Button and Bow

Submitted to Christmas Card Challenge 52

Today was such a fun day!  Looking down at my hands, they are inky, covered in mod podge and even burned in places from hot glue. I must have been crafting all day!  The cards I created for this challenge were done with a triple stamping method.  The stamps are from Unity, and the twine is from Timeless Twine.  The challenge called for paper piecing. I'm not entirely sure what that is but.....I did this. :)

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)

Little Blue Dress

Submitted to Little Scrap Pieces: Fun "Black" Friday Challenge

On Black Friday, Little Scrap Pieces asked us to use black in our cards. I don't "celebrate" black Friday.....the last thing I'd ever want to do is go shopping in a crazy atmosphere, but I can celebrate it if I'm crafting!  Here's the card I made:

I love that stamp from Unity! The cardstock I used this time is black (for the challenge).  The rest is mostly from scraps.

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)

Authentique Candle

Submitted to Authentique November Color Challenge

I love making these candle holders. They are made from clothespins and tuna cans. The paper used for this one is from the Authentique Genuine collection. The flower was made by UmWow Studios.

 

I used TH alcohol ink in Caramel to get the clothespins to be the brown in the color palette chosen. The papers already fit right in!


Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)

Holiday Bag and Tag

Tag submitted to Basic Grey Challenge #82 - Tag for Your Presents
Bag submitted to Tuesday's Alchemy Challenge #41 - Anything But a Card

I'm making my own gift bags for the holidays out of brown paper lunch bags. For these challenges, I used Basic Grey Nordic Holiday paper.  The trim is from Webster's pages, and the twine is from Timeless Twine.

I haven't quite figured out how to attach that tag.  Any ideas?

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)

Owl Love Him

Submitted Unity Stamp Co Fall Challenge

Recently, Unity Stamp Company had a really terrific sale.....50% off everything!  Wahoo!  If you bought $60 worth of stamp, you got a really great snowflake stamp set free!  Wahoo!  I took the opportunity to get some Unity stamps I've been wanting.  Great deal!  Unity challenged us to make a Fall card.  For this challenge, I used one of my new stamps and browns for papers (i.e. Fall colors).

The sentiment (that's stamped on the tag below the owl), reads "I love my wise guy."  I think I'll tape a gift card to Fox and Goose on the back and surprise my husband "just because..."  Fox and Goose is a FABULOUS English Pub in Sacramento.  My husband and I love going there for breakfast...

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)

Camping Cows

Submitted to Scrapbook Steals - MidWeek Mojo - Coral 9

Last week, for Scrapbook Steals, Coral 9, I scrapped the first page of a two-page lay-out.  This week, I did the second page.  The paper is from a BG warehouse sale.  I love the Scrapbook Steals Mid-Week Mojo Challenges.  So fun....and since I want to do all of the Coral lay-outs, it keeps me motivated to do some actual scrapbooking! 

On this camping trip with some friends, we went to Dillons Beach. The campground is in the middle of a cow pasture.  At night, these huge animals come right into the campground (leaving "behind" some presents - get it?  Behind!)  In the morning, they were still in our campground when we got up.  They leave after people really start moving. In the picture on the left side, that cow is probably only 20 feet away from Matt!

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)

Baby, It's Thanksgiving!

Cards submitted to Paper Girls Challenge #20 (first set of cards) and
Clear It Out - Ugly Sweater Challenge (second set of cards)

Baby, it's Thanksgiving!  I am most thankful for the wonderful people in my life.  My family is awesome, my friends are terrific and my crafty online friends are superbly talented.  All are incredibly supportive of me....and I am grateful.

Paper Girls challenged us to make winter or Christmas themed cards. I used a Unity stamp and some EP Winter Wishes Paper on the cards that are on the top half of the picture of Christmas cards below. 

Clear It Out challenged us to use up some old, ugly paper.  There's no such thing as ugly paper!  I bought the Bo-Bunny paper for the cards a few years ago.....and didn't like it much, but I think it's super cute with this card....now, I want more!  LOL!

Here's both sets of cards!

I love that sentiment, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with this stamp!!  My final news:  During a Unity Stamp Company sale recently, I splurged a little a got a bunch of new Unity stamps that I've been wanting.  Check out my new stamps! 

Who's a HAPPY GIRL?!  I am!

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)

Winter Mini-Album

Crop Chocolate's owner has started a new venture - called Instructagram (or IG for short).  They are holding a contest for mini-albums. The winner gets a new Cameo.  I couldn't resist trying....  I really like how my mini turned out!  I'm so glad I did this mini!  It'll be out for the holidays this year and for many years to come!

For complete instructions and all the products I used, click on the IG link below.

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)

CUTE Gift Bag

Submitted to Timeless Twine - November Challenge - It's a Wrap

Cute, cute, cute! Even if I do say so myself (hahaha)!  Timeless Twine asked us to make a gift package. I used a brown paper lunch bag to create a gift bag for the candle holders I'm giving away. I used Authentique Festive collection paper and some Stampin' Up green to create the tree. I used Webster's pages trim and (of course) Timeless Twine in red (around the tree and the bows) and in brown (for the tree trunk). I purchased this twine from Real Mom's deals - which hasn't seemed to do another deal since then.....  I only have red, brown, black and light green - NEED more colors... Soon!

The candle fit perfectly inside. I love this festively cute bag!

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)

BG Candle Holder

Submitted to Basic Grey Challenge #81 - Swirls, Scallops and Stitches

I made another clothes-pin, tuna-can candle holder. This time, I used some paper I got from a Basic Grey Warehouse sale box.  What a GREAT deal this was - chock full of fabulous BG papers, embellishments and project packages.  It's so much fun to play with this paper!  The paper used in this project was from Kioshi and Basics. Basic Grey challenged us to use swirls, scallops and stitches.  The swirls are on the left-side with the feather, the scallops are in the hearts on the right side and I added some stitched ribbon. The flower is from UmWow Studios.

I'm making these candle holders for holiday presents, and I have another 4 or 5 to go, so I love that these challenges are there to motivate me and to make them different.  Fun!

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)

Camping with Friends

Submitted to Scrapbook Steals - Midweek Mojo - Coral 8

About a month ago or so, Matt and I went camping with some good friends out at Dillons Beach. It was an adults only adventure, and we had a fantastic time.  Love taking some time out just to be hanging with friends.....  I used Coral 8 as an opportunity to do the first page of the lay-out for this camping trip.







I used papers from Basic Grey that I got in a warehouse sale recently.  LOVE BG!

  

Just LOOK at all this fabulous product I got for  CHEAP CHEAP price!

 

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)

Black and White Candle Holder

Submitted to Tuesday's Alchemy Challenge #40 - Anything Goes

Tuesday's Alchemy said ANYTHING GOES.  Love these challenges!  I made a tuna can / clothespin candle holder.  I'm making a bunch of these because I'm giving some away as holiday presents! This  one uses Echo Park Winter Wishes and Amy Tangerine Sketch papers. The ribbon is from Webster's pages and the embellies are from UmWow Studios. I inked up the embellies with TH silver distress stain.  I love the shimmery effect!

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)

Love Christmas Trees

Submitted to Kaboodle Doodles Challenge #145 - Use Plaid (First image on this post)
and to Scrap It Girl November Tree Challenge (Second image on this post)


I love Christmas - Love Love Love it!  And I love Christmas Trees. I've been crafting most of this Veteran's Day weekend.  Yesterday, I went to card class with the lovely and talented Sharon teaching. She showed us how to make these cute and simple trees using scalloped circles. This card uses plaid paper for the background and fits right into the challenge for Kaboodle Doodles.

I made a couple more cards using the Authentique Festive paper and my new TH Winter embossing folders.  Such a pretty card and so easy!

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)

Stapler Thanks

Submitted to Paper Girls Challenge #19 - Thank you

Paper Girls challenged us to create something with thanks as the theme. Today is the observed Veterans Day, so I made a thank you card that I'll send off to Operation Write Home.  Today I am grateful for the veterans in my life - my husband (Matt), my brother (Jay), and my grandpa (Russ). I am also thankful for all veterans who have served our country with honor.

The card is made with EP Winter Wishes and Amy Tangerine Sketch collections. I also used a Unity stamp from their stamp-of-the-week club. I colored it with Spectrum Noir markers. I added a bitty blossom, glitter brad, some gold staples and a little of the Webster's Pages netting.

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)

Holiday Ornament

Submitted to Anything But a Card Challenge 6 - A Stitch in Time

Anything But a Card challenged us to do anything but a card using something about time and/or stitches.  I cut up the mat board from a picture frame I'm no longer using and covered it Authentique Festive Paper.  I cut a little red flower and added some bling and some ribbon to hang it. My time element is the calendar paper on the front that is cut from the package flyer that shows the papers inside. Waste not!  I added a little Websters Pages netting as a bow.  I love my first attempt at an ornament!

 

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)

Stocking Die

Submitted to Shopping our Stash Challenge #76 and to Clear it Out - Anything Goes

Shopping our Stash challenged us to use a product that we just had to have because it was on sale.  Ha ha ha, so many to choose from.  A few weeks ago, I was at Michael's and had a 40% off coupon that was expiring that day.  I wandered around and didn't find ANYTHING that I felt like I had to have but also wanted to use the darned coupon!  I decided on the Sizzix holiday dies.  There is a stocking, holly, a christmas tree and word-art for Joy.

Clear it Out challenged us to do anything - with Red.  I love the stockings because they just pop (both literally and figuratively) off the page!

Here's the card that I came up with using the stocking and the Joy dies.  The paper is just plain old brown paper with the hearth part covered by washi-tape paper.  The "fire" is the wing of my bird punch.....

 

I have glitter everywhere from that glitter paper!  I'll have to de-glittify my whole crafty area!  

Craftily yours,

Karen

No Pain Holiday Cards

Submitted to Chick Challenges #48

I recently ordered a Unity stamp (or five!!!) that I've been wanting for a long time.  I decided to try to make a dent in my holiday cards today. I had purchased some new alcohol ink pens (Spectrum Noir - half the cost of Copic.....but not quite a nice.....).  I used them to color in the penguin below.  The paper is Winter Park by EP. 

I really like how it turned out, so I made eight of them!  The glimmer paper on the bottom is embossed with the TH holiday embossing folder.  I love the swirls!

I love this image and am so glad I finally bought it!

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)

After - My Craft Area

Submitted to Scrapbook Steals Mid-Week Mojo - Coral 7

A couple weeks ago, I decided it was time to organize my crafty space a little.  I had a mess.  Check it out HERE! I based my LO for my second "after" page on the sketch to the right.  I used the same CTMH papers as I had on the mess before. :)








And here's what I came up with!

The blank spot is because I'd forgotten to print out a picture of my dear husband putting together the Expedit.  I LOVE LOVE the Expedit and LOVE LOVE that my stuff is off the floor!  And note, I have a blank spot in the Expedit....hey I can get some more STUFF!  ha ha ha

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)

Home Cards

Submitted to Crop Chocolate's Challenge #38 - Home is Where the Heart Is


Project instructions and products used for this post can be found by clicking the Instructagram link below. The cards (that I'll be giving to Operation Write Home) are pictured here:

Craftily yours,
Karen (karey2005)

A Soft Candle Holder

Submitted to Shopping Our Stash Weekly Challenge 75 - Flowers in 3D

So I did another candle holder.  I'm making a bunch for holiday gifts.  This one is made with some brown pattern paper scrap and MME So Savvy blue and green.  I added some Websters trim and some embellies from UmWow.  The 3D flower is also from UmWow!  Love this version!  The colors are so soft....

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)