Ring in the New Year by Paying It Forward

I made a New Year's resolution to Pay It Forward by gifting several people with little somethings throughout 2015, people who signed up to do the same for several other people. Because what the world needs now is little daily kindness, coming out of the blue with no warning and given in the spirit of the joy of giving.

So today I made a gift for my daughter. I'm so proud of her, as she just mailed out a manuscript for a writing contest. Her dream is to become a published writer, eventually supporting herself by her writing. She also dabbles in mixed media, water colors, and art journals. So I created a project to remind her that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, or, as the front says, Creativity is her middle name.

 I used a digi image from Simply Betty Stamps called Artist London. The canvas in the image is blank so that you can write, print or stamp any sentiment you want. After coloring her with Copics, I used Stickles on her bandana. After going a tad crazy with pearl flourishes and flowers, I popped it all on an easel-style note holder.

Now my daughter can write down those fabulous ideas in the middle of the night when they come to her, and she can get on with writing the next American Novel!!

Challenges I am Entering:

PaperTake Weekly - Anything Goes w/optional twist (gift for my daughter)
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Wonderful Wednesdays - Anything Goes
Creative Moments Challenge Blog - Anything Goes/New Beginnings (new year resolution)
Scribble & Scrap - Always Anything Goes

Kiss Me It's Christmas (almost)!

A while back, Betty of Simply Betty had a birthday bash and offered up a couple freebies on her Facebook page. I managed to snag this lovely and finally got a chance to give her some life.
Her name is "Kiss Me Betty" and I've used her on one of the last Christmas cards of the year. She looked like the type of girl who would like green hair-I think she looks good in green, don't you?
This card is a Z-fold card, with a holiday sentiment inside. I'm finished (I hope) with all my shopping and my cards and groceries (I'm hosting dinner). I just need to get my turkey for the big day!
How about you? Are you exhausted or full of excited energy? Are you finished shopping or just starting?

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.