Christmas Crafting in Review

*If you are visiting from a challenge site feel free to hit the "end" key on your keyboard if you'd rather not sift through the blather. The card you are looking for is the very last one.*

Shhhh.....I'm hiding. Well not really hiding. I am in plain sight but I'm tucked away in a corner at my in-laws crouched behind a laptop pretending to be completely oblivious to everyone around me. And it's not that I don't like all my in-laws.....it's just that I'm an introvert. And they're very, very loud. And I'm outnumbered 25 - 1. And, I'm an introvert. Hence the hiding.

So I thought I'd take a look back at some of the stuff I made this Christmas. And, I guess since I'm making a blog post out of it you get to come along for the ride...

I made approximately 30 Christmas cards this year and 4 gift card holders. And again this year I was finishing my last card on Boxing Day morning but at least I actually liked it this year. Last year that last card was so butt ugly I was extremely embarrassed to have to give it. I also branched out a bit this year and made....

AN EXPLODING BOX!!!

My first one ever. It was a great little box to deliver the message "check your email" to my brother as an eCard was sent to him on Christmas Day to let him know that my kids had bought him some Rapidly Producing Rabbits from Plan Canada (and yes, they're actual rabbits, they're just delivered to a needy family somewhere in the world).





I also made some Sock Snowmen. Joanne from Two Scrapbook Friends showed me how to make these and I literally ran from her store directly to Walmart to buy some white socks.



And a layout of the Grinch of Christmas Past (my dad)....



For my cards this year I got major inspiration from Kittie at Kittie Kraft. I've already posted this and this but I also made this



and this.



I made a couple of fun cards, including a shaker card, with the red/blue colour scheme that seemed to be predominate in Christmas paper pads this year:



Digi is a freebie from The Stamping Boutique.



Digi is from Sassy Cheryls.

And some cards in traditional Christmas colours...



Digi was a freebie from Tiddlyinks.

Also, these next two were actually redone from the ugliness that was their first attempt...



Digi is from Squigglefly.



Digi is from Stretch N Bubbles.

And finally, a vintage-y card using un-traditional Christmas colours...and vellum, another first for me.



Well, that's it. Christmas crafting done for another year. My craft area looks like a tornado went through but that's okay. I got some great crafty gifts for Christmas so I'm looking forward to creating something that doesn't have anything to do with Christmas. At all.

Thanks for looking!

Last card pictured is for:

Dream Valley: Christmas
Pile It On: bling it on
Two Sisters: snowflakes
Allsorts: blue & brown
Speedy the Cat: anything goes
Secret Crafter: anything goes
ABC Christmas: zingy colours
Cooking It Up With Katie: anything goes
My Mum's Craft Shop: anything goes
Scrapbook Sisters: anything goes
Papertake Weekly: last Christmas card of the year
Incy Wincy: winter wonderland

Merry Christmas

Hey all, you all ready for tomorrow? I'm not. But instead of making the last 2 1/2 cards I need to make, baking the shortbread I need to bake and cleaning the house that has been very ignored during the Christmas rush I'm sitting here, typing to you. Wow, bet you feel special now, eh? (You do know to read that last sentence sarcastically, right?)

Seriously, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and to let you know how much I appreciate all the comments you've left. I truly do treasure every one of them (Well, except for the odd one with the spam attached. Really spammers, nobody wants to buy your laminated businesses cards or your camper trailers.) and I thank you for taking the time to leave them.

So, one last card before the big day.....



I hope you have a lovely Christmas and I'd say "Happy New Year" too but who's kidding who, I'll be back before then.

For:

Celebrate the Occasion: shaped card
Bunny Zoe's: shaped cards
Incy Wincy: circle cards
The Crazy Challenge: Christmas

Have You Been To Kittie Kraft?

Well, have you? If you haven't you really must go. She makes amazing cards and has wonderful tutorials. That's how I was able to make this:



Here's a question for you: Is it cheating to enter a card into challenges when you got major inspiration or if pretty much completely CASEd another cardmaker? Please leave a comment with your thoughts as I'd like to know if I'm making a hideous faux pas. Thanks!

So for:

Little Red Wagon: Christmas + pink & green
Friendship's Garden: winter holiday + no stamps
4 Crafty Chicks: Christmas
Crop Stop: Christmas + non-traditional colours
Christmas Card Challenges: Christmas + non-traditional colours
Paper Sundaes: celebrate
Pile It On: bling it on
The Squirrel and the Fox: Christmas
Lexi's Creations: untraditional Christmas colours
Crafty Cardmakers: use it three times

Hey look. Bells!

Yep, real ones, right on this card here. Yep, bells.

Yeah, that's it. I got nothing else to say.

Digi is from Tiddlyinks. (Guess I had one last thing to say.)



For:

Really Reasonable Ribbon: anything goes + ribbon etc.
Scrappin Chic Challenge: anything Christmas goes
Tuesday Throwdown: for someone special - card is for my son
Ribbon Carousel: tangled twine
Truly Madly Crafty: Christmas images & colours
Come And Get It: red & green + one other colour
One Stitch at a Time: use a digi
Penny's Challenges: Merry Christmas
The Sisterhood of Crafters: Christmas
The Paper Variety: anything goes
Southern Girls: let's celebrate
ABC Christmas: anything Christmas
Crafting For All Seasons: Christmas
Crafts and Me: Christmas
Divas By Design: Merry Christmas
Crafty Ribbons: traditional Christmas
Paper-Crafting Journey: Christmas
Paper Play: Christmas
4 Crafty Chicks: Christmas
Art Impressions: buttons
Aud Sentiments: winter holiday sentiments
Raise the Bar: Christmas
Stampin For the Weekend: Christmas
Card Makin' Mamas: Christmas
Crafty Catz: Santa's hat

Two Scrapbook Friends Christmas Blog Hop

First a reminder.....

Beginning on December 10th at 8 am, you can begin the hop at the first Friend's blog (who was Joanne) where you can be inspired and leave a comment. That blog will then tell you where you need to hop to on the next day!

You will need to hop from blog to blog leaving a comment on each in order to qualify to be in a draw for a special prize from Two Scrapbook Friends! Also, you will find a SECRET word on each blog which will make a special phrase at the end of the Blog Hop! Once the 12 days of hopping are complete you can email the phrase to us and we will enter you for another ballot to win!



***********************************************************************************

Hello everyone, welcome and Happy 15th or 6th Day of Christmas! I was so excited to be included in the Christmas Blog Hop hosted by Two Scrapbook Friends that I decided to do a tutorial - my very first one (so be gentle).

Okay here goes......

Today I thought I'd show you a quick and easy way to create a gift card holder. These are an especially great way to add a little personal touch when you give a gift card.

So the first thing you need is an envelope. Any standard card-sized envelope will do (though you might want to make sure the gift card you're giving fits in one half of it if it happens to be a non-standard size). I thought it would be fun to have a coloured base rather than white so I'm using a Doodlebug Envelope. This particular envie is 6.5" x 4.75". Now the great thing about this size of envelope is that if you re-fold that little card-wraparound-envelope-thingy that comes with a Tim Hortons card so it's in half then it fits in this envelope perfectly.

Got your envelope? Just go ahead and fold that in half.



Now you can use your bone folder if you want but my bone folder and I aren't on speaking terms right now. It was quite a row, it scored my card wrong so I called it a nasty name and we're both still stewing about it so I just went ahead and folded the envelope without it.

Now flip your card over and open up the flap. You need to cut a small triangle out of the fold on the flap so everything folds up better. You know what I mean. Like this:



Next your going to cut off that top half-o'-flap. Now your envie will look like this.



You'll want to stick that bottom flap part down so you ahead and licky-sticky or use whatever adhesive you like to use. That bottom part is where your sentiment/message will go. Since it's an envelope I like to use a bit of patterned paper to make it look a little cleaner. I used some paper from the 6 x 6 Echo Park Winter Park paper pad and then I added a Doodles Cardstock Sticker for the sentiment.



All that's left for the inside is to slide the gift card you're giving into the top part of the envelope. And do yourself a favour, go ahead and sign it now so the inside is all ready to go.

Now it's the outside's turn. And you don't really need me for that except for one thing. You need something to keep your gift card snug and secure inside the holder. So grab some ribbon or something like this piece of awesome trim I got at Two Scrapbook Friends (It's like baker's twine but much thicker - delish!) and tie it around the whole card so it's completely tied shut, like this:



Now you just need to decorate the front any way you like. I used some more of that fabulous paper from that Echo Park Winter Park 6 x 6 pad, some Lily Bee Jingle ABC stickers (just love the size of these, perfect for cards!) and some wooden snowflakes.

Another thing I'd like to mention...when I'm attaching paper or cardstock over ribbon or twine I like to use Scor-Tape. That way I'm sure the paper will stay put when there's something bulky behind it.

And that's it! One gift card holder ready to give.



I hope all those instructions made sense. If you have any questions leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer them.

Speaking of comments.....don't forget to leave one so you can qualify for the draw from Two Scrapbook Friends. And you're also here looking for a secret word, aren't you? Okay, so the secret word for today is:

A

Yep, that's it. Hey, it can be a word too, not just a letter.

So keep collecting those secret words. And tomorrow (the 16th) make sure to hop over to Joanne's blog (Jayne is sick and had to drop out of the Hop, poor thing! Jayne, do feel better!) Scrapping Outside the Lines for what I'm sure will be another fabulous project. (Did you guys see her altered project which was the very first stop on the Hop? It's wonderful!)

Thanks for visiting!

Clean & Simple Holiday Theme @ Squigglefly

It's that time of year again. You know what I mean, getting down to the crunch, knowing you still have X amount of gifts to buy and wrap, a whole bunch of baking to do and if you're like me, you've left your Christmas cards to the last minute again. *sigh*

Well, this week at Squigglefly we're going to help you out with those getting those cards done because this week's challenge is "Clean & Simple Holiday Theme."

Here's my über-simple card:



I might just have mass-produce a few of these babies. I used Rotund Santa, which actually comes with two images, in one of them the hat and suit are shaded black so there's possibilities there to make an even easier card! You can get Rotund Santa right here.

So why not take a bit of a break from all that holiday hustle and bustle and schedule in some crafting time? Just make your way over to Squigglefly and enter the "Clean & Simple Holiday Theme" challenge. You don't need to use a Squigglefly image but if you do use one you'll be eligible for this week's prize. There's lots of great images at the store if you'd like to purchase one, or if you'd like to try before you by, check out all the freebies right here.

Also for:

Paper Makeup Stamps: digi paper piecing
Paper and Such: CAS

I Take No Creative Credit For This Whatsoever

I found something cooler to do with that black sparkly felt rather than snowflakes. (Though snowflakes is still something I might try.)



Pretty neat, eh? I did not come up with the idea or design at all. I CASEd a card from Mama Dini's and she also shared this template so it was easy-peasy.

For:

Jingle Belles: Christmas
Crazy Challenge: anything goes
Unstampbelles: Christmas with no stamps
Come and Get It: anything Christmas
Pile It On: bling it on
ABC Christmas: anything Christmasy
Belli Challenge: winter and Christmas
Divas By Design: anything goes
365 Cards: Day 285 - Touchy Feely - Use 3 different textures - felt, crimping and cotton

Christmas Blog Hop with Two Scrapbook Friends

The countdown to Christmas is here and with that in mind, your friends at Two Scrapbook Friends invite you to countdown the 12 Days of Christmas Creations with them. Each day a member of the Two Scrapbook Friends team and a few special friends will share with you some of the projects and inspiration that they have created to celebrate the Season.



Beginning on December 10th at 8 am, you can begin the hop at the first Friend's blog where you can be inspired and leave a comment. That blog will then tell you where you need to hop to on the next day!



You will need to hop from blog to blog leaving a comment on each in order to qualify to be in a draw for a special prize from Two Scrapbook Friends! Also, you will find a SECRET word on each blog which will make a special phrase at the end of the Blog Hop! Once the 12 days of hopping are complete you can email the phrase to us and we will enter you for another ballot to win!

The hop will remain open from December 10th to December 22nd at midnight (EST). Winners will be announced on December 23rd on the Two Scrapbook Friends' blog.



The master blog list is listed below so you don't miss a single inspiring creation!

1st Day of Christmas: Joanne (10th)

2nd Day of Christmas: Audrey (11th)

3rd Day of Christmas: Avril (12th)

4th Day of Christmas: Christa (13th)

5th Day of Christmas: Dee (14th)

6th Day of Christmas: Jan (15th)

7th Day of Christmas: Jayne (16th)

8th Day of Christmas: Sharon (17th)

9th Day of Christmas: Shelby (18th)

10th Day of Christmas: Tammy (19th)

11th Day of Christmas: Carolyn (20th)

12th Day of Christmas: Two Scrapbook Friends Blog (21st)



Have fun celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas Creations with the Two Scrapbook Friends team!

P.S. I'm so excited! I've never been in a blog hop before. Be sure to check out all the wonderful projects each day, I know I will be!

Colouring on kraft...

...for the very first time. It's something I've wanted to try but have been too chicken. I had originally had coloured up this fabulous freebie from MelonHeadz Illustrating on regular white paper but I'm soooooo not skilled with shading white so I finally decided to take the colouring-on-kraft plunge.



I knew there was some reason I had bought that white Prismacolor pencil.

Yeah, I'm not claiming it's fabulous or anything but I had fun with it. Really wish the inking around the image hadn't turned out looking more pinky than red.

Oh, and that sparkly black circle is felt. It's pretty yummy. I'm thinking about maybe punching out some snowflakes from it for another "artistic license" card. We'll see if it turns out.

For:

OCC: sketch
Celebrate the Occasion: Christmas with no green
Creative Card Crew: tis the season
Sassy Cheryl's: it's Santa
Try It On Tuesday: it's all about the big guy
Ooh La La: lots of sparkle
Truly Madly Crafty: Christmas images & colours
Come and Get It: anything Christmas
Creative Inspirations Paint: felt
Dream Valley: sparkle
Jellypark: fa la la la felt
The Paper Variety: inspired by a Christmas song - "I Believe in Santa Claus"
ABC Christmas: anything Christmas
Penny's Challenges: Merry Christmas

Is that a Centre Step Card?!?

Why yes, it is. Thank you for noticing. And something almost miraculous happened when I was making it. I had to use only one piece of cardstock to make the base, which meant I actually made the proper cuts and scores the very first time - that's unheard of! And to top it off I uttered absolutely no swear words during the whole construction of this card. Also extremely shocking seeing as this was not your standard card.

'Tis the season for wonderous events, I guess.



Digi is a freebie from Bugaboo Stamps.

For:

Catch the Bug: Twelve Days of Christmas Day 1 - use a tree
Stamp and Create: centre step or easel card
Cards for Men: fancy folds
Stamptacular: anything Christmas
Come and Get It: centre step card
Do You Stack Up?: ribbon
Crimbo-Crackers: Santa
Colour Create: red, green & white
Digital Tuesday: go green
City Crafter: Santa Claus is coming
Scrapbook Sisters: anything goes
Stamp-N-Doodle: red and green + one other colour (white)
Tuesday Throwdown: masculine card
Crafty Ann's: tic tac toe - red, tree, ribbon
Simply Create Too: all about Christmas
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle: holiday card
Craft Your Days Away: buttons or bows

Pink & Green Peace

Yep, still non-traditional colours. Well, at least green made it in there even though it's really not the "right" shade.



Major inspiration for this card come from Kittie Kraft.

For:

Charisma Cardz: spots
Scrappin Chic Challenge: Christmas
Craft Door Magazine: Happy Holidays + 3 different embellishments
Bling It On: Christmas
The Ribbon Reel: anything goes + ribbon
Christmas Cards All Year Round: anything Christmas goes
Bunny Zoe: anything Christmas with pearls
Scrap-Creations: Christmas

Artistic License

Artistic license is something I don't use a whole lot, I admit. It's just not in my rule-following nature. I have actually Googled pictures of things just so I can colour them the "way they'd look in real life." I mean really, are you guys actually going to care if the giraffe on the card I make isn't exactly the same shade of browns as they are in real life? Heck no.

So, with that in mind I'm getting all up in your face (but in a polite manner, of course) with some artistic license.

KA-BAM



'Cause really, who says snowpeople have to be white? Okay, I know snow does, but other than that, who?

And look, it's a shaker card too! Time consuming, yes, as difficult as the first shaker card I ever made, no. I think it's because I hand-cut all the pieces I needed. Ha ha, take that THE CRICUT. (dun, dun, dunnnn)

Digi is a freebie from Dilly Bean Stamps and not only is it incredibly awesome it also almost perfectly represents our family. The blue snowboy just needs to be a little bit bigger (and I'd like to think the snowmom needs to be a little bit skinner) and it would be spot on.

For:

Divas By Design: anything goes
Lily Pad: buttons
Phindy's Place: a sprinkling of snow
Simply Create Too: all about Christmas
Stamping With the Dragon: anything goes
Sweet n Sassy Digis: favourite things - my digis!
Totally Papercrafts: Christmas
Aud Sentiments: winter sentiments
C.R.A.F.T.: unusual Christmas
Crafty Purple Frog: for someone special - made this for my best friend and her family
Moving Along With the Times: ribbons and bows
Totally Gorjuss: sparkle
Cardmadfairy's Challenge: winter wonderland
2 Sisters: holiday
Craft Your Days Away: buttons or bows
Crazy 4 Challenges: snow
My Craft Spot: Christmas through the window
Oh La La: lots of sparkle
Paper Creations Ink: Christmas
Pollycraft: Christmas fun
Stamps R Us: emboss it
Cutie Pie: pastel Christmas
The Pink Elephant: photo inspiration
The Ribbon Reel: anything goes + ribbon
Daisy Doodle: Christmas + digi
Heartsong Inspirations: banners and/or buttons
Hooked On Crafts: winter wonderland
Gingerloft: Christmas or winter
Lollipop Crafts: B is for... - button, bow, bling
Stamptacular Sundays: anything Christmas
Ribbon Girls: Christmas
Incy Wincy: trees
Kaboodle Doodles: bundled up for winter
Karen's Doodles: non-traditional Christmas colours
Creative Craft Challenges: free for all
Deep Ocean: C is for...... - Christmas theme, cute
Scrap-Creations: Christmas
Sassy Cheryl's: winter
Craft Your Passion: tis the season
365 Cards: Day 273 - Pretty in Pastels
Cooking It Up With Katie: anything goes
Digi Stamps 4 Joy: Christmas with no animals

Winter Wonderland @ Squigglefly

This week at Squigglefly the challenge is "Winter Wonderland" so any old winter scene, digi or feel will do.

I turned to my most fav Squigglefly digis - Shy Bears.



This is Shy Bear: Snowy Playmate. Isn't he just too cute to resist? I love how he's peeking around the snowman like that. Hmmmmmm....I wonder if his cute widdle tummy is cold. Quick go here to purchase him for yourself so you can colour extra fur on him to keep him nice and warm.

And after you've done that why don't you ski or snowboard or skate or snowshoe or sled or hike in the snowy woods or make travelling snow angels or ride in a horse-drawn sleigh (hey, I'm Canadian, I could go on all day) and make your way over to Squigglefly and enter the "Winter Wonderland" challenge? You don't need to use a Squigglefly image but if you do use one you'll be eligible for this week's prize. There's lots of great images at the store if you'd like to purchase one, or if you'd like to try before you by, check out all the freebies right here.

Also for:

Cardmadfairy's Digi Days: winter wonderland
Crafty Catz: snowmen
Phindy's Place: a sprinkling of snow
The Poodles Parlour: Christmas
Simply Create Too: all about Christmas
Totally Papercrafts: Christmas
Little Red Wagon: Christmas theme
Sassy Cheryl's: anything goes
Stamp-n-Doodle: it's snow time
Digi Doodle Shop: animals
4 Crafty Chicks: snowflakes
Speedy the Cat's Friends: make it masculine
Sweet Stamping: punches & dies
Ellephantastic: weather related
Crazy 4 Challenges: snow
Cupcake Inspirations: photo inspiration
Stamptacular Sunday: anything Christmas
Lollipop Crafts: B is for.......bear, bling, blue, brown
Gingerloft: Christmas & winter
Here Come the Boys: for the man in your life
Lexi's Creations: one for the lads
The Kraft Journal: Christmas cards
The Crazy Challenge: snowflakes and/or stars
Hooked On Crafts: winter wonderland
Craft Your Passion: tis the season
Crafty Boots: anything goes

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Another clean & simple card. And look it's not a Christmas card.



For:

Cas-Ual Fridays: sketch
Quirky Crafts: cas
Challenge Up Your Life: music (In case you don't recognize it the sentiment is a line from "Somewhere Over the Rainbow.")

Hang a Shining Star

One of these days I'll make a Christmas card using traditional Christmas colours, I promise.

Okay, that's a bit of a lie. I made a Christmas card using your basic red and green colour scheme just before I made this one. But it's very fugly so I decided not to post it. My mother saw it and commented, "It's very pretty. I really like it."

It's no wonder I refused to let her pick out clothes for me once I hit about 8 years old.

I want to mention that the star is die cut out of a sparkly white felt. It's impossible to tell in the photo. Also, and I hope this doesn't sound braggy, but the photo really doesn't do the card justice. It's much prettier in real life (unlike me *snort*).


For:

Creative Card Crew: monochromatic
Creative Craft Challenges: free for all
Unstampbelles: trees + no stamps
Catered Crop: recipe challenge - I used kraft, branch, die cuts & distressing
Scrappy Frogs: kraft
Jingle Belles: make a card for someone who doesn't necessarily celebrate Christmas
Scrapbook Sisters: Christmas time
Little Red Wagon: Christmas theme
Penny's Challenges: tie it up
Divas By Design: monochromatic
The Spotted Chick: kraft
The Paper Variety: photo inspiration - trees and brown

Parlez-vous français mes amis?

Okay, I really don't either. But I am Canadian so I can muddle out a few phrases here and there including the utmost important sentence, "Où est la salle de bain?"

But I bet everyone knows what this card says.



For:

Lollipop Crafts: anything goes
Paper Sundaes: beautiful bows
Paper-Crafting Journey: embossing
Reasonable Ribbon: cas Christmas + ribbon
Truly Scrumptious: vintage or pearls + Christmas
365 Cards: Day 260 - Make a List and Check It Twice (4 items on card) - paper, letters, ribbon, pearls
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle: embossing
Pile It On: anything that starts with a "p" - paper and pearls

Merry & Bright

Yep. Blog title right off the card. Call me Ms. Original. Or don't. I'm easy. (Going, easy-going.)



Digi is a freebie from Beccy's Place.

For:

Crimbo Crackers: make it sparkle + Christmas
Little Miss Muffet: simplicity
Digital Tuesday: Christmas time
Paper Sundaes: use a digi
Stamps R Us: bling it on
Daisy Doodles: anything goes with a digi
Creatalicious: Christmas + sparkle
Sundays With Crissy: non-traditional Christmas
Winter Wonderland: aw, what a cutie
By the Cute and Girly: Christmas girls
Phindy's Place: Christmas cards
Wags 'n' Whiskers: Christmas
Jingle Belles: card for someone who doesn't necessarily celebrate Christmas

Happy Birthday @ Squigglefly

Apparently November is our fearless leader, Marlene's birthday month so this week at Squigglefly the challenge is "Happy Birthday" which I'm thinking is pretty self-explanatory.

I keep telling myself that I should build up my stash of preteen boy birthday cards for when my boy get invited to those last minute birthday parties but it never seems to happen. So, this card has been long given out.



I used Rock It Out which is a pretty cool image seeing as you could colour it up for either a boy or a girl. You can get it for yourself right here.

So why not head over to Squigglefly and enter the "Happy Birthday" challenge? You don't need to use a Squigglefly image but if you do use one you'll be eligible for this week's prize. There's lots of great images at the store if you'd like to purchase one, or if you'd like to try before you by, check out all the freebies right here.

Also for:

Daisy Doodle: anything goes + a digi
Crafty Catz: use a digi
Divas By Design: use metal
Bearly Mine: one for the boyz

Frogs for Christmas

'Cause they're one of the first animals you think of when you think of Christmas, right?

I know I do.



Okay, I don't. But this digi was too cute to resist. It's from Pink Cat Studio.

I have a little frog story for you. This summer I went down to our basement and I noticed that a frog had somehow managed squirm through a small rip in the screen for one of the windows and was trapped between the screen and the window. I very carefully opened the window (giving him a nice froggy tummy massage) so I could reach him. I then lifted him out and relocated him to a nice shady spot under a hosta where I'm sure there were plenty of bugs. I'd like to dedicate this card to him.

I think that the fact that I first put on gardening gloves and chanted, "Don't pee on me, don't pee on me, don't pee on me, don't pee on me, don't pee on me" the whole time I was trotting back up the stairs and outside should not detract from my heroism one bit.

For:

Sketch and Stash: sketch + something old or new - new digi
Charisma Cardz: cutesy projects
Christmas Inspirations: bows
Creative Inspirations Paint: anything goes
Dream Valley Challenges: anything goes
Digital Tuesday: anything goes
Top Tip Tuesday: anything Christmas
Wags n Whiskers: Christmas themed
Mami Doodles: Christmas

Story Time

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess (sorry, I started laughing too hard to keep that in there) Plain Female of no Royal Heritage Whatsoever who ventured into the land of Paper Crafting. In this land the PFonRHW met many exciting new items. One of the items she met was Kraft Paper. Now when the PFonRHW first met Kraft she really didn't see what the big deal was. To her, Kraft Paper was rather boring and didn't really seem deserve to have so many contests named in its honour.

But then one day the PFonRHW had an opportunity to sit down and have a long chat with Kraft. There the PFonRHW found that she and Kraft had many common interests (after all they were both very plain) and they talked for hours.

After that day, they've been best friends ever since.



THE END

Don't you just love it when stories have happy endings? [Though, to be truthful I absolutely adore those punch-you-in-the-face out-of-the-blue surprise type of endings that make you want to go back and read the whole book, or in the case of my examples below, watch the whole movie over again from the totally new perspective you've just been given. (Think The Sixth Sense or The Book of Eli. Whoops, hopefully you've seen those since I didn't holler "spoiler alert.")]

Editor's Note: The above story may or may not be autobiographical in nature and the opinions expressed are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of all those at Huh. So this is a blog.

For:

Crimbo Crackers: anything goes
Crafting For All Seasons: textured
ABC Christmas Challenge: V is for vintage
Scrapbook Sisters: anything goes
Paper Playtime: any project
The Pink Elephant: distressing
Craft Your Passion: bingo - pearls, free, ribbon
Catered Crop: follow the recipe - I used Christmas, kraft and burgundy
Come and Get It: anything goes
Lollipop Crafts: anything goes
The Ribbon Girl: Jingle all the way to Christmas
The Craft Garden: Christmas with no red or green
Really Reasonable Ribbon: Christmas
Glitter Fairies: Christmas with no red, green or gold
Cupcake Craft Room: sweet Christmas - My explanation for the "sweet" part.....the ribbon was originally wrapped around a very lovely potted mum which I won as a door prize which I promptly, and totally accidentally, killed. (All I did was water it, I swear!) The fact that something good was able to come out of that tragedy is sweeeeeet.
Papertake Weekly: anything goes + bling
Ribbon Carousel: anything goes
Top Tip Tuesday: make your own backgrounds
That's Krafty Thursdays: kraft

Tickle My Fancy @ Squigglefly

This week at Squigglefly the challenge is "Tickle My Fancy" which means make us laugh! So anything funny or humourous, whether it be the digi or the sentiment.

I went with both.......now those of you against rude gestures better hide you eyes.....



Isn't that digi just a scream? It's called Cranky Calvin and you can get it for yourself right here.

So why not giggle your way over to Squigglefly and enter the "Tickle My Fancy" challenge? You don't need to use a Squigglefly image but if you do use one you'll be eligible for this week's prize. There's lots of great images at the store if you'd like to purchase one, or if you'd like to try before you by, check out all the freebies right here.

Also for:

Craft Your Passion: bingo - buttons, free, sentiment
Stamps R Us: masculine
Pollycraft: anything goes
Paper Pretties: use a sentiment
The Kraft Journal: banners or border punches
Heartsong Inspirations: embossing or 3+ layers
Jen's Digi Stamps: polka dots
365 Cards: Day 239 - Celebrating the Everyday
Dream Valley Challenges: anything goes
Come And Get It: anything goes
Sweet Stampin': anything goes
Aud Sentiments: make us laugh

Back in the Game

I have a friend who had surgery on her knee earlier this week so this card is for her. She's very sporty, my friend, and she's sustained a lot of injuries requiring therapy/surgeries etc. She's also a year younger than me. I like to tease her that my slightly older body is just not as decrepit as hers and that is has nothing to do with the fact that she just "plays" way harder than me.

She's gracious enough not to smack me when I say that.



Just an FYI....my computer monitor is starting to go and in an effort to make it usable a little while longer I've cranked up the brightness. Fine for everyday use but it makes editing photos more guesswork than anything. So, if my pics ever look too dark or too bright or just plain wonky, please leave me a comment. Thanks!

For:

Digital Tuesday: buttons & twine
OCC: faces
The Kraft Journal: kraft + anything goes (There's not much kraft but there is a bit.)
Craft Your Passion: Lets get krafty!
That's Krafty Thursdays: kraft
The Paper Shelter: anything goes
Scrapbook Sisters: anything goes
Digi Doodle Shop: anything goes
Shelly's Images: tic tac toe - kraft, free, bling
Digi Stamps 4 Joy: double embellishments - 2 buttons

Super scary

Thought it would be cool to make a window card. So.....

This is a pic of the card closed:



This is a pic of the card standing:



And this a pic of the inside:



Digi is a freebie from Scribbles By Sandy.

For:

Divas By Design: something spooky
Inky Impressions: anything goes
My Mum's Craft Shop: spooktacular
Penny's Challenges: Halloween
The Sisterhood of Crafters: Halloween
The Paper Variety: Halloween
Die Cutting Divas: Halloween
Top Tip Tuesdays: Halloween
Kaboodle Doodles: Halloween
My Craft Spot: see through projects
Pollycraft: spooky goings on
Little Miss Muffet: clouds
Do You Stack Up?: Halloween
Moving Along With the Times: no girls allowed
Paper-Crafting Journey: use a digi
Paper Play: Halloween
The Secret Crafter: spooky
Card Makin' Mamas: die cuts
Crafty Catz: Halloween
Pattie's Creations: Halloween
the Poodle Parlour: lets hear it for the boys
The Stamp Man: night time
Stampin' For the Weekend: spooky
Just Some Lines: Halloween
365 Cards: Day 243 - Imagine This: Starry Skies
Di's Digi Design: Halloween

Too Cute To Spook

It's a great sentiment for those cutesy Halloween cards.

Another thing: I have now officially dropped the apostrophe from the word Halloween. Yes, for years I used to spell it Hallowe'en. Now does anyone know why it was originally spelled with an apostrophe? Well, for those who don't (and who care) the reason is because Halloween is actually short for "All Hallows Eve" and the apostrophe replaces the missing "v". [I don't know why the "s" doesn't rate some sort of symbol and where the heck the "n" came from. Really it should have been shortened to Hallow⌂e'e. (I picked that other symbol 'cause it could represent a haunted house. tee hee)]

Anyhoo, I've recently read the following from different sources: "Spelling Hallowe'en is correct but old fashioned" and "Both Halloween and Hallowe'en remain acceptable spellings. Though Hallowe'en looks kind of dorky." So in an attempt to look hipper (That's hipper not hippy. I have no desire to look hippy in the 60s way or the dipped into the kids' stash of Halloween candy too many times way.) I decided to drop that antiquated apostrophe.

Ah, I feel much swankier now.



For:

Delightful Challenges: Halloween
Shelly's Images: anything goes
Crafting For All Seasons: Halloween
I Brake For Challenges: Halloween
Digital Tuesdays: Halloween
Papertake Weekly: spooky hues
Ribbon Carousel: photo inspiration
Colour Q: colour pallette
Challenge Up Your Life: Halloween
Craft Your Days Away: Halloween colours
One Stop Craft: Halloween
Crafty Boots: Halloween
KB Cute Monday: anything goes
The Crazy Challenge: Halloween
Cupcake Inspirations: photo inspiration
Scrappin Chics Challenge: Halloween plus green & purple
365 Cards: Day 234 - Opposite Day - cute and sweet I am not!
Color Throwdown: colour palette

Face Your Fears @ Squigglefly

This week at Squigglefly the challenge is "Face Your Fears" which could be interpreted in any number of ways. You could make a Hallowe'en Card (like me), or you could try a new technique that you haven't worked up the nerve to attempt yet or you could even make a card about a something that scares you personally. (I could have totally made a card with butterflies on it for this challenge.)

But, like I said, I went with Hallowe'en.



I used Witch Moon witch (Tee hee, see what I did there?) you can get for yourself right here.

So why not creepy-crawly your way over to Squigglefly and enter the "Face Your Fears" challenge? You don't need to use a Squigglefly image but if you do use one you'll be eligible for this week's prize. There's lots of great images at the store if you'd like to purchase one, or if you'd like to try before you by, check out all the freebies right here.

Also for:

Challenge Up You Life: Halloween
Craft Your Days Away: Halloween colours
One Stop Craft: Halloween
Paper Pretties: Halloween
Creative Card Crew: spooky fun
Scrap-Creations: Halloween
Card Makin' Mamas: Halloween
Fussy and Fancy: Halloween
Cupcake Inspirations: photo inspiration
Through the Craftroom Door: Happy Halloween
Dream Valley: Halloween
Gingerloft: Halloween