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

Awesome Day

I've been having a lot of fun using the Viva La Verve One-Sheet Wonder challenge this month.  The sketches are provided and they've even included the cutting measurements to create 4 cards out of one 6x6 double-sided piece of patterned paper.  I actually used two sheets of single sided paper for these and then I created 4 additional cards with the other pieces.  8 cards in one day!  And I just think they are so cute!

 I used the same embossing folder, patterned papers and sentiment on each, but they are each unique due to the different layouts.

Challenges:
Viva La Verve Challenge--one-sheet wonder

Sugar Pea Designs--anything goes
Cuttin' & Stampin' #4--winter
Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Wonderful Wednesday--anything goes
C.R.A.F.T. #291--anything goes
Creative Knockouts #69--anything goes

Supplies:
Stamps: Verve "Better Together" sentiment and "Merry & Bright" snowflakes
Dies/embossing folders: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large"; Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder; Sweet n' Sassy Stamps small snowflake die

Gift tags

I made a little gift of goodies to give to a friend and wanted some quick tags to label each different treat.  Since I had just bought the Mat Stack 3 stamp and die sets from PTI I knew they would make the perfect tags.  Cut, stamp, add the die cut snowflake and voila!  Done!  Actually, I used my crop-a-dile to punch holes for ribbon to go through.  I was able to label the treats in those nice black strips on the tags.  They were soooo cute!

Challenges:
Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Wonderful Wednesdays--anything goes
The Stamping Chef #61--anything goes
Crafter's Cafe #96--CAS gift tag
Cuttin' And Stampin' #4--winter
Sweet Stamps #201--anything but a card
Southern Girls--get your Christmas cheer flowing
Sugar Pea Designs--anything goes

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI "Mat Stack 3"
Dies: PTI "Mat Stack 3" and "Fancy Flakes"

One-sheet wonder

Merry Christmas!  I hope you all had an awesome day celebrating with family.  This month's VLV challenge is 4 sketches with the additional challenge of using only ONE sheet of double-sided 6x6 paper.  Julee included the cutting dimensions, so you don't even have to figure it out!  Here are my 4 cards all together.  I obviously used the same paper, but I used different embossing folders on three of them.   Two use the same folder.  With different embellishments, they all coordinate, but are each unique.

 This is the card that I started off with.  I made it for a friend who's birthday was the 23rd.  I used a botanical embossing folder and gray pearls to embellish.

 Card #2 went masculine as I needed a birthday card for my cousin, too.  The only embellishment is a little silver button.  Gotta keep it simple for the guys, right?

 The 3rd card is an anniversary card for my parents.  I used the same embossing folder as on the first card, added some white pearls instead of gray and used a sheer yellow ribbon and bow to finish it off.

I didn't have a need immediately for a 4th card, but I thought a "thanks you" card would finish off the 4 card "set".  I also added white pearls to this one.

Challenges:
Crafting Musketeers #20--use bling
Cards Galore--anything goes
Craft-Dee Bow Z--anything goes with a handmade bow (card #3)
Viva La Verve December--One-sheet Wonder sketch challenge

Love to Scrap Challenge #44--When Nature Calls (I used a butterfly on card #1 and stamped flowers on card #4)
Word Art Wednesday #163--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Divas By Design--anything goes
Sugar Pea Designs--anything goes
Tuesday Morning Sketches #281--anything goes but stretch yourself (I've never made four cards using only one sheet of 6x6 paper and have never created a matching card set like this)

Supplies:
Card #1:
Stamps: Verve "Be Blessed" sentiment
Dies/punches/embossing folders: MFT small doilies; Martha Stewart butterfly punch; Sizzix "Botanical" embossing folder
Card #2:
Stamps: Verve "Better Together" sentiment
Dies/embossing folders: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large"; Darice woodgrain embossing folder
Card #3:
Stamps: Verve "Text Objects"
Dies/embossing folders: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large"; Sizzix "Botanical" embossing folder
Card #4:
Stamps: Verve "Be Blessed" sentiment and flowers
Dies/embossing folders: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large"; Darice paisley embossing folder

Baby's First

My first nephew was born in July and now this is going to be his first Christmas.  I know he won't remember any of it, and he definitely won't appreciate this card (unless his parents save it for later, and they just might!), but I still needed to make him a Baby's First Christmas card.  So, here it is:

Challenges:
V's Sweet Ideas #29--Holiday theme
One Sweet Challenge--Christmas
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes as long as it is covered with patterned paper
Craft-Dee Bow Z--Anything goes with ribbon
Verve December Inspiration Challenge--O' Christmas Tree (decorations for a Christmas tree; mine is an ornament)
ABC Christmas--Y is for Your Family
Fussy & Fancy #109--snowflakes and ribbon
Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps #260--anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #207--urgently needed Christmas Creations
Wags n Whiskers #144--Merry Christmas
Suzy Bee's #59--snowflakes (on my ornament)
Treasured Times Challenge #31--anything goes
Sentimental Sundays #237--anything goes
Craftin' Desert Divas--Christmas
Card Mania #62--Christmas
The Paper Girls #70--ornaments
Our Daily Bread Designs #220--sketch

Loves rubberstamps Challenges #131--anything goes
Tuesday Throwdown #225--Christmas
Cuttin' and Stampin' #3--Christmas
Creative Inspiration #294--Christmas/New Year
Crafting by Designs--embossing for fun (all the silver is heat embossed)

Supplies:
Stamps: Verve "Ornamental Christmas"; PTI "Fresh Alphabet" numbers
Dies: Spellbinders "Charmed, I'm sure"
Papers: American Crafts