Paper Take Weekly and Partytime Tuesday Challenges

The challenge this week at Paper Take Weekly is Anything Goes and at Partytime Tuesday, they are challenging us to use a holiday greeting as the focus of the card. I used a beautiful sentiment from Darcie's, cut with a nestie on top of some pretty snowflake dp and added a dove sticker from Mrs. Grossmans to make this CAS card. The dove was placed on white cardstock and cut out and raised with mounting tape before securing to the card. The sentiment is perfect and is my wish for you!

Stamping smiles, Karen

Crafty Sentiments and Top Top Tuesday

Snowflakes is the theme of the challenge this week at Crafty Sentiments and Top Tip Tuesday says "Let It Snow". I used a couple of my favorite new dies from Memory Box to make this CAS card. I also stamped a snowflake under the sentiment by stamping off once so it was lighter than the sentiment. A small snowflake and a pearl complete this winter card for my kids.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Designers Choice Challenge

The DCC at The House that Stamps Built is to make a Bookmark for a gift or for yourself. Rock Star Vicki is hosting this challenge and I made a combo bookmark and candy gift for a friend. I got this idea here and there is a link to a tutorial on Splitcoast. The front of the treat card is embossed (Tim Holtz) and cut with a border punch (Martha Stewart) and has flowers and a pretty stamp from Repeat Impressions on a nestie shape.

Then the friend pulls out the bookmark and cracks up. I love to use humor in my cards and Repeat Impressions has a great line of humorous stamps. I like the idea of a friend smiling everytime she uses this bookmark to mark a page in her book.

I am entering this card in the Friends challenge at Stampin' for the Weekend.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Colour Create and Clearly Inspired Challenges

The challenge this week at Colour Create is to use Red, Green and White with some snow in our cards, and at Clearly Inspired, Christmas is the theme. I have to admit- I am a traditionalist when it comes to colors for my holiday cards so these challenges are perfect for me. I am sharing the card my card club is receiving tonight at our holiday party and card exchange. I have re-discovered the fun of waterfall or flip cards after seeing how easy they are to make with the kits and stamps sold exclusively for flip cards by Repeat Impressions. I used the Snow Tree flip set and with each tug the tree and snow become more beautiful. I added stickles to the last one to make it sparkle. The front of the card and the strip holding the spine of the flip mechanism was embossed with a Sizzix embossing folder.

Greetings of this glorious season and stamping smiles, Karen

PCI Bling It Up Challenge

We have a new challenge today at Paper Creations Ink and it is "Bling It Up!" Design and link up a card with lots of Bling on it for a chance to win some great prizes. Our sponsor for this challenge is our very own Miranda who is a very talented artist and drew this lovely Flowerdance Fairy that I used on my card.

If you are the lucky winner chosen by Mr. Random, you will win three of her digital images! If you enter this challenge and the next one, you could win a $30 gift certificate from Crop Stop, who is our December sponsor!! Wow- wouldn't that be a great present to win this month?! Be sure to visit the blog for all the details on what you can win and to see the beautiful cards from the design team using Miranda's images.

I started with some fun floral dp to make this card. I printed Miranda's beautiful Flowerdance Fairy and did a little coloring and paper piecing, then cut her out and added some floral bling. The right side of the card is covered with a floral velum cut in a semi-circle around the image and I added some flowers and more bling along the edge of the velum. It was fun to design a non-holiday or winter card and I am loving how it turned out.

I am entering these cards in the challenges at Divas by Design and Paper Shelter for Anything Goes.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Winter Fun for Kids at SAS4Kids!

It's time for some Winter Fun for Kids at Send a Smile 4 Kids! We have a new challenge starting today and you have until January 6th to join in for a chance at one of three sponsor prizes: Stamp Fairy is offering a $9 gift certificate, Whimsy Stamps has 5 free digis of the winner's choice and Sassy Cheryl's has a $5 gift certificate!

My first card is featuring a fun chubby snowman angel from Sassy Cheryls. I printed him on white and paper pieced his jacket and wings. I cut him out with my circle nesties and sponged some blue before layering on a navy scalloped circle. The background was created by embossing 3 layers of different colored cardstock, then cutting them out together to create puzzle piece background. I added a snowflake and circle sentiment to complete the card.

My second card features a fun image from Stamp Fairy on a twisted easel card. Sorry the image is so dark- the little bear is much cuter and lighter in person... I printed and paper pieced the bear and snowman and added some bling for buttons and face. I cut it out and attached to a blue circle cut out with my nesties. More bling was added around the circle and on the snowflake border.

I am entering these cards in the challenges at Sassy Cheryl's for Winter and Craft Your Passion for Tis the Season.

Stamping smiles 4 kids, Karen

Partytime Tuesday and Tuesday Throwdown Challenges

The challenge at Partytime Tuesday is anything goes and at Tuesday Throwdown it is to make a masculine holiday card. I was playing with some Tim Holtz stamps and diecuts and came up with this card. With the new No More Shims thick mat you can emboss with cut out diecuts and also with stencils easily. I started with some brown Core'dinations paper that has green on the other side and embossed a diecut tree and sanded so the lighter green stands out. The trio of trees and the reindeer are also from Tim Holtz. The Believe! is a stencil that I embossed onto gold metal paper, and I added the punched star as the finishing touch.

Stamping smiles, Karen