Pile It On ... New Year

Pile It On has a challenge for a New Year card.  I have been looking at this snowglobe that I cut with Joys of the Season and didn't use and it looked like a gumball machine to me.  So, I decided to turn it into one.  I liked the funky sideways cuts I used on the inside, but you can't really tell in the photo. Under the flap there is a special gumball.  Every gumball is inked, some are popped, the gumball machine is triple matted.


I have just the person in mind to send this card to. :0)

This card for Pile It On Challenge 31 ~ Welcome 2010
Frosted Designs ~ Ink Challenge

New Arrival

This card won a challenge at: 

This card for several challenges and I needed to make a baby card, so YAY!  What better way to start out a new year than with a new arrival!

 

 

Cute Card Thursday Challenge # 94 - All New
Fussy & Fancy Challenge #1 - NEW
Frosted Designs - Ink Challenge
Paper Play Challenges - Precious Metals
Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog ~ Challenge #5 New Inspiration
The Craft Garden ~ New Challenge
2 Red Bananas ~ Something with Curves 

Baby Carriage from New Arrival Cartridge, cut at 5", flipped and welded in DS, Shadowed for back of card, words are also from new arrival cartridge.  Ribbon,Wire, Brads, lots of INKING, distressing and layering.

Critique me.  I want to hear it.

Cold and Rainy

There's nothing better than a cold rainy day for an excuse to stay in and create.  I have so many Cricut Card Fairy missions to catch up on so it's a perfect day for that.  There is also a challenge at Pile It On for Digistamps and so I thought I would try some.  There really is a lot of fun to coloring, isn't there.  I love it.

This first card has Digistamps from Stretchin' Bubbles,  Bee Crafty Whimsical Girl, and Louise Franks Funky Elephant papers, sun and clouds.

 

This second card is a Birthday card.  Digistamps by  Sweet & Sassy and some stamps that I had on hand.  Cuttlebug devine swirls embossing.

 

It's been fun doing these cards.  I have more to come today, I'm sure.

 This card entered in the following challenges:

Pink Elephant Birthday Challenge

Just an Opinion about Challenges

I've only recently learned about participating in challenges (since end of November).   And I've been to many websites/blog sites to see what there is.  Here are my top 5 Ney's and Hurray's! 

1.  Ney - Blogsites that don't update when they say they will!  I work hard to join their challenge and participate in what they asked for.  So when they say the post will stay up until say... 2 January and it's 8 January and they haven't updated ANYTHING, I'm frustrated!  Or they continue to list challenges and then never list the winners.

2.  Ney - Picking winners at random.  I don't mind that they pick winners at random, but if there is a design team, then they should pick their top 3, 5, etc.  Otherwise I am not challenged to try to do better work as compared to those who are "competing" against me.  For me..... the prize is not the big deal.  The challenge is!

3.  Hurray - Design Teams that participate by commenting on your submission.  What was good and what could be better.  Are we so afraid that we can't tell each other what would "plus-up" a card?  I want to continue to grow in my craft, so hurray for people willing to help do that!

4.  Hurray - for design teams that design on their own blog and participate in other challenges too, continuing to grow their craft.

5.  Hurray for blogsites that recognize combining challenges helps to cross pollinate and encourage more creativity in cards.  I do cards not only for challenges but to send them out to people who need encouragement.  Just like me.

I have lots of time, but I recognize that other people REALLY don't have the time that I do to make cards so some of these points are really important. Even at that, I go to school, do housework, and have to walk to do my grocery shopping, so my days aren't all fun and creative.  All in all, what better craft can there be that makes one's self happy and is able to create such joy for others!

Happy New Year - Time to Try New Things

The Front with Digi Stamp

No sentiment yet because it could be several things.

The back.  Like I said the other day, I'm really thinking about the backs of cards lately,  They need a little something, don't you think?

This card is for CPS-Year In Review, Pick Your Own Sketch - CPS #93

Card Positioning Systems

Also for Pile It On Challenge 29, Anything Digital

Papers provided by Allison Pennington

Digi Stamp - Coloring Book Page, scanned in and sized

Cricut Wedding Cuts

Pile It On Challenge

Now sets in the Winter of Content

It's cold outside and so the term "Three Dog Night" came to mind.  It is cold and snowy here in Italy and we don't have our dog with us, but we are happily content to be together whatever the weather.

This card is entered in the Practical Scrappers Winter Projects,

Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge #19  Click Here for Peachy Keen Website (trying to win my first Peachy Keen Stamps) and

Just Buggin' Challenge 18 Click Here for Just Buggin

Animal Kingdom, George,  Lyrical Letters, Decorative Scissors, Cuttlebug Swirls Folder.

Putting away the Cricut

I'm having company so I have to put away my cricut and craft stuff.  Do you know that the thought of that is putting me into withdrawals!  It's only going to be a few days!

 I should give myself and that wonderful little machine a break but making cards is so darn fun!  These are the two I did today.

This second card is inspired by Carole Beath on the Cricut Message Boards.  Her bouncing frog on her profile made me think of this. 

This card looks a whole lot better in person.  And, I've been thinking a lot about the backs of cards.  I do the front and I always do the inside, why shouldn't the back get a little treatment too.  I mean, not all that, but a little something other than my stamp?

Ready for Spring - New Season

We got 8 inches of snow here yesterday and today.  It coincides with the blizzard the east coast of the U.S. is getting this weekend. So, I'm ready for a new season - Spring and I had flowers on my brain. I created this take off on the flower pot cards.  The leaves slide out and the sentiment is "I'll take the Spot Next to You."

This card was a winner at:

This is the back of the card and the back with the petal pulled out.

This card for Charisma Cardz Challenge #50 and Paper Play Challenge Week 46

paperplaychallenges

Something's Fishy

This is a pretty plain card, but I thought it was cute.  The fish and hearts are cut on the cricut from shrinky dink material, colored, shrunk and placed.  Vellum was used for the water.  I don't like working with vellum much.

It's a valentine's card. :0) I think it's fun to make some that are NOT so mushy.

I can imagine my nephew Zane laughing at this.

New Year's Coming

This card won a challenge at

This card is for Cricut CardZ Challenge #6 and PCC #22, Charisma Cards #50.
Fussy and Fancy New Year Challenge

Today I found out there are 12 people with the name Penny Light in the U.S. and two in Canada.  Hmmmm.
I thought I was so special.

Sleep and Dreams

So, I haven't been sleeping much lately.  Not sure what is keeping me awake for sure, but last night I took some meds and went to sleep and slept HARD and even dreamed about things.  When I woke up this morning I had five cards on my mind to design.  Here is what I have completed so far.

Cancer Ninja - CPS 146

Following a sketch at Card Positioning Systems and the online advice on how to make cards for men........
"Keep it simple, keep it light."  I created this Cancer Warrior Ninja.  I"m sending it to a friend whose husband has lung cancer.  I hope it makes you smile.

Made with George and Lyrical Letters in DS.  Nunchucks are a piece of chain and two rolled piece of paper.
Waaaaaaahhhh!

Christmas Party (Practical Scrappers)

I'm going to my husband's office Christmas party tomorrow.  He's not here.  He's in Brazil, but one of his colleagues and his wife are going to pick me up and take me so I can see where Tom works.  I have been baking cookies for the last two weeks and putting them in the freezer so I would have Christmas gifts for neighbors and stuff.  This is an altered tin that I did today for one of Tom's work mates, Elisa.  She does everything for the engineers, interpreting, hours, whatever they need when they call in.  This is just a little Christmas thank you for her.  I have filled it with cookies and candy and a thank you note.

There are no candy canes here.  Normally I would be doing all kinds of fun things with candy canes.  I wanted to make some of my daughter-in-law, Brooke's candy cane sleighs for the people at school.  Not happening.   But the chocoloate covered cherries here....yum, real liquor inside. :0)  Got tipsy after eating 3.

Onward and Upward,

Sage, Onion and Cream - CPS-145

This card is made from Home Decor, Storybook and Beyond Birthdays. A few brads, a little embossing and some love and hope. :0)  I didn't put any sentiment inside yet, it could be an anniversary, a get well or something I haven't thought of yet.  This is the first time I've ever developed a card from a sketch.

Weird Wednesday-Red Green and a bit of Bling

THIS CARD WON AN AWARD AT CRICUT CARDZ CHALLENGE #5!  WAAAHOOO! 




(Frosted Designs)This card is made from Joys of the Season, Stretch Your Imagination, New Arrival, and George.   It's shaped like a stocking, if you can see that.  It's kind of a funky woodland santa. I had a blast making it in DS.  

In school today I learned a lot about Italian traditions for the holidays.  And boy there were some funny ones.  Mostly Christmas is the same as the U.S. holidays, but this one really made me laugh and fear:


Santa doesn't fill the stockings for the kids in Italy.  Befana the witch fills the stockings. She does this at Epiphany, January 6th. The tradition is that the ugly but kind witch slips down the chimney on the night of January 5th and fills the stockings that are hung by the fireplace or by the bed with sweet things for good kids or coal for the bad kids. Now, it used to be that they used real coal for the kids, but now, Italy has this sweet coal that kids get if they've been bad kids and you can eat it. The kids who eat this coal end up with BLACK faces from chin to cheek. And they are MARKED as bad kids the whole day.

The tradition with Befana too is that she ends the holiday season. No holiday decorations should remain after Befana. She is the signal to put away all of the holiday things and to get rid of all the old things from the past year. To throw out things that are rotten or broken and put away the past year's pain and sins.

My teacher said, watch the news on the day after Befana comes because it is very macabre all the people who die. "Die? Why would people die?" Because, on Befana, people literally throw out their old things. They throw them right out the window and onto the street, irons, dishes, washing machines. You could be on the first floor having a Befana party and boom, a washing machine lands on your head.  Or people have dishes flying down and cutting off hands. Needless to say, I will not be outside on the day of Befana!

On New Year's day, they light wooden puppets on fire. (to symbolize the burning of the old year and crossing into the new - burning of the fields etc.) But apparently, they will build a giant wooden puppet in the piazza and a man with a fiery arrow will shoot it at the puppet and people will rejoice and eat pancakes as they watch it burn. I can think of the little kids running and screaming now as they watch a giant Pinocchio shot with an arrow and burned up.

I'm looking forward to the celebrations that we will learn about while here. I'll be carrying a fire extinguisher and wearing a hard hat from New Year's until Befana comes. 

Racoon Ravings.

I've been doing a lot of animal cards lately because they work for men and kids too.  I love flowers and could make every card a flower card, but then the men and children would be left out.