It's Fussy and Fancy Challenge Time

Hello Everyone!

It's time once again for a new challenge over at the 

Fussy and Fancy Challenge Blog!

 

This new challenge is hosted by Jules and the theme she has chosen is

Angels/ Fairies or Winter

 

Our sponsor is LAWN FAWN

I must admit my mind was swirling with ideas with this theme!

Do I use an Angel?  Or use one of the several adorable Fairy dies I have in my stash.  

Hmmmm what to do ... what to do?  

Well ... here's what I came up with.

As you see I did decide on using a Fairy die ... this one is Spellbinder's 'Fairy Cierra' #S2-103 and I went with a Christmas/ Winter feel.

I wanted to use a metallic paper for added holiday shine so went with a wintery color combo of silver, white & blue.   recently received this beautiful Poppystamps 'Stitched Poinsettia Trio #1608 die set from the Dies R Us store and just knew they would go well with my Winter fairy.  The Memory Box 'Frostyville Border' #98146 added the 'snowy' element for this winter creation.

 A few touches of sparkle was added using Silver Stickles as well at Nuvo Glitter Drops 'Midnight Sky' as well as Nuvo Crystal Drops 'White'.

My sentiment stamp is from an OLD Hero Arts stamp set called 'Good Cheer' and my background paper (also OLD) is from a DCWV Winter Mat Stack.

I must admit I truly enjoyed making today's card!  It all seemed to come together quiet easily and with all the holiday hustle & bustle beginning, it was nice to have something come together with ease.

I hope you've enjoyed my card today and are inspired to come join in our challenge.  And, for more awesome inspiration be sure to pop over and see what my team mates have created ... OMGoodness ... so much talent on this team!!

Challenges to share in:
Memory Box Challenge #19 - Marvelous Metallics
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Christmas
Creative Knockouts Challenge #172 - Winter Wonderland / Festive Fun
Cute Card Thursday Challenge #456 - Snowflakes 
DL.ART Thankful Thursday Challenge #194 - Any Winter Holiday
Star Stampz Challenge - Winter Holidays
Scrapy Land Challenge #55 - ATG w/dies
City Crafter Challenge #342 - Christmas things that float or fly
Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge #86 - Christmas

Hope to see you there!

Thanks so much for stopping by and as always . . .

Dies R Us ... Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Hello Friends!

Today, I'm standing in for DT Member Deanna who is under the weather, over on the Dies R Us Inspiration blog.

I don't know what the weather is in your neck of the woods, but here in Ohio it is SNOWING and I'm afraid this is just the beginning of it.  So with that in mind here's a card I created to share with you today!

 The dies from the Dies R Us Store that I used on today's creation are:

Penny Black  'In the Winter' - #51-173 

Die Versions 'Let It Snow' - DV-011

Frantic Stamper - Bob's Old Truck -  #FRA9487

Impression Obsession - Birch Trees #DIE079

Impression Obsession - Rabbit Set #DIE168

It is so much fun and so easy to create a little scene like this with all the amazing dies available in the Store.  Here's a quick overview of how I created the background to go with my fun 'scene' making dies.

First I started with a plain white card stock panel about 1/4" small than my card front.  Using a lighter and a darker shade of blue distress ink and large sponge daubers, I created the 'sky'.  Next I used a small paint brush and white paint to created the falling snow.

I then die cut TWO of the 'In The Winter' panels from scraps of white card stock.  I actually CUT the trees off the second die cut panel to create a snowy roadway for my truck.  A touch of glue & glamour dust gave me the winter sparkle I was looking for and the cardinals came from the Impression Obsession 'Birch Tree' die set.  

If it is snowing in your area ... please be safe on the highways!

Better yet just stay inside and play with your die cuts like I have today!  LOL

Challenges to share in:

Landscaping Challenge #143 - Let It Snow

Melonheads Friends Challenge - Winter is Here

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Let there be Snow

Use Your Stash Challenge #245 - Let it Snow

Dragonfly Journeys Challenge #81 - Snow Days

 Remember, each an every day of the month there's a new inspiration sample shared on the blog by this fabulous design team.  Please be sure to pop in regularly.

And, don't forget to come join in the fun at the Dies R Us Challenge Blog.  There's a new challenge theme offered on the 1st and 15th of each month and one lucky randomly drawn winner will receive a gift voucher prize to the Dies R Us Store.  For your convenience, all the important Dies R Us links are provided below. 

click below for:

STORE 
 CHALLENGE BLOG
  FACEBOOK
  INSPIRATION BLOG

FRIENDS OF DIES R US PINTEREST PAGE

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today and as always . . .

Annual Neighborhood Christmas Party (2016)

 Hello Everyone and Happy Monday!

Yesterday we had our annual neighborhood house party and it was such a great time!

I've spent the past week or so making sure I have everything decorated & pretty to help get us all in that holiday spirit.

The past 3 days Mark & I have spent a lot of time prepping the food for our party.  Mark is an amazing cook and always makes way more than we need but he likes to have a variety and everyone always enjoys it!  If you leave this house hungry at the end of this party ... it's no ones fault but yours because heaven knows there's enough food to feed an army!  LOL

 This years menu consisted of:

Pierogies w/onions

Sausage links w/peppers & onions

Bar-B-Q Meatballs & mini weenies

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Beef Dip

Artichoke & Crab Dip

Mushroom/Heart of Palm Salad

Shrimp Cocktail

Christmas Deviled Eggs

Cheese Ball

Cheese/Meat/Cracker Tray

Veggie, Pickles & Olive Tray

Christmas Pasta Salad

Crab Bites

Fresh Fruit Salad

Pepperoni Bread / dipping sauce (brought by friends Lona & Gary White)

Then of course desserts:

All time favorite - Peanut Butter Fudge

Delicious Apple cake

Cranberry Bread w/cream cheese

Apricot bar cookies & Raspberry bar cookies (brought by daughter Carolyn Franjko)

And plenty of Pop, Beer & Wine to drink!

Like I said ... Mark enjoys putting out a SPREAD for friends and family.   

Everyone is so busy throughout the year ... so this has become at least one time of the year when we can all get together and 'catch up' on what's happening in our lives.  And of course, eat some awesome food while we're at it!  LOL

Most of the neighborhood kids aren't little kids anymore ... actually most of them are in college and happy to report all are doing quite well in their studies!!

So, we only had one 'little one' to entertain ... little Miss Lily Shamp!  What a sweetheart!  And, once she warmed up to all the people she had a great time running around through the house giving High Fives to everyone along the way.

 We were very fortunate to have as many people as we did because it had snowed over night and continued to snow throughout the day making our 'long distance' (1-2 hours) family & friends having to deal with accident delays and slippery roads to get here.  Thank God they all made it here and back without incident!  We did unfortunately miss seeing our 'old neighborhood friends' the Beelmans who due to the weather didn't attempt the drive in from Michigan.  They had even MORE snow & icy conditions so I'm just as happy to see them when the weather is a little better and know they are safe.

Here are a few other fun photos! 

It's hard to believe, but last year the weather was SO NICE, we actually set the tables up out on the deck and fired up the grill ... adding hot dogs and burgers to the menu!  NOT SO MUCH THIS YEAR!!   LOL   With snow in the forecast I thought I'd better prepare for WET shoes/boots and picked up one of those boot holders at Target the other day.

Every year there is a PILE of shoes as you walk in the door but this year we had to be careful and try to keep all the WETNESS in a couple locations ... hence the more organized line up of shoes & boots!  LOL

Then of course our little Miss Lily ... what fun she was having but at the end, she just ran out of steam and fell asleep on the couch while watching a video on her mom's phone.  God Love Her!!

Well that's it for me today!  

I thought I'd rest and put my feet up today after all the evening event excitement but instead I'm headed over to PA to help my mom do a little decorating and put up a small tree for her.  So ... off I go and I'll catch you next time!

Hope everyone is having a FABULOUS start to their week!

As always, thanks for stopping by and . . .

Tutti Designs - Birdhouse Garden

Happy Sunday Everyone!

It's my turn to share a new, inspirational creation using dies from the Tutti Designs Store.  Tutti has come out with so many amazing dies recently and today's I'm using a die from their October release called Birdhouse Garden (TUTTI-181).

Many of these dies are so beautiful, they can easily 'stand one' on a card front without the help of much else.  

 

This happens to be one of those dies in my mind.  

You can almost feel the warm summer breezes and hear the birds chirping in the trees!  

The only addition to this card is a touch of Nuvo crystal drops for color on the flowers.

I also sponged a touch of white dye ink over the blue card stock to 'soften' the background 'sky'.  How quick and easy is that!  And, perfect for just about any occasion!

Please be sure to pop over to the Tutti Designs Store 

and check out all of these fabulous dies. 

Need inspiration?  

The team has something new to share here on the Tutti Designs Blog EACH and EVERY DAY!   Pop in often and see for yourself ... what a talented group of designers!!

I'll be back again next Sunday with a new Tutti Designs project.

In the meantime, here are all the Tutti Designs quick links you will need:

Tutti Designs Store

Tutti Designs Pinterest

Tutti Designs Facebook

Tutti Designs Blog

 Thanks for stopping by and as always . . .

Recipe:

Papers:  White cs, Medium Blue cs

Dies:  Tutti Birdhouse Garden #181, Memory Box Cross Stitched Frame Borders #99124

Accessories:  White craft ink, large sponge dauber, Nuvo crystal drops

Double D Challenge - Dreaming of a White Christmas

Happy Wednesday Dear Friends!

It's time once again for a new & fun challenge at the

Double D Challenge Blog.

Today Team Diane is hosting the challenge

and the theme Diane has chosen is . . .

DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS

Check out this fabulous inspiration tile board Diane has created ...

 

Here's what I created for today's theme . . .

I'm fortunate to have so many beautiful background dies

and this Sue Wilson 'Festive Collection - Snowflake Background' die

is the one that jumped out of the binder and begged to be used today.

 

I die cut the background using the same white card stock
as my card base.  Then for the center I used the beautiful Pearlized Esse
White Metallic card stock which I've had in my stash for quite some time now!

Instead of using the snowflake center die,
I wanted to simply add my sentiment and a touch of sparkle for my finishing touchs.
I recently purchased this beautiful Precious Marieke 'Merry
Christmas' die from Dies R Us and thought it would work perfectly.

The hint of green in the inspiration board guided
me toward what foil paper to use for my sentiment.  PERFECT!

The touch of sparkle came from the Nuvo Crystal Drops I placed in
the enter of each snowflake on the background.

Challenges to share in:
Crafting by Designs Challenge - Here Comes the Holidays
Creative Moments Challenge #108 - Anything Goes
Scrapy Land Challenge #55 - Anything Goes w/dies
A Snowflakes Promise Challenge #34 - Anything Goes Christmas 
Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge #86 - Christmas Card

I hope you'll come join in the challenge fun

and by all means pop over to see what the design teams 

have created!  Such talented designers!!

OH and there's also a prize being offered . . . click HERE for all the details.

Till next time and as always . . .

Tutti Designs - Through the Ivy Gate

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Today it's my turn to share a new, inspirational creation using dies from the Tutti Designs Store.  Tutti has come out with so many amazing dies recently and today's I'm using a die from their October release called Garden Trellis #TUTTI-183.

I love creating 'scenery' card and I thought this 'Trellis' could also be used as a gate with a few little snips of the scissors.  Here's what I've created:

My background was created using Stampscape stamps and ink.

I love how this 'gate' opens onto the path.

Here's a few steps I took in creating today's card:

 First I colored the ivy on my trellis using various green Spectrum Noir alcohol markers.

Next I colored in my 'trellis' pieces using another alcohol marker of a different color.  I probably should have used a gray or black color but I remembered the flower trellis we had at home when I was growing up and it was never a dull dark color.  

My dad had a green thumb and not only were the flowers he grew beautiful but so were the containers or trellis they grew on.  He liked color and I guess I do too!

 Next came the 'snipping' to turn my trellis into a gate that opens.  Note the white dotted lines on my image ... that is where I made my cut then gently rolled the 'gate' back around a pencil to give it a bit of a curve.

Positioned my trellis gate onto my card front and VIOLA!

I've seen some of my team mates use their dies in 'different' ways 

so today I thought I'd give it a try too.  I must say, I'm very pleased with myself right now!  LOL

Please be sure to pop over to the Tutti Designs Store 

and check out all of these fabulous dies. 

Need inspiration?  

The team has something new to share on the Tutti Designs Blog EACH and EVERY DAY!   Pop in often and see for yourself ... what a talented group of designers!!

I'll be back again next Sunday with a new Tutti Designs project.

In the meantime, here are all the Tutti Designs quick links you will need:

Tutti Designs Store

Tutti Designs Pinterest

Tutti Designs Facebook

Tutti Designs Blog

 Thanks for stopping by and as always . . .

Recipe:

Papers:  White cs, Medium Blue cs

Dies:  Tutti Designs 'Garden Trellis' #183

Stamps:  Stampscapes, Stampers Anonymous

Inks:  SU Soft Sky, Versafine Onyx, Memento Bamboo Leaves

Accessories:  Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers,  Sponge daubers

So much to do . . .

 . . . so little time!  

Hello Friends!

I was beginning to panic because I didn't have enough holiday cards made yet for family and friends so last evening I decided upon a design and today (when I should have been cleaning/decorating for next weeks annual Christmas party), I buckled down and got them ALL DONE!  Whew!  Forty-eight in all.

 Four images ... 12 cards using each image.

I've used various background designer papers and snowflake die cuts.

 Nuvo crystal drops were used on each card as an extra dimensional element.

 

 

Now tomorrow when I'm watching Steeler football I can get the envelopes addressed and they will go postal on Monday!  Whew!  Then I can check that this one off the list and concentrate on the party.  

  

Hubby has the menu well in hand ... doing some shopping tomorrow then the remainder on Wednesday.  Needless to say we will once again be making WAY TOO MUCH food but he hates to run the risk of running out of anything LOL!  He even made himself a list after last years party stating 'CUT BACK ON THE AMOUNT OF FOOD' but from what I just saw on the table, his list is just as long as past years!  OH WELL ... that's okay ... everyone likes taking left overs home with them ... guess I'd better put 'take out containers' on my shopping list.

Challenges to share in:

Challenge Up Your Life - Snowflakes

Crafty Calendar Challenge - Christmas Time

Crafty Friends Challenge - Merry Christmas (* Inlinkz not working)

Creative Corner Challenge - Vintage/Retro Christmas

Jingle Belles Challenge - December Wrap Up

Thanks so much for stopping by.

I hope you're having a fabulous weekend!

As always . . .

Recipe:
Paper:  110# White cs, various designer papers
Dies:  Spellbinder 'Create-a-flake- S4-340, Sweet Dixie 'Snowflakes' SDD007, Impression Obsession 'Snowflakes' DIE-100F, Sue Wilson 'Pierced Flags' CED4304
Accessories:  Nuvo White crystal drops