Christmas is in the Air

I am really getting in the mood for Christmas.  We are running a little slow at decorating at my house this year as we  usually do it Thanksgiving Day.  However,  today we are going to pull the boxes from the garage.  You can imagine how many there are as I have all my stuff from 49 years of collecting.  I still have the first angel I bought the first year we were married  Would you believe she is in almost perfect paper mache  shape after 49 years!

I hope to post a couple of cards today.  The first one is a card using an image from CS Design.    You will find this card on Art with No Boundaries.  Chris has a great challenge going.  It is Red and Green.  Go and take a look at her blog and see the inspirational projects of her design team.

My card uses one of the winter images and I also put one of the Christmas sentiments on a Spellbinders diecut.  The fringe was made with a Martha Stewart punch and I inked the larger of the two Spellbinders mats with a gold painter's pen.   I used Copic markers for coloring.  The background paper is a piece of recently purchased Christmas paper.

More People and Things Wearing Santa's Hat

This has been such a fun challenge and my sponsor Bugaboo Stamps has given us such cute images to use for this challenge.  Santa's hat is really been worn by some unusual "characters".  If you haven't joined in yet, you are missing a fun challenge.  Who have you found wearing Santa's hat?  If it (they) are not wearing one, you are able to make a hat for your character as that is permissable in this challenge.

Here is where the Design Team found Santa's hat.

Vicki

Here is another cute image from Bugaboo Stamps.  This little lady is carrying a candy cane on top of a quited background of various Christmas papers.  She is colored with Copics.  I started to add some embellishment to this card, but I felt the various papers were enough.  If you haven't had a chance yet, go to the link above and visit the Bugaboo site.  I am sure you will find something there that will be the perfect image for you.

Michele

Here is another darling Bugaboo digi. I colored this sweet teddy bear and his hot cocoa with pencils. After cutting it out and outlining it with a red Sharpie I placed it on some designer paper and then placed that on red cardstock. I'm finally getting into the spirit of making Christmas cards and I hope you'll also join the fun.

Valerie

Here is Valerie. I have made a little painted wooden bird wearing Santa's hat this time. I used white acrylics for painting, edged with inka gold. Added a white ribbob, some flowers, a bow tie, and - of course - Santa's hat . so he can bring good cheer.

Petra

Somehow this challenge seem to trigger the cute side in my crafting (lol). I have had this High Hopes stamp for ages but have not really used it much. But this little cat is just so puuurfect for this challenge .... The base is an A6 card layered with Echopark patterend papers. For the middle part I used a Martha Stewart punch on Echopark papers and overlaid it with ribbon from the East India Company. I stamped the little Santa cat and the sentiment onto white card and cut it out. The circles are cut from the same white card and then embossed with the snowflake Cuttlebug embossing folder. I mounted the image and the sentiment and - as it is Christmas - added some glitter.

Two Winners - Here's Why

If you will notice, I have posted two winners for Challenge #29 "Trees".  Lacey's entry number was picked first by the randon generator and she refused the prize as she has an online store and felt it would be unfair to accept the prize.   Therefore, I used the random generator again and it picked Carla's entry.

Thank you to both ladies for entering and I have posted both in the winner's spot on my sideline.

For all who do not know, I always notify the winner of my challenges.  That way you don't have to keep looking back to see if you won.  I hope everyone likes this and I encourage you to please follow my site.  The more followers; the more challenges.

It's Cold Outside

Here is a cute card I made with Chris Stern's new image at CS Designs.  It's she cute?  Chris has a new challenge going on at her blog Art With No Boundaries.  It is Christmas / Winter using red and green.

Take a peek through all the new images at CS Designs as Chris has put up a number of new sentiments just in time for  you to use for Christmas and the upcoming winter season.

Well enough of posting today as I am off to go shopping.  I desperately need some Christmas-looking paper and cardstock.  I thought I had some stashed away, but I can't find it.  The best way to find what  you have is to go out and buy more!

Challenge # 29 "Trees"

For this challenge we are going to look at "Trees" Your possible images are endless. There is the autumn tree with leaves turning their many colors, There is the tree that has lost all of its leaves. And deep in the forest in the dead tree with part of one of its limbs broken. If you head south, you will see the palm trees. Then there is the evergreen which stays so pretty and full all year long. As we head to the end of November and the beginning of December, we think of the Christmas tree all decorated with tinsel, ornaments and lights.

What type of tree can you show us?  Here is the Design Team's thoughts on the subject.

Vicki

My card uses one of Digi Darla's images.  This tree is a symbol of one's childhood with the swing hanging from one of its branches.  I had a little trouble trying to color it as I wanted it to have fall colors .  I used my Copic markers and tried to show the colors of the leaves.

This card uses a technique called Stacked Nesties.  I had never done this one before, but I am pleased with how it turned out.  The greeting is an acrylic greeting sayng "Remember". 

Barbara

 For this week's challenge I chose one of my favorite tree stamps from Kitchen Sink Stamps. It's actually a multi step stamping image. I just think that the result looks like the trees you find in nature during the autumn season. The sentiment is from Stampscapes. The background is waterstamping on distress ink. The stamp used there is a leaf background stamp from Heartfelt Creations. I really love autumn colors; why does winter have to follow!

Petra

I am not quite sure why but I felt Christmassey this week ... maybe because I started to bake Christmas cookies. So it turned into a Christmas Tree. The card base is relatively simple with layering some October Afternoon papers and some ribbon and lace from my stash. The tree itself is assembled from paperbeads whereby I also used October Afternoon patterend paper. I embellished the tree with littel blings and a little glittery star.

Michele

I was feeling very autumn-y as I approached this project.  I stamped this tree by Stampscapes on several different types of card stock with several different backgrounds trying to strike the right mood.  Finally this version was the winner.  The card stock is already a delightful pumpkin color.  I wanted the image to be indistinct so I stamped it twice, once with markers and once with ink.  I added additional coloring with markers.  This is a simple card, just some beads and a little winged heart charm to finish it off.  Trees are an excellent subject for a challenge.  I hope you'll join in.

Valerie

Here is Valerie. I have made a simple winter tag. The top half of the tag has been distressed with faded jeans and stormy skies, the snow has been embossed with Utee white, and the farmhouse and small tree has been stamped on top with archival black. Then added a TH branch tree die cut, which has been cut into 2 pieces and glittered with ice stickles in silver.

Digi Darla Stamps

I am so pleased to announce that my sponsor of this challenge is Digi Darla Stamps. You can find her site my clicking on the name above.  There are many digitals on her site and she gives quite a few away from time to time.  I think you will find her site very appealing.  Go take a peek at her site and join in on her challenges. 

The winner of my challenge will be picked by random generator and she will receive three digitals.

Ornaments

Here an ornament I made for the Gingersnap Creations' ornament exchange.  They are snowflakes.    I took some glittery snowflakes as my base.  On the front side is a silver embossed die on which a red bird and some trees were stamped.  On the back side is  stacked nesties with the words "Season's Greetings".  I hope the ladies who receive them in the swap like them.

More Inspirations for the "Trees" Challenge

This is the beginning of our second week of the "Trees" challenge.  There are so many tree stamps out there.  Let's see what you can create with one.  This challenge is being sponsored by Digi Darla digitals.  They will be giving away some digitals.

Vicki

This card uses a technique that I haven't used before.  It is Collage Circles.  It really makes a nice background.  The trees, which is a Hero Arts stamp, above have been embossed with Tinsel by PK Glitz.  As a final touch I added a rafia ribbon that I found recently.  I didn't realize that you could get rafia as a ribbon or twine on a roll like ribbon.

I am emtering this in Gingersnap Creations' GC#126 Spicy Supply Challenge Rafia.

Valerie

I have made another tag for our *trees* theme. I used a TH texture fade folder after spraying the card with different blue tones. I put the green directly into the folder to colour the tree. Then I gave the tree some sparkly frost with ice stickles, added a few stars, and a hungry wild boar looking for something to eat.

Michele

This card features a stamp by Stampscapes and is simply done using a distressed ink background and is placed on some Paper Temptress Kraft Brown Paper Bag card stock.  I don't know the origin of the chop stamp.  This forest scene is peaceful and it makes me smile.  The trees near my home were ablaze in yellows, oranges and reds but they are just about to be in winter mode.   Time to cozy up with a cup of tea and do more stamping!

Angel Wall Hanging

Here is another project I just finished.  It is a wall hanging using the newest image found on CS Stamps.  She is Angeline.  I thought she would be perfect as a snow angel.  I really like the way my background (that is where I always panic) turned out this time.  I used a mixture of gesso and acrylic  paint.  The picture doesn't show it, but the two colors are in slight swirls.  The snowflakes are a combination of different kinds  that I had.  Some have a slight pick irresdiscent color, some blue and some are made from glitter cardstock.  I like the combination of using different flakes.

Angeline was colored with Copic markers, and her wings have been Stickled.  Her body is dimensional as I layered one over top of the main image.  Cutting out her curls really took time, but she still has them all.  I felt Angeline had to be standing on something; therefore the cloud of  cotton.

 Completing the wall hanging is a silver rope hanger and a ruffle  on which the snowflakes have collected.  If you haven't had a chance to visit CS Design lately, you must take a peek at all the original designs Chris has created.

Raven

I used a digital of a raven from Graphics Fairy for this card.  The group of ladies I get together with each month are always making fun of my saving scraps.  Other than the base card, the background is made completely with scraps and I think it makes an interesting background.  The largest paper in the background is Faux Barnwood, the green is a piece of Camouflage.  The rust, orange and black pieces are scraps of cardstock that I added just to bring more color

If you think the raven is giving you the "eye", he is as I placed a wiggle eye on him.

I am using this card to enter Gingersnap Creations' GC123, Random Redhead Challenge Raven.

A Little Camouflage

I have made a number of items lately, but haven't had a chance to post.  Therefore I thought I would try to do a little catching up in the next couple of posts.

First, is a card that uses the camouflage technique on the background paper.  As an added touch to the card I included a couple of gears.  I stamped the old car using distressed ink to make it look old  The car image is from   The Stamp Pad and the greeting is by B-Line.

The camouflage technique takes just a little time, but it is one of my favorites.

I am entering this in Heart Song Inspirations'  Anything Goes.

Challenge # 28 - The First Thanksgiving

The challenge this time is "The First Thanksgiving"  There are so many possibilities.  You can use so many different images.  Just for example, there is the ship, The Mayflower, food, Pilgrims, cornucopia, Indians, corn, and  of course, giving thanks.

Vicki

My card is an easel card.  I chose the turkey as my first image as the wild turkey is what the Pilgrims had.  It is a stamp from Inkadinkadoo and was colored with Copics.  The greeting "Happy Thanksgiving" is a VAP stamp.  The easel card is a very easy card to make using the Scor-Pal scoring tool and it sits up nicely so the main image can be seen at a distance which placed on a table.  The colors I chose for the card and matting were those found in a woods or forest and were compatible to the coloring of the focal image.

Valerie

Hi, Here is Valerie- I have made 2 tags for Thanksgiving. The background of each tag has been distressed with inks and sprays in wild honey, spiced marmalade, barn door and forest moss. The first tag has been decorated with some stamped leaves (stamps from Lavinia) and then with some sack linen, a German scrap, some decorative leaves and the text *Give thanks to the Lord for He is good*. The second one has a similar distressed and stamped background, to which I have added a flower fairy tag, some leaves, and another German scrap. I have printed a Native American and a Pilgrim Father with his child onto transparency foil, and laid them over the background. The text this time is in Hebrew, means *Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for He loves the world* and is spoken *Hodu L'Adonai ki tov, ki le Olam hasdo*. Here's wishing you all a happy autumn and Thanksgiving!

Petra

It was a good pumpkin year and the last ones are still to be harvested from our allotment! I am always very grateful for this vegatable as it is not only very tasty but also good fun to grow and to play with (lol). The base is a Kraftcard layered with Kaisercraft paper and an image from The Graphics Fairy. Lace, ribbon, flower, bling and wooden leaves come from my stash. The letters are from BoBunny. Thank you for looking!



Michele

I've also made a tag in honor of this special holiday.  My piece is representative of the harvest.  I've got some brown packing material affixed to my tag along with a bit of decorative paper from my stash.  Then I placed a vintage image of squashes and a hand offering a gift of flowers, both from the now-defunct Paula's Kits Club.  A bundle of raffia finishes it off.  It is always good to think of the things you are thankful for and this holiday offers a welcome moment for reflection.

Barbara

I really enjoyed making this card. First I got to use one of my favorite Thanksgiving stamps. It's from Paper Inspirations. I've had it for years and it's wood mounted so I'm not sure it's available any more. I also got to use my Tim Holtz Autumn Gatherings die for the side border. The image is colored using Copics. The leaves were colored using Pan Pastels. The image panel and border were adhered to a brown panel and then to a kraft card base. It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is right around the corner, but then anytime is a good time to be thankful.