Guest Designer at the Four Seasons Challenge

 I am so excited to be the Guest Designer at the Four Seasons Challenge for this month.  

Here is the Mood Board for this challenge.  I can't wait to see what you create with this! This is my card - hope it feels Fall to you!

I had made this background of leftover glitter paper quite a while ago but have been saving it since the colors speak fall to me; the glitter is crisp and the colors are so pretty! I stuck strips of the various glitter card to a piece of plain white card then cut it out with a stitched scalloped slimline die.  That was attached to a white slimline card. The sentiment is cut from 2 different dies; happy is from Elizabeth Dies (the die is discontinued, but if you do a search you can find it - item number is 1161, Happy Birthday 2) and the fall is from this Pinkfresh Studio's Alphabet, both are cut from Curious Metallic's Ice Silver card.  Once I attached the words, I decorated the card with various gems from Picket Fence Studio (they have the BEST gems; they are a bit pricey but SO pretty and sparkly in person!).  

I am so looking forward to the start of fall weather! I've had enough of the heat and am SO ready to snuggle under some quilts and break out my flannel shirts! 

Thank you so much for stopping by and please be sure to check out the Four Seasons Challenges! Fondly, Christi

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Dragonfly Dreams, M - Halloween/Autumn
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Fall Colors
Dream Valley Challenges, #281 - Dies and/or Punches
Try it on Tuesday - Sparkle and Shine
Die Cut Divas - Anything Goes
Inspiration Station, #40 - Harvest (honestly, the word inspired me more than the picture!)

Cat Lovers Blog Hop Day 6 - Last day to enter!

 Yes, another Happy Halloween cat card for the Cat Lovers Blog Hop, Day 6!!

This is going to be a quick post as I am VERY late getting my card up for this last day to enter (I'm shocked! No, not really) and I need to get cracking on the comments! So I used a white slimline card base, covered it with black card and cut out the grey star paper with the scalloped frame die from this Lawn Fawn set.  The kitties are all from the newest Tim Holtz Mischievous Die set, I cut them all out and then popped on the extra faces so all of their heads are on black foam tape.  The colors don't match my cats, but there are eight die cut cats, one for each of my own (yes, I have 8 cats).  Then to add a bit of color I used dark purple glitter card for the sentiment which is from Elizabeth Designs Words 3 (sadly, discontinued, but it is available on Amazon).  I used nothing but scrap card to make the kitties, it is a great way to use it up!

 

Thank you so much for visiting and hopping - I appreciate any followers on any of my social media (I've got them all linked on the sidebar) and if you do decide to follow me, please let me know! Fondly, Christi 

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Cat Lovers Blog Hop ~ Day 6
Allsorts, #700 - Any Celebration
Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers, #221 - H is for Halloween
Sweet Stampin' - Colors of Halloween
Happy Little Stampers - Anything Goes with Dies
Lost Coast, #154 - Cats and/or Dogs
CRAFT Challenge, #656 - Halloween
Through the Purple Haze, #197 - Halloween and/or Color Palette

Lawn Fawn Halloween ~ DAY 5 Cat Lovers Blog Hop

I love Halloween.  It is my very favorite holiday (even though I don't dress up anymore - maybe next year!) as I love the candy, the colors, the cooler air, basically everything!  For day 6 I finally broke down (cause I tried REALLY hard not to put up a bunch of cat Halloween cards!) and made this card.  As soon as I saw the Lawn Fawn Simply Celebrate Critters stamp set I KNEW exactly how I wanted to use it.  Unfortunately, life has gotten in my way lately and I haven't been able to play as much as I'd like to, but this card had to be made and is purrfect for Day 5 of the CLBH :)

 

I started by stamping the critters on watercolor paper, coloring them in with my Zig markers, and then cut them out using the matching die. I also stamped the speech bubble and cut that out.  I put the cats onto a back card using some foam tape.   I used words from Purrfectly Wicked, Purrfectly Wicked Add On and Tiny Halloween to fill in the speech bubble, stamped them on the bubble and adhered that with foam tape also.  Then I cut the Giant Happy Halloween out from glitter orange card and glued that above it all.  I hope you can see the sparkle!

Thanks SO much and hope you are still hopping! Fondly, Christi

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Cat Lovers Blog Hop Day 5
Beyond the Blue, #72 - Halloween
Cut it Up, #263 - Halloween
Sweet Stampers Challenge, #73 - Autumn or Halloween
Country View Challenges, October - Halloween or Harvest
This is Halloween - Halloween

 

You are the Best Human I Know ~ DAY 4 Cat Lovers Blog Hop

 I am loving this Cat Lovers Blog hop - a chance to showcase all my kitty cards! It's so much fun! I am SO far behind in commenting - rest assured I will be stopping by to all of your posts, even if I don't make it before the hop ends :) 

On another note, I am SO excited as I am going to concert tonight - the first one I have been to in YEARS (I am not gonna say how many years)! My only concern is it is in an outdoor venue (Red Rocks Amphitheater - which is beautiful even if no one is playing!) and of course it is rainy and snowy today in Colorado, just my luck. I will be dressing in layers upon layers and I am still going enjoy myself - the power of positive thinking!

 

 

I made this card by first cutting the frame out of gold glitter card and using this stamp and die set that I stamped, colored with Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils (and some gel pens) and then die cut.  I wanted this card to be used as an any kind of celebration so I choose the sentiment from this set.  Everything was stamped with this black ink, and the sentiment was then cut with this die.  Aren't these cats just the cutest?? I often stamp and color them when I have no project in mind but want to create - they can be used for literally ANY type of card; quite the versatile cats! And they are so freakin' cute!!!

Thanks again for popping by! Christi

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Cat Lovers Blog Hop Day 4
DL Art - October Linky Challenge
Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies Challenge
Coloring with Pencils - Anything Goes Colored with Pencils
Crazy for Cats, #1 - Furrything Goes w/ Cats
Lost Coast, #154 - Cats and/or Dogs

Cats & Coffee ~ Cat Lovers Blog Hop DAY 3

 What is as good as cats and coffee?? Nothing I say!! I hope you have been enjoying hopping around on day 3 of the Cat Lovers Blog Hop - I love seeing what other people have made, especially since I have most of the products they have used :) 

Today I have a card made with Newton's Nook (one of our fantastic sponsors!) - you can find the stamp here and the set I used for the sentiment here.  I colored in the kitties with my Zig markers. I used this die for the frame and I have a funny story about it.  I haven't used the frame die in a long time and I didn't realize that the die doesn't actually cut around the frame, it just cuts the inside.  Well, I found that out after I cut the watercolor panel I had already colored.  So I had this panel with these peaks and valleys in it that I really didn't want - so I cut the frame again, out of purple, and placed the panel inside the frame, trimmed it down to fit an A2 card and fixed my error.  There definitely was some panic involved!! But then I laughed like crazy at myself.  But I do that a lot :) 

Thanks SO much for stopping by ~ I'll be hopping around again today :) Hugs, Christi

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Cat Lovers Blog Hop (day 3)
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Crafty Animals, #66 - Anything Goes w/ an Animal
Die Cut Divas - Watercolor

 

You're the Cat's Meow - Cat Lovers Blog Hop DAY 2

And for Day 2 for the Cat Lovers Blog Hop - this is one of my favorite events ever and I hope you support the hop and ALL the generous sponsors :)

 I made this card to have on hand if I just wanted to send a cute little note to let someone know I am thinking of them. Honestly, I needed to use these kitties - I got the stamps & dies a bit ago and they have been sitting on my desk, meowing at me. I have a boat load of cards I've made and never sent out, so I don't know who I think I am kidding!

 

 I stamped the cats, and their toys,  on watercolor paper, using my favorite black ink, then colored and cut them out using Avery Elle's Whiskers Stamps and Dies.  I blended a bit of Distress Ink Spun Sugar  onto the white card base to give a bit of grounding for the kitties.  I stamped the sentiment {from the same stamp set} onto some white card and used Die-Namics Fishtail Sentiment Strips to cut it out.  I glued the cats, their toys and the sentiment onto the card and to add a bit more interest I cut some hearts using Lawn Fawn's Long Distance Hugs die set out of some paper I had made using Distress Oxide inks Spun Sugar. 

I love the way the kitties came out! Thanks for stopping by! Christi and have fun hopping!!

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
The Cutie Pie Challenge - Think Pink
Creative Fingers Challenge - Anything Goes
Critter Crazy Challenges - Anything Goes w/ a Critter

Sarcastic Kitties - Cat Lovers Blog Hop DAY 1!

I know I haven't been around lately - life has gotten a bit hectic, but I am still creating! Stay tuned for some goodies to be posted very soon! 

I am excited to be able to participate in the Cat Lovers Blog Hop 2022 (the link will take you to the main page that has ALL the info)! I love this event and look forward to it ALL year! Janis, the event owner and coordinator puts on a FANTASTIC hop with TONS of prizes :) I hope you will join us!

I missed this stamp set during Simon Says Stamp's STAMPtember 2021 event & I was heartbroken! I mean the set has everything I love in it - snarkiness and cats! I was lucky enough to find one for about what I would of paid for it if I'd caught the set; I happened to be looking for it on eBay and people are insane - listing these sets for at least $100!! The Tim Holtz one is going for even more than that! But I digress. . .here is my first creation with the Sarcastic Kitties stamp & die set from Simon Says Stamp and Picket Fence (sadly no longer available, but rumor has it if you bug Simon Says Stamp enough, they might re-release it!)

I used DCWV Playful Pets (not on DCWV website, but readily available) paper and Tutti Designs Nesting Stitched Scallop Squares to cut the sentiment out after I stamped it on white card. The cat and the furball heart are stamped in black ink on watercolor paper and colored in with my Zigs. I cut them out with the coordinating dies.  I used a white card base, covered it with the patterned paper, used a strip of the other side of the same paper and made a little square for the furball heart.  I attached everything together and this is what I came up with. I appreciate each and every comment & visit - thank you SO much :) Fondly, Christi

Happy Hopping!! 

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Cat Lovers Blog Hop
We Love Stamping - Colors of Autumn
4 Season Challenge, #61 - Pets
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - October
NBUS, #43 - Neve Before Used Schtuff, October
Use Your Stuff, #469 - Die Cuts
Addicted to Stamps & More, #440 - Die Cuts and/or Stencils
Crazy for Cats Challenge, #1 - Anything Furrything Goes
SUYP, #82 - October Anything Furrything Goes

Time Project for River of Creativity's June Theme

Hi all!! I am here presenting my design team project for River of Creativity's June Challenge where the theme is Time; I'd advise you to get a nice drink and relax because this is picture heavy and there are a lot of great things to see! Now, I could have done the whole clock thing, or even a birthday thing {after all, when does time bite you in the butt the worst?} but I really wanted to get messy and have fun.  I am a night creature; some people get their second wind at a nice normal time, say 5ish, or even 7ish but me? Nope.  If I am not in bed by 9pm, my second wind comes around at 10 pm.  In fact, I am typing this post at 12:30 a.m.  So, for my June piece I've turned Time into Nighttime.  Clever if I do say so myself.  My mom can tell you stories of a young me fighting my bedtime {no matter when it was} as early as 3 years old when I told my mother I was not yawning because I was tired, I was yawning because my brain needed more air.  I was such a joy, but I digress.  My hope for this project was that you'd see something new each time you looked at the panel; let me know what you think! 

Before you start I wanted to let you know you can click on the photos to make them bigger; I made collages out of what I feel are the important details so you wouldn't have 10 or so pictures to look through.  If there is any problem with getting the pictures bigger, please let me know!

 

I have been making this panel for the last few months as it has paper clay pieces and I needed to get molds and the actual clay to get the forms I wanted.  I used DAS Paper Clay which is available at any local craft store or online and made the moon and the stars.  I used a panel that is 9" x 12" from Artists Loft, but any panel or canvas would do. I also accumulated a bunch of molds from Amazon because they
have such a selection, and you know that Prime shipping is addicting!  Some of the molds I got were too small, some just didn't fit the look I wanted, and I ended up using a simple Moon and Stars mold to make the paper clay pieces.  I also got some keys, gears and clock metal bits and now I have enough to make a gazillion projects. Other supplies I used included Stickles in Crystal, Tim Holtz Foundry Wax {all the colors, I even layered them}, Picket Fence Gem Mixes, no name gems from my sash,

 Cosmic Shimmer Glitter Jewels in Midnight Snow, Krylon Leafing Pen in Silver, Golden Gel Medium in soft gloss, Lumiere Paint in Silver as well as beads and the like.  I think the most important part is the background and I first painted my panel with Golden Black Acrylic Paint and once that was dry I used some Distress Oxide Ink Pads {I just smooshed them onto the panel} and Sprays in various blue and purple hues, sprayed water here and there, dried with my heat gun, added more ink, more water and so on.  The shimmer was created by using Distress Mica Spray in Crooked Broomstick {it was a Halloween release from Ranger, but you can still find it online} and any Mica Spray would work. 

I fiddled with the background until I liked it and then set it to dry for actually a few days.  Once it was dry, I had painted, inked and waxed the items I wanted to and set about the placement as well as the swoosh of clear glass beads {the tiny kind with no holes} glitter and gem placement.  I wasn't concerned with placing too many gems as I really wanted this to sparkle being the night sky.  I could probably have added many more gems, but I was struggling with glue sticking to the paint and ink on the background.  I initially used hot glue, but after Sylvester knocked it off my desk and most of the gears and metal came off, I switched to E6000.  I'm not a huge fan of either glue but the E6000 worked much better than the hot glue.  Now I know and you know, too, so pry the top off your E6000 if you are gluing onto paints and/or inks.  I've linked to most of the items that were easily found online, and it there is something you want the specifics on please use the email option on the right side; I'll happily supply you with the actual links to the items.  

 

Another Look at the Entire Panel

 I am happy with my Nighttime art, and I had SO much fun making it.  It's been a long time since I have made such a piece, running with abandon with colors and paints and inks and goodies.  But that is what the River of Creativity challenges are all about! We would love for you to join us, either using Anything Goes or the theme of Time, for our June challenge; the only thing we won't accept is cards. So, get your inks, paints, clay and molds out and have some fun! Hope to see you soon! Christi

 I am entering my piece into the following challenges:
We Love to Create - Anything Goes
Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
Creative Artiste, #83 - Anything Mixed Media Goes
Mixed Media Lovers, #14 - Anything Mixed Media Goes
Country View Challenge, June Challenge - Seeing Stars

Thanks!!

Shimmery Joy Card

While it is just starting to heat up here I am sharing this sparkly Christmas card today.  I've had this card in my head for a while and I'm pleased that it looks just like I'd hope.  Hope you enjoy it!

I used a swirling snowflakes embossing folder, embossing a piece of shimmer white paper, which I then attached to a white card base.  Setting the card aside, I set to making the snowflakes. I used these beautiful opaque pearl white diamond shaped Dew Drops.  For each snowflake I used 6 of the Dew Drops, adhering them together on a piece of non-stick freezer paper, but any non-stick surface, such as a craft sheet will work.  What I did was put a dot of glue on the non-stick paper, then placed the diamonds in a "circle" pattern; then placed a small drop of glue in the center of the snowflake and added a Mini Pearl Dew Drop onto the glue.  You need to use something non-stick since the glue becomes a part of the snowflake and after leaving the flake to dry overnight you need to be able to gently lift the snowflake from the paper. The flake may still be slightly damp and may bend a bit. Just put the snowflake back onto the non-stick sheet, and gently bend the Diamond Dew Drops back into place and let it dry a bit more.  I turned the snowflakes over and let them dry overnight again just to make sure they were fully dry. Meanwhile, I had used holographic paper {the pattern I used is a burst, or fireworks pattern; it's subtle, but you can still see it since the word die is so large} and cut out the word joy {I used Winnie & Walter's In a Word Joy die, but they are no longer in business.  You can find many other options for a large joy die}, then popped the word up with dimensional tape. I added three of the snowflakes I made, as well as a few more of the Mini Dew Drops in Pearl.  The card is very sparkly and festive in person, and I know the recipient will certainly get into a holiday mood.  

Thanks so much for visiting and checking out my card! Have a fabulous day and I will see you again soon :) Fondly, Christi

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge (#597) - Anything Goes Christmas
12 Months of Christmas (#89) - Anything Christmas Goes
Creatalicious (#236) Anything Goes w/ Lots of Bling
The Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Up in the Air (Snowflakes)

Masculine Cards for Paper Funday's June Challenge

 Welcome to my design team project for Paper Funday's June Challenge - as always anything goes and this month's optional theme is Masculine Cards.  Like most of us, I struggle with these cards; most of the products I have are a bit too feminine.  So the trick is to use what you have to make a card that would appeal to men.  It's fairly easy to make a birthday card but I wanted to make an any day card.  Hope you like it! 

I used a white card base and covered the face of the card with this patterned paper from the Rugged 6"x 6" paper pad from Authentique {I think this is retired, but it is readily available}.  I really like plaid for masculine cards because it is so easy to pick a color in the pattern and use them to embellish the card.  I used pale blue/gray on the sentiment shadow and dark brown for the actual sentiment die.  I used this stamp set for the second half of the sentiment, stamping it on white card, with this ink.  I think the blue matches the shadow and the bit of blue in the plaid.  The sentiment was trimmed and I layered the sentiment on a dark brown stitched fishtail foundation die.  I glued everything to the card and I was done.

So this card may not be the most masculine card but I think it is a nice sort of thinking of you card.  I really like the difference between the two sentiments; one is sort of fancy and the other is plain.  What do you think? Regardless, we'd love to see your projects at Paper Funday; remember, you can enter an anything goes card, or follow our optional theme.  Thanks for checking out my card ~ I appreciate you so much! Fondly, Christi

You're My Kind of Peep

 My friend Tom absolutely loves Peeps.  He's never met a Peep he didn't like; in fact, the more sugary and weird the flavor was, the more he loves them.  One year we found fruit punch flavored Peeps but have not been able to find them again.  I hate it when that happens; you find something you love and they either discontinue it or stop carrying it.  That happens to me ALL the time.  Anyway, I thought this slimline card with some pastel Peeps might brighten his day a bit.

I used a homemade white slimline card and covered it in rainbow spotted paper.  I stamped the sentiment using my favorite black ink on watercolor paper and colored it in with Zigs and used a black marker for the shadow.  I then cut the sentiment out using a stitched nesting square die.  Cutting out all the bunnies in shades of pastels really isn't manly, but I wanted to keep the spring feel.  Their tails were just die cut out of white card.  Lastly, I then used dimensional dots to attach the rabbits to the card and glued the sentiment onto the top of the card.  Unfortunately, the stamps & dies {Simon Says Stamp, You're My Kind of Peep} are discontinued, but you might be able to find them online somewhere. I was lucky enough to find them in one of the Facebook Groups I belong to and it's the first time I am using them :)

I love these cute peeps and I feel the card is so charming! I hope this card brings Tom some joy and the very cool part is I am going to visit him {I am leaving on 5/29/22} so I will be hand delivering this card; I am SO excited! I thank you for visiting and appreciate you! Fondly, Christi

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Shopping our Stash, #471 - Make Mine a Tall One {slimline or mini slimline}
Alphabet Challenge Blog - D is for Die Cuts
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - Anything Goes/Use Patterned Paper
The Diva's That Cut - Anything Goes
NBUS, #38 - Anything NEW Goes