Holiday Cheer

Happy New Year's Eve everyone!! Today we say good by to 2018 and welcome in 2019. I had an eventful year what with graduating and all. I am looking forward to seeing what 2019 brings.

Todays starts a new year of challenges over at Inky Paws. I was thrilled that Jennifer at Newton's Nook asked me to stay on for the next 6 omths at Inky Paws. The first challenge of the year is a color challenge.

What fun colors huh?!!? I created one of those all over stamping cards using the Newton's Nook's "cup of cocoa". I had such fun coloring in all those beverages!

Of course there had to be some glitter just because God is good and glitter is great! The sentiment from Newton's Nook's "ornamental wishes" was the perfect fit.

Head on over to Inky Paws and join in this fun color challenge. We will chose a RANDOM entry to win a $20.00 Newton's Nook store gift certificate. Our favorite entries from each challenge will be highlighted the following Monday, so all entries have a chance to be featured on the blog.

The deadline to enter today's challenge is Friday January 11, 2019 at MN CST. The winners will be announced on the following Monday at Inky Paws.

Juxtaposition

Only one more week till the big day. I am busy finishing up shopping, cooking, wrapping, and crafting. I did take some time out to create for Inky Paws's  reminder. We are looking for you to use silver and or gold in your creation.

 

Juxtaposition is an act or instance of placing two elements close together or side by side. This is often done in order to compare/contrast the two, to show similarities or differences, etc.  My card enbodiesthe concept. I took the modern trees in Newton's Nook's "Festive Forest" and the old timey feel of "Winter Memories" and put them together.  It works doesn't it? I added the silver snow by using the petite snow stencil from Newton's Nook.

I loved the use of siver and gold, but did try my hand at another color combo.

Head on over to Inky Paws and join in this festive theme challenge. We will chose a RANDOM entry to win a $20.00 Newton's Nook store gift certificate. Our favorite entries from each challenge will be highlighted the following Monday, so all entries have a chance to be featured on the blog.

The deadline to enter today's challenge is Friday December 21, 2018, at MN CST. The winners will be announced on the following Monday at Inky Paws.

Silver and Gold

15 days to go till the big day!! Wow!! Where is the time going? We had an extra week, because Thanksgiving came early, but all of a sudden I feel behind the eight ball. Lucky I have a few days off at the end of the week for card making and shopping.

I love holiday shows and Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer is  on of my favs. Do you remember Burl Ives singing "Silver and Gold"? What a great song!!

The new challenge at Inky Paws. is just that "Silver and Gold". Let Burl inspire you to join in!

 My card is all about silver and gold. I used Newton's Nook new "evergreens stencil". I spread stencil paste over the stencil and while it was wet, I covered the trees with silver and gold glitter. 

The snow was from Newton's "petite snow stencil", that glitterized also. To finish this bright and festive card I die cut the greeting with glittery foam using Newton's "holiday greeting die set".

Head on over to Inky Paws and join in this festive theme challenge. We will chose a RANDOM entry to win a $20.00 Newton's Nook store gift certificate. Our favorite entries from each challenge will be highlighted the following Monday, so all entries have a chance to be featured on the blog.

The deadline to enter today's challenge is Friday December 21, 2018, at MN CST. The winners will be announced on the following Monday at Inky Paws.

Sweet holiday

Hey everyone!! Welcome back! I have a a littleninspiration to remind you that Inky Paws is having a fun sketch challenge and you havetill Friday to play along.

Personally, I really like this week's card. It's a holiday card and that is really where my focus is these days. For my card, I used Newton's Candy Cane and the Holiday foliage stencil from Newton's Nook. This stanpset is special to me, because last year, just like you, I was playing along with the challenges as a participant. I happen to win one week and  Newton's Candy Cane  is the stamp set I recieved.

Head on over to Inky Paws and join in this fun sketch challenge. We will chose a RANDOM entry to win a $20.00 Newton's Nook store gift certificate. Our favorite entries from each challenge will be highlighted the following Monday, so all entries have a chance to be featured on the blog.

The deadline to enter today's challenge is Friday December 7, 2018, at MN CST. The winners will be announced on the following Monday at Inky Paws.

White Christmas

No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher's looks, lectures, and assignments.!!! Yep, school is done!! I graduate this Wednesday with my Master's Woo hoo!!! I have all the time in thworld to stamp and create. Just in time for Christmas!

Today's card is for my annual holiday card swap with my crafting buddies. It is inspired by the challenge at AAA Cards. Their challenge is to create a CAS card that is "mostly white". Well I am down with that, especiall as most of my cards are mainly white.

 

I used a very old Cuttlebug holiday embossing folder, and a just bought Lawn Fawn set called "Winter Village", that I colored with neutral copic colors. I am entering this card in the "anything goes Christmas" challenge at Inkspirational Challenges and the Christmas card challenge at CAS on Friday. 

 

Since this card is for my swap tomorrow, I better wrap up this blog posting to cut and prep the card. Hit the links in this post and check out the challenges and play along.

Winston takes off

Good day everyone! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. I had an awesome holiday, but it is time to move on to the next holiday. before I have one after another holiday card to show you, I figured I sneak in a birthday card that I made for George. His birthday was last Sunday and he is all about bears. I used this awesome sketch from Inky Paws as my inspiration for the card.

For my card I grabbed "Winston takes flight" and colored and die cut Winston. I used the sky border die to create my clouds and layered it all on the frameworks die base. 

 

Head on over to Inky Paws and join in this fun sketch challenge. We will chose a RANDOM entry to win a $20.00 Newton's Nook store gift certificate. Our favorite entries from each challenge will be highlighted the following Monday, so all entries have a chance to be featured on the blog.

The deadline to enter today's challenge is Friday December 7, 2018, at MN CST. The winners will be announced on the following Monday at Inky Paws.

The most wonderful time of the year

 

Thanksgiving is early this year. Does that mean we have an extra week to get ready for the Christmas  holiday? I sure hope so. I am kicking off Thanksgiving week with a Christmas card. Expect to see quite a few holiday cards in the next several weeks.  Why? Because it is the most winderful time of the year to be creative!!

There is still time to play along with us at Inky Paws. We are having a fun and festive color challenge. I went with a brighter green for this week's card.  I used the Festive Forest set from Newton's Nook for my card today. I stamped the trees in red and green and added a bit of glitter to the swirls.

The stars on the trees were clear, but a bit of copiccoloring and I had matching color stars. How soon do you start your holiday cards? I always say I am going to start during the summer, but I really can't get in the mood till Thanksgiving. 

Head on over to Inky Paws and join in this Christmasy color challenge. We will chose a RANDOM entry to win a $20.00 Newton's Nook store gift certificate. Our favorite entries from each challenge will be highlighted the following Monday, so all entries have a chance to be featured on the blog.

The deadline to enter today's challenge is Friday November 23, 2018, at MN CST. The winners will be announced on the following Monday at Inky Paws.

PS- DH loved his birthday card that I posted from last week.

Good Book

Hi everyone!! It is time for another great challenge over at Inky Paws. This weeks challenge is a color challenge. Its is beginingto look a bit like Christmas with the colors this week. Red, white, green and black.

As much as I wanted to dive into my holiday stamps for this challenge, I decided to go in a completely different direction. I pulled out Newton's Book Club for today's inspiration. Both my DH and I are readers. He's all about nonfiction and I am all about fiction. Reading is about escaping for me. There is nothing better than a cold day, and curling up in my favorite chair,  in front of the radiator and reading a good book.

DH's birthday is next Sunday, so this card will be heading to him, with may be a book or two also.

Head on over to Inky Paws and join in this Christmasy color challenge. We will chose a RANDOM entry to win a $20.00 Newton's Nook store gift certificate. Our favorite entries from each challenge will be highlighted the following Monday, so all entries have a chance to be featured on the blog.

The deadline to enter today's challenge is Friday November 23, 2018, at MN CST. The winners will be announced on the following Monday at Inky Paws.

Home for Christmas

Wow!! My creative mojo has been on overdrive. I think it is 4 years of only being able to create on the rare occasion. Today's card is again inspired by the design team call at The Rainbow Card Challenge. Check out the challenge if you are interested in being at the start of something that is really going to be different.

I decided to show Mynn that I am not only a one trick pony, doing only CAS cute and whimsical. I can do artsy when I want to- but with a CAS touch.

Today color scheme is red. I used a bunch of new stuff that I have gotten in the past few months. The snow panel is from the new collection at Ellen Hutson. the rest of the card is from Ellen also. The wee house dies are from the Home&Hearth set by Julie Ebersole that I cut from various papers. the saying and the path from the house are from Over the River. 

You know how you look at card a million times and think it is perfect, but then you come back that millioneth and one tine and realize it it missing something. That is what happened here. I kept looking and tried to figure out what was missing. Guess what it was? The heart on the white house. It tied the whole card together. Often it is those teeny tiny touches that make all the difference.

Go check out The Rainbow Card Challenge.  Throw your hat in the ring.

The Rainbow Challenge

I have spent so much money in the past few months on new Christmas stamps that I figured I better start using them. I have a few sets that I have been playing with, but this set from My Favorite Things has been a go to set. I just love all the cute birds in the set.

I came across a new challenge that will be debuting in January 2019 called The Rainbow Card Challenge.

It is the creative brainchild of my good buddy Mynn from House of Cards. Right now Mynn is hosting a DT call. In order to be considered you have to submit a monochromatic card of your choice. 

To inspire you she posted this Inspiration Board.

I decided to throw my hat in the ring and apply.

I decided to use the inspiration board as my colors.  I can see this card in every shade of the rainbow. It doesn't have to be just blue.

 

So, even though I don't need anymore competition, go check out Myn's new challenge. And if you aren't applying wish me luck!!