Silver and Gold Decorations

And Holly of course!  (I always have some song in my head don't I?)

This is my last card for my amazingly fun stint as a guest designer for the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge.  These gals are so incredibly creative, inspiring and most of all, encouraging.  It was a wonderful experience working with them.

The Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge has combined three sketches in this post that will last the WHOLE MONTH. We have supplied both the FANCY and CAS sketches for you. In the true celebration of crafting, you are more than welcome to enter as many cards as you like this month. You can even do a few of each if you want to. Just have fun, crank up those holiday tunes and get some Holiday cards created. In addition to entering your cards throughout the whole month, we would like to invite you to share with us some of your holiday cheer, memories and things that have made your holidays extra special throughout the years. Along with those wonderful cards you will be posting, we would love to see some holiday pictures (old or new). Share your yummiest holiday recipe, pictures of your pet with a bow in it's head, share your favorite holiday song, video or even a blast from the past with your dad dressed up as Santa. You name it, we want to see it!! You can leave your links in your comments or just add whatever you would like to share with us on your Midnight Madness blog posts.  In true holiday spirit, the prizes this month will be the gifts of giving from your heart and from all of us (DT and Players) and simply through the joy of sharing with each other.

 
Confused...??  Keep reading....

I wanted to share a story with you about the time my hubby and I got fogged in in Seattle and we almost missed Christmas here in Arizona.  Our flight was scheduled for a couple days before Christmas and when the first flight was canceled, we smiled and went home to hang out for the day.  But the next day at the airport when our flight was once again canceled, I couldn't hold back the tears.  This was too much!  (Me only 20 and missing my momma real bad!)  I started to hate the sight of the Seattle airport with each step I took out that door.  This time we went home and were bored stiff, so we decided to open a few presents.  One I had bought for my hubby was an army man play set.  We had so much fun that Christmas Eve setting up battles and playing War.  (He of course much more practiced and therefore skilled than I.)  Finally we bit the bullet and switched our tickets to Alaska Airlines (equipped with fog take-off and landing gear, big DUH on us.)  We got out on a red-eye flight with burrito dinners and itty bitty tabasco sauce jars and finally made it home 5am Christmas morning.  It's funny but to this day, army men and tabasco sauce remind me of Christmas!

Here are the December sketches... "YOUR PICK" Make it fancy, clean and simple, or somewhere in-between.  (I went with 84 for my card.)

 

 

 

Feel free to enter multiple cards this month too!

Just have fun and come play with us :)

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My first Noel...

...card this year that is.  :)

It's Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge time!  I used one of Priscilla's wonderful new Christmas digital images and more of my beautiful Paper Temptress paper.

Some fun embellishments...

I printed the image on vellum and then colored it with Copics.  Boy was that ever fun!  :)  A bit of Stickles to glitz it up.  Voila!

This weeks sketch...it's "YOUR PICK" Make it fancy, clean and simple, or somewhere in-between. Remember to click on the sneak peek button on the side bar for the following weeks sketch each Friday.

"YOUR CHOICE"

Enter one style or both this week. Just have fun and come play with us :)

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Be sure to visit our weekly sponsor too, Robin's Fetish Digital Stamps and More.

Melissa Frances Home for the Holidays

Hi all!  If you know me, you know I downright adore Melissa Frances products.  They are always a joy and never a disapointment.  Of course I was thrilled to get the newest Home for the Holidays papers and snowflake embellishments in my Mystic Paper kit for November.

I love the sweet images on the paper so I decided to highlight them on a Wreath/Advent project.

I painted the chipboard snowflakes cream and then glimmer misted with Crushed Shells.  Gorgeous, and oh so Melissa Frances, shabby effect.

 Then,  from the soft red houndstooth and pale blue snowy patterned paper, I cut and folded 24 tiny boxes (until my fingers and arms went numb, ouch!).

I used Melissa Frances Mica flakes for some dazzle.  And of course most of my projects call for some crepe paper streamer ruffles.  I distressed everything with Tattered Rose ink.  Perfectly soft with these papers.

I dangled a bigger box for the 25th in the center of the wreath.

And this is the finished Wreath/Advent project.

Be sure to hop over to Sheri and Jenna's blogs and see their projects too!

Pink Christmas ~ I can't help it...

Oh how I enjoy being a guest on the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge design team!  It is a delight to share a new card with you every week.  I would love to see your creative take on the sketch and do hope you decide to play.  I am really jammin' into the Christmas spirit, so here is what I created with this week's gorgeous sketch:

 {Singing: "These are a few of my favorite things..."}

Girls in white peacoats all nestled together

Gold background paper that looks just like feathers

Snowflakes all stamped and Stickled to add bling

These are a few of my favourite things.

I used a Crafty Secrets image.  Who doesn't love sequins, glitter, lace, buttons, seam binding and ink.  I love pink too and couldn't help but use it on this Christmas card.  All the beautiful papers are from our monthly sponsor, Paper Temptress. 

1.  Cranberry Brown Bag: This paper is so cool it's the texture of a paper bag and one side is colored, the other side is brown.  I used it here both ways.  :)
2. Ice Pearl Glossy: Shimmery and lovely.  It punches like a dream.  Then I stamped snowflake onto it carefully with Stazon.
3. Mountain Rose & Rose Quartz Stardreams: Oh so yummy (pink) metallics.
4. Brockway Pink: Baby pink deckled brockway stationary.  So pretty!
5. Retro Gold Glossy Lustre: This paper is DIVINE.  It's texture looks somewhat like feathers swept through paint.  Then the COOLEST thing happened............ By accident, I scratched a corner of this delicious gold paper.  So I took my nail file to the rest of the edges to make it look like I did it on purpose.  Such a cool (vintage) effect. 

 The snow everywhere is clear glitter glass accented with Icicle Stickles.  Above you can see the brown side of the paper bag paper and the (happy accident) scratches on the gold.

This weeks sketch...it's "YOUR PICK" Make it fancy, clean and simple, or somewhere in-between. Remember to click on the sneak peek button on the side bar for the following weeks sketch each Friday.

"YOUR CHOICE"

Enter one style or both this week.

Just have fun and come play with us :)

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Make sure to check out our weekly sponsor too, our Hostess with the Mostess. . . Priscilla Styles.

Melissa Frances Mystic Kit

The girls at Mystic Paper and our design team captain, Sheri, know me too well.  I was all smiles when I picked up my kit a few weeks ago.

Lookie lookie!  New Melissa Frances Christmas paper and snowflake chipboard.  Plus some really cool trims, and a PEACE bingo card.

I'm in love, and I already have a great idea for my project this month.  Stay tuned on that one!  Be sure to click over and look at Sheri and Jenna's kits too.

Hugs,

Icicle Fairy

 

This week for Midnight Madness I got to use a Priscilla Styles Store image with the gorgeous papers from our sponsor Paper Temptress.  You might be able to tell that I went Spellbinders crazzzzzy with this one. So much FUN with these amazing papers.

I used:

1. Sky Blue Glossy for the background which I embossed with a snowflake motif, then inked the raised portion with a sponge daubbed in Timber Brown Staz-on. (Close up below.)
2. Cappucino Text Only: Have to say this is one of my favorites!  I die cut first and then went to town with a Sepia Copic.  I left the Spellbinders die in place and then used it as a stencil for the middle rectangle.  On the upper and lower rectangles I carefully colored the debossed edge to make the shape pop from the page a bit.
3. Emerald (Stardreams em): This paper is a deliciously divine metalic cardstock!
4. Ice Jade Vellum: Again die cut and embossed.  The green is so subtle it looks great with all different backgrounds.
5. Ice Pearl Glossy: For perfect snowflakes... this paper is AWESOME!  I Copic colored using my Spellbinders die as a stencil.

Above is a look at all the different layers and embossing I did.  And below is a close-up of Priscilla's beautiful Fairy image.  I covered sweet flowers on her dress so she would fit with my snow theme.  I added Mica flakes to her wand and wings and pearl puffy paint to her hair.

 

I had a total blast with this card!

This weeks sketch...it's "YOUR PICK" Make it fancy, clean and simple, or somewhere in-between. Remember to click on the sneak peek button on the side bar for the following weeks sketch each Friday.

"YOUR CHOICE"

Enter one style or both this week.

Just have fun and come play with us :)

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Hallo-Cuties

Halloween has become such a fun time for me.  I am blessed with two beautiful girls and the thrill of experiencing all the festivities as if they are brand-new.

I sewed the girls' costumes again this year.  As most of you know I am obsessed with Marie Antoinette, so now my 3 year old, Tessa, is equally enthralled.  She ran around all week saying,  "I'm the Queen of France" and "Let them eat cake!" with the fervor of royalty.  So funny!

Little Isabella was a sweet lil' Woodland Fairy.  The costume seemed to match her fun pixie personality.  I thought maybe the hat would be a gonner right after the pictures, but she insisted on wearing it even to dinner!  :)  I received the gorgeous mustard colored flower in a MAMA swap from the talented miss Julie Anne Cooper. 

I used a styrafoam cone under Tessa's real hair (yep that's her REAL HAIR!) which I combed up and ponytailed at the top.  Then I just curled a little bun on top.

I love this picture.  They look like they are from Wonderland or something...

It's beginning to look. . .

A lot like Christmas. . .   Okay, maybe not so much here in sunny Arizona, but at least the craft stores are decked out in festive glory.  :)

 This month is so exciting at Midnight Madness!  Our November sponsor is Paper Temptress and everyone has absolutely fallen in love with the products. They have Cryogen White Iridescent paper which is perfect for coloring with Copics and their Mica/Metallic line is divine. If you have not tried her papers, just take a look at what the Midnight Madness DT has made this week. We were all spoiled by Patricia and have used her yummy papers on our sample cards.

My wreath stamp is from our weekly sponsor DRS Designs and I am absolutely in love with it!  First I glimmer misted white cardstock with Apple.  Then distressed the edges in Aged Mahogany.  And finally stamped and colored with Copics.

The gorgeous papers from Paper Temptress that I used on this card are:

1. Rosso Incandescent: OH My Goodness, the sparkle on this red color is goldish and DE-lish!
2. Ivory Plike: This is softest paper I have ever felt.  Unusual and amazing.  I glimmer misted an oval shape in Crushed Shells.
3. Khaki Crepe: I love the look of this paper!  I was even able to stamp (with the edge of the wreath) on the FUN texture.  TOO cool!
4. Gold Pearl Linen: Sparkle, color and texture to flip for let me tell ya!  Hard to tell in my photo, but it's name does it justice.  :)  The background and interior of the card is done in this paper.  I also cut a strip and scalloped the edges to add layer to the diagonal part of my card.

All I added to these beautiful papers was a little ink, some gold glitter glass, tinsel trim and the vintage plastic angel picks.

This weeks sketch...it's "YOUR PICK" Make it fancy, clean and simple, or somewhere in-between. Remember to click on the sneak peek button on the side bar for the following weeks sketch each Friday.

"YOUR CHOICE"

Enter one style or both this week.

Just have fun and come play with us :)

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