Little Tree

I can't believe it, but it is Friday again, already!  Time for another challenge from Christmas Stampin' All Year Long and this week, it is a sketch:

I love sketches; in fact, I almost always start my cards with a sketch and go from there.  I just wasn't feeling this one, though.  It took a while to figure out how I wanted to dress it up a bit.  I used some unusual colors for a Christmas card, but in the end, I think I like it. : )  It's tough to tell in the photo, but several of those little metal "candies" have cute little patterns on them: chevrons, dots, hearts, etc.

I would love to see your take on this sketch.  Everyone always interprets sketches in different ways.  So come on and play along.  Go to the CSAYL blog for all the details.

Challenges:
Crafts Galore Challenge--creating with color: use your favorite (pink and green is my favorite color combo for card making, and I added a bit of blue which is MY favorite color)
Southern Girls #89--Earn Your Stripes
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #172--make it square, or use a square
Creative Inspirations #261--lots of layers
ABC Christmas Challenge--H is for Home (decorating the tree is always the first thing I do for Christmas)

Supplies:
Stamps: Tiffany Doodles "Christmas Star Tree #1) digi

Prayers

A quick little card I made for some friends.  Another card using my new favorite "The Sweet Life" stamp set.  Love those gorgeous roses!

 Here's the inside:

Challenges:
Crafty Ribbons #85--anything goes
Mod Squad Challenges--spring colors: pick at least three of the following (I used the three greens, the dark blue and the lavender--on the pearls)

Crafter's Cafe #59--CAS
Seems a Little Sketchy #62--sketch

Make it Monday #160--heat embossing on a die cut and/or two step stamps (I heat embossed my frame on the frame die cut and it was much easier the way the video showed!)

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI "Boutique Borders: Sympathy" frame and sentiment, "The Sweet Life" flowers and "Turing a new Leaf" leaves; Sweet n' Sassy Stamps "The Future" inside sentiment
Dies: PTI "Boutique Borders: Sympathy", "Turning a New Leaf" and "The Sweet Life"
Ribbon: PTI Ocean Tides dotted satin
Inks: PTI "Aqua Mist", "Ocean Tides"; SU! "Night of Navy"

Easter Blessings

I wasn't going to make an Easter cards.  I usually don't; I don't think too many people send them out anymore.  Anyway, there were so many Easter challenges out there in blog land, AND I remembered I had this stunning cross image from Eureka Stamps, so I decided to give it a go.

Challenges:
Milk Coffee Challenges--Easter
Sentimental Sundays #202--Embossing (dry or wet)
Eureka Stamps #85--Happy Easter
Our Daily Bread Designs #198--He is risen with pastels
Sweet Stamps--anything goes: embossing
Loves Rubberstamps #99--Easter or spring
Cuttin' And Stampin' #15--Easter
Word Art Wednesday #128--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Crafty Creations #261--white plus one other color
Digi Stamps 4 Joy #90--Easter or spring
Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2--sketch

Treasured Times Rubber Stamps Challenge--Easter

Supplies:
Stamps: Eureka Stamps "Draped Cross with Thorns"; Flourishes "Easter Blessings" sentiment
Dies/embossing folders: Spellbinders "Radiant Rectangles"; PTI "Boutique Borders: Sympathy" die; Sizzix "Botanicals" embossing folder

One lone tree

Though the weather is finally warming up here in Southern New England, it is time for some mid-month inspiration from the Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra for the month of April.  And that means another Christmas card from me.  As I am always running behind, I chose to go very CAS for this one .  The card blank already had the oval cutout, so all I had to do was stamp the sentiment and the tree, add some silver stickles to the tree, rim the cut out in silver and add the rhinestones.  Oh yeah, I also added a bit of black paper to the back of the card to give it a little more contrast.  Quick and easy.

This picture shows off the stickles a bit better.

Have you started on your Christmas cards, yet?  There's still plenty of time to play in this month's challenge.  It's easy: Anything Christmas Goes!

Challenges:

CAS-ual Fridays--ovals

Crafty Musketeers #12--monochrome

Sparkles Christmas Challenge #39--inspired by a Christmas carol or song (Silent Night)

CRAFT Challenge #254--Christmas

Sister Act Card Challenge #52--anything goes

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #170--make it square (or use a square)

Wags 'n' Whiskers #126--CAS

Supplies:

Stamps: SU! "Lovely as a Tree"; Verve "Star of Wonder"

Magical Birthday

This is a birthday card for my sister.  We kind of have a bit of a joke about unicorns, so I think she is going to love it.  Plus, it's girly and sparkly and magical; what girl wouldn't love that?!  I forgot to take a picture of the inside--which isn't that interesting anyway.--but the sentiment reads "Wishing you a Magical Birthday".

Challenges:
The Paper Nest Dolls Challenge #8--anything goes
One Stitch At a Time #208--use a digi
Lacy Sunshine Challenge #31--Make it Feminine
Suzy Bee's Blooming Challenge #24--anything goes
Sister Act Card Challenge #52--anything goes
Time Out Challenge #3--Happy Birthday with the optional twist of making it masculine (I did not go masculine!)
Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2--sketch

The Stamping Chef #24--anything goes

Supplies:
Stamps: The Paper Shelter "The Princess and Her Unicorn" digi
Dies: Spellbinders Fleur De Lis squares, Labels 4, Radiant Rectangles; Sizzix star die; Fiskars flower punch

Mom

My mom's birthday is next weekend, so this card is for her.  Both of us love pansies and as we live in the cool northeast of the US, they can survive all summer and are one of the first plants out in the stores in the spring.  I just saw some at my local grocery store this week.  They made me so happy!  : )  They are just so cute; love their little faces.

Challenges:

One Sweet Challenge--ringing in spring

Sarah Hurley Challenges--stitching: real or faux (used my sewing machine for real stitching and and embossing technique to give it the look of quilting)

Dis Digis--spring

Viva La Verve April week 1--sketch

One Stitch At A Time #207--Flowers

Make it Monday #159--no-sew quilted card

Crafter's Cafe #58--spring

Divas By Design--Easter or spring

Time Out Challenges--Happy Birthday with the optional twist of making it masculine (I didn't use the optional twist)

Crafty Ribbons #84--Flower Power

Sweet 'n' Sassy--Happy (pansies make me happy and my mom makes me happy. aww . . . )

Brown Sugar #89--Mother's Day (it isn't for the actual Mother's Day, but it is for my mother for HER day)

Sister Act Card Challenge #52--anything goes

Supplies:

Stamps: Stitchy Bear "Pansy & Butterfly" digi by Delicious Doodles; Flourishes "A Mother's Love"; SU! "Classic Caps" initial

Dies: spellbinders classic circles, large and fancy squares; PTI lacey border

Embossing folder: cuttlebug damask

PTI Ocean Tides card stock and dotted ribbon

Silent night

It's Friday and that means time for another challenge from Christmas Stampin' All Year Long.  This challenge is: Non-square card or project.  Now, maybe I cheated a bit, because I rarely ever make a square card.  I almost always make rectangles, which are not squares.  The rest of the DT (most of them anyway) made other shaped cards, so you'll have to go to the CSAYL blog and check them out.

I went a bit vintage-y with this one.  Not my usual style, but it worked.  Now, go forth, get inky and play along.

Challenges:
Sparkles Christmas Challenge #39--inspired by a Christmas carol/song
Flat Friends Challenge #39--include a sentiment
Christmas Cards All Year 'Round--poinsettias
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #171--seeing red
Suzy Bee's Blooming Challenge #23--anything goes
Treasured Times Challenge #15--mix it up (I used a new style, mixed digis, clear stamps and rubber stamps)
Sentimental Sundays #201--vintage/steampunk
Mojo Monday #340--sketch

Eureka Stamps #84--ribbons and bows
Holly Jolly--ribbons and bling
Word Art Wednesday #127--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Paper Pretties #305--punches (my smallest flower is made with a punch)
C.R.A.F.T. #254--Christmas
Completely Christmas #5--anything goes

Supplies:
Stamps: Emma Canning church digi; Verve "Star of Wonder" sentiment; Hero Arts cling rubber musical score (it's very faint, but I stamped in on the tilted panel)
Dies: spellbinders poinsettia, and classic circles, large; flower punch