Keeping Christmas - July!

Good morning again!

Today is July 25th (my baby brother is 46 today!) and it also is time for a Keeping Christmas Blog Hop!

If you haven't seen these posts before, on the 25th of each month throughout the year the former The Challenge Design Team along with the Keeping Christmas creator, Kelly Lunceford and a few other designers have an inspirational Christmas card blog hop to help inspire you to build upon your Christmas card stash throughout the year.

I decided to go a little bright and modern.   I decided to keep with the same color scheme for both, but I am definitely going to do some like these in other bright colors. 

Now hop through the list below and see what the rest of the team has created this month.  It is sure to inspire you to break out some Christmas stamps!

Kelly Lunceford

Lesley Croghan

Anita Madden

Broni Holcombe

Claire Broadwater

Julee Tilman

Kim Heggins

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld (You are HERE!)

Nina Forsyth

Vicki Finger

Nancy Guse

See you next month!

Keeping Christmas Blessings!

Krafty Chicks #465 Tags, Bookmarks

Hello there!

This week has really sped by, it's already Thursday!

That means a new challenge at Crafty Chicks!

Lori is our hostess this week

and 

she has really challenged us with a Twist theme of 

Tags/Bookmarks!

Krafty Chicks Challenge #465 - 

Tags & Bookmarks

So I made bookmarks!

I haven't made bookmarks in years so it was fun doing it again.  I started with some backgrounds I created with Distress Oxide inks on photo paper.  Then, I stamped images on them with Memento black ink and set them aside to dry. Once they were dry I wiped them down with a baby wipe to create a glossy finish. I used images and sentiments from Ink Road Stamps.  I glued the bookmarks to some heavy white cardstock to make them more sturdy. I  then added ribbon, twine and some blingy heart gems for finishing touches.

Now stop by the Hen House and check out the team's projects and bid our July Guestie, Esther, a lovely farewell as this is her last week with us.

Krafty Chick Blessings!

Krafty Chicks #464 Stars & Stripes

Happy Thursday, Chicks!

It's time for a new challenge 

at

Krafty Chicks Challenge!

Tangii is our hostess this week and 

she is looking for a Stars n' Stripes Twist!

I decided to go summery for my stars and stripes and do double duty for my card, combining this challenge with my Stamp Nation PenPal card.  You can have wonky stripes, right? LOL

So go check out the rest of the Design Team's projects over at the Hen House!  Then, come play along with us either with our Stars n' Stripes Twist or our always Anything Goes Challenge!  We love to see what you create!

CAS Xmas - Snowflake

Hello!

Happy Wednesday!

Today is mid-month for 

CAS Christmas Challenge!

It's been a very hectic last two months for the Salkeld household 

and I missed the first of the month installment.

Yet I did manage to pull together a couple of cards for today's mid-month reminder.

I borrowed a snowflake die(by PoppyStamps) from Bonnie with one idea in mind, which morphed into about six more!  Isn't it that how it sometimes happens?  My original idea is the red background, alcohol inked, with the die inlaid in it.  I cut the snowflake out of the red, then out of the white glitter background and then again out of vellum and wound up inlaying the vellum one. The photo doesn't do it justice, it turned out very pretty.  So I decided to use some of the other dies to create a second simple card.

Please stop by the CAS Christmas blog and see the rest of the Design Team's projects, as well as our Guest Designer, Jane.  Then why not play along and create some Christmas in July with some CAS Snowflake cards.  You have until July 24th to play.

CAS Christmas Blessings!

Krafty Chicks #463 Christmas In July

Good Morning, Thursday!

It's time for a new challenge at 

Krafty Chicks Challenge!

Amy is our hostess this week.

She's looking for Christmas as the Twist!

Krafty Chicks Challenge #463 - Christmas In July!

I have had some foiled elements for Christmas cards and so I decided to pull out my laminator and fix one up for this challenge.

I used the Holly & Berries Cutting Plate by Catherine Pooler Designs. I cut a sheet of foil toner paper and added Stick It paper to the back, then ran it with the die through my Gemini Jr.  Once my laminator was hot I placed green foil on top of the die cut piece and ran it through the laminator.

The foiled sentiment I had in my Christmas stash so it was perfect.  To finish it off I took a holly berry die from "Tis The Season" coordinating dies by Catherine Pooler Designs, cut it several times, foiled them and added them where the berries were on the background.

Stop over to the Hen House and see what the rest of the Design Team has created along with our July Guestie, Esther.  Then come along and play with us and celebrate Christmas in July!

Krafty Chick Blessings!

Krafty Chicks #462 Recipe

Hello Thursday!

It's time for another challenge at 

Krafty Chicks Challenge!

I'm your hostess this week

and 

I have a Recipe for our twist!

Krafty Chicks #462 Recipe - 1 Square, 2 Ribbons, 3 Circles

Stop by the Hen House and check out the rest of the Design Team's projects.  Also welcome our Guest Designer for July, Esther from Shoregirl's Creations.

Come play along with us with our Recipe Twist or our forever "Anything Goes" challenge.  

Krafty Chicks Blessings!

Krafty Chicks #461 Anything But A Card

Good Morning! 

It's time for a new challenge at Krafty Chicks Challenge.

Leanne is our hostess this week 

and

she wants NO CARDS.

Krafty Chick Challenge #461 - Anything But A Card

Our son and DIL are moving in with us from Oklahoma this week.  Our DIL has never lived anywhere else but Oklahoma so it's a really big change for her.  So, I combined this week's challenge with making  a wall hanging for them as a "welcome to your new home" kind of gift.

I started by stenciling a background with Versamark and then I used Hero Arts pearl white embossing powder.   The maps I got off Google, fussy cut and added craft foam behind them for dimension.  The heart is Avery Elle and the sentiment is from "Sweet Home" by Catherine Pooler.  

Stop by the Hen House and check out the fabulous "Non Card" projects by the rest of the Design Team.  Then come play along and make Anything But A Card.

Krafty Chick Blessings!

Krafty Chicks Challenge #460 Washi Tape

Happy Thursday!

The week is just flying by!

It's time for another challenge at

Krafty Chicks Challenge!

Lori is our hostess this week.  She has chosen Washi Tape for our Twist!

Krafty Chicks Challenge #460 Washi Tape

So break out those rolls and show us what you can do!

Stop by the Hen House and see what the rest of the Design Team has created with Washi Tape and come play along with us this week!

Krafty Chick Blessings!

CAS Christmas - It's a Wonderful Life

Hello Monday!

It's halfway through June!  

So today is Reminder Day 

for

CAS Christmas Card Challenge!

Linda is our Host this month

and

her chosen theme is 

Gifts!

I chose a set of gifts from Lawn Fawn, Simply Celebrate Winter. Stamped on watercolor paper, colored with Zigs and a waterbrush and die cut with coordinating die.  I've been on a non-traditional color kick for Christmas cards so I continued it for today's card.  I cut out an extra die to add dimension to the gifts and placed them on top of a background piece made with the baby wipe/alcohol ink technique.  I die cut a piece of my inked panel to place in the middle of my scored card base.

Stop by the CAS Christmas Card Challenge Blog and see the rest of the Design Team's Reminder Projects.  Then why not come play along with us and get some Christmas cards made for your stash.  You have until June 24th to play along!

Krafty Chicks Challenge #459 Camp Out

Good Morning Crafters!

Can you believe half of June is just about gone?  Feels like it just started.

Today there is a new challenge over at

 Krafty Chicks Challenge.

Tangii is our hostess this week and the twist is Camp Out!

Krafty Chicks Challenge #459 Camp Out

I recently bought one of the Gina K Designs wreath builder templates and so I thought it would be cool to create a more masculine "camping wreath".  It was so easy creating this card!

Now stop by the Hen House and check out the rest of the chicks' camping projects.  Then, link up your own Camp Out project and play along with us through Wednesday, June 19 at Noon, MST. 

Card Supplies

STAMPS: S'more Fun (Taylored Expressions); Gone Camping (Technique Tuesday); Love you S'more (Lawn Fawn); Buffalo Plaid background (Catherine Pooler Designs).

PAPER: Neenah solar white; Catherine Pooler Premium White cardstock.

INK: Rouge, Lemongrass, Sage, Spruce, Over Coffee and Icing on the Cake (Catherine Pooler Inks).

EXTRAS: Wreath builder template (Gina K Designs); Liquid Pixie Dust (Inkon3).

Krafty Chicks Challenge #458 Die Cuts

Good Morning!  

It's Thursday!

Hope you're having a wonderful first week of June!

It's time for a new challenge at Krafty Chicks today.

Amy is our hostess.

She has chosen our Twist to be Die Cuts!

Krafty Chicks Challenge #458 Die Cuts

Since it's June and the beginning of the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere, I decided to make a beach/sea/tropical card using some fun dies. I also used a background I had created when my friend, Bonnie Klass and I experimented with Dirty Pours about a year ago.  This background was made on canvas paper. I've been saving it for an underwater theme card so it was perfect for my school of fish dies and coral by Memory Box.  The bright orange coral is from Memory Box.  The other "coral" is actually fern/cacti dies by Spellbinders and a twig die by either Memory Box or Poppy Stamps I believe but I thought they looked a lot like coral, particularly inked up in bright colors. 

Please stop by the Hen House and check out the Team's Die Cut projects. Also, welcome our June Guest Designer, Lisa Bzibziak from Life of a BZscrapper! So glad to have Lisa here this month.  Then, come play along with us and create a project using Die Cuts for our twist or one for our always ATG challenge.  

Krafty Chick Blessings!

CAS Christmas - Gifts

Hello Monday!

Happy June!

It's almost summer in the Northern Hemisphere!  

But it's still cool over at CAS Christmas with a new challenge beginning for the month of June!

Linda is our hostess this month

and

she has chosen Gifts as the theme!

I have to admit, I drew a blank on this challenge at first.  I have a couple small Christmas gift stamps and a couple birthday ones, but for some reason my mojo went out the window.  Then, I was looking through my stash of homemade backgrounds and thought, I'll make my own gift with dies.  So I took the stitched peek a boo die, cut it from silver mirrored cardstock, trimmed it down, added an alcohol inked background in the middle and a silver bow die for the top.  Voila - a Christmas gift!  I also had the perfect sentiment, by Paper Sweeties to add.  To top it all off, I added a thin trim of the same silver mirror cardstock as a frame for my gift.

Be sure and stop by the CAS Christmas Blog for a look at all the rest of the Design Team's beautiful inspirations for this month's challenge.  Also welcome our Guest Designer for June, Leslie!

It's almost halfway through the year, which means halfway until Christmas!  Come play along with us this month and get your Christmas card stash started or added to.  We love to be inspired by you as well!

CAS Christmas Blessings!

Krafty Chicks Challenge #457 Coffee/Crazy Egg

Hello Everyone!

It's Thursday so there's a new challenge 

at 

Krafty Chicks Challenge!

I'm your hostess this week 

and

 it's also the 5th Thursday of the month.

When there are five Thursdays, our challenge is always the Crazy Egg Challenge.

This time it also has a Twist - Coffee!

Krafty Chicks Challenge #457 Coffee/Crazy Egg

Anyone who knows me well knows I have fallen in-love with sloths, particularly since getting to see and pet one up close and personal (Bart) at the Out of Africa Animal Preserve in Arizona.  Fabulous place that rescues wild animals from circuses, misguided people who try to adopt wild animals for pets, etc, that cannot make it alone back in the wild.  You can even kiss a giraffe! (Hubs did, I refrained.) LOL

Anyhow, I digress.  My point is that I have been accumulating sloth stamps now and this was the perfect time to use the coffee sloth from Newton's Nook.  It was so much fun to create this card.  I colored the "slothy cups" with Catherine Pooler inks and an ink blender pen.

Go meander over to the Hen House and see what all the Chicks have created for our special Crazy Egg/Coffee Twist Challenge.  It's also the last week for our guest designer, Carol. Come play along with us, it's Anything Goes and/or create a coffee themed project.  We love having you play!

For Following Challenges:

Krafty Chicks Blessings!

Keeping Christmas - May 2019

Good Morning!

It's a holiday weekend so I hope you're enjoying it.  Here in the South it's going to be a scorcher, record temp setting weekend.  May isn't finished yet but it seems like we've skipped all the way past to late July!  Whew!

Anyway, there's more pressing business than the hot weather right now --- Cardmaking!  LOL

It's time for the Keeping Christmas Inspiration Blog Hop.

On the 25th of each month throughout the year we have a blog hop of Christmas cards to help inspire you to build upon your  Christmas cards stash through the year.

This month I tried a "new to me" technique - Underwater Background Technique, and I thought it would be perfect to use along with the Christmas By The Sea stamp set by Flora and Fauna.  

Over at Stamp Nation there is a special month of challenges and tutorials going on with the theme "Spring Break".  Heather Little from Ink Road Stamps showed a video tutorial on how to do the underwater background.   

It did take me two tries to get the background kind of like I wanted.  I'm not completely happy with it but I will certainly do it again.  I do need to get a couple new watercolor brushes as I think that was partly the problem.  After creating the background, I stamped, colored and fussy cut all the images and heat embossed the sentiment on black cardstock.  I also decided to add a little detail to the bottom of the sea by stamping a coral a couple times in black.  I gave them some shine with a Nuvo Glimmer pen. Next I adhered all of the images and shimmerd the Santa hats as well.

Now hop through the list below and visit the rest of the Design Team's blogs to see what they've created this month for their Christmas card stash.  Hopefully you will be inspired to create a few Christmas cards early yourself!

Kelly Lunceford

Anita Madden

Broni Holcombe

Claire Broadwater

Julee Tilman

Kim Heggin

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld (You are HERE)

Nina Forsyth

Vicki Finger

Nancy Guse

Keeping Christmas Blessings!