Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Reindeer Games



Do you suppose that Rudolph and the other reindeer have finished up the reindeer games and are prepared to pull Santa's sleigh! I do love the Rudolph movie! We watch it every year!
This card was entered into a game as well - the December Card Challenge over at  Addicted to Card Making (a card challenge and swap group I participate with on Facebook). I thought I'd share the card with you as well.  

The base of the card is My Mind's Eye Winter Wonderland. The reindeer, snowdrift, and the snowflakes are files from Miss Kate Cuttables. The stamp is My Mind's Eye: All is Bright. I used inks to add dimension, of course. And the twine is Trendy Twine. 

I will enter this into the following challenges:
Creative Card Crew #52: Anything Goes
Parade Your Crafts #11: Christmas/Winter
Challenges 4 Everybody #36: Anything Goes
That Craft Place: Anything Goes (E3:1)
Weekly Christmas Card Challenges #4: Make it Masculine
CHNC Challenge #156: Last Minute Cards
Alphabet Challenge Blog: W for Whatever You Wish
Creative Fingers #16: Anything Goes (E3:2)
4 Crafty Chicks: Distressing
Happy Camper's Challenge #25: Christmas
613 Avenue Create #51: Anything Goes

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Ginger

How about some cute Ginger cards for Christmas this year. I had made one or two of these last year, and thought they were so cute and simple to put together; so this year I made several. The cut file comes from My Scrap Chick and is in the Gift Card Holders for Christmas kit. These can be made to hold gift cards or just as regular A2 cards as I have done here.
 
All the cardstock is various kinds I have in my paper stash. The tag comes from another cut file from My Scrap Chick. I used chalks and inks to give it dimension. The Merry Christmas stamp is from the Christmas Wishes set at Jaded Blossom. I wrapped some twine around the top about 5 times, attached the tag, and tied a small bow to finish it off. Cute and Simple!
 

I will enter this into the following challenges:
Brown Sugar Challenge #73: Anything Goes (E2:2)
Alphabet Challenge Blog: W for Whatever You Wish
Addicted to Stamps and More #76: Anything Goes
Creative Fingers Challenge #16: Anything Goes (E3:1)
Jaded Blossom December Challenge: Anything Christmas
4 Crafty Chicks Challenge #173: Distressing
Crafty Creations #253: Anything Goes (E2:2)
Papertake Weekly Challenge: Last Christmas Card of the Year
Die Cut Diva's #146: Happy Holidays 
Love to Create #96: Anything Goes (E3:1)

Friday, December 20, 2013

Anything Goes

Well, believe it or not, I actually had to mail one more fall card the other day. I had a swap for a card group I am in were I needed to send a fall card and a recipe. Finally finished it up. It was so hard to go backwards after having so much snow around here, but I think it turned out nice. I figure I'll need a few challenges were "Anything Goes" though!!!

(The Cut file is from My Scrap Chick and the DP is Doodlebug)

How about these challenges and if you have a card that is not fitting into all the Christmas/Winter themes out there you can join in too:
Brown Sugar Challenge: Anything Goes (E2:1)
Alphabet Challenge Blog: W for Whatever You Wish
Crafty Creations #253: Anything Goes (E2:1)

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Christmas Reindeer Freebie


Well I don't know about you, but I have a hard time passing up a good freebie. This one came from KaDoodle Bug Designs a few weeks past. It is a cute file and so very easy to put together. It was super quick to whip up this card and I just used a few scraps from my cardstock bin to get it done. Stop by there website and maybe it is still there somewhere for purchase. Well I hope you enjoyed this sweet Christmas treat. And I hope you are having a very Merry Christmas season!

I will enter this card into the following challenges:
That Craft Place: Christmas (E3:1)
Creative Corner Challenges: Traditional Christmas (E3:2)
CRAFT Challenge: Christmas (E5:2)
Paper Crafting Journey: It's Christmas Time (Ends Jan 15)
The Crafter's Café: Red and Lots of It! (E3:1)
Papertake Weekly: Anything Goes
Clear It Out: Anything Goes
Creative Cutting Challenge: #24 Christmas Cards

Friday, December 6, 2013

Nativity Tags


A friend of mine was wanting some gift tags for her Christmas packages. She asked me if I could make some that are biblically based. I was so excited she asked as I thought immediately of the nativity scene files that My Scrap Chick has. I've had them for awhile; and now that I have made them, I wonder what took me so long. These files are super cute!!! I apologize for the slightly blurry photos. I promised her I would mail them today, so that left me taking pictures at the wrong time of the day. You can find the cut files here - My Scrap Chick Christmas Files.

I used several brands of cardstock from my stash for the paper piecings and the tag base back. The tag base front DP is from one cool company - Carta Bella. Love their paper!!! It is a release from last year called Merry & Bright. The colors are so bright and fun, and the paper is a thick cardstock that is so nice to craft with. If you haven't tried a Carta Bella paper before, I recommend you look them up. Great stuff. I distressed using Memento and Color Box inks. The back of the tags have To: and From: stamped on them. I used my Sizzix Eclips to cut the svg files. Six of the tags stand 5" tall and the other two are 4.4" tall. Now that I have made them I have decided that the next ones that I make with have some embossing on them. With that said though, I did make two extra sets like these ones and they will be for sale on my FB page. Please stop by and have a look. They will be posted shortly.

https://www.facebook.com/MMirandaCreations
I will enter these into the following challenges:
Creative Corner: Traditional Christmas
Card Crafter's Circle: #104 Celebrations
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge: #236 Christmas
Paper Crafting Journey: It's Christmas Time (Ends Jan. 15)
Cute Card Thursday: Eternal Flame
Craftin' Desert Divas: #20 Tags
Word Art Wednesday: #109 Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly: Anything Goes
Love to Create: Holiday Gift/3D Project
Dream Valley Challenges: Anything but a Card
Feeling Crafty: #23 Christmas (Coll. Closed)
Heck of a Challenge: Colourful Christmas
Creative Craft Challenges 2: #24 Non traditional Christmas Colours

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Reindeer Thanks!


One of the things about moving to the North from the Southwest is there is the challenge of preparing for the change in climate. This week there is a forecast for more snow and a drop in temperature that could get into the single digits. We are not used to cold like this. In fact, I don't even own a sweatshirt. I didn't need one where I was at. In the winter, you put on a semi-warm jacket and you went about your business. Here everyone tells me the key to staying warm is wearing layers. But there are some great benefits to our move too. We have gained some wonderful friends. They do not only tell us they hope we stay warm, but they help us to keep warm. And this card was given to some of those dear friends to say thank you for their help. Last week they came by to have a cup of hot cocoa with us and brought us gifts: a quilt (to borrow), a mattress pad that heats up, and a blanket for each of the  kids. (If you read this post, friends, thank you again!!!) We are so grateful for not only the warmth they brought us in material things, but for the warmth of heart that they shared with us. We are blessed tremendously in this place and give God the glory for bringing us here.
The reindeer is one of the Bobble Buddies from Treasure Box Designs. You can find him here. He was very easy to put together and just looks so stinkin' cute on this card. The card is an A2 size. The cardstock base came from a treasure of a store that another friend took me to last week. The name of the store is Hollo's and it is in the Cleveland area. I was able to buy cardstock for a $1.50 a pound. And pre-cut card bases for A2 sized cards were three cents each. I was like a kid in the candy store. The red cardstock is American Craft and the DP is My Mind's Eye - Merry Little Christmas (6x6 paper pad) that I picked up at Michaels. The browns for the reindeer are Tim Holtz's Adirondack. The three shades used for the eyes are Papertrey Ink. The blue scarf color came from my scrap bin. The thread is from a knitting aisle at a local store. I used pop dots to attach the reindeer to give the card some dimension. I hope you like the card and will stop by Treasure Box Designs to see all their cute patterns that can be cut on various electronic die-cutting machines.

I will enter this card into the following challenges:
Papertake Weekly: Anything Goes
CWLC Challenge 69: Christmas
Creative Cutting Challenge #24: Christmas Cards
ABC Challenge: A for Almost Christmas
Heck of a Challenge (December): Colourful Christmas
2 Creative Chicks #9: Christmas/Winter
Totally Papercrafts: Ho, Ho Holiday
Creative Fingers Challenge: Anything Goes
Christmas Card Challenges #1: No Stamping
Holly Jolly Christmas: Christmas Challenge and Blog Hop

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Believe!


It is December and you know what that means! Soon Santa Claus and his eight tiny reindeer will be prancing across the roof tops. I love this time of year! There is still a lot of good happening in the midst of all the commercialism. The name of Jesus is still heard by those who have ears to hear. Many will give a helping hand to those in need. It truly is a time to be celebrated as the birth of Jesus changed the world. If you know not my Lord, I pray you will hear his voice calling to you this season! It truly is a wonderful time of the year!

As I believe in Jesus, I also believe in the spirit of giving. The giving of love, of our time and resources, and of gifts to brighten the eyes of children on Christmas morning. I believe that Santa is a  symbol of that giving during this holiday season and I do not believe that including the make believe into my holiday diminishes it in any way; and so we include Santa in our celebrations.

This Santa is an svg file from svgcuts.com and comes from the Santa's Visit kit. The paper is from the Teresa Collins collections called Christmas Cottage. It is a thick cardstock patterned paper and I love working with it. The colored cardstock is American Crafts and another from my stash that I cannot remember the manufacturer. I used both Cuttlebug and Sizzix embossing folders. And of course I used inks to ink all my cuts. The stamp is from Punkin Patch stamps and it came with a free svg cut to outline it.


I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Paulaholifieldcrafts: Christmas Cheer (E1:1)
Feeling Crafty Challenge: #23 Christmas (E3:1)
2 Creative Chicks: #9 Christmas
Crafty Catz: #209 Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Santa) (E3:1)
Totally Papercrafts: #195 Ho, Ho Holidays (E3:1)
Creative Fingers: #13 Anything Goes (E3:2)
4 Crafty Chicks: #170 Chrsitmas
Cute Card Thursday: #297 Anything Goes
The Crafter's Café: #39 Anything Goes (E3:3)
Craft Room Challenge: Vintage Christmas
Cards for Men: #24 Anything Goes
Rhedd and Rosie:#20 Christmas is Coming (E3:1)
Crafty Calendar Challenge: All Things Christmas (E3:1)
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge: #153 Light It Up
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra: Christmas Anything Goes
Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge: One for the Boys (E2:1)
52 Christmas Card Throwdown: Pick a Previous Theme
                        (Theme #16 - Santa Claus/Father Christmas)