Happy New Year ! And finally... Round II Cards 48, 49 and 50 Phew!

Hope you all have a special evening tonight as we ring in the New Year. Seems 2014 flew by!

Checked my ticker goals at the top header of my blog,  and I sure failed miserably on the plan to use up 365 flowers. Well, actually I guess I did use up even more than that...cuz I gave about one third of my flower stash away to the thrift shop! Not sure that counts though...lol

Today, I am showing 3 snippets cards that I made this summer for the  aquafit instructors up at the resort. They are all volunteers and do a fabulous job, giving up their mornings to keep us fit...well...fitter anyways!

Rain or shine, they are up at the adult pool, willing to encourage us to keep up with our workouts. They drag all the weights and pool noodles out for us, as they come early to set up their music. We all try to pitch in and put everything away for them...but still, it is a lot of work,  day in and day out. I really appreciate their dedication and made up these cards for them.

We had a potluck luncheon to thank them so I made these cards for us all to sign.

Very simple cards. Just a  couple of snippets of card stock, a Memory Box Thank You and butterfly die stuck onto some prefolded VOS card sets (from my stash). The navy flourish cards are a few years old and the black and white is so old, I can't remember!

I added a generous lick of stardust stickles to highlight areas of the Thank You die, but completely covered the butterflies so they really sparkle! Added a die cut Memory Box butterfly to each envelope, just to finish them off.  This last green trimmed card was for a fellow so I left off the sparkle and tried to make the colours a touch more masculine...no trim on his envelope either!

These three cards finished my goal to make an additional 50 cards using my stash,  while on a consumables spending spree. I did allow myself to buy adhesives and cardstock. Non consumables were fair game so I did have dies and stamps to choose from.

Altogether, I made 100 cards or projects while on the freeze. I felt good and was actually easy to do !

I am entering these cards in the following challenges:

1. Pixies Crafty Workshop - must use snippets.

Rudolph Days Challenge Rules 2015

As many of you already know, Sarn at Stamping For Pleasure wanted to step back from sponsoring the Rudolph Day challenge. We all have had so much fun there creating Christmas cards every month We were really able to be prepared for the Christmas season.

I offered to take over the challenge as I did not want to see it end. I have made so many lovely friends there and wanted to keep those friendships blooming.

So Rudolph Days will continue on this blog, much the same as it was in the past on Sarn's...with one exception. I am going to return to the one card rule Sarn originally used. You will only have to make one card to enter and of course only one entry per person!

I have collected some lovely Xmas stamps, and even some Memory Box Xmas dies, for prizes this year. We will start off the January challenge with this Memory Box Die, MERRY.

Here is a brief recap of the rules:

1. Rudolph Days will start monthly on the 25th and will close on the last day of the month.
2. The theme is always Anything Goes, as long as it is Christmas.
3. One entry per person and you just need to make one Christmas card.
4. You may combine your entry with other challenges (maximum of 10 in total).
4. Prizes will be shipped anywhere in the world.
5. The winner will be selected by random draw and announced on the first day of the following month.

I am hoping Rudolph Days keeps the friendly atmosphere it has so enjoyed in the past. I do not want it to become that type of challenge where you drop off your card and flee. I envision it remaining the type of challenge where you meander through the other entries, leaving some comments for them when possible.

I can tell you that in most cases, the blogger you leave a comment for eventually returns a comment on your post too. Rudolph Days is just that kind of challenge!

You can submit your January entry between Jan25th and Jan31st. Winner will be announced Feb 1st .
Here is a photo of the January prize.

Off to figure out how to load the linky tool to my blog! See you all on the 25th...

Wise Men Still Seek Him - Round II Card 46 and 47

As it gets closer to Christmas Day, I thought I would try to refocus on the main reason we celebrate Christmas. Our family honours the Christmas Season right up to and including Epiphany.

This is such a season of giving and refocusing on what is really important. Our youngest daughter has been busy making up hampers for two Christmas families who needed some help this year. The grankids have a hand in this as well and each also make up a box for the Shoebox campaign. This is something we usually take part in too, but have stepped back this year due to the move. We are living vicariously through our girls this year and will make up for it next year!

Our eldest just posted the most heartwarming story about how she made up a stocking for a homeless fellow who had the added burden of being wheelchair bound. She found him on the street and stopped to chat casually with him, as he opened his gifts.  Once he was done, she wished him Merry Christmas and set off and he called after her to thank her for stopping long enough to chat with him! She makes up the gifts during the year and stores them in her car. Then when she spies a likely candidate or two, she is prepared. She focusses on things like candy, wool socks, toques and gloves as it can get very cold here in the midst of winter..

My card today showcases my new Taylored Expressions Nativity Border. I had to use a very dark charcoal textured paper for it as I have already packed my black cardstock! The sky is a snippet of aqua glitter paper and the sand dunes are snippets of beige pearlescent textured card.

I chalked the edges of the dunes to create some depth and used a black Momento Ink to stamp a Hobby Art Small Parts, Wise Men sentiment. I wish I had a small jewel in the shape of a star to place over the star above the diecut stable...I actually do have one, but it is packed as well! Oh my!

I made two the same...well almost the same. I never have enough religious ones made and sometimes run short as I am mailing my cards off. Thought I would be better prepared this year! These have been happily mailed out to some friends from church.

Off to the hospital in the city today for a spinal nerve root block. Fingers crossed it gives some pain relief as it will be easier to finish the packing with a bit less of an ouchy back! lol  It sometimes leaves me a bit under the weather for a couple of days, so if I am a wee bit late responding to comments this time, I hope you will understand.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

1. Pixies Crafty Workshop - must use snippets
2. Loves Rubber Stamps Challenge - Anything Goes Holiday Blitz, Challenge 131
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Christmas Card Club - Non Traditional Colours Round II Card 45

It is time for the last 2014 fortnightly challenge for the Christmas Card Club.
GranMargaret chose the theme of Non Traditional colours. This worked out to be a great choice for me as I needed to make a card for my friend, who loves purple.

I used a card topper from a card class at my local scrapbook/card store. I am not sure the stamp manufacturer...perhaps a Woodware...alhough I am not sure at all.

I mounted it an a snippet of silver glitter card and then placed that off center on a background of Maja pale purple DP.

The DP is from the Maja stacks I won last year. I so love their papers. They have a lovely heavy weight and a wonderful distressed feel to them.

I added a bit of silver fine stretchy cord looped round twice, and tied in a bow. I had planned on running a trailing row of snowflakes down that left side but they looked awfull.  Still feel this card needs something more...may add a silver die cut sentiment on the top edge...sort of over towards the right...still undecided.

I hope she will like it...she does her Christmas tree  and her house, all decorated in purples and whites for Christmas. This card should fit right in!

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

1. Christmas Card Club - Non Traditional Colours
2.  Pixies Crafty Workshop - must use snippets

Holiday Season - Round II Card 44

I've been digging in the card kit boxes again...and found a partially finished card from about 10 years ago.
You are going to have a chuckle as the tag part of this card was made many, many years ago, at a mini class on "how to emboss".  I had never used versamark ink and embossing powder before, and I remember being so impressed! Oh...those were the days. We tried several different inks in that class...think this one might be black ink with iridescent powder.

I made a pocket to slide the sentiment tag into and then mounted that onto a 5x7 card base I cut from some heavy weight card. The ivory/greige card base does not quite match the tag...but C'est la vie".

I was lucky enough to have a snippet of matching ribbon to the one they used in class on the tag.  I guess the stapled ribbon would help date the tag as you all probably remember when staples were in style...lol
I added a Memory Box Bianca snowflake...just sort of tucked it behind the knot of the ribbon border.

Here is a photo showing all the sentiment words...

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

1. Pixies Crafty |Workshop - must use snippets.

PS  The word verification can be ignored methinks. Try ignoring it as I have been told that works.
I did not add it. Blogger is really playing up for me the past couple of days!

Embossed Duet - Round II Card 42 and 43

I was invited to join a group of card makers on the first Wednesday of each month.  They meet up in the morning and make a card or two...then all head out for a nice lunch. The group rotates through designing a card and making up card kits for the others.

Today was Joyce's turn. She kindly had 2 cards for each of us to make...same design but different colours. This was a quick and fairly easy card to make. A couple of embossing folders provided the textures, and the gold gilded edges  and silver edges were done with metallic felt pens.

Once I got home, I wiped a wee bit of Silver coloured Viva Gold over the embossed image on the blue card. I got a wee bit smeared off the edges of the embossed image so I wet a paintbrush and wiped off the excess. I then sort of painted over thewhole surface of the blue rectangle, thereby watering down the smeared bit and blending it about the whole surface. It worked like a charm and gave a lovely very light difference in shading to the rectangle!

Problem averted. Hopefully, you can see the faint shimmer here...

I also pulled out my stickles and painted it over the burgundy embossed present too. I usually only like to use the Stardust stickles but tried out Diamond instead as it gives a gold shimmer which seemed appropriate to the gold pen detailing on the black mat.

I plan to use these cards to give a gift of a wee bit of cash.  Hopefully the family members involved will see the significance of the present tied with heartstrings!

No challenges for these cards as they are not my designs, nor my snippets! lol

Waste not, want not - Round II Card 41

This Marjoleine Bastin image has been lying in my garden themed drawer for years. My girlfriend gave me this image on a card and I loved it so much, I cut it out and saved it,.

I decided to pull it out and make up a simple card with it. The image was already edged with a gilded edge. I added a snippet of pearlescent navy for a mat and stickled the butterfly wings and some of the flowers with Stardust stickles. Set that onto a kraft card base and left it at that.

A very simple card but one that I will be happy to give to a friend...I need to remember more often that they do not always have to be detailed to still be enjoyed! Hopefully you can see the shimmer of the stickles...

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

1. Pixies Crafty Workshop - must use snippets

Scrippity Scrappity - Round II Card 40

Here is another card made from those bits and bobs I made up into card kits. This one features a tag that I had originally bought for a series of Dora scrapbook layouts.  I think the colours in the tag matched the outfit Little Miss C had been wearing.

Those layouts were finished years ago and this tag languished in my kid themed embellishment drawer. It feels good to finally use it up. The Smile sentiment is from a 12 x 12 chipboard sheet of sentiment tags...from the Dollar store. The pink seemed the right shade and the tag had come loose from the chipboard sheet. Waste not, want not. I think the chipboard pieces are a couple of years old at least...VOS for sure!

Background DP are from my snippet files.The upper is First Edition and the bottom rosecoloured dotted piece is unknown.  I made a 5x7 card base from some kraft card and used a left over scrap for the border strip. I went over all the edges with a Prima Invilde Bolme ivory chalk ink...just to soften the edges.

I was going to use some fine jute twine but once I got the edges inked, I remembered this ivory fine string I picked up last year at a yard sale. I like the soft colour of it on this card. I made a loopy bow and pushed the knot into the hole of the tag. Popped a jewel over the center and let the edges dangle.

The tag has a secret fold which I will use to add a few hidden words. I propped it open with a wooden stamp so you could see the hidden inside of the tag...

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

1. Pixies Crafty Workshop - must use snippets