IT'S TIME FOR THE {BYSHC} SPRING INTO CHRISTMAS LINKY HOP 2024

Hello, crafty friends!  It's time again for the linky party hosted by the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers. 

This linky party is a great opportunity to get a head start on your holiday card stash, if you haven't already.  And just because this linky party is hosted by {BYSHC}, that doesn't mean you have to use one of Crystal's fabulous sketches to participate. We just want to help you get your holiday card stash built up!  But it is easier for me to have a great sketch to start from, so I'm using one. 😊

And here's my card:

I used products from Linky Sponsors Lawn Fawn and Gina Marie Designs for this card.  I started out by choosing a patterned paper from one of my Lawn Fawn 6x6 paper pads, and I decided on this sweet pink Lost Mitten paper from the Knit Picky Winter petite paper pack.  I die cut it with the largest Gina Marie Designs Wonky Stitched Rectangle die and layered it onto a piece of pink cardstock from Michael's.  I was very pleased to find it to be a near perfect match for the patterned paper. 😊  To go along with the sweater theme, I stamped out several images from the Ugly and Bright stamp set.  Ultimately, I decided to use the adorable bear and I had him don this cute snowflake sweater.  For a change of pace, I colored the images with colored pencils.  I used my Scan N Cut to cut the images but didn't care for the white outline around the sweater, so I fussy cut it out. 😬  Thank goodness it's an easy image!  To add to the "ugly sweater" vibe, I added clear glitter gel pen to the snowflakes on the sweater.  For the element in the middle of the sketch, I used the smallest of the Gina Marie Wonky Stitched Rectangles and stamped one of the sentiments from the same set in Versa Fine Clair Nocturne.  This card came together so quickly, and it turned out so cute!  I love this simple sketch! 💗

Be sure to head on over to the BYSHC linky party here to join in on the fun...we have so many fabulous sponsors, and there are lots of prizes to be won, so you don't want to miss out!

Thanks for stopping by and take care!

~ Marie 💗💗

ABC CHRISTMAS -- H IS FOR HATS, I IS FOR INKY

 Hello, crafty friends!  Welcome back to my blog.  It's time again for a new challenge at ABC Christmas, where it's letters H and I we're being inspired by:

H is for HATS

I is for INKY

And here is the card I created:

I killed 2 birds with 1 stone making this card; I got inky by blending Gina K's Turquoise Sea ink through the awesome Pile of Presents 6x6 stencil from A Colorful Life Designs, and the adorable print & cut elf from Stinkin Cute Paper Piecings (Silhouette Design Store) is wearing the classic elf hat.  I added further detail to the presents by offsetting the stencil to the left just a hair and outlining each one with a clear Sakura Gelly Roll pen.  Of course, this effect looks much better in real life than it does in a picture. 😄  

I die cut the stenciled image using a die from the Spring Ovals set from Whimsy Stamps.  The sentiment is from an Elizabeth Craft Designs/Karen Burniston stamp set called Holiday that I got in a recent destash.  My green cardstock layer didn't exactly match the green on the elf image, so I inked the edges with Rustic Wilderness oxide ink.  And that's it!

Thanks for dropping by, and don't forget to head over to the ABC Christmas challenge blog to see what the rest of the DT has made to inspire you.  The challenge will run until May 4th, so there's lots of time to join in and get that Christmas card stash built up!  😉

Until next time, Take Care!

~ Marie 💖

ABC CHRISTMAS -- E IS FOR EMBOSSING, F IS FOR FAUX, G IS FOR GINGERBREAD

 Hello crafty friends!  I'm dropping by really quickly to share what I created for this month's ABC Christmas challenge, which is 

E is for EMBOSSING

F is for FAUX

G is for GINGERBREAD

Since gingerbread was my suggestion, of course, I chose that for my card:

I apologize for the quality of the photo, but my new phone changes what some of my pictures look like after they are taken, and I haven't figured out how to fix it yet.

Anyway, I finally busted out the MFT Gingerbread Greetings Card kit that I bought when it was released.  So, so cute!  I do need to re-do the sentiment though...I stamped it directly onto the glitter paper, and it didn't fare well at all.  I added lots of shimmer and shine by using glitter paper, shimmer watercolors, Stickles glitter glue, and Diamond Dotz.  This was a fun card to make, and I hope I get to make some more for this coming Christmas!

Head on over to the ABC Christmas challenge to see what the rest of the DT has created, and don't forget to join us!  We love to see what you create!

Until next time, Take care!

~ Marie  💖

GUEST DESIGNER FOR THE PAPER FUNDAY -- MARCH 2024 --THE DIES HAVE IT

Hello again, crafty peeps!  I'm back on the blog today to share what I created as the guest designer for The Paper Funday challenge for March, where the challenge is:

The DIES have it! (use dies/die cuts in your design)

Here is my project:

Aren't they adorable?  I created these sweet ginger bunnies using dies from My Creative Time.  These cutie patooties are the Giant Ginger (left side), and Giant Girl Ginger.  Emma, the owner, is always coming up with such awesome stamp and die sets, you really should check out her shoppe!  I die cut the ginger bodies from Almond Creme Bazzil cardstock, and blended Vintage Photo oxide ink around the edges.  To make these cute gingers into bunnies, I added the bunny ears and Easter baskets from the Ginger Easter TWO set, as I thought the sizing was just right to fit the Giant Gingers.  Now, since I had dressed the girl ginger using the Giant Girl Ginger Accessories die set, I had to give the boy an outfit as well, so I cut the boy ginger die from one of Emma's more masculine-looking patterned papers to make him a shirt, and then from a piece of dark navy cardstock for his shorts.  I think that turned out so cute!  I added Star Dust stickles to the frosting squiggles and "hair", but I noticed after I took the pictures that I forgot to add some to her bun.  I will fix that later.  The paper pads I used all come from My Creative Time:

Christmas Gingers 6x8.5" (boy shirt)

Ginger Chefs 6x6 (dress)

Script, Hearts & Solids 6x6 (Easter eggs)

Here are pics of the boy and girl separately:

To add some texture to the baskets, I ran them through my Cuttlebug with a plaid embossing folder.  The sweet smiling faces both come from the Giant Ginger stamp set.  I stamped them in VersaFine Clair Pinecone ink, and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  I added Tattered Rose distress ink to their cheeks for blush and used a white gel pen to add dots to the blush, and also to the eyes.  And then I called this project finished!

Be sure to check out The Paper Funday challenge this month and submit your die cut projects into the linky.  This kind of prompt is definitely open to lots of interpretation, so I am expecting to see lots of entries!  I can't wait to see what you all create!  

Until next time, take care!

~ Marie 💖

SQUIRRELZ STASH BASH FEB 27, 2024 -- NEW, NEW, NEW!

Hello crafty friends!  It's finally time!  My crafty Squirrel Sisters and I are BACK!  We took a hiatus over the holidays which ended up stretching out just a *little bit* longer than expected.  While we were off, we took some time to contemplate what our next moves were going to be.  I still don't think we have it all completely settled, but HEY, one thing at a time!

For now, we are back with the theme of:

NEWEST SUPPLY

For me, that could mean any number of new things, but I chose to work with this ADORABLE chicken from Peachy Keen Stamps.

ACK!  Isn't this just THE CUTEST chicken stamp EVER?!?!?  The chicken is actually made from 2 different sets of stamps; the chicken body comes from the PK-1375 Faceless Chickens set, and the face is from the PK-1374 Chickie Faces 1 1/8" set.  These were on my secret wish list for a LONG TIME, and then when the owners of Peachy Keen Stamps had a sale on Valentine's Day, I jumped on the chance to get my inky fingers on a set!

With this card, I hope I was channeling my inner Anna Wight and Jillian Norwood with the vintage vibe I was going for.  The cute gingham papers come from the Honey Bee Stamps Gingham Galore Fall 6x6 paper pad, that I got multiples of when Honey Bee put them on the retiring list.  I mean, come on, who doesn't love some cute gingham paper?  Both pieces of gingham were die cut with 2 sizes of Gina Marie Designs Wonky Stitched Rectangles.  I die cut the image with the largest of the Spellbinders Classic Oval dies, and the mat layer is from the largest Lacey Oval die.  I inked it up with Iced Spruce oxide ink, as that matched the green gingham paper perfectly.  The cute chickie is colored with Copics, and highlighted with white gel pen.  The sentiment banner was cut with a die from Whimsy Stamps Quick Strips die set.  I cut multiples of the same die and cut them apart to accent the upper left corner of the card.  I inked all the paper and cardstock edges with Vintage Photo oxide ink.  And that's it!  

Now, if you've been here before, you know this post is part of a small hop, and the next talented gal you should be checking out is V at Passions and Distractions  Before me, you should have come from the fabulous Lounon at Craft Me, Craft Moi.

I thank you so much for stopping by today, and I hope you will have fun on our little hop!  Until next time, take care! 

~ Marie 💖

A COLORFUL LIFE DESIGNS CARD INSPIRATION: ST. PADDY'S HEART STENCIL

Hello crafty peeps!  It's time for me to share another card for the A Colorful Life Design team.  This card features the St. Paddy's Heart 6x6 stencil:

I actually borrowed a page out of Miss Amy's book of tricks (Amy's Wares) from this video when I created this card.  I dry embossed the stencil as well as ink blending through it, and then added highlights with a white gel pen to add the look of lots of dimension.  I love how it came out!  I decided that the Garden Gnome die from Lawn Fawn needed to transform into a leprechaun to go with this shamrock-filled heart shape.  I had tons of fun paper piecing this guy together using green cardstock from my stash.  He's having fun throwing gold up in the air, and to create this look, I used some of the FABULOUS new bling also from A Colorful Life Designs.  This shiny gold is called Metallic Gold Card Bling, and this is just one of the absolutely gorgeous colors of bling that Mary Kay has in the shop!  What I love the best (besides the fab colors!), is that there aren't any holes in these for any glue to squeeze through.  This gold also pairs perfectly with the gold foil cardstock from Recollections that I used to mat the image panel.  For an added whimsical touch, I attached the gnome/leprechaun to an action wobbler.  The sentiment is from the Magic Messages stamp set also by Lawn Fawn, stamped in VersaFine Clair Nocturne ink.  

That's it, my friends!  Until next time, take care!

~ Marie 💖

{BYSHC} SKETCH 42, FEB 2024

 Hello crafty peeps!  I'm back on the blog to share my DT card for the {BYSHC} Sketch Challenge, Sketch #42.  Here's the sketch:

And here is my card!

Friends, I am having the HARDEST time editing photos taken with my new phone!  My set up is the same as it was before, but the new camera just makes my pics look weird!  I have no idea what to do to change it, or if I even CAN change it.  <sigh>  

ANYWAY, I did manage to get a pic of this card edited to my satisfaction.  I had way more fun making this card then I did editing the pic!  I knew I wanted to use one of these adorable My Creative Time gingerbread die sets, and for this card, I chose the Sweet Gingerbread Companion for the body of my ginger.  Since the sketch challenge is also a Christmas card challenge, I used the Sweet Gingers Christmas Add-Ons die set to dress him up.  Isn't he just TOO CUTE dressed up like an elf?  I am IN LOVE with how he came together!  You can barely see it beneath the banner he is holding, but I also die cut the pirate vest from the Sweet Gingerbread Person Costumes #2 die set to add to his outfit. 

 The pink polka dotted paper is also from My Creative Time and is from the Ginger Chefs 6x6 paper pad.   The letters that spell out NOEL on the banner come from one of Emma's newer sets called Prim Hearts & Alpha.  Now, the cutie patootie face on the ginger comes from one of the MANY fabulous face sets from the Peachy Keen store, and it's called Rosie's Favorites Faces 1 1/8".  How can you not fall in love with a cute face like that?  Other supplies used to make this card include:

Pink glitter cardstock - DCWV 6x6 Brights Glitter Cardstock Stack

Scalloped Rectangle - Gina Marie Designs Nested Scalloped Stitched Rectangles

 White rectangle layer - Spellbinders A2 Card Creator Set A

Embossing Folder - Cuttlebug/Provo Craft

Diamond Dotz - Frost

Oxide ink - Vintage Photo (ink blended on embossed panel)

Distress Ink - Festive Berries (cheeks)

white gel pen

Pompom - Hobby Lobby

CHALLENGES:

Sparkles Christmas:  Use Kraft card

Christmas Craft Creations Feb 24: Use stencils or embossing folders

613 Avenue Create Feb 24:  ATG (2/8)

Crafts Galore Encore #120:  ATG (2/3)

Classic Design Challenge Feb 24:  ATG

The Paper Funday #62:  ATG (2/6)

A Perfect Time to Craft Feb 24:  ATG

The Creative Crafters #73:  ATG (2/3)

Let's Craft and Create #204:  ATG (2/3)

Sheepski Designs #83:  ATG (2/3)

Mirtillamente #28:  ATG (2/5)

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday Feb 24:  ATG

Do All Creatives #86:  ATG (2/3)

Ally's Angels #79:  ATG (2/8)

Crafty Catz #665:  ATG (2/5)

Word Art Wednesday #635 -#636:  ATG (2/5)

C.R.A.F.T Challenge #709:  Christmas (2/2)

Polkadoodles Week 6:  ATG (2/2)

Digi Choosday Week 6:  ATG (2/2)

Penny's Paper Crafty #565:  ATG (2/3)

Unicorn Challenge #95:  Dots or Stripes

Colorful Options Feb 24: PINK

Thanks for dropping by today!  If you haven't already, head on over to the {BYSHC} Sketch Challenge blog to see what inspiration awaits from some of the other DT members AND join in the challenge yourself!  You KNOW you will be needing those Christmas cards, so why not get started now? 😉  

Until next time, take care! 

~ Marie 💖

ABC CHRISTMAS -- C IS FOR CATS, D IS FOR DOGS

 Hello crafty friends!  I'm back to share my DT card creations for ABC Christmas Challenge, where C is for CATS, and D is for DOGS.  I made one for each animal. 

C is for CATS

D is for DOGS

I made it easy for myself this month by using some print and cut Silhouette files from Stinkin Cute Paper Piecings.  I own quite a few images from this artist, as I think they are so adorable!  For the backgrounds of my cards, I used 2 amazing stencils from A Colorful Life Designs.  The one I used on the canine card is called Paws, and the ornament behind the festive feline is the 5" ornament from the Marvelous Masks Ornaments set.  The sentiments are from Lawn Fawn, with "have yourself a merry little Christmas" coming from the Merry Messages set, and "meowy Christmas" is a combination of words from Meow You Doin'? and Christmas Dreams.  I was so excited that I was able to match up the "meow" so perfectly with the "y" from merry!  It's the little things sometimes, isn't it? 😉  Both of the critters are popped up on Dollar Tree foam tape for dimension.  The inks I used were Medium Spruce and Dark Spruce from Gina K for the paw prints, with a little bit of Weathered Wood oxide ink for a highlight.  The red ink is Memento Rhubarb Stalk.  The silver is Delicata's Silvery Shimmer ink, and the meowy Christmas was stamped in VersaFine Clair Nocturne.

I am happy with how cute both of these cards turned out, and they will be perfect to give to any dog or cat lover for Christmas!

I appreciate you stopping by today!  Please pop on over to the ABC Christmas Challenge blog to see what the rest of the DT has created for this month's letters, and to join in as well.  There is always a chance to win a great little prize!

CHALLENGES:

Sparkles Christmas: Use kraft card

Christmas Craft Creations:  Stencils or Embossing folders

Creative Moments #255:  CAS

613 Avenue Create Feb 24:  ATG

Crafts Galore Encore #120:  ATG (1/3)

Crafty Animals #80:  Add an animal

Classic Design Challenge Feb 24:  ATG

Critter Crazy #83:  ATG featuring a critter

The Paper Funday #62:  ATG w/optional twist...no patterned paper

A Perfect Time to Craft Feb 24:  ATG

The Creative Crafters #73:  ATG (1/3)

Let's Craft and Create #204:  ATG (1/3)

Sheepski Designs #83:  ATG (1/3)

Mirtillamente #28:  ATG (1/5)

Morgan's ArtWorld #73:  ATG (1/3)

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday Challenge Feb 24:  ATG

Do All Creatives #86:  ATG (1/3)

Ally's Angels #79:  ATG (1/8)

Stencil Fun Challenge Feb 24:  ATG using a stencil (1/3)

Crafty Catz #665:  ATG (1/5)

Word Art Wednesday #635 - #636: (1/5)

C.R.A.F.T Challenge #709:  Christmas (1/2)

Polkadoodles Week 6:  ATG (1/2)

Digi Choosday Week 6:  ATG (1/2)

Penny's Paper Crafty #565:  ATG (1/3)

Krafty Chicks Challenge #703:  CAS

Inspiration Station:  Photo inspiration 

I love both cats and dogs, and these 2 are so cute!

Until next time, please take care! 😊

~ Marie

{BYSHC} SKETCH 41

 Hello crafty friends!  Happy Friday, and happy long weekend for me!  One of the holidays that we celebrate where I work is Martin Luther King Day, so I am off work this coming Monday.  WHOOPIE!!  Even though I just went back to work last week after being off for 13 days, I need another break!  🤣🤣🤣

Anyway, I am here to share my card for Sketch 41 for the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers challenge.  

Here is the sketch:

And here is my card:

Didn't this turn out cute?  I'm so happy with this card! 💓 I used a bunch of products from a variety of companies, which really makes me feel like I am using my crafty stash instead of hoarding it, LOL!  Who else can relate to that statement? 😉  OK, let me rattle these off...

Navy and black cardstocks-- Recollections 

Blue shimmer cardstock-- Recollections 

Silver holographic cardstock-- Recollections 

White glitter cardstock-- Walmart

Gingham Galore Holiday paper-- Honey Bee Stamps

Little Mr. Snowman die set (includes the snowflakes and the sentiment)-- My Creative Time The coffee mug is also from My Creative Time, but I forget which set it is from!

Scallop Circle Frames die-- Whimsy Stamps 

Miscellaneous-- R20 Copic marker for the cheeks, white gel pen for highlights, Bearly Art Glue, Dollar Tree foam squares to pop up Mr. Snowman

And that's it!  I thank you so much for stopping by today.  Now, don't forget to head on over to the {BYSHC} blog to see what the rest of the DT have created with this great sketch, and of course we want you to join in the fun, too!  You must enter your cards into the challenge album in the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers FB group. You have until Jan. 31st at 11:59 PST to submit your cards, so there's still plenty of time. 

 

CHALLENGES: 

Caffeinated Christmas #25:  Snowflakes

Christmas Crafts All Year 'Round Jan '24:  Snowflakes

12 Months of Christmas Link Up #108:  ATG Christmas

Merry Little Christmas #54:  ATG

Crafty Calendar Jan '24:  ATG

Love to Craft #78:  ATG

Mix It Up #69:  ATG

Moving Along With The Times #162:  New Craft Item (snowman die & stamp set)

613 Avenue Create Jan '24:  ATG

Crafts Galore Encore #119:  ATG (2/3)

The Paper Funday #61:  ATG (2/6)

Die Cut Divas Jan '24:  NBUS (snowman stamp & die set)

A Place to Start Jan '24:  ATG

SheepSki Design #82:  ATG (2/3)

Mirtillamente #27:  ATG

Ellibelle's Wednesday Challenge Jan '24:  ATG

Ally's Angels #78:  ATG

Crafty Catz #663:  ATG

Gem of a Challenge #1:  ATG

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #221:  ATG

Word Art Wednesday #629-#630:  ATG

Holly and Ivy #154:  ATG Christmas

My Time to Craft #525:  Something New in Your Stash (snowman stamp & die set)

Peace on Earth #55:  ATG Christmas

Krafty Chicks #698:  Christmas

Until next time, take care! 🤗

~ Marie

A IS FOR ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES, AND B IS FOR BERRIES

 A is for ANYTHING CHRISTMAS

B is for BERRIES

Hello crafty friends!  It's time for me to share my first card being back on the design team at the ABC Christmas Challenge!  I'm sure most of you know how the challenge works, but for those who don't; we spend the year going through the letters of the alphabet 2 or 3 per month and pick themes to go with each letter.  Then the design team creates Christmas cards based on the themes, and we invite everyone to join in!  It really is fun to see how the themes can be interpreted. The host of each challenge picks her Top 5 favorites from the link entries, and one lucky participant wins a prize!  This challenge is a great way to help get those Christmas cards made throughout the year, and the themes are a great starting point.

So, now that I have explained how the challenge works, let me show you my Anything Christmas card:

Actually, I made 2 very similar cards:

The beautiful pattern on the cards is from the intricate Lacy Edge stencil from A Colorful Life Designs.  This stencil is a 6x9 size, so I borrowed a page from Jennifer McGuire's book of tricks and stenciled 2 panels at once.  This video is the one I had in mind.  I used Gina K's beautiful Light, Medium, and Dark Spruce inks and a blending brush to achieve this look.  I mounted each panel onto gold mirror cardstock from Michael's, and mounted that to a green shimmer paper, also from Michael's.  The rectangular panels were die cut with Spellbinders A2 Card Creator dies, and the green shimmer paper was die cut with a Gina Marie Designs Nested Scalloped Stitched Rectangle die.  The elegant Noel sentiment is also from Gina Marie Designs, and I cut that from the same gold mirror cardstock and also from the green shimmer to act as a shadow layer.

I think these cards came out so pretty, and I really want to make more in other colors, and even for other occasions, as I think the Lacy Edge stencil can be used for pretty much anything If you decide that you NEED  this stencil in your stash, you can use my code MarieFan10 to save on your entire order, with the exception of the Master Creator Bundles.

CHALLENGES:

12 Months of Christmas Link Up #108:  ATG Christmas

Merry Little Christmas Challenge Blog #54:  ATG

Crafty Calendar Jan'24:  ATG

Love To Craft Challenge Blog #78:  ATG

Mix It Up Challenge Blog #69:  ATG

613 Avenue Create Jan '24:  ATG

Crafts Galore Encore #119:  ATG (1/3)

The Paper Funday #61:  ATG

A Place to Start Jan '24:  ATG

SheepSki Designs #82:  ATG

Mirtillamente #27:  ATG

Morgan's ArtWorld #72:  ATG

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday Jan '24:  ATG

StarStampz #54:  ATG

Ally's Angels #78:  ATG

Crazy is our Fame - STENCILS Are Our Game:  ATG w/a stencil

Gem of a Challenge:  ATG

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #221:  ATG

Word Art Wednesday #629 - #630:  ATG

Holly and Ivy #154:  ATG

Peace on Earth #55:  ATG Christmas

Crafty Catz #663:  ATG

Krafty Chicks #698:  Christmas

Daisy Chain #81:  No Design Paper

That's all for now, my friends!  Don't forget to drop by the ABC Christmas Challenge blog to see what the rest of the design team members have created, and to add your Christmas cards to the linky! Until next time, take care!

~ Marie

SAYING GOODBYE TO 2023 AND HELLO TO 2024 -- A CRAFTY UPDATE

  Hello, hello, crafty friends!  It's been a bit since my last blog post (October 20, 2023 to be exact.), and I have some exciting news to share!   I have decided to kick 2023 to the curb and only do things that I LOVE in 2024 and to start things off with a bang, I have joined the design team at A Colorful Life Designs!  

In case you haven't heard of A Colorful Life Designs yet, it is a small woman-owned business based in Texas, and the owner Mary Kay creates the most FABULOUS stencils, and she has just introduced 21 gorgeous colors of card bling as well.  For the stamp lovers out there, Mary Kay also has a few of those in the store.  I am super stoked to be on this team full of talented artists, and I can't wait to share my creations featuring A Colorful Life Designs products with you!

And to add to doing more of what I love this year, I am excited to be rejoining the ABC Christmas Challenge design team.  You guys know how cuckoo I am about making Christmas cards all year long, so I will be sharing 1 or 2 Christmas cards a month for this awesome design team as well.

 I will also be continuing on as a design team member for the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers design team.  I really enjoy the challenge of creating cards based on the sketches that Crystal provides, and the quarterly linky hops are loads of fun!

Last, but certainly not least, I will still be collaborating with my beloved Squirrel Sisters in 2024.  We are discussing making some changes to our blog hop, but haven't reached any conclusions yet, so watch this space for more details!

All of this will keep me plenty busy, but I am always open to any new opportunities that may come along!

Ok, that's it for my crafty update!  I am greatly looking forward to all of this creative fun in 2024, and I hope you will join me on this journey!

Take Care

~ Marie