The Ghost of Christmas Past Visits the 12 Months of Christmas Challenge Blog

The best part of Christmas is the memories of Christmases past. Charles Dickens hit it spot-on when he wrote A Christmas Carol, pulling Ebenezer Scrooge and his readers into the heart of Christmas with his spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Around my dinner table at Christmas, we a single place setting  for all those who can no longer celebrate with us. Memories of their laughter and love keep them alive every year.
This spirit of Christmas Past inspires April’s Optional theme of The Ghost of Christmas Past (a Vintage Theme) at the 12 Months of Christmas Challenge Blog. The guest sponsor is Luna Girl, a perfect match for this theme as you will see from the offerings of our DT.

I used an image from Luna Girl's Pink Christmas 2 Collage Sheet, along with the following papers from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles': Vintage Damask 1: Rich Colors Paper Kit in Green, Pink Glitterati Textured Paper and Brown Paper from A Grungy Christmas Paper Kit
The rest of the embellishments are from Carolyn's Scrap Creations and various crafters at Pixel Scrapper. 
The challenges are always ANYTHING GOES but there's always an optional theme. You don't need to follow the theme to link up your cards and 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 a $15.00 gift certificate from Lunagirl. Please add the letters FT after your name when you link your cards so that we know you're interested in that $15 Luna Girl prize and let the spirits inspire you to create a vintage Christmas card this month!

Vintage or Modern at Ike's World Challenge Blog

Welcome to 2017! The newest challenge over at Ike's World Challenge Blog is Anything Goes with a Twist. The twist is to create in a vintage or modern style. I chose to play with Vintage and since my craft room is still being held captive by the contractors, I colored (a little too brightly) my image digitally. Ooh, my fingers are itching to get to my craft supplies and color my heart out. Soon, very soon...
Meanwhile, I colored Ooh La La image and popped her onto some scenery paper from Marta Van Eck at Mischief Circus, and then had my way with all the lovely digital elements in my library. Image:  Ike's Art Ooh La La

Papers: Marta van Eck Cabinet of Curiosity #7, PixelScrapper Marisa Lerin Yesteryear Paper1.

Elements: Pixel Scrappers Melo Vrijhof Our Special Day Pearls 4, Christmas Day Gold Sequin Ribbon. All the Princesses Porcelain Rose 1; Janet Scott A Mother’s Love Cream Lace & Life in Full Bloom Painted Branch; Karry Dempsey Cracks Booms & Dots Flower 3 & Dirty McFilthy Vine 1; Pauline Thompson SLSB Ribbon 1 & Eroded Hues Glitter; Sharon Grant Fall Beach Vacation embellishment 4; Sheila Reid Little Green Leaf 
Font: El Capitan
My sentiment reads:  "The most beautiful makeup of a woman is Passion, but Cosmetics are easier to buy," a quote from Ives St. Laurant.
What's your style this week? Vintage or Modern? Whatever you create, please share it with us at Ike's World Challenges for your chance to win free digis. Ike offers free images with every new challenge post!! If you use one of them, your card or project counts for two entries in the drawing for a gift certificate to Ike's Store!
See you there!

Golden Wedding Anniversary

 I was commissioned to create an anniversary card for a friend. Her friends are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary later this month. Wow! That's a log time being married to the same person. So I had to make a card worthy of their evidence of love for each other. I am not the best "florist", maybe because I have allergies and they sometimes "leak" into my crafting. But today I think I brazened past my subconscious barrier and created a nice spray on my card.

Of course, the sentiment is very important for this very special occasion. I found one on Pinterest and framed it before adding to the inside of my card. I embellished with gold, jeweled rings, and the tiny white box is for my client's signature.
So, a chunky card needs a box envelope, so I pulled out my Ultimate Crafter's Companion and Envelope Creator to make it. Below is the front of my card with a detachable tag.

 Here is the back of my box envelope. The flap has a small Velcro fastener to keep the box closed.

So there is my commissioned card for a 50th anniversary celebration. Everything I used came out of my stash, which follows my 2016 crafting resolution of using up my stuff. My favorite find is the gold button with chain swag that covers the Velcro fastening.
Now I hope my friend is as happy with the card as I am!

Challenges I am Entering:

613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes/Optional twist: pale, pastel
Crafting When We can - Inspired by a Song - Endless Love
Crafty Calendar - Anything Goes

Finding Beauty on the Path of Positivity

Today's project is an inspirational album with the theme of Beauty. Each page ends with the letters in the word BEAUTY. Each also holds a lovely vintage image from the Romance 2 Sheet from Luna Girl, as well as inspirational words to help us find the peace that comes from recognizing our own beauty. I used my Zutter Bind-It-All for the first time!

Above, closed.

The altered book as the pages are opened:

  

 

 

 

Here are the opposing pages for each:

 

 

 

 

As we walk the Path of Positivity this month, we look for beauty along the way. The theme of Beauty is open to any thoughts, cards, art or other projects that incorporate that theme. This month the challenge blog is sponsored by Luna Girl

                         and Sami Stamps

Many people (like me) do not feel beautiful. They feel ordinary. Sometimes it takes somebody to love you before you feel beautiful. That somebody sees you and sees inside you. He or she sees your inner beauty as well as your appearance, and they understand that looks fade, hair grays, wrinkles appear, but a beautiful soul remains intact. And the love they feel for you will be stronger for loving all of you. I just wish that we could love ourselves as strongly as others love us, so that we can truly see the beauty we own.

Do you feel beautiful? Do you want to make beautiful things? What kind of beauty do you discover in your life? Create something that relates to Beauty and link it up with the Path of Positivity challenge blog this month.

PRIZE INFORMATION:

• A $12 gift certificate from Sami Stamps, one of our guest sponsors this month, for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• A $15 gift certificate from Lunagirl, 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:

• 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:

Luna Girl - Spring Flowers & Birds (and using Romance 2 Sheet)
Alphabet challenge blog - A is for Anything PINK
Fussy & Fancy - Bingo Grid (see Blog)
(I used the items from the second horizontal line: something old/embellishments, something new Zutter Bind-it-all, lace, pearls)
Open-Minded Crafting - Use Something New (Zutter Bind-It-All)
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes Mixed Media only
We Love Vintage challenges - Anything Goes with Lace
Dream Factory - Pretty Woman

Having Fun with SLS Lines at Craft Your Passion

Hello, crafty peeps! Today I created my DT card for Craft Your Passion using an image from SLS Lines, this week's sponsor. She's called Art Nouveau Girl with Flowers and can be found HERE.
I tried to give my card a vintage look with shades of pink and brown, embellishing with flowers, pearls and lacy borders. I don't do vintage often, so I am still stretching my comfort zone.
Are you in a rut? WHat's a technique or tool that you have wanted to try or improve upon? Give it a shot this week, and share with us at Craft Your Passion challenge blog. It's always Anything Goes there!!

QKD Card Is the Bee's Knees

I am loving the vintage images from Queen Kat Designs this month.  This image is digital and called Douglas and Emma, designed by artist Beverly Cowan.
I decided to make a triptych, which is a "set of three."  Instead of coloring the images with all colors of Copics, I colored the entire boxed image in one solid color, adding a little more depth to her dress and his suit.  For a little more highlight, I added diamond Stickles to her dress.  I framed them with black card stock.

I used a sheet of American Crafts paper from the Take A Note stack for the background, distressing the edges with ink.  After placing my images, I added a string of pearls (from a broken necklace), and a bit of lace for the top.  In the bottom corner, I shaded part of a paper doily with coordinating colors and stamped the sentiment using another QKD image from the Birthday collection.  I added some contrast to the patterns in the doily with black gel pen.

For a finishing touch, a threw on some sequins for extra sparkle.  Looking for vintage images?  The QKD Shop is the place to find them!  If you need some inspiration, visit the QKD Facebook page as well. You never know what crazy contests and prizes you'll find there!

Putting on the Ritz QKD Style

Everything is copacetic when you're using a fabulous image from Queen Kat Designs.  Here, I made a mixed media wall art that is now hanging up in my craft room.  I colored the QKD digi with Copics.  The image is called Emma and Douglas, designed by the talented Bev Douglas.

I started with an oval piece of wood and Mod Podged some patterned papers onto it.  Next layer included the colored image and sentiment.  I printed it on my computer.  Before I embellished with the flower and pearl flourish, I used Distress inks to age the edges of my scene.

It's a very simple project with a great presentation, and it took me less than half an hour from start to finish!  I have been dabbling in mixed media canvases and wall art for the last several months and really love it.  It's the "bee's knees."

Have you tried it yet?  It's a lot of fun, and plenty of YouTube Tutorials out there.