Chasing Snowflakes

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

Hello to all of you! I hope your holidays were merry and times spent with family & friends full of love & laughter!

I want to share a card with you today that uses a cutie Smoochie image from The Stamping Boutique and wonderful senti from Paulette at Create with TLC that seemed to be made to go with it! :) you know I love these Smoochies and couldn't resist the opportunity to squeak one more card in here at the end of 2011.........


Since I am really really really wanting more snow to arrive, I thought it just seemed appropriate to use Wintertime Smoochie. Isn't she adorable? btw - all digis are on sale right now in the TSB store for 35% off, but you had best hurry!
Papers are Basic Grey Picadilly and let me tell you, boy does this card sparkle irl! between my spica glitter pen, sparkle shimmer spray, and shimmerz paint there is a whole lotta shine going on! I also tried some of the neat Mr. Huey's white spray paint that I had seen used on several blogs. this is going to appear on a LOT of projects coming soon because it is FUN FUN FUN to use! A dear friend sent me a wonderful gift package filled with craft goodies for Christmas, including these Fancy Pants buttons. love the color! believe it or not, I actually saved the ribbon from a gift one of my son's receieved for Christmas. he was so kind to ask me if I wanted it before he threw it away. I have trained them well! :) and it was the perfect size to add here! ta da! re-purposing at its best!

2 Sisters - winter colors ( red was added because cardinals live all around my house and come right up to the wreath on my front door. they love to play on my front porch, too. it wouldn't be winter without their beautiful reds and browns! blues & purples are on card, too, but they don't show as well in scan as the aqua.)
Crimbo Crackers - snowflakes
Aud Sentiments - anything goes
Charisma Cardz - anything goes
Crafty Ribbons - sketch (turned on its side)
DRS Designs - snowflakes
Cooking it Up with Katie - anything goes
Little Darlings - cold
Little Miss Muffet - anything goes
Digital Tuesday - Winter Wonderland

Even Zombies Can Bring Christmas Joy! :)

Coffee of the Day - Gingerbread

Good morning to you! so are you ready for Christmas or are you like me and racing around like proverbial chicken with its head cut off? I feel that every day adds more and more to the list.... oh my starts, will it ever all get done? today is going to be about baking and wrapping and still trying to get caught up on DT commitments before Christmas Day..... but trying to keep the real reason for the day the focus of my day. not easy by any means......


anyhow, on to the reason for my card post. Today starts a new challenge over at the fun Dilly Beans. Everyone is being asked to use 3 digi images on their projects. I love the way the Silly Dilly images just seem to go so well together - whether you choose the ghoulie goblins or the more traditional images, or a combo of them both. Please be sure to stop by the challenge blog to see all of the amazing projects by the DT!


I needed to finish up family cards with one for Mick's girlfriend Jocelyn, so this Holly Zombie was perfect. She is bringing Christmas Joy to everyone she meets and is surrounded by one of the many great frames Megan has drawn. papers are Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather, which contain Jocelyn's fave purples. :) you wouldn't believe all of the glitter and sparkle on here, compliments of shimmerz paint and stickles. holly bling comes from Making Memories.

Card Crafter's Circle - Christmas
Paper Creations Ink - something old (papers, holly bling, friendship with Jocelyn!), something new (digi images, Jocelyn spending Christmas with us!)
Pixie Cottage - someone special
Stamp 'n Doodle - Christmas
Raise the Bar - Christmas
DigiStamps 4 Joy - Christmas, but no animals
Little Darlings - Christmas
Smudgy Antics - Wicked Christmas

Glimmer Mist on Blitsy!

okay, y'all know how much I use my glimmer mist by Tattered Angels. well I just received notice that today Blitsy has it on sale for less than $4 a bottle in the most gorgeous colors!!!!
Mr. Postman delivered my first order from Blitsy today as well, and I must say they are speedy fast with their turn-around. if you had ever wondered about shopping over there and were curious because of the low prices, I say give it a try!

they also have Tim Holtz items in stock right now, if you are working on your 12 Tags...... just saying! ;)

A Box Filled with Love

My project today shows what I have been up to for the past, well, almost week. You'll probably take one look at it and wonder why in the world it took me so long to finish, but there are a BUNCH of layers of Mod Podge on here. and they take so very very long to dry in my old home.



Mick's girlfriend, Jocelyn, had wanted something to keep her handmade cards in for a while now. So I decided to make a special box for her for part of our Christmas gift to her. As you might remember, her favorite color is purple (which explains why you see quite a few cards with this color on my blog!). When Tammy at A Day for Daisies introduced these precious images in her December Club Kit, I knew the time was right to get started on the box.

As soon as I saw these mechanical butterfly/mermaid/fairy wings, all I could think was how fun they would be with buttons in their centers. they are edged in distress stickles and lightly sprayed with glimmer mist for a subtle glow irl.



Papers are My Mind's Eye, flowers are Prima sprayed with glimmer mist, ribbon is Martha Stewart, shimmerz paint was added to main image, and leaf die is from Joanna Sheen.

Penny's Papers - Holiday Gifts
Anything Goes - anything but a card
Bearly Mine - anything goes
Party Time Tuesdays - ribbon (blinkie is down on right sidebar a bit)
Try it on Tuesday - anything goes
Craft Your Passion - things with wings
Ooh La La - anything but a card

if you like LOTR, then you simply MUST watch this trailer!

Coffee of the Day - Maple Pecan

oh my good golly gosh, was I ever in total bliss when Tyler showed this movie trailer to both Ryan and I this morning. the music alone will take you away! I'm ready for this movie NOW!!! ;) we've been watching the 'making of' documentaries being posted, but nothing compares to this trailer for "The Hobbit". go check it out on YouTube and be sure to have your speakers on!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0k3kHtyoqc

It's a Color Challenge with Digi Makeover

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

Happy Monday to you! so do you have snow on the ground where you are? we have a few inches, but nothing like we normally have. here's hoping we get LOTS more by this weekend for a nice White Christmas! :) btw - that is one of my fave holiday movies. hubby just picked it up for me from the library, so I can't wait to watch it while wrapping gifts.


Today starts a new challenge over at Digi Makeover Challenges. We are asking everyone to follow this color palette. you will have to excuse the shades in my scanned tag - the greys turned more tan, but really are grey irl.

I need to explain a bit about my project - we love movies, which many of you know. Another holiday favorite of ours is "Elf." In fact David has used it in several sermons he has given for some wonderful references. It is such a phenom movie, filled with such humor, but also so many amazing life lessons. The senti on my tag today comes straight from the movie. Dave and I found a t-shirt for Ryan that has this right across the front. There was no question about whether or not to get it - it was a 'must have' for under the tree. :) So of course the package is going to need a gift tag! Paper Makeup Stamps to the rescue!!!


I first printed out the nutcracker image and saying on my cs. I then printed the image again on scrap paper. this created my mask image, which is roughly cut out. Once I cut my tag shape, I placed the mask over the nutcracker image and stamped with the A*Muse music bg stamp. (gosh, I so love this stamp!!!) while the mask was in place, I sprayed the tag with candy apple glimmer mist. I would normally paint the image with my SU! inks, but at this point it seemed pretty perfect just as it was. trims, a vintage button, seam tape, and a holly embellie that has also been sprayed with glimmer mist were the final touches. David just laughs every time he looks at this tag! He can't wait for Christmas morning and Ryan to see his gift.

Chocolate, Coffee, and Cards - tag, you're it
Sparkles - anything but a Christmas card

Craft Your Passion's "Holiday Havoc" Blog Hop!

Coffee of the Day - Toasted Almond


Welcome to Craft Your Passion Challenges "Holiday Havoc 2011" Blog Hop!!

We are very excited about holidays and wanted to add to the chaos and havoc.
What better way to do that, than to have a BLOG HOP!!!

If you have hopped over from Mandy's blog , then you are in the right place. If you just happened to stop by and would like to join our hop from the beginning, please go to Craft Your Passion Challenges and follow along for a chance to win some AMAZING blog candy along the way and PRIZES at the end.

All Craft Your Passion DT members are going to be playing along in the hop with some very special guest designers.

Each designer along the way is featuring a project that showcases a digital image from at least one of our amazing Blog Hop Sponsors.
What’s more exciting is you can participate too by creating a project and linking it up over at Craft Your Passion Challenges for a chance to win one of several prizes.

But, there’s a twist. Be sure to visit all the stops and leave a comment (we will be checking). Once you have finished the hop, we would like you to create a HOLIDAY project using at least one digital stamp and enter it with our Linky tool.

While you are hopping, be sure to check out the blog candy some of the designer's have to offer you. You don't want to miss out on any of it!


My card uses the image, "Meadow and Twigs" from Stretch and Bubbles. the senti from Create with TLC seemed perfect to go with the expressions on their faces! tee hee! so this card is going to hubby in his Christmas stocking! ;) papers are Crate Paper Snow Day, accents have been added with shimmerz paint to her wings & flowers, poinsettia is Prima, baker's twine is Twinery, border punch is Martha Stewart, and sequins are from a big Michael's pack. they seemed just the thing for the bright colors of the papers.

Next stop by Jacqui's blog, to see what she has in store for you today.

Remember, once you have hopped to all the stops and left your comments (we will be checking), it's your turn to show us your "Holiday Havoc" project.

Make sure to include a digital stamp somewhere on your project, and link up your project over at Craft Your Passion Challenges by Midnight CST December 23 to be eligible for the prizes. Winners will be announced on our Monday, December 26th Challenge post.

Cutey cutey new releases at A Day for Daisies

One last post for today, but I am so in love with this precious little kitten! This is the first time in over 30 years that I haven't had a cat at Christmastime..... feeling a bit sad not to have a kitty to hold by the tree, but treasuring my memories of each beloved family pet I have had over the years and the love they have brought to me and my family.



So when I saw this adorable image drawn by Tammy at A Day for Daisies, I knew I wanted to make a card with it! Paulette at Create with TLC happened to release this senti a day or so ago, and I was smitten! :)

Papers are Basic Grey Figgy Pudding, buttons & laces are vintage, candy cane is Melissa Frances, and accents were added with rock candy distress stickles & a black spica glitter pen. simple, but it holds so many happy memories! :)

Santa is stopping by Dilly Beans!

Ho Ho Ho!!! Santa is coming to town by way of Dilly Beans challenges! We want to see your projects that use our favorite guy in the big red suit as the focus!
You can use any supplies you wish but it must be on theme. One entry per person please & do not link up to more than 5 challenges including Dilly Beans. You will most certainly want to stop by the challenge blog to see all of the AMAZING projects created by the DT! why don't you hop by some of their blogs, too, and leave them a little bit of bloggy love and let them know how fabby they are?! you would totally make their day! :)


I actually made 2 cards for this challenge. I needed to finish up my zombie/ghoulish cards for my hubby and sons, so this was the perfect excuse to get them done. I can't wait to give them to my fam! all sentis come from Create with TLC. Papers are Echo Park Seasons Greetings. the ornaments were cut from a chipboard packaging piece with a Basic Grey die by Sizzix, inked, and then accented with distress rock candy stickles.

The first card uses the Ghoul image and hat from the Christmas Owl. lots of regular stickles and distress stickles were used on here. the berries were painted with shimmerz. ribbon is, I believe, May Arts. die cut ornament is sprayed with walnut gold glimmer mist and top painted with shimmerz.


The second card uses the Skellie image with the hat from Santa. die cut ornament is sprayed with pearl glimmer mist and top painted with shimmerz. regular and distress stickles were also used on this one. here I added a bit of faux stitching.

Don't forget that Megan has a big sale going on in the Silly Dilly Beans store until Dec. 26. you will want to be sure to check it out! :)

Anything but a Card Challenge at Jellypark Friends

Coffee of the Day - Salted Caramel Pecan

Get ready for several posts today, so let me pour you a most yummy-licious cup of coffee while you settle in! :)


New releases and a new challenge are Santa's gift to you from Jellypark! We are challenging you to create 'Anything but a Card', so get busy with those holiday gift packages, tags, or boxes. maybe you have a different idea all together! well come on, show us your stuff!


I took an old coffee can, painted it with white acrylic paint, covered it in fun My Mind's Eye papers, added several trims and laces, topped it with some fabby big Prima flowers sprayed with glimmer mist & centered with a vintage button, and then finished with this great Shop digital image new to the Jellypark store. the shop windows were covered with crystal effects to add to the look of glass. I plan to use this for a Chritmas gift container, which can later be used for a fun holder of some kind. Hopefully she will like it! :)

Glitter Geeks - anything goes

Stamping Boutique Blog Hop Winner!

Mary Van Skiver said...
"thanks your ideas are great, the tea holder is such a good idea for so many occasions"

Mary, please email Christy at micahzane at yahoo.com with your choice of any 1 digi from the Stamping Boutique store! congrats to you! and thank you to everyone who stopped by and left such kind comments on my projects. I hope my Secret Santa recipient likes her things when they arrive! :)

Paper Piecing Digis with the Digi Makeover

Coffee of the Day - Butter Rum



Happy Monday to you! I can't believe how close Christmas is getting.... boy howdy! and I haven't done any decorating yet.... we are waiting for the last of our sons to get home before we do anything, since it is such a big tradition for everyone to help out. Mick comes home from school on Friday, so I bet this weekend we are going to be all tinsel-fied and our halls will be decked with holly and evergreens! grins!


Well on to our new challenge at The Digi Makeover. This week we are asking you to paper piece your digis on your project. as you well know, this is one of my fave things to do with my digis! I have also used a new-to-me technique called 'out of the box' with nesties. this is my first time to try this and it was much easier than I thought it would be. you know how much I enjoy my Spellbinder dies, so to add a new dimension with the out-of-the box technique while still using them was fun! I found the tut over on SCS.

for my images, I used the always adorable, 'Pete the Penguin', printed twice onto papers from the My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Union Square collection. I highlighted his eye, his hair, and the heart with stickles and my white gel pen. He is standing on an icy pond of stickles. the wonderful senti is 'Christmas in the Heart' from the Paper Makeup Stamps store as well. Katie has added some amazing holiday sentiments and digi images to the store, so you should head over to check them out! holiday paper is Oct. Afternnon Good Cheer and text paper is 'Night Before Christmas' from A*Muse. the senti banner is really all curvy off of the card irl, but it doesn't show well in the scan. maybe I need to provide 3D glasses with my posts! tee hee! the ribbon behind the tag there is wired and actually has much more dimension than shows as well.

Crafty Boots - Christmas
Cupcake Craft - sparkles, shines, gleams, or glitters
Hooked on Craft - Christmas
Kaboodle Doodles - Let's get together for the holidays
Pollycraft - Christmas Fun
Cutie Pie - use a senti
Creative Inspirations Paint - non traditional Christmas colors
Dream Valley - Christmas
Paper Sundaes - anything Christmas
2 Sisters - Christmas

A Bit of News....

Coffee of the Day - Girlfriend Blend (Hazelnut, chestnut, vanilla, & cinnamon)

My coffee today seemed appropriate in light of a big announcement over here. doing a happy little jig! :)

New Releases and a New Challenge at A Day for Daisies

for The Stamping Boutique blog hop, please click here.
for my Dilly Beans post, please click here.

Fridays always mean new releases at A Day for Daisies, but today happens to also be the start of a new challenge as well! You are REALLY going to love this challenge, as it is a free-for-all as long as you use your ADFD images. yep, anything goes! and you have really got to see the fun new images Tammy has drawn! adorable, adorable!


I had the pleasure of using 2 of the cute new mechanical puppet animal images - the bunny & lamb, on my card. I tried to give them a bit of a retro vintage feel with this. I also tried something VERY new to me - a quilting technique that Arielle showed us from a tut over on SCS. It is no secret that I can't sew worth beans, so this was fun to try. I know I'll be doing it again! lots of faux stitching on here, of course! ;)

papers are Basic Grey Picadilly. I know y'all are going to get so tired of seeing these, but gosh, they are so wonderful! I think either Santa is going to need to bring me another paper pad or I'm gonna have to break down and buy one after the new year. this one is almost gone! I used baby buttons to attach the 'parts' to the animals, distress stickles on their cute little tails and the rose, & trim is Maya Road. senti is Create with TLC.

Challenges:
Totally Papercrafts - anything but Christmas
Cute Card Thursday - anything goes
Digi Doodles Shop's Best - nature
Lily Pad - buttons

Twisted Christmas at Dilly Beans!

for my Stamping Boutique blog hop post, please click here.

A new challenge has started over at Dilly Beans called 'Twisted Christmas'! this fit perfecly with my plans for zombie cards for the family!
You can use any supplies you wish but it must be on theme. One entry per person please & do not link up to more than 5 challenges including Dilly Beans. A winner will be chosen by the DT to receive a fabby prize from the Silly Dilly Beans store! :) speaking of the store, there is a great sale going on from now through Dec. 26, so pop over for a looksie!


For my card, I used several images and my go-to papers of the season, Basic Grey Figgy Pudding. even though these papers are retired, I seem to be using them a LOT this year. ;) I started with one of the 'Heart Monsters', added some holly from the 'Holly & Tag' set, set him beside his good buddy the 'Disturbed Snowman', and then used 'Journaling Lines' for stairs. Digis are so fun to play around with! :) Little accents of distressed stickles, vintage buttons, seam binding sprayed with sparkle shimmer spray, and a fun frosted pinecone pick add to the holiday feel. he is ready to wish one of my sons Merry Christmas!

now be sure to stop by the Dilly Beans challenge blog to see the fabby creations by the rest of the DT, then get busy with your Twisted Christmas project!

Willow Sketchie - sketch
Party Time Tuesday - Christmas Greetings (blinkie is on rt. sidebar down a bit)
Crafty Catz - anything goes
Stampin' for the Weekend - Christmas
Aud Sentiments - winter holiday sentiments

It's a fun blog hop with The Stamping Boutique!

Coffee of the Day - Butter Rum


Welcome to The Stamping Boutique’s "Thrifty Christmas-Making Handmade Gifts" Blog Hop!!

We are very excited about the holidays and know for many money is tight this year, but that doesn’t mean you cannot give great gifts! Our Elves, oh I mean design team, have been busy in their workshops coming up with some fabulous projects to help you with those last minute gift ideas. What better way to show you than to have a
BLOG HOP!!!

You won’t want to miss this hop and because we know you are all busy getting all the preparations done for the holidays, this hop will run all weekend. The hop starts today, Friday
December 9th @ 12:01 am (CST) and runs until Sunday December 11th @ 11:59 pm (CST). I will post my winner on my blog Monday morning, December 12, so be sure to check back!

If you have hopped over from Christy's blog , then you are in the right place. If you just happened to stop by and would like to join our hop from the beginning, please go back to Christy’s blog and follow along for a chance to win some AMAZING blog candy along the way and PRIZES at the end.

Each designer along the way is featuring a project that showcases a digital image from The Stamping Boutique store. Be sure to visit all the design Team Member’s blogs and leave a comment (we will be checking). Each designer will be giving away (1) FREE image from our store to one random commenter.

Once you have finished the hop, make sure to leave a comment on The Stamping Boutique Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $25 gift certificate for our store. Remember to be eligible for all prizes, YOU MUST COMMENT ON EACH STOP ALONG THE WAY!

Now on to my projects..... I have been busy making LOTS of things for holiday gifts this Christmas. the ones I'm sharing with you today were sent to my Secret Santa recipient, so I hope that by now she has received her box of goodies! :)


Up first is a fun candy treat box made using a gingerbread man cut from cardboard with a Sizzix die and the oh, so versatile Holly Berry digi. the gingerbread man was inked with craft and then stickles, ribbon, & buttons were added for decoration. the little box is filled with chocolate chip cookie dough bites since my Secret Santa loves choco chip cookies. I thought candy would be easier to mail. :) the paper is Basic Grey Figgy Pudding with a border punched and ribbon trim across the top. Cardboard is actually the flap of a box. wonderful way to repurpose! :)




My next project is a tea bag holder since my Secret Santa enjoys tea. I used to make a lot of these and had forgotten how much fun they are! paper is Fancy Pants Tradition. the 12x12 size is double sided, which is perfect for this project. I used the fun tea pot from the 'Tea Set' of 8 digis. Flower centers are painted with shimmerz, flower is a Prima. this is a great gift to add to all kinds of baskets, bags, or put in a card. and what a great way to use scraps of dsp!

now off you go to Rhonda's wonderful blog! I just know she is going to have something fabulous to share with you! :)

Challenges:
Fairy Tale - gift
Sweet 'n Sassy - tea for two
Charisma Cardz - no cards

Non-Traditional Christmas Colors at The Stamping Boutique

Coffee of the Day - Gingerbread

Happy Tuesday to ya! The Stamping Boutique has a new challenge to use non-traditional colors on a Christmas project. I had one of my fave digi characters, Princess Jennifer Latte, already printed out and ready to go, so wanted to play along with this fun paper from Crate Paper's Snow Day collection.


The wonderful senti comes from Create with TLC, the snow is made with stickles which was also used as an accent around the main image border, trim is some vintage seam lace I picked up at an antique store, and felt glitter snowflakes help to finish card. pretty simple, but a fun card that is going off to my Secret Santa recipient from over at the Crafter's Cafe.

Designed 2 Delight - let it snow
Joanna Sheen - Christmas Wishes
Craft Your Passion - anything goes plus glitter
Top Tip - let it snow
Incy Wincy - non traditional Christmas colors
Ooh La La - lots of sparkle
Whoopsi Daisy - snowflakes

Crafting on hold.... yuck!

Coffee of the Day - Toasted Almond

Bad news folks, my crafting is going to have to take a back seat to the ceiling repairs that will hopefully begin on Monday, yep, you guessed it, right above where my craft desk sits..... sigh..... we noticed the other day that the ceiling was starting to crack. it has gotten worse and started to show signs of mold. so today and tomorrow I am moving ALL of my craft things so David can get started working on the problem and hopefully fix it.

not fun for getting Christmas and DT projects done, but most importantly we are praying it is nothing serious with the roof.

I'll be back in a few days to check in....... until then know that you are loved! :)

A Day for Daisies - so much to see!

I have a LOT to show you in this post from A Day for Daisies, so I hope you are well rested and your coffee cup is full! grins! but I promise you will be so in love with what Tammy has drawn.....


First up is my project with one of her new releases for this week - all with the theme of 'cozy'. I am so in love with the vintage feel of this mother and daughter pair out shopping. It reminds me of the Victorian Christmas that my Jr. & Sr. High choirs used to sing at in Galveston, Texas back when I was in school. I was always in love with the beautiful dresses the girls and ladies wore!

Papers are Basic Grey Figgy Pudding, holly sprig is Prima, wonderful ribbon is SU!, buttons are vintage, and little dots of stickles have been added here & there for sparkle. Music stamp is A*Muse while senti is Shady Tree Studios.

Challenges:
Sparkle - vintage Christmas
Cupcake Crafts - traditional Christmas
Digi Stamps 4 Joy - Christmas
Digital Tuesday - go green
I Brake for Challenges - vintage
Ruby's Rainbow - music
Cupcake Craft - color on kraft


The next 2 projects are from the November Club Kit. Both use papers from the Basic Grey Picadilly collection. I so adore these papers!

For the first card, I typed the definition of 'wisdom' into a document numerous times and then printed the image over it. the senti comes from Paulette at Create with TLC. my family said that it looked as if the girls were walking down the stairs of a library. I wanted it to look as if they were starting off on an adventure of learning. goofy, I know, but that is what I first saw when I looked at this beautiful image. isn't it funny what we see when we look at something? flower is Prima.

Challenges:
Paper Shelter - anything goes
Make it Monday - anything goes


Again, this card uses the Picadilly papers, vintage buttons, and little baby Prima flowers. senti is also TLC.

Challenge:
Seems a Little Sketchy - sketch
Divas by Design - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp - anything goes

Fa La La Felt Challenge at Jellypark

Jellypark's new challenge is called 'Fa La La Felt' in honor of the holidays and using fun supplies from our stash! Claire has some cute new images being released into the store, too, so be sure to check them out! :) Also stop by the challenge blog to see the wonderful projects made by the Design Team! some fabby things, most certainly!


A while back I had picked up these felt flowers by Martha Stewart, thinking that they resembled snow flakes. I knew the day would come along that I would find the perfect project to use them on. Once I assigned this challenge, I remembered these felt flowers and my Basic Grey Nordic Holiday papers. how fun if they would go together! The 'Girl Skater' from Jellypark seemed just the ideal image to bring it all together into a card!

The pom poms on her hat, the pond she is skating on, and her ice skates are all covered in stickles. striped ribbon is May Arts while pom pom trim is Maya Road. baby jingle bells are SU!

Challenges:
By the Cute and Girly - let it snow
Digi Doodle Shop's Best - make it sparkle
Shelly's Images - snow
Sassy Cheryl - winter

We're Wearing Stripes at Dilly Beans!

Coffee of the Day - Girlfriend Blend (vanilla, chestnut, hazelnut, & cinnamon)


You had best top off your coffee or tea or cocoa, 'cause I am going to have LOTS of posts with LOTS of piccys to show you today! hopefully you will find one or two things that inspire you, and if not, then I just KNOW my Design Teamies WILL!!!! ;)


Today is the first 'official' challenge over at Dilly Beans - but don't forget the fun challenge to use the freebie snow family image for a chance at some great prizes! that one runs for a few weeks, but you don't want to forget! This is the beginning of our weekly challenges, and we are asking everyone to incorporate stripes into your papercraft projects. You can use any supplies you would like, but we do ask that you not link to more than 5 challenges including Dilly Beans. we look forward to seeing what you make! :)


For my card I used the images 'Disturbed Snowman' and 'Swirl Star'. I am in the process of making cards for my family and you know what zombie fanatics we are. so these cards are going to be a bit more twisted than your average Christmas card! but oh, how I love these images! :) the senti comes from Create with TLC. papers are Basic Grey Nordic Holiday. the script paper is A*Muse quoting 'The Night Before Christmas.'

The diecut snowflakes were sprayed with sparkle shimmer spray. the main image has a LOT of stickles on it - the star, the snowman, the heart. the snow the snowman sits on is chunky glitter.

Challenges:
Aud Sentiments - any winter holiday plus senti
Delightful Challenges - let it snow
Crafty Purple Frog - for someone special (this one is prob for hubster)
Southern Girls - ribbon
Fab 'n Funky - anything goes
Inky Impressions - peppermint twist

You've GOT to check this out! :)

yep, it's another post from me today.... but this will be sooooooooooo worth your while! :)


I had told you last week that I was accepted onto the fabby new DT over at Dilly Beans. and if you were reading between the lines and listened to all of my hints and didn't get knocked over by my nudges, you knew something was coming soon! ;) well TODAY IS THE DAY!

Megan has a fabby FREE snow family digi image she is giving away for a limited time to anyone who wants to play along in a great challenge to kick things off! man oh man, you oughta see the prizes! but don't listen to me, race over to the challenge blog! :) you have until Dec. 19 to get your project made and linked.


here is a card that I made using the cutey image. I tried several 'new-to-me' techniques that I discovered over in the Classroom at Ellen Huston's. it's always fun to try new things and I must say that I don't do it enough....

papers are Fancy Pants Tradition and Recollections (music). FaLaLa is a Sizzix die, as are the largest 2 snowflakes. the other 2 snowflakes are MS punches. all were lightly sponged with crumb cake ink and then sprayed with frost shimmer spray. the music paper was also inked and sprayed in the same manner. I added little baby stitches around the words to make them pop a bit & baby buttons to mark the center of the "A". stickles and shimmerz paint were used on several of the hats for sparkle.

Party Time Tuesday - Snow us what ya got! (Blinkie is on sidebar down a bit)
Ellen Hutson's Classroom - Back in Time (Oct. 12 & Nov. 6)
Cheerful Stamp Pad - who's wearing Santa's hat?
Crafty Boots - anything goes
Daisy Doodles - Christmas
Kraft Journal - kraft and Christmas
Paper Creations Ink - Christmas
2 Sisters - holiday
Challenge Up Your Life - music
Crazy 4 Challenges - snow
Hiding in my Craftroom - holiday (Christmas)
Totally Gorjuss - sparkle
Crafty Catz - snowmen
Phindy's - sprinkling of snow
Simply Create Too - Christmas

A Sketch Challenge with Digi Makeover

Coffee of the Day - Texas Turtle (chocolate, pecans, & caramel)


Monday means time for a new challenge at Digi Makeover! woo hoooo! This week we have a fun sketch for you to play with. get out your digital images, great designer papers, & ribbons and go to town! You could win images from Paper Makeup Stamps if your project is chosen as the winner! Stop by the blog to see the wonderful samples by the DT! :)


For my card I used the precious image 'Cosette' and a senti from Create with TLC. papers are Bo Bunny Snowfall. her wings are painted with shimmerz while the snow was added with stickles. flower is prima sprayed with copper shimmer spray. snowflakes were cut with a Sizzix die and then covered in stickles. buttons are vintage. faux stitching finishes the card.

Craft Your Passion - tis the season (holiday or winter)
Hooked on Crafts - winter wonderland
Kaboodle Doodles - bundle up for winter
Stamp with Fun - faux
Squigglefly - winter wonderland (y'all know I love snow! grins!)
Crazy Challenge - stars and/or snowflakes
Gingerloft - Christmas and/or winter
I Did It - eat, drink, and be merry
Lollipop Crafts - b is for buttons, brown, blue, bows, baker's twine, borders
Paper Sundaes - winter wonderland
Pile it On - Sugar and Spice

Winter Wonderland Blog Hop at Create with TLC!

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Nut


You have arrived at my happy little spot for the Create with TLC Winter Wonderland Blog Hop! if you are feeling chilly, grab a nice warm cup of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa to keep you all toasty inside as you grab your free digi and see what I have made. :) Everyone is welcome here at my stop, so settle in with your slippers and stay for a bit!

Paulette is known for her generosity EVERY day by offering the most wonderful free sentis and vintage images on the web. I make sure to stop by as often as I can, being certain to leave her a big 'thank you' for all she does for us! :) with this blog hop, we have the opportunity to receive 8 images and LOTS of inspiration for those holiday projects! cool beans! if you get lost at any point on the hop, just head back over to Create with TLC for the master list. you'll want to stop there anyway to tell Paulette thank you for putting this amazing hop together! :)


to save this precious image to your compy, just right click with your mouse and choose 'save to ......' from the drop down options available. for some weird reason, blogger doesn't like to open photos in another window on my blog. oh well, these still save just fine this way! :) if you have any problems, just let me know and I can email the image to you.


my card uses Basic Grey Figgy Pudding papers, one of Paulette's sentis, a gorgeous Prima flower and holly leaf, stickles galore, trim from JoAnn's, vintage buttons, and a little ticket I picked up at the band banquet a few weeks ago. tee hee! how is that for re-purposing! in fact, the twine in the buttons is actually from a tea bag. you can see the little staple on one of them.... some faux stitching finishes the card.

now off you hop to the GORGEOUS blog of GEORGIA E. where you will be dazzled!!!! hang on, let me top your cup before you go..... okay, now you are set! :) tell her hello from me when you leave her a comment!

Ellen Hutson - sketch
Craft Your Days Away - buttons or bows
Basic Grey - Lost and Found (ticket and tea bag twine)
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas - vintage
Hiding in my Craft Room - holiday
Stamp, Scrap, and Doodle - red, green, kraft, white/cream
Guylou - Christmas with a wreath
Pattie's Creations - Christmas
Stampin' with the Dragon - anything goes Christmas
Totally PaperCrafts - Christmas
Crafts and Me - shabby/vintage
Little Red Wagon - Christmas
Shopping our Stash - Christmas or Winter (oh golly, that Figgy paper is OLD! grins!)
Pollycraft - Christmas
Stamps & Fun - stitching
Whoopsi Daisy - anything goes at Christmas

Winter Wonderland Blog Hop at Create with TLC!

Join the fun of the Winter Wonderland Blog Hop at Create with TLC! Every Design Team member will not only have beautiful inspiration for you, but a free image from Paulette as well! See you Sunday!

Head over to a fun new place!

I just wanted to tell you very quick about a fun new place to pick up GREAT deals on the craft items we use every day!

follow this link for some AMAZING prices! many of us are shopping this weekend, so why not check out Blitsy?

New Releases, a new challenge - all at A Day for Daisies!

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Pecan

Today begins a new challenge and wonderful new releases over at A Day for Daisies! but before I get to all of that, I do hope that each of you here in the States had a most wonderful Thanksgiving! I didn't even go onto the compy yesterday for one itty bitty moment. We had the most glorious day..... and I am so thankful for so many people, things, gosh, the list is miles long. and know that YOU are on it!!! :)


Tammy has drawn more of her adorable little mermaid friends to bring smiles to our faces. Our new challenge is to use colors from this beautiful photo.


I used this ADORABLE mermaid in a jar image. oh gosh, she makes me smile when I look at her! :) papers are Basic Grey Sweet Threads. the little extras are from Making Memories. the jar lid was cut with a PTI die & fern leaves, which I thought resembles seaweed, with a MS punch. there is so much sparkle irl on here that just doesn't show in the scan. her tail was painted with 4 shades of ink and then covered with sparkle shimmer spray. her hair was painted similar to the sand and then highlighted with the same sparkle spray. the sand was painted with 3 shades of ink and then stipped with dark brown ink, highlighted with white craft.

Mami Doodles - Fairy Tales are Real
Paper Crafting Journey - anything goes
Papercraft Star - anything goes
Whimsical Wednesdays - texture
Crafty Sentiments - metal
Creative Craft - free for all
Crafty Boots - fantasy
Hooked on Craft - something punched
Lollipop Crafts - anything goes
Paper Sundaes - beautiful bows

You have to stop at the Kissing Booth! :)

Coffee of the Day - Toasted Almond


okay, I know I've said I'm swamped with getting ready for Thanksgiving, but oh my goodness, gracious me, you have GOT to go see the entire line of Basic Grey's Kissing Booth! here is the link to the Basic Grey collection. I am in love and can NOT wait for mine to arrive! I, too, won a gift certificate in the Stop and Scrap Countdown to Christmas promo, so I quickly did a pre-order of a 6x6 Kissing Booth paper pad. I am sooooooooooooooo happy I did, but am thinking I am gonna use this baby right up! tee hee!


also, I am still waiting to hear from one more person regarding my gift certificate giveaways. ERIN HOFFMANN has until tonight to email me or I will do one more drawing. I really don't want this wonderful gift certificate to go to waste when Stop and Scrap has been so kind to donate it.


Now for some other coolio news - I have been invited to be part of the Dilly Beans DT! I made mention on my sidebar the other day of how wonderul Megan's zombie digis are! grins! so you can imagine my excitement when she asked me to be a part of her new DT! challenges will officially begin Dec. 1, but keep your eyes open in case something ELSE pops up before then.... hint hint hint! There is a phenom sale going on right now, so check that out while you are waiting .... hint hint hint! and please stop by the blogs of the other DT members to wish them a big congrats! I know it will make their day! :)

Thanksgiving Challenge at The Stamping Boutique

Welcome to a new challenge over at The Stamping Boutique challenge blog! the theme for this go 'round is Thanksgiving. and being the rebel that I am, I am the only one who didn't use the cute Pilgrim images offered by Tracey in the store..... oh well. someone has to be the oddball..... guess that is always gonna be ME! grins!


for my card I used the fun Pumpkin Pie image. maybe it's because we spent last week baking pumpkins to freeze for later use. I am a pumpkin fanatic, as if you didn't know already!, and love to have pumpkin ready to use for waffles, scones, soup, or whatever, WHENever the fancy strikes! :)

senti comes from Create with TLC, papers are My Mind's Eye A Happy Heart, tag die is PTI, flowers are Prima, buttons are vintage. this poor card just about was the end of me, I tell ya. the embossing folder kept giving me fits. the glimmer mist that is on both the senti and masked on the main image did fine on my 'test squirt' but decided to get all globby when I actually started spraying the crucial parts. I'm almost out, so I guess that is the problem, but man, why does it happen when it matters?! ;) hence, the weird blobs on my card. boy, I have never been more happy to finally get one card finished in my life! whew..... but I'll be giving this to Jocelyn's family when they arrive for Thanksgiving. I hope they like it and can overlook my flaws.

well I have baked the cornbread for the dressing so far today, washed almost all of the bed linens as well as several loads of laundry, and made the most important part next to the mashed potatoes in the eyes of my sons - the Ranch Crackers! grins! so the list is slowly dwindling down.... but it is fun, too. Chris Tomlin is playing in the bg LOUD to keep me motivated and focused on what is important. :)

back with y'all later! hugs and love to each of you!

Di's Digis - fall colors
Bizzy Bec's - circles

The Days are made for Jumping in Leaves.....

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Hazelnut

Happy Tuesday! This is going to be quickie quick 'cause I feel as if an avalanche of icky poo housework has come crashing down on me. isn't that just horrible?!?! Mick and Tyler come home from school tomorrow for the Thanksgiving break and then Mick's girlfriend & her family join us for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. y'all know I would rather craft than clean house ANY day! duh! ;)


This card showcases another fun image from the November Club Kit from A Day for Daisies. Papers are Cosmo Cricket Odds and Ends. the banner was punched with the new SU! punch. boy do I love that punch! so fun to use! the prima flower was sprayed with glimmer mist for a bit of shine. the leaf and berry/nut cluster I happened upon while taking the dogs out. I knew they would be perfect for some card creation! I love the way they look with this flower. :) the wooden buttons seemed the perfect accent to this old fashion card.

Now, I'm off to the drudgery of dusting and cleaning potties and other yuckiness as that. on the plus side, I am also treating myself to the beginning of holiday baking once the ick is out of the way. nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread to make a house smell like a home! :)

Stop and Scrap Winners Re-draw

okie dokie folks.... we're gonna try this again!


only one little person claimed their gift certificate prize from the Stop and Scrap prize the other day. I even gave people a little extra time today to get in touch with me, but alas, I didn't hear from any of those drawn.

so......

here are the NEW winners! please email me at jenscull @ yahoo.com if your name is listed. I really want you to experience the fun of Stop and Scrap before these gift certificates expire.

$25 gift certificate - Suzie McFloozy :)
$10 gift certticate - Anita
$10 gift certificate - Erin Hoffmann

and just so you know, a $10 gift certificate is enough to get you a 6x6 paper pad plus shipping. and if you go for first class shipping rather than priority, you can still add a few extras! :)

A Color Challenge with Digi Makeover

Coffee of the Day - German Chocolate Cake

A new challenge starts to day over at the Digi Makeover challenge blog. We are all about colors this week! I do hope you will play along, but also stop by and see the wonderful projects created by the DT to inspire you! :)


- You must use a digital image on your entry
(hey, it is a digi challenge after all)
- The challenge will be every Monday
- A winner will be selected every week by random.org
- The winner will get to choose any 3 digi images from PMS as their prize. If the winner used a PMS image on their entry, they'll get 2 bonus images (for a total of 5!)


For my card I used several different images, the adorable Pete the Penguin (and his senti) and the snowflakes from the Color it Winter Tags digi set. This is just another of the wonderful things about digis - you can make them whatever size you want like I did with the snowflakes. Papers are Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather. I added stickles to the ground and snowflakes. The felt snowflake is SU! that I colored with glimmer mist. Seam tape was sprayed with frost shimmer spray.

A Gem of a Challenge - sketch

Thankful for my dogs! :)

Coffee of the Day - German Chocolate Cake

I know it sounds weird, but I really do tell God thank you for my wonderful dogs! they rank right up there with my family, Dave's job, and our house. Are any of you pet owners who really think of them more as family members? if so, then you will appreciate my post today. :)

Jellypark Friends has a challenge going on right now to create papercraft projects that reflect something you are thankful for, say thank you, for give thanks i.e. Thanksgiving. I obviously chose to portray my gratitude for my wonderful labradors, Mocha & Latte. and yes, I named them, much to the dismay of the men in my family. ;) We can't sleep at night without these 2 cuties curling up in bed with us. there's not much better than having a big pup snuggle right up next to ya! who woulda ever thought I would turn out to be a dog lover? not me, that is for sure! but I can't imagine life without my pups!


my card uses the precious 'Girl and Dog' image from Jellypark and papers from My Mind's Eye Happy Go Lucky. senti is from Create with TLC. I added little snow dots with stickles. Pom poms on the hat and shoes were painted with shimmerz. I really love the colors of these fun papers! I know my card is pretty simple for me, but felt that the designs of the paper were busy enough to carry everything. I did finish off the card with a bit of faux stitching.

Sketches by Carly - sketch
One Stitch at a Time - anything goes
Pile it On - anything with 'p' (pup & purple & pom poms!)
Crafty Calendar - winter wardrobe
Ellephantastic - weather related
City Crafter - 4 legged friends