Muse Challenge

Apart from a card for the latest Naughty or Nice challenge (Are you playing? You should!) I haven't been making anything for several days now — partly that's what happens when I actually clean up and put everything away, I'm not overly inclined to get stuff back out again. :D However, lest I forget how to stamp, I decided it was time to start again, and the latest Muse challenge seemed a good way to begin. Here's the Muse card, by Michele: 

I was inspired by Michele's card layout, her design of black and white with just a pop of colour, and her mushy theme. ;) I wandered off a bit, but here's what I ended up with: 

Shockingly, I went with blue instead of red for my pop of colour. In addition to a shiny blue foil heart, my cat's collar/ribbon is also blue. My black and white patterned paper isn't a true black, and my cat and sentiment are on watercolour paper, which isn't really white, so I ended up with a grey card base. Since it matches the cat, that's fine with me. And obviously, instead of putting my image and sentiment on one large oval panel, I chose a smaller circle and a sentiment flag. 
Now that I've made one card, I may feel like making more! Thanks for stopping by, and check back tomorrow, just in case... 

Supplies: American Crafts textured grey cardstock, Strathmore watercolour paper, KaiserCraft Black and White Timeless patterned paper, My Favourite Things I Knead You stamps, Versafine onyx black ink, Zing clear embossing powder, My Favourite Things Blueprints 24 stitched circle die, distress markers, blue heart die cut from stash, pop-dot tape

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New Year, New Naughty or Nice Challenge!

Happy Day One of 2016! I hope the new year holds only good things ahead. Here's one good thing... the newest Naughty Or Nice challenge! This month, we are asking you to Get Silly. Silly images, silly sentiments... whatever tickles your silly bone!

When I sat down to make my card for this, I wasn't sure I still remembered how to make anything that wasn't Christmas-related. I decided to go the puns-are-silly route, and here's what I came up with: 

Isn't that little guy (hamster? gerbil? Never did own any rodent-related pets) cute? I almost hung him from the top of the wheel, but decided that might be a step too silly. I chose bright cheery colours to go with the happy, punny sentiment. 
You know the Troublemakers will have their sillies on, so be sure to stop by the challenge blog for some giggles. And then bring out your silly supplies and join us! 

Supplies: white & yellow cardstock, Stampin' Up patterned paper, Lawn Fawn Wheelie Like You stamps & dies, My Favourite Things black liquorice ink, Prismacolor pencils, Mama Elephant Femme Frames die, Creative Memories corner-rounding punch, pop-dot tape

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Spot the Snark! (challenge reminder)

Here we are, the day after Christmas, if that's your thing, or just happy Saturday! Popping in with a reminder that our current Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers challenge, X is for Xmas, continues for another two weeks while the Sisters recover from their seasonal merry-making. Forgot to send someone a card? Make one now and link it up! Here's one more from me, with just a little bit of snark when you look closely...

Whatever or however you may be celebrating, enjoy your weekend! Our next challenge launches January 9th, 2016.

Supplies: white cardstock, Lawn Fawn Toboggan Together stamps and dies, My favourite Things black liquorice, Ranger classic cherry & milled lavender & tumbled glass distress inks, distress markers, homemade confetti white Perfect Pearls mist, pop-dot tape


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The Stockings Were Hung...

It's Saturday, and that means it's time for a new Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers challenge! Even our mascot Edna is getting into the holiday spirit... and perhaps spirits, come to think of it. ;) Our latest challenge: X is for Xmas! 

NEWS FLASH — to accommodate this busy time of year, this challenge will last

not just two, but FOUR weeks! If you're at all like me, you may have a card or two

left to create. (We won't even talk about getting them in the mail; 

that's not nearly as fun as making them.) 

Here's my latest...

This idea had been lurking in my brain for ages, and I finally let it out onto a card. I found three cats that would more or less fit into the three stockings die cuts, and then gave a vague impression of a fireplace mantle behind them. The sentiment is computer-generated. I'm submitting this card to the current STAMPlorations Stamp & a Holiday challenge. 
I hope you'll join us with any last festive cards you make! Be sure to pop over to the Snarky blog to see what my sisters have created as well as our latest guest designer Ike! 

Supplies: white, grey & Stampin' Up real red cardstock, Strathmore mixed media paper, Echo Park Christmas This and That patterned papers, My Favourite Things I Knead You stamps and dies, Paper Smooches stockings dies, distress markers, Papertrey Ink woodgrain texture plate, Wink of Stella clear glitter marker, Recollections black half-pearls, pop-dot tape 

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Still No Stamping

I have my second stampless card for the current Shopping Our Stash challenge. And this time, I didn't even use patterned paper! 

Embossing paste-stencilled snowflakes on a red card base and a die-cut sentiment panel. I'm also entering this into Simon Says Stamp's current "Let It Snow" challenge as well as the current Just Us Girls word week: Merry. 

It really doesn't get too much easier than this. ;) 

Supplies: white & textured red American Crafts cardstock, Memory Box winter tiny snowflakes stencil, Dreamweavers glossy white embossing paste, Memory Box grand Merry Christmas die, pop-dot tape

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No Stamping???

The current challenge at Shopping Our Stash is No Stamping. Somehow, that always feels a little bit like cheating to me. On the other hand, I have lots of not-stamp supplies to make cards, so why not? Here's my first attempt: 

Here I'm letting patterned paper do all the work. But not just any paper... Christmas Carol paper! (World's biggest Dickens fan here.) While these supplies don't count as ancient stash, I have been happy to just admire the paper pad since I bought it a few months ago, so it was more than time to cut into it. No stamps doesn't necessarily mean no ink, so I sponged some ink around the edges of the card base to match the already-done distressing of the book pages. It seems once I really get going with patterned papers, I don't want to stop, so I decorated the inside of the card as well.  

The sentiment is from a package of die cuts, to keep with the no-stamping theme. 
I do have a second card in mind with an entirely different way to avoid the use of stamps! 

Supplies: Stampin' Up naturals ivory cardstock, Graphic 45 Christmas Carol patterned paper, antique linen distress ink, Kaiser Craft Christmas Carol die cut, pop-dot tape

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