ABC Christmas Challenge - N is for Noel

We hope you all enjoyed our 'Half-way there hop'...the lucky winners of the hidden candies will be announced on the ABC Christmas Challenge blog later today...so don't forget to see if you are amongst them :0)

It's my turn to host our challenge for you this fortnight, and the theme I've chosen is:

'N is for Noel'

with an optional extra of embossing

Noel (or noël, sometimes written as nowell in English) is an alternate word for Christmas. The word comes from the French word Noël meaning "Christmas"

We are sponsored by Wild Rose Studio for this challenge, who are very generously offering 2 stamps of the winner's choice from their Christmas Collection...not only that but the DT were given some adorable images, and yummy papers to play with.

I used a sweet little mouse image (called 'Mouse in Snow') by Wild Rose Studio on my card...but as I only have a B&W printer, was unable to use their lovely digi papers :0( So, I used my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' and 'Snow Dots' folders to emboss some plain card for the background. The snowflakes and letters were all cut using Cuttlebug dies.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• Sketch Saturday - sketch
• Allsorts - 'Embossing'
• Daring Cardmakers - 'Ice & Snow'

Don't forget to stop by the ABC Christmas Challenge to check out the fabulous creations by my lovely teamies.

Psst Dani & Taylor

I had a little play at the weekend with some of the fabby Stampavie stamps I received  in my lovely  prize package  last week. The one on this card is called 'Psst Dani & Taylor' by Mo Manning. I watercoloured it to match the My Mind's Eye 'Adore' papers. The sentiment stamp is from the CCSR set by Papermania, and the ribbon is from my stash. Of course there are a few challenges: I used the Crazy4Challenges sketch; the 'Friends' theme from Simon Says Stamp; Stampavie & More's 'Hearts' theme; and Crazy Challenge's 'Make it an hour' challenge.

Santa & Penguin

Despite the baking temperatures at the weekend, I was making Christmas cards! This one is for quite a few challenges, so I'll list them at the end of the post. The image is from a set of stamps by Craft UK called 'Santa & Penguin'. As it's quite large, I kept the card really simple, using my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' folder for the embossing.

 Challenges entered:

• Truly Scrumptious: Sketch (And 'Strawberries & Cream' optional extra)
• Bah! Humbug!: 'Father Christmas'
• DCD Christmas Club: 'Arctic Winter'
• My Time to Craft: 'Yuletide in June'
• Winter Wonderland: 'Strawberries & Cream'

Just Cute Bears - Anything Goes!

There's no excuse or you not to join us this week at the Just Cute Bears Challenge, as our theme is:

'Anything Goes'

I've made a little box, which I've filled with the bear stamped images and embellishments I'm sending to the lucky winner of last week's 'Monochrome' challenge...but I'm not showing you the contents, as I'd like it to be a surprise for the recipient.

 

The box is roughly a six inch square, and I covered the top with scraps of BasicGrey 'Bittersweet' papers to create a patchwork effect. To give an impression of fabric, I distressed the edges, and added some faux stitching using my Cutterbee Bug and a white gel pen. I also decorated the sides of the box with more scraps of the papers. I made a tag using Nesties, and added one of my favourite bear images 'Rainin' Daisies' by Penny Black.

Here's a better view of the top of the box:

 I'm going to enter this into a couple of other challenges:

• Penny Black Saturday Challenge: 'Paper Patch'
• One Stop Craft Challenge: 'Pink & Brown'

The rest of the design team have created some fabulous projects for this challenge...you can check them out on the Just Cute Bears Challenge blog.

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Strawberries & Cream

It's Victoria's turn to set the theme for the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge, and she has chosen:

 'Strawberries & Cream'

I've used an adorable House Mouse image, which I've had coloured for nearly a year! lol I used my 'Swiss Dots' and 'Moroccan Screen' Cuttlebug folders to emboss the cream card (available here at the Secret Crafter). I used an EK Success punch for the scalloped border, the sentiment was computer generated, and the ribbon is from my stash.

 

Don't forget to check out the fabulous cards by my Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge teamies.

Bear & Butterflies

This cards combines a few challenges: the sketch from Papertake Weekly; Crafty Creations 'We want to see you shine'; Crazy4Challenges 'Paper Flowers'; and Teddy Stampers 'Summer'. The adorable image is by Lili of the Valley ('Bear & Butterflies', and the gorgeous sparkly papers are from the 'Penny Lane' glitter stack by My Mind's Eye. The flowers are a mixture of Prima and Petaloo, and the brads are Papermania.

 

Snow Friends

I love all white Christmas cards, so I just had to join in with the DCD Christmas Club Challenge which has that as it's theme this week. I followed the Card Pattern's sketch, and used a Prairie Fairy digi image called 'Snow Friends'.

I used my 'Snowflakes' and 'Snow Dots' Cuttlebug folders for the embossing...distressing the edges so that the layers would stand out a little. The snowflakes were cut using a Cuttlebug die, and I couldn't resist adding a little bling to their centres! lol

 

 

Presents for 2...and one for me too! :0)

Today's card is a Christmas one...I've combined the Sweet Sunday Sketch with Bah! Humbug!'s 'Child's Christmas' theme.The adorable bear is called 'Presents for 2' by Lili of the Valley, and the colourful papers are from the DCWV 'Christmas' stack...I know they don't look very Christmassy...but one is covered with 'Ho Ho Ho's!' lol The big snowflake was cut using my Cuttlebug 'Ice Crystal' die.

And the present for me??? Well, look what arrived in the post yesterday:

This little lot is my fabulous 'secret' prize that I won on the Stampavie Challenge a few months ago...I'd completely forgotten about it...so really was surprised when I opened the box. Just look at all those lovely Stampavie stamps...and gorgeous papers..and the cute little tote...I love it all...thank you!!!

Lazy Days

This is another of Sunday's cards. It uses: the sketch from the Allsorts Challenge; the Penny Black Saturday Challenge 'Travel/Holidays' theme; Sketchy Colours 'Pink, Blue & Green' colour combo; and Stamp Something's 'Something Summer' theme. The image is called 'Lazy Days'...and I'm sure that most of us would love to spend our summer hols like that hedgie! The papers are from the 'Sweet Nothings' pack by Papermania, and I added some faux stitching around the edges of the little squares, as I though it sort of looked like a patchwork quilt. The little sentiment is from the 'Sending Sunshine' stamp set by Simon Says Stamp.

Party Princess

I had a lovely afternoon yesterday...crafting away...and this is one of the cards I made. I followed the sketch from the Sugar Bowl Challenge, and went with their optional extra of 'Girly & Feminine'. I used 'Party Princess', watercolouring her to match the yummy BasicGrey 'Bittersweet' papers. I used my 'Perfect Paisley' Cuttlebug folder to emboss the pink strip across the centre, then sanded the raised areas. I distressed the edges with inks, used an EK Sucess punch for the scalloped edge, and the ribbon is from Poppicrafts.

 

Since we're now allowed to combine our Sugar Bowl Challenge cards with others, I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• Creative Stamp Friends - Pink & Brown 
• Papertake Weekly - Ice Cream Flavours (I don't actually like ice cream, but I am partial to raspberry & chocolate frozen yoghurt...I hope that counts! lol)
• Paper Sundaes - Pretty as a Princess 
• Totally Gorguss - Sugar & Spice

Pile It On! Challenge - Stickers

Our theme for this week's Pile It On! Challenge is:

'Stickers'

How easy is that??? And we have a fab sponsor too...AI Factory...who have very generously donated 3 month memberships to their exclusive kit club for 3 lucky winners!

The DT were provided with images from AI Factory to work with...and I chose to use 'Pirate Boy'. I watercoloured him to match the skull & crossbones papers from the 'Spider's Web' collection by My Mind's Eye. The checked strip across the centre is from the matching accessories. I distressed all of the edges using inks and my distressing tool, then added some faux stitching using my Cutterbee Bug and gel pens. My stickers are the chipboard letters (American Crafts 'Thickers'), which I tinted using inks.

Here are the other challenges that I've Piled On!:

• Truly Scrumptious: Sketch
• Simon Says Stamp: Pirates
• Crafty Creations: It's a Stitch Up!
• Creative Inspirations: One for the Boys
• Cupcake Craft: One for the Boys
• One Stop Craft: One for the Boys
• Incy Wincy: One for the Guys
• Crafty Cardmakers: Cards for Men
• Magical Crafts: Card for a Male

Don't forget to check out the fab creations by my Pile It On! teamies

Just Cute Bears - Monochrome

Before I get on to this week's Just Cute Bears Challenge, I have some sad news...our lovely Ali, who started up the Just Cute Bears Challenge, has decided to take a break from blogging, so will be leaving the team...we'll miss you hun! But, this is not the end for Just Cute Bears...we're going to keep the challenge going, and are now in the capable hands of Cathy! 

The theme for this week's Challenge is:

'Monochrome'

I decided to use my favourite colour (blue) to make a baby boy card...I don't know anyone expecting a boy...but it doesn't hurt to be prepared! lol The image is 'Dexter Bear' by Sugar Nellie, and I created the background using my 'Swiss Dots' and 'Spots & Dots' Cuttlebug folders. The sentiment was done on computer.

 

I'm going to enter this card into the following challenges:

• Sunday Sketch & Stamp - Sketch
• Craftalicious - Monochrome
• Creative Inspirations (Sundays) - Monochrome
• Sweet Stampin' - Clean & Simple

Don't forget to check out the fabulous creations by my lovely Just Cute Bears teamies.

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Wedding or Anniversary

It's Vicky's turn to set the theme for the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge this week, and she has chosen:

'Wedding or Anniversary'

I decided to make a wedding card, using an adorable Lili of the Valley image that I've been itching to use ever since I received it from my lovely friend Pauline. I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then cut it out using my Nesties. I kept the background really simple using my 'Swiss Dots' and 'D'Vine Swirls' Cuttlebug folders (available here at the Secret Crafter). The flowers are Wild Orchid Crafts, and the ribbon is from my stash.

 

You can see the fabulous cards by my DT buddies, including our newest member Tracie, over on the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge.

Teddy with Bouquet

I knew I wasn't going to be able to go all week without using a Lili of the Valley bear! lol  This one is called 'Teddy with Bouquet'...isn't he adorable?! But I do have an excuse...I followed the sketch from the Lili of the Valley Challenge for this card. I coloured him with watercolour pencils, and added some sparkle to the flowers with a Sakura Stardust pen. The glittery papers are from the 'Penny Lane' stack by My Mind's Eye.

Cat on the Moon

There's a fab sketch for this week's Penny Black Saturday Challenge...and I've combined it with the Pollycraft Challenge theme of 'Let's have a sing song'...I had originally thought of 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star',  for the song to go with this image...but now I see the finished card, I've got 'When you wish upon a star' going round in my head! lol The image is 'Cat on the Moon', and the papers are from the '365 Degrees' pad by Pink Paislee...a rather unusual colour combo for me, but they matched the colours on the image. I embossed the plainer papers with my Cuttlebug 'Moroccan Screen' folder, which sort of matches the patterns on the other two papers, and then distressed all of the edges with my distressing tool. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Critter Party' set (also by Penny Black).

 

ABC Christmas Challenge - Half-way there hop!

We've arrived at the letter 'M' on the ABC Christmas Challenge this week...and to celebrate reaching the end of the first half of the alphabet...we're having a 'Half-way there hop'! So, to celebrate having a lovely stash of Christmas cards already, as well as a fabulous prize of  a $25 shopping spree at our lovely Lacey's Stamp & Create store, there is some secret candy hidden for entrants to this fortnight's challenge on some of the DT's blogs!

It's Lacey's turn to host the challenge, and her theme is:

'M is for Mistletoe' (or Wine! lol)

(optional extra of sewing/stitching)

For my card, I've used 'Wishes for Kisses' by Penny Black, and mistletoe covered papers from the 'Wonderful Winter' glitter pad by My Mind's Eye. I added some faux stitching using my Cutterbee Bug and a white gel pen.

I'm also entering my card into the following challenges:

• Die Cut Dreams Christmas Club - Sketch
• Bah! Humbug! - 'Anything Goes'
• Winter Wonderland - 'Traditional Christmas Flower' (Mistletoe)

Ok...so in order to be in with a chance of winning a secret candy...you need to enter this fortnight's challenge, and answer the questions on each of the DT's blogs, and the ABC Christmas Challenge...we're not telling you where the candy is hidden, so make sure you don't miss anyone out...so if you didn't arrive on my blog from Annie's...you might want to go back to the ABC Christmas Challenge, and start from the beginning.

My question is:

What is your favourite Christmas Carol?

Mine is the 'Shepherd's Pipe Carol' by John Rutter

Please leave your answer in a comment on this post...then hop on over to Jayne's blog for the next question...and a peek at her fabulous card! Don't forget, that in order to be eligible for the candies, you must also enter a project into the 'M is for Mistletoe' challenge...but as our challenges run for two weeks...you've got plenty of time!

Par Avion!

 This card combines the sketch from Friday Sketchers, and the 'Spots & Stripes' theme of the Charisma Cardz Challenge. The image is a Penny Black stamp called 'Par Avion'...I love those chooks! lol The sparkly papers are all from the 'Wonderful Winter' pad by My Mind's Eye, and the sentiment was done on computer.

I'll be back with another Christmas card tomorrow for the ABC Christmas Challenge...where we have something really exciting for you...but I'm not allowed to tell...it's a secret! ;0)

Up, up and away!

I followed the sketch from Paper Sundaes for this card...stretching it to make a square card...although looking at my card now...I think it would have been better left as a rectangle...don't really like all the empty space! lol The image is from the 'Bubbly' set by Penny Black, which I've coloured with watercolour pencils, and then accented the balloons with some glossy accents. The papers are from the '365 Degrees' pad by PinkPaislee, and I used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamond' punch along the bottom.The ribbon is from Hobbycraft, and the sentiment is computer generated. I'm also going to enter this card into For Fun's 'Happy Birthday' challenge, and Stamp Something's 'Happy Somethings' challenge.