'Tis the Season

I can't believe it's been almost a week since I last posted.  Just like everyone else I've been busy busy busy trying to get things done during this crazy time of year!  Also, most of last weekend was spent finishing up that 72 card special order and I was more than happy to finally hand it over on Tuesday!  Today I'm supposed to be doing some cleaning but instead I snuck off to the Craft Cave to get a little carding done.  So much more fun than vacuuming...  :)


Today's card is for 4 challenges.  The colours are taken from this week's Just Us Girls challenge which I had to play along with because my buddy Lynn is the hostess!  :)  (Hope it's okay that I snuck some yellow in there...)  My inspiration is from the photo collage at Jay Gee's Nook (in particular the gift bag in the lower left hand corner).  I also wanted to play along with the Inkspirations Christmas Creations Challenge as, sadly, this is their final challenge.  And last but certainly not least I'm joining in with Use It Tuesday's Holiday challenge.  I've had that poinsettia die in my stash for a few years now and I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've used it.  That music background also had quite the layer of dust on it when I pulled it out too!  That's it for now.  Later, gators!
Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (White) Pcaon, (Kraft) PTI, (Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive) Stampin' Up
Stamps:  (Music Background) Hero Arts, Banner from Bannerific) Lawn Fawn, (Sentiment from Boughs and Bells) PTI
Inks:  (VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko
Die:  (Poinsettia) Marianne Design Creatables

Mix It Up!

***This is my 2nd post for the day.  Please click here for my Friends With Flair/Paper Players post!***

I thought I'd have time to post this after I got home from work but I just realised that one of the challenges closes in only 4 hours!  This card is for the Wee Memories Birthdays & Parties challenge and also for the Use It Tuesdays cooking challenge. I love the Cosmo Cricket Early Bird and Garden Variety collections and have been hoarding them for ages now.  I also have a million Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type stickers that I use very sparingly.  I really don't know what I think I'm saving all this stuff for. I'm sure all my stash would be much happier to find itself on a card than collecting dust in the Craft Cave.  Thanks, Use It Tuesday for kicking my butt into gear and getting me to put this stuff to use!  Okay, really gotta dash now - back later with the blog candy!

Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (Real Red) Stampin' Up

Patterned Paper:  (Sunday Picnic from Garden Variety collection, Image from Early Bird collection) Cosmo CricketStickers:  (Tiny Type) Cosmo Cricket

Thankful Trees

Hello, all! Popping in with a quick card for several challenges. First off, if you have any Unity or Ippity stamps you should definitely join in with Unity's Friends With Flair weekly event.  Not only do you get to see a ton of fabulous cards but you have two chances to win a prize - one by entering and one by commenting on the other cards.  Easy!  I'm also going to enter my card in The Paper Players fall themed challenge, Wee Memories' Brads, Buttons or Bows challenge, Simon Says Stamp's button challenge and Use It Tuesday's Orange, Black or Purple challenge.  I bought those little buttons at the dollar store about 3 years ago and since then they've done nothing but look cute in their little storage drawer.  Now they finally get to look cute on a card!  :)

And just an update to let you know that the puppies that Atticus donated blood to are doing really well.  It was amazing to watch their transformation as the blood was infused.  At the start they could barely stand.  Halfway through they were looking around and reacting to what was going on in the room.  By the end we had to hold them down because they were up and about and wanting to scamper around!  A beautiful sight!  :)

Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (Kraft) PTI, (Old Olive)  Stampin' Up
Stamps:  (Trees from Bella Trees, Sentiment from Sept 2011 KOM - All Seasons) Unity Stamp Co
Ink:  (Chocolate Chip, Cajun Craze) Stampin' Up
Buttons:  Craft Supply

Use It Tuesday

You may remember a couple of weeks ago I had a jolly good time inking up stamps that had been sitting completely unused in the Craft Cave.  Having such a neglected collection helped me win Use It Tuesday's Uninked Stamp Challenge and my prize is that I get to be a Guest Designer for this week's challenge!  Whoo hoo!  The challenge is to use metal on your cards.  So I burrowed into my stash and came up with these leaf brads that I bought back in 2007 from The Stampin' Place which is the first place I ever ordered stamp supplies from.  I cut the backs off the brads and attached them with Pop Dots.  (The tree and stitches stamps were previously uninked and are glad to get their moments to shine alongside the brads!)  If you get a chance, pop over to Use It Tuesday and see the fabulous designs created by the rest of the design team then break out the metal detector and make a card!  :)     
Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (Kraft) PTI
Stamps:  (Tree) Unity Stamp Co, (Stitches) Purple Onion Design, (Sentiment) PTI
Inks:  (Chocolate Chip, Old Olive)  Stampin' Up
Gems:  Doodlebug

Winter Wishes

I wanted to have another go at one of the sketch challenges over at the Moxie Fab World so this is my entry for the Horizontal Sketch Challenge.  I'm also going to enter it in the Less Is More CAS Anything Goes challenge.  The LIM ladies are attempting to get 1000 entries so I am happy to lend a hand and help them reach their goal!  :)  This week's challenge at 4 Crafty Chicks is to use embossing so I am posting this puppy over there as the snowflake and sentiment are both heat embossed.  And, of course, I can't forget my friends at Use It Tuesdays - here's 5 more previously uninked stamps!

Also, today is Monday and time to announce the winner of my Unity blog candy!  (You thought I'd forget didn't you?)  Not too many comments on that post but I didn't really advertise the blog candy.  I wanted it to be for people who not only were followers but who actually look at my blog regularly.  I hate the idea of having a bunch of people suddenly become followers just do win some free stash.  I also enjoyed reading what products people are enjoying these days although asking for that was a bit of self torture given the shopping ban!!  :)  Okay, let's get to the part you really want to read - without further ado here's the winner!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:2Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Commenter #2 is Jenny from Crafting in the Country!  Congrats, Jenny!  And thanks again to  all of you who stop by and say hello and who in turn inspire me with all your amazing creations.  :)  

     

Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (White) Bazzill, (Black) Gina K Luxury Cardstock
Stamps:  (Flower, sun, leaf from Friendly Flowers) Paper Smooches, (Snowflake from Winter Swirls, Sentiment from Holiday Button Bits) PTI
Ink:  (Memento Tuxedo Black & VersaMark) Tsukineko
Embossing Powder:  (Silver & Seafoam White) Ranger
Gems:  Doodlebug

Punch:  (3/4" square) EK SuccessCopics:  R27, YR68, Y17 / Y08, Y38 / YR04, YR07, G99

Two Tuesdays and a Trigger

***This is my 2nd post of the day.  Please scroll down for my Colour Throwdown/Lily Pad Cards/Use It Tuesday card***

Today I played along with the Tuesday Trigger at the Moxie Fab World and, for the third card in a row, I used previously uninked stamps - hello, Use It Tuesday!  :) (This card also qualifies for the Wee Memories No Pattered Paper challenge).  I was inspired by a lot in the Trigger photo.  I used PTI's Modern Basics to create a green and white pattern like the one on the chair. I used the brown from the table edge and the turquoise from the book (I think it's a book) that the vase is sitting on.  And then there's that gorgeous flower.  If you look really closely there is a touch of pink at it's centre. My flower is made out of parchment paper.  I cut several sizes from the Nestabilities Peony die, scrumpled them all up and then put them together with a pink brad.  I'm really chuffed with how it came out!  :)       

Supplies Used:

Cardstock:  (Tempting Turquoise, Chocolate Chip) Stampin' Up, (White) Bazzill
Stamps:  (Shapes from Modern Basics, Sentiment from Fillable Frames #4) PTI
Ink:  ( Chocolate Chip & Garden Green) Stampin' Up
Die:  (Nestabilities Peony) Spellbinders

Copic:  G07

Happily Ever After

Another combo sketch today!  This card uses the colours from The Colour Throwdown and the sketch from Lily Pad Cards. Also, it's the first time these two stamps have seen ink so that makes it eligible for Use It Tuesday's challenge to use a previously uninked stamp.  Nothing too wild and crazy going on here but I think it may be my first window card - or at least, the first one in a really long time.  Must check out the archives...    

Supplies Used:

Cardstock:  (Pacific Point, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black) Stampin' Up, (White) Bazzill
Stamps:  (Image & sentiment from July 2010 KOM - Happily Ever After) Unity Stamp Co
Ink:  ( VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko
Gems:  Craft Supplies for Less
Die:  (Nestabilities Standard Circles Large) Spellbinders

Punch:  (2" circle) Marvy Uchida

Share The Joy

When I woke up this morning I thought that it was much earlier than it actually was as it was so dark outside.  Yes!  It was a gorgeous, grey, thundery, rainy day!  Whoo hoo!  So I abandoned hubby and the dogs and high tailed it to the Craft Cave for some much needed crafty time.  I started with this week's ColourQ colours and decided I would also play along with Use It Tuesday's challenge to use an uninked stamp.  ETA:  Neither of these stamps had been inked before.  (Actually, I could probably enter that challenge every day for the next few months!)  My card is also eligible for the Wee Memories challenge to not use patterned paper.  Triple challenge score!  Whoop whoop!  I stamped, embossed, fussy cut and paper pieced the Unity image and then coloured the gems with Copics to match.  Wasn't sure at first about having that much grey on a Christmas card but I like it! What do you think?


Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery, Poppy Parade, Basic Grey) Stampin' Up, (White) Bazzill
Stamps:  (Image from October 2010 KOM - Take Time to Laugh) Unity Stamp Co, (Sentiment from Get Merry!) Hero Arts
Ink:  (VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko
Embossing Powder:  (Clear) Ranger
Gems:  Craft Supplies for Less
Copics:  R17, YG03, BG05