Yuck?

And here we are, somehow at the very last Saturday of 2014. And that also means the last 2014 challenge at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers! 

Yes, we are calling on the letter Y this time, and it stands for YUCK: use something you don't like. Seems rather strange, doesn't it? Yet it seems most of us have something in our supplies that doesn't really grab us, whether it's a paper that came in an assortment or a stamp in a set. Let me show you my card, and see if you can guess what qualifies:

Ready? It's... the buttons. Fine on other people's cards, but YUCK for me. Don't even particularly like handling them. So I knew right away they would make an appearance for this challenge. A secondary yuck is the sentiment of the otherwise fine blueprint stamp... it's a little on the smarmy side for me. Not that I'm saying I prefer to be snarky all the time... or maybe I am. ;) Otherwise, I am quite happy with my supplies, including the cream cardstock that was a gift from my crafting friend, Heather! 
If you've now recovered from any holiday festivities you may have been enjoying, why not come and play along with us? Perhaps you received some less-than-ideal crafting goodies as a gift. Be sure to check out the allegedly YUCK creations -- but not really -- of my sisters and this week's guest designer, Veerle! 

Supplies: Cougar ivory cardstock, My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline Dilly Dally patterned paper, Tim Holtz/Simon Says Stamp blueprint stamp, Memento teal zeal & tuxedo black inks, Paper Smooches stitched, Simon Says Stamp postage stamp edge & Spellbinders Pagemaps potpourri dies, black thread

Twelve Tags... Part Two

Good intentions notwithstanding, I'm sneaking in under the wire at Ellen Hutson's Twelve Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist challenge with only my second inspired tag. (Maybe I'll try the rest in January...) This time, I was inspired by Jennifer McGuire: 

I used Jennifer's tag design and her textured stencilling technique in making my tag. I finally used my burlap stencil that I had to have, but then didn't know how to use! I made my own tree stencil from a Lil' Inker die. I think I may have lost the "feminine twist" somewhere along the design route, but I'm female, and I made it, so that counts, right? 
And now back to Christmas shopping... ;)

Supplies: white cardstock, Basic Grey Aspen Frost patterned paper, Lil' Inker holly jolly die, evergreen bough distress ink, Tim Holtz burlap layering stencil, Studio Calico wood veneer,  Creative Memories corner-rounding punch, natural hemp twine, raffia

Twelve Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist

I spent much of November looking forward to Ellen Hutson's 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist. Of course, the challenge started at the same time December did, and most crafting plans seemed to go out the window. :D But I am determined to get at least a few tags done from the beautiful inspiration projects showcased. I'm starting with Day 1, and Julie Ebersole's beautiful tag. I was inspired by her gradient watercolour stripes and heat embossing. Here's my take:

I went from intense to light on my tag, and it had nothing whatsoever to do with not paying enough attention when I cut the first corner off my rectangle. :D 
I liked the tag so much, I made another and turned it into an element on a card: 

I layered the tag on some coordinating patterned paper, added a panel of a different paper, and called it done. ;)
I hope to get a few more tags done before the challenge closes... we'll see how much life and Christmas get in the way. 

Supplies: (tag) Strathmore mixed media paper, Papertrey Ink Think Big Favourites #8 stamp, Versamark and salty ocean distress inks, Ranger superfine silver embossing powder, Paper Smooches snowflakes die, silver elastic string,  hole puncher, rhinestone; (card)  Stampin' Up naturals white cardstock, Strathmore watercolour paper, Little Yellow Bicycle & My Mind's Eye Vintage Christmas patterned papers, PTI Think Big Favourites #8 stamp, Versamark & mowed lawn distress inks, pirate gold embossing powder, PTI tag sale #4, Creative Memories corner-rounding punch, pop-dot tape

Just a Little Naughty

Looking for my Holiday Coffee Lovers

Blog Hop post? Click here.

Happy Saturday! It's time for a fabulously festive challenge at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers! 

Edna is so on trend in her ugly Christmas sweater. Luckily, we're not asking you to make something ugly -- we want you to make something NAUGHTY! 

I set myself an extra challenge... I started with this utterly sweet Christmas stamp:

How on earth could she be the basis for a naughty card? I started by adding some fishnet stockings to the outfit...

... and then paired her with a saucy sentiment:

I will admit, my card is rather tame compared to some of my Sisters' creations, so make sure to check the Snarky blog for some naughty inspiration. We also have our latest amazing Queen of Snark, Leslie, joining us as our guest designer. Then channel your naughty side and join in the fun! 

Supplies: white cardstock, Echo Park Christmas This & That patterned paper, Neat & Tangled Little Santa Girl stamp, Ranger archival jet black ink, Spectrum Noir markers, watercolour pencils, frosted lace Stickles, Creative Memories corner-rounder punch, pop-dot squares

Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop!

I'm so excited to be participating in the Coffee Lovers Blog Hop -- Holiday Edition! Since I started sharing my dad's coffee with him by the age of six, I think I qualify as a coffee lover. :) 
Thanks to Amy Tsuruta for her amazing work organizing this fun event! Over 200 coffee-loving crafters will be posting coffee or other hot beverage-related projects to their blogs or galleries today. And what's a blog hop without giveaways? Many individuals will be giving out blog candy to a commenter as part of their hop post. Plus, we have an incredible number of generous sponsors offering prizes as well! 

17Turtles	Veronica Zalis	Chris Franco
Add a Little Dazzle	Butterfly Reflections Ink	Color Cast Designs
Create a Smile	Hero Arts	Kraftin' Kimmie
Kreative Kymona	Latina Crafter	Neat & Tangled
Newton's Nook	Pickled Potpourri Designs	Poppystamps
Reverse Confetti	Stamp Academy	Stamp Simply Ribbon Store
STAMPlorations	SugarPea Designs	Sweet 'n Sassy
The Alley Way Stamps	Two Paper Divas	Verve Stamps
Whole Wild World	Your Next Stamp	Paper Smooches

Want to join in on the fun? Simply link your own new, hot-beverage related project to Amy's blog by 11:55 pm PST on Friday, December 12th to be eligible for one of the sponsored prizes. And one more way to win: Amy is offering prizes to five people who complete the entire hop! 

Since you've made it this far... here is my contribution to the hop:

Although a certain large coffee chain thinks pumpkin spice lattes are seasonal, I would happily drink them from the onset of cool weather till it's time to break out the tshirts and shorts again. Many of my PSL-drinking friends would agree! So I was thrilled to discover this recipe to make my own pumpkin spice syrup. (I also like knowing all the ingredients that go into it...) So I thought some syrup in a decorative bottle with a themed tag would make a perfect holiday gift. 

If you haven't already, make yourself comfortable with your favourite hot beverage and get hopping! 

Supplies: Stampin' Up kraft & very vanilla cardstock, Basic Grey Aspen Frost patterned paper, Stampin' Up Patterned Occasions stamp, Versafine onyx black & Memento Luxe love letter inks, Zing clear embossing powder, Papertrey Ink tag sale #4 & Spellbinders circle dies, Winsor & Newton iridescent medium, pop-dot tape, Offray red ribbon

Snowy Sparks

Happy Thursday! Already four days into December, and they do seem to be speeding by ever more quickly. :) Fortunately, I've found a few pockets of time to play with stamps and inks, and here is just one example:

Isn't this snow couple the cutest? I started by making them a wintry background with distress inks, then stencilled the snowflakes with embossing paste. The snow they are standing on is misted for sparkle, torn along the top edge, and then the edge painted with iridescent medium. The snow people are watercoloured. While heart-shaped brads or enamel dots would have looked great on the sentiment panel, I didn't have any, so stamped the hearts, cut them out and then added both Wink of Stella and Glossy Accents for shine. 
I'm adding this card to the current Paper Smooches Sparks Anything Goes and the Simon Says Stamp Christmas/Holidays challenges. 

Supplies: white cardstock, Strathmore mixed media paper, Echo Park Winter Wishes patterned paper, Paper Smooches Cool Dudes, Warm Hearts & Wicked Nautical stamps, Ranger archival black, Colorbox cranberry  & spun sugar, tumbled glass & broken china distress inks, Paper Smooches Cool Dude Icons & My Favourite Things layered label dies, Memory Box winter tiny snowflake stencil, Dreamweavers glossy white embossing paste, Koh-i-noor watecolour paints, Radiant Rain ice mist, Winsor & Newton iridescent medium, Wink of Stella clear glitter marker, Glossy Accents, pop-dot tape

It's Holiday Time!

And if not quite yet holiday time, it is now officially December. Eek! One good thing a new month brings is a brand new Naughty or Nice challenge. And what could be more appropriate for December than "winter holidays":

We are looking for any and all winter-holiday themed projects, from Christmas to Kwanzaa, Hanukkah to December birthdays. I didn't want to let down the team, so I went just a bit to the naughty side for my card...

There are just so many people this card could be sent to! :P And it's appropriate whether the holidays leave you stressed out or laid back and chillin'. 
I'm adding my festive card to the current Just Us Girls and Simon Says Stamp anything goes challenges. 
Remember to check out the terrific offerings of all the Naughty or Nice team members... and if you have need of a card for the various upcoming celebrations, I hope you will join us! 

Supplies: white & American Crafts red glitter cardstock, Paper Smooches Free Spirits & Simon Says Stamps/Kelley Purkey Cheers & Tis the Season stamps, SU real red & garden green & Memento tangelo, dandelion, teal zeal, lulu lavender, grape jelly & elderberry inks

Vintage Christmas

It's time for another challenge at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers! 

You likely thought Edna was a little old-fashioned already, but she is going full on VINTAGE for our latest challenge. I used it as an opportunity to get another Christmas card done:

I picked a trio of vintage ornaments and a sentiment from a pack of Kaisercraft die cuts. On a piece of coordinating cardstock, I stamped the musical background in Versamark and sponged the edges with distress ink. Then it was simply a matter of putting everything together on the card base! It went so smoothly, I put together a second one. 

There may be more of these if I start running out of time as Christmas gets closer. ;) In the meantime, I'm linking up to this week's Simon Says Stamp's Anything Goes challenge. 
Head over to the Snarky Sisters website to see lots more inspiration, including a fun card by this week's guest designer, Linda! And then I hope you will join us with a vintage creation of your own. 

Supplies: Stampin' Up very vanilla, old olive & gumboil green cardstock, Hero Arts collage music background, Versamark & peeled paint distress inks, Kaisercraft Turtle Dove die cuts, My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Christmas enamel dots, glue dots