There's Always Room for More Decorations...

Surprise, I'm back!  I know, I know, it's been a year.  A lot has happened.  We moved, I lost my mojo, I took up crochet.  It's Christmas though and I needed cards and I have way too many supplies to justify buying cards.  DH is just glad to see me creating.

This card is based on an old Mojo Monday sketch that I've lost.

Stamps:  Changito from Stampendous, So Many Scallops (retired) from Stampin' Up
Paper:  Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Unknown DP
Accessories:  Recycled ribbon, old foam to pop up the sentiment

Challenges this Card Meets:
Addicted to Stamps:  Stamp (no digis) + Christmas
Come and Get It Challenge:  Christmas
Dragonfly Dreams: Christmas
Glitter'N'Sparkle:  Anything Goes
heArtfelt Stamping: Anything Goes
Robyn's Fetish:  Christmas Card with a Die Cut
The Ribbon Girls:  Christmas Card and must use ribbon
Sunday Stamps:  Gingerbread Colour Scheme

Cheeky Monkey

Just a quick and cheeky little card using another pre-coloured, Changito image.  I Splitcoaststampers Sketch Challenge 478 for this one, substituting the half pearls for the ribbon in this one.  It will make a great card for one of my students so I left the sentiment off.

Challenges this Card Meets:

Crafty Calendar Challenges - Animal Antics

Less is More: Round and Round

Open-Minded Crafting - Animal Antics

Challenges 4 Everybody - Anything Goes

Crafting When We Can - For a Child

Peek-A-Boo

DS spend a lovely afternoon with me last summer colouring some of my pre-inked images that were so nicely given to me when I was pregnant and couldn't stamp.  (Please note that DS is now in school and I still have two shoeboxes of pre-stamped images.)  I decided that he worked so hard that I should make his efforts into a card.  Everything on the card came from my scrap pile, including the base.  The brown panel was run through my wood grain embossing folder.  The layout came from Splitcoaststampers Sketch challenge 377.

Challenges this Card Meets:

Open-Minded Crafting - Animal Antics

Alphabet Challenge - D for Die-cuts

Challenges 4 Everybody - Anything Goes

Crafting When We Can - For a Child
Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper Challenge - Anything Goes for April
Feeling Crafty Challenge - Anything for a Child
One Crazy Stamper - Anything Goes
The Crafting Cafe - One for the Boys
Copic Marker Europe - Birthday

Talk Like a Pirate Day

The teacher across the hall from me celebrates "Talk Like A Pirate Day" in his classroom every year so I made him a suitable card.  This was great for me since it's getting close to October and Thanksgiving for those of us that live hear in Canada.  This means that I am going to have to find the flat surface of my dining room table soon.  Everything about this card was a leftover that I wasn't sure what to do about.  The eyepatch and patterned paper, mounted on purple were leftover floating around since DS's birthday in April.  The coin was from another party my second DS went to last January.  The stamp was floating around my table and now has been put back with it's set.  The base was a scrap.  The only item that was not already on the table was the cheesecloth background stamp.  I ended up making 6 cards this week, all from bits from the table, including the bases.  How scary is that?

Challenges this Card Meets:
Creatalicious - School Time.  I'm including it because the card is going to a teacher for a vocabulary, literary based-themed holiday.
The Corrosive Blog Challenge - Cute and Creepy
Tuesday Throwdown - Clean and Simple
Use it Tuesday - Use 2 Hoarded Items (the patch and the coin)

My Little Monkey Says, "Thank You!"

DS (age 6) is still helping me use up some old images that I had pre-stamped.  He loves being old enough to use my Copics.  (Only when Mommy is right there to check he is putting the lids on properly!)  As soon as he finished I knew exactly what background paper I needed to find.  That was the biggest challenge.  He loved colouring the flowers. I have a big jar of white ones that I just colour as needed.  He was amazed that Mommy would let him have so many pearls.  I don't mind him using the coloured ones since I seem to have lots in very weird colours but I don't usually let him play with my white ones.    I almost never have medium sized white pearls.  Why do you think that happens?

Challenges this Card Meets:
Send a Smile for Kids - Animal Cards
Creative Corner Challenges - Child's Play (My child was playing with me in making this card.)
Delightful Challenges - Make the cut (Use Diecuts)
Here Come the Boys - Lazy Summer Days

Santa's Little Helper

I found this cute little Changito Santa on the floor today.  I think he fell out of my image box when DS was playing.  I decided to use it to complete one of my first of four Christmas Card Challenges for May which is to use the Sketch Layout #161 from Splitcoast Stampers.  Don't panic.  I'm not really that far ahead.  I've been skipping around and filling out challenges depending on what inspires me.

The snowflake used the liner from a Christmas Card.  My sentiments are from Gina K.  Next time I think I'll choose one with a larger font.  This one is getting lost on the large band.  My DP is more from my Echo Park pad.  I may actually get that used up this year.

Challenges this Card Meets:
Loves Rubber Stamps - Uses Dies or Punches (Snowflake Die)
Stamping with the Dragon - Anything Goes
Victorine Stamps - Sparkle and Shine - The gold paper is highly reflective and definitely shines.

Pirate Monkey

I'm embarrassed to admit how long I've had these pirate supplies on hand. I was so excited when pirates became popular. I got a whole bunch of stamps and supplies and did not make even one card. I am just so glad for this week's challenge at For Fun Challenges to kick start me.

This week to celebrate summer we are to use sand in our cards. I ran out to my garage and stole a bit of my finest grit sandpaper that I use when preparing our bookshelves and window seats for painting. The image of this cute little monkey pirate is from our sponsor, The Paper Shelter. The gold coins are pieces of confetti that I couldn't help myself from grabbing at Michaels ages ago.

The colours seem a bit funny in the photograph. I'm not sure if the shadow effect is being caused by the colour contrast in my two different DP or whether it is the soft evening light.

I do hope you'll join us and have as much fun as I did with this card! This week's winner will recieve a $15 gift certificate to The Paper Shelter.

Teacher Notes

I had started making a class set of the apple cards to go on my end of year gifts to my students when I realized I had the Changito Loco stamp and that they would probably like those ones better. I was right, they did! The cards are 3 x 3 and the stamped images were stamped on scrap and then cut with my Creative Memories circle cutter. I then used my smallest circle nestie to get the scalloped circles.

Rocketting Birthday Wishes

It's funny. I hadn't really set out to make a card today. Baby was fussy so I was colouring while rocking - I'm getting good at the one-handed. I just love this Changito. It was part of a Changito image swap. Changito is coloured with Prismas while the rest of the image is coloured in markers. The cockpit is covered in Crystal Effects to give it the glass domed effect. I then wanted to take off the sheer white since outer space is usually darker and found some glimmer mist that I'd forgotten I had bought. SCORE! This is very shiny IRL. I don't think you can really tell in the picture.

The image and the sentiment had come on one quarter sheet of paper and needed some creative Nestie work but I like how it turned out. Unfortunately, as I was distressing the sentiment, I dropped my spot so I decided to just run with it.

I think this makes a fabulous birthday card for a child - bright and cheerful and can be used for almost any age.

Challenges this card meets:
A Spoonful of Sugar - Happy Birthday
Creative Card Crew - Happy Birthday
Meljen's Designs - For the Little Ones
Paper Sundaes - No People
Stamp with Fun - Animals

Cuddle Monster

New Baby is in cuddle mode. He's my little cuddle monster. Right now this stamp is reminding me of him. He just wants lots of hugs from Mommy and only Mommy right now. I'm getting good at blogging one handed!

I'm submitting this for the Sketch and Stash Challenge. For this you're to use your newest addition to your stash. For me, that's the Changito image and red DP, which I received in my Grab Bag Swap from Angila. I'm really enjoying my birthday medallion that I found on sale on Boxing Day. The ribbon is another Grab Bag piece from a previous month.

I Think I'll Hang on to You

I'm still working on my cards for my Grab Bag Swap from Angila. I can't help it. I really like this combo of brown, denim and yellow.

The sketch comes from the Everybody Art Challenge #78. This card took forever. I really struggle with multi-layer cards. I'm still trying to decide if I need add something. I want to keep it masculine so flowers are out. Any suggestions? In keeping with my Masculine theme, this card fits the Charisma Card Challenge for the week.


While Valentine's Day is over, "Love" is the challenge for Simon Says, Cute Card Thursday and Delightful Sketches & Challenges so I will be submitting it for all three this week.

Recipe

Stamps: Changito Knee Hugger & Matching Sentiment

Paper: Buckaroo Blue, Whisper White, Brazzil Yellow, Unknown Brown and Blue DP

Techniques: Prismacolours with baby oil

Accessories: Brown ribbon from a previous swap

Masculine Birthday

Charisma Cardz Challenge, Cute Card Thursday, Delightful Sketches and Challenges, Grab Bag Swap, Masculine, Simon Says ChallengeI really enjoyed making this card. DS sat on my knee and coloured his own version of this image while I did mine. He coloured all around the edges and left the image completely alone. He loves it when he can play with Mommy's tools. He even peeled all the backings off my adhesives for me. That's always his favourite part.

This card is also part of my Grab Bag Swap for the month. Angila had included the blue paper, the image and a couple of the brads. I added a few more of my own. I did change the sentiment that she had sent because I'm always looking for great masculine birthday cards. The sentiment is popped up on dimensionals to give the card some depth.

While this is not a Valentine's Day card, it does express "Love", which is the challenge for Simon Says, Cute Card Thursday and Delightful Sketches & Challenges so I will be submitting it for all three this week. This will also be my second submission for Charisma Cardz Male Challenge.

Recipe

Cardstock: SU's Close to Cocoa, Brazzil's yellow, Unknown denim blue

Stamps: Changito Knee Hugger, Stampendous Birthday

Accessories: Scalloped Circle Nesties, circle brads

Techniques: Prismacolouring with baby oil

Love You

The next few posts will all be of this cute Changito stamp. Angila sent me the blue paper and image as part of my monthly grab bag swap. She had also included some beautiful brown ribbon with flowers on it and some lovely prismas which I never buy myself. I wanted to go with a masculine look however, so I'm hoping she'll forgive my hording...

The sketch is one I took from this weeks One Stop Craft Challenge. I normally really struggle with sketch challenges but I really like this layout and will definitely use it again.

For the Saturday Spotlight challenge, we are to use a household item that is not a craft item. I'm hoping that the patch that I normally use on the DS's jeans knees will count.

The Stamp Something Challenge was to make something cute. I always think Changito fits! And bonus points for me for making a masculine cute card!

Finally, my male card also fits this weeks challenge for Charisma Cards.


Cardstock: Apple Green Brazzil, SU Basic Black, unkown denim blue

Stamps: Changito Knee Hugger

Accessories: Black buttons (stash from my grandmother), black ribbon from Michaels, star patch from Michaels (normally used on DS jeans!)

Techniques: Prismacolouring with baby oil