Sheepski Designs Sponsors the 12 Months of Christmas blog

I don't know about you, but this last Christmas depleted my stash of Christmas cards. So once again I need to build it up starting NOW, so I don't have to rush toward the end of the year. My first holiday card of 2019 features a digi image from Sheepski Designs called Snowboardin'.

Sheepski Designs is the guest sponsor at the 12 Months of Christmas Blog,

 where the theme is Anything Goes and the optional TWIST this month is"Anything but a Rectangle". I don't normally like making a circular card, but this cute snowman inspired me to create my DT card today. After coloring him with Copics, I used dimensional tape to pop him onto my paper and framed it all with a paper doily.

My embellishments are simple. I used a border die to get the tiny snowflakes that I placed around my snowman. Then I used some Stickles to give them and the background some shimmer. Finally,  I used white flocking powder to circle around the edge of my paper circle.

At the 12 Months of Christmas Link-Up Blog, you don't need to follow the twist to link up your cards and earn a free paper each month or for a chance to win THREE images from this month's sponsor, Sheepski Designs. BUT if you DO follow the twist you'll have a chance to win this month's featured digital paper pack, Candy Cane Flavors Mini Kit. So start that stash for Christmas 2019 and don't forget to link up at the 12 Months of Christmas Blog.

Challenges I am Entering:

Crafty Gals - Snow Much Fun

Cute & Crafty Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes

The Sisterhood of Crafters - Make it Sparkle

Card Mania - Baby It's Cold Outside

Christmas Crafts All Tear 'round - Let It Snow

Merry Little Christmas - Anything Goes

Sparkle n Sprinkle - Anything Goes w/loose glitter, embossing powder or flocking

Finding Friends on the Path of Positivity

This month at the Path of Positivity Challenge blog, we are centering on Friendship. Have you visited the Path of Positivity yet? It is "... a different sort of challenge blog designed to inspire, nurture and provide support for the soul by creating a positive path to follow, one project or post at a time! ALL kinds of projects are welcome, as long as it is positive. We hope you will follow each month's theme, which is general enough to fit most projects. For instance, using this month's theme of Friendship, you can create a get well or thinking of you card; a sympathy card for a friend; even a handmade gift for your BFF.
I created a card this time around to remind you that not all friends walk on two legs. I have several friends whose lives are pretty solitary, except for that BFF who always knows when they're in need of a snuggle or a brisk walk. By the way, BFF here means Best Furry Friend!

My card uses an image from Sparkle N Sprinkle, this month's sponsor. The image is called Paw Prints. My card is for one of the friends I mentioned above. As a special bonus, there is a detachable bookmark with that fun-loving dog on it. My friend not only loves her dog, but also loves to read, so I think she'll love it, don't you?

Let's get to the details of the challenge:

SPONSOR & PRIZE INFORMATION: 

Sparkle N Sprinkle is the sole sponsor for the main prizes of this challenge. They are offering up two prizes for this challenge, which will be:

• $15.00 worth of digital images for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• $15.00 worth of digital images for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.

There will also be:

• A small selection of digital designer papers from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky person who leaves a comment on posts published during the challenge time-frame.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

Challenges I am Entering:

Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes

Critters & Creatures - Anything animal goes

Pun Intended at Ike's World Challenge Blog

I love a good pun, the kind of one-liner or punchline that makes me groan out loud. I got so exited when I saw that the challenge theme this fortnight at Ike's World Challenge Blog was "Pun intended." So excited that I created not one, not two, but THREE punny cards for this challenge.
My first card showcases a digi image called Labrador Stick from Ike's Art Store. The sentiment reads: "A dog gave birth to puppies near the road"
 Get ready to groan---

Did I get you?! I hope so! Now it's your turn to hit us with a pun. You can find some great ones online, or make up your own. My favorite is this one:

The past, the present and the future walk into a bar...

It was tense.

Of course, that's the English Major in me. LOL
See you over at Ike's!!

New Challenge at Craft Your Passion Challenge Blog

This week's sponsor at Craft Your Passion is Fabrika Fantasy. Today I created a mixed media canvas on a piece of wood I scavenged at my local thrift store for 99 cents. I colored the digi image called "Wise Dragon." I love to read and suffer (gladly) with a condition called  Abibliophobia. It's the fear of running out of reading material!! LOL
I primed my wooden canvas and then added a background I created on glossy cardstock with alcohol inks. Amongst my scene is a bit of recycled Christmas card and leftover diecut evergreens; several buttons and a couple bits of jewelry; a balloon brad, butterfly brad and a gorgeous wood-cut corner-piece that I colored with coordinating Copics.
My Wise Dragon is sitting pretty on my canvas, don't you think? I decided to color him rainbow so he wouldn't disappear in my scene. I snagged my quote from Pinterest. I seem to find most of my quotes and sentiments from there and the Quote Garden lately. How about you? Where does your "sentimental" inspiration come from?
But enough about me! Now it's your turn. It's always Anything Goes at Craft Your Passion challenge blog, so link up your projects this week for some awesome prizes from Fabrika Fantasy. And as always, crafters, have FUN!

Challenges I am Entering:

Altered Eclectics - Anything Mixed MEdia Goes
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes
Let's Color Saturday Linkie Party - Anything Goes w/something colored

Spring Puts Music in My Heart

I love to listen to  music, especially when I craft. I have an old 2nd generation iPod with pver 1200 songs and jam while I ink, sing while I stamp, and croon while I color! That's why I love this gorgeous digi image from The East Wind for my DT card for Craft Your Passion challenge blog.
The East Wind is this week's guest sponsor, and my image is called Spring Melody.
Craft Your Passion offers weekly challenges that are Anything Goes, and I took the theme to heart. I used leftover patterned paper from my stash, then popped my Copic-colored image onto my card front after framing it with a die-cut paper doily. The circles of musical notes have been punched out from more leftover papers, while I printed and punched out my sentiment. A sprinkling of "negative" die-cuts from the doily embellish my card, along with a few golden yellow pearls.
Now it's time to get your Anything Goes mojo to work and come play at Craft Your Passion's challenge this week!!

Challenges I am Entering:

Sister Act challenges - Anything Goes

Cute Card Thursday - Summer Colors

CMD challenge blog - Movie/TV show inspired (Ich mag den Film Pitch Perfect und nicht kann warten um die Fortsetzung zu sehen)

Anything Goes at Craft Your Passion

Today brings some uber cold temps (I went to work at 0 degrees) and a challenge from Craft Your Passion to warm your creative spirit. This week's sponsor is Bugaboo Stamps and I got to play with Ava Deacon Friends.
I used colors I normally don't work with-purples, yellows and greens, but I really like the way it turned out. I embellished with several die-cuts, a few jeweled flowers and a pretty 3D butterfly, and colored my image with Copics.
A simple card, simply made, took ten minutes to put it all together because all I had to do was reach into my stash!
Come play in Craft Your Passion's newest challenge for your chance to win!!

Other Challenges I am Entering:
Crafting Muskateers - Cute
Shopping Our Stash - The Big Screen (movie inspiration is My Girl)
The ABC CHallenges - D is for Die-cuts I used 4!
Paper Creators - Love is in the Air
That Craft Place - Movie Inspired - My Girl

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!

Happy Easter!

I've been on Pinterest quite a bit lately, but I have also been OFF Pinterest, creating my own art using inspiration found on the site. This type of card caught my eye, so I knew I had to make one for this week's challenge at Squigglefly. I like the unusual folds and the way it looks both closed and slightly open.
I took a 5x12" piece of cardstock and scored it at 2", 4", 8" and 10". I folded in at 4" and 8", and folded out at 2" and 10". That's the base.
I used a Squigglefly digi image called Easter Tree by artist Carmen Gamble.  I colored it with Copics, distressed it with Tim Holtz Distress inks and popped it onto cardstock that I diecut with my Epic Six. I attached the whole thing to the left
panel of the front of my card.

Here's a better photo of the lovely Easter Tree image.
You can find lots of inspiration at the Squigglefly Challenge blog, where the challenge is to make an Easter-themed card. If you use a Squigglefly image ( there are freebies at the Store) you have a chance to win a prize!

I am also entering this card in the Outlawz Monday Greeting Card Challenge (Happy Easter theme).

Here's another card just to show you how easy it is to create this multi-folded card.  It isn't an Easter card, but it uses the Squigglefly image called "Dove" by artist Diana Garrison.

I made it for a dear friend of mine, who today celebrates his 25th anniversary of being ordained a priest. He is a great preacher, awesome counselor and has saved my soul numerous times. Congrats, Fr. Steve!

Nothing Like a Good Read

Santa (and my family) was very good to me this Christmas.  I got some cool crafting supplies, like the Spellbinders die with which I cut my Squigglefly digi image called "A Good Read Maddie" by artist Cheryl Grant Alger.

Isn't she cute?  After I colored her with Copics and used my Epic Six to diecut her, I decided that she would make an awesome bookmark.  I made a corner tuck bookmark.  Here's what the bookmark looks tucked in to save my page.

And another present I received was a book.  I love distopian stories like Hunger Games, and the book I received is another great series.  In fact, the movie from the first book is coming out later this year.  Here's the cover:

I was so excited to receive it.  It is the final chapter of the Divergent series, where society is centered around factions that display specific behaviors and when children reach a certain age, they are required to choose the faction that matches their "aptitude" test, or to remain in the faction in which they were born.  I've read Divergent, Insurgent and now I have Allegiant!
What did you receive for Christmas?  This week's Squigglefly challenge is to make a project using or showing something you received during the holidays (and of course a Squigglefly digi image).  Could be your week to win!!

Snowgal with Rose Wishes You a Merry Christmas

Today I strayed from the tried and true Christmas colors of red and green.  I have a passion for all shades of teal, so my Christmas card sports those shades in my patterned paper background, as well as the snowflake diecut behind my image.

Speaking of images, this is a December new release from Squigglefly called Snowgal with Rose by the lovely Pamela Lehto.

The sentiment is also from Squigglefly, which I framed with coordinating cardstock after giving it some winter pizzazz with a snowflake border punch.  I used the tiny punched snowflakes to decorate my card, along with a string of pearls.  Simple but pretty.

I'm entering my card into this week's Squigglefly challenge, which is simply to make a Christmas card with a Squigglefly image. Now it's your turn.  Go play at the Squigglefly Challenge Blog for your chance to win a free digi!