Annual FUN!

Since I started blogging in 2017 I’ve participated in a wonderful annual event at Beccy’s Place named the Month of Holiday Cards Challenge. Beccy is one of the most generous challenge sponsors that I know… and if you’ve never joined in the fun, you are missing the opportunity to win some amazing prizes. The 8^th annual Challenge goes on all month, with drawings for daily challenges, posting comments, and even random entry numbers!  Stop on in HERE!
Most of the challenges follow an A-Z theme… with a few other topics thrown in to cover all 31 days of November. My entry for Day 1 (the letter “A”) features a cute little APRON shaped card that includes a sweet Christmas digi image and sentiment from one of Beccy’s new sets named “Home for the Holidays.” Scraps of patterned paper, ribbon and a paper doily helped bring the festive apron to life!

 

Supplies: 
·   Digi and Sentiment- from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Home for the Holidays)
·   Apron Template found HERE
·   Scraps of patterned paper, ribbon and a paper doily from my stash
Entered into: 
Beccy’s Place- 8^th Annual Month of Holiday Cards Challenge    
Lemon Shortbread Challenge- Anything Goes #131 
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Anything Goes
Polkadoodles Challenge-Week #43 Anything Goes                      
Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge- #514 Anything Goes
 
Another annual challenge I discovered after I started blogging is the Cat Lover’s Hop, which is celebrating its 6^th year of fun and prizes! The host, Janis from Her Peaceful Garden Blogspot, recruits sponsors (42 this year!) that offer some great prizes. The challenge runs for one week and the focus is on CATS! It ends tonight and a super busy week didn’t allow any stamping time so I feared I wouldn’t get to play along. However, I spent all day happily creating and was thrilled to finish five cards. So… I’ll be sharing them in a few posts tonight before midnight. Here goes!
The first card features a cozy little digi from Knitty Kitty Digis named, appropriately, “Knitted Kitty” (which is available for just $1!) I did a bit of paper piecing to create the holiday print sweater, which looks thick and warm when shaded with my Spectrum Noir markers.  The front sentiment, which is a perfect fit for the digi, is from a new Christmas digi image from Beccy’s Place, and the inside sentiment is a freebie that I found on the simplycardsmag website which offers hundreds of free digis, sentiments, templates, and more! And anything you download is saved on the website for later access. Easy Peasy!

 

Supplies: 

·   Knitty Kitty Digis (Knitted Kitty)
·   Front Sentiment-“Have a Warm and Cozy Holiday” from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set  (Jolly Holiday)
·   Inside Sentiment- a Freebie from simplycardsmag website
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Sparkly Poinsettia Stickers and Santa Hat Sticker- Hobby Lobby
Entered into: 
Peaceful Garden Blogspot- 2020 Cat Lovers Hop
Jan’s Digi Stamps- October 2020 Anything Goes
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #462-463 Anything Goes                   
Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #525 (Optional twist- Winter) 
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                
 
The second card for the 2020 Cat Lovers Hop features a beautiful image from Moonflower Digi Stamps named “Lilly the Cat Fairy.” I used a gate-fold card for my base (a super easy to make option that adds a little pizzazz) and the current “Stella’s Sketch” at Bugaboo for my card layout. Shades of blue provided a nice background for Lilly’s beautiful glossy black tresses, and several touches of sparkle add some magic to the fairy and her lovely feline.
I’m entering this card into several other challenges including Bugaboo Stamps Recipe Challenge- Use a Technique  (using creative folds on my cards is one of my favorite techniques), and Outlawz Color Challenge (Shades of Blue.)

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Moonflower Digi Stamps (Lilly the Cat Fairy)
·   Front Sentiment “Happy Purr-thday” from an Imagine That digi set (Kitty Lapping Milk)
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Assorted cardstock, patterned papers, tulle with glitter, and blue brads from my stash
·   Stickles- Star Dust (to add bling to her sleeves, bodice, and wings!)
Entered into: 
Peaceful Garden Blogspot- 2020 Cat Lovers Hop
Bugaboo Stamp- Stella Says Sketch Challenge #817      
Outlawz Sunday Challenge- Songs and Rhymes- Have You Watched the Fairies
Outlawz Challenges- Tuesday Color Challenge- Shades of Blue 
Cute Card Thursday- Challenge #658 Sparkles
Bugaboo Stamps- Recipe Challenge- Use a Technique    

Life is an Adventure

It's time for another challenge at Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge Blog where challenges are always Anything Goes and prizes are awarded from one or more sponsors.  Stop by the blog to check it out!

For this challenge, my DT card features a sweet image from Bugaboo. I was an avid reader as a child and that love of books has followed me into my senior years! However, now  I prefer audiobooks so that I can make cards while I listen! I also love the truth of the freebie sentiment. Within the last week, I’ve been sleuthing in Wyoming, South Dakota, Maine, London, and Scotland. Exciting!

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Bugaboo Stamps (Bugaboo Kidz-Sitter Girl Book)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   Front Sentiment- TLC Creations Freebie (Reading- A Discount Ticket to Anywhere)

·   Teal Edged Brown note card- A find at Goodwill!

·   Assorted background papers from my stash

Entered into:  

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #144 Anything Goes
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Anything Goes
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #462-463 Anything Goes                   
CCC Digi Creations- #119 Anything Goes
Let’s Craft and Create- Ch #164-Anything Goes

This cute digi named “Agnes” is the freebie for the October Stampers Delights Progressive Challenge on FB. I’m still getting the hang of using png digis on png background papers… and was thrilled that this one worked! The starry background paper from Polkadoodles is part of a whole bundle of freebies that was released on the 4^th of July.  I’m not sure how long it will be available, so you might want to grab it now. The link is in the supply list below.) I wanted to color Agnes so that it looked like she was reflecting moonlight… and I think I nailed it! A bit of haze added with a white ink pad and sponge plus swirls behind the broom drawn with a white gel pen adds a bit more interest to the background. The two freebie sentiments finish the card beautifully. 

 

Supplies:

·   Digi- Stampers Delights (Agnes)

·   Starry Background- Polkadoodles- Free digital download bundle (USA 4th July Celebration)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers, Sakura Gelly Roll white & silver gel pens

·   Sentiment circle is a freebie from skogstokiga.blogspot.com (options change occasionally so may no longer be available)

·   Inside Sentiment- Decosses Dynamite Doodles Freebies (Ghoulish Halloween)

·   Assorted cardstock and vellum from my stash

Entered into: 
Incy Wincy Designs- Halloween or Autumn/Fall Colors
The Paper Shelter- #447 Halloween
Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #524 (Optional twist- Hats) 
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                
Di’s Digi Stamps- Halloween or Harvest                                        
Dragonfly Dreams- October Spooky and/or Cute

This adorable digi named “Past Midnight” is the freebie for the October Cute As A Bug Progressive Challenge on FB. I wasn’t quite sure what type of card I was going to make until I saw the fairytale sentiments on my desk and decided to make another wedding card. I had fun digging into my stash of elegant, patterned papers and got to work. When finished, the final touch was to add a bit of bling to her glass slipper, ear lobes, and inside sentiment. Cheers to happily ever after! I'm entering my card into several other challenges including Simon Says Monday Challenge- Movie Inspired (the classic Cartoon- Cinderella, complete with the cute little mouse in her hair and glass slipper in her hand!)

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Cute As A Button (Past Midnight)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   We Are 3 Digital Sentiments (Dreams)

·   Cardstock, elegant background paper, clear rhinestones, and vellum from my stash

·   Red heart rhinestone stickers- JoAnnes

Entered into:  

Cute As A Button- OCTOBER: CH #61 Anything Goes

Simon Says Monday Challenge- Movie Inspired  

Jan’s Digi Stamps- October 2020 Anything Goes

Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- October

Outlawz Challenges- Tuesday Color Challenge- Shades of Blue  

Outlawz Challenge- Inlinks Challenge

A Trio of Holidays

I’m busy making packets of cards to use as holiday gifts for friends at my office and church. My first card for this card features a sweet Little Scrap of Heaven (LSOH) digi to make a card for LSOH’s Challenge that requires the use of a Jack-o-Lantern digi. A free Halloween subway chart creates a wonderful background for Little Frank and his Jack-o-lantern buddy. I printed off an extra copy of Jack, fussy-cut, and taped a scrap of yellow vellum to light his eyes and smile then mounted him with foam tape to add a bit of depth.
I’m entering this card into several challenges including Double D’s “October- what does is mean to me?” (the answer is Halloween means lots of special memories of time spent with my siblings. We used to love making creative costumes… nothing from the store for us! And we also loved scaring ourselves silly watching spooky movies while counting- and eating- our newly gathered candy stash!)

 

Supplies: 
·   Digi- Little Scraps of Heaven (Little Frank) Digi is on sale for just $1
·   Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white & silver gel pens
·   Front Sentiment- Halloween Eye Chart Freebie available HERE
·   Front Sentiment-Cut from a TLC Creations Bookmark Freebie (Welcome Great Pumpkin)
·   Inside Sentiment- “Happy Halloween” from Hero Arts' Spooky Halloween Labels Digital Set, #DK110 (no longer available)
·   Other papers and supplies from my stash
Entered into: 
Little Scraps of Heaven- October Jack-o-lantern           
Incy Wincy Designs- Halloween or Autumn/Fall Colors
Double D’s Challenge- October- What does it mean to you?                         
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                
Di’s Digi Stamps- Halloween or Harvest                                        
Lemon Shortbread Challenge- Anything Goes #131 
Digi Doodle Studios Blog- Challenge #32 Pink or Halloween (or both)   
Dragonfly Dreams- October Spooky and/or Cute
Stamping Sensations- Autumn Glory

My second creations isn’t a card, but a set of Christmas ornaments for a friend at my office who got married a few months ago. I know that she and her new hubby will enjoy sharing the cards, but I also wanted to make something that they could keep for themselves… hence the idea of ornaments. I found a free pattern on Pinterest and made a few revisions, reducing the size to easily hang on a Christmas tree branch, and making two different types of pockets. The sweet little gingerbread people are from a Power Poppy digi set.

Supplies: 
·   Digi Images- Power Poppy digi set (Gingerbread Family)
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Apron Template found HERE
·   Cardstock, assorted background papers, paper doily, and satin ribbon from my stash
Entered into: 
Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #524 (Optional twist- Hats) 
Polkadoodles Challenge-Week #43 Anything Goes                      
Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge- #513 Anything Goes
Rudolph Days Challenge- October
Christmas Crafts All Year Round- No tricks, just TREATS!
Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- October                 

My final card this posting is a Valentine's Card that includes a base that is a few decades old. I created it back in the late ’90s and just recently found it in a box of partial cards. I remember making a handful of these items when I co-owned a stamp store. We were always looking for new and unusual supplies. We ordered a can of some odd gold spray that we discovered turned into thin globby strings… that flew everywhere! I was thankful that we’d been instructed to lay cardstock at the bottom of a deep box before spraying it. We’d assembled a few card bases with kraft and tan parchment cardstock, cut with decorative scissors named Victorian. Although we liked the look of the finished items… we didn’t stock the spray as it was way too messy! When I found this base I used two wood-mount stamps (both are now old enough to be considered “classics”) and gold embossing powder. After stamping the heart with gold pigment ink I poured on the gold powder, heated it, and repeated this process several times until the embossing was pretty thick. Then, while it was still warm, I firmly pressed the small sentiment stamp into the embossing. I love the results! (I took a photo in sunlight to try to capture the golden contrasts.) 

 

Supplies: 
·   Wood Mount Scrobbled Heart Stamp- Stampendous (retired)
·   Sentiment - Printworks “Love” Stamp (retired)
·   Gold Spray String background card- from my stash
·   Gold Pigment Pad and Gold Embossing Powder
·   Inside  sentiment- Eureka Digital Stamp (Happy Valentine’s Day)
Entered into: 
Power Poppy- Creative Confetti- Emboss Like a Boss       
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #462-463 Anything Goes                   
Cute Card Thursday- Challenge #657 Stamping
Outlawz Challenge- Twisted Thursday Anything Goes (Twist- Embossing)
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Layer It Up! 

Thinking of You!

I made a Joy Fold Card from memory to enter into this week's wecraftcards Forum challenge. However, when finished, I went to find a tutorial from my Creative Folds folder on Pinterest to share in my supplies list… and discovered that I had forgotten the left fold-over section on my card.  Oops! That said, I do like the way it turned out and it was super easy to make! I will share instructions below my supplies list in case anyone else wants to make what I call a Single Joy Fold Card with clasp! It was super easy to make! The digi I used is the October Progressive Challenge Freebie at Outlawz. It is named “Sugar the Zombie” and comes with two versions of Sugar- Zombie or Cute Girl. Since I wanted to make a wedding card I went with the non-Zombie version of Sugar. 
Am entering my card into several other challenges including Simon Says Challenge- Movie Inspired (One of my fav movies, from 2007 is named “Enchanted.” It's a wonderful dream come true musical with cartoon characters thrown in. So much fun!), Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes (Optional twist- Hats… I think that veils might fit this category), and Scrap N Sketch WCMD 2020 sketch #3 (which provided a nice layout for my card.)

Supplies: 
·   Digi- Oddball Art Co. (Sugar the Zombie)
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Rhinestone Heart Stickers- Hobby Lobby
·   Jolees Boutique Crown Sticker-JoAnnes Crafts
·   Assorted cardstock, patterned papers and scraps of tulle from my stash
·  We Are 3 Digital Sentiments (Dreams)

Instructions for the Single Joy Fold Card with Clasp:
1.  Create a cardstock card base (in my card it is brown) 5” x 7”. 
2.  Attach a piece of DSP (in my card it is light cream with tan swirls) 4¾” x 6¾”. 
3.  Create a small card with cardstock (in my card it is tan) 3” x 8 ½, scored and folded in half
4.  Layer this small card with a piece of brown cardstock on the bottom (slightly larger), and a piece of DSP on the top (slightly smaller.)
5.  Attach the small card to the DSP covered base.
6.  Create a “clasp” to hold down a corner of your smaller card. (You can use punched or cut elements, stickers, digis or stamped images. The main thing is that it needs to be attached with a few strips of foam on the outer edge so that the corner of the card can slide beneath it.
7.  I attached the sentiments last to make sure that they are correctly positioned. And… I like to add some decoration to the inside to reflect the theme on the front.
Entered into: 
We Craft Cards Monday Challenge- Inside Out (Joy Luck Card)
Simon Says Monday Challenge- Movie Inspired                          
Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- October                 
Besties Challenge- October Anything Goes
Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #524 (Optional twist- Hats) 
Sketch N Scrap-Card Sketch- WCMD #3                                                        
Outlawz Challenges- Progressive Freebie- Oddball Art Zombie Sugar      
Outlawz Challenge- Inlinks Challenge
 
My sweet husband sends regular cards to his 96-year-old mom. When he asked about a Halloween Card, I had to make this Batty themed card just for her! (A little back history. Rich grew up in a home on an old farmstead in rural South Dakota. Even though their home was in good shape, it was surrounded by trees where many bats perched. They would often crawl into the attic of the house in the fall to escape winter. Occasionally they’d venture down into the living area of the home… and needed to be “directed” to the exits.  So… Rich has many memories of standing at the front door with a tennis racket. His sisters would flush them down the stairs, and he’d lob them out the door.  One summer I met one of the furry creatures face to face… or should I say fang to screaming face… as it swooped over me as I read late one evening. Needless to say, I kind of think of them as furry spiders with wings (spiders scare me, too!) Rich’s mom, who was widowed at 40, and raised four children alone…  is one of the bravest women I’ve ever known. So, I think this card will make her smile!
Am entering my card into several other challenges including Outlawz Sketch Challenge, which I think is the perfect fit for this cute digi.

Supplies: 
·   Image (Bat with Sentiment)- Scribbles Designs (Batty Over)
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Inside Sentiment- TLC Creations Freebie (FaBOOlous Halloween)
·   Paper Studio Watercolor Tree Scrapbook paper-Hobby Lobby
·   Cardstock, foam mounting tape, and dotted burgundy ribbon from my stash
Entered into: 
Outlawz Challenges- Wednesday Sketch                        
Scribbles Designs Challenge- #93 Feature a Creature (SD)        
The Paper Shelter- #446 Halloween or Halloween Colors
Incy Wincy Designs- Halloween or Autumn/Fall Colors
Outlawz Challenge- Twisted Thursday Anything Goes
Di’s Digi Stamps- Halloween or Harvest                                        
Dragonfly Dreams- October Spooky and/or Cute

My last card features one of my favorite things… COFFEE! I had fun using an Echo Park paper pad that I won last year at the Crafty Hazelnuts’ Christmas Challenge (Thanks, Hazel!) I’ve loved this pad and saved every little snippet of each wonderful design, which allowed me to make this card to enter into one of my favorite challenges named Snippets (Thanks, Di!) The coffee image is a $2 digi is from Victorine Originals, and the sentiment is a freebie from TLC Creations.

 

Supplies: 

·   Image- Victorine Originals Digital Stamp (Winter Drink)
·   Sentiment- TLC Creations Freebie (Beginning to Look a Latte Like Christmas)
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Puffy Heart Stickers- WalMart (pack contains 113 assorted puffy hearts for just 99 cents!)
·   Scallop edge template from my scrapbooking stash
·   Echo Park 6x6 paper pad- Celebrate Winter
·   Assorted cardstock from my stash
Entered into: 
Day of the Month Challenge- #20 International Coffee Day
Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge- #513 Anything Goes
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Layer It Up!
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #462-463 Anything Goes                   
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                
Pixie's Snippets-Week #389                                                                     
Christmas Crafts All Year Round- No tricks, just TREATS!