Guest Designer at ABC Christmas Challenge - Let's get Krafty for Kids!

Over at ABC Christmas Challenge they have a new challenge and are being sponsored by Digital Delights. They kindly asked me to make a card for them to which I gladly accepted :)
The challenge is "K is for Kids and Kraft" and it was a challenge for me as I'm not a huge Kraft fan, even though it is very popular right now.

Challenges:
Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
I Did It - Anything Goes
Cute Card Thursday - Let's Get Krafty
Digi Doodle Shop - Embossing
Christmas Card Challenges - Christmas with the option of
Christmas Inspirations - Christmas Card for a Child
Basic Grey Challenges - Mix It Up (I used BG papers and BG embossing folder)
Phindys Place - Christmas in May
Winter Wonderland - P is for...Punches (anything beginning with P)
Christmas Stampin - Very Vintage (although the image is not Vintage the style of papers, Kraft paper and inking are)
2 Sisters - Use a Digi
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas - Scallops
Digital Tuesday - Texture
Ladybug Crafts - Animals
My Time To Craft - Use a Die Cut

Card Recipe:
Image - Tango The Skating Bird
Medium - Copic Markers
Paper - Basic Grey Fruitcake (discontinued)
Gloss - Liquid Embossing by All Night Media
Embossing Folder - Basic Grey Diamonds by Sizzix
Die Cut - Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Seventeen Die Templatesand Spellbinders Nestabilities Eyelet Squares Die Templates
Border Punch - Snowflake Border by Martha Stewart

I thought this little guy was so sweet and to make him just a little sweeter I added Liquid Embossing to his skates for some extra shine!
It was nice to make a Christmas card for a change and I highly recommend you visiting and adding ABC Christmas Challenge to your blog roll!
Katie

A Spoon Full of Sugar - Anything but a card

It's Tuesday so that means another challenge at A Spoon Full Of Sugar
This week we want you to put your cards aside and show us another paper crafting skill. We know you have all the products but if you are like many other card makers it is hard to step out of that comfort zone, well today is the day!

I made a piece of home decor for Valentines Day and although that was yesterday I can assure you that this cutie is not going anyway soon!

Challenges:
Craft Us Crazy - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp - Anything But A Card
Ladybug Crafts - Anything But A Card
Our Creative Corner - Cut It Out
Allsorts - It's All About The Sentiment (I've plenty of those on here!)
Ooh La La - For Someone Special
Thrilling Thursday - Gift With a Love theme
ECP - Love
Totally Gorjuss - Love
Crafty Calendar - Love
KB Cute Monday - Love
Scrappy Frogs - Love
Rainbow Lady - All About Love
Dutch Dare - Love Is In The Air
One Stop Crafts - Love Is In The Air
Scrap Stamp and Doodle - Love Is In The Air
Crafty Ann's - Love Is All Around
Winter Wonderland - For The One I Love
Frosted Designs - Use The Word Love
Cupcake Crafts - I Love You
The Sisterhood of Crafters - In Love With Valentines
Crafty Sentiments - Valentines
Crafty Purple Frog - Valentines/Romance
Card Mad Fairy - Romance (with a digi)
AI Factory - Valentines
My Sheri - Valentines
CRAFT - Valentines
Sew Many Challenges - Valentines
Stampin For The Weekend - Valentines
Delcious Doodles- Valentines
Pixie Dust - Be My Valentine
Crafty Catz - Love/Valentines
Stamp Something - Something for Your Valentine
Sentimental Sundays - Red, Pink and White (and a sentiment)
Sassy Studios - Pink, Red and White
Stamp N Doodle - Red, Pink, White Plus 1
Teddy Bo and Co - In The Pink (and a Teddy Bo image)
Craft Your Passion - Pink
Lexi's - Use a Bear
Digi Stamps 4 Joy - Flowers
Bunny Zoe - Flowers Everywhere
Cute Card Thursday - Hearts and Flowers
For Fun - Hearts
Stampin Royalty - Hearts
The Stamp Man - Hearts
2 Sisters - Hearts
Crazy 4 Challenges - Hearts
The Crafty Pad - Hearts
Paper Works - Hearts
Bee Crafty - Hearts (with Digi)
One Stitch At A Time - Pretty

Project Recipe:
Clothes Pin - Oriental Trading
Paper - Sugar and Spice by The Paper Studio
Image - Sitting Waiting for You by Teddy Bo
Medium - Copic Markers
Leaf Die Cut - Sizzix
Border Punches - Martha Stewart
Flower Punch - EK Success
Flower Die Cut - Big Shot
Sentiment Stickers - K and Co

I've had the giant clothespin for years, they were very popular "back in the day" and I still like them for a quirky piece of home decor.
The flowers are a mixture of punches, die cuts and rosette flowers (with punched edges for a much more frilly look).
I took the pin apart and painted it first and then added the paper on top. The flowers are on stems made of cardstock and then "arranged" and glued on to a piece of chipboard then fits just inside the closed part of the pin. This makes it so much easier to display as they flowers don't fall out of the bunch!
Anyway I hope you had a wonderful Valentines Day yesterday, keep the love in your heart!
And take a break for the norm and make something other than a card for us over at A Spoon Full Of Sugar
Katie

A Cheeky Little Valentine

I couldn't share this one until today as it is actually my husbands Valentine cutie!
(that's why you don't see the inside of this one ;))
We may be English but now live in Texas and he knows I have a little penchant for a good "Cowboy Romance" book and so I thought I could be his Cowgirl for the day :)
Also this is my first Kenny K card, some of my favorite card makers use these super images but I've not played with one until this card.

Challenges:
Kenny K - Circles
Cards For Men - 1 Image, 2 Papers and 3 Embellishments
Bearly Mine - For Men/Boys
Ooh La La - For Someone Special
ECP - Love
Totally Gorjuss - Love
Crafty Calendar - Love
Rainbow Lady - All About Love
Dutch Dare - Love Is In The Air
One Stop Crafts - Love Is In The Air
Scrap Stamp and Doodle - Love Is In The Air
Crafty Ann's - Love Is All Around
Winter Wonderland - For The One I Love
The Sisterhood of Crafters - In Love With Valentines
Crafty Sentiments - Valentines
Crafty Purple Frog - Valentines/Romance
AI Factory - Valentines
My Sheri - Valentines
CRAFT - Valentines
Sew Many Challenges - Valentines
Stampin For The Weekend - Valentines
Delcious Doodles- Valentines
Pixie Dust - Be My Valentine
Crafty Catz - Love/Valentines
Stamp Something - Something for Your Valentine
For Fun - Hearts
Stampin Royalty - Hearts
The Stamp Man - Hearts
Crazy 4 Challenges - Hearts
The Crafty Pad - Hearts

Card Recipe:
Image - Cheyenne by Kenny K
Paper - 365 Degrees by Pink Paislee
Medium - Copic Markers
Corners and Heart - Colorbok
Brads - Spare Parts

I used the great box tutorial on Rach's blog and it is so quick and easy.
Anyway, if my sweetie is reading this, Happy Valentines Day!!!

Cooking It Up #43 - Button me a Ribbon Animal

Happy New Year Everyone!
I arrived back from England on Sunday evening and am still in "home sick mode" but it is getting better with each day. We all had a fabulous time with our family, savoring every precious moment and it is always so hard to leave and travel 4500 miles back to our home.
But life goes on and picking up my crafting tools and creating helps make it all a little easier.
2011 is going to be a very busy year, more crafting opportunities than ever and I'm excited to get it off to a good start.


It's a New Year and time for a new challenge over at my Cooking It Up With Katie blog!

The easy "ingredients" for your card this week are:

Use a Button or two
Add some Ribbon
Show us an Animal!

Challenges:
One Stitch At A Time - Anything Goes
Auds Sentiments - Anything Goes
Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
Fairy Knoll - Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
Frosted Designs - Use a Sentiment
CRAFT - Thank You
Allsorts - Thank You
Cute Card Thursday - Thank You
Phindy's Place - Thank You
Winter Wonderland - Thank You
Stamp With Fun - Sketch
Secret Crafter - Buttons and Bows
Alota Rubber Stamps - Stamp, Ribbon and Bow

Card Recipe:
Image - Pink Gem Designs
Paper - Origins by Basic Grey
Medium - Copic Markers
Sentiment - Printed in Typewriter font
Flowers - Prima

This is such a cute image and I'm sure it will bring a smile to recipient of this Thank You card.
Be sure to keep checking back here everyday as I have some exciting pieces of news coming up and lots of new cards to share!

Cooking It Up #34 - Double Up on Glittery Letters!

It's time for another recipe at Cooking It Up With Katie to get your creative juices flowing!
We are sponsored by the super Stamping Dragon Designs who gave us gorgeous images to work with.

This week the recipe is:

Make Mine a Double (use 2 of something) (I used 2 colors, Pink and Green,and 2 DP's)
Add some Letters
Finish with some Glitter

Challenges:
Christmas Stampin All Year Long - Photo Inspiration
Sweet Stop Sketches - Sketch and Sparkle
If The Shoe Fits - Any Holiday
Winter Wonderland - Vintage Christmas
Going Grey - Christmas
Karber Christmas - Use a Digi
The Crafty Pad - Distressed Edges
Gingerloft - Winter (fireplace)
Simple Doodles - Winter Warmers
Stamping With The Dragon - You Got Ink
Craftalicious - Anything Goes
Thoughtful Thursdays - G is for.... Green

Card Recipe:
Image - Christmas Warmth by Dragons Lair
Paper - Peppermint Forest
Medium - Copic Markers
Ink - Chalk Ink Dewdrops
Chipboard letters - Target $1 spot
Glitter - The Art Institute
Rhinestones - Michaels $1 spot

I love this image and can't wait to hang up my stockings and wait for Santa!

Do you need some more Christmas ideas?

Happy Saturday!
It's coming up to the Holidays soon so we all need new stamps ;)
Well today I have a new card with another new stamp from The Pixie Cottage!
This time I'm using an image drawn by the fabulous Eileen Gutierrez and it is so sweet!
All the new Christmas/Winter stamps will be in the store soon

Now that Halloween is over I'm sure the challenge blogs will soon be full of Christmas but the ones I chose for this card are mainly technique and embellishment based.

Creative Card Crew wanted Ribbons and Gems
Sophisticat wanted Buttons and Ribbons
Rosie Dees want Pink, White and a Wafer (corrugated cardstock)
Everybody Art gave me the sketch
The Secret Crafter wanted an Easel style card (and I love those!)
Crazy 4 Challenges also wanted an Easel card
Stamp With Fun wanted a card with a Scene
Pennys wanted a Winter theme with Sparkle and Ribbon
My Time To Craft had the theme of "So Many Scallops"
Sparkle Creations wanted a Christmas card with multiple Squares
But finally I found a Christmas challenge and that's exactly what Stampin B's wanted to see, a Christmas Card!

I'm sure you'll be sick of seeing it soon but I just had to use the Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses collection, it is my first choice for Christmas papers.
I did an easel style card and love the way it displays your art work and yet it is so easy to do.
The flowers are Prima from Michaels but they look to be discontinued.
I didn't have any pink corrugated cardstock so I painted it with Making Memories paint to match the dp.
I used the brand new Extra Deep Garden Lattice border punch from Martha Stewart (I got mine at Michaels so you may lucky and get to use a coupon!)
The button (used as the stop on the easel) is also Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses and sentiment is a Studio G from the $1 spot at Joanns.


I had such fun creating this card and I hope it gives you a little push to get started on your cards for Christmas too.
Katie

Challenge #4 at Cooking It Up!

Happy Thursday!
It's time for a new challenge at my Cooking It Up With Katie blog and I can say i'm really happy with how this card turned out.

This time the recipe is:
Start with a Christmas theme,
Add some Sparkle,
and finish with a Border.

Obviously it wouldn't be me without other challenges too ;)
Fun With Shapes gave the sketch and I turned it a 1/4 turn
Daring Cardmakers wanted at least 5 of your favorite things so I chose Border punches, Dew Drops, Flowers, Nestabilities and Basic Grey paper.
Easy Breezy Kewl had a color combo of Handsome Hunter, Winter White and Real Red with a Christmas theme
ABC has a G is for Green theme
Ooh La La wanted a Victorian Christmas
Our Creative Corner wante a favorite Holiday movie. To me the Holidys (or Christmas mainly) are about sitting with family watching old musicals that we can all sing along to. One I love is Oliver! and it's Victorian setting works well with the vintage feel of this card.
Scrapbox Challenge wanted to see Glitter and so I add some to the snow!
Simon Says wanted to see some Sparkle too!
Winter Wonderland had an open Christmas card week.
Fab's Big Christmas wanted Ovals and/or Scalloped edges
Practical Scrappers wanted to see punches, especially border punches.


This fabulous stamp is by Stampabilites and I got it on clearance at Hobby Lobby earlier in the year. It's called Vintage Lamp Post and I saw it on eBay too.
It's not my usual style to color as it doesn't have very much open space but it was perfect for the theme I wanted.
I used Copic's to color the little space there was and added Glossy Accents to the lamp area and Frosted Lace Stickles for the snow and ice. I like this color of Stickles as it is much more muted than the others and dries with a more 3D effect, perfect for snow.
The dp is Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses and the border punch is the new 3 Dot Scallop from Martha Stewart. I searched forever for this punch and ended up ordering it from Walmart
The Poinsettia is from Hobby Lobby I think.
The swirls are a Big Shot die and the I used my Nesties for the backing blocks (with a little tweaking and cutting to make them fit.
The sentiment is 7 Gypsies.


I used more dp and added another flower to the message mat inside.



I hope you can see the sparkle of the snow and the glow from the lamplight in this shot.
I'd love you to play over at my Cooking It Up With Katie challenge, you could be my next Top Chef!
Katie