Glory

Here's another fun card using an item from my "bits and pieces" stash.  This patterned oval has been in the stash for at least 2 years!!  I just wasn't sure what to do with it, because the pattern was a little strong to stamp over.  But then I started thinking about vellum and knew it would soften it up enough to allow the pattern to show, but not overwhelm the sentiment.  Yeay!  Another difficult piece used.  And it is what inspired the color combo.  It's a bit bright, but I think it's rather pretty.

 After adhering all the layers together, I spritzed the whole card with some Glimmer Mist.  It's hard to see in the photo but it really adds such a nice subtle sparkle.  And see that gorgeous diecut?  A very lovely woman sent a whole bunch to me after I commented on some dies she had used on her card.  Thanks, Gail!!

Challenges:

Christmas Cards All Year 'Round--anything goes

MFT #212--sketch

Meljen's Designs #244--let it snow

Di's Digi Designs--add sparkle

Suzy Bee's #64--add layers

Sentimental Sundays #243--anything goes

Christmas Card Challenge #8--anything goes

Tuesday Throwdown # 186--facets for crafting (rhinestones)

Supplies:

Stamps: Verve "Richly Blessed"

Dies: Spellbinders "Standard Ovals, large" and "Classic Ovals, large"; MFT "Stitched Scalloped borders"; Whimsy Stamps snowflake border (thanks again, Gail)

Cupcake Love

Time to get started on those Valentine's Day Cards.  I think I made 10 cards this week (might be a new record for me!) and this is the only one that didn't use anything from my "bits and pieces" stash.  But I really wanted to use this sketch and didn't have any pieces that worked.  BUT I have had that bling oval FOREVER and have never really figured how to use it.  I think it is a fun way to draw even more attention to this adorable cupcake cupid.

 Challenges:
Raisin Boat #30--Love is in the air
Sweet Stamps--hearts
Cuttin & Stampin--Valentine's Day
Word Art Wednesday--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Crafty Creations #281--something old, something new (the background stamp is old, old, old and the scalloped die is new)
DRS Designs #158--lovely hearts
Sister Act Card Challenge #90--anything goes
Dis Digis--add sparkle
Card Mania Challenge #64--Make it Sparkle
Retro Rubber #6--sketch


Supplies:
Stamps: Taylored Expressions cupcake set; SU! hearts & swirls background stamp
Dies: MFT "Stitched Scallops"; Sweet n' Sassy Stamps heart die

Happy Birthday

I had these three die cut circles in my "bits and pieces" stash and I had an idea floating around in my head.  And it actually came out pretty close to what I was thinking of.  CAS and quick and easy and kind of fun, too.

Challenges:
Card Mania Challenges #64--Make it Sparkle (lots of sequins and silver foil paper)
Stamping Our Stash #185--not your normal paper (I bought this foil paper several months ago and had yet to cut into it)
Crafty Creations #281--something old, something new (the card stock and paper are all over a year old and the "Happy Birthday" die I just got for Christmas)
Sugar Pea Designs One Year Birthday Bash--birthday
Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Wonderful Wednesday--anything goes
Sister Act Card Challenge #90--anything goes

Supplies:
Dies: Spellbinders "Standard Circles, large" and word die

Too tweet

I've been on a roll lately; feeling very creative and using up lots and lots of my bits and pieces stash.  The piece on this one is the white piece the bird is stamped on.  And the patterned papers are scraps, too.

Challenges:
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes as long as it is covered in patterned paper
The Paper Girls #72--cork (the flower is actually made out of cork; cool, huh?)
Tuesday Morning Sketches #284--sketch (unfortunately, it already closed)

Cuttlebug Mania--wildlife
Lovers Rubber #135--the letter "B" (I used Bird, Bloom(s), Banner, Brown)
Sister Act Card Challenge #90--anything goes
Fussy & Fancy #131--things with wings

Supplies:
Stamps: Sweet n' Sassy "Cute Critters"
Dies: PTI "Tag Sale #8"; Verve "Flag it" and "Sprightly Sprigs"

Papertrey January Blog Hop

My super creative week is continuing; I have 4 more cards I finished yesterday.  This month I actually got one finished in time to play along with the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop.  This month the theme is all about love.  I made this card for my husband.  It's a bit smaller than a regular A2 size as I had some card blanks someone had given me a loooong time ago  and they were the perfect size for that red element behind the coffee cups.  That piece is from my bits and pieces stash that I am quickly using up (all though there are a lot of pieces still left to go).  Anyway, here's the card.

Challenges:
Papertrey Ink January Blog Hop--love
Raisin Boat #30--love is in the air
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes as long as it is covered with patterned paper
Crafting Musketeers #21--hats and/or Valentine's Day
ART Impressions #151--Java Love
Eureka Stamps #124--the color red
Tuesday Morning Sketches #284--sketch

Cuttin' and Stampin'--Valentine's Day
DRS Designs #158--lovely hearts
Time Out Challenge #23--Valentine's Day with hearts
Brown Sugar #130--Valentine's Day
YNS #6--sketch or inspiration photo (I went with the inspiration photo)


Supplies:
Stamps: PTI "Heart to Heart #1"; Verve "Take Note" sentiment
Dies: PTI "Tag Sale #8" and "Heart to Heart #1"; Verve "Flag It"

Frosty Thanks

Phew!!  I am on a roll this week!  This is my sixth card of the week.  Of course it helps that I need to send out thank you cards for Christmas gifts. :)  If you've seen any of my other cards from the week, you know I am in "Use up my bits and pieces mode".  The white die cut panel was in my stash and made a cute home for this adorable snowman.  All the papers were scraps and the red mat under the sentiment panel was actually a narrow strip of card stock that I cut in half and adhered to the edges of the sentiment panel.  Such a great way to use up scraps; no one is going to see underneath, so it doesn't need to span the whole height.  There's my tip for you today; no charge even!

 I don't have a lot of good markers and don't have any to match the vintage reds in the papers, so I decided to paper piece the snowman's hat and scarf.  LOVE It!!!  I think this snowman is super cute anyway, but now, he's just plain adorable!  Here's a close up:

 You can also see the sparkle on the snowflakes and the hat and scarf trim a little better, too.  The next picture shows a close up of the faux stitching detail on the patterned squares.

Challenges:

Pattie's Creations #106--fun in the snow

YNS #5--sketch

C,R.A.F.T. #294--Christmas (It's not a Christmas card, but it is a Christmas thank you card; hope that fits the criteria)

Crimbo Crackers #72--use kraft

Christmas Card #7 inspiration photo (I was inspired by the red, white, hats and snowflakes)

Lacy Sunshine #50--winter bliss

Eureka #124--the color red

Squigglefly #3--it's SNOW much fun

{Pin}spirational Challenge #132--inspiration photo (I think you can see what inspired me)

Crafter's Cafe #100--stitching

The Paper Shelter #187--All Wrapped up

Supplies:

Stamps: YNS "Holiday Snow Globe"; PTI "Through the Trees" sentiment; Verve "Ornamental Christmas" flourish and "Text Objects" stitching

Dies: Spellbinders "Labels 5"

Happy Ribbons

Another card made this week on my quest to use up a BIG stash of bits and pieces I have laying around.  I had a piece I was trying to use on this card and it just wasn't working, so I got side-tracked and had it almost finished before I realized I hadn't used anything from the stash.  Ribbons to the rescue!!  I had four pieces of 2-3 inch long ribbon that I just couldn't throw away.  So I cut them in half, folded them in half and attached them to the back of the horizontal panel.  It really makes a fun border.

Challenges:
Mojo Monday #381--sketch

Cards Galore Challenge--anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Papers--anything goes as long as it is covered with patterned paper (the pink is actually patterned paper)
Word Art Wednesday #167--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Sister Act Card Challenge #89--anything goes

Supplies:
Stamps: Verve "Happy Day"
Dies: Spellbinders "Big Scalloped Circles" and "Classic Circles, large"

Bright thanks

This is another one of the 5 cards I've made so far this week try to use up some of my bits and pieces.  You can read more about it here.  This card wasn't much of a stash buster, but the white circle was in the the stash, so I did reduce it by one item at least.  These papers I've had for several years and the ribbon has also been around for a while.  The only thing new are the pearls which I just received from someone and I really wasn't sure how I would ever use them as they are kind of peachy colored.  But they really were perfect for all the orange on this card.

Challenges:
Cards Galore--anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes as long as it is covered with patterned paper
Craft-D Bow-Z--anything goes with a handmade bow
Time Out Challenge #22--inspiration photo (I was inspired by the bright colors, specially the orange and the bold word)

Word Art Wednesday #166--anything goes with an uplifting sentiment
Sister Act Card Challenge #89--anything goes
Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps--Anything goes

Supplies:
Stamps: Verve "Happy Day"
Dies: Spellbinders "Big Scalloped Circles" and "Classic Circles, large"

Simple Thank You

Here is another card I made this week in my quest to use up my "bits and pieces" stash.  You can read more about it here and here.  The leftovers I used on this card are the white circle and the flower.  The striped paper was already cut to height, I just had to trim the width.  And the scalloped border was cut from a narrow strip of cardstock.

Challenges:

V's Sweet Ideas--something new (the scalloped border die is brand new)

The Paper Nest Dolls--anything goes

Sugar Pea Designs #18--sketch

The Crafter's Cafe #99--KISS (Keep it Simple Stamper)

DRS #157--color scheme

Sister Act Card Challenge #89--anything goes

Word Art Wednesday #166--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Supplies:

Stamps: PTI "Through the Trees"

Dies: MFT "Stitched Scalloped border"; Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large" and "Ornate Squares" flower

Another Stash Buster

I share in my previous post that I'm on a mission to use up all my bits and pieces of "stuff".  I made five cards this week using pieces from that stash and bits and pieces of patterned papers that are starting to take over the world, or at least my craft area.  The bits and pieces used on this card are the gray circle, one of the light pink flowers and that gorgeous silver filigree piece.  It looks just like a piece of jewelry to me; I love it!  The pink flower paper was from a whole sheet, but the striped paper was a leftover piece.  And I had to piece together the mat under the striped panel as it wasn't quite big enough, but you'll never know as I covered the join up with a flower. : )

Challenges:
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes as long as it is covered with patterned paper
Fussy and Fancy #130--pearls and swirls
Creative Inspirations #296--option of a sketch (I chose the one featured on the blog)

Word Art Wednesday #166--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Sister Act Card Challenge #89--anything goes
Love to Scrap Challenge Blog #46--anything goes

Supplies:
Stamps: Verve "Be Blessed"
Dies: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large", "Floral Doily Motifs" small flowers, and "Ornate Squares" larger flower; MFT "Fancy Flourish" and "Four Corners"; PTI "Shaker Shapes: Snowglobe" gray circle

Stash buster

I'm on a mission this month (year, lifetime . . .) to use up the little bits and pieces left over from previous cards.  You know, those pieces that you just can't throw away, but didn't work on your card before.  It was my goal last year, and I did pretty well for about half the year and then I just kept adding to the pile instead of taking away.  So I have a lot of great (and to be honest not so great) pieces to try to use.  This card is a combination of old and new, but mostly old.  The pattern papers I've had for several years and the pink paper, I've had for probably 12 years or so; time to use it up!  The flourish die cuts are brand new and I LOVE them.  The bits and pieces from my stash are the white oval and that beautiful flower.  My 8-year-old daughter actually made it for me.  She has a book of punch out flowers that you mix and match and layer together.  If you look carefully, you can just see the glitter on the different layers.

Challenges:

V's Sweet Ideas--something new (flourish dies)

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes as long as it is covered in patterned paper

Word Art Wednesday #166--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

MFT #211--sketch

Sister Act Card Challenge #89--anything goes

Suzy Bee's Blooming Challenge #63--add some sparkle (on the flower)

Supplies:

Stamps: Verve "Be Blessed"

Dies/punches: MFT "Floral Flourish"; Fiskars apron border punch; spellbinders "Scalloped ovals, large" and "Classic Ovals, large"

Monster Christmas

Hello, everyone!  I hope it's warmer where you are than it is here!  Brrr . . . it's definitely winter!  Today, I'm bringing you the mid-month reminder to come and join us at the Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra blog.  We're a month long, anything goes Christmas challenge.  I know we just finished up with the Christmas season, but there's no better time to get started on your cards for this year.  Here's my card:

I did a little something that I haven't done in a while: masking.  I started by stamping the monster on the card stock and then stamping him again on a post-it note, cut that out and used it to cover the monster on the card.  Then I stamped the hat and viola!  You have a Santa Monster. : )  I also did some selective inking on the sentiment.  It actually reads "RAWR! {hello in monster}" but obviously that didn't really work for this card.  So I stamped "Merry Christmas" (from a different set) then inked only the "in monster}" part and stamped that.  Then I inked only the "RAWR" and centered it over the rest of the sentiment, then went back in and added the other bracket before "Merry".  It took a bit of time, but I think it's really cute!  Here's the inside of my card (my New Years' Resolution this year is to finish the inside of each card as I make it; so far so good!):

 

I stamped the cute little monster again, but this time I added a different hat.  He's cute both ways.  So, now it's your turn to get working on those Christmas cards.  We'd love to have you play along.

Challenges:

Sparkles Christmas Challenge--Christmas critter with a splash of glitter

Christmas Cards All Year 'Round--anything goes

The Paper Girls #71--Let's sparkle and shine

ABC Christmas--A is for Anything Goes with the option of antlers (mine doesn't have antlers, but he does have horns)

Crafty Ribbons--Let's get sentimental

Sister Act Card Challenge #88--anything goes

Di's Digis--winter

Your Next Stamp #5--sketch

Craftin' Desert Divas #46--blue & white

Eureka Stamps #123--Baby it's cold outside

Sweet Stamps #204--winter blues
Sentimental Sundays #241--winter sparkle

Supplies:

Stamps: YNS "Silly Monsters" image and original sentiment; Verve "Ornamental Christmas" merry christmas and "Merry & Bright" inside sentiment; JustRite Stampers "Applique Christmas Labels One" both hats

Paper: DCWV Christmas pack (couple years old); American Crafts glitter paper

Ribbon: Funky Hand "September Song"

Corner rounder; silver sequins

Christmas Box

Today, I've got a super cute little box for you.  I made it from a template I got from My Time Made Easy several years ago.  It is designed to hold an 8 oz canning jar (I'll show you that in a bit), specifically for jelly, but really you can use it for anything.

As it is a box to hold a Christmas gift, I decorated the top with my favorite snowflakes.  Here's a look at the lid:

 And here's a look at the inside:

You can see how the little jar nestles right in.  So cute!

Challenges:
Just Add Ink #246--giving
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes as long as it is covered with patterned paper
Love to Scrap Challenge #45--use items starting with the initials LTSC (I used Layers, Template, Snowflakes, and Cardstock)
{Pin}spirational Challenge #131--inspiration photo (I was inspired by the white snowflake)

Crafting By Designs--anything goes
ABC Christmas--A is for anything goes (with option of antlers)
C.R.A.F.T. #293--not a card
Crafty Catz #261--polka dots
Wags 'n' Whiskers #145--anything goes
Cuttlebug Mania--It takes Two (2 snowflakes)

Supplies:
Template: My Time Made Easy "Jam Packed"
Dies: PTI "Fancy Flakes"; Spellbinders "Standard Circles, large" and "Classic scalloped circles, large"
Card stock/papers: PTI "Pure Poppy"; DCWV Christmas pack

Card Quartet

Happy New Year!!  Can you believe it is 2015?  Not only is it the start of a new year, it is the start of a new month and that means it is time for another challenge from Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra.  As always, it is a month-long Anything Goes challenge.  Our sponsor is the fabulous Bugaboo Stamps.  I used the super cute "Christmas Words--Jesus" image to create this card quartet:

 The challenge from Viva La Verve this month is to use one sheet of 6x6 double-sided to create 4 cards with the sketches and cutting layouts provided in the challenge post.  I had so much fun creating cards for this post that I decided to use the challenge again to create my cards for today.  Since I don't have any double-sided Christmas paper, I actually used 2 sheets of paper and cut both of them into the given measurements.  Then I created EIGHT cards!!  Yep, eight, all in one day!!  That might be a new record for me.  The other four are "thank you" cards and I will be posting them soon.  But enough talking, here are close up pictures of the four different cards:

 I used the same embossing folder, patterned papers, and sentiment (and obviously the image) for all of them, but the different layouts really make them each unique.

 I got a new little kitten a couple months ago, and every time I try to take a photo of my cards, she tries to get in on it.  It makes the photo sessions a bit difficult. : )

Challenges:

Viva La Verve Challenge--one-sheet wonder

Dragon's Lair Challenge #54--Christmas

Creative Inspirations #294--Christmas/New Year

Divas By Design--anything goes

The Paper Shelter--anything goes

Time Out Challenge #21--Christmas is Love with all the trimmings

Di's Digis--anything winter holiday

The Paper Nest Dolls #25--anything goes

Christmas Card Challenge #4--anything goes

Card Mania Challenge #63--anything goes

Supplies:

Stamps: Bugaboo Stamps "Christmas Words--Jesus" digi; Verve "Richly Blessed" sentiment

Dies/embossing folders: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large"; Darice snowflake embossing folder