Sparkles

Is there such a thing as too much glitter?!?  Hmmm . . . I suppose so, but I don't think I've seen it yet.

Challenges:
Lollipop Ladies #61--Gingerbread house with Christmas
Sweet n Sassy Digi Challenge #85--favorite colors (I love blues of all shades, but turquoise is my fav. right now and my second favorite color is purple
Seems a Little Sketchy--sketch
DYSU #104--turquoise

Supplies:
Stamps: Meljen's Designs digi; Verve "Ornamental Christmas" sentiment
Dies/punches: Spellbinders label 4; Martha Stewart snowflake punch
American crafts glitter tape; SU! jeweled brads; glitter pen; Martha Stewart glitter

Banners

Challenge:
Frosted Designs 12 Days of Christmas Day #11--use 11 banners

Supplies:
Paper: DCWV Christmas pack
Stamps: PTI "Fresh Alphabet"; Clear Dollar Stamps "Vintage Flourish Months"
Twine and gold brads

Lots of Glitter

I am covered in gold glitter!!  But these buttons are so sparkly, it is well worth it. : )

Challenges:
Make it Monday #97--2012 A La Carte (I chose the glittered buttons technique)
Frosted Designs 12 Days of Christmas Day #10--use ten buttons
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #104--anything goes (Christmas)

Supplies:
Stamps: Verve "Ornamental Christmas" sentiment; Papertrey Ink "Year of Flowers: Collection" (it's a little hard to see, but it's stamped in the center of the wreath)
Dies: Verve "Charming Ovals"

Thank you

So, now the Christmas cards are all made (and sent!); it's time to make thank you cards for all the awesome gifts we received.

Challenges:
Viva La Verve December week 4--sketch
Frosted Designs 12 Days of Christmas Day #12--use 12 brads

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI "Through the Trees" sentiment
Papers: PTI Ocean Tides cardstock; Basic Grey paper; mulberry paper; recycled Christmas card (image)
Sweet n Sassy "Heart die"; silver brads

Pure White

Well, okay, it's not "pure" white, 'cause I had to use black for the sentiment so you could see it!

It's the first time I've gotten to play along with the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop and it's been fun!  The challenge this month is to create an all white project.  So, no color, but lots of texture.  I heat embossed the medallion with white embossing powder and dry embossed the right panel with an embossing folder.  It came out so elegant!

Challenges:
Papertrey Ink Blog Hop
Frosted Designs 12 Days of Christmas day #9--use 9 pearls or sparkles
Tuesday Alchemy--anything goes
Sweet Sketch Wednesdays #186--sketch
Flutter by Wednesdays #220--anything goes as long as it has a butterfly or fairy

Supplies:
Stamps: Rubbernecker medallion; Papertrey Ink "Mat Stack 2" sentiment
Punches/dies/embossing folders: Verve "Charming Oval" dies; Martha Stewart butterfly punch; cuttlebug embossing folder
Pearls; Martha Stewart dove embossing powder

Gift card holder

 I love getting gift cards and though they are maybe not quite as fun to give as a gift, I don't mind giving gift cards.  But the challenge is: how to present a gift card in a way that isn't boring or screams "gift card".  Last year, my mother-in-law gave my husband a gift card in this super cute little holder made out of an envelope.  I don't know where the idea originated, but I thought it was a fabulous idea and recreated it this year for my brother-in-law.

You can see on the inside that the envelope is folded in half and the gift card is placed in the little pocket created by the side not glued down. Such a cute little way to give a gift card and it was quite simple too.

Challenges:
Frosted Designs 12 Days of Christmas Day #7--use 7 snowflakes (I have 7 snowflakes stamped on the front, though one is obscured by the bow from this angle, plus there are the snowflakes on the paper inside)
Frosted Designs 12 Days of Christmas Day #8--use 8 brands/products (I used an envelope, Basic Gray patterned paper, PTI enchanted evening cardstock, Inkadinkado stamps, Verve stamps, ink, ribbon and rhinestones
The Fox and The Squirrel #33--Christmas
Card Mania #10--snowflakes
Eureka Stamps #19--Christmas spirit
House of Gilli #48--add sparkle
Tuesday Alchemy #45--Anything But a Card
Our Daily Bread Designs #135--snow/snowflakes
Celebrate The Occasion #93--Christmas: Anything Goes
Fab n' Funky #152--anything goes
Delightful Challenges--anything goes
Pretty Pattern #78--sketch (I chose #54)
Do You Stack Up #103--anything goes
Crimbo Crackers #31--Sentiment as Focus

Supplies:
A2 size envelope
PTI enchanted evening cardstock
Basic Gray patterned paper
Stamps: Inkadinkado Christmas clear stamp set; Verve "Ornamental Christmas" sentiment
Taylored Expressions rhinestones

Something Special

Some of my very favorite things: Damask prints; Black and white with a pop of color; presents; stamps

Challenges:
Viva La Verve December week 2--sketch
Frosted Designs 12 Days of Christmas Day #5--5 gold things (5 gold brads)

Supplies:
Stamps: Taylored Expressions "It's In the Bag"; Verve "Celebrating You"; PTI "Life is Sweet"
Dies: Taylored Expressions "It's In the Bag"
Cuttlebug damask embossing folder

Cheerful birthday

Mixing patterned papers is so hard for me.  I can do two, but more than that is so scary!  I guess that's why these things are called "challenges".

Challenges:
Viva La Verve December week 3--sketch
Frosted Designs 12 Days of Christmas Day #4--use 4 patterned papers
Flutter by Wednesdays Challenges--open challenge as long as you include a butterfly or fairy

Supplies:
Stamps: Taylored Expressions "It's In the Bag"
Paper: Basic Gray
Spellbinders classic circles, large and scalloped circles, large
Butterly--recycled from a barette

Glory to God

I'm pretty sure this is the last Christmas card I needed to make this year!  Finally.

Challenges:
Frosted Designs 12 Days of Christmas, Day one --use one bird
Pretty Paterns #77--choice of older sketches, I chose #45
Pretty Palette #77--red, pink, craft
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #185--winter
Do You Stack Up #102--Christmas
Stamping with Dragon--I heard a bird sing
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #103--Christmas birthday or anything goes (Christmas)

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI "Through the Trees"; Verve "Richly Blessed" sentiment
Papers: DCWV Christmas pack; recycled paper bag
Buttons, twine

Follow that star!

 I thought I was all finished with my Christmas cards, then when I was addressing the envelopes, discovered that I was two short!  Yikes.

For my background paper, I stamped a medallions stamps in the corners with a matching ink and then sprayed it with gold glimmer mist.  I got a little carried away though and the mist obscures the image in bright light.  Have to remember that for next time.  But it is really sparkly and pretty!

Challenges:
Pretty Pattern #74--sketch
Frosted Designs 12 Days of Christmas day 2--use two stamps
 Christmas Card Challenge #2--use die cuts
Eureka Stamps #18--sparkle and shine
Timeless Tuesdays #199--non-traditional holiday colors
Tuesday Alchemy #44--anything goes
Creative Inspiration #193--contemporary Christmas colors
Delightful Challenges--Very Blingy
DRS Designs #53--ribbon

Supplies:
Stamps: 3 wise men from DRS designs; Verve "Richly Blessed" sentiment
Dies: spellbinders labels 4
Rhinestones, glitter pen, glimmer mist, ribbon

Fashionable Christmas

 Ooh, la, la, isn't she a beauty?!  She's the beautiful Fashionista Squigglefly digi and she is just perfect for paper piecing.  Or at least I thought so when I was thinking about this card.  I pieced her dress and the purse (I made it this color, 'cause I have a purse that looks just like it--dark denim with black straps) and added black rhinestones for the earrings and a silver rhinestone for the diamond ring and a litter bit of glitter pen over gray pencil for the eyeshadow.

I sprayed the denim layer with glimmer mist and it is really sparkly in real life, but I wasn't able to capture it in the picture.

Challenges:
The Squirrel and the Fox #32--summer or winter
Lollipop #95--Happy Holidays
Squigglefly #48--winter wonderland
Delightful Challenges--All about Christmas
Frosted Designs:12 Days of Christmas; Day 3--3 inks/mists/paints (I used glimmer mist, an ink pad and markers)
Sweet n Sassy Digis #83--Christmas

Supplies:
Stamps: Squigglefly "Fashionista" digi; Verve "Ornamental Christmas" sentiment
Dies/embossing folders: Verve "Charming Ovals" dies; Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder

Quick Anniversary card

Once again, another dark picture, for some reason, I could not get my flash to work and the light was fading quickly.  Sorry. : (  It's really simple, but I think it's super cute!  And I made it in 9 min 58 seconds!
Challenges:
10 minute Craft Dash Challenge #8--feature red ( I promise, those hearts are red and the twine is red and white) and complete your project in under 10 minutes
Pretty Pattern #76--sketch
Card Mania #9--wedding or anniversary
House of Gilli #47--anything goes
Stamping with Dragon--Anything goes

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI "Damask Designs" sentiment
Dies/embossing folders: Sweet n Sassy heart dies; cuttlebug embossing folder
red and white twine.

White Christmas

 Please forgive the dark photo, I waited way too long to try to get a picture yesterday and the light was fading fast.  Although this isn't a traditional Christmas card, with a Christmas greeting, I am going to send it to my best friend with her Christmas gift, so it really is a Christmas card.

This second picture shows the glitter accents I created for the Papertrey Ink Make it Monday challenge to add glitter detail to your image.  I added glitter to the cuffs, neckline, and bottom ribbing of the shirt and glitter dots on her tights/leggings (although I used a glitter pen instead of a glue pen and glitter; same cool effect).
Challenges:
Viva La Verve December week 1--sketch
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #101--make it girly
Sparkles Christmas Challenge #23--button or bow
Flat Friends--white on white with a pop of color
Cutie Pie--use doilies
Eureka #17--Winter Wonderland
{Pin}spirational Challenges #36--inspiration photo
Celebrate the Occasion #91--NO red or green Christmas
Make it Monday--glitter detail
Creative Inspirations #192--case it (I chose to work with the blue from the original card)
Fab 'n' Funky #150--Not a traditional Christmas
Do You Stack Up #101--silver or gold (silver brads and glitter pen)
Crafty Ann's #80--white on white with a colored topper

Supplies:
Stamps: Flat Friends "Crimbo Shopping" digi; PTI "Year of Flowers: collection" sentiment
Dies/punches/embossing folders: Spellbinders Floral Doily Motifs dieCuttlebug snowflake embossing folder; Martha Stewart snowflake punch; Verve "Charming Ovals" dies