Sunday, December 28, 2014

MIA, but now I am back!


Wow.... it has been quite awhile since I last posted.The main reason for that is because I have been really sick. I have had a cold/?flu for the past 2 weeks. It has really put me out of commission. The last thing I have felt like doing was being creative. It was enough just to go out Christmas shopping and do all the things the holidays require, plus having to work. Well enough complaining, while I am not completely well, I have started working in the studio again.

First, I did what I do every year at this time, I purged. Boxes of stamps went to the attic and lots of stuff just got tossed. Once everything was cleaned, sorted and organized, I sat at my desk to play.
Just Us Girls is one of the few challenge sites not taking a holiday break. Just what I needed to get past my holiday block. They had a cool photo challenge.


I just loved the pink and grey colors with the fun polka dots thrown in. Since the Christmas stamps are put away  and the Valentine stamps are out, I had to make "love" card.

The image is an old StampinUp set stored without the name of the set. Gotta love the elephant especially since I just noticed there are elephants on the pillow in the photo.

I hope you will play along with my buddies from JUGS.


Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Peace on Earth


This is my last challenge with the Card Concept Wild Card team! I have had so much fun experimenting with the different styles. It forced me to stretch my wings in other directions. It is good to be tested. I think it makes you a better artist


The last challenge for 2014 at the Card Concept is a color challenge, using just soft neutrals. They can put you in mind of homespun krafty or elegant.

Today, I am staying in my comfort zone; clean and simple, but I have added a dash of elegant. How could it not happen since the dove die by Penny Black just reads elegant! I added the sentiment from Papertrey Inks wet holiday collection.



I have so enjoyed my time at the Card Concept and if they ever want me back, I am there.

I am wishing all of you the most blessed and joyous holidays and a happy healthy new year!


Saturday, December 6, 2014

Year of the Christmas tree


I don't know if any of you have noticed, this year seems to be the year of the tree, Christmas tree that is. Everyone has tree stamps and some of them are really cool. Like this one from Clearly Besotted-Joy to the World. I have been just waiting for a few hours to play with this set and some of the cool new stitched dies I got during the Black Friday sales online.



Addicted to CAS is having a challenge using dots. I used this challenge word as my basis for my Christmas card. Instead of snow, I have a shower of falling dots. I layered my tree panel onto a card embossed with dots. I love the monochromatic pink that seems to be so popular this year. Addicted to CAS are also looking for new DT members so I am throwing my stamp into the ring. Wish me luck!

AAA Cards has one of my favorite ideas for a challenge, Blue Christmas. I love blue for Christmas cards.





Well I better get working on all the cards I have to send out this year. I think I need to make around a 100 cards. How about you all, how many cards do you make to send? 


Monday, December 1, 2014

Holiday Blog Hop at House of Cards



Hi everyone! Where does the time go? Can you believe we have come to the end of our third term at House of Cards? We are saying a fond farewell to some of our design team members and I am so thankful to those who are staying on. To say farewell and thanks, we are celebrating with a blog hop! 

This blog hop will run FROM DECEMBER 1 AT 6:00AM CST THROUGH DECEMBER 15 AT NOON CST, ANY CARD STYLE is welcome and please check out the gorgeous photo inspiration for the crafting challenge.


You should have arrived here from our awesome leader Mynn's blog. If you haven't and you would like to hop with us, please start at Mynn's blog and continue through the whole thing for the most chances to win.

Oh yeah, how could I forget- winning! Check out our amazing sponsors!

Here are all of our fabulous sponsors. Our team has used a variety of products from these amazing companies.
$50 gift voucher to shop


$10.00 gift voucher to shop

Gift card to the online store

Prize package of 5 stamps

$20.00 to their digital store

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$20.00 gift voucher to shop

While these are all great companies, I went with this great reindeer image from Great Impressions. It just so fit the inspiration photo. The design is a taken from a card by Jennifer Maguire. 



Here is a peek in the inside of the card.




I hope you enjoyed my take on the inspiration photo. Now get hoppin'! Your next stop is my good buddy, Cornelia and I know she is gonna have something awesome to share. Don't forget to link up a project with us at House of Cards after completing the hop for an extra chance to win a mystery prize from one of our fabulous sponsors also!

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Milestone- Happy Birthday Old Man!


My DH just celebrated a rather large birthday in the past few weeks. On the day of his birthday, I gave him a big hug and said "Happy birthday old man!" Well much to my surprise he was not happy about that!  I never knew him to be upset by a birthday ever. After all he looks much younger than his actually age. But this birthday- I guess it took him by surprise and next to 40, 60 is a big milestone!

Over at the Allsorts Challenge, the theme is milestone birthday. It could not have come at a better time. Hubby's birthday card was quite timely! 

Maybe if enough people comment on his card, he might not feel so bad about being an old man- oops I better not say that again!

For his card I used sentimental borders from Mama Elephant, super script from Altenew and number dies from Papertrey Ink.

Oh yeah- hubby loved all his cards- this one? Not so much!


Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Tagarama



Lots of excitement on my blog today!! I am so excited to be part of Tracey from In My Creative Opinion's 25 Days of Christmas Tags! Tracy has been doing this for the last four years. You can check out her Pinterest site for the previous years creations.


Tracey has some great prizes from some fabulous and awesome companies. For a chance to win some these amazing prizes, just leave a comment on Traceys blog for each one of the days (plus the main prize drawing here) and you will be entered to win. you have until 11:59pm EST on November 27th to enter.   

You will also get an extra chance to win by commenting on my post! You have until 11:59 EST on  November 26th to comment. I will randomly choose one commenter and pass their name to Tracey include in the drawing.  Winners will be announced on November 28th on Tracey's blog.









The Card Concept this week is posting a snowman inspiration. When you check out the challenge you will see that the whole DT made snowmen tags. We are all participating in the Tracey's 25 Days of Christmas Tags.  






 Remember to leave a comment for a chance to win an awesome prize from Tracey and I hope that you will show us your best snowman creation over at the Card Concept!


Sunday, November 16, 2014

Challenge Sunday


 Its Sunday and its challenge day. I was glad to see there are still some challenges that want Thanksgiving cards. I have a few left to make.

This card began with the idea of texture, which is what they want over at Just Add Ink. I got out some acetate which I haven't used for awhile. I stamped the leaves with StazOn ink and colored the opposite side with copics. I love the way they blended in a puddle fashion. Kinda like alcohol inks which makes sense since thats what copics are. I stamped and fussy cut the leaves to embellish the front of the card. I added the twine for extra texture and a few gems and there  ya have it!


Here is a view that allows you to peek inside the card.


 Look how cool those copics blended together!

I am entering this into Pals Paper Arts color challenge- OK once again maybe I am fudging it a bit.


AAA cards has this awesome photo inspiration- can ya see where I was going with the card and the photo?


The Paper Players has another Thanksgiving inspiration


Lastly CAS on Sunday wants you to use twine. I was trying to think of something really creative, but nothing would work but something traditional. But what the heck it is Thanksgiving- the penultimate traditional holiday!

So one card, five challenges! WOOO HOOO!!

Off to finish my paper on self-care- now that I have just practiced my own self-care!


Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Krafty Christmas


Only two more challenges and I will be done my  term as a wild card designer at the Card Concept.  Trying different styles of card making has certainly been an eye opener. I realize that I can embrace other styles as well. Today the challenge at the Card Concept is a "krafty christmas" with a photo inspiration.


Today, I went for a clean and graphic look. This stamp from Hero Arts just lent itself to that style.
I stamped it with khaki ink from Simon Says Stamp. I glittered the whole tree and added a glittered wood star for the top of the tree.  The saying is a combo of a very old Hero Arts christmas sentiment set and a die cut "merry from the new Papertrey Ink- wet paint holiday. I die cut the merry with red card stock to make it pop.



This isn't in my comfort zone, but I am so pleased with the results, this will definitely be massed produced to send out for the holidays.

Please join us for this great challenge at the Card Concept!


Sunday, November 9, 2014

Thankful



Sundays seem to be challenge day for me. I wake up and sit in front of the puter and go through all the challenges and see what inspires me and then I go to work. I am in a Thanksgiving mood and have been making quite a few to send out to those peeps I am thankful to have in my life.

This card was inspired by several challenges. First over at the Male Room (  a new challenge site I discovered and really like) we are asked to use wood in our design. Well, I used real wood on my card. The wheat sheafs (from Impression Obsession) were die cut from a thin piece of balsa wood and lightly sponged with khaki brown ink. What is more male than using real wood huh?


TIME OUT challenges has a photo inspiration and while it is somewhat Christmasy I thought the cream sofa and the wood crate coffee table was the perfect inspiration for my card. 


The Pink Elephant challenge also has a photo inspiration, I  hope you can see the elements that inspired me.

Lastly I am going out on a limb, but Shopping our Stash has a word theme of leaves. I know this is not a conventional leaf card, but those wheat sheafs are full of wheat leaves. I pulled out the balsa wood and the Tim Holtz Thanksgiving folder from the stash, dusted them off and used them for my card. Hey if you folks over at SOS think I am stretching it, I totally understand.

So wow weeee, one card, four challenges!

Thanks for taking a look and if you like what you see leave a comment- and hey if you don't like it don't leave a comment- I am very sensitive! :)