I'm in Luv with another man....He's on Squiggle Fly!

He's Fat and Jolly, has twinkling blue eyes, a full enough beard to keep him warm during the winter and  has ice crystals in his fur-trimmed cap and beard to make him sparkle....oh I'm sure that my secrets out, It's St. Nick himself! 

I absolutely love Christmas time and when Squiggle Fly asked for entries in their challenge using traditional colors of Red and Green, I knew I had to use Kris Kringle by Marla Shega.  It's the most awesome digital I've ever seen of him!  My version of the colors is more of a Vintage treatment, using Loden greens and cranberry reds.  I added a vintage green-brown matting circle, sheer gold glittered ribbon, and 2 matted cardstock accent tags.  The inside is finished with a neutral liner along with an oval cut Christmas sentiment.

As I near the end of my Christmas card making, I am so glad that I had to opportunity to use Kris one more time and share the Magic of Christmas with all of you.  May the Wonder of the season be in all your hearts, now and always.  Carolyn

Having trouble with your HAMBO Christmas lights?

How many of us (or at least our husbands) are facing this same dilemma this and every Christmas?  It seems no matter  how neatly you put them away previously, there you are!  Well this is character is called Pig Tangled- a digital image from Hambo Stamps and the sentiment is from this great stamp site also.  The Challenge was to make an easel card using this digi and I decided to switch it up and use one of embossed card FRONTS on the inside...of course, as a single piece of cs, that presented a challenge in itself.  I created a tabbed easel back for the image and used the tab to mount it to the top of the card front-with me still? While I only used Inka Gold on the "Cheer" word, there were so many imprinted ones on it that were perfect for Christmas=peace, hope, love, lights, and joy--see why I wanted to use it?  I used the simplicity of red dew drops for the "stopper".  I think the cutest thing is the flower soft I used on his "fur" -He looks so cheery!  Hope you all are getting in the spirit of Christmas and are taking time, in between untangling the lights!, to enjoy the wonder of the season and enjoy friends and fellowship with your loved ones.

Kenny K sponsors Seems a Little Sketchy-YEAH!!

Seems a Little Sketchy  and Kenny K Downloads are teaming up to partner this next challenge for you--If you LOVE his digital images like I do, this was wonderful news!

I used Santa Cookies and just love her in the pinks and lime greens with the blonde hair~ I'm thinking of a sweet pre-teen granddaughter that this will fit the bill for at Christmas!  Kind-of looks like her with the hair and eyes!  I used papers-buttons-and pink velvet ribbon from my stash.  The neat thing I tried on this card was to "release" her pair of boots and hat from the scalloped oval that I highlighted with pink chalk ink.

I hope this inspires you to visit his site and choose from many images that are versatile and beautifully created-gotta love those big eyes and something for men, kids, and gals!  Hope to see your creations soon!

Squiggle Fly Challenge #48-Winter Wonderland

When I saw this Adorable image at Squiggle Fly called Honk for the Holidays by Fawn Palmer  I immediately knew it called for Lumberman Buffalo Plaid paper!! Ya know the Black and Red checks so favored by those Beefy Lumberjacks in the Mountains!  Well a gal can dream right?
When you've been fighting the great nasty cold that's going around our area like I have, it feels good just to sit and create and not move around too much!  I even colored in the nose and cheeks of this brave soul with pink chalk cause that's the way I feel!

I used the Spellbinders Renaissance die cut to give it the feel of snow drifting around the car-also using a chevron mat paper for the same effect.  Yellow Ice Stickles reach out beyond the car for headlights.  One inch natural printed twill ribbon runs along the edge of the A7 card and I used the Memorybox border die called Frostyville that I've seen from afar on cards and finally purchased-it makes great swirly snow!    It's a very intricate die and extremely challenging to cut-I even used the hint from my friend Linda Weber of using wax paper between the cardstock and intricate die for easy release.  I'm still experimenting with weights of cardstock and shims and such, but lets say Patience is a Virtue!  But oh what great results!  And on the lighter note, I have lots of bits and baubs to use as "accent" snow effects on other cards!  Bonus!  Thanks for looking and I hope as the Christmas season fast approaches, you will soon be traveling like our Lumberjack, with a car full of presents and a tree on the roof, heading for loved ones and a warm cup of cocoa!  Carolyn

Southern Girls Challenge~Endless Summer #59

At Southern Girls Challenge this month, we were given the challenge of seeing summer colors, themes, images etc, just anything that conveys Summer :) You might think this is strange, as did I being from Illinois and we're bracing for some good ole' winter/Christmas weather (supposed to have snow for Christmas!) But then I remembered that the Leaders are from Australia and New Zealand etc. so their seasons are different from ours!  I know-this will make us feel warmer!

This really neat digital from Delicious Doodles is called "In the Harbor" and "Beachy" colors are some of my favorite to work with! I wanted it to PoP off of the blue weathered wood paper so I double mounted and offset the image so that I could put a panel of of "aged" looking fish. Rub-on sentiment from a friend, red/white baker's twine with a silver anchor tied onto it rounds out the card.  Inside I used some more weathered wood and some starfish paper.along with a stamped sentiment from a friend. Hope you like it enough to leave me some love~I really appreciate your comments.

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!