Cool Customer (For Kinda Cute by Patricia)

Hullo all, I hope you enjoyed/are enjoying the holidays.  I have my final make as part of the Kinda Cute by Patricia DT team......

I used Waiter Penguin.  So much fun, and think of all the occasions you could use it for.....birthday, Christmas, or just an everyday card like I did here.

I'd like to thank Patricia for letting me be a part of her DT.  Do go check out her shop, and buy yourself a New Year's present or two.  (:

Happy New Year to you all!  See you in 2018.

Also for:

Watercolour Wednesday:  anything masculine goes
Tuesday Throwdown:  anything goes

That's A Wrap @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Sandy's turn to choose the challenge and she's saying, "That's A Wrap", such a clever challenge for our last of the year!  All she means by it is that she wants to see projects that have a gift (or gifts) on it....or maybe you've decorated up a gift bag or a present. We're not usually too sticky over at Little Red Wagon, so have fun with it!

Countdown to Christmas is well on, isn't it though? Five days left....how are you all doing with your preparations? Me....I'm not panicking quite yet. I've still got some cards to do, and some baking, but the gifts are all bought and wrapped so that's checked off my list.

Speaking of gifts.....I'm supposed to show you a project about them. Here it is......

I just love James the Bear. He's from Lili of the Valley (of course). He looks like he's going to make someone extremely happy with that pile of presents.

Speaking of bears....omg, have you seen that GIANT stuffed bear at Costco? A guy was buying two of them tonight. Two of them!! I was with my middlest and he couldn't see the point of them until I explained how great it would be, especially if you had a bad day, to come home, grab a blanket and snuggle up with your bear and have a nap. He thought about it for a second and said, "Yeah, that would be pretty good."  And seeing that he's 6'(just shy of)5" (at 14!) it's probably the only bear he'd ever be able to do that with.....unless, you know, he found himself an actual bear...and even then it would have to be either the grizzly or polar variety.  

Why not give our challenge a go this week and head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up?  And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Oh, and I should just mention that Little Red Wagon is taking next week off to enjoy the holidays.  We'll be back on January 3rd with our first challenge of 2018.  If I don't "see" you before, do have a very Happy Holiday, I hope it's filled with lots laughter and love.  (And food.  Gotta have the eats too.)

Also for:

Merry Monday:  tic tac toe - red, punch (snowflakes), buttons/brads
Crafty Calendar:  it's Christmas
QKR Stampede:  Christmas
Incy Wincy:  red & green
Always Fun:  a Christmas carol
Deep Ocean:  jingle bells
The Holly & the Ivy:  anything Christmas goes
{PIN}spirational:  inspirational photo
Come And Get It:  Christmas
Christmas At Sweet Stampin':  anything Christmas goes
The Male Room:  Christmas
The Sisterhood of Crafters:  all about Christmas
Merry Christmas Challenge:  anything goes + Christmas
Cupcake Inspirations:  inspirational photo

Christmas Critters @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Kate's turn to choose the challenge and she wants to see those holiday animals. Perfect challenge for this time of year, right?

This is what I did....

I made a pop up gift card holder.  Thought this digi from DigiStamp Boutique would be perfect for teacher gifts.  Hmmmmm.....I must say, I could have blended out my colouring better.  I guess when you're looking at it after midnight, for a challenge that's due in about seven hours, the colouring job will look spot on.

I was just happy the constructing, folding, etc. of the holder went (basically) according to plan.  I'm usually terrible at figuring out these types of projects.  I did have one minor glitch.....I had originally used a different sweet little border die to make the detailed edge.....but I ended up getting a stand alone sweet little border rather than a sweet little edge.  I blamed it on the die, rather than the user, of course.  Usually I'm good about putting my dies back in their package so I don't worry about losing them (though I'm not so good about putting the package back) but I was pretty mad at this one so I taped it to the desk with washi tape so it could think about what it had done.  I was just all kinds of relieved that the flap was long enough and I didn't have to make a whole new one.

I didn't bother with a photo of the inside as I'm sure most of you know what a pop up gift card holder looks like (and if you don't you can see the one from the tutorial I used)......and because this piece of patterned paper was just the right length with the manufacturers information still attached.  I'm doubting my daughter's teacher will notice, much less care, but I know if a fellow crafter saw it, it would look like a lump on plate glass.  So, remain closed, it shall.

Why not give our challenge a go this week and head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up?  And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Also for:

Crafty Sentiments:  snowflakes
The Cutie Pie Challenge:  snowflakes
Use Your Stuff:  Christmas is coming
Allsorts:  snowflakes
Aud Sentiments:  Christmas + sentiment
The Male Room:  Christmas

Holiday Gift Tags/Holders @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Sandy's turn to host the challenge and she's all about holiday tags and holders....which, I'll admit, made me grumble a bit. I'm still very much in my almost eight year streak of not being able to make tags. So, for this, I decided to do something super simple....

and I made a box set of mini 2" x 2" tags.

Here's what some of them look like....

I used up A LOT of scraps for this. I designed the sentiment in Silhouette, cut out the circles and the rest is pretty self-explanatory.  Turns out if I make the dimensions of a tag so small like this, there's not too many ways I can mess it up.

Why not give our challenge a go this week and head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up?  And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Be Merry @ Tiddly Inks

This month at

we're celebrating the upcoming holiday season be saying "Be Merry". All you need to be is follow the theme and use a Tiddly Inks image.

This is what I did....

I wanted to show that you can do a lot of the stamped image techniques with digis too.  What I did here was print three of the Poinsettia images on watercolour paper.  Then I took a wet paint brush and went over the printed lines.  Now, I have to admit, I was going for a black and white card originally....I didn't know black printer ink would bleed out red!  I was in luck coz I used a poinsettia digi....might not have looked too good if it was a snowman.  (:  So, I played around with the water and brush until I liked how it looked, then I just add some splatter, stamped and embossed the sentiment (with a pretty copper colour that did not photograph well), die cut the panel, and that was about it.  Bonus part about digis is that I could make the poinsettias exactly the size I wanted them.  Also, it's easy to move them, rotate them, flip 'em and see how it's going to look before printing.  I just do it with my Silhouette Studio software....start with a square that's the size of the card I want to make and it's just a matter clicking and moving until I get it how I want it.  And, with digis, you've got the option of that all-important undo button.  Surprised mine isn't worn out by now.  ;)

Why not grab a Tiddly Inks image, and join us for the challenge?  And be sure to  check out the fabulousness the DT has come up with.

Also for:

Make My Monday:  Happy Christmas
The Crazy Challenge:  Christmas is coming
Jingle Belles:  baby, it's gold (or silver or copper) outside
Aud Sentiments:  Christmas + sentiment
The Merry Christmas Challenge:  anything Christmas goes
Crafty Calendar:  it's Christmas
Christmas Card Throwdown:  2012/13 past challenge - January 2012 - Christmas flowers

Foodie @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Brenda's turn to choose the challenge and she's saying, "Foodie" which just means that she wants to see projects with food or drinks on them.....well, with images of food or drinks anyways. She doesn't want to see your crafting-while-snacking mishaps.

This is what I did....

As you can see, I've got two types of food on there - Christmas pudding and gingerbread men, neither of which will be touching my lips this holiday season.  Blech.  I could eat the gingerbread man if I had to, say in a case of being polite....but I might just do the one-bite-mmmm-good-hide-it-somewhere-and-dispose-of-it-later thing....but only if it was homemade gingerbread.  I never feel the need to be polite with store bought baked goods.  The Christmas pudding - uh uh.  In my early 20s I briefly worked in a factory (hated it) and one of the things I had to make was suet cakes, you know, for birds.  The suet had to be heated so it would become liquid, then mixed with birdseed, then poured into packages, which you could never do neatly so then you'd have to try to wipe the greasy fat off the outside of the packages while it was fast getting cold (because there was very little heat in the part of the factory where you did this) and turning back into a slimy, sludgy mess.  And you smelled like beef fat for DAYS no matter how many times you showered.  Now, I know you can probably make Christmas pudding without the suet....but the only Christmas pudding I ever see is made by my very old fashioned mother-in-law (like pour the bacon grease on the dog's kibble, old fashioned) so I know there's definitely suet in her pudding.  And, if she knew my feelings about the stuff, she'd probably make it with extra suet....just in case I ever lost my mind and decided to have some.

Yes, so while you now know my intimate feelings about Christmas pudding - the irl stuff - I must say I do think this version is super adorable.  It's from DigiStamp Boutique.

Why not give our challenge a go this week and head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up?  And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Also for:

Simon Says Stamp:  food and/or drink
The Holly & The Ivy:  anything Christmas goes
The Merry Christmas Challenge:  anything goes + Christmas
Fab n Funky:  Christmas
Crafty Friends:  add a sentiment

I CAME IN LIKE A WRECKING BAAAAAAALLLLL - Fab Friday @ Tiddly Inks

Where has November gone?  This month has flown by, well for me at least.  It's also Black Friday too, right?  If any of my American readers happen to be by, do tell me if you do the whole Black Friday thing.  As a Canadian it sounds, well not to be insulting, weird.  Getting up in the wee hours of the morning to stand outside (in the cold in some places!) in a line to wait for a store to open?  The crowds and the pushing/jostling must be unbearable.  And, how long do you have to stand in line to purchase your scored deals?  I'm picturing it as forever.

A lot of retailers on the north side of the border have gotten into the Black Friday spirit in the last few years and there are deals to be had here too.....but they are generally specials that last a whole week.  They are usually pretty good bargains, offering a good 20% to 30 % off everything in store (or online) with some stores doing decent door crasher deals, but, for the most part, hours are generally the same as any other day.  (Though, that might be different in some of the big cities.)   We tend to get a little crazier with our Boxing Day sales up here, though still nothing along the lines of Black Friday.  Would love to hear about your Black Friday experience if you're willing to share!

Trying to come up with a decent segue has failed me, so, here's my card.....

And here's my card again.....

Yep, when I saw this image that had to be done.  It's one of the three digis from the Cute and Clumsy Elves set.  As you can see it's an interactive card coz if you are going to come in like a wrecking ball you better a least look like you're capable of wrecking something.

Do make sure you go check out the other fabulous Fabby Friday makes the rest of the DT has come up with. You can see 'em all right here.

Also for:

Sunny Day Crafting:  U is for up in the air
The Merry Christmas Challenge:  anything Christmas goes
Christmas Card Challenge:  Christmas
The Holly & The Ivy:  Christmas
Fab n Funky:  inspired by a song, film or book - I think my inspiration is obvious.  ;-)
As You Like It:  fave Christmas colours - I'll admit, my fave is the traditional red & green.  While I do like to use non-traditional colours for holiday cards too, nothing says Christmas like red & green.  I usually avoid red & green together unless it's for Christmas.
Winter Wonderland:  traditional red & green Christmas colours
Your Next Stamp:  inspirational photo/colours
Aud Sentiments:  anything goes + sentiment

Let's Get Sketchy! @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's my turn to chose the challenge and I decided on a sketch. Here's it is....

Have to admit, this is my go-to sketch. I use it A LOT. Sometimes I wonder if I get lazy and use it too much but I LIKE it. There's something about it that works for me.  And, you can dress it up, or leave it clean & simple.

I decided to add just a smidge here and there.....

So, as you can see, I did go ahead and add a sentiment and embellishments wherever I wished.  I love this chubby Santa.  He's from Squigglefly which has been long closed.  :-(

My colouring looks a little rougher than normal....I use really cheap paper to colour on, mostly because I like the paper to have tooth and not be super smooth, but sometimes there's a sheet or two of especially rough paper in the pack....which you never know until you're colouring on it.  Still, I'd rather have rough looking highlights than no highlights at all so I didn't want to overcompensate.

I did a little trick I've done in the past when I can't find coordinating paper for the backing paper I've chosen.  I just cut the backing paper and then mat it with cardstock and then slap it back down.  Takes the card up a layer - literally!  :-)

Why not give our challenge a go this week and head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up?  And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Also for:

Merry Monday:  Santa Claus
Christmas Card Challenge:  Christmas
Crafty Friends:  add a sentiment
Fab n Funky:  inspired by a song - Santa Claus is Coming To Town  (The Bruce Springsteen version where one of the E Street Band is saying, "Ho Ho Ho" in the background.)
The Merry Christmas Challenge:  anything Christmas goes
Christmas At Sweet Stampin':  anything Christmas goes
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge:  Christmas
Craft Rocket:  Christmas is coming
Star Stampz:  use a digi
As You Like It:  favourite Christmas colour - I'll admit, my fave is the traditional red & green.  While I do like to use non-traditional colours for holiday cards too, nothing says Christmas like red & green.  I usually avoid red & green together unless it's for Christmas.
Aud Sentiments:  anything goes + sentiment
Crafty Gals Corner:  to die for - shape dies & word dies

Penguins and/or Polar Bears @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Heather's turn to choose the challenge and she wants to see either a penguin(s) or a polar bear(s) on your project - or both! A perfect challenge to help you get some of that holiday/winter crafting done.

This is what I did....

I love this lil penguin. Digi.....oh, wait. Guess what? It's not a digi stamp. Yep, you read that right.  It's actually a rubber stamp from Rubbernecker Stamps.  They had a sale on a bit ago and he was comparable in price to a digi so I snatched him up.

Please don't look too close at that Liquid Applique.  I do love the stuff but mine has obviously past it's expiry date as it's turned a fairly sickly yellowish colour.  (It is, yeeeaaars old, after all.)  Works okay in this case coz of the yellow beak and feet, but I've really got to get some new stuff before I use it again.  Used some Glossy Accents on the glasses, though it's not evident in the photo.  I do love that stuff too, especially for glasses.   

Why not give our challenge a go this week and head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up?  And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Also for:

Christmas Card Challenge:  Christmas
Crafty Friends:  Christmas
Craft Rocket:  Christmas is coming
The Merry Christmas Challenge:  anything Christmas
Watercooler Wednesday:  masculine
City Crafter:  for the boys
Crafty Sentiments:  winter
Deep Ocean:  things with wings
The Holly & Ivy:  Christmas
Merry Monday:  Christmas + winter activity
ABC Christmas:  X marks the spot (Bow looks like an X)
Christmas at Sweet Stampin':  anything Christmas goes
Craftaholics R Us:  masculine
Fab 'n' Funky:  masculine

Harvest Time @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Sandy's turn to choose the challenge and she's saying "Harvest Time" which means that she wants to see fall themed cards. Very fitting!

Now, when you see this you might think I went a little outside the box.....

...but I actually didn't, I followed the challenge more closely than normal coz....

....that's what my oldest was doing this weekend. Now, if he happened to come across a happy, dancing cob of corn on this combining travels....well....yeah, I'm betting he'd just suck that sucker up right into the bin with the rest of the non-sentient cobs. And if I expressed dismay about that he be all like, "What? Gotta get that 10ø." Sentimental, my oldest isn't.

I must say, I love this digi though.  With the freebies I have accumulated, I don't often purchase digis but I snatched this one up 'specially for this challenge.  It was too fun and too perfect not to!  It's from Drawn With Character.

Why not give our challenge a go this week and head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up?  And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Also for:

Dream Valley:  add a sentiment
Star Stampz:  harvest
Aud Sentiments:  bingo + sentiment - patterned paper, digi, faux stitching
Tic Tac Toe Challenge:  tic tac toe - vibrant, circle, stripes
Addicted to Stamps:  make your mark
Crafty Calendar:  autumn colours

Friends & Family @ Tiddly Inks

This month at

the challenge is "Friends & Family" which is pretty open-ended really. You could use Tiddly image depicting friends or family or you could even make something for a special someone. Just use a Tiddly Inks image and you're all set.

This is what I did.....

I used Cocoa Wishes, a real favourite of mine. I just love these two.  They're both so adorable and I think the way Wren is looking at Wryn is so super sweet.

Now, I'm by no means a girly-girl (not that there's anything wrong with being a girly-girl....girly-girls are awesome).  I was a total tomboy growing up, and not much has changed.  Dresses and jewellery only if I absolutely have too, there's nothing pink in my closet, only manicure I've ever had was on my wedding day etc. etc. etc.  So, how come when I see papers with a colour combination like this I squeal inside like I've just been offered a total makeover by {insert some famous stylist/fashion guru here}?  I mean lOOk at it!  It's so pretty and is bright but soft at the same time, and that vintage vibe....*squeal*, so scrumptious!

Just so you know, I just downed the rest of my Diet Coke, thunked the glass down and wiped off my mouth with the back of my hand, you know, just to reset myself to the non-squealing version.  I will now avert my eyes from the card so not to relapse.

Why not grab a Tiddly Inks image, and join us for the challenge?  And be sure to  check out the fabulousness the DT has come up with.

Also for:

Deep Ocean:  inspired by a song - Holly Jolly Christmas
Dream Valley:  add a sentiment
Christmas Card Challenges:  Christmas
Come and Get It:  winter girls
Crafty Friends:  Christmas
As You Like It:  Christmas or non-Christmas - Definitely Christmas!  I give out a lot of Christmas card so I need to make a lot.  Plus I love Christmas papers, everything thing from vintage/shabby chic to cutesy-cute!  And Christmas images are so fun.
Aud Sentiments:  bingo + sentiment - die cuts, digi, pink

Owl About Me @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Kate's turn to choose the challenge and she's saying it's "Owl About Me" which means, you guessed it, she wants to see an owl (or other bird) on your project.

This is what I did.....

Hahahaha, this digi cracks me up.  It's from Kinda Cute by Patricia.  Too funny.  I found some fuzzy felt at Dollarama and I thought it would be cool for die cutting....turns out I was right.  Cuts easy peasy too.  Just don't smell it.  I tell ya, dollar store products usually smell toxic.  It can't be good for you to take a big whiff of them.  But does that stop me from sniffing my purchases to see if it does indeed smell all chemically gross?   Nope, I do it every time.  I just chalk it up to yet-another-thing-wrong-with-me - ha!

Why not give our challenge a go this week and head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up?  And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

What's Red All Over? @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's my turn to choose the challenge and I'm asking "What's Red All Over?" (besides our little wagon, of course) which just means that I want to see projects that have a lot of red.

Remember that joke...."what's black & white and read all over?" Okay, so it doesn't work so well in its printed form. I used to love that joke when I was a kid. That and the "knock knock, aren't you glad I didn't say banana" one. Yep, I was into high brow humour even back then.

But we're not talking about jokes here. (Bonus points go to anyone who uttered....no, even thought....of some sort of "but you are/your cards/your blog is a joke". You've got to take these types of opportunities when they're offered, my friends.) We're talking about this week's challenge. And this is what I did for it....

Lots of red on there.  I've even got some newspaper-type paper just to tie in with the joke.  Digi was a past freebie from A Day For Daisies.

Why not give our challenge a go this week and head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up?  And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Also for:

Merry Monday:  gifts
As You Like It:  people or animals - Animals!  Much easier to colour and I find you can be more creative with them.
The Sisterhood of Crafters:  I see spots
The Holly & the Ivy:  anything Christmas goes
ABC Christmas:  V is for vibrant
Christmas at Sweet Stampin':  anything Christmas goes
Fab 'n' Funky:  Christmas
Shopping Our Stash:  that's sketchy - Using this past sketch from Paper Play sketches

Rawr! - Fab Friday @ Tiddly Inks

Welp, we're well into fall now.....and it's the third Friday of the month so time for Fab Friday with Tiddly Inks.

Have you seen the new digis Christy has released?  They are so fantabulous!  Everything from flowers to Halloween to Christmas.  Now, if I could just find some time to get my craft on I'd be a happy potato!

Luckily I did manage to carve (ha, carve....a Halloween word for sure!) out some time to make this....

I used an image from Pum'kin Juice.  What a steal this is....you get a whole whack of stamps for just $2.00!  I just love these Halloween felines.....you can go either cutesy cute or a lil spooky like I did here.  Either way, they're all perfect (or should I say purrfect) for October 31-ness.

Do make sure you go check out the other fabulous Fabby Friday makes the rest of the DT has come up with. You can see 'em all right here.

Also for:

Crafty Gals:  use Halloween colours
The Crazy Challenge:  Halloween
Crafty Calendar:  Halloween
Cards In Envy:  let's play dress up
Crafty Cardmakers:  spooky
Love To Scrap:  frightfully fun
As You Like It:  people or animals? - I prefer animals because you can have such fun with them....and they're usually easier to colour!
Aud Sentiments:  Halloween + sentiment
Cardz 4 Guyz:  Halloween
Deep Ocean:  Halloween
That's Crafty:  get your spook on
Cupcake Inspirations:  monsters

Shape Up @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Brenda's turn to choose the challenge and she's got a fun one for us. She's saying "Shape Up"....now she's not telling us to behave or exercise....she wants to see cards that aren't rectangles or squares. See, told you it was fun!

I love challenges like this because I love shaped cards. My issue is that shaped cards usually take a bit of effort and I find I can sometimes get lazy with my cardmaking. So, this forces me to do something different - yay!

This is what I did.....

I guess I really shouldn't give the impression that I was being all kinds of ambitious making this as I used a template from Art Made With Heart.  But I, like, traced it and cut it all out and everything, so I had to expend some effort at least.

Why not give our challenge a go this week and head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up?  And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Also for:

International Art & Soul:  not square or rectangle
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge:  shaped card
Inky Chicks:  anything but square
Fab 'n' Funky:  paper piecing

Leftovers! @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's my turn to choose the challenge and, seeing as we celebrated Thanksgiving on Monday here in Canada, I'm going with "Leftovers!" (even though I'm sick of the in-the-fridge kind already). There's two different tactics you can use to be eligible to enter....

1.  Had you made a card for a different occasion or holiday that you never got a chance to post?  Something that's now off season?  Well, now's the time to show it!  (Just to be clear.....while you made it in the past it has to be a previously not-posted creation.  No backlinking, please.)

2.  Got some scraps or leftovers from a different project?  Use 'em to make something new!  Just be sure to mention what it is in your post.

This is what I did.....

It's an Easter card - ha!  Yep, I made this back in the spring but never got the opportunity to post it.  And, see those circles of patterned paper?  Well, they aren't actually full circles.  I used some scraps of paper and cut what I could outta them, then hid their halfness behind the other paper.  Leftovers galore!  Digi is from Melonheadz Illustrating.

Why not give our challenge a go this week and head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up?  And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

It's Black & White @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

I've got hosting duties and the challenge is, "It's Black & White" which means, you guessed it, I want to see project using only black & white. (I'll allow skin tones, but you'll get extra points if you keep it all black & white.)

This is what I did....

I used an image from the Bear Set digi from Kinda Cute by Patricia Alvarez, a (fairly) new artist to the scene.  I've been playing with her freebies for a bit now (you can see samples of them here and here....and if you want to score freebies of your own you can subscribe to the newsletter), so I was very happy when Patricia picked me as one of her Design Team Members.  Do go and check out her work....always nice to support new artists, right?

And when you've done that...Why not give our challenge a go this week and head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up?  And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Also for:

Make My Monday:  animal antics
The Crazy Challenge:  add an animal
Just Us Girls:  word dies - The sentiment is letter dies, I hope that counts!
The Sisterhood of Crafters:  use your dies
Moving Along With the Times:  geometric shapes

Spookaboo! @ Tiddly Inks

This month at

it's all about Halloween! Christy has just released some fabulous Halloween themed digis so you don't have any excuse not to join in.

This is what I did.....

I used the brand new Mini Wryn Zombie.  Isn't she a scream?  So totally perfect for Halloween.

So, why not grab a Tiddly Inks image (brand new or otherwise), and join us for the challenge?  And be sure to  check out the fabulousness the DT has come up with.

Also for:

Pile It On:  fantasy
Cute Card:  trick or treat
Starz Stampz:  lots of layers
Crea Chicky's:  Halloween
Stinkin' Inkers:  monster mash

Heart & Home @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Sandy's turn to choose the challenge and she's saying, "Heart & Home" which means that she wants to see a project with both a home/house and a heart(s). Lots of fun!

This is what I did....

As you can I made a shaker card.  It's a pretty darn staticy piece of acetate, despite me running an Embossing Buddy over it, but I kinda like how the glitter sticks to it, adds to it I think.  I shoulda added more shaker guts though.....that always seems to be the way when I made shaker cards....I either add to much or too little!

Why not give our challenge a go this week and head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up?  And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Also for:

Christmas Card Challenge:  anything Christmas
Simon Says:  anything goes
Merry Christmas Challenge:  anything goes + Christmas
Watercooler Wednesdays:  all about Christmas
Sunny Day:  M is for male
ABC Christmas:  T is for trio
Sweet Stampin' Christmas:  anything Christmas
Cardz For Guyz:  architecture

Making the Patterned Paper Do All the Work - Fab Friday @ Tiddly Inks

It's Fab Friday time!  Hey, did you know that there's only two months until Christmas?  I'm nowhere near panicking now, not because I've got everything well in hand, aside from making a few holiday cards I've done nothing, but it's not close enough to Christmas yet for me to care - ha!  Still, I do know I won't have enough time in the run up to the holidays so I do try to combine Christmas card making with DT duties.  And, well, whaddya know, I have a Christmas card right here.....(Nice segue, JanR.  Why thank you, JanR.)

As my title suggests, I did just let a sheet of pattened paper do the heavy lifting for making this scene.  I do love when it works out like that.  I used Sweet Dream Molly, isn't she adorable?  I gave her the extra girly treatment going with a lot of pink.  I'm betting she'd look smashing in red & green, or blue & silver, or purple & white...heck, I don't think she could look anything but smashing no matter what colours she was dressed up in.

Do make sure you go check out the other fabulous Fabby Friday makes the rest of the DT has come up with. You can see 'em all right here.

Also for:

Aud Sentiments:  use a two word sentiment
Incy Wincy:  unconventional Christmas - I've got the slightly non-traditional pink/green/blue colour scheme going on...plus, look at the size of that candy cane.  Not too many conventional candy canes out there that are the size of a kid!  Not to mention she's outside in her pjs and nightcap.
The Card Concept:  inspirational image - I was inspired by the colours and the patterned wallpaper for my Clean & Graphic card.
Christmas At Sweet Stampin':  anything Christmas
The Merry Christmas Challenge:  anything goes + Christmas
Jingle Belles:  3 in a row - snow, cardstock, blue

"Leaf" It To Me @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Kate's turn to choose the challenge and she's (a Girlfriend after my own heart by using a pun like that and) saying, "Leaf It To Me" which just means that she wants to see leaves on your projects. Perfect for fall!

We've been having some gorgeous autumn weather 'round these parts. Like 25ºC, very little wind, sunshine for about two weeks straight....like I said, gorgeous. Made it easy to make a fall-type card......

As you can see I used a leaf embossing folder. Made a grungy masculine birthday card. Something different for a change.

Why not give our challenge a go this week and head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up? And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

I Want To Be A 2017 Card Design Superstar! @ MFT

Did you guys hear about this contest?  To be honest, I want to be a really bad bloggy-friend and not even tell you about it.  Coz I know you all rock the making of the cards and why would I want to give myself more competition?  I mean...there are five GRAND PRIZES OF A $250 SHOPPING SPREE in each of the three categories.  That's a serious shopping spree, right there.  Makes a person want to be a little cut-throaty, kwim?

But, I can't be that mean to you, Dear Readers, coz you're all too awesome.  So, you can check out the contest here.

When I saw this contest was going on, I ran straight to my craft desk.  (Okay, ran might be a little strong...my computer is three steps from my craft desk so running would have put me into my desk before I could get stopped.)  I don't have much time to devote to crafting anymore, as you can tell by the fact that my blog posts are strictly for my Little Red Wagon and Tiddly Inks duties.  (Which I love doing and would not give up even if I had to start swapping sleeping & eating......hahahahahahahahahahaha.....got a little carried away there.  I would never trade anything for eating.  I'm pretty sure I could get my craft on with one hand while shoveling Doritos in my mouth with the other.)  But I was sure going to make some time for this.

I got busy pulling out all my MFT products.  Dies, stamps, paper pads....just spread 'em all out on my desk (which then left me with a 1' square area for creating) and just scanned them over, pretty much inhaling inspiration from them.  A plan started forming.....I decided I was going to do something for the Clean & Simple category.....and got busy.

So, this is what I did......

I genuinely had intended to showcase more MFT products, but, and this almost always happens when I do cas cards, I went super-duper cas.  Still, I did use a sentiment from the Deepest Sympathy stamp set as well as the Die-Namics Roses in Bloom, so s'all good.

Welp, there's my entry.  I guess I'm done here.  (Though, I am seriously considering going back through my post and inserting "please pick me" subliminally throughout, but that would be exceedingly juvenile, even for me.)  So, I'll just wish everyone a Happy Sunday.  Laterz, all.  :-)

Distress It! @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's my turn to host and the challenge is "Distress It" which is pretty self-explanatory, I'm thinking.

My card ended up being not only distressed, but distressing. Got the photo of my card all shined up and ready for posting....at 11:40pm last night.....was just clicking save, when I got this kinda look on my face....

Coz sumthin' didn't look quite right.  Took me a moment to realize and when I did I just was all....

Well, f@#k.

As you've probably noticed, two pearls on the left side have escaped to freedom.  Now, I'll affix two more before I give this card to the recipient, but you'll have to forgive for not having the time (or the patience) to go through the whole photographing and edited process all over again.

As you can see, I used Distress ink and distressed the edges.  Also coloured in a way to give it a more grungy feel.  (At least that was the idea anyway.)

Why not give our challenge a go this week and head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up? And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Give Us Your Background @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Brenda's turn to choose the challenge and she got a fun one for us. She's saying, "Give Us Your Background" which just means that she wants us to make our own background paper. So fun!

Now, I'll admit, I had a bit of trouble with this one. I was totally overthinking it too, of course. As much as I love inked backgrounds I'm completely horrible at trying to produce them myself. I cannot blend ink smoothly, I end up making a big mess, and a lot of paper ends up in the garbage (and more than a few swears fly outta my mouth too).

In the end I followed this tutorial from Mel Stampz and made this...

So, while I did use patterned paper, at least I dressed it up, right?  What you do is use an embossing folder on the patterned paper, use clear embossing powder on the raised sections, then ink the rest of it.  Of course the embossing powder resists the ink, so it comes through as is.  It looks stunning if you use a dark ink that completely covers everything but the raised parts (click on the link above to see a sample of that).  Silly me, I thought that what would happen here, but obviously, pink isn't dark enough to black out the pattern.  Still, looks pretty cool if I do say so myself.

I did do some ink smooshing too, which I can sorta, kinda do. Sprinkled salt on it but I really don't see that effect on it at all....maybe because I blotted off the excess ink before I did?  I dunno....yet another example of why me and inks aren't best of friends.

Digi is from DigiStamp Boutique.

Why not give our challenge a go this week and head on over to Little Red Wagon and link up? And, while you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Also for:

The Holly & the Ivy:  anything Christmas goes
Addicted To Stamps:  Christmas
The Merry Christmas Challenge:  anything Christmas goes
Addicted To Stamps & More:  holiday
Christmas at Sweet Stampin':  anything Christmas goes
Dream Valley:  use a stamp or digi image
Sweet Stampin':  heat embossing
Shopping Our Stash:  on trend - Distress Ink smooshed backgrounds....that's still trendy, right?
City Crafter:  inspirational photo