Deck the Halls Birdbrain

Hello, everyone!  I'm back!  My mojo is slowly returning and today I have a card to share. Before I get started, I would like to welcome my newest follower - Maarit N. Perrson - so happy to have you here!

My card features the November Stamp of the Month from From the Heart Stamps called Deck the Halls Birdbrain. This is a progressive challenge so I received this image for free because I participated last month. I coloured the image with Prismacolor pencils and added glitter along the snow.

I followed this week's sketch at i {heart} sketches:

 

I die-cut the image into a circle shape, mounted it on a red circle, and popped it up with foam tape. I wanted the circle to look like an ornament, so I made a hanger by adhering gold washi tape to a small piece of white cardstock and then die-cut the ornament hanger shape (Elizabeth Craft).  Then I tied some bakers' twine to the hanger. For the base of the card, I followed the sketch and made a pattern with washi tape on strips of green cardstock and layered onto a red panel.  I stamped the sentiment from Sugar Pea Designs - Sweet Treats and finished off the card with a few red sequins.

I would like to join the following challenges:

1. Beccy's Place A Month of Holiday Cards - Day 25 - Use a freebie (the image was free) UE
2. From the Heart Stamps Stamp of the Month
3. From the Heart Stamps i {heart} sketches See sketch above
4. Jennifer Grace's Frosty Festivities - Be Inspired I was inspired to cut the ornament top from washi-tape-covered cardstock by Jennifer's post here.  
5. Papertake Weekly Take Your Pick (I used red and green, glitter, and bauble shape) 1/5
6. Pixie's Snippet Playground  The red, green, and white cardstock were all snippets! 1/3
7. Rudolph Day November 1E C10
8. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday AG 1/5
9. Simon Says Stamp Work it Wednesday Make a Holiday Card 1/3
10. The 12 Months of Christmas Link-up Sparkle (glitter on snow and sequins) 2/3

Thank you for looking at my card! Wishing you a joyful day!

Gingerbread Cookies - Last Post for Awhile

Hi, everyone!  This is my last post for a while.  I've been struggling to find my crafty mojo so I'm going to stop trying so hard, have some patience, and maybe it will come back on its own like it did last time it went missing. In the meantime, I did find some inspiration to make a card and coordinating tag!

Have you checked out the fun event over at Beccy's Place? Beccy is having A Month of Holiday Cards, with inspiration every single day! I was inspired by Day 3 - Digital Images, Day 9 - Create a Scene, and Day 12 - Kraft Cardstock, Beccy is giving away lots of free digis for linking up your cards and even for commenting. Thank you, Beccy!

I decided to use Beccy's Gingerbread Set that I won at her event last year. I love the Gingerbread House and all the adorable cookies!  I went with the precoloured images since my urge to colour has vanished. I enjoy fussy-cutting, so I cut all the images and even the words!

For the card, I began with a kraft card base and heat-embossed a snowy sky with Simon Says Stamp Falling Snow stencil, Versamark, and white embossing powder. I die-cut the snowy hills with Poppystamps Stitched Landscapes and added Elizabeth Craft Warm Diamond glitter along the snow. I affixed the house, gingerbread man, and words with foam tape, and adhered the other cookies directly onto the card. Lastly I added twine tied in a triple-looped bow (American Crafts).

My tag was inspired by Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags, specifically Laurel Beard's tag on Day 10. I liked the gingerbread theme and the kraft tag base.

The tag was made with MFT Stitched Traditional Tag Stax but I trimmed off the bottom using partial die-cutting to make the tag smaller.  I added a punched hole and tied some DL.ART Vintage Vinyard Crinkle Ribbon (thank you, Diana!).

I would also like to join the following challenges: A Snowflake's Promise AG Christmas 3/3; Allsorts Anything but a Card (tag) 1/3; Aud Sentiments Bingo and Sentiment (heat embossing, rubber stamp or digi, die cut) 2/5; Brown Sugar No Patterned Paper 1/2; Clique Kits November AG 3/3; Come and Get It Winter Holiday 1/3; CRAFT Christmas 2/5; Craft Rocket November AG 3/3; Craft Your Passion Always AG 3/3; Craftin' Desert Divas Make it Sparkle (glitter added to snow) UE; Crafting By Designs November AG 1/3; Crafts Galore Encore Use a Stamp or Digi 3/3; Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra AG Christmas UE; Creative Card Crew Sprinkle (used embossing powder and glitter) 1/3; Creative Fingers AG 3/3; Creative Inspirations AG Option Sketch UE; Crimbo Crackers Kraft or Buttons UE; Cut it Up Inspired by a Book, Movie or Song: Gingerbread Land 1E; DL.ART November AG UE 1/D; Hiding in my Craftroom Super Scraps Saturday (scraps used for tag and snowy landscapes) 1/3; Inspiration Destination AG UE; Jo's Scrap Shack AG 1/3; Just Keep on Creating November AG UE; Lil Patch of Crafty Friends AG 1/3; Little Scrap Pieces Show it Off Saturday 1E; Natalie and Amy's Winter Scenes 3/3; Not Just Cards November AG UE; Paper Temptress Facebook Group Christmas No Red or Green 2/2; Paperbabe Stamps AG 1/3; Pile it On Any Holiday Celebration UE; Pixie's Snippet Playground Snippets used for tag and snowy landscapes 1/3; Robyn's Fetish Wet or Dry Embossing (I used heat embossing for the sky) 1/3; Send a Smile 4 Kids Happy Holidays 4 Kids 3/3; Sparkle N Sprinkle AG with Loose Glitter, Embossing Powder, and/or Flocking UE; Sparkles Christmas Christmas Decorations (Gingerbread House) 1/3; Sparkles Monthly Anything but a Card (tag) 1/3; Sweet Stamps Monthly Anything but a Card (tag) UE; Sweet Stamps November AG UE; The Corrosive Add a Sentiment 3/3; The Outlawz Sunday CAS Christmas Non-Traditional Colours (tag) 1E; The Ribbon Girl Use Any Image; The 12 Months of Christmas Sparkle Sparkle Everywhere (FT - glitter along snow) 1/3; Winter Wonderland Christmas Candy 1/3; Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment 3/5;Your Scrapbook Place AG 3/3

Thank you for looking at my card and tag!  Wishing you a joyful day!   

Harvest Basket

Hello, everybody!  Before I share my card, I would like to welcome a new follower - Narobe Hisa - Natasa P - thank you for joining me! If you would like to leave a comment with a link to your blog, I will pop in for a visit.

As for today's card, I am still struggling with no crafty mojo! With that in mind, my goal this month is just to get my progressive challenge projects completed. This is the third one, so I have one more to go! The image is called Harvest Basket and it's the November Digi of the Month over at Imagine That... digis by Kris. Since I participated in the progressive challenge last month, I received this month's digi for free. 

I printed the pre-coloured image but my ink cartridge is very low, so I ended up colouring over it with Prismacolor pencils. I fussy-cut, popped up with foam tape, and affixed to a stitched Gift Tag (Top Dog Dies).

Most of the pieces on this card were left over/recycled from a previous project so it gave me a headstart. The orange panel is embossed with Darice - Leaves Assorted Pattern. The die-cut leaves are from Impression Obsession Small Leaf Set, and the burlap is from Michaels.  I added some seam-binding ribbon that I won from Little Scrap Pieces (thank you, Karen!), a metal leaf charm, and a cute puffy squirrel sticker. I heat-embossed the sentiment (Clearly Besotted A Little Sentimental) in white on a purple scrap and rounded the corners.

I would also like to join these two challenges: 
DRS Designs Thankful/Thanks UE
Pink and Main Thanks/Gratitude 1/3 C3

Thank you for looking at my card! Wishing you a joyful day!

Polar Peace Tag

Hi, everyone!  Today I have a tag to share. I have been inspired by Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags, specifically Gayatri Murali's tag on Day 3. I like the background she made with distress inks.

I was also inspired by Jennifer Grace's Frosty Festivities - Be Inspired challenge. On her November 3 inspiration, Jennifer used ink blending on her layout, and I've used ink blending to create a sky.  

The image is called Polar Peace and is this month's progressive challenge image at Deedee's Digis. Since I participated in Deedee's challenge last month, I received this month's digi for free! I coloured the image with Prismacolor pencils and fussy-cut.

I began by die-cutting a tag using MFT Stitched Traditional Tag Stax and then created a snowy sky with Simon Says Stamp Falling Snow stencil, Versamark, and white embossing powder. I inked the tag with Milled Lavender, Wilted Violet, and Chipped Sapphire Distress Inks (thank you, Becca at Damsel of Distressed, for my new Wilted Violet!). I adhered the image to the bottom of the card and inked the edges of the water with Broken China Distress Ink.  I heat-embossed a sentiment from Poppystamps You Melt my Heart in white on a black scrap and hand-cut a fishtail on each end.  I added a die-cut snowflake (Impression Obsession).  I used a hole-punch at the top of the tag and tied seam-binding ribbon (thank you, Karen at Little Scrap Pieces!) and baker's twine (American Crafts).

I would also like to join the following challenges: A Snowflake's Promise AG Christmas 2/3; Aud Sentiments Bingo and Sentiment (heat embossing, rubber stamp or digi (both), die cut) 1/5; Clique Kits November AG 2/3; CRAFT Christmas 1/5; Craft Rocket November AG 2/3; Craft Your Passion Always AG 2/3; Crafts Galore Encore Use a Stamp or Digi (used both) 2/3; Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra AG Christmas UE; Creative Fingers AG 2/3; Creative Inspirations AG Option Sketch UE; Crop Stop Linky #10 (distress inks sold at Crop Stop here) 1/5; Cupcake Inspirations Tags 2/3; Cute Card Thursday Birds/Animals UE; Die Cut Divas Warm and Cozy (the scarf is keeping the polar bear warm and cozy) 2/4; Digi Designs Tic-Tac-Toe (Die-cut, Digi Image, Hand Colouring) 1/3; DL.ART November AG UE 1/D; Incy Wincy Winter Activities 2/5; Inspiration Destination AG UE; Julia Spiri AG Add a Sentiment 1/3; Just Keep on Creating November AG UE; Lil Patch of Crafty Friends AG 2/3; Natalie and Amy's Winter Scenes 2/3; Not Just Cards November AG UE; Paper Temptress Facebook Group Christmas No Red or Green 1/2; Papertake Weekly Christmas Critters 2/5;Penny's Paper-Crafty Use 3 of Something (3 words in sentiment) 2/3; Pixie's Snippet Playground Snippets used for tag and sentiment 2/3;Send a Smile 4 Kids Happy Holidays 4 Kids 2/3; Sweet Stamps November AG UE; The Corrosive Add a Sentiment 2/3; Wags n Whiskers Not a Square 2/3; Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment 2/5;Your Scrapbook Place AG 2/3

Thank you for looking at my tag! Wishing you a joyful day!

Warmest Wishes Tag

Hello, everyone!  I have an update to share with you. The contractors for our insurance repairs have delayed the job until next April!  We've already been waiting since March!  I was very disappointed when I first found out but also relieved that we didn't have to move out of our house (yet!). My mojo has been missing for weeks, so I haven't been doing much crafting, but I plan to get my progressive challenge projects completed early this month, and hopefully my mojo will return soon!

Before I share my creation, I would like to welcome two new followers - Caroline B. and Jade Morrison - thank you for joining me!  If you would like to leave a comment with a link to your blog, I will pop over for a visit.

Today I am sharing a tag!  I have been inspired by Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags, specifically Lindsay Amrhein's tag on Day 1. I like the winter scene on her tag.

I was also inspired by Jennifer Grace's Frosty Festivities - Be Inspired challenge. On her November 5 inspiration, Jennifer used digital overlays on a winter scene photo, and here I've used a digital image on my winter scene.  

The cute little Mug Bear is this month's progressive challenge image at Gerda Steiner Designs. Since I participated in Gerda's challenge last month, I received this month's image for free! 

I coloured the bear with Prismacolor pencils, fussy-cut, and popped up with foam tape.  I die-cut a tag using MFT Stitched Traditional Tag Stax and inked the sky with Tumbled Glass and Broken China Distress Inks. I added Fran-tage to look like snowfall.  I die-cut the snowy landscapes with Poppystamps Stitched Landscapes and stamped a sentiment from Stampin' Up. I punched a hole using a punch and added American Crafts baker's twine.

I would also like to join the following challenges: A Snowflake's Promise AG Christmas 1/3; Brown Sugar Tag You're It 1/2; Clique Kits November AG 1/3; Craft Rocket November AG 1/3; Craft Your Passion Always AG 1/3; Crafting Musketeers Anything but Square 1E; Crafts Galore Encore Use a Stamp or Digi (used both) 1/3; Crafty Catz Winter 1/3; Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra AG Christmas UE; Creative Fingers AG 1/3; Creative Inspirations AG Option Sketch UE; Crop Stop Linky #10 (distress inks sold at Crop Stop here) 1/5; Cupcake Inspirations Tags 1/3; Cut it Up Sweets for my Sweet 1E; Cute Card Thursday Food or Drink UE; Deep Ocean Coffee, Tea or Cocoa UE; Die Cut Divas Warm and Cozy (hot beverage on a cold day makes me feel warm and cozy) 1/4; Digi Designs Tic-Tac-Toe (Die-cut, Digi Image, Hand Colouring) 1/3; Digital Delights AG 1E; DL.ART November AG UE 1/D; Doodle Pantry AIMPDC11 Any Digi 1E; Fresh Brewed Lots of Lattes 1/5; Gerda Steiner November 1E; Incy Wincy Winter Activities (drinking hot beverage to stay warm 1/5; Inspiration Destination AG UE; Just Keep on Creating November AG UE; Lil Patch of Crafty Friends AG 1/3; Little Scrap Pieces Show it Off Saturday 1E; My Whmisical Little World AG 1E; Natalie and Amy's Winter Scenes 1/3; Not Just Cards November AG UE; Papertake Weekly Christmas Critters 1/5; Penny's Paper-Crafty Use 3 of Something (3 snow drifts) 1/3; Pixie's Snippet Playground Snippets used for tag and snow drifts 1/3; Send a Smile 4 Kids Happy Holidays 4 Kids 1/3; Sweet Stamps November AG UE; The Corrosive Add a Sentiment 1/3; The Outlawz Monday Greeting Keep Me in Stitches 1E; Wags n Whiskers Not a Square 1/3; Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment 1/5; Your Scrapbook Place AG 1/3

Thank you for looking at my tag! Wishing you a joyful day!

New Cat Lovers Challenge (Free Cat Digi)

Hello, everyone!  I am popping in quickly to let you know about a brand new challenge starting in December, and it's all about cats!  In fact, it's only about cats!

Snowie approves!

The name of this challenge cracks me up every time I see it!  If you love kitties as much as I do, then you will want to head over and check it out!  Be sure to join as a follower so you don't miss anything! Oh, yes, there's a free cat digi over there too!

Here's the link:

Show Us Your Pussies - Cats Only Challenge

Thank you for visiting my blog! Enjoy your day!

Cat Lovers Hop Ends Today (Kiwi Rose Garden)

Hello, everybody!  This is my last post for a while... I'm going back on my blog break! Before I share my card, I would like to welcome my newest follower - gailknapton - thank you for joining me!

I mentioned yesterday that Janis at Her Peaceful Garden surprised us by extending the Cat Lovers Hop - it's open until tonight!  You know I couldn't resist joining one last time, so I am sharing another card from my "Honeydew and Kiwi Collection." Actually I could share a few more (it is a set of 12), but I will save some for next time!

Today's card features Kiwi in the rose garden!  I started by stamping the roses (Micheals) in black on a white card base. Next I stamped Inspiration Words (Laura Ashley for Image Tree) in grey on a scrap/snippet of patterned paper and then trimmed with decorative-edge scissors. I stamped the same roses on an orange snippet, tore all around the edges, and adhered. I fussy-cut Kiwi from a photo and popped him up with foam tape. I finished off the card with a 3-D butterfly sticker and a strip of black gems.

If you hurry, you can still join the Cat Lovers Hop! 

I would also like to join the following 3 challenges:

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper November UE

Jo's Scrap Shack AG 1/3

Pixie's Snippet Playground Snippets of orange cardstock and patterned paper 1/3

Thank you for looking at my card! Wishing you a joyful day!