CAS on Friday: Jolly Enough?

 I had most of this snowman done a few weeks ago and then really struggled with what to do with him.  I was kind of focused on a darker background so he popped - but no matter what I tried, it just didn't work.  Then I saw the CAS on Friday challenge was Christmas.  I know it seems obvious now, but it was like a lightbulb came on.  I gave him a little fun grounding and it stays totally CAS.

I have three adult men in my household.  At least, they think they are adults - I have my doubts on all three of them.  One tries very hard to be cool so no childlike glee at Christmas.  One still wants to be a child but turns 21 four days after Christmas.  And the other one is anti-commercial-Christmas including things like lights on the house - so a bit of a Scrooge right up until worship service on Christmas Eve.  I need goofy, sarcastic cards for all of them - this one is for the Scrooge!

The snowman is from the Tim Holtz Colorize line.  It's fun to put together but if my eyes change much more, I won't be able to see those fiddly little pieces!  I added a little Charlie Brown tree using a twig from Funky Festive.

Thank you to CAS on Friday for pointing me in the right direction for this snowman!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stamping Bella Oddball Festive

Dies: Sizzix Thinlits Tim Holtz Papercut Christmas #2 Colorize, Funky Festive

Fusion Card Challenge: Give Thanks

 I love the graphic at the Fusion Card Challenge - so warm and such a wonderful glow. I was inspired by the wood and the sweater, the glow of the candles and the pops of black. I also used the sketch. 

I used So Saffron paper that I spritzed with sparkle for the candles.  I also liked the pops of black in the inspiration but didn't want a solid black so I pulled out a glitter paper that gave it a slightly mottled and sparkly look. Stampin' Up's In Good Taste dsp has beautiful woodgrains.  Then I was going to go with a sweater in the background, but I wanted to keep it delicate so used the Tasteful Textile embossing folder. 

This was going to be an all Stampin' Up card but I got all the dies laid out and had a vision for the size and shape of the sentiment.  Wouldn't you know? I had nothing like it in my SU collection.  So I used an old Papertrey Ink sentiment.

Thank you to the Fusion Challenge.  I have a number of these sunflowers cut out already and I just hadn't put a card together that I liked.  There weren't sunflowers in your inspiration photo - but it worked!!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Autumn Acorns

Dies: Stampin' Up Sunflower dies

Paper: Stampin' Up In Good Taste dsp, So Saffron CS

Other: Stampin' Up Tasteful Textile Embossing Folder

Poppystamps Stained Glass Poinsettia Three Ways

It's my turn on the Poppystamps blog today.  We get to select the products we want to use when we post. I knew I wanted to do Christmas because they have so many gorgeous new Christmas stamps and dies, but I couldn't decide which to use.  Then I saw the challenge at Christmas Kickstart: Festive Florals and knew immediately I wanted to play with Stained Glass Poinsettia.  

I adore this die!!  I don't often make multiple cards, but I had to keep going...

There is a lot more details on the Poppystamps blog but here are the close-ups of the other two cards.

It's such a versatile die.  Starting with the first card that I did as stained glass requiring me to die cut each section - to the last two that just filled in the flowers - there are many ways to use it. For a totally different look check out this card by Marybeth Lopez.  I saw it and fell in love with it before I was even part of the Poppystamps design team! I love the way she added petals.

Thanks to Christmas Kickstart for pointing me in the Festive Floral direction!!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Christmas Quotes (stamps and dies)

Dies: Poppystamps Stained Glass Poinsettia

Patterened Paper: Memory Box Garden Folly and Dashing Holiday

The Paper Players: Turkey Time

I was happily browsing blogs with a cup of coffee before getting ready for work and a turkey card popped out at me. It made me realize that I had ignored this week's challenge at The Paper Players: Turkey Time because I was thinking I was done with Thanksgiving. But I'm not. I have two sons, 20- and a 24-years old, who aren't leaving campus to come home for Thanksgiving so I need them to know we are thinking of them. I really do have to get to work (translate: convert my desk from a craft desk to a work area!) so this is a 10-minute card and a 5-minute picture (both unheard of for me).  And it's perfect for one of them!!!

I'll probably tuck in a gift card for the Waffle House!  (No joke - in 2018 we ended up at the Waffle House for Thanksgiving but it's a very long story!)  The gift card will actually be the highlight for them because it will bring back fun memories!

Thanks to the Paper Players for reminding me that Turkey Time is coming!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Technique Tuesday Think Beef (it's dated 2012 so probably long gone)

Dies: Pretty Pink Posh Storybook 1

Paper: Sunny Studio Colorful Autumn, Stampin' Up Pumpkin Pie

Other: Doodlebug Heart-Fetti

Freshly Made Sketches: Wise Men in Three Styles

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Judy and here’s what I did with it!

 

You might notice that I didn't get the sketch quite right.  When I see our sketches in advance, they bounce in my mind for awhile until I get a chance to make a card.  I remembered that there was a big banner.  I did not remember the sentiment strip across the top.  By the time I was making the card, I had decided to use the sentiment die - it just made sense on the big banner. To honor the sketch, I added a patterned strip and I hope Judy forgives me.  Of course, I loved her sketch so much with this sentiment, I just kept going!

The wintery card at the beginning of this was post uses a patterned paper which is unusual for me.  It's also unusual that I use an outdoor type pattern with a Christian sentiment.  But I thought they were both just lovely so I wanted them to be together.

I started with the idea of the elegant card.  Deep, rich colors and gold seemed very fitting for the sentiment.

I do love how this turned out, but I wasn't convinced it was my card for the challenge.   So then I decided to go with stars and a classic pattern.

I like this one too.  The words are actually in a pearlescent ivory and I like the rustic stars around the edge.  But I'm not a fan of ivories - even in this classic card.  I LOVE fresh white and that's how I came up with the card I showed you at the beginning!!

I hope to see you playing along with us this week at Freshly Made Sketches (and you do not have to make three cards!)

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Simon Says Stamp Wise Men Still Seek Him

Paper: Plaid is Memory Box Christmas Plaid, stars are an old Simple Stories pad - Claus & Co, the winter pattern is also an old Simple Stories - Winter Wonderland

Just Add Ink: Holiday Wishes

I've had my eye on the colors at Just Add Ink challenge this week. It includes the Stampin' Up Color Magenta Madness which I am not a huge fan of; however, that's why they call them challenges!

My original plan was to use regular stamped snowflakes - probably fairly dainty snowflakes to keep the magenta a bit more subtle, but these new stamps and dies by Catherine Pooler showed up in my mailbox.  The stamps are called Nordic Stars and I got them with the intent of classic Nordic red and white. I'm not quite sure how I made the leap to the dreaded magenta but I think it works with just a pop of it.  (FYI - I know that color is personal.  For instance, I really don't like plain yellow and others will pick as their favorite color.  I'm sure there is nothing wrong with the magenta but for me, it's kind of an in-your-face colors - it overwhelms other colors.)

I love that "wishes" die.  I don't think the picture they use on websites does it justice.  You just can't tell that it gives that look of ribbon. I had Nordic Stars in my shopping cart but before I hit the purchase button, I was browsing Pinterest or Instagram just to see if there was anything else I had to have. I saw it!  I loved it! And it jumped into my cart just in time for me to hit the purchase button!  Better yet, the coordinating stamps have add-ons for a wide variety of occasions.

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A quick update on our Colorado wildfires - hopefully the last. The situation is much improved thanks to a heavy mountain snow which is melting slowly - apparently the best case scenario for keeping the fires tamped down. Thank you God!!  The two big ones are not out but they have slowed enough that firefighters have increased the containment on one to 85% and the other to 37%.  

Colorado actually had three record-breaking fires this summer.  One of the fires topped the previous record in a single day - not the weeks and months it usually takes to burn that much acreage. The fire grew so fast that people were getting evacuated with 10 minutes notice. In fact, since the worst case scenarios didn't show the fire reaching them for weeks (if at all), many couldn't get their horses out so they spray painted their information on the horses and were letting them out of their corrals to find their own shelter. That fire took two lives and more than 300 homes.  

In an bizarre side note, the day this fire set all records, there was a giant smoke plume. It was visible from my home 125 miles away - I posted a picture here. The firefighters now think this smoke column suddenly collapsed sending air downwards and shooting flames in every direction. I guess like a giant microburst but with fire.  Nature is unimaginably powerful.

From The Colorado Sun 11/2/20

Evacuations in most areas are now lifted. Colorado being what it is - we are back up in the 70s again but as long as the wind doesn't kick up, things are looking good.  And there's more snow in the near forecast.  

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Catherine Pooler Nordic Stars, All Around Wishes

Dies: Catherine Pooler Wishes Word, Nordic Stars

Paper: Stampin' Up Magenta Madness, Misty Moonlight; silver is unknown

Other: Trinity Stamps Rainbow Reflection Rhinestone Mix

Tic Tac Toe Challenge: Thankful

 I am honored to be a guest designer this week at the Tic Tac Toe Challenge!!  I was even more thrilled when I got the board and saw that it was a board full of autumn!  I used the right vertical column (Fall Colors, Thankful Sentiment, and Free).

I've always loved the little stitched heart in this woodgrain die but I always seem to cover it up.  (Sadly, this company is gone.)  I made a conscious effort this time to have the leaves swirl around the heart - see it right below the orange leaf.

I picked a layered leaf die so I could use a variety of fall colors with the two tones. I left the edges of the top layer unadhered for a dimensional look.  I like sparkle and I like white on my fall cards.  Fall is my favorite seasons - the beautiful colors just glow and almost seem to sparkle when the sun comes through them.  I also like the frost that adds to that sparkle.  So this card represents everything I love about fall!

Tic Tac Toe is a fun challenge.  It gives us inspiration, but it's open enough for us to be creative or go in a direction for cards that we need to be making.  I still need Thanksgiving cards so I wanted to start with either the "Thanksgiving" square or the "Thankful Sentiment" square - but I can see multiple directions that do not need to be fall or Thanksgiving!

Thank you to the entire group for letting me be a guest this week!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Concord & 9th Leafy Layers die, Simon Says Stamp Thankful 1, L'il Inkers Cover Up Die Stitched Woodgrain

Paper: Concord & 9th Neutrals Foil Paper Pack, Stampin' Up Mango Melody, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, Terracotta Tile, Cajun Craze and Crumb Cake

Other: Studio Katia Pearls - Gold Foil and Arctic Breeze