Peace

This is a very simple card made with an up-cycled element of the tiny star and gold stitching cut from a Christmas card I had received and saved a few years ago. I die cut the star panel and its gold glitter mat with Pinkfresh's Basic Label Frames, and I ran the card base though my Cuttlebug using Altenew's  Dotted Starburst Debossing Cover Die. That was it!

I'm playing at:

Darnell's Never Before Used Schtuff Challenge #21

My new Altenew Dotted Starburst Debossing Cover Die

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Sparkle & Shine

Krafty Chicks Challenge #540 - Anything Goes

Happy New Year

It's New Year's Eve. There is so much to say about bidding adieu to 2020 on so many levels, but I am not going to put it all down right here. I want to say that I am grateful for the many joys, comforted in the deep sorrows, and hopeful for the future. 

Time Out Challenge #178 begins today with a theme of Life In The City with an optional twist of using ink blending or sponging.

We are generously sponsored by Birch Press Design. 

Our wonderful Guest Designer is Joy, a wonderfully talented crafter who is sure to inspire you. Treat yourself to a visit to her blog. You will be so glad you did!

 I went with a cityscape for my card. I live close to New York City, and watching the ball drop in Times Square on New Year's Eve (from the comfort of my own or someone else's home) has been a yearly thing in my life for as long as I can remember. So with that in mind, I pulled out my new-to-me Altenew City Scene Stencil and went to work. I inked the background with Fossilized Amber, Wilted Violet, Chipped Sapphire and Black Soot Distress Inks. I stenciled the skyscrapers with Black Soot, and added the fireworks from The Ton Pyrotechnics and the sentiment with heat embossing. Voila!

Please hop on over to the Time Out Challenge Blog to see the wonderful creations that Joy and the Design Team came up with to inspire you. Come play with us!

I am also playing at:

NBUS #21 

Altenew City Scene Stencil

Watercooler Wednesday #302 - Anything Goes

Always Fun Challenge #195 - New Year

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Celebrate

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Sparkle and Shine

Merry Christmas

 

It's time for a new challenge at Time Out. Challenge #177 - a Photo Inspiration Challenge with the awesome photo above. I love all of that gorgeous whiteness, and there are so many wonderful elements to choose from.

We are very generously sponsored by STAMPlorations. Challenge winner will receive a $25.00 gift voucher to use in the STAMPlorations Store.

 Vicky from Crafting Clare's Paper Moments is our wonderful Guest Designer. Vicky's creations are full of wonderful design, color and wit. You will LOVE her work. Head over to her blog for a visit. You are sure to be delighted and inspired.

For my card, I chose to use the Christmas tree as the focal point surrounded with all of that glorious whiteness. I die cut the tree on a panel of white linen card stock and again on green glitter paper. I inlaid the green glitter cuts into the white negative, then I die cut the linen panel with a scalloped rectangle die to give it a festive look. I adhered the linen panel to a foam panel and the to a card base of Neenah Solar White 110# card stock.

Please hop on over to the Time Out Challenge Blog to see the wonderful creations that Vicky and the Design Team came up with to inspire you. Come play with us!

I am also playing at:

Krafty Chicks Challenge #538 - CAS

Die Cut Divas December Challenge - Anything Goes

Watercooler Wednesday #302 - Anything Goes

Warm Holiday Greetings

There's a new challenge out there that I have really been wanting to play. I finally had the time today. 

On October 10th, Jo of Just a Dotty Pudding and Gail of Crafty Nomad started their new and aptly named challenge: Let's Squash It!. It's all about using embossing folders. That is GENIUS! I am excited to enter Challenge #3 today - Use Any Embossing Folder And Dies/Fussy Cutting.

I must say, I am very pleased with this card. Before I completed it, I thought it might be too busy, but I don't think that is the case. I die cut a panel of Linen card stock with Hero Arts Snowflake Confetti Fancy Die and backed it with a piece of white glitter paper. I then die cut Uniko's Sparkling Snowflake Designer Die from Gina K's  Ocean Mist Pure Luxury Card Stock. Before lifting the snowflake out of the cut, I placed it in a Cuttlebug embossing folder with a quilt/snowflake design from the deep, dark recesses of my Christmas stash, and ran it through my Cuttlebug (it's still chugging along). I sprayed it with shimmer spray, popped it up and mounted it on the die cut snowflake panel. The sentiment is from SSS Tiny Words Christmas. It's heat embossed in silver on black card stock, and die cut with a Pink & Main Sentiment Strip Die.

Wishing Jo and Gail  good luck and LOTS of fun with this challenge. I hope to play as often as I can. I hope you are encouraged to dig into your stash, pull out some embossing folders and do some squashing!

I'm also paying at:

Uniko Challenge #62 - Tis The Season + Optional Twist Sparkle

Watercooler Wednesday #301 - All About Occasions

Inkspirational #228 - Snow

Little Red Wagon #579 - Snow Day

Love Joy Peace

 

It's time for a new challenge at Festive Friday where every challenge is an inspiration list based on a selected holiday/festivity from the traditional to the unusual. Challenge projects must include at least three items from the festivity inspiration list.

Since the Inspiration List is a mix of elements related to the festivity, the creator has the choice to make something for that festivity, or to ignore the festivity all together and create something using just the three (or more) elements selected.

For my Christmas-themed project, I used: red, green, stars and peace from the inspo list. The poinsettias image is from Jillian Vance's Elegant Christmas. I water colored it with Zigs, then fussy cut it and popped it up with foam tape on top of the same image stamped on the top panel which is cut with the Twirling Flurries by Julie Ebersole, Essentials By Ellen Designer Die. That layer is backed with a layer of silver mirror paper and mounted on a Neenah Solar White 110# white card base.

For more inspiration, be sure to visit the rest of the Festive Friday Challenge Design team.

Ann Schach

Beth McCullough

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert

Melanie Hungerford

Helen Jennings

Melva Peters

Judy Rozema

Come play with us!

I'm also playing at:

Krafty Chicks Challenge #537 - Christmas

Watercooler Wednesday #301 - All About Occasions

It's A Wonderful Life

It's time for a new challenge at Time Out. Challenge #176 is an Inspired By Words Challenge, with a quote that is near and dear to my heart. It's a Wonderful Life is by far, my favorite movie ever. I have seen it a gazillion times. I always cry. I know most of it by heart, and I never tire of watching it. I'm getting ready for the 2020 viewing.

In addition, my sweet mother passed away this past September. My sisters and I had the privilege of being with her when she left this world. When she passed, one of my sisters said, "where's the bell? Mommy's got her wings!".  At that very moment, the fire alarm went off and blared for quite some time. Our mother surely went straight to heaven. This was no ordinary bell! Her life warranted a siren when she got her wings... It made us all smile brightly in our time of sorrow.

Our wonderful sponsor for this challenge is Newton's Nook Designs. Challenge winner will get a $25.00 store credit to the Newton's Nook Store.

Jenny of My Paper Epiphany is our incredibly talented and wonderful Guest Designer. I truly admire Jenny's work. Please treat your self to a stroll through her blog. You will be so glad you did.

My card is a very literal interpretation of the quote. The bell, bow, pine boughs and hanger are all made with Sunny Studio Holiday Style stamps and dies. I typed and printed the quote to use as the sentiment  from my computer.

Please hop on over to the Time Out Challenge Blog to see the wonderful creations that the Design Team came up with to inspire you. Come play with us!

I'm also playing at:

MLCCB #29 - Anything Christmas Goes

Challenge Up Your Life #130 - Pine Trees