Decorating for the Holidays, Card Style

Happy Holidays, crafters! I am well on my way toward a massive Christmas card stash, thanks to the 12 Months of Christmas Link-Up blog. Every month you can win awesome digi paper and prizes just by creating and linking up at least two Christmas cards. 
Today I created a square card. BTW, one of the things I like about my new-found experiments with digital card making is that when I print up my cards to send out to family and friends. they have the look of dimension without adding the cost of extra postage to the envelopes! LOL
Here, I used some delicious patterned paper, called "Green Balls" from "It's Ornamental" kit from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles, framing it with Emerald-colored paper from Decosse's' set, "Christmas Grunge" textured digital paper. 
Since the sponsor this month at the 12 Months of Christmas blog is Robyn's Fetish, I got to play with this cute digital image. It's called "Putting Up the Tree" and after I colored it up, I framed it with two different colored papers from the Grunge set before popping it onto my background. Decosse's has some awesome Christmas embellishments and papers. I used a mistletoe border for my card, as well as a few snowflake brads and a couple gingham ribbons.
Let's see, this is the 7th month of 2015, so I have a hefty stockpile of cards going. Yep, I will be ready this year to send them out nice and early. How about you--have you started yet? It's a win-win situation if you create a couple cards AND link them up! You will also have your own little stockpile, and you'll be in the running for prizes!
In order to be in the running for prizes from Robyn's Fetish (3 free digis of your choice to a random participant), you must create following the optional theme of "It's Ornamental."
You don't need to follow the theme to link up your cards, earn a free paper 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 3 digital stamps from Robyn’s Fetish Digital Stamps.

Challenges I am Entering:
Simply Create Too - Christmas in July
Sister Act Card challenges - Anything Goes
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra - Anything Goes/Christmas
Paper Creator's Crafts challenges - Christmas in July
Crafting by Designs - Christmas

Note Card Sets Make Great Gifts

Here's my guest DT project for this week, being showcased at DeeDee's Digis blog. I got to play with the digi sheet called Spring Blocks. This digital set includes: 5 outline images, 5 pre-colored images, 5 white-filled layering images, and 5 sentiments, in JPG and PNG file formats. All set elements have a resolution of 300 dpi/ppi, and are easily resizable to fit your crafting needs.
I used 4 of the 5 pre-colored blocks to make note cards with matching envelopes. I love digi images because you can print them off in different sizes. I actually printed them in three different sizes. The smallest went on the envelopes; I popped the largest-sized images onto my cards, and the middle-sized ones went into a different project.
Here is a close-up of one of my cards. I used the same sentiment for each, embellishing each card with pearls at each corner and jeweled butterflies-simple and sweet. (The white lines in the graphic design of my background paper is glittery, but the camera didn't pick it up)

My neighbor had another stroke, and she can't craft like she used to. I made her a get well card, and she liked it, so I think she'll get a kick out of using these.

Meanwhile, check out DeeDee's blog for inspiration. don't forget to visit her shop, where inspiration meets beautiful and very affordable digital images. Don't forget to let her know Patacake sent you!!

Challenges I am Entering:

Digitally Sweet - Anything Goes

CCEE Stampers - Cheer Up the Lonely

The Wonders of Washi Tape

I belong to a local card swap club that meets once a month at my lss. This month's theme was Washi tape. Now I have a few rolls of the stuff but never really delved into their possibilities--until today.
After cruising Pinterest for inspiration, I decided on using my tapes as borders. I taped around plain white cardstock to make it look like patterned paper underneath my embossed papers. I also used the tape to frame my sentiment.
Since I used the sentiment as the focal point, I added a single shaker balloon and tiny adhesive-backed pearls in each of the corners.
Of course, I ran out of the balloons and, pledging to use up my stash, I had to find another birthday-related embellishment to finish up the 16 cards I needed to swap. I found some 3D cupcake stickers to use on the last 4 cards.

I was so thrilled with the Washi tape that I made everyone a matching pen or pencil to go with the card they chose. And now I must put Washi tape on my Christmas list, as I am almost out of the stuff, and love to use it.

Have you discovered a passion for a new technique or product through a challenge? While my favorite challenges are Anything Goes, I also love to be nudged (shoved) out of my comfort zone with all the challenges out there in blogland.
Meanwhile, I am entering my cards (16 in all w/matching writing stick) in the following challenges:

Fantastical Challenge at Ike's World Challenge Blog

One of the things I like about playing with images from Ike's Art is the fantastical drawings she comes up with. Take the Hatter, for example, whose image I colored and popped onto a card. Until I saw the most recent version of Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp playing the same role as this guy, I thought of the Hatter as this funny, lovable character (kind of like in the Disney animated movie).
But Ike has brought to life a newer, sad, deranged but still lovable character...and we all get to color him and play with him and create with him. It is a mad, mad, world, and if you're playing with the Hatter, you're in very good company!
So today marks the midpoint of the Fantasy challenge over at Ike's World Challenge blog. You have one more week to let your imagination fly and link it up with us!!

Life is Best when Shared

I could never live a hermit's life. Never to share a smile, a meal, a laugh, a memory-with a friend, a neighbor, even a stranger. No, I am entangled in humanity. I smile at people as I pass by them, each on our ways to the destinations of the moment. I speak with people in grocery lines, in the dentist's waiting room, and fellow shoppers. I am a chatty person.
I am a person invested in life. A bottle of wine tastes sweeter when shared with my husband, a rainbow more wondrous when shared with my granddaughter, a memory more tender when shared with my mom and sisters. I could never live a solitary life. I think I wold shrivel up and die.
So, the new challenge theme at the Path of Positivity is the perfect inspiration for my project today. The guest sponsors are Fresh Brewed Designs and Limited Runs. I got to play with an image today from Fresh Brewed Designs called Best Friends. I created a water color background for my card, then popped my image onto it. After coloring their hair, I decided to leave the rest of the image transparent. Then I added the sentiment, followed by embellishments from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles, as well as stamps from Photoshop.
I think I'll have to print several copies of my card, as I have specific people I would love to send this to. I think they need to be reminded how wonderful they are. I think everyone needs that reminder now and then, don't you?
The Path of Positivity challenge blog is a place that promotes inspiration, nurturing and support for the soul, one project or post at a time. The monthly challenge themes are thought-provoking concepts that inspire crafters to stretch their imagination in a positive way.
 The sponsors and prizes for this challenge are:

• Three images of the winner's choice from Fresh Brewed Designs, one of our guest sponsors this month, for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.

• A $10.00 gift certificate from Limited Runs, 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:

• One digital designer paper (made to order in a couple different ways) from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky person who leaves a comment on the start, midway, pondering or top picks post for Challenge #28.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

So as you craft this month, please share what you create with us at the Path of Positivity challenge blog, won't you?

Other Challenges I am Entering:

Use Your Stuff - Anything Goes

Daring Cardmakers - Use 3 elements from Inspiration photo

Left of Center challenges - Splash of Paint (water colors)

Sister Act challenges - Anything Goes

ART-tastic challenges - Use Water (water colored background)

Digi Galore challenges - Summery Bright

Let Freedom Ring!

I hope everyone in the US had a great holiday weekend. My daughter Wendy was born on the Fourth of July. In fact, while in labor, the fireworks were sparkling outside the hospital window 20 years ago. Everyone watching was oohing and ahh-ing. I was like erghh-ing and ughh-ing. She was the first baby born in the area on Independence Day.
Every year, Wendy would get a kick out of all the parades and picnics and fireworks "for her birthday." Of course, as she grew older, she understood that it wasn't just about her, but about the birth of our nation, and of the bravery of so many men and women to keep that nation independent and democratic.
What does this have to do with my project today? Well, it's a new week and a new challenge at Craft Your Passion. Doodle Pantry is the sponsor this week and I got to play with this cutie called Fireworks Birdie. The sheet comes with black line, layering and colored images, as well as several sentiments.
I started to create a birthday card for my daughter, and then the muse pushed me toward this mixed media shadow box. Funny how inspiration often takes you somewhere completely opposite of where you were headed.
So, where will inspiration take you? Whatever you do, link it up and share with us at Craft Your Passion challenge blog!

Other Challenges I am Entering:

Doodle Pantry Blog - Anything Goes

A Gem of a Challenge - Red, White & Blue

Challenge Up Your Life - Sequins

Crafty Friends challenge - Anything Goes

Splendiferous challenges - Wave the Flag

Brown Sugar - Red, White & Blue

Digitally Sweet Challenges - Anything Goes

Simply Papercraft - Anything Goes

2 Creative Chicks - Anything Goes

Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes (mixed media, no cards)

Crafting Musketeers - Anything Goes

Naughty or Nice challenges - Seeing Stars

Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes

Di's Digi Stamps Sponsoring the Outlawz Greetings This Week

I love to listen to music while I craft--do you? So many songs inspire me. I am an eclectic music lover, in that I love all kinds of music. This cute image I used from Di's Digi Stamps, this month's sponsor at the Outlawz Greetings challenge reminded me of a really, really old song. I wasn't around when it first came out, but I remember singing it when I was little ( the song was recorded by Doris Day on records that came BEFORE vinyl!):

"Oh, honey...

Picture me upon your knee

With tea for two and two for tea

Just me for you and you for me alone

Nobody near us to see us or hear us

No friends or relations on weekend vacations

We won't have it known, dear

That we own a telephone, dear

Day will break and I'll awake

And start to bake a sugar cake

For you to take, for all the boys to see

(Oh, darling)

We will raise a family

A boy for you and a girl for me

Can't you see how happy we will be?"

The digi image is called "Drinky Mice for Two" and I colored it with Copics, adding some white gel pen to highlight. I'm still using up the papers in that re-discovered box I found in my closet. I promised myself NOT to buy any more paper until the box is empty. LOL

So, the theme at the Outlawz Greetings is ANYTHING GOES, and you have ALL week to create and link it up at the challenge blog. Can't wait to see what you create!

Challenges I am Entering:

Crafty Catz - Anything Goes

Sister Act challenges - Anything Goes

Animal Friends challenge - use an animal

Card Mania challenges - Anything Goes

Sisters of Craft - Anything Goes