Bah! Humbug! Flourishes/Swirls Challenge

This week the Bah! Humbug! challenge is Flourishes and Swirls and because I skipped out on BBTB2 this week, I thought I'd better do a Cricut card. Happier now? My very first thought was the Trim a Tree cartridge with the intricate swirling images. I chose the ice skate this time because I was a figure skater as a kid and also because it was a natural to add a flourish to. Ever go to MyCutSearch.com and type in flourish? HA! There are so many carts with flourishes these days that I got an error message. Left to my own devices I decided to use another of those carts I just "had to have" and have hardly used, Picturesque. (Phonetic spelling pik-che-'resk, according to Merriam-Webster, except the "e" in che is upside down in their phonetic spelling and I can't figure out how to do that. LOL But honestly, I've heard this cart called some very hilarious things, even in a VIDEO!)

Fortunately, I didn't have to look very far to find a suitable flourish, so I welded the skate and shadow of the flourish to a rounded rectangle from George to make a shaped front card. I'm hoping this counts as a shaped card for the ABC Christmas Challenge this week which also requires Swirls, Spots or Stripes. I chose the gray glitter DP from M&MBI to join in on the CHNC Glitter Challenge and added glitter snowflakes from JoLee's as well.

The swirly top skate is done in matte metallic with the regular flourish in mirri which is why the pix are so bad, sorry. It really is prettier IRL. There's a bit of dimension and a few silver adhesive beads and a peelie sentiment and there ya go. The Shopping Our Stash challenge this week is No Coloring Allowed so I'm popping it in there as well. For once I'm a bit ahead for all of these challenges so go have a look. There's still time to play long and the DT examples are lovely.

Bah! Humbug! Paper Weaving Challenge

Those gals at Humbug Hall almost scared the bejeezes out of me with that giant spider they had introducing this week's challenge. Boy, I sure couldn't wait 'til it was off my sidebar. LOL Thank heavens it's gone! Thought I'd stumbled into Haunted Design House for a minute. And I dare say I wouldn't be using any spider catcher no matter HOW long the handle. How are ya hanging in Humbug Hall this month, Barb? HeeHee However, the challenge this week was not the easiest either, especially since I took a few days off from crafting the beginning of the week and thought I could sort of skate by. Paper weaving? Eiyiyi! Yes, I've done it, but it's not something that is easily slapped together. I'm proud that I did manage, however. The mats were cut on my Cricut with a cut out from Storybook which I stretched to fit the sweet silhouette from A Child's Year.

After weaving my background, I ran it through my Cuttlebug using the Sizzix Tim Holtz Swirls folder so I could enter it in the CHNC Swirls challenge and also because it made me think of swirling snow. The top mat and silhouette are embossed with the Cuttlebug Limited Edition Snowflake Folder.

Both mats and top image are popped on a prefolded 5 x 6 1/2" card base. The gorgeous snowflake is cut and embossed with the Spellbinders Create A Flake 1 and topped with an adhesive pearl. Be sure to stop by B!H! and CHNC to see the lovely examples. No much timeleft for B!H!, but you still can sneak in a card at CHNC.

Tiddly Inks Inch My Way Along

This week our challenge at the Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog is inspired by Inchie Arts, as we created mini cards and projects. How fun! I went the simple route and used the adorable Inky Critters, which are conviently set in their own little frames and a cinch to color. I made my mini cards Using by Labels Twelve Nesties and placing one of the cutting edges right above the fold and running it through my Grand Caliber, then used my Cuttlebug to cut and emboss the snowflakes. Super cute for Christmas tags or mini notes, and as quick as can be! There are many more adorable mini projects to see at The Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog, and Christy has previewed a brand new set and has an adorable freebie you can use as a teacher's gift, so be sure to check out her blog HERE. On a more serious note, please consider joining us in donating a card for our dear Meredith's family friend, Ryan, who was seriously injured recently. You can read Meredith's post HERE, or click on the top sidebar badge to see how this wonderful crafting community is lending their support. I'm also entering this in the CHNC Simply Christmas Challenge and The Crazy Challenge Monthly Christmas Challenge for August.

Bah! Humbug! Metallic Challenge

The challenge at Bah!Humbug! this week is Metallic. Easy peasy since I use foil card stock pretty often when doing Christmas so I wanted to try something new. My DH had recently asked if I could use a roll of adhesive backed foil tape and of course I said "yes!" Hadn't messed with it yet so I tried cutting it with my Tim Holtz On the Edge Snowflake die (another thing I'd not used yet) and voila! How cool! Peeling off the backing was a trip and boy is it STICKY! you really have to get it straight the first time and make sure the snowflakes don't curl and stick to each other or you're pretty much screwed (ask me how I know). It's also VERY thin but you can smooth out the bubbles carefully with a rub-on stick. What I loved is that the edges of the flakes sort of had a teeny raised edge around them. The flat edge bothered me so I took a Cuttlebug border and embossed it. My original thought was to use a peelie sentiment, but then I remembered the adhesive metallic words I'd gotten in the dollar bin at M's. Peace seemed to fit the bill and I only added a few adhesive beads for embellishment. It's really flat and an A2, but I really love how it came out. I think it has something to do with the gorgeous cobalt card stock I got at my LSS.

Here's the tape I used. Got lots more so I'll be experimenting further. The On the Edge Die is called Snow Flurries and I have no idea where the Cuttlebug Christmas border came from. An HSN bundle? Oh well... I'm still thoroughly loving the challenges at Bah!Humbug! Hope you guys aren't totally sick of Christmas...I never am. Well, maybe a little, but not enough to miss a Bah! Humbug! Challenge. (Shut up Margie, don't you dare say a word!) I'm also entering this into the CHNC Challenge which is Seasonal Silver (a little or alot) and the Winter Wonderland Challenge which is Embossing (heat or dry). Oh, and yes, you can use the On the Edge and all of the Sizzix Bigz (but not XL) dies in your Cuttlebug by eliminating the A plate and using a sandwich of B Plate, Die, Card Stock and B Plate.

Bah! Humbug! Embossing Challenge

Well, since I still was in an embossing mode, this week's Bah! Humbug! challenge was a snap. Finished it before breakfast and I didn't even get up all that early. It was sort of a bite to photograph, however, because of the foil card stock but I can honestly say this one looks much better IRL. The Cuttlebug Hanging Ornaments folder was from a 2009 limited edition release from HSN. The sentiment was cut from the Season's Greetings folder (also from 2009).

The popped ornaments are from my new Nesties 2010 Heirloom Ornaments. (Yes, I'm still buying Christmas stuff. LOL) The card is done in a combination of gold and silver but it doesn't really show in either pic. All I added was a ribbon and some adhesive beads on the ornaments and across the top to balance the design. The gals at Bah! Humbug! have plenty of eye candy for inspiration over there and this week there's a prize! Let's see if Margie plays along. LOL I'm also entering this is the Craftyhazelnut's Christmas (CHNC) challenge which is also embossing this week. This is a new challenge blog for me and it' looks like loads of fun too!