"Here Comes Santa" Jitterbuggin Challenge

I just started following a new blog yesterday and they are having an easy challenge (good for beginners like me.)  The challenge, make a card with a Santa on it, pure & simple.  I already had this card in the works & thought I'd enter it.  I checked back a few minutes ago to make sure I had the name of the challenge right & was a little "distressed".   The Santa I chose is from Doodlecharms & I really didn't think many people would use him- HA!  I've been debating whether or not to go ahead & put mine in & figured I might as well since the challenge closes tomorrow & I won't have time to make another.  On the bright side-I guess great minds think alike. 

Bitten By the Bug 2 Challenge

The featured image (the wreath from JOTS pg. 66) is not very prominent, but it's there.

PK Stamps Embossing Challenge

This has been a week of crafting experiments for me.  Some turned out OK-some not so much, but that's how you learn, right?

The card below is for the Peachy Keen Embossing Challenge.  This was so much fun to make, (I just wish the photo did it justice.)  The challenge was to use embossing in your project, either dry or heat embossing.  I did both, and I embossed acetate for the first time too.   

 

This was one of my experiments.  I embossed the background & then tried inking it.  I didn't like having green holly berries so I went back over them w/ a paint pen (I wish I had some red Stickles, that's what I would have rather used.)

 

This last one was what I started out with, but didn't really like it, (but it did kick-start my idea for the entry card.) 

 

Once you really get in a creative mode it's hard to stop, but I've got to get some "stuff" done around the house.  If I don't, my family is going to "put me on restriction" (no craft room for a week!)  

Peachy Keen "Let's Face it Friday" Paper Bag Challenge

Yayyy, I finally got my Gypsy back.  I wanted to play with it a little last night to start getting the feel for it & since I needed to make a "little goodie" for my 6 yr. old nephew, well, this is what I came up with. I still want to learn to use Copics too, but since I have so very few, I used what I had & mixed in some Bic markers.
I am learning so much.  My latest discoveries have been about different adhesives.  I really would love to compile a list of "beginner's questions" and circulate it to what I call my crafting cyber celebrities.  I wonder what kind of response I would get.
Happy crafting everybody!  Make it a good day for yourself and someone else!
 

(Just trying to use up some of the billion snowflakes I made.)






 

This one was an experiment.  Still needs a little tweeking, but filled with Hershey kisses it's a quick and easy "little goodie" for someone.

Still waiting for my Gypsy to come back

I haven't posted in a while, but it's not because I haven't been "crafting".  I've been making things for family members for the past 2-3 weeks and haven't had much time to do my own "stuff", but I'm done now so I can get back to playing with all my new toys and things.  If I buy another piece of paper in the next 6 months, somebody should take me out & beat me.  I doubt I can or will EVER be able to use all the paper I've bought lately.  Oh, well what can I say..... I love pretty papers & ribbons and I love a good sale!
I'm still waiting to get my Gypsy back.  It's been 2 weeks & I am ready.  In the meantime I have been making snowflakes like a mad woman.  My work table is covered in snowflakes right now.  (I am a snowflake fanatic!)  I got the Winter Lace cart. right after it came out, but am just now getting to use it, and use it I have!  The card above has just a few of the cuts from this cart. on it. 

My Gypsy came & then she went....

My Gypsy finally arrived Wed. afternoon.  I was sooooo excited!  (It was one of those days when you have a hundred other things to do --when all you want to do is play with your new toy.)  Anyways, late Wed. night I finally got to open her up & go to work.  I got all my cartridges linked (which wasn't that many compared to most people.)  So far so good.  Things were going so smoothly, but there were 5 carts that wouldn't link.  I kept getting a message that I needed to update.  OK-we try to update.  It was all downhill from there.  Turns out my little darlin' has a glitch & so I have to send her back.  PHooEy!  No taking her to grandma's for Thanksgiving.  Oh well, at least there are a lot of cool blog hops going on & coming up

 soon.  Have a great weekend everybody!

Silver & Gold- My 2nd Challenge Entry (& in the same day as my first)

Well, it was a rainy day today & I had hoped my Gypsy would be delivered, but it wasn't, sooooo instead of playing with IT, I browsed a few blogs and decided today was the DAY- the day to finally enter a challenge.  I saw a couple of easy challenges that I thought I could handle & so I made cards this afternoon.  Even tho' I've tried 2 different cameras, my pics are still coming out "yucky," but a very kind "mentor" has told me what to try for future posts.  
I'm entering this one in the Cricut Cardz Challenge.  I used Joys of the Season & Beyond Birthdays.  I just really hate that the pic doesn't show up nearly as well as I had hoped.
**I don't know if anyone will read this or not, but if so, I've got to ask....when you entered your first challenge did you feel kinda sick to your stomach & want to say "no wait, I wanna take that back!" just as soon as you hit the enter button?

Taking the plunge- my first challenge entry.

This is for the Peachy Keen Mini Challenge.  My polka dots don't show (big surprise there! - see previous posts for an explanation.)  They are embossed in the white background.  I just got this Everyday Faces set a little over a week ago & this is my first time to use it.  The little faces are from my very first set of PK stamps, Basic Paper Doll Faces, and they are the reason I'm entering this challenge as my very first.  I had never read blogs or heard of a Blog Hop till I ordered these stamps back a couple of months ago.  I signed up for the PK email list and thru an email I learned about a new release Blog Hop, (it was for the Halloween Stamps.)  Well, I got caught up in all this crafty craziness & long story short....I've been hooked ever since. I really didn't want to enter this card, but I've got to start somewhere, sometime, so I picked an easy challenge & one that would mean something to me.

Getting in the Christmas mood

OK- I give up!  (not really, but I want to, right now.)  I can't get anything to show up in my photos; pearls, rhinestones, glitter, foil- you name it!  I'm gonna have to study other people's blog pics. & see if I can figure this out.  

    

 This one has lots of pearl accents & paper.

 I think I like the way the inside of this one turned out better than the outside. (No inside photo)

 The gold foil doesn't show up, except in the reflection on the table- lol.

(I really stink at these bows.)

This one looks all black & white, but actually has a lot of silver bling in the papers I used & 

it has rhinestones on the tree ---that don't show up!  (This is frustrating.)

Well, at least I got a little glint off of one little section of the silver matting.  

The silver lining???   Love, love, love this new embossing folder.

Finally got a set of stamps (pictures, not just sentiments) ordered, so I hope to get to play with them next week & get to use my new Copics, I also got a stamp-a-ma-jig, but the real biggie is my early Christmas present- A GYPSY!  Now if I (Little Miss Techno Dunce) can just learn to use it!   I feel like I'm spending more time shopping for craft supplies than I am using them---but it sure is fun!!!!

November is here!

Today has been an absolutely beautiful fall day following an absolutely wonderful weekend.  Great day at church yesterday & the fall festival last night was fantastic.  I don't know who had more fun, the kids or the adults.

I'm so ready for the holidays!  Took down all the Halloween decorations, put up a few Thanksgiving ones, but really had to fight the urge to start decorating for Christmas, (oooooo, I hear moans from those who hate Christmas "stuff" being out so early.)   Anyway, thought I'd make a few cards for some friends who've been down lately & decided to go with a fall theme.  My cards still seem so plain, but I'm just too darn chicken to try my hand at doodling or stitches yet.  (Still a little too much of a "greenhorn" right now!)   Speaking of being a greenhorn, Lord, I hope I can remember, or at least figure out, how to post the pics, since J. is @ football practice.

 Stitches sure would look good on this one- do I dare try?  

Guess if I mess it up I can always just make another.

                                                                             

Oops, I forgot to rotate this one.  (Haven't decided on the sentiment yet.)

Some cards I just made & my first attempt at posting pics

 My first project using my new Copics that I just got this week and my 2nd time using my Peachy Keen Stamps. (I'll be using my Paper Doll Cricut cartridges a whole lot more now that I've got them!)

     

front

 middle

( my 2nd project using my Copics)

just a super simple card, (but with lots of glitter which doesn't show up!)

I'm learning that embossing & glitter do not photograph well for me :(

This one has lots of Glow in the Dark glitter on it

more glitter and embossing which you guessed it- doesn't show up!

I really like tri-fold shutter cards-can you tell?

 front   

  there are little trees embossed on the white circles to match the front

My very first time to use my Peachy Keen Stamps

My inaugural post

MY BLOG IS UP
Wow!  Well I guess the hard part is done.  I finally (after at least 30-40 attempts) came up with a name for my blog THAT WAS AVAILABLE, even though it's not near as cute or creative as the others I came up with.  Now that I think of it the hard part is really just beginning because I am sooooo computer illiterate.  Thank goodness I have a fairly tech savvy teenager who can help me.  Now to try and load some pics....... wish me luck, oh wait there's no one out there to wish me luck yet.