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Sunday, November 21, 2021

Who Knew?

 Hi all! The current challenge at Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers, which is N is for Naughty,  inspired me to actually make this card - I'd had the Santa already put together and I had the sentiment on my desk for ages, but the current challenge was the push I needed!


I covered a white card base with patterned paper from DCWV Red & White Christmas paper {doesn't show on their website, but it is available online if you HAVE to have it}; and then I used Hero Arts Infinity Nesting Circle dies to cut the checkered paper from the same.  I used a circle I had left over from my Joy Ornament I made, so that is what I stamped the sentiment {from Riley & Company Funny Bones; I bought a ton of them recently so they will be showing up a lot!} on.  Like I said, Santa, which is from Frantic Stamper, was already made - I just added some googly eyes. I attached everything and added some beautiful bubble gems from Trinity Stamp.  There ya go! 

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers, #198 - N is for Naughty
Stamping Sensations - Christmas
International Art & Soul, #122 - Winter
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas, #569 - Christmas
Happy Little Stampers Dies Challenge - Anything Goes w/ Dies

 


 



Thursday, November 18, 2021

Joyful Wishes

This card was so easy but looks so elegant!  Honestly just took a few die cuts and it was finished.  I love the color combination of blue and white and use it more often than traditional winter holiday colors.  Hope you like it!

 

Detail
The dies I used are from Creative Expression, Sue Wilson's' Festive Collection, Layered Snowflake Background.  It fits perfectly onto a square card. I cut the background out of a dark shimmery blue card, then the snowflake out of white shimmer then off-white shimmer.  I used just a portion of the off white flake, filling in some of the outer points of the white snowflake just to give a bit of interest.  The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp and was also cut out of the white shimmer card.  I added some gems from Trinity Stamp, put the snowflake onto the background with some dimensional dots and the card was finished! It's a stunning card in person, with the shimmer card and the gems; difficult to capture as those of you who take pictures of cards know.  I do hope enough of the beauty comes through.  Thanks for visiting! Christi

I am entering my Joyful Wishes card in the following challenges:
Try it on Tuesday - Make it Magical
Sweet Stampers, #62 - Christmas
Dies R Us, #181 - Anything Goes
Dragonfly Dreams - Nov. Challenge - Christmas
All Sorts, #650 - Christmas
Crazy for Challenges, #610 - Die Cuts Only
Wednesdays Creative Inspirations - Nov Challenge Wonderful Winter/Feeling Festive

Thursday, November 11, 2021

Shake some Joy

 I saw the November challenge at Hero Arts {Stay Crafty with Hero Arts, #29} is Holiday Tags. I had just gotten the Snowflake Medallion so I was eager to use it.  I hope you like my Shake some Joy take on the challenge. 

 


I started by cutting out the snowflake medallion from this lovely dark blue shimmer paper {that is really difficult to see in the photos} and set it aside.  I used the Infinity Circle dies to cut out about 8 frames that I made by taping 2 of the circles together, glued those on top of each other.  I used the largest circle to cut out some acetate and the bottom.  I filled my tag with shaker mix Winter Lady from Picket Fence, glued the snowflake medallion onto the acetate, then that onto the little well I had made with the frame. Lastly, I used the word Joy from the Joy Stamp & Cut set and cut that out of silver glitter card.  I inserted some ribbon in between the layers so the tag could be put onto a gift and/or used as an ornament.  Oh and I used a gem from the Picket Fence gem mix Moon Shadow over the dot of the J in Joy. 

It really didn't take that long to make; the hardest part was doing all the figuring so everything would work together, I'm not the best at that sort of stuff. It's very sparkly and I'm very pleased with the final product. Thanks so much for stopping by! Christi

I am entering my tag/ornament into the following challenges:
Stay Crafty with Hero Arts, #29 - Holiday Tags
A Blog Named Hero {On Instagram Only} - Glitz
#abnhnovemberchallenge
Creative Craft Cottage Challenge, #146 - Add Some Sparkle
The Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge, #105 - Anything Goes
Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge, #3 - Anything Goes
Merry Little Christmas Challenge Blog, #40 - Anything Goes
Craft Rocket Challenges, #87 - Winter/Snow
Sparkles Monthly, #145 - Shaker Card {not a card, but it is a shaker!}




Wednesday, November 10, 2021

It's Your Own Asphalt

 Yes I think it is time for just a bit of snark - I can only handle so much holiday stuff, especially this early! I think that soon there will never be any time off from families making cookies and wearing matching PJ's while the snow softly falls in the background. . . I don't know about you, but that wasn't my holiday experience!  But I will save that for another time. I made this card to save my sanity. 

 

It's a very simple, yet effective, card.  I used Ink Road Stamps Roadies V11 to make the card, I stamped the scene on some watercolor paper, colored it with Zig Clean Color Markers and then cut it out with Stitched Nesting Squares from Tutti Designs.  I then attached the scene onto the white card base, stamped the sentiment under the scene with my favorite black ink and I was done.  And I feel a whole lot better.  Hope you get a chuckle from the card ~ fondly, Christi

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers, #197 - R is for Rude
The Corrosive Challenge, #11 - Anything Goes
HLS Watercolor Challenge - Anything Goes
Pammie's Inky Pinkies, #2145 - Anything Goes
NBUS Challenge, #32 - Anything goes with new Stuff (entry 2)






Friday, November 5, 2021

Winner of the CLBH Giveaway!!

Looking for The Gift post?? Click HERE




Drumroll. . . . or should I say purrs. . . .

Mr Random chose the number and the winner is:

JANIS

 @ HerPeacefulGarden.blogspot.com 

 


 

That's right!! Our beloved organizer of the CLBH {Janis said I started the trend of calling the Cat Lovers Blog Hop {frankly, it was a LOT to type out LOL} so I am keeping the tradition going!!}

I have emailed Janis and I hope you all pop over to her blog and leave her some congratulations love!

Thank you ALL for taking the time to read all of my CLBH posts - I KNOW it can get to be a bit daunting and I appreciate each & every one of you 💗💗💗

River of Creativity's November Challenge "The Gift"

Hi all!! I took this month's challenge at River of Creativity literally and made a gift :) I don't exchange holiday gifts with my family, my mother is blind so she can no longer appreciate my art {and she has more clothes than she can wear!}, my brother, well, he's my brother and while he will admire what I make he really couldn't care less and my sister has become my biggest cheerleader.  I made this shadow box for her as she decorates for the holiday {I mean it looks like every holiday icon has thrown up in her apartment}.  Since we have so many cats I no longer decorate for the holidays - if I like something it stays up all year long and most of that is not really in the spirit of the winter festivities.  Anyway, I made this little shadow box as a gift, hence it fits the challenge :) I hope you have made something that fits the challenge; we are fairly easy and if you are stuck these prompts might help: the gift of your art, your love or just sharing appreciation for the changing season.


I began the box {that I found in a big box store for, get this, .99!! You can get yours by following this link} by getting a piece of packing foam and cutting it down to the size of the snow drift I
wanted in the box.  The material I used isn't Styrofoam, it has some give to it and it

isn't as dense; plus {BIG PLUS} you don't get all those little pills everywhere from cutting it. Once I had the piece in the right size I literally slathered it with Multi Medium Matte just using my fingers.  I then used "snow" I purchased from the Dollar Tree.  I set that aside to dry and painted the box white, waiting overnight for them both to fully set and dry.  Once the box and the hill were dry, I glued the hill into the box and added the blue sky using a dry brush and Blue Violet Opal Magic Paint.  Next, I added the trees {also a Dollar Tree purchase}, the trees came on little wooden circles but I just unscrewed them so I used just the tree. I made the little house out of cardstock using the dies from this Lawn Fawn set, and the sentiment is also from Lawn Fawn.  I had all the little sparkly and clay snowflakes in my stash as well as the snowflakes on the sides of the sentiment; they were actually buttons and I just snipped off the shanks! 

I hope my sister likes her gift; I am sure she will, and if she doesn't, she won't tell me LOL. I also hope I have inspired you to join us for the Gift challenge at River of Creativity - we happily take ALL crafts! Hope to see you there ~ Fondly, Christi 

I am entering my gift to the following challenges:
TTCRD - Anything Goes
The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
Country View Challenges - Christmas Gifting
Moving Along with the Times, #136 - Anything But a Card (entry 2)
Classic Design Team Challenge, #11 - Anything Goes
Pearly Sparkles Challenge, #68 - Merry Christmas
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Any Holiday Occasion
Lawn Fawnatics, #112 - Make the Sentiment the Star


PS: If you'd like to see my other Shadow Boxes, here is the Fall one {it lights up!}
and here is the Halloween one :)



Thursday, November 4, 2021

Happy Birthday!

 I can never have too many birthday cards in my stash and I was in a coloring mood so I pulled out some Mama Elephant stamps, some dies and my Zigs.  This is what I created:


What I Used to Make my Card:
White Mini Slimline Base
Watercolor Paper {I use this}
Zig 
Clean Color Brush Markers
Gina K Amalgam Ink Pad in Obsidian Ink
Mama Elephant The Birthday Bash Stamps
Mama Elephant The Birthday Bash Dies
Simon Says Stamp Happy Birthday Die, #SSD111778
Gel Pens
Purple Glitter Card

Once I had made the mini slimline card, I had stamped the stamp on watercolor paper, colored and cut the image out. I wanted the gifts to be the focal of this card so I colored the critters with some light colors; colored the gifts with some vibrant colors and the ribbons with sparkly gel pens.  I attached the image onto the card and proceeded to search for the perfect sentiment. I have quite a few sentiment dies and stamps but I always have to search for what I feel matches the tone of the card. In this case I wanted the sentiment to be happy, bright and fun so I chose the die and cut it out of purple glitter card.

It took me quite a while to color the card as I had to wait for each portion I water colored to dry before moving on to the next.  I can't even tell you how many things I have ruined by not having the patience to let the markers dry!  It is something I am trying to work on and it helps when I have more than one {maybe 5 or 6?} project going on so I don't lose my mojo and get bored.  I love all the sparkle in this card and I think it is the perfect birthday card!  Thanks for stopping by! Christi

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Krafty Chicks, #584 - Stamp Act
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Thinking of You
Watercooler Wednesdays, #328 - All About Occasions
Critter Crazy Challenge, #56 - Featuring Critters
Dies R Us, #180 - Anything Goes w/ Dies
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Any Holiday Occasion
AAA Birthday Challenge, #31 - Animals
Inspiration Station, #17 - Animal Antics


 

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Paper Funday with CAS-ual Friday Stamps!

 Hi all! Welcome to my monthly design team post for Paper Funday.  Since I am not skilled at using digi stamps I typically don't use the products that our sponsors give us to play with but this time we are sponsored by CAS-ual Fridays and I got to play with a set I've had for a while.  Remember, our challenge is always anything goes, with an optional twist and this month the option is Thanks/Grateful.  I am thankful and grateful for coffee, so my card fits both using the sponsors products and the optional theme!  

I used a white card base and cut out a brown border using a die from Lawn Fawn.  I stamped the sentiment using the CAS-ual Friday Coffee Talk stamp set using my favorite black ink and the word coffee using Hero Arts Cocoa Ink {I received the ink in a My Monthly Hero kit and it isn't available separately right now} right on the card.  I finished by cutting the coffee cup out of Your Next Stamp's paper pad Crazy for Coffee {if you look close you can see there is a tiny coffee bean with the word coffee circling it that makes the pattern - too cute!} and the coffee out of light brown card.  I popped the cup up with dimensional dots and added some iridescent pearls I had in my stash. 

You still have plenty of time to join in and play with Paper Funday this month - who knows, you just might win some goodies! Thanks so much for stopping by & see you soon! Christi  

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
CAS on Friday, #217 - Coffee
Ellibelle's Corner - Use Die Cuts and/or Punches
Allsorts Challenge, #648 - Add a Sentiment
Creative Fingers Challenge, #218 - Anything Goes
A Bit More Time to Craft Extra - Anything Goes
DL Art - Anything Goes

CAS on Friday's Inspiration Photo


 

Fall Light Up Shadow Box

This is the 3rd Shadow Box I've made in the last 2 months and I am having SO much fun getting messy and creative! When I first started stamping I was much more involved in mixed media than I am now and it's a blast to get back into some 3D art.  I LOVE this wall hanging and it was really easy to make so let's get started on the details!

I added full sized pictures of both the unlit and lit boxes at the end
of this post if you want to see them full sized.
Plus in this photo they are a bit blurry to me but I can't seem to get them crisper.

The back of the box
I used one of these small {5" x 5"} wooden shadow boxes that I found in a well known large craft store - they also had some other sizes - and the price was so good, I bought a bunch of them {which is why I've made so many in such a short period of time - I am positive there will be many, many more to come}.  This time I broke out the hot glue gun; which I am NOT proficient at, but I rarely use it.  I started by figuring out how the lights would work around the outside of the box and once I had the spacing down, I hot glued them all around the box.  There were two left over but I just snipped them off.  I got the lights at the Dollar Tree store and I think I need to go back and get some more 'cause I think they are just adorable being shaped like little leaves.  I did drop the entire string and cracked the case the batteries go in so that it wouldn't close anymore, but I quickly fixed that with a twist tie.  I like that you can turn the lights on or off with just a switch.

Next I needed something to fill in around the lights so I used Lawn Fawn's Fall Leaves Backdrop;  I just used the leaves that are extras, not the actual frame.  I cut two of each leaf in a bunch of colors I found in my scrap box, and then cut the acorn stems out of dark brown and the acorn bodies out of Kraft.  I also used the hot glue gun to attached the leaves all around and I can now see why everyone loves these guns.  The glue sets SO fast and I had no issues with attaching the leaves to the bumpy wire that I bunched together between the leaves that light up.  Once I was done with the frame, I added berry garland that I also found at the Dollar Tree; I just left it in the circle it came in instead of unwrapping it.  Lastly, I used Kelly Alpha Lower from Pinkfresh for the word fall.  I chose red for the sentiment since I feel it stands out a bit more.  While I try to make most of my 3D art able to either sit on a shelf or hang this one needs to hang on a nail about 1 1/2" away from the wall to accommodate the power box on the back.  I think next time I will try to put it on the frame and hide it.  I probably could of done that here but as usual I didn't know what I was going to use for what.

I hope you like my little shadow box!  Like I said, I had SO much fun making it! As well as the others I've made.  I'm glad I bought a bunch of them!  Now if I can find room to set up my Silhouette machine I just might make some signs next :)  Thanks so much for stopping by & see you soon! Christi

Thanks again!!

I am entering my project in the following challenges:
We Love to Create, #11 - Anything Goes
Mix it Up Challenge Blog, #55 - Anything Goes + 3D project
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Any Holiday Occasion
Challenge up Your Life, #141 - Interactive
Moving Along with the Times, #136 - Anything but a Card
NBUS, #32 - Everything is new except the Alphabet :)
Creative Friday, #293 - Anything But a Card