Bah! Humbug! Meets Octopode (by accident)

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.

Bah! Humbug! White on White Challenge

TGIF, everyone! An this is not just any Friday. Today I'm joining the Humbuggers for the month of August as Guest Designer! WooHoo! If you follow my blog, you know I've been a proud Loyalty Member of the Bah! Humbug! fabulous Christmas Challenge Blog since last year and I'm more than excited and honored to join Ann and Max and my fellow Guest Designer, Tracy for a month of Christmas fun. This week the challenge is White on White, a particular favorite of mine. I've had the idea for this card for a long while. I designed it in Cricut Design Studio and cut it on my Cricut Expression. The snowflakes are from Accent Essentials and Very Merry Tags, the gorgeous butterfly from Hannah Montana, the sentiment banner from Wedding Solutions and the back from George and Basic Shapes.

No surprise it's a shaped front card, my favorite type to make, and I've used a matte silver for the shadows, from Recollections, to set off the all white design. Then I added plenty of adhesive gems to make it sparkle.

Here's a close up of the sentiment, done on my computer with my Printmaster Pro program.

There are plenty of layers for dimension and the butterfly is adhered in the center only, so the wings are free to fly.

Inside, I've embossed the mat with one of the 5x7" Cuttlebug folders. The sentiment was placed so that it is not visible from the front. I have to say that this may be one of my favorite Christmas cards EVER! I do so hope you come visit Bah!Humbug! to see the lovely creations by the rest of the crew and would be ever so pleased if you decided to play along. On the first Friday of each month there is a prize to be won, and this month's is ever so exciting. I'm also entering it in the Simon Says Stamp Christmas in August Challenge, the Jingle Belles Shape-Up for the Holidays Challenge, the Fussy and Fancy Fridays Challenge and the Winter Wonderland White on White Challenge (I'm hoping since they're allowing a colored image, and I don't have one, that they'll let the little silver shadow slide. LOL)

Bah! Humbug! Beads and Whimsicle Wednesdays Use Your Scraps Challenge

Wow, my DH has been gone backpacking for 4 days and I really thought I'd be crafting up a storm but I sort of got lost in other things. I went to the Farmer's Market, I gardened, I chatted with friends, I cleaned house, I did laundry. What got into me? But I finally managed to do a really CAS card for the Bah!Humbug! Beads challenge. The only difficult part of this card was stringing the beads because the eye of the tapestry needle I used didn't want to go through the Alpha Beads. I ended up using pliers to pull, which finally did it. I planned to play along with the current Whimsicle Wednesday Use Your Scraps Challenge, as well. I always have white card stock of various sizes all over my table from digis and computer generated sentiments, border punches, etc, so that was a cinch! The red piece had been knocking around for weeks and had all sorts of junk cut out of it, but thankfully, there was space left over for a 4 3/4 " square. The embossed wreath is a Cuttlebug folder and the doves, a Martha Stewart punch. P.S. the red ribbon the beads are strung on is a scrap too.

I popped the wreath and the doves (which I punched once in white and once in red to create a bit of a shadow) and that was it. Im also entering this in the Christmas Cards All Year 'Round July Challenge which is to do a card that is mostly white and the Winter Wonderland Holly and Ivy Challenge because if you look closely at the embossing, you'll see that there are holly leaves in the wreath. Be sure to stop by all of these fab challenge blogs to see the wonderful inspiration by the DT's.

Winter Wonderland Blue and White Challenge

Here I am scrambling again. Maybe an hour left in The Winter Wonderland Blue and White Challenge. I'll admit to being quite the procrastinator, but that was not supposed to be the case this time. I'd designed a semi elaborate shaped card that had bells for Bah!Humbug! that I was planning on doing in blue and white to do double duty but I got sick Tues night and all day yesterday so that idea flew out the window. When I got up this morning I noticed a still had a little time left for Winter Wonderland, and I'd done their fabulous birthday blog hop and followed all the rules (except making the card) so I pulled out my trusty Cuttlebug and went to work. Had a bit of a time photographing it. The stickles on the Snowy Village embossing aren't dry and the silver mirror card stock is always a PITA but I hope you get the idea. The framed mats are done with my Labels Four Grand Nestabilities on my Grand Caliber.

Here's a better close up of the embossing. I just love this folder!

The bottom snowflakes are done with my Tim Holtz Alerations snowflake border cut once in silver, and once in white. The frame is popped as is the border for dimension. The sentiment is a peelie by Stampendous. The top right snowflake is a MS punch (again punched twice) and popped and the remainder of the snowflakes are Jolee Stickers. Okay, better get this linked up. I'm also adding it to the Christmas Cards Challenge which is snowflakes this week and the Christmas Cards All Year 'Round challenge which is Anything Goes. I do have to say I feel just terrible missing my Bah!Humbug! Challenge for the first time this year. I'll probably do the challenge anyway because I like the design I did and perhaps it would look better in different colors anyway.

Bah! Humbug! Kinetic Cards Challenge

OOOh, those ladies at Humbugger Hall really tossed us a toughy this week. The challenge is Kinetic Cards, or cards that move in some way. I knew I couldn't leave this one 'til the last minute and wracked my brain until I remembered the Snow Angel cut on Winter Frolic. Quite frankly, that cart is a little too cutesy for me to use often, but it sort of saved my butt this time around. I designed a shaped card in Design Studio that rocked because of the curved base. WooHoo! but I didn't want to stop there. After layering up the little kiddle I stuck her on an Action Wobble so she actually moves like she's making a snow angel. I cut an opening the size of her face in the parka layer and trimmed it and the sleeves with a snow writer and added Polar White Flower Soft. Then I popped the parka and boots that are shiny with Glossy accents. (Remember those red boots we pulled on over our shoes a bazillion years ago?) The face and hair are colored with Copics and the funky face is hand drawn. Clearly, I need some Peachy Keen Stamps, LOL The words are rub-ons by Melissa Frances. I also added some pom poms to be eligble for the Winter Wonderland Give us a "P" Challenge (and there's a bit of pink on there too).


I tried hard to get a real blurred action shot with the Wobble really doing it's thing, but my camera stopped the motion every time. (Clearly I need photography lessons, too) But you get the general idea don't you? So yea! for once I'm not scrambling at the last minute and you've got a day to join in too if you're so inclined. At least be sure to check out the cool kinetic cards the Design Team has made and the lovely cards on Winter Wonderland with elements starting with "P".

Bah! Humbug! Metallic Challenge

The challenge at Bah!Humbug! this week is Metallic. Easy peasy since I use foil card stock pretty often when doing Christmas so I wanted to try something new. My DH had recently asked if I could use a roll of adhesive backed foil tape and of course I said "yes!" Hadn't messed with it yet so I tried cutting it with my Tim Holtz On the Edge Snowflake die (another thing I'd not used yet) and voila! How cool! Peeling off the backing was a trip and boy is it STICKY! you really have to get it straight the first time and make sure the snowflakes don't curl and stick to each other or you're pretty much screwed (ask me how I know). It's also VERY thin but you can smooth out the bubbles carefully with a rub-on stick. What I loved is that the edges of the flakes sort of had a teeny raised edge around them. The flat edge bothered me so I took a Cuttlebug border and embossed it. My original thought was to use a peelie sentiment, but then I remembered the adhesive metallic words I'd gotten in the dollar bin at M's. Peace seemed to fit the bill and I only added a few adhesive beads for embellishment. It's really flat and an A2, but I really love how it came out. I think it has something to do with the gorgeous cobalt card stock I got at my LSS.

Here's the tape I used. Got lots more so I'll be experimenting further. The On the Edge Die is called Snow Flurries and I have no idea where the Cuttlebug Christmas border came from. An HSN bundle? Oh well... I'm still thoroughly loving the challenges at Bah!Humbug! Hope you guys aren't totally sick of Christmas...I never am. Well, maybe a little, but not enough to miss a Bah! Humbug! Challenge. (Shut up Margie, don't you dare say a word!) I'm also entering this into the CHNC Challenge which is Seasonal Silver (a little or alot) and the Winter Wonderland Challenge which is Embossing (heat or dry). Oh, and yes, you can use the On the Edge and all of the Sizzix Bigz (but not XL) dies in your Cuttlebug by eliminating the A plate and using a sandwich of B Plate, Die, Card Stock and B Plate.

Bah! Humbug! Winter Wonderland (a Couple Hours Late)

Good morning! Mine started dark and early (1:45 am). It's been deathly hot and I woke up sweaty and thirsty and just couldn't go back to sleep. It must have been that I hadn't finished my Bah! Humbug! card and of course I didn't want to miss that! This past week the challenge was Winter Wonderland so I decided to play a bit again with my mini gel pens and holder from Chomas Creations. This time I chose the teal pen from the Assortment to match my frosty color scheme. The images I chose are from the Cricut Christmas Solutions cartridge. I used Design Studio for placement of both the regular and shadow features and then placed them on different mats; one for the drawing, one for the cutting. After drawing the images (pressure 3, speed 3) I pressed load mat (not load last) and replaced my pen holder with the blade housing. I adjusted my pressure to 5 and went to my second mat in Design Studio (where the shadows were) and pressed cut again. WooHoo! No fussy cutting. I did a bit of shading with my Copics using BG0000, BG000 and C1 and added some sparkle with Star Dust Stickles. I'm really loving these pens! SOOOO many applications! Be sure to stop by Amy's Blog to see more fabulous examples and you can order her fabulous products there too. Sorry about the pic here. It was still dark but the Stickles sure do stand out!

Hmmm, another card that fits a business envie. The base is Bazzill sparkle and the background is embossed with the Snowflakes limited edition Cuttlebug folder from Custom Crops. The top mat is embossed with a OMC Internet Exclusive Sizzix snowflake folder. The cut out is a Nesties Mega Classic Scalloped Oval. Big surprise that I used the Cuttlebug Embossing Plus Fanciful Labels which I colored with the same gel pen and added a peelie and pearls. This dimension shot is a bit better as to color. I'm also entering this in the Winter Wonderland Challenge (another great Christmas challenge blog) whose theme just happens to be Winter Wonderland. Anyway, hope you like. It's gonna be another scorcher so this Winter Wonderland is looking pretty nice right now.

I'm sorry for those of you who have asked, but I didn't save a .cut file for this. I just used Design Studio for placement of the shadows (for the cut page) and each of the images was cut individuallyafter drawing them all first. I have a tutorial on using Cricut Markers HERE that explains what I did I guess in more detail. Cricut markers work the same way as these pens. The example showing the monkey in that tut is what was done for this card. Hope that helps.