Take that, difficult stamp!

I believe this might be the first orange Christmas card I've ever made.  The image is a House Mouse scene that absolutely refused to stamp for me. I can't count how many times I re-inked it in the stamp positioner, but it wouldn't stamp the entire image. (There was a huge white spot just to the right of what you see here.) I set it aside for a while, and then decided to use what I could and have one bunny hanging carrots on a tree instead of two.

In addition to using the "snippet" created by lop off half the image, the image is matted on a dark orange snippet which is on a paler orange snippet. In keeping with the orange theme, I used orange baker's twine and orange ink on the sentiment.

This card is entered in these challenges:
Rudolph Challenge -- Christmas
Winter Wonderland -- cute Christmas
ABC Christmas -- H is for Hang it Up
Crafting By Designs -- Get ready for Christmas
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #434 -- anything Christmas
Word Art Wednesday #384 -- anything goes
Pixie's Snippet Playground #350 -- use snippets

World's best

Welcome to another PINspirational Challenge and I hope you'll find the inspiration photo of our home, planet earth, to be inspiring -- let's make every day earth day. If you would like to join the challenge, please make a project (it doesn't have to be a card) and link up on the challenge post.

My project is a card that uses a gorgeous piece of background paper I have avoided cutting into for years (yes, years).  I got it in a swap where everyone made and exchanged background papers, and I just loved the colors on this one so much. The blues and greens seemed like a good background for this theme.

The coffee cup is from a digi stamp from From the Heart, which  I colored with pencils and fussy cut. The sentiment is from the same set, and it's matted on a snippet of coppered colored metallic paper to play off the metallic paints used for the background. A couple of sequins add a little more metallic shine.

This card is entering these challenges.
Simon Says Stamp Monday -- Going Round in Circles
Word  Art Wednesday #382 -- anything goes
Crafty Sentiments -- anything goes

It's new to me

       I know there are people who love to try new folds, but it's something I generally struggle with. However, Mrs. A's latest Butterfly Challenge featured something called a Dutch fold, which I'd never seen before. I was intrigued, so I went looking for a tutorial. Well, where have I been -- SCS ran a tutorial in 2011!  I also found a more recent tutorial that was simple and easy to follow, and to my delight, this turned out to be a) an easy card to make and endlessly adaptable to whatever size you want to make it; and b) a great way to use up snippets.
       To build the card, I used an almost half-sheet of light blue, scoring it at 5.5 inches and using a scallop punch on the bottom of the flap. I used a white snippet and another blue snippet to create a panel on the flap. The Dutch doors are also blue snippets.
       For the main panel on my card, I die-cut watercolor paper with a Memory Box die (called Spring Border, I think.) Then I used Distress Inks to watercolor the flowers and foliage, cut it to fit the blue panel and adhered it. The butterfly is punched from a small snippet of a yellow print. The doors are covered with snippets of a grid-patterned paper, with a sentiment on one side and the rest of the border die-cut on the other. On the inside, another white snippet covers the raw edges where the Dutch doors are attached.

This card is for these challenges:
Butterfly Challenge #120 -- Dutch Door and butterfly (not sure if the blue qualifies as denim or not)
Double D -- watercolor
Pixie's Snippet Playground #349 -- snippets
Word Art Wednesday #382 -- anything goes
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge -- use patterned paper
Catch the Bug -- anything goes

Sending sunshine

     Another PINspirational Challenge is up, and it's our 7th anniversary. Deanne has a special prize on offer for this challenge. To take part, all you have to do is create and link up a project based on the PINspirational photo. It says "Create Your Own Sunshine." (Link up at the challenge blog.)
       I guess I kind of took the inspiration literally, as I created a ray effect with snippets of different yellow patterned papers. (Subtle, huh?) To complete my card, I used a sentiment from Alley Way Stamps, a couple of gingham fabric flowers, and stamped stems and leaves.
      Hope you'll join in the challenge.

My card is entered in these challenges:
Word Art Wedneday#380 -- anything goes
Catch the Bug -- anything goes
Crafts Galore #62  -- anything goes
Pammie's Inky Pinkies #1914 -- anything goes
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge --use patterned paper