A Challenge Attempt, and One More!

Hello!

Couple more cards to share with you today!  I have been able to craft up a storm lately, and I have been loving it!  Well, most of it.  There have been some "challenging" moments!!!  You see, I promised myself that I would play along with more challenges this year.  I used to be lost without a challenge.  But I seem to have free-styling more and more these days.  Which is good.  But put a challenge in front of me now, and panic ensues!!!  So how about we leave the challenge card to the end, and start with the free style one?!!

Card #1:

When the triangle trend first came out, I really didn't *love* it.  But after seeing so many amazing creations with them, I've changed my mind!  So this card evolved out of a fail.  I had attempted an idea that I *thought* would work - that didn't.  But I loved the colours that I used, so I wanted to try something else with the same colours.  I spotted the little triangle in the PS Party Posse set, that is intended to be used as a party hat and used that to create a random pattern for the background.  I also really wanted to use my new Mama Elephant set (another Black Friday purchase) on the card.  The little critters are SO adorable in this set!  I really liked the end result!

Card #2:

And the inspiration image:

 

I was bound and determined to play along with the Fusion Challenge.  I just focussed on the sketch - but spent forever trying to make the it work.  In the end, I only loosely followed it.  But it was definitely the inspiration.  I made it quite CAS, but the highlight for me was using the gold Tim Holtz distress paint, gifted to me by Ellen Hutson, to create the backgrounds for the birdies.  I also water coloured the little birds to edge them up just a bit.  But it was a struggle!  Hopefully my perseverance will pay off, and future challenges will come a bit easier to me! 

Thank You!

Hello!

Today's card is a thank you card - to say THANK YOU to everyone who left a comment on my niece's blog.  It means SO much to me that you would take the time to do that.  I feel so lucky to have such incredible crafty friends who not only support me through my own little journey, but also my sweet niece through hers.  Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! 

Here's my card for you:

Of course I used my one and only die again (you'll be relieved to know that I have more on the way - took advantage of the 20% off PS sale, so you won't have to see this one over and over...and over again!!!).  I also used one of my WPlus9 sets for the flowers, and that gold border - that was another free gift sent to me by Ellen Hutson for my Black Friday order (she was SO generous!) - Tim Holtz distress paint!  I don't think I would have ever ordered it on my own, but I've got to say - I LOVE it!!!

Don't know how to thank you enough for helping out my niece!!!  I am just so grateful!
Hope you have an awesome day!
Shannon

A Card and a Favour...not necessarily in that order!

Hello!

Before I get to my card, I have a favour to ask.  My sweet 14 year old niece, Elysha, is working on a school project where she was assigned to choose a social issue close to her heart, and then to find a way to contribute to fixing it.  The issue she chose is Animal Cruelty in the Food Industry, and to bring more awareness to the problem, she has decided to start a blog.   If you have a few minutes, please pop on over and have a peek, maybe even leave a comment too :)

And now onto the card.  My mojo was going strong for quite a while, but it seems to be slipping now!  It's taking me forever to come up with something I like :(  Oh where, oh where are you Mr. Mojo?!!  But I did want to play with the PS Sparks Challenge - it's an Anything Goes.  And when mojo is not cooperating, the less "confined" the challenge, the better!!!

Here it is:

Wish I could say I loved how this turned out, but it's definitely not one of my faves!  But I do love it for one reason - I got to use a die - for the first time!!!  I FINALLY got a Big Shot!!!  (About time, huh?!!!).

That's it for me today.  Hope Mr. Mojo finds his way back home soon!
Shannon

Happy New Year! And Two Cards

Hello!

Happy New Year everyone!  Hope you all celebrated exactly how you wanted to!  I spent mine pre-cooking a huge turkey dinner for my husband's family who came over on January 1 for our inaugural "Feast on the First"!  And that wasn't the only first...this was the very first turkey dinner I have ever made.  I'm 41 years old, and yes, it's taken me this long!!  I wouldn't exactly say it turned out perfectly.  I WAY overcooked the turkey, and didn't get rave reviews on my potatoes (although personally I thought they were delicious, but the "traditionalists" didn't love that I added some balsamic vinegar and caramelized red onion to them - they wanted plain (and boring!!), but overall I was pretty happy with the results :) 

Of course, between the shopping, the prep and the dinner itself, it was a three day event.  And my only regret...it cut into my valuable card making time!  Ha ha!  So I had to make up for lost time yesterday.  Came up with two cards:

Card #1:

This one didn't come together as easily as I'd hoped - there was a lot of try this / try that!  It's another mish mash of a lot of different products...I am really enjoying all of my new purchases :)  There's some Lawn Fawn in there, some Janes Doodles, HA and some PS.

And Card #2:

This one was inspired by a card I saw Julie Ebersole done quite some time ago.  It actually inspired the card I made for her while her Mom was going through her cancer treatment (I didn't post it because I took the photo with my camera that is on the blink - I still can not download the photos from it!).  In her most recent video, she accented her card with the latest trend of bunching up a "nest" of twine under her main image.  So I thought I would re-create the card I made for her, and add the nest to this version.  The flower is an old Stampin Up image coloured with Copics, and the Thinking of You is from WPlus9.

Thank you so much for stopping by to see me today!
Shannon

Things are happening in 3's!

Hello!

And the crazy card making extravaganza continues!  Got another three made yesterday.  Really though, I attribute this creative binge on ALL the new goodies I have received.  I'm just so excited to try out everything and thrilled that this results in so many new cards in my stash!

Card #1:

On this one, I actually started with the bird cage (Jane's Doodles), then added the little bird (TAWS), and then went on the hunt for a complimentary piece of patterned paper.  When I spotted this grey polka dotted little number I knew it was what I wanted to use.  Unfortunately though, my original design plan was a little different, so I sliced it up to work with that design.  Which I didn't end up liking.  Which was even more disappointing because that little 6x6 piece of patterned paper was the only one I had!  Dang it - I no longer had enough to cover the card front.  So after stressing, I decided to do some surgery!  I *tried* to mend two pieces back together!  Fortunately the pattern is a little wonky, so it made it a little easier to do this, but I can still totally tell :(  See if you can tell (it won't be hard to spot!!).

Card #2:

I wanted to try out my new triangle stencil with my HA mint julep ink.  Really love how the stenciling turned out, even though it is quite loud!  I'm not sure if the images I used were enough to tone it down a bit, but that's okay, I think it's kind of fun!

Card #3:

I've said before that I'm not big on pink, and I have no idea what led to all the pinkness on this card!  I hadn't planned on it.  I actually started with the sheep image, and then decided to frame him with the pink frame to pick up on the colours I used on her nose.  I tried to find some patterned paper to work with this and while I was searching for it, I switched gears and decided to use my other stencil with embossing paste.  I tinted the paste with pink.  I only picked it because I was experimenting with tinting and it happened to be the colour right in front of me.  So I went for it.  Then I thought it needed something else, so I used the same pink to highlight the edges of the card.  And voila, a very pink card!  I did add a bit of water to the edges to "water stain" the card just for a little extra something something.  I really wanted to use "ewe" in the sentiment, so made it a thank ewe card by white embossing on vellum with a PS banner and using the Lawn Fawn Milo's ABCs set to customize.

Well, that was a lot of yacking!!  A much longer post than I'd intended, but hope you liked it!  Really hoping to make more cards today...after I get a few chores done (they are in desperate need of doing! - cards have trumped cleaning hands down this week!).

Have a good day!
Shannon

A Trio

Hello!

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!  We had a relatively quiet, but nice one.  My husband and I don't have kids, so traditionally we, along with my parents, meet at my sister's home to watch her three kids tear open the packages, followed by a family breakfast.  But we did break tradition for Christmas dinner.  In the past, we'd always spent it with my Mom's side of the family, but not this year.  We switched it up for the first time in 40 years and ended up spending it with my Dad's side of the family.  It was nice seeing and celebrating with them! 

Which brings me to my first card - a thank you to my cousin for having an extra nine people at her dinner table!  Here it is:

I used my HA chevron stencil with some lime green dylusions spray for the background, and just added that sweet little TAWS reindeer with a PS sentiment.  Easy peasy.

My second card is for a very good friend of mine who is a New Year's baby.  Here it is:

I spent forever trying to "arrange" these flowers, but finally got them just how I wanted them.  Not only did the arrangement take forever, so did cutting out each and every one of them (I still don't have a die cutting machine - but I have my name down for one now - so I'm *this* close to having one in my hot little hands!)!  But it was all worth it.  I really like how this one turned out.  All WPlus9.

And my third card:

I think I can honestly say this is one of my favourite cards I've ever made!  It just makes me happy!  It's a mish mash of all different products - any questions, just let me know!  Hope you like it as much as I do :)

Okay, I've kept you long enough!  Thank you so much for stopping by - I always love and appreciate it!!
Shannon

And...another two

Hello!

I don't know what's gotten into me, but whatever it is, I love it!  I've been crafting like crazy!  And having so much fun.  Here's are a few more cards for you to see  :)

Card #1:

I actually made this one a few weeks ago but forgot to post it.  I stamped it with my Momento Luxe inks - seriously, I love that ink - and also some new Savvy stamps I got in my last order.  I honestly thought my wood block / rubber stamp days were pretty much over.  I'm definitely a clear stamp kind of girl.  But when I saw these stamps, I couldn't resist - just thought they were so pretty, and so versatile!  The sentiment is PS, and I added a little Studio Calico wood veneer heart under the bow.

Card # 2:

I made this for the Case This Sketch Challenge #58.  Here's the sketch it was based on:

I promised myself that I would start playing along with challenges again in the new year, but I'm happy to say that I've jumped the gun a bit.  I've already done some for this week's PS Sparks challenge (it's an Anything Goes!), and now CTS!  I used in image from my new Mama Elephant baby-themed set for this one.  Love that little teddy!  I dressed her up with a little Lawn Fawn heart, and a little bow on her head from PS Woofers and Tweeters.  The sentiment is also PS from Sentiment Sampler.

Hoping to spend even more time playing this week.  All of my Christmas shopping is pretty much done and aside from some baking and cooking (oh, and cleaning too :( ) that needs to be done, I should have a little extra time to sneak into my card room :)

Until next time, thank you for coming by!
Shannon

Another Two!

Hello!

Eeek!  SO close to Christmas now!!  And just in time for Christmas, we got our first snowfall yesterday.  A perfect excuse to stay inside and make cards!  I had so much fun making these.

I managed to get two done.  Here's the first:

I was totally and completely inspired by this card by Joni nina Andaya from Papell with Love.  Have you seen her work?  If not, you MUST!  One word: stunning.  I think you'll agree.  Please go have a peek!  Her distress inking and blending is divine.  So is everything else she does, but it was the inking that inspired me on this one.  I used WPlus9, Lawn Fawn and PS stamps, mixing pretty with whimsical.  A bit different for me, but I enjoyed experimenting!  What I didn't enjoy, was when I trimmed the left side of the card, when I meant to trim the right, and my sweet little flower that *was* in the corner, shifted off centre!!  oh well...!!!

And here's the second card:

I'm entering this into the Paper Smooches SPARKS Anything Goes Challenge.  And this one did challenge me.  I tried so many different things, but in the end, I was pleased with the results!  That little guy is still one of my fave images!

That's it for me today.  Hope to be back again before Christmas!!
Shannon

Three Quickies

Hello!

Just popping in to share three cards that I made quite quickly over the past few days.  As I frantically tried to finish up my last few Christmas cards, I also had to make cards for three other occasions this week: my parents' anniversary, my mother-in-law's birthday and my brother-in-law's birthday!  Got them all whipped up just in the nick of time!  Here they are:

My parents' card:

Nothing new here - I know this look has been "done" many times before, but I just wanted to try it out with my new Wplus9 stamps, Hero Arts inks, stencil and those liquid emamel.  LOVE all of these supplies!

My mother-in-law's card:

My husband made a special request for the bird stamp!  The background is new from Hero Arts, and the green ink is new as well - Momento Luxe.  Love that ink!!!

My brother-in-law's card:

Again, nothing new, it's been done before.  But I wanted to try out the technique of popping up a portion of the sentiment.  And I can now breath a sigh of relief that the guy card is done.  I get so worked up trying to think of ideas for these!!

Thank you so much for stopping by!
Shannon

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAROL!!!

Hi everyone!  It's a very special day today...

To my dear sweet Carol, Happy Birthday!!!  Oh Carol, where do I even begin?!!  I don't know what I ever did to have this caring, thoughtful, incredible woman come into my life.  It's been almost a year to the day now since we "met".  I started my blog on January 1, 2013 and Carol was one of the very first to leave me a sweet, supportive, encouraging comment like only Carol can!  She just has a way.  A way of making you feel like a million bucks and of making you smile with every comment she leaves and every post she writes.  Funny, endearing, warm, and a heart the size of Texas (or in our Canadian equivalent, Quebec!).  Not only has she become a blog friend, she has become a true friend.  My bestie!  She has been there with me through the good time and the bad, has laughed with me through the good and lifted me up during the not so good.  I honestly don't know what I would do without her.  And guess what, I have never even met her (hopefully that will change one day SOON)!   What an amazing gift blogging has been to make this friendship possible, and what an amazing gift she is.  HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAROL!!!  YOU are the BEST and SWEETEST friend ever!!!

I got to play with my Lawn Fawn Into the Woods set - I have been looking forward to getting this set in my hot little hands ever since I saw it!  It just arrived last week, and what a treat to use it for the first time on Carol's card!!  The frame is from WPlus9, another new set for me (I am really falling in love with their images too!).  The little heart and the sentiments are also Lawn Fawn - I used Milo's ABCs to create the customized part of the sentiment and am loving the versatility of that set.  You get multiples of each letter so you can easily put together your own message.  The "friend" is PS, stamped in one of my new Hero Arts inks - Pool.  (yup, I did a lot of Black Friday shopping!).  Oh, and that paper behind the frame - it's from Ellen Hutson - she sent it to me - for free!!!  Let me tell you how impressed (and giddy!) I was when I opened my Black Friday order from her (it was like Christmas had come early!) and I found not one, not two, but THREE little surprises inside from Ellen thanking me for my order.  A 6x6 paper pack (which is where this paper came from), a bottle of Tim Holtz distress paint and some rock candy glitter.  I will definitely order from her again!

So those are the details on this card for a VERY special friend!  Love ya, Carol!  In the words of Kelly Marie Alvarez, I hope you have an AMAZING day!!!

Shannon