Celebrate

Today is the start of a new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog and I am hosting this one. I decided to call it Celebrate and here is how I describe it:

Your challenge is to create a shabby chic or vintage project to celebrate someone or something special. Since celebrations are happy occasions, your project should be made with lots of happy, bright colours. Keep your dull or neutral colours to a minimum please because as winter approaches we will have lots of that naturally so your bright colours must be predominant.

I have made this card for my Brother's birthday and it better arrive on time since his special day is tomorrow (I mailed it last week because the post office is running behind during the pandemic so keeping fingers crossed). I am glad I had a good excuse because these days it sure is a struggle to find things to celebrate.

I am presenting the next Saturday Showcase (November 14th) over at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog and will give you a step by step look at how this came together then so mark your calendar and pop over there on Saturday.

In the meantime I hope you have something to celebrate and can join us for the challenge. It runs until 11:55 pm EST on Tuesday, November 24th. One randomly chosen winner will receive a gift certificate for The Funkie Junkie Boutique and the Design Team will choose their top picks with the overall winner receiving an invitation to be a Guest Designer at a future date.

Folded Birthday Card

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time Kathy, our hostess, is calling it You've Got to Know When to Fold 'Em!  Here is what she has to say about it:

This challenge is all about using folded paper in a way that goes beyond just folding it in half. Create a vintage or shabby chic project that uses folded paper in a way that elevates the design. You can make a fancy fold card, or add folded embellishments to a card or layout.

My Grandson's birthday is today so I decided to make a card for this challenge that I could give to him. When I saw the Wendy Vecchi balloon mat minis and knew they would be perfect on a card for an 8 year-old.

I also remembered a vintage circus-themed paper pad that I bought on sale at Hobby Lobby on one of my trips to visit my dear friend Patti in Virginia and thought it was time to cut into it.  I just love it when things start to come together.

The hardest part was coming up with a fold.  I had a great looking one made with paper added but before I could decorate it I discovered that the darn thing would not stand up so this is the second attempt.  This is a tri-fold card with different sized panels.  The patterned papers have all been inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and most have been matted on red card stock and then added them to the base.  I have used a couple of very thin magnets under the patterned paper to ensure that each flap stay shut when the card is closed.

This is what it looks like closed before I added embellishments.

Here it is with the right panel open.

And here it is when I open the left panel.

The next step was to alter the balloons and a chipboard number 8 but I forgot to take photos so I will just describe how easy it was.  I painted two balloons and the number 8 with dark red acrylic paint and when they were dry I tapped them with a Versamark embossing pad and then heat embossed them with Wendy Vecchi's Red Geranium Embossing Powder.  The third balloon was painted with some Aqua acrylic paint and heat embossed with some clear embossing powder.  Once the balloons were dry I stamped them with the polka dot portion of Wendy's Large Collage background stamp and Tree Branch Archival Ink.

Here is a view of the inside with the computer generated sentiment and some stars that I stamped with an old Tim Holtz stamp using Red Geranium Archival Ink and then fussy cut.

To finish the outside of the card I added the stenciled sentiment and topped it with a rosette I made from one of the papers and added a polka dot button.  The balloons were topped with some bows and tails made of burlap string and finally I added another star.

I won't be seeing my Grandson today so he and I shopped for his presents on Saturday and then I gave him the card when we got home.  His comment was "You did a good job Grandma." - whew.

These products used to create this card came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique - the best place for your crafting supplies:

Retro Car

It is time for my January shared post for the IndigoBlu International Design Team.  This month our theme for the team is to use our favourite stamp.  Well let me tell you right from the start that it is difficult to choose just one stamp so I have decided to go with some sets that are co-ordinating.

For this project I have made a simple but somewhat grungy card featuring the retro car from the Grand Tour I set, which in fact was the first IndigoBlu stamp set that I purchased.

I started with some Bazzill card stock for the blank.

Next I cut three panels from the Steampunkesque paper pad and distressed the edges with my scissors before adding Hot Cocoa paint with some Phat Foam.

I stamped the car on some ivory card stock with Coffee Archival Ink.  I intended to mount it on some coloured card stock so I didn't take a photo of the next step but changed my mind and added some eyelets that have been in my stash for as long as I can remember before I distressed and painted the edges.

I stamped the compass from the Grand Tour III set onto some White PolyShrink using Coffee Archival Ink.

To assemble the card, I first mounted an old map that I found online and printed on my computer.  It has also been distressed and painted.  Next I added the three panels, topped it with the car, added a computer generated sentiment and finally added the compass.

Timeless Birthday

It is time for the next challenge at Frilly and Funkie and the wonderful Sue is our hostess this time.  She has chosen Let the words do the talking! as the name for this theme and describes it this way:

"I love to include meaningful sayings on my projects, sayings that speak to me and inspire me to do the things I do. What I would love to see on your projects for this challenge are the words and sayings that mean a lot to you and inspire you."

For this card I mixed papers from the Graphic 45 collection called A Ladies Diary with a sentiment from Wendy Vecchi and here is how I did it.

I started with some Wassau card stock for the blank.  Then I started to add papers and embellishments, distressing with my scissors and inking with Vintage Photo Distress Ink as I went along.  I added a full panel of the damask side of Timeless Memoir (I pretty well covered it with other stuff but it is there) and then a band from the polka dot side of Afternoon Tea.  Next I cut the gorgeous lady from the paper called Ageless Beauty and added her on top.  The word Timeless came from the sticker sheet in the collection.

I fussy cut two sets of each flower bouquet from A Moment in Time and layered them with foam dots for a little dimension.  I also used a clock face from that page and tucked it behind the bouquet at the top.  Next I added some postage stamps that I cut from the Ageless Beauty page.  Then I added a tiny black brad to the top of the chipboard tag and adhered it to the clock.

I stamped the sentiment from Wendy's True Art set on a scrap of the card stock using Jet Black Archival Ink, added a strip of venise lace and a little chipboard button from the collection.

The following products used to create this card came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Guest Designer at My Sheri Crafts

I was honoured to be asked to be a Guest Designer at My Sheri Crafts for the challenge starting today.  The challenge is called Feelin' Fussy and they want to see some fussy cutting on your project.

The timing of this challenge was perfect for me as it allowed me to make this card for my fabulous daughter's birthday, which was yesterday.  I won't tell you how old she is because then you would know how old I am and very few people are privy to that information :)

I started with some Recollections card stock for the blank and added a couple of panels of patterned paper from a new Prima pad I got called Nature Garden that I distressed with my scissors. 

Next I added a strip of eyelet lace that came from my late Mother's sewing room and topped it with some ribbon from an embellishment pack called Say it with Crystals by Prima.   I also added some of the crystals but they come attached to some lace so I cut them off first.

I inked a Wilton paper doily with some of Wendy Vecchi's Tea Rose Archival Ink and then topped it with a scalloped circle die cut from Nellie Snellen that I ran through a Cuttlebug embossing folder called Script and then inked the highlights with Cracked Pistaschio Distress Ink.

The flower is from Wendy Vecchi's Daisy Art set and was stamped three times on a scrap of card stock using Ranger's Coffee Archival Ink.  All three were fussy cut and then coloured using Prismacolors (Peach, Deco Peach, Nectar and Beige Sienna) blended with Gotrick OMS.  The first flower was adhered directly to the embossed circle.  The next flower was adhered using pop dots in a number of places.  The third flower was clipped to allow for some shaping and then adhered using just one pop dot in the centre.  I added some Recollections micro beads for the centre.  Note:  When I come across a section of an image that I want to fussy cut but it is either enclosed by part of the image or is too tight for my scissors to get in there, then I just use an X-Acto or other sharp craft knife on a self-healing mat to get that section cut.

The butterflies are made from Martha Stewart Crafter's clay and silicone molds.  They were inked with Cracked Pistachio DI and then rubbed with some Aquamarine Treasure Gold wax paste to add a bit of shimmer.

The sentiment was computer generated and then punched with a Martha Stewart mini tag punch, inked with the Tea Rose Archival Ink and adhered with a brad from Making Memories that has been in my stash for eons.

Thank you to Sheri at My Sheri Crafts for this lovely opportunity and I hope you will start fussy cutting and create something to share in the challenge.

I am going to enter this in the following challenges:

Just Add Ink - Add Something New (paper)
Cardz 4 Galz - Something New (paper)
Crafty Girls Creations - Anything Goes
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Something Old, Something New (eyelet lace, paper)
Get Creative Challenges - Something New (paper)
Our Crafty Corner - Anything Goes
The Crazy Challenge - Celebrations
Tuesday Throwdown - Add Dimension

Celebrate

My daughter will be celebrating her 37th birthday on January 15th so I decided to make a funky mixed media card to go along with the gift I bought for her.

I started with some Bazzill for the card blank.  Next I cut a square from an old box and peeled off a portion of the printed layer.  I covered the remainder of the layer with a couple coats of Liquitex Gesso so the printing would not show through.

The next step was to use some Golden Molding Paste through a Wendy Vecchi flourish stencil and to add some bits of cheesecloth.  Once everything was dry I used a natural sea sponge to add Fresco Finish paints - Haystack, Pumpkin Soup, Green Olives, Blood Orange and Smoked Paprika.  I used a piece from the Wendy Vecchi Large Collage background stamp and some Coffee Archival Ink from Ranger to add a bit more interest to this layer.

Next I made a frame from chipboard and coated it with Golden Crackle Paste.  Once dry I covered it with Rusty Hinge, Crushed Olive and Wild Honey Distress Ink from Ranger.

The next step was to make the metal flowers from some foil tape used for wrapping heating pipes.  The layers were hand cut and then textured with some tools in my Walnut Hollow metal working set.  To colour them, I used some Americana acrylic paint called Russet and some Cranberry, Sunset Orange and Terra Cotta Alcohol Ink from Ranger.  For the large flower I used the paint first and for the small flower I reversed the process.  The large flower has a gem sticker from Recollections for a centre and the smaller flower has a pearl sticker from Dollarama for a centre.

I took a metal leaf from The Funkie Junkie Boutique and coated it with a blend of Lettuce Alcohol Ink and Snow Cap Mixative.  I thought it was too much of a colour contrast so I added some Sunset Orange Alcohol Ink blended with Copper Mixative to the high spots.  When I added the flowers and leaf to the frame, I tucked a couple of feathers underneath.

Next I took a wooden letter from Dollarama and coated it with Wendy Vecchi Orange Blossom Embossing Powder and then added text with the Coffee Archival Ink and a Recollections stamp.

The butterfly is a wood piece from Dollarama that I painted with Honest Copper Patio Paint from Deco Art and added some of the pearl stickers for the body.  I also used a bit of the copper paint on parts of the exposed cardboard.

Finally I used Coffee Archival Ink and a stamp from Tim Holtz Simple Sayings set to stamp the word Celebrate on a scrap of card stock and then inked the edges with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Artist Trading Post Exchange  - Let's Celebrate
Top Tip Tuesday - Make Your Own ( metal flowers)
Little Claire's Designs  - A Special Card

Birthday Celebration

The new challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow starts today and it is called Let's Celebrate.  We want you to make vintage or shabby chic celebratory cards for birthdays. weddings, anniversaries, etc.

I decided to make a birthday card for a woman and use up some patterned paper that has been in my scrap stash for ages - so long I can't remember who made it.  It was two-sided and I used the floral side for the background and the plain side for the panel that I punched with a Martha Stewart edge punch.

I added a piece of lace that I bought from an outlet in Fancy Gap when I was visiting my friend Patti.  I added some pearls from Dollarama and then topped it with a sentiment that is inside a fancy frame from The Graphics Fairy.  I coloured the frame with some Bic markers.

The image is Lilly Elise from Imogemes and she is mounted on a piece of card stock that has been inked with some Walnut Stain Distress Ink from Ranger.

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and from Excelsior Wholesale and the brown ribbon is from Fabricland.

Vintage Masculine Birthday

For the new two-week challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow we want you to play Tic Tac Toe.  You can make any vintage or shabby chic project as long as you incorporate three items in a row from the graphic below.  Don't forget, you must select three items from any row vertically, horizontally or diagonally.

 

We have a Guest Designer joining us again this week so pop over and see the wonderful work from Heidi Augustson (a.k.a.Filharmonica) and then make sure you check out her blog too.

I needed to make a birthday card for my niece's husband so I chose the horizontal row across the middle and incorporated Embossing, Ribbon and Distressing.  Thankfully there was one row that would work or he might be getting a rather frilly card full of lace and flowers OR no card at all.  The best thing about this card is that it is flat enough to mail without any added postage and since it costs $1 to buy a single stamp in Canada now, that is a bonus.  If you buy stamps in bulk you get a break at 85 cents each so needless to say, I buy in bulk.

I started with some Kraft card stock from Recollections for my blank.  From this point on, everything is from my scraps and is inked with Ranger's Walnut Stain Distress Ink and all the distressing was done with my scissors.

For my background I chose some blue paper with brown spatters from Provo Craft.  I added some texture in the bottom corner by running some Wendy Vecchi Translucent Embossing Paste over a stencil from TCW called Mini Cell Theory.  Once it was dry I inked and distressed it.  Next I added a distressed a piece of brown paper with polka dots.  This was topped with the blue ribbon with brown polka dots that came from Michaels.

Once the ribbon was added, I adhered the whole thing to the card blank.  Next I embossed a piece of Kraft card stock with the Gears embossing folder from Tim Holtz and inked it to highlight the embossing.  The image from a stamp set called Curious Possibility from Tim Holtz and was stamped with Walnut Stain Distress Ink on a scrap of blue card stock.  I made the sentiment on the computer making sure to change the font colour to brown.  Finally I added some Bead Landing metal gears.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks  - Embossing
Art Impressions Stamps - Anything Goes - Masculine
The House That Stamps Built - For The Guys
The Paper Shelter - For The Boys
Penny's Paper Crafty - One for the Boys

Vintage Collage

Today is the start of a new two-week challenge at Frilly and Funkie.  Rebecca is our hostess this time and she wants us to use DIE CUTS in our projects.  Rebecca is suggesting we dig out our neglected dies and create something outside (or inside) the box with them.

Now I don't own very many dies so when I started to create this piece I knew I would have to make up for the lack of dies with lots of other good stuff and I am happy with how I managed that and how frilly this is.  The die I did use is the Square Fleur-de-Lis from Spellbinders.  I debated using my Cameo to make die cuts but in the end thought that wasn't what Rebecca wanted.

My Mother-in-Law turned 92 on March 4th so I decided to make a very large (8 inch square) collage card for her and incorporate a few things from her sewing room (or maybe her late Sister's sewing room since I have stuff from both) - the snippet of black lace under the image, the two-toned button and the lace medallion.

It had so much texture that I had to make a box for it and my husband hand delivered it since he flew out to Alberta to spend a weekend with her.  I don't know that she recognized the bits because she is having a lot of dementia these days but my husband explained it to her and I think it pleased her.

In a couple of weeks, I am doing the Saturday Step X Step over at Frilly and Funkie and I will show you then how this came together.  I know this is mean but I hope you will come back then to get all the details.

In the meantime, I can tell you that the following items used in this project came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique - a super place to buy your supplies at a great price and with the best customer service.

Something New

The next two-week challenge starts today at Sugar Creek Hollow and in honour of the start of another year, we are calling it Something New.  We want to see vintage oir shabby chic projects that utilize something new to you.  This could be a new craft supply or a new technique you have learned or you could even celebrate the New Year..

I have created this card featuring my new Birthday Blueprint stamp from Tim Holtz.  My daughter's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks (and I am not sharing how old she is going to be because then you can figure out that I am old - lol) so I have made this for her. I took this photo on Thursday and since it was snowing (and -28C) it was difficult to get a great photo but it does look good in real life so I think she will like it.

The card blank is some Recollections card stock and the background paper is from my scrap box.  I added a panel of handmade paper that I picked up at Dollarama and then a strip of striped patterned paper from Raspberry Road that I edged with the deco edge punch by Martha Stewart.

I used Archival Ink from Ranger to stamp the image twice and then fussy cut around the cupcake.  The cupcake was coloured with Prismacolors and blended with Gotrick OMS.  I highlighted the flame and the icing with a gold Sakura pen and a little gold Stickles by Ranger.

The sentiment is from the Tim Holtz Simple Sayings set and the flower is mixture of flowers from Prima and Wild Orchid Crafts.  The doily and cupcake panel have been chalked with Mungyo chalk pastels and some gems from Michaels were added to finish the card off.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

A Creative Romance - Something New
Stempelsonnen  - Anything Goes (with stamp as focal point)
Charismacardz  - Birthdays
Simon Says Stamp - Something New
Crafty Sentiments - Birthdays
Cuttin and Stampin - Anything Goes with Something New

Fancy Fold at Frilly and Funkie

Boy has the past two weeks flown by because it is already time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie.  For this challenge Sue has asked us all to create vintage or shabby chic projects with folds.

I decided to create an accordion card, which isn't the fanciest of folds but more interesting than an ordinary card.  The fun part of this type of card is that you can treat it a little like a mini album, so I did but I kept reminding myself of the postage costs and didn't get too carried away.

The covers have been punched with a Martha Stewart Around The Page Punch and all the papers are from a My Mind's Eye pad called Sunshine.  The big flower on the front was created using a variety of fabrics cut with the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die (more to come on this in a later post) and finished with a button for a centre.  I then added some pretty lace, a computer generated sentiment cut with the Spellbinders Square Fleur de Lis Nestabilities die and some Recollections pearl flourishes.

The first inside page features a filigree corner piece that I painted black, a vintage clock that I found online along with a vintage lady called Lilly Elise.  A pretty lace heart and little cluster of flowers completed this page.

The second inside page has a piece of word art that I created myself and cut with the Spellbinders Square Fleur de Lis Nestabilities die.  The flower is a metal piece that I painted black and then added a button for a centre.

The third inside page features some lace, a Recollections gem flourish and a tag from Create With TLC with a black gem from Michaels.

The final page has a flower cut from the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die with a pearl sticker for a centre and a message box cut from the Spellbinders Square Fleur de Lis Nestabilities die.

Many of the elements have been inked with Antique Linen Distress Ink and a black organza ribbon from Michaels holds the card together.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Anything Goes Challenge - Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly - Die-ing for a Punch
Bastel-traum - Shabby Chic/Vintage
Card and Scrap - Lace or Ribbon
Emmas Cards UK - Die Cuts
Dream Valley Challenges - Fancy Folds
Penny Black & More - Dies & Punches
Corrosive Challenges - Fancy Folds
Hobby House Challenge - Vintage

The following items used to create my project come from the Frilly and Funkie Boutique where you will find items at least 20% less than the manufacturer's suggested retail price.

Steampunk Birthday

Our challenge this week at Sugar Creek Hollow is called STAMP IT.  We want you to create vintage or shabby chic cards that have rubber stamping on them - no digi stamps.

I made this steampunk card for this challenge.  I found the papers online and I think they are from The Teapot Lady but I didn't identify them well enough in my files so I apologize if I have given the wrong artist credit. All the stamps are from a Hampton Arts set called Time Flies and have been stamped using Black Archival Ink (Ranger) and then the fussy cut stamps were sponged with some Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger).  A Tim Holtz die was used to make the swirly edge and then it was sponged with Crushed Olive Distress Ink (Ranger).

I found the quote online and then sponged it with some Peeled Paint and Crushed Olive Distress Inks (Ranger).  The metal gears and clock hands are from Bead Landings.  The wing was hand cut from metal foil tape stolen from my husband, textured using some metal working tools from Walnut Hollow and then inked with Terra Cotta and Butterscotch Alcohol Ink (Adirondack).

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Papercraft Star - Use a Stamp
Cards und More - Add Some Metal
Crafts 4 Eternity  - Wonderful Wings
Stamping with the Dragon - Steampunk

A Sassy Sketch

I get to play in Sassy Cheryl's challenge this week - woo hoo - not something I can do as often as I would like!  The challenge is to use the sketch provided and I decided to flip mine for a wee bit of interest. 

I am visiting at my Sassy friend Shirley's house in Mississippi and she has been teaching me about the Silhouette Cameo so I laid out my card with the it even printing and cutting this little girl using the Cameo. - so easy.

This card is a little different for me because it is a lot more clean and simple than what I normally do and I didn't manage the scale as well as I should have but it was fun to do and you have to love this little girl

Shirley is a whiz at this machine and I have learned so much from her this week.  We even did some image designing together - two heads are better than one sometimes. Now there is no excuse when I go home, I better be using my Cameo to do more. 

When we weren't crafting we walked, watched some TV, chatted up a storm, laughed a lot and ate yummy food.  All in all a great time and I am so glad I got to come for a visit - Shirley has been a lovely hostess.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Sassy Cheryl's - Sketch

Image:  Buttercup Suzie (Sassy Cheryl's)
Sentiment: Cameo Generated
Card Stock:  Recollections
Papers:  Oscraps
Colouring Medium:  Pencil Crayons (Prismacolors) with OMS
Tools & Embellishments:  Gems & Ribbon (Shirley's Stash), Swiss Dots Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug), Chalk (Jack Richardson & Co. Inc.)

Metal Mania

The challenge this week at Sugar Creek Hollow is called Metal Mania.  We want your vintage or shabby chic cards or other paper-crafted projects to show some metal.

For this card I started with the background and sponged some distress inks on a piece of card stock using a hexagon mask part way through the process.

Then I embossed a piece of cream card stock with a Tim Holtz folder and inked it with some dark distress ink.  My 6 year-old Granddaughter was here at the time and she declared it to be "ugly" but I wasn't finished.  Next I painted it with a copper metallic craft paint and then sanded it lightly so some of the ink showed through.

The blimp and word Travel were stamped with Coffee Archival ink and the birthday tag was done on the computer.  All were inked with distress inks.  A few metal gears and a metal brad complete the card.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenge:

Anything Goes Challenge - Vintage/Shabby Chic

Image:  Blimp stamp (Indigo Blu)
Sentiment:  Travel stamp (Indigo Blu)
Card Stock:  Recollections
Tools & Embellishments:  Brad (Making Memories), Gears (Bead Landing), Embossing Folder (Tim Holtz), Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge & Vintage Photo Distress Ink (Ranger), Hexagon Stencil (Cut by my friend Shirley on her Cameo), Metallic Paint (Deco Art), Coffee Archival Ink (Ranger)

Spanish Inspiration

The challenge this week at Sugar Creek Hollow is to create a vintage or shabby chic card or other paper-crafted project with LOTS OF LAYERS. 

I made this card for my daughter's 35th birthday last week - it makes me feel older just thinking about it.  When she was a teenager she was a synchronized swimmer and competed at the national level.  One year her music was Spanish and so her bathing suit and headpiece had to have a Spanish feel to them - lots of black, red and gold.  I saw this image on The Graphics Fairy and thought it would be a great starting point and with all the black, red and the fan I think the card has a Spanish feel to it.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Digi Stamps 4 Joy - Anything Goes
Crafting by Designs - Polka Dots
Clear It Out - Theme (Circles, Stash (Anything Goes)
Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Inky Chicks - Bingo (I used Die Cuts, Image, Flowers)
ABC Challenge - Birthday Cards
Lady Anne's Challenges - Anything Goes
Use Your Stuff - Birthday
Forever Friends  - Birthdays

Image:  The Graphics Fairy
Sentiment:  Computer Generated
Card Stock:  White (Staples), Black (Recollections)
Paper:   All from My Stash
Tools & Embellishments:  Roses (Excelsior Crafts), Lace (Stash I got from My Mother-in-Law when we moved her into a nursing home 3 years ago ), Ribbon (Michaels), Venetian Motifs Shapeabilities (Spellbinders), Pearl Stickers (Dollarama)

One For The Boys

ONE FOR THE BOYS is the name of the challenge this week at Sugar Creek Hollow and it couldn't have come at a better time.  Tuesday is my brother's birthday and I gave this card to him last night when he and my Sister-in-Law joined my husband and me and another couple for dinner at a local restaurant.

Interestingly, the wife of the other couple has been a friend of ours since we were babies (her Mom and ours were best friends).  Even if we don't see each other much during the year we always make a point to get together just before Christmas and except for a few years when we were away or she lived up north, we have met annually.  Since we have been keeping this tradition for most of the past 67 years, it is one that is treasured.  I woke up on Thursday with a cold and by last night could barely speak but I bet the rest of the group loved that although it did make catching up a bit difficult. :)

Now back to the challenge - as always we want you to make a vintage or shabby chic card following the challenge theme and we have a digi of our choice and a winner's badge for one random winner and a winner's badge along with a chance at being a monthly Guest Designer for the Top Pick as chosen by our Design Team.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

SJ Crafts - Birthday plus Optional Circles/Ovals
Lady Anne's Challenges - Anything Goes (must include rubber or digital stamp)
Inky Impressions - Birthday
Anything Goes Challenge - Anything Goes
Loves Rubber Stamps - Anything Goes
Papelitos Challenges - Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
Cards for Men - Anything Goes (must be masculine)
Lexi's Creations - Special Birthday
Eclectic Ellapu - It's a Vintage Thing

Image:  Auto Rubber Stamp (Indigo Blu), Map (The Graphics Fairy)
Sentiment:  Blank Ticket (The Beary Scrap) with Computer Generated Text
Card Stock:  Bazzill
Papers:  Basic Grey
Tools & Embellishments:  Button (My Stash), Brads (Making Memories), Frayed Burlap Distress Ink (Ranger), Metal Strip (Making Memories)

Mr. Brown's Hobby

My Son-in-Law has recently gotten into woodworking so this image of Mr. Brown from Phindy's Place is perfect for a card for his upcoming birthday, especially since the first thing he made was a bird house.

The challenge this week at Phindy's Place challenge blog is a 1, 2, 3 Recipe challenge  - 1 image, 2 designer papers and 3 embellishments.

You don't have to use a Phindy image but with so many fabulous ones in her store and a chance to enter twice if you do, why wouldn't you?

I did get my husband to go through the closets and get rid of some of the clothes he hasn't worn in ages and then I did the same.  On top of that, I went through all the drawers, the bathrooms and storage closet and boy have I ever purged.  There are 7 large green garbage bags ready to go to Goodwill and 2 for the garbage.  My back is killing me but I feel super satisfied with all I have accomplished this week.  I still have a few things to wear but I will really have to do some shopping - oh woe is me!

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
Scrapbook Sisters - Squares
Top Tip Tuesday - Dig out the Old (Lacing)
Great Impressions - Anything Goes
One Stitch at a Time - Anything Goes
Crazy 4 Challenges - Birthday Card
Little Claire's - Male Theme
Totally Gorjuss - Charms

Image:  Mr. Brown's Hobby (Phindy's Place)
Sentiment:  Computer Generated
Card Stock:  Recollections
Papers:  Sweet Treat
Colouring Medium:  Pencil Crayons (Prismacolors) with OMS (Gotrick)
Tools & Embellishments:  Suede Lacing (My Stash - had it for so long the label is gone), Card Candy (Craftwork Cards), Ruler Charm (Bead Landing)

Child's Birthday

Welcome to Friday and a new challenge at Phindy's Friday Challenge Blog. This week we want you to make a BIRTHDAY CARD FOR A CHILD. Most of us need birthday cards on hand especially if we have children or grandchildren so here is an opportunity to add to your pile.

You don't have to use a Phindy image in your project but if you do, please follow the instructions on the sidebar and enter your card twice. If you don't have any Phindy images, run right over to the store and pick a few up. There are a wide variety of images that would be suitable for a child's birthday at various ages from toddlers to teens. Just check out the Wee Babbies, Cute Kids and the Dads and Teens sections.

We will choose one random winner who will receive a $5 gift certificate to Phindy's store. The Design Team will choose one project as Card of the Week. The creator will also receive a $5 gift certificate to Phindy's store and will be in the running for a monthly Guest Designer spot.

The Design Team have made some wonderful cards for your inspiration this week and Ann has even made two for you.

I made a pretty simple card this week but kicked it up a notch with some vibrant colours.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Digi Doodle Shop's Best - Anything Goes
Dutch Dare Card Challenges - Buttons Galore
Birthday Sundaes - Birthday Card with Sentiment on Front

Image:  Cheery Chat (Phindy's Place)
Sentiment:  Computer Generated
Card Stock:  Recollections
Paper:  My Scrap Stash
Colouring Medium:  Pencil Crayons (Prismacolors) with OMS (Gotrick)
Tools & Embellishments:  Chalk (Mungyo), Spots & Dots Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug), Buttons (Dollar Giant)

Krafty Golfer

The challenge this week at Sassy Cheryl's is to colour your image on kraft card stock. I have wanted to try this for a long time but was afraid the ink would smear. I was wrong, the ink does not smear but I need to spend more time playing with the colours. I use Prismacolors and they turned out much darker than they normally do when I colour on white card stock. I had fun with it though so I will practice and hope for a better result the next time.

This will make a great birthday card for my Son-in-Law so I have included a birthday verse inside. He may be a bit annoyed with the theme though because ever since he started his BBQ business, he is so busy in the summer that he has only golfed once a year if that.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Sassy Cheryl's - Get Krafty
Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight Challenge - Challenge Yourself
Kaboodle Doodles - Distress, Rip, Tear, Crumple
Stamps R Us - Use a Digi
I Did It Creations - Anything Goes
2 Sisters - Use a Digi

Image: Sassy Boy Golfer (Sassy Cheryl)
Sentiment: Create with TLC
Card Stock: Kraft & Red (Recollections), Cream (Wassau)
Papers: My Scrap Stash
Colouring Medium: Pencil Crayons (Prismacolors and Koh-i-Noor) with OMS (Taltine)
Tools & Embellishments: Button (Dress it Up), Ribbon (Offray), Deckle Scissors (Fiskars), Vintage Photo Distress Ink (Ranger)

Oh Goody - Worms

It's time for a new challenge at Phindy's Friday Challenges and this week it is all about colour - Purple and Teal.

Phindy is creating a whole collection of digital stamps called Wee Babbies that are just the cutest and sweetest images you have ever seen so pop over to her store and pick up a few.  Make sure you come back because she releases one or two each week.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Fab 'n' Funky - All Spotty & Dotty
Freshly Brewed - Cute and Sweet
The House That Stamps Built - Child's Birthday or other Happy Day Card with Embossing
Simon Says Stamps - Card for a Child
Creative Craft Challenges - Embossing

Image:  Hunter (Phindy's Place)
Sentiment:  Create with TLC
Card Stock:  Teal Green (Color Mates), Purples (Recollections)
Papers:  Sweet Tweet Designs
Coloring Medium:  Pencil Crayons (Prismacolors) with OMS (Taltine), Chalk (Mungyo)
Tools & Embellishments:  Buttons (Dress It Up), Spots & Dots Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug)