Lady Anne's Progressive Christmas Challenge - March

Hello Blogging Friends!

I hope you had a great week and are ready for an even better weekend!  I am back today with another challenge from Lady Anne's Progressive Christmas Challenge !

So what is the Progressive Christmas Challenge you ask?

If you want to join in, just send Laurian an email at christmasprogressive@mail.com  with your email address.  Then she will send you the 2 free images and then the fun begins.  All you have to do is make a card/s with one or both of the images to get the next month’s free images. She also asks that all participants link their posts to the sponsor as well as to Lady Anne’s.

This will be a monthly challenge so you will have plenty of time to complete your projects. If you miss a month or join in at a later date, you will be able to buy in for only £1, using the PayPal button in the side bar of the challenge blog. Only those who participate in the challenge will get the next month’s free digis.

Lady Anne has a few different challenges running and you have a month to enter!  So get some free images, get started on your Christmas cards and come share them with us!

Our sponsor this month is Anji's Antics

Ok so now to the card, the reason you are here right? The image is a fluffy little snowman and was generously provided by Anji's Antics.  I printed the image on cryogen paper and colored it with my copics.  I cut out the image with Spellbinders Circle die cut and framed it with some burlap.  The background papers are by My Minds Eye and the sentiment on the outside is by Magnolia.  I added some ribbon from The Pink Petal a snowflake some pearls and twine.

I used chipped sapphire distress ink and walnut stain around the image.   I also added liquid applique to the hat and gloves with some extra glitter.  This little snowman has gotten a bit dirty, but I think he will be ok.  It goes along with the distressed look of the card.

Copics used:

B91, B93, B95, B97, C3, C7, C9, E71, E74, E77, YR61, YR68

The inside sentiment is by Stampabilites. 

 Lady Anne has a few different challenges running and you have a month to enter!  So get some free images, get started on your Christmas cards and come share them with us!

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps - Make your Mark

Christmas at Sweet Stampin - No Red & No Green

Craft Door Magazine - Anything Goes

Tuesday Alchemy - Anything Goes

Love to Create - Anything Goes

Pause Dream Enjoy - Anything Goes
Challenges 4 Everybody - Anything Goes
ABC Christmas - Felt or fabric

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Blessings until next time...
Athina

{PIN}spirational Challenge # 38

Hello Friends!

I have two posts for you today so make sure you scroll down to see the second post.  

Well, you ask what the {PIN}spirational challenges are?  Each week the challenge is to look at a picture and make a creation inspired by the picture.  So this week the image is snowmen in a glass dish.  Ummmm, so many possibilities with this cute image!

The sponsor this week is Dilly Beans.

Dilly Beans was kind enough to share some digi images with us to create this week.  I picked the two snowmen with a birdhouse.  I colored them up with my copics and matted him using Spellbinders postage stamp die.  I am not sure who the background paper is by, it  was found in my stash. I added some perfect pearls and Tim Holtz distress ink around the image to add some color and texture.  The snowflake is cut out of a sizzix waffer thin die and I attached it with a little brad.  The card is actually a gate fold card and the snowflake is used to hold down the image and keep the card closed.

Copics used:

 Snowmen:  B60, W1, 0

Scarfs:  BG72, BG75, BG78

Hearts:  W5, R59

Birdseed:  E30, E31, E35

Bird House:  E71, E74, E77, W1, W3, W5

Hat:  W3, W5, W7

Noses:  YR12, YR15, YR18

The inside I used MME paper and cardstock.  I embossed the snowman using white embossing powder.  The snowman image is by Stampers Anonymous.   The sentiment is by Brother And Sister Designs.

Ok, it is your turn.  Take another look at the  picture and head over to {PIN}spirational Challenges to play along with us. 

 We will be taking a short break after this challenge, but will be back with more fun on January 8 with a new challenge!

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:

Robyns Fetish - Snowman

Emergency Crafters -Deck the Halls

Raise the Bar - Let it Snow

Stampin for the Weekend - Let it Snow

Dutch Dare - Snowflakes

Dilly Beans - Non Traditional Christmas Colors

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings until next time....

Athina

Snow Girl!

Hello Blogging Friends!

Well the Christmas season is now upon us!  I have a bit of a different post for you today.  No stamps used, no ink, no paper!  I hope you don't mind the stamping interruption.

On Thanksgiving Eve our church has an annual auction.  I always try to participate in some way, whether donating or buying.  This year, I donated this cute little Snow Girl.  The pattern is by Sparkle N Spirit.  I used to make a lot of these to sell at craft shows a few years ago and they went like hot cakes.  I must say, it is much more expensive to make one of these cute little things on the spur of the moment.

Materials used:
Body:  Warm & Natural Batting
Dress, Bow & Scarf:  Homespun material
Jacket:  Fleece
Muffs, Jacket Trims & Ear Muffs:  White fleece
Misc:  Trims, moss, snowflake buttons, bells, lace trim, stuffing, buttons, embroidery floss and lots of hot glue
Pattern:  Sparkles N Spirit

I want to take a moment to wish all my blog followers a very Merry Christmas season.  Remember to take time to slow down and enjoy it.  The gifts aren't that important, but spending quality time with your family is.

Thank you for stopping by,

Blessings until next time...

Athina

Jingle-balls!

Hello!

A few days ago we were up in the 80's.  For March that is very unusual, so I thought we needed something to cool us down.  Well it has worked, the high for today is around 55.  We are having some crazy March weather around us.  But very thankful for the warmer days that we can get outside and enjoy some sunshine.

I used the distressing technique on this card to give it an older feel.  All DP is by MME.  The snowflake was cut out on the cricut and then I used liquid applique and heated it with a heat gun.  After it puffed up, I airbrushed it with blue copics to match the card.  The white stood out entirely too much on a distressed card.  The image is by Whipper Snapper (Jingle-balls).  Isn't the little guys teeth on the right adorable?  Love it!  After coloring the cute little guys with copics, I went back and used flowersoft mixed with glitter for snow underneath them and on the hat of the right snowguy.

Copics used

I would like to enter this in the following challenges

Christmas Stampin - Anything goes

Fun With Shapes and More - Stripes

The Poodles Parlour - Anything Goes

Stampin Fort the Weekend - Anything Goes

Create Me Pink - Tear it up

Crimbo-crackers - Cute

Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes

Divas by Design - Distress it

Whimsy Inspires - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by today!

Have a fantastic week!
Until next time.
Athina

Brrr....

Hello out in Cyber land!

I have been working on those challenge goals for this year. So far so good. I am entering this card into a few challenges you can find below.

I used MME papers to get my colors started. This poor little snowman is down and out by Whipper Snapper. Poor guy looks like he is have such a bad day. Hopefully the little birdie will help him out.

Copics Used:

Snowman & Snow: B0000, B00, 0
Hat & Shoes: BV23, BV25, BV29
Scarf: BG11, BG72, BG78
Bird: B21, B24, B26
Twigs: E57
Noses: YR68, YR65, E97

I added some flowersoft combined with glitter to add some textured snow underneath and on top of this little guy. I thought the snow added a bit of a chill to the card.

About a year ago, I read in a Magnolia Ink magazine how to create this little snowflake and make him stand out a bit. So here is how I did it...
1. Cut out any snowflake out of white cardstock.
2. Apply liquid applique on the snowflake. Add some glitter if you wish.
3. Heat the liquid applique with a heat gun. It will begin to puff. Heat until all the liquid is dried.
4. Top with a gem in the middle.

Now you have yourself a dimensional snowflake.


As I mentioned I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Let's Ink it Up - Anything Goes #19
Gingerloft Challenge - GL32 Let it Snow
Christmas Card Challenge - Week #8
Sunday Sketch & Stamp #90
Scrap Biz Copics Challenge #35 Frosty, Icy, Cold Projects

I hope you enjoyed the card today! Stay warm!

Thank you for stopping by. Your kind comments are always appreciated!

Until next time!
Athina

Snowman Candy!

Good Evening,
It snowed here last night, so today it is fitting to look at the snowman candy bar wrappers.  I downloaded the paper pattern from Laurie
http://lauriefurnell.blogspot.com/2008/11/snowman-freebie.html

Print the paper pattern off and cut to size.  Wrap the candy bars and glue shut.
For the hats,
Cut strips of fabric in six inch strips.
Fold over the strips (the wrong side of the fabric will be showing) to make them 3 inches.
Stitch to close the fabric.
Then cut them into 5 inch pieces.  Your piece will be 3x5.
 You turn the 5 inch piece inside out and turn the bottom up two times to make the hat rim.
Take some twine and tie it around the middle of the hat and tie in a button.
Cut slits in the hat to finish the hat.
You can tie fleece or twine around for the scarf.

It has been a busy week with more to come.  I have a bazar at work on Friday that I hope to sell these in.  Everyone stay warm and enjoy the magic of the holiday season!

Blessings until next time!
Athina

Holiday Miracles

Happy Sunday Everyone in Blog Land!

The weather is a bit chilly today, so what better day to post this little snowman from Whipper Snapper! His name is Think Snow-Man! I have told myself that I would get some projects done to donate for a church auction since the beginning of the year.  Well the auction is on Wednesday and this is all I have to show for the year of thinking.  I made a total of six of these and packaged them up in hopes that someone will find a good home for them this holiday season.

I am a bit excited about the image as I have been looking at Zoe's work from Make it Crafty http://www.makeitcrafty.com.au/crafts-blog.  She is absolutely amazing!  I read an article of hers in the latest issue of Magnolia Ink and she shows how to use the gray tone copics for shadowing.  I have been doing this all along with the prisma pencils.  Well today, I am proud to say that I only used the pencils for the outline to make him stand out a bit.  All the image shading is done with the gray tones!!! I was so excited.  I guess that means I need more gray copics, good thing Christmas is coming =-).

Now for the details:
I used craft paper as the card base, I love the warm feel of that brown.  The paper is by My Minds Eye, both the striped and tree papers.  The image is Whipper Snapper, sentiment is Magnolia and the lacy border around the image is a Spellbinders die.  I embossed some snowflakes randomly around the snowman to give it some extra texture. I finished it off with some twine.

Copics:
Nose:  E97, YR65, YR68
Arms:  E31
Shoes:  E31, E37, E57
Trim:  W1, W3, W5
Coat & Hat:  T1, R83, R85, W1, W3, W5
Bell:  E97, E99
Scarf:  YG93, YG95, YG97; E30, E31, E34

Now for the inside:
The sentiment is by Printworks Collection.  The snowflakes were cut with a Tim Holtz Alterations Die.  I added a bit of shimmer to the snowflakes by embossing.

Finally, I packaged six of them up and made a little tent topper to make them a bit more presentable.  I stamped the inside sentiment on a tag for people to see.

Now that this project is done, I am off to color some more and practice some pleats and shading with the grays!  I hope you have a fantastic day!

Thanks for looking!  Your comments are always appreciated.

Until next time.....

Athina

Warm Snowy Hug

Good Evening!

Thank you for stopping by.  I did get a few cards done this weekend, so I have something to post!  I had fun with this one!  Not your normal card.  I used copics and prisma pencils to color the image by Magnolia.  The sentiment is by Stampabilities.  The postage mark is by Paper inspirations.

Here is the detail:

Paper is by Basic Gray (not MME this time).  I used canvas as the background to the image and frayed the canvas to give it a rough look.  The image is sewn onto the canvas and then Tim Holtz Straw distress ink around the edges.  I used flower soft and glitter under the snowman and on his broom.  The postage circle was dipped into distress ink and perfect pearls for a shimmer before stamped.

Copics:
Pants:  E30, E31, E35
Coat & Hats:  T1, R27, R24, R89
Skin:  E000, E00, E11, R20

Shoes:  E29, E39, E35

Hair:  E21, E25, E29
Snowman:  0, W1, W2
Broom:  E50, E53, E55, E57
Buttons: W5, W7, W9
Nose:  E08, E97, E19

The inside is Basic Gray & Cosmo Cricket paper sewn together.  The sentiment is stamped on a cut out by Spellbinders, inked with Tim Holtz Distress ink.

Thanks for stopping!  I hope you have a fantastic nite!

Country Snowman

Happy Friday!  Boy, this week sure has gone fast.

I have not had much time to work on my cards and stamping, but I can say that the van is finally painted.  Hubby is now distressing it to make it look old.  I will have to post some pics once it is complete.  He is doing an awesome job!

I digress, let's get to today's card.

I used a snowman stamp by High Hopes and colored it with copics and prisma pencils.

Copic colors used:
Snowman:  W1, W2, 0
Bird:  B21, B24, B26
Hat:  E30, E31, E35, E37
Scarf:  G20, G21, G24, G28
Sweater:  E30, E31, E35, W5, W7, G21, G24, G28, B91, B95, B97, B99
Gloves:  E31, E37, E57
Hearts:  E07, R24, R29
Nose:  YR12, YR15, YR18

The snowflake is actually 2 different snowflakes cut by the cricut.  I put puffy paint on them and heated them with a heat gun to give it texture.  Then I put some stickles on for shine with a gemstone in the middle.    I bet you can't guess who the paper is????  My Mind's Eye.

The inside circle is cut with spellbinders die and a bit of perfect pearls around the edge.

Have a great weekend everyone!
Thank you for looking!