52CCT - Embellishment Challenge #20 - Canvas

Hello and happy Saturday!  This week at 52CCT we have an embellishment challenge for you.  We'd like to see you use canvas on your beautiful Christmas cards.  I love the look of stamped images on canvas - it can be classy, whimsical or distressed.  I purchased a package of canvas pieces but I'll be darned if I can find where I hid them from myself!  That is so frustrating!! Do you ever do that?   I wonder what I was thinking when I put them where ever I put them for safe keeping - lol.  Fortunately a friend gave me a small piece to use so here's what I did with it...

I'm not exactly sure what style this card is. It seems that I've mixed a bunch of different styles to make a very individual card style all my own - lol.  I had this great idea in mind (thus the sponging) but the stamp I wanted to use on this strip didn't go on smoothly at all.  So... being very resourceful I flipped it over and started again with a more solid color image but this one didn't work too well either (the canvas is a bit rough) so I ended up coloring it in with my markers. I blobbed in the corner with the marker so then had to draw a frame around the image to cover up my error.  Good gracious - I think I should have stopped while I was ahead!

I didn't have time to make another card (nor can I find my hidden canvas) - and I really wanted to support Sarah (our 52CCT August hostess), so I decided that I would just be brave and share with you.  Maybe you'll see something in this that you like.  I promise to make another card when I find my canvas :o). 

So, I can't wait to see what you create this week using canvas! The rest of the lovely DT at 52CCT  have made some beautiful creations using canvas - please go visit them and check it out!  Thanks so much for stopping by to visit me today.  Til next time... Hugs and happy crafting! D  

ATS&M Challenge #59 - CAS (Nicecrane Designs Sponsor)

Hello again dear friends and followers!  Time for another challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More! (ATS&M) - CAS #59.  Our challenge this week is once again sponsored by the wonderful and generous owner of Nicecrane Designs.  We are continuing our August Challenges with a Twist so that means if you choose to use a Nicecrane Designs image then you can make any style card (or project) you wish (it doesn't have to be CAS).  I chose to stick with CAS and use one of the newest digital images from the set called Reading Children (thanks so  much Ignacio) - take a look:

Isn't she just so sweet? I was immediately drawn to this image because as a girl I always had my nose in a book (still do when I'm not crafting) and my own sweet daughter is the same way (LOVE that!).  One of my favorite books was Little Women, and I loved all the Nancy Drew mysteries.  Now I love the Janet Evanovich series that starts with "One for the Money" (I have ready every one of them so far) and books by Mary Higgins Clark - oh and of course some romance novels when I'm in the mood :o).  Lately though my nose is usually under the People magazine that has fallen on my face (to muffle my snoring) as I've tried to read in bed.

I hope that you will decide to join us this week at ATS&M. Our fabulous DT has created some amazing cards to share with you as well - so please go take a look and leave them a little note (we love to hear from you).

I also decided to make a one-layer card, which I haven't done in a very long time, so I am entering this in The Paper Players Challenge #159 One Layer Card.

As a side note...I will be taking a small break and won't be around much in the blogging world for a couple weeks. I'll tell you more about it all when I return to blogging.  Til next time... hugs and happy crafting! D

Copic colors used are: E17 and E19 (hair), E000, E01 and E02 (skin), BG72 (dress), C1 (pages and sox), C7 (bottom of shoes), and G09 (book). The sentiment is from Close to My Heart.

Lots of Layers for 'ABC' Challenges #41

Hello dear friends and followers - so happy that you've stopped by to visit me today!  Here it is Monday already and time for a new challenge at 'ABC' Challenges.  This week for ABC#41 we want to see Lots of Layers on your beautiful cards.  How do we define "lots of layers"?  The answer is that you need to use at least 5 layers on your card (the base does not count as a layer).    Take a look:

 

I was thinking I would have a hard time with 5 layers. I searched my card magazines and flagged pages that maybe I could CASE.  I think that I've been in such a CAS mode lately (due to being short on energy and crafting time) that this seemed nearly overwhelming to me. So as I was procrastinating by cleaning off my craft desk and organizing (things that really did need to be done) I came upon a copy of a sketch I had saved as a favorite from The Paper Players (Sketch challenge #143) and suddenly inspiration struck  It seems so silly now that I fretted about how I was possibly going to get 5 layers on my card when in the end I managed to use 10 layers - whoot whoot!! Do you see them all?

 For more inspiration and ideas, you should also go visit the other lovely ladies on our DT at ABC Challenges. They have some beautiful "lots of layer" cards to share with you as well.  Now that I've shown you how easy it is to do I hope to see your beautiful layers cards in our gallery this week.  I have a feeling this is going to be a fun week for our challenge as I have seen so many layering experts in my blog browsing of late. Can't wait to see what you do!

Til next time friends...hugs and happy crafting! D

Card details (all Stampin Up unless noted otherwise): Card base - raspberry ripple. Border - gumball green c.s. punched with a Martha Stewart border punch. DSP - Birthday Basics. Banners - summer starfruit, crisp cantelope (NEW), wild wasabi. Sentiment circle - raspberry ripple punched with 2 1/2" circle punch, Thinking of You - single stamp colored with SU markers (gumball green, summer starfruit, crisp cantelope) the sentiment middle was punched out from the original stamped image and layered on the RR circle. Flower stamp from Secret Garden and cut out with coordinating Sizzix framelits dies cut. Middle of flower is a flower from the Boho Blossom punch and an eye from the Two-Step Owl punch. 

52CCT - Theme Challenge #20 - Holly

Hello dear friends and followers - hope you are doing well.  This week at 52 {Christmas}Card Throwdown we have a theme challenge for you to try. We'd like to see your beautiful Christmas cards using holly in some way, shape or fashion. 

 

I had the craziest week at work this past week which didn't leave me with a lot of time or energy for crafting.  Sometimes being a patterned paper-a-holic has its advantages.  This was one of those occasions and I decided to let my designer paper do most of the work for me - take a look:

This is some retired DSP from Stampin Up called Deck the Halls (it was one of my favorites and I still  have quite a bit of it).  The sentiment is from Close to My Heart.  A little distressing around the edges and viola the card was done.  A very quick and somewhat simple card - just what I needed after a chaotic week.  

 

The rest of the lovely ladies on the 52CCT Design Team have prepared some amazing cards to share with you as well.  I hope you will go visit them and decide to join in on the fun this week at 52CCT - Theme Challenge #20 "Holly". 

 

Can hardly keep my eyes open - I seriously just feel sooooo tired, and am having the dickens of a time typing at the moment so I will say "goodnight" for now.  Til next time...hugs and happy crafting! D   



Addicted to Stamps and More! (ATSM #58) - Color Challenge witha Twist

Hello dear friends and followers - so nice of you to visit me today!  I have been so busy at work and summer seems to be slipping right by me.  Spent a wee bit of time in the yard this past weekend gardening (that translates to pulling weeds - hehe).  It was nice to feel the sunshine on my face :o)

So... here it is time for another challenge at ATS&M.  This week we have a color challenge for you to use - take a look:

Our sponsor for the next 3 weeks is Nicecrane Designs who has such amazing images of all themes, elements and styles (pre-colored as well).  The twist to our challenge this week is that if you use a Nicecrane Designs image you can use any color scheme you want (almost like an anything goes with Nicecrane Designs).  Ignacio has provided fabulous prizes for the next three weeks for each of our Winners. Check out the challenge site for more details and a link to the Nicecrane Designs website.   

In honor of Ignacio at Nicecrane Designs I've chosen to use one of his digital images with the colors from our challenge. I really love how this turned out. I hope you will too! 

To allow the image to have the main focus, I decided not to use any embellishments.  Printed the image with black ink and colored in the grey and daffodil delight.  Isn't this sweet?  I remember that wonderful feeling of rocking my babies.  Will really enjoy having grandkids and being able to experience that again (although that better be a bit down the road yet).  

Hope you will decide to join us this week at Addicted to Stamps and More! for our Color Challenge #58 With a Twist.  There is a link to Nicecrane Designs blog and store on the challenge site.  The other lovely ladies on the ATS&M DT have also made some gorgeous creations for your inspiration - click here to visit them and enter our challenge. 

Til next time lovelies...hugs and happy crafting! D

'ABC' Challenges #40 - Stamps, Ink, Paper (no embellishments)

Hello dear friends and followers - happy Monday to each of you.  Hope you are all doing well!  This week the challenge at 'ABC' Challenges #40 is to use only Stamps, Ink and Paper.  The paper can be just cardstock or patterned paper - but we'd like you to avoid using ribbon, brads, charms and other embellishments.  Your card doesn't have to be CAS - it can have lots of layers.

I struggled a bit with this myself as I love to add embellishments of some sort and knowing that I shouldn't this week made it all the more tempting (isn't that how it goes - you want what you shouldn't or can't have sometimes :o) ).  In any event - here's what I came up with for my DT card - hope you like it:

I colored my sentiment stamp with markers to bring in the colors of the polka dotted background.  I bumped up the middle with dimension dots and created the layered sentiment.  The stamped cupcakes (stamped with Versa mark ink) were an after thought as I thought it looked too plain and needed something else. Not absolutely in love with this card - but it could easily be given to a kid, a teen, a man or a woman - so that part I like.  Oh, and I like the polka dots - they feel happy to me :o)

Hope you will decide to play along with us this week at 'ABC' Challenges #40.  The other lovely ladies on the DT have made some beautiful cards to share with you as well - so please go visit them and see.

Thanks for stopping by today - I'm sure glad that you did. Til next time....hugs and  happy crafting friends! D

52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown - Color Challenge #20 (Red and Metallic Gold)

Hello dear friends and followers - so happy that you've stopped by to visit me today.  The second week of every month at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown (52CCT) is a color challenge. This month Sarah is our hostess and she has chosen this gorgeous color combo:

Here's my card to share with you this week using this elegant color scheme:

The ornaments in the photo really inspired me as well as the color.  I used some Dazzles stickers from my stash (I'm been really good lately about trying to use up what I have before buying more) - aren't they lovely? I made the larger ornaments first by placing them on a piece of red cardstock and cutting around them.  I found this to be a bit too tedious, so I just placed the smaller ornaments directly on the card base when I added them (can you image cutting around those little things? Not for me, thank you :o) ).  The scalloped layer was sitting on my desk (its hard for me to toss out those negative images).  I just jazzed it up a bit by running it through a snowflake embossing folder.  I'm a bit bummed that the sentiment didn't show up more. It was stamped with gold embossing ink,  but I didn't emboss it as it was very late and I didn't want to fire up my heat gun and wake everyone up.  So I just used some of that "hot air" of mine and huffed on it til I was out of breath and decided to go to bed and hope that it looked darked in the morning - lol.  In real life it does show up better than in this photo, but still not as dark as I would have liked.  Overall I'm really please with how this turned out - hope you like it too.

The other lovely ladies on the 52CCT DT have made some gorgeous creations to share with you as well. Please go visit them too - you'll be glad that you did :o)

I hope you will decide to play along with us this week.  Til next time...hugs and happy crafting! D

Addicted to Stamps and More! Challenge #57 - "Make Your Mark"

Hello dear friends and followers hope this week is going well for you all!  This week at Addicted to Stamps and More! (ATS&M) Challenge #57 is "Make Your Mark".  We would like to see your "colored" creations using makers, chalks, watercolors, crayons, paints, or watercolor pencils.

We also have a wonderful surprise for you.  We at  ATS&M  are so pleased to offer you a wonderful prize this week which is courtesy of our very own Florence.  Our Design Team wants to express our gratitude for your continued support of our challenge and the awesome inspiration you give each of us each week.  We are offering our #57 Challenge Winner a sheet of digital images by Nicecrane Designs.  You may remember that we did a blog hop a while ago using these great images (which Ignacio so graciously provided to us).  There are many wonderful images with tons of themes for just about every style and taste.

Here is what is up for grabs -

My card today is made using one of my favorite sheets called Flower Children digital stamps (love this set):

A bit of a different style from my usual - some inky distressing, a busy background.  This DP has some great roses on it - but I covered up most of them with my layers. Do you like it? I think I do.

Wish I could chat more but I have a very busy week and have to get going.  For more details on Nicecrane Designs and the wonderful prize we are offering just click here and it will get you to the ATS&M Challenge site.  I hope you will decide to play along with us again this week at ATS&M.  The rest of the DT has made some gorgeous creations to share with and inspire you.  Til next time...hugs and happy crafting! D  

ABC39 "Monochromatic Color"

Hello and Happy Monday!! The start of a new week and a new challenge at 'ABC' Challenges.  This week's challenge (ABC39) is to make a card using 1 color of your choice (white doesn't count as a color for this challenge).  That's right, the DT want to see your beautiful Monochromatic Color cards.

The most challenging part of monochromatic cards for me is to first pick which color I want to create with. Then I have to decide what sorts of elements or embellishments I want to add that stays in that color family. My card for this week was made for my darling niece.  I seriously don't know where the time disappeared to.  It seems like not that long ago she was a tiny preemie princess and now she is no longer a teen - makes me a bit teary really.  She is such a beautiful young lady. I wanted to make a card that reflects her a bit so I chose her favorite color for my monochromatic card.

I used a retired embossing folder from SU for the top layer then cut out a window and then layered a second die within that window for the sentiment.   and popped it up a bit with some dimension  dots.  The flowers were an after thought as I felt that the card was too plain and needed some more. I was pleased to find these blue flowers in my stash - sweet! After I made this I wished I had used flat brads for buttons for the flower middles.  But the first thing she did was touch the shiny brads and say "how pretty" - so I'm glad now that I chose them.

What will you make this week for the 'ABC' Challenges - Monochromatic Color theme?  I love visiting your blogs and seeing your beautiful creations each week.  My other lovely DT friends have also made some beautiful cards to share with you. I hope you will pop on over to ABC Challenges to see what they've done and visit them as well.

Til next time friends...hugs and happy crafting! D

52CCT - Sketch Challenge #20, ABC Christmas Challenge - O is for O'Christmas Tree

Hello everyone! After taking just a wee break I'm happy to be back and making a few cards again. I had the best time visiting my youngest sister in Oregon - it was truly wonderful to see her and my nephew. I wish we lived closer - the 12 hour drive was a bit much for me - but well worth it once we got there.  Anyway.. as I said I'm happy to be back and crafting again too and this month at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown Sarah is our hostess. Sarah has started off  the month of August with this terrific sketch. 

Take a look at my interpretation of this (not too much of a variation from the sketch really) - hope you like it!  

Not too long ago I got myself organized and put all my spare bits and pieces in baggies by color and/or shape.  I remembered seeing these square scallop shapes in of those bags and decided to use them as well as some other extra parts that I had punched out a while ago. Every element of this card (except the base) was pulled from one scrap pile or another (that's why my greens aren't an exact match).  The teeny trees were even originally punched from a sparkly gift envelope that I had received. I love when I get a chance to use up some of those spare parts that I just can't seem to toss in the trash.  Feels so good :o).  My card size is a bit odd - 4 1/2 x 5 1/2 - due to the width of the squares, so I'll just have to use a bigger envelope, or tuck it in with a gift in the package.

The rest of the DT members have created some terrific cards using 52CCT Sketch Challenge #55.  Please pop on over and see what they've done.  I hope you will decide to join us this week. 

I'm also entering this card at ABC Christmas Challenge - O is for O' Christmas Tree.

Well... that's all from me this time. Thanks for stopping by to visit me - I'm sure glad that you did! Til next time... hugs and happy crafting friends. Hugs D