Anything Goes!!

Been making a few last minute cards, and thought I would join in a few holidays/Anything Goes challenges.

Sizzix jingle bell die cut, The Paper Studio papers, All Night Media sentiment.

Sharing with:
Tuesday Morning Sketches
Christmas Crafts All Year 'Round
The Card Concept (Clean and Layered)

Reindeer Fun

Shopping Our Stash has a 'Tis the Season challenge, and The Color Throwdown has this inspiration image:

My interpretation:

SU! Papers, Hero Arts sentiment, Mama Elephant reindeer.  I love this one!!!

Come join us at Words 2 Craft By for our Angels challenge through January 2!

Happy Birthday!

Congratulation to The Male Room on their 100th challenge!!  Let's Celebrate!

Mirror paper embossed with Diamond Plate folder, sentiment die cut with a Sizzix die.  Pop on over to Words 2 Craft By for our Angels challenge!

W2CB Angels at Christmas

This round our Words 2 Craft By:

I'm an angel at Christmas time, but the rest of the year I'm the real me.  

Benjamin, age 11

There are all kinds on angels - all your 'round.  Most are disguised as helping hands.

I love this old SU! Fashion Statements set for thank you notes.  Come play along with us at Words 2 Craft By through January 2.  Have a wonderful holiday season, and thank you for being part of the Words 2 Craft By family!!

Santa Baby (Revisited!)

A few days ago, I posted a Santa card for the Cards in Envy Santa Baby challenge.  I wasn't completely satisfied with the original, so I made another.

Much better.  The layout and patterned paper set off Santa much better, and I like the texture of the grosgrain ribbon.  Santa cut from the Doodlecharms Cricut cartridge, beard embossed with Divine Swirls folder, black crystals for his eyes.

Blue Christmas

While I never liked the song, I love blue and silver for the holidays.  Try Stampin' On Tuesday has a sketch challenge this week:

Here is my version:

The patterned paper is a beautiful silver and blue that matches the metallic base.  The nativity is die cut with the same metallic paper, and layered on glitter paper. 

Washi Washi Washi

Shopping Our Stash has the challenge Washi Washi Washi.  Anyone else thinking Brady Bunch?!? 

I am a bit of a washi tape hoarder buyer.  This white and silver set by Recollections is my most recent purchase.  Love the contrast with the red paper and ink!!

Festive or Melancholy?

The Color Throwdown has a beautiful (I think) combo this week:

My version:

I love these light and dark silver metallic papers, topped with a silver mirrored tree and star.  The snow is a pretty glitter paper, Recollections sentiment stamped in Staz-On ink.  I bought the tree die secondhand, not sure of the designer.   I think it is festive.  My husband says it is melancholy.  What do you think?

Santa Baby

Love that song.  Love the prompt from Cards in Envy!

Santa cut with my Cricut and embossed with Divine Swirls.  I added Flower Soft to his hat brim and pompom.  Recollections sentiment layered on SU! paper.  

Shake It Up

The Paper Girls Challenge #164 it to Shake It Up.  

Pink parchment paper die cut with a Sizzix heart, tiny punched hearts, vellum window.  I layered the "love" three times using a Lawn Fawn die.  I really like this pink and grey combination for a love card!

Bright Shiny Objects

The House of Cards challenge:

These colors scream elegant Christmas!

I cut this quilt square die with shiny silver, shiny gold, matte silver, and gold flocked pearl papers.  YUM!!  The sentiment is heat embossed in fine gold powder.  This die is kind of like potato chips, can't eat just one, can't cut just one.  I made 8 more of these in various colors...  I think I have a problem!!!

Non-Traditional Holiday Colors

I love the color combo this week from The Color Throwdown:

I started by using Distress Oxides to ink the background.  I spritzed it with water, and pounced on some white to add some "snow".  The birch trees and cardinals were die cut.  I added the ribbon for a little more texture, and layered the Kaiser sentiment under the red frame.  I like this layout, but I think I will make another with a narrower frame.

In the meadow we can build a snowman...

The Paper Girls' challenge is to build a snowman.  I used a layering stamp from Stamplistic, and made these ornaments.  They will be mounted onto easel cards with temporary adhesive.  Sometimes I want to give someone more than a card, but not start exchanging gifts. 

I love all of the bling.  I brushed the "snow" with Wink of Stella to give it a bit of shine.  Be sure to join us at Words 2 Craft By for our Blessings challenge!

Twofer Wreaths

The Twofer Card Challenge this round is "wreath".  

I used the Ellen Hutson Laurel Wreath die on both cards, cutting it twice for the "joy" card.  Really hard to get the dark and the bright card in the same photo/light.  The wood grain paper is American Crafts and sentiment is Recollections, the plaid and "joy" are Lawn Fawn. 

You've got a friend in me....

The Tuesday Morning Sketch this week:

Here is my version:

Love this color combo!!!  Also haring this with Shopping Our Stash "It's Raining Cats and Dogs".

Fire or Rain

Cards in Envy has a Fire or Rain challenge.

Core'dinations paper embossed with Tall Trees folder.  Fire cut with a Cricut cartridge, sentiment trimmed from Technique Tuesday. 

Golden Deer

I love fall, the leaves, smells, pumpkins.  I just don't love knowing that the cold weather is on the way :(.

The Paper Craft Crew Challenge has an image inspiration:

I paired the Darice Deer in Forest and Inka Gold Brown and came up with this:

Love the contrast between the kraft and the gold.  I made the sentiment from Just Rite letters. 

Blue (and White) Christmas

I am a paper hoarder.  There, I said it out loud.  What if I used it all?  Then what would I do?!?  I really do think this was, but I am trying to change.  I included some resin pieces as the embellishments, and highlighted the critters with some Wink of Stella, since the Believe was sparkly.  Here are some of my Winter Wonder and pearl papers, sacrificed for a couple of great challenges:

First up, Try Stampin' on Tuesday sketch challenge (with die cut option):

And the Jingle Belles Critter challenge.  Thanks to the Belles, I think I have most of my cards made for this Christmas!!

Fun Fall Plaid

I got some fun leaf dies this week, and couldn't wait to try one out!

Lawn Fawn (amazing) plaid paper and sentiment die cut.  I inlaid the leaf with gold and orange.  Love the color combo from The Color Throwdown, even if I don't have the cute animals in my version:

Love You!

Been making a lot of cards for Cards for Soldiers.  Haven't been playing along with many challenges lately, but thought I would play along with a few. 

Love the hearts die, but there sure are a lot of tiny piece!

Playing along with Try Stamping on Tuesday:

And the Shopping Our Stash Not Your Average Card Challenge (make a shaped card). 

W2CB Mid-Challenge Reminder

Quick reminder of the Words 2 Craft By challenge - October Eves:

Listen!

The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves, 

We have had our summer evenings,

now for October eves.  Humbert Wolfe

Love how the deep purple contrasts with the gold layer and embossing!

Ah Crap...

The Male Room has a really fun challenge - My Bad/Sorry.  I had to use this fun Unity stamp set:

I used an old Operation Write Home sketch, fussy cut the toilet, and layered up.  Come play along with us at Words 2 Craft By for our October Eves challenge!!

Words 2 Craft By #58 - October Eves

The Words 2 Craft By prompt this month is:

Listen!

The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves,

We have had our summer evenings,

now for October eves.  Humbert Wolfe

I inked up an old dictionary page, and punched out the leaves.  I added a plaid stamp in off white ink and done!!  Show off your October Eves by November 7 by linking up HERE.

Tuesday Morning Sketches

I'm on a roll!!  Four posts in 3 days!  Their sketch:

My version:

The card is black and cream with red accents.  Love this layout, will be making more like this with a sympathy sentiment.  I bought the stamp set used - anyone know the name or creator?

Sketch Challenge

I played with some fun media today:

The sentiment was heat embossed with JudiKins Lapis Lazul powder.  I used glitter paste embossing medium to a sunburst stencil, then die cut the circle.  The grass was also die cut.  The fancy border is an old Martha Stewart punch. 

Sharing with: 
The Paper Girls Mixed Media challenge and The Paper Craft Crew sketch challenge:

Boo!!

With my embarrassingly large craft hoard, I was shocked to learn that I don't have a pumpkin die or punch!  Sign.  I had to make do with what I have on hand. 

I found the purple letter and ghost background paper in a box of goodies gifted to me.  The pumpkins were cut with oval dies, embossed with a Sizzix texture plate, and inked with Tangerine ink.  The stems and leaves were hand cut. Sharing this with the Cards In Envy Spooky challenge. 

Congratulations Kangaroo

Try Stamping on Tuesday has a sketch challenge this week:

Here is my version:

Kangaroo from SU! Animal Outing, not sure about the sentiment.  Anyone?  Paper from an older Studio Calico pad.  I have an embarrassing amount of 6x6 paper pads.  I am trying to be better about using rather than hoarding...  Check back on October 10 for the new Words 2 Craft By challenge!

Leaves!

I love fall.  The crisp air, the pretty colors, the smell of bonfires in the air.  Hard for me to imagine, when it's is 90+ degrees and very humid in Ohio today!!

I used a Spellbinders die in positive and negative ways.  The stamped background is Winnie & Walter and the plaid paper is Lawn Fawn.  Not sure which one I like better!!

Sharing this with:

I used the positive and negative of the leaf die.  

Come play along with us at Words 2 Craft By, where our prompt comes from F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.

W2CB #57 - Crispy Fall

Here in the Midwest, there's almost always a crispness in the air when the calendar turns to September. To commemorate the change in seasons, the Words 2 Craft By quote come to us from F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.

I love making fall cards, my favorite color pallet is derived from fall colors.  I love the deep reds, purples, golds, and oranges I see on the trees around me.  

I started with paper colored with  alcohol ink and gold mixative:

I cut the leaves with old Marvy metal punches, and curled the leaves around a pencil.  Added a fun die cut background and an old SU! sentiment and done!!  Come play along with us at Words 2 Craft By and show us your crispy fall creation!!!

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Black & Yellow

Cards in Envy has a black and yellow color challenge.  Those colors make me think of bumble bees, but I wanted to go in a different direction. 

If you follow this blog, you already know that i give away mot of my cards.  Some to friends and family, but most of them are donated to Cards for Soldiers (you can find them on Facebook).  I try to make cards that can serve multiple purposes.  These, for example, can be used for a birthday, get well, good luck, etc.  Stampin' Up Dandelion Wishes, Oxide Inks.