Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Organizing paper pieces

Organizing my paper pieces is a never ending challenge, mostly because I hate to throw out paper.  I save the smallest pieces.  
A few days ago I found this little snack bag.
 In it were 4 ovals and 5 circles.
Just once I'd like to find one of these bags filled with m&m's or maybe money instead of little pieces of paper.
Where was I going to put these 4 lonely ovals and 5 circles?  
I decided using them was easiest option.


I also had the last 2 pieces (3"x4") of a CTMH paper pack to file. 
Now they are on a birthday card and in the SAS4K box with the 2 cards above.

I must admit, though, that organizing in this fashion takes a really  long time. 

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Leave a comment with your blog address and I'll return the visit.

 

Monday, July 29, 2019

What to do with this?

When I'm going through miscellaneous stuff in my stash and find something without a home, I usually put it right on a card rather than try to find a place for it.  In this case, I came across a piece of paper on which I had been practicing brush strokes, 
and 'happy birthday' was stamped across it. 
 It's now in the box for SAS4K.

Challenges:
Simon Says Monday Challenge - Bright and Cheerful
The Alphabet Challenge - "I" is for insect 

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Flamingo Fun

The week long Christmas in July Challenge at Catch the Bug is over.  Thought I might as well continue with a card for this week's Catch the Bug July Color Challenge.




Challenges:
Cardz 4 Galz Challenge #101 - Sun, Sand, and Sea
Crafty Catz Challenge #472 - AG; optional-At the Beach 
Di's Digi Designs Challenge - Wings or Tails
 

Friday, July 26, 2019

Bugaboo Christmas in July Day 7

It's the final day of this year's 
Catch the Bug Christmas in July Challenge.
I've had a lot of fun making my daily cards and know they will be well received by the patients at the children's hospitals that 
Send A Smile 4 Kids supports.
There is still time to enter their challenge, too!
I'm sure I will be making a lot more Christmas cards using the fun digis from Bugaboo stamps.  They are so fun, easy to color and kid friendly.
Today I'm using the Bugaboo Friday Freebie, Reindeer Trio.
 This was a color challenge with a Rudolph the Reindeer theme:
 Once again I used markers and pencils to color the image, CTMH papers, and a tree die from Whimsy Stamps.

Challenges:
Aud Sentiments Challenge #232 - For a Child + a sentiment 
 
 

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Bugaboo Christmas in July Day 6

On this nice hot day in July, Catch the Bug Christmas in July Challenge has lots of crafters thinking of snow.  They've given us the movie White Christmas and a lovely white, snowy photo for inspiration. 
There may be a tree and animals in the background, but Mrs. Claus has a habit of cutting off heads when she takes pictures.
I'm a bit guilty of that myself. 
Actually, this is a Bugaboo digi image called 
I colored the image with markers, heat embossed the snow, dry embossed the top panel, and gave everything a spritz of Frost Shimmer Spritz.


Challenges:
Catch the Bug Christmas in July Day 6 - photo/White Christmas
Mod Squad Challenge - All That Sparkles 
Cute Card Thursday Challenge #592 - No Patterned Papers 
Shopping Our Stash Challenge #400 - Christmas in July 
Cute N Crafty Challenge #29 - Christmas in July 
 

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Bugaboo Christmas in July Day 5

All of the Christmas movies selected for Day 5's Catch the Bug Christmas in July Challenge are very funny comedies intended to give us inspiration for a funny Christmas card.
Just about any Chevy Chase movie makes me laugh, and Christmas Vacation is no exception.  I always like the scene when a squirrel leaps out of the tree, runs across the table, is chased by the dogs, and basically causes pandemonium.  
And here is my card...


I used parts of two different Bugaboo stamps to create this card.  The tree is from an older digi, Duo Penguin Tree, and the squirrel is from Autumn Critters.  The sentiment was computer printed. Image was colored with Promarkers. 
I hope this makes someone laugh or at least - smile.

Challenges:
 

Guest Designer at TTCRD

Through The Craft Room Door is one of the challenges I routinely enter.  Last month I entered the birthday card I made for my mother and was delighted when it won.  As a result of that win, I was asked to be a Guest Designer for this week's 

The theme is always Always Anything Goes
And this week's sponsor is 
which created the beautiful digi image I have used 
on this double easel fold card.
It is called Hello.

The mermaid was colored with pencils, which I blended with clear Wink of Stella to also add a bit of glitter. 
But, I wanted more glitter.
So I heat embossed it with a powder from SNS called peppermint stick, which gave me shine and glitter.
I cut masks for both the mermaid and sea horses and then sponged the background with three colors of ink, before cutting the image with a stitched rectangle die.
The sea horses were fussy cut and popped.  They received a coating of CTMH liquid glass to give them that great clear shine.  Before die cutting the top layer of the 3 layer hello, I simply adhered a piece of gold foil to the purple paper.

Here are a two more photos from different angles.


 
The seaweed and anchor are cuts from the CTMH Flower Market Cricut cartridge.  The sentiment, heat embossed with eggplant EP, is from Whimsy Stamps. 
Finally, here is a peek at the inside of the card.
(I found this cute seahorse sticker in my stash 
and couldn't resist adding him to the inside 
along with a bit more seaweed.)

It was so nice of Through The Craft Room Door to invite me to share a card with you this week.
Thank you, Cara.
I hope you'll visit their blog and their facebook group, too.
You might want to check out the


Challenges:
 #JOSTTT007 July 2019 Challenge Board - Designed by Laura Awsom Geffert
SheepSki Designs Challenge #38 - AG with a SheepSki Design/ option: favorite embellishment (I love the effect of adding the gold foil adhesive to papers and I also love using the little bubbles that look like glass as embellishments.  I have them in every color, and for the life of me can't remember their name.  That should keep me awake tonight!)

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Bugaboo Christmas in July Day 4



It's already Day 4 of the Catch the Bug Christmas in July Challenge!
The inspiration movie is Elf and it is paired with a fun Bingo Grid.

I've used Bugaboo image Elf 001 for my card; added some sparkle to the ornaments and the elf's hat; and added a stamped sentiment at the bottom, the middle row of the grid.

 Does anyone recognize the layout?  
Papers and sentiment are from CTMH and the digi image is colored with markers.   

Challenges:
Pile It On Challenge # 156 - Girls or Boys of Summer/Winter
Cute n Crafty Challenge #29 - Christmas in July 
Digi Choosday Challenge Week 30 - AG


Monday, July 22, 2019

Bugaboo Christmas in July Day 3

Today's entry for the Catch the Bug Christmas in July Challenge can be anything BUT a card.
The movie of the day is
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Yesterday I got to thinking, and with all the mail Santa gets, he better have a good stock of gift tags!
I used the Bugaboo Christmas Trio Block digi image to make these fun tags.  Most everything was colored with Promarkers.  The die cut bow greens and berries are by Cheery Lynn Designs. 
I cut the tags using the CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.

Challenges:
Catch the Bug Christmas in July Challenge Day 3 - Anything But a Card/ Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #447 - AG, option/dies or punches
Cut It Up Challenge #178 - Christmas in July
Crimbo Crackers Challenge #189 - AG Christmas or festive 
Simon Says Monday Challenge - Not a card 

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Bugaboo Christmas in July Day 2

The movie, Jingle All the Way, brings back 30+ year old memories of getting up super early one Sunday, sneaking out of the house, standing in a crowd at the mall, and making a mad dash for the only Transformer on the shelf, bringing my treasured purchase home, hiding it in the azalea bushes and then walking in the house with the newspaper in hand just like any normal day.  
Santa Claus has a very difficult job!
He definitely deserves center stage on today's card, 
holding that elusive present.
Here's the sketch provided for today's challenge:


Challenges:
Catch the Bug Christmas in July Challenge - Day 2 Sketch + Jingle All The Way
Aud Sentiments Challenge #231 - Bingo + a Sentiment (I've used pattern paper, a digi stamp, and red)
Crafty Catz Challenge #471 - AG/ option:Christmas in July
Crafty Calendar July Challenge - Christmas in July


And don't forget, the theme at Send a Smile 4 Kids Challenge is also Christmas in July 4 Kids or AG4Kids.   
You can enter here.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Bugaboo Christmas in July Day 1

Each year I look forward to the Catch the Bug Christmas in July Challenge.  It gives me a chance to start my box of kid friendly cards which are sent to Send a Smile 4 Kids.  Coincidentally, their current challenge is Christmas in July.  So any cards you enter at Catch the Bug can also be entered at Send a Smile 4 Kids Challenge.

Day 1 at the Catch the Bog Christmas in July challenge is a theme challenge. 
 
Miracle on 34th Street is one of my favorite Christmas movies, especially the old version with Natalie Wood, 
and it inspired this card.


 
 This an old image from Bugaboo, colored with markers and Wink of Stella, with a bit of sparkle embossing powder on the snow. 

I've used a cricut cut sentiment, Believe, from the CTMH Scrapbooking cartridge. 


Challenges:
Crimbo Crackers Challenge #189 - AG Christmas or Festive
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #522 - Christmas in July 
Crafty Catz Challenge #471 - AG/ option of Christmas in July 
Di's Digi Design Challenge - Christmas in July
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #447 - AG/ option die cut or punch 
Crafty Calendar Challenge - Christmas in July
ABC Christmas Challenge - N: No peeking; or O: Ornament
Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #196 - Christmas in July
Crafty Sentiments Challenge - Christmas in July
Shopping Our Stash Challenge #400 - Christmas in July

Thursday, July 18, 2019

When in doubt....

... put a bird on it.


I was using up scraps again.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful day.

Challenges:
Stinkin' Inkers Challenge - Stars and/or Stripes 
Simon Says Monday Challenge -  Animal Magic 
Dragonfly Dreams July Challenge - Things with wings 
Crafty Friends Challenge #114 - Use 2 or more patterned papers 
 

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Double Trouble Challenge #33 & CTMH Card Class 7/16

Somehow I lost yesterday and didn't get this card for 
finished until today.
I've made a Kid Friendly Birthday Celebration card. 


In the front pocket is an ATC card with animal balloons, 
including a monkey, 
so I can also link up with the Challenge # 233
 The balloon stamps are from CTMH and the Celebrate is a Cricut cut from the CTMH Artbooking cartridge.

Additional Challenges:


*************
Cards we made this afternoon at Joyce Houck's CTMH card workshop.






   

Sunday, July 14, 2019

Beccy's Place July Challenge

This month Beccy's Place has a wonderful, free, digi image that I knew would make some lovely cards.  I downloaded it, opened it in paint, resized it, and hit print.  Guess I should have saved it first because what printed was way too big for a card.  My second attempt was much better and the image was ready to color.  I used pencils and a clear Wink of Stella brush to blend the colors and give the flowers a bit of sparkle.
 But I wasn't about to waste the large image I had printed, 
at least not all of it.

Challenges:
Beccy's Place July Challenge - AG with an image from Beccy's Place (I didn't use the twist of CASEing myself.) 
Aud Sentiments Challenge #231 - Bingo + a sentiment ( I used the diagonal row from bottom left to upper right: Ribbon, Digi, Die Cut.) 
 
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #521 - Ribbon and Sparkle (Image covered in clear Wink of Stella, sorry it doesn't show in the photo.)

 

Friday, July 12, 2019

Thanks for the shoe.

That would be shoe in the singular, rather than plural as in pair of shoes.  Yes, someone very recently gave me a shoe and today's card is a thank you for this very interesting gift.

Allow me to explain. 
Each month the Delightful Dazzling Dames, a Red Hat Chapter in Pennsylvania, meets for lunch and socializing.  We are a small group and enjoy each other's company, talking, laughing, and caring.  Before each meeting I, as Queen, hide what we refer to as Ruby's Slipper, a small 4 inch red shoe intended as a Christmas ornament.  The gal who finds it receives a small prize.  At our last meeting one of the girls gifted me with a new shoe which would be much easier for their aging eyes to find.






Challenges:

Monday I will be teaching a card class for a group of Delightful Dazzling Dames.  I am using the SU May 2019 Paper Pumpkin Kit with a few alterations.

 Thanks for stopping by.
 

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Joyful Stars Close To My Heart July Blog Hop

Welcome to the July

Close to My Heart Joyful Stars Blog Hop.
Have some fun hopping between the blogs of this group of talented Close to My Heart consultants, and me, where we share creative projects using CTMH products.
This month I've made a fun fold card using papers and cut outs from the Sweet Girl paper pack.  




The "Thank You" is from the CTMH Artiste Cricut Cartridge.

Now, since this is a blog hop,

you might have arrived here from  Joyce Gough's blog.
Your next stop is Marie Flayer's blog.
The hop is circular.
If you are just starting here,
simply continue hopping until you find your way back,
making the full circle.