My favorite Mo design this year

One of my all time favorite stamp designers is Mo Manning. She never ceases to amaze me with her talent. Her images are so easy to use, adapt and create for any occasion. When I wanted to enter a Copic contest, I knew I had to use some of Mo's images for my project. (By the way, it got me on the Copic Marker Scrapbooking design team! :)

Once I saw all three of these ragamuffin carolers, I knew that would be my base. Adding the simple lamp post was a must. I enjoyed coloring these images a ton and love the way they came out.

I fussy cut each image so I could place them on this glittered music background paper. There are many layers of hand stitched patterned paper, cheesecloth, doilies, ribbon and some poinsettia flowers. I added some mini pine cones, stick pens, holly leaves and a small sentiment in the corner. This is all built on a wooden background that has a stand. It became a decorative present for my parents for Christmas.

I will be entering this project in the following challenges:

Mo's Digital Challenge #115 - 2011 Favorite Mo Project
Card Crafter's Circle #3 - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
Incy Wincy Designs #126 - Winter Wonderland
Paper Sundaes #100 - Celebrate

Thanks for stopping by - I hope this next year brings you all the joy and happiness you can handle!
Happy New Year!

CYP #90 - Sketch

Craft Your Passion has a sketch challenge going this week - check out the great sketch! We got a chance to pick our own image this time around and I couldn't wait to work on this adorable one from Mo Manning... Isn't she just the cutest? A coworker was moving and I offered to make a card for everyone to sign and this image was just perfect for it! I love the way the card turned out!

I used my Copics for coloring, the sketch for design, some Basic Grey design papers for the background, my Cricut to cut the spiral flowers and mat, gems to put in the center of the flowers, some Creative Impressions silk ribbon for a bubbly bow and made some fun stick pens out of some jewelry making supplies I had around. The sentiment is a Studio G stamp from the dollar bin at my local craft store.

I hope you join us at Craft Your Passion - the sketch is such a great one this time around and I would love to see your interpretation of it!

I will be entering this card in the following challenges:

The Pixie Cottage - #101 - Someone special

Charisma Cardz Challenges - #50 - Anything goes

Sundays With Crissy - #24 - Anything goes

Simon Says Stamp - Bingo board - Ribbon, gems, sparkle

Make it Monday - #69 - Linky party

Crafts and Me Challenge - Anything goes

Mo's Digital Challenges - #114 - Punch or die cut

Thanks for sharing your day with me! Leave me a comment so I can return the favor and come see what you have created!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

With Christmas fast approaching, I thought I would take a quick moment out of my busy and hectic day to post one last Christmas card... I'm so thankful this season for all the blessings that make my life so special. My crafting time and my time here with all of you in blogland is what keeps me sane in the "real world" stresses. I am constantly inspired by your creative talents and realize that without the ability to share my cards with you, they would not be as fulfilling.

This card was created late in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep. I had only been home from the surgery at the hospital a couple of days, and the nights were still the most uncomfortable time. I was watching Christmas movies and found that doing all the fussy cutting was so therapeutic. It all came together so easily thanks to the adorable patterned paper by Recollections.

I will be entering this card into the following challenges:

Catch the Bug - Winter/Cold
Card Crafters Circle - Christmas
Stamping Boutique - Winter/Holiday
Shelly's Images - Celebrate

I wish each and everyone of you the happiest of all holidays. May your days be filled with the love of Christ, our Lord - the reason for the season!

CYP Challenge 89 - Things with wings - Lauretta's Digital Stamps

It's been a busy weekend over at Craft Your Passion - our Holiday Havoc blog hop has been generating lots of buzz. If you haven't already been there, you really should go check it out!

Our challenge this week is "Things with wings" and our sponsor is Lauretta's Digital Stamps. I found this very intreguing image that just seemed to show someone watching over you. I thought it would make a good 'Best Wishes' card. I paired it with a lacey Cricut cut background set on some Heidi Grace papers. A sparkly bow draping two edges framed the image nicely.

Come join our blog hop and our latest challenge - you're sure to see plenty of great inspiration!

I will be entering this card in the following challenges:

Make it Monday - #68 - Linky Party
One Stitch at a Time - #93 - Anything Goes
Just Add Ink - #98 - Just Add Sparkle
Chocolate, Coffee and Cards - #2 - Tag Your It

Happy Monday!

A Dicken's Christmas stamp release - Copic Marker Scrapbooking

Over at Copic Marker Scrapbooking, the amazing and talented Guy Gondron is back with an awesome set of Christmas stamps. A Dicken's Christmas set includes a bunch of wonderfully illustrated images from this tale's of Christmas, past, present, future. Head over to Making Our Mark blog to see the design team's take on the images, plus you can even pick one of them up for FREE to wish you a Merry Christmas from Colleen and Guy!

I went a little bit different on my cards for this one - My "Frosty" card was just a creative jolt that hit me when I looked at the image. I made the old-fashion postcard, just using some old wooden stamps I had in my collection. Then the hat was colored with, of course, my Copics. I created the sentiment and water pool just using my computer and freehand. I added some crystal lacquer to the silk ribbon on his hat and the water, postage stamp cut it out and added it to the postcard. I think it will make my favorite aunt smile when she opens it up this year!

I colored the candle/lamp image before I even knew what I wanted to do with it... Then the biblical reference of the Psalm scripture kept resonating in my head. Well, I've learned over the years that isn't just a coincidence - that's the still small voice! So, that became the sentiment for my card. A simple layout, some homemade flowers and the image all stood so beautifully on the flocked cream and white background. This too will find it's way into the hands of a loved one.

Don't forget to head over to Making Our Mark to check out the other eye candy and pick up your freebie. I know you'll need the entire set after you see the detail Guy uses on his illustrations.

I would like to enter the Frosty card in the following challenges:

Catch the Bug Challenge - Baby it's cold outside

DYSU Challenge #50 - Winter

Charisma Cardz Challenge - #49 - Last minute xmas makes

Paper Sundaes - #99 - Anything Christmas

InkImpressions - #37 - Winter fun

Thanks for stopping by - hope your week is full of holiday cheer!

CYP Holiday Havoc 2011 Blog Hop!!!

Welcome to Craft Your Passion Challenges "Holiday Havoc 2011" Blog Hop!!

We are very excited about holidays and wanted to add to the chaos and havoc.
What better way to do that, than to have a BLOG HOP!!!

If you have hopped over from Doreen's blog , then you are in the right place. If you just happened to stop by and would like to join our hop from the beginning, please go to Craft Your Passion Challenges and follow along for a chance to win some AMAZING blog candy along the way and PRIZES at the end.
All Craft Your Passion DT members are going to be playing along in the hop with some very special guest designers.

Each designer along the way is featuring a project that showcases a digital image from at least one of our amazing Blog Hop Sponsors.
What’s more exciting is you can participate too by creating a project and linking it up over at Craft Your Passion Challenges for a chance to win one of several prizes.

But, there’s a twist. Be sure to visit all the stops and leave a comment (we will be checking). Once you have finished the hop, we would like you to create a HOLIDAY project using at least one digital stamp and enter it with our Linky tool.
While you are hopping, be sure to check out the blog candy the designer's have to offer you. You don't want to miss out on any of it!

This wreath was created using my handy-dandy scoring board, lots of patience and of course these adorable images from Bugaboo Stamps, one of our terrific sponsors for the blog hop. I started with just a $.99 wooden floral ring, added each rosette with hot glue, then added the images and some fussy cut trees from a piece of patterned paper from Recollections. All it needed after that was a bubbly little ribbon bow to hang it from... Didn't it turn out just too cute?

This adorable image came from another of our blog hop sponsors, Paper Shelter. The card was kept simple, with just some color blocking, distressing the edges and using some punched circles from one of the patterned papers. It will be a great card to send out this Christmas season!

Next stop by Lisa's blog, to see what she has in store for you today.
Remember, once you have hopped to all the stops and left your comments (we will be checking), it's your turn to show us your "Holiday Havoc" project.
Make sure to include a digital stamp somewhere on your project, and link up your project over at Craft Your Passion Challenges by Midnight CST December 23 to be eligible for the prizes. Winners will be announced on our Monday, December 26th Challenge post.

CYP Challenge #88 - Tag Your It - Stretch and Bubbles

When I saw this adorable image from Stretch and Bubbles, I knew exactly what sentiment I wanted to add to it...it's it just the perfect match? Yea, I thought so too.

Over at Craft Your Passion, our challenge this week is "Tag Your It"... Easy peasy, huh? All you have to do is create a tag, or add a tag, or ... anything with a tag. We've got some great prizes from Stretch and Bubbles and an opportunity to show off your creative ventures...

For this one, I colored her with my Copics to match this great new paper I found from Michaels (I think it was a Reflection's pack to be exact). I created the frame out of small strips of the striped paper (which was my favorite), add some other DP's, the sentiment, a small tag, and a bubbly organza bow... It was done and ready to be sent.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

One Stitch at a Time - #92 - Use a digi
Make it Monday - #67 - Linky party
Joyful Stamper Inspire me Friday - #36 - Link party
Whoopsi Daisy - Sparkle and shine
Paper Sundaes - #99 - Anything Goes

Have a great week!!!

Delicious Doodles - #8 - Extravagant Christmas

Delicious Doodles has a great challenge going - it's over-the-top, embellished to the hilt, extravagant Christmas time! I had such fun decorating these great images from Teri of these Christmas ornaments... Went on glitter and gem overload!!! LOL The base of the card is red glitter paper, with a Cricuit cut oval laid on top of some fun gold net ribbon. I colored the baubles with ... of course ... my Copics, sprayed them with some homemade glimmer mist, then adnorned them with more glitter and rhinestones. Felt Christmas bows top them for the perfect finishing touch. My sentiment is a Cloud 9 stamp with handwritten wishes. The corners are another Cricut cut with a glitter pen highlight and another gem. To add the final touch, I made my own stick pins and stuck them in for good measure. All in all, a pretty heavily adorned Christmas card that will probably need to be hand-delivered instead of mailed...hehe!

So, how much can you put on a Christmas card? Take the challenge... I bet you can do a great job!

I will be entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafty Catz #112 - Anything Goes

Crafty Ribbons - #8 - Traditional X-mas Colors

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Paper Makeup - Digi Makeover - #14 - Cut it Out

Come and Get It - Anything Christmas

Cute Card Thursday - #194 - Anything Goes

Moving Along With The Times - #128 - Last Minute Christmas

Thanks for stopping by - have a great weekend!!!

Copic Marker Scrapbooking - Christmas stamp release

The fabulous Kathie Zaban has just released some new Christmas stamps over at Copic Marker Scrapbooking. I had just fun getting into the holiday spirit working on these adorable images and making them into Christmas cards for friends and family. You should check out the Making Our Mark blog for some inspiration from the rest of the design team, then jump on over and pick yourself up some of these great images.

I will be entering the following challenges with these cards:

Make it Monday #66 - Linky Party

Paper Shelter #42 - Anything Goes

Charisma Cardz #47 - Seeing Spots

DYSU #48 - ribbon

FabnFunky #101 - Anything Goes

Enjoy your week - Happy holidays!

CYP 87 - Anything Goes + Glitter - Pixie Cottage

Craft Your Passion has an easy one going on this week. The challenge is Anything Goes with glitter! I'll be honest, when I went to make this card with this relaxing scene from Pixie Cottage I forgot I was supposed to use glitter on it... So, I pulled out my trusty micro glitter pen (love that thing) and went crazy. My end result turned out better than I had hoped. I love the way it covered on my Copics and turned ordinary things into metalic looking chairs and table. I edged just about all the papers with it as well. The flowers are a Cricut die cut from the Flower Shoppe cartridge... so easy to make to match all the papers! The papers were from Die Cuts With A View and I really have no idea who the sentiment stamp is from. It just screamed easel card since the chairs and table need to stand - LOL.

No excuses for not joining the fun at Craft Your Passion this week - easy challenge and lots of great prizes. Hope to see what you create!

I will be entering this card in the following challenges:

Paper Sundaes - #98 - Sundae Bar - die cuts

Catch the Bug - December - Anything goes

Paper Shelter - #42 - Anything goes

DYSU - #48 - Ribbon

FabnFunky - #101 - Anything goes

Simon Says Stamps - Anything goes

Make it Monday - #66 - Linky Party