Tracy's Christmas Card Challenge 2010

I feel so far ahead of the game today, since I completed the first month of Tracy's Christmas Card Challenge and added 5 cards to the stash! I also used up some of my materials, which makes me even happier. The quicker I use it, the quicker I can replenish :) This month's challenge was to make easel cards and a 3-d project.

I chose to use these cute little elf images that I received as a RAK (sorry I don't remember when or from whom they came). They are colored with Bic Mark-It markers and the snowballs are puffed up with puffy paint. The papers are Chatterbox Holiday Sprinkles and the card stock colors are Real Red, Certainly Celery and Basic Black. I need to install the Photoshop Elements that I got for Christmas so I can edit the photos more effectively!

My 3-d project is this simple little hexagonal box which is decorated with the same papers. The ribbon is from my stash and on the box it acts like a little hanger for the box if you wanted to hang it on the tree filled with treats. Can I mention how hard it is to cut hexagons, though? Yikes! That's why there are only two layers on top...

I'm off to finish some other things before going out tonight. Adult conversation! Food I don't have to share! Ordering only for myself!! Imagine...

Thanks for looking!

On A Roll This Week

It's only Wednesday, and I got the Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge done. Yippee!! Usually I'm scrambling on Sunday morning to make the deadline :)

This heart has been glittered and sitting on my desk for a few weeks now. It didn't make the cut for another card I was working on. Today it was perfect! I put it together with the letters from MFT's Bling Bet, which are decorated with adhesive pearls. The papers are from the DCWV Spring Stack - the paper pack that will never die, no matter how many cards I make! The pink and green card stocks are from my scrap pile.

As always, Carter has sensed when I'm trying to post and is waking up from a nap. I swear he has a sixth sense about the phone about to ring, the kettle about to boil and the tasks I just want to quickly finish up! I hope you are all having a good day. After getting him up, I'm off to find some heat source for a muscle pull in my shoulder. I can't twist to the left without pain. Great fun when picking up a baby and driving...

Thanks for looking!

Another Junior Birthday

Still trying to use up that American Crafts Junior paper... But I've also been able to put a dent in the amount of Summer Sun cardstock I have, too. I never know what to do with those Bold Brights! Do you have other ideas?

This card is for the other boy whose birthday party we are going to on Sunday. The sketch is from CPS, and the images are SU! Toy Box. I had lots of ideas for the CPS sketch this week, and you may see it more in the near future.

While Carter naps I'm going to try to tackle more crafting. I'm feeling the mojo this week, just am running short on time. Have a good day and thanks for looking!

Everything Old is New Again Challenge 2

Please excuse the poor quality of this photo. We are having a horribly gray and rainy day here and there is not one spot of good daylight in my house! I wanted to get this posted early in the week, though, since I missed the deadline with the challenge last week :(

I love this new challenge set forth to use up the stash!! I am truly trying to do just that this year. So far, I haven't been in a craft store (or shopped online!) in about 3 weeks or so. Feels good to be putting that money in savings rather than crowding my already crowded stamp room. For the background, I pulled out a floral from CHF that I HAD to have and have never used. The flowers in the center are from my stash and the sentiment was in a bunch of stuff I won from Angel the year before last. The lace and button are from my grandmother who is slowly cleaning out her bits and bobs from years of sewing. She passed on some trim and buttons to me and I'm going to send this to her to thank her. I threaded thin black ribbon through the lace to make it stand out a bit more.

Today I'm going to get my craft on! DH stayed home this morning and we enjoyed a breakfast out at the local diner. It was very nice to spend some time with him and actually have a conversation! I hope you are having a brighter day than we are here, weather wise. Take care and thanks for looking!

More January Birthdays!!

As I'm about to type "I never have enough birthday cards on hand" I realize that I can say that about any occasion. So that means I should really work on my stash, doesn't it?? I made this card using Mary Jo's Monday Lunchtime Sketch #105. The papers are American Crafts Junior, the leftovers from Justin's birthday party invitations. I still had a full sheet of each pattern, so you may see them a few more times in the near future as I try to use it up! The main image is from SU! Party Hearty and the sentiment is from CHF Birthday Centers. Birthday Centers is my go-to birthday set for inside and outside my birthday cards.

Well, Carter calls so I have to wrap this up. Have a good rest of the weekend. Thanks for looking!!

A Day Late and a Challenge Short

I have been thinking about the new challenge, hosted by the Allison and pals, all week. The challenge is called Everything Old is New Again and you are to use an old stamp set that has been collecting dust for a new card. Well, I have plenty of those stamp sets on my shelf and it was fun to revisit them!



Here are the cards I made, even though I missed the deadline. Justin has been invited to two birthday parties over the next two weekends, and they are both for 2 boys each. So I am in need of 4 birthday cards for boys ranging from 6-8 years old. I used Nice & Easy Notes, and some old dp that's been hanging around in my collection. I also bought these alpha brads ages ago and decided to use some of them up. I did discover in this process that I don't have many sets for this age group. Lots of my sets are very girly. So much for my resolution to not purchase anything new this year!!

On another note, I went to a Stella and Dot jewelry trunk show the other night. Have you seen this jewelry? It's so pretty!! I usually only wear my wedding rings, another ring from DH and my Tiffany diamond pendant, but I got myself some new stuff. Couldn't resist. It has already shipped and I should be getting it next week! Yippee for spending money on me :)

I hope you are all getting ready for a good weekend. DH is on another trip and will be home tomorrow. He was home this week on Thursday. That's it. It doesn't get any better till March! Thanks for looking!

Double Duty Project

Well, I finally had some time to spend in my stamp room while DH was home yesterday and this morning. I've had Valentine ideas floating through my head for weeks now, and I'm happy to be creating again! This set uses the Monday Lunchtime Sketch from Mary Jo at Techno Stamper, along with the Beloved Challenge from Joanne at Just a Little Something... Joanne's challenge was to use any of hte following: Pearls, Bling Bet by MFT, Pure Innocence Stamps by MFT, Machine Sewing or watercoloring. I recently bought Bling Bet and this was the perfect way to break it in. It is such a fun alpha set, with limitless things you can use to fill in the dots on the letters! I used Liquid Pearls to fill mine on both the card and the photo clip. The dp is from MFT, too. The sentiment on the Valentine card bottom is from Studio G and the tiny tag sentiment is an A Muse Sparkle Stamps set. For the letters on the photo clip, I clear embossed them on brown Bazzill stock to make them stand out a little more. It also gave them more structure and they stuck really well to the clip with some Tombo Mono Multi glue. Ribbons are from my stash.
I'm off to steal more time before DH leaves on another business trip. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and thanks for looking!

More Thank Yous

I'm STILL behind on making Thank You cards. We are very lucky to have such loving and generous family and friends!! This one went out from Justin for a few more holiday/birthday gifts. I like this image (though don't know what company it's from) because it's not only for Christmas. Winter images are fun for more than Christmas!!

The layout is from the last issue of Sheetload of Cards. Papers are American Crafts and image is colored with Prismacolor pencils and blended. The snowflakes are from some snowflake confetti I bought a couple years ago - there are a TON of them in the package!

Things are going to get crazy around here over the next few weeks as DH starts to travel for work again. I think he's gone about 3 weeks over the next two months :(

I hope you are all doing well. Thanks for looking!

Holiday Thank You Cards, Part 1

These adorable snowman images were in my stash from a RAK last year, and as part of my "use the stash" goal, I colored them up for our holiday thank you cards. I colored them with Prismacolor pencils blended with OMS. The ice skating image has glaze on the ice. If you recognize these images, please let me know what company makes them!
The layout of the card is from the last issue (sob) of Sheetload of Cards. I will miss Sheetload, as it was a great way to make a bunch of cards at once. With this layout, I made 12 cards!
I have more to share, just need time. This has been a busy week for me, running errands and getting back into the routine of laundry and housekeeping and cooking real meals after being lax over the holidays. Poor Carter hasn't had a good nap in two days because we've been running around doing returns! I can't believe it's already Friday, but TGIF! DH had to get up at 3:30 this morning for a business call and Carter was up 3 times last night. Justin is exhausted from his first week back at school, so hopefully tomorrow will include family nap time :)
Happy Friday to you all. Thanks for looking!

Wall Art on the Cheap!

Here are some canvases that I made for Carter's room. I started these in July, so I don't know why it took me almost 6 months to complete them. The last steps were just to seal them and hang them. The hooks were already in the wall, even! But on New Year's Eve, I finished them...

So simple, but they look really cute on his wall, and match the brown, blue and green sheets we have in rotation in his room. I will have more to post in the days to come, as I get back into a routine. DH was off for the week between Christmas and New Year's and we just puttered around the house. New Year's Day I took Justin into NYC to go to the Museum of Natural History, which was amazing and exhausting. Now it's back to just me and Carter home during the day, and we are still working on a nap schedule.

I hope you are all having a Happy New Year so far :) Thanks for looking!