Christmas Ornaments

The challenge this week at 52 CCT is to use gilding or foils.  I have had gold and silver gilding flakes in my stash for a couple of years that I have forgotten about.  

I decided to go CAS with the card to really show off the gold ornaments.  I made the ornaments using a sizzix die.  I then ran them though my xyron sticker maker before adding the gold flakes. I really like the way they turned out.  The sentiment was stamped and then embossing with gold embossing.  For a little extra gold, I used gold thread for the stitching.

I hope you join us in this challenge and show us your creative projects using gilding or foils. 

Project details:

Ornaments: Sizzix dies

martha Stewart branch punch

holly die

Entered in following challenges:

Less Is More: Down Under (going out on a limb with this and saying under the tree branch)

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas challenge: Anything goes Christmas

Brown Sugar Challenge: Anything Goes

Crating With Friends: Anything goes

Craft Rocket Challenge: CAS

Crafty Gals Corner challenge: Anything Goes

Fab and Funky Challenges: Christmas

Thank You Card

This is the card I made for my sister to thank her for my Christmas gifts.

Card Details:

Stamp: Magnolia Stamps

Spellbinders floral oval die

Martha Stewart butterfly punches

Spellbinders tag dies

Martha Stewart border punch

Joy Crafts tag die

Joy crafts feather die

Copics

Magnolia Doo Hickey rose border die

Entered in following challenges:

Creative Card Crew: Anything Goes

Fantastic Tuesday: Anything goes with twist of add flowers

Through The Craft Room Door: Anything Goes

Tuesday Throwdown: Anything goes

Artistic Inspirations: Thank you

Crafting From the heart: Anything Goes

Crafty Boots Challenge: Ribbon or lace

Crafty CardMakers; Punches or dies

Christmas Lantern

The challenge theme for this week at 52 CCT is to create a card using Christmas candles/lanterns.

I received this stamp set for Christmas and couldn't wait to play.  I colored it with copics and then used extreme glitter paint and stickles around the glow from the candles.  I did add some snow texture for a little added dimension.

Card Details:

Stamps: Penny Black

Copics:

Snowflake: Christmas Noel Cricut cartridge

Lemon yellow stickles

Extreme glitter paint

Snow tex

Entered in following challenges:

Brown Sugar Challenge: Brown, Black and Blue

Winter Wonderland: Something New (new stamps)

C.R.A.F.T Challenge: Christmas

Crafty Girls Creations: Anything Goes

Art and Soul Project

I am super excited to share this project with you! 

Last week I blogged about my new Creativity Planner.  This is the project I created that reflects my Dream for 2016.  My dream is based on one of my favorite quotes about creating.

Her heart said, "It's time to create."

Her soul overheard and said,

"It's about time!"

I bought this collage picture frame over a year ago with intentions of using it to display projects I created. The current Anything Goes challenge at Aud Sentiments gave me the opportunity to finally use this frame.  Each opening allows for a 5X7 picture so I decided to make 9 projects with quotes and Bible verses that reflect my dream for the year.

What project would you create to reflect your dreams for 2016? I would love to see how your dreams are reflected in your art.  The Anything Goes challenge at Aud Sentiments runs from Jan 21-Feb 2.  That's plenty of time to create a project to share.

Project Details:

Collage frame from Michaels

Stamps: All from Magnolia Stamps

Copics:

Faith: Cricut cartridge

Love: Cricut cartridge

Quick Kutz nesting doily rectangle die

Joy Crafts embroidery die

Magnolia Doo Hickey banner die

Martha Stewart border punch

Spellbinders circle die

Spellbinders heart circle die

Spellbinders floral oval die

Spellbinders scalloped heart die

La La Land heart doily die

Martha Stewart butterfly punches

Martha Stewart branch punch

Corner leaves: Storybook cricut cartridge

Entered in the following challenges:

7 Kids College Fund: Anything Goes

Inspiration Destination: Anything Goes

Midweek Magnolias: Anything Goes with Magnolia Stamp

Word Art Wednesday: Anything Goes

Fan-Tastic Tuesday: Anything goes with twist of girlie

Inky Chics: Anything Goes

Magnolia-licious: Winter or Anything Goes

Through The Craft Room door: Anything Goes

Shades of Orange

It's time for the second challenge of 2016 at 52 CCT.  The theme for this challenge is Shades of Orange.  I'll be honest, those colors gave me a bit of a challenge trying to figure out how to  use them.  I think this adorable image from Mo's Digital Pencil is just perfect for the color challenge.  The orange ornament and a little pop of orange on her dress and shoes look quite lovely.

I hope you join us in this challenge and show us how creative you can be with Orange!

Entered in following challenges:

Mo's Digital Challenge: Anything Goes with a Mo's image

Crafty Friends Challenge: Anything Goes

Crafty Hazel Nut's Christmas: Cute or anything goes

My Creativity Planner

My sister-in-law, Kim, has designed this wonderful Creativity Planner. This planner is a great way to not only organize your daily schedule but to express your creativity.  

I started using mine this month.  I probably use mine a little differently than she intended when she designed them but I figure that's the whole point of being creative...thinking outside the box and doing what works for you.  I have decided to use my planner for keeping track of my crafting, blog posts, faith journaling, etc.
I worked for years as a Recreational therapist working with the elderly, pediatrics, cancer patients and in mental health.  It seemed like it was always a struggle to educate people on how important leisure activities are for your health, body and soul.  I am glad that the coloring craze currently happening has helped people realize some of the benefits of taking time away from work, family and other obligations.

One of the first pages in the planner asks you to document your dream for the year through scribbling, drawing, sketching, etc.  I wrote the quote that most reflects crafting to me. I then created my goals for the year based on that quote and how it makes me feel.

Here is last week's daily pages.  I used the creative boost areas to write down the quotes and Bible verses that reflect my dream for the year.  I then used all of them in a craft project that I will be sharing with you on Jan 21st.

If you are interested in learning more about the creativity planner or even purchasing one for your own creative journey, you can find them here

Peace

Happy Saturday everyone!  Can you believe it's the 2nd Saturday of 2016? 

If you are like me, part of  your plans for this weekend will include putting your Christmas decorations away.  I will leave out my winter and snowman decor until Feb though.

This is the first of the weekly Christmas card challenges at 52 CCT.  If you join us each week, you should have your cards completed so that you aren't scrambling at the last minute.  I enjoy the holiday season so much better when my cards are done by the beginning of December and I can just concentrate on Advent.

Our first challenge this year is a sketch.

I can't wait to see your interpretations.

Card details:

Stamp: Magnolia stamps

Copics: E00, E04, E11, E13, E21, R20,E41, E27, Y26, Y15, Y11, B000, YR00, BG93

La La Land stitched circle die

Magnolia doo hickey holly die

Sentiment is a clear stamp

Lady Bug Thank You

I hope 2016 is off to a good start for you.  So far, 2016 has been pretty good to me. I have been spending time with both my sons before they head off to college and I had good news at my doctor appointment.

This time of year we all have lots of Thank You cards to make and send.  The first challenge for 2017 at Aud Sentiments will help you out.  Our theme is to create any type of project using a thank you sentiment.  Can't wait to see what you create.  

I made this adorable rocker card using an image from our sponsor, Imagine That by Kris.

I used the precolored version of the image and added extreme glitter paint to the wings and  red stickles to the nose and antennae.  The sentiment is an old stamp I have had in my stash for years.  A Thank you never goes out of style so it gets used frequently.

First Christmas Card of 2016

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays.  I had a wonderful time with my friends and family.  My oldest son made it home safely from his study abroad semester in Bhutan. I have enjoyed listening to his stories and looking at his pictures.  We also spent an afternoon cooking together one of his favorite dishes from Bhutan, momos.  Momos are little steamed dumplings.  He said his favorite ones were stuffed with cabbage and carrots so that is what we made.  He also made us dahl or dal which is letils, tomatoes and spices cooked into a thick puree like a soup.  So delicious!

Today's card is my first Christmas card of 2016.  It is also my first  Christmas card as a DT member for Crafty Hazel Nut's Christmas challenge extra.  My blog post is late and I hope that is not how the rest of 2016 will go for me.  My only excuse is that I just got overwhelmed with the holidays and didn't look at my calendar.

My favorite projects to make are Christmas cards so I hope you join us in making your Christmas cards through out the year instead of in a mad dash during November and December.

We are sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps

project details:

Stamp: Winter Fairy from Bugaboo Stamps

Copics: E04, E13, E11, E21, E00, R20, R49, R37, R24, T0, T1, T2, BG10

Extreme Glitter paint on wings

Oval and Star cut using the George Cricut cartridge

Sketch: Everybody Art Challenge

Entered in following challenges:

Cute card Thursday: Anything Goes

Everybody Art Challenge: Sketch

Crafty Creations Challenge: Anything Goes

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge: Anything Goes