Recycling @ UnstampaBelles

This month at UnstampaBelles we want to see projects with recycled items on then.  So any paper project will do, just leave off the stamps!  (Well...mostly.  There has been a slight change to the rules at UnstampaBelles.  Click the above link for more info but basically you will now be allowed to used a stamped sentiment on your projects PROVIDED it's no more than four words.  Of course you are encouraged to use other techniques for your sentiments like stickers, die cut words, rub ons etc. instead.)

I have to admit, I'm not very good at recycling challenges.  Truth is, I generally don't recycle anything.  (For crafty purposes that is.  I always put my cans and jars and box board in the blue bins and the fruit and veggie scraps in the compost though.)  Ribbon scraps, scrappy packaging, small pieces of patterned paper etc. all end up in the garbage.  So, that's my excuse for my poor showing with this card......

Yeah, the only recycled thing on there is the paper clips.

Now, I know you can do better than that so, why don't you shove those stamps aside for just one card and enter the "Recycling" challenge at UnstampaBelles. You have until October 31st to do so and you'll have a chance to win a great prize from CraftMad.


And if you need some more inspiration, head over to the challenge site and check out all the great projects the other dt members have come up with.

Also for:

City Crafter:  an early "boo"
Charisma Cardz:  for the guys
Cute Card Thursdays:  letters & numbers
Pile It On:  for a child
Catered Crop:  Halloween screams

Inspiration Picture @ Little Red Wagon

This week at


Joanne has chosen a gorgeous inspiration picture for us......

So, we just want you to take your cue from it and create something. Easy-peasy. Here's what I did.....

Digi is from Mo's Digital Pencil.

So, why not head over to Little Red Wagon and enter the challenge? And be sure to check out the fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have done.

So Berry Much

Yeah, this card would have been more fitting in the summer. (Oh, wait. I guess fall doesn't officially start until tomorrow. I guess I'm just squeezing it in at the last minute.) I participated in a forum challenge and I needed a "fruit shape" along with a number of other things that made constructing this card.....interesting. Still, I am pleased with the result and none of the items turned out to be "stitching" so fun was had.

For:

Di's Digi Challenge:  more than 1 die cut or punch
Lollipop Crafts:  2 different punches or dies
Paper Playtime:  punches + sentiment
365 Cards:  Day 201 - Flagged
Aud Sentiments:  something funny, hunny  (I know, it's not hilarious or anything but maybe lip-twitch worthy??)
Do You Stack Up?:  flags
MilkCoffee Challenge:  at least two different shapes

Being Proactive About Christmas

I've decided that this year I am not going to procrastinate or run out of time (I've never quite decided whether it's poor time management or laziness) when it comes to creating Christmas cards. I mean really, don't you hate it when crafting becomes nowhere near fun anymore because you're forcing yourself to complete projects especially when you're powering through having no mojo or rationalizing a card that should really be tossed? I know I do.

So, I've started my cards earlier this year. And here's one now.....



I gotta make circle cards more often. They're too much fun (except when they're rolling slightly off-centre when I try to take their picture, then they kinda piss me off). I got some cork (the holly and berries) on there and some little bells too. Sentiment is a freebie from Create With Tlc.

Okay, about 4 down, geez I don't even want to think about how many to go. I shoulda started in March.

For:

The Hybrid Chick: round cards
Divas By Design: lovely layers
Charisma Cardz: shaped cards
Lollipop Crafts: 2 die cuts or punches
Fashionista Challenge: Christmas
Use It Tuesday: anything goes - Christmas supplies from last year
Holly Jolly Christmas: sentiment only

Thinking Of You @ Little Red Wagon

This week at



we're thinking about you.....well, of course we are, you guys are the best! So, with that in mind, we want to see your "thinking about you" cards.

This is what I did.....



I know it's really hard to see but that tag actually says "thinking about you" on it, inked in a light purple.

So, why not head over to Little Red Wagon and enter the "Thinking of You" challenge? And be sure to check out the fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have done.

Hope

This was the other card that I was lucky enough to have chosen to be published in the June/July edition of Designed to Color.



Used lots and lots of tissue tape. And a freebie from Saturated Canary. And a very inspirational Emily Dickinson quote. And some other stuff too, obviously, but most of that is self-explanatory.

For:

Saturated Canary: B things - button, bling, butterfly
Crafty Ribbons: vintage
Paper Play: fancy folds - the tissue tape
Southern Girls: bling
My Mum's Craft Shop: buttons
Pile It On: patterned paper
The Squirrel & the Fox: anything goes
Kaboodle Doodles: flowers
Bunny Zoe: distressing
Scrap-Creations: pick 3 - pearls, die cuts, buttons
Dawn's Crafting: breast cancer awareness
365 Cards: Day 195 - Fringe Binge (The tissue tape looks fringey to me.)
Papelitos Stamps: anything goes
The Crafty Pad: breast cancer awareness

Hexagons @ Little Red Wagon

This week at



we want to see that oh-so-popular-right-now shape - the hexagon!

Now, I'm liking the hexagon craze well enough, I'm not over the moon about them though. (*snicker* If I was over the moon than about them I guess I'd confuse people about whether I liked hexagons or crescents better.) For some reason I sure did have a heck of a time creating something for this challenge. My first two attempts were y-icky. Finally, I did manage to come up with this.



Yeah, I'm not setting the best of examples here. (Bad dt member!) But, there are hexagons on my ATC, and hexagons on patterned paper counts too.

So, why not head over to Little Red Wagon and enter the "Hexagons" challenge? And be sure to check out the fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have done.

I. Got. Published. (I know! I was shocked too!)

Have you heard about Designed To Color? Well, if you haven't go check it out. It's a fairly new magazine (in print and digital copy) devoted to colouring. And it showcases all kinds of colouring not just Copics.

Well, back in...gosh I guess it was probably May....I submitted a couple of cards for their call for the June/July issue and they were accepted! Let me tell you, I was über, über-excited.

They ask that you wait for 30 days after the magazine has been published before you post your card online. I waited a bit longer....until their August/September was published (which you can get here).

Anyhoo, here is one of those cards.....



Digi is from Teddy Bo.

And, of course I want to enter it in some challenges too.

Teddy Bo Challenge: anything goes
Dream Valley: something old - buttons, punch, twine; something new - paper was new at the time
Here Come The Boys: teddy bears
No Matter Which Challenge: punches and/or dies
Pink Gem Challenge: a boy thing
Ooh-La-La: teddy bear antics
The Crazy Challenge: seeing spots
The Pink Elephant: use patterned paper
By the Cute & Girly: boys/men
Ladybug Crafts: anything goes
Natalie & Amy Challenges: anything goes
Unique Crafters: anything goes
Papertake Weekly: anything goes
Top Tip Tuesday: birthday gifts
Papelitos Stamps: anything goes
Crafty Sentiments: male cards
Creative Craft: all about the boys
Perfect Sentiments: all creatures great and small
My Mum's Craft Shop: anything goes
Do You Stack Up?: birthdays

School/Teacher Theme @ Little Red Wagon

This week at



the challenge is School/Teacher Theme. So, we want to see any and all projects that are related to school or teachers.

Yep, in the LRW ladies' neck of the woods it was back to school yesterday for most. (Though in our school board district the Catholic schools don't get back until today as they had a PD Day yesterday - go figure!) Now, I love my kids to absolute pieces. And I also know how darn lucky I am to work mostly from home. But, the two don't mix so well, know what I'm saying? I mean really, imagine if you were at your office....working at your desk, you've got a bunch of numbers or plans or whatever it is you do in your head and all of the sudden two of your coworkers stumble into your cubicle saying, "Hey! George pushed me!" "Yeah, but he took my stapler!" "Yeah, but he drank the last of the coffee and didn't make more!" "Yeah, but he didn't hold the elevator when I asked!".....and while this is going on there's someone else in the background going, "Hey, look at the work I did! It's all in pink! Pink is my favourite colour today! Yesterday purple was my favourite colour but today I think pink is my favourite! Do you like pink? What's your favourite colour?"....... Seriously, how productive do you think you'd be?

So, it's kinda fitting I made this card.



Now let's just sit here and reflect on the silence for a minute. (Okay, so when this post posts it won't be silence. It'll be full on "Get ready for school!" mode. But let's just pretend it's an hour later and the kids are off on the bus and it's, wait for it, ah....quiet.)

Now if you're enjoying some quiet time this morning why not spend some of it crafting? And if you're crafting, why not spend some time crafting something to honour the silence? And once you've done that head over to Little Red Wagon and enter the "School/Teacher Theme" challenge. And be sure to check out the fabulous projects the other Girlfriends have done.

Embossing @ UnstampaBelles

This month at UnstampaBelles we want to see projects with embossing. So any paper project will do, just leave off the stamps! (Well...mostly. There has been a slight change to the rules at UnstampaBelles. Click the above link for more info but basically you will now be allowed to used a stamped sentiment on your projects PROVIDED it's no more than four words. Of course you are encouraged to use other techniques for your sentiments like stickers, die cut words, rub ons etc. instead.)

Anyway, this is what I made for this month's challenge.....



I embossed and sanded up some kraft-core cardstock. Love that stuff!

So, why don't you shove those stamps aside for just one card and enter the "Embossing" challenge at UnstampaBelles. You have until September 28th to do so and you'll have a chance to win a great prize from the Sticker Store.

And if you need some more inspiration, head over to the challenge site and check out all the great projects the other dt members have come up with.

Also for:

Dream Valley: something old, something new - new patterned paper, old buttons, twine
The Squirrel & the Fox: one for the men
Moving Along With the Times: flying high
Shopping Our Stash: favourite items - kraft-core cardstock, buttons, twine

Crafting Under Pressure

Yesterday I decided that I didn't have anything pressing that needed done (I mean sure, lots of stuff needed done/cleaned around the house but really when's that ever NOT going to be the case?) so I was going to carve me out some crafting time. Real crafting time, not just "I'll sit down and do something crafty for 20 minutes or so between the time I finished cleaning up from supper and when I should go take the dog for a walk" time.

Unfortunately my mojo didn't get the crafting time memo and totally didn't show up. I made one and a half dog-butt ugly cards and then gave up and went and cleaned the shower.

Later that evening I did my usual sit-down in between stuff (in this case it was after I had cut up some fruit for the kids bedtime snack and before it was storytime) and it all started to come together. A card was actually starting to form. It was a bit rough at first, my mojo did finally show up though and I did get it made.

So, what I'm wondering is this: Do I craft better in quick little chunks rather than a nice, unhurried hour or two of crafting time? I dunno....but it's nice to realize that I can be productive in little here and there bursts.

Anyhoo, this is what I made.



I know it's not in the "amazing" category or anything but after my earlier failures, I'll take it. (Plus with all the Stickles on it it's quite sparkly so I can get easily distracted by it. *snicker*)

Digi is a freebie from The Alley Way Stamps.

For:

Jingle Belles: bingo - stamping, flowers, tree
Aud Sentiments: Christmas is coming
Divas By Design: let's celebrate
Stamp 'n' Doodle: a touch of sparkle
Perfect Sentiment: anything goes with a sentiment
Crafty Sentiments: let's sparkle
Creative Card Crew: Christmas
Oldie But a Goodie: paper piecing - patterned paper and bling are over 6 months old
Pile it On: starts with "P" - paper, paper piecing, punch