CAS Cards at Phindy's Place

The challenge this week at Phindy's Place Challenge Blog is to create a CAS card. You can use any image you want, but you get a double entry if you use a Phindy's Image. I love to improve my chances any way I can. This week with my daughter and her family arriving for the holidays, and having to do some babysitting and having a test run, I really didn't  think I was even going to be able to do a CAS card. Thanks to my DH though, instead of going to sleep when I got home from the test, I was wide awake and slipped out to TM this afternoon for some card making.

The image used in this first card is called Flower Frock and is one of the Phindy's Place cuties from her STORE. I've colored her with copics. I actually found the sketch on the Clean and Simple Stamping Blog and the papers are from my stash. Off to get this one entered so I can get my second card blogged.

I want to thank the DT for making this a CAS challenge or I wouldn't have made it.

Show Me Thursday #54

You have to love an artist that is  willing to offer up a free image without having to create a project of any kind. All you have to do is post what you're doing in your life this week. That's exactly the awesomeness of Sassy Cheryl over on her Sassy Cheryl Blog. A chance for a free image just for letting us nosey around in your space.

This week definitely isn't going to be showing my workspace. My younger daughter, her husband and MM arrived yesterday after a 2 1/2 day road trip from Phoenix. They were here when I got home from my WW meeting and MM needed to get outside and burn off some cooped up energy. We started with a hike back to the new WOT-wildlife observation tower(or deer stand) that DH built and erected back behind the pool behind our house. This is a picture of MM and Grandpa on the walk back. What is it about little boys and sticks?

From the WOT we walked through the woods to our neighbor's to check out the WOT that he built for his grandchildren who visited over Thanksgiving. They have two pups and this picture is of MM petting them. This is huge, since my BIL's dogs totally traumatized him about 2 years ago. This was huge.

For at least the last 15 years, a family down the road from us has been caroling us each year at Christmas. It has become the highlight of Christmas to me. Besides the parents, there are 7 children. The oldest is grown and in pilot training with the Air National Guard. That didn't stop him from being here to participate. Last year there a couple that were sick, but this year all 9 were outside our front door to sing "Angels We Have Heard On High" and "Joy to the World". As if that isn't enough, they always give us a plate of cookies. I should have videoed, but I did take a picture.

So snap a shot of what's happening in your life this week and post it HERE. Hey, I won last week, so that means you could win this week, plus I highly recommend that you pop around to each entry's blog. It's always inspiring.

A Second Entry for December's Anything Goes at Phindy's Place

Much to my surprise and probably yours too, I'm back with a second entry for the Phindy's Place Challenge Blog's Anything Goes with a Phindy's Place image. I really didn't have time to make another card, but then Cec challenged us to create a card with this newest of images from the Phindy's Place Store called Bird Tree. How could I not take up the challenge(especially after seeing the image and seeing a tree made using the branch punch on a card).  The two just went together. The image is colored with Copics.

The tree was cut out with the Sissix Christmas tree die and then covered with branches using different shades of green using my Martha Stewart Fir Branch punch and my Martha Stewart bird punch.

The papers are from two different digital designers. The tree paper is from Lily Bimbles Woodland Kit from My Grafico and the plaid paper is from Shery K Designs Christmas 6 pack. Need to get this posted on the blog before time runs out. I'm loving the way this card turned out.

First Week Anything Goes With Phindy's Place

This is the first week of the month and on the Phindy's Place Challenge Blog, that means one thing - ANYTHING GOES as long as you use a PHINDY'S PLACE image. It's definitely my favorite challenge week of the month. The sad part to this is that I think this week, I'm only going to be able to get one card made for the challenge.

I jumped on this image when it first appeared on the Papercraft Planet site. She's called Favorite Cuddle, and I couldn't wait until Easter to make a card with her. In fact, I've had her colored for over a week, just haven't had time to get her into a card form. This afternoon, I prioritized and got this card made before returning back to the chore of decorating my house for Christmas. Be sure to check out all the adorable images over at the Phindy's Place Store.

The papers are all from my stash box, so I have no idea from whence that came. I saw a card somewhere with the best carrot sentiment, but I didn't write it down and I can't remember or find it. Therefore no sentiment as of yet. Perhaps I'll come across it soon .

In the meantime, I think if I don't do the decorating, it just isn't going to happen. At least I have the tree up.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

The challenge this week on Sassy Cheryl's Challenge Blog is to create a winter themed project. Well today instead of decorating for Christmas(I did at least get all the decorations moved from TM to the garage), I had to go out to TM and do a little crafting. I worked on my Open House invitation first and I think it would qualify for a Winter Theme project since it is after all an invitation to a Christmas Open House and I did use a Sassy Cheryl pre-colored image called Better Not Pout.

However, it's not what I'm entering in the challenge. Instead I'm using this image from the Sassy Cheryl's Store called Cup of Cocoa. See, I tend to agree with her. Instead of being out in the cold, it's better to enjoy a hot cup of cocoa inside. I've paper pieced the chair, pillow and throw, and colored my little friend with Copics. Every little girl should have at least one red velveteen Christmas dress with matching shoes. I have to say it wasn't cold when I was working on this. In fact with the lighting in TM, it was more like a sauna.

The background papers are from a digital kit Christmas 6 from Shery K Designs. If you haven't checked out her papers, you really should. Her prices are very reasonable, and she has sales on a regular basis, along with lots of freebies in SVGs and clip art.

Tomorrow it's supposed to rain, so maybe now that I have the den vacuumed(and my challenge card finished), I will at least get the Christmas tree up and decorated. I need Cathy's magic elf. If you know of one, please send him my way. I'm really missing my BFF's daughter who used to come do my decorating, but alas she's moved 2.5 hours way.

Anything Goes Wrap Up at Tiddly Inks

The month of November was Anything Goes on the Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog. Yes I know it's December, but the last challenge was a two week one. I was a bit busy last week and didn't get a card made. Am I ever glad that I waited. Yesterday Christy released new images inspired by her niece, the real Lily Claire, in a bear coat called Little Somethings. The new images are wonderful so be sure to check them out at the Tiddly Inks Store especially since there's a sale on right now.

As you may know I have a grandson that I affectionately call MonkeyMoo, so needless to say the image "Little Monkey" really spoke to me. I've colored him with Copics. Since I plan on scrapping for MonkeyMoo, I've been collecting monkey papers. Since I couldn't pick A paper, I opted for two cards.

The papers are all from Reminisce. The papers from the first card are from a paper pack called Simply Fun, and the other papers were individual sheets. I used my MTC software to create the cut file for the bananas and cut them out with my Black Cat Cougar. The sentiment was added to the image using Photoshop..

I can't wait to create cards with the other new images.

SMT #54

Well here it is Thursday again and time for a nosey in everyone's workspace or life.Why you ask? Because Sassy Cheryl has a blog, and she's a nosey parker just like me. For showing what's going on in your life, you can be entered for a chance for a free Sassy Cheryl image. Now why wouldn't you want to participate?

I can't believe it's the 1st of December. This year has gone by way too fast. Do you remember thinking as a child that life was at a stand still, and 24 days to Christmas sounded like forever? Well let me tell you, the older you get the faster it goes, and 24 days is the blink of an eye. I'm scared to make a list of all I've got to get done between now and then too.

I try not to make plans that are too firmly set in stone, because they have a tendency to change. My BFF who will and has come to my aid more times than I can mention, called me on Sunday to ask what I was doing this week. I said not too much, which opened the door for a project(she's famous for projects, just ask her DH). She is a phenomenal hostess and loves giving parties. December is like one non-stop event for her. She has a both a house and a 2 bedroom guest house that she uses for hostessing her parties.  She decorates both for Christmas, and there will be at least one party a week out there(if not more) from now up until Christmas. It used to be everything was done with crystal, silver and china when she had them at the house. Since the coming of The Honey House(name of the guest house because it's where they used to store the sugar for the apiary they ran), it's a little more casual but still fully decorated.

So you're sitting there asking yourself, what does that have to do with the price of eggs in China and specifically SMT.  Well here's what. She decorates the Honey House with Snowmen. Last year I made her a Merry Christmas for her table that was done in blues and Snowflakes. This year she wanted tablecloths for the card tables with a blue background and white snowflakes. She called on Sunday remember, and she didn't have the fabric and neither did I and neither did our Walmart. Thankfully my neighbor and I had planned an outing for lunch on Monday, and instead of going to Starkville, we adjusted location to Tupelo where we had access to Hancock's, JoAnn's and Hobby Lobby to look for the fabric. Fortunately after no success at Hancock's, little success at JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby had the PERFECT fabric and almost a whole bolt. Needless to say, I bought every bit of it. So here are the pictures of how my day was spent yesterday. I made 8 card table cloths and two bigger cloths with a white border. I started after lunch yesterday and finished about 10 last night.

starting the process of cutting out the cloths for the card tables

Card table all set up and ready for food

The two wooden tables had to have a white border added to them, but this is the setup for 3 of the tables.

This is the main table. You can see the Merry Christmas I did last year, that I think inspired the need for the tablecloths. The table is made from a bowling alley lane and trimmed in walnut. Her DH built it along with being totally responsible for turning a concrete block building into this phenomenal guest facility for family and friends.