Christmas cardinal

It's snowing up a storm, so let's make a Christmas card.
The image is from Stamping Boutique, colored with pencils, with Antique Linen Distress ink sponged around the edges. I used the sketch from Papertake Weekly Challenge. There's crocheted lace along the bottom, and I wove red baker's twine through the center of it. The sentiment is a cardstock sticker, and the embellishmennt is a flower and brad.

This fits a lot of challenges, so here goes:
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas challenge 217: Feature a Creature
Papertake Weekly : Take  your pick (I chose their sketch 98)
Rudolph Days Challenge, Feb -- Christmas card
Catch the Bug -- bingo: lace, sentiment, 3-D element (flower/brad)
Loves Rubberstamps #140-- lace or ribbon
Creative inspirations -- Luscious lace
Clear it Out -- Animal and striped paper
Addicted to Stamps -- holiday
Christmas Card Challenge #12 -- anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday -- anything goes

Rock on

I had fun combining this cute image with a bunch of different challenges, including the Sketch Saturday Sketch, the Time Out theme -- rock around the clock, and Loves Rubberstamp's theme to "Make it sparkle."  They all made sense together.

The image is from Bugaboo, colored with pencils and sparkled up with loads of silver Stickles. The metal-rimmed, star-shaped tag (de-tagged by removing the string), made the perfect embellishment.  I just ran the sentiment off on my computer. (That's the understatement of the week. I spent 45 minutes fixing a paper jam, then trying to persuade the printer that it was not, in fact, still jammed. ERRGH)

I'm entering these challenges:
Sketch Saturday --sketch 349
Loves Rubberstamps #139 -- let it sparkle
Time Out challenge #25 -- Rock Around the Closck
City Crafter #249 -- Love metal
Word Art Wednesday #171 -- anything goes
Sister Act #94 -- anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday -- anything goes

What a pear pair

This is a quickie card I made CASE-ing a a card I saw on the Simon Says Stamp blog a few weeks ago. I used the pear from the Alley Way Stamps, using basic masking to create the cute couple.  I stamped in Versamark, embossed with clear EP,, then did a watercolor wash over them. 
(Originally this was going to be a Valentine's card, but I decided hearts were just too much). 

This card is for these challenges:

Little Tangles #53 -- watercolor
The Alley Way Stamps -- February Link Up
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper challenge -- use patterned paper

It's cold enough for penguins

(The title of the post is all I'm going to say about the weather here....)
Crafty Ribbons Challenge asks us to make a card that was at least 90 black and white.  What's more black and white than penguins?  I just added the tiniest bit of orange to brighten it up.
The sketch is STAMPlorations #28, with a strip of dotted ribbon running down the edge of the plaid panel.  I added a button and some orange embroidery floss.

I'm entering these challenges.
STAMPlorations #28 -- sketch
Crafty Ribbons #113 -- black and white
Inky Impressions #197 -- cute and cuddly
Creative Inspirations #301 -- buttons
The Paper Shelter #191 -- animal
Papertake Weekly -- Bingo (ribbon/die/button)
CHCN Patterned paper Challenge -- use patterned paper

So, more faux sewing

A couple of years ago, I bought a used sewing machine at a neighbor's moving sale specifically to use on cards. I hardly ever remember to use it, and when I do, I end up getting frustrated because there's either something wrong with the machine or with me. I can spend an hour fixing and inserting bobbin and making sure it's threaded right, and the tension still gets messed up. It happened again when Ii tried to sew on this card.  I finally gave up and just did faux stitching. (I really don't think my neighbor intentionally sold a nonworking machine, adding to the frustration.)

The butterflies are made with snippets of ribbon tied with thread or wire (I made one of each). A little whimsical, sure, but kind of fun.  I do love this sentiment from Rubbernecker -- it's framed with Spellbinder's Lattice Rectangles die and sponged with distress ink.

The cream and ivory pieces are all snippets.

I'm entering these challenges:
Butterfly Challenge #24 -- butterfly with ribbons
Crafting for all Seasons #96 -- dies or punches
Sketch Saturday -- sketch #348
the Ribbon Girl -- Ivory and cream
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday -- add a little texture (embossing)
Pixie's Snippet Playground #164 -- use snippets
Word Art Wednesday #171 -- anything goes

A bit of paradise

The temperature is hovering around freezing, and it's anybody's guess where it will be when we get precipitation tonight, but "wintry mix" is probably in our immediate future. Who wouldn't be dreaming of  a sunny day at the beach?
I combined Crafty Ribbon's theme of nautical and Simon Says Stamp's theme of a piece of paradise and got this. The digi image is colored with pencils.  The quote is stamped in brown ink on kraft paper.  The ribbons have an ombre-blue effect and have frayed edges, so they look sort of weathered and beachy.
I'm entering this card in these challenges:
Crafty Ribbons 112: Nautical
Simon Says Stamp Monday: Piece of Paradise
Word Art Wednesday #170: Anything Goes
Creative Inspirations #300: Anything Goes

A case of red

Today I learned it's really hard to photograph scoring on white card stock.  I tried four times, under different lighting conditions, in multiple angles, and finally got a decent image. That was important, as the scoring is one of the things that really attracted me to the card I CASEd.
This is the card that the Time Out Challenge asked us to CASE. I loved the scoring, the delicate colors and the white-on-white.  In my version, the top half of the card is scored with diagonal lines, with three horizontal lines separating the diamonds from the plain bottom part of the card. For the tag, I used some chipboard stickers of red roses (My Mind's Eye) along with a die-cut branch (from a Tim Holtz die).  The red striped ribbon (Christmas clearance at Michaels a few years ago) is a little bolder than on the original and the sentiment (Stampin' Up) a little less bold.

I am entering these challenges:
Time Out Challenges #24: CASE this card
Clear It Out:  Use your red stash
Crafty Sentiments: Use some Red
Creative Inspirations #300: anything goes
Loves Rubberstamps #138: Show me some red
Word Art Wednesday #170: Anything Goes

Hey Chickie

I had some fun playing with a set called Chick Magnet from The Alley Way Stamps, mixing the cartoony chicken with some bright and fun papers.
The sketch is from STAMPlorations, sketch 27. It's a nice, clean sketch, although I scooted the sentiment to the left just to slow off more of the flowered paper (I didn't want to cover up that yellow flower because that's the only bit of yellow showing that ties to the yellow chicken).  And every single piece of paper here is a snippet, so I'm going to the Snipppet Playground as well.

I'm entering these challengs

STAMPlorations, sketch 27
Catch the Bug -- anything goes
Pixie's Snippet Playground #163
Word Art Wednesday #169 -- anything goes
The Alley Way Stamps Feb link-up -- TAWS stamps

Bunches of...

Hearts, hearts, everywhere in blogland this week. I've seen several people use heart-shaped balloons, and I borrowed the idea for this CAS card.
As cards go, how I put this one together is self-explanatory, so I won't bore you with an explanation.
The sentiment is from The Alley Way Stamps. (Not even from a Valentine's set; it's from a fall-themed set.)

Since hearts are everywhere, including a bazillion challenges, I'm entering this card in a bazillion challenges.
The Ribbon Girl -- romance in the air
Cuttlebug Mania -- I (heart) you
Crafty Sentiments -- include a heart
Simon Says Stamp Monday -- H is for
Creative Inspirations #299 -- Love is in the air
The  Paper Shelter #189 -- Be My Valentine
The Alley Way Stamps -- monthly use TAWS stamps challenge
Pixie's Snippet Playground #162  -- use snippets (pinks)
Word Art Wednesday #169 --anything Goes
Clear it Out Challenge -- Anything goes