Candy Cane Charlie Card

Hello! I've made another Christmas card for a few Christmas in July challenges. Starting early really does help me get a good start on my Christmas cards and the challenges are a fun motivator. The layout for this Candy Cane Charlie Card is from day 2 of the Catch The Bug Christmas in July challenges. I used an image that was already printed in my stash, it's called Candy Cane Charlie by Bugaboo Stamps. The image was colored with Copic markers and die cut with a stitched circle die. Patterned papers were selected to coordinate with the image. The candy cane paper is by The Paper Studio, red polka dots from the Welcome Christmas paper pad by Pebbles and the gray stripe was a scrap from my bin. A piece of white glitter cardstock was cut for the banner detail. To finish off the card the Merry Christmas sentiment by Hero Arts was stamped with Memento black ink. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

Challenges entered:

• Addicted to Stamps: Make Your Mark
• Catch The Bug: Sketch
• Crafty Gals: Christmas in July
• Creative Moments: Anything Goes
• Watercooler Wednesday: All About Holidays

Season to be Freezin' Card

Good day crafty friends! It's always fun to play along with the Christmas in July challenges. Especially when the heat index has been over a hundred degrees for several days. At this point I would take a really strong cool front or an early Fall would be nice too. To help create some cooler thoughts I used the Meowy Christmas image by Bugaboo Digi Stamps along with patterned paper from the Altitude paper pad by Bo Bunny. Copic markers were used to color the kitties and then the image was die cut with a cross-stitched die by My Favorite Things. To finish off the card the 'Tis the Season to be Freezin' sentiment by Taylored Expressions was added along with two snowflakes cut with a Cricut machine. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• Aud Sentiment: Christmas in July + Sentiment
• Brown Sugar: Two Patterned Papers 
• Catch The Bug: Baby it's Cold Outside
• Dragonfly Journeys: Christmas in July

Jolly Christmas Wishes

Hope everyone is having a Jolly Christmas! I don't have a card for you today, but I wanted to share a picture of Daisy. She is the feral kitten my hubby and I rescued from our neighborhood. We decided she was our Christmas gift this year. No store bought gifts, just the gift of knowing we helped this little girl. It's funny that two days before she ended up in our yard I told a coworker the best way to get a kitten is to adopt from a shelter. I told her it was expensive to take a "free kitten" from an ad. The exam fee, shots and eventually getting the kitten fixed will cost over $500. Adoption fees are usually around $55-90 and everything is included. This is our third time to rescue a kitten/cat, so we knew the cost going in, but it had to be done. Her life was worth saving and we could never live with ourselves if we didn't step in. She has been with us for a little over three weeks now and she is adjusting very well to indoor life. Saving her life was the best gift and each day we are rewarded by the little purrs and furry cuddles.

If you want to donate to her rescue fund click HERE.

Shiny Holidays Card

Wow! It's only six days until Christmas. I'm happy to report that we did go shopping and bought a few presents yesterday, but I'm far from done. It seems with each passing year I'm less enthused about shopping. My hubby is lucky if I go to the grocery store. Now... when it comes to shopping for stamps online there seems to be no problem. If only my family wanted stamps, I could handle that.

Last month I started a part-time seasonal manager position at Yankee Candle. I made two of this Shiny Holidays Card for the Store Manager and District Manager. I thought the candle image by Unity Stamps was perfect for the recipients. Copic markers were used to color the image. Only the green patterned paper is from a Christmas collection (Christmas Emporium by Graphic 45) the others are scraps from my scrap bin. Three gold sequins add some sparkle and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This Shiny Holidays Card is entered into the following challenges:

• C.R.A.F.T.: Christmas
• Glitter 'N' Sparkle: Traditional Xmas Colours  
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends: Anything Goes 
• QKR Stampede: Christmas or Anything Goes
• Jo's Scrap Shack: Anything Goes

Quick Christmas Card

Hello! In case you're wondering... nope, I still haven't started my Christmas shopping. This year it's looking like I'll be a last minute shopper.

If you're new to card making and you want to make quick Christmas cards here is a recipe that could work for you. There isn't a lot of fancy tools used and no coloring (this image is digital and came colored). Instead of using a circle die cut you could cut the image into a square shape. Pick your favorite patterned papers, stamp Merry Christmas and add a few sequins and this was a Quick Christmas Card. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!


This card is entered into the following challenges:

• Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop
• The Sisterhood of Crafters: All about Christmas
• Sunny Day Crafting: X is for Xmas
• {PIN}spirational: Snowmen

Ornamental Newton Card

Hello crafty friends! This month I've been busy looking for a part-time job to help out with the end of year expenses. Thankfully I found a temporary job and I start next week. I'm excited to get out of the house and mingle with people during the holiday season. Spending too much time alone has gotten pretty boring over the last couple of months. Now that I can cross finding a job off my list hopefully I can get back to crafting.

To make this Ornamental Newton Card I used the challenge colors from Inky Paws to use Red, Green, Tan and Black. This is the first time I inked up the Ornamental Newton stamp by Newton's Nook. I bought it last year but never used it, that happens more than I should admit. Anyway it's really cute and easy to color. I used Copic markers to color the image and then used a cross stitched oval die by My Favorite Things. The plaid paper is by Lawn Fawn and I used some retired scrap black and white patterned paper by Stampin' Up!. Instead of stamping a sentiment I decided to use the Merry Christmas paper by The Paper Studio. A little twine bow and three white sequins finished off this card and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This Ornamental Newton Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Inky Paws: Colors
• Simon Says Stamp: Furry Friends
• C.R.A.F.T.: Christmas
• Hanna and Friends: Animals
• Christmas at Sweet Stampin': Anything Christmas Goes

Cardinal Christmas Card

The Cardinal is one of my favorite backyard birds. We have several adults and juveniles that frequent our bird feeders. The males red color makes them a popular choice on Christmas cards. A couple of years ago Stampin' Up! made this stamp set called Beauty of the Season. I loved it and bought it, but this is the first time I've used it. The image was stamped with Memento black ink and then colored with Copic markers. An Avery Elle pierced oval and scalloped frame were used to cut out the image. The red patterned paper has been in my stash for awhile, it's by Pebbles from their Welcome Christmas paper pad (2012). The blue snowflakes is another older one by Recollections. Some retired Pool Party twine was added along with the Peace & Joy sentiment from the retired Good Greetings stamp set by Stampin' Up!. Three small sequins were added and a drop of glossy accents for the bird's eye. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This Cardinal Christmas Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Moo-Mania: Birds
• Sweet Stampin' Christmas: Anything Christmas Goes
• The Sisterhood of Crafters: Anything Goes
• Watercooler Wednesday: All About Christmas
• Holly and Ivy Christmas: Anything Christmas Goes

Merry Christmas Card

The Christmas in July challenges have started and I like making Christmas cards when it's super hot outside. Since I tend to procrastinate on my holiday cards I found the July challenges really helpful.

This Merry Christmas Card features a retired quirky bird by Bugaboo Digi Stamps and some fun patterned papers. The polka dot red paper has glitter dots but it doesn't show up well in the photo. Both the plaid and candy cane papers are by The Paper Studio and I used a Merry Christmas sentiment from a retired Stampin' Up! stamp set. Three green sequins add some extra sparkle and that's it for this Christmas card.

Challenges entered:

• Catch The Bug: Make It Sparkle
• Christmas Card: Christmas Anything Goes
• Come and Get It: 2 or More Designer Papers
• Simon Says Stamp: Use Plaid
• Dragonfly Journeys: Christmas in July

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Tic Tac Toe at Tuesday Throwdown

Hello and happy Tuesday! I know I've said this before... but it's amazing how fast two weeks goes by!!! This week is Team B's turn to inspire you to play along with our Tuesday Throwdown challenge and it's one of my favorites... Tic Tac Toe. Our sponsor this week is Sparkle N Sprinkle and I'm using an image they provided called Brighten the Holidays Penguins. It came with a colored version and that's what I used for this Cheery Penguin Christmas Card. We would love for you to play along with us this week! Click HERE for all the wonderful design team inspiration and challenge details. You have until mid-day on Monday, July 24th to link your creation. I hope to see your creation in the Gallery!

The Tic Tac Toe choices used to create this card include: Christmas, Silver and Ribbon or Twine. Since the image was Christmas that box was easy, so I decided to get a little messy for the sliver requirement. I used silver texture paste by Heidi Swapp with a diagonal striped stencil. The texture paste was applied on top of a red piece of Bazzill dot textured cardstock. At first I wasn't sure but I like the dot design and the picture doesn't do the the card justice, it looks pretty cool in person. Once the panel was dried I matted it to a piece of Cucumber Crush cardstock by Stampin' Up! and then wrapped green twine from The Twinery before adhering it to the white card base. The image was adhered with dimensionals and I adhered the sentiment flat to the card. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

Winter Fox Card

Happy Friday! Life has been busy lately. Last night I spent two hours making decorative pretzel rods for my hubby's coworkers. Most my days are spent sewing since I'm making several of our Christmas gifts this year. It's always my goal to avoid the big box stores this time of year. The crowds and excessive Christmas marketing drive me crazy.

Onto this Winter Fox Card, the Winter Fox and coordinating dies by Lawn Fawn were one of my Cyber Monday purchases. It's the perfect image to share at the Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. All patterned paper on this card is by Lawn Fawn and the glitter snow was created with Iridescent Ice embossing powder.The fox was colored with Copic markers, then it was die cut and adhered directly to the card. The sentiment comes with the stamp set and three snowflake sequins were added for detail. I'm also linking this card to the Snowflake Challenge at Cute Card Thursday. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and Warm Winter Wishes to you.

Crabby Cat Christmas Card

It's late... but I have a quick post to enter the Holiday Chaos Day 7 challenge at Catch The Bug. I'm happy to say I participated all 7 days. This challenge was a bingo challenge and I used the top row across: Candy Canes, Freebie/Crabby Cat Image and Glitter/Bling. The image was colored with Copic markers and layered onto a scalloped circle die cut by Spellbinders. I decided to add some Pacific Point instead of green for a change. The candy cane paper is from The Paper Studio and the polka dot Pacific Point paper is by Stampin' Up!. The sentiment is from Taylored Expressions from the Holiday Grumplings stamp set. For the glitter part of the challenge I used some red glitter tape by Recollections. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!!!

Marshmallow Cocoa Card

Hello! I have a quick post to share my last card as part of the Jessica Lynn Original Design Team. Our term has come to an end and I'm happy we're sharing our last creation at the Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. Jessica designed this digital Marshmallow Snowman specifically for the hop and it's free for a limited time, click here to download.

To create this card I decided to use only what was on or in my craft desk. So, I pieced together some scraps of paper and added some twine. Then I colored the image with Copic markers and die cut it with a stitched square die by Lil' Inkers. The last addition was three silver sequins for sparkle and that's it. I'll be giving this card to the barista at my local Barnes & Noble coffee shop. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will play along with the Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop and enjoy the rest of your day!

Snowman Merry Christmas Card

Howdy friends! This evening I attempted to craft and watch TV... the end result was this Snowman Merry Christmas Card created for Day 6 of the Holiday Chaos at the Catch The Bug Challenge.  The theme is Flashback Holiday, and that means using OLD paper and an OLD image from your stash. That's no problem! When I checked the Bugaboo Shop for this Snowman Star image I couldn't find it, so it might be retired. I already had it printed out from several years back and decided it was perfect for this challenge. The background paper is from one of the first Christmas paper pads I bought from Recollections and the little strips are scrap pieces. Three sequins were used for some sparkle and the sentiment is by Kaiser Craft. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Snuggle Up Card

Today is a good day to Snuggle Up and stay inside. The sun is out but it's cold outside. My backyard birds are trying to get water from our frozen bird baths, so I guess after this post I'll go outside and put out fresh water for them. We have spoiled the birds and wildlife around our house with an ample supply of seed and water daily. The word has spread and the birds love our backyard and the indoor cats love watching them.

Onto my card.... this Snuggle Up Card was made using a Bugaboo Digi Stamp called Poppi Xmas Cocoa and it was colored with Copic markers. After coloring it was die cut with a pierced oval and scalloped oval frame combo from Avery Elle. The sentiment was created with the computer and Merry Christmas patterned paper by The Paper Studio and swirls by Pebbles. A few glitter circle stickers by Jolee's were added for detail and that's it.

This Snuggle Up Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Catch The Bug: Make it Funny
• The Crafty Addicts: Christmas Papers
• Crafty Boots: Christmas

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Baking Snow Lady Card

Hello and Happy Tuesday! We have a new challenge theme starting today at Tuesday Throwdown and it's Christmas Baking. The baked goodies are one of my favorite things about the Christmas season. The yummy smells coming from the kitchen really warm a home.

Our sponsor this week is Robyn's Fetish and Robyn generously provided the design team with a variety of images to create our inspirational cards. My card features the Snow Lady Chef digital image which was colored with Copic markers. We would love for you to join us this week! Click here for all the challenge details and design team inspiration. You have until mid-day on Monday, December 12th to link your creation. I hope to see your card in the gallery! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

This Baking Snow Lady Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Come and Get It: Christmas
• Robyn's Fetish: Square or Rectangle Cards
• The Paper Girls: Snowmen

Christmas Hedgie Card and Tag

It's day 3 of Holiday Chaos at the Catch The Bug blog and I'm trying to play along with all challenges. The Christmas Hedgie Card above is for the day 2 sketch challenge and below is day 3 for a Tag with Red and White Stripes. The image is called Christmas Hedgie and I used the colored version to speed things along. All papers are by Doodlebug Designs and the Merry Christmas sentiment on the card is by Kaiser Craft. On the tag... well, it's pretty simple. I used a scalloped oval frame set by Avery Elle and some Stickles for sparkle. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Reindeer Merriest Wishes Card

This time of year it's easy to find several Christmas challenges to inspire your card creations. For this Reindeer Merriest Wishes Card I selected the following challenges to create my card:

• Catch The Bug: All That Sparkles
• Christmas Card: Candy Cane
• Dragonfly Dreams: Christmas
• My Time To Craft: Christmas Animals

First step was selecting the image from my Bugaboo Digi Stamp collection. The image is called Reindeer - Christmas Goodies and it was colored with Copic markers. To add sparkling snow under the reindeer's feet I used glossy accents and fine white glitter. The frame around the image was die cut using a frame die from Taylored Expressions. The snowflakes were cut using a Cricut machine and the Christmas Noel cartridge. A shadow layer in pink was added for some extra color and some clear Wink of Stella applied for more shimmer. The sentiment is from the Christmas Magic stamp set by Stampin' Up! and the papers are a mix, stripes by Echo Park and ornaments by Recollections. That pretty much sums it up. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day! 

New Brentwood Stamp Sets

Hello! Today is the launch of two New Brentwood Stamp Sets by Jessica Lynn Original. Both sets feature the adorable Brentwood owl dressed up in costume. The first card I'm sharing uses stamps from the Once Upon a Fairytale set. This set is so pretty and it was a lot of fun using it on this card. The background was created using glimmer mists and the fairy image was colored with Copic markers. I decided it needed several die cut butterflies in girly colors. The fairy wings and butterflies were brushed with clear Wink of Stella for more shimmer. In person this card really has some sparkle.

Challenges entered:

• Brown Sugar: Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz: Anything Goes

The second card features Brentwood dressed up like a reindeer for Christmas. He is so cute!!! The stamp set is called Operation Snowball Brentwood. Check out the complete stamp set to see the cute Snowballs included in the set. Again I used Copic markers to color the image and then used a cross stitched oval to die cut it. Patterned paper by Pebbles was selected for this card and the sentiment was heat embossed with white embossing powder. Some twine and three sequins were used for embellishment and that's it.

Challenges entered:

• Sweet Stampin' Christmas: Anything Goes
• Crafty Creations: Animals

Don't forget to check out the Jessica Lynn Original Blog for all the exciting stamp launch details. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Embossed Tree Christmas Card

Hello and Happy Tuesday! It's time for another challenge at Tuesday Throwdown and this week... It's All About the Words. Our sponsor is Craft Classes Online, they offer an array of different crafty classes. I can't wait to see how you interpret this theme. You have until mid-day on Monday, November 14th to link your creation. Click here for all the challenge details and design team inspiration. I sure hope you will play along!

This tree stamp by Inkadinkado was the first thing that came to mind when I read the challenge theme. Then I found the Merry Christmas word paper by Pebbles and thought it would work too, so I used both. The tree was heat embossed with Emerald PEARLustre and silver glitter powder on the star both by Stampendous. A simple layout and three silver sequins finished the card. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This Embossed Tree Christmas Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Craftyhazelnut's Christmas: Anything Goes
• Fashionable Stamping: Trees
• Cupcake Inspirations: Trees

Merriest Wishes Penguin Card

Happy Tuesday! Again two weeks have gone by super fast and today is Team B's turn to provide inspiration for the Tuesday Throwdown Challenge. The theme this week is to add a border and our sponsor is Conie Fong Art. My card features the darling Joy to the World image. I absolutely love this cute penguin! We would love for you to join us this week. Click here for all the challenge details and design team inspiration. You have until mid-day on Monday, October 31st to link your creation. I hope to see your card in the gallery.

To create this Merriest Wishes Penguin Card started by selecting the background patterned paper by Bo Bunny's Altitude Collection. Then I colored the image with Copic markers to coordinate with the paper. The image was then die cut with a scalloped frame die by Taylored Expressions. Cardstock colors used include: Pool Party, Blissful Blackberry and Rich Razzleberry all by Stampin' Up! The snowflakes were cut using a Cricut machine and Christmas Noel cartridge. Deciding on a sentiment took me a bit, but I finally settled on the Merriest Wishes from the new Christmas Magic stamp set by Stampin' Up!. The final touch was adding some sequins for sparkle and a little clear Wink of Stella to the penguin's hat. That's it!

This Merriest Wishes Penguin Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Craft Your Passion: Anything Goes
• Critters and Creatures: Anything Goes
• Christmas Card Challenge: Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!