Rudolph Challenge

Hello my crafty friends, hope you are having a wonderful weekend. Snow for us tomorrow into Tuesday. We will see how much we get. Good new, Bret tested negative as did all the other guys that had to leave work and come home. Bret said that they made more leave and get tested. So that is good news and a load off my mind! He got his test results back on Thursday night, about 11 pm. I was already asleep, he came to the door to wake me and give me the good news. I was so happy. So thank you for your prayers, they were much appreciated!!!

I wanted to get started on some Christmas cards and since we are at the end of January already, thought I'd better get moving on a few. So will be sliding in over at the Rudy Challenge.  Here is one that was simple to do as it didn't require much. This little snowman I've seen everyone have and I had to have him as well as I think he is just adorable. So he is a NBUS as is the vertical sentiment I used. I used distress ink oxides to color him with. I'm not  great at  watercoloring, but was happy with him for the most part. I think next time I will use regular distress inks to watercolor with though. Edited to add: Joining in over at the NBUS Challenge.

Trying to capture the wink/shimmer-didn't work out so well

Very simple card, but cute I thought. I have a few more stamped so I can watercolor or just color. I know it looks like my layers are layered terribly, but they aren't in real life. I think it is because I took the photos laying down instead of standing up. Me bad. And that is it! 

As always, I thank you for taking time out of your busy day to visit with me over here. It is calm before the storm, so just enjoying the bright sunshine and lower winds. I will be by to visit you too soon and thank you for your comments. I know it takes lots of time to comment and I appreciate it when you do. It always brings a brightness and joy to my day!

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:

Penny Black for the cutie snowman  NBUS

Maymay Made It for the vertical sentiment "Up Lifting" NBUS

Distress Oxides: Fire Brick, Salty Ocean, Iced Spruce and Worn Lipstick

A white chalk marker from Dollar Tree for the polka dots 

SU Sizzix Embossing folder

Birthday Cards

Hello my crafty friends, I hope you are all well and healthy. We are not sure around here as Bret was told Sunday that a co-worker has Covid (there have been quite a few).  Well he gets into work this morning and now they said he and another fella has to get tested and quarantine from home while working from home until he gets the results. So he had to come back home after they made them stay for a meeting first. Not sure we understood that one?! So stay and infect other people maybe, but leave then. Makes no sense. He is going to work from his bedroom in the basement and only use the bathroom since we only have one bathroom to try and keep me as safe as possible. Happy Birthday to him!!! We knew it was bound to happen since they made them return to work last May. So keep us in your prayers if you pray please and hopefully he will test negative. He said that he was around the guy but long before he went to get tested. But that this fella probably got it from the guy he sits near as this other fella is out with it too. Sigh. 

I am in birthday card mode since I need a lot of them. I wanted to try and build my stash so I don't have to make them each month. So since my mojo isn't with me at the moment nor am I in the mood to even get crafty, I went to Pinterest for inspiration. I found two designs and tried to made them my own. You can see them here and here. I got out my little Cricut Joy machine and got to work. I found a font I liked and welded together my letters to my word, then I welded together 5 of the words. Got out my Oxide inks and got inky. Then for my other card, I sliced out my word in a rectangle and cut those out in rainbow colors using snippets of paper for all the cards.  Well I guess I pretty much CASED both designs, but did it using not dies, but my little machine. Made three of each, so that give me nine extra cards. Now to make some more CAS birthday cards to add to the stash. 

                             Did this card in two different layouts, but still the same.  

As always I thank you for taking time out of your day to visit with me a spell. I always enjoy your visits and comments, they always make my day brighter! I will be by to visit you soon too. 

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:

Cricut Joy and Design Studio

Distress Oxides in Fire Brick, Spiced Marmalade, Cracked Pistachio, Faded Jeans and Wilted Violet

Maymay Made It stamp set for the "birthday to you" called Big Time Sayings

CAS Christmas Card Challenge-Silhouettes

Hello my crafty friends, hope you are all doing well. The weather has been pretty decent with some sun and clouds and just  cold at night, day temps a little above normal.  Not much going on around here. I have been super tired and just trying to get back up and running from my fatigue. Some days all I want to do is sleep, so I sleep while the dogs sleep and then am awake when they are. That makes for not much going on except doggie potty breaks.

I have some Christmas cards that I made in Dec. of last year. They were Pinterest inspired although the idea is the same, I changed mine up some. Anyway CAS Christmas Card Challenge is looking for silhouettes and I figure these fit. So will be taking these over to play with the gals over there. As long as they don't mind these cards being in a group and not individual. Not much to them, some splats water colored distress oxide inks, a silhouette, a sentiment and some sequins. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to visit with me for a spell. I always enjoy your visits and comments. They make my day! If I haven't been around to you, I will be soon. Stay well, stay healthy and remember to wear those masks as they keep us all safe if we all do it. Hopefully we will be able to get those vaccines soon, the more people that take them, the sooner we can get on with "normal" once again. Happy Crafting!
 
Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:

Distress Oxide inks: iced spruce, barn door, tumbled glass, lucky clover (I think)

Sequins from my stash-no set name brand for them as they came from everywhere

My Creative Time for the pine bough

Ali Express for the stag and poinsettia

Snowflake was cut using a friend's die, so not sure who made that one

Sentiment is from a Hero's Art monthly kit if I'm not mistaken-I don't do the monthly kit, but       bought just that one at the time. 

Christmas Baby Gift

Hello my crafty friends, thank you so much for all your sweet comments on the Christmas gifts I made. They were fun to make. 

I didn't tell you that in the time I wasn't blogging, a granddaughter made her way into the world. So in November Wynter Grace came. For Christmas, again, another Christmas gift, I decided to personalize a little giraffe I got her with a little blanket attached. I used Cricut Infusible Ink in Gray-only needed a tiny piece, so used some snippets. Using my Cricut Mini Press, I pressed her name on. It isn't quiet as crisp as I wanted, but it is still readable and her parents will know that it is definitely her toy. 

As always, I thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to visit me and see what I'm up to. If I haven't been by to see you, I will be shortly. So very thankful for you all and please stay safe, stay healthy and keep hanging in there! 

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:

Cricut Joy

Cricut Design Space

Cricut Infusible Ink Sheets

Wow, It's Been A Long Time! Happy New Year!!!

Gosh, I can't believe it has been since mid Oct since I posted! I have been busy creating, creating Christmas gifts. So I kept very busy. Didn't feel like so much time had passed though, I guess time flies when you are having a good time. lol 

Anyway I'm here to share the gifts that I have made for Christmas this year. So it will be pic heavy. First off are coasters I made with infusible ink from Cricut. They came out pretty good so I was pleased. They were well received thankfully.

Next  up are faux cigar boxes I made into stationary boxes. I made three, have one left to make. Will save that one for a birthday gift or something. They are all decorated differently outside. The insides are the same, just decorated to match the outside. A dozen cards, a pen, a date folio, tags-large and small, and envelopes are what is inside each one. These took me a long time to complete. 

These are shirts and a sweatshirt I made. The shirts are foil iron on-silver on the gray and gold on the navy shirt, the sweatshirt I used flocking iron on-it's nice and fuzzy feeling. Love how they turned out. 

Next up is a blanket I used gray infusible ink on from Cricut. You can see the lines of where my heat press was, but that will go away. They weren't as noticeable with the naked eye. Thought this came out cute too. This was given with the Faith shirt and sweatshirt. 

I also made some signs from wooden plaques. Here are a couple of them. I used Dollar Tree florals to decorate them. I used white chalk paint to paint the inside of the frame, and a gel paint to "stain" the outside of the frame. Some vinyl and that is it. I loved how these came out as well. 

I also did some picture frames with vinyl and chalk paint. Forgot to get any photos of them though. I intend to make more, so hopefully I won't forget to take a photo once done! I think that is it. When looking at it on this post, doesn't look like I did to much, but sure felt like I did! lol 

So these are things that kept me from posting, visiting and commenting. I hope to get back on track with all that here now that the holidays are over. As always I'm so appreciative of you all and know how blessed I am to have you all in my blogging, email, mailing life! I also appreciate you taking time to stop in and visit with me here. Again, I know blessed I am! I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas and that your New Year is off to a great start!!!

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:

Cricut Explore Air - I won this and a whole lot more just before Christmas from Mama Dares to DIY! Blessed!!!!

Print and Cut on the Explore Air and I printed off some of the papers I used on the faux cigar boxes with my large format printer, so 12 x 12 papers. 

Cricut Heat Press - Won this too!

Cricut Vinyl, Iron On

Dollar Tree florals

Shirts, sweatshirt, picture frames, blanket and sign frames are from Amazon

Faux cigar boxes from Maymay Made It but saw them at Michaels. They are from Darice and WalMart carries them online as well

A Few Challenges

Hello my crafty friends, hope your week is starting out well. It's been foggy & gloomy here with rain since Sunday, but we need this rain, so I won't complain. COVID numbers are going up here and I'm not liking that. I so wish everyone would just wear their masks. Gatherings are a problem too, but I feel it can be done safely if people just adhere to the guidelines of wearing masks inside or stay outside and social distance. Oh well, my complaining is not going to change anything, but common sense would go a long way with this pandemic.

I decided I would join in a few challenges for once. Yes, I know shocking! But was able to cover all three challenges with one card. Then it is back to working on Christmas projects. I'm not exactly thrilled with this card, but not totally unhappy with it either. I think the metallic mirror paper is throwing me off. Hard to get a photo with shiny paper too. So I laid it down to take the photo. Still got a reflection at the bottom. Don't like the black sentiment banner either, but though it would help tone down the shine a little. It didn't and I don't like it. Didn't like white either, maybe I should try pink or green like my greenery on my poinsettia. What do y'all think? Anyway here is my card: 

The challenges:

Rudolph Challenge-Christmas card challenge from the 25th of each month to the end of each month. 

CAS(E) this Sketch-your interpretation of their sketch

Let's Squash It!-A new challenge where you are to use your embossing folders. They have prompts for you to follow which was a geometric folder and metallic card stock/metal. 

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come and visit with me. Sorry we had such gloomy weather. Your comments mean the world to me and bring so much brightness to my life. If I haven't been by to visit you, please know I am making my rounds and should be there soon. Stay safe, stay healthy and enjoy each other. 

Crafty hugs, 

Card Recipe:

Gina Marie die: for the woody wreath cut at a friend's house-cut out of snippet's of kraft                  cardstock, inked with DO Walnut Stain, Gathered Twigs, Delicata Gold and Rose Gold. 

Amazon: for my snippet of Mirror Paper

Sunny Studio's: for my poinsettia-out of my unused box-I need a clever name for this box, lol

Martha Steward Branch Punch: cut out of some mixed media paper that I had splattered w/ink

My Creative Time: for the banner and sentiment

We Are Memories 3D embossing folder

Twofer Challenge & Christmas Items

Hello my crafty friends, I have went dark for a while now. I haven't visited any of you and I'm sorry. I hope to get back at commenting again real soon. October isn't a great month for me, used to be one of my favorite months, but now I tend to struggle with it. So I kept busy working on some Christmas items and then saw the Twofer Challenge come out and thought I would have a go at it. Not very creative, but at least they are done and I'm happy with how they came out. 

So many stamps that could have been used, it was hard to decide on which to use. But I finally decided on a stag. Here is my Twofer together:

I had two separate play dates with two friends. The first friend came here to make fall cards, she brought her newest stamp set from SU and I cut out a bunch of wreaths from the set. Then I used Brusho's to "doll" them all up. Used two of them on the first card after seeing this card design on Pinterest. Thought it was so pretty, so put my spin on it using my supplies. 

Then for my second twofer, I added two stags and a baby deer. I thought I had a deer family, but it turns out this set had two stags instead with a baby. Not sure what that was all about, if it was an accident or what. But used what I had, so two stags and a baby is what it is. Didn't get the baby standing upright to well, but it was glued down and it wasn't coming back up. The background was made at the second friend's house. We were playing with Brusho's, Distress Oxides and pearl powders. This background was made with the Distress Oxides. I was going to save it for a Halloween card as it looked Halloweeny to me, but then I liked it behind the birch trees so used it. Do you think it looks Halloweeny??? Should I have not used it??? So that's my Twofers. 

Here are the Christmas things I've been working on. Little ornament or wall hangings, whatever someone wants to use them for. Used 4" embroidery hoops, some fabric and iron on vinyl, then some little decorations. I made a dozen of them using my Cricut to cut out the iron on vinyl with and my little Mini Press to press them onto the fabric. 

My next little projects were pot holders from the Dollar Tree. I want to get more, but haven't seen them back in the Dollar Tree's around me. I sure hope they get some more in soon as they are nice little gifts to have on hand for when you need a little something something. I cut the sayings out with my Cricut and once again ironed them on with my Mini Press. I will tuck a little mug cake pouch in the pocket before giving out. Might even do a vinyl mug to go with it. Definitely giving one to my mail carrier with one of the little ornaments above. 

Since I've used some NBUS and Snippets, I will be off to play in the NBUS challenge and the Snippet's Playground. 

Well that's it from me, I hope to be by to visit you soon. Thank you for stopping by and visiting with me. I always appreciate your visit as I know everyone is busy so for you to take the time to visit me is so kind of you! 

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:

Stag Wreath Card:

SU stamp and die set for the Wreath, don't know the name but I'm sure many of you guys do

SU Gentle Peace for the sentiment-NBUS

AliExpress for the Stag-NBUS

Mirror paper from my stash, the stag is a snippet

Gansai Tambi Starry colors for the splattering

Vanilla card base

Vanilla snippet for the mat

Brusho's 

Birch Tree Card:

Gina Marie for the birch tree coverplate-NBUS

Pebble's chalks to highlight the tree's

Distress Oxides for the background using a blending brush

AliExpress for the stags and baby deer

My Creative Time Mini Tag Dies for the sentiment tag

My Creative Time Teeny Tags Holidays for the sentiment

black snippet

Ornaments:

Cricut

fabric from Amazon

embroidery hoops from Amazon

ribbon's from my huge ribbon stash

Dollar Tree for the berries, greenery, twine and rope

pompoms from my stash

Hot Pads:

Dollar Tree for the hot pads

Cricut for "Life is Short" SVG

SVG "It's Mine" and "Sweet Smell" are from Jennifer Maker's files