First Page of TWS January Mini Swap

The theme of this mini is "My Life in 2010."  This is my very first mini and I'm sure I have bitten off more than I can chew, but I am going to power through and get it done.  Each month will have a two page spread where there will be space for pictures and journalling.  So here is my first page of my first mini.  Be nice and enjoy! =)

The trifold fits in the library pocket for places to put more pictures and some journaling.

Mom's Birthday Card

My mother's birthday was this past Saturday and I have not mailed out her card yet. I'm getting better at getting the cards done on time, but then I keep forgetting to send them. So Happy Belated Birthday, Mom and I will try to get the card out as soon as possible.

I used both cartridges my mom got me for Christmas, Wild Card and Hello Kitty Greetings.  The paper is from Best Creations Inc.  It is very glittery!  Enjoy

Lottery Ticket Christmas Card

My chorus had a secret Santa exchange and I decided to get some lottery tickets for my person.  Of course I wanted to keep practicing making cards, so I designed a card with little pockets to fit the tickets in.  I used the Martha Stewart edge punch for the little green border.  Hope you enjoy the card.

 

On the envelope I used rubons and then put glossy accents on top to make it look like brads.

A Whole Bunch of Challenges

Here is my gift card holder I designed for a Secret Santa exchange I am in Christmas Eve.  This year I didn't really want to resort to gift cards.  I also wanted to make cool tags, or wrapping, or something like that since my new addiction to all things paper crafting.  This is a little matchbook from the Fabulous Finds cartridge.  It was a little difficult to put together with only one set of pages on the inside, but I thought it came out pretty well.  This is my entry for the Gypsy Spot Bag It, Box It, Wrap It challenge.  Also the Frosted Designs Happy Holiday Challenge, Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge #17 which is to bling your card, Whiff of Joy Sparkle Sparkle Sparkle, and last but not least, Pile It On Challenge 28 Chip Chip.

I used the DCWV Christmas Package from this year.  I love the double sided paper.  It is just gorgeous.

The present is chip board out of the DCWV Christmas package.  I really wanted to use these red pearl brads to hold it together, but they just didn't hold the page in correctly.

Giving the gift of reading.

Simon Says Stamp - Let it Snow, Three Clover Designs - Blue, White, and Silver, and Pile it on - Tinsel Town

This card is a little different for me.  I think it has a class that comes from it's simplicity.  Anyway, I'm exhausted so I'm just going to post the card.  Simon Says Stamp is doing Let it Snow, Three Clover Designs is doing a color challenge: blue, white and silver, and Pile it On is doing Tinsel Town meaning use glitter.  Of course, I used my Diamond Stickles.

SSHP10 - Christmas Flowers, "Just Us Girls" Challenge 10 - Sketch, and Practical Scrapper - Anything Christmas

This little gift box is for a Secret Santa swap I am part of on Christmas Eve.  I used the sketch from "Just Us Girls"  and the challenge over at Saturday Spotlight With Hidden Potential was to use a flower on a Christmas card.  Also, Practical Scrapper has a challenge for anything Christmas.  This isn't a card, but I thought it would qualify since it is Christmas packaging.  I used the Winter Woodland cartridge to cut the pointsettas and red glitter brads for the center.  The packaging is a wooden box I bought from the dollar store and used spray adheisive to adhere the paper to it.  Enjoy!

Sorry for the overexposer.  I just didn't seem to get good pictures this time around.

Cricut Cardz Challenge #4, There She Goes 31-Color Challenge, Lexi's Creations Challenge #2, Cupcake Craft Challenges #68

So this card qualifies for quite a few challenges this week (I wish it also qualified for Pile it On, but oh well).  I worked all day on it so I want to get as much mileage out of it as possible.  Here is my step card.  Cricut Cardz wanted a step card, There She Goes wanted red, green, blue and neutrals, Lexi's Creations wanted a shaped card, and Cupcake Craft wanted red and green.

I wanted to go for a depth perception type card where Santa is right next to you, Mrs. Claus is looking on from the distance, and Santa's cottage is way in the background.  I think it work out pretty well.

Santa, Mrs. Clause, trees, and the Santa sack were cut using the Paper Doll Dress Up cartridge, the saying "The magic of Winter" and the cottage were cut from Winter Woodland.  The cottage actually has a second story so I layer the house all together and then cut off the second story.

It's a little hard to see, but Santa's gloves, belt, and boots were covered with crystal accents to make them look like patten leather.  The dark green trees are outlined with Diamond Stickles.

Mrs. Claus (sorry for the focus issue) has faux stitching on her apron and crystal accents on the dot on her dress to give her a little shine.

Like I mentioned before, this house is actually two stories when cut out with the cricut, but I cut off the second story.  The snow on the roof was covered with crystal accents to give it some shine.  The striped trees I cut out at 1 3/4" and did an autofill.  I wanted the look of a forest.

Finally the greeting has faux stitching and diamond stickles on the snowflakes.

Inky Impressions Ornament Challenge

So Inky Impressions is having a open Design Team call and I really wanted to try for it, but sadly with finals and coming home for Thanksgiving I wasn't able to complete everything they wanted.  I was going to send this ornament and the snowglobe card in and I was not able to complete a 3D project.  So this is my ornament entry for the challenge.  I used the image from Dustin Pike (love all the images they have over there) and American Craft paper.  I also use glossy accents on the reindeer's nose and collar.

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Winter Wonderland

Here is my entry for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge Winter Wonderland challenge.  I wanted to try this snow globe card that I have seen a few people do.  Everyday Scrapbook has a video on how to make one.  All of the snowmen and trees were cut with the Winter Woodland cartridge, which I often call Winter Wonderland so I guess it works.  I also used glossy accents on the "Frosty Kisses" and the buttons on the snowman.

Ildi Co's Creative Challenge #5 and Three Clovers Thursday Challenge

Ildi Co had a challenge this week to create a card that was inspired by a Christmas carol.  Mine is inspired by "Angels We Have Heard On High."   I found this cute angel stamp in the $1 bin at Michael's yesterday.  I also used the Three Clovers Thursday Challenge that was to create a Christmas card with no red or green.

 

Quote is also from the SheetLoad freebie.

SheetLoad of Cards - November Challenge

This month's challenge was to use the Sketch from SheetLoad of Cards November Issue and one of the quotes from this month's freebie.  The cute little singing bird is from Stretch Your Imagination.  Hope you enjoy the card.

Cricut Cardz Challenge #2, The Gypsy Spot Shapes, and Simon Says "Animal Antics" Challenges

So this card came to me this morning while I was in bed.  I just stumbled upon the Simon Says challenge this morning and saw the challenge was "Animal Antics."  I have this adorable digi I got as a freebie, the squirrel stuffing his face, and I thought he would work perfectly.  Sorry, I can't remember where I got him from.  I think it might have been at Dustin Pike.  So I had then seen that the Gypsy Spot had the challenge of shape cards this week.  Well then I scowered my cartidges for an acorn.  Stretch Your Imagination has one, but it is in two pieces and wanted to cut out differently when welded and unwelded, but I made it work.  Also the second Cricut Cardz Challenge is a Thanksgiving card.  I thought it was cute to have the squirrel saying "What?" with the inside saying "I'm Thankful."  Hope you enjoy the card.

Oh and by the way, I love Diamond Stickles.  I just got my first bottle yesterday and didn't realize how amazing it is.  Yesterday I did a project with all blue and the worked perfectly picking up the blue and today I used the Diamond Stickles with orange and it looks like I put orange glitter on it.  I really don't think I need to use any other color!  Anyway just wanted to share.

Frosted Designs Color Challenge

Here is my card for the Frosted Designs Color Challenge: Teal, Orange and Brown

The Card Universe - Digi Day Challenge #1

The Card Universe has started a Digi Day Challenge.  If you participate in the challenge by next Thursday you get next week's digi emailed to you free!  How can you beat free?  And isn't he just adorable? (By the way I am still new to this whole blog formatting and I kind of like this off to the side image anyway back to what I was saying)  This week's challenge was to use holly in your design.  This is the card I came up with.

 

I cut the card out from the Winter Woodland Cricut cartridge using the card feature.  I had to cut a few of the holly leaves out to find the right layer size since the layer feature doesn't work with making the size for the card.  The angel is from an Inkadinkado stamp set that came out this year.  The little holly stamp is from Stampin' Up!  I just bought the set from a very nice woman name Norah who posted them on Craigslist.com.  (My new favorite site to look for craft stuff)  The stamps are dusted with Perfect Pearl.  I thought it gave it a nice shimmer.

The Gypsy Spot - First Challenge

I needed to make a "Thank You" card for my chorus director who is coming this Sunday night to coach my quartet.  Since the only musical cut I have at the moment is on Gypsy Wanderings I thought it would be a great chance to enter The Gypsy Spot's first design challenge.  I made a waterfall card, hence the video, and used the notes from Gypsy Wanderings as well as the "Thank You"  Hope you enjoy the card.

My Favorite Things - November White Challenge

My Favorite Things had a challenge to use at least one of their products and as much white as possible.  This is what I came up with.  The snowflake background is welded together snowflakes from the Winter Woodland cartridge.  I don't have a Cuddlbug and I saw this technique on YouTube to give texture to the background using diecuts and layering on the same color paper.  Hope you like it.

SheetLoad of Cards - October Challenge

This is my entry for the SheetLoad of Cards October Challenge.  The Challenge was to use the sketch in the October ezine and make it winter or holiday themed.  If you notice my witch Halloween card used the same sketch I love it so much.  I used DCWV holiday pack that I bought at JoAnn's.  The santa and bag were done with the paper doll dress up.  Did you expect anything else?  The balls are stick ons I got at Hobby Lobby.  The "Here Comes Santa Claus" was done on acetate that I stamped with Ranger alcohol inks.  Hope you enjoy the card.

Peachy Keen Halloween Challenge

Peachy Keen posted a challenge today to make a Halloween card with a Haunted House, a ghost, and a bat.  I of course turned to my favorite cartridge: Paper Doll Dress Up.  I also went to Big Lots today after watching multiple videos on YouTube about the cool stuff you can get cheap. (I'm going to do a post on all the cool stuff I got after this.)

I used a Jolee's sticker for the greeting.  I also found these cute rub-ons that look like stitching.  My ghost isn't a ghost but a trick-or-treater, but I thought it would still count.  Hope you like my card!

Polka Doodles Week 23 Challenge - Halloween

I got the idea for the folding of the card from tomshackj on youtube.  I needed to make a Halloween card for my godmother, Elena, so I thought I would try it.  Also, Polka Doodles is having a challenge for Halloween. I thought I should use heavy cardstock for it, but the card is super thick now.

The stamps of Inkadinkado and the die cuts are from the Paperdoll Dress up cartridge.

Bitten By the BUG October Contest

This is a 25th birthday card I made for my boyfriend.  It's a little early, his birthday isn't until the beginning of December, but BBTB had a contest that needed to be central around a number and since 25 is a big birthday I couldn't really pass up the opportunity to get it done early.  I also wanted to try making a secret flap card.  So here is the card I came up with.

 

Front of the card

Card completely open on the inside

Secret Flap

I made this card with the Storybook, Stretch Your Imagination, and Paper Pups cartridges.  The paper is plain cardstock from JoAnn's.  The music note art work was actually done by a good friend's older sister.  It was on the back of a postcard for his senior recital.