Popsicle Toes

Dilly Beans "Freaked" Challenge

2012-01-27T07:11:00.000-08:00

We have a fun challenge at Dilly Beans this week. Our challenge is "Freaked" and it's certainly open to creative interpretation. I chose the happy little Ghoul for my freak. The starbursts behind him are cut with my Nesties Pinking Circles and I cut a little clear stamp apart to add "happy" in the colors of the DP. The sentiment is from "Kids Quotes" by Inkadinkadoo cut with Nesties Deckle Rectangles.

I printed him twice, colored with Copics and fussy cut so I could add some dimension. Couldn't resist adding some sparkle via stickles to his thousand watt smile. Had a dental cleaning this week so I'm walking around just like this showing off the pearly whites myself. LOL (And of course, thinking of my Sweetie.) My DT sisters have come up with really fun variations on the theme so be sure to visit the Dilly Beans Challenge Blog and get your "freak" on! I'm also adding this to the Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes Challenge.

BBTB2 Layered Flowers Challenge

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

WooHoo! I wasn't sure I was gonna make this one because yesterday I was quite under the weather, but this morning I was able to pull myself together and finish her up. Yea, me! I hate to let the team down or disappoint you all (or myself, for that matter). Our sweet and fabulously talented DT sister Jeri chose layered flowers this week for our BBTB2 challenge. She suggested the Bloom cart (which I can't believe I don't have) but as always, you may play along with any cartridge as long as it's a new creation, follow the challenge and link it up to BBTB2. I don't have to remind you to use your Cricut, do I? LOL In the spirit of trying to actually use some of the bazillion carts I've accumulated I chose Sophie for my flower cuts, along with "Just Because" Cards for the words and Don Juan for the "&".

It's all welded in DS to a base from George. Yup, it's a shaped front card again. I apologize for the lack of creativity in the color scheme, but I used papers that were still laying around from previous projects because my brain wasn't up to making other choices.

It actually ended up with more dimension than I planned because the largest flower had plenty more room for petals without compromising the original design so layer I did. Each is embossed with Swiss dots and the cool yellow stamens are from a McGill punch. LOVE it! And wait 'til you see the gorgeous flowers from my teammates this week. Wowsers! If that isn't inspiration, I don't know what is. Hope you join us at BBTB2 and BTW, there's still a week left for the Numbers challenge too. We sure love it when you play along.

Macabre Monday Get Lost Challenge

2012-01-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

It's time for another Macabre Monday challenge and this week it's "Get Lost". Create a dark, Gothic or Halloween project which includes a map. HA! Oh yeah, lost we were last weekend on our whirlwind FL visit last weekend and I must say we find the whole travel experience like a trip straight to...well, read my map. Being there is not the problem, but GETTING there (and back) generally requires a week's recovery (or more if you pick up the nasty bugs you're exposed to on your sardine packed flights with various germ bags fore and aft which we, of course, DID). The lovely pink and purple map to HELL I found on David Auerbach's website. My happy little Devil is from Dilly Beans and the sentiment is computer generated.

I couldn't resist finishing the inside of this one. This Devil Girl charmer from The Octopode Factory is a dead ringer for one of our flight attendants...seriously. You'd think she could spare an extra bag of peanuts on a 5 1/2 hour flight but nooo.... I've used masks from Tim Holtz and Distress Inks to add the compass pointing South. So much for comic relief. My Minion sisters were a bit more serious than I, so be sure to check out their awesome work HERE and don't forget to stop in Wednesday for Creepy Glo's fab offering. Forgive me if I'm late with my BBTB2 project this week as I'm really feeling under the weather but I'll get it up as soon as I'm able.

Wicked Wednesday Dress/Dress Forms Challenge

2012-01-21T12:20:00.000-08:00

It's been while since I've been able to play along with challenges other than my DT gigs, but today I couldn't help myself. (Not that I shouldn't be doing something else, right now, but when the mojo flows... and besides, ATC's are so little and cute and...I've been dying to use this image...and...ok, I'll cut to the chase although I'm feeling chatty which I really haven't been for awhile, much to the relief of many of you, I'm sure.) The challenge is Dress/Dress Forms at the Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge Blog and the adorable image I've used is from A Day for Daisies called Lily Paper Piercing (Piecing?)Doll. She's colored with Copics with red hair because this is me standing in my knickers shopping my closet. Surely I'm not the only one who does that, am I? The good news is, after my recent success with the whole eating healthy and getting back to exercise mode I've got LOTS more options. Instead of having to choose between the few items that didn't totally cut off my circulation, I'm happy to say pretty much everything fits and doesn't even look half bad (if I do say so myself). Toot toot! So glad I started THAT resolution WELL before the end of last year. As far as the organizing my Craft Room resolution, not so much. I can say I was able to use stuff that was still on my table from the last 50 or so projects like the background DP (make that cardboard but the scale was right) that was part of packaging of stuff I'd rejected for??? and the nifty hanger brads that were too small for what I initially dug them out for. Baby steps... I'm also entering this in the Simon Says Stamp and Show "Anything but a Card" challenge.

Dilly Beans Has the Blues

2012-01-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

TGIF!!! It means a great new challenge at the Dilly Beans Designers and Challenge Blog. This week we all have the blues (well, maybe in my case the teals, LOL) Couldn't help myself. This Tim Holtz DP called to me and so did this sweet #188 Flower Girl. I printed her twice and colored her up with Copics.

Here's a close up of the sentiment done with Alpha Beads for the flower centers. Can't get enough of those things. She's fussy cut and glued to the darker mat and fussy cut again to make her stand out more.

The image is popped as well as every other flower to give this simple card some dimension. I love that it can be used for many occasions. My DT sisters have all sorts of inspiration for you so go have a look HERE and show them some love. And speaking of love, we sure love it when you play along so come on and show us your blue creations. The image doesn't have to be a Dilly Beans one, but it's so exciting to see what you do with Megan's adorable digis. And it just so happens that my dear friend Stephanie used a Dilly Beans Snowman for this week's Whimsical Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge and I will be linking up this card there as well.

BBTB2 Numbers Challenge

2012-01-16T10:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday! This week at BBTB2 it was MY turn to host the challenge and I chose "Numbers" to celebrate my MIL's 90th birthday. Sorry for the late post here. We spent the weekend in FL with the rest of the Mundinger siblings to honor this incredible woman, but the trip was a whirlwind with what seemed to be more travel time than family time, so we'll be recovering all week, I expect. I designed a Birthday cake for Mom using the Wedding cartridge. Her favorite color is blue so that was an obvious choice. She loves flowers so I decorated the cake with cuts from Botanicals and added numbers from Storybook.

After doing so, I thought perhaps this looked a bit more like a wedding or anniversary cake so I added a little "Happy Birthday" using peelies to the middle layer. For texture I used the Tim Holtz Swirls folder (slightly more delicate than D'Vine Swirls) and Swiss Dots for the numbers. Instead of using the shadow of the Botanicals cut (which didn't allow for the cake layers to show through as well), I chose to use the regular version and cut it twice in white as well, once to use slightly offset, and once to fussy cut the center flower for layering. The white butterflies are an MS punch.

The beading between the layers sort of hides the fact that each layer is popped for dimension, but you get the idea. I always enjoy making cards and projects for my MIL because she saves and displays my creations in both of her homes year round (she lives in Michigan during the summer) which I really appreciate. Be sure to visit BBTB2 to take a look at the incredible work from my DT sisters and I can't wait to see how you use numbers (from any cart, in any way) when you join us.

Macabre Monday Chic Freaks

2012-01-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

Before we get too far here, I have to tell you I'm in FL working on an unfamiliar computer that doesn't want to let me link in my post. I will correct this problem when I get home later on Monday, but for now, it is what it is. (All fixed so be sure to click the links) So sorry I missed last week's Macabre Monday challenge. I must say the rest of the DT outdid themselves, but I'm up and running with this week's Chic Freaks Challenge sponsored by one of my FAVE rubber stamp companies, Stampotique. Stampotique has some of the most talented designers in the business and my personal faves are the creepy quirky images by Daniel Torrente and Jill Penney. This happy dude is a combination of Mervyn's face on Dweeze's body.

I've stamped him on purple card stock and left him uncolored. I made my own DP using Tim Holtz's method of swiping Distress Ink (in Dusty Concord, Milled Lavender, and Black Soot) on a craft sheet, spritzing it and wiping my paper in the concoction. Once dry, I stamped 3 Smiles over and over for the pattern. (LOVE it!)

I fussy cut Mervyn, added a black border mat and popped him to make him stand out against the smily faces. The sentiment is computer generated, inked and matted as well. Chic? Well...but he sure is freaky, don'tcha think? The Minions really enjoyed working with these fab stamps from Stampotique so be sure and check out their fabulous inspiration. I know you'll want to join in this week as well for a chance to win a fab prize from Stampotique (BTW, the stamps are not all creepy, LOL), so check out Haunted Design House and play along.

Dilly Beans Frosty Challenge

2012-01-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday everyone! Time for another fun challenge from Dilly Beans. We're still rockin' the winter scene at the Dilly Beans Challenge blog with this week's theme being "Frosty". Hey, no prob, but kinda funny since as you're reading this I'm on a plane bound for sunny Florida to celebrate my MIL's 90th birthday. (More on that Monday) Well, I can't think of Frosty without thinking snowman and remembering the words to the song, I chose the adorable #329 Top Hat Snowman.

I've done a bit of manipulation with his hat in my Printmaster Platinum program in order to extend the hat beyond the border because of the surprise sentiment he's hiding under there.

Remember the song?

I popped the matted image as well as the snowflake with the hat attached to allow freedom of movement. The snowflakes are Cricut shadow cuts along with Cuttlebug and Spellbinders flakes. I've used an MS icicle border punch and liberal use of my Stickles and embossed the DCWV snowflake DP with the Cuttlebug snowflake folder. Then I spelled out Frosty in Alpha Beads and there ya go. My DT sisters have provided just tons of inspiration so please visit the Challenge Blog and leave them some love. In addition, Megan has added some great new things to the Dilly Beans Shop. Check out the new Collage Sheets and stay tuned for Paper Piecing Patterns (say THAT 3 times fast!) WooHoo!

BBTB2 WIMG Caterpillar Challenge

2012-01-09T07:09:00.000-08:00

Yea, it's Monday and time for another challenge at BBTB2. My dear friend and co-leader Carole has chosen the adorable caterpillar from Walk in my Garden for our challenge this week but as you know, you may join our challenge using any similar cut as long as it's a new project. This is one of the first cartridges I ever purchased and it's still one of my faves. My hungry little guy is on a branch from Live Simply (which actually has a different worm on it which I hid with the shadow of the other caterpillar in Design Studio). I've added another flower and leaf to make it easier to weld the sentiment from another oldie cart, Paper Pups.

The whole shebang is welded to a rectangle from George to make a shaped front card. the fun dotty paper peeking through is from BoBunny. I've done a bit of embossing for interest (Tiny Mosaic on the leaves and Swiss Dots on the flowers) and some button centers with adhesive beads filling the holes instead of thread.

Not so much dimension this week, guys. To be honest, I was nursing the mother of all hangovers (both wine AND food) yesterday from our belated Christmas dinner I prepared for our BFF's who were away for the holidays (No, I'm always a last minute kinda gal. Yes, it's one of my resolutions, but don't hold your breath.) so this is what you get. LOL Although I'm really happy with the results of the resolution I actually started in October to eat healthier, exercise more and stop thinking of wine as a separate food group, when you do fall off the wagon, you hit HARD!

My little guy is happily munching on one of the delectable flowers which leads me to the inside sentiment. It actually was inspired by one of my favorite cards by Kris Lancaster, posted on the Cricut Message Board in 2008 or 2009. Kris hasn't been crafting much these days, and I sure miss her. She always cracked me up!

The open design of the shaped front didn't leave much room for a sentiment without it showing through so I used my Dymo label maker and voila! My DT sisters have a ton of inspiration for you this week so be sure and stop by BBTB2 and check it out. And remember, the challenges run for 2 weeks so you still have time for the Ice Skate challenge as well. See ya there.

The Altered Alice Week 2

2012-01-08T13:43:00.000-08:00

"At the two-yard peg she faced round, and said, 'A pawn goes two squares in its first move, you know.
So you'll go VERY quickly through the Third Square--by railway, I should think--and you'll find
yourself in the Fourth Square in no time. Well, THAT square belongs to Tweedledum and
Tweedledee--the Fifth is mostly water--the Sixth belongs to Humpty Dumpty--But you make no remark?'
'I--I didn't know I had to make one--just then,' Alice faltered out."
-- Chapter 11, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There

Happy New Year from all of us at The Altered Alice! When we think of Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, we always think stripes and plaids. Lewis Carroll does not mention the patterns they are wearing, but so many illustrations and movies have clad them in mismatched stripes and patterns. Your challenge this month is to use STRIPES. Our stamps this month are from the fabulous artist's community website called CRESCENDOh, started by Jenny Doh, former managing editor of the famous Stampington Publication. The heart of the site is all the stories: stories of all sorts of artists and how art has changed their lives. The online shop sells all sorts of things, including CRESCENDOh clear stamps. This month the DT has the pleasure of using the charming Alice in Wonderland clear stamp set by the artist Danita. I chose to do a series of CAS cards to really showcase the whimsical designs.

Besides the stripes found on the images, my mats are embossed with stripes using either a Cuttlebug or Sizzix folder. The mats framing the images were cut with Nesties and I've only used the color of the mat to color each image, further strengthening the CAS design. (I know, who is this woman and what has she done with Donna? LOL But I couldn't help myself here. The stamps speak for themselves.)

Here's are closeups of each in my set. You can view the entire stamp set on The Altered Alice, as well as read more about the fabulous CRESCENDOh site.

Author Jenny Doh is donating a signed copy of her latest book, Art Saves, which is not only full of eye candy but is also full of the stories of how art changes lives. "Discover not only the HOW but also the WHY, through the stunning projects and unique stories of 20 exciting multi-media artists." Thanks so much to Jenny for contributing such a meaningful prize to start off 2012!

Be sure to stop by The Altered Alice each week to see more inspiration for our monthly challenge. Enter your project featuring stripes by Friday, Jan. 27. The winner will be announced the following Sunday. As always, entries that feature Wonderland will have two chances at the random drawing instead of one. You may enter as often as you like but each entry must be on a separate post. All posts must mention and link back to the challenge.

Dilly Beans Winter Wonderland

2012-01-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

OH dear! I'm a whole day late in posting this week's Dilly Beans Winter Wonderland Challenge Card. And if you're here for the Dia de Reyes Blog Hop, please scroll down. (Even if you aren't, go take a look for a little chuckle, ok?) Seems like I've been behind all week. Sounds like most of the country is having unusual winter weather. Where's all the snow? Certainly not in the Sierras here. Bummer for skiers for sure. My sweet snowmen are plenty frosty and bringing food and shelter for the little birdies I've cut from the Holly Birdhouse Set.

Aren't they cuties? I've colored them with copics to match the pretty DP from the MME Wonderful Winter Stack and stickled them a bit for frosty goodness. I've added some additional snowflakes from JoLee's and my Tim Holtz On the Edge Snowflake border that I cut twice, staggered, glittered, and adorned with MORE snowflakes which qualifies this for this week's Whimsical Wednesdays "On the Edge" challenge. Well actually, maybe it doesn't BUT...

The glittery sticker border from Cloud 9 around the edge of my mat sure does so I guess I'm covered. LOL Added some corner beads with my Platinum Liquid Pearls with which I need to practice a bit more, but I do like the fact that those babies stay STUCK where you want 'em. That triple bow was done with my Bow(not so)Easy. Need a bit more practice with that, too. Now go have a look at beautiful inspiration from my DB DT sisters and come and play along.

Dia de Reyes Blog Hop

2012-01-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the second annual Dia de Reyes Blog Hop. If you've come from Gaby's Blog, you're on the right track and you've learned something about this happy day as celebrated in Latin cultures and why this day is so very special to her. Last year my project reflected the more traditional and religious aspect (see it HERE) but I decided to be a bit more whimsical today. Forget Santa, Latin children anticipate this day with great excitement as it is the day they receive their gifts from Los Reyes Magos, as the Baby Jesus did. They put their shoes by the window or under their beds and wake up to find them filled with gifts. My camel is indeed bearing gifts and is also rockin' the shoe aspect here. LOL

I've welded some high heels from Forever Young to the camel from Animal Kingdom. The shadow base (at 7") was cut from chipboard with both sides covered in red. I cut the regular camel twice (well, actually 4 times since it can be viewed from either side) and trimmed the legs on one and popped it to give it added dimension. They were glued to a small box that can bear gifts. The saddle is cut with Nesties Labels Eleven and trimmed to fit with a rosette that says "Joy" from K&Co. And the shoes...did you notice the red soles? This is one stylin' camel.

And she obviously knows where to shop!

Looks like some little girl is going to be very VERY happy! Children who have been good all year (and big girls too) write letters to their favorite King hoping that their wishes will come true.

I've been a very good girl so... Gaspar Baby, hurry to my window tonight! Now off you go to Esther's Blog but don't forget to leave a comment before you go. And if you get lost, here's the complete line-up...Enjoy!

Gaby - http://www.gabycreates.com/
Donna - http://donnamundinger-popsicletoes.blogspot.com/
Esther - http://forthejoyofcreating.blogspot.com/
Martha C - http://dreamofcrafting.blogspot.com/
Martha G - http://pattisscrapingtime.blogspot.com/
Melin - http://papercraftingworld.blogspot.com/
Ruthie - http://septemberninth.blogspot.com/
Yolie - http://www.justyolie.com/

BBTB2 Winter Woodland Ice Skate

2012-01-02T07:52:00.000-08:00

Again, Happy New Year to all! I'm very excited about 2012 because my dear DT sister Carole and I will be taking the reins over at BBTB2 since Heather will be on full time "grandma duty". Our first challenge of the year was chosen by our sweet and beautiful Krista who chose the ice skate from Winter Woodland. I have many fond skating memories. My Daddy was a fabulous skater (and ice dancer) and for 7 years we spent our Fall/Winter Saturday afternoons at the rink where I took figure skating. He even built me an outdoor rink in our back yard so I could practice. I almost did a layout for this challenge, but since I'm not a scrapper, I chose a different memory for my inspiration. (Oh oh, I think I just may be back to my chatty self, so grab cuppa. Have you missed me?)

I chose the skates from Celebrate With Flourish because they look just magical to me. Several years ago, DH and I took a trip to Lake Louise for New Year's and it was truly a winter wonderland. I grew up in the Chicago area so I was no stranger to snow but the pure pristine beauty was just breathtaking there. There was a huge outdoor rink with an ice castle in the center and I couldn't wait to get skates on. However, during the day it was filled with kids so we decided to go at night. Bbbbrrr.... and I do mean BBBBRRRR!!!!!! As a figure skater, we never wore heavy socks in our skates (just tights) and I'm pretty sure that's a part of the reason I developed Popsicle Toes. This made me a bit nervous because when the toes go into popsicle mode there is no warming them up and when the circulation returns, it's like a combination of pins and needles and walking on coals. I expressed my concern to the skate rental place and they turned my on to those fabulous chemical toe warmers fit in the skates and keep the toesies cozy for up to 5 hours. It was heaven! Toasty toes, who knew? Anyway, the castle was all lit up like a fairytale, the stars were out, the snow was falling and I felt like I could fly on that ice. I even saw a shooting star. (I like to think it was my Daddy) That magical night was the color inspiration for my card which seems a little dark now that I look at it in the pix, but it WAS dark and oh so beautiful.

The card is a shaped front and I ended up cutting the skates several times and trimming them to add the silver blades and layer them up properly. The gorgeous beaded snowflakes are JoLee's and the DP is from the DCWV Winter Magic stack (how apropo). My DT sisters have done a fabulous job with this challenge so be sure to stop by BBTB2 and take a look. Remember, you may use any skate from any cart to join in, as long as it's a new creation and you have two weeks to complete the challenge. And for those of you who have dreamed of joining our wonderful team, there will be a DT call shortly, so warm up that Cricky and stop back for details in a few. I'm also entering this in the Crimbo Crackers Snowflake Challenge and Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes.

Macabre Monday RESUMES!

2012-01-02T06:40:00.000-08:00

Ready to get your creep on? Wow, it was a much needed rest for the Minions at Haunted Design House after a hectic Halloween season, but I must say I've been missing the dark side. We're finally back with great new challenges and a brand spanking new Minion rattling around the Netherworld with us so be sure to give a huge welcome to Imp of Insanity Ike! We're sort of easing into creepiness that is pretty much guaranteed not to offend this week. LOL Our challenge is Got Goth? and I've chose to go the elegant route with black and lace, etc., inspired by the gorgeous image from our own Teri's Delicious Doodles called Dark Valentine.

Tell me she's not beautiful! That gorgeous shading is all in the digi, so all I had to do was fussy cut and color her lips blood red. She waits patiently at her window (the Decorative Window Scene Die from Heartfelt Creations) holding her perfect red rose. All of the other roses have withered and died but hope springs eternal, as does her undying love for the one she longs for. He calls her his angel, and so she is, the guardian of his heart, the keeper of his soul. Someday...

The lovely DP is from the Shades of Grey collection of digi papers from our own Susan's Crafty Chaos. (We're missing you luv, hope you're on the mend) The Minions are a talented bunch (all but me, I've nothing to sell, BooHoo!) so please check out the sidebar at HDH and have a look at the goodies. In order to get the depth I needed for the window, I had to use 3 layers of foam strips because Dark Valentine is popped as well. Thanks heaven I make my own with Fun Foam and transfer tape, or I'd be broke. The intricate lace across the edge is the Decorative Lace Border Die, another exclusive from Heartfelt Creations made by Spellbinders. This border is really wide so a portion of it was covered up but I think it may turn out to be a new fave for me. So there you have it. The first challenge of 2012 and one that I'm sure many of you will be dying to enter. Go have a look at the fab inspiration by the rest of the Minions and pop back on Wednesday when Creepy Glo posts (because she's special). I am also entering it in the Polka Doodles Through the Window Challenge which has been extended through Jan 8. (You've just GOT to take a look at the gorgeous examples by the DT there. Exquisite!)

Happy New Year and My Faves of 2011

2012-01-01T07:10:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you're all bright and chipper this morning, or if not, at least have a good dose of caffeine or hangover chaser in your hot little fist. In any case, if you're sitting bleary eyed in front of your computer, I've got some projects to looks at (albeit oldies, but aren't they the best kind?) Behold my fave projects of 2011. Certainly not monthly for we all know, I've had some "iffy" months the last couple, but a fairly decent representation of my style. I'll can the explanation of each but if you're interested, you can view the original post to get more info. So without further ado...

For BBTB2

For BBTB2

Again, BBTB2. Hmm...seeing a bit of a pattern here?

For Macabre Monday. Aha! My dark side creeps in!

For BBTB2

For Bah!Humbug!

For The Altered Alice

Ahem...for Bah!Humbug!

For Tiddly Inks

For The Altered Alice

For Macabre Monday

For BBTB2

Yes, I know, LOTS of Cricut. It will always be my first love since that's what got me into this whole crafting scene in the first place and BBTB & BBTB2 have been the driving force in keeping my Cricut creativity alive. And I'm excited to announce that since our BBTB2 team leader Heather is stepping down to assume precious "Grandma duty", my dear friend and longtime DT sister Carole and I are taking the helm at BBTB2. Stay tuned for an exciting opportunity in the very near future.

Dilly Beans Shades of Black and Red

2011-12-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been almost a week since I blogged. I'm really having a guilt thing going on here. So sorry, but hubby was pretty ecstatic about the whole thing, LOL. The holidays are winding down now though, so I hope things will be back to normal soon. I am pleased to have a fabulous new Dilly Beans Challenge for your viewing pleasure today. Those who visit frequently know that one of my favorite color combos is black and red so you can imagine how excited I was for this challenge. I chose the adorable #184 Flower Girl. Love her hair! (Thinkin' about cutting mine. Whaddaya think?) And don't her beautiful grey eyes just make you wanna melt? She looks like she could use a little sun (as do the leaves, for that matter), but I really took this challenge seriously and only allowed myself black, red and white (that's just me) and I love how it turned out.

I printed her 3 times so I could do some fussy cutting and popping and don'tcha just love the flower button I added to the flower in her hair? I couldn't believe how perfectly it matched the background paper I used which is from an old pack from Target. I used my Nesties Blossom and Circle behind Flower Girl and added some bold polka dot ribbon to the black stripe and called it done. No sentiment because I think it could be used for a variety of occasions. My DT sisters have all done a fabulous job with this challenge, so be sure to check out the Challenge Blog and take a peek. We can't wait to see what you come up with. I'm also entering this in The City Crafter Make the Cut Challenge, the Shopping Our Stash Tie it Up Challenge, The Colour Q Challenge (see pic below), and Simon Says Stamp anything Goes.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T10:26:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! This is the "Big Day" in our family as we open our 'prises (short for surprises) this evening and have the neighbors over for a little "Christmas Cheer". We still open stockings tomorrow, however, but Christmas Day is much more relaxed and is just my hubby and I since our BFF's are away and we do our traditional Christmas dinner with them after New Years.

As you can see, Santa is at my house (under the grand piano) deciding who gets what so I hope you've all been good little boys and girls. He is the newest addition (last year) to my Santa collection and all of those fabulous vintage toys pack up in that beautiful trunk for storage. At the moment I'm a bit upset because he's one of a kind and for some reason I've misplaced his "credentials" which also lists the artist. Usually these pieces are also signed but I can't seem to find any signature anywhere either. HHHmm... Hopefully our guy at the Mole Hole in Carmel can remedy that for me. I seem to be a "collector" of all sorts of stuff and my Santas are some of my faves. Click HERE for pix of the others. What about you? Do you have a special Christmas collection that you lovingly put out every year? I'd love to say and chat, but I've still got lots (read more decorating) to do, not to mention wrapping gifts and such. Yeah, I know, I said I wanted this to be a "stress free" holiday and here I am rushing around as usual. The difference is, I'm going with the flow. If it gets done, it gets done, if not, well, nobody really knows (or cares) but me. I still better get moving though. LOL I apologize for not visiting you each individually, but know that I'm thinking of all my blogging friends. So here's wishing all of you a magical Christmas and a very healthy, happy New Year. xxD

Dilly Beans 3 Images Challenge

2011-12-23T05:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday! Can you believe it's the day before Christmas Eve? Yikes! Hope you all are more ready than I am. I apologize for being less than prolific the last couple of months, but hopefully by mid January things will settle down and I'll be back in the groove. Here's wishing all of you a fabulous holiday just in case I don't make it back before. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of your friendship and support. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart and a very Merry Christmas to you! xxx

We're still crafting up a storm at the Dilly Beans Designers and Challenge Blog and this week's challenge is to use 3 images on your card or project. I fell in love with #310 Happy Snowman the minute I saw him with his hands thrown up in the air in pure joy. To me he looks like he is thrilled with winter weather and should be juggling snow balls so I added some wired trim so he could do just that. I also thought Megan's "Joy" (hmm, can't seem to find it in the store but I'm not quite awake yet, LOL) would be the perfect sentiment for my little door hanger. My third stamp is from the Holly Tag and Holly Set. This is a mix of fussy cutting, paper piecing, and coloring with Copics. I particularly love the way his "fur trim" came out. My craft room is such a disaster that I couldn't find my puff pen and started poking around in other drawers. I found a SnowWriter (from perhaps 2 years ago, unopened, the opened one was all dried up) and tried that instead and dusted it with FunFlock so it has dimemson AND is fuzzy. WooHoo! His boots are coated with Glossy Accents and the heart buttons are Alpha Beads.

I treated the images sort of like I do Cricut cuts for layering purposes. They were printed on kraft paper first and I fussy cut them with a border that would show. They were printed again on either DP (these were all from the DCWV Homemade Christmas stack) or white card stock and colored, fussy cut, glued or popped accordingly. Originally I planned on making a card, but this week's Whimsicle Wednesday Home for the Holidays challenge called for a home decor project so I used my Nesties Grand Lables Four to make the hanger instead.There's more fabulous inspiration on the Dilly Beans Challenge Blog so go take a look and if you have a moment to yourself this next week, come play along.

And WOW! Craving Dilly Beans?

Need a last minute Christmas gift (for yourself maybe) or perhaps something to do with the Christmas $$ you received? Check out the fabulous deals in THE STORE now through December 31st.

Wrap it Up Candle Challenge

2011-12-19T07:20:00.000-08:00

This week our challenge at BBTB2 was chosen by our sweet sis Karen in honor of her Daddy's birthday. She chose the candle on the Wrap it Up Cartridge which is one I must say I hadn't touched yet. WooHoo! First I'd like to wish Karen's Dad a very happy birthday and then remind you that you can participate in our challenges using the candle from any cartridge and as long as you enter a new creation and link it to BBTB2, you're good to go. We know it's a busy time of year, and really appreciate your efforts to play along. I started out with 5 of the candles in a row (at 5 ") and welded a scalloped circle from Sweet Treats that I'd stretched into an oval in DS behind them all so I'd have a place to put a sentiment inside where it wouldn't show from the front. That, of course is welded to a rounded rectangle from George to make my card base. I cut it in black, but then had a hard time choosing papers for the inside mat because there really wasn't all that much of it showing from the front. I finally found a card suit print from Stampin'UP that was small enough and continued with that theme.

Here it is open, a shaped front, no surprise there. The smaller scallop, in red, is embossed with a folder from the Sizzix Hello Kitty Spring set (thank goodness I wrote that one on the folder, LOL). The candles were cut in black first, then in Saffron (from Stampin'Up) and gold foil for the flames. I used the larger Cuttlebug Polka Dots on the candles.

"Make a Wish" is also from Sweet Treats and I'm pretty sure I cut the layers at 2". The DP with the poker chips was also part of that Stampin'UP set (now retired, I think). The cute little acrylic cards were from my LSS. So now I've got a b-day card for our poker playing friend almost all set. (His birthday is in July, let's just hope I don't forget where I put it before then) Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful holiday season. I know we've all got lots to do and I truly appreciate you taking the time to visit. Looks like we have a bit of an abbreviated team this week but the participants we do have are definitely worth seeing so stop on by BBTB2 and leave some Christmas cheer. Now I'm off to get boofy at the hair salon. See ya later!

Dilly Beans Santa Baby

2011-12-16T09:40:00.000-08:00

The days are just flying by, aren't they? You ready? I'm not even close. But the Dilly Beans Designers have been hard at work with our new Santa Baby Challenge. Megan has so many adorable Santas and helpers at the Dilly Beans Shop I had a hard time choosing but finally decided on #311 Santa and added #176 Mittens (printed twice, once flipped and fussy cut individually) so he could hold #293 Three Presents. Obviously, someone has been very very GOOD! (That would be ME, LOL I can dream, can't I?) I colored with Copics to match the DP from the Jingle Bells stack by Recollections. The whole thing looks a bit busy, but hey, it's a busy time of year. Santa's beard and moustache were glittered and embossed with Swiss Dots in my Cuttlebug not only for some bling and texture, but because I also planned on entering it in The Cuttlebug Spot Santa Baby challenge this week, as well.

Various part of the pressies are popped and I've added some glittered chipboard by K&Co to the bows and pom pom to Santa's hat. "Jolly Santa" are acrylic from Cloud9. Now go have a look at the fab inspiration from my teamies at the Dilly Beans Challenge Blog and don't forget, you can still grab the adorable freebie Snowman Family and join in that challenge through the 19th, as well. And don't forget the fab sale at the Dilly Beans Shop, now through Dec. 26th. Buy 3 single digis and get one free. WooHoo!

BBTB2 Winter Frolic Tag

2011-12-12T07:56:00.000-08:00

Yea! We're back with a new fabulous challenge at BBTB2. Our dear DT sister Lori has chosen any of the tags from the Winter Frolic cartridge (or any tag if you haven't that one). I chose a pretty shape (the one with the heart cut out on page 70 which I promptly hid the contour of in DS) and cut the shadow and patterned topper at 6". I was going for a vintage feel using paper from y fave older K&Co. Christmas Cheer stack and thought some embossing might be in order. I chose a love scrolly folder from the Heritage Companion Embossing set. although the folder is 5x7", it still wasn't large enough to emboss the entire tag base so I had to do it half and half in my Grand Caliber. The gold layer is the top tag layer increased to 6 3/8". There are so many cute phrases on Winter Frolic that I had a hard time choosing.g.

"All Spruced Up" caught my eye thinkin' I could use the tag as sort of a clue to one of the Christmas gifts for my hubby. You know, reminding me that this box has some spiffy new clothes in it. We don't use tags very often at our house because the gifts under the tree are for each other. I'm usually wrapping those for others at the last minute and they're had delivered or sent so there's really no need. I like to wrap mine sort of according to what's in the box so I can remember what's what. DH just writes them all down in a notebook so he can dole the out appropriately. LOL Anyway, the branches are cut with a Tim Holtz Festive Greenery Die to which I added some vintage tinsel and the ornaments are K&Co stickers that went with the Christmas Cheer DP. I sorta felt like I was cheating, but hey, I'm really running behind on everything (as usual) so...

Although I had great intentions on doing a different project for the Whimsical Wednesday Layer It challenge, I'm afraid this one will have to do because I'm running out of time there. And I can't resist entering Cindy's Scraptastic Monday Challenge which calls for a card, tag or ornament that includes a Christmas ball on it and some bling! I'm hoping you haven't forgotten about us at BBTB2 and have a chance to play along with our challenge. Remember, you have 2 weeks in which to complete it and be sure to stop over to BBTB2 and check out the fab inspiration from my DT sisters.

Dilly Beans Twisted Christmas

2011-12-08T07:30:00.000-08:00

It's time for another Dilly Beans Challenge and this week it's a fun one, Twisted Christmas. HeeHee! Now the theme is open to interpretation, but also being a Macabre Minion at HDH, missing my dark and twisted sisters while we're on break, I had to go a teeny bit creepy. Besides, this is pretty much how I'm feeling at this stage of the game. How about you? The image is called #275 Framed Disturbed Snowman (ya think?) but there are lots of creepy cute images in the SHOP. And actually, you can play along with any image, as long as it fits the theme, so why don'tcha? The DP is Making Memories. I don't know about you, but counting down the days 'til Christmas totally freaks me out. As if I don't already know how freakin' behind I am.

I printed him twice so I could fussy cut the bags under his eyes and pop them and I've popped alternating letters of the sentiment as well as the image panel. The black snowflake is Cuttlebug and the black icicles are courtesy of Martha Stewart. They're a good thing. The cool letters are Cuttlebug Embossing Plus Postage Alphabet. I really love these folders but I don't think they caught on. My DT sisters have some hilarious examples for they're take on the challenge so pop on over to the Dilly Beans Designers and Challenge Blog and have a look. Oh, and BTW, our special kick-off Snowman Family Challenge is still going on through Dec 19th so you might want to pop over, grab the FREEBIE (WOOHOO!) and play along for the fab prizes. Now, hopefully Cindy and the gang won't have a heart attack, but I'm also entering this is this week's Scraptastic Monday challenge #5 which calls for a snowman(check) or snowflake(check) with a winter wonderland theme (well, icicles?, you decide, LOL). Maybe I can do another, but I'm not counting on it considering how things are going.

Bah!Humbug!, Scraptastic Monday, and Whimsical Wednesday, WooHoo!

2011-12-07T20:50:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's the very last Bah! Humbug! challenge of the year. I want to thank Ann, Max and the monthly Guest Designers for the fabulous inspiration they've given me these long months. The final challenge is Cute Christmas Critters and I don't think you can get any cuter than this sweet little Christmas Penguin from Cindy's Scraptastic Designs. Better yet, I was able to enter it in the Scraptastic Monday Challenge #4 which calls for no red, green, or gold. In case you're unfamiliar with the Scraptastic Monday challenges, there's a new challenge once a week but you have 2 weeks to complete the challenge. You may use anything you like (your Cricut, rubber stamps, or digi's) as long as you follow the theme, but of course I wanted to use one of Cindy's own. For this challenge, you even get an adorable free digi for entering (showcased by Cindy's talented daughter Tiffany among the DT examples) so I know you all want to check it out and enter.

Seriously, who could resist that face? I printed him twice and colored him with Copics, then fussy cut him out along with his beak, wings (or are they called flippers?) and light strand from the second image and popped him into a Nesties Beaded Circle. The glitter snowflakes are a McGill punch and I've also added some glitter icicles punched with a MS border punch. Oh oh, I see a bit of chartreuse has snuck onto the ribbon. EEK! Quickly avert your eyes, or if I must, I'll gladly rip it off to qualify for that fabulous digi.

Here's the dimension shot. Notice the pretty bling on the light strand and snowflake centers? That's for the current Whimsical Wednesday Winter Fun Challenge that just started today and asks that you use something sparkly. I think I've got it covered with the that and the glitter snowflakes and icicles, don't you? I'm also entering this in the ABC Christmas Challenge (Y is for Yippee! Anything Goes).

Wicked Wednesday Black and White Challenge

2011-12-05T10:47:00.000-08:00

Have you played along with Wicked Wednesday yet? ATC's are so much fun and go really fast so I was able to sneak this in this morning between my workout and shower. We're on the way to the city (SF) to see My Week with Marilyn and do a little Christmas shopping. WooHoo! The challenge this week is Black and White. Ah well, okay, how about black and off white? Can you work with me Jenn? I have to admit I found this little birdie already cut and raring to go and he just begged to be used and he was off white, so... He's cut from the Home Decor Cricut cart. I popped him on a branch I punched with my new MS deep edge, added some corners, beads, and some musical note brads and there ya go.

So where is BBTB2? Well, the team has another little break this week. Sorry about that. I'll try to do something more with my Cricut this week for your viewing pleasure (but don't hold me to that, it is the holidays, after all and I made that deal with hubby...) In the meantime, if you didn't see my Altered Alice post from yesterday, scroll down to see a bit more Cricut goodness. Catch ya later. I'm off to get boofy.

A Lewis Christmas Carroll to All

2011-12-04T06:45:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from The Altered Alice! This month we bring you our holiday wishes, and we invite you to send your holiday greetings to The Altered Alice. You have until Friday, Dec. 23 to enter. The winner post will either be a little early or late, as the last Sunday of the month falls on Christmas day!

To celebrate the season, we bring you The Lewis Carroll Memorial Window at Daniell Chapel in England. Notice the left panel where Lewis Carroll and Alice kneel to pay homage to the newly born Christ in this wonderful Nativity scene! Our quote this month is actually contained within the window. The window was designed by the stained glass artist Geoffrey Webb, a must-see for anyone that loves Wonderland. A wonderful Christmas poem by Lewis Carroll is shown in the center three bottom panels, which include characters from Wonderland - the White Rabbit, Dodo, the Caterpillar, Mad Hatter, and more!

Our own Sue Roddis visited this window and is sharing the closeups on The Altered Alice so be sure to visit to view all of the glorious details and read the lovely verse.

My project is a teapot snowglobe easel card featuring the Alice characters taking their Christmas tea in a Wonderland of snow. The stamp is from our past sponsor Indigo Blu from the Alice II set. I've cut the teapot on my Cricut using the Ashlyn's alphabet cartridge with a circular cut out to fit my "globe" from George. The image is popped and I've added snowflakes from Jolee's as well as mica flake glitter to create a Winter Wonderland.

The globe itself is leftover packaging material from Terrifically Tacky Tape. I encourage you this holiday season to look at your trimmings and wrap and repurpose, recycle and reuse whenever possible.

The sentiment is computer generated and the banner is mounted, layered and popped on Nesties Labels Eleven which serves as a "stop" for my Easel. I've also used my Cuttlebug to cut and emboss a silver snowflake to which I've added a beaded one from JoLee's.

Our prize this month is a $40.00 gift certificate to Custom Crops, the premier online retailer for crafters of all kinds. From Accuquilt to Zva Creative, adhesives to vinyl and everything in between, Custom Crops offers a huge selection of the products you've been looking for at competive prices with fast, friendly customer service.

We look forward to seeing your holiday greetings at The Altered Alice, so send us a Christmas Card! If it features Wonderland, you will have two chances at the randomly awarded prize instead of one. Multiple entries are fine, but each must be on a separate post. Please visit each week to see fabulous inspiration from all of our team and click HERE to view the lovely creations by my sisters Tracy and Retta this week.

I'm also entering this in the Cuttlebug Spot "Leftovers" Challenge this week. Besides the leftover packaging, the DP is scraps from the SEI Winter Song Stack.

Dilly Beans Stripes Challenge

2011-12-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's our first official Dilly Beans Friday Challenge and it's an easy one. Use STRIPES, any way you want to. I decided to take a little break from Christmas and use the first Dilly Beans image I ever saw (or bought) on my teamie Jenn's blog. I immediately fell in love with #197 Framed Bumblebee Girlie , isn't she just bee-u-tiful?) and was blown away with the cute and quirky Dilly Beans designs. She's colored with Copics with a bit of gel pen detail and I used skittles at the end of her antennae. The bottom portion of her wings is layered and curled and attached only near her body so they would have a bit of dimension. The color scheme is simple using the sort of retro flowers DP from an old pack from Target and a fun yellow stripe by Heidi Grace. The little hive is a metal "quicklet" from the Eyelet Outlet I've attached over a Prima flower with a Queen&Co bee brad. Now go "bee" inspired by the rest of the DT and we'd love it if you'd play along. BTW, there's still time to grab the freebie HERE for our 3 week kick-off challenge too so we hope to see you there too. (Lots of prizes!) I'm also entering this in the Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes Challenge.

Tiddly Inks New Release and SALE!

2011-12-01T06:40:00.000-08:00

I've been missing my Tiddly Inks and Inkers so much since retiring from the team the end of October and was thrilled to see the fabulous new release Christy cooked up (or should I say sketched up) after spending time with her adorable niece the past weekend. I had such a hard time choosing which of these darling "Little Somethings" to use first, but this "Little So and So" really stole my heart. I had a fun time paper piecing him and shading him with Copics and I finally got to use some of my DCWV Safari Kids Stack. You can view the rest of the group and fabby samples on Christy's Blog HERE. And WOOHOO! Check out the Cyber Thursday code (SOMETHING) for a whopping 30%off any order at the Tiddly Inks Shop.

I was excited to use Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch #145 for my card for this is the first time playing along with this challenge. And I'm also entering it in the Shopping Our Stash Digi Images and/or Sentiments Challenge. (BTW, that cute little digi saying is TI too) Happy shopping!

Bah!Humbug! Fabric Challenge

2011-11-29T12:55:00.000-08:00

This week the lovely ladies of Bah! Humbug! have challenged us to use fabric. Normally this would be daunting for me, but I came across some Loralie fabric I'd purchased in 2009 that I had bought from J&O Fabrics. They don't have much of a selection any more, but Loralie Designs in the meantime not only has it's own website, but makes all sorts of stamps and stuff, embroidery designs, you name it, with not only some kitties, but her signature sassy ladies, so if you're interested, check them out HERE. OOps! Off the track a bit here. I'd bought this fabric because of the adorable cards Enfys was making with them but I never got around to trying any myself. 'Bout time, eh? Basically all you do is glue the fabric to card stock using a glue stick, wait for it to dry and fussy cut it out. Make sure you've glued your design completely and it really resists fraying and cuts easily with sharp scissors. The background DP is from an 8x8 pad by Making Memories I got on clearance last year and the little Bingo card is Jennie Bowlin. WooHoo! Couldn't be simpler.

As you can see, I've lots more fabric and Jezzie was eyeing the kitties in the foreground thinkin' they would make fab cards for her to send. I think this would be a great idea for those who sew as well. Make something cute using fabric and save a bit for a matching card. The possibilities are endless. For once I've not waited until the very last minute to complete this challenge, so I suggest you pop by Bah!Humbug! and be inspired by the lovely examples by the DT and join the challenge too. It's almost December. YIKES!

A Freebie for Snowman Lovers!

2011-11-28T06:49:00.000-08:00

We're all so excited about the new Dilly Beans Challenge Blog that we just couldn't wait until Friday so Megan has provided you with this adorable Snow Family Freebie with which to create a project and a chance to win some fabulous prizes. WooHoo! I had so much fun coloring and glittering them up and even used some puff paint for their hats. (Note to self, do NOT lay your heat gun on the carpet until it's cooled off or you'll melt it, OOPS!) The group is cut with Nesties Labels 10 and mounted on glittered snowflake borders from the Tim Holtz Snow Flurries On The Edge Die. The cute snowman DP is from (well gosh, I've got so much crap laying on my floor, I don't know who it's by, sorry).

I printed my image 3 times so I could get the dimension I crave and it came together in no time since it was so easy to color with my Copics. For a little extra pizazz I threw in some epoxy stickers from Recollections and some cool tinselly stuff from my LSS. Hurry over to grab your Freebie HERE and while you're there, take a gander at the inspiration by the DT to get your mojo flowing. You have 3 weeks to complete the challenge ('til Dec 19th) and there will be 4 (yes, COUNT 'EM 4!!!!) winners. What are you waiting for????? I'm also entering this in the Paper Sundaes Winter Wonderland Challenge, the Cardmadfairies (also Winter Wonderland) Challenge , the 4 Crafty Chicks Snowflake Challenge and the Crafty Catz Snowman Challenge.

Whimsicle Wednesday Texture Challenge and Some Big News!

2011-11-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm sorry, I've been taking time off. One of the things I sort of promised was that I would attempt to make the holidays stress free. (Notice, I said attempt, LOL) We had a lovely Thanksgiving with stuff done at a reasonable time and a quiet day yesterday. However, I've been itchin' to craft and finally managed a cute little card for the current Whimsical Wednesday Add Texture challenge. I used the Heartfelt Creations Decorative Layered Basket die and made a shaped card by folding the card stock and placing the handle of the base die just above the crease. It's tiny, but oh so cute. I ran it through the Cuttlebug Plaid folder to give it more of a woven appearance, and hey, that is the challenge after all.

The adorable little Snowman tag is from Dilly Beans. I was able to print it small enough for the little basket and then colored it with Copics, backed it with card stock and embossed it with Swiss Dots (inspired by my dear friend Carole, the embossing queen!) I love the added interest the texture adds to the stamped image. This brings me to my exciting news!

I'm honored to be a part of the new Dilly Beans Design Team! The first challenge will be Friday December 2nd, but there just may be a little something before that that everyone will be able to participate in, so stay tuned. In the meantime, Megan has been drawing up a storm so you just might want to check out the Dilly Beans Shop to see all of her new designs (and check out the super sale only through midnight tomorrow!) and visit the Challenge Blog to take a peek at my fabulous DT sisters.

Here's one more pic of my little basket card. Maybe you can see the texture a little better here. I've added a few punched snowflakes and pearls and there ya go. Stephanie has some exciting news as well. The sneak peeks for her fabulous new stamps will be next Thursday and Friday Dec 1 & 2) with the release on Friday, December 2nd at 7:00pm EST. I'm sure you all are as excited as I am for Stephanie and can't wait to see what she has in store. There will even be a blog hop with her fabulous DT where you have a chance to win ALL 4 SETS! I KNOW I'll be seeing you there! I'm also entering this in the Simon Says Stamp Tag You're It Challenge. Have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

BBTB2 Mouse from Meow

2011-11-21T07:14:00.000-08:00

Eiyiyi! You have no idea how close I came to not having anything for you this morning but TADA! Guilt triumphs over exhaustion and here ya go. LOL Sweet Melissa chose the mouse from the Meow Lite cartridge for our BBTB2 Challenge this week. Generally this would be right up my alley, especially considering Goliath and Jezzie's habit of bringing them in to play (Jezzie) or for a snack (Goliath). Guess the prob this time was I had too many ideas, some being way more elaborate than my mojo would allow, so I settled on a sort of "Meet me under the mouseltoe" idea. Mice, from Meow, (obviously) welded togther with the "Kiss Kiss" sentiment from Tie the Knot and mistletoe from Christmas Solutions cartridge. I'm sorry I rarely (if ever) have my sizes. Often I experiment with a bunch of them or just stretch or compress things to fit, and I'm usually scrambling to complete, photograph, upload and post whatever I'm making so going back and figuring it out takes more time than I'm willing to spend (especially these days). I am pretty sure that the heart from George is 5 1/2" but the scalloped behind was the shadow of that heart with a bunch of little (less than 1") circles welded to it to make it scalloped because I'd already cut the plain heart out of the pretty striped DP (and didn't have any more of it) and decided the plain shadow was too plain. I know there are other scalloped hearts around, but none seemed to be the right shape. I embossed it with the 5x7" Polka Dots Cuttlebug folder (in sections) with my Grand Caliber which was the only machine that was large enough to accomodate the larger folder with the cut partially hanging out of it. (PITA! I was obviously not thinking things through in advance with this project.)

To be honest, I'm not quite sure what this thing is, a tag, a door hanger? It's not a card (yet, anyway) because I really needed to quit (near midnight). Normally, I don't craft in the evening unless hubby is not home and our bedtime is embarrassingly early (although we're often up at 4:00am) so it is what it is at the moment. A bit of dimension and thank God I found the adorable K&Co chipboard stocking in my stash or I'd probably STILL be up scratching my head about how to jazz it up. I still think the little mice need some attention, but that will be another day since I'm off to get beautified at the salon for Thanksgiving. My fabulous DT sisters have knocked this one out of the park, so be sure to stop by for inspiration and we hope to see your new creations featuring mice from any Cricut cartridge. Remember, you have two weeks and your creations must be linked in your blog post to BBTB2. Thanks so much for playing along. We really love seeing what you come up with each week. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

An ATC for Wicked Wednesday

2011-11-20T12:16:00.000-08:00

Okay, so instead of working on my DT project for this week I've been messing around with an ATC. Have you seen the new(ish) Wicked Wednesday ATC Blog? Jenn has some fun challenges for ATC's only and this week it's being sponsored by Dilly Beans. Since ATC's are only 2.5" x 3.5" I figured I could slip one in today quickly but got pretty involved trying to come up with something a bit different. The challenge is Flowerful and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to use another of my adorable Dilly Beans stamps. This one is #186 Framed Flower girl. After coloring her with Copics, I used my craft knife to cut out the frame and background. I tried a number of Dp's behind it, but in my stash was an old laser cut sheet. Cool! Then I came across some really heavy acetate from the now defunct Short Cuts and wondered if anyone ever makes transparent ATC's. Well, they do now! LOL Not the greatest background here, but I wanted you to see that you could see through it.

Whenever I print a digi stamp. I always print it at least twice (more likely 3 times) just in case I screw up the coloring or decide to layer the image. Big surprise, the flower is layered and I've used a tiny button for the flower center. Often ATC's are traded and the back is used to write the artist's name, blog, and whatever other pertinent info you want to include, a bit of a prob for a transparent one. LOL However, on the back I added a Scalloped Nestie Oval behind her head ( and not visible from the front) for a place to write if need be. This was a really fun challenge for me since my mojo has really needed a shot in the arm. I know I'll be playing again soon. If you want to try something new, why not pop over to the Wicked Wednesday Challenge Blog and be inspired. There's still a couple of days left for this challenge and there's an adorable Dilly Beans Stamp up for grabs. I'm also entering this in the ATC Challenge Blog #15 Anything Goes or Lace Challenge, the Squiggles Saturday Anything But a Card Challenge, and the Speedy's Friends Black, White and One Other Color Challenge (I'm assuming eye and skin color doesn't count here). Now I better get my butt in gear, or there'll be no BBTB2 for tomorrow. YIKES!

CDAC Progressive Challenge

2011-11-17T16:30:00.000-08:00

Clearly, I'm having a problem crafting. Seems like I can only concentrate fully on one thing at a time, and lately it's been eating healthy and exercising my butt off (I wish!) which takes a major chunk out of my day and my mojo has suffered (BIG TIME!) When I finally actually have time to craft, I'm scurrying from blog to blog and challenge to challenge and although there are a million I WANT to participate in, it seems I can't make up my mind WHICH to do first (so I end up doing nothing). I've been talking about balance in my life, but I certainly haven't found it yet and I'm feeling terribly guilty now about my lack of posting.

So anyway, I got an email from CDAC talking about their Progressive Freebie Challenge Series 2, which is just starting now and decided to give it a try. Not a member of CDAC? No problem, just ASK to join. Then join the Progressive challenge Group and WooHoo! You're provided with a bunch of free images from a number of fab digi artists and all you have to do is use one to make a project and you have 2 weeks to do it. As long as you participate during each round, you continue to get the images for free (and if for some reason you just don't make it one round, you can buy in the round you missed for just $1.00). The payoff? Complete all 6 rounds and you will be entered in the fabulous grand prize drawing. Fun, huh? Since crab season started yesterday in CA, I just HAD to use the cute crab from Tiffany Doodles along with the birthday sentiment from Sending Treasures (that I modified a bit to go with the crab theme). HeeHee! These qualify me to enter the My Partner in Crafting Crime Freebie Challenge.

That crab just begged to be paper pieced so I'm entering it in the 4 Crafty Chicks Challenge this week and I added some lidded google eyes as well. The sentiment was cut with my Nesties labels One and the DP's are from an ancient DCWV stack. The shell border is a Martha Stewart punch.

I've popped parts of the crab as well as the mats and done a number on some of them with my Distrezz-it-All to make it more masculine. The twine holding the shell charms are looped through eyelets done with my Cropadile. These 3 different embellishments, along with the 2 patterned papers ( the large nauticul mat and the barely visible diagonal striped mat behind the small blue one) and one image qualifies for the Crazy Challenge Recipe this week. So yea! I'm set for round one, (although I just might make some more cards using the other adorable stamps I received in this round) and although this took me far longer than I ever anticipated, at least I finished something. If you've never played at CDAC, you must check it out. Lots of good stuff going on there all the time and it's a very supportive community.

BBTB2 Winter Woodland Joy Challenge

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

Morning! This week at BBTB2, our lovely Mona chose the "Joy" cut from Winter Woodland. This is just the kind of cut I love to design with because there's plenty of room to be creative. I've sort of been skating with some really simple cards this past week so I decided to make a nice fat juicy one. These are the kind I really feel a sense of accomplishment after assembling and although they're a royal PITA to make an envie for and to send, I think the recipient appreciates all the work that was involved. I've added snowflakes from Winter Lace and a swirl from Ashlyn's Alphabet and welded it all to my fave rounded rectangle from George (stretched to fit) in DS.

It is a shaped front card with just a few contours hidden (like the center of the "O" in Joy) so there would be room for at least a small sentiment without it showing through to the front. The inside mat is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder on each side. It's especially important to add texture to cards with such a simple color scheme. I've also embossed the Joy and swirl with Swiss Dots and glittered the snowflakes and "O" for more pizazz.

That "O" is not a separate cut on the cartridge, but I thought Joy looked a bit flat so I made one more cut of the Joy (and the shadow) and hand trimmed it out so I could pop one more layer. Adhesive beads are a bit difficult to stick to glitter so I tried a Viva Pearl Pen in red for the first time. I was happy with the way it worked, except for the fact that there was a tiny bit of bleeding (not really noticeable except to me and if you're really, REALLY looking for it). Upon closer observation, I think it's because as the liquid was settling, it wanted to absorb somewhat into the paper but the glitter sort of dispersed it. Had it not been as much of a contrast as bright as red, I don't think it would be noticeable at all, but it did prevent me from trying it on the flocking on my previous project because I think that may have done the same thing, only worse.

Here you can really see just how FAT the card really is. You'll also notice that I stickled the swirls on the embossed portions of the inside mat (because it looked so pretty on DY Sister Jeri's card last week). Thanks, Jeri! So, after making it through all of this, I'll bet you're more than ready to pop over to BBTB2 and see the fabulous inspiration from the rest of our team. Don't forget, you have 2 weeks to play, new creations only, you may substitute a similar Cricut cart if you don't have the one chosen, and please link back to BBTB2 so others can join in the fun. There's also still time to enter our "Boy Crazy" contest so be sure and check it out.

ADFD for Bah!Humbug! and a Few More Challenges

2011-11-12T15:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, don't faint ladies! Yes, it's Saturday and I've done my Bah!Humbug! challenge ALREADY this week. YEEHAW! I knew immediately what image (or at least which group of images) I was gonna use for the Baby's First Christmas challenge. 4 Crafty Chicks is also asking for a baby theme, as is Designed to Delight, WooHoo! I have the whole Santa's Nice List set from ADFD and chose this cutie in the stocking cap. The current ADFD challenge is "Flock Together" so I printed the image (flipped) 3 times so I could cut it apart and flock the pieces individually by running them face down through my Xyron and then reassembling them on the base image. (Does that make sense?)

Tell me this isn't the sweetest baby EVER! Well actually there are 3 other singles, a set of triplets, and a stocking just filled with a teddy and sweets in this set, but the stocking cap really did it for me because I could add a mini pompom. What little coloring there is is done with my Copics. The red part of the stocking is colored as well, before running through the Xyron and flocking, so the coverage is deep and even. The little dots on the toe and heel are mini adhesive beads I applied AFTER running through the Xyron but before adding the flock. The flock would have obscured the dots had I just colored them, and I was afraid of bleeding if I tried to touch them up after. The adhesive on the beads doesn't stick well to the flock, either, but applying glue after the fact is pretty messy so this solution worked well for me.

Besides the flocking, I wanted to add some additional texture for the Cardmadfairy's Texture Challenge and the Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday Challenge which is Embossing. I chose a Sizzix folder because the scallops echoed the Nestie scalloped mat but look what happened when I ran it through my Cuttlebug. I've had this happen with quite a few of the Sizzix folders, including those by Tim Holtz, and I was really bummed at how it actually cracked and ripped my cardstock because of the deep embossing.

Lucy McGoo's Wonder Goo to the rescue! Honestly, this stuff has been on my crafting table for MONTHS! I bought it at a Scrap Expo (I think) because it's supposed to help get a better impression when using those old embossing plates (rather than the folders) so I thought I'd give it a go and WOOHOO! A little spritz on the card stock, in the folder, and through the Cuttlebug and VOILA! No more cracking! I do, however suggest you leave it in the folder until the thing dries because it does have a tendency to curl more, but hey, small price to pay. I'd been getting kind of discouraged with these folders lately so I'm happy as a clam to find a solution. That link is the only place I found this stuff online, but I hate to mention a product with no link to where you can get it sooo... I also apologize for such a long post for such a simple card, but I finally seem to be coming out of my funk so I'm back to my old wordy self. LOL Anyway, I'm off to get boofy for the first holiday party of the season at my BFF's. Have a great rest of the weekend and go check out all of these fab challenges, if for no other reason than to oooohh and aaaahh at the DT inspiration.

Dilly Beans for the Bah! Humbug! Snowman Challenge

2011-11-09T15:55:00.000-08:00

This week at Bah! Humbug! the challenge is snowmen. I LOVE snowmen! The problem was choosing which snowman to use. I really love the framed snowmen in the Dilly Beans shop. They're as cute as can be, easy to color and the framing pretty much finishes the card for you so I decided to use Framed Snowman #2 because of his sweet stocking cap. He's colored with Copics to match the Peppermint Forest DP from J's last year and I added some Star Dust Stickles for a little bling. I think pastel Christmas cards are just YUMMY, don't you?

To add a little dimension, I printed my snowman 3 times and fussy cut his nose, the end of his cap and the little heart (twice) and popped them. All I needed were a few mats, a sheer ribbon and some adhesive pears and Voila! Really simple, but cute enough that I may just make a whole set with the rest of the framed snowmen from Dilly Beans. BTW, the Dilly Beans Designer and Challenge Blog is coming in December! WooHoo! And remember, there are only a few more challenges left at Bah!Humbug! before the Humbuggers take their holiday break so be sure to stop by and thank them for helping you get your holiday cards under control. I'm also adding this to the Whimsical Wednesdays Anything Goes Challenge because I seem to be running a bit behind there. There's still some time left for that challenge, and the new one from this past Wednesday is Thanksgiving. See ya there!

BBTB2 Heritage Fancy Corner Challenge

2011-11-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

It's Monday and time for another BBTB2 challenge. This week our fabulous fearless leader (and new Grandma!) Heather chose the decorative corner (Accent9) from the Heritage cartridge on page 62 of the manual. Because I couldn't come up with anything more creative, I decided to make a little you note card by welding 2 of the corners to the Marquee from Storybook for the front. Speaking of Storybook, it is a fabulous source of other fancy corners if you don't happen to have Heritage. The gorgeous monogram is from the new(ish) Art Nouveau cartridge. The top Marquee is embossed with the Cuttlebug Birds and Swirls folder that I thought looked lovely with the corners.

This is also a shaped front card, but because the corners were delicate (and I chose not to use the shadow on them for an more filigree look) I backed it with acetate. For that reason, when welding, I made the back of my card base 4 1/2" inches rather than the standard 4 1/4" (but I still scored at 4 1/4") so I would have an extra 1/4" to attach my acetate to. It is attached only at the top from the inside. I added a tiny decorative strip and beads on the front to embellish. There was no need to attach the rest of the front because it was heavy enough with the layers and popping to lie flat without and gave me the option of not having to add anything further to the back side of the acetate to hide the adhesive.

However, when I got around to the inside and realized just how limited the writing space actually was, I added another Marquee shape to the acetate with a computer generated sentiment, directly behind the one on the front. The tiny cream strip at the fold hides the adhesive where the acetate is attached but I didn't add the beads so it would lay flat. The dotted paper is from the DCWV La Creme stack and the matte metallic is from Recollections. Now, if you haven't already, please scroll down to see if you're the winner of either the BBTB2 or Dia De Los Muertos Blog Hops. I'd hate to see the prizes go to waste. And check out the creations by the rest of the BBTB2 team and put your thinking caps on. We'd love to see what you come up with for this challenge. Remember, you have 2 weeks to complete it, new creations only, and please link it back to BBTB2 so others have a chance to play along.

The Altered Alice Fall Colors

2011-11-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

"`Off with her head!' the Queen shouted at the top of her voice.
Nobody moved. `Who cares for you?' said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this time.) `You're nothing but a pack of cards!'
At this the whole pack rose up into the air, and came flying down upon her: she gave a little scream, half of fright and half of anger, and tried to beat them off, and found herself lying on the bank, with her head in the lap of her sister, who was gently brushing away some dead leaves that had fluttered down from the trees upon her face."

-- Chapter 12, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Perhaps the Wonderland story took place in the Fall. It's the time of year when the days grow shorter, there's a nip in the air and the trees are giving up their green for the vibrant hues of burgundy, scarlet, orange, chartruese and gold. This month your challenge at The Altered Alice is to create a project drenched in the colors of Autumn.

My teapot is hand cut from a template from Gem's cottage using DP from K&Co over a card stock base. The window in the front was cut with my Nesties to reveal the tea party scene.

Our prize again this month is an A5 sized unmounted stamp set from IndigoBlu (a £13 value), or an equivalent amount of A6 stamps. IndigoBlu is a fantastic new British stamp company that makes "Quintessential English Rubber Stamps" right there in England.

I encourage you to go visit IndigoBlu.com. All stamps are on sale right now with their introductory pricing, but that won't last forever, and the designs are all wonderful! In addition, the Head Honcho Alfie says The Altered Alice readers can take 10% OFF during the challenge; just use coupon code Altered Alice in the voucher code box at checkout! Thanks Alfie!

This stamp is from the "Alice II" set and is colored with Copic and inked with Distress. It's recessed from the frame, but there is still plenty of room to fill the pot with tea or other goodies.

I've cut a tea tray using my Nesties Grand Labels One and added autumn leaves to both the tray and the teapot lid. The leaves were either punched or cut with the Cuttlebug Maple leaf and stamped with the crackle stamp from the "Alice I "set before embossing. Please visit The Altered Alice to see our first week's inspiration pieces and we invite you to play along. Our challenges begin the first Sunday of the month, with new inspiration each week and run through the Friday before the last Sunday when the winner and honorable mentions are announced. Hope to see you down the rabbit hole.

Smeared and Smudged Guest Designer Challenge and BOTH Blog Hop Winners

2011-11-05T00:24:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to be Guest Designer this month Smeared and Smudged Forum. Not famliar with Smeared and Smudged? Well, it's a fun, supportive group of "alternative" stampers, hosted by the fab owners of Smeared Ink Stamps. Each month there are a number of different challenges and I was lucky enough to be asked to host the November GDT Challenge. I've used an image from the Smeared Ink Smitten digi set, also available as a single HERE. I chose the image because I'm trying to convince myself that a butt the size of Cleveland can be a GOOD thing since my diet and exercise regimen is not yielding the rapid results I'd hoped for and I'm about ready to eat the furniture. LOL I've added dimension using the pyramage technique with my Nesties. Have you guessed the challenge yet? Well, check it out HERE. I'd love to have you join the forum (just ask) and my challenge this month. And BTW, you get a free digi just for entering. WooHoo!

Now on to the Blog Hop Winners! First, the winner of the BBTB2 Blog Hop and the $40 Gift Certificate from Custom Crops is LUCKY NUMBER 13! Thank you so much Custom Crops for your generous sponsorship!

WOOHOO! Congratulations RO, who wrote:

Now on to the Dia De Los Muertos Blog Hop and the winner of the Cuttlebug With Gratitude Card Making Combo is #15

Congratulations to Ruthie Lopez who wrote:

I want to thank all of you for partcipating in both hops. There are an awful lot of blog hops these days and I really appreciate that you took the time to visit and comment. Winners, please email me at dlmundinger(at)yahoo(dot)com to arrange for your prizes

Bah!Humbug! Die Cut Challenge and the Return of The Cuttlebug Spot

2011-11-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm afraid to say I've missed the last two Bah!Humbug! challenges but I couldn't let another go by. I've been trying the last few weeks to balance my life a bit which has been tough on me and my crafting. This week the ladies of Humbug Hall chose Die Cuts as the challenge. Now normally I'd do a Cricut project, but in honor of the return of The Cuttlebug Spot I opted to use my new Tim Holtz Festive Greenery die and make a tag. These dies to work in the Cuttlebug, but you need to have the Sizzix extended platform and cutting plates to use them (in the Big Shot as well, BTW). Although I have decided to retire from the Cuttlebug Spot DT, I hope to participate in challenges whenever possible. I want to thank Nilda for all of her hard work and the fabulous opportunity to be on such a wonderful team and say "Hey!" to the talented teamies who chose to stay on. The challenge this time is Anything Goes. They will be bi-weekly now and will not necessarily require embossing, but I have so many folders (many that I've acquired since we went on hiatus in April and have yet to use) that I'm pretty sure I'll be embossing anyway. I've used the Tim Holtz Sheet Music folder on my project today. All of my die cuts were actually cut in a medium green card stock and I've used Copics and Distress Inks to color and shade them. The pine cone is also embossed with the Cuttlebug Tiny Mosaic folder. The adesive metal letters are from M's and I've added a few beads for holly berries and a ribbon tie for my stash. As I'm just squeeking in for Bah!Humbug! again (sorry ladies) you'll probably have to wait for Friday's new challenge, but you have nearly two full weeks to join in at The Cuttlebug Spot so I hope to see you there.

Dia de los Muertos Blog Hop

2011-11-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

WooHoo! It's Abby's Second Annual Dia De Los Muertos Blog Hop. If you've come from Monica's Blog, you're on the right track, but if you've happened here by chance click HERE because I know you'd just hate to miss a thing. This is a big celebration at my house and my entire dining room becomes a giant ofrenda (altar) honoring those important people who are no longer with me. Remember, it is a celebration of life and a very festive and happy occasion. Traditionally in Mexico fiestas include brightly colored cut paper banners (papel picados)and this year I decided to create my own with the help of my Cricut.

I used the Autumn Celebrations cart for the base and added and subtracted elements using Design Studio. The flowers are from the Paper Lace cartridge. Traditional banners are usually cut from tissue paper, but these are quite delicate enough just using card stock.

Besides the sugar skull motif, skeletons are often depicted doing the things they loved to do in life such as dancing. Again, the design began with Autumn Celebrations with flowers from Paper Lace. The most difficult aspect here was that when flipping the image, the words were also flipped so I had to hide the letters on the flipped image and then hide all of the contours of an unflipped image BUT the lettering and move it into place to cut this banner correctly.

I have many keepsakes from my relatives that I cherish and include in my ofrenda. This shelf is honoring my maternal grandparents who both died before I was born. It includes their wedding picture and portraits. If you'll notice, in both pix my grandma is in profile. I have never seen a picture of her head on. Apparently, when she was a very young child, she had an eye infection and the Dr. put the wrong drops in her eye causing it to shrivel. I still think she's beautiful. The embroidered satin slippers are those Grandma wore on her wedding day. I have her wedding gown as well. The pocket watch is my Grandfather's and is engraved with his initials. I also include my little Novios (wedding couple) sculpture which signifies Amor Eterno (eternal love). My last year's post includes many more stories and pix of my family artifacts, so if you're interested, please click HERE. Many of you asked last year how I could possibly have so many family heirlooms. I am an only child with no living aunts or uncles on either side of my family and only have 3 living first cousins, one on my Mom's side (who is 16 years older than I) and two on my Dad's. My parents seemed to have been the caretakers of many treasures which have been passed down to me. I so enjoy reliving the stories that were told to me by my parents and I'm thrilled to be able to share them with you, because we have no children to pass them down to and Goliath and Jezzie pretty much couldn't care less. LOL

I try to add to my collection each year and would love to show you my recent acquisitons. First, a 12x12 original canvas by Megan Suarez inspired by Frida Kahlo. Megan is not only a fab painter, but she also sells her adorable Dilly Beans digi stamps.

Second, a gorgeous Mexican folk art piece that I had hoped to make a decorated shadow box for but time got away from me. (Maybe next year)

And finally (because you can never have too many skulls) 3 handpainted bottles of TEQUILA! Time to party!

But before you go, please be sure to leave a comment to be eligible for my blog candy. November is also a month to give thanks so I'm offering this Cuttlebug With Gratitude Card Making combo. Just leave a comment and stop back on Saturday, November 5th when I announce the winner. BTW, I'll also be announcing the winner of the BBTB2 Blog Hop that day, so if you haven't entered my giveaway there, please scroll down. Now you're off to Michelle's Blog. Happy hopping!

Happy "Boo-Day" and BBTB2 Blog Hop

2011-10-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone and welcome to our Monthly Blog Hop for BBTB2. If you came from Susan's Blog you're on the right track. Our dear and fabulously talented Shelly chose either ghost cut from PDDU for this challenge, but I took some artistic license and used the one from Happy Hauntings instead. I was browsing my DS files and came across one called "Boo-day" that I'd done eons ago using the ancient Stamped (not to be confused with Stamping)cartridge. The sentiment was all that as there and I'd done it way before there was any "spooky" Halloween font available. I was originally thinking Halloween birthday, I guess, but actually, Halloween is sort of a "Boo-Day" in itself so I decided to go from there. Try as I might, the suggested cuts didn't work as well for my design so I opted for the others (and you can too, remember, we're easy at BBTB2).

It's my usual shaped front style, welded in DS. The "Happy" is also from the Happy Hauntings Cartridge and the entire mess is welded to the rounded rectangle from George. The inside mat is from my Halloween stash and set the tone for the color scheme. I'd planned to do something more colorful, but in the end I enjoyed the neutral theme. The rest of the DP is from the DCWV La Crema Stack and the ghosts were cut from old glitter paper from WalMart. The sweet little flocked ghosty brad is by Making Memories.

I've done my usual dimensional layers and am pretty pleased with how it came out. I've been in a bit of a funk lately and I'm hoping to snap out of it soon. Now hop along to Carri's Blog, but don't forget to leave a comment to be entered in my giveaway, a $40 gift certificate sponsored by Custom Crops. Check out their sale going on NOW with Cricut carts starting at $15.00! I'll be drawing the winner using Random Org on Saturday, November 5th. WooHoo! If you ever get lost along the way, hop back to BBTB2 to get yourself back on track and of course, we'd love to see your take on the challenge. Please link up a new creation using any ghost cut by Nov 13th to win our much coveted POW blinkie. Happy hopping, and have a wonderful, safe, Halloween.

I"m also just squeeking in on the ABC "B" is for Boo Challenge and the Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes Challenge.

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for the 2nd Annual Dia De Los Muertos Blog Hop!

Heinously Haunted Houses

2011-10-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

It's the day we've all been waiting for! The Masterful Mistress and the Minions wish you a fabulously safe and spooky Halloween! Our challenge this week at HDH is Heinously Haunted Houses and there is a fabulous prize pack being offered by the Mistress herself so let's see some spooky stuff. I've merged two digi images from Make it Crafty, the Spooky House and Spooky Graveyard. I've colored them with Copics in neutral tones and used my Nesties Grand Creative Book Pages to cut both the image and the scalloped base. The hanging handle was cut with Nesties labels Ten and threaded with a hand cut banner. "Welcome" is spelled out with letters from the QuicKutz Haunted Mini Alphabet that works in your Cuttlebug, Big Shot, or Grand Caliber using the same sandwich you'd use for your Nesties. the entire piece was inked with Distress in Pumice Stone, Brushed Corduroy and Black Soot. The Minions will be taking a little break from our regularly scheduled challenges for the rest of the year, but you never know what might be brewing at HDH, so don't be strangers. In the meantime, go have a look at the fab inspiration HERE, and don't forget Wicked Wednesday when Creepy Glowbugg posts the winners and her amazing creation.

Tiddly Inks Fabulous Inky Friday

2011-10-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

I just love the new Fall Queen digi at Tiddly Inks Shop! Little Mavis looks so cute perched atop those pumpkins and I just couldn't resist her. She's colored with Copics and cut with Nesties. The DP is from an old DCWV Fall stack. For embellies I used some burlap ribbon and layered card stock and more DP on top. The leaves and acorn are wooden (so cute) and were found in the button section of J's. Flowers are Prima and that's it. Love that she can be used for any Fall occasion (and there's a new Christmas version of Mavis for all you kitty lovers now too. WooHoo!) Pop by the Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog for more inspiration from our Tiddly fans and DT.

BBTB2 Happy Hauntings Witch Challenge

2011-10-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! Just one week to go until the big day and I've LOTS to do still. (Make that EVERYTHING to do still, I'm such a procrastinator and I've been a bit preoccupied! LOL) This week my dear friend and MSU alumni sister Susan has chosen the witch from Happy Hauntings for our BBTB2 challenge. I wasn't quite sure what to do with her until I was shopping in Target and saw some honeycomb tabletop decorations that reminded me of something I had as a child. That, combined with the Whimsical Wednesday challenge of Halloween Home Decor, led to this project.

Nothing fancy here. I just cut the witch and layers at 5 1/2 inches twice (once flipped) so it would be two sided. I kept the colors to a minimum to hopefully capture more of a vintage feel and embossed the cape and broom. The black layer is popped on both sides, as is the broom. Athough the orange base is also 2 layers, I should have cut it in chipboard for strength as she is adhered to the honeycomb by her foot and just the bottom of her dress. I wanted to be able to close the honeycomb for storage so I glued one side together (with the witch in place) and used some removeable tape and a paper clip underneath for the other. "Happy Halloween" is also from Happy Hauntings and I added tabs to it so it would just fit in the slots of the honeycomb for display instead of gluing it permanently.

I dug out the original hanging decoration to show you. (Couldn't get a pic so it's hanging from the cat pole but won't be staying there. LOL) This is truly vintage from the 50's and is a little worse for wear. Wish I'd been a bit more creative with my cut and I will probably try again as I'm not so pleased with it. I was trying to follow the challenge exactly, but I think I could have found a more vintage looking witch. My FAVE decor item I've made using a witch is HERE. I have trouble doing a second project when I've made one I love and I'm in a bit of a creative slump as I'm trying to get back on track with healthy eating and exercise (and no WINE!) to make up for the year and a half (or more) of crafting 24/7 and I'm sort of a crabby BI---, I mean WITCH! Sorry! My DT siters have done a much better job than I, so be sure to check out the rest of the DT at BBTB2 and we'd love it if you'd play along. Yo uhave 2 weeks to complete the challenge, please make it a new project and link back to BBTB2 and you may use any witch from any cart. I'm also entering it in the Getting Cricky Orange and Black (and only one other color) challenge.

Macabre Monday Movie Madness:Pumpkinhead

2011-10-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

This week at HDH the challenge is to create a project inspired in some way by the B Horror fick Pumpkinhead. Okay, I'll admit it. This one slipped by me. I Googled it and the dude looked nothing like a pumpkin to me, but I had this fab digi stamp of the same name by Rick St.Dennis so of course I HAD to use him. He's pretty darn creepy himself, no? Looks like he's about to stomp the crap out of that smiling jack-o-lantern. I've added a "lucky" 7 , cut with my Cricut from the Happy Hauntings cartridge in order to play along with the SBS 12 Days of Halloween (7 pumpkins glowing) and embossed it with a Sizzix folder. The sentiment was done with my Dymo Label Maker. (I'd be feeling luckier if I never ran into this guy on a dark street. LOL)

I've colored this "gourd-geous" guy with Copics and fussy cut him out. Love the detail of this image. The Minions have a fabulous assortment of projects this week, some even featuring the DUDE himself, so be sure to have a look and don't forget our Wretched Wednesday when Creepy Glo posts her fab stuff and announces the winners from the previous week.

Three Black Cats

2011-10-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

I recently bought some of the cool Silhouette digis from Bugaboo. I LOVE them! Of course I love their cutesy stuff too, but this is a whole new ball game. The current challenge at Bugaboo Stamps Catch the Bug Challenge Blog is Animal Antics so I decided to use the Happy Halloween Cat and do some cropping and pasting to add two more to enter Day 3 of the 12 Days of Halloween at Simply Betty. I also wanted it to be really bold and graphic so instead of coloring, I printed the image twice, once on orange and once on yellow and used my Nesties paper piece the moon. ( I just lucked out on the size, here) Pretty cool, eh? Since all three kitties didn't fit that well within the circle, I added a punched fence from Martha. Then, to balance the design, some pumpkins trimmed from a border punch and photocorners from EK Success, a few adhesive beads (which I hope will count as "bling" for the Fussy and Fancy Fridays "3 B's" challenge) and there ya go! I'm also entering this in the DYSU Trees challenge. Just so ya know, you don't have to enter all 12 Days of Halloween to win a prize at SBS, and this year you have until October 30th to link up any (or ALL) of them.

On the Fourth Day of Halloween...

2011-10-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

My true love gave to me,

Four skeletons,

Three black cats,

Two trick or treaters

and an owl in a rotten oak tree.

I'm so excited to have been invited to participate in the fabulous 12 Days of Halloween Simply Betty Stamps event. Visit the SBS Blog to see the daily prizes up for grabs. Unlike last year when you had two or three days to complete your projects, this time around you have until the 30th of October to upload all your projects for all the 12 Days. Play a little, or play a lot. Of course each day will have it's own linky, and you must upload your projects accordingly. Each project must be a new project. On the 30th, all links will close, Betty and the DT will take one week to sort out the winners and announce them on Nov. 5th. There will be several winners, but one person that enters ALL 12 days and is best of the best will be chosen to be a part of the SBS DT for 2012!

I've used the fabulous Draco the Ghost Gent, one of the Steampunk Victorian Halloween stamps. Isn't he a dapper dude? He's colored with Copics and cut and matted with Nesties Mega Ovals. The skellies are a Tim Holtz stamp that I've heat embossed with white opaque embossing powder, fussy cut and arranged in an underlined "4". (Hope you caught that. I had an extra, what can I say? Personally I think Draco looks like a skellie but DH said no because he has a chin. HUH?)

They're popped for dimension as well as the fab Draco. the papers are DCWV Le Crema and K&Co. The little swirls on the corners are the off cuts from an EK Success border punch. The SBS DT has more gorgeous examples and there's plenty of time to catch up on the previous day's offerings as well. Visit the SBS Blog HERE to be amazed and inspired.

A Tiddly Inks Halloween

2011-10-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Oh what fun we have at the Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog today. We're celebrating Halloween in major style and I really think the Tiddly Inkers have outdone themselves. There are so many cute Halloween images in the SHOP that it was tough to choose, but when I saw Sugar Angel and Angel Spice with their little treat bags (and their fab haircuts, LOL, available individually, as well, but the set is such a DEAL!), it brought back fond memories of trick or treating with my BFF, so I thought I'd create a little scene. The house and fence are Tim Holtz dies and the grass and kitty, MS. The little row of pumpkins are felt from Queen & Co.

I merged the two images in my Printmaster Program. This is SOOO easy to do with the PNG version of the images in any computer program like Photoshop etc. Then I colored them up with Copics and cut them out with my Nesties Grand Oval. The top of the sentiment is done with my trusty Alpha Beads.

The easel card is done with my Nesties Labels Three Grands. The fun candy DP is an older K&Co stack. To hold the easel up, I've added a row of adhesive beads and completed the sentiment with a puffy sticker from atd. I just know you'll want to play along with this fun challenge AND on Christy's BLOG you can see the new images as well as a contest for Fall cards that you won't want to miss. See ya there! I'm also entering this in the Simply Betty's 12 Days of Halloween Day 2 Challenge,The Crazy Challenge Halloween, Paper Sundaes Halloween or Fall, The Sparkles Forum Halloween and Desert Islands Crafters using 1, 3 (orange at the moment), 5, 6 and 7 (the fence looks like stripes to me).

BBTB2 Trick or Treat Hello Kitty Challenge

2011-10-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

This week at BBTB2 our lovely and talented DT sister Theresa chose the Trick or Treat Kitty from the Hello Kitty cart. I just love Hello Kitty, but I wanted to think outside the box (or in this case inside the box, LOL) and make something 3-D. I've had a jack-in-the-box idea for some time and thought this might be the perfect challenge to try it out. I was hoping to create a real working jack-in-the-box but the head proved to be too heavy for the body so I had to modify my design and just go with the appearance of a kitty-in-the-box. I still think it turned out pretty cute. The body was created with strips of 2x12"card stock, glued at right angles and the alternately folded over each other. Just keep adding strips for as long as you need it. this creates a "springy" body, but the longer you go, the less stable it becomes (if you know what I mean). The kitty was cut a 5" twice on blackout and trimmed the head and paws to use in my piece. I used an empty ribbon spool covered with paper between the front and back of the head to give it dimension. This was part of the reason it was so heavy, but oh well, hind site is always 20/20. Both head and body were hot glued to a rosette ruffle I made with 2 strips of 1 1/2 x 11" card stock.

Originally I planned on using a larger box with an attached lid that the kitty would pop out of but as I said, I just couldn't make it work. Instead I used a smaller box with a detached lid, cut a part of the rim of the lid and glued it open and then hot glued the kitty at the height I wanted to the open lid, just at the ruffle. I attached the paws to those cool sort of thick and thin pipe cleaners and used a metal candy brad and toothpick for the lollipop. The box trim is from the Tim Holtz rosette die that I'd originally cut for the ruffle but found it to be too small. I'm not thrilled with the box decoration. I really think it should say "Trick or Treat", but I cut the phrase with the Cricut twice in different sizes and didn't like how it was looking so I gave up and used puffy stickers because I was running out of time. The flower is Recollections. Be sure to bop over to BBTB2 to ooh and ahh over the rest of the DT's creations and we'd love it for you to play along using a "new" creation and linking your blog post to our linky and back to our challenge. If you don't have Hello Kitty, any other Halloween themed kitty project will do. I'm also entering this in the ABC "B" is for Boo challenge.

Macabre Monday Lurid Landscapes

2011-10-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

This week at Haunted Design House our challenge is Lurid Landscapes. I scoured the net in search of someting spooky, but most of the stuff either easn't that scary or had a copyright thingy soo I was in a bit of a tizzy then I remembered my fab Holy City stamps from Smeared Ink. Hey yeah, graveyards are landscapes. WooHoo! I live near San Francisco, and those who travel frequently or live near tourist destinations are certainly familiar with the sort of fold out postcard books available. That was my inspiration.

It all folds up and this is the cover of the project. The skellie is from a Tim Holtz Halloween set and the words are computer generated. I might add that these are RUBBER STAMPS, no digis! Do you believe it?

Again, only the words are computer generated.

All from the same set from Smeared Ink.

In fact, there were only two in the set I didn't use. That a lot of stamps!

I was so excited that I didn't mess up that I had to give you closeups of ALL of it. LOVE how well these fab stamps work.

I thought this was a cute ending. I added the little raven to the skellie's arm. Looks like he wrote the sentiment. Wonder who he's sending it to? Be sure to check out the fab work by the rest of the Minions and check out our fab HDH Blog Candy for our soon to reach goal of 500 Followers, offered by our own Creepy Glowbugg and also check out the fab candy she is offering on her personal blog. (She's doing penance for her last week's DT project. LOL) I'm also entering this in the Forever Night Black and Creepy Challenge, Simply Create Shades of Black, Shopping Our Stash Spooky and/or Orange and Black and the Simon Says Stamp Halloween/Goth Challenge..

Fabulous Inky Friday

2011-10-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's Fabulous Inky Friday at the Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog when we announce our winner, highlight cards by our fans and post some more inspiration from the Tiddly Inkers. I chose to use the brand new image Danny's Duck. Is he about the sweetest thing on earth? He just begged to be paper pieced so that's what I did, and I used Deconstructed Sketch #23 for the layout. The DP's are Nana's Nursery. I used Nesties Scalloped squared instead of border punche because for the life of me I just couldn't punch right today. LOL Don't forget our current challenge, Boys will be Boys, and be sure to stop by the SHOP and check out what's new. I'm also entering this in the Divas by Design Button Up challenge and Ruby's Rainbow Cute and Cuddly challenge.

Bah! Humbug! Meets Octopode (by accident)

2011-10-12T18:25:00.000-07:00

Eiyiyi! I'm NOT keeping up! The days 'til Halloween keep flying by (no Beck, I haven't started yet, LOL some inspiration, eh?) and I'm still trying hard to keep up with my DT stuff as well as my fave challenges around Blogworld. Bah! Humbug! this week is Glitz and Glitter, and Lily at TOFF has a musical theme going. I had totally different ideas for BOTH challenges but realized I wouldn't be able to do them both unless I combined them, so this is the result. Probably not what either of them expected (or you either, considering the challenges) but it is what it is, and I kinda like it. First off I just bought a wad more Octopodes and I was dying to use the sweet new Winter Girl (that I don't see in the shop at the moment, but I'm sure she'll be back soon). Figured she'd be great for a Christmas card. The hitch was I was also dying to do the thing in sepia tones which doesn't really translate to glitter (or Christmas, for that matter) but Winter

Wonderland wanted Christmas with Autumn Colors.

She's colored with Copics and the snow flakes behind her were done in my Printmaster Platinum program by cropping some musical digi paper I just won from the House Across the Bay. The cropping is done with dots and I couldn't exactly see what I was doing but I was going for a sort of rough snowflake shape. The result was pretty funky but I thought it was perfect with my Octopode gal. The images were merged but it didn't really gel until I drew around them with my Memento marker to make them look more like a digi stamp as well.

To glitz it up, I applied Stardust Stickles to the snowflakes and cut a glitter card stock mat with my Nesties Grand labels One. There's also some Rock Candy Distress Stickles on her boots and I printed, colored and cut her hat and scarf a second time and popped them for dimension. To add to the musical theme, I added the note brads and the rub on words to "Let it Snow" from Melissa Frances.

Finally, I popped the frame and added chipboard letters from Prima that I've had forever (and never used). They look just like they were encrusted with ice crystals. Sorry I didn't take a pic of the unopened package ladies, but this qualifies for the ABC Christmas Unused Stash Challenge. So there you have it! A real collaboration while designing. I know it's different, but I had a ball.

The Saturated Canary Challenge #1

2011-10-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, I almost couldn't get any later than this. In fact I would have been too late had I not bopped over to The Saturated Canary Challenge Blog and noticed the deadline for this first sketch (and photo inspiration challenge) ends at midnight! EEEKK!!! I pretty much stink at sketches (no creativity for thinking outside the box with them) but Halloween...NO PROB! I chose the adorable Frankenstein Tambry digi for my project. She's colored with Copics to match the Basic Grey Eerie DP and from there I just pretty much followed the sketch.

Look at that face! Is she precious or what? (Actually, they ALL are and you can see them in the Etsy store HERE, but you'll have to wait 'til tomorrow because Krista took a mini vacay). Go Krista! Edit: She's BAACK!, go shop!

I took a close up of the little dangling charm so that the lovely ladies at Forever Night challenges could see that she's Trick or Treating. She's just a little shy. Love that webby ribbon and the crocheted lace. Thought it looked nice with the crocheted flower on top. So there we go. Friday there will be a new challenge at The Saturated Canary AND Forever Night. WooHoo!

BBTB2 Vulture Challenge

2011-10-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

OOps! a little late today. I'm not sleeping well and my schedule is all off. Today my dear friend and DT sis Agnes (Flowerdisco) has chosen the BBTB2 challenge this week which is the vulture from Life's a party. I can't believe it's ANOTHER cart I don't have. Too many too fast, these days. Well, there is another vulture on Zooballoo, but try as I did, I just couldn't make that pitiful little thing work for me so I chose the raven from Oct 31st instead. I thought he would be a good substitute, lovin' tearing apart dead carcasses and all. However, when I read Agnes's intro she was talking about cute...ahhh, well, not so much. But hey, I all but exhausted my cutesy quotient last week with that frog so it is what it is. Sorry Agnes.

Yes, it's a shaped front card done in DS using the raven and moon from Oct 31st, the drippy swirl from Happy Hauntings and the skull from Wall Decor and More. The background paper is from the 6x6 Blackbird (how fitting!) collection from Memory Box which lead me to emboss the moon with the Goochie Script (5x7) embossing folder. (In case you can't see it, there's script on the DP as well.) Shades of Poe, eh?

Lots of layers and the raven is glittered with Doodlebug Sugar coating after running it through my Xyron right side down. The swirl is enhanced with Glossy Accents and adhesive gems. Both the moon and the skull are cut from iridescent card stock but the glimmer doesn't really show up well here. All edges were inked with Distress. My DT sisters have done an amazing job on this challenge so be sure to stop my BBTB2 and have a look. We'd love to see your take as well. Remember, the challenges run for 2 weeks, you may substitue the cut for another similar one, please enter new creations only and link them back to BBTB2. I'm also enter this in the Gingersnap Creations Theme Challenge, Horror Stories.

Someone to Watch Over me

2011-10-10T01:15:00.000-07:00

This week our Macabre Monday challenge at Haunted Design House is Gods and Monsters. You can choose from those of Greek Mythology, a classic movie, or some bizarre divination from a tale from long ago. I'm not sure I'd call this lovely gargoyle a monster, but it's gonna have to work for this challenge. The fab image is the very first I fell in love with from our dear Teri at Delicious Doodles HERE. (P.S. if you're not into creepy, there are tons of just plain beautiful digis at Delicious Doodles as well.) I just love gargoyles.

Besides the architectural purpose of diverting rain from the roof away from the side of a building to keep the water from eroding the mortar, non water spitting grotesques, also known as gargoyles, are said to scare off and protect from any evil or harmful spirits. My little guy is gonna sit on my desk and keep me nice and safe. I'm sort of bummed you can't see the embossing here under the sentiment. I used the Tim Holtz Bricked folder from Sizzix because I thought that was fitting.

This was my first attempt at a twisted easel and I used my Nesties Large Octogons to construct the base. The roses are from Recollections. Everything I've used for this card I've had for WELL over 6 months so I'm entering it in the Simply Create challenge and the monochromatic color scheme qualifies it for the 4 Crafty Chicks challenge as well. I'm also entering it in the Sentimental Sundays Anything Goes challenge, and Simon Says Stamp and Show Things with Wings.

This great image requires no coloring and just begs to be decoupaged. He was printed 6 times and I fussy cut up a storm. Just LOVE the way he pops off the page. The Minions truly enjoyed this one so pop by HDH for some inspiration and be sure to visit often this month. Besides Creepy Glowbugg's post on Wednesday with the Gruesome Twosome announcement and such, we're also bringing you all around cool and spooky stuff to make your October the best month EVER!

ADFD Texture Challlenge

2011-10-07T06:55:00.000-07:00

I finally got a chance to play again with A Day For Daisies. The current challenge is Gimme Some Texture. I've used the adorable image Pumpkins and Butterflies. My original plan was to use a Cuttlebug folder for texture, but I'd already colored my image and made it fairly large so the folder I had chosen was too small. What to do? At Gingersnap Creations, the Spicy Supply Challenge is crimpers. Oh yeah, I have one of those...somewhere. Found it crammed in a bottom drawer and ran my kraft mat through. LOVE how it looks on kraft. (as a matter of fact, I love this particular kraft which is quite a rich color (for kraft, anyway) and comes in 12x12 sheets in a value pack from J's. I'm thinkin' it's from The Paper Company. The card base is soft suede from Stampin' Up. The combo...YUMMY! Of course my image is colored with Copics and I spent a really long time trying to get a truly saturated color on that pumpkin so I could enter the Copic C reations challenge.

I cut both the image and frame with my Nesties Octagons and popped the mat for dimension. For further texture I added some felt daisies I'd picked up for a buck at J's. I did a bit of coloring on them with my Copics as well, to make them look more Fall like. Then just a gingham ribbon to enter in The Ribbon Carousel Anything Goes Challenge and some adhesive beads and I was done. You've got a bit more time to enter these challenges so why not pop by ADFD, Gingersnap Creations, The Ribbon Carousel and Copic Creations and get inspired by the wonderful work of their fabulous DT's.

TOFF Men

2011-10-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

WooHoo! I finally managed an Octopode Factory Friday Challenge. Been missing them the last few weeks. The challenge is MEN. I've been dying to do a pirate card for awhile. First of all, I had the perfect colored treasure map digi from Tiddly Inks, and then there's the TWO (yes, you heard me, not one but TWO) fabby pirate stamps from The Octopode Factory to choose from. There's Captain Hook as well as Captain Jack (oops, I don't see him in the shop at the moment but he does look exactly like Johnny Depp, in the movie...REALLY). Anyway, I chose Captain Hook because he's a bit more masculine and I find the whole "hook" thing kinda cool. LOL

He's colored with Copics in shades of purple and green and I can never figure out why purple just doesn't photograph correctly. I've added an earring, because no self respecting pirate should be without one. The sentiment is computer generated and quite fitting since my pirate is ALWAYS looking for booty and I've added a Wonky Eyed Skull from my sister Minion Creepy Glowbugg's Etsy shop where X marks the spot.

The Captain and sentiment are popped and I've done a ton of distressing with my Distrezz-it-All and Distress Inks. The DT has some fabulous examples (as always) this week AND, if you've been craving some Octopodes RUN, don't walk, to The Octopode Factory IMMEDIATELY because you can get 30% off with the code theprancingpony at checkout until tomorrow morning since Lily is away celebrating her 18th birthday at Disneyland Paris. Lucky girl! I'm also entering this in The Digi Doodles Shop Distressing Challenge, Ruby's Rainbow For the Boys challenge.

Bah! Humbug! Nativity Challenge

2011-10-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

This week at Bah! Humbug! they're celebrating the true meaning of Christmas with a Nativity challenge. This became slightly more difficult for me than expected when I realized I have NO Nativity stamps and would have to rely on my Cricut. The Nativity I chose came from the Christmas Village cartridge and the figures are designed to be free standing. I welded the figures in DS, hid the contours of the bases and also welded a small rectangle from George at the base of each figure to hide the slit at the bottom where the base fits in. Of course, no shadows again, so I hid the interior contours of the images, cut it in brushed gold card stock and glued them slightly offset. The Star is from Joys of the Season.

I decided to keep it pretty CAS. I thought just the white and gold looked elegant, but a plain white mat look unfinished and it was too large to emboss with a regular A2 Cuttlebug folder. I decided to use the smallest of my Spellbinders Grand Circles to emboss only (tape your die in place and run it through your machine with the embossing pad and plate so it won't cut through) and then added some holographic peelie stars. I popped the cuts and added an adhesive star to the star cut and a few adhesive rhinestones to the manger. I'm actually quite pleased with how it came out. Look ladies, no camels. LOL Really though, the B!H! DT examples are lovely, as always and welcome back, Ann! Oh, and today is my dear friend Barb's Birthday (and it's her final week as a B!H! Guest Designer) so pop by and sing her the b-day song. I'm also entering this in the Christmas Stampin' All Year Long Resist the Temptation challenge, The Crazy Challenge Monthly Christmas No Red or Green Challenge, The Jingle Belles Peace on Earth challenge, the Sparkles Forum Christmas Songs challenge (Joy to the World), Fab's big Christmas Something Shiny (and/or Snowflakes)Challenge for Oct, CHNC Suitable for a Male Challenge.

Paint it Up With the Tiddly Inkers

2011-10-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

This week at the Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog we're painting it up. You can use any type of paint, watercolor, acrylic, Distress Ink, just paint it on. I took this opportunity to try a technique I've been seeing all over blogland. It's the faux woodgrain technique using acrylics and plain white glue (like Elmer's). First I painted my tag with acrylic in brown. After it dries, I brushed on a coat of white glue and waited 'til it was just tacky. Over that I painted another coat of acrylic. This time I used a color called Bleached Sand. As it dries, the cool crackle appears like magic. Soo much FUN! (And I didn't even really get my hands dirty...much. LOL) To add some strength to the tag, I backed it with brown card stock. I thought the sweet Lilli Claire Tiddly Did You Hear? was perfect for the rustic background. She's colored with Copics, fussy cut and popped. I colored my metal "friends" sticker with a Bic permanent marker and added some cute flower brads and a ribbon. Please stop by the Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog to see the amazing work by the rest of my teamies. and don't miss Christy's Blog where she previews a NEW little Christmas Lilli Claire image and has a fun little freebie to match. I'm also entering this in the Craft Your Days Away Tag It challenge.

BBTB2 Create a Critter Frog Challenge

2011-10-03T14:30:00.000-07:00

Finally, eh? This week the BBTB2 challenge was chosen by our DT sister Carri, who picked the frog from Create a Critter. I have Halloween on the brain so I did a themed wall hanging. The witch's hat and cauldron are from Mini Monsters. All shadows were welded in DS and the layers were popped with enough foam that a chipboard base wasn't required.

The frog is embossed with the Cuttlebug Tiny Bubbles and the cauldron with Swiss Dots. I cut the cauldron multiple times and trimmed them so I could layer the rim. I also resized the cauldron bottom to create a sort of decoupage effect.

The rosette is done with a Tim Holtz die. Not to self: avoid glittered paper as it doesn't want to crease and has a tendency to tear. I reinforced a few of the folds with tape and copy paper and popped a cute little Sandylion spider on top. the star is actually a charm from Making Memories that I've cut the loop off of.

Open the ribbon and there's a surprise. I've layered the cauldron with the card feature so it opens. The sentiment is from Mini Monsters as well. I know this froggie doesn't look wicked, but I just couldn't resist. This particular sentiment is part of the witch's hat family of cuts. I just trimmed off the hat so it would fit. The entire hanger measures 11 1/2 inches, not counting the ribbon so it's pretty substantial. My teamies at BBTB2 have outdone themselves on this challenge so hop on by and take a peek. As always, the challenges run for 2 weeks. We want to see "new" projects only and please link back to BBTB2 so others can join in the fun.. If you haven't the particular cartridge featured, you may use another similar cut. You know the drill. Can't wait to see what YOU come up with.

Macabre Monday Inner Workings and a Mini Cricut Tut

2011-10-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

Morning, my pretties! I'm running a little late today, so If you were expecting my BBTB2 project, be sure to come back. I DO have a Cricut creation, however, so I hope that will do until I get my act together. LOL This week our Macabre Monday challenge is Inner Workings. Create a dark,Gothic, or Halloween based project that is either quite literal (clockwork or guts) or just simply decorate the inside of your project as well as the outside. My first inclination was to find something really EEEEWWWW!!!! on the net, but then I remembered my heart stamp from the Quoth the Raven set from Smeared Ink.

I decided to create a gate fold rib cage card to hold my heart, using my Cricut. There's a bit of a lesson here, so if you're not interested, skip this part. (I'm feeling a bit chatty today, though so here goes.) I sized the skelton torso from the Oct 31st cartridge quite large in DS. In order to make a gate fold, the maximum my torso could be is 6 inches at the widest point because my card stock for the base is only 12 inches wide. The base, which measured 12"x7" (yeah, it's a BIG card!) was scored at 3" and 9" and folded towards the center. The skeleton torso was partially off the mat in DS, but since I only wanted the rib cage, it didn't really matter. Remember when doing this, however, that although the cutting will look complete on your screen, your Cricut will think there's still more to cut (because actually, there is, but you've run out of mat). You will have to delete that little cutting progress screen and unload your mat, but when you go to re cut, the program will be confused. It won't cut. You'll have to not only exit your file, but actually close out and restart DS in order for you to be able to continue. A GIANT PITA, but it was worth it to get the size I needed.

Next problem, there are no shadows on the Oct. 31st cart, so after cutting and trimming my rib cage, I sliced it down the center and used removable tape to secure it to my gate fold and traced around it. Make sure you leave plenty of area at the the folds so your base is stable and cut carefully through both thicknesses. Et voila! a shaped gate fold.

For the inside mat, I hid the contours of the rib cage and cut and trimmed it as previously mentioned. I used Copics and Distress ink for a bit of shading. My heart is also colored with Copics, but looked a bit lonesome without any other organs so I cut the zombie hand (also from October 31st) and positioned it to look like it was ripping it out (or at least squeezing the life out of it :D ) Who says Cricut has to be cutesy? (However, if this doesn't float your boat, come back later today to see a REALLY cute Halloween project for BBTB2. Please ignore that, Minions!) Anyway, the sentiment is computer generated and the front closure thingy was cut with the Cuttlebug Embossing Plus Fanciful Labels folder. Now, after all that for a mediocre project, I hope you still have the strength and inclination to visit HDH to see what the rest of the Minions have been up to, and don't forget Wretched Wednesday when Creepy Glo posts. We love it when you participate too, and it is October, after all. Time to get your creep on. I'm also entering this in the Forever Night Anything Goes challenge.

Celebrating The Mad Hatter with Twinkles

2011-10-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

The Hatter shook his head mournfully. `Not I!' he replied. `We quarrelled last March--just before HE went mad, you know--' (pointing with his tea spoon at the March Hare,)
`--it was at the great concert given by the Queen of Hearts, and I had to sing

"Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!"
You know the song, perhaps?'
`I've heard something like it,' said Alice.
`It goes on, you know,' the Hatter continued, `in this way:--
"Up above the world you fly,
Like a tea-tray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle--"'
-- Chapter 7, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

At The Altered Alice we celebrate Mad Hatter's Day twice a year as the date is taken from the price on his hat - ten schillings and a sixpence or 10/6. That means it is on October 6 here in the United States, and on June 10 in the United Kingdom. But mainly it is just a great reason to party with the Mad Hatter twice a year! Your challenge is to celebrate the Mad Hatter, and as OPTIONS you can use something that twinkles or shines AND/OR you can bring some spookiness into it since we are all having a "Twinkle twinkle little bat" sing-along around our mad tea table!

My project this month is the Hatter's tea cup made from a Sizzix Bigz die run through my Big Shot. Because there were no layering features, I cut the cup several times and added layers of DP from the Graphic 45 Halloween in Wonderland stack and also popped the rims and handle. Instead of using the saucer from the die, I substituted my Oval Nesties to more easily layer that as well. The Hatter Stamp is on the Alice II set from our fabulous sponsor this month, IndigoBlu. I've added a small bat brad and gem to the center of the clock and a black rosette made from a Tim Holtz die and Stickled around the edges for some "twinkle".

Our prize this month is an A5 sized unmounted stamp set from IndigoBlu (a £13 value), or an equivalent amount of A6 stamps. IndigoBlu is a fantastic new British stamp company that makes "Quintessential English Rubber Stamps" right there in England.

In fact IndigoBlu is sponsoring The Altered Alice for October AND November, and the design team will be working with these two fantastic Alice stamp sets, titled appropriately "Alice I" and "Alice II". Most Americans don't know what A5 and A6 mean so I'll just tell you, these sets are huge!
I encourage you to go visit IndigoBlu.com. All stamps are on sale right now with their introductory pricing, but that won't last forever, and the designs are all wonderful! In addition, the Head Honcho Alfie says The Altered Alice readers can take 10% OFF during the challenge; just use coupon code AlteredAlice in the voucher code box at checkout! Thanks Alfie!

On the tea bag tag I've added a glittered bat cut from a large EK Success border punch and another gem for more sparkle.

The frame was cut twice using my Nesties Fleur di Lis Squares from adhesive Fun Foam and stuck together to hold the wire for my purple glittered flying bats. These were also trimmed from the border punch, run through my Xyron and sprinkled with Doodlebug Sugar Coating.

They were backed in black for a shadow effect and WooHoo, more gems! "Twinkle, twinkle" little bats..." Be sure to stop by The Altered Alice for more inspiration from the DT and welcome Retta as a permanent member. She, Tracy and I make up the first week's offerings. We have new ones every week so don't forget to pop in every to The Altered Alice every Sunday. October is a long month with five Sundays, so you'll have no excuse not to join us in our Mad Tea Party celebrating Mad Hatter Day, US style! Enter by Friday, October 28; our randomly drawn winner and the honorable mentions will be announced on the last Sunday, October 30. Just make sure YOUR watch is not two days slow! Go get your "Alice" on!

I also entering this in The Corrosive Challenge Blog Purple Passion challenge, the Forever Night anything Goes Challenge, and the new ABC Anything Goes Challenge where my dear friend, Leah, is a new Design Team member. WooHoo, Leah and the newly relaunched ABC Challenges!

And the Winner IS...

2011-10-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Happy World Card Making Day! Although I certainly will be making cards today (heck, I do EVERY day) I'm not sure I'll have anything to post being the weekend when I'm ALWAYS trying to crank out my DT projects. But I don't want to keep you all in suspense like I usually do. LOL the WINNER of the

$40.00 Gift Certificate to the FABULOUS CUSTOM CROPS is...

Number 56!!!!!! Margie! who wrote...

Congratulations MARGIE! Please email me to arrange for your prize and thank you all who participated in the BBTB2 Blog Hop. We still have two challenges going on at BBTB2. The Time 4 Fun challenge ends tomorrow night and you still have more than a week to go for the Wheelbarrow challenge.

Fabulous Inky Friday at Tiddly Inks

2011-09-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

TGIF! Really! Not that the weekend is gonna be all that great either but... Obviously I'm still in a bit of a funk. Sorry, guys. I did manage a card though, for my Sweetie who does so much for me, even when I'm a crab cake. LOL The lovely image is Will You? from Tiddly Inks Victorian Gothic/Steampunk Release. Sooo romantic, no? I've colored them up with Copics in shades of brown for a vintage feel (except for the red hair, but I just HAD to make her red).

My original plan was to use one of the ADORABLE NEW SUGAR AND SPICE GIRLS but this sentiment was very timely this week so those cuties will be for another day. OOhh, I'm getting sort of misty here. Lotsa love goin' around.

The gorgeous papers are from DCWV Tattered Time stack and Tim Holtz Lost and Found. The mats are cut with Nesties Labels Seventeen and popped for dimension. The pearls are Recollections. Now pop on over to the Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog to see Some fab inspiration by our Tiddly fans and more of the Tiddly Inkers. If you're featured, you may grab bragging rights and a fab badge for your blog. Also, our current Acrylic Challenge is still going on and the projects there are AMAZING. And if you'd like to see a whle bunch of inspiration for the fab Sugar 'n Spice gals take a look at Christy's blog HERE. I'm also adding this to the Whimsical Wednesdays Anything Goes Challenge, the Delightful Pearls and Swirls Challenge and the For Fun Warmth Challenge. That's all for now.

New Sugar 'n Spice for Tiddly Inks Sale!

2011-09-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling really bad that I don't have a sample of the new Sugar 'n Spice Girls from Tiddly Inks but you MUST have a look HERE at the GORGEOUS samples from my teamies. Then take a read HERE. You can get them at 40% 0ff if you HURRY! They wil be available at 40% off for all orders over $7.oo with the code SUGARNSPICE at checkout until 7:00am Central Time tomorrow morning. I'll have a love Tiddly card to show tomorrow morning, but I didn't want you to miss this SALE! xxD

Bah! Humbug! Rudolph/Reindeer Challenge

2011-09-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

This week at Bah!Humbug! it's all about reindeer, Rudolph or otherwise. I was poking around in my printed but not colored digi images and a came across Deer Mae from SOG. Oh, I just ADORE her and she was printed on kraft so I decided to give her a go. She's colored with Copics with some white pencil accents. After that, the card practically made itself. The mat was cut from the DCWV Homespun Christmas stack with the lovely space for the computer generated sentiment right there. WooHoo! (It was about all I could handle 'cause I'm having a rough week.) I added a few tiny buttons that I threaded with jute (the hardest part of the whole card. LOL) punched a few corners out of kraft and colored them with Copics to match Mae and added a few small adhesive beads. Done! I'm also entering it in the Christmas Stampin' All Year Long Clean and Simple challenge, The Paper Shelter For the Girls challenge and the Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes challenge.

BBTB2 WIMG Wheelbarrow Challenge and Blog Hop

2011-09-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the BBTB2 Blog Hop! If you have arrived from Lori's Blog, you're on the right track. If not, you might want to start at BBTB2 so you don't miss a thing. I'm hosting the challenge this week and chose the wheelbarrow from Walk In My Garden. Although it's an oldie, it's still one of my faves. I've welded the shadow of the wheelbarrow to a big full moon from George and pumpkins from Holiday Cakes. The sentiment is from Holiday Cakes as well.

Yes, it's a shaped front card. You know that's my favorite kind to make. I've re sized the rounded rectangle from George for the back. The background DP is from Memory Box. I've embossed the wheelbarrow with the Cuttlebug Distressed Stripes folder and the full moon with Polka Dots.

In some cases, I've cut the image more than once and done some trimming to add more layers, like the middle pumpkin and the green vines. The wheelbarrow was also cut in several colors and hand trimmed to add more detail to the cut.

Isn't this jack-o-lantern a hoot? I stickled the yellow layers of the pumpkins so they looked like they were lit from within, and embossed several with Swiss Dots.

Here's the dimension shot. I couldn't resist adding some non-Cricut embellies, like the leaves and Rain Dot bats. I sprinkled in a few adhesive beads, as well. Now hop on over to sweet Krista's Blog but before you do, please leave a comment for a chance to win a $40.00 gift certificate to Custom Crops. They have a Spooktacular BooTique, chock full of Halloween goodies, as well as new Holiday items and plenty of Tim Holtz, so be sure to start a wish list in case you're the winner! I'll be drawing the name (with any luck, LOL) on Saturday, so be sure to check back because I won't be hunting you down. Now remember, you have two weeks to complete each challenge and we'd like to see a "new" project and please link back to BBTB2 so others can join in the fun. If you don't have the cartridge, you may use a similar cut. In this case, I'm not sure there are any other wheelbarrows, so a wagon would be a fine substitute.

A Haunting We Will Go (Making a Scene for Macabre Monday)

2011-09-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

This week at Haunted Design House we're "making a scene" with the help of some fabulous images from this week's sponsor, Make it Crafty. Here's an opportunity to do some serious coloring! Mine was with Copics, of course. I had a ball making a shadow box card using the Haunted Halloween House as the back drop. The window frames were cut with my Nesties Grand Labels One.

Looking on is the adorable Mini Frankenstein. He's available on his own, or part of the MonztaBoyz collection. Trust me, you'll want them ALL! He was a bit of a challenge to fussy cut, but I managed with my trusty Exacto knife.

The little diva is Mini Morticia. And yup, she's got some gal pals too in the MonztaGalz collection. Don't they make a cute couple?

I've completed the scene by using a variety of MS punches including Spooky Fence, Spider Web, Graveyard and Drippy Goo, and popped them from the window frames for added depth. I've used Alpha Beads to spell out my title and some music note brads so you can all be singing this little song all day. HeeHee! If you'd love to sin some Make It Crafty images of your own, bop by Haunted Design House and grab some additional mojo from the Minions and come on and play along. I'm also entering this in the Corrosive Challenge Blog Punches and Dies challengeand the Paper Sundaes Anything Goes challenge

Tiddly Inks Fabulous Inky Friday and Special NEWS about a Contest at BBTB2!

2011-09-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

TGIF!!!!! That means it's time for another Fabulous Inky Friday at the Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog where we highlight fabby creations by our fans found all over the net, as well as creations by the DT that may or may not feature the current challenge, and announce the previous challenge winners. BTW, that current challenge is Art Journaling, and because it is perhaps a bit unfamiliar, we've extended our challenge to two weeks so have a gander HERE and get inspired. I honestly did try to do another journal page, but I never got further than a half done background, so I decided to pull out an old favorite, Poppy, as well as Poppy Accents, for my card this week. I realize the popular sentiment is "Take time to smell the flowers", but my dream has always been a garden that would provide cut flowers for at least 3/4 of the year, but now that I have it, I've been so busy, the majority of them have just died on the vine. Bummer!

Poppy provides an excellent opportunity for practicing your Copic coloring skills. This time I opted to attempt a sort of wavy look and I'm pretty pleased with how it came out. The DP is K&Co and the sentiment is computer generated.

I've also chosen to print the images twice to decoupage. The centers of the flowers are highlighted with Glossy Accents. Each word of the sentiment is cut and glued separately and partially outlined with Copics as well.

Now don't faint. I actually finished the inside as well. I used the flowers from Poppy Accents, colored them with Copics and doodled a similar frame around the space to write a personal message. WooHoo! I might actually send this one. Now why not pop by Tiddly Inks and check out the beautiful featured cards, and it one of them is yours, feel free to grab the badge for your blog. There will also be some adorable new images this coming Tuesday. There's a bit of a sneak peek on Christy's BLOG I'm sure you won't want to miss.

On another note, I hope everyone has heard about the FABULOUS CONTEST going on at BBTB2. Our sponsor is My Creative Classroom. THIS IS HUGE! My Creative Classroom offers classes in just about anything you'd want to explore. Die Cutting (Cricut and others) of course, but also Stamping, Mixed Media, YOU NAME IT! Click HERE to see the list. You have through Monday to enter so HURRY! CLICK HERE to read all about the contest, (wish I could enter!), and good luck!

Happy Belated Birthday, Teri!

2011-09-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

When we Minions party, we party HEARTY! Although it's no excuse, a few of use were still reeling from Creepy Glo's birthday and we totally missed our fabulously talented sister Minion Teri's big day on Monday. So sorry hon, but I'm sure you didn't miss the Birthday song. LOL Anyway, here's your card, as late as it may be.

I've used Teri's fab image, Skeletal Candle Holder from Teri's Delicious Doodles Store (BTW, they aren't ALL creepy for you of faint heart) and printed it out 3 times and decoupaged it. No need to color, the fab shading is all there, however I did use some Copics and stickles on the flame. The gorgeous DP is from Our own Susan's Crafty Chaos Designs. The collection is Jezebel's Remains Paper Set (How could I resist? LOL)

Here's the dimension shot. I actually cut the frame out of adhesive fun foam using my new Nesties Fleur De Lis Squares. The flowers and gems are Recollections. Hope your day was just FAB, hon, and please, please, forgive. xx

Bah! Humbug! Flourishes/Swirls Challenge

2011-09-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

This week the Bah! Humbug! challenge is Flourishes and Swirls and because I skipped out on BBTB2 this week, I thought I'd better do a Cricut card. Happier now? My very first thought was the Trim a Tree cartridge with the intricate swirling images. I chose the ice skate this time because I was a figure skater as a kid and also because it was a natural to add a flourish to. Ever go to MyCutSearch.com and type in flourish? HA! There are so many carts with flourishes these days that I got an error message. Left to my own devices I decided to use another of those carts I just "had to have" and have hardly used, Picturesque. (Phonetic spelling pik-che-'resk, according to Merriam-Webster, except the "e" in che is upside down in their phonetic spelling and I can't figure out how to do that. LOL But honestly, I've heard this cart called some very hilarious things, even in a VIDEO!)

Fortunately, I didn't have to look very far to find a suitable flourish, so I welded the skate and shadow of the flourish to a rounded rectangle from George to make a shaped front card. I'm hoping this counts as a shaped card for the ABC Christmas Challenge this week which also requires Swirls, Spots or Stripes. I chose the gray glitter DP from M&MBI to join in on the CHNC Glitter Challenge and added glitter snowflakes from JoLee's as well.

The swirly top skate is done in matte metallic with the regular flourish in mirri which is why the pix are so bad, sorry. It really is prettier IRL. There's a bit of dimension and a few silver adhesive beads and a peelie sentiment and there ya go. The Shopping Our Stash challenge this week is No Coloring Allowed so I'm popping it in there as well. For once I'm a bit ahead for all of these challenges so go have a look. There's still time to play long and the DT examples are lovely.

Macabre Monday Apalling Apothecary

2011-09-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

What's in YOUR medicine cabinet? Okay, Margie, you don't have to answer that. LOL but you ladies who take the challenge at Haunted Design House must...do you dare? My nifty little bottle of poison started as a bottle of premium scotch that hubby had to have. LOVE the shape of the bottle and just KNEW it would come in handy.WooHoo! I finally got to use my Tim Holtz Poison Label embossing folder which I tore around and inked with Distress.

The "cobwebs" are a ripped up dryer sheet. That seems to be one of my favorite recyclable items. A few plastic spiders and some interesting looking fibers and I was good to go.

And how about my cool skeleton fingers gripping that bottle? I used a mold meant for making chocolate covered pretzels and filled it with Paperclay (no baking required). After filling each finger, I carefully removed them and molded them around the bottle. Once dry, I painted them with Distress. The bottle is filled with some bile colored liquid and some dish soap so it bubbles. Couldn't really get a pic of that. And I've used some Distress Embossing Powder around the wood cork stopper which looks like some lovely corrosion. The top said Est. 1897 and I thought that was just too cool to cover up. I really enjoyed doing an "altered project" for a change and I hope you enjoy it too. I'm afraid there won't be a BBTB2 post this week. Sorry about that, but not only did I not have the cart, I had a fleeting (I hope) lack of mojo in that arena. Be sure to check out the rest of the Minions take on this challenge HERE (and again on Wednesday for Creepy Glo's submission) and in a few hours stop by BBTB2 and give my sisters there some love. I'm also entering this in the Allsorts Recycle/Alter something challenge, the Shopping Our Stash Vintage, Distressed or Shabby Chic Challenge, and the Quirky Crafts Anything but a Card Challenge.

Saturated Canary for Whimsical Wednesday

2011-09-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

WooHoo, I was so excited when The Saturated Canary came out with digis. I bought a bunch but couldn't decide which to color until I saw the Whimsical Wednesday "Just Because" challenge. I colored up Hellokitty (oops, don't see her on there at the moment, but check back) but then couldn't figure out what to do with her. I've also been eyeing the Deconstructed Sketches from my TI DT sis Jenn and decided to play along. She's colored with Copics, and cut with Nesties, the DP is K&Co. The sentiment is Cuttlebug and the Card Candy is from my dear friend Chloe and Scrappy Go Lucky USA . I'm also entering this in the Cardmadfairie's Digi Days Lots of Layers Challenge and the Squiggles Stamps Autumnal Colors Challenge.

Happy Birthday, Creepy Glo!

2011-09-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

It's our Minion Sister Creepy Glowbugg's b-day and we all are wishing her a fabulously creepy day! My little card features the Dilly Beans Framed Zombie Girl with Bow 1. Isn't she sweet? She's about to make a wish and blow out the (real) candle on her brain cupcake (made by merging an Octopode Factory cupcake from Alice elements with a cartoon brain I found on the net. ) Yummy! Hey Birthday Girl! Here's hoping all of your birthday dreams come true! xxD And if you all want to come to the PARTY, check out the festivities at Haunted Design House. And speaking of parties, I'm also entering this in the Daring Cardmakers How many Candles challenge sponsored by Funky Hand in celebration of their new Happy Happy Birthday CD Rom.

TOFF Quotes and Forever Night

2011-09-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

Just managed a quickie today for the TOFF Quotes challenge. I had planned to do something entirely different, but when I saw that Forever Night was Mysterious Findings (from Wonderland), I decded to use the Hatter's riddle as my quote. It's a quickie, because I'm running out of time and hubby wants to see a movie. Crafting as an excuse gets overused in this house so I'm rushing. I merged The Octopode Factory Raven, Ink and Quill from the Poe Set and Dada Steampunk Hands images (which for my purposes became the Hatter's) on the computer and added the quote. (I'm pretty sure the answer to this is still a mystery.) I colored with Copics, matted with a stripey border, a few beads and DONE! Sorry so short, but I'm outta here!

Bah! Humbug! Paper Weaving Challenge

2011-09-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

Those gals at Humbug Hall almost scared the bejeezes out of me with that giant spider they had introducing this week's challenge. Boy, I sure couldn't wait 'til it was off my sidebar. LOL Thank heavens it's gone! Thought I'd stumbled into Haunted Design House for a minute. And I dare say I wouldn't be using any spider catcher no matter HOW long the handle. How are ya hanging in Humbug Hall this month, Barb? HeeHee However, the challenge this week was not the easiest either, especially since I took a few days off from crafting the beginning of the week and thought I could sort of skate by. Paper weaving? Eiyiyi! Yes, I've done it, but it's not something that is easily slapped together. I'm proud that I did manage, however. The mats were cut on my Cricut with a cut out from Storybook which I stretched to fit the sweet silhouette from A Child's Year.

After weaving my background, I ran it through my Cuttlebug using the Sizzix Tim Holtz Swirls folder so I could enter it in the CHNC Swirls challenge and also because it made me think of swirling snow. The top mat and silhouette are embossed with the Cuttlebug Limited Edition Snowflake Folder.

Both mats and top image are popped on a prefolded 5 x 6 1/2" card base. The gorgeous snowflake is cut and embossed with the Spellbinders Create A Flake 1 and topped with an adhesive pearl. Be sure to stop by B!H! and CHNC to see the lovely examples. No much timeleft for B!H!, but you still can sneak in a card at CHNC.

Tiddly Inks 2 Week Art Journaling Challenge.

2011-09-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

Better grap a cuppa, this is gonna be a long post.

Our challenge this week at Tiddly Inks is inspired by our Wow Ya Wednesday artist Kate of The Kathryn Wheel and what a challenge it is! (for me, at least) Create an art journal page (or project) inspired by the multi media style so popular now. I'll be honest. I don't have a lot of paints and sprays and that kind of stuff because I really don't like to get my hands (and everything around me) dirty. And I'm a chicken, and a perfectionist, and if I don't like something I throw it away and start over, COMPLETELY over. The philosophy here is "There are no mistakes in Art". Tell that to my waste basket. LOL So actually experimenting in a bound journal is actually quite terrifying to me. I joined the Smeared and Smudged Art Journaling Group and I lasted 3 days and NEVER posted what I did on my blog. The group was very supportive, but what was supposed to be a fun and freeing experience caused me EXTREME anxiety so I dropped out. However, armed with the fab inspiration from Kate and the various links Christy provided for us HERE, I was ready to take the plunge again.

Okay, so maybe it looks like a little dip, because my page is really not as jam packed with doodling and whatnot as I would have liked... I started by slapping gesso on the page which covered up the lines and provided a base. Then I used Distress Inks in colors I immediately didn't like (was going for a sky and grass thing because I had no idea what the page was gonna be about, or what images to use.) Note to self: have a plan first.I hated it so on went another layer of gesso which muted it all (thank GOD!) Next some Acrylic Paint Dabber in Cloudy Blue and while the gesso AND the paint were still wet, I pounced it all with bubble wrap trying to get some texture. Then I had to let it dry. Hmmm... not very patient, so I blasted it with my heat gun.

Then I pretty much just messed around. Used more bubble wrap and Distress Inks with pretty much all of the blues. Stamped a Heartfelt Creations text background stamp with Perfect Medium and dusted with Perfect Pearls in the upper right corner. So it started to look like sky, or water. Took a look at my Tiddlies and came across Whaz'Up...or Down (currently residing in the Tiddly Inks Basement for a mere $1.00! Now you know I'm more of a cat woman, but these little guys captured what I've been feeling lately. (Read the computer generated journaling. No, I was just too chicken to try and write it by hand and possibly mess up after all of this!) I colored the little guys with Distress Ink and cut them out. I also added a compass mask and some stamping also with Distress.

Then I decided I wanted clouds so I got REALLY BRAVE and slapped on some Dreamweavers Embossing paste. What I didn't read was that it was translucent. CRAP! (thought it was white) so I looked in my drawer and grabbed some Sparklyfluff, sprinkled it on, and hoped it would stick. Yea, it did, but the pic doesn't show the sparkle...bummer. My only dilemma now was the balloon strings because I was pretty sure I couldn't draw over the Sparklyfluff. Couldn't find black floss either, so I opted for wire which was not a great choice, but what's a gal to do? So anyway, here's my page and I have to admit I had FUN! No, it's far from perfect, but it's okay. Now, if you want to see perfection, check out what my teamies have done HERE. And don't forget this is a 2 week challenge so you have plenty of time to muster some courage if you're a newbie like me. You may just find your voice. There are no mistakes in art.

P.S. Christy has previewed 2 new adorable images and a FREEBIE on her blog, so have a look HERE.

BBTB2 TBBM Box Challenge

2011-09-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Isn't that title hilarious? I'm sure non Cricuteers are scratching their heads. Translation: This week our challenge at Bitten By The Bug2 was chosen by our fabulously talented sis, Jeri. Her pick was ony of the 3D boxes or containers from Tags, Bags, Boxes and More. Well, my fave box on that cart is the cake box. However, I had a hard time figuring out what to do with it because I had already done a vintage inspired Halloween one HERE, and also a birthday cake shoe HERE. What I didn't realize, was that I could cut it quite a bit bigger than the "fit to page" size on a 12"x12" mat, which is 9". By turning it around using DS, I could just cut it a a whopping 11". WooHoo! That is SOME slice of cake!

I used just two colors because I decided to use the trick or treaters silhouettes from A Child's Year and create a little scene around the sides of the box. They look quite vintage to me, and the paper decorations I have left from my childhood have few colors other than orange and black. I finally got to use the larger MS fence punch too.

The figures were cut at 2 1/4 " (the witch, clown and princess) and 2 1/8" (fairy, fireman, and cowboy) Some were flipped so they would all face the front of the box. To continue the scene, I punch a smaller MS Spooky Fence punch to add around the top.

"Trick or Treat"was cut from Pumpkin Carving. I added a large moon and shadow cut with my Grand Caliber and Grand Circles Nesties. The haunted house is a Tim Holtz Sizzix Bigz Die. I happen to have a Big Shot, but these can be cut in the Cuttlebug too, using the die between 2 B plates.

The box opens from the back so of course I needed to decorate that too. "Happy Haunting" is also from the Pumpkin Carving cart and the ghosts are another MS punch. I'm telling you, LOTS of treats will fit in here! Now don't fret if you don't have TBBM, because any box or treat container from any of the carts will do, as long as it is a "new" project and you mention and link to BBTB2 in your post. Now go have a look at the amazing inspiration from my DT sisters and we hope to visit you to see your take on the challenge too. BTW, although we have a new challenge every week, you have 2 weeks to complete them so our winged, drippy heart challenge HERE is still open as well.

Macabre Monday 7 Deadly Sins Challenge

2011-09-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

This week at Haunted Design House, our challenge is to create a project inspired by one of the 7 Deadly Sins. That would be Lust, Greed, Envy, Pride(Vanity), Sloth, Gluttony and Wrath. I was all set to do a dude having a Big Mac Attack when I realized the project I was doing for the TOFF Challenge (that I was late for) would work just famously for this challenge so I saved it. Anyway, it is my FAVE Deady Sin so...(don't laugh, just because there's snow on the roof doesn't mean there's no fire in the chimney ;D) Anyway, I used The Octopode Factory Whimsical Devil Girl and colored her with Copics and popped her with dimensionals. The background paper was done with Distress Inks and the flames behind her were stamped using the cool Distressed Stripes clear stamps from Papertrey Ink (thanks, Leah) which I squiggled up on the clear block and also stamped with Distress. I did a little journaling (a la Art Journal style, sort of) up the flames and doodled a striped border as well (because the TOFF challenge was stripes). The die cut letters are the QuicKutz Haunted Mini Alphabet cut on my Cuttlebug. The Minions are out in full force so check out the inspiration HERE, and don't forget Wretched Wednesday when Creepy Glo posts her contribution. Hope to see yours, too.

Tiddly Inks End of Summer Card

2011-09-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

div>It's Fabulous Inky Friday which means at The Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog we highlight cards we see using Tiddly Inks images throughout blogland as well as those from the Tiddly Inkers. We also announce the winner from the previous challenge so of course you wanna go see, don't you? Although it wasn't my team's turn to do the Goodbye Summer Challenge for Tiddly Tuesday, I couldn't help but do a Fall card. It's my favorite season.

I immediately thought of the sweet Colorful World, an older image that resides in the Tiddly Inks Basement. Remember, that's your spot for things you may not find in the new Tiddly Inks Shop. Many of the images in the basement are discounted as well. WooHoo! You can snag her for a mere $2.00! She's colored with Copics, and glossy Accents added to her brush, fussy cut, then popped on a Nesties Mega Oval.

The leaves were cut and embossed with a Cuttlebug die and folder. I used the trees from the huge Harmony at Home Mega Pack for the patterned paper by resizing and printing each in a different color, using my Printmaster Platinum Program, then cutting the leaves out of the tree tops. Brushed Corduroy Distress was used to bring out the embossing.

To add a little interest, I wound a fiber through the popped leaves. I kind of thought it gave a feeling of movement and allows me to enter it in The Ribbon Carousel Anything Goes Challenge this week. Some gold adhesive beads were added for a little shine. There's still plenty of time to enter our Goodbye Summer-Hello Fall challenge so I hope to see you there and wait until you see the fabulous inspiration from our Wow Ya Wednesday Guest Kate from The Kathryn Wheel. Seriously, art journaling at it's FINEST! And pop over to Christy's Blog and see the adorable new Little Miss Sunshine image, just released Tuesday. There is always something fun going on at Tiddly Inks.

I'm also entering this in the Craft Us Crazy Autumn Colors and/or Favorite Embellishments Challenge (adhesive beads, here).

A Super Quickie for Bah! Humbug!

2011-09-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

Yikes! My little anniversary trip threw me all out of whack for my fave weekly challenges so here I'm am scrambling to sneak this week's Bah!Humbug! Xmas Sentiments/Text Challenge. I actually had a much more elaborate card in mind, but at this late hour, there is no way I'd be able to finish it so I pulled out my trusty Cuttlebug, embossed with the Joy and Cheer folder (that I've had FOREVER, but never used), stamped a Hero Arts sentiment with Blazing Red StazOn, cut a scalloped rectangle in the mat with my Nesties, popped them both and there ya go! Don't even know if I'm technically under the wire, VERY CAS, but it's done! I apologize for the pic. Hard to photograph when it's still dark out. LOL

A Special Baby Card

2011-09-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm away on our anniversary trip enjoying the lovely accomodations and idyllic setting at Nick's Cove, but I do have something new to show you. I can now reveal a commissioned baby card. I've actually never done a commission before, but out of the blue, I got a phone call from the Mom of one of my followers who wanted to surprise her daughter with a card from ME! I was flattered and shocked that this sweet Mom would track me down and make her request and the date seemed soo far away (at the time) that I just couldn't refuse.

What I didn't realize is how I would feel about the huge resonsibility it is to try to capture someone else's vision and it made me pretty nervous. The nursery is done in navy (yeah, that's navy on the card, not black) and lime green with an alligator motif. I threw out about a bazillion designs before I came up with something I liked. I had pix of the bedding and stuff and I found the PERFECT alligator on Zooballoo. The baby blocks are from New Arrival and the pond and grass is from Create a Critter. It's all welded in DS to a rounded rectangle from George into a shaped front card (big surprise!) The design still bothered me until I added a banner from a Stampin'Up Treat Cone Die (the shadow for that was hand cut) with an Alpha Bead sentiment.

Inside I added another pond, directly under the one on the front, so it didn't show through when the card was closed, for writing a personal note and another teeny alligator. Isn't he cute? He's embossed with the Mesh Texture Cuttlebug folder, rather than the Tiny Mosaic that his big brother is embossed with, which seemed more to scale. The pond paper is Bo Bunny which is already textured and the blocks were embossed with Swiss Dots.

As you can see, it is FAT and required a custom envie. I often use the Crayon Box from TBBM for these which I decorated to match but I was in such a hurry to get this mailed to Louisianna that I forgot to take pix. BUMMER! I sure hope Jennifer liked it and was happy and surprised.

BBTB2 Rock Princess Flying Dripping Heart Challenge

2011-09-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day! Hope everyone is enjoying their looong weekend. Mine is just starting as we're off to Nick's Cove for a couple of days to celebrate our 36th anniversary on Tuesday. I'm looking forward to a little break from crafting and some relaxation on Tomales Bay.

Our challenge this week at BBTB2 was chosen by our fabulous Team Leader Heather. I couldn't help but make a Halloween card using the heart, as well as the font from Rock Princess, all welded together in DS. The colors were dictated by the batty DP from Basic Grey. It all still looks a little jarring to me, even though I tried to tone down the lettering with inking and embossing. Trust me, I tried about a bazillion different color combos and this turned out to be the best but... I do love the bat wings, though. They were embossed with the Tim Holtz Spider Web folder and inked with Alabaster Chalk Ink. OOOOH, SPOOKY! The heart was glittered by running it through my Xyron and sprinkling it with gorgeous purple Doodlebug Sugar coating. Yummy!

It's a shaped front card, but I bet you already assumed that. LOL Couldn't help but add some bling. the interior swirls and small gems on "Batty" are by Recollections from M's and the large purple hearts (honestly they ARE purple but insist on photographing more BLUE for some reason) are by Darice.

Lots of layers again, this one sort of took on a mind of it's own. The second layer of wings were left free to fly. Now don't panic if you don't have this cart. We'd love you to play along with any heart, or thing with wings, or drippy thing (Hmmm...I'm not going there) on a new creation and link it up mentioning the BBTB2 challenge and linking it back to our site so everyone can get in on the fun. Now go take a look at what the rest of the DT has come up with for this challenge and be inspired.

Macabre Monday P.M.S Challenge

2011-09-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

This week our challenge at Haunted Design House is P.M.S. Heck, what do I know about PMS. It's been 10 years since I've ridden the crimson wave, but hot flashes? Yeah, I'm your GAL! Actually P.M.S stands for Psychotic Miss Silver. Your project should feature a whacked out chick and the color silver. No problem! I found my fabulous images on the web by Googling "Woman Screaming" and "Bloody Knife". Yeah, Baby! I'm particularly fond of the woman screaming. LOVE that perspective, and haven't we all been stressed enough that we even screamed through our eyes? But finish off my chocolate and you're taking you life in your hands. My silver is foil and I've crunched it to look like a chocolate wrapper beneath the sentiment and as a mat.

I cut the image with my Nesties Wonky Rectangles and backed it with additional cuts and popped them for dimension. Lots of fun, this one. The rest of the Minions had a blast with this as well. Please check them out HERE and don't forget Creepy Glo's post on Wretched Wednesday for mid week treat. I know this is a subject familiar (if not dear) to every woman's heart, so I can't wait to see your interpretation of the theme. Don't forget to link your project back to our challenge so EVERYONE can play along. I'm also adding it to The Corrosive Challenge Blog Funny or Punny Challenge (I think it's funny!)

The Altered Alice Chapter 7 : Text as Nonsense

2011-09-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

Alice didn't dare to argue the point, but went on: `-- and I thought I'd try and find my way to the top of that hill -- '

`When you say "hill,"' the Queen interrupted, `I could show you hills, in comparison with which you'd call that a valley.'

`No, I shouldn't,' said Alice, surprised into contradicting her at last: `a hill can't be a valley, you know. That would be nonsense --

' The Red Queen shook her head, `You may call it "nonsense" if you like,' she said, ` but I've heard nonsense, compared with which that would be as sensible as a dictionary!'

-- Chapter 2, Through The Looking Glass and What Alice Found There

Welcome again to another monthly challenge at The Altered Alice. Using text as pattern is a trend right now that I really love. Your challenge is to use text as nonsense - not to read but as pattern on your project! Of course you can still have words or sentiments, but we also need to see text used in a non-reading way. We are sponsored this month by Stamp Attack, a British Company well known for (among other things) their fabulous Alice stamp plates. The winner will receive a voucher to purchase a stamp plate of their choice.

I guess you could call my project an "art piece" as it is way too large for a card (11"x 11") and an inch thick. I was having a hard time deciding what to do until I looked at my Tiddly Inks card for this week and thought to expand upon the book cut I used there. The book is a Cricut cut from My Community. I cut the shadow, blackout, and 6 of the regular cuts (stretched a bit in Design Studio) which I trimmed and popped for the pages. I used George to cut the descending concentric circles at different depths to represent the fall down the rabbit hole.

The fabulous DP is Out of Print Tapestry by Basic Grey which is the perfect nonsensical text and whimsical pattern for this challenge. Subsequent pages are stamped with the Large Elegant Word Background Stamp by Heartfelt Creations and all are inked with Distress.

All of the fabulous Alice characters are from the Adventures of Alice Plate from our sponsor, Stamp Attack.

Each was colored with Copics and cut and popped in and around the openings.

I used minimal embellishments because, let's face it, there's a lot going on here. LOL I did use a vertical sentiment stamp by Sweet Pea on the twill bookmark. I was a bit afraid to do it, but the Perfect Printing Pouch by ScraPerfect (see the CHA video HERE with my interview, LOL) honestly made it come out perfectly. (and you all know me and stamping.) I was AMAZED!

Be sure to visit The Altered Alice to see the fabulous first week inspiration by the DT HERE. Our challenges come out the first Sunday of the month and run through the Friday before the last Sunday, with weekly inspiration postings by more of the DT that you won't want to miss. Winners are announced the last Sunday of the month.

Please remember that ALL art forms are welcomed, Atc's, Cards, Scrap layouts, Altered items and whatever you could possibly think of, as long as they fit the challenge (which this week is using text as nonsense, in case you forgot after this unbelievably long post.) They don't technically even have to be "Alice" related, but of course those that do get preferential treatment. LOL So I wanna see some of my blogging buddies join in this month, okay? See ya there!

And the Winner IS!!!!

2011-09-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys! I'm always late in putting up the winners because I was hoping to have a card to post today, but its just not happening. Maybe later, but don't hold your breath. LOL Still have DT stuff to crank out. I will have a fab post tomorrow for the new Altered Alice Challenge, though, so stay tuned.

So, now, without further ado, what you've all been waiting for... the winner of the $40.00 gift certificate to Custom Crops is #48, CHLOE!!!!!!!! who wrote:

WOOHOO! Congrats Chloe! Please email me to arrange for your prize. Thanks you all for participating and please check out the sale and new products at my fab sponsor, Custom Crops .

Ad Day For Daisies It's a Twine Thing and My Craft Spot 'Sew' Much Fun Challenge

2011-08-31T15:39:00.000-07:00

First I need to apologize to my bloggie friends for not visiting regularly this month. To be honest, I'm just totally out of gas. I bit off more than I could chew in August...WAY more and I've been scrambling to complete my DT and guest DT projects as well as a comission (that I can't show you yet), but Thank GOD! it's finished and in the mail. (Just in the nick of time, I might add. Did I mention I'm the world's WORST procrastinator and slowest crafter on earth?) Also, being on a design team means commenting on the challenge participants entries and there have been LOTS!!!!!

I wasn't even sure today if I had it in me to craft. But I WANTED to, so I decided to do a sweet simple card for the A Day For Daisies Twine Challenge. I loved the free image provided for joining the challenge and since there wasn't much coloring... The image was colored with Copics and cut and matted with Nesties. All I needed was to add some twine.

But the My Craft Spot Challenge this week is "Sew" Much Fun. HHmmm...I've been dying to try my Sew Easy Stitch Piercer so I used the Scallop wheel. At first I tried stitching with 2 tone baker's twine but I didn't like how it was turning out, so I dug around in my fiber drawer and found this delicate hemp twine. The neutral color was the inspiration for the kraft paper and fairly monochromatic color scheme. Once I'd done the stitching, it was too late to run it through the computer to add a sentiment and my confidence in my stamping ability is pretty darn low (I would have DIED had I mess this up after all the hand stitching) so I used the Cuttlebug Friends Forever Card-Making Combo. The delicate font was just perfect. I don't do CAS very often, but I LOVE how this turned out!