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

Monster birthday

April is a big birthday month in my family.  So, it's time to make some birthday cards.  I got this stamp set from Your Next Stamp a month or so ago and just HAD to pull it out and play with it.  All the monsters just make me smile and the sentiments are all so fun.

Challenges:

Crafty Creations #260--blue and yellow

Divas by Design--anything goes

The Stamping Chef #23--anything goes

One Crazy Stamper--anything goes BUT NO digis

Word Art Wednesday #126--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Crafting by Designs--anything goes

Charisma Cardz--anything goes

Just Add Ink #209--just add layers

Sister Act Card Challenge #51--anything goes

Your Next Stamp #11--sketch

The Squirrel and the Fox #67--all creatures great and small

The Paper Girls Challenge #53--inspiration layout (I went with the birthday theme)

Twisted Tuesday #73--photo inspiration with the twist of "make us laugh" (I was inspired by the pattern on the jester's costume, and the color blue from his costume)

Raisin Boat #21--It's a guy thing

Supplies:

Stamps: Your Next Stamp "Silly Monsters"

Dies: spellbinders classic circles, large

YNS blue gumdrops

It's your day

I made the perfect birthday card for my dad!  Perfect because he loves to sit in his recliner and watch TV and even more perfect because my siblings and I bought him a new TV for his birthday.  Perfect, I tell you!

 Here's the inside.  The sentiment cracks me up and I think the remote controller is so cute!

 And now for something even cuter.  If you want you can skip this part, but if you want pure sweetness, then, read on.  While I was making my card, one of my 5 year olds wanted to make a card, too.  So I helped her a bit, but she did all the stamping and coloring and picked out the papers (mostly because I used those papers, too.)  Here is her card:

 Then, I had to go out for a while and left Daddy in charge of things.  So, since one twin had made a card, the other wanted to make a card, too.  Completely unsupervised and unassisted, she made this card:  All hand cut by the way, they don't know how to use the paper trimmer, thank God!

 And I guess she decided it was such a success that she made a second one.  And look 3 different sheets of patterned paper (that I bought myself for Christmas by the way) mutilated, I mean, cut into.  But it is really cute, and she actually picked papers that went well together.  And you can't tell, but there are about 4 layers of flowers all popped up on pop dots.

Aren't these cards just the cutest things??!!  Remember, they are only 5 years old.

Challenges:
Raisin Boat #21--It's a guy thing
Paper Nest Dolls #7--anything goes
Cuttlebug Mania--make us smile
Loves Rubberstamps #91--anything goes
Twisted Tuesday #73--inspiration photo with a twist: make us laugh (my inspiration was the harlequin pattern on his costume and the blue color; plus masculine)

One Crazy Stamper--anything goes (no digi stamps)
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes as long as it is covered with patterned paper
Word Art Wednesday #126--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
My Favorite Things #170--sketch


Supplies:
Stamps: Raisin Boat "It's a Guy Thing"
Papers: Recollections (Michael's brand) used on all the cards
Dies: spellbinders A2 matting basics rectangles

Poinsettia Bear

Happy April, everyone!  I can't believe it is hear already.  AND it's Friday so another challenge from Christmas Stampin' All Year Long has gone live.  The challenge is: use lots of layers.  Easy right?  The sponsor this week is Bugaboo Stamps and I got to use this adorable image "Poinsettia Bear".  Isn't he cute?

 Now, lots of layers seems pretty straight forward, right?  But I'm going to show you how I used layers 3 different ways.  The first is obvious: I used lots of layers of papers.  The second, maybe obvious too: my poinsettia has 3 different layers of petals.  And the third is in my image.  You can see in the next photo that I used pop dots to pop up several layers on the image.  I printed the image out 4 times and used different parts of them to add dimension.  I did manage to use a piece from my bits and pieces stash: that gold star border.

Now it's time to head on over to the CSAYL blog for all the details and to see how the other designers added layers to their projects.  Then link up your project, I can't wait to see how you interpret this challenge.

Challenges:
Little Miss Muffet--anything goes
Crimbo Crackers #61--anything goes
Christmas Card Challenges #18--favorite coloring medium (markers are mine)
Lacy Sunshine--add flowers
Cutie Pie Challenges #66--cute with dies & punches
Sweet Stamps #163--dies
Christmas Cards All Year Round--poinsettias
Patterned Paper Challenge--month long anything goes as long as it is covered with patterned paper
Sweet Sketch Challenge 2--sketch

ABC Christmas--G is for glitter
Desert Island Craft Challenge--use at least 3 of the following (I used #3, 4, 5--my sentiment, 8, 9)
1.  something hidden/a surprise
2.  purple
3.  twine
4.  die cut
5.  heat embossing
6.  for a man
7.  dog or cat
8.  distressed
9.  sparkle
10.  moveable parts
Southern Girls--floral frenzy
C.R.A.F.T. #253--recycle/World Earth Day (the gold paper I used is recycled wrapping paper)
DRS Designs #116--Who's the (em)boss--my sentiment is heat embossed
Completely Christmas #5--anything Christmas goes

Supplies:
Stamps: Bugaboo Stamps "Poinsettia Bear" digi; Verve "Ornamental Christmas" sentiment
Dies: spellbinders A2 Card Basics--rectangles and poinsettias 

Frosty Snowflakes

Happy April!  Three months gone in 2014; how's your Christmas card stash coming?  If you've been playing along with us at Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra, then you have gotten a good jump on them.  If you haven't been playing, now is a great time to start.  The challenge is easy: anything Christmas goes and you have all month long to play along.

 I just love this cute little snowman!  I used him and these glittery snowflakes to create a little wintery scene.  Fun!  The patterned oval was from my bits and pieces stash and as promised last month, here is a picture of the stash.  I'm going to try to remember to update it every month.

 I added a picture of what the stash looked like at the beginning of March:

Unfortunately, I have added a few items to the stash this month, but I have actually managed to use up a lot of the items in it.  Do you have a stash like this?  Maybe it's time to give yourself the challenge of using it up.  It's kind of fun. : )  Now, go get started on those Christmas cards and then link it up with as at CHNCC2.

Challenges:
Fab n' Funky #205--Christmas
Seems a Little Sketchy--sketch

The Stamping Chef #22--anything goes
Pattie's Creations #88--anything goes
Christmas @ Sweet Stamping--brrr . . . it's cold outside
Little Miss Muffet--anything goes
Christmas Card Challenge #8--use your favorite coloring medium (mine is markers)
Cutie Pie Challenge #66--cute with dies and punches

Supplies:
Stamps: Bugaboo Stamps "Chubby Snowman Scarf" digi
Dies: spellbinders ovals and scalloped ovals, large; Sweet n' Sassy Stamps "Small Snowflakes Dies"