Reflecting on the Challenge at the Outlawz Monday Greetings

Welcome to another challenge at the Outlawz Monday Greetings blog. Today most of us can really feel winter coming on, and as Halloween is now behind us, our hearts (and muses) turn to the holidays. I have much to be thankful for, especially around Christmas time. I want to share that good feeling so I am trying to finish off my stash of cards to send out by Thanksgiving.

The theme for the challenge this week is Christmas Reflections, which means to use mirrored or super shiny embellishments in your cards and projects. Remember, it can be anything, as long as it has a sentiment or greeting on it.

This week's sponsors are SLS Lines and Poppyseed Graphics. I used a pretty little image called Christmas Elf from SLS Lines for my Christmas swing card. 

 My sentiment reads: Christmas is coming, it's almost here- With Santa and presents and good will cheer
Besides the small round mirrors I've framed with a ribbon and a jeweled flourish, I found a scrap of lace, a flower and a ribbon bow in my stash to embellish my card.

While the card looks awesome all closed up flat, it makes a great presentation when open as well, don't you think? Since this one is a tad bulky, I'll give it out on Christmas Day when my family is all together.
Now it's your turn to add to your (hopefully) growing stash of holiday cards to gift to others. Embellish with mirrors and shiny stuffs for our theme and link up with us at the Outlawz Monday Greetings challenge this week.
Psst, want a heads up for the challenges in the week's to come? Here they are:
November 9 - Use Stitching on your project
November 16 - Use the color Fuschia
And as always, crafters, have fun!

Challenges I am Entering:

World Wide Open DT challenge blog - Anything Goes

the Sisters of Craft - Anything Goes

Scribbles Designs challenges - Fancy Folds or Shapes

Anything Goes at Your Scrapbook Place

Happy November, crafters! Today starts a new challenge at Your Scrapbook Place challenge blog. Our sponsor is Sweet Pea Stamps, and we are sad that the store will close very soon. There are so many talented artists whose images have brightened our days. Look for them on Etsy and Facebook.
Meanwhile, I created a card using  an image from Sandra Caldwell, one of my fave artists from Sweet Pea.The image is called Three Stooges. These guys were my hubby's favorites when it came to slapstick and guaranteed laughter.
Which makes my sentiment perfect for my card: "A good time to laugh is any time you can"
The challenge at Your Scrapbook Place runs the full month of November, and has an Anything Goes theme. So get crafty and link up with us for some fun, inspiration and a chance to win free prizes!!

Do, Do That Voodoo, That You Do So Well

I love Progressive Freebie challenges, don't you? Once you start, there's nothing stopping you from getting a year's worth of free digis as long as you create with each digi and post it.
Which is exactly what the Outlawz Progressive Freebie challenge is all about! This month we have a sweet digi from the master of macabre, Rick St. Dennis.

The image is called Voodoo Man and I framed him in a Halloween-themed shadow box with goodies from my gruesome stash. Those embellishments include charms, stickers, glitter, handmade flowers, a few Dollar Store snags, even a feather! I love Halloween in all its cuteness, its candy-liciousness, its spookiness and, as seen above, its grotesqueness.
Come visit us at the Outlawz Progressive Freebie challenge. Hopefully our projects and cards will inspire you to join in the fun (and free digis)!

All Hallows Eve

We've reached the midway point in the Halloween challenge over at Ike's World Challenge blog. My DT project is a piece of Halloween decoration using Skellie Gossip, one of my favorite images from Ike's Art.
The base is a 7x10 inch piece of wood. I stained it before adhering patterned papers to "set" the scene, followed by my fussy-cut image (very time-consuming but worth it, I think). I pictured them in a bar setting, relaxing after a long night of spooking kids and adults alike, yet playing it safe since it is, after all, Halloween night.
I added some moss and string stuff I snagged at the Dollar Store last year, allowing a few creepy crawly spiders to hang with the boys. I love decorating for Halloween, and have posted this as well as other projects on my Facebook Page, Patacake's Paper Play.
Like Halloween as much as I do? Be sure to create and link up your project at Ike's World Challenge Blog for your chance to win!!

Challenges I am Entering:

City Crafters - Creatures of the Night

Fan-tastic Tuesday challenges - Anything Goes w/a twist: Halloween

Inky Chicks - Halloween

Crafty Boots challenges - Autumn/Halloween

Pop Open a Good Book

Good evening, crafters! I'm a little late in showcasing my DT make for the Outlaw Greetings challenge that started this morning. The guest sponsor this week is Crafty Sentiments

and I got to play with this cute digi image called "Daydreaming." I decided to make a bookmark after coloring and fussy-cutting my guy. After all, reading opens up a lot of ideas for daydreams!

I used red & white striped paper to make my popcorn box, and a magazine pic for the boy's background before putting it altogether on a green base. My sentiment (a necessity for any challenge at the Outlaw Monday Greetings) is inspired by the popcorn, and I used a brad to form the letter O in POP. A paper clip and ribbon finish off my project and now it's your turn.

The challenge this week is ANYTHING GOES!!

Too Cute to Spook

Today brings a new challenge to Craft Your Passion challenge blog. Guest sponsor is Aurora Wings, and I got to play with "Young Witch with Cat." I can't imagine this little witch cooking up concoctions and creating havoc with her spells, can you? She looks too cute to spook!
I again dipped into my never-ending supply of leftover papers and embellishments to create this fun Halloween card. The stars and spidery border are felt and foam, and I had a piece of a black jeweled flourish to help frame the image.
I colored her with Copics, then Stickled the edges and popped it onto some coordinating cardstock, and that completes my card. I have as much fun making Halloween cards as I do Christmas cards. Really, I think it's more the change in seasons than anything else. I seem to always be ready for changes in temps, colors and smells when it comes to seasons, especially when we Fall out of Summer.
We're celebrating Halloween with my granddaughter Bella and have planned pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating and of course crafting throughout her visit. I can't wait!!
Meanwhile, it's always Anything Goes at Craft Your Passion challenge blog. You can find inspiration both at the challenge blog, as well as at the Aurora Wings Etsy Shop. Stop by and link up your project this week!
Challenges I am Entering:
Cards in Envy - Trick or Treat

Be Alert, Be Brave, Be Resilient at the Path of Positivity

Today is the midpoint of October's challenge at the Path of Positivity. The theme is RESILIENCY, and the challenge runs from Oct. 5th to Nov. 1st.

Our guest sponsors in October are Ike's Art 

and The Stamping Boutique (TSB)

Besides inspiration from the DT, we are very fortunate to have for our guest DT member Hanne from Handmade by Hanne.  Hanne has been playing along at the challenge blog when she is able to.  We've seen many of her wonderful projects throughout the year. Please be sure to check out her blog when you enter your project this month.

Before I go into my card details, here are this month's PRIZES:

• A $10 gift certificate from Ike's Art, one of our guest sponsors this month, for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• 2 images from The Stamping Boutique (3 if you use a TSB image), 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:

• One digital designer paper (made to order in a couple different ways) from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky person who leaves a comment on posts published during the challenge timeframe.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

Now let's take a look at my new card!!

After printing my The Stamping Boutique digi image, called Smoochie- Halloween Scene, I colored her with Copics, adding some shimmer and shine, then cut her out and framed her with Halloween-themed paper. Since my "frame" was a little smaller than my image before adhering, I cut around her broom on both sides.

For embellishments, I tied bakers' twine around the frame and under my image and added s few black Skittles.

I printed my own sentiment in Photoshop. It reads: If at first you don't succeed, Fly, Fly again. I thought this was the perfect sentiment to use during our theme of Resiliency. After all, being resilient doesn't mean curling up in a ball and quitting, but adapting to changing situations.

I am working very hard at being resilient this month, as I am in a rock and a hard place at work. I must make choices and be aware of opportunities when they present themselves for improvement at my job or elsewhere.

So, my card has a secret message to all who are struggling during the everyday and not-so-everyday stresses of their lives. Be alert, be brave, be resilient!

How do you interpret RESILIENCY? Create a card, project or post that describes this attribute in a positive way. Then link it up with the Path of Positivity challenge blog for your chance to win those awesome prizes listed above. 

And as ever, crafters, have fun!

Challenges I am Entering:
Artistic Inspirations challenges - Anything Goes/Halloween

Cards in Envy - Trick or Treat

Get Creative challenges - Halloween Colors

Our Crafty Corner - Anything Goes/Getting Ready for Halloween

The Crazy Challenge blog - Orange, Purple & Green

The Stamping Boutique challenges - Use Purple, Orange & Black