Happy Chocolate Cake Day! For The Paper Shelter

 It's National Chocolate Cake Day, and that is certainly worth celebrating!  The Paper Shelter is using it as this week's challenge theme.  Bring on those glorious chocolate confections! The Paper Shelter has many images in the store that will work for this challenge, and we'd love to see them in the challenge.  If you win the challenge, and you use a Paper Shelter image, you receive a $30 gift certificate to the Paper Shelter Store. Otherwise, you win any 3 images of your choice.  Great prizes, any way you look at it!

For today's challenge, I used Birthday Cupcake.  It's a chocolate cupcake, of course!

I colored Birthday Cupcake with Copic markers, then fussy cut it.  I created the stepper card using a deform Sizzix. The gingham and dotted papers are from We Are 3 Digital Shop. I used both Gingham Pastel and Dotted Swiss. The twine is by Tonic Studios.  I also used some Nuvo Drops to finish off the card.

I hope you join in on our Chocolate Cake Challenge this week at The Paper Shelter Challenge. I think I might be craving cake all week!

Winter Warmth -- For Ching-Chou Kuik

It's Tuesday, and it's my day to post on the Ching-Chou Kuik Inspiration & Challenge Blog. If you haven't entered the January challenge yet, there still plenty of time.  The theme is "New".

I used the beautiful Ching-Chou Kuik digital image, Winter Warmth today. 

I colored Winter Warmth with Copic markers.  To fit the "new" theme, I used a new set of dies to create the card from Crafter's Companion. The sentiment is also from Crafter's Companion, but has been used before.

The background paper is from We Are 3 Digital Shop. It's one of the new Salvaged Textures papers. 

I hope you visit the Ching-Chou Kuik Inspiration & Challenge blog frequently to see all the wonderful talent there and to enter the challenge. For another challenge, and even more inspiration, visit the Ching-Chou Kuik Facebook Group. 

Time to Dream -- for Dies R Us Challenges

 It's the 15th of the month, and a new challenge is starting over on the Dies R Us Challenge Blog. It's an Anything Goes theme this month, as long as you use a brand of die sold in the Dies R Us Store, so very easy to join in the fun!

I don't like new year's resolutions, but I do like goals.  January is generally a quieter month, with more days spent entirely inside because of the bitter cold weather (its -5 degrees Fahrenheit, with a windchill of -23 right now). I just converted the temperature, and that's -20.6 degrees Celsius, so cold on any thermometer! Anyway, I find January to be a good month to reevaluate and set new goals, its a time to dream about the year to come....

I started out by inking my background.  I used Distress Inks in shades of Dusty Concord, Shaded Lilac, Wilted Violet, and Villainous Potion. I made the moon by first inking with the lightest shade (Shaded Lilac), then cutting out a circle from acetate with the Jeanine's Art Landscape Circle dies.  I then used darker colors around this circle and removed it. 

The rest of the card was created with a Create-a-Card die from Crafter's Companion. It's called Garden Retreat. I created the sentiment by using the negative space of the cutting die. 

I finished the card by adhering it to a black panel and adding some gems from my stash.

I hope you join our Anything Goes, with a brand of die sold in the Dies R Us Store challenge at Dies R Us Challenges.  It will run for 2 weeks. 

For my Canadian friends, check out the Didi Crafts Store for a wonderful selection of products and reasonable shipping costs. 

A Cheerful Snowman -- For The Paper Shelter

The Paper Shelter design teams have had a bit of a break, but we're starting up today with an easy challenge to get us started for 2022.  The theme this week at The Paper Shelter Challenge is "Color It".  If you color up a Paper Shelter image and win the challenge, you get a $30 gift certificate to the Paper Shelter Store.  Otherwise, it's any 3 images of your choice.  Either way, that's a great prize!

It is very much winter in Wisconsin (where I live). Today, we started the day at -12 degrees Fahrenheit.  That is waaaaaayyyyy cold!   Neither myself or my dog spent much time outside until it warmed up to above zero.  Then, we ventured out on a couple walks. I love being outside in all types of weather and enjoy participating in winter sports -- even making snowmen!  This is one of the cutest I've seen in a long time, and is named, appropriately enough, A Cheerful Snowman:

I colored A Cheerful Snowman with a combination of Copic and Spectrum Noir markers.  I made the easel card with a set of dies from Crafter's Companion.  The papers and sentiment die are also from Crafter's Companion.

You have all week to enter our "Color It" challenge at The Paper Shelter Challenges. I'd love to see what you create!

Tender Cuddle -- For Ching-Chou Kuik

 It's Tuesday, and it's my day to post on the Ching-Chou Kuik Inspiration & Challenge Blog.  I love any chance I can get to color up these wonderful images!

I want to start by reminding you of the January challenge.  The theme is "New" -- new year, new home, new baby, new job, new crafty supplies.  Interpret it however you'd like!

The design team was given the opportunity to use not just the "New" theme, but also to add some sparkle.  I used one of the 4 digis in the Animal Set of 4.  This is Tender Cuddle:

I colored Tender Cuddle with Copic markers. Then, I added some highlights with a clear glitter pen.  I used a set of dies from Crafter's Companion to create the easel card (these were new).  More sparkle was added with some foiled snowflake paper, some glitter card stock, and some sequins (also new). The sentiment is also from Crafter's Companion. 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Strength -- for Ching Chou Kuik

 It's Tuesday, and it's my day to post on the Ching Chou Kuik Inspiration and Challenge Blog. I love a chance to color up these Ching-Chou Kuik images!

Our theme for the January challenge is "New": new house, new job, new baby, new crafty supplies -- however you want to interpret it. 

I wanted to start the year off with a powerful word and image.  That word and image is Strength. It comes in 2 versions.  Both are Black & White.  One has more roots and vines, and that's the one I colored:

I colored Strength with Copic markers, then used a new Z fold die set from The Stamps of Life to create the card base.  The papers are from Crafter's Companion.  The sequins are from my stash, but I used a new Crystal Katana to attach them with.  It improves my blinging skills!

I hope you visit the Ching Chou Kuik blog often to see what the other talented designers create, and there's also the Ching-Chou Kuik Facebook Group. 

I'd like to enter this in the following challenges:

JDS Challenges -- ATG

D.L. Art -- January Linky Party

A Bit More Time to Craft -- ATG

A Perfect Time to Craft -- ATG

New Year's Resolution -- Whatever the Weather, Enjoy it!

 Happy 2022, my blog friends!  I really don't make new year's resolutions, but it seems like a good idea to try to be more like my dog this year.  No matter what the weather is, he just enjoys it!  Since he and I are outdoors for hours everyday, I might as well adapt his philosophy!  As my boy Winter would say, "Whatever the weather, whatever!"

Today isn't just the start of a new year, it's also the start of a new month, which means it's the start of a new challenge at Dies R Us Challenges.  Challenges will be a little different this year.  Every other month, they will be Anything Goes, and then the next month, there will be a theme.  We're starting out the year with a month of Anything goes to ease us into the changes.

Snowmen have the right idea about winter -- just enjoy the snow while it lasts.  So, to go along with my new philosophy, I created a snowman card for today's challenge....

I started by inking my background with Distress Oxide inks in Victorian Velvet, Villainous Potion, Shaded Lilac, Dusty Concord, Spun Sugar, and Kitsch Flamingo. Then, I constructed the snowman.  It is a die set by Karen Burniston. Then, I created the snowbanks, using Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside border dies. The inked background and pink layer were cut out with Memory Box Wrapped Stitched Rectangles.  The "Let it Snow" sentiment is by Crafter's Companion. 

The pretty snowflake paper on the base of the card is by We Are 3 Digital Shop.  It is one of the Winter papers. 

I added some snowflakes on my inked background with a Sakura White Gelly Roll Pen. I used a Viva Decor Anthracite Pearl Pen on the eyes and mouth. I piece of ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon tied like a scarf finishes off the the card.

I hope you join in on our Anything Goes challenge at Dies R Us Challenges. It will run for 2 weeks.  I'd love to see what you create!