Halloween with my Gnomies

Happy Halloween everyone!  This is the end result of my garden gnome costume idea...it was a hit on my street for sure and according to the girls, everyone stopped them to compliment them on their costumes...Martha Stewart, eat your heart out!  There is a good use for those "Snuggie" blankets with sleeves after all!  And can't beat a super cool, multi-layered, gold embossed, cricut cut belt buckle!

2011 365 #170 - plaid Christmas

I used the sketch from Twisted sketches for this card...the twist was black...I am entering it in the Basic Grey anything goes challenge as all the paper in the card is from the Christmas line from last year...and in the Bunny Zoe's lace challenge

2011 365 #169 - penguin Christmas x2

I made these cards in duplicate because I thought they were just soo darn cute when I was done with the first one.  I used the sketch from CPS Card Sketches.  I made the snowflakes with my nestabilities and some felt that I just happened to pick up at a dollar store while we were searching for some cheap velcro for our halloween costumes (which turned out that they should be the best garden gnome costumes on the street)...I am also entering it in the following challenges:
Bah! Humbug! - die cuts
Card Makin Mamas - die cuts
Daring Cardmakers - felt

2011 365 #168 - pink Christmas

I made this card with the Card Patterns Sketch number 139, but I am just not a fan...loved the sketch, but not the final outcome on this card....maybe I should have used wider ribbon??  not sure what it is about this card that puts me off, but it is another one done none the less!

2011 365 #166- stella birthday

I made this card for a friend at work...I used the sketch from Mojo monday and the new stamps that I bought from Totally Stampalicious...tthe images are from Bugaboo...thanks for looking...I am entering this card in the numbers challenge for Creative Craft World - it does have numbers so it fits the criteria perfectly!

SOS challenge with Bugaboo sponsor - 2011 365 #162 - scene it

This week's challenge over at Shopping our Stash is something halloweeny...this week Bugaboo is sponsoring our challenge so we got to use one of their images for our cards...I chose this scene because it had so much detail in it and the little girl on the fence is just so much fun that I knew I could have a great time using my copic markers...I had this Halloween paper hiding in my stash from a welcome pack from a crop ages ago (more than 3 years), so I finally decided to cut into it and get some use out of it...the little embellies at the  bottom are from a new piece that I bought though and are not new...come on out a play with us this week and you could win a prize!

2011 365 #165 - embossed snow card

the colours on this picture aren't quite right...I guess the ribbon photographs brighter than the paper, because they are the same colour blue in real life...it is not really that much brighter...not totally fond of this card...the idea in my head and the sketch were better than the real life outcome in my opinion...but I do love that satin paper (which is more of a muted colour than the bright white showing up in the picture- it really looks the same as the snowflakes that are attached to it)...I am entering it in the following challenges anyway:
Card Patterns: sketch
Winter Wonderland: Vintage
Jingle Belles: softly snowing
(plus, I got to use my brand new Cricut cartridge to cut out the scalloped half circle and the arc above it, so bonus for that too!).

opus gluei challenge - something wicked - 2011 365 #164

The Opus Gluei Poobahs have set a challenge of Something Wicked this week...I chose to do the witch cuz they are almost always considered wicked (unless their name is Glenda, of course)...Halloween is on it's way and I am running to get costume material today...my girls have decided that they want to be garden gnomes this year...thought it was going to be a totally simple costume. but it is turning into a much bigger challenge than I had anticipated getting myself into...why can't they just be a cute little costume off of the rack like everyone else? They can be so wicked (and so will their costumes...they even convinced the hubby and grandpa to dress up with them so they can be a gaggle of garden gnomes). Oh well, at least my card for this challenge was an easy one to make:

so come on out and show us your wickedness this week at the Opus Gluei....bwah ha ha hahh ahaha ha!

sos challenge 22 - inspiration photo - 2011 365 #161 - happy birthday

this week's challenge at Shopping our Stash is an inspiration photo...I had a really hard time with this challenge and I am not too sure why??  Maybe the skulls creeped me out a little (probably), but I think it was the non-traditional colours going along with the skulls that really threw me...those are totally birthday card colours in my eyes...the bottom card was my first attempt at this challenge, but I thought it was just too ugly to post...then I decided to post it anyway, just not on the SOS blog (cuz I don't want to get a truly bad rep for making these ugly bruts...but they do come out of me sometimes)...then I came up with the top card...needed one for the rash of birthday parties my youngest has been invited to...wow there are lots!  I just used the colours, cuz I couldn't bring myself to put skulls on this kind of a birthday card....why don't you come on out and join in with us this week?  would love to see you outdo me in this scary attempt at a challenge (shouldn't be too hard...this is what comes out of mojo with too much cold medication floating through your system...time for a nap )...

2011 365 #163 - cupcake birthday

I whipped up this card from all the scraps laying around my craft room from recent projects...the youngest is off to another birthday party this afternoon and I needed a quick card...I am entering it in the following challenges:
just us girls - colour challenge - purple orange green and black - check
craft your days away - halloween colours
dysu challenge blog - use your scraps...this whole card is scraps...

2011 365 #160 pig card

This was the second card that we made at our stamp club this month...I think it turned out quite cute...love that little pig...might have to break down and get that set...why did I have to join the stamp club...grr...so many things to buy...can't make up my mind...I am entering this card in the monochromatic challenge over at the Crafty Pad... and the cute and cuddly challenge at Ruby's Rainbow.  I am also entering it in the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - white and one other colour.

2011 365 #159 fall card

this is one of the cards that we made at our stamp club night...we made the button ourselves and it turned out okay, I thought...I am entering it in the Cute card Thursday challenge for trees or leaves as the focus of the card.  I am also entering it in the Deep Ocean challenge for fall colours and the Really Reasonable Ribbon fun 4 fall challenge with the neutral twine. Finally, I am entering it in Kaboodles Doodles Challenge for fall leaves and the Pile it on Challenge for fall...thanks for looking!

SOS challenge black and orange and/or spooky - 2011 365 #155 - boo

I made this card for the Shopping our Stash challenge this week.  It is supposed to be a black and orange challenge or something spooky...I don't really do spooky, so this is the best I could come up with....the black border was actually from some halloween advertising that I got trying to entice me to hop on a flight to Vegas...not happening, but their advertising is always on such nice paper that I thought I might as well repurpose it...the inside and outside are from a Basic Grey Line to do with parties, but I thought it looked more halloweeny than birthday, so chopped up it is...play along with us this week, that is if this card didn't scare you away from the challenge...

2011 365 #158 - autumn coloured Christmas

at first I was sketchy about the challenge over at Winter Wonderland to use autumn colours on a Christmas card, but I have to admit I think this one is now my favorite one of the 2011 season...might even have to go and make a few more of this one, cuz I like it so much.  I used the sketch from Card Patterns and just tweaked it slightly by adding a bit of extra background for my fibers on the image layer.  I am also entering itn the One Stop Craft Challenge anything goes challenge just cuz...

2011 365 #157 - purple christmas

I am not really a big fan of working with purple even though I love the colour itself, so this card was a bit of a challenge for me.  Christmas Stampin all year long's challenge was a purple passion creation.  I made it following the sketch for Crafts 4 Eternity and am entering it in the I did it Creations anything goes challenge as well.

2011 365 #156 - pink Christmas

 I made this card mostly for the Jingle Belles Challenge because they are donating money for breast cancer research when you submit a pink Christmas card - so I had to jump in on that action...this card has several different shades of pink and pink only...kind of busy but tried to make the pink statement none the less...I used the sketch from the Sweet Stop and am also entering it in the Bah Humbug glitter and glitz challenge and the Secret Crafter Saturday challenge for anything sparkly...not sure if you can tell from the pick, but all of her trim on her coat and boots is glittered and so is all of the snow...so sparkly in real life.  I am also entering it in the Let's ink it up - think pink challenge as I see Suzanne is making her way through her treatments and started back up with this blog challenge...yeah...keep it up girl...

opus gluei challenge- back into the swing of things - 2011 365 #154

So now that school is back into full swing and all of the activities have started back up, let's get into the swing of things with the Poohbahs! The Opus Gluei challenge this week is "back into the swing of things"...come on out and play along with us this week...Pull out all the stops and show us your swinging creation...what ever and how ever that may be....I chose to use a monkey swinging on vines (I do like monkeys - unlike birds, I think these creatures are cute and cuddly looking - from a distance, of course)...but that doesn't need to be your only kind of swing...there is the swing in your step as the kids head off to school...a swing at the park on a warm fall day...the swing of a bat when your husband tries to use your scrapbook tools to do a construction project....what ever tickles your fancy...come on out and play with us this week...can't wait to see what you create!

Shopping our Stash Challenge 20 - 2011 365 #141 - thank you card

This week's challenge at Shopping our Stash is Thanksgiving or Thank you...in Canada, Thanksgiving is this weekend (well, Monday, but it is a long weekend so it still counts).  I cut all of the leaves and the scrolly leaves out on my Cricut...they were from the Stretch of your Imagination cartridge.  They were all made from scraps of paper in my scrap bucket (yay me...).  I stamped the tree and let it run off of the card a bit...it is really a full tree, but I wanted it to be more of a backgroundish thing than the centre focus...I also stamped the grass and then inked the clouds...I used a doily as an experiment to get the cloud shape...they aren't as dark in real life as they are in the picture, but you get the idea...come on out and join us this week by showing us how you say thanks...

2011 365 #153 - tag - you're it!

jackpot!  I found these images that I had coloured last year and forgot about...wahoo, quick and easy tags from paper scraps and they are all different and glittery (the way I like them)...7 more finished...wahooo!

2011 365 #152 - hedgehog tags

yippee...three more done...at this rate I could have them all done in a couple of weeks...hope that ends up being the case...this time I threw in a masculine hedgehog...I always forget to throw in the "boyish" tags...they end up all girlie and blingie, but I am going to focus this year and have some male tags too...

2011 365 #151 - mouse tags

these are the first of my Christmas tags started...looking to get about 100 or so of them done...I have been selling them and my kids take the money to buy presents for the Christmas hampers that their schools donate to the needy families in our area...I try to just use scrap paper up and do as many as I can with the left overs from my Christmas cards...maybe this year I will be able to double the amount...it is always nice to be able to find an easy way to give back to the less fortunate at this time of year...off to make some more...

world card making day #11 - 2011 365 #150 -make a wish

well, I think this is going to be the last card that I am going to post today...so much for the 24 card goal...life got in the way...went to Steinbach and checked out the new store...very nice and got some good deals...then to gymnastics for one and dance for the other...then more dance and belated birthday dinner with family...and that's all she wrote...the day is over (well, for me anyway)...but I thought I would end it off with a cutie image...love this one...

world cardmaking day #10 - 2011 365 #149 - happy day

starting to fizzle with all these cards...off to steinbach to check out the scrapbook cottage grand opening in the new location...maybe i will pick up some fun new supplies to keep me going!  I am entering this card in the Stampyland background stamp challenge...the celtic links under the happy day sign are the background stamp...

world card making day #9 - 2011 365 #148 - winter wishes deer

I love the way these deer look in this card.  I am entering it in the following challenges:
sisterhood of crafters - silhouette style stamp
cute card thursday - animal crackers

world card making day #8 - 2011 365 #147 - brrr

the charm on this card says brr... but it is not really noticeable in the picture...it also has snowflakes on the charm and all over the paper...in real life it looks quite elegant, but the picture doesn't do it justice...I am entering it in the Winter Wonderland challenge - how charming

world card making day #7 - 2011 365 #146 - peace angel

this little penny black stamp is just one of the cutest in my opinion...I am entering this card in the crafty catz challenge - things with wings and the jingle belles challenge to use "peace"

world card making day #6 - smile

I thought this little stamp was so cute, but have never used it...until now...it is actually stamped twice once right side up and once upside down to make a circle...I thought it went well with the world theme for world card making day....check out the shopping our stash site today...make a project and leave a comment and you could be entered to win a certificate for some shopping!  Nothing is better than free stuff...thanks for looking...I am also going to enter this card in the following challenges:
Simon says stamp: anything goes
our creative corner: something inspired by a different country - this one has several

world card making day #5 - 2011 365 #145 - winter tree wishes

this was the simplest card ever, but I love the finished effect of it...I am going to enter it in the crafty creations challenge for clean and simple and in the less is more challenge - the colour of your eyes...mine are blue and so is this card so it should be good to go!

world card making day #4 - 2011 365 #144 - Noel

here is another quick and simple Christmas card...I am going to enter this one in the daring cardmakers foreign language challenge...

world card making day #3 - 2011 365 #143 - merry christmas

I totally stole this idea from a super old paper crafts magazine that I had laying around...I thought it would work perfectly for the no stamping challenge at Christmas Stampin all year long...

world card making day #2 - 2011 365 #142 - let it snow

this is not my favorite card of the season, but it is another one done...I never use my peel-offs, so I thought I would give them a try cuz this card was just missing that you know...

world card making day #1 - 2011 365 #139 - leaf magnets

okay, I know, my first project for cardmaking day is not a card, but I just had such a feeling of fall that I needed to make some magnets for my desk at work...and for my work peeps as well...plus then my girls snagged some for their lockers and teachers...now I need to make more...but that is the fun of it...I used the stretch of your imagination cartridge to cut out the leaves...I thought the embellishment on top was fabulous, but lots of work to glue...