Warmth

Brrr! Still cold out there. At least it is in the positive numbers now! And possible rain this weekend! Yuck! But for now, I'm all snuggly inside with not one, but two woodburners going! Nothing like a fire to keep you warm.

There were a couple of challenges this week that had warmth as their idea. I've been wanting to ink up a house mouse stamp that I've had for a while and this was a great excuse.

When I inked it up and stamped it I got ink smudges around the image. I probably should have called my blog "Ink Everywhere", because that's ususally what happens! Well, I decided to fussy cut it out. Then I thought,  they need a floor to lay on. So I used a wood grain folder. That didn't look right, so I embossed some brick for a wall. I liked that. But it was too plain. I remembered the picture frame stamp and hung that on the wall. The little mouse hole finished it off. I think it is so cute. I just love these stamps!

I'm entering it in Open-minded Crafting Fun (Warmth ;food or clothing), Gruffies and Guests (Anything Goes), Crafting by Design (Think Warm Thoughts), and Kaboodle Doodles (Baby, It's Cold Outside). 

Thanks for stopping by!

Holidays

Wow, is it cold outside! I'm putting off running errands hoping it will warm up a little! Since I haven't been able to make cards the last couple of days, I thought I would sneak up to my craft room. It's nice and warm up there!

I decided to make a Christmas card. ABC Christmas has A Bare Essentials challenge and 52 (Christmas) Card Throwdown has a double embossing challenge. I used an embossing folder that I bought quite a while ago and have never used. The berries on the wreath are heat embossed. It doesn't show up very well. The bow is also heat embossed and I fussy cut it. I really like the simplicity of this card. I'm also entering it at Christmas Card Challenges and Christmas at Sweet Stampin.

While I was looking at the Christmas challenges I came upon one calling for inchies or twinchies at Jingle Belles Rock. That sounded fun so I came up with this card.

I didn't measure them to make sure they were an inch, but I sure think they're cute. A friend stopped by and saw it, and said it looked warm and comfy like a quilt. In this weather, anything that brings to mind warmth is certainly welcome! I'm also entering this in the Merry Monday challenge, which is ornaments.

Since Valentine's Day is coming, I thought I would make one for that holiday too.  

I decided to try and stretch myself a bit. I'm usually a clean line, simple card maker. I know to some this will still look that way, but it was a lot of embellishing for me! I see all those cards that are so beautifully decorated and think I should try that. So here is an attempt! I used the inspiration from Muse for the layout. The muse of the week had card that immediately made think of the die cut from MFT. I discovered that most die cuts are made for right-handed people! My inclination is to tilt the other way and the die-cuts were wrong side up that way! This card is also entered at Ribbon Carousel, whose theme is love, City Crafter Challenge, with a theme of love story, and Hiding in my Craft Room, which is for a loved one.

I guess it's time to face the cold! Stay warm!

I followed my heart...

I love this stamp set from SU. I bought it because my middle daughter would love to go to Paris some day. I told her she has to take me with her though! So I pulled it out to start making valentines today. I also used the chevron punch because I thought they would look like arrows, and I thought it would go well with this sentiment.

I am entering it in CAS on Sunday, whose theme is Lovey Dovey, My Time to Craft, whose theme is All About the Love, Simply Create Too, whose theme is Valentine's Day, and Cuttin and Stampin, whose challenge is arrows.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Penguins, cupcakes, and mice

I couldn't sleep this morning, so I was browsing through all the challenge sites when I came upon not one, but two challenges that called for penguins! According to Die Cuttin Diva's, January 20 was Peguin Awareness Day! My oldest daughter was in love with penguins for the longest time so I thought it would be appropriate to do a card using them. I used the SU owl punch and petal punch to make my little guy. I decided to have him fishing because the photo inspiration from (Pin)spirational had these cute little penguins with some fish in a bucket near them. And the clouds are die cut from the SU set Scentsationl Season.

The next card is also from a photo inspiration. This one is from Cupcake Inspirations and the sketch is from CAS(E) this Sketch.

                        

I love the green and blue they choose. And I really just want to take a bite out of one of them!

This last one is for The Male Room, who had a male get well theme, House-Mouse & Friends, which was to ink up a never before used stamp, and Card A Day Blog who also had a get well theme. This is a really useful card, because you can pull the tissue out if you need it!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed my cards.

Pockets

It's been a busy week and I haven't had much time to make cards. With all the activities back in full swing, I can't hide up in my craft room too much. I did have time to make a card for the challenge over at Colour Me...! They are using the colours pink pirouette, so saffron and smokey slate.

My camera battery is dead, so I had my daughter take the picture. We had to use a flash so it looks a little washed out. The pocket die and stamp is from MFT, the flower and sentiment are SU. I didn't have any pink pirouette paper, so I just dragged the stamp pad over white to get a demin effect. I love the way it looks though it doesn't show up well.

I'm off to find my camera charger. Thanks for coming by!

Missing PSX...

I really miss PSX stamps. I bought a few when I first started stamping, which I absolutely love. But then they were gone. I heard someone (don't know who) is going to bring them back, which would be great! They are so expensive on ebay that I very rarely buy any. But I did get this one for a good price, along with the Noel one. Still waiting for the Joy one to be offered at a reasonable price. So here is another Christmas card for next Christmas!

I embossed the Peace with gold embossing powder and colored it in with markers. Used some old paper I had and used a punch for the gold. It is a shiny paper but doesn't show up in the picture. Topped it off with some ribbon from SU. I am entering this in Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge and Merry Monday. Both had a theme of ribbon.

This next card is one we are going to make at my card class. He is so versatile! You can put anything in those frosty hands of his! I'm entering him in Colour Me...!, whose challenge is to use Marine Mist and Melon Mambo, Just Us Girls, who have a paper piecing challenge, and Cute Card Thursday, whose theme is cold and frosty!

Thanks for stopping by to look! Have a great weekend!

Sketches

I just love a good sketch, and Reverse Confetti had a great one this week! This is probably a sketch I will use again and again. I decided to go with a Christmas card again. All of a sudden, I'm in the mood to make them. I wonder if it's because the pressure is off and I don't have to hurry through the process to get it done? I'm loving the dp paper that SU had in their clearance. Makes it easy to put together. I"m also entering this in ABC Christmas Challenge. They are starting at A again with an anything goes. If I could keep up with them, I would be set for Christmas next year!

This next card is for Sunday Stamps. They had a fun cas sketch so I decided to play with that too. I thought the pinwheels would be cute.

Off to take my daughter to dance. Have a great day!

No More Mustard!

Hiding in My Craft Room has a challenge using Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay, and Basic Gray this week. Laurie from HIMCR was complaining about SU retiring More Mustard and being challenged to use the replacement color. I could totally understand! More Mustard was one of my favorite colors and I refused to order Crushed Curry in protest! At least for a while. I finally gave in, so when I saw this challenge, I knew I had to enter. I have to admit that this is the first time I've used this color!

I'm still on my quest to save stamps from the sale pile, so I pulled out an old favorite that I don't think I could bear to give up! I think this is one of the nicest 2 step stamps. Plus I love hydrangeas.

Pile it on is having a "Just Because" challenge, and I am entering it in that one too.

Thanks for stopping by.

Christmas in January

Here it is, January 7th, and I still haven't taken down my Christmas decorations. They are so much fun to put up but such a pain to take down. I don't know if it's hard because you know there is this long stretch of cold ahead (for those of us in the north) or after the hustle and bustle of the season there is the let down of getting back to the ordinary. But the taking down of the decorations is like the end of a wonderful period of time, where you bask in the glow of the season. 

I haven't had to get back to the ordinary yet because of the cold snap we are having. Everything is canceled, even the garbage pick-up! So I just delayed the end of holidays a little more by making a Christmas card. 52(Christmas) Card Throwdown has a sketch this week that I thought I would try.

I used another new Tim Holtz die to make this one. In retrospect, I think I would use the sandable card stock next time. I think his stuff just looks better when it is distressed. Merry Monday had a challenge to use ribbon or twine, and I used red and brown ribbon, and Christmas Card Challenge has a no coloring challenge.

I'm looking forward to these all year Christmas challenges. I hope that maybe next year I will actually send the cards I make!  Stay warm!

Snow

Another quick post for a card I made for Flourishes. They had a challenge to make a shaker card, which is something I have never done. I thought it would be harder than it is! I had so much fun making it! I can see more of these in my future!

I am also entering it in challenges over at Simon Says and Nutcrafters. Simon Says' theme is something new and since this is a new technique and a new stamp for me, I thought I would enter it. Nutcrafters is snow, which is something I think we are going to be getting soon!

All that I have seen...

"All that I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all that I have not seen. "

                                                                                 Ralph Waldo Emerson

I just love that quote! I remember when SU came out with this stamp set. I just had to have it. It is such a good reminder to me that my God is so trustworthy, and He makes me see that every day if I will only look. So this stamp set had to be rescued from the sale pile!

Dynamic Duos is having a color challenge, and Just Us Girls has a great sketch, so I combined them to come up with this. I was excited to find some summer starfruit dp in my stash to use. I think I'm going to need a new garden green stamp pad though. Even after reinking it, I couldn't get a good image. It's had a good life though. It's probably about 15 year old!

I"m also entering it at Word Art Wednesday and Twist of Faith.  They both have some great digi quotes for free if you want to try them. I think I will be making some more cards for them!

Another Thank You

I'm still working on those thank you cards I need to send. Hopefully I will do better at sending these than the Christmas cards that never got finished and mailed! I have such good intentions...

I made this one for a couple challenges. Fusion had a great sketch and color combo that I used, Brown Sugar wanted ribbon or twine on the card, and Crafty Catz, Moving Along With the Times, and Paper Pretties all had a thank you theme. So I put them all together and came up with this card.

I used one of the new papers from SU's sale-a-bration collection called sweet sorbet. I just love the colors! The flowers are from a Tim Holtz die that I have been wanting to try. I really liked the way it turned out.

Thanks for stopping by. 

Thanks

Well, the holidays are over, and it's back to normal here. As normal as it will ever be! I hope everyone had a wonderful time of celebrating. It was good to get together with friends (both old and new) to bring in the new year. I wonder what adventures it will bring?

 It's snowy and cold outside, but it's nice and toasty warm in my craft room. So I spent the morning up there making thank you cards. There are some people I would like to thank for their thoughtfulness over the holidays. In all the bustle of the season, they remembered it was my first without my dad, and they showed their love to me. So as I start my thank yous, they are the first I want to remember.

One of my personal challenges for the year is to use all my stamp sets. If I don't use them, then I need to let them go. I don't know if I'll be able to do it or not! I am such a pack rat! I went looking through my old sets and came upon a SU one that I like.  So this set is safe from the sale pile! I used the kissing technique on the butterfly.

There is a new challenge starting up called Colour Me...! They have a monochromatic theme that I wanted to try. I love the colour they chose! It looks like it will be a great challenge and I look forward to seeing what they will be doing. I also used the sketch for Mojo Monday, which is always a great place for inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a Blessed New Year!