Be Still

It's July! Chrissy is starting off the month at Little Red Wagon with a "Light Up the Sky" (make a night sky) challenge. 

I tore and inked up a page from an old dictionary and then created a blue and black mat for my card, spritzing some water droplets. I also used a My Favorite Things stencil to add stars. The stamps are from Flora and Fauna and I used my NBUS Dymo to create the sentiment strips. 

Please head over to Little Red Wagon to see the rest of the night sky projects - and then link up one of your own! 

4

Best Wishes

It's my turn to host this week's Little Red Wagon challenge and I've chosen another Queen hit as the theme. This time, it's "Bicycle Race". However, I felt that limiting crafters to bicycles alone would be rather restrictive so I'm opening things to include any sort of transportation - trains, planes, automobiles, scooters, prams, hot air balloons, canoes, etc. If it gets you from A to B, you are being transported! 

I had really wanted to include a bicycle on my card but things didn't work as planned so I'm thankful the theme is open to all transportation! I had a card design in mind and then my daughter asked me to make a wedding card with flowers. She showed me some photos she'd found online and I thought I could work them into something with a bicycle. However, I just didn't like the look of things with a stamped and cut bicycle though, and wasn't thrilled with the size of the bicycle either. I was happy when I remembered the little VW camper die in my stash as it seems a much better fit. Plus, Erin is really happy with the card and that's the main thing. 

I'd love for you to head over to Little Red Wagon to be inspired by the rest of the amazingly talented Girlfriends' creations - and then link up your own! 

5

With My Deepest Sympathy

Happy Wednesday from hazy Ontario. We've got a record number of forest fires here in Canada and, although I'm nowhere near any of the fires or danger, our area is under an air quality advisory due to all the smoke that's blown our way. I'm thankful that my camping vacation was last week as I had beautiful weather and clear air (other than the mosquitos and blackflies that were occupying too much airspace for my liking). My thoughts are with all those affected by the fires. It's simply devastating.

Doni is our hostess for this week's Little Red Wagon challenge and she wants to see "Things that fly". A colleague of mine recently lost his mother-in-law and I made this card to send to him and his husband. I used a Stampin' Up bird punch, a Flora & Fauna background stamp, a Mama Elephant frame die and a sentiment stamp from My Favorite Things. I was blessed to win a gift card from My Favorite Things with their June card kit release (Everything Wonderful card kit) so I purchased the new kit with this sentiment stamp being part of the set. Huge thanks to My Favorite Things! The stamping is done on a layer of vellum for a softer touch - and then three little pearls were added to the centre of flowers to finish things off. 

Please head over to Little Red Wagon to see how the Girlfriends used "things that fly" as inspiration for their projects. We'd love to have you join our challenge this week too! 

5

Happy Birthday

It's the talented Imke's turn to host our Little Red Wagon challenge this week and she's continuing her "either, or" theme of the year. This week, our choice is "Flora or Fauna" and I decided to go the route of flora. I just got back from Bahamas, having gone there on a cruise last week, and I was in awe of the wonderful, bright florals there.

I used a variety of leaf stamps from the stamp company which has been perfectly named for this challenge - Flora and Fauna! I used some generic square frame dies as well as some generic word dies. For the final touch, I added a leaf die cut from Your Next Stamp. 

Please head over to Little Red Wagon to see what the rest of the Girlfriends chose to do for the challenge - and then create a flora or fauna project of your own! 

6

Congrats to the Grad

I'm delighted to be hosting at Little Red Wagon this week. In keeping with my Queen-inspired challenges in 2023, I've chosen the hit song, "We Are the Champions". I'm looking for any sort of congratulatory-type project. 

I decided to go with a card as one of our incredible student staff members at work will be graduating at the end of the term. She loves butterflies so I knew I wanted a butterfly as my focal point. I first tried a small cap on the butterfly's head but that really didn't work so decided the butterfly would wear the cap on her wing. Much better! The butterfly, cap and pink mat are all covered in Wink of Stella and it looks quite pretty in real life. And the background floral paper is also embossed with little butterflies. 

The butterfly is from Flora & Fauna stamps (although I think the set might be retired as I can't seem to find it) with all the rest of the stamps (cap and sentiments) from Simon Says Stamp's Grad Party set. Inside, I stamped, "Now go change the world". The black scallop frame is from My Favorite Things. I found a reverse set of frames (with the scallop on the outer edge) but I'm thinking this set must also be retired. The little pink corners are from an EK Success punch. Back when I first started making cards, I had corners on pretty much everything!! It was fun to pull out the dusty punch and use it again. 

Please head over to Little Red Wagon to see the rest of the Girlfriends' projects - and then link up one of your own! 

4

Hello - All Die Cuts

Happy Wednesday! We're in for another doozy of a storm here in Ontario, Canada. Things are supposed to get really bad through the night so I'm relieved that I'll be working from home tomorrow. I'm crossing my fingers and praying hard that things will be clear by Friday as I'm heading to southern Ontario for the weekend to cheer on my youngest in an ice hockey tournament. It looks as though things should be cleared up by then. 

Chrissy is our ever-so-creative hostess at Little Red Wagon this week and she's chosen the theme "Die Cuts". With the exception of my card base which I cut with my paper trimmer, all other elements were created from an assortment of dies from an assortment of different crafting companies - My Craft Spot, Reverse Confetti, Flora and Fauna, Gemini. 

Please head over to Little Red Wagon to see the many ways die cuts have been used by the Girlfriends - and then create a paper projects with a die cut or two to join the fun! 

5

Hello from the Beach

This week's Little Red Wagon challenge is being hosted by the lovely Chrissy - and she wants a day at the beach! A couple of weeks ago, I visited Grand Bend beach in south western Ontario. It was beautiful! I love walking through sand. I prefer the ocean but we're quite far inland. Our Great Lakes are massive though and we've lots of smaller lakes in my area - so beaches are easy to be found around here. 

I created a little inked beach scene. Originally, there was going to be a crab wishing the recipient a "crabulous" day. However, the crab just didn't seem to fit with the little sunset beach scene (nor did the sentiment particularly as the sunset implies the day is over!) so I went a different route. I'll save my fun little crab for another project.

Please head over to Little Red Wagon to see what the rest of the Girlfriends have created. We'd love for you to join our challenge too!

5

Good Times

Imke is hosting this week's Little Red Wagon challenge and she's looking for "Fruit Salad" - use any kind of fruit on your project or create something that has to do with fruit in some way.

One of my favourite fruits is pineapple so I decided to use some pineapple silhouettes nestled by a tropical drink. Our weather feels quite tropical these days with some record-breaking temperatures out west and some pretty hot and humid days here in Ontario as well. I love the summer so won't complain as I'll take this over the cold any day!

My work on the trailer continues. I've been burning the candle at both ends in the process! Although the work isn't finished yet, the trailer is still fully functional. In fact, I'm heading out today with my youngest for the long weekend. It's the first time we'll be using the trailer and I'm looking forward to it! Here's a before/after photo of the little bathroom which is finished. I've been going for a country cottage theme. 

Please head over to Little Red Wagon to see what the rest of the Girlfriends have created - and then link up your own fruity creation to help us make fruit salad!!

6

Be True to Who You Are

Our wonderful hostess at Little Red Wagon this week is Imke and she wants us to "Say it with flowers". The gardens are springing to life here and it's a delight to behold the beauty of this time of year. Your project can have anything to do with flowers.

I pulled out my NBUS Brush Petal 2 stamp set from Flora & Fauna. I love the look of the floral background I created and wish I'd used these stamps sooner! I finished things off with a sentiment strip from my stash and a couple of dew drops. This card was so quick and easy to put together with the stamps doing all the hard work. It was perfect for me to get back outside to enjoy the great outdoors!

Please head over to Little Red Wagon to see the rest of the Girlfriends' floral creations - and know you're very welcome to join the fun as well!

5

With Sympathy and Love

It's Brenda's turn to host this week's Little Red Wagon challenge and she wants to see "Fun Feathered Friend". I have to admit that, when I wrote down this week's challenge, I simply wrote "birds". As a result, my card is not a particularly fun one. However, the birds are sent to bring comfort and love to a dear friend.

The birds I used are from Flora & Fauna's Woodgrain Bird stamp set. "With sympathy" was cut with an Avery Elle die set and "and love" is from a Hero Arts stamp set. The birds don't look quite as bright in real life but do have some Wink of Stella on them for a bit of shine.

Please head over to Little Red Wagon to see what the rest of the Girlfriends have created - and then link up your own "Fun Feathered Friends" projects. We're always happy to see your cards, layouts, home decor projects, tags, etc.!

6

Birthday Blessings

Jan is this week's Little Red Wagon and she's looking for anything and everything "Totally Teddies"! She's let us know that bears of any sort will do so that's the direction I went.

I used some stamps from Flora and Fauna's Mushroom Forest set and water-coloured the background and images. The little sentiment tag was created using dies, a stamp and jute from My Craft Spot (no longer in business). I added a few vellum die-cut flowers to finish things off. 

On a completely different note, I have a new man in my life!! He's the sweetest little guy and I am completely smitten with him. He's quite cuddly and such a happy soul. We've named him Bishop after Bishop Myriel from Les Mis as he has a bit of a white collar. He is rather a rascal though and part of me thinks that he would have been more appropriately named Mungojerrie!! It's a good thing he's so cute!

Please head over to Little Red Wagon to see what the rest of the Girlfriends have created for this week's "Totally Teddies" challenge. We'd love for you to join the fun as well!

6

Hello!

It's Wednesday! This means that it's time for a new challenge at Little Red Wagon. This week, Imke is our hostess and she's chosen the theme "Nature, Flora and Fauna". If your creation has to do with animals or plant life or nature of any kind, you're good to go!

I decided to go quite literal and used a stamp set from Flora & Fauna. Given the changing colours in my part of the world, I decided to go with a fall scene and used some distress oxide inks to create my background. 

Please get out your flora and/or fauna tools and create something for this week's challenge. If you're looking for inspiration, the rest of the Girlfriends have their takes on the theme over at Little Red Wagon. 

5

Find Joy in the Ordinary

This week at Little Red Wagon, we're reusing and recycling! Brenda is our hostess and she wants to see us using previously-used items on our projects. This is a fabulous time to be creative and take items that might be heading out the door and turning them into something wonderful!

The grey mats used on my card were salvaged from my uni's print shop. I was able to get a number of pieces of cardstock and paper that were otherwise going to be thrown in the recycle bin. I also used an old dictionary to cut some of my flowers. I used dies that I had also used for last week's creation - reusing in another sense!!

Please look through things that might be headed for the rubbish or recycling bins and use them on your creations. And please check out the rest of the Girlfriends' creations at Little Red Wagon!

I'm linking up my card in Simon Says Stamp's latest challenge - Recycle!

5

Hello

We're mixing things up this week at Little Red Wagon. Jan is our hostess and she's chosen the theme "Mix 'Em Up!". Simply use products from more than one company on your projects and you're mixing 'em up!

I started with a Mini Toucan from Flora & Fauna. The background was stamped with flowers and leaves from the same set. I used frames from Your Next Stamp. The twine is from My Craft Spot (no longer in business). I used my Zig markers for some watercolouring.

Please head over to Little Red Wagon to see what the rest of the Girlfriends have created - and then use a variety of products to Mix 'Em Up and join our challenge!

4

Prayers and Love

It's time for our newest Little Red Wagon challenge. Doni is the hostess this week and she's calling for "Blue"! Anything goes, as long as there's blue on your creation.

I used some more dies from my new Flora & Fauna "Woodland Flowers" dies (which I used for last week's card too) to create the flowers and leafy branches behind them. They're all layered on a stencilled background which I sponged after cutting out a doily from a My Craft Spot die and using that as my stencil. The "prayers" cut and sentiment are a set from Hero Arts. Prayers and love are needed around the world.

Please head over to Little Red Wagon to see the rest of the Girlfriends' creations - and then pull out your blues to create a project of your own!

I do hope that you are all keeping well and safe. Please remember to stay home. Other than the dog's walks, I haven't left the house in over two weeks. It can be done!

6

Just Because

Happy Wednesday! It's time for our new challenge at Little Red Wagon where the wonderful Imke is hosting this week. Imke has called this challenge "Leftovers" and she wants us to use up paper (or supplies) that we have leftover from something else.

I used some tissue paper that came with my latest Causebox shipment to make my die cut flowers. The dies are a new set from Flora & Fauna. I also used some leftover white cardstock for my frames which just arrived with my latest Your Next Stamp order.

Please head over to Little Red Wagon to see what the rest of the Girlfriends have created - and then use your leftovers to make a project for our challenge!

I do hope that all of you are well. We're staying home and making the best of things. It's actually been a wonderful time of reconnection with family meals together each night and games in the evening. I'm still working each day - but from home. It's busy as we work to support our students at the uni with their transition to online learning. I'm so impressed with my team and my incredible students!

6

Go Flourish

There's currently a 30-Day colouring challenge going on for crafters (or anybody!). I'm not sure that I'll be able to colour every day but thought I'd try to make use of some of the time that I've got. Plus, I'm still having a very difficult time with sleep and colouring is so relaxing!

I used stamps from Flora and Fauna's Butterfly Jar Set (which might actually be retired as I don't see it in the shop). I added some Wink of Stella to the butterfly for some added sparkle.

It's a simple card - but I like it and it was a great way to spend time while waiting for the sheets to dry!

1

Go Flourish

It's time for a new Little Red Wagon challenge and I'm the hostess this week. My son and I have been enjoying time outdoors (when it hasn't been raining) and trying to identify the various bugs that we find - so I decided that "Bugs and Slugs" would be this week's Little Red Wagon challenge!

I used the pretty "Butterfly Jar" stamp set from Flora and Fauna for my card, heat embossing the butterflies with sparkly embossing powder on both the card base and the distressed panel. The card is 5"x5" instead of my usual A2 size.

My card is quite a bit different from my original idea - cute little ladybirds and bees! I'm happy with the way things turned out though, and have a special person in mind for this card.

Please head over to Little Red Wagon to see what the rest of the Girlfriends have created - and then link up your own "Bugs and Slugs" creations. I can't wait to see what you make!

Products used:

The little banner for the sentiment is cut from a die from My Craft Spot (no longer in business). The card base is made with Stampin' Up's Naturals White cardstock.

7

Life is a Beautiful Ride

About a month ago, I was introduced to Flora and Fauna clear stamps. When I saw the little VW van die, I had one of those, "Ohhhhh! I must get this!" moments. My package was shipped quickly but seemed to take the scenic route to get to me. It's here now and I had a chance to play with it!

When I saw the latest Wednesday challenge at Simon Says Stamp is Furry Friends, I decided to combine my new van die with a furry friend in order to play along! The little pup is from a stamp set that came free with the May 2017 issue of Craft Beautiful. I've had the paw print paper since I first began paper crafting about 10 years ago.

For those of you saying prayers for my family, thank you. The past month has been especially rough and we've been told that my husband is likely in his final month or two with us. My heart is still in disbelief that this is happening. We are blessed with tremendous support from my family and friends. Still, it's all a nightmare. We appreciate your continued prayers and positive thoughts. xox

Products used:

Pup stamp from Crafts Beautiful (free stamp set included with May 2017 issue)
Paw print paper from Daisy Hill

9