52 {C}CT March Colour Challenge

Welcome to our second 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown in March and that means it's time for a Colour Challenge.  Our hostess for the month Patricia Hays has picked 6 lovely colours.You can use some or all of them but you must choose at least three.  That's easy as  these colours allow you to go traditional or modern.

The plan was to use all 6 colours to make something simple and modern. Then, this happened: I was surrounded by flowers and leaves. Must be my inner hankering for spring So, here is my hole-y Christmas offering for this week's challenge:

No patterned papers here. I'm using poinsettias Clearly Besotted's Pretty Poinsettia
and leaves from Leafy Accents to fill the card front. The inks are: VersaColor Scarlet
and Cardinal for the flowers; Memento Northern Pine and Bamboo Leaves for the 
leaves. (Looking at this picture now, I probably should have used VersaColor
Tropical Green instead. )

I cut a window using SB Circle, arranged the poinsettias around it to form
a wreath, added a yellow bling in the middle of each and filled the space around
with lots and LOTS of greenery. 

Here's the inside. The greeting is also from Pretty Poinsettia, stamped with 
VersaFine Black Onyx.

Here are some challenges for this little festive wreath:


Brown Sugar #84: Make It Sparkle - bling in the middle
Completely Christmas #2: AG Christmas
Christmas Stampin'All Year Long #1: AG & A Photo Inspiration
Craftitude Challenge #60: AG or Add A Little Green
Challenges and Candies #29: Flowers
Bloggers Challenge #7: Fabulous Florals
Sister Act Challenge #47: AG card only

Now it's your turn to create a festive card using this week's Colours. In order to be considered for Top Honour and Honourable Mentions your card must follow this week's theme and you must link it to the 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown Challenge Blog by 6pm GMT / 1pm EST on Friday, 14 March. And here's the most important rule: Have Fun!

Thanks for stopping by today, my friends and enjoy the weekend! But before you go, I'd like to share a little secret. You can read all about it here. If you see me with a silly smile on my face ... you know why!

Beijinhos!

Polka Doodles #10: Mum's The Word

What?! Friday already? Well I'm glad the week is over. It has been a hectic and stressful one. My mailbox (and my conscience) is groaning under the weight of unread messages. My current (and most reasonable to date) goal is to keep it under 300...and save the rest for the weekend.

Ok, enough moaning! Here's the real reason for this post: a brand new Polka Doodles challenge! We're done playing with Sugar and Spice and (oh-my-word!) what gorgeous entries we've had. Tough job ahead for the DT. Picking a winner is not going to be easy. I predict many hours of squabbling among these refined ladies....woo hoo!

Let's see what you can do with this fortnight's theme: Mum's the Word. As the theme suggests, we want you to create a project for your mother or any other special lady in your life... aunt, grandmother, sister, godmother, stepmother, mother-in-law.

My project for this challenge is a commission from my 4 year old goddaughter. She describes her mummy as "soft and cuddly, warm like the sun and prettier than all the flowers in the garden". Tall order, but I found all I needed from various CDs: Bunny and ticket tags from Cherryblossom Lane, background paper from Bonbon Belles, vertical floral panel from Sugar Birdies and the layered blossom from Dolly Daydream Girl Talk.

I think she'll be pleased with the card....I hope!

I'm keeping the design simple. She is only 4 after all... the little girl,
not her mummy! I added the trellis as her mother is a keen gardener and 
thereare quite a few in their yard.

"My mummy is soft and cuddly, warm like the sun and prettier
than all the flowers in the garden". I think this bunny from the
Cherry Blossom Lane CD is  perfect. I coloured her with Promarkers.
and finished her with little dots of Daffodil Liquid Pearls.

I'm leaving the inside blank. The little little girl is quite the chatterbox!

Some challenges for this project:

Tuesday Morning Sketches #239: Sketch
Scrapping 4 Fun #12: Flowers
I Love Promarkers #209: One For The Girls - must use Promarkers
Crafting By Design: Anything Goes in March
C.R.A.F.T #249: Mother's Day / Female
Word Art Wednesday #122: AG Inspirational / Uplifting
Just Inspirational: Flowers

Now it's over to you, my friends. Create a project - it can be any papercraft - based on the theme "Mum's the Word" and link it up over at Polka Doodles Challenge blog by Noon (GMT) March 21. Our randomly picked winner will receive Polka Doodle's brand new Work & Play Collection 1. Not to be missed!!! So hurry and get crafting!

Thank you for stopping by today. And I look forward to seeing your lovely projects.

Beijinhos!

Tuesday Throwdown #185: Tent Topper Card

Well here we are, my friends, for another Tuesday Throwdown challenge. I hope you enjoyed last week's Anything Goes challenge. And as you may have already guessed, we're starting a new one today: Tent Topper Card. It's about time we did something other than the usual squares / rectangles. Here's your chance to flex those creative muscles.

Armed with some delish digis from Robyn's Fetish, the DT has prepared some interesting projects to inspire you. Here's my offering... and I'm sending it to .... wait for it .... my awesome mama! ( I used to say that when I was little to get her to bake me cookies. Wonder if she'll fall for it now?! )

The papers are from Papermania'a Capsule collection in Sunshine & Verde
and lined up so the designs run in continuous vertical lines. I stamped the
sentiment directly onto the patterned paper using VersaFine Black Onyx.

The focal image is sitting on some foam tape with some green gingham
running below it. Extra embellies: yellow bling. 

Here's a close-up of that lovely Sunflower 2. I coloured it with Graph It and
Promarkers and layered it up on SB Scalloped Circles die-cuts, using the same
colours as in the sunflower. 

And on the inside, a little message for my Mama.

Some challenges for this card:

Fan-Tastic Tuesday #25: AG
Through The Purple Haze #31: Use A Digi - sunflower
Paper Nest Dolls Norway #5: Ribbon / Lace - ribbon
STAMPlorations Biweekly #7: Sketch
Stamp & Create March: Ready For Spring
Make It Monday #181: AG
Eureka Stamps #79: AG
Crafting From The Heart #8: AG or Dies / Punches
Lexi's Creations #111: Mother's Day


Now it's your turn, my friends. Create a card based on this week's theme of "Tent Topper". For ideas and inspiration, swing by and take a peek at the of the DT member. Then, link up your project to the Tuesday Throwdown Challenge blog by 3pm PST / 11pm  GMT on Monday, March 10th. And don't forget to have fun!

Thank you for stopping by and I look forward to seeing you in blogland!

Beijinhos!


Late edit: 
To my loyal friends and visitors, 
I haven't been around much since the weekend. A very dear aunt passed away on Sunday and we are all a little distracted at the moment. I will be stopping to visit all of you... in due course. It is not a chore but a welcome comfort to drop in on you... and I do take great joy in seeing your beautiful work and in reading your funny little stories. I don't just look at your pretty pictures, you know! :-) Thank you so much for understanding.

Christmas Card Club #5: Feature A Robin

At the rate I'm churning out Christmas cards, you'd think we're in December already! Don't scoff, my friends, the months are flying by at sonic speed and here we are in March with Easter just around the corner. How did that happen, eh?

Over at the Christmas Card Club, we are busy getting ready for the big day. This fortnight, coven leader, the lovely Margaret is calling the shots with a "Feature A Robin" theme. I'm all for showcasing this beautiful bird and here's my offering:

I made a 5" square card with birdy paper from MME's Snowed In 6x6 pad from 2011.
Please don't judge me for being a paper hoarder! :-) 

That handsome bird is from Chocolate Baroque's Christmas Song. This stamp 
SO gorgeous as is, it really doesn't need much work. I coloured the robin, added
some bling on the ornaments and applied random dots with Silver Sharpie. 

The sentiment is also from the Christmas Song set, stamped with
VersaFine Black Onyx.

Here are some challenges for Little Robin Redbreast:

CHNC #166: Ribbon, Twine, Fibres... Anything in a spool

CHNC Extra March: AG Christmas

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper March: AG with Patterned Paper

Completely Christmas #1: AG Christmas

Sparkles Forum Christmas #38: More Than 3 Embellishments - 3 bling & ribbon

Jelly Park Challenge: Things With Wings

Crafty Calendar March: Animal Antics

Make It Monday #181: AG

That's all from me today. Thank you so much for stopping by and I wish y'all a blessed Sunday. Now go out and play in the sun for a bit!

Beijinhos!

52 {C}CT March Sketch Challenge

Here we are, folks! New month, new challenge and new hostess! Can you handle all this new-ness? I hope so, because we're kicking off the month with a Sketch challenge hosted by our talented Patricia Hays. We also have a little surprise for you this month: Guest Designer Ann Honym of Chez Lady Scrap will be joining us each week.

Enough small talk. It's March already, so let's get on with Christmas! Here's my take on the sketch:

The background paper is from KARS X-Mas Collection. For some festive
sparkle I'm using stars and red bling.

The wreaths and greeting are from Clearly Besotted's Signature Christmas set,
stamped using Brilliance Cottage Ivy, VersaColor Scarlet and VersaFine
Black Onyx.

These simple words describing Christmas are also from the
Signature Christmas set.

I'm playing along with these good folks:

Totally Papercrafts #208: Make It Shine  - stars
ABC Christmas Challenge: D for Die-cuts - die cut wreaths
Fab n Funky #205: Christmas
CHNC Challenge Extra March: AG Christmas
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge March: AG with Patterned Paper
Completely Christmas #1: AG Christmas
Make It Monday #181: AG

Now it's your turn to create a festive card using this week's Sketch. In order to be considered for Top Honour and Honourable Mentions your card must follow this week's theme and you must link it to the 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown Challenge Blog by 6pm GMT / 1pm EST on Friday, 1 March. And here's the most important rule: Have Fun!

Thanks for stopping by today, my friends and enjoy the weekend!

Beijinhos!