Gifts from San Francisco...

When someone makes a call on something saying its the best 'in the world'...I need to see for myself. Yes, they are the best in the world (apart from the brownies in Amsterdam, but thats another story.) Thanks Alan....Keith enjoyed it alot too ..!

Tiddly Inks Christmas Carol Challenge

This is my second post of the day, so if you're looking for my Cuttlebug Spot card, please scroll down. The Tiddly Inkers are back after a short break and we're all about Christmas Songs. Can you guess what the inspiration for my card was? I've used the new Santa's Helper image along with Yay (I've trimmed her away from her presents) to create a scene from the song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus". I've framed the cute couple using mats that I've cut and embossed with the Spellbinders Labels Ten die and covered it with a transparency from Creative Imaginations. The mistletoe in the background is a Sizzix die and I've added adhesive pearls for the berries. The sentiment is a peel off.

The images are colored with Copics and I've added Stickles to Yay and Marvy Snow marker to Santa's Helper to simulate fur.

The mat stack is held together with brads (that I heat embossed with antique gold because I didn't have the right color) and the whole lot is popped for dimension. I've adhered Santa's Helper to the transparency with glue dots and then popped his Sweetie just at the edge with the dimensional glue dots to look like she's leaning in to steal a kiss. xx

Inside I saved the mat cut outs and stacked them on another piece of the transparency. I've added a computer sentiment, border peelies and some red beads for a little pop. The rest of the Tiddly Inkers have more fabulous inspiration so go have a look at the Challenge Blog and be sure to stop by Christy's regular Tiddly Inks Blog for A Tiddly Tuesday freebie.

A HOLIDAY CARD

  WOOHOOOOOOOOO!

Nilda from The Cuttlebug Spot asked us to stay 3 more months designing for her blog. We all said yes, of course! It has been so much fun working with this design team. All are so friendly and loving.

This time we were asked to make a:

Christmas card using your favorite embossing technique such as sanding, inking, etc.

 Just right down my alley, hohoho

A Holiday Card

4 by 5.5"

(remember to click on the image for a bigger view)

The base of the card is American Crafts textured cardstock: distressed and inked.

The green cardstock is from Core-dinations and it has been embossed with a Sizzix embossing folder, distressed and also inked to the max, hohoho! ;)

The reindeer is a chipboard accent from K&CO.

The lace ribbon it is a remnant of what I used last year to make this Holiday Wreath.

A view from the side.

and this is the inside....a bit distressed.

Don't forget to stop at THE CUTTLEBUG SPOT and enter you project for a chance 

to win 

CANDY-CANDY-CANDY.
Custom Crops are sponsoring the challenge.

Thanks for stopping by and for the love left for me

Ho-Ho-Ho

wink-wink

Christmas at the Spot

Well, we're back at The Cuttlebug Spot after a Thanksgiving break and we're celebrating Christmas by using our favorite embossing technique. I chose double embossing; using two folders on the same piece of card stock. First I embossed with the Snowflakes limited edition Cuttlebug folder (available at Custom Crops and on SALE through tonight, so hurry!) and then embossed the same piece again with the Tim Holtz Snowman folder. This lightens the inital embossing somewhat, but is is still visible even where the embossing overlaps. See on the snowman? I used my Copics to add a little shadow to the snowman to help him stand out a bit more and continued with the frosty feel by adding a mat with icicles using my MS punch. The layered snowflake is from a the Spellbinder's Create a Flake 1 die and the sentiment is torn from the Tim Holtz Holiday Words folder and again enhanced with the use of Copic markers. The final touches were more Snowflakes along the edge using a longer Cuttlebug border folder (don't remember where I got this one, HSN?) and a string of adhesive pearls. Brrrr! Hope you guys back East are keeping warm. It was 64 degrees yesterday in San Francisco.

Our prize this week is a $20 gift certificate to Custom Crops so hurry over to The Cuttlebug Spot for more inspiration and come play along for a chance to WIN!

WINNERS-WINNERS-WINNERS

Hello all!

I forgot yesterday to post the winner for the Jingle Bell Challenge. I did not expect too many entries and I did not get too many entries, lol.

For your enjoyment I will post the ones I got because they are just gorgeous...even more than mine and I thought mine was pretty, ha!

TR

(TR doesn't have a blog any longer :(

I think TR should start a new one).

TR used another cut, but isn't it gorgeous too? Look at that paper/cs she used, wow!

*********

NADIA'S

 What are you thinking....Awwww's and Ahhhh's.

Stunning!

**********

MINTA's

 What about this one?

Super pretty and she did not even have the cart.

This is what Minta told me:

"I didn't have any carts with jingle bells on them so I cut out a circle and a bow at 5" from Christmas Cheer. and made my little x on the bottom by drawing it..hopefully if looks like a jingle bell then I used some ribbon that I got at (Michaels) to make it a ornament".

Isn't wonderful....a handcut one! 

Kuddos to Minta!

**********

CRYSTAL

WOW! 

and Crystal says the medallion it is handmade. We are going to need a tut for that one!

Just gorgeous!

**********

JEN'S

Jen's was a discovery, haha. I was browsing blogs for a bit and I saw this one on hers and invited her to participate. Too cute to leave this cutie out of the challenge.

Now, this is the last 

Scrabble pendant 

I bought from 

WickedlyModPendants 

and that randomly will pick an owner. 

wink-wink

Here is Random.org

Congrats to #4 who is...

Tadda!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Tadda!!!!!!!!!!!

Crystal

Congrats Crystal...

I will leave a comment on your blog for you to send me your address and you will have to contact me within three days to claim your prize...you know the drill, ;p

Thank You to the FIVE of you who participated in this tiny challenge. It does warms my heart you guys thought enough of me to participate. 

Big Hug to all!

BBTB2 Winter Frolic Santa

Eiyiyi! I can't believe it's the 6th already! Please don't remind me how little time is left before the big day. This is our first challenge in December for BBTB2 and our adorable and fabulously talented DT sister Joanna chose the Santa from Winter Frolic. That's 2 in a row from that cartridge, but remember, you can choose a Santa from ANY cartridge if you don't own Winter Frolic, as some of the gals did this week. I immediately started doing my usual design (shaped front in DS, with one of the sentiments) and then decided to do something entirely different.

I've been pulling out neglected things from my stash, in an effort to remind myself I've already got more crafty stuff than I know what to do with, and remembered the Sizzix pop-up sleigh die I just had to have (and of course never used) and thought dear Santa might look groovy riding in it. BTW, the Sleigh is a Bigz die and you CAN use your Cuttlebug to cut it out. The die is very thick, so you don't use your A plate, just a B plate, the Bigz die, card stock, and another B plate.

So you're seeing the INSIDE of my card. I decorated the sleigh like they did in the pic on the Sizzix die. I just happened to have the same Sizzix embossing folder and that was one less thing to worry about. LOL I cut Santa at 3 1/2" and added the trees border (also from Winter Frolic) cut at 4" behind the sleigh. I cut them twice and trimmed off 2 of them and embossed them with Swiss dots to add a bit of interest. Merry Christmas is from Beyond Birthdays shrunk down big time in DS and actually colored with Copics, as are the border presents (in the sleigh also from WF).

I did a bit of embossing on Santa himself, too. His sack is embossed with the Cuttlebug Mesh Texture and his beard is flocked and then embossed with the scrolly (not a word but you get the idea) heart from the Hearts 3x3 combo set (which I can't seem to find anywhere online at the moment.) The small scale worked well for the tiny beard. I used a Marvy Snow Marker for the trim on this coat and hat and realized that you've got to be a bit careful when applying the heat gun or it will scorch a bit. (I call it soot from the chimney.)

All of this stuff in the center makes it a FAT card in a different way, so I kept the front really simple; double mats, some candy striped ribbon and "ho, ho, ho" cut from Christmas Cheer. Now head on over to BBTB2 to see the rest of the DT's fabulous inspiration because Santa Clause is coming to town! P.S. It's naughty not to play along!

Macabre Monday Octopodally Ominous

Greetings! Need a little break from all of the Christmas cheer? LOL Well it's time for another Macabre Monday at Haunted Design House and I'm really excited this week. We're being sponsored by the FABULOUS Octopode Factory and let me tell you I LOVE every stinkin' thing that Lily puts out! Talk about some REALLY unusual and creative digis! And to think this artist is only 17 years old! So the challenge this week we are to use ONLY 8 things on our project. EVERY little thing counts; the card base, image panel, bit, bob or whatever counts as an element. I SAID it was a challenge! (especially for me, the "More is never enough" gal!)

I had one tough time deciding what image(s) to use (since I have almost ALL of them) but finally settled on UberCool Steampunk Lady Flo and her admirer Steampunk Reginald. (That's 2) And I couldn't resist adding a Tim Holtz fragment to each of their eyes. (That's 4!) Card base and 2 Graphic 45 Steampunk DP mats. (That's 7!) And a computer generated sentiment. (That's 8!) Oh CRAP! No embellies! Well, that's it for the challenge, but you bet I'll be adding a little sumpin' sumpin' after the challenge is through! (You didn't see this, did you Barb?) Now flock to Haunted Design House to see what the Minions have in store for you and be sure to play along to WIN some FAB images from The Octopode Factory!