A Happy Camper!!!

    Today is Day Two and Holiday Card Boot Camp and it's been another awesome day of creating for me.  It's also one of the most wonderful Fall days with bright blue skies, lots of wonderful sun and temps up in the 70's.  I know this will likely be the last warm day, but it's a joy to have it and so nice to have a day to open up the windows.

   In camp today the main focus was on creating cards with Photos, which is just not my thing.  For those who love photo cards, I'm sure they loved the wonderful inspiration that Jennifer, Kristina and the Guest Designers shared.  All of their cards are wonderful and if I did like to add pictures to my Christmas Cards, I would be thrilled with the day.  For me, with not little ones and not being a great photographer, it's a day that I used to work on two more cards based more on yesterday's day.

  These are my two cards, both were done in shades of Teal and Silver and I LOVE to use non-traditional colors on my cards.  I also make these my own little take off of the cards we created yesterday.  But, as some days go, the second card was a bust, so that will be one I'll work on revising.

   My first card is very much as CAS style card and I used one of my favorite Memory Box dies to cut the darling little ornament along with the (Crisp Bow), also from Memory Box.   The flourishes were in my die cut stash, so I'm not certain whether I cut them with a die or my Silhouette.   This was a very easy card to create and could be done in a variety of colors.

   I am submitting this card to the following challenges:

• Papertake Weekly Challenge - First Christmas
• Party Time Tuesday - Bling it on - or Sparkly things
• Tip Top Tuesday - Challenge # 59 - Anything Christmas

     My next card is my 'bust' for today and even thought it's not a card I'll ever use, I also like to share the good and bad, so that I can learn from them.   The idea I had was to do a resist technique and I started by stamping my stamp/sentiment in Versamark and then heat embossed both with a sparkling white powder.  This was my mistake, I should have just used Versamark alone, or possible clear powder.   Next, I new I wanted to use one of  my Brand New Distress Inks from the Seasonal Winter Set, which I love.  I chose Evergreen Bow and colored my entire embossed paper with that color and than spritzed it with Perfect Pearl Mists for some extra shimmer.   I then heat dried it and that's when I realized this glittery embossing powder was too much.   As you'll see it's hard to read the Sentiment, and that's what I don't like.    On the upside, I totally LOVE this new color and am so happy I had ordered mine early!

   My next two cards are not Christmas cards and instead are cards that I created for a variety of challenges, as noted with each card.  For my first card, I started with this sweet image from Lily of the Valley, which I mounted on matching patterned papers and created a matching card to fit.   If you ever want to make quick and easy cards and are rushed for them, this pre-colored images are perfect.   You can find them HERE at LOTV and them come in sheets of assorted designs.   I bought them a long time ago and came across them while I was re-vamping my craft room.  They are really adorable and well-priced too!    I stamped my Sentiment and then Embossed in with Gold Embossing powder and then cut it out with an SU Punch.   I completed the card by adding a gold/white ribbon!!   I really love how it turned out and it was so easy with the LOTV images.

 
    My Thank You card is being submitted to each of these new challenges:

• The Outlawz - Greeting Card Challenge - Give Thanks
• City Crafter Challenge Blog -  # 82- Thanks * Giving
• Creative Card Crew - Thankful

  And last, but not least, I created one more card for today's new Color Combo Challenge at The Outlawz. This is a copy of the color swatch and the twist for this week is to use those colors along with Houndstooth or Gingham in some way.

  This card is being submitted to these challenges:

• Catch the Bug Challenges - November Week 1 - Anything Goes
• The Outlawz - Color Combo - Black, White & Raspberry + Twist
• Digital Tuesday - Challenge # 136 - Anything Goes with a Digi

   I always love creating with Black and White and adding the bright Raspberry was really fun.  My image is a digi from Bugaboo Stamps and my papers are also digi papers from Shery K. Designs.  I love all the wonderful sets that she sells and now have a nice collection of digi backgrounds.  I'm getting more and more into digital elements and using them to create Hybrid cards.   I found that Two Peas has a fantastic selection of digi elements, kits and papers and so much more, including many from Hero Arts!  

   And now I am off, as my son, (Brian) is coming by for a visit and to show me his brand new MacBook Pro.  He is one who always has the latest and greatest in gadget and is a huge Mac fan.  He has a Mac PC, a iPad and has also had all the iPhones, not to mention he bought the original iPod, right away it came out.  He's very fortunate to have a fabulous job and make the money to buy all these awesome goodies.  I'm so happy for him and Meghan and totally love their new apartment too.   It really shows when you work hard and they both do, making me very happy to seem them enjoying life!   I'm still dreaming of some day owning an iPad....like I keep saying....this girl Loves to dream.