Now a Nor'eastern? Why?

   Oh how I miss Summer!!  More and more every day as our temps and weather continue to go down hill.  I am so happy that Brian and Meghan and enjoying their wonderful new life in San Diego and wish we had that weather here.  I miss them so much, but they are doing awesome and everything is working out so well.  Brian is loving his new job and Meg and he are also very happy to be in their new home.  All their furniture has now been delivered and they also did a bit of shopping at their local IKEA for some new things for their cute little house.   I could NOT be happier for them and I am so proud of them for making such a big move and having everything working out so well.  I can't wait to go out and visit and look forward to doing so after the New Year.

   Today, we are battling another round of terrible weather here on the East Coast.  My heart goes out to all those in the New York, New Jersey and all the other areas who are still trying to move past the Hurricane.  The last thing anyone needs is a Nor'Easter on top of that devastation.  It's not raining here yet, but it is already very windy and the storm is still on it's way.  It's also MUCH colder and I hope that it doesn't get any colder.  It was brutal yesterday going out and was the first day it was below freezing when I got up.  I'm a big baby in the winter, dread the cold and snow and wish so much we lived in a warmer climate.  Some day I HOPE that will be our future too!!

  I have had a lot going on the past several weeks, and it seems like I am always behind and really can't wait for things to slow down, so I have more time to spend creating.  I feel like the time is flying by and I'm not getting nearly as much done, as I would like.  But, I have had some time today and tomorrow I have a totally free day, so I hope to spend it all crafting and catching up on the fabulous Holiday Card Workshop, as well as some of my favorite challenges.

   Today, I'm happy to be sharing some of my newest cards and creations and the first two projects were things I worked on this weekend for Monday's Silhouette class at my LSS.  I'm really enjoying this fun group and only wish the time was longer and we met more often.  It's only a two hour event and only once a month, but unlike me -- most of the other gals have very busy lives and also work, so I know that they don't  have the time.   I did learn a fun new technique from Catherine this week and that was how to create a frame and insert an element (shape or name etc.,) inside and have it all cut as one piece.    I had created a cute little Print and Cut sheet that I had hoped I could print at home, and then cut in class, but it didn't  end up working and I think that's because I was not able to complete the process in one step, as I can at home.  I had printed my sheet before I left (we do not have a printer in the class), and then hoped my Silhouette would still detect the registration marks and cut it out correctly, but it did not.

  This is the design that I had started with, which is one I bought last year from Silhouette  I used the color option to color in each of the elements and then printed them out on white cardstock.  This is a screenshot of how the design looked on my mat, before I printed it and then cut it.

  The next step is when I sent it to my printer (making sure the Registration Marks) were showing.  Then once that was done, I simply placed it on my cutting mat, exactly as shown above and sent it to my Silhouette to cut.   I then used one set to make the tags below, as well as the cute card I shared on Sunday.

  For the card, I ran the top layer of the tree through my Cuttlebug using an embossed folder that kind of looks like pine tree branches.  I then added gold pearls as my little ornaments and edges each of the layers with Distress ink.  To add my dimension, I used pop dots for the top tree to pop it up more on my card.  I could have used the same design without adding any coloring and instead cut directly onto colored cardstock or patterned papers -- there are lots of fun options.

   My next little project was a pre-colored Print and Cut image that I also bought from the Silhouette Store. In this case, all I had to do was print out the file, as is and then used a paper trimmer to cut into down to the size for a card front.  I picked out some matching cardstock, adhered the image and then finished it off with some ultra-fine glitter (not showing well in the image).  This card took about 5 minutes to make, if that!!

 

  

   The rest of my cards today were all inspired by the Holiday Card Workshop, which has been AWESOME!!   I wish I had not had so much "stuff" going on during this class, so that I could have spend more time every day working on cards.   But, I can come and go to the class forever and I know, I will do that for sure.  I'm in awe at the talent that Jennifer, Kristina and all the the amazing Guest Designers have shared, not to mention all the wonderful cards and projects that have been added to the Gallery by the other students!   What a BLAST this workshop is and to think it is almost over, is a bummer!!  I know I'm going to miss it so much!!

  In no particular order, these are my latest cards and every one has in some way been inspired by the workshop!!

  This card features Hero Arts "Winter Trees" Stamp and a wonderful card that Kristina shared in the Workshop.  The stamp was inked with Black Archival ink and stamped to white cardstock.  I then used White Pigment ink to add on a few large snowflakes from another Hero Set.  The next step was to add some color using a variety of Distress inks.   I then cut a piece of Patterned Paper for the bottom as an area for my Greeting.  I stamped that in the Evergreen Bough Distress Ink and added on some pearls to finish it off.  This is my take on Kristina's fabulous design.

Next, I have a card, this is a duplicate of one I created over the weekend!! I t's one of my favorites and this is my take on the fabulous design originally shared by Lisa Spangler!!   Love it!!  The only change is that I added a different Sentiment, which is a cute little digi sentiment from Pink Gem Designs.  The paper strips are from the same ones I created over the weekend and I used the same inks and papers for those as well as my stars!!

  I am submitting this version to the new "Anything Goes" Challenge over at "Through The Craftroom Door". I hope you'll come on over and play too!

  This one is a very very super simple card.  I cut the little trees by hand from scraps and took then added them on top of a piece of white card stock, which I had inked with Hero Arts Mid Tone Ink (Raspberry Jam), that I had inked directly onto a very cool new embossing folder (Linear) with is from QuicKutz.    

 And still in a "Tree" theme, this card I created yesterday using the dies from the Holiday Cheer Die Set.  I started by simply cutting out three trees.  Two I colored using Tim Holtz's Metallic Distress Stains (in Brass), and the third I cut from red cardstock and embossed with in my Cuttlebug.  I then simply picked out a piece of "Home for Christmas" paper, added it to my Hero Hues Card base along with a long matching red strip.  I used a Memory Box die to cut the label for my Sentiment, which I stamped in Versamark and heat embossed in white.  That was added on top of some Washi tape that I had in my stash.  I used my Copics to color white pearls to match each of my trees!   Another fun, yet very easy card!!  

  This is another "snowflake" themed card that I created using more of the wonderful Aspen Frost Papers by Basic Grey!  I have to say that this may be one of my favorite new Holiday Papers and I bought the last few 12" x 12" sheets of this pattern at AE on Monday!!   I also added two large snowflakes, cut from the same paper with one of my favorite new Snowflake dies, from Impression Obsession.   The bottom section of the card is done in a contrasting paper that I dug out of my scrap pile!    The pretty ribbon (dyed seam binding)  I had bought from a cute little Etsy Store (Mossy Made) over the Summer. 

    And my last card today is one that was created for a newest Sketch Challenge, being hosted over at CAS(e) this Sketch, that I hope I get in on time.  This is a new and really fun challenge created with Jackie Rockwell, who also created "The Cameo Spotlight" another fun challenge I really enjoy.

Challenge # 4 Sketch

My Card

   I really loved the sketch and had all kinds of ideas of what I wanted to do, but it took me almost a week to finally put it all together.  I started this card by cutting out this cool 'circle' design with one of my new Memory Box dies.    I picked it up at AE when I was there the other day, thinking it would be perfect for this challenge.   I then punched a few black circles that I adhered on top from some contract and used one also as a mat for my Sentiment.   The top section was created with a Fiskars border punch and my card was created with some deep red cardstock I had for the Holidays.  I thought it was really fun to make and I'm off now to submit it, before the time is up.

  My next goal for the week is to continue the Holiday Card Workshop and hopefully more challenges.  I'm also heading back to AE, (I love that store) for a fantastic Wall Art Class on Saturday.  We'll be making a gorgeous wall handing and the class is being taught by Lynette Carroll , who is very popular and teaches a variety of these type of fabulous layering classes.  This will be my very first class with her and also my first type of Wall Art, so I'm excited.   I hope our weather is much better, by then and I'm looking forward to make this.   This photo was shared from the AE Newsletter and does not show just how gorgeous this piece is.  I saw it in person at the store and think it's gorgeous!   I have been told that Lynette is a joy and that most of these pieces will all be pre-cut for us, even so, this is a lot of layering and will take time.  I purchased a lovely frame and if this comes out really nice, I think I may be giving it to my Mom, as one of her Christmas gifts this year!!  

   Heading back to my desk to see what I can work on next.....!!  Hoping everyone has a good afternoon and that this new Nor'Easter storm does not cause any further damage to anyone along the East Coast!   Please take care!!

Heartfelt Wishes!!

   The first thing I would like to do today is to send out lots of hugs and my heartfelt thoughts to all those who have been affected by Hurricane Sandy.   I continue to hope that each day things will improve and that very soon everyone will again be in a home, safe and have warmth and food.  It's hard to see such devastation and to know that so many will have so much to do to get back to 'normal' life.  I am making a donation to the Red Cross today and hope that everyone will consider doing the same.  You can find more information here at the Red Cross Website!   This link will also be very helpful for anyone who needs assistance from the Red Cross !  Please take care and know that they are many people who are thinking of you and wishing you the very best as you all continue to rebuild your lives.   God Bless!

   I have had a wonderful weekend and spend most of my time creating, which is my passion and joy.  I had a fabulous first week in the Holiday Card Workshop and totally loved every day.  Many of my cards today were inspired by ideas or tips and hints I saw in class.  I was super excited to see even more bonus projects over this weekend and just can't express enough how fabulous this workshop has been.  I like it ever MORE than last year's class, which makes it even more special.   Special thanks to Kristina, Jennifer and all the fantastic guest designers who make these classes such a huge hit.   If you ever have the chance to take one, don't pass it up!

   

   My first card today was created for the brand new Sketch Challenge being hosted today (and every Sunday) over that Operation Write Home's - Star and Stamps blog.  As always, this challenge is open to all and it's always a lot of fun.  I am including a copy of this week's sketch as well as two cards I created with inspiration from both the sketch and the workshop.   Oh and Sandy Allnock, the President of Operation Write Home was one of the Guest Designers in the Holiday Workshop, which was really fun!!  

Sketch # 145

Card One

  This card was also created with elements I created using the Print and Cut Feature on my Silhouette Cameo.  I'll be heading to my LSS tomorrow for our monthly Cameo Group and will be during a little tutorial on how to use this fun Feature.   I started by finding some this set of  "Nested Christmas Shapes"  in the Silhouette Store.  I then used the Paint Feature to color each layer of the designs and then printed them first on my printer with the"Registration Marks" which are the marks that your Silhouette machine needs to detect, so it can cut your file.   Once I had my colored shapes printed, I simply cut them with my Cameo and then had a set all ready to use for tags or as I did here, to use as a fun image for a card.  Ohm how I love my Cameo and think it's the best die cut machine -- EVER!!!   Yes, the best EVER!!

   My second card today, was also created using the Sketch from today's Challenge, but was colored with my Copics, after being inspired the fabulous coloring of Kathy Racoosin, who shared her fabulous coloring with us in the Workshop this week.  I have followed Kathy for some time now and think her coloring is amazing.   You'll have to be a member of the class to see her awesome card -- adorable!  She created it with an adorable image from Penny Black, which I sadly don't own, but I did find one in my stash and it's the image I colored up with my Copics for this card.   I used my favorite purples for my card and also embossed my background with a snowflake patterned folder from Sizzix.  My "Be Merry" Sentiment is from Hero Arts and was inked with Versamark and then heat embossed with White Powder.  

  My next card was inspired and created for today's "WISH" themed CAS Challenge over at The Outlawz.  This fabulous card idea also came from the Holiday Card Workshop and was one that was created by Lisa Spangler, using one of my favorite new Hero Arts Background Stamps - Snowflakes and Edges.   

 To create this card I had the perfect brand new Ink Pad, which I bought yesterday, at my LSS-Absolutely Everything, after seeing a fabulous Demo that Kate (the store owner) had done.  These pads, while not new to the market, are coming back again and were new to me.  They are made by Tsukineko, and are called Kaleidacolor pads.  You can buy them pre-inked in a variety of pre-made colors and your can also create custom pads, as I did yesterday.   I started with a plain (un-inked pad) and you choose five ink colors to add to make your custom pad.  Our store is offering these at special price and we can also go back and have ours re-inked for a small charge, making it even better.  I did not have to buy any of the re-inkers, which also make it more affordable!!   

   I simply took my "Christmas Pad" and a brayer and inked up the Background stamp, and then stamped it directly only white cardstock in a pattern of my choice.  I heat set it for a minute and then used my Trimmer to cut some strips, which I randomly added to my card.  I used a Memory Box Die to cut my white Star and added on some matching bling.  To complete this super fun card I stamped my Penny Black Sentiment with the"Red" Ink from my pad and punched it out with a circle punch!!   Love Love Love this fabulous idea and in my case, I LOVE my new ink pads.  I also created a second one, all in shades of purple and pink -- Gorgeous!  Stay tuned to see some fun projects later this week, using that fun pad!

  And next I have another Christmas card that I created with my Cameo and I give all the credit to the machine for this one, as this card design is another I bought from the store, cut on white cardstock and then added my own elements.  Super easy, yet a nice card that could be many for any occasion   I used scraps of green cardstock along with some patterned paper and some green Washi paper to decorate the card.  I finished it off with a nice Sentiment, which is from another of my new Hero Arts Sets - Sparkle with Happiness and some gold bling.

    And next I have this very easy card which is basically a card base, some patterned paper and a sweet little Digi Sentiment that I colored with my Copics.  My little sentiment came from Pink Gem Designs, as did this new watermark, which was designed by Janet, the owner and creator of Pink Gem Designs.  I loved it when I saw it in the store and thought it would be a nice one to add to my collection.

  And I still have another card to share and this one was simply a design I came up with today, while creating my heart out.  I started with this cute little Christmas Tree stamp, which is from Hero and another of my favorites.  I stamped it directly to the Holiday Paper in Versamark and then heat embossed it in Verdigris Green Embossing Powder, which is also by Tsukineko.  I was first introduced this gorgeous color by Jennifer McGuire in one of her previous card workshops.  The idea of coloring in the stars on this stamp, also was one I saw done first by Jennifer too!   She's so awesome and I have learned so much from her, way back even before she offered her classes, I followed both her and Kristina over at Two Peas.  Again, they are both wonderful and make a great team!!   

    This did not turn out to be one of my favorites today, I think I used too many dark colors, not to mentioned that it did not photograph all that well.  It's now only 4:30 and pretty dark, as we turned out clock back last night, making darkness come very early - Yuk!!  The Peace sentiment was heat embossed in Gold, but is also not showing well.  I think this stamp looks much nicer on a a crisp white background and that is what I'll do the next time I use it!  

  And last but now least, is one of my favorite cards of the day and this one is another I kind of made up as I was going along.  I noticed at the end, I had several cards in shades of teal and aqua, which are colors I love almost as much as purple.   This card was also very easy to create and was started by using a large snowflake embossing folder and embossing the snowflake on some gorgeous shimmer teal cardstock, from my stash.  I then cut it out using a scalloped circle die and layered it onto the reverse of my main cardstock.  The cute little bow on top is from a Memory Box Die and the smaller snowflake is one I cut on my Cameo, the other day!   The card base is from Hero Arts (I love their cards), they are a nice quality and are white inside, which is perfect for OWH cards.   The top later was cut from some really pretty new patterned paper I bought yesterday, while at AE.  It's a tiny pattern in shades of teal on one side and a variety of snowflakes in silver and teal on a white background on the reverse.   It's from S.E.I. and is called Frosty Peep from the Berry Melody collection.   I love it and may buy more when I'm at class tomorrow.   

    

   This card is being submitted to the new "The Ol' 1-2 Punch" challenge over at A Blog Named Hero.  I used two Scalloped Nestabilitie Dies, a Snowflake die-cut from Silhouette, as well as a the little bow, which is from Memory Box.   The actual "Pool" card base, as I mentioned above is from Hero Arts, and I use and love their cards.

     Update:   I am so honored to find out today, that is fun card was one chosen for A Hero Heroine Badge over at A Blog Name Hero!   WooHoo!!   My badge is now on my side bare and this is a copy of the post with the all the winners!!

  Time to take Scout out for a little walk, give him his dinner and they work on our dinner.  Hubby does our cooking on Sunday, which I love.  It's an easy night for us and we often have grilled burgers and salad.  In the Summer we have corn on the cob, but that season is sadly over!    See your all later and I hope that you enjoyed your weekend!  It sure flew by for me, but today I had so much fun in my craft room!   

It's November??? WOW!!!

......Every day and every week is flying by and it's amazing to think that it's already November and that Thanksgiving here in the US, is only 3 weeks away.   I find that every year goes by faster and faster and I for one, would like to see things slow down a bit.

     Yesterday, I seemed to have lost the day.  I was up early and out to my nail appointment and then had to run some errands...then the next thing I knew it was afternoon and I had not even started any projects for even finished my emails, which is never a good thing.   By the time I finished up that and had a chance to heard over to the Holiday Card Workshop, I found myself feeling exhausted.   Fatigue for me, is one of the most difficult parts of living with Fibromyalgia and yesterday was one of those days that I had to give in an lay down for a nap.   After that I did have a little more energy and that was good since it was Halloween and I knew we'd had some "trick or treaters" coming by.   I still enjoy seeing the kids in the cute little costumes and remember well all the years I took my boys out.   As it turned out, "Scout" was not a big fan of the kids coming and going and was barking like crazy, so I ended up taking him upstairs to my craft room and Hubby took over the candy giving.   I had made up 30 bags of candies, and was bummed this morning to see there are close to 20 or so left.  Now, to get rid of it, before I am tempted to treat myself to some sweets.   Hum?

   Today, I am feeling much better and also had a nice night's sleep and even slept in until 8:30 this morning.  It was nicer to not have to get up early and Scout was very good and slept as late as me.  I took my time doing chores and we headed out for a nice morning walk and then I headed to my craft room, where I've spent a nice day making more Christmas cards -- all inspired the wonderful "Holiday Card Workshop".

   Each of these cards were created with hints, tips and ideas from yesterday's class and after I finish up this post, I'll be watching today's videos again and hopefully starting on some new cards or ideas for making those.

    One of my favorite designers was a Guest Teacher in yesterday's class and that is the always fun and happy -- Julie Ebersole, who I totally enjoy!  Her videos are always such a joy and I love her wonderful clean and simply style of creating.  My first card is very much a take-off the the card she created and shared with class.  I used the same Hero Arts/Sizzix Embossing Folder (Christmas Words), and the same wonderful snowflake dies by MFT.  My paper from the Aspen Frost set, by Basic Grey, although Julie used the same set, she chose a different paper and her card was all done in white....(it's Lovely)!!   I decided to go with some different colors and also really love the Hero Arts "Pool" colored cards, so I picked my paper to match one of their fabulous cards.  I also die-cut my snowflakes from papers in my stash!!  Other than that--it's pretty much a case of Julie's card, which I thought was stunning.  I think I may try another one and use lots more whites as she did.

    My next card was one I created on my own, but I took the basic design from Julie's card to make this cute little card.    As you can see, I started this one with a "Punch" red card base (also a Hero card), and used the other half the same paper from the Aspen Frost Set.  I then added to thin borders to each each in a deeper red tone.  Next, I grabbed some matching olive cardstock from my scrap pile and embossed that in diagonal pattern and cut to down to fit on top.   I then found another piece of matching paper and punched out the star with an SU Punch.  I adhered that on top of more deep red-cardstock and hand cut a border.  My last touch was adding this cute "Twinkle" sentiment by Penny Black, which I stamped in Versamark and heat-embossed with Hero's white embossing powder.  

  And as you can see, snowflakes were all that I had on my mind and every card I created other than my Twinkle card had a snowflake theme.  This next one was a very easy card and I started by die-cutting a full page of assorted snowflakes with my Silhouette Cameo.  I cut each one on White Cardstock, so that I can glitter or color them all in different ways.  For this card I used Ranger Distress Stains to color both to match my patterned paper, which again came from my stash.   Note:  Not sure of the name on this patterned paper, it was left over from last month's card club and I simply edged it and layered it onto a dark green embossed cardstock!  :)

 And last but not least, I have one more card, which again is all done in a snowflake theme, but this one also includes some "Purple" -- my favorite color.   I'm not loving the style of the sentiment, so I will likely be changed it.  I think I need to add more color and think it will mat it onto some more of the lavender cardstock?   What do you think?

  This card also worked up very fast and was super easy to make.   I started with another Hero Card base (in Pool), cut a slightly smaller piece of white cardstock which I then embossed with a Snowflake folder, from the Winter Wonderland Set by Cuttlebug.   I used the same snowflake dies, as well as a Martha Stewart Punch, I had on hand.    My sentiment and the smaller inked snowflakes were from the "Snow Much Joy" Stamp Set by Hero Arts and were stamped with Hero's "Tide Pool" Midtone Ink.  

   And that's it for today, for me but I have so many wonderful news ideas and fabulous inspiration from the workshop and I'm so pleased to have taken it!   If you know me, you know that I totally enjoy classes and that I highly recommend each and every class that Jennifer and Kristina have offered.  They are all awesome and well worth every penny!   I am a one very HAPPY Student!!

What a Wild Day!!

...well after days of new reports today is the day that Hurricane Sandy is going to make landfall somewhere on the Eastern Coast of New Jersey.  I do hope that everyone in that area fares well and that no one is seriously injured or loses their home.

    Here in Northeastern Massachusetts, we are doing pretty well so far and after a long day of very light rain and wind, it's starting to get darker now and the winds are really starting to blow hard.   I took Scout out for a very short walk about 10 minutes ago and it was kind of scary.  I do hope that he won't have to go out much more today, but was thankful that the temps seem fairly mild and that I was not near any power lines or large trees.  I can't imagine how much worse it much be closer to the eye!!  I'm very thankful it's not worse and that we will have power and I hope it last throughout the night.   Ironically, I had Verizon her today, after losing internet on and off for the past few weeks.  We found out on Saturday there was trouble with the line, so after coming and doing work (they had to put in a new line), I'm back to having my phone and my internet if working much better.  It's actually faster than it has been in ages, so the call turned out to be worthwhile.

     I'm just catching up on posting after having hosted my very first 90-Minute Scramble Saturday over at Hero Arts Flickr Group.   I picked a theme of  Winter/Christmas or Holiday cards with a twist-and my twist was to use Non-Traditional colors!   I ended up having over 40 entries, which was SO exciting.  If you would like to see the cards entered into my Scramble, go to the Hero Arts FLickr Gallery and do a search in the Hero Group for Quickcard51 (all one word) and you'll see all the fantastic cards that were entered!  I was blown away and how many there were and it took me hours to comment on each one.    Special thanks to everyone who played -- you are all fabulous and I was so happy with the fabulous response.   Congratulations to Dawn, Betty and Franziska, who were the lucky winners.  Note if you click on their names, it will take you over to their winning card!!     The prize packages I put together, where shipped out today and Franziska should be hearing from Hero shortly regarding her digital prize, which they so kindly donated!   I hope you all enjoy your goodies and want to once again thank you ALL for playing!!

    Here are the cards that I shared as my inspiration -- nothing that first two were cards I created last year while in the Holiday Card Boot Camp -- which I LOVED!!   These cards were also totally inspired by those that were created by Jennifer and Kristina in that workshop!   If you like them, then you are just in time to sign up and start this year's Holiday Card Workshop 2012 -- which started today!!

  

    This last card was one I created last week, specifically for my Scramble and also for the Copic Coloring challenge that is currently going on now over at The Outlawz!  

   After the fun on Saturday, I found myself totally wiped out yesterday and never found enough energy do get many new projects started.  I, did, however pick out some new challenges and printed out the information and sketches so that I could work on those today.   My first card was one that I made based on the weekly Sunday Sketch from Operation Write Home's Stars and Stamps Blog.  This is always a regular challenge for me every Sunday and a favorite.   This is a copy of this week's sketch and I hope maybe it will inspire you to play along.

Sketch #144

My Card

   That cute little card features and adorable Printable Digi image that I bought over the weekend, from Pink Gem Designs.    I bought the black and white digi and this cute little pre-colored version.    Most often I color all my digis with my Copic markers, but every once in a while, when I am in a hurry or want to make a super quick card, I love having some cute pre-colored images on hand.    This was the only card I managed to make yesterday, so I was very happy to have this cutie on hand.

  Today, now that I have more energy, I have new cards and this is another take I created based on the same sketch from OWH.   As you'll see I'm still into my Pink and Purple mode (my favorites colors) and I made this card specifically that way, to submit to this new CAS Challenge hosted this week at The Outlawz, where the theme is your favorite treat or favorite thing!

  And now I am very happy and excited to be sharing two more brand new cards, that I created today for Day One in the brand new Holiday Card Workshop - 2012, which is antoher fantastic online class offered by Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner at their Online Card Classroom!   I LOVE their classes and have taken EVERY one they have offered!  This is the second of the Holiday Workshops and we are already off to a fun start.

   This first card is a small 4" X 4" card and that idea came from seeing the adorable small 3" square card that Kristina shared in her first class video today!   I did not use the same colors or images, but I thought it was fun to make a smaller card and I used these brand new adorable images that arrived in my mail today, from Lili of the Valley.  These are absolutely amazing and they are brand new and are par of the Mini Masterpiece line.  Each image is already colored and there are a variety of sizes on each sheet.  They sell for $1.60 per sheet is USD, which is such an affordable price.   I will be heading back to the store for more, as I only bought four sheets and now that I have them, and have seen the quality, I want to buy a few more!!

  Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you about these cute little Sentiment.  They are also new and I bought them from Purple Onion Designs, who has some of the most adorable red rubber stamps.  You can find them HERE!!   A wonderful little online store that I was first introduced to from another of the online classes, after I won a fabulous set of stamps, last Summer!!   You can find lots of super cute Christmas stamps as well as a huge variety in all types of themes!!

  And least by not least, I have one more card and this one was inspired by Kristina again today, not because it's like her card, but because she has recently started to fall in LOVE with Copic Markers, and has been using them more and more in her cardmaking.   I have LOVED them for quite some time and truly LOVE to color, as a way to relax and that's what I did to this cute little Bugaboo image.   I then simply picked out papers from a new set "Christmas Cheer" by Lilybee Design and added a Sentiment from this "Let it Snow" Penny Black Set,, which is a favorite I had from last year.

    And that is it for today!   It's starting to get very very windy now and our lights have flickered a few times  I'm heading downstairs to make something quick and easy for dinner and still hoping VERY much that we do not lose power.   I'm very thankful that the storm is not as bad as I had expected and hope that we go through the night without any damage or power outages. Mother Nature is quite a force here today and affecting millions of people on the East Coast!   My heart goes out to everyone on the East Coast who in in the worst part of the storm.  I hope tomorrow will be a brighter day for all!!

    I'm looking forward to spending another fun day the Holiday Card Workshop and can't wait to see what we'll be working on tomorrow!!

It's my Scramble DAY!! Come and play!!

  I am very happy and excited to be hosting my very first 90-Minute Scramble over at the Hero Arts Flickr Group.   I have been a member of this wonderful group for about a year now and as most of you know I'm a huge Fan of Hero Arts and their products.

  Today, at 3 PM - Eastern Daylight Time - I will be hosting my very first 90-Minute Scramble and have some awesome prizes that I will be awarding to two lucky players.   The actual Scramble Theme will remain a secret until the time I post it and you will then have 90 minutes to create your card (tag) etc, and upload it to the Hero Arts Group.    If you are new to the group, you are very welcome to join us.  The scramble is open to all group members.   Hint:  You may want to be sure you is ready and that you know how to upload photos to the your Flickr account.    Hopefully, my internet connection will be okay too --- as I have had some problems this morning and had connection issues on and off for an hour of so.   Luckily, it seems to be better now, but I did call Verizon Tech Support and they did see some trouble of one the the tests they ran.  Unfortunately, they can not send some one here to my home, until Monday, so please keep your fingers crossed that I will have access when I need it later this afternoon!

   To entice you a bit more, these are pictures of the prizes that I will be awarding to two winners, plus Hero Arts will also be donating a digital prize to a third winner!!   Woohoo!!

    In the meantime, I have had some fun creating cards for a variety of challenge and some for fun.  This first card was a for another challenge that Barb posted in the Hero Arts Group.   Barb had the fun idea of challenging the group to pick one of their "Favorites" and CASE it for a fun little extra challenge.  I loved the idea and the hardest part was picking ONE card out of my many favorites to use for the challenge.   I chose this wonderful card that was originally created by Sandi Neumann and just happens to feature the same die that I'm giving away as one of today's prizes.   I love it and already own it myself!!

Sandi's Card 

My Card

Card Recipe

Teal and White Cardstock

Fresh Daisies Die Cut - Simon Says Stamp

Lotus Background CG849 - from Hero Arts

Hero Arts Mid Tone -Tide Pool Ink

Ranger Distress Inks - to color the die cut

 (Peeled Paint, Tumbled Glass and Evergreen Bough)

Black Memento for Sentiment

Sentiment - "Lil Pics" by Art Gone Wild

Embossing Folder by Crafts-TOO

  It was such a fun card to make and I'm blown away at how many people have left comment, Thank You!!  But, please keep in mind, all the credit goes to Sandi, as this was her design!  I simply used what I had in my stash to try and make a card as lovely as hers!

  I have one more card to share and this one was created for today's new Paper A la Mode challenge at The Outlawz Group, where the theme is "Use Negative Space".  I started my project by picking out one of my favorite die's - Whimsy Circle,  from Memory Box.  I then took a Hero Arts (Lilac Card) and cut the die shape directly on the front of my card.   Next, I lined the inside of the card front with a piece of clear acetate and added on some strips I cut from this Hero Layering paper along with one strip of this Washi Tape that I bought from last week on Etsy!    And the last step was to add the die cut to the inside of my card, which lines up with the front "negative space" when the card is closed, as shown in the first picture!

    And that's it for now, but I will be back a bit later to share the cards and inspiration I put together for my Scramble!   In the meantime, I'm heading back to my craft desk, to see what else I can work on from my brand new Simon Says Stamp - November Card Kit, which arrived yesterday!!   It looks awesome - here is a picture I'm sharing from the store website!   Pretty cool, don't you think!!