One for the Guys at the 12 Months of Christmas Challenge Blog

Can I get a Merry Christmas out there?! At the 12 Months of Christmas, we try to inspire crafters around the world to start each year off building their stash of holiday cards. We've reached the midpoint of 2018, so by the end of this month's challenge, you should all have a lovely stack of twelve cards. That's assuming you all link up two cards each month to get that free digital paper from Lisa at Decosse's Dynamite Doodles!! This month she made a set of textured papers called Texture ime, Leathers 1. Here's a preview:

This month, our sponsor is Sheepski Designs. Andrea has been generous, giving our teams three images each to play with (and I am creating in both teams, mwahaha). Today's DT make showcases a digital image called Snowman Selfie. It was just as fun to color up the snowmen as it was to create this card!

I also printed out two of Decosse's Dynamite Doodles' papers from the following sets. I used Turquoise from this set:

and Snowy Scene from this one:

Back to the challenge at the 12 Months of Christmas. You have until the end of June to create a holiday card. Again, if you create 2 this month, you'll receive a paper from the Texture Time Paper Kit above. You can go to the main blog and vote for your favorite paper.
In order to have a chance to win the prize from our guest sponsor, we want you to create a card that would be considered MASCULINE. Be sure to add FT after your name so that we include you in the draw for the prize.

Keep in mind though, that you don't need to follow the theme to link up your cards and earn a free paper each month or for a chance to win the featured paper set. You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of three images from the SheepSki Designs store.       

Like what you see from our sponsor? She also has a group on Facebook you can join, which offers Anything Goes challenges and freebies. I just joined - who doesn't like Anything Goes and Freebies?!

Challenges I am Entering:

Christmas Cards All Year Around - Non-traditional Colors

Creative Crafters - Anything Goes

Digi Stamps 4 Joy -For the Men in  your Life

Not Just Cards - Anything Goes

Love to Craft - Anything Goes

Creatalicious Challenges -  Anything Goes w/optional flowers

Sheepski Designs - Embellish It or Clean & Simple

Anything Goes at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog

I've been waiting for an Anything Goes challenge so that I can incorporate my two favorite crafting techniques into one project - fluid acrylic painting and digital image coloring. Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog opened the door to the canvas above.

I had just created the painting and started to varnish it for that shinier than shiny finish when I decided to use it for my DT make for Scribbles Designs. I thought the white paint looked like waves in a choppy sea, so I colored up "Sailboat 1" from the Scribbles Store with my trusty Copics. The sentiment is a favorite of mine, and seemed perfect for my canvas.

I used Liquitex Gloss Varnish (two coats) to seal the cardstock image and painted words. That sailboat just pops from the canvas, don't you think? It's 10"x20", so makes a nice focal point on my wall. I love how my acrylic paint flowed around my canvas, creating an intense background for my scene.

The sky's the limit at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog, and you have until the 14th of July to create and link up your cards and projects for your chance to win some awesome digis from the Scribbles Store. Hope to see you there!

Challenges I am Entering:

Worldwide Open Design Team Challenge - Anything made for DT Goes

Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes

Classic Design Team Challenge - Anything for a DT Goes

Eclectic Ellapu -  Anything Goes

An Inky Mess - Anything Mixed Media Goes

Altered Eclectics - Anything Mixed Media Goes

Art*Journal*Journey - Inspired by...(I live just outside Chicago, which borders quite a bit of one of the "Great Lakes", Lake Michigan. Seeing the boats docked and others with their sails unfurled inspired me to try acrylic fluid painting, matching it up with a digi image from Scribbles Designs)

Ike's World Challenge Blog is Inspired by Songs

The challenge this month at Ike's World Challenge Blog is to create something inspired by a song. You would think that a Star Wars-inspired image like this one would have been inspired by the theme song from the original movie, wouldn't you? Believe it or not, the inspiration for my altered art project came from an oldie but goodie - MR. ROBOTO. If you've ever heard this song, I know you've got it stuck in your head now. (you're welcome, LOL)
See/hear it here:

https://youtu.be/rcCS8AK6csg?list=RDrcCS8AK6csg

The image I used to create my altered tray comes from a digital set of 8 images called Sexy Star Wars and can be found at Ike's Art Store.  The song, the image and my latest dive into fluid acrylic painting has come together to create this "cosmic cell phone tray" (I'm always losing my phone). I didn't want to cover up the "intergalactic scene" my painting created, so I added just a bit of trim around the tray's edge and a few shaped paper clips.
Now, I've been told that I have a warped sense of humor, but do you get the pun intended? My phone is a Samsung Galaxy (not an I-phone but  an...) sigh, some people just don't like puns
While you're enjoying the song, get crafty and link up your project to Ike's World Challenge Blog for your chance to win a gift certificate to her store. You can listen to your own music, I won't force you to listen to this, but it is catchy, eh?
Have fun, crafters!

Challenges I am Entering:

Everybody Art - Recycle (vintage metal serving tray)

Shopping Our Stash -  Your Favorite Things (acrylic paints, puns, sci-fi themes)

The Path of Positivity Challenge is On!

I LOVE using color - bold, vivid, assorted - they make me feel happy. However, for my DT make, I followed the new challenge theme at the Path of Positivity and stayed with NEUTRALS. I was surprised at how easily my card came to life! The challenge has opened my eyes to a larger selection of colors. Of course, isn't that what a challenge is supposed to do? - open your eyes to new techniques,designs and patterns?

I colored up this digi image, called Black Cat 1, from A Day for Daisies. (If I had a hundred dollars, I would practically buy out the store, I so love these images) Wearing her crown, my kitty's sentiment made complete sense.

At the Path of Positivity, the focus is on NEUTRAL colors. Your project should be at least 51% of the overall color scheme. It doesn't need to be completely monochromatic so a spattering of other colors is fine. Just be sure that if you would like a chance to win the prize for the Most Inspirational Creation, over half of the colours in your project must be made up of NEUTRAL shades such as black, white, beiges and greys! The neutral shades can be in the colours you choose to fill your images with, and/or they can be in your choices of papers and embellishments. Just make sure that the majority of your project focuses on the varying shades of neutrals. We can't wait to see how you explore the theme in your designs!

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 for Most Inspirational. By the way, how does this month's color grouping make you feel; please share that when you link up your creation. You can write a sentence or two in the body of your post, write a sentence at the bottom of your post next to the link up for this challenge, or simply leave a comment on this post if you'd like.

Remember, in order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes, all creations must be positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature. You don't need to follow the optional theme if you simply want to have a chance at the Random Draw prize of a $12 gift certificate from A Day for Daisies, one of the guest sponsors this month. 

You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win an additional sponsored prize of the same three digis used by team members, provided by Mari Digis, the second of the guest sponsors this month, for the project chosen as Most Inspiring.

There you have it. Are you ready to jump out of your comfort zone? Try a card with a neutral color scheme for your chance to win at the Path of Positivity Challenge blog. I'll see you there.

Happy crafting! 

Challenges I am Entering:

2 Crafty Critter Crazies - anything Goes w/a critter

Ching-Chou Kuik - Cats or Dogs

Creative with Stamps - Cute ANIMALS

Fabrika Fantasy - Animals

Monochrome Magic - Monochrome or 

Monochrome with a TWIST of No Patterned Papers

Man Up with the 12 Months of Christmas Challenge Blog

My card today is created with non-traditional holiday colors. I colored my image, a digi from Sheepski Designs called Snow Happy, and popped it onto a very decidedly masculine background, which includes  one of the textured papers in Decosse's Dynamite Doodles' newest Paper Kit called Texture Time-Leathers 1. You like it? Link up two cards with the 12 Months of Christmas Challenge blog and you will receive one of the papers automatically. You even get to vote for which paper should be the one given away from the set!

It's time for another new challenge theme over at  the 12 Months of Christmas blog.       
Last month the focus was on the women in our lives and this month crafters are asked to give our men the special treatment--well, related to Christmas cards anyway.😉 This month, in over 105 different countries around the world, fathers are being honored during Father's Day. In fact, there is only one month during the year where there isn't a Father's Day celebration and that happens to be January. There is at least one country celebrating in every other month, with the two highest concentrations being in March and June. Since the focus is on dear old dad this month for many people, it just made sense to focus on masculinity for our theme. When you think of Christmas, what would it be like without a masculine touch?! As such, it is time to honor the men in our lives who do so much at Christmas time to make the occasion special.

That is why this month, in order to have a chance to win the prize from our guest sponsor, we want you to create a card that would be considered MASCULINE.  Now since many crafters have difficulty with masculine cards, this is the perfect opportunity to get some practice in and stretch those masculine Christmas card muscles. It is time to break out your Santa, elf, snowman, penguin and other images perfect for a card for a special man in your life. It is also an opportunity to bring out your stripes and plaids and grungy textures; give your blue, green and brown markers a workout; delve into your stash bag of twine and burlap or maybe even find some fun masculine elements as well. Whatever approach you take, as long as your card has a masculine touch, it will qualify. 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.

Keep in mind though, that you don't need to follow the theme to link up your cards and earn a free paper each month or for a chance to win the featured paper set. You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of three images from the SheepSki Designs store.     

 Décosse's Dynamite Doodles also offers one free digital paper to everyone who links up a minimum of two cards to the challenge. Cards can be anything goes for this prize, they only have to follow the theme if they want a chance at the sponsor's prize. The mini set of six digital papers yet to be made, will also be offered up as a prize to one random winner.

  Challenges I am Entering:

 Christmas Crafts All Year 'round - Non-traditional colors

Sheepski Designs -  Embellish or Clean & Simple

Make It Masculine at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog

Last month at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog, crafters were asked to "favor the feminine." This month the challenge theme is to "make it Masculine." I've been creating Thank You cards recently, and I am still a few short for an event I held recently. I got creative with a Scribbles digi image called #F 117 Life Preserver. I used Photoshop to create a scene from a photo of myself and a digi paper from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. After printing it, I colored my life preserver with Copics and added a few coastal bird 3D figures embellishments. The border is a digital element from Pixel Scrapper Melo Vrijhof's That Teenage Life Kit. 

 The scenic paper from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles is from her Chasing Rainbows Paper Kit.

My three photos are of my card folded, standing open and flattened open. And yes, I didn't have a more appropriate photo of myself, so that is a bottle of wine in my hand as I "flounder in the sea." Anyway, I know just who to send this card to...

There are two weeks left to link up your card or project, whether you create with the optional theme or not. Hope to see you at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog!!