The Men are going Out West at Hambo Hoedown!

I love challenges that stretch my "comfort zone" and this week I experienced that~but then when I started coloring in my Southwest digital Image by Hambo Stamps I just let my thoughts travel through possibilities and I came up with this scenario:  I could picture this dry desert mountain scene right outside my window if I lived in Arizona or if I was traveling through the area in my camper. Then, what would I find surrounding me in those locations:

• pleated blinds on the windows (made here from heavy cardstock, pierced with a sewing machine needle to mark the path later punched and threaded through with waxed thread. Then, coppery blind "pulls" to lift the blinds.
• I glued down a "valance" across the top of the blinds-mainly to cover up the knots from the cord.
• There would be "moulding" around the window-here in brown and even with the corners mitered.
• A couch to sit on-I used stitched lines and lots of shading to show the arms and puffy back
• I created a pillow out of 2 circles of crumpled patterned paper, stuffed with fluff, and ran a stitch around the edge.  Distressed with ink.
• Then added an afghan-strip of paper, crumpled, fringed, and wadded up into the corner of the couch.
• The Sentiment added is also from Hambo Stamps from a previous entry into their great contests.

I hope you will get inspired from the DT entries using this image and get your Masculine card supply built up again!  This is a great way to increase your digital library by simply placing your entry with them in time to receive the next challenge digital image~Free!

Thanks for looking and remember to think out of the box and not get intimidated, Carolyn

Christmas Cards using Fred, She Said-Love 'em

I know I've said this so many times before BUT I love pre-colored digitals, especially when they are so well done by Tracey (aka Fred, she Said)!  There are so many things on your plate during December that when you can cut a few corners, it helps out so much, right?
This time I cut out the center of the Pine Cone Spray Cardfront so that I could put the Hat Tipping Snowman digital behind it.  I tried to take a closer picture so you could see the stickle accents on his image and the evergreen branches as well as the white Puffy paint that I put on the pinecones to look like plops of snow.  I mounted the cardfront (oops I see that the top corner is not quite stuck down-will fix that right away!) onto a cheery Christmas paper and then placed a green liner inside the card with some red stickle berries.

I was on such a roll with these easy cards, I worked on another one using Kitty and the Ornament as well as the Pine Cone Spray Cardfront again. Used the stickle that I love for my bling and the puffy paint again.  The inside has a lovely shade of blue paper with some snowflakes as accents.
Try these images out and see how fast you get your cards done!

Hambo Snowman Wishes to all of you!

I just get a big grin on my face when I look at this Hambo Winter rubber stamp from Hambo Stamps--It's called Snow Pig-3219 and I colored it up with Copics and gave it a place of honor on my recent CAS card!  I used an embossed card front run through my Texture Boutique with a snowman worshiping the snowflakes and then mounted my image on pop dots.  He's even got a jazzy green stickled hat and boots! I also used the Warm Winter Wishes-4710 sentiment which is one of my favorites.  I used a Spellbinder oval scalloped die on the sentiment and then glued some flower soft on the edges.  There's also a pile of it at the
bottom of Snow Pig.  I accented the larger snowflakes with some Inka-Gold in Silver, icicle Stickles on the snow dots and a large glittery snowflake attached to the image.  I just love the images you get at Hambo-they're so clear and detailed-very easy to print with and color in!  Thanks for visiting and come sit a spell again~Carolyn

Christmas Challenge at Seems a Little Sketchy~My Grafico

My Grafico  is sponsoring this Challenge at Seems a Little Sketchy this week.  We always have such neat ideas for sketches and it makes your time so much more productive when you have a blueprint on how to lay it all out!  You can turn the design, substitute say a flower with a ribbon bow, like I did-gives you many options that you know will work together.
One of our DT members was asked to go to their website and pick out an image/set of images for us to use this time and I think she did a great job.  Check out all our designs to get some inspiration!
I chose Santa for this 6x6 card and some of the accents are stickles on the bows of the presents and the ornament in his hand, some paper lace, coordinated Christmas papers, seam binding that I turned into a crinkly vintage bow by using walnut spray and added a button center.
Hope you all had a tummy filling Thanksgiving meal and now you're looking for ideas for all those Christmas cards!  Come back again soon!  Carolyn

Feeling like Christmas Thanks to FRED, SHE SAID

I don't know why I try and make things more difficult for myself when I make cards-that wild imagination of mine I guess..Clean and Simple(CAS) cards test my senses because I'm always trying to say "what if I put..." but with this stunning digital image from Tracey (aka Fred, She Said) it just screamed to me to make it the focal point of the card.  This image is Pointy Poinsettia Flowers Pre-Colored and can be found here.  It's a great group with a set of the green leaves, and 3 different sizes of red poinsettias that I just stacked.  I chose to mount a button in the center but you could just as well use some bling or some stamens.  The edges have glitter from Create a Craft.  The front is a snowflake folder from Anna at a great Scrapbook swapping site called My Scrapbook Place .  We have loads of fun there-come visit and stay a spell.  The red paper "ribbon" is from my stash and the sentiment is from Stampin' Up.  I finished off the inside with a red top note die and it's just waiting to be mailed to a special friend.
Since Black Friday is almost upon us with all sorts of sales and I happen to be talking about Fred, She Said, this seems to be the time to let you know she is having an online sale worth 30% off purchases over $10--what a great time to use it to get some new Christmas digitals both B&W and pre-colored!  I know you can find something you'd like-
Everyone have a Blessed Thanksgiving and understand that the most important thing is not the food, or the day off from work, But the friends and family that you surround yourself with on this special day.   I would also say that I'm also very thankful for 2 friends Linda Weber and Pat Martin that came to my rescue and made by blog so Festive!  Carolyn

Let me Paint you a Christmas Scene with Hambo Stamps

Even though this week we are all taking time to gather our Friends and Families to our homes and spend some quality moments with them on Thanksgiving Day, it won't be long before the mild temps are turning in to cold and there is frost on the windows...have you ever gone by a neighborhood and glanced those windows?  This rubber stamp by Hambo Stamps is called Christmas Window-4319  and it gives me the warm, fuzzy feeling that I feel when I'm in the cold and you know families are safe and warm inside their homes. It's a very detailed stamp but it's so pretty!  I paired it with a set of Icicles-3101 and the sentiment which can be found here-the number for it is 4710.  Because I wanted to make this card to reflect "the window on the world" idea, I took a few liberties with my Hambo stamp-usually I want it on the very front along with the other features.  But I wanted to create the illusion of looking into something. I love the brick dp and the snow banks that I added so that there was room for adding some thoughts.  There are some little crystals on the blue icicles.

I hope you, all of my new friends, will have a wonderful Holiday, share good food and hospitality, and wear your Stretchy Pants for the day!!

Christmas time at Fred, She Said-Santa's Coming soon!

Welcome to the Fred, She Said Winter 2012 Blog Hop! The flakes will be flying in earnest soon...grab yourself a cuppa something warm and spend a while checking out the new Fred, She Said Winter images!   

If you have arrived from Zehra's blog, you are right on track. If you are just happening by, you will want to start on the FSS Blog.  

Collect a secret word on each blog along the way, leave us some love on our posts and follow the directions at the end of the hop for your chance to win this FABULOUS PRIZE!

One winner will receive ALL of this:

PRIZE:
Bearly Mine Designs - £15 gift voucher

$25 GC to CropStop (provided by Fred She Said)
$25 GC to Fred She Said Store

Tracey-Lynn
Nancy
Zehra
Crystal
GUEST DT Donna

Janet Kay 

Patricia 

Carolyn - me!  

Michelle  

FSS Challenge Blog 

I used the following ingredients on my card:

• K & Company Christmas Tree Scene Paper
• Christmas Wreath pre-colored digi from Fred, She Said with red Stickles on the berries
• Embossed folder green cs from stash and rubbed with Inka Gold
• Center stamp on wreath from stash
• Red crinkled sheer ribbon with matted cardstock tickets with Christmas sayings
• Inside liner is green with gold stars

Your secret word on my blog is  an

Your next stop on the hop is Michelle blog.  

Winners will be selected on November 23, 2012 at 12:01 EST.