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