No Square or Rectangle shaped cards theme for MTTC blog

Poinsettia shaped card then from me! I took a pattern and altered the placement and orientation just a bit and extended the width a bit on a few across the top to have some stability for the top fold.

MTTC's new challenge for Friday, November 1, 2019 is to have no square or rectangle cards!!! What a challenge!!!

Here's my poinsettia-shaped Christmas card:

Above: MTTC's ID badge
Below: MTTC's design team member badge
link for the newest fortnight challenge for My Time To Craft=
http://mytimetocraftchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/11/challenge-409-no-rectangle-or-square.html

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Design notes:
a. Marshmallow white cardstock from Colorbok
b. poinsettia pattern/image
c. "Merry Christmas" stamp from Stampin' Up
d. white glitter foam snowflake stickers
e. eye shadow makeup and 3 markers for the coloring
f. standard supplies like pencil, scissors, scrap paper

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other challenge blogs and Facebook group sites where my post or my card photo will be shared:
a. my personal page on Facebook
b. Mixed Media Creativity group on Facebook [because of using the glittery eye shadow makeup]
c. Scrapping 4 Fun challenge blog:
link= https://scrapping4funchallenges.blogspot.com/2019/10/challenge-152-anything-goes.html
d. The 12 Months of Christmas Link-Up challenge blog=
link= https://12monthsofchristmaslinkup.blogspot.com/2019/11/challenge-59-opt-twistred-green.html

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Oh what a crazy bunch of weather days we are having in the USA heartland!!! In my part of north central Illinois, I had several inches of snow today, October 31st!!!! This is crazy!!! (Did I say crazy yet??? Wacky-doodle!!!!)

However there are some brave parents and kiddos that are out trick-or-treating in our small community! I'm typing this draft of the post at 7 pm and we've had between 20-25 visitors! Last year, we had 45 total.

No matter where you are in the world, stay safe and warm...plus do something creative before the day is over.

Becca S

Merry Christmas Jolly Ol Sparky card for DT project PPCC no 441

The featured digital image, Jolly Ol' Sparky, is from 1 of this week's prize sponsors Digi Doodle Studio! This snowman packs so much charm in his swag! :)

**link: as promised this is the link added at 8:24 pm CST on 7/31/19= https://pennyschallenges.blogspot.com/2019/07/welcome-to-pennys-challenge-441-plus-dt.html 

(PPCC blog post is behind on release time, so I will edit it in later! Promise! #441)

Prize sponsors for #441th weekly challenge (anything goes paper-crafting theme) are Di's Digi Stamps and Digi Doodle Studios...two companies with the cutest images!!! Use the above PPCC blog link to get all the details and see the other 2 images provided by DDS and how the rest of the crew used them for wonderful Christmas/winter themed creations!

Design notes:
a. all papers have inked edges
b. Martha Stewart for the house print and snowflake print papers (2018 paper pad)
c. embellishments: blue glitter snowmen stickers; iridescent gems; red glitter gems; holly leaf stamp (Stampin' Up)
d. sentiment stamp of Merry Christmas (Stampin' Up)
e. image, sentiment, and holly leaves had color added by markers and/or colored pencils
f. base card dimension folded is approx. 4" wide and 9" tall; perfect for a business length envelope; cardstock for base is (Colorbok)
g. I wanted a quirky kind of katty-wampus  layout for Sparky! He's got a youthful swag so he deserved an unusual layout design!

Other challenge blogs or sharing sites include:
1. Winter Wonderland challenge blog= theme is Christmas or winter houses/buildings= ends August 1st; link= https://christmasblogchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/07/christmas-or-winter-buildings.html

2. Aud Sentiments challenge blog= theme is For A Child & a Sentiment
link= https://audsentimentschallengeblog.blogspot.com/2019/07/232-for-child-sentiment.html
Doesn't Sparky look young and carefree like a young child? And he's so adorable!

3. 12 Months of Christmas Link-up challenge blog= #55 anything goes theme with optional twist of plaid...mine is just for anything goes Christmas
link= https://12monthsofchristmaslinkup.blogspot.com/2019/07/challenge-55-opt-twistplaids.html

4. Facebook group= Paper, Paper, Paper & Design Team Calls= sharing site for crafting bloggers

5. Facebook group = Bash Your Scrapbook Stash= Martha Stewart Christmas and Winter paper pad 2018 that I purchased recently from Amazon has become my new crafting goal for Christmas cards and any layouts I might due that are wintery to completely use...wipe it out! Further down in the post I'll show the other cards made so far with MS paper pad:

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A couple more different size scans=

July 2019 is coming to a close today however several challenge blogs are Christmas themed for yearlong creating. At the pace I'm going I shouldn't be stressed out by mid-December! Yeah, me! However, I only have 3 Thanksgiving cards made so far and generally I like to send out between 12-15. And then there are August birthdays coming soon: my brother, a brother-in-law, an aunt, and other special folks...

And as promised up above: here are some small pics of other recent Christmas holiday cards made from the Martha Stewart 2018 Christmas paper pad that has 24 sheets 6" square of 12 designs. I've only used 5 (these 3 + 2 today, up above) designs so far=

Got to keep making cards! :)
Becca S from the USA heartland with Becca's Heart for Creativity

HIMCR 362 third Saturday with Christmas in July theme challenge DT card

This week's design team card for HIMCR's #362 challenge has another adorable digital image with this one provided by the sponsor, My Besties:

#362 Christmas/winter elements included: snowflakes & embossed/crayon rubbing snowflake, image's winter wear gear and Christmas ornament, stamped sentiment, stamped holly, wintery blue tones, and paper ornament shape.

HIMCR's blog post #362 link for all the details, how to participate, deadline, etc.: http://www.hidinginmycraftroom.com/2018/07/himcr-362-christmas-in-july.html

My Besties Digi and Rubber Stamps link for the digital images: http://www.inspirationalbath.com/catalog.php?category=53

More photos of this wintery Christmas card:

Some supply notes:

a. 2 different blue hue of solid color cardstock are from Astrobrights/Neenah Papers, Inc.

b. foam snowflake stick-ons and the embossed snowflake stencil plate are old purchases from Oriental Trading Company

c. other 2 patterned cardstocks are old stock

d. holly leaf stamp and Merry Christmas stamps are from Stampin' Up; don't remember for the "You Are Special" stamp...sorry forgot to check...for me, these are new due to buying them recently at a resale shop about 25 miles from our house

It's always a fun creative challenge to push my creative spirits combining old and new products and certainly creating a Christmas/winter holiday card during mid-July! Becca S

Bookmarks with color palette for CTD 501 and IB 28

What colors remind you of nature? meadows? woods? hills and mountains?

These challenges started at different times this week have been the sources of motivation for creating 2 bookmarks. A school district near us has the mascot Timberwolves and colors of dark green, gray, and black. So I decided this evening to fuse the color combos together a bit:

Inspired By #28 Campfire S'mores (colors: kraft, white, dark brown/black, and green from the boxes)
Color Throwdown #501 colors (grey, yellow, kraft, and white)

http://theseinspiredchallenges.blogspot.com/2018/07/inspired-by-campfire-smores.html



and

 

https://colorthrowdown.blogspot.com/2018/07/color-throwdown-501.html

Here's my shopped supplies from my stockpiles to get ready. You will notice some editing has been done. Until I've played around with combinations and sizes, several changes can occur while in the process of making paper crafted creations. Digital images have had several layers of colored pencils (black, gray, dark brown, light brown) added to them to make them match the color palettes better. Placement of elements is different between the two. Thinking of you border is different on each bookmark as well as what was used as the base and what was used for the background.

#1: CTD 501

#2: IB 28

Supply sources:
a. damask paper used for a backdrop and the dotted papers are= The Paper Studio
b. dark pine green and medium gray cardstock= The Paper Studio
c. marbled caramel thin weight cardstock and putty gray cardstock=Colorbok
d. kraft cardstock=?
e. Thinking of You stamp= Stampin' Up (bought used/resale shop)

Continuing to craft in the USA heartland, Becca S

HIMCR #359 freestyle theme challenge

Happy Birthday, America! 1776-2018

...242 years of freedom!

card one (card two will be featured at the end of the blog)

HIMCR or Hiding In My Craft Room hosts a challenge blog with a weekly theme. #359 is for the 5th Saturday of the month, so this gets to be a 'freestyle' theme. In paper-crafting freestyle could showcase die cuts or stamping or stenciling or digital images or crafter's own mixed media  or paper folding techniques like iris folds. You can have any format in paper-crafting: bookmark, tag, ATC, journal page, scrapbook layout, greeting card, etc. And the occasion can be whatever you choose. Some of us on the design team chose a 4th of July set provided by this #359's prize sponsor, The Cutting Café. Use this link to direct you to the HIMCR blog post and to links for the sponsor:
http://www.hidinginmycraftroom.com/2018/06/himcr-359-freestyle.html

This is the ID badge for this week's prize sponsor and DT images provider: The Cutting Café  http://cuttingcafe.typepad.com

Also it would be wonderful if you could comment on the post and also go to each DT member's post and give them feedback about how their creations have inspired you.

Sentiment "The LAND of the FREE" and "God Bless America" are provided by and available from The Cutting Café. I chose to outline them in blue and red and then used blue and red colored pencils to create a plaid type fill-in. God Bless America's outline was created by taking a small heart stencil and then partially tracing each one to form an enlarged tri-heart design. Love it!

Three different colors of baker's twine/cording were wrapped in 3 different bundles onto a large red paper clip to alter it a bit and by placing it at the top, I hope it mimics fireworks streaming in the sky. Calendar photo for the month of July was cropped and used as a picture focal. Other embellishments include a white heart shape doily, black photo corners, and a small heart cut from The Paper Studio dotted paper (Mint Berry paper pack).

Close-up view shows the red and blue plaid effect to bring more of those 2 colors to the front-fold easel card. This card is bursting with USA patriotism.

Card two featuring more elements from The Cutting Café 4th of July stamp set:

I had an old Tupperware kids stencil set that included a fireworks rocket shape so I've used it around the Independence Day sentiment and on blue denim paper to make 2 rockets. I've shaded red around the Fireworks sentiment and then outlined around the circle 'fireworks' image plus did the red and blue plaid type striping to fill in the center (3 items from The Cutting Café).

The gold arrow paper clip mimics the rocket shape and 3 light blue star shape brads add some more cute patriotic touches.  I heart this card creation too! And can you believe there are still more images that haven't been used?!?! I've got ideas for at least 2 more, but the DT deadline is close now, so any others I make will be featured only on my blog...Update: got 1 more card created =

Card three featuring 3 more elements from The Cutting Café 4th of July stamp set:

The two arrow images and flag come from The Cutting Café. The cake stamp and Happy Birthday stamp are from Stampin' Up. And the little star brads are from the Ki  Memories line.

Still crafting in the USA heartland, Becca S