Merry Monday Tic Tac Toe

The Merry Monday #55 Christmas card challenge is using this tic-tac-toe grid.
I chose the left column as well as the top line to make my card this week.

I love this MB leaping deer die cut, and I used DCWV Naturals dsp to cut him out. There's a subtle pattern in the paper that I preferred over plain brown card stock. I tied a little red twine around his neck instead of adding a red nose. I thought the Crafters Companion ef I used looked cute with Santa's reindeer flying up into the sky :) The MB pine needle border is one of the dies I used, along with some SB circle and scalloped circle dies. The newsprint dsp is from Echo Park's Christmas paper pad, and the sentiment is from SU!. I embossed the sentiment with vanilla ep, but it turned out to be clear IRL. I was trying to keep it coordinated with the vanilla newsprint dsp, but it didn't work out the way I thought it would :) The ribbon is from my LSS.

Thanks for the visit today, and I wish you all a wonderful week ahead!

Carol

Snowmen in March

This week's Merry Monday #54 challenge is to use Snowmen on our cards. I know we're now just a day away from the first day of spring, but it snowed in PA last night, so I guess we can have snowmen in March after all!

I've had this pre-colored printed digi image in my stash for quite a while and pulled him out of the cobwebs and finally made him into a card. This adorable snowman image is by Laurie Furnell. I used some "corduroy" cranberry card stock along with some Fancy Pants Blissful Blizzard dsp and a MS border punch to put this together. The SU! sentiment panel was done with a bottlecap die by Quickutz, along with a circle punch and cranberry crisp ink. I wish I had a hundred of these images, as I'd use them for all my personal Christmas cards this year - I like this adorable snowman that much!

Stay warm and have a wonderful day and thanks so much for stopping by!

Carol

Merry Monday #53

Here's my card for this week's Merry Monday #53 sketch challenge. I used some unknown papers a friend shared with me and matted with some matching cardstock. The sentiment is a Hero Arts stamp, and I colored it with ink daubers in matching ink. I added a punched MS snowflake and cut the prongs off a snowflake brad, and popped it up on some foam tape. This sketch is so clean and simple and I'll be using it to make many more cards I'm sure!

Thanks for stopping by and make it a great day!

{ETA: the dsp's are from DCWV - thanks Mary Anne}

Carol

Challenge Cards

Here's my card for the Merry Monday 52 to use River Rock, always artichoke, and cherry cobbler. The card base is river rock, and I made the circle panel with vanilla, stamping text with river rock ink in the background. I sponged the edges with antique linen ink and matted with cherry cobbler. The holly leaves are really made from artichoke cardstock, and I don't know why, but I coated them with glossy accents to make them shine, and then added dazzling diamonds glitter to tone down the shine! LOL I hate using glitter so I grumbled the whole time I made this card, but I'm sure someone will like the sparkle :) I added some red gemstones from Pizzazz Aplenty in 3 different sizes along with a snippet of ribbon. The sentiment is from SU! More Merry Messages, and the holly leaves were done with a Tim Holtz Sizzix Die.

This card combines 2 challenges. I used the Freshly Made Sketch 76, along with the Simon Says Stamp challenge to use a bit of green. For the sketch, you can use any shape for the trio, and I used SU!'s petite curly label punch, along with the pretty petites stamp set on scraps of green gingham. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this mini punch in the future, but I love it and had to order the punch and coordinating stamp set as soon as I saw them. I put little button brads in the centers and matted with some neon green card stock that was embossed with a square lattice ef. The sentiment is SU! and the white embossed panel was done with the CB decorative tiles ef. I added a piece of ribbon from my stash along with a piece of Basic Grey dsp.

That's going to be all for me today but thanks so much for stopping by, and I wish you a wonderful day!

Carol

Merry Monday #51

I'm thrilled to be guest designing for the Merry Monday #51 challenge after my card was chosen for top honors last week! Woot! This week Lesley has given us a tic-tac-toe challenge, and I've used the top row straight across to make my card.

My card uses red, dry embossing, and ribbon. I used a SU! tulip frame ef and added a MB pine needle die border under the ribbon. The SU! sentiment was heat embossed with winter wonderland ep  and that's pretty much all there was to making this card.

Be sure to visit the Merry Monday card makers and see what they've created to inspire you to start making your Christmas cards early this year!

Thanks for stopping by and I wish you all a wonderful and merry Monday!

Carol

Elegance for Merry Monday #50

The Merry Monday challenge #50 is to create an "elegant" Christmas card.

I consider this to be CAS elegance, and I'm really pleased with the way it turned out.  All SU! products were used for this card. The image is from Christmas Blessings, the sentiment is from Contempo Christmas and the border was done with a fancy scallop punch. I embossed the image and sentiment with gold ep onto red cardstock, and embossed a long strip of white cardstock with gold ep to use for the punched borders. I love that this card will require only one stamp to mail because no other embellishments seem to be needed. I liked this card so much that I made a set of them...

These are so quick and easy to make that I will probably make some more in different colors.

Thanks for stopping by today and have a fabulous week!

Carol

Deer in the Snow with Pines

Here's this week's Merry Monday #49 sketch to make a Christmas card.

This is the card I came up with. It's a bit on the masculine side, but we have several friends who are widowers, so this will be perfect for them. I used 2 deer from the MB deer trio die, and placed them behind a pile of stickled snow.

Speaking of snow..........there's more on the way for PA tomorrow night and again over the weekend. I think we should ignore that groundhog tradition they put so much time and effort into every year! What does an oversized rodent know about weather anyway?? LOL

Stay warm and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

stamps - SU! teeny tiny wishes
ink - early espresso
paper - neenah kraft, very vanilla, hunter green, real red, early espresso
accessories - Sizzix snow globe ef, MB deer trio die, MB pine needle border die, SU! word window and fancy label punches, Icicle stickles, ribbon from LSS, SB labels 18 die

Saturated Canary Merry Monday #47

Here's this week's Merry Monday #47 challenge, and it's a Bingo Grid. I went straight across the bottom and used designer paper, red and green, and ribbon to come up with this card...

I used papers from an Echo Park Very Merry Christmas stack that include the colors of red, green and neutrals like brown and tan. I colored this adorable Saturated Canary image called "Spritz" with red and green Copics, and added some MS tinsel glitter to the wings for a little sparkle. The ribbon is some retired SU! that I've had for too long, so it was time to get it out and use it. The die cuts are labels 2 and 18, and the fancy scalloped border was done with a SU! punch.

And now I have another card added to my Christmas stash for 2013.

Thanks for stopping by and make it a wonderful Tuesday!

Carol

Merry Monday Cardinal

The Merry Monday #46 challenge this week is to use a bird to make a Christmas card. I used the SU! Language of Friendship set and stamped the image on red card stock with black ink, and embossed with clear detail ep. I used a SU! bird punch to cut the bird out. I wanted to use these great Echo Park Very Merry Christmas papers with the music sheet, but I wasn't thrilled with this card once I finished it.........so I made a 2nd one.

This card is very much out of my comfort zone, because I rarely do tilted panels. They seriously challenge me into sheer frustration for some reason. I don't even know how or why I chose this design?! LOL
For this card, I added a 2nd wing to the bird and stamped some legs for him to stand on, adding some pine branches from the Winter Watercolors set. The sentiment is from SNSS and the hunter ribbon is from Pizzazz Aplenty. All papers are from Echo Park Very Merry Christmas pad, and the brown panel was embossed with a CB holly folder, while the lower panel was done with a Sizzix square lattice ef.

I just learned about the Cards From the Heart Drive yesterday, but if anyone is interested in donating some Valentine cards for kids, just click the pink heart on my side bar, or click here. There isn't much time left as they need to be received by the end of January, but if you have a few extra valentine's you'd like to donate, I'm sure they'd really make some sick children happy to receive! Please check the details carefully before sending as there are guidelines that need to be followed.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day! It's a balmy 13 degrees here in PA, but I have to venture out to the post office and get these Valentines mailed, so I'll be brave and bundle up :) Stay warm!

Oh, and one last note to the news media......can we PUH-LEEZE stop analyzing whether Beyonce sang live or lip-synched the national anthem on Monday? She sang it beautifully either way and it's history, so can we move on now!! Is anyone else sick of hearing about this silly issue over and over again? LOL

Ok, I'm off my soapbox now and getting on with my day :)

Carol

Christmas and Cocoa

This is the Merry Monday sketch #45 for Christmas cards...

and here's my card. I tweaked the sketch a bit and used a SB labels 18 die cut instead of a circle. I used some long overlooked glitter paper from a stack I bought a long time ago. The sentiment circle was embossed with gold, and I added some gold cording around the SU! ornament punch. The cream taffeta ribbon is from Pizzazz Aplenty. The card stock is a linen finish cream-color that my friend Heidi sent me.

Here's the sketch for the Sweet Stop SSS193...

This is my card for the challenge, and it's also for the SNSDC87 to use coffee, tea, or cocoa images. Cocoa mouse to the rescue! I used some MME on the bright side dsp for my card, and paper pieced Cocoa's cup. The sentiment and heart scalloped border are from SNSS, and I added a few star gemstones to the corners just for fun.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great Tuesday!

Carol

Something New and a Merry Monday

Here's my card for the first 2013 Merry Monday #44 challenge which is to create a Christmas card using the colors of Island Indigo, Pool Party, and Real Red. I used a Lawn Fawn image, coloring with Copics and adding some frosted Stickles for "snow." I mounted on kraft using a long-retired SU! punch to cut the corners. The border was done with a MS Skylands Snowflake punch I got for Christmas. Sentiment by G Studio, embossing from CB snowflake ef, and the ribbon, clip, and mini brads were from my stash. For the final touch I added a dab of liquid applique to the bunny's tiny tail :)

And here's my card for the SNSDC86 which is "something new."  A baby is always something new :) I'm using the digi image Cocoa's Baby Block from SNSS and the image was colored with Copics. I added a SNSS border die, woven with baby blue ribbon and embossed the background with a CB swiss dots ef. For the finishing touch, I added a jewel tag that I wrote "baby" on, and added a snippet of ribbon.

Have a fabulous day today and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Let it Snow

Since I had those pretty Winter Wishes papers by Echo Park sitting on my table, I made another challenge card with them. This is for the House-Mouse & Friends HMFMC134 challenge which is "Let it Snow." I'm also playing along with the final 2012 Merry Monday challenge which is to choose a previous sketch from this year and create a card using that sketch. I chose sketch #8 found here. I'm also entering this into Shopping our Stash #80 which is to create a holiday or winter-themed card. {check! check! check!}

I colored the image with Copics, and added lots of ice Stickles on the snowflakes, ground, and knitting needles. I let the dsp do the sentiment for me with all those cute wintry wishes. I added 3 white snowflakes, and attached them with mini brads in matching colors, and added some sparkle with Stickles. The final touch was some elegant eggplant ribbon and a tiny bow done with the Bow-easy.

If you haven't left a comment for my blog candy giveaway, you still have time to enter. Click here for details.

Thanks for stopping by and make it a great Tuesday!

Carol

Catching up with Challenges

Here's my card for this week's Merry Monday #40 sketch challenge. I used some cherry cobbler and a scrap of tan cardstock along with a Hero Arts sentiment. The background was done with the Sizzix Snowglobe ef and the sentiment panel was done with a SB labels eighteen die. Ribbon was from my LSS.

This card meets 3 challenges: The CASology week #18 which is "orange," The MFP Speedy Fox & Friends challenge #132 to use ric-rac, and the CAS(E) this Sketch challenge #5. I die cut some hearts using a SNSS die and drew the lines they're hanging on with a black marker, adhered the ric-rac, and stamped a sentiment from the MFP Thankful Mums and Pumpkins stamp set.

Lastly, I made this card for the OWH Stars and Stamps mid-week throwdown to create a card with red, white, & blue. The sentiment is by Hero Arts, and the red panel was embossed with a HA/Sizzix zig-zag ef, while the navy panel was embossed with a CB decorative tiles ef. I added a little piercing around the sentiment panel, and added 2 star brads on the side.

I think I'm caught up on a few challenges now, so on to other things :) Thanks for stopping by and make it a great Friday!

Carol

Merry Monday 39

Here's my card for the Merry Monday #39 sketch challenge. I used dsp from the MME Christmas paper pad, along with some cherry cobbler and white. The ornament was done with gold metallic paper, and a SU! ornament punch, and embossed with a CB ef. I tied a bow with some gold cording, and embossed the background with a SU! square lattice ef. The red panel was done with the SU! Petals A'Plenty ef, and I added some gold metallic ribbon for the horizontal panel. The sentiment is by Northwoods and was colored with markers.

Thanks for all of your well wishes during hurricane Sandy. We lost power for 29 hours, which is a minor inconvenience compared to the losses we've seen all around us. The complete destruction along the New Jersey coast is heartbreaking and I can't imagine what those folks are going through as they pick up the pieces and try to move on. We're so fortunate to have come through this with no property damage at all, so I'm very grateful! Those candlelight solitaire card games weren't too bad, but after 2 nights of that I'm ready to get back to modern-day technology again :)

Thanks for stopping by and I wish everyone a brighter day!

Carol

Merry Monday 38

Here's the Merry Monday #38 Sketch challenge...and here's my card.....

I tweaked the sketch just a tad bit because the sentiment panel looked strange covering up some of the snowflake :) I used dsp from the Echo Park Very Merry Christmas paper pad, and a sentiment from SNSS. The felt snowflakes have been in my stash forever, and I added a gold candy dot to the center, along with some gold cording on the sentiment panel. The green circle was embossed with a Sizzix snowflake ef. Trees, snowflakes, and snowmen - I think they all help to make the season great :)

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Merry Monday 37 & HMFMC130 - an ATC

Here's my card for the Merry Monday sketch challenge #37. I wanted to use this larger SNSS image, so I made a 5x7 card and tweaked the sketch just a tad. The colors are non-traditional, but I love this dusty rose color and think it works well for the image. I embossed it with black, and then sponged 3 colors on from a Colorbox twilight ink pad. The ef was borrowed from a friend (thanks Mary Anne) and it's by Cuttlebug. The dsp is an old scrap from Karen Foster and has subtle stars printed on it which tie in with the Christmas theme.

Here's a close-up of the glistening snow writer accents I added to the trees and ground. They show up much better IRL, and if you click the photo you'll see that detail a bit better. It adds just the right amount of shimmer.

The challenge for the House Mouse & Friends 130 is to use an ATC card. I used this little mousie and turned the ATC into a framed element, using a retired corner punch by SU! The vertical panel was stamped with a PTI script stamp using versacolor sand beige ink. Again, you can click the photo to enlarge the detail. I colored this with Copics, and added the letter "d" to the end of the pencil, because he's writing "dear" to start his little letter :) The sentiment is by SNSS.

That's it for me, so as always - thanks for stopping by and have yourself a wonderful day :)

Carol

Santa and Black-eyed Susan

I made this card for the MFP Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge #128 to follow a recipe of 1 ribbon, 2 embossing folders, and 3 die cuts or punches. I'm using the beautiful MFP Black-eyed Susan image that I won recently just by playing along with this challenge :) It's such a beautiful flower isn't it? I cut it with a SB labels 22 and colored it with Copics, adding some black stickles to the center for a little sparkle. The flowers underneath are SB dies too, but I didn't label them and can't find them online to give them a name. I believe they were called poinsettias before the layered poinsettia set was released. {If anyone knows, feel free to leave a comment and I'll edit the post.} I added some tiny tags with the birthday wishes sentiment. The papers are from Echo Park and were embossed with 2 different ef's from the CB decorative tiles set.

This card is for the Merry Monday 36 sketch to create a Christmas card. I pulled out a long-overlooked Tim Holtz Components stamp that I haven't used in ages. I colored it with markers and stamped it, adding some liquid applique to Santa's hat, and a little blue color to his eyes with a Copic marker. The dsp is from BoBunny's father time, and I love how all the vintage Santa images mirror the image. I matted with chocolate chip and cherry cobbler red, and added a christmas stocking brad to the circle, doing the bottle cap diecut with my Quickutz.


That's going to do it for me today and thank you to all of you who take time to stop by and say "hello!" Make it a great day!

Carol

Merry Monday

My card is for the Merry Monday #35 challenge.

I used dsp from the MME Christmas paper pad for this. Then I stamped the ornament image from the SU! Delightful Decorations stamp set with Versamark, and embossed it with Winter Wonderland ep. I used the SU! ornament punch to cut it out and mounted it on a labels 18 die from SB, adding some silver cording for the bow. The sentiment is from the same stamp set and was colored with markers before stamping.

I'm also entering this card in the Dynamic Duos #22 challenge to use Cherry Cobbler and my choice of another color. That color was obviously dark green :)

While I had these papers out, I made a card for the SNSDC73 challenge "It's Hip to be Square." In other words, make a square card. I used a SNSS Christmas Candle digi image and colored it with Copics, adding some Christmas red stickles here and there just for interest. The sentiment was done with an Inkadinkado stamper.

Thanks so much for the little visit today - I hope your Monday is going well :)

Carol

Christmas Deer

My card is for the Merry Monday #34 Christmas sketch challenge.

This was very quick to put together using the SU! Christmas Deer image. I stamped it with Versamark onto navy card stock, and heat embossed with silver ep. I cut it with SB labels two, embossing the edges of the larger die cut with matching silver ep. I added some viva white pearl pen accents to the antlers, and stamped the G studio sentiment with navy ink, and this was done!

I hope you're enjoying your day - it's another beauty here in PA so I'm heading out shortly for a nice long drive and not having to cook tonight :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Carol

A Cowboy Birthday & a Dynamic Duo Christmas

The challenge for Dynamic Duos#20 this week is to use the color of Lucky Limeade with Black, and the dessert option is to use a Halloween Theme. I don't make many Halloween cards, so I opted for a Christmas card instead, and used the Merry Monday #33 sketch to create this card. The background was embossed with SU!'s Petals A Plenty folder, and I dotted the centers with a black marker. The rectangle was stamped with a Christmas background stamp and embossed with white, then lightly sponged with matching ink, and pierced around the edges. The white poinsettia was done with a SB die and sponged around the edges, adding a black brad to the center. The sentiment is from a retired SU! set Small Script.

This card is for the Perfect Sentiments#50 challenge to make a masculine birthday card and put the sentiment on the front. It's also for the Shopping our Stash#69 to use emboss it. I dug into my stash and used an older MFP stamp set that I believe is now retired. It's called Southwest Cowboy, and it's one of my favorite stamp sets that I own. I heat embossed the image on white, colored it with Copics, and fussy cut it out. I stamped the silhouette image on blue with Versafine Onyx Black ink, and embossed it with clear detail ep. The dsp is from Echo Park, and the black panel was embossed with a new CB ef from the Decorative Tiles set. The sentiment was computer generated. I jotted this sketch down recently, but didn't name it, and now I can't remember where I found it to link it up :) It's a great sketch and one I'll be using more often.

Thanks for stopping by and I wish you a wonderful Wednesday!

Carol