Emboss or Diecut Your Way toward the new Squigglefly Challenge

Deck the halls with dry embossing, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la-la!

You can use any of your diecuts,

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la-la!

Squigglefly is offering prizes,

Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la, la, la!

Post a card and use their digi,

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la-la!

Today I made a card using both embossing and diecuts, although the new challenge only asks you to use one or the other. I also used a Squigglefly image from Cheryl Grant Alger called "Punkin Pick-up." I colored it up with Copics and fussy-cut it. I made my "scene" using an embossed card front of snowflakes, then added a diecut border of pine trees.

I added a Santa hat to the little girl, and finished off my card with a small sentiment sticker. 

Time to play in this week's Squigglefly challenge. Just use a Squigglefly image and embossing or diecuts for your chance to win!

Patterns and Bling Are the Thing at Outlawz Greetings Challenge

Another Monday, another fun challenge at the Outlawz Greetings Challenge! This week crafters are asked to "USE THREE PATTERNED PAPERS AND SOME BLING." My three patterned papers are the background/base layer, the (roller coaster) border of Christmas lights, and the strip of fun colored dots. I blinged my image with a pink Sakura gel pen.
After adding the sentiment, I had this somewhat large "pink space" that begged for embellishments, but not too much or the card would tip into the gaudy awards section. So I used a small pink feather. I have a box of them in all colors that I love finding ways to incorporate on cards.
My image is from this month's Outlawz Greetings sponsor, Lacy Sunshine. The image is called "Coco's Holiday Ornament." I rummaged in my stash of stamped sentiments and found just the right one, I think.
If your patterned paper stash is overflowing, take it down a notch by using three pieces on a card with some bling. Then you can play in the Outlawz Greetings challenge this week!
Challenges I am entering:
The Corrosive Challenge Blog - Anything Goes
Craft Your Passion blog - Non-Traditional Christmas
The 12 Months of Christmas Card Link Up - Christmas cards
lOVE TO cREATE cHALLENGE bLOG - nON-tRADITIONAL hOLIDAY cOLORS

Fave Project Month at SBP!

Have you checked out the new challenge at Your Scrapbook Place? It runs for a month and it started on Monday.

"This challenge is about reminiscing. We have all made cards, scrapbook pages and other crafting items. This isn’t just about paper crafting, anything project you have made. 

The challenge is to pick your favorite crafted item that you made and post a picture of it along with why it’s your favorite. If you posted about your item, then feel free to link that post"

I think my favorite projects are those I made for my son's wedding. From invitations to favors, menus to boutonnieres, ring pillow to wedding card treasure box, I put a lot of time, sweat and love into each  item. 
The wedding was beach-themed and my now daughter-in-law lived and breathed Pinterest and YouTube. I am blessed that my son married a fellow crafter!
One of the wedding gifts I gave her was a Martha Stewart 18x18 Scrapbook with refill pages. She is still filling that puppy up! LOL

 

After the wedding I scored a shadow box frame on clearance and made a montage of wedding photos and memorabilia.

So, these are my fave projects, the things that mark my fave memories. I hope you have some great memories and some favorite projects to share with SBP Challenge blog this month.

Brand New Challenge at the Outlawz Starts Today - Freebie Progressive!

Today I made a card for the grand opening of a new challenge at the Outlawz. It's the new monthly Freebie Progressive Challenge, running from December 1st through the last day of the month, and repeating each month of 2015.
Their first sponsor is Simply Betty Stamps, and does she have a lot of great images to choose from. We all got to use the image above, called Tangled Wednesday, to kick off the new challenge. And guess what? You can too!
The rules are very simple: join the challenge, send them an email to outlawzprogressivechallenge@gmx.com and then enter a project made with the image supplied before 6:00pm Outlawz Time on the last day of the month and you will automatically get the next image free. Now, who doesn't like FREE?!
So, on to my card. The image is, as I wrote, called Tangled Wednesday. I colored her with my trusty Copics, adding a little shine to her image. As she's tangled with Christmas tree lights, I added an over-sized Christmas bulb to the end of her card. My colors didn't photograph well, but they really are all shades of teal.

Having Faith in the Path of Positivity Challenge this month

Today we trip lightly along the Path of Faith. Faith isn't something we can see or touch. It's not something  we can wrap our minds around. Faith is something that you feel in your heart and soul. It is taking that first step without seeing the path. It's trusting that a higher power will see you through. It's letting go of control.
Faith is something I sometimes have difficulty keeping. It's easy to keep when things are going swell. But who in the world has a life without strife? Who hasn't thrown up their hands in anxiety, fear, longing, despair?
That's when it is most difficult but most rewarding to keep the faith-to trust that you will survive, you will thrive, you will triumph.
So when life creates a stumbling block on your path, have faith that you won't trip-and if you do, you will come out on top and reach your journey's end!
Today I made a Christmas card that to me features faith, which is the theme of the Path of Positivity's challenge this month. I used a lovely digi image from Pickled Potpourri called Christmas Candle. I printed and colored the image twice, cutting out the candle and circular sentiment from one so I could add some dimensional tape and give my card depth.
I love the image in its rich simplicity, so I didn't want to overwhelm it with lots of embellishments. I only added a border of sparkly white poinsettias from K&Co. My patterned paper was from DCWV. Of course, I inked the edges of the image and the sentiment with Tim Holtz Distress Ink.
This month's sponsors at the Path of Positivity Challenge blog are Pickled Potpourri and Fresh Brewed Designs.

The sponsors and prizes for this challenge are:

• A prize package of a $7 gift certificate to the Pickled Potpourri Designs store (good for any digital product), from our guest sponsors this month, for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• Three digital images from Fresh Brewed Designs for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.
• One digital image from Creative Bug Digital Stamps for each person chosen as a DT Delight.

There will also be:

• One digital designer paper (made to order in a few different ways) from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky voter who leaves a comment.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

The blog has featured a guest designer to showcase our sponsors' images. Her name is Sue. Please check out Sue K. from Sue's Paper Crafts and leave her a little love. 

Challenges I am entering:

Corrosive Challenge Blog - Happy Everything
The 12 Months of Christmas card Link Up - Christmas cards

Skipping Tradition with the New Squigglefly Challenge

Today brings a new challenge from Squigglefly, and they want us to show them holiday and seasonal cards that have not one dot of RED or GREEN on them! Gasp! Use non-traditional colors only on your cards and a Squigglefly image and you can play for free digis!

I made a winter card using Squigglefly's "Smooth Sailing"  a digital image from Cheryl Grant Alger. I tried a new design, with an extra fold and a "sloping" top edge. I love the way it looks, both open and closed!
I used Stickles on the edges of my snow hills. The card fits into a standard business envie for easy mailing, too!

Tired of the old red & green color scheme? Try your hand a t a holiday card and have your way with other colors. Use a Squigglefly image and come play in this week's challenge for your chance to win!

Challenges I am Entering:
Imagination Crafts Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

New Challenge at the Outlawz Greetings This Week

Copics dried up? No sharpener for your colored pencils? No worries! Outlawz Greetings challenge this week is for Black-and-White, no coloring on your card!
I thought it was going to be difficult, but it's easy because you don't have to pull out all your papers and inks and embellies to make sure they match or coordinate with each other. Just black and white for a simple yet elegant look!
I used a digi image called "Chubby Snowman" from the Outlawz Greetings Challenge sponsor this week, The Stamping Boutique.
 
I printed my image and colored a few spots with black Copic markers and gave it sparkle with white diamond Stickles. Then I framed it and my sentiment with black cardstock. My patterned papers are from the Paper Studio. I added a few musical notes, snowflakes and a pretty organza bow and mt card is finished. It literally only took about two minutes!
If you haven't tried to create a black-and-white only card yet, try your hand at it. Don't forget to post it on the Outlawz Greetings challenge for your chance to win prizes from our monthly sponsors!

Challenges I am Entering:
Corrosive Challenge Blog - Happy Everything