Snowman Greetings From Our House to Yours - Lori Whitlock Shutter Card

Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things,

but look at what they can do when they stick together. 

Lori Whitlock svg, designer paper, swirl punch, assorted gens, silver leafing pen,
copics for shading, Cricut Maker, Cricut design space writing feature

Hey there,

Creating cards for my multi-talented card group has always been both a delight and a challenge.  It's so enjoyable making something special for them because I know they'll appreciate my efforts, no matter what I come up with.  But it's also a little daunting designing something special for friends I know are going to fashion their own masterpieces.  This year I have already received Christmas cards from some of my besties and they are nothing less than INCREDIBLE. It seems extra time in the craft room has resulted in some very intricate and elaborate designs.  

While this fairly simple card may not win awards for my most fancy and complex,  I loved creating this Lori Whitlock shutter card because the fold is new to me and it was so easy and fun to create on my Cricut Maker.  I can imagine using this fold for all types of cards and I hope my friends will see the possibilities, also. The sentiment comes from my heart because I'm missing them so much after my recent move.  Although I can't meet with the group as I used to (and they haven't met for months because of covid restrictions) we can still use snail mail to communicate our love and exchange ideas.  I would be lost without my cardmaking buddies and all the blessings they bring! 

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and create something special for a friend to express your love.

Nancy

Playing along with:

Creative Moments Challenge #204

The Sisterhood of Crafters Winter Challenge

The Crafter's Cafe Challenge #257

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge #82

Die Cut Divas Challenge

Do-Al (1) Creatives Challenge #8

QKR Stampede Challenge #410

The Creative Crafters Challenge #35

Joyful Traditions - Lori Whitlock Pop-up Box Card SVG

 And the angel said unto them: Fear not,  for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.      Luke 2:10

Hey there,

The joy and peace of Christmas has meant so much to me this year as I have experienced and witnessed countless miracles as a result of our epic worldwide trial.  I know many of my friends and family are feeling the same way. How about you?  Along with our challenges  (physically, emotionally and spiritually)  many of us have come to realize and appreciate our most precious blessings...those we love.

I had a fabulous time making several of  these festive z-fold cards for friends and family this year. I sized a holiday wreath in Cricut design space to customize this fun Lori Whitlock pop-up box card svg.  I chose this joyful, uplifting greeting and traditional icons to evoke the spirit and beauty of the season. I used the Cricut writing feature to write the sentiment on my panel. 

Although my family can't celebrate in our customary way, I'm finding that Christmas movies,  a colorfully lit tree full of treasured ornaments from years gone by and a blazing fireplace warming my husband  and me as we snuggle in our quilts on the couch go a long way to ignite our Christmas spirits.  Next year at this time, I'm sure we'll all have some inspiring tales of miracles, lessons and adventures, some of which will undoubtedly be much more amusing in hindsight!

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and bring some Christmas joy to someone whose spirit could use a lift. 

Nancy

Playing along with:

Crafty Creations Challenge #416

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge  #214

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #85

Through the Craft Room Door Challenge December 1

 Try it on Tuesday Christmas Sparkle Challenge

 Bitten by the Bug Die-Lirious Holiday Challenge

Make My Monday Challenge #137

White Christmas - La La Land Long Sweater Molli

A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship.

Markus Zusak

 Hey there,

I grew up where white Christmases were anticipated with delight, but living in sunny California for 50 years has made me wimpy about those chilly flakes of fluff.  Sparkling white Christmas  snow is beautiful in my dreams and fun to depict with glitter paper, but I'm not a fan of shoveling it or twirling in my car on icy roads.  I have recently moved from the sunshine state, and while my new home may see an occasional freakish snow flake, I'm thrilled that enormous mounds of snow appear only in my friends' Face Book posts and on my holiday cards. 

I've been wanting to color this darling Long Sweater La La Land Molli with my Copics for a while and when I saw this Lori Whitlock Z-fold svg, I knew Molli needed to frolic on those glittery hills.  I used three different glitter card stocks for both the scene and the snowflakes to create dimension. I cut all the layers on my Cricut Maker and used the writing feature for my sentiment.  My twinkly snowflakes are adorned with clear gem centers.  Z-folds are my favorite to use for all types of scenes because there's so much marvelous real-estate between the folds. 

So many Christmas cards...so little time!

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and make some frosty snow angels...or maybe just dream about them. 

Nancy 

Playing along with:

Aud Sentiment Challenge #265

Fab' N' Funky Challenge #505

The Paper Funday Challenge #24

LeAnns World 101 Challenge #33 

Love to Scrap Challenge #140

Love to Craft Challenge #53

Sweet Stampers Challenge #50

Dream Valley Challenge #238

Holiday Princess - Zan Von Zed Digi

How we spend out days is, of course, how we spend our lives.

Annie Dillard

Hey there,

It's no secret that I love all things magical and mystical.  Coloring fantasy art has always been a true obsession of mine.  I was thrilled and amazed when I recently discovered  Zan Von Zed's incredible digital images.  Much of her stunning art work depicts gorgeous women who look like medieval princesses.  I chose this image to color in Christmas colors  because I thought the ribbon border was perfect for a festive holiday card. 

I edged my finished image with a gold leafing pen and mounted it with mounting tape to a double layered Spellbinders die cut frame. I used pale blue card stock for my 5 x 7 card base. My two-layered  paper poinsettia has gold beads in the center and my leaves are edged with a gold leafing pen.  I used a white Sharpie paint pen for some of the details in my lady's hair  and dress.  The Merry Christmas is a small sentiment stamp.

Nothing is more satisfying than coloring beautiful princesses in my new craft castle, wearing jeans and slippers, while listening to my favorite audio books.  It's great to be Queen. 

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and rule your world with unabashed passion.

Nancy

Playing along with:

DL.Art Challenge #272

 Craft Rocket Challenge #76

Through the Purple Haze #173 - Ribbon, Leaves, Sentiment

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday, - November Challenge

 Arty Divas Challenge #31

Dragonfly Dreams Christmas/Winter

Classic Design Challenge November #11

Creative Craft Cottage Challenge #135

Be as YOU as you can be - Mayumi Ogihara Pansy Digi

You can't control everything.  Your hair was put on your head to remind you of that. 

Hey there,

While looking at some of my latest cards, I realized  I tend to migrate to the same cool blues, lavenders and greens again and again.  I think most people choose their favorite colors often and that's part of their recognizable style.  I decided to break out of my routine for this card and used some bright pinks and yellows.  I think these flowers were meant to be pansies but I went more the plumeria route.  That's one of the best parts of coloring...we can change things to suit our mood and imagination.  I seldom color really light blond hair because it always comes out too flat.   This time I kept my colors light and then added pink, red and yellow highlights to give it dimension.  I like the soft, feminine look I was able to achieve using lighter colors for this pretty lady's hair and eyes.

To frame my fair damsel, I die cut an Anna Griffin 5 x 7 frame from white glitter card stock and used the matching center frame die to cut out my panel.  The panel is then edged with a gold leafing pen and adhered to the frame with dimensional tape.  I used my Cricut Maker cutting and writing features to create the sentiment tag.  I added a few blue pearls to the frame and some white gel pen dots to the flower centers and called it finished. 

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and brighten up your life with all the colors of the rainbow.

Nancy

Playing along with:

A Bit More Time to Craft Challenge #128

Lets Craft and Create Challenge #165

The Creative Crafters Challenge #34

Creative Fingers Challenge #197

Creative Moments Challenge #202

A Perfect Time to Craft

Always Fun Challenge #189

 Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge 2046

Shine - Janna Prosvirina Autumn Fairy Digi

Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go. 

Hey there,

This card makes me chuckle a little every time I look at it, because...what's that squirrel doing in her luscious locks?  Well. she IS a fairy and she is apparently able to attract animals with her mystical charms, so I'll just go with  it.  I love coloring  Janna Prosvirina's art because she creates such incredible images and they are a dream to color with my Copics. This one is lightly pre-shaded, which is s little harder for me to work with, but I was happy with the way she turned out in the end..  The image comes from this adulting coloring book and you can purchase it in Janna's Etsy shop. I'm not affiliated in any way.  I just love her artwork. 

I die cut the intricate Crafter's Companion border  from copper card stock.  The base for the string of gems is an Elizabeth Crafts die that I cut from white glitter paper to accentuate the border.  To add a liitle more texture,  I added white pearl gems, echoing the white gel pen dots in my fae's hair.  I edged my image panel with a gold leafing pen, adhered the border to the back and glued them both to a green 5 1/2 x 5 /1/2 card base.  I die cut the word shine in white glitter paper (three times for dimension) and glued it to my card front.  The "I" in Shine is dotted with a single pearl. 

Anything goes when those magical fall fairies start dancing in the woods by the light of the golden Autumn moon.  Squirrels happen.  

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and allow only friendly well-behaved pets to play in your hair.  You're not a fairy. 

Nancy 

Playing along with:

Through the Purple Haze Challege #173 - Lace/Leaves/Sentiment

Crafty Creations Challenge #415

Creative Moments Challenge #202

Paper Funday Challenge #23
Make My Monday Challenge #135

The Crafter's Cafe Challenge #254

 Crafts Galore Encore November Challenge

Through the Craft Room Door - November 10

We'll Always Be Friends - Digi Doodle Studios Maddy and Molly Digi Stamp

A circle is round, it has no end. That's how long I'm gonna be your friend. 

Hey there,

My new digs are offering some exciting new adventures and amazing discoveries,  but none compare to one of  the biggest perks of my new location..  My dear friend and her darling family moved away from us (and broke our hearts) many years ago, and now to my delight, we're residing in the same fabulous city.  This lovely lady has stunning strawberry tresses and two little dogs that she and her husband spoil shamelessly.  When I saw THIS Digi Doodle Studios image, I knew it was meant for the card I would create to thank her for all the loving assistance she and her hubby offered us during our challenging move. Now, our lunch and shopping dates (masked and socially distanced, of course) are filled with the same laughing and lively chatter we enjoyed when we first met thirty two years ago.

I colored adorable Maddy and her precious dog, Molly, with Copic makers and  created an easel card scene in Cricut Design Space for the grinning duo to relax in.  I backed my card panels with silver foil cardstock and added a matching iridescent flower and silver glitter leaves to accent the cool tones of my color scheme.  Clear gems accentuate the adornments on their stylish coifs.   I was excited to find the perfect sentiment stamp in my stash,

One of my favorite things about crafting is I can create something personal, from my heart,  to express my love to a cherished friend. I'll deliver this one in person after we enjoy a long awaited dinner prepared in my pristine and barely used cozy kitchen.  I plan to have it well broken in by Thanksgiving.  Life is good! 

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and cherish your friends, both of the old and new variety. 

Nancy

Playing along with:

Cute Card Thursday Challenge 659

Little Red Wagon Challenge #574

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #296

Crafty Sentiments November AG

Digi Choosday Challenge Wk 44

Through the Craft Room Door Challenge November 3

Animal Friends Challenge #92

Crafty Creations Challenge #415