Monday, October 31, 2016

Marvelous Mojo Monday

From my kitchen window, it looks like a marvelous fall day.  The sun is shining.  The leaves are beautiful golds, reds, and oranges. 
There's supposed to be a nip on the air after being 80 degrees yesterday.  Eventually, I will stick my head out the door.  But, first I have a few things on my inside To Do list, e.g. posting my Mojo Monday card.  
(Stamp, bow and bling are CTMH products.)
Pine cones and branches are super popular this year.  When I saw this Bo Bunny paper,  I fell in love with it, especially the deep blue background.
Granted, I probably have enough Christmas paper to wallpaper several rooms in my house.  So, I only bought 3 sheets, 2 patterned and 1 solid to match.   Now I wish I hadn't shown such restraint.  It's really pretty.
Challenges:
 
Craft Your Passion Challenge #336 - Always Anything Goes



 

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Sunday CAS

It's a perfect day for a CAS card, as I have quite a bit to do.  CAS cards are very hard for me, because I tend to add 'just one more thing' and then 'just one more' ....  But today I have exercised a great deal of restraint.  What do you think?




The mustache stamp is by CTMH.  The inside sentiment is a Penny Black stamp.  I happened upon this scrap of Graphic 45 paper in my stash.  It was just enough for an inside and an outside strip. 

Challenges:
Amusing Challenge #39 - Anything Goes


It's a beautiful day!
Enjoy!

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Thanks, Gerda!

In honor of National Cat Day, Gerda Steiner Designs is offering a free cat digi and discounts on her cat stamps.  Her newsletter with all the details arrived in my inbox first thing this morning.  They are also on her facebook page, where she has been posting a different cat card every hour all day.  
I picked up this darling Christmas Kitty.
 When you make a card, what do you do first?  Color the image or select your paper?   I colored the digi first and then had to search for some Christmas paper with the yellow gold of the cat.  This sheet of Graphic 45 Paper, snowflakes on one side and stripes on the other, was the best I could find.  But, I like it.  The cat is glued flat onto the card with the exception of it's tail and ear, which are popped.  The border of the Santa hat and my work area, not pictured, are glittered.  Frame and sentiment stamps are CTMH.

Challenges:
 

Friday, October 28, 2016

Fast Friday Post

Wash on the line, more in the dryer, clean sheets ready to go back on the bed... in between loads I caught enough free minutes to put together this card.  It's so hard to stay away from my dining room/craft table when there are so many goodies there.
I love this paper that was inside my the last Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine.  It makes a perfect guy card.  The digi image is from Bugaboo stamps and the stamped frame and sentiment are CTMH.  Ribbon on a guy card is ok, in my book, but I prefer a simple knot to a more feminine bow.

I am quickly entering this card in these challenges:
Jingle Bells Christmas Challenge - Animals (3 birds on the snowman
Aud Sentiments Challenge #167 - Cute + a sentiment
Southern Girls Challenge - Pop It Up (I've used foam tape to pop the image and the sentiment)
ABC Christmas Challenge - V is for Vertical
Watercooler  Wednesday Challenge #91 - Masculine Anything Goes


 

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Christmas Wishes

Gee, I was sitting here playing that mindless Spider solitaire game on the computer when it occurred to me that I sat down with the intention of posting a card.  My internet was running annoyingly slow, so I popped over to play a few games and got a bit carried away.  If it would just let me win once in a while, I would get much more done.

Here's a very simple Christmas card using a stamp and paper that were freebies from Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine.

Challenges:
Art Impressions Challenge #196 - Prep for Christmas with Christmas cards 
Crafting by Designs Challenge - Get ready for Christmas 
 

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Freebie Paper & Recycled Sign

Today I've paired up some free designer paper I received in the most recent issue of Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine with a glittery circle die cut from the back of a Student Driver car window sign.  Nothing like some reflective material for some Christmas sparkle! (My friend picked up a bunch of them at a flea market and was kind enough to share them with me.  She thought it might look good on a card and I agree.))
(The stamp is CTMH)
I think I'll make a few more of these.  It's time.
Challenges:
Allsorts Challenge Week 386 - Sparkle and Shine 
Crafting by Design Challenge - Get Ready for Christmas
52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Technique Embossing (I gave the paper a good sanding to make the embossing stamd out.) 

Playing cards this afternoon.  Gotta run.

 

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Tuesday Throwdown Challenge #317 with Conie Fong Art

Simply Add a Border to a card and you can enter it in this week's Tuesday Throwdown Challenge.  
We have a new sponsor this week, Conie Fong Art and Design.  Tuesday Throwdown's Team B was given a few digi images and they are adorable.  
I used Feeling Fabulous for this card:
with a striped fabric border under the image 
and at the bottom of the card.
  You really need to head on over to the Tuesday Throwdown Challenge Blog to see what my teammates created with
and

 I'm sure you'll want to give some of the 

I am entering this card in a these fun challenges:
Through the Purple Haze Challenge #111 - Favorite Color Combination (Browns and Reds)
Crafty Catz Challenge #343 - Anything Goes + optional twist: embossing
Crafting with Friends Challenge #30 - Anything Goes 
Colour Crazy Craft Challenge week 24 - Anything Goes
Sweet Stampin Challenge - Favorite Colour Combo (Browns and Reds)
Love to Scrap Challenge #88 - Anything Goes
Craft Your Passion Challenge #335 - Always Anything Goes
Crafting From the Heart Challenge #133 - Always Anything Goes
Artistic Inspirations Challenge #166 - Anything Goes

 

Monday, October 24, 2016

Mojo Halloween

Wow!  
Two Mojo Monday posts before noon.  
That's a record for me.
(Perhaps this could be attributed to the caffeine in four cups of tea!)
I'm working with table scraps and Bugaboo images. 
After this week, I won't be using this Halloween color scheme. 
I took a few liberties with the Mojo Sketch for this card, but you can still see all the elements and the basic layout.
  I'm really liking the black Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist on Halloween cards.  It's soon time to move on to the next Color Inspiration: Spray Ink/Misting Sprays lesson at Course Craft

Challenges:
  
Cards in Envy Challenge - Purple and Green
One Stitch at a Time Challenge #273 - Anything Goes with Halloween Colors

 Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by.
 

Early Morning Mojo

This morning I was awake
before 
 the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #471 post appeared online!
 That's way too early for me to be awake and working on a card!
(Bugaboo digi; CTMH stamp and embellishments; Spellbinders die cut; Darice EF)
 

 
 I'm probably sleep crafting!

Sunday, October 23, 2016

There's nothing cute about being cold!

Yesterday it was downright freezing at my grandson's soccer game! (Do they call them games or matches?  We are soccer challenged.  I tried to find a Soccer for Dummies book, so we could read up on the sport, but couldn't.)
It was 47 degrees; the wind was blowing right in our faces; if you stood up, the chair blew away; and it was lightly raining!
After about 10 minutes of that torture, I headed to the car and watched from there!

Seems like the perfect time to post this card using the Gerda Steiner Designs digital stamp, Cold Hedgehog.  Cold or not, this little fellow is so darn cute!

Challenges:
Gerda Steiner Designs October Challenge - using cold hedgehog  
The Ribbon Girls Challenge - use any image 
Crazy Catz Challenge #343 - Anything Goes w/ twist: embossing 
Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge #151 - Orange you glad it's Autumn, with ribbon or trim 

Right now, it seems there are spider webs on all the chair legs in my living room.  I can see them from the dining room where I do my crafting.  Those little guys are pretty safe until I get around to some Thanksgiving cleaning.  Although, now that I think about it, you really only see the webs when the sun hits them.  I serve dinner at 6pm.  No sun then!  
While looking through my Imagine That! Digi Stamps folder, I came across this stamp that I had never used.  
I made up this card, just for fun
 (and to add to the IT FB gallery).  
Now, who do I send it to?
Challenges:
Come and Get It Challenge - Make Um Laugh
Crazy 4 Challenges #359 - Bees and/or bugs
As You Like It Challenge - Old Stash or New?  (Everything on this card is old stash!  It's a combination of a scavenger hunt, finding Easter eggs and opening Christmas presents everytime I make a card!  What fun!)

 
 

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Bugaboo Halloween Fun Card #2

Here's another Halloween card using a Bugaboo digi.
Challenges:

Friday, October 21, 2016

Bugaboo Halloween Fun

A few weeks ago I won a few Bugaboo digi stamps, and selected some fun Halloween images.  The cards will be tucked away until next fall, when they will be mailed to Send a Smile 4 Kids.    In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy these cute Bugaboo digis as much as I do.

Sentiment stamp is CTMH.

Challenges being entered are:
Catch the Bug Challenge - October Bingo (using the middle column: Bling, Distress, and Halloween Theme
 
As You Like It Challenge - Do you prefer old stash or new?  I really like to use old stash items, especially paper.  Then when I find something new and irresistable, I don't feel nearly as guilty buying it.  


 

Thursday, October 20, 2016

BDay card for my bro

As I cleared my desk yesterday, I came across my card list for October and realized I didn't have a card for my annoying little brother's birthday on Saturday.  He hasn't been littler than me since I was 5 but he has managed to stay as annoying as ever.   Only now, he has much less hair!  So here's the card I made for the old bird!
 I'm sure you recognize the crazy bird stamp, which I colored with markers and fussy cut.  The banner with frame are cricut cuts on the CTMH Artiste cartridge.  The sentiment stamp and gold foil tape are also CTMH.  Papers are from Our Daily Bread Designs and have a nice glossy finish. 

Challenges:
Craft Rocket Challenge #26 - Happy Birthday
Dream Valley Challenge #142 - One for the Boys
Use Your Stuff Challenge #238 - Mixing up stamps (I've used 4 stamps: bird, hat, bow tie, and sentiment)



TTFN,
Debi

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Fall Quilt Cards

When I taught my Red Hat card class in August, one of the cards was a quilt card.  My friend, Cindy, really liked it.  Her birthday was Sunday and I decided to make her another quilt card.  Since Cindy and Joyce share the same birth date, I made one for Joyce, too.  
(Frame and sentiment are CTMH stamps.)

 I love these CTMH Huntington papers.  They are perfect for fall cards.
Challenges: 
Die Cut Divas October Challenge - Emboss  (The leaves are die cuts.)
Eclectic Ellapu October Challenge - Purple Team - Autumnal

 
 

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

CTMH Card Class 10/18/2016 - Shoebox Swap

The Shoebox Swap Joyce planned for our CTMH Card Class today was a huge success!  Class members attending were to make a card and bring all the supplies needed (in a shoebox) for everyone else to make it too.  I came home with 7 wonderful cards, designed by the other gals in the class.
Carol's Thanksgiving card

Bonnie's masculine card

Cindy's fabric card

Mickey's layered card

Sybilla's Cricut Cut card

Eileen's Cricut Cut Card

Judie's glittery card


 Here's my shoebox full of stuff



to make this card: 
which I am entering in these challenges:
Cardz 4 Gals Challenge #33 - Use at least 1 die cut 
613 Avenue Create Challenge #190 - Anything Goes w/ option to use green and gold
Love to Scrap Challenge #88 - Anything Goes 
Craft Your Passion Challenge #334 - Always Anything Goes
Crafting From the Heart Challenge #132 - Always Anything Goes 


Thanks for stopping by.
Tomorrow I have a couple quilted cards to show you!

Monday, October 17, 2016

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #470 + Halloween Peekaboo Flip Card

This Mojo Monday card was created from pieces already on my messy craft table.  
 The digi sentiment circle is from Inky Impressions.  The popped leaf was fussy cut from a section of the bg paper.  After embossing the barn red cs, it was lightly sanded and then distressed with sunflower ink.  Everything else was distressed with barn red ink.  The whole card front got a shot of gold shimmer mist.

My apologies for being a bit lax in my blog posting.  It's just that I've been crafting up a storm.  Wait until you see it all!

I am entering this fall card in the following challenges:
 
Just Add Ink Challenge #333 - Just Add "g"  (gold sequins and spritz; green glitter tape)


Here's another card I made and hastily photographed.  
Actually, I was surprised that no one asked me where the peekaboo flip card was when I posted a card last week made from the scraps.

(Stamps and papers are from CTMH.  Circles were all punched.)
When you open the card, the sentiment slides into the circle overtop of the owl.
You can find a tutorial for making a Peekaboo Flip Card here
 
Challenges for this Halloween card include:
Scrapbook Stamp Society Challenge #102 - Anything Goes; option- Halloween 
Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #175 - Things that go bump in the night
Dream Valley Challenges #142 - One for the Boys 
Use Your Stuff Challenge #238 - Mixing Up Your Stamps (I used 5 stamps from 2 different stamp sets to make this card; the web, the spider, the owl, the sentiment frame, and the sentiment.)*
Inkspirational Challenge #119 - Use 5 stamps *see above
 
Tomorrow we are making shoe box cards at Joyce's CTMH class.  Everyone is bringing a different card for each of us to make.  It should be fun to see the different styles we choose.  I'll post them as soon as I can.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Scrappy Halloween & CTMH Card Class 10/11

Yesterday I was designing a Halloween Peekaboo Flip Card and ended up with several shapes and stamped images I had decoded not to use.  They morphed into this card:

 Papers, stamped owl and sentiment are CTMH products.  Die cut pumpkin and bat are Sugar Pea designs.  Die cut stitched circles are La La Land dies.  And the yellow owl eyes are Skittles.

Challenges: 
Double D Challenge - Pumpkin Time
Stampotique Designers Challenge #259 - Halloween 


**************** 

Here are the cards we made on Tuesday at 
Joyce's CTMH card class using the 
CTMH October Stamp of the Month. 
(You might want to hop over to Joyce's blog and 
check out the Joyful Stars CTMH October Blog Hop, too.)





 

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Tuesday Throwdown Challenge #315 with A Day for Daisies

Today I'm using Little Pumpkin Witch from
our wonderful sponsor
for this week's
Photo Inspiration Challenge 


 
  Please take a moment to visit the shop at A Day for Daisies and also their blog where they regularly offer free digi images for you to try and use in one of their challenges.  
In fact, right now they are offering a fun spider web which you could use on a Halloween card for both their current challenge and the Tuesday Throwdown Challenge.

And Design Team B at Tuesday Throwdown Challenge  would definitely love it if you stopped by our blogs for some inspiration.
Maybe you could leave them some love while you are there.

Challenges:
A Day for Daisies Challenge #155 - Anything Halloween-y Goes
Patti's Creations Challenge #127 - Halloween or Autumn

Monday, October 10, 2016

Nuts about Mojo Monday....

but not so crazy about the squirrels who are busy burying nuts everywhere, especially in my flower pots!
This cute squirrel, from Bugaboo, has worked his way into my heart and onto this week's Mojo Monday card.
 
The sentiment stamp is from CTMH.
Challenges: 
Hiding in My Craft Room #270 - Super Scraps Saturday
Crafty Friends Challenge #42 - Autumn Colors 
Craft Your Passion Challenge #333 - Always Anything Goes
Allsorts Challenge #384 - Colors of Autumn

 Scroll down to the previous post to enjoy a stroll through the
 Joyful Stars CTMH October blog hop.

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Joyful Stars Close To My Heart October Blog Hop

 photo JoyfulStarsBlogHopBadge3_zpsa824a544.jpg
Welcome to the Joyful Stars October blog hop, where a group of talented Close to My Heart consultants, and me, gather to share ideas with you in a fun blog hop. 
D1696
When I first saw the Woodland Wishes stamp set with matching Thin Cuts, I thought the images would make a great step card.  
Step Cards are not hard.  
But I sure tried my best to make it hard, scoring wrong, cutting wrong,  embossing the paper upside down, blotching the ink when I stamped, matching the wrong snowflake stamps with the wrong thin cuts.  It was just one of those days.
Miraculously, here is my finished side step card:

The patterned paper is from the City Sidewalks paper pack.
 product image
The shapes were all cut with the CTMH matching Thin Cuts, which cut perfectly on cardstock and glitter paper, with only one pass through my Cuttlebug. 
 
Now, since this is a blog hop you might have arrived here from Marie Flayer's blog.
Your next stop is Stephanie Brown's blog.  The hop is circular. So if you are just starting here, simply continue hopping until you find your way back, making the full circle.  If you get lost, the complete list of participants is on Joyce's blog.  

Card for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This Bugaboo digi image was printed directly on pink card stock and would have made a lovely one layer card.  But, I have a difficult time leaving well enough alone.  By printing it a second time, I could fussy cut the flower petals and layer them onto the base image with foam tape for dimension. 
 I added a bit more shading to the roses with a marker and gave the entire card a good spritz of Tattered Angels pink glimmer mist.  
In the photo you can only see a few spots here and there, which sort of looks like I sneezed on the card.  But it really has a great sparkle to it, especially with the white shimmer trim.
Challenges:
Catch the Bug Theme Challenge - Breast Cancer Awareness 
The Corrosive Challenge #10 - Pink for Awareness 
In the Pink Challenge #104 - Flower Power 
Time Out Challenge #67 - Breast Cancer Awareness (optional embossing and/or pink)