It's Christmas in July at Catch the Bug Challenge Blog

Bugaboo Stamps is celebrating Christmas in July this week. While it may be difficult to think Christmas when the temps here in Chicago topped 100 degrees for the last few days, creating with the winter holiday in mind kept cool thoughts in my head.
Bugaboo Stamps' Christmas in July  Day 1 Theme is to choose from three movies to create a project.

                                 

I chose "A Charlie Brown Christmas" to inspire me to make my card. While my tree isn't the biggest or fullest tree compared to the others, just like Charlie Brown;s tree, it is decorated with love. I used a Bugaboo image called Merry Christmas Tree. After coloring my tree with Copics, I photographed it and printed it directly onto some scenic papers from Ina Prade of Eena's Creations. I used a font called Hotline Bling for my sentiment inside the card, which reads: 

                   "May your Christmas be decorated with love"

Throughout the Bugaboo challenge, the list of prizes is below:

PRIZES:

1st Place - 7 Free per month for 6 months ($126 value) Must Participate in all Challenges

Free Bugaboo Christmas in July images

4 month Guest Designer Term

2nd Place - Must Participate in all Challenges

$50 Gift Certificate

Free Bugaboo Christmas in July images

3 month Guest Designer Term

3rd Place – Must Participate in all Challenges

$25 Gift Certificate

Free Bugaboo Christmas in July images

2 month Guest Designer Term

Daily Challenge Winners-

Our Normal 10, 7, 4 image winners daily!

Christmas in July Image Freebies—Daily Winner 

**Exclusive Christmas in July Freebie Set**

(will be in store for sale July 23rd)

Make sure to stop in at Catch the Bug Challenge Blog for your chance to win free digis. And if you want more chances to win, pop over to the 12 Months of Christmas and be sure to link up your holiday card there, as well!

Challenges I am Entering:

Shopping our Stash - Christmas in July

Christmas with the Cuties - Going Green

Cute & Crafty - Christmas in July

The 12 Months of Christmas - Optional theme PLAIDS

Clever Packaging for Excess Embellishments Gifts

 I am on a mission to make my craft room usable, which means I need to sort, organize and clean out my "stuff". All my tiny embellishments are now sorted and lying in wait in drawers that I assume would usually be for nails, screws nuts, etc. And the excess, although it really doesn't free up a lot of room, had been put into a pile. The question was, do I donate it or do I gift it?
While skimming/surfing on Pinterest, I was reintroduced to crafting with match boxes. Perfect! Big enough to alter yet small enough to fit just the right amount of embellies into. So off to spend $2 at the dollar Store and a minute to empty all the boxes of the sticks. I had 24 little boxes that I decided to craft into tiny suitcases, as summers are usually when families go on vacation. Using a brown paper bag cut into the necessary pieces for my project, one sheet of brown cardstock was more than enough to create the straps, handle and corners of my bags. I printed some very cool, very tiny travel stickers also found on Pinterest to decorate my luggage.

So here are some of my matchbox-turned suitcase creations. Soon they were on their way to a local Card Club meeting where members create 18 cards (or other projects, all according to a schedule) to swap with each other. My tiny suitcases were a hit, and the projects I brought home were amazing little bits of inspiration.

Challenges I am Entering:

Altered Eclectics - Anything mixed media/altered art Goes

ART*JOURNAL*JOURNEY - We're All Going...

(We're all having fun, on holiday, in the pink, feeling blue, blooming,crazy, to the beach, park, etc)

Fabrika Fantasy - Summer

Bleeding Art - Anything mixed media/altered art/collage Goes

World Wide Open Design Team - Anything Goes

Summer is Sizzlin' at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog

My DT make today highlights friendship and summer fun. The Scribbles images that I used are slightly transparent and are behind and to the side of the words.Those images are called  #54 To the Beach, #848 Flip Flops. The designer paper is also from Scribbles Design, part of the collaborated effort of Scribbles and Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. The paper is from the set called DDD SD Sizzlin' Summer, Burt patterned paper. Aren't those rubber duckie flotation rings quirky?

What could be better than drifting in the cooling water than with a friend? Sizzlin' Summer happens to be the Scribbles Designs' challenge theme. In order to win any prizes, your project must feature some summer lovin' in some way. I'd love to see you at the main blog, so don't forget to link your project for your chance to win free digis from the Scribbles Designs Store.

Challenges I am Entering:

Paper Shelter Sponsors Your Scrapbook Place

It's that time of the month to get crafting at Your Scrapbook Place, This month's Anything Goes challenge is at its mid-point, and I thought you might like a little inspiration. My card features a digi image from Paper Shelter, the guest sponsor.
The image, called Hippie Chick, was colored with Copics and gel pens. I used to have a guitar case just like that one, stickers included. This digi sure brings back some good memories! I dug deep into my stash and pulled out a piece of leftover paper with the iconic peace symbol.
You have until the end of the month to create ANYTHING and link it up to Your Scrapbook Place challenge blog. Good luck and happy crafting!

Challenges I am Entering:

The Cutie Pie - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

CraftyHazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything Goes w/pp

The Creative Crafters - Anything Goes

It's All about the Gingham at Ike's World Challenge Blog

Tie again for a new challenge at Ike's World Challenge Blog, where the optional theme this month is Gingham! I found a sweet piece of gingham patterned paper that inspired me to create a new baby girl card. My daughter is at that age where many of her friends are getting married or having babies, so I know this card won't last long in my house.
I used New Baby digi image from Ike's Art Store, coloring it with Copics. I dug into my folder of baby stickers and found this adorable clothesline sticker that frames my image perfectly. I went over the top on the theme by adding a gingham bow to my card!
Whatever you create, be sure to link it to Ike's World Challenge Blog for your chance to win free digis from the store like the one with which I created!

Challenges I am Entering:

A Place to Start - Anything Goes

Crafty Friends - Beginning with B (Baby)

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Papers - Anything PP Goes

Creations in Pink - Anything with mostly pink Goes

A Plaid Christmas at the 12 Months of Christmas blog

Hello, crafters! My DT make today is for the 12 Months of Christmas. Their challenge twist this month (which is optional) is Christmas Plaids. I used some lovely papers from Decosse's Dynamite doodles for my card, and an paw-some, I mean awesome, digi image from this month's sponsor, Ike's Art. It's called Waiting for Santa, which I thought made the perfect sentiment for my card.

I printed the uncolored image onto a Decosse's Dynamite Doodles' paper from the set below to create an outdoor scene for my cats to look out on.

Once it was printed, I colored the image with Copics and gel pens. How do you think my carpet turned out? I used 4 different markers for that! Once I was finished coloring, I framed it with red cardstock (not really-I'm out of red! so I colored white cardstock with my red Copic marker) and popped it onto my Christmas plaid paper, also from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. This is from the set below. 

I hand lettered my sentiment since my printer decided to run out of ink, and wouldn't you know it, I bought the wrong cartridge series, so I got to practice my calligraphy. A little bit of lace, some jewels and a bow complete my card.

Although the Twist is Christmas Plaids, 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 a gift certificate from Ike's Art. You do, however, have to remember to link your card up with the 12 Months of Christmas blog to get your chance of winning prizes. Challenge ends the end of the month, so good luck and have fun!

Challenges I am Entering:

2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Critter Goes

Crafty Animals - Anything Animal Goes

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Papers - Anything PP Goes

Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes

Double Trouble - Christmas in July & Make It Square
Sheepski Designs - Early Christmas

It's Cool to be Square at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog

Today marks the halfway point of the challenge at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog. The theme is to Make It Square. Since America's Independence Day is literally a few days away, I created this card to celebrate the holiday.
I used #a87 Peek-a-boo digi image from the Scribbles Store. After selectively coloring my kitty with gold glitter pen, I used my Copic marker to draw the red stripes on a piece of white cardstock to frame him. The sentiment is from a Stampin Up rubber stamp set I've had for almost 20 years!
Scribbles Designs has a lot of adorable images, and when you link up your card or project to the main blog, you'll have a chance at winning free digis from the store. Good luck and happy crafting!

Challenges I am Entering

Always Fun - Patriotic
Classic Design Team - Anything DT Goes
Crafty Animals - Anything Goes
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes
Creatalicious - Anything Goes w/optional Spots or Stripes
Worldwide Open Design Team - Anything Goes
Corrosive Challenge- Anything Goes