Three of these things are not like the others

One of the benefits/problems with entering a challenge late is that you can see what everyone else has made before you make your own.  In this particular case, everything normal (i.e. butterflies, flowers, snowflakes) that fit in this sketch had been done be someone else.  Then I found myself die cutting these trees out of various scraps on my desk, and I thought I would give it a shot.

Well, sometimes you follow a sketch to the letter, and sometimes it just inspires you and you start wandering off in your own direction.  It's been a while since I put that much ribbon on a card!  The gold background piece isn't a patterned paper, it's a scrap of something I painted myself.  As much as I love patterned papers, making my own papers is fun!

Challenges:

• Crafty Ribbons - at least 2 ribbons
• Shelly's Images - use scraps
• Little Red Wagon - tree
• Paper Shelter - Christmas
• Whimsy Inspiration - Traditional Christmas colors

Popped Tree

I have a lot of dies of a lot of types, but I have to say that my favorite is this tree die from a•muse studio.  It cuts like a dream through any material I apply it, and the die cuts just fall right out.  I made a couple of cards with it today, playing with some some Christmas patterned paper.

With this one, I cut three trees out of patterned paper and glued them together to make this popped tree.  It lies flat for mailing, but will bounce back up when it comes out of the envelope.  The sentiment and flourishes are punched, so the only stamping on here is the sentiment.  

Challenges:

• Crimbo Crackers - holiday anything goes
• Moving along with the Times - 3 elements starting with the same letter (sentiment, spots, swirls)
• Papercraft Star - holiday greenery
• Penny's Papercrafty - multiple folds (tree)
• Crafty Sentiments - red, white, green

Our Lady of Gourdes

One of my yahoogroups is having a swap - an arch card featuring a pumpkin.  The swap did not appeal to me at first.  I'd never done an arch - they always seemed baroque or even gothic to me, and I didn't see a pumpkin in that setting.  Then I was looking at an arch stamp I own and had never inked, of an angel holding a lamb, and I thought it would be hysterically funny if I replaced the lamb she was holding with a pumpkin.  How to do it?  I decided that it was not possible to do well with a rubber stamp, so I looked for digital images I could manipulate.  I found a free coloring book page of a stained glass window in Chartes and a clipart of a pumpkin, and it all just came together.

I colored it with the Penciled Twinks technique, so it really sparkles.  I have a few people who might find this as funny as I do, so I saved the basic image as a free digistamp, which you may download by clicking the thumbnail below.

Challenges:

• Di's Digi Designs - fall colors
• Crafty Catz - sparkle
• Digi Haven - anything goes with freebie digi
• Sweet n Sassy - shaped card with digi
• Creative Belli - harvest

Fall Tree CASE

I have been intrigued by the number of "Paint and Pour" classes that are offered in my area, but have not yet brought myself to attend one.  If you are unfamiliar with the concept, It is a two hour painting class where you sip wine while you paint (acrylics) and come home with a completed canvas.  The approximate cost is around 50 bucks, depending where you go and whether you have to buy your own wine or bring it, and also the quality of the teachers.  I just can't wrap my head around the idea that you can paint something worth hanging, but the sample paintings on the schedules are all very nice looking.

To mess with my head even further, I have recently discovered that there is a home party company that allows you to have a paint and pour event in your own home!  If anything is more mind-boggling than the idea that a person with no art training and experience can paint something nice in two hours, it is the idea that a person can buy a kit and TEACH others to do it!   Now, there are a few cheats - there are specific step by step instructions, and also a transfer where you can copy the base drawing onto your canvas.  For the same $50 I would spend to paint one canvas in someone else's facility, I figure I can do a bunch of canvases in my own home - I only need the paints and brushes once.  The instructions/transfers are inexpensive, only $3 each.  As I was deciding if I wanted to throw money at this idea, I looked at the site to see what paintings they had available.

I tell you this because one of the paintings is the inspiration for this 4x4:

Mine is done with markers on a scrap of kraft I had when I cut apart yesterday's card (I will certainly make another card or two based on the suggestions I've received; give me a day or two to digest it).  This is the original:

I think maybe I don't need all the paints and canvases, or even detailed instructions - I will just improvise with what I have.

bad morning for stamping

I don't think everything I make is wonderful.  Some of it is really poor, but I show it all to you, in the interest of mutual encouragement.  For example, I know this card is wrong.  I just don't know why.  I'm willing to make it over if I can make it better, so please send your feedback this way!

 I want to use the kraft cardstock, and the paper tape, and the stamp set, but there has to be some way to use them all that looks better than this.

Lined background

While at water aerobics, I noticed a mural on the wall of the rec center.  Not only did I like the technique, it seemed like something I could do myself.  So, I gave it a try on this ATC.

I loved the look of it, so I thought I would try it on something bigger, like a card.  Unfortunately, I messed up stamping the sentiment, so I ruined the clean single layer look I was going for.  At least I was able to cover it up.

Would you know it was a cover up if I didn't tell you?  Yeah, probably.  The stamp set is from a•muse studio.  It's a nice way to say "Thank you" without using those exact words.

Challenges:

• Pixie Dust Studios - fall colors
• Addicted to Stamps and More - flowers
• My Mum's Craft Shop - sentiment
• Paper Pretties - Thank you card
• The Perfect Sentiment - Thanksgiving plus CAS

Kickin' it ol' school

Remember those techniques that a few years ago everyone was doing and now nobody does them?   That's what I did today.  First, I did flocking.  There are a few people still into flocking, but they are the same people who aren't afraid of glitter - the techniques are equally messy.  However, flocking leaves you with a card you just want to pet over and over, like a kitty.  I used red and white flocking on Santa's suit, and it is so soft!

The second technique I used was the metallic leafing pen - remember when we used to put that stuff on everything?  Now I hardly use it, except on Christmas cards.  It is a lot harder to use on a circle than on a straight edge.

Finally, I stuck a spiral clip on my image and tied a couple of ribbons on it.  I haven't done that in years!  It still looks good, and only hardcore stampers know how passé it is.  The image is from the ever useful holiday tags set from a•muse studio; it's just such an essential set of images for holidays cards, and they all look perfect inside a 2 inch circle!