Christmas Blooms All Year Long

Flowers always seem to perk up a living space and Christmas flowers are no exception.  Christmas just doesn't feel like Christmas if there isn't a poinsettia, a wreath, some holly leaves and berries, or some pine boughs and pine cones scattered about. That's why this month the 12 Months of Christmas Link-Up offers the theme of CHRISTMAS BLOOMS in their challenge.

I decided to go CAS with this acrylic Christmas card.

I colored a digital image from Robyn's Fetish called Prissy Poinsettia. Robyn's Fetish is the guest sponsor for this month's challenge.

In order to have a chance to win the prize from our wonderful guest sponsor this month, make sure that your card has a Christmas plant or flower somewhere in the design. Examples include: Holly and berries, laurel, poinsettia, Christmas cactus, wreath, etc. Whether you choose to feature the bloom as part of your image, within the papers or as part of your embellishments, it is completely up to you. However you display the blooms, please keep in mind though, that they should feature prominently. If you do follow the optional theme, be sure to add FT after your name so that we include you in the draw for the prize.

My card background is a patterned paper called Garlands from the Paper Kit Christmas Blooms from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. 

Remember, you don't need to follow the theme to link up your cards and earn a free paper from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles each month, and have your name thrown into the year end draw for some extra digital goodies. You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of three images from Robyn’s Fetish Digital Stamps. 

Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps And More, a division of I Did It Creations, was created and is owned by Robyn Weinrib. Robyn offers a wonderful variety of digital stamps and digital papers, designed to meet the needs of all digital paper crafting addicts for every occasion.

Robyn’s Fetish Digital Stamps And More is happy to award 3 digital stamps of the winner’s choice to the winner of this challenge. If that isn't enough incentive to create a couple Christmas cards and link up at the 12 Months of Christmas blog, I don't know what is! Here's one last look at my acrylic Christmas card using Prissy Poinsettia:

Challenges I am Entering:

Crimbo Crackers - Anything Christmas Goes

ABC Christmas challenge - N is for No Rules

Crafty Creations - Clean & Simple

Cardz for Guys - Christmas in July

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Crafty Boots - Christmas in July

Christmas Cards All Year Round - Anything Christmas Goes

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenges - Anything Christmas Goes

Going Green at the Outlawz Monday Greetings challenge blog

Hello, crafters! Welcome to a new challenge at the Outlawz Monday Greetings. This week's theme is Going Green - use something green on your project. Our generous sponsor this week is Moonflower Digistamps, whose image I used to create my card. She's called Gypsy Flower.

I decided to create an acrylic card. This is my second attempt. My first was just too "invisible." It was hard to photograph and brooked no embellishments at all. So I gave my card a cardstock base, adhering some leftover patterned paper to it. The pie e of acrylic is attached to a slight overlap of cardstock from the back, and I had to add a strip of the same to keep the front from sliding forward all the time it was open. I added a line of pearls to the strip.

I popped my image onto the acrylic face of my card, added a bow to her hair, and decided to place one butterfly onto this part of my card. I added a smaller butterfly to the inside, along with my sentiment. I finished off my card by adding a row of glittered brads and Gypsy Flower is ready for her close-up.

Now it's your turn to play with a "bit o' green." Create a project (don't forget a greeting or sentiment needs to be on the front of it) and ink up with the Outlawz Monday Greetings challenge for your chance to win digis from Moonflower Digistamps.

Challenges I am Entering:

ABC challenges - C is for Cute

Card and Scrap - Shabby Chic/Vintage 

Crafter's Cafe challenges - Inspired by a Song (Just the Way You Are-Bruno Mars)

Just Keep on Crafting - Anything Goes

Naughty or Nice challenges - At the Movies (nice-Romeo & Juliet)

Sisters of Craft - Anything Goes

So Very Grateful

The theme for the Path of Positivity Challenge blog this month has been Gratefulness. Their sponsors are Kitten Scraps and Scribbles Designs. I had chosen this awesome image, called Maple Leaf Doodle, to write about the blessings of changing seasons and how grateful I am to live in an area that reminds me of the beauty of nature.
But today I write about faith. Those of you who have been reading my posts know that I have been in fear of losing my job of 15 years. Although my relationships with staff and teachers is comfortable, although I have skills that would best serve the program, I was positive that the powers that be would choose my co-worker over me for purely financial reasons. My faith in the church was in jeopardy.
However, last week I met with my pastor, my new boss and the business manager and was completely blindsided when they offered me a new job description that met my needs. The hours are the bare minimum needed to be benefits eligible. I wanted less work hours but the ability to carry insurance for my family, and they gave me what I prayed for!
So, today I am grateful for my job, where there are people I care for and the insurance and benefits I need to carry me through to retirement. My faith in people and life in general has been restored, and hopefully strengthened.
Meanwhile, you have until the end of the month to create a project that reflects the theme of Thankfulness. Now let's take a look at the pries offered by Kitten Scraps and Scribbles Designs:

• A prize package from Kitten Scraps for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• A $10 gift certificate from Scribbles Designs, one of our guest sponsors this month, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.
• One digital image from Creative Bug Digital SnapShots for each person chosen as a DT Delight.

There will also be:

• A small selection of digital designer papers from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky person who leaves a comment on posts published during the challenge time frame.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.