A Look Back at 2014

Both Mynn from On a Stampage and Deborah from A Scrapjourney have some link-ups going that are pretty darn neat. They're looking back at some of their favorite creations from 2014. They both do such amazing work - I can't believe they only picked a few cards! I thought it would be fun to play along. Also, Wendy over at Crafty Kiwi Mama is having a look-back link up with prizes. She invited me to play along, and I'm happy to join in. Go check it out!

I only just started blogging back in September, but it's been so eventful. I've been so blessed to have "met" some amazing friends. I'm all by my lonesome here in North Dakota - most of my family lives elsewhere and this is not the craftiest of communities! Having your encouragement through the blogosphere has really reignited my passion for creativity! 

Without further ado, here are my faves for the year:

September

I wanted to join in the fun over at Deborah Nolan's Society of Stampaholics Card Chain Challenge. It's an awesome monthly international card exchange. You had to have a blog or a Flickr account to sign up, so I took the plunge into the bloggy world. So you all really have Deborah to thank for my zany antics. 

 

September also marked the first time I participated in challenges. One of the first challenges I ever found was over at STAMPlorations and I entered this card. And I won! My heart almost gave out when I saw my card displayed in the winner's circle! I went on to win 3 other challenges that month, and my fate was sealed. I was a blogger. By the way - it's ok to laugh at my first attempt at a watermark! 

October

In October, I really began to stretch my creative wings and experiment with more artistic, interpretive cards. I had so much fun with this one, which was very personal to me. It marked a new chapter in my story, and the realization of a freedom I finally felt.

October was also the month that my Aunt Jerrie of Coloring Outside the Linez joined me in the bloggy world. Being legally blind, she is my crafting hero! It doesn't matter that she sometimes colors outside the lines (hence the blog name) or misplaces a glue dot somewhere, she keeps on doing what she loves. Having her to talk to about this new part of my life has been AMAZING - even if I do have to be her blog's technical support on-call technician. :)

November

By November, I was going crazy trying to figure out how to keep track of all the card challenges I wanted to participate in. I am a very visual person, so I wanted something that could hold pictures of the different challenges. 

And so, the Inspiration Station was born. Check out that link to see how I made it! I felt pretty chuffed when it was featured on Jen Shurkus's facebook page. 

It was a great month for me as I was accepted onto my first design team over at Eclectic Ellapu! I was (and still am) over the moon to be selected for a team with such talented designers! 

I also made this card to mark Veteran's Day, and to honor my family who have served. 

November was also a personally challenging month for me because my beloved Grandma, and longtime crafting companion passed away. She is so very, very missed and I want to thank all of you again for the outpouring of support. It meant so much during that difficult time.

December

December was a busy, busy month. and it saw some new changes. I made my second Design Team over at Crafty Gals Corner! Woooo! It's a new challenge blog and I can't wait until January when I get to start sharing their challenges with you. 

I also was invited by the fabulous Shery Russ of STAMPlorations to guest design. I did a full tutorial on how to stamp with sweetened condensed milk! 

I know I just shared this card yesterday, but it really is my favorite from the month. 

If you'll notice, I also debuted a new watermark. Haha! 

The New Year is already bringing some great things. I'm going to be Guest Designing at Mixed Media Mojo in January and have some other exciting news that I can't share quite yet! 

But most of all what I look forward to in 2015 is all of you. You seriously don't know how much your kind words, thoughts, and creativity make me smile! When I said I met some new friends, I genuinely mean that. Seeing your works of art keeps me inspired. I feel so deeply blessed and don't want to let go of this new world for anything.

So here's to you! Here's to bringing in 2015 with a bang!

Love is in the... Wood?

It's almost my most favorite time of the year... Valentine's Day! Usually I am a Valentine's Day card wizard, and I make them on a scale equivalent to Christmas cards, but this year has been pretty hard. I haven't even wanted to look at a love stamp. 

My Grandma and I used to stamp V-day cards every year - it was our special thing. So picking up a heart-shaped stamp hurts my heart-shaped pumper. I've been avoiding my collection of love, and this week I finally determined that I just can't anymore. 

So I did two things:
1. I made a Valentine's Day card
2. Over the weekend that I was supposed to stamp V-day cards with my Gram, I signed up to do a 12-hour crop til you drop at a local stamping store. I figured meeting new crafters in my community would be a good way to force myself not to give up on our tradition.

You maaaayyyyy remember me bubbling over in a fit of blissful sentiment about a certain Cuttlebug machine I received at Christmas. Well I have my first Cuttlebug project to proudly display!!

I LOVE IT! I just want to hug it and stare at it and squeeze it! That's how you know you're in love right?!

This is the PERFECT entry into the Simon Says Stamp "Work it Wednesday" challenge. 

 They wanted to see things that you LOVE. It could be a technique you love, or the actual word love, or however you want to interpret that theme. For me, I used a ton of things that I adore - Distress Ink dipping technique for the background, my new Cuttlebug, and those adorable wooden panels that came in a pack from the Butterfly Reflections Ink online store. 

After I ran my distress ink panel through the Cuttlebug with a heart embossing folder, I inked over the raised hearts with white to make the shine through. I also used my Spectrum Noir Markers to tie in the wooden panel with the background. The markers bled and created this rad effect! Lastly, I attached this wicked cool cardboard heart and hand-drew some patterns onto it (and of course I added some sequins, too - Momma likes her shine). (I'm sorry I just referred to myself as Momma, it won't happen again.)

I'm also going to enter this beauty into the following challenges:
Sweet Stampin' Challenge: Anything Goes
Creative Card Crew: Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

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Now there is one other item of business pleasure that I'd like to discuss: I MADE THE CRAFTY GALS CORNER DESIGN TEAM!!! Wooooo!

Crafty Gals Corner is a new kid on the block and their challenges will start up on January 9th. The realllllly cool thing is, the challenges are already sponsored for the entire year, and some weeks have TWO different sponsors! So check it out, sign up to follow, and enter those beautiful cards and you can win some awesome prizes! They have a sneak peek of the DT projects posted right now.

Thank you all for stopping by! There are big things on horizon for 2015! I look forward to cheering you on and leaving lots of comments on all of your blogs. Thank you for taking the time to do the same. It really makes my day!

One-layer Card, What?!

Yeah. That's right. You read that title right: I made a one-layer card. ANNND I like it. Say whaaaat?!

I saw this image from the current Runway Inspired Challenge: 

and I immediately had an idea pop into my brain. I love it when that happens!

I'm also eking into the STAMPlorations current challenge, which is Designer's Choice (you have to choose one of their past challenges and bring it back to life). I chose the challenge from April 2014, which was "Stamps and Favorite Technique".

This morning my hands started shaking, and my eye started twitching, and I had the sudden urge to tear up papers, which could only mean one thing: I was going into Distress Ink withdrawal. The only cure was to ink up my mat and show off my favorite technique: Distress Ink dipping. 

I inked my mat with Wild Honey, Scattered Straw, and Spiced Marmalade and then spritzed with water until all of my colors began to bleed together. 

I liked how the Escada frock used a burst of color in the center, but still left some white space, so I went for that look when I dipped.

Over the top, I used the STAMPlorations Trendy Leaves set and stamped in varying shades of colors, switching up my leaf placement. I layered and layered and then used Vintage Photo to add a hint of brown. Last but not least, I used the Thank you Sentiment Builder and the Bloom Sketches from STAMPlorations to build my own sentiment, which I embossed in Rusty Hinge powder.

So, yeah. One layer. Me. *Pat, pat, pat*

This is off to my Grandma Carol, who just lost her mother-in-law.