Christmas Baby

Here's a Christmas card that's not really a Christmas card. I made most of my Christmas cards in non-traditional colours, but then I go make a new baby card that's all over Christmas traditonal.

But I just couldn't resist this super-cute digi from A Day For Daisies.

For:

A Day For Daisies: mad for plaid
Here Come The Boys: anything goes + masculine
Try It On Tuesday: lucky dip - And I picked them all! (The distressing is a little hard to see, it's on the cardstock base)
Daring Cardmakers: paper piecing
Aud Sentiments: anything goes with a sentiment

Use a Square @ Little Red Wagon

Hey everyone!  I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day to all those who celebrate it.  ("Celebrate" might not be the right word.....but you know what I mean.)

This week at



Dee wants to see a square (or even more, hopefully) on your project. Now, I'm as square as they come so I had no problem with this at all.

So, the card is square and there are three squares on it. Easy!

Why not head on over to Little Red Wagon and enter the "Use a Square" challenge? And be sure to check out the fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have done.

Stickles Make Me Happy

Okay, so on the wake of this post (where I talk about how it can take me forever to make a card) I saw that Cas-ual Fridays was teaming up with 10 Minute Craft Dash for a challenge...and that got me thinkin'.  Would it be possible for me to make a card in under 10 minutes?  I didn't know but I decided to give it a shot.

My first attempt wasn't even close.  I thought I'd do some paper piecing.  Don't know what I was thinking there.  My timer went off before I even had the first piece completely cut out.  So, I reset, and gave it another go, sans the fussy cutting.

And I did it! I was just snipping off the ends of the twine when the 10 minutes was up. (Now, I'll admit, after I snapped the pic of the card I did go back and add some clear Stickles to the hat brim and little snow pile. 'Cause, as the title says, Stickles make me happy. So, why not be even happier if I can be?)

Digi is from All That Scraps.

For:

Cas-ual Fridays:  10 Minute Craft Dash
10 Minute Craft Dash:  10 minutes to make a card

Little Rabbit Foo Foo

I'll bet he's using that giant candy cane to scoop up the field mice. Geez, where's the Good Fairy when you need her?

Really though, this bunny from Zlatoena is way to cute to be Little Rabbit Foo. And he's probably too busy trying to eat that candy cane to do much else.

For:


Quirky Crafts:  last minute Christmas
Stamptacular Sunday:  Christmas
Sunny Challenge:  season's greetings
Christmas Sweet Stampin':  anything Christmas
Crafts and Me:  winter wonderland
Simon Says Stamp:  Merry Christmas
Emerald Faeries:  Christmas
Creative Craft:  non-traditional Christmas
Card Mania:  snowflakes
Kaboodle Doodles:  Christmas
The Crazy Challenge:  Christmas time
Cutie Pie Challenge:  cute Christmas
Do You Stack Up?:  anything goes
Forever Friends:  Christmas cards
Milk Coffee:  Christmas
Pixie Dust Studio:  Christmas
Card Makin' Mamas:  Happy Holidays
Crafts 4 Eternity:  anything goes

I Lied To My Dad

Yep, right to his face.  Was that the first time?  Heavens, no!  I was rebellious as a teenager (though in the grand scheme of things, so not really, I was more about defying authority than ever doing anything really silly or dangerous) so he's been lied to by me lots.   But, not really since back in the day as I no longer have to explain my whereabouts or what-doings to my parents.

So, this is how the conversation in which I lied went:

Him:  Did you make a card for me to give to your mother for Christmas?
Me:  Nope, you never asked.
Him:  Why would I have to ask?  You know I need a card.
Me:  A couple of months ago you told me cards are "stupid".
Him:  Well, they are but I still need one to give to your mother for Christmas.
Me:  So, do you want a stupid card or one of my cards?
Him:  One of your cards, I guess.

Looks all truthful so far, eh?  Then he said:

Him:  How long does it take you to make a card, anyways?
Me:  Oh, 'bout two hours on average.

Bam - lie!   I'm surprised my already big enough nose didn't suddenly grow right off my face.  Two hours!  Ha!  I don't know 'bout the rest of you but a card usually takes me way more than two hours.  Have I ever made a card in two hours?  Sure, I'll bet I've even made the odd one in under half and hour.  But that's an anomaly.  The planets have to be all aligned, I have to have eaten a good solid breakfast and the room has to be at just the right temperature for that to happen.

See, I just didn't feel like admitting (to someone who thinks cards are stupid, no less and who also doesn't quite get the fact that just because I work mostly from home that I actually work) that it can take hooooouuuuuuurrrrrrrsssss to make a card.  So, two hours popped out of my mouth.  To which he replied:

Him:  Really?  Is that all??  I thought it would be more.

Grrrrr.  So, I could have told the truth.  But I let the lie stand.  'Cause isn't that what this season's all about, lying to family members?  (C'mon, you know you all do it at least once when you open that well-meant but dog butt-ugly Christmas gift.)

Anyhoo, my point (finally):  This card took me all freakin' day to make. (And it's not even the card I made him to give to my mother.)

Another point I'd like to make: Purple for Christmas - it's about gosh-darn time.

Digi is from Tiddly Inks. I should mention too that I got inspiration for this card from this one from Lou Mac.

For:

Tiddly Inks:  make it like Pops (Christmas theme)
Come and Get It: anything Christmas
Dream Valley:  Christmas
Quirky Crafts:  last minute Christmas
Stamptacular Sunday:  Christmas
Sunny Challenge:  season's greetings
365 Cards:  Day 291 - Super Sketchy Sunday
ABC Christmas:  fave punch/die - Martha Stewart snowflake punch
Christmas Sweet Stampin':  anything Christmas
Crafts and Me:  winter wonderland
Divas By Design:  anything goes
Simon Says Stamp:  Merry Christmas
Emerald Faeries:  Christmas
Crazy Amigo Challenge:  friendship
Creative Craft:  non-traditional Christmas
Die Cutting Divas:  more holiday spirit
Use It Tuesday:  Christmas + use horded supplies - bling, twine
Card Mania:  snowflakes
Kaboodle Doodles:  Christmas
The Crazy Challenge:  Christmas time
Cutie Pie Challenge:  cute Christmas
Aud Sentiments:  use any sentiment
Do You Stack Up?:  anything goes

Halfway Inspiration @ UnstampaBelles

Hey all, we're about halfway though the month so it's time for some inspiration for December's challenge at UnstampaBelles.  . This month it's all about Christmas (or the seasonal holiday of your choice), just remember, no stamps!

I've actually made a number of stampless cards this year for Christmas but I thought I'd show you this one.....

I've got some snowman Doodle-Pop stickers, some torn paper, a bit of bling and a sentiment sticker and another Christmas card down! Now I've just got about 10 more to go. *groan, groan, double groan*

Well, even if you're not still making Christmas cards for this year, you could always get a bug head start on next year, so why don't you shove those stamps aside for just one card and enter the "Christmas" challenge at UnstampaBelles. You have until January 3rd to do so and you'll have a chance to win a great prize.

Holiday Tags @ Little Red Wagon

This week at



the challenge is holiday tags. So let's see all those seasonal tags.

Here's what I did......

This is actually the first tag I have ever made.  Yep, never made a tag before in my life.  I'll admit, I just didn't see the point of them.  Why spend all that time to make a tag when you can make a card in about the same amount of time?  But both Rosanne and Joanne (for a Two Scrapbook Friends online crop) put out the challenge to make a tag, so a tag I made.

I've got a little secret....I ended up making it into a card after I took the picture of it. Well, it was a just tag for four or five days at least. :-D

But I'll bet you can make a cardless tag so why not head on over to Little Red Wagon and enter the "Holiday Tag" challenge. And be sure to check out the fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have done.

P.S. I'm also going to link this up to Catered Crop 'cause Linda's looking for tags this week as well.

Two Turtle Doves

So, I had to google exactly what turtle doves are.  I knew they were birds, of course, and I was fairly certain they weren't birds with an amphibian shell on their backs.  Kinda ugly things those European Turtle Doves.  (Sorry ETDs, no offense meant.)  I think our doves here in Canada are much prettier (though when I got woke up early on summer mornings because of a mourning  dove I didn't think they were all the wonderful then).

Anyhoo, the birds I used on this card are pretty nondescript, though they are white so one could argue that they are your traditional, release at weddings, part of a magician's act, white doves.

Or one could just look at the card and not care about how realistic it is.  :-)

For:

The Pink Elephant:  photo inspiration
Crafts 4 Eternity:  Christmas wishes
Dream Valley:  Christmas
Songbird Challenges:  Merry Christmas Everybody
The Crazy Challenge:  Christmas time
Deep Ocean:  so this is Christmas
Top Tip Tuesday:  Christmas
Use It Tuesday:  all about Christmas + horded supplies (birds & bling)
Cupcake Craft:  Merry Christmas
ABC Christmas:  favourite punches or dies (circle dies)
365 Cards:  Day 284 - Super Sketchy Sunday
Aud Sentiments:  holiday card + sentiment
Craft Us Crazy:  Christmas

We Wish You a Pink Christmas @ Little Red Wagon

This week at



the challenge is "We Wish You a Pink Christmas" so we want to see your holiday creations with pink!

I looooooove pink at Christmas time. Really, it's the only time I looooooooove pink. The rest of the time pink is okay. Well, a bit more than okay I guess, but it's no blue, that's for sure.

Anyways, this is what I did this week.....

Digi is from Tiddly Inks.

Now it's your turn so head on over to Little Red Wagon and enter the "We Wish You a Pink Christmas"challenge. And be sure to check out the fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have done.

Home For the Holidays @ Little Red Wagon

This week at



the challenge is "Home For the Holidays" so we want to see your holiday creations with houses on them.

I went a bit outside my comfort zone for this and made....

an acetate card. Always wanted to make one, guess now I have.  (They sure are a bugger to get a decent picture of!)

Digi was a freebie from Prairie Fairy.  I know the panel with the stamp looks a little over-distressed.  That's because unbeknownst to me it had fallen off my desk and a managed to park one of the wheels of my chair right on top of it.  I said a very un-holiday word when I saw that, let me tell you.

So, why not head over to Little Red Wagon and enter the "Trim the Tree"challenge?  And be sure to check out the fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have done.

Well, lookie what I did!

It's not a card. And it's not a layout. And it's by far the biggest crafty project I've ever taken on. It's an.......

Advent calendar! [And I think the fact that I got it mixed up with a company that manufactures baby products (like the soothers my dd used to use) and called it an Avent calendar for four days should in no way detract from my effort.]

And, can I just say, man oh man, it's a lot of work to put one of those together. Okay, not like trying to build a freakin' dresser from Ikea work, [or a SVG cut snowman (private joke :-) )] but definitely more time consuming than what I had originally thought.

I think I was driving my oldest crazy because I just couldn't get this video/song out of my head while I was constructing it and I just had to inflict my less-than-stellar vocalized stylings on him as he was on the computer in the same room.

Anyhoo, I'm surprised at how much I actually enjoyed the process of making it. Maybe I'll have to pull something out of the altered item graveyard under my desk and try another Christmas themed project. I know for a fact there's an mdf "NOEL" under there somewhere...

For:

Moving Along With the Times: 3 elements beginning with the same letter - B for birds, bells & buttons
Fussy and Fancy:  I love Christmas
Totally Papercrafts:  anything Christmasy but a card
Frosted Designs:  5 + buttons
Emergency Crafters:  anything goes
Pile It On:  pile on the embellishments
Allsorts:  Advent
Crafts 4 Eternity:  Christmas chaos
Lollipop Crafts:  happy holidays
Artistic Inspirations:  anything goes 

Christmas @ UnstampaBelles

Happy December everyone! It's a new month which means a new challenge at UnstampaBelles.   This month the challenge is "Christmas" so we want to see all your paper projects for the holiday season. Just remember - no stamps (unless they are sentiment stamps with less than four words).

Here's what I did.....

Another round card (I do love 'em) and some non-traditional Christmas colours; a couple of tin snowflakes, some vellum and embossing and a rub on sentiment and voilà, a card with no stamps!

So, why don't you shove those stamps aside for just one card and enter the "Christmas" challenge at UnstampaBelles. You have until December 31st to do so and you'll have a chance to win a great prize.

Can't wait to see what you create!

Also for:

Crafts and Me:  ribbon or trim
The Sisterhood of Crafters:  embossing

Scrap-Creations:  Merry Christmas
Tuesday Throwdown:  lots of layers
My Sheri:  'tis the season
Challenge Up Your Life:  1st snow
Sentimental Sundays:  non-traditional Xmas colours
That Craft Place:  no squares allowed
The Squirrel & the Fox:  summer or winter
Dream Valley:  non-traditional Christmas
Cupcake Craftroom:  anything Christmas goes
Ladybug Crafts:  Christmas or winter
The Cupboard Trilogy:  frosty winter
Cards Galore:  Christmas
ABC Challenge:  C for clear it out - patterned paper from last Christmas

Certain calories shouldn't count

You know what I mean but that, right?  There are certain times and situations when what you consume should have a zero calorie balance and should have no ill effect on your body (or in my case specific areas of your body like your fl"ab"s).  For example, birthday cake.  You should get to eat as much of your birthday cake in a sitting as you want without gaining a single ounce.  Or anytime anyone (like your grandma or your great aunt) says, "Eat this, it's good and I made it specially for you" and you don't even like whatever is made but you gotta eat it or risk offending them.  That shouldn't count either.

Another thing that shouldn't count is if someone messes up a restaurant order.  Like if you go to Tim Hortons and order a "chai tea latte, one sweetner, bag out" and when you're driving away you realized that they messed up your order, again, and you ended up with some sort of coffee (blech) drink (you think the "bag out" request would at least clue in the employee that tea was what I was going for) with something floating in it and you take the lid off and see that it's whip cream and while you don't drink the coffee (blech) you do lick all the whip cream off the lid, well,  those calories shouldn't count at all either.  [And, you shouldn't have to be at all embarrassed when you realize the people in the vehicle beside you watched you lick that lid clean the whole time you were stopped at that red light.  That should be another rule, when you're in your vehicle you are invisible to the outside world.  Then we could really get into our impromptu car concerts when one of those 80's hair bands songs (I'm totally thinking Twisted Sister here) comes on the radio, couldn't we?]

And what does this have to do with my card?  Nothing.  But my last non-dt post was short and boring so I couldn't do that again and I really had nothing craft-related to say.  Anyhoo, here's my card.

Now, I generally don't show multiple photos of my card, I figure subjecting you to them once is enough. I am going show you another pic as I don't think the layout of this comes across in the first one.

I got meself an acetate window going on there. Digi is a freebie from Birdie Brown.

For:

Birdie Brown:  use November freebie
Addicted to Stamps:  Christmastime
Christmas Card Challenges:  paper piecing
Stamptacular Sunday:  winter bliss (stamp)
2 Sisters:  winter wonderland
Pink Gem Challenge:  paper piecing
Challenge Up Your Life:  first snow
Love to Create:  non-traditional holiday colours
Paper Playtime:  anything goes
Creative Stamp Friends:  x-mas
Creative Card Crew:  anything goes
Scrap-Creations:  Merry Christmas
Dream Valley:  non-traditional Christmas
Moving Along With the Times:  3 elements beginning with the same letter (snowman, snowflake & sentiment)

Trim the Tree @ Little Red Wagon

This week at



Tammy wants us to "trim the tree" which is pretty self-explanatory. And any tree will do, you don't have to use a Christmas tree. And I'm glad 'cause I used a.....

....bird tree. Pretty cool graphic, eh? It's from Graphics Fairy.

So, why not head over to Little Red Wagon and enter the "Trim the Tree"challenge? And be sure to check out the fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have done.

Steampunk Santa

'Cause he's just perfect when you don't want to go all cutesy.

Digi is from Make It Crafty.

For:

Just Us Girls:  photo inspiration
Moving Along With the Times:  let's go dotty
Scrap-Creations:  winter
Ladybug Crafts:  snowflakes
Bearly Mine:  snowflakes
Divas By Design:  2 or more patterned papers
My Sheri Crafts:  tis the season
2 Sisters:  winter wonderland
Digi Chick:  photo inspiration
Addicted to Stamps:  Christmastime
Bunny Zoe's:  winter
The Squirrel and the Fox:  anything goes (Ladies, I apologize for originally omitting the link!)

Boy Oh Boy @ Little Red Wagon

This week at



it was my turn to pick the challenge so I thought we could go masculine this week and I chose "Boy Oh Boy" as the theme.

I took a break from Christmas cards and made this.....



congrats card as I needed, well, a card to congratulate someone.

So, why not head over to Little Red Wagon and enter the "Boy Oh Boy "challenge? And be sure to check out the fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have done.

Halfway Inspiration @ UnstampaBelles

Well, we're halfway through the month again so it's time for a bit of inspiration from yours truly for November's challenge at UnstampaBelles.   This month the challenge is "Monochrome" so we want to see projects that are different shades/hues of ONE colour. Just remember - no stamps (unless they are sentiment stamps with less than four words).

I did brown last time and I was almost going to go with brown again but I decided to switch it up a bit and I went with.....

.....pink! 'Cause pink is a pretty awesome Christmas colour if you were to ask my opinion my the subject. Btw, that bling is pink even though it looks slightly orangey.

So, why don't you shove those stamps aside for just one card and enter the "Monochrome" challenge at UnstampaBelles. You have until November 30th to do so and you'll have a chance to win a great prize.

Can't wait to see what you create!

Also for:


Papertake Weekly:  flower power
Card Mania:  embossing
The Pink Elephant:  punches/dies
Crafts and Me:  untraditional Christmas colours
Divas By Design:  anything goes
Craft Room:  punches and die cuts
Card Crafters Circle:  textures
Dream Valley:  anything goes
Glitter 'n' Sparkle:  lots of layers
Hooked on Crafts:  Christmas no red/green

Arsenic and Old Lace

I totally stole my blog title from the challenge that's going on this time 'round over at Catered Crop.  But, since I have the honour of being a Guest Chef, I didn't think Linda would mind.

You might be wondering what the challenge is all about.  Well, I think the "lace" part is pretty self-explanatory.  The "arsenic"part is a bonus.....and it simply means that she would like to see something rustic like kraft, hemp or burlap on your project.  (Yeah, that stuff, not an actual poisonous substance.  ;-) )  

I'm still plugging away with the Christmas cards, and despite my vow to not leave it to the last minute, will probably still be plugging away at Christmas cards on Boxing Day like the last two years.

But, at least this one's done in plenty of time.

Digi was a freebie from Beccy's Place.

Also for:

Beccy's Place:  use a Beccy's Place image
Dream Valley:  anything goes
My Time to Craft:  vintage
Clear It Out:  anything goes + red (Patterned paper and digi are from last Christmas.)
Crafty Sentiments:  Christmas
365 Cards:  Day 259 - Wordy

Texturize It @ Little Red Wagon

This week at



Joanne is challenge us to Texturize It meaning that she wants to see projects that use an embossing folder.

I decided to go with something different.....

....a layout. That's ds # 2, who is a middle child in every sense of the word, in all his glory.

So, why not join our easy-peasy challenge this week and head over to Little Red Wagon and enter the challenge? And be sure to check out the fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have done.

Lots and lots of tinsel glitter

'Cause you can never have too much of the stuff, right?  Wrong.  You can.  In fact you can think that you often add too little, so then you decide that this time you're going to add just enough.  'Cept you don't.  You add so much that you bury the littlest snowmen in a huge glitter tinsel drift and you have to frantically peel a corner of your shaker up and dump a bunch out to rescue them.

But, in the end, it all worked out.

Digi is from Dilly Beans Stamps.

For:

Dilly Beans:  anything for boys
Southern Girls:  46 days to go (to Christmas)
ABC Christmas:  vibrant colours
Clear it Out:  red (All supplies are from Christmas last year except the gem.)
Scrap-Creations:  use a digi
Quirky Crafts:  layers & let in snow
The Pink Elephant:  fave colouring medium (Prismacolor pencils)
Catered Crop:  accentuate the negative
Pile It On:  make it sparkle
Charisma Cardz:  feeling blue

Colour an Image @ Little Red Wagon

This week at



Dee has challenged us to colour an image. Man, this was a toughie for me! Okay, I'm kidding. I do enjoying using my beloved Prismacolor pencils. Here's what I made....

Digi was a freebie from MelonHeadz.

So, why not join our easy-peasy challenge this week and head over to Little Red Wagon and enter the challenge? And be sure to check out the fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have done.

Monochrome @ UnstampaBelles

Well, it's November and a new month means a new challenge at UnstampaBelles.   This month the challenge is "Monochrome" so we want to see paper projects use different shades of one colour. Just remember - no stamps (unless they are sentiment stamps with less than four words).

Here's what I did.......

Gotta love my Cameo. (Well, most of the time.)

So, why don't you shove those stamps aside for just one card and enter the "Monochrome" challenge at UnstampaBelles. You have until November 30th to do so and you'll have a chance to win a great prize.

Can't wait to see what you create!

Also for:

Allsorts:  for men only
My Sheri Crafts:  fall
Card Crafter's:  patterned paper
Card Makin' Mamas:  anything goes
Craft Punked:  fall
Ladybug Crafts:  monochrome
Crafting For All Seasons:  falling leaves
Catered Crop:  ac-cent-tchu-ate the negative

Pink for Christmas

Another Christmas card made.  I would say "woo hoo" but I'm starting to panic as I know how far behind I'm starting to get.  My fellow (Little Red Wagon) Girlfriend, Dee, just posted that she's made 100 Christmas cards so far.  (One freakin' hundred!!) and my blog-pal Lauren has been making Christmas cards all year long as a dt member for Jingle Belles.  (And omg, you've gotta check them out, they are fabulous!  My faves have got to be the Monster one and the Flamingo one.  Go on, click!)  Now, I bet they are most certainly not panicking.

Anyhoo, here's my latest.

I love pink for Christmas.  I hate to blow my own horn but I must admit I'm kinda partial to this one. So partial in fact that this is going to be my dd's Christmas card and that way I still kinda get to keep it.

Digi is from Dilly Beans Stamps.

For:

Dilly Beans:  anything girl
Really Reasonable Ribbon:  winter holiday + ribbon
That Craft Place:  tic tac toe - gems, sentiment, ribbon
Dream Valley:  glitter and bling (The glitter is a bit hard to see, it's on the berries.)
Cutie Pie Challenge:  distress your cards
Anything Goes:  anything goes
Perfect Sentiment:  think pink for Christmas
Crafts and Me:  bling it up
Divas By Design:  Christmas
Crafty Ribbon:  Christmas

Halloween Treats @ Little Red Wagon

BOO!  Did I scare you?


This week at



the challenge is Halloween Treats. So, we want to see your Halloween projects. How fitting is that? 

This is what I did......

Hmmmm.....I got thinking after that there's really no "treats" on this card.  Whoopsies.

Digi was a freebie from Bugaboo Stamps.

So, why not put down that mini-chocolate bar (I know you've dipped into them. Why is it that the mini ones seem tastier than the full-sized version??) and head over to Little Red Wagon and enter the challenge? And be sure to check out the fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have done.

Colour Combo @ LIttle Red Wagon

This week at



Regan has chosen a colour combo for us. She wants to see creations using rust, kraft, brown and olive.

Such yummy fall colours but I decided to go a different route.....

My olive could have stood to be a little more olivey but sometimes that's just how it goes. :-)  It's hard to tell from the picture but I fussy cut some addition party hats so hats 1, 3 & 5 are popped up.  What I really wanted to do was pop up the almost-olive hat but I was using up some scraps and there were no green hats to be found.

So, why not head over to Little Red Wagon and enter the challenge? And be sure to check out the fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have done.

Halfway Inspiration @ UnstampaBelles

Well, we're halfway through the month again so it's time for a bit of inspiration from yours truly for October's challenge at UnstampaBelles.   This month the challenge is "Recycling" so we want to see projects with repurposed or upcycled items.  Just remember - no stamps (unless they are sentiment stamps with less than four words).

I've created one of my favourite cards - a shaker card!  And, unlike every shaker card before this one, it didn't leak!  And, putting it together was not a chore, everything cut and went together perfectly.  I know, I was shocked!  I almost thought I was in some weird Fringe-type alternate universe where the CN Tower was purple (I was going to reference the copper Statue of Liberty but since I'm Canadian and all......) and I could actually cut and measure things properly.

Anyhoo, here it is......

Recycled items are: the back of the shaker which is some scrappy packaging, that misted, crimped panel is from a cereal box and those buttons were gifted to me and I know they must have been cut off an old outfit. There, much better than my last card for this challenge (which had only a couple of paperclips on it as the recycled items).

So, why don't you shove those stamps aside for just one card and enter the "Recycling" challenge at UnstampaBelles. You have until October 31st to do so and you'll have a chance to win a great prize.

Can't wait to see what you create!

Also for:

Fussy and Fancy:  anything goes
Challenge Up Your Life:  autumn/Halloween
Critter Challenge:  Happy Fall
Kaboodle Doodles:  anything fall
Tammy's Scrappin' Corner:  anything goes
Use It Tuesday:  all about fall + horded supplies - All patterned paper is a year old
Scrap-Creations:  leaves
Anything Challenge:  make your own embellishments
Fab 'n' Funky:  orange & black + a colour of your choice (brown)

Pretty Much Halloweened Out

Yep, I am.  I've made a ridiculous amount of Halloween cards this year.  In truth, I've made more than I actually need.  And, I don't even like Halloween.  But, Linda at Catered Crop picked my card as one of her Winning Recipes last week (thanks so much Linda!) so I got the chance to be a Guest Chef for her challenge this week, which is "circles".  Then, after starting and rejecting a number of ideas, I saw this Halloween shape at the Silhouette store and I knew I just had to make one more Halloween card.

Just once I'd like to make a circle card that didn't roll away when I tried to take a picture of it.

I wish I could've moved the sentiment to the left a bit but I found out that once you stick those Doodlebug stickers down there's no way they're going lift back up without wrecking.  (Which is much better than the alternative, having stickers fall off your card once they're on there.  I once sat down at my craft desk and noticed a card I had finished the day before was now saying, "Yo ' he Be" which would definitely be the title of my rap song if I ever decided to record one.)

Also for:

Shopping Our Stash:  trick or treat
Crafting for All Seasons:  spooky
Divas By Design:  something spooky
Papertake Weekly:  fright night......boo!
Pile It On:  shaped cards
My Sheri Crafts:  Halloween
Aud Sentiments:  Halloween

Use a Bow @ Little Red Wagon

This week at



we want to see a bow on your project. Big or little, one or 7, ribbon or tulle or twine, we don't care as long as it's a bow.

This is what I did.....

Digi is a freebie from MelonHeadz Illustrating.

So, why not head over to Little Red Wagon and enter the challenge? And be sure to check out the fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have done.

A Post Two Days in a Row (that's not for a dt obligation)?!?!

I know!  Back in the day of being a SAHM this was known to happen from time to time but not as of late.  But, Christy (from Tiddly Inks) put a P.S. at the end of one of her blog posts which has prompted me to post this card.  (It's also got me wiggling in my seat, with my hands clamped over my mouth in an effort not to scream, "pick me!".)

Anyhoo, here's my card, digi is from Tiddly Inks, obviously.

For:

Tiddly Inks: fall
Eclectic Ellapu:  anything goes
Dilly Beans:  spooky girls
Ribbon Carousel:  Halloween
Stamptacular Sunday:  boo-tacular
Crafting For All Seasons:  costume/dress up
Card Makin' Mamas:  Halloween
Clear It Out:  anything goes + orange, purple or black
That Craft Place:  Halloween
Dream Valley:  Halloween

Wild ghosts escape from dreams.....

I found the perfect sentiment to go with this card.

I love it when that happens.

Digi is from Mo's Digital Pencil.

For:

Mo's Digital Challenge:  "B" is for.....(boy, brown, bed)
The Pink Elephant:  inspiration photo
Catered Crop:  Halloween screams
Sentimental Sundays:  anything goes
Clear It Out:  anything goes + orange, purple or black
2 Sisters:  anything goes
Deep Ocean:  anything goes
Scrap-Creations:  pumpkins
Papelitos Stamps:  anything goes
Cards For Men:  orange & black
Incy Wincy:  anything goes
Crafts and Me:  anything goes
Divas By Design:  anything goes
Aud Sentiments:  Halloween
Simply Create:  pumpkins
Stampin' For the Weekend:  spooky
Card Makin' Mamas:  Halloween or spooky
Crafty Calendar:  all things spooky
Craftymess:  anything goes
My Sheri:  Halloween

Fallin' For You @ Little Red Wagon

This week at



the challenge is "Fallin' For You" which means we want to see your autumn/fall projects.

Here in Canada we celebrated Thanksgiving on Monday or what I sometimes refer to as "Omg-Why-Did-I-Eat-So-Much-Food Day. So, I've got a Thanksgiving card to show.....

Digi is a freebie from MelonHeadz Illustrating.

So, why not head over to Little Red Wagon and enter the challenge? And be sure to check out the fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have done.

Happy Thanksgiving!

World Cardmaking Day got by without me posting (though I did work on some cards to celebrate).  I couldn't let Thanksgiving get by too. So, Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian peeps....and to my American friends (as well as my blog-buddies from other countries) mmmmmmmm.....turkey......mmmmmmmm.....pumpkin cake (Yes, that's right, cake. It's way yummier than pie.)......mmmmmmmmm.....squash casserole.....and you only have to wait, what? Another month and a half or so for your big turkey feast? Hungry yet? *snicker*

(If it makes you feel better, my tummy is still complaining about all the food I stuffed into it.)

Anyhoo, here's my card.....

Digi is from Tiddly Inks.

For:

Tiddly Inks:  fall
Card Crafters Circle:  autumn colours
Card Makin' Mamas:  fall
4 Crafty Chicks:  Thanksgiving
Do You Stack Up?:  warm colours
Milk Coffee:  welcome fall
Divas By Design:  texture
365 Cards:  Day 220 - Missed Opportunity...which is.....Day 176 - It's a Textural Thing  (dry embossing, pompom trim and Stickles)

Autumn Colours Blog Hop with Two Scrapbook Friends

Welcome to the Autumn Colours Blog Hop with Two Scrapbook Friends!  You should have arrived here from Christa's blog.  Wasn't her project fabulous? Oh yeah, it was flaming awesome!

Now, I decided to go with something a bit different. It's still a card, mind you....I didn't go way out there or anything. What I did was a Thanksgiving card, but I didn't use traditional fall colours. (And yes, I do know that this is an "Autumn Colours" blog hop. Honestly, I don't know how I missed the word "colours" every time I read about the hop. I just went ahead and made a Thanksgiving card thinking I was going to be sooo clever, seeing as I was creating a bit outside the box and all. I didn't realize until last night that I was going to be flaunting the actual name of the blog hop.  *sigh*)

Anyhoo, my idea was to show you that you don't specifically need autumn papers/colours to create a Thanksgiving or fall themed project. After all, there's still a lot of green around here in Septmember and October (and pretty much all year round last year).

I got me some Jillibean Soup on there and some alpha stickers. ('Course I had to take the ease and convenience of alpha stickers and make them much more complicated by cutting pop dots in half and then sticking them on the back of the stickers to give them some dimension.) A couple of buttons, a bit of floss and a super cute digi from Birdie Brown and there you have it.

The rest of the deets for the blog hop are below. Thanks for stopping by today and make sure you hippity-hoppity your way over to Amanda's blog. I know she'll have something wonderful to share.


Don't forget - in order to be entered to win a prize:


1. Leave a comment on all the blogs as you go and then go back to the Two Scrapbook Friends blog and leave a final comment there by October 8th at midnight..

2. To have a second chance to win, keep track of the HIGHLIGHTED WORDS from each blog and email the phrase to 2friends@execulink.com. Put "Blog Contest" in your subject line.

3. Check back at the Two Scrapbook Friends blog on October 10th to see if you are the winner. (Winners will not be contacted personally.)


Be sure to stop by each on the following blogs, leave a comment and keep track of the secret word!

Two Scrapbook Friends

Carolyn

Ann

Christa

Jan

Amanda

Lynn

Sharlene

Jayne

Shelby

Joanne
Two Scrapbook Friends

Button Bonanza @ Little Red Wagon

So it was my turn to pick the challenge this week at Little Red Wagon and I decided to go with a challenge that featured my go-to embellishment - buttons! I love me some buttons. And I want to see not one, not two but at least three buttons on your project.

Or, you could go a little bit crazy overboard and decide that you want to set a good example, seeing as you decided to call the challenge "Button Bonanza" and all, and make a card with.....

.....22 buttons.

Meh. I'm not that thrilled with this. It doesn't look as good as it did in my head. (Isn't that often the way?) And, is it just me, or does that bat trim not look like the worst unibrow ever?

I'm betting you can do better than this so why not head over to Little Red Wagon and enter the "Button Bonanza" challenge? And be sure to check out the fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have done.

Recycling @ UnstampaBelles

This month at UnstampaBelles we want to see projects with recycled items on then.  So any paper project will do, just leave off the stamps!  (Well...mostly.  There has been a slight change to the rules at UnstampaBelles.  Click the above link for more info but basically you will now be allowed to used a stamped sentiment on your projects PROVIDED it's no more than four words.  Of course you are encouraged to use other techniques for your sentiments like stickers, die cut words, rub ons etc. instead.)

I have to admit, I'm not very good at recycling challenges.  Truth is, I generally don't recycle anything.  (For crafty purposes that is.  I always put my cans and jars and box board in the blue bins and the fruit and veggie scraps in the compost though.)  Ribbon scraps, scrappy packaging, small pieces of patterned paper etc. all end up in the garbage.  So, that's my excuse for my poor showing with this card......

Yeah, the only recycled thing on there is the paper clips.

Now, I know you can do better than that so, why don't you shove those stamps aside for just one card and enter the "Recycling" challenge at UnstampaBelles. You have until October 31st to do so and you'll have a chance to win a great prize from CraftMad.


And if you need some more inspiration, head over to the challenge site and check out all the great projects the other dt members have come up with.

Also for:

City Crafter:  an early "boo"
Charisma Cardz:  for the guys
Cute Card Thursdays:  letters & numbers
Pile It On:  for a child
Catered Crop:  Halloween screams