perfect example of that. I made my own shiplap boards and mimicked the “hello summer” sentiment.

Sea You Soon: This card was a lot of fun to put together. Scrapbook & Cards Today asked me to share a Facebook LIVE on their Facebook page, so I demo’d how this card came together. You can watch the replay by heading to the post.

You Got This: I love the bold sentiment on here, and how the scene is integrated into that sentiment.

Thanks for Everything: The colors on this card are unique for me, and I really enjoy the ink blending and gold embossed sentiments.

So Thankful We Are Friends: This card was inspired by a card sketch challenge from Lawn Fawnatics. I was having a lot of fun with the colors on this one, and not using traditional fall colors.

Happy Harvest 3 Ways: Although there is only one card pictured above, this post actually has 3 different cards using Happy Harvest, which is one of my favorite Lawn Fawn sets. Switching colors, and combining them with other images from various Lawn Fawn sets gives 3 unique cards.

Fa La La Mermaids: I love how you can use any stamp sets from Lawn Fawn and create a holiday card combining images from the holiday sets. Of course, I had to do this with Mermaid for You.

Favorite Get Cracking on Christmas Cards from 2020

Get Cracking on Christmas is a series I share all year long, on the third Thursday of every month. It is a fun way to create holiday cards all year long so that you won’t be as stressed come November. I will be continuing this series in 2021 and have some fun things planned around it, so stay tuned.

One of a Kind Snowflake: This big, bold snowflake from Colorado Craft Company is so beautiful. I used Alcohol Inks and the Alcohol Lift Ink for this stunning effect.

Merry Catmas: I know I just recently shared this card, but I had to include it in my faves. I am so touched that Mister Harley was the inspiration for one of the kitties. Hint: there is still time to enter the giveaway on this post 😉

Gone to the Beach: For this card, I pretended that Santa was lounging on a Cape Cod beach in the summer. I absolutely adore the “sandman”!

Beach Christmas: I also love all things VW. Old VW bugs and vans. I had so much fun coloring this image from Stamping Bella, masking it, then ink blending the beautiful rainbow!

Cheery & Bright Beach Holiday: This card combines some Lawn Fawn stamps as well as the Adirondack chairs from my Exclusive Cape Cod stamp set.

Believe in the Magic: I love this funky snowman from Polkadoodles. I also love the background I created with a mix of regular Distress Ink and Distress Oxide.

You can see all of my Get Cracking on Christmas posts for some holiday card inspiration here.

Favorite Slimline Cards from 2020

Slimline cards that measure 3.5″ x 8.5″ are very trendy right now. I do think they will stick around, and I know I have enjoyed creating them. It’s so fun to have more space to create a fun scene and tell a story.

Welcome to Cape Cod: I love where I live, and I loved creating this card to showcase the unique parts of Cape Cod. This post explains the meaning of each image I put on this fun card.

Make a Splash: Purple Onion Designs has such adorable critters, and being able to fit MORE adorable critters in the beach scene was a ton of fun!

Thank You For All You Do: I adore this set, Village Heros, from Lawn Fawn. How perfect to say thank you to all of those who have been working hard this year through the pandemic. I also love this mini release they had because it launched their slimline dies. I love how they combine a whole bunch of elements in one die- making it a really good value and variety.

Hello From Cape Cod: I know, *another* Cape Cod card. But I really love the fun little beach scene that this one is. From deep in the ocean, to up on the sandy beach, so fun!

Favorite YouTube Tutorials from 2020

As I mentioned before one thing I am happy about from 2020 is that I had time to contribute to my YouTube channel again. This is something that has always been on my To-Do list, but I just haven’t found the time. Anyone that thinks it is easy to film a video, edit the video, record a voice-over etc is crazy! HA! I would love it if you would subscribe to my channel, and be sure to leave comments and let me know what you think of my videos. I am still learning! Below I am linking to the videos on YouTube, within video descriptions, there is a link to the specific blog post.

Mixed Media Panel: I love creating 3-d projects, just don’t get around to them very often. What was going to be a card turned into this “wicked” spooky piece of art.

Make your own Glitter Paste: I have a hard time with glitter pastes drying out on me, or not having the specific color I want. I share a solution to both of these problems in this video.

No-Line Watercoloring with Distress Inks: I love love love to watercolor with Distress Inks, and no-line watercoloring is magical. Sharing my process in this video.

Alcohol Ink on black Alcohol Ink cardstock: Creating this background was so much fun I just had to share the process!

Other favorite projects from 2020

Floral Thank Yous: Sharing a variety of floral thank yous using Flora & Fauna stamps and dies

Follow the Rainbows: I just love the unique look each of these cards has with the same supplies. You can even watch the replay of the Facebook LIVE I hosted demoing the techniques.

Ocean Cards: I had a lot of fun playing with Hero Art supplies to create these 3 cards. Each one showcasing different techniques.

Massachusetts Card Set: I know these are very specific to where I live, but I had to include them in my faves. There are 5 cards featuring custom stamp sets from Papercraft Clubhouse and ME 😉

Collect Beautiful Moments: Using one of Simon Says Stamps card kits I created this 3-D item. I love it so much and have it on display in my studio.

3 cards, 1 Stencil: These three cards were created with one main supply, the rose stencil. I love how unique each one is from the other.

Oxide Rainbows: Using one die, and a few Distress Oxide inky panels I was able to quickly create this card set. I love the colors set off from the kraft cardstock.

Helping Small Businesses on Cape Cod: One of my most memorable moments of 2020 is how amazing the fundraiser was that I hosted this summer to raise money for the Cape Cod Resilience Fund. I could have never done it without everyone that helped spread the word, and for everyone, that purchased one of my exclusive stamp sets. I am still smiling ear to ear at the fact that we raised almost $3,000!!! Oh yea, and I love the cards I shared with my stamp set, not to mention the amazing cards everyone else created!

Wicked Snarky: There are a few reasons why I love these cards. I love the bold sentiment, I love the inky background, and I love that I had time to create more Halloween cards!

Happy moments from 2020

In a year where there was a whole lot of crud and not so happy times, I wanted to end this post with some happy moments from 2020.

Top left: When I had to scramble to come up with creative ways to make an income, I was immediately blown away at the support all of you gave me. Purchasing card kits and other items in my shop, helping me destash extra crafty supplies, and signing up for online classes and events. I am so thankful for all of you 🙂

Top center: Ahhhh… back in January before we knew our worlds were going to change. Thankful I got to spend some quality girl time with some of my best friends.

Top right: Also back in January, at Creativation. Thankful to get together with the fawnie crew,  teach a ton of classes, and help out in the booth. Who knows when we will ever have a trade show like this again.

Middle left: ringing in the new year with my Cape Cod crew. Thankful that we were able to have a few shenanigans in 2020. We were able to spend a lot of time at the beach together this summer too which was life-saving 😉

Middle center: These 3 boys always bring me happiness, but this year especially. The snuggles, and the love they give. Watching them and how they play and interact with each other, or if you are Mister Harley how you try hard to never interact with the other two 😉 Just thankful that we have these guys. Many times this year Chris and I commented on how they have really helped us cope this year.

Middle right: On top of the pandemic, another much-needed eye-opening experience was the realization of the major injustice the black community is experiencing in this country. I have spent a lot of time this year educating myself on black history, and learn about the injustices they have been dealt with. One thing that I was proud to be a part of was the “Pass the Brush” movement this summer. So fun to be paired up with my friend Dana, but through this movement I found so many talented black artists to follow, learn from, and be inspired by.

Bottom left: ok, ok, you all know how much I LOVE the beach. There was a time I was nervous I wouldn’t even be able to safely go to our favorite beach. I know this is a “first-world problem” but for me, it really helps my mental health. I am thankful that my state had regulations in place, and that the town I live in limited the number of people allowed on the beach. I could be there with plenty of distance from other people and enjoy beautiful Cape Cod. It really helped me get through this year.

Bottom center: I couldn’t list the things that brought me happiness this year without mentioning Chris. I am thankful that we have each other, and under these circumstances, we haven’t gotten on each other’s nerves (too much 😉 ) We have both been working from home all year, and our house isn’t huge so it has been A LOT of together time, but I am reminded how well we get along. I am thankful Chris is very easy going, it totally offsets my not so easy-going attitude sometimes 😉

Bottom right: Kind of odd, but I am thankful for my studio space. My 12′ x 12′ room has been so many things for me this year. It is my creative space, my shipping and receiving, my photo space, where I face-times friends from, the kitties’ favorite napping spot, and more. Thankful I have this space to be a happy place for me.

With all of this said, I want to mention I am aware of how hard this year has been, and I am not trying to downplay the loss people have experienced. There are some not so great things that I have had to deal with this year, but for this post I wanted to focus on the happy, I hope you understand where I am coming from and know that I am thinking of everyone going through hard times right now.

Thank you! Thank you for visiting my site, for leaving comments here and on social media, thank you for all of your support. It means so very much to me. “See you” in 2021!