Make Your Own Background! @ Little Red Wagon

 This week at

it's Brenda's turn to choose the challenge and she's saying, "Make Your Own Background!"

This is what I did....

I did some heat embossing and used some black snowflake stickers to make the background.  Snowflake stamp is from Close to My Heart and the sentiment stamp is from Stamplorations.  This is one of those cards that I call, "But we got there in the end".  You know what I mean, one of those cards where you might have had to backtrack, try something different because what you were thinking didn't work, change the size or the paper or....

....have to make it an extra layer because you put it together upside down.  Let's just say some f words were uttered.

Speaking of things not exactly going as planned.....our hospital foundation's Gala was on Saturday.  Without having to spend a whole bunch of time setting up what I want to explain....at one point of the evening I was sitting with my laptop on the stage that was set up with all the amps, mikes, instruments etc for the band that was going on later.  Once I got the most important task done, I decided I really didn't need to be sitting on the stage, where I was probably blocking the projector screen from some attendees, and I could leave my laptop on the stage and do the remaining jobs standing on the floor.  Of course, I was on the side of the stage that the staircase wasn't.  I didn't want to have to weave my way back across the stage, especially since the projector screen stand was kinda flimsy, I didn't want to risk knocking it over (and I was definitely picturing myself tripping and taking out the entire drum set), so I just turned around with the intention of gracefully sliding/lowering myself off the stage to the floor.  It was then I realized that, even though I'm 5'9", I wasn't going to reach the floor, there would be a drop.  Just as I started to go for it my body said, "Hahahahahahaha, you thought you were still 20, didn't you?  And you think you can do this in those shoes?  Hahahahahaha!"

So, there I was, just kinda perched on the very edge of the stage.  My intention was to get the attention of one of the members of the band who played the dinner music, since they were all fairly big guys, to give me a solid forearm, and that way I could use it to lower myself, but they had apparently packed up their last piece of equipment and went off in the other direction.  That's when I realized there was absolutely no way I could abort this decentation plan as the only way to get off the edge of the stage would be to do some kind of rolling flop back onto the stage, get up on all fours, and then stand up from there.  Yeah, no.

I sat there for a few minutes psychically staring at someone I was an acquainted with, hoping to get her attention so she could send her husband over.  But, either I'm not very talented when it come to psychic staring, or she did in fact sense me, and decided I was on my own (which would be very on brand for her).  I mentally hoped she had wanted one of the caterer's famous crème brûlées for dessert and they were all gone when she went to get it.

Just as I was trying to come up with another plan, the Recreation Facilities Lead came walking near so I desperately called her name.  (Quick shout out to her for not only being my rescuer but also for being absolutely amazing all through Gala.)  She came over right away and said, "Would you like some help?"  I feel like at this point I might have nodded and said, "Uh huh" like I was a child rather than a 51 1/2 year old woman.  Thing is, that although she's a solid person, she's not overly tall, so she had to offer her shoulders, not a hand or an arm.  I thought, "It's now or be stuck here forever" and gently put my arm around her to facilitate my slide off.  Only problem was between my pants and the carpet on the stage, there was no sliding, like none.  Of course, she started moving slowly away from the stage, so she could help me onto the floor.  I ended up having to throw my other arm around the front of her shoulders, and basically throw the rest of me at her in order to disembark. So, she pretty much carried me off the stage.  And, because she's so wonderful, was completely unfazed.  I spent the rest of the evening apologizing to her and asking if her back was okay.  All in all, besides that and a couple of minor hiccups that none of the attendees would have realized, Gala was a success.  The highlight of the night for me was the fact that the speakers at the side of the stage would have hid my stage debacle from most of the guests.  Well, that and the fact that there was leftover cake to take home after cleanup on Sunday.  (:

Why not give our challenge a go this week and join us?  And, if you'd like more inspiration, be sure to check out what the Girlfriends have made. 

Merry Little Christmas:  anything Christmas goes

A Place to Start:  anything goes

Aud Sentiments:  embossing + sentiment

Neglected Stuff:  use neglected stash - First time I've used those very old snowflake stickers.

613 Avenue Create:  anything goes

Peace on Earth:  anything Christmas goes

Allsorts:  anything goes

Inkspirational:  for the guys

Crafty Catz:  anything goes

Christmas [or not] Bingo:  N - Christmas, free, dots

Simon Says:  anything goes

L is for Leftovers! @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Imke's turn to choose the challenge and she's continuing to take us through the alphabet with this week being, "L is for Leftovers!" which means she wants to see those projects using leftover bits and bobs.

This is what I did....

I found this snowguy (a favourite from Close To My Heart) in my discard bin so I coloured him up and die cut the tag.  Snowman's paper pieced hat was from a scrap of paper.  (One of the benefits of clear stamps over digis is that you can use the tiniest pieces of paper for paper piecing.)  The Let It Snow tag was also from a scrap.

Why not give our challenge a go this week and join us?  And, if you'd like more inspiration, be sure to check out what the Girlfriends have made.

Also for:

As You Like It:  cute or elegant? - I prefer cute because I find it more versatile than elegant.

CRAFT:  Christmas

Addicted to Stamps:  make your mark

Peace on Earth:  anything Christmas goes

613 Avenue Create:  anything goes

Creative Fingers:  anything goes

The Sisterhood of Crafters:  stitching

Fab 'n' Funky:  dies or punches

Crafty Catz:  anything goes

Simon Says:  anything goes

Baby, It's Cold Outside! @ Little Red Wagon

 This week at

it's Doni's turn to choose the challenge and she's saying, "Baby, It's Cold Outside!" which means she wants to see those winter makes.

Usually, when you think of winter in Canada, especially in Ontario, you think of snow.  We were certainly thinking of snow at Christmas time when a fairly epic multi-day snowstorm hit which left people stranded, caused accidents and damage, closed roads and had many families have postpone their Christmas events.  We were lucky, all my Babies and *Sub-Babies were tucked in here on the Thursday night (23rd) with plans to stay for the duration.  We also didn't lose power, which was surprising, given the high winds.  So, we ended up having a cozy Christmas, and were able to make the short drive to my dad's place on Christmas Day and the even shorter drive to my mil's on Boxing Day so it didn't end up affecting us too much.  

Thing is, we're not exactly thinking of snow now.  Because after all that snow, the temps rose and then it rained for....it feels like.....two weeks.  So, all that's left of snow around here are some crusty, rock hard snowdrifts that just didn't get completely melted before the temps went back below freezing.

Guess what I'm saying is, if you want to see snow from 'round here, you'll have to make due with this card....

...which features purple snow - ha!  I used a snowflake from a Close to My Heart set I bought at a garage sale some time ago.  It's actually one of my favourite clear stamp sets.  Inked up two different snowflakes with Versamark and then used embossing powder.  Even though I used an Embossing Buddy on the cardstock before inking, I did have some stray embossing powder stick....so I just doubled down on that and purposely sprinkled both ep purples and made it part of the design.  Die for the sentiment and rectangle is from Stamplorations.  

So, why not give our challenge a go this week and join us?  And, if you'd like more inspiration, be sure to check out what the Girlfriends have made.

*If you're wondering what a Sub-Baby is, that's the group term I use for my kids' SOs.  My daughter actually came up with it when we were having a conversation about....well.....pecking order, I guess you could say.  She was (jokingly) trying to get me to say I loved her SO the most out of the SOs.  I, of course, did the classic Mom thing and said I loved them all the same.  That morphed into a conversation about how, technically, I loved my three kids, a little more than the three SOs, because, well, other than the obvious, I said that if anything were to go down, I would definitely be choosing my kids over the SOs.  So, while I loved the SOs too and did consider them as my Babies (as they were granted the same circumstances as back when I would 'adopt' kids into our family if I was taking charge of them, for example, if I was taking a teammate of my kids to a sporting event, it meant they didn't have to pay for anything, but in return they had to listen to me when I told them to put on sunscreen etc.) only theirs was a permanent adoption, but they had to be ranked just a smidge, just a lil titch, below my Babies.  Her response:  "Oh, so they're Sub-Babies then."  And the rest is history.  

Also for:

Creative Fingers:  anything goes

My Time to Christmas Craft:  favourite technique - Using embossing powder!  (:

ABC Christmas:  A for anything

Ellibelle's:  anything goes

The Holly & Ivy:  anything Christmas goes

Crafty Calendar:  add a sentiment

A Place to Start:  anything goes

Use Your Stuff:  real or faux stitching

613 Avenue Create:  winter

Peace on Earth:  anything Christmas

We Love Stamping:  favourite colours - I love me some purple!

Mini Cards! @ Little Red Wagon

 This week at

 

...we're back from our little break last week with our first challenge of 2021!  It's Imke's turn to choose the challenge and she's saying she wants to see "Mini Cards", so 3" x 3" size - so fun!

This is what I did.....

And close ups....

When I had first sat down at my craft desk I wasn't sure where I was going to go with this one but then I saw that bit of leftover patterned paper that was almost 3" and just went from there.  Numbers die is from Paper Smooches (now closed ): ), snowman is from Close To My Heart and was a discard that looked much happier to have a purpose rather than getting pushed around my desk, sentiment tag is from LOTV.  Found these to be a lovely size actually....a little more than a tag but not quite a card....will be perfect for next Christmas to pop on a goodie bag or the like, I'm thinking.

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:

Cut It Up:  winter

Jingle Belles:  something old, something new - Everything from the glitter fun foam to the patterned paper is old, but the 25 die NBUS.

Moving Along With the Times:  new - 25 die is NBUS

Crafty Creations:  anything goes

Crafty Gals Corner:  tis the season

Ellibelle's:   something old, something new - Everything from the glitter fun foam to the patterned paper is old, but the 25 die NBUS.

Fezziwig's Festive Frolics:  anything festive goes

Simon Says:  something new - 25 die is NBUS

Shopping Our Stash:  What's new with you? - Everything from the glitter fun foam to the patterned paper is old, but the 25 die NBUS.

The Holly & the Ivy:  anything Christmas goes

613 Avenue Create:  anything goes

Allsorts:  anything goes

Embossing! @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Imke's turn to choose the challenge and she's saying, "Embossing!" That means either heat or dry embossing or.....

....both!  Who's a good DT member this week?  *wildly waving arms in the air while screaming, "It's me!"*

Embossed sentiment stamp is from Stamplorations, snowman is from Close To My Heart.  And I used a Sizzix embossing folder for the falling snow background.  And, that pretty much all there is to that.

Why don't you 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 fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Also for:

Crafty Sentiments:  anything goes
Shopping Our Stash:  Christmas in July
Retro Rubber:  anything goes - The sentiment stamp I bought at least a year and a half ago, the snowman stamp came from a garage sale I attended over two years ago.
613 Avenue Create:  sentiment as focus
Christmas Craft Creations:  Christmas characters
The Cat's Pajamas:  Christmas in July
Ike's World:  Christmas in July
ABC Christmas:  O for Over The Top
Stamplorations Never Ending Challenge:  anything goes with a Stamploration product
Stamplorations Theme Challenge:  anything goes
  

Snow Much Fun! @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Kate's turn to choose the challenge and she's saying, "Snow Much Fun" which just means she wants to see snow on your projects....but we could still hold off a week or two for the real thing - agreed?

This is what I did....

I think I've hit my quota with all the snow on there.  I used another image from that Close To My Heart garage sale find....it probably actually has a name....brb.....ah, Snow Friends. I adore these darling lil snowguys. Maybe I'll actually end up stamping the whole set?!? That'd be a first.  I'm sure most of you will recognize the sentiment tag from LOTV.  Love those too.

Had a happy little "accident" when I made this.  Take a look at his hat.  See, originally I was going to paper piece his hat but it just didn't look right, and also when I was getting the card together, the scalloped circle was a piece of textured cardstock, not that glitter fun foam on there now.  When I  decided to colour his hat instead, because it was such a small piece to colour, I just grabbed my pencil and went at it.  So, it was kinda like a rubbing then with the texture of the cardstock showing through.  I'm loving the look it gave to his hat.  Definitely gonna try to remember that for another time.

Why don't you 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 fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Also for:

Cardz 4 Guys:  icy cold
Crafty Sentiments:  snowmen
Unicorn Challenge:  Christmas/winter
Christmas With the Cuties:  show us your Santa hats
Double Trouble:  bring on the glitz + snowmen
Dragonfly Dreams:  Christmas/winter
Crafty Friends:  Christmas
ABC Christmas:  fauX - faux stitching
Fab 'n' Funky:  Christmas
The Holly & the Ivy:  anything Christmas goes
The Cat's Pajamas:  holidays
Simon Says: anything goes
The Male Room:  inspired by ugly sweater

Cupcake Inspirations:  snowmen

Just Us Girls:  inspirational photo

You Say It's Your Birthday @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Brenda's turn to choose the challenge and she's saying, "You Say It's Your Birthday" (duh nah nah nah nah nah nah)....and I don't think I need to tell you what that means. (:

This is what I did.....

I used another find from that "garage" sale I went to back a bit. It's from a Close To My Heart set. I'm impressed with how well their stamps stamp. I know all of you probably already know their quality but I'm an almost exclusive digi user.....and part of the reason why I am is because when I first started my foray into cardmaking I would buy cheapie stamps, so I quickly became disillusioned with the whole inking up a physical stamp process. Who knows, if I hadn't been so reluctant to spend some money I might own an entire mountain of clear/rubber stamps that would slowly be taking over the house.....okay, maybe it's better that I'm into digis.

Gack, I don't know why every card I've made lately has turned into such a time consuming, labour intensive romp. It's like my mojo is still here, and all well and good, but has become ridiculously indecisive. This was basically the layout I had in my head, save the trees. They went through a colour change, size change, became clouds for a bit, then had to finagle the trunks as the die cuts weren't long enough (obviously)....but at least I got there in the end. I got there at 1:12am last night, but I got there nonetheless. (It's times like these when I wish I liked coffee!)

Why don't you 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 fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have created.

The Cutie Pie:  add an animal + cute
613 Avenue Create:  scrap your stash - Trees and ground were made from scraps.
Crafty Catz:  birthday
QKR Stampede:  anything goes
Southern Girls:  anything goes
Watercooler Wednesday:  masculine
Dream Valley:  favourite colour combo - I love blue & green together.

Let's Talk Turkey! @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Doni's turn to choose the challenge and she's saying "Let's Talk Turkey" which just means that she want to see you use speech bubbles on your projects. How fun!

This is what I did.....

I apologize for this blech photo.  Problem lately is that it's just starting to get light when I leave for work in the morning and pretty much dark when I get home.  I took this as I was basically racing out the door so I didn't have time to find two other matching sheets of cardstock for the background that weren't white.  Oh well, I think you get the idea even if the photo is off.

While I was making this there were a few flakes floating around in the air.  Not quite ready for that yet....beginning of November is definitely too early even if these wee Close To My Heart snowman say otherwise.  Though, if there is no snow they can't make any new snowfriends so I guess I won't harp on them wishing for it.

Why don't you 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 fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have created.

Unicorn Challenge:  Christmas/winter
The Cat's Pajamas:  winter holidays
AAA Cards:  maximum white space
Dragonfly Dreams:  Christmas/winter
Crafty Catz:  snow
Aud Sentiments:  anything goes + sentiment
The Sisterhood of Crafters:  cas
Shopping Our Stash:  here comes Suzy Snowflake
The Holly & the Ivy:  anything Christmas goes
Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday:  Christmas