Top 10 crafty projects from 2012

Ok, so I've been a very bad blogger this week!

Wow like really bad!
I found this little challenge over at Kellie winnell's blog basically posting a top ten from 2012
Sooo here goes!

Some of the fun things I've spent my time doing this year!

This is my favorite card from the year... Using a fab dilly beans image!

I love this picture frame!

I adored this little box!

Altered comp book

I know this is on the comp book, but I made a slew of these flowers, and I just love them!

Another art journal page... It also happens to be my most pinned item on Pinterest!

This was my very first entry into Tim holtz's 12 tags of 2012

A smash book page! 

Ohh

Anything But a Card: My Favorite Creation

If you've been following my blog for a long time you would have seen this project...

So probably most of you haven't (unless you've gone way back!)

This week the challenge over at Anything But a Card

is Anything Goes or to share your favorite project from the year!

I'm sure a lot of you are in the same boat as me... you've just crafted yourselves silly during the holidays,

and the last thing you may want to do is another project....

Sooooo just link up your favorite from the year... Well as long as it isn't a card silly! 

Here is mine...

 

This was my very first attempt at an altered composition book! 

Wow it's been a long time... I LOVE this thing though...

It's too bad I did it as a swap, cause all I have left of it are the pics... So here they are in all their glory!

 A close up of all the cogs and washers I added to the cover

 One of the wine labels I've had for a project that never came to fruition!

 Ahhhhh left over Scrabble pieces from our wedding put to good use!

 Possibly my favorite flower of all time!!!!  

Anyways, I hope you're having an amazing Holiday week!  

Remember Jesus is the Reason for the Season... and just take a deep breath, you'll get through...

And then we can all start crafting our Valentines stuff!!!  Ha ha ha 

I'm just kidding, enjoy the next few days!

Winter birthday!

Ahhhh are all your stockings hung?? I guess the real question is are they filled??

As in did you get all your Christmas shopping done??  

I still have at least one present to buy, and a little bit of wrapping to do!

But I had enough time to throw together this cute card!

My girlfriend in Florida's birthday is at the very beginning of January,

and I though I've gotta do something that has no hit of the holidays. 

I'm hoping I succeeded??

The image is of course from Saturated Canary, and I colored her up using a mix of 

Copic, Prismacolor, and Spectrum Noir markers.

I also used the markers to color up those cute cupcakes!

Here's her close up!

 

That paper behind her is really more gray, but appears pink in this pic! 

Entering this into: 

Cupcake Craft Challenges: Cupcakes

Saturated Canary: Challenge 33: Inspiration picture

Pause Dream, Enjoy Challenges: December Celebrations 

Cute Card Thursday: Eat Drink and be Merry  

Paper Crafting Journey: Anything Goes 

Do You Stack Up: Anything Goes 

Designed to Color: Sketch 

Bearly Mine Challenges: Winter Birthdays

Masculine Christmas card

I suck at men's cards! 

I mean really... Most guys just wanna see if there is money or gift cards inside...

Right?

Well I needed to make a Christmas card for my dad....

When mom and dad were out in September my dad looked for cardinals every day!

He even bought a cardinal at the good will!

So when I found a pack of cardinal stickers in October I knew I'd use them for him!

What better way to get a masculine card done than with a sketch challenge,

 And a color challenge!

Ahhhh thank you inspiration!

First the sketch challenge can be found Here at There She Goes Stamps

Challenge 186.

Then I had to find a color challenge to play along with!

And the perfect one was at Paper secrets.  I especially loved the teal! 

So there you have it! I made a card for a man! 

And the bonus is that I did it using almost all scrap papers!

Entering this card into:

Simon says stamp: Merry christmas

Card makin mamas: It's holidays

Maybe the last Christmas card

I made this cute Christmas tree card yesterday

With the left over pieces of a project I made for my mom!

I love that its obviously a Christmas tree, but it's not Christmas colors!

Just a hodge pudge of pretty papers!

And in the top I used a piece from the home improvement store

I'd call it a cog wheel maybe?

The stars were inked with perfect medium using my punchinella, 

And then embossed with gold and silver embossing powder.

The presents were wrapped with some twine! 

Here's a little bit closer!

Hope you've finished most of your holiday crafting!

Entering this into: 

Desert island crafts: #1, 2, 5, 6, 10

Creative inspirations: Contemporary Christmas colors

Dilly beans: Non-traditional Christmas colors

A fairy house

Happy Friday all my bloggy friends

I was hard at work in the studio yesterday, and today I get to make some posts! 

Yeah!!!  I had this cute digi from SK Digi's 

so I knew when the fairy houses post went up at Wicked Wednesday that I'd be using this digi!

Ohhhh how cute and fun

I colored this image a couple of months ago, and it's been in

my ziplock back (that I take to work every day) since then!

I did however add the distressing on the edges, and the glitter on the spots
I also added the butterfly using rusty hinge and cocord grape distress inks that I then heat embossed

with clear embossing powder.  I then colored in the open space with Wild Honey Distress Ink

I did that using a paint brush and some water

For the grass at the bottom of the card I brushed on some Evergreen DI and then covered that

with distress crackle

Here is my close up of the fairy house!

If you are a creator of ATC's, go check out this fab challenge at Wicked Wednesdays ATC's

I am also entering this ATC into the Open Challenge at Flutter By Wednesdays

Creepy Christmas snowman

Ho ho ho ho

Merry Christmas!!!

Right??  It's only a little over a week away!! 

I need to stop producing cards and actually get them into the mail...

Maybe tomorrow??

I made this creation using a new image I got from The Octopode Factory Shop

I just love this snowman!

The snowman was colored with my copic and Spectrum Noir markers. 

I also paper pieced the hat and scarf using Basic Grey Serendipity papers.

I added the washi tape banner made with twine and the sentiment "tis the season"

The Octopode Factory Challenge is Triangles so I did the bunting as flags,

And then I added the washi tree's to the bottom of the card. 

I also stamped 3 snowflakes around mr snowman!

I think I might use mr. snowman here to play along with Tim Holtz's tag challenge this month.

He's just perfect isn't he??

Also entering this card into:

The Crafty Pad: Challenge 200 (Recipe)  (3 snowflakes (on the snowman image), 2 ribbons I hope the twine counts, and the ric rack too, and 1 sentiment)

Do you Stack Up: Christmas (and they only have a few challenges left **sad face**)

Love my Tapes: Banners

Fussy and Fancy Friday: tags and banners

Diva's by Design: Use Some Red

Funkie junkie tag 11

Although a little out of sequence,

I have my final tag for the 12 tags of Christmas today.

Remember this challenge is being sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique

And of course the ever talented miss Linda!

Check out her Tag 11. Then come and compare mine!

I was inspired by the flowery creation she had on her tag....

Sooo I tried my hand at making that flower looking thing at the bottom of my tag.

I actually really like how it turned out... The pic doesn't really do it justice!

For the background of the tag I wrote out the Serenity prayer.

The challenge over at crafty creations is Wise Words 

And I tend to think these are some wise ones!

I've hung all my Christmas tags together on my wall in the studio! While its not too festive in here,

 I guess this little bit helps!

Happy crafting this wonderful Thursday! 

Crafters cafe tag challenge

Last week I went to an Ugly Christmas Sweater party

and we did a gift exchange... I made some fabulous bath salts and sugar scrub for my white elephant

I also made this pretty tag.  

The Challenge at The Crafters Cafe

Is a to create a Tag.

I was in a major time crunch to get this little beaut done in time to scram out the door

first I stamped the background with perfect medium, and then I added some 

gold embossing powder and hit it with my heat gun.

That gave this really pretty flowery pattern.

Then I added the digital image which I had colored with my copics, 

and then cut out using my Big Kick and a Spellbinder's die

I added a little bit of color to the edges of the cut out, and then to the edges of the tag as well 

(I know you can barely see that color on the tag)

The flowers were added using pop dots, and the bow was hand tied and added to the bottom.
This tag was inspired by tag 12 at the funkie junkie... I loved Linda's gold embossed background, and that was my main inspiration for this tag!
Find that post Here
Remember her challenge is being sponsored by her shop The Funkie Junkie boutique
Which is currently closed but will be reopen ing in January!

Please check out The Challenge at the Crafters Cafe!  I know you all are making tags to go on your perfectly wrapped gifts right??  Why not put yourself in a drawing for a fab prize while you're at it??

Winged ATC at wicked Wednesday

I have this super quick and oh so cute ATC to share with you today!

You all know how much. Love making ATC's and playing along with the 

Challenges at wicked Wednesday

Where ths weeks challenge is Wing it
So my cute image is of course from saturated canary
My background is paint spatters for the challenge at Designed to color

I hope you like her all colored up using my copics!

Thanks for stopping in today

Fa la la la laaaaa

It sorta feels like Christmas threw up on my card...

Oh that's right, it's a Christmas card!

I made it in 7:05 minutes! 

Wow!

Right? 

This time I did the coloring part first though..

The papers are mostly from basic grey

The image is of course from dilly beans,

And my recipe consisted of 3 flowers, 2 papers (I took some liberties and used an 

extra patterned paper) and 1 ribbon (or in my case twine of course!

The green paper backing the image is coordinations

That's been embossed and sanded a little.

There's also some glitter that I added to the fluffy stuff on the image!

Fun and cute at the same time.

Entering this card into:

Chocolate, coffee and cards:Recipe

Cupcake craft challenges: Merry christmas

Cute card Thursday: Red and green

Fussy and fancy Friday: I love christmas

Robyn's fetish challenge: Christmas card

Pretty pink posh: 10 minute craft dash (use red)

Seriously creative challenges: Tis the season

Dilly beans: Traditional Christmas colors

Desert islands crafts: Red, glitter, ribbon, gems

Clear it out challenges: Happy holidays

Get well..... Soon

I got a text yesterday morning from my sister in Florida saying that

she is going in for a surgery on Monday.

It's a semi serious surgery and her recovery will be a few weeks time.

I think I will be sending her a few cards in the mean time.

This pretty creation I made using Basic Grey paper for the background.

I had a couple of paper poppies pulled out that I was going to affix to the card.

But these butterfly stickers seemed a better fit. 

They are from a Tim Holtz sticker pack.

The red ribbon is the last of my red ribbon that I got from an estate sale over the summer..

I guess I'll have to rifle through my box of ribbons to see what else I might have!

The green/blue paper behind the "get well" is also from Basic Grey.

(Have I said yet that I'm loving this paper??)

I finished off this CAS Card with a bit of twine from the twinery, and voila,

A get well card! 

Entering this into:

Flutterby Wednesdays: open challenge

Anything but a card challenge 8

Welcome back to another challenge at Anything But A Card
The challenge is anything that represents Light or Sun/ Christmas or December Holidays...

I know this is sort of a stretch...

But my handmade house is also a luminary!

Well I think it is, I didn't get a chance to try it out before I had to head out to work,

The stained glass looking window in the top is actually a piece of vellium

which should make a pretty glow coming from my little house when a candle is inside.

Like I said before, this little house is all hand made. 

I had a couple of 8 x11 sheets of chipboard

(the back piece of the notepade that we use at work, and get tossed on a daily basis) 

which I just hand sketched

the house parts onto, and then cut them out.

I then cut some pieces of Basic Grey paper and modge podged them down

overlapping eachother.

I used some teal washi tape on the inside to put all the walls together,

for the roof I really loved this striped piece of Basic Grey,

And had to use it on the roof. 

I added a piece of aluminum tape to the top because the gap was rather large,

and I couldn't get the pieces to line up.

The tape was dabbed with alcohol  ink (which is now all over my fingers)

I also used the alcohol ink on the window.

Finally for the door I cut out another piece of the chipboard,

added a piece of plain red Basic Grey paper, and a button for the handle.

I did doodle some wood looking strips on the door, but they didn't show up in the pic.

To me this house screams Country Christmas,

I may try another one tomorrow as I'll finally be off work for a few days!

Also entering this into:

Simon Says Stamp and Show: House Rules

Paper Issues: 50 Shades of Basic Grey

Tuesday Alchemy: Anything But a Card

Smudgy Antics: Alter Something  (that would be the chipboard!)

Corrosive Challenges: Anything Goes

Cut it Up Challenges: 3d Holiday Challenge (my window was done with a die cut)

Angie delarie DT submission

A few days ago Angie Delarie posted that she was looking for some new DT members for 2013!

Find that posting here

I was super stoked!  I mean you know how much I LOVE her digi's

 

So Angie sent me this Elfie in a box to design for the try out

Plus.... 

I just won some papers from Carta Bella Papers 

so I cut them and pieces them to look sort of like a quilt block

and then I sewed on the page to finish that look

Even though these papers aren't from any Christmas line, I certainly tried to make them look 

like they are... did I succeed?  

Here is a close up of Elfie in a box which I colored up using my Copics and Prismacolor Markers

Soooo cross your fingers that I'll get picked for this awesome opportunity! 

Entering this card into:

The Crafty Pad: Stitching Real or Faux (yeah mines real!)

Snowflakes

I'm churning them out now!

It's still dark, and I'm sure ill be sleeping all day!

This card is for a sketch at Page maps

I used some maya road wood veneer snowflakes that I added a little glitter glue to.

I know I'm like a lot of you in that I don't like my own handwriting.

Pretty much I hate it, so that alone is a challenge for me...

I'm also entering this card into: 

Stacey's creative corner: Christmas colors

Cute card Thursday: Snowflakes

Creative inspirations: Christmas colors

Simon says stamp: Snowflakes

CAS Santa

Good morning!

Yep, I took a cat nap and am up and crafting at 3 am!

I counted my Christmas cards and alas, I only have 8! 

Only 8! Did I say that already? 

Apparently I'm very far behind, or I've got some more cards stashed somewhere...

So, clean and Simple seems to be in order! 

Lucky for me that's the December challenge at Stampendous

So I pulled out my Stampendous Santa stamp (say that three times fast!)

And I got to work..

My watercolors were still on my desk from last night, so I just used them again.

This time for a real Santa!

I added a quick ribbon, and a sticker sentiment, and voila!

Quick, simple and handmade!

Another quick view!

Entering this card into:

Stampendous: Cas Christmas card

Lej designs: Countdown to christmas

Tammy's scrapping corner: Anything christmas

Bearly mine: Santa is on his way

Chocolate, coffee, and cards:Clean and simple

Wicked Wednesday: framed ATC

I never intended this ATC!

How do. Explain that? Ok, so I got a grab bag of unwonted rubber from Viva Las Vegas stamps

Honestly when I looked at the image unlinked t thought oh, that must be Santa

I think I was fooled by the nightcap!

Ha ha ha sorta cheeky?

So once she was stamped I though, ok, I'm gonna run with it!

So I pulled out my pan paints and went to work!

Yes, in case you can't tell, she's picking her nose!

Sooooo after she was painted, and the frame in place 

(Which is left over bits and pieces by my paper cutter)

I again dug in the pack of rubbers and found the dessert first stamp! 

Hey why not right?

Ok, so I'm entering this card into the Framed challenge at Wicked Wednesday atc

I hope no one is too fended, but I think it's sorta funny! 

Happy crafting!

Another Christmas card: with ribbon

This is probably my final post for the hard core crop challenge at coordinations.

I've simply run out of time!

So for this last project I've created a Christmas card using ribbon

This is for the ribbon challenge that can be found Here

I wanted a non traditional colored card!

So the image is from dilly beans, colored with my copics 

And then I added some glitter glue to her hat.

For the background I used my punchinella and my distress inks.

It's a technique that I love and haven't used in a while!

The blue background piece is a die cut piece of coordinations that I very lightly sanded

Finally for the ribbon I cut two strips of ribbon and layered them 

Then added the seasons greetings sentiment.

I hope you've enjoyed all my postings, and that you've checked out all the projects 

in the hard core crop!

So go get crafting!

Also entering this card into th challenge at Divas by Design: Glitter and Sparkle

Fussy and fancy Friday challenge: I love christmas

The corrosive challenge: Anything goes

Layered tag

You know this is probably a record for me!

 This is post 4 for the day!

Wow and still going strong

Ok, so another fun entry for the coordinations hard core challenge

This challenge is for a layered tag and can be found Here

Like all the other challenges I had to use the very fun and versatile coordinations core line

In this case I die cut a little scrap with that fun flourish!

 Layered on top of some washi tape,

And then a quickie dollar stamp with a strip of burlap ribbon behind it

Soooo, fun, quick, and very easy to have personalized tags for all your packages!

Quick and easy layered card

Ohhhh how much fun did I have coloring up this image from dilly beans??

I love these digi's!

Plus I got to try out my new spectrum noir markers in reds!

The digi was die cut, and the popped up with some foam squares!

Behind the image is another die cut of red coordinations

That was embossed and distressed!

That too was popped up

All of that was placed on a piece of Kraft resist that I inked up with

My distress stains

A quick seasons greetings stamp from the dollar bin finishes off this super quick and easy card!

That is after all one of the challenges at coordinations, and can be found Here

Here is another look!

Ok, and finally I took a horizontal pic so you can see the pop ups! Even the sentiment is popped!

So of course I'm also entering this card at the dilly beans Layers and pop dots challenge

Stay tuned, I'm sure ill be churning out some more projects!

Embossed tag

I said I've been hard at work,

Here is another offering for the hard core crop at Coordinations

This challenge is to do an embossed tag, 

Find the challenge Here

The tag was die cut using my tags, scallop combo die cut from sizzix

The tag was then embossed using a cuttlebug folder

I then ran my sander over the top, as this is really one of the awesome features of

The coordinations line!

The little tree is from a Recollections stamp pack,

I heat embossed, and the used some red glitter glue on the ornaments

The tag was finished off with some adhesive backed gems

What are you crafting this weekend??

Stocking stuffer

I have a few posts today as I've sort of been saving up some 

For the coordination a hard core crop!

This quick and easy project is for a stocking stuffer challenge

You can find that challenge Here

It doesn't always get all that cold here in the Phoenix area,

But I do love me some hot chocolate!

The little cup is from a Recollections stamp set I picked up a few weeks ago.

Stamped in black staz on, and the I colored parts of it with my copic markers

There is precious little time left for this coordinations hard core crop challenge, 

But go check out some of the great entries!

Happy birthday April!

Last night while perusing some of my favorite blogs I came across a new (to me) digi stamp

company called The Ocotpode Factory, you can find

these fabulous stamps here.

I was so inspired that I snatched up a couple and got to playing!

I am entering this fun birthday card into their challenge

which is "Words" you can find that challenge here

I am also super excited about the Hard Core Crop that's being sponsored by co'ordinations 

you can find all the Crop challenges here.

This card is being entered in the Recipe challenge being hosted by Andrea

at I'm livin on scraps

her recipe is akin to chocolate chips cookies,

(from her posting)

BROWN SUGAR - Page must contain some type of Core'dinations Kraft or Kraft Core (Tim Holtz collection) cardstock, OR you may use any color of Brown Core'dinations cardstock that you may have on hand!   (I used the kraft core)SUGAR - Page must contain some type of Glitter, Embossing powder or Bling.  (I embossed the sentiment, and I then sprayed it with sparkly mist!)

CHOCOLATE CHIPS - Page must contain Polka Dot embossing, (either Tillie or Jillian Spotted Core or Core cardstock that is embossed with a dotted folder).  (I embossed a scrap piece of core paper and then I distressed it!)

CHOPPED WALNUTS - Page must contain some "distressing technique".  (well it didn't show up very well, but I distressed the edges of the kraft paper, and I also added distressing to the raised embossing on the heart and the polk a dots!)

Here is my close up of this fabulous digi! 

I wanna send a shout out to my good friend April, it's her birthday!

And this fun creation is for her! 

Also entering this card into the challenges at:

Pause Dream Enjoy: Forgotten Stash (for my kraft paper! how could I forget that???)

Pile it on: Anything but a Christmas Card

Shopping Our Stash: Odds and Ends (literally everything on the card is odds and ends.. well except the image)

Tuesday Alchemy: Anything Goes

and of course:

The Octopode Factory: Words