Love you so much

I finally finished all of my Valentine cards. This card for George made me so happy. the little kitty is the spitting image of our dear old girl Pinkie. This card will be from her.

I am entering this card in two challenges:

The Male Room

Inkspirational

Each site are featuring "love" cards.

I hope my cards inspire you to get started on your Valentine cards.

I know him! I know Santa!!

While shopping at our local Trader Joe's my husband said- "you have to come around back". I kinda wanted to just get going, we had a lot to do. But I humored him and went to the back parking lot and there is the most gorgeous white draft horse being hooked to a festive white buggy.

A few moments later after petting this big guys nose and wishing I had an apple or a carrot, my husband whispers "look up". I look up and what to my wondering eyes should appear- Santa Claus!!!

I don't know about you, but there is something magical about being around Santa. You immediately become a kid again. 

I am sure my dear husband is telling Santa all about the Martin Dreadnaught D-45 guitar he wants for Christmas.

But behind every great guy there is an even better woman. Santa is no different. Mrs. Claus who is usually behind the scenes baking cookies to keep the big guy-well big, got to get out to visit today.

Like any good wife, she isn't letting her man out in public until he is perfectly put together.

After getting my time with Santa- whispering that I really don't want a lot this year, just the new Altenew inks, he drove off to see all the good little boys and girls.

My cards today are in honor of the big guy himself!! I am entering them in the following challenges.

Just Us Girls, they are having "an anything goes" challenge.

Time out Challenges is having a "merry and Cheerful" challenge.

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge- "quick and easy cards".

Cardz 4 Galz- is looking for a "cute Christmas"

Winter Wonderland Challenge- "anything goes"

Lastly Inkspirational is having a theme challenge and the theme is "naughty". 

I want to end this Santa driven blog post with a scene from "Elf". This very funny scene is how I feel now."I know him! I know Santa and I know his wife!!"

Be sure to check out what all the designers for these various challenges have posted and be inspired to join in!!

White Christmas

No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher's looks, lectures, and assignments.!!! Yep, school is done!! I graduate this Wednesday with my Master's Woo hoo!!! I have all the time in thworld to stamp and create. Just in time for Christmas!

Today's card is for my annual holiday card swap with my crafting buddies. It is inspired by the challenge at AAA Cards. Their challenge is to create a CAS card that is "mostly white". Well I am down with that, especiall as most of my cards are mainly white.

 

I used a very old Cuttlebug holiday embossing folder, and a just bought Lawn Fawn set called "Winter Village", that I colored with neutral copic colors. I am entering this card in the "anything goes Christmas" challenge at Inkspirational Challenges and the Christmas card challenge at CAS on Friday. 

 

Since this card is for my swap tomorrow, I better wrap up this blog posting to cut and prep the card. Hit the links in this post and check out the challenges and play along.

Masculine holiday

I am getting in that holiday mode. The carols are going to tuning up on Paandore the day after Thanksgiving.

I am working on my prototypes for my cards this year. I usual have 5-6 designs because I get bored easily mass producing the same cards. At Inkspirational that had a great challenge that got my juices flowing. You are to make a Christmas card using neutral colors.

BAM!!! I ran and grabbed my Tim Holtz treeline die and BAM, this card came together. I added the star because it just needed something else to make it stand out. I have quite a few guys to send cards to and this is going to be the go to card for that gender.

Head on over to Inkspirational for this fun challenge. 

Cool challenges

We have had some really hot weather for the last few weeks in Pennsylvania, but there has been a reprieve in the last few days. I am taking advantage of the cooler morning to stamp, since my studio doesn't have AC. 

Speaking of cool, who doesn't like a cool treat, but how about some cool challenges?  Today's card was inspired by three challenges.

It is always fun to be able to combine challenges. Three is the most I generally can combine. I find it amazing that some people can create one card that meets 10 or more challenges.

So here is my creation inspired by cool treats. I really went back in time with this card. I pulled out an old Lizzie Anne set- they made images kinda like AMuse. The set is Sweets and Treats. I can't even find it on the net to show you. It is my go to set for ice cream stamps.

CAS(E) this Sketch always has a fun CAS sketch and combined with Curtain Call and Inkspirational 

this card practically stamped itself!

I added some sticles to make the jimmies stand out.

OK, there is a question for you. Jimmies or sprinkles, which one are you?

Please check out these fun challenges and join in the fun and show your creativity!

Chomp, chomp, chomp

Ahhhhh another day to enjoy before my weekend camping at work. I am always a day behind on the online card classes.  I have watched a number of videos on the no-line stamping but the videos by Kristina Werner were especially good. She said to start out simple and that critters were  a good way to begin. 

I just discovered an AWESOME new company- Reverse Confetti. Hey Jennifer, Kristina.... hey Simon Says Stamp, Ellen Hutson.... come on you guys ya gotta  promote and carry these awesome stamps and dies!!

The set I used my my first real foray into no-line stamping was "later alligator". How fun is this whimsical critter! I used my new Zig Kuretake Gansai watercolors. I got my set from Amazon and with Prime, I received them the day I ordered them!! Talk about instant gratification!!  

I will admit, my shading isn't perfect, but that is the great thing about using critters to start- they are forgiving.

Shopping Our Stash is having a very cute challenge this week- "show us your smile" Oh come on I couldn't not show off my grinning alligator, and well while this stamp set isn't the oldest in my stash, it has been lonely for the last week waiting for me to ink it up!

I am going out on a limb and enter a second card at Inkspirational. They want green and orange cards.

Pleeeeeeeeeease check out Reverse Confetti. You won't be disappointed!

Feelin' like autumn

 I work right across where the Pope will be staying when he comes to Philadelphia, needless to say it has been getting progressively more intense as we get closer to Friday. I have to stay at work the whole weekend. So I get camp out with some of my fellow workers. Because I will be at work all weekend I decided to give myself today off and play. I watched the first day of "Watercolors for Cardmakers: exploring mediums". 

I have both the Zig markers and the set Kristena was using, but I hadn't really had a chance to mess with them. I decided to play with them and enter a few challenges while I was at it. My card is a riff on Jennifer's and Debby. The stamp set is a very old Amuse set that I won when taking a stamp class. The poor thing had never been inked before today!

AAA cards is having an autumn colors challenge, so I am joining in there.

Addicted to CAS is having a challenge with leaves, well duh! This is a no brainer!

Lastly, Inkspirational has a color challenge using green ( the most beautiful color in the world!) and orange. Maybe I am stretching it, but I did use green and orange on my leaves.

 Surprise days off are the best! Well I better figure out what I will be taking with me this weekend. I am planning on a few make-n-takes with bored staff.

Check out the class and challenges and have fun creating!

Friends- 2nd post for today

I have a best buddy and every know and again I send her a card just because. Aren't they the best cards to get? So when I saw the inspiration work "sprinkle" at Inkspirational I knew right away what I was going to do.

I quickly grabbed the stamp set "you and me" from Sweet and Sassy stamps. The salt and pepper worked perfect- because- "don't you sprinkle on salt and pepper?!!?" 

Here is my sweet girl Zephyr, who is 18 years old today. She is doing what she does best these days sleeping. The salt and pepper reminded me of her fur- all white and gray these days.

Be sure to check out how others interpreted the word "sprinkle" at Inkspirational sw. Also if you are just checking in for the first time today, scroll down and see this month's card for the House of Cards challenge.