Dear Santa... Merry Christmas!

Poor Edna, coal again for Christmas. But of course, we are looking for NAUGHTY CHRISTMAS for the latest Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers challenge! Are the sisters the only ones still making last minute Christmas cards? If so, then consider it a head start for next year. And if Christmas isn't your thing, feel free to substitute your seasonal celebration of choice. A snarky winter solstice card could be rather awesome! 

So yes, I had some last minute cards to make. The first one is totally innocuous on the front... 

Speaking of last-minute, I wrote in these before I realized I should have photographed the inside snark. So in the three card variations I made, the insides read: "Is it too late to negotiate?", "I can explain!" and "I was framed!"
I wasn't quite done with this awesomely naughty stamp set, though! Two more:

Finally, a card that can be as innocent or naughty as you want it to be...

We sisters are taking just a bit of an extra break in case we are a little TOO festive in the coming days, so you have THREE weeks to play along with us! In the meantime, Merry Christmas and all the rest! ;) 

Supplies: white cardstock, red & green Craft Smith card bases, Technique Tuesday Dear Santa, Stampin' Up Visions of Santa & Simon Says Stamp/Kelly Purkey Oh Dear stamps, Versafine onyx black & Stampin' Up real red inks, Ranger clear embossing powder, Copic & Spectrum Noir markers, watercolour pencils, MFT & Winnie & Walter rectangular frame dies 

Mid-Month Reminder

Here we are in the middle of December! That means it's time for a friendly reminder about this month's Naughty or Nice challenge: Season's Greetings. We are sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps this month, and I've used a cute image for a Christmas tag. 

I have never completely mastered mirror-stamping with rubber or clear stamps, but with digital images, it's easy! So I flipped my cocoa mug, coloured them in, and added a sentiment. A quick and easy tag. 
Shopping Our Stash is coincidentally having a tag challenge this week, so I'll try my luck over there. ;) 
Need a last-minute card or tag? Why not join us? Our Naughty and Nice winners will each receive a sweet prize from Bugaboo Stamps. 

Supplies: white & Stampin' Up real red cardstock, Bugaboo Stamps Cocoa & Unity sentiment stamps, Stampin' Up real red ink, Copic & Spectrum Noir markers, CUTplorations manila tag dies, Spica silver glitter marker, Nuvo simply white crystal drops, Stampin' Up ticket corner punch, May Arts & Recollections ribbon

Tags?

Yes, tags. Even after almost a month of daily tag-making (or maybe because of it?), I felt like making some tags! Coincidentally, the current Wednesday Simon Says Stamp challenge  is GIFT IT, and gift tags fit right in. I somehow managed to make eight. 

Only one is a CASE of a tag made during The 25 Days of Christmas Tags. (2nd photo, top right) Of course, all of them are quite clean and simple. 
I really do need to start making more Christmas cards before time runs out... 😝

Supplies: white, Ranger silver & Stampin' Up real red & garden green cardstock, Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas patterned paper, many different stamps, CUTplorations manila tag, Technique Tuesday This tag, Sizzix/Tim Holtz mini snowflake, Papertrey Ink Joy & Lil' Inkers Holly Jolly dies, many inks, Ranger clear embossing powder, Nuvo garnet red glimmer paste, ribbon & twine, gold jingle bells, foam tape

The Snarky Sisters Go Vegan

(Possibly one of the reasons we're so snarky...)

We're at Challenge #99: V is for Vegan! Which somehow means we want you to make a card featuring animals. I know, we've confused ourselves, too. I'm all about the festive season at the moment, so my card went in a Christmas direction: 

I actually did an image search for turkeys, just so I could be a teeny bit accurate in my representation. Okay, maybe not the red and green tail feathers. I doubt that turkeys end up on many shortlists for "cuddly animals to put on posters to discourage animal exploitation". Cute, not so much. Or maybe they just need a different eye-beholder to see their beauty. 
The inside... 

Of course I had to check on Instagram and Twitter after I made this, and it is a legitimate hashtag. Beet Wellington is one suggestion to replace the more traditional fare. 🤔 I do think I would miss traditional Christmas baking most of all. 
While I am absolutely sure it's not what anyone expects, the December Paper Smooches challenge is WINTER, so off this goes to the link-up. 
Be sure to visit the Snarky blog to see what everyone came up with for this challenge, including our current Queen of Snark, Michelle! I hope you can find some time to come and play along. 

Supplies: white, natural, red & green cardstock, Canson watercolour paper, Paper Smooches Jive Turkey & Feline Friends stamps, Memento Luxe espresso truffle & Colorbox white frost inks, Ranger clear embossing powder, Zig markers, Paper Smooches word bubbles & borders 1 dies, MFT Blueprints 24 stitched rectangle die, glue dots

My Favourite Ellen Set: Part 2

My second card playing with my favourite Essentials by Ellen set, Tis the Season! 

This gingerbread guy makes me laugh - in a sympathetic way, of course. ;) I'm CASEing myself with my card design, but it's also my favourite way to use him. This year he gets sparkly embossing powder, sparkly background splatter, and a wonky stitched frame around him. 

I haven't even used my favourite stamp from this favourite set yet! I can hope there's time in this busiest of months... 

Supplies: white & green cardstock, Essentials by Ellen Tis the Season stamps & die, Brilliance coffee bean & twisted citron distress inks, Ranger clear & Hero Arts sparkle embossing powders, (diy) Perfect Pearls mist, MFT wonky stitched rectangle die, foam tape

My Favourite Ellen Set: Part 1

Ellen Hutson wants to know what our favourite Essentials by Ellen set is! 

My favourite set is Tis the Season, and not just because it's December. ;) It's fun to use, and lends itself to a variety of styles. For example: 

For this card, I also looked to the latest Muse challenge, and Kimberly Wiener's card with its festively-laden car and non-traditional colours. Being me, I went for purple instead of pink. 
Back soon with a second card! 

Supplies: white & lime cardstock, Doodlebug Frosty Friends patterned paper, Essentials by Ellen Tis the Season stamps & die, Versafine onyx black ink, Ranger clear embossing powder, Copic & Spectrum Noir markers, Paper Smooches Duo Die 4 die, Spica silver glitter pen, Little B silver stripe washi tape

Season's Greetings from Naughty or Nice Challenges!

Happy DECEMBER! Naughty or Nice Challenges is starting the month off with our latest challenge, Season's Greetings! And we are greeting you in fine style with Danielle's awesome illustration. Bugaboo Stamps is sponsoring us again, so our naughty and nice winners will get an extra little gift under the tree as well as the coveted naughty or nice badge. ;) All you need is a seasonal sentiment on your card or other crafty project. Here's mine: 

This uses Bugaboo's Merry Christmas Word — the great thing about this being digital is that it can be as big or small as you want. When it's large like this, it can be the basis of a quick and simple card, or can be embellished as much as you like. I used my Zigs to colour the hat, giant "M" and ornaments, then added sparkle with glitter pens and Stickles. Of course the ornaments needed some Glossy Accents, too. I cut the panel down just enough that I could add a strip of silver glitter tape and some patterned paper to add a little extra interest. 

Speaking of glitter, I'm adding this to Just Add Ink's challenge to, surprise, just add glitter. 

Making something seasonal, with a seasonal greeting, in the next few weeks? Come and play along with the Troublemakers! 

Supplies: white cardstock, Strathmore Vision mixed media paper, Pink Paislee Snow Village patterned paper, Bugaboo Merry Christmas Word image, Zig markers, Spica silver glitter pen, Gelli Roll clear glitter pen, icicle Stickles, Glossy Accents, $ store silver glitter washi tape, fun foam

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November Butterflies

I made a birthday card! After a month of what feels like making Christmas tags non-stop, putting together yesterday's steampunk card and now today's birthday card felt almost foreign. 😂 But Seize the Birthday has their last challenge of the year on right now, and since I was invited to guest with them this summer (thank you, Nancy!), I wanted to play along.  It may have helped that there are a couple of November birthdays I need to observe. 

The current challenge/topping is "Monochromatic". Purple seemed a fine choice. 

This is about as far from Christmas as you can get, I think. But November birthday girls should get butterflies sometimes, too, not just spring and summer celebrants! The background is sponged with four different shades of purple, and the butterflies and sentiment are embossed in silver. I used a silver Sharpie to edge the panel. Silver and mauve sequins add a little bling to the design. Silver counts as a neutral, right?  

P.S. My 26th 25 Days of Christmas Tags post can be found right here. 

Supplies: white & Hero Arts iris layering cardstock, Unity Bevy of Butterflies, Simon Says Stamp Happy & The Angel Company Life is Tweet stamps, Versamark, milled lavender, shaded lilac, wilted violet & crushed concord distress inks, silver embossing powder, Darice silver & Little Things from Lucy's Cards heather sequins, silver Sharpie

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 26

Wow, this is really it! The BONUS DAY, Day 26, of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags event. I have been honoured to be part of Tracey's talented design team this year. 

Every day, Tracey has found a fabulous guest, who sponsors a prize that anyone who comments or creates tags is eligible to win. 

This annual event has become so popular that it no longer fits into the original 25 days! So today, BONUS DAY, we have High Hopes Rubber Stamps as our guest. 

For this final day, I thought it would be fun to be inspired by one of the High Hopes' designers. I also decided to pick a tag that is a departure from my go-to style, which as you may have noticed, leans to bright colours and a clean design. This beautiful inspiration by Natalie Murdock seemed just the ticket, er, tag: 

Hard to imagine, but a cat did not end up making it onto my tag. Here's my version: 

I love the look of the embossed and lightly coloured tag base, but know from experience I'm rarely successful at getting the sponged colour quite where I want it. So for mine, I broke out my new shimmer Versamark ink and tapped it onto a holly embossing folder before embossing my tag base. It adds a lovely colour variation and a subtle shimmer! (In the end, I did throw caution to the wind and add a little white ink to the holly as I was sponging around the sentiment strip and tag edges.) It was at about this point I realized I have no evergreen dies. So since my background was holly, I added some more watercoloured holly. I made my own version of Natalie's bow, and a vintage-style sentiment. 
Fear not if you've fallen behind in your commenting or tag-making... Tracey is keeping her event open for another few days, so you still have time to comment and/or create for a chance to win one of the sponsors' prizes! 

Supplies: Neenah desert storm cardstock, Canson watercolour paper, Winnie & Walter In Bloom: Elsa's Flora & Cavallini Vintage Christmas stamps, Versamark dazzle champagne, Versafine onyx black, Colorbox frost white & evergreen inks, Ranger clear embossing powder, Zig markers, Sizzix holly embossing folder, My Mind's Eye All is Bright flair, Michaels ribbon, Hemptique cord, foam tape

The Sisters Go Industrial

It is that time again, time for the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers annual challenge... 

I is for Industrial! Or in other words, our annual STEAMPUNK challenge. Some of us find it more challenging than others, but it is fun to come up with something a little different each year. Here's mine: 

Isn't this bunny awesome? A little bit Alice in Wonderland, a little bit steampunk. I also like this gears die cut... except for all the little tiny pieces that stay behind in the die and have to be poked out with a pin. Oh, and trying to glue it without any excess adhesive mess. :D I had first used some copper metallic cardstock for the gears, but decided I liked this green patterned paper version better. The sentiment is computer-generated. 
There is a great lineup of steampunk treats over on the Snarky Stampers blog, including one by our latest Queen of Snark and guest designer, Corrie! Steampunk style can be a challenge, but can be fun too, so come and play along! 

P.S. This is my second post for the day — click HERE for Day 25 of the 25 Days of Christmas Tags! 

Supplies: white, black & Hero Arts latte layering cardstock, DCWV Typogaraphy patterned paper, Viva Las VegaStamps Rabbit on Old Bicycle stamp, Versafine onyx black ink, Ranger clear embossing powder, Sizzix/Tim Holtz Gear Head die, black Sharpie pen

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 25

It's Day 25 of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags event! 

25. 25. You know what that means, right? One more month. ONE MONTH. 

Anyway. Today Tracey welcomes Pink & Main as her guest! 

I have two tags today.

I made each tag a different way, but in the end, they look quite similar. My reindeer tag first:

I wanted to see if I could successfully watercolour this as a one-layer tag. First step was to stencil some snowflakes before colouring the sky with Twinkling H2Os. The snow also got some shimmer, as well. Once that was dry, I coloured Rudolph with Zig markers. Once everything was dry, I added some Nuvo drops to his cuffs and hatband. 

Next up, a penguin! 

For this tag, I was happy to use a die cut over the tag base. I lightly sponged some distress ink for the sky, before popping my coloured penguin on top. I decided he needed snow just like Rudolph, but this time used some Nuvo drops. I thought the tassel and braided twine went well with his hat. 

I had a supervisor while I was photographing my tags... 

😂

You might think Day 25 would be the final Day of the 25 Days of Christmas Tags, but no! We have a bonus day tomorrow! Hope to see you again then.

Supplies: (reindeer) Strathmore watercolour paper, Pink & Main Oh Deer stamps, Versafine onyx black ink, twinkling H2Os, Zig markers, Simon Says Stamp Falling Snow stencil, Dreamweavers glossy white embossing paste, MFT pierced tag die, Nuvo pure white crystal drops, Hemptique cord, white raffia; (penguin) Strathmore watercolour paper, Pink & Main Oh Deer stamps & die, Versafine onyx black & tumbled glass distress inks, Zig markers, Nuvo white blizzard glitter drops, Hemptique silver & red baker's twine, foam tape

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 24

Can you believe it? Day 24 of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags event! Today Right at Home joins Tracey on her blog as guest and sponsor. 

Again, nothing festive in my collection. This one took some ingenuity! 😉

Two stamps from Abstract Florals turned into a whimsical Christmas tree. To me, it didn't suit a lot of bling, so the ornaments are Liquid Pearls, rather than something glittery. Pro tip: last time I'd tried to make ornaments, my pearls burped right near the end and ruined everything, so this time I used a stencil. Worked like a charm. I even found a woodgrain star sequin for the top of the tree. 

Beautiful inspiration as always on Tracey's blog today, so be sure to visit! 

Supplies: white cardstock, Right at Home Abstract Florals & Simple Sentiments stamps, Altenew olive, espresso & ruby red inks, MFT tall tags duo die, Simon Says Stamp falling snow stencil, ruby red Liquid Pearls, Studio Calico woodgrain star sequin, May Arts ribbon & jute twine 

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25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 23

We are into the last few days of the 25 Days of Christmas Tags event hosted by Tracey McNeely — today we are showcasing Pretty Pink Posh. 

No themed PPP stamps here, so a little improvisation was in order. 

So yes, it's very simple, but I quite like it! I think it's because I rarely remember how good white space can be when colouring, and I'm so happy with how the leaves look with the simple blending and some white. I traced the sentiment with a glitter marker, and finished with a few PPP sequins. 

The 25 Days of Christmas Tags event is concluding in a few days, but you can play along until the end of November! You are eligible to win one of the terrific sponsor prizes by commenting on designers' blogs and/or by being inspired to make tags of your own! 

Supplies: white cardstock, Pretty Pink Posh Bold Blossoms & Everyday Greetings stamps, Memento tuxedo black ink, Copic markers, Avery Elle Circle Tag die, Pretty Pink Posh sparkling clear sequins, Offray ribbon

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 22

It's Day 22 of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags — have you been keeping up? 😉 Today's sponsor and guest is STAMPlorations. 

When I was deciding what to make for today, I realized I hadn't been using up any bits of patterned paper with my tags lately! So I pulled out a die and got to work. 

Other than a bit fiddly when inlaying the die cuts, these were reasonably quick and easy to make. Of course I couldn't let the offcuts go to waste, so now I have a set of four. I wasn't able to keep track of all the teeny bits of patterned paper, so I used some green cardstock to back the sentiment on the plaid tag, and red for the tiny spots on the polka dot tag. (I at least found the oval for the centre of the 'o'.)

Did I stop there? Of course not. 

My original idea using this die was to make a white on white scene, as I've seen a number of designers do with great success during Tracey's tagstravaganza. Oops. 😂 Turned into a night scene with a black silhouette. Strange how these things happen. Another time.

There is so much inspiration from the STAMPlorations designers today! Be sure to check out Tracey's page, leave some comments, and maybe even grab a few ideas for tags of your own! 

Supplies: (be jolly) Neenah linen cardstock, Echo Park Holly Jolly Holidays patterned paper, CUTplorations Be Jolly phrase & Manila Tags nesting dies, Stampin' Up whisper white & scrap ribbon, red crochet cotton; (merry little Christmas) white & black cardstock, yellow vellum, STAMPlorations Christmas Reindeer stamps, Versamark, milled lavender, blueprint sketch & chipped sapphire inks, Hero Arts white embossing powder, CUTplorations Stitched Winter Landscape & ATC Tag Builder dies, Wink of Stella clear glitter marker, Stampin' Up very vanilla & Offray blue ribbon