Scribbles Designs Leads the Way to the North Pole

It's time to set your GPS for the North Pole, crafters! Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog offers an optional theme of "Welcome to the North Pole." Your creations for this challenge should include an element that might be found in the North Pole, like elves, Santa, Mrs Claus, presents, toys, images that have a sign for the North Pole in them, penguins, reindeer, polar bears, etc.
I used Santa Hat, a digi image from the Scribbles Store, to create my Christmas card. The North Pole sign is from Pixel Scrappers, and that fun patterned paper is from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles.
To give my hat dimension, I adhered some homemade "faux snow." I made it by rubbing two white Styrofoam balls together, collecting the "snow" made from the friction. I finished off my card by doodling the border with a white gel pen. 
It's time to pop in a Christmas movie and create with the North Pole as inspiration. Then link it up at Scribbles Designs for your chance to win free digis at the Scribbles Store. See you there!

Pixel Scrappers Winter Fun Freebie

Every year I choose a goal that will guide me throughout the months. This year I strive to EXPAND my knowledge, my experiences, my contributions, my creativity. While my craft room back has been out of bounds during construction on the house, I have been learning and practicing my digital creativity, with help from my creative friend Lisa of Decosse's Dynamite Doodles, as well as PixelScrapper.com.
Lisa owns several blogs besides her personal crafting blog. They are The Path of Positivity Challenge Blog and The 12 Months of Christmas Link-Up Blog.
Pixel Scrapper is a free website that offers registered guests free digital elements, papers, tutorials, etc. One of the amazing things they offer is a monthly BLOG TRAIN filled with tons of free digital mini-kits through a Blog Hop. This is offered EVERY MONTH!
This month the theme is Winter Fun, and I created a Mini Kit with four papers and four journal cards. You can download it by clicking the button below. To snag the rest of the kits, check out the Pixel Scrapper website and register. Every day you will receive credits for free elements, word art, papers, templates, etc. There are forums, challenges and tutorials. Specifically, look for the Blog Train forum conversation and my link as well as many many others will be there for the taking, absolutely free. Now who doesn't like FREE?
My credits for the resources used to create my papers, as well as my Terms of Use, are in the zip file. Please adhere to them when using my papers and journal cards. And as you an see in my sidebar, I LOVE comments, so let me know if you like the kit.
Happy Crafting!

Happy Holidays from Scribbles Challenge Blog!

It's that time of the year, crafters! Time to get going (or finishing) that stash of Christmas cards. With that in mind, the new theme at Scribbles Challenge Blog is "Happy Holidays." Whether you celebrate St Nick's Day, St Lucy, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas or any other winter holiday, link up your card or project for your chance to win free digis from the Scribbles Store!
For my card, I used a FREEBIE from the store called Ornaments. Of course, all my papers and embellishments came out of my stash. I colored my ornaments in non-traditional colors and adhered them to my card with dimensional tape.
Do you put up a Christmas tree? How do you decorate it if you do have one? Not only do I have the store-bought globes, but some very precious handmade ornaments, created by my mom, my grandma, me (as a kid and an adult) and the kids and grandkids. They give my tree history and character. Of course, I also pile on the lights and garlands to finish it off, with an angel on the very top to watch over us.
However you celebrate the holidays, have fun! And don't forget to link up your Holiday project at Scribbles Challenge Blog!

Happy Winter

Happy Winter from the Outlawz Monday Greetings team! This week our guest sponsor is Bloobell Stamps,

and there are some very funny and cute images in the store. The ones I used are a set called Snowball Thunk! The first image shows a very lean young person lobbing a snowball...somewhere, with a courteous winter greeting. But you know how I love to create a two-part card that is a little on the funny or naughty side, so...

...I made a Z-fold card that when opened, lets you discover the "thunk" part of the image set.
This week's Outlawz Greetings challenge is to use embossing somewhere on your project. I went with dry embossing on the front, and embellished my snowflake papers with, well, more snowflakes!
What's your favorite fold on a card? I love this fold, as well as an easel card fold. I'm dying to try one of those cards in a box (or is it box in a card?) so maybe the new year will find me playing with a few of those. Who knows? When it comes to crafting, the sky's the limit, wouldn't you agree?
So go and play, crafters, and then link up your projects at the Outlawz Greetings group this week for your chance at some amazing prizes!

Challenges I am Entering:

Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes

House of Cards - Embossing

Our Crafty Corner - Anything Goes

 Where the HeART Is- Anything Goes

I Am Not Afraid of the Night

Okay, here is a departure from my normal posts, but my muse visited me today. I am loving Mondays off this year! And my water coloring muse hasn't blessed me with her attentions in a long time.
I started out rummaging around, looking for my bag of water color brushes and paints (yes, it's been that long). Then I sat down to paint some Christmas tree greens and a few baubles that hang from them. This is NOT that painting, but it's sometimes the way of inspiration, do  you agree? I painted the night sky and knew I needed a focal point, and hit upon a night owl with the moon full and bright behind her. And since it is FREEZING outside right now, I made it a winter scene. LOL
Now I want to show you an unfinished mixed media canvas that I painted with acrylics. Again, it's a snowy winter scene, using my all-time favorite color, teal. What do you think I should use as a focal point for my painting? A silhouette, I think. A reindeer, maybe? Let me know what you think so I can finish it!!

That's all for today, crafters. Hope  your Muse is visiting you often,and that you have the time to create. Happy Winter!

A Christmas Melody for You

Christmas is so close you can practically touch it!! Are you ready?? I know that at least my Christmas card stash is complete. Cards mailed out and family cards in their envies, all snug and ready to be torn open in the heat of the moment. Now I'm onto January cards and the whole winter scene for the Outlawz Monday Greetings challenge just starting today. We want to see what a holiday movie inspires you to create. I was inspired by the new Mariah Carey movie "A Christmas Melody."
I used a digi image from Art by Miran, who happens to be this week's sponsor at the Outlawz Greetings challenge. The image is called "Pop Star Diva" and can be found at her Etsy Store. It doesn't photograph well, but the background is embossed with glittery shimmery powders in blue and silver, just like the snow that falls outside my house in winter.
What is your favorite holiday movie? Rudolph? Deck the Halls? O Christmas Tree? Whatever it is, let it spark that muse in you to create. Then link back with us at the Outlawz Monday Greetings challenge for a chance to win prizes from Art by Miran!!

Dear Mother Nature, Send Help! Signed, Chicago

Welcome to my Birthday Blowout celebration! From April 1 through April 15, you will see a post each day where followers can win prizes and blog candy. Today I ask you to check out the Outlawz where I am on the DT for their Monday Greetings challenges. There are different challenges there for every day of the week, plus a monthly Progressive Freebie challenge where every month in which you participate you will receive the next month's image FREE!! Please leave a comment on my blog telling me which challenge interests you the most, for your chance to win the daily prize!

Animals is the theme at the Outlawz Greetings challenges this week. One of the guest sponsors this month is Dr. Digi, so when I saw this funny digi image (called Rescue Squad), I knew I had to poke some fun at Mother Nature and her ill-timed return to winter temps that Chicago has...no, not enjoyed...rather, suffered through this Spring. So, I still haven't found what I'm looking for...Spring weather!
 I colored my crack team with Copics, popped them on patterned paper from my bottomless stash of leftover papers, and drummed up the perfect sentiment to go with them: "Springtime Greetings from Chicago (Send Help)."
Besides a few snowflakes and a bow, I colored up a pretty (cold) robin to add salt to the wound (sigh). I shouldn't complain. It is Chicago, after all. I was born and raised here, and chose to return to the Windy City. In my next life, I shall choose more wisely, maybe midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Of course, with my luck, the California coast will sink into the Pacific Ocean. Sometimes a known evil is better than an unknown evil.
Enough philosophy, crafters. You can join in the fun at the Outlawz Greetings challenge this week. Be sure to use an animal on your project as well as a sentiment for your chance to win.
And don't foerget to leave a comment below for your chance to win some of my Birthday Blowout Blog Candy!

 Other Challenges I am Entering:

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - J is for Just Kidding

Creative Corner challenges - Animal Fun

Simply Create Too - Anything Goes (3rd entry)
Crafting When We Can - Weather-related
Scrap It with  Song - Rock Song-inspired (I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For-Spring)

Show Off Those Ribbons & Bows at the Outlawz Greetings This Week

Today brings a new challenge from the Outlawz Greetings challenges: make a card with Ribbons & Bows (and as always, a sentiment must be on the front). I colored up an image from All Dressed Up, our sponsor this week. She's called Sweetie Pie, so I had to make a sweet card with which to showcase her.
Now, I don't know about your neck of the woods, but here in Chicago, we still have lumpy hills of snow and ice in our yards. So when I saw this little sweetie, I thought she looked like I have been looking for the last week, thinking that Spring would never come!

My card is actually a gate fold card, and the photo above shows off one of the "gates." Here's a photo of the card open. The quote is from a poem/song by Gertrude Tooley Buckingham and reads, "Gentle Spring's around the corner, Waiting just to show her face
And to bring us flowers and sunshine; Winter's almost run its race!"
Like her, I have hope that Winter will soon disappear until next year, and Spring is already working its magic under that frozen blanket.
Got some time to create a card this week? Come play in the Outlawz Greetings challenge, where all you need is a sentiment and some ribbon & bows!
Don't forget to check out all the lovely images over at All Dressed Up! There are some freebies as well, which you can use on their challenge blog.

You Asked for It, Chicago!

As I write this post, I glance out my window and think back to summer, when temps rose close to 100 degrees several times. Many Chicago friends on Facebook were moaning and groaning and wishing it would cool off. Well, congratulations! It not only has cooled off, but my gas grill in the backyard is buried under snow. So far we've had 20 inches and there's a light snow wafting down from pregnant clouds. We've had our first blizzard of the year, and it's only February!
So, for all you whiners out there, I created a card using the Bugaboo image "Happy Now?" My blue and pink card is filled with shimmery snowflakes and glittery jewels. There's even a snowman acting like Vanna White, offering the "punchline." Really, I used to love snow, until I had to drive in it, and shovel it, and stomp through it. But there are benefits to heavy snow:

My school calls a SNOW DAY and I don't have to go to work

the potholes are filled in with packed snow and my car finally has a smooth road

the white flakes cover the dirty piles left by snow plows

my granddaughter comes over and plays in our yard

Wherever you are in the world, be careful what you wish for. It may just come true, Chicago style!!

Happy crafting!!

Challenges I m entering:

Clear It Out Challenges: Anything Goes using anything goes stash (Gosh, I haven't bought new product in months)

Inky Chicks - From (your country) with Love (Chicago, USA)

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Deep Freeze in Chicago Inspires Today's Project

Tomorrow, temps will not just dip but DIVE well below ZERO. Wind chills tomorrow evening will be between 30 and 40 below zero. Brrr!
The weather has inspired me to create a winter canvas on wood using an image from Simply Betty Stamps. She's called Brittney Bundled Up, which is what I need to do to get to work tomorrow! It's going to take my car longer to warm up so I can drive it, than the trip to my office will take. LOL
Anyway, I've had a few of these oval pieces of wood since I was in Girl Scouts, and finally decided to clean them out of my craft room. Lord knows how they kept getting packed up and moved from state to state throughout the years, but now they'll be gifted friends and family over the coming months.
I used Mod Podge to set my base after coloring my image with Copics. I love using the color teal especially on winter projects. It makes me happy, and crafting also makes me happy, so it's a win-win situation.
Embellishments include lightly-shaded teal pearls, and glittery snowflake buttons, part of my stash, left over from Christmas this year.
I committed to a New Year's Pay It Forward promise, to send the first five people who make the same commitment a little something special this year to each. My cousin Debbie lives in Texas and was the first person to commit to pay it forward, and she has let me know that a piece of art would please her greatly, so I'm going to box this up and send it to her this month. Nothing like starting the year off right!

**Challenges I am entering**

Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
Love to Create - Anything Goes
PaperMinutes - Snow but NOT a Christmas card

PaperTake Weekly - Anything Goes w/optional Twist- Gift (for my cousin)

Pinspirational Challenge Blog - Snowflake

Party Time Tuesdays - Anything Goes

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Tuesday Throwdown - Favorite Embellishment (teal pearls)
Try It on Tuesday - Favorite Things (teal anything)