Christmas in July with Bugaboo Stamps

It's hard to believe we're already in mid-July.   But we are.  Every year I enjoy playing in the week long Catch the Bug Christmas in July Contest.  Bugaboo Digital Stamps are among my favorites.  They have fun images and I like the bold outlines, which make paper piecing and fussy cutting easier.  

The Contest actually started Sunday with a sketch challenge.  We were at the second day of my grandson's baseball tournament  (They won 2 games and lost 2 games this week.) so I've gotten a bit of a late start.  

I've used Bugaboo Digi Image Christmas Mouse - candy cane for my Sunday entry. 

 

I printed it on white and kraft so I could do some paper piecing.  The sentiment is from a piece of DP.  I used a die cut for the scalloped oval, some glitter gel for her bow, a few glitter dots and candies.

I am entering this in the following:
Catch the Bug Sunday Challenge - CIJ Sketch

Glitter and Sparkle Challenge #93 - Anything Goes
Quirky Crafts Challenge #14 - Christmas in July with die cuts
Robyn's Fetish Challenge #220 - Christmas in July
The Glory of Christmas Challenge #37 - Anything Christmas Goes
My Time to Craft Challenge #253 - Paper Piecing

Holly Jolly  Christmas critters 

Eclectic Ellapu  Furry Friends

Gate Fold Birthday

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This gate fold birthday card was made using my favorite digi image by Beccy Muir, the shabby chic birdhouse.  I popped the image and punched a hole so you could see the tiny bird inside.  The sentiment stamp is by CTMH and was heat embossed so it shows up well on the DP.  I colored the image with markers and did a little sponging around it.

I am entering this card in the following:
Beccy's Place July Challenge - use a Beccy's Place image
Sparkle n Sprinkle July Challenge - use glitter, flocking or embossing powder
The Paper Shelter Challenge #166 - Birthday card with sentiment
The Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge - Happy Birthday
Digi Choosday Challenge wk 27 - Punches/ Die Cuts  (punch for the hole; die cuts for the scalloped ovals)
Die Cut Divas Challenge - Button or bow
The Cupboard Trilogy Challenge #24 - Birthday
Love to Create Challenge #123 - Fussy and Fancy or Clean and Layered
My Craft Spot Challenge #143 - Birthday


The digi is also available from Sparkle n Sprinkle as an individual stamp or in a set as well as a cutting file and scrapbook pages.

Banners

(The sentiment is a CTMH stamp.)

Here's a card for the Red, White and Blue Challenge at Loves Rubberstamps.  I have lots of scraps leftover from making all my patriotic cards last week.  That's what happens when you use a 6x6 paper pad to make A2 cards... lots of 1/2" strips leftover. 

I am entering this card in the following:
Loves Rubber Stamps Challenge #111 - Red, White and Blue
A Creative Romance Challenge - Colors of your National Flag (USA)
Splendiferous Creations Bloggers Challenge - Pennants or Fishtails
JellyPark Friends Challenge - Red, White and Blue
Charisma Cardz Challenge #15 - Anything Goes
Red Rubber Inspirationals #128 - Anything Goes
Penny's Challenge #185 - Anything Goes
Cards in Envy - Stars and Stripes Challenge (The blue paper may look like it has white polka dots, but they are actually tiny stars.)
Our Daily Bread Designs Challenge #209 - Patriotic or Red, White and Blue
Creative Colors Challenge #14 - Inspiration Photo Colors + a banner

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Check out my great-granddaughter, Laila, almost 5 months old already.  She's putting everything in her mouth right now.  

She tried this watermelon, and it had to be pried from her chubby little hands.

She makes my heart smile!

Monochrome Sympathy Card

(CTMH Sentiment stamp)

This card was made for the Monochrome Challenge #99 at A Day for Daisies.  

Well, that's not entirely true.  

Somehow I was looking at the wrong page on their blog and made this card with some hand stitching, which was the theme of their previous challenge.  Luckily, I also just happened to make it monochrome, which is the current theme, and can still enter it in their challenge.  The digi image is unmistakeably from A Day for Daisies.  It was a freebie available here.  Although you need one of their images to play along in their challenge, freebies are often offered on their blog and in their shop. 

Other challenges I'll be entering with this card are:

Deep Ocean Challenge #81 - Add a sentiment 

Everybody Art Challenge 286 - Monochrome

Fan-tastic Tuesday Challenge #43 - Anything Goes

Sailing Pineapple Challenge #10 - Nature Calls

Lia Stampz Challenge #68 - No Patterned Paper

Just Us Girls Challenge #248 - Word Week: Bird

 

Miss You by Meljen's

I wasn't going to do a second post today until I realized the current challenge (#217) at Meljen's Designs, Button it Up, closes in 16 hours.  Since Meljen's Designs is sponsoring our challenge at Tuesday Throwdown this week, I wanted to also support their challenge.   I've used a Meljen's digi, Miss You Birdie, which is available here.  I found these tiny wood buttons in my stash and, after sewing them onto the card with a very thin needle, I added a few long stitches across the top.  

If you get a moment, hop over to Tuesday Throwdown and check out the cute utensil holders and pom pom ants some very clever crafters entered in our "Let's Have a Picnic" challenge.  Then grab a watermelon, hot dog, picnic basket .......
stamp and join the fun.

For you KT

The moment I received this cute digi from Gerde Steiner, it made me think of KT, one of our fellow bloggers who is taking some time off right now and preparing to move.  I miss seeing her frequent blog posts and wonderful cards, often featuring an adorable kitty.  KT, hope your shoulder is holding up ok and the packing is coming along.

(Sentiment is a CTMH stamp.)

The sketch at Clear It Out Challenge this week caught my eye, simple but effective.  I used a marker to go around the edges of the polka dot paper giving it a faux layered look.  There was no specific stash item for the challenge, but I did manage to use a few buttons that I recently uncovered.  I printed the digi once on white CS and once on kraft, so I could paper piece the box. 

I've decided to send this happy kitty to play in the following challenges:
Clear It Out Challenge -
 
Gerde Steiner Designs July Challenge  - a progressive challenge, play each month to receive a free digi to play the following month, plus enjoy occasional freebies and an assortment of fun digis available in her shop.
Through the Craft Room Door Challenge July 8-14 - Anything Goes
Animal Friends Challenge #16 - Dog and/or Cat
Crafts Galore Encore Challenge - Use stamp or digi
Just for Fun Challenge #1 - Anything Goes
Cutie Pie Challenge #73 - Use a cute digi
Digi Makeover Challenge #148 - Anything Goes
Eclectic Ellapu Challenge - Furry Friends
Great Impressions July Challenge - Animal Friends
Robyn's Fetish Challenge #219 - Animals
A Gem of a Challenger #123 - Animals

Shrinky Dink Star + CTMH Card Workshop 7/8/14

A friend of mine told me you could use the heavy plastic from take out containers to make shrinky dinks.  This morning I decided to give it a try.  My intention was to add a little charm to a card I was making for the SPARKS Paper Smooches Anything Goes Challenge week 1.  *I took one of the PS digi stars, enlarged and printed it.  Then I traced it onto the plastic with a marker, colored it and poked a hole in the top for a piece of thread.  After finding my heat gun, I heated the little star and watched it curl.*  But it didn't uncurl and I was left with this dancing star (which will look good on a card, but not this particular one).

Now I had to go searching for the real shrinky dink plastic because I wanted to put a star embellishment on this card and nothing else would do.   Found it!  Started again * *  This time it uncurled.  Success. 

I started assembling the card.  As I was holding my little star to put the thread through the hole, the bottom tip of the star broke off.  By popping the sentiment I managed to hide the whoopsie.

(Stars and Sentiment are Paper Smooches Digis)

I am entering this card in the following:
SPARKS Paper Smooches Anything Goes Challenge week 1
Mojo Monday Sketch Contest 353
 
Crafty Sentiments Designs Challenge - Anything Goes
Fan-tastic Tuesday Challenge #43 - Anything Goes
Cards in Envy Challenge - Stars and Stripes
Loves Rubberstamps Challenge #111 - Red, White and Blue
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Stars and Stripes
Craft-Dee-Bowz July Challenge - Anything Goes with a Handmade Bow
Crafting from the Heart Challenge #26 - Anything Goes
Digi Makeover Challenge #148 - Anything Goes

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Below are the cards we made at Joyce's weekly CTMH card workshop this afternoon,  after we talked her into giving us a peek at the new catalog.   We ooh...ed and ahhh...ed at all the new products before getting down to the business of making these fun cards: