It's January. Let's Go Somewhere!

It's time for a new challenge at Time Out! Challenge #280 opens today and runs through January 29. It is an "Inspired By" challenge which is a new challenge type in our rotation. With each of our "Inspired By" challenges this year, the title will be "Inspired by your favorite...". This time we want you to be inspired by one or more of your favorite things to do in January and to reflect it in your project. 

Think about an activity you enjoy where you live: a sport, beverage, hobby, place to go, things to read, music to play... It can also be someplace you like to travel to for something you can't do where you live... For example, our southern hemisphere players might wish to go skiing in the Alps and our northern hemisphere players may want to go lie on a beach in the Caribbean... you get the picture. Please be sure to explain your choice in your post.

We are generously sponsored by Lawn Fawn with a $25.00 store credit as a prize for our challenge winner as chosen by the Design Team.

We are joined by Verena Shapiro of simple_stamper on Instagram, and winner of Time Out #275 as Guest Designer. Verena's cards are wonderful, simple and clever. Treat yourself to a stroll through her Instagram for some fabulous inspiration.

My favorite thing to do in January is to go somewhere. Anywhere. Just pack up and go! Now, pretty much any time I am going somewhere in January, there will be warmth, sun, crystal blue water, drinks with umbrellas and steel drums. Sadly, I am not going anywhere this January. Life is in the way, but my son is going somewhere, so I made this card with him in mind.

Greg is off to Portland for a conference at which he will present, and then to London from there for a well deserved vacation. This is his first trip to Europe and I am so excited for him. True to form, after he was packed and when he wasn't looking, I stuck a peanut butter and peach jam sandwich in his backpack in case he needed a snack on his cross country flight, along with this card that I made for him. He will love it when he finds it. I used PTI, Paper Smooches and Honey Bee products. They played nicely together.

Project Details
Stamps/Dies	Papertrey Ink Pack Your Suitcase Stamps & Dies Paper Smooches Happy Travels Stamps My Favorite Things Blueprints 33 Dies
Cardstock	110# Neenah Solar Crest 80# Neenah Solar Crest 80# Neenah Desert Storm
Ink	Various PTI inks
Embellishments
Other	Honey Bee Air Mail 3D Embossing Folder Spellbinders Platinum Plus Scor-Pal Score Board Fiskars 12" SureCut Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer MISTI Stamping Tool My Sweet Petunia Precision Glue Press Scor-Pal Score Tape-1/4" Waffle Flower 1/16" Foam Squares

Birthdays Are Like Quilts

 

I was digging though my Papertrey Ink stash and ran across Quilter's Sampler, circa 2008. The set has endless possibilities especially when used with the Quilter's Sampler Additions set which includes many more traditional quilt block patterns. My quilt was made by stamping. coloring and cutting out (with a 3/4" square punch) 9 different quilt squares and piecing them together. Four things came to mind: Wow, I really love this stamp set; my friend who is an incredibly talented quilter has a birthday soon; Inkspirational's current challenge is Pretty Quilt; and Color Hues current colors are Kraft & Red. So this card happened... 

Project Details
Stamps/Dies	Papertrey Ink Quilter's Sampler Papertrey Ink Shaker Shapes Square Die Simon Says Stamp Detail Ringlet Plate plate Unknown Tag Die SU 3/4" Square Punch Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Square & Classic Scalloped Square Dies
Cardstock	Taylored expression Buttercream Choice Papertrey Ink Kraft SU Real Red
Ink	Memento Rich Cocoa VersaFine Vintage Sepia Copic markers
Embellishments	SU Soft Suede Grosgrain Polka Dot Ribbon SU Elastic Gold Cord Papertrey Ink Vintage Button Collection
Other	WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder Spellbinders Platinum Plus Scor-Pal Score Board Fiskars 12" SureCut Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer MISTI Stamping Tool My Sweet Petunia Precision Glue Press Scor-Pal Score Tape-1" 3M foam tape

I'm playing at:

Color Hues #101

Red & Kraft

Inkspirational #332 - Pretty Quilt

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Add Some Texture

Little Red Wagon #789 - Piece (and a long life)

My quilt is 9 separate squares pieced together.

STB #297

Bittersweet Endings, Exciting Beginnings

Happy New Year!

Today we kick off the first Time Out Challenge of 2025 with a fitting Theme of Beginnings!

Speaking of new beginnings, we are so pleased to welcome a new Design Team Member to our Time Out crafty family: Carol McFadden of Saw it. Had to Make It. Carol is a wonderfully creative person and her cards are a joy and an inspiration. Please join us in welcoming her to the team.

We are generously sponsored by DoodlebugsWA with a $25.00 store credit as a prize for our challenge winner as chosen by the Design Team.

We welcome Ellen Coats of georgia_jayhawk on Instagram, Stamping Sans Souci blog and winner of Time Out #274 as Guest Designer.

In thinking about the card I would make for this challenge, I was trying to come up with something a bit off the beaten path. I decided to use this opportunity to make a card for a special young woman who is quite dear to me and just graduated from college in December from my own alma mater. She is sad to leave her college life, especially her roommates, but she is ready to hit the ground running. I am excited for her, and wish her every good thing as she begins her new chapter. We will celebrate her accomplishments right after New Years. The sentiment is perfect for her.

 Please head on over to the Time Out Challenge Blog where you can see what Ellen and the rest of the Design Team has created for your inspiration. Oh, and speaking of beginnings, with this first challenge of 2025, we are thrilled to welcome Carol McFarland to the Time Out Design Team Family! Come play with us!

Project Details
Stamps/Dies	Unity stamp Company Bittersweet Graduation Cling Stamp My Favorite Things Stitched Scallop Basic Edges Die-namics
Cardstock	110lb. Neenah Solar Crest Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Cardstock Magnolia Dreams Patterned Paper
Ink	Altenew Obsidian Black
Embellishments
Other	Spellbinders Platinum Plus Die Cutting & Embossing Machine Scor-Pal Score Board Fiskars 12" SureCut Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer MISTI Stamping Tool Scrapbook.com Craft Glue Altenew  Watercolor Essentials 12 pan set Ranger Artist Brushes

I am also playing at:

Just Us Girls #756 - Use a Die A/G

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Something New

Bottlebrush Christmas Trees

 

Bottlebrush Christmas trees are a favorite decoration of mine. though these stamps are the only ones I own. They have been in my Christmas NBUS pile for a long time, and last year when Simon Says Stamp came out with the dies for them I HAD to have them. Well, this is their debut. In looking for inspiration for using them, I ran across THIS video, and CASE'd Nichol Spohr's second card. She colored her trees with blended Distress Oxide inks. I used Distress Watercolor Pencils. I used a different cover plate and a foiled sentiment. I just love the way it turned out.

Project Details
Stamps/Dies	Pinkfresh Studio Stitched Christmas Star Cover plate Spellbinders Mini Christmas Sentiments Simon Says Stamp Bottle Brush Trees Wafer Dies
Cardstock	110lb. Neenah Solar Crest 80lb. Neenah Solar Crest
Ink	Distress Watercolor Pencils Copic Opaque White Brushed Pewter Distress Mica Spray
Embellishments
Other	Spellbinders Platinum Plus Scor-Pal Score Board Fiskars 12" SureCut Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer MISTI Stamping Tool My Sweet Petunia Precision Glue Press Spellbinders White Foam Adhesive Squares

I'm playing at:

NBUS #69

Bottlebrush Stamps and Dies

Allsorts Challenge Week 812_3 - Use Your Dies

52 Christmas Card Throwdown

June 2024 Theme - Winter Wonderland

Double D Challenges - Christmas Trees

Happy Christmas!

It's time for a new challenge at Time Out! Time Out #278 opens today and runs through December 18th. This time it is a Photo Inspiration Challenge in celebration of December Holidays around the world. You can use all or anything from the photo, or you can create something that depicts any holiday that you celebrate at this time of year. Please tell us about your holiday in your post if it is not obvious in the your project.

Challenge #278

Here is an enlargement of the photo so that you can see the detail.

We are generously sponsored by Gina K. Designs with a $25.00 store credit as a prize for our challenge winner as chosen by our Design Team. Our challenge winner will also get an invitation to design with us for a future challenge.

We are joined by Verena Shapiro of simple_stamper on Instagram. Check out her fabulous Challenge Card on the Time Out Challenges Blog.

Mine is a Christmas Card in non traditional colors inspired by the Color Hues colors for December.

I used some NBUS here - the background stencil, word die, and my new Gina K. Fuse Foiling System to foil my Sentiment Strip. I am loving my Fuse!

 Please head on over to the Time Out Challenge Blog where you can see what Verena and the rest of the Design Team has created for your inspiration. Come play with us!

 

Project Details
Stamps/Dies	CZ Design Happy Christmas Dies Avery Elle Scalloped Pierced Rectangles
Cardstock	110lb. Neenah Solar Crest 80lb. Neenah Solar Crest SU Elegant Eggplant SSS Matte Silver Cardstock
Ink	DOX Inks: Shaded Lilac, Milled Lavender, Wilted Violet, Dusty Concord, Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Mermaid Lagoon Lisa Horton Solid Gold Metallic Ink
Embellishments	Little Things by Lucy's Cards Deco Foil Transfer Sheets - Lilac
Other	Gina K. Fuse Foiling System CZ Design Reversed Christmas Sentiment Strips Spellbinders Platinum Plus Scor-Pal Score Board Fiskars 12" SureCut Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer My Sweet Petunia Precision Glue Press Scor-Pal Score Tape-1/8" Waffle Flower 1/16" Foam Strips

I'm also playing at:

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #93

If It's Christmassy, Link It up

NBUS #69

Stencil, Sentiment Die, Fuse Foil System

Tic Tac Toe Challenge #261

Vertical Center Row

Poppystamps December Challenge - Anything But A Card

December has arrived, and I am thrilled to be guest designing for Poppystamps Monthly Challenge. The theme for December is "Anything But A Card". 

This one really took me out of my comfort zone, which I love. I started thinking about seasonal traditions as I was growing up. My mother had a magic about her that just made everything so special in a warm, wonderful and deeply loving way. She was creative in all things and she was a talented cook.  All holiday dinners were hosted by my family of 6, and our regulr guests for many years were My Aunt Gina and Uncle Pat. Oh how I loved them and miss them still. My sisters and I always had specific jobs in preparation of a feast like polishing the silverware, making the cornucopia, setting the table, making place cards... We certainly didn't need them, but they were always made. That was my job (much preferred to the silverware polishing), and to this day, I always make place cards for holiday dinners. So I took it a little further and decided to make little treat bags for each place at our Christmas table, and my project for this challenge was born.

I found directions on YouTube for making these adorable little bags from a 6x6 sheet of paper. Easy peasy. I used the gorgeous Memory Box Poinsettia Garland 6x6 Paper for the bags and some of the "clothing items" for snowman, bear and gnome. I dressed them all up in patterned paper and Copic colored "outfits" and placed them on Spellbinders Nestabilities die cut white ovals framed in gold. I put candies in the treat bags, then closed the up with SU ribbon. I popped the ovals up using foam tape on the outer edges of the ovals. Instead of putting names on the bags, I stamped and die cut various sentiments from Poppystamps Holiday Banners stamps and dies, popping them up with foam tape.

Please head on over to the Poppystamps Blog for all of the challenge details and to see what the incredibly talented Design Team has created for your inspiration! Come join us in the gallery. A winner will be chosen at random to win a $20 Gift Certificate to spend in the store!

Huge thanks to Lisa Elton for selecting me to guest design for this challenge, and to Jeanne Jachna for having me. What a wonderfully special way for me to start December.

Project Details
Stamps/Dies	Poppystamps Holiday Banners Stamps & Dies,  Nordic Dancing Gnome, Nordic Happy  Snowman, Nordic Bundled Bear
Cardstock	Memory Box Poinsettia Garland 6x6 Paper 80# Neenah Solar Crest Simon Says Stamp Matte Gold Cardstock Various SU Colored Cardstock Scraps
Ink	Copic Markers
Embellishments	Various SU 3/8" Doublestitched Ribbon (retired)
Other	Spellbinders Platinum Plus Scor-Pal Score Board Fiskars 12" SureCut Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer MISTI Stamping Tool My Sweet Petunia Precision Glue Press Scor-Pal Score Tape-1/4" 3M foam tape

Rudolph Says Hello

 

There's a new Challenge up at Just Us Girls where it is Moodboard Week. Carol Mc is our lovely host and she has a fabulous moodboard for our inspiration with lots of wonderful images for us to choose from. Jenn Borjeson of StampinAngelJenn continues with us as our Guest Designer for the month of November. You can view her wonderful card by visiting the Just Us Girls Challenge Blog. Do check out her project and leave her some love.

Here is an enlargement of the moodboard to give you a better view of the details.

On the very bottom right, there are 2 little bears posing as reindeer with their little antler headbands (right??). That brought the Reindeer Shaker Die Set from The Stamp Market to mind and I went with that for my card. I love his glittery antlers and nose and the snowy background. The SSS and CZ Design Sentiment Strips have some fabulous sentiments and I was so happy to run across this one which was so perfect for my card. Oh what fun!!!!

Please head on over to the Just Us Girls Challenge Blog and check out the wonderful inspiration Jenn and the Design Team came up with. I can't wait to see how you were inspired by our word this week. Come play with us! See you in the gallery!

Project Details
Stamps/Dies	Pink & Main Sentiment Strip Dies The Stamp Market Reindeer Shaker Essentials By Ellen Twirling Flurries
Cardstock	110lb. Neenah Solar Crest 80lb. Neenah Solar Crest PTI Kraft SU Close to Cocoa American Crafts Glitter Paper
Ink
Embellishments	Little Things Winter Mint Sequin Mix
Other	CZ Designs Reverse Christmas Sentiment Strips Gina K. Fuse Foil System Gina K Radiant Red Fancy Foil Spellbinders Platinum Plus Scor-Pal Score Board Fiskars 12" SureCut Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer My Sweet Petunia Precision Glue Press Scor-Pal Score Tape-1" & 1/8" Waffle Flower 1/16" Foam Strips

I'm also playing at:

 Christmas Crafts All Year Long November - Reindeer, Deer or Moose

Die Cut Divas November Challenge - Any Holiday of the Year

Christmas

NBUS Challenge #68

The Stamp Market Reindeer Shaker
Essentials By Ellen Twirling Flurries