New Progressive Freebie Challenge

This month's Progressive Freebie at The Outlawz is a little different for me. This fun image is from Star Stampz. They have a sweet collection of stamps. I LOVE THEM!

Happy Birthday, Gene!

My personal challenge this week was to make a birthday card for my hubby that says, "I hope you like this card, because your birthday gift is not too exciting." You see, he's getting - or should I say WE'RE getting - new pillows for his birthday. Ours are older than the hills - and repeated attempts to find the perfect pillows over the past give years have left us always returning to our pillows we received free with our mattress 12 years ago. I finally got smart, though - and ripped off the tag (Ignoring "penalty of law" - lol), and made trips to stores until I found one with the exact same tag! Yes, admittedly, it took me six years to figure that one out! I think my fun card will soften the blow, though. Our look-alikes are snuggled in bedding made from a Touch of Teal from We Are 3. The fun svg file is Get Well Bear Card in a Box from My Casual Whimsys.

Paper Ala Mode Challenge

This week's Paper Ala Mode challenge is Snow OR to use a tag, so I chose the tag made with Cute Kawaii Big Eye Owl On Tree Image from our sponsor OddBall Art. Yes, Thanksgiving is over, but our tag challenge for Salsa wa Gratitude, so I stuck to a more autumn feel. My sentiment is printed on an an Autumn Leaf Layer from My Scrap Chick.

Kit and Clowder Butterfly Technique Class

Here's some practice with a butterfly from the Butterfly Technique Class.  This is my attempt using some lighter colors for the butterfly.  The sentiment and flowers are stickers from my stash.

Splitcoast Stampers Featured Stamper Challenge

This week at Splitcoast Stampers, I chose Beautiful Promenade Marble Clean & Simple to CASE. I chose to use a butterfly so that I could get some practice coloring butterflies. The sentiment is computer generated. Be sure to stop by the Featured Stamper Challenge to see what all of the fabulous followers did with Michele's gallery. She has a fabulous gallery. I'm also pretty pleased with my first butterfly. The background paper is from the Delightful Dragonflies collection.

Eclips Users Challenge - Grinch Christmas Countdown - Millers MAD Creations

Merry Christmas to All! Here's a gift I needed to get finished early. It will accompany tickets to go see The Grinch movie - so wanted it to be an early Christmas gift. This is also for this year's last challenge at the Sizzix Eclips Users Group - Anything Goes. There are so many fun Grinch crafting ideas out there. This particular file is from Millers MAD Creations. The chalkboard frame is from Target. Now to figure out what's next on my Christmas shopping/crafting list!!

Birthday Wishes - Merry Christmas

For today's card, I used Pastel Angel digital papers from We Are 3. I used sentiments from the Christmas collection and Itty Bitty Birthday collection. The mistletoe image is from Power Poppy.

                                

Merry Christmas

Designing for others can sometimes be challenging...given product you just wouldn't ordinarily use.  This week's Paper Ala Mode Challenge is sponsored by Sandra Caldwell.  Her work is not what I would ordinarily be gravitated to - but since I've been become accustomed to her style - I'm now enjoying coloring her stamps.  Today's challenge, however, was a challenge - Christmas.  Now she did give us a snowman stamp and a Christmas bird stamp - both which I used previously.  For today's card, I just wanted to do something different.  So I pulled out one of Sandra's hippo stamps - and now I can't get the this Christmas song out of my head!  Visit here if you need a Hippo Christmas fix.

Power Poppy Creative Confetti - Birthday Card

One of my favorite challenges is Creative Confetti at Power Poppy - though it's a busy week, thought I could manage a simple birthday card. The image (Toot Toot - Elisabeth Bell) is close to my heart as a train enthusiast - had to color him up in the same colors I wore for my second-best train trip - engineer on the real Polar Express. The patterned paper came from DCWV - thought it's perfect for a young boy's birthday when he should be the "star." The white blocks I embossed with a square pattern. The border is Argyle Border (SVG Cuts). Check out what others have made for Power Poppy's Creative Confetti challenges and maybe try playing along! Power Poppy's inspiration is awesome!

Here's a pic of my train trip as engineer on the real Polar Express - see any similarities?

I mentioned that was the second-best train ride I've taken - the best ride, of course, being on my wedding day.

Chrstmas Wishes

Digital sentiments aren't just for cards and papercrafting!  Here's some Home Decor using a sentiment from We Are 3's Gift Labels collection.  The plaid circle is from Target's "dollar" aisle.  I added a couple floral picks and some burlap.  The glittered Christmas Wishes sentiment was cut on my electronic cutter and ironed on.

Monochromatic Blue

I made this card for this week's Featured Stamper.  I used Christmas Magic for the background.  Used some oldie, but goodie dew drops for my embellies on the snowflake.  The snowflakes are from Love SVG.

Another Paper Ala Mode Challenge

Okay, I'm becoming a little obsessed with Sandra Caldwell's work. This week's challenge is something a little different - in fact, anything different than a card. I used Tattoo Hippo from our sponsor, Sandra Caldwell, for this fun Post-It Note holder.

Blue and Mistletoe

I needed to relax after a day of running, so today I made a quick, simple card.  The Creative Confetti Challenge at Power Poppy this week is to stamp off the edge of the paper.  I used Power Poppy's Stand Here stamp - stamping off the top and bottom edges.  I love how this simple technique changes things up.  The sentiment is computer generated and a big bigger than I planned.  So I cut into a couple mistletoe leaves to surround the sentiment.

Eclips Users Challenge - 12 Tags of Christmas

For the past couple weeks, the challenge at the Eclips Users Group was to create 12 Christmas tags. For the last tag, I chose to create a simple tag using a snowflake form the Winter Gazebo (SVG Cuts). My cutter just did not want to cooperate on this last tag. In an attempt to cut multiple snowflakes, I spent two hours and about five sheets of cardstock to get this one snowflake! I always joke that these machines know just how to take control - in this case, the machine knew best. I really only needed the one snowflake for a simply elegant tag. :D  #eclipsecalmaker

The Sizzix Eclips Christmas Tag Challenge #11

I love 3D paper bows, but have a hard time using them on cards - get a bit flattened when mailing. My tag today is Pinterest inspired - when I saw a 3D bow, I loved the way it looked on a tag - I'm quite pleased with the results. Of course, I had to add glitter to match the festivities. The tag is just a shape. A Print2Cut sentiment was added, along with some pearls to dress up the tag.  #eclipsecalmaker

Snow People Christmas Tags

Another quick, but fun, Christmas tag - this one using the Serenade Lace file (SVT Cuts). I welded a square on top of the design to leave just a little "lace" showing on the bottom. Just some fun snow people, some gorgeous embossed snowflakes, an d a jewel. The snowpeople are the current freebie through the Progressive Challenge at The Outlawz.  #eclipsecalmaker

Paper Ala Mode

On this Paper Ala Mode Saturday, I'm here to share my design using Snowed-in Birds from our sponsor Sandra Caldwell.

The theme challenge is using patterned paper - and a die cut or chipboard.  My patterned paper comes from the Birthday Bouquet collection at We Are 3.  My shape is from the snowflakes in the Winter Gazebo file from SVG Cuts.  My chipboard is from Piccolo.  Here's a closeup of the Snowed-in Birds.

Using this same design, I made a packet of cards ready to abandon during my next trip to San Diego.

Happy Holidays, Friends!

I've had a great time participating in all of the challenges here - and now the 12 Tags of Christmas Challenge. Lately I've been leaning to the easy projects - so this tag was a natural. I cut a basic tag - but added some cuts from Lattice 48 (Creative Monica). I deleted all the lattice work except the "flowers" seen here. Have to admit - it was a happy coincidence they ended up looking like poinsettias. This was so much fun to do!  #eclipsecalmaker