Mid Week Reminder ~~ Shopping Our Stash ~~ Winter Wonderland

Just thought I would pop in with a reminder that there is another week of the Winter Wonderland challenge at Shopping Our Stash.  If you are reading this that means you made it through the "BIG" day, did you venture out to the sales on Boxing day? Not me I'm still recuperating from dinner on Sunday, turkey, ham, hashbrown casserole, dressing and home made cranberry sauce.  Since this is supposed to be a quick post  I need to get on with the card.

Here is a mix of old and new, the horse and sleigh is from Stampin'up (last year) it has never been cut before, the greenery and bows are new as is the embossing folder. 

Let it snow is also from my stash, I love a window scene and this one is perfect.

Thanks for stopping by today and if you have some time let us see your Winter Wonderland cards remember not Christmas. 

Shopping Our Stash #283 ~~ Winter Wonderland (two week challenge)

Challenge #283 at Shopping Our Stash is Winter Wonderland, we want to see Winter cards not Christmas.  I'm make Winter card when it gets late in the season that way if they don't make it before the big day they don't say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. As you know I follow the Jingle Belles Rock so it was important I find a stamp I have NOT used in previous challenges, it wasn't too hard I had one on my shelf that was perfect and with my favourite birds....Cardinals.  Here is what I came up with.

The stamp is from Impression Obssession F1929 Cardinals by Window coloured with distress markers, the background was using some snowflake stamps from a 6 pack from Hero Arts (3 snowflakes and 3 snowmen) One of the first sets I bought when I first started stamping over 10 years ago and hasn't seen ink in a long time.

Close up of the image

Inside of the card, I used my favourite sentiment stamp of the season from Impression Obsession #19022 Most wonderful Time . I think I will add a bit of colour to it, as it looks boring

Thanks for visiting today and remember this is a two week challenge so the design team have some relaxing time. I would like to wish you and your family a Very Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year.

Challenge #282 at Shopping Our Stash is ~~ Tag You're It!!!

Well the challenge at Shopping Our Stash is self explanatory ~~ Tag you're it ~~ we want to see Tags, you can make a tag and put it on a card base, you can make a gift card tag or a CAS tag you can even make a fancy one.  Christmas, Birthday whatever tickles your fancy. I decided to go BIG and do something I have never done before......I made the December 2016  Tim Holtz Tag. Part way through I almost scrapped the idea but I persevered and voila' here it is.

Since I don't have a lot of Tim Holtz equipment or embellishments I went rogue, I sure used a lot of scraps on this tag. I just did plain gold embossing for the sentiment but followed the design. 

The evergreen pieces are from a Tim Holtz die, the oak leaves from an ancient cuttlebug die. I wet the oak leaves and scrunched them, Then when they were dry and assembled I spritzed them with Pewter glitter mist.

Everything is from my stash, the gingerbread man was sitting on my table. The brads are from the Eyelet Outlet.

The dots were made with red memento ink on a Hero Arts background stamp and LOOK I stitched around the tag.

I will be entering this at:

Tim Holtz December 2016 Tag

Tag you're it  Challenge #62

This is my first time making a Tim Holtz Tag and it was really fun, maybe 2017 I can do a few more.

Thanks for stopping by today and head over to the Main Blog check out what the rest of the design team have made. They are all gorgeous.

The Challenge at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stamper is ~~X is for XXX X-mas

It's that time of year and the last challenge of the year at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers. In keeping with the trend  it is X is for XXX X-mas and you know what that means.....if you don't want to see an X rated card  stop reading now. I was not going to make a card for this challenge until I saw a "joke" on FB and thought it was really cute and I re-posted it to our DT lounge and one of our really crafty design team...Lynne said she could print it off for me and slap it on some black cardstock or would brown be better? With that I thought I can do that myself and so I did.

I saved the picture and resized it then layered it on black, red shiny, then on some patterned paper which was attached to a black card base. I gussied up the image with white opal liquid pearls and some stickles. Remember you have been warned.......

Not much more to say about it except you can't really see the sparkle on the snow and his beard.

Well you can see some of the sparkle and the liquid pearls on his coat.

Thanks for stopping by today and the design team are taking a well deserved break...I'll see you back here on January 7th 2017!!!

It's Tuesday!! Time for the New Challenge at Shopping Our Stash.

Challenge #281 at Shopping Our Stash is Gift or Gift card packaging....well I was a bit confused but it all boils down to make a gift or a gift card holder, you can alter or make a gift bag/box, something that holds yummy chocolate or perhaps some cookies or my favourite....Christmas cake...yum. Our bowling Christmas party was on November 30th and I decided to make all the girls a little gift.  I found this tutorial on making a hot cocoa holder or if you are Canadian it'a Hot Chocolate holder at My Chic'N Scratch blog  I did have to adjust the measurements for the hot chocolate packages I had.

Talk about shopping my stash all the cardstock I used is from a package of 12 X 12 patterned and plain paper I bought at Walmart before I retired 15 years ago and there is still some patterned paper left but I used all the light blue, dark blue and snowman paper. I even got to use the tiny craft stapler. I added the candy cane to use for a stir stick.

Here is the inside, the packet sits loose and is held by the "belly"band.

Here they are all 18 of them ready to be handed out at our lunch;

Now you have check out my project head over to the Main Blog and see what the rest of the design team have made. Thanks for joining me today and have a wonderful week.

Shopping Our Stash #280 ~~ Paper Strip Art (Use the Bargello Technique)

What a great technique ~~ Bargello I found my tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers.  Shopping Our Stash  would like to see your take on the Bargello technique. My first attempt was very sad but I will post the card I made with it, (I read the technique but didn't use the right dimensions) Here is my card with a picture tutorial below it.

As you see I didn't want to cover it up with an image.

First pick out 3 co-ordinating patterned papers 6 inches in length and cut at at least 2 of each 3/4 inch wide.

Decide on which order you would like.

on a 5 X 6 inch light weight cardstock glue the strips in the order you decided.

I ran my 5 X 6 piece through the zyron sticker maker, made it a lot easier.

Now you cut strips alternating 3/4 and 1/2 inch pieces (because of the words on one of mine I kept them in order. 

Another 5 X 6 light weight piece of cardstock (ran it through the Zyron)

now glue the strips in any pattern you would like (there are many to pick from)

Here is what mine looked like when it was finished before I cut it to make the card.

I hope this tutorial is helpful and you will give it a whirl

Close up of the design.

Finished the inside with the off cut from the front panel, loved it so much just couldn't waste it.

And now for my first attempt.

This was very stash busting as all the patterned papers from my scrap box along with most of the coloured cardstock. Thanks for bearing with my long blog post. Don't forget to slip over to Shopping our Stash and check out the way the rest of the design team have played with the challenge.

Challenge #73 at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers is ~~~ U.F.O.

At the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers the challenge is U.F.O. ~~ no not flying saucers or aliens we want you to use an Un-finished Object on your project. You know the background that just wasn't what you wanted, the image you stamped then decided to go another way with your project. Anything that is unfinished from your "ufo pile". Now mine is easy as I always have something in my ufo pile. A couple of weeks ago Shopping Our Stash had a challenge to use a house/home/any building  and I made a card with a winter house but it didn't photograph well so I stamped another house to use but was really short on time so managed to get a better picture of it, you can see it Here. So I set my second house aside and when the challenge came up I knew what my UFO was going to be.

The stamp is from Impression Obsession, I have had it for  a long time I layered it on a gold diecut then on green, the woodgrain layer is the off cut from cutting a window.

Here is a close up and the kitty I coloured grey, for the snow I used white opal liquid pearls.

Finished inside 

Thanks for joining me on this last Saturday in November and head over to the main blog and check out what the rest of the design team have found in their U.F.O pile.

Shopping Our Stash #279 ~~ Warm and Fuzzy

Shopping Our Stash Challenge is Warm and Fuzzy.....lots of choices here, warm hat/mittens, fireplace maybe a hot cup of cocoa....anything that makes you feel warm and fuzzy. Well my favourite thing that makes me feel warm and fuzzy is House Mouse!!! and I haven't used one in a while so I used a stamp I've had for probably a year and never seen ink, I have most of my Christmas cards made so here is my warm and fuzzy birthday cards.

Here is the first card using Concord grape and wisteria wonder. The embossing folder is from Stampin' up and I spritzed that layer with glitter spray.

Next using the same image.....

Which colour do you like best?

The sentiment is computer generated.

Both are finished the same with a sentiment from the Artful Stamper.

I would like to enter this in:

Seize the Birthday ~~ Anything goes and the topping is Presents optional.

Thanks for spending some time here today and I hope you find time to join in the fun at Shopping Our Stash for the Warm and Fuzzy Challenge.

Shopping Our Stash #278 ~~Front and Center ~~ Use Something that is on your Desk!!!

If you are anything like me when I craft there are endless things on my desk, from here I can see 8 rolls of washi tape, 4 ink pads, embossing powders, parts of cards I started and scrapped and that's just what is in my view...sad isn't it. I really need to clean up after I make a card, then I wouldn't have anything to use for this challenge. When I die cut items I often do more than I need so I had them in a small container...guess where? on the corner of my desk so I dug through and picked out 4 sections of a poinsettia and three leaves and was very happy. Before I ramble on here is my card.

The glitter washi tape was also on my desk as was the Happy Holidays which I heat embossed in Egyptian Gold embossing powder. I also used last weeks sketch from Freshly Made Sketches, of course I'm too late to enter. 

On the inside I used a tree that was on my desk and the holiday sentiment that never made it back to it's home, I stamped it on the base and added the die cut (that didn't work for another project) as a frame.

Challenges I am entering:

Just us Girls #369 Trend Week ~~ Metallics

Jingle Belles Rock Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas in Hawaiian) Use Flowers 

Thanks for stopping by today and let's see what you can use that is on your desk. 

Z is for Zentangle at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers

Happy Saturday!!! and it's a great day as there is a NEW challenge at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers, Z is for Zentangle.  I have never created a Zentangle and it was very interesting to search Pinterest for some ideas, then we would love to see how you zentangle. Now I used a Mandela template I found on Pinterest and then I played with a few designs on a scrap of paper before I went "live".

I went with the traditional black ink on white cardstock, did some layering with my classic squares and scalloped square and elevated it on some bo-bunny patterned paper.

Closer look at the image.

Thanks for stopping by today and head over to the SoSS blog check out the rules for entering and have a look at the fabulous designs my teamies have made.

Christmas Angel Critter Style

Well this will be a super quick post today the Jingle Belles Rock challenge closes in less than 45 minutes. I have a whole slew of super cute critters from Stampendous, Changito, Fluffles and Calendar Chicks they are years old but I still love them.  Moving along ..... here is what I made.

I have had the image ready and the embossing folder out and the glitter paper  ready for almost a week I finally got everything together with Tuesday Morning Sketches and made this card.

Close up of the super cute image.

Finished inside.

I'm entering this in 

Jingle Belles Rock  While Shepards Watched (use a critter on your card.)

Tuesday Morning Sketches #376 changed the sketch to vertical.

Thanks for visiting today and I'd better get moving and get this in to the Jingle Belles.

Shopping Our Stash Challenge #276 Home Sweet Home

Challenge #276 at Shopping Our Stash is Home Sweet Home......use a house or any building on your project. This should not have been a difficult challenge for me, I had a plan and you know what often happens to plans....they go south quickly. As you know we have closed the cottage for the winter and all my craft supplies are home unfortunately they have not all found their way back to their proper homes. After several hours of searching I gave up finding my never been opened package of double sided sheets so I could do the Burnished Velvet technique so with time getting short I went with plan B.

The stamp is a Thomas Kinkade inked with Brillance Mediterranean Blue, I added some light sources then covered it with a scrap of vellum which is attached with some very ancient brads. The cardstock is Ballet Blue (retired) and Recollections Silver.

Finished inside.

Thanks for visiting today and check out what the rest of my teamies have made for the challenge. 

The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers #71 ~~ W is for Watercolour

Winter seems to be rearing it's ugly head, time to hunker down and stay warm ~~ and craft woohoo, I can get to do all those techniques I have saved for later.  Watercolour isn't one of my go to techniques, I would like to learn more which is why I did some searching for something different. I found it at Jennifer McGuire Ink and decided to try it for the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Challenge, W is for Watercolour.

If I was looking to use NBUS items (never been used stuff) this challenge, The snowflake is from Stampin'up and never been inked so I used versamark and  white embossing powder on watercolour paper. The technique uses perfect pearls in water spritz but I'm not sure where mine are so I unsealed some liquid shimmer paint I just had to have in three colours, none have ever been opened. I put three shades of blue distress ink on my craft mat, spritzed it with the shimmer instead of water then took my fingers and painted. The sentiment is from a package of foil embossed stickers from Dollar Tree. Here is my finished fingers.....

It will eventually wear off as it won't wash off but oh so much fun to finger paint.

Finished inside and layered the sentiment on recollections dark blue shimmer paper and then on white which were cut with Elizabeth Craft Design stitched rectangles.

Thanks for visiting today head over to the main blog and check out what the rest of the team have made and while there take a peek at the rules before you enter the challenge. 

Butterflies in Orchid....

Three more days left of the Hop to Stop Domestic violence at Becca's Blog, Damsel of Distress.  I was at a Stampin'up night and I took the opportunity to use the new floral die to cut a piece of white cardstock, didn't have a plan for it but as it was sitting on my desk  I decided it would look fabulous over purple and a new card design was born for the Hop to Stop. I layered the die cut over some sparkly orchid cardstock.

The butterflies are from Impression Obsession, the sentiment is from Stampin'up along with the oval punches, I added a few pearls to each of the butterflies and a few dotted around the background.

Close up of the sparkle.

Finished inside.

I am adding this to:

The Hop to Stop @ the Damsel of Distress blog 

Thanks for stopping by to check out my offering for the Hop to Stop you still have 3 days to enter.