CMHCD Challenge #204

For some odd reason, there are no interesting thoughts in my head this morning.  I've had my 2 cups of tea and a nice big slice of Apple Fritter bread with lots of butter.  So, I should be adequately awake.  But, I am experiencing an abnormal absence of thoughts to share.  I do, however, have a card to share:

 Using all CTMH products, this card features the requisite colors for the current Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge #204.

 

I used a dauber to change the white shimmer trim to eggplant, and a marker to coordinate the sequins.

 Have a lovely day.  

Thanks for stopping by.

80th Birthday Card

My "old" high school librarian, back in the late 60's early 70's, will turn 80 in August, and his family has organized a card shower for him.  I wonder how many cards he will receive.  This is my contribution.

 The sentiment is a CTMH stamp and the numbers and letters are cricut cuts from the CTMH Art Philosophy Cartridge.

Challenges:

Brown Sugar Challenge #209 - Anything Goes 

Chocolate, Coffee and Cards Challenge #114 - Use a number 

Bitten by the Bug Challenge - Birthday 

Between the Fold Challenge 26B - Creative Cuts 

When I left you Wednesday,

 I was in the middle of reorganizing my ribbon stash.

Here's a photo of just some of the mess, dumped out on my sofa.  I spent the last 3 evenings, while watching TV, untangling, unwinding, winding, sorting and discovering treasures.   My husband, when seeing the empty sofa this morning, remarked that he didn't think he'd ever see that sofa again. 
Check out my ribbon stash now....

The 2 plastic containers on each side fit perfectly inside the drawers for storage. 

And all the small pieces, not long enough to wrap around a card, are in my handy ribbon canister.

It sits close to my work area and is my first stop when looking for a ribbon for a card.

I am so pleased with the results, I'm "thinking" of tackling my stash of yarn.

Charlotte Paper & A Bunch of Love Stamp

Once again, I started making one card and ended up with two.   

This was the first time I used this Bunch of Love Stamp.  I inked it up and stamped it on a piece of scrap white cs to see how it would look, before stamping it on the piece I planned to use for the card.   Then I colored the sample before doing the actual coloring on the card to make sure I liked the colors I was using together.  The birthday sentiment is also from the Bunch of Love Set, bent so it fits perfectly on the banner.  The frame I used was a cut from the CTMH Artistry Cricut Cartridge (p.14).  I thought the Belini colored skittles blended perfectly.  And the ribbon came from my very disorganized  ribbon stash. 

(My new project is to correct that.  I thought I'd do it while we watched TV last evening, but it was a bigger job than I imagined.  Right now the sofa is still covered in ribbons.  But, I do have a plan.)

 

The sample image I had

  stamped and colored ended up on the second card, along with the pieces of ribbon I trimmed off the bow.  

 One of my blogging friends, Tracey Pierce, posted a card that she was entering in a CTMH challenge, Between the Folds Challenge #26B, which was new to me.  It's always fun to play in new challenges.  I made the first card to enter in this week's  Creative Cuts Challenge. 

Additional Challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks Challenge #309 - Favorite designer (can be stamps, papers, dies, an actual company)  - Mine would be CTMH papers and stamps.  And the Stampin Up embossing folder that I used on both cards, is my all time favorite, most used, embossing folder!

As You Like It Challenge - Favorite Papers and Why (CTMH - I love their coordinating double sided papers.  It takes the guesswork out of matching shades and colors.)

Aud Sentiments Challenge #160 - Anything Goes + a sentiment 

Fresh Brewed Designs July Challenge - Birthdays

Bitten by the Bug Challenge - Birthday Theme (frame on card #1 using CTMH Artistry)

Use Your Stuff Challenge - Floral Print Paper

Perhaps, I'll go untangle some more ribbons.

 

 

Foxy Birthday Wishes and CTMH Card Class 7/26/16

So what would you like to see first?  

The cards from Joyce's CTMH Card Class yesterday? 

or a birthday card I made this morning from table scraps?

Okay.... here are the cards we made yesterday.

 ****************

 And here is the scrap card I made this morning.

 There are lots of various sizes of this CTMH Hopscotch paper remaining in the paper pack.  The numbered paper strip is a leftover piece from another card.  I only had a small piece of sunset, but enough to stamp just the fox.  Then I used another very small piece of the glacier to stamp the banner. The orange punched strip was just wide enough to get into the punch.  And I even found a skinny strip of flaxen cs for underneath.  The colonial white piece was a bit sticky and dirty on one side from laying around on my messy table.  But, that didn't matter because the other side was clean.  

I embossed it and it was good to go.  

Do you think the card needs some bling?

I'll add it to the box going to Send a Smile 4 Kids,

 so I don't like to bling them up too much.

And I'll also enter it in these challenges: 

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #82 - Anything Goes

Fresh Brewed Designs July Challenge - Birthdays 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Wonderful Wednesday Challenge at KKS - Anything Goes 

Crafty Sentiments Designs Challenge - Animals

Through the Craft Room Door Challenge - Anything Goes

Chocolate Coffee and Cards Challenge #114 - Use a number 

Come and Get It Challenge - Kids Cards 

Craft Your Passion Challenge #322 - Always Anything Goes

Crafting From the Heart Challenge #122 - Always Anything Goes 

Hope you enjoy a crafty day! 

Thanks for visiting. 

AHSC Christmas Cards

This week I made 2 cards using the sketch from the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.  Why 2?  Well, I wanted to use a cut from the CTMH Artistry Cartridge and wasn't sure of the size.  So, I cut 2.  One thing led to another and now I am 2 cards closer to having my Christmas Cards finished. 

 

      (With the exception of Gold Wink of Stella in the flower centers, all products used for both cards are by Close to My Heart,)

Challenges I am entering include:

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #170 (see sketch above)
Crafting From the Heart Challenge # 122 - Always Anything Goes 
Craft Your Passion Challenge #322 - Always Anything Goes
Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #281 - Anything Goes
Love to Scrap Challenge #82 - Anything Goes
Merry Monday Christmas Card Challenge - Summer Link-up
Brown Sugar Challenge #208 - Christmas in July 
As You Like It Challenge - Your Trademark Style (embossing- I like the added texture)
Aud Sentiments Challenge #160 - Anything Goes + a sentiment
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #373 - Christmas

Check back tomorrow to see the cards we made this afternoon at Joyce's CTMH Card Class. 

 

Mojo Monday Mouse

Yesterday, I posted 3 cards I made while clearing unfinished items from my craft table.  I saved one digi image (printed for Catch the Bug Christmas in July Challenge but never used) for today's Mojo Monday card, hoping it would work with the sketch.  Luckily it did!

This is Christmas Mouse - Ornaments from Bugaboo Stamps.

And check out this embossing folder!  Another great 99 cent find!

Here are the challenges I am entering:

Send a Smile 4 Kids Challenge - Christmas in July 4 Kids  (When the postal box for SAS4K is full, this card will be in it!)

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #458 - I flipped the sketch 90 degrees to the right.

 

Brown Sugar Challenge #208 - Christmas in July

Hiding in My Craft Room Challenge #260 - Christmas in July 

Challenge Up Your Life Challenge #46 - Christmas in July

A Gem of a Challenge #174 - Animals 

Come and Get It Challenge - Kids Cards 

 That's it for today. 

 I saw a card on Pinterest this morning that I must go try.

Unfinished cards and other stuff

Today I decided to clear some of the bits and pieces off my craft area.  Digis I printed, colored  and abandoned; half finished card fronts; those oopsies that needed some cosmetic surgery;  I'm sure you get the picture.  The simplest thing would be to scoop it all into the trash.  But that would be contrary to the whole philosophy behind this blog.  Frugal cardmaker that I am, not much hits the circular file.  

Last week I mixed some of my own paint to make a tag for the challenge at A Day for Daisies.  I was going to use a stencil to create the background.  I tried making one stenciled flower on a bit paper first before applying the paint directly onto the tag I had cut.  It turned out okay, so I started on the tag.  After I finished the tag, I took the remainder of the paint and brushed it onto a piece of scrap paper.  No sense wasting it.  

Here's how I cleaned the sample stenciled flower and strip of leftover painted paper off the table.  

And I had just enough ribbon on the roll to add a bow.

Next I got to work on the abandoned digis, both Bugaboo images I had printed, colored and never used.

The first image was Rudolph Presents, currently a freebie at Bugaboo stamps, and perfect for the pile of cards I'll be mailing to Send a Smile 4 Kids.

The second image that now has a home on this summertime birthday card is Beach Monkey Inner Tube, also a current freebie. 

 With the orange arrows secured by a brad, you can point them to whatever number, or numbers represent the recipients age.

 Here is the photo inspiration for the current challenge at Catch the Bug where I'll be entering this card.

This card has also been submitted to these additional challenges:
Creative Knockouts Challenge #151 - Birthday Wishes
Polkadoodle Challenge Week 28 - Summer
Chocolate Coffee and Cards Challenge #114 - Use a number
A Gem of a Challenge #174 - Animals
Eclectic Ellapu July Challenge - Purple Team - Life's a Beach
Come and Get It Challenge - Kids Cards
Robyn's Fetish Challenge #326 - At the Beach

************

I did get a few more cards completed, but I'll save them to show you another day.

BTW,  all of the stamps I used for sentiments are from Close to My Heart.

Color Dare Challenge

It is really hot here in SE Pennsylvania.  

We sat through one ball game last evening and 2 more today.  My grandson's team won 1 and lost 2 of the games.  We are still waiting to hear if they've been knocked out of this tournament or if they have another game tomorrow.  

I made a quick card today to enter in the current Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge #203.  

The CTMH Have a Happy Day Stamp Set was on the top of the pile, so I used it to make background paper and a sentiment label in the required colors,  Crystal Blue, Sorbet, Canary and White Daisy.  Then I added some sequins, glitter trim and a dragonfly brad, which just happened to match perfectly.

Additional challenges I am entering include:

Crafting with Dragonflies Challenge #62 - Anything Goes

Cardz 4 Galz Challenge #27 - No patterned paper. 

 

 

 

Minion Kitty Card

There should really be a Minion label on my blog.  

(Right now, the Minion projects are in the Other Projects section.)   

My grandson, Matthew, loves Minions.  

His room is cluttered with them, from pictures, and games to stuffed versions and even his sheets and comforter.  When he is here, either we are making a Minion or something that has to do with soccer, his second love.  When I saw this digi image from Knitty Kitty Digis on my friend's blog, (I won't mention names but you know who you are.) I just had to have it. 

The "One in a minion!" sentiment comes with the digi. 

The minion kitty was colored with markers.  The black goggle band has a coating of clear Wink of Stella.  And the goggle 'glass' was made shiny with a layer of CTMH Liquid Glass.  

The FRIEND stamp and background stamps used on the gray and tan kitties are CTMH.  

I'll be posting this card in the Knitty Kitty Facebook Group and also entering it in

The Craft Addicts Challenge #20 - Anything Goes/Friends.

 

Christmas Embossing Folder + CTMH class 7/19/16

I stumbled (not literally, of course!) across a new Darice embossing folder this morning, and for only 99 cents, I couldn't resist it.  Would you have left it hanging on the rack?

 After embossing the card front, an off white with very shiny surface, I embossed another piece of red, fussy cut the poinsettias,

distressed the edges and raised areas, added liquid pearls to the centers and glued them on top.  The dark red poinsettias are always my favorite.  

The Merry Christmas stamp is CTMH.

Challenges:

Crafting by Designs Challenge - Christmas in July

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #81 - Christmas in July 

12 Months of Christmas Link UP Challenge #19 - optional theme: Christmas Blooms 

Fussy and Fancy Challenge #168 - Christmas in July 

As You Like It Challenge - Your Trademark Style  (I love to emboss, especially dp.  You'll find embossing on most of my cards.  I love the added texture and dimension it gives.)

 

 

******************

We made 3 cards at Joyce's CTMH card class yesterday.  

You should have heard the grousing when we had to separate the strands of the bakers twine for the bike card and then thread them through a hole in the front of the card and secure them on the back.  There were even a few threats made, something about slashed tires after church on Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of threats....

Carol, We are happy you are enjoying your grandchildren, 

but if you don't show up at class soon....

Well, let's just say...

Don't make us come find you!!!!

Tuesday Throwdown Challenge #303 with Power Poppy

Are die cuts considered embellishments?  

If so, that would be my favorite.  

If not, ribbons would be my 2nd favorite embellishment.  

But then, I really love pearls, and glitter trim, and skittles.  

 I've put all of my favorites on my DT card for this week's Tuesday Throwdown Challenge, sponsored by Power Poppy.

I've used an image from  La Vie en Rose Digital Stamp Set by Power Poppy printed directly on designer paper.

Shhh... Don't tell.  I kind of cheated when it came to fussy cutting the tiny areas between the stems and leaves.  Rather than getting out the exacto knife, I got out a black marker.  I knew I was going to be mounting it on black cs, so I just colored those sections black instead of removing them to let the black show through.

So now it's your turn to show us, 

at Tuesday Throwdown Challenge, 

what your favorite embellishments are!

 

 

Scraps from an old Paper Pack

For today's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge card, I went to an old pack of CTMH paper, knowing it would coordinate without having to search for anything else.  One of the papers even had this colorful owl image, just waiting to be fussy cut and used on a card.

(sentiment stamp is CTMH)

Challenges:

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge # 457

One Stitch at a Time Challenge #266 - Anything Goes with elements of nature

Craft Your Passion Challenge #321 - Always Anything Goes

Crafting From the Heart Challenge #121 - Always Anything Goes

 

 

A Day for Daisies & Oxiclean

Yikes, did I make a mess!  

All I set out to do was make a card for the current

 A Day For Daisies Challenge #152 - CASE the DT .

The freebie offered by ADFD is so lovely, 

and I thought it perfect for a bookmark. 

So I chose to CASE the Fancy Fairy Tag that DT member Tanja made.

She has the photo watermarked, so I hope she doesn't mind that I posted it here.  Can you see why I wanted to CASE it?

 

My first attempt didn't end up looking like Tanja's tag at all.

Sure, it was blue, had velum, and a crinkly ribbon, but really looked nothing like Tanja's.

Unhappy with my results, I hopped back over to read Tanja's blog and then went back to work.  Not having the same products in my stash that she used, I made some substitutions and am much more satisfied with this tag.

 The image was watercolored and fussycut; the background was stenciled with an ink mixture made from powdered pigments and CTMH pearl Creat-a-Shade paint; after drying it was debossed and a bit more color added with a pouncer; the velum spray is a cricut cut from the CTMH Artistry cartridge; and the CTMH color ready ribbon, which turned my fingers a lovely shade of denim and crystal blue, was spritzed, crumpled, clipped and dried before adding. 

Boy, was this out of my wheel house!

Now I have a lot of stuff to put away and these fingers will definitely need some Oxiclean!

 

 

Pre-Game Blog Post

After winning their game yesterday 15-5, I hope my grandson and his team will be able to continue on to another win this afternoon.

I have just enough time to post a card before we leave.

And, although the Catch the Bug Christmas in July Challenges are over, I have a few extra Bugaboo digis that I printed 

and might as well use.  

This one is called Bear Stocking.

I like the way it has Merry Christmas written along the bottom edge of the stocking.

 

I am entering the Catch the Bug July Bingo Challenge,

 

 following the middle row, Die Cut (ODB frame), Flower, and Star (all punched.)

Catch the Bug Christmas in July - Day 7

It's the final day of the 

Catch the Bug  Christmas in July Challenge 

and it's a color challenge.

I'm using Make It Snappy Merry Christmoose, 

another Bugaboo digi.

There are now 7 Christmas cards in my box for 

Send a Smile 4 Kids.

What a great start!

I was amazed to find snowflake paper scraps in all of the 5 colors required for the challenge.

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge

My grandson has a baseball game at 1pm this afternoon.  And I'm waiting for my DH to return from golfing so we can be on our way.  In the meantime, here is a birthday card I made for this week's AHSC.

 

Christmas in July with Bugaboo Stamps Day 6

It's a Photo Challenge for Day 6 of the Catch the Bug Christmas in July Challenge.

Sure hope Tropical Santa Surfing, a Bugaboo image, has some sunscreen on to product test this awesome ski board. 

The sentiment stamp is CTMH; background is watercolored; photo frame corners are punched; bling and shimmer tape are also CTMH.

 

Christmas in July with Bugaboo Stamps Day 5

Today's Catch the Bug Christmas in July challenge is to Make It Funny +

use scallops, bling and layers.

Doesn't Crabby Cat Christmas, a Bugaboo Digi, look like he just might leave a hairball in the stocking of whoever tied that ornament to his tail? 

The Ho Ho Ho stamp is from CTMH. 

I am entering these challenges:

Catch the Bug Christmas in July Day 5 - Funny + scallops, bling, layers
ABC Christmas Challenge - "n" is for No Rules 
The Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge - Animals
Ike's World Challenge #67 - Christmas in July

Scroll down one post to see the fun Crazy Fish card I made for my Guest Design Spot for the new challenge at Words 2 Craft By -

Just Keep Swimming.

And the July Joyful Stars Blog Hop can be found right here.

Crazy Fish for Words 2 Craft By Challenge

What do you get when you combine 

one CTMH Heart stamp + one CTMH butterfly stamp + one Tim Holtz crazy bird stamp?  

A Crazy Fish

and the focal point of the 

Guest Designer card I've made for the 

Words 2 Craft By July/August Challenge : Keep On Swimming.

Thanks so much to the Words to Craft By gals

 

for inviting me to guest design this month. 

I am entering:

Fresh Brewed Designs July Challenge - Birthdays 

Stampavie and More Challenge #267 - Dots 

Cards Und More Challenge #162 - Summer Fun, Beach, Sea 

Through the Craft Room Door Challenge - Always Anything Goes

Ooh-la-la Creations Challenge #208 - Something beginning with "f" - Fish 

Fashionable Stamping Challenge #113 - Under the Sea

Left of Center Challenge # 138 - Animals 

Robyn's Fetish Challenge #324 - Water 

Stamping Sensations July Challenge - Anything Goes with a stamp and ribbons