Twofer Challenge # 12

Well here we are, with the holidays all wrapped up and tucked away for the next good long while. I was blessed with three celebrations, and the best part, after the beautiful and moving Christmas church services, was spending time with some of my family. Daughter Jeanne and son Joe flew in from Phoenix as an early Christmas surprise for their dad, and we had a lovely time. Christmas Eve/Day with daughter Cathy and family, and a post-New Years "Christmas" with son Christian and his little darlings. I hope your festivities were as low-stress and as happiness-filled as mine were! If you have time, tell me in the comment section, your favorite part of the 2018 Holiday! My favorite was making it to church on Christmas Eve and hearing exactly why we celebrate, followed closely by time with loved ones. *sigh*

But you're here to see my Twofer Challenge cards, aren't you? Well, I won't keep you any longer!

For some reason, I immediately thought of this older, and somewhat obscure Penny Black die set that I have when I saw this prompt. My brain wouldn't let go, and as hard as I tried to use something else, brain said, "Umm...excuse me, but there's no way anything you try will turn out decently. I'm in charge here and you will use those PB birds. Period." Understood. You only have to use that 2x4 upside my head once. Brain was right:

That baby card is really sweet irl, but in the photo it looks a bit flat, or something. The letters are from a Pebbles die cut set from my scrapbooking days, and they fit so nicely on a card. Not sure of the patterned paper, but I like it (naturally I like it...it's polka dotted,lol!!). And there's that PB bird, layered several times and winked up with some sparkly Stella. Our Pastor and his wife are expecting their first baby this Spring, so I'm all set with a card!

The second card is a birthday card. Boy, girl, adult, child; I think it works for just about anyone. The 'celebrate' is from a Studio Calico set, as is the teensy party hat. Lots of those PB birds (see, brain, I can follow directions, hahaha) in rainbow colors. All scraps, yay! And there you go. I hope you will pull out your bird stamps, dies, or stencils and join us in the gallery. Two cards, two different designs using the same stamps, dies, or stencils. If you haven't, do stop over at the Twofer Challenge and see what my teamies have created. Be sure to welcome our newest DT member, Leslie, and have a gander at our two GD's, Izzy and Sonja's cards! I promise you'll be delighted. And as always...

Happy (Almost) New Year

Well, here I am trying to sneak in one last post before 2019 rings in. Are you doing any celebrating? We're going all out...probably a bowl of popcorn, and bedtime by 10:00ish or so. I know, right?! DH and I are so wild, lol! When the kids were little, we would stay up playing games and drinking kiddie cocktails, and watch Dick Clark drop the ball on TV. We actually did go to a New Year's Eve party once...still made it home before midnight. Guess we're just not party animals. If you're going out tonight, please be safe; I want to see more of your cards in 2019!

I've been practicing coloring. Kara gave us a nice little tutorial when we were at the Lake House, and while my coloring will never be as incredible as hers, I have made improvements. Now I want you to stop right here and check out Kara's blog. Girl has crazy skills with a Copic! Here's the link to Kara's blog: MissDamnWhyCan'tIColorLikeHer????  Oh, and don't forget to come back, lol!! See...I was right, wasn't I??!!

I actually colored an image. Thought I'd play along at Time Out and SSS Wednesday Challenge. 

She cracks me up!

It looks a little dark, but we're getting RAIN right now. Though I guess rain is better than getting a foot of the 's-word!!' I first colored up my AI baker lady, and winked up her cupcakes. Then I found a perfectly sized sentiment from Studio Calico. In my scrap files I found a good sized chunk of that patterned paper, which just so happened to match her skirt and shirt! I like the way this turned out. She'll go to a friend who will appreciate her body type...And the cupcakes! Well, I'm about to get kicked out of my craft room. My amazing, incredible, hard-working cleaning lady is coming in to get it all ship-shape, so will close for now. Blessings to you in 2019!! As always...

I Have To Tell You This...

I have to tell you this, because he's funny. My dad. Good grief...at least he thinks he's funny, lol! His birthday is coming up on the 14th, and he'll be 89 years old, (I know, right?!). So for the past couple of months, he's been telling anyone who will listen that's he's 88 (true), but next year he'll be 90 (also true). It take most people a minute; "88, 90...Whatever happened to 89?" Then he laughs and says "My birthday is in December!!!" What a guy. And still going strong! So of course, I made him a birthday card.

This one turned out just the way I saw it in my head. Love it when that happens! It will go to play at C(ASE) This Sketch, and also at Addicted to Stamps.

Hope he likes it...

I started out with an aqua-greeny base. I found an old pad of 6x6 papers from MME, and die cut a WPlus9 circle, which I split for the "d's," and an MFT triangle for the "a." Popped the letters on a white strip and called it done.

And while I am here, how about another coffee card for Amy's Coffee Lovers Blog Hop? Okay! You are playing along, aren't you? You still have time to enter, so don't be shy; come play! 

I made this:

I had a scrap of that coffee paper left over from a few years back, and found it just in time for this hop. The base is not black, nor is the sentiment. They're really navy blue, but we have an overcast day and nothing is photographing the way I'd like it to...I don't remember who made the paper, but the "coffee" is from Verve, and the "& you" are from PTI. Pretty EZPZ! And now it's time for me to look at the bill pile. Ugh. I'd rather be making cards!! Have a wonderful weekend, and as always...

And A Merry December To You!

The year sure has flown by, hasn't it?! I'm very curious to see what 2019 brings to us all; I personally, am hoping for no more heart troubles, and peace on earth of course! However, we're not quite done with 2018, and so I think I should write at least one more post and show you a couple more cards before we close out the year. Alrighty then, let's get to it, shall we?!

First up is a card that will play along at SSS Wednesday Challenge, where the prompt is 'anything goes.'

Here's what I made:

  

A pretty simple card really, except for gluing down all those little points and parts. Someday I'm going to invest in a Xyron machine just for things like this...(uh-huh...). A blue base, SSS snowflake die cut using glitter paper, and a Uniko sentiment. There really is some sparkle to it...

And I would be remiss, if I didn't play along with Amy's 2018 Fall/Winter Coffee Lovers Bloghop. Thank you goes out to Amy and the Design Team for all the hard work involved in this hop. It's so much fun, and I hope to see you in the gallery too. 

My card looks like this:

I found a scrap of polka dotted snowflake paper and went with it. That's a MB die on the inside of the white panel and an MFT on the perimeter. A PTI coffee cup and die and a sentiment from a different PTI set. EZ and fun to make. See you all in the gallery!

Time Out and Tracey

I've got a couple of things to share this evening. The first one is a tag made for Tracey's 25 Days of Christmas Tags. I've been quickly peeking at the creations all along, but only found time and energy to make a tag today. I was inspired by tags which Zsofia Molnar made for Day 5. I'll show you her sweet tags:

Here's my tag:

No kitty on this tag, instead, I opted for snowflakes. The gingham is from MFT, the sentiment and the snowflakes are from LF, the box and the scalloped border are from ME, and the fishtail tag is from PPP. 

I'm also playing along at Time Out where we're to use black, white, and one other color.

Since I needed several masculine cards to fill the kids Christmas present boxes, I went with this design:

The stripes and the kraft are from my scrap files, and the bow tie is a Studio Calico stamp. Avery Elle sentiment. EZPZ. Seriously EZ. Might make more of this design....Anyway, I've got to go finish up in the kitchen so will catch you again soon. As always...

Twofer Challenge #11

Can you believe it's November already?! Have you started getting ready for Thanksgiving yet? Do you host the dinner, or go somewhere? We host those of our children who can come, and invite friends and neighbors who are unable to go to their far-away families. I love cooking for this holiday most of all. This year, I will have to delegate more or I'll get yelled at (heart issues) by my family. I'm hoping some of those little ones can come a day early so we can all bake pies together. They've taken a vote, and decided that we need another flavor of pie, too. Lemon Meringue. Going with Pillsbury pie crusts this year to cut down on the work. There should be flour and sugar all over the kitchen by the end of pie day, lol! Here's a photo of the apprentice bakers from last year:

Aren't they adorable?!! The face on that little Avie...

However, it's the Twofer Challenge you've come here to see, isn't it? So let's get to that, shall we....

Chances are you still have a Thanksgiving or Christmas card to make, so here's a great prompt for you...And, if you play along, you'll be TWO cards ahead!! I had fun with this one:

Together:

Separately:

I used a Memory Box wreath stamp and die set. For my first card, I stamped a full-sized panel, and colored the wreath with Copics. I added several small blings, and a strip of polka dotted paper. The sentiment is from Uniko. For my second card, I stamped the wreath onto a scrap of white and colored it with Copics. After die cutting it, I split the wreath and used it as garland on the blue base. The sentiment is from Neat & Tangled. Had to add a falling blossom just because. 

We'll be taking a break for the month of December, but check back on January 10th to see the first prompt of the New Year! Right now, head over to the Twofer Challenge blog so see what the rest of the DT and our Guest Designers have made... And after that, join in the fun!! Enjoy your Thanksgiving celebrations, and have a very Blessed Christmas! And always...

More Normal

I must be getting back to a more normal me. I'm in the craft room, I'm commenting more, and I'm writing blog posts. DH is doing 'well-ish.' He'll never be 100%, but he's walking and doing things for himself again, so we'll take that! Did I tell you I got a cleaning lady? With the old ticker giving me the honking fits, I had to make some changes. Since finding Iryna, my house is clean, and she's given me more time to spend in here than on cleaning projects. Yippeeeee!!!!!! So I made some cards. Imagine that!! One is for the Inspired By Challenge, and the other is for CAS(E) This Sketch.

That soup looks delicious. Perfect cold weather food. I was inspired by the colors, the sprig of herbs, and the 'white space.'

I found this ancient piece of leafy patterned paper in my paper tower and went with it as I didn't have a white-ish woodgrain. The green polka dots are SU, and the orange cardstock is just scraps. I used an RC tag die, a few sequins, a Pinkfresh sprig, and the sentiment is a sticker from dear Darnell. 

My next card is nearly a one-layer card:

I started out with some Gina K. kraft. It's the best, I swear. I used a Stamp Market polka dot stamp with VersaMark and love the way it looks. I trimmed the panel down ever-so-slightly. The arrows are from C9, stamped in navy blue, and the sentiment is from HA stamped in red. EZPZ. Good for a fella, don't you think? Might make more similar to this to add to my pile....Anyway, hope you're having a great weekend, and as always...

It's November Already

I know it's not just me; 2018 has really flown by, hasn't it?! Can't believe it's November already!! I have to say that I love November. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and as much of my family gathers here as can. I've started shopping for the dinner, and we're hosting a big crew this year again. Including my 88 year-old dad. He's talked about how much fun he had with us last year, and particularly his great grandchildren, so he is more than excited to come this year and be entertained by all those little kids. Guess who's sitting at the kids table? Nope. Not my dad. Me!! I always try to sit with them and get the scoop on what they like best about the food. It varies widely, and is always funny to get their opinions. And I've got help this year cooking. The cardiologist says to reduce stress on my body, so my children and grandchildren will help cook. I think it's a good idea, as they'll get to know grandma's recipes for their own Thanksgivings in the future. I think I'll sit on the stool in the kitchen and just orchestrate everything! "It's good to be the queen!" Teeheehee.

How about a couple of cards for today? Okie dokie. Two cards, four challenges. This first card will head off to City Crafters and Addicted to Stamps and More.

Week 436 ~ Zig-a-Zag-Ah

My card looks like this:

I used a gray chevron patterned paper from MFT, and scraps for the rest. Those are MFT triangles, and a PTI sentiment. EZPZ.

Next, I'm playing at Time Out, and SSS Wednesday Challenge where it's Anything Goes.

I went for something very Fall-like.

Random scraps from my files make up the base and the frame. Those are LF stamps and dies and I colored them with Copics. Thanks to Kara, I've gotten a smidgen better at coloring. Coloring makes me happy. Apples make me happy. Making cards makes me happy. You make me happy. And as always...