Happy Bragging

Excuse my braagging.

I'm excited for two reasons:  I made Kard Krazy's Tag Tuesday Sampler again this week.   The theme was "Pumpkins":.

 Secondly, on August 14 I finally made 1500 visitors.  Now in 2 month's time I have double the number of visitors to 3000..  Thanks to EACH and  EVERYONE of you!

I'm Celebrating and Starting Challenges

This is a two-part post.

First Part
Here is a card of celebration.  You ask what I am celebrating?  Well, it is my birthday today so I created a birthday celebration card.  You will notice that it is not your typical birthday card.  It has no candles.  If I put candles on a card, I would have to make a 12x12 card in order to get them all on!

Second Part

Since it is my birthday and I have been blogging for just a little over a year, I have seen the importance of hosting challenges.  The sites I visit all the time hosts challenges.  A few of t hem offer prizes for the best or for the random number picked.

Now I think I am ready to start hosting challenges.  Even though I don't have a sponsor at this time so I can offer prizes, but I can spotlight the winner's work.  Therefore, starting today, I am going to host challenges.  The winner will be chosen at ramdom and spotlighted on my blog for a week.  Right now I will start each challenge every two weeks.  They will begin on Mondays and end on Sundays at 12 Midnight CST.

The Stamp Pad Challenge

(It must have one stamped image)

Theme

A Woman (or women)

Please link directly to your post and not your blog.  If you wish to have a place of  prominence on my blog, just enter.

Getting Ahead of the Holidays - Trees

From time to time I am going to make a few Christmas cards in order to get ahead of the holidays.  At the same time I am entering Gingersnaps Creations' 'Trees" Challenge.  This is a stand-up card and I will write a message on the base.  The main embellishment on this card is the dimensional tree whose branches are tipped with snow.  Notice not only did the snow fall on the tree, but it stuck to the sign.  Below the sign is a bought embellishment of holly.  This has been one of my favorite cards and it is so easy.

I'm also entering PLay Date Cafe #50  in their Melon, White and Green Challenge.

A number of people have asked if it was a clay tree.  The answer is "No".  It is paper.

Inch by Inch

Gingersnaps Creations is having a challenge called "Inches".  So I pulled out all my inchie stamps.  I really haven't used them much in the past.  These are by Inkadinkadoo.  They are stamped on paper on which I did the Bleach Swipes technique.  I have used this technique a lot lately as one day during the summer I sat on my patio and made numerous sheets in different colors using that technique.  Now I am trying to use it up!

Pumpkins Near the Haystack

Here is a tag I made for Tag Tuesday Challenge "Pumpkins".  I put my pumpkins next to the haystack (rafia).   The pumpkins are there smiling wanting to go home and be a pie.  The background on the left side is an errie piece of Bleach Swipes paper.  This was a fun tag to do and hopefully it will put everyone ready for cool weather and in the spirit of Fall. 

Soartful Challenges has the Fall theme this week also.

The pumpkins stamp is by Stampin' Up.

Day and Night

What time is it?  Day or Night?  I created this for the Gothic Arch's  "Day and Night Challenge".  Instead of choosing one or the other I decided to depict both parts of the challenge. If you notice the main image at the top, it is an embossed half sun and half moon. 

The clocks tick during both during the day and the night.

This piece is also for two other challenges. I decided to add the black and white banner at the bottom for the Tag Tuesday Challenge "Banners". The third challenge is for Creative Belli Blog which is focusing on  "101-Numbers".

Card for a Friend

This is a card I made for a stamping friend who has been in the hospital. Hopefully, she will be out soon and on the way to recovery. I used a technique out of the newly published TJ Newsletter for October-November. It is called clipped corners.

The flower is a stamp from PSX.  The calla lilies are colored with Copics on Cryogen White from Paper Temptress.

Wrinkle-Free Distress

Here is my sample of Tim Holtz's Wrinkle-Free Distress technique.  This is a very easy and stress-free method of coloring your paper.  It is my entry to Studio L3's  Compendium of Curiosities Challenge for Week 16.  Other challenges this is for is Gingersnap Creations' "Punches" and Simon Says Stamp and Show's Distress Challenge

The mat is using Highlighted Cuttlebug and I have a Out of the Box label.  All stamps are from Scrolls Work. As an added touch I made a fence out of a lace border punch and put in a little Flower Soft for flowers.

Alcohol Ink Agate

I have been wanting to do a little collage on this fan diecut.  Terry sent me this fan diecut with some other goodies...thanks Terry.  At the top is my "Paris" title using Tim Holtz's Alcohol Ink Agate on Grunge technique from A Compendium of Curiosities.  This was for Week 15 of Studio L3's challenge.  However, I am late in posting. 

I put a piece of red cardstock behind the fan so it can be seen in the scan.  I decided to use my grunge as my title "Paris".  The images  are of things that remind me of Paris- the Eiffel Tower, foreign postage and a fashion shoe.  I also attached a "key" to the city.  A little lace and a triple-layered flower was added to dress up the fan.

Creative Connection

I am participating in a GC Creative Connection. I heard about this month’s GCCC - Haunted - from Ali at New England Stamper.   Why not play along?   Post a creation to your blog mentioning my post and the Creative Connection post on Gingersnap Creations.   Let’s all craft it forward and see how far we can get this connection to go!

I found out about the connection through Gingersnap Creations and Ali Manning.  Have you seen her "haunted" post?  It is terrific.  You have got to go to her blog and see it along with all her other great creations.  Just click on her name above for a speedy trip.

A Colorful Pinwheel

I managed to get my card posted in time for the Play Date Cafe Challenge #47.  Somehow I always let the deadline pass before I get my entry posted This challenge focuses on the colors black, white, red, turqoise, and green.     I decided to make a pinwheel card using all these colors.

At first I wasn't sure of what I wanted to do to use so many colors.    The pinwheel makes a cheerful-looking card and appears more complicated than it really is.

This a very easy card to make especially if you have the need to make a number of cards just alike.

After I posted this I realized that it also qualifies for Gingersnap Creations' Punches Challenge.   All the squares and the flower center were made with punches.

Double Challenge

This tag was created for a double challenge.  First of all I did a mask for Studio L3's  Compendium of Curiosities Week 14.  This challenge is spotlighting Tim Holtz's Mask Basics. 

The second challenge  is for Soartful Challenges' Isn't She Lovely.

I had hoped to enter a third challenge, but the date sneaked up on me.

This tag uses not only a mask but Cuttlebug Highlight on top of it.  The woman stamp is by Chix Art.  The greeting is part of uinknown stamp.  the woman is stamped in gold embossing powder and the leaves are highlighted with a copper pen.