Holiday Magic Blog Hop

Here is the link for the "Year of Cards" Techniques blog hop.

Welcome to the 

Holiday Magic Blog Hop

Thank you for joining us for a weekend full of the magic of the Christmas Holidays! Our talented crafters have created all sorts of projects to inspire you and bring the joy of the season into your hearts!

You should have arrived from Sharon. 

If you just happened upon this magical hop, Connie Can Crop is the first stop in this hop. 

This is a one day blog hop and we appreciate you leaving a comment for all of these amazing crafters.

We have an awesome sponsor for this month! 

One lucky winner will win a $21.00 gift certificate to the Bugaboo digital stamp shop to shop their awesome products.

Be sure to visit them online here.

On facebook here.

And their blog here.

What do you need to do to win? Easy... become  a follower of each of the fabulous blogs in this hop and leave each of them a comment letting them know what you like best about their projects.

You will have until 10 pm Sunday to finish the hop and leave your comments.

Winner will be announced on Wednesday 12/14/16

at Connie Can Crop.

Be sure to follow everyone and leave a comment along the way!

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These cards were all quick and simple. I made them using the Cricut Creative Holiday Cards cartridge. Cricut posts cuts each week that you can use for free during that week and these were the ones posted a few weeks back. I make at least 40 cards each year to send to the VA home, so this was a quick and simple way to do it.

I used my embossing folders to emboss the deer and the poinsettia. 

This tree card was made by using double sided paper. The paper has an already embossed design on it and was solid green on one side and green and red striped on the other.

 A touch of glitter glue to add accent to the stockings.

A touch of Liquid Pearls in silver to the ornament tops.

This is a card I just decided to put together. I rescued the flowers off an old card I had made and decided to throw away. I made all the flowers on this card. I love making paper flowers!

I'm not the world's best drawer but every once in awhile I'll try to get artistic. I drew this weird shaped sled a few years back and colored it using colored pencils. It's been sitting in a pile of extras stickers and digital stamps and I decided to finally add it to a card to give a quirky holiday look.

  Thank you for taking the time to go through all my cards and read about them. Merry Christmas to you and yours and all the best in the coming new year!

Up next is Sarah.

Here's our line up in case you get lost:

Connie- http://conniecancrop.blogspot.com/
Shannon H- http://shannonhdesigns.blogspot.com/...
Angela- mermaidsnmonograms.blogspot.com
Christi- https://tranquility1905.blogspot.com/...
Sue- http://suek86401.blogspot.com/
Holli- sunflowerholli.blogspot.com
Ashley-  http://marinewifesscrappinlife.blogspot.com/...
Diana- http://daisylovecreations.blogspot.com/...
Kim- http://katydidcards.com/
Veronica- http://vickyscrappingpassion.blogspot.com/...
Amanda- salnclts76.blogspot.com
Miranda- http://www.nanasscrapspot.com/
Sandy-  http://simplycraftycreationsbysandys.blogspot.com/...
Lisa- http://lisaslittlerascals.blogspot.com/...
Alicia- http://goldengoddessdesigns.blogspot.com/
Sharon- http://piece-ofheart.blogspot.com/
Jearise- http://lorbysworld.blogspot.com/
Sarah-  http://sarahbiswabic.blogspot.com/

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!!!

And don't forget to check out the this month's challenge!!

Connie Can Crop Challenge #53

Baby It's Cold Outside

due 11:59 P.M. Saturday, December 31st

Pacific Time

Give Thanks Blog Hop

'Thank you' is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding. 

Alice Walker

Welcome to the Give Thanks Blog Hop!  You should have arrived from Connie's Blog or if you are lost start at the beginning (Alicia's blog).  As we approach the holiday season, I think it is appropriate we should reflect on things for which we can be thankful.  We can be grateful for the little things and we should be grateful for the big things.  We should take the time to give thanks for all the persons and moments that make our lives so special.  

Sooooo, we would like to say a HUGE THANKS to our sponsor today.

Theresa is giving away a $20 Stampin' Up Gift Certificate to one lucky winner AND

take 10% off any order placed through her (not available on website) by November 30th. 

Email her at scrapsbygracie AT gmail.com with your order. 

All you have to do to win this fabulous prize is comment on each of the blogs.

That's it! It really is easy.  

Of course, we would love it if you became a follower too. 

Comment buttons can be found at the bottom of the post (on most of the blogs).

Now on with the hop!

I am thankful for my family and friends who have always been there for me through good and bad times. I don't tell them enough how much I love them and appreciate them. My life would be nothing without them. 

I also always say God is good and has given me everything I need...a roof over my head, clothes on my back and food in my tummy. 

With that said, I would like to share some of my Thanksgiving projects which I am also thankful for because crafting has become my joy to keep me busy.

My first project is a fall/Thanksgiving lantern from the set: Autumn Decor SVG bundle from Dreaming Tree SVGs online store.

Side view.

Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting below and happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

Up next is (CADA)

Here is the entire line up in case you get lost:

Alicia - http://goldengoddessdesigns.blogspot.com/
Sue - http://suek86401.blogspot.com/
Kim - http://katydidcards.com/
Lisa - http://lisaslittlerascals.blogspot.com/
Amanda - http://salnclts76.blogspot.com
Connie - http://conniecancrop.blogspot.com/
Jearise - http://lorbysworld.blogspot.com/
CADC - http://cardadaychallenge.blogspot.com/
Theresa - http://scrapsbygracie.blogspot.com/

Thanks to each and every one of you for participating!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Acetate and Vellum

Our year of hopping is almost through, if you've not gotten the chance to hop and comment each month, click on the links below to take you to the posts.
 January, February, March, April, May,  June, July, August, September,  and October.

Remember to comment on each blog for each month to be entered into the prize drawing. Each comment on the 12 hops throughout the year will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Blitsy.com or Stampin' Up gift certificate (Winner's Choice).

Now on with the projects. This month it's all about the see through stuff...vellum and acetate.

I started off by making your tradition shaker card. I have made them before but always do something wrong. For once, it turned out right. I used my Cricut to cut some poster board and that was easier than using layers of cardstock I found.

If you would like to make your own shaker card, Crafty.com has a pictorial on how to make three different kinds. I've included the link here: https://www.craftsy.com/blog/2015/03/how-to-make-shaker-cards/

Last but not least, was a card I made using acetate an embossing folder and my Sizzix BIGkick. I have never done this before and have to say that I just love the way it turned out. I used different types of Tim Holtz's distress inks to color the card stock. I used a sponge to blend the colors and then I used the acetate overtop.

If you would like to try the above technique, here is a link to Two Pink Peas that shows you how: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKl7sgTVrSI

I hope you have enjoyed my projects today and now it's time to move on to Sharon.

 We really love feedback, so please leave a comment on each of the blogs in today's hop. Your hop destinations are:

Theresa 
Debbie 
Lisa
Kim
Jearise
Sharon
Claudia
Amanda

A Year of Card Techniques - October

It's month ten of our year long adventure into different card-making techniques, folds and paper crafting techniques. This month's card projects involve a technique called Josephs Coat or Black Magic Technique. It involves clear embossing and lots of inks especially black! Here are some videos to show you how to do these techniques. 

Black Magic Technique
Joseph's Coat 
(these are two different ways to do this technique)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufB0401pSgY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjSDg8lyo1A

This hop started with our hostess Theresa's blog and that's the place to start today, so if you haven't started at the beginning do so. There are lots of great cards being shared today!

We really love feedback, so please leave a comment on each of the blogs in today's hop. Each comment on the 12 hops throughout the year will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Blitsy.com or Stampin' Up gift certificate (Winner's Choice).

Here are the two cards I made using the Joseph's Coat technique. I have more inked paper ready to make more of these cool cards.

I hope you enjoyed today's hop and posted below is the line up just in case you forgot somebody and want to go back. These ladies have done a terrific job and it's worth visiting all the blogs to see their projects.

Theresa
Claudia
Debbie
Lisa
Kim
Jearise

Chalk N Stock October Challenge

Hi All!

Yesterday started the October Chalk N Stock challenge. If you use regular chalk or chalk ink in your crafting, be sure to check out or newest challenge and link up. We would love to see your creativeness.

Today I have two cards I have made as part of the design team for the Chalk N Stock challenge...

Bugaboo Stamps, our sponsor, was used for my digital stamps on both cards.

The cute "ewe" was printed out at around 4 inches high. The face, legs, and fluff was colored using regular pastel chalks. I used metallic markers for the guitar and his hooves. I used chalk ink on the edges of the cut out.

This cute little piggy and his sign were all colored with chalk pastels and ink chalk, again, was used for edging the cut out.

These cards are simple and cute and chalk does such a nice job of coloring. It's not as bright as markers or even colored pencils.

I'll have something Halloween tomorrow so come on back and see what's spooky.

Don't forget to head over the Chalk N Stock and join this month's challenge.

C.A.S.E a Card Blog Hop

Remember the old kids game, Telephone? You know the one where a secret is told to the first person in line and then they tell what they think they heard to the next person and they tell the next person and so on and so on.  At the end of the line, the person says what they heard and the first person tells what they originally said and laughter erupts because the two things are nothing alike.  Well today's hop plays that game, but with card making instead of secrets.

This hop is un-like any you've probably ever been too. 

We took one card created by Alicia  and sent it to the next blogger who then C.A.S.E.d the card (copy and steal everything) and sent her card on to the next blogger who C.A.S.E.d it and sent her card to the next blogger.  You get the idea. 
When you are done hopping you'll see how different or maybe how similar the last card is to the first.

You should have arrived here from Kim's Blog.  If you would like to start at the beginning visit Alicia's blog.

We'd like to say a HUGE THANKS to our sponsor today.

Theresa is giving away a $20 Stampin' Up Gift Certificate to one lucky winner AND

take 10% off any order placed through her (not available on website) by September 30th. 

Email her at scrapsbygracie AT gmail.com with your order. 

All you have to do to win this fabulous prize is comment on each of the blogs.

That's it! It really is easy.  

Of course, we would love it if you became a follower too. 

Comment buttons can be found at the bottom of the post (on most of the blogs).

Now on with the hop!

First the card I was given to C.A.S.E.

Now my card:

Instead of going with a rectangular card with a round center, I decided to go with a round card. I don't have paper flowers on my card but I do have flowers. The tulips at the bottom of the windmill. Insted of using rhinestones, I went with a single half pearl. 

Here are the steps I used to make the card. My card was a cutting file from the Cricut Access Site. and I used chalk to color the middle layer show through area.

Thanks so much for hopping with us! Here's the entire line up in case you get lost:

Alicia - http://goldengoddessdesigns.blogspot.com/

Connie - http://conniecancrop.blogspot.com/
Kim - http://katydidcards.com/
Jearise - http://lorbysworld.blogspot.com/
Lisa - http://lisaslittlerascals.blogspot.com/
Sue - http://suek86401.blogspot.com/
Theresa - http://scrapsbygracie.blogspot.com/
Amanda - http://salnclts76.blogspot.com/
Card A Day Challenge Blog - http://cardadaychallenge.blogspot.com/

September Chalk N Stock Challenge

Hi friends,

Have you ever used a digital stamp? There are a lot out there and price ranges from free to $$. Digital Stamps aren't for everyone. When I first started scrapbooking and card making, I had to have a rubber or acrylic stamp or nothing at all. I felt they looked more "homey" when making my projects. After collecting boxes and boxes of stamps and putting them here, there and everywhere and then pulling the boxes out just to find a few and the boxes weren't light either, I decided to try digital stamping. It took me awhile to get the hang of it and feel comfortable with it but now most of my stuff is done that way.

If you want to do some fancy heat embossing, you're probably going to want to keep a few rubber/acrylic stamps on hand but for the most part to make a simple card, digital stamps are the way to go! I have eliminated at least 2/3 of my rubber/acrylic stamp collection and have more room now for other crafting supplies

One of my favorite places to get digital stamps is Bugaboo Stamps. They have every imaginable kind of digital stamp you can think of and a freebie every Friday. The freebie is a great way to start digital stamping to see if you like it.

There are many other digital stamping sites out there to find different designs and some freebies too. Just do a search for digital stamps.

I should add that the difference between a kids coloring page and a digital stamp is the quality of the digital stamp. Digital stamps are saved at a higher resolution usually so it won't lose it's crisp lines when you resize it.

There's a plus of a digital stamp I forgot to mention; you can resize them. You're stuck with rubber/acrylic stamps and only get the size you buy.

Now that I've given you some reasoning behind buying and using digital stamps, I want to share two cards I made for the Chalk N Stock September Challenge. I used Bugaboo Stamps on each card and chalk ink for the edging of the card. I also like to color in images using chalk because it gives your digital stamped design a soft glow but that's for next month's challenge.

Card #1

I printed out the digital stamp and then hand cut around it and then hand cut a little bit bigger circle to go on the back of the stamp. I have circle punches in many different size but I wanted something more simple looking and decided I liked the hand cut look for this card. I used alcohol markers for coloring the flower but I used chalk ink for the edge of the digital stamp circle and again in a different color on the outer circle. I also used regular chalk to color the background of the flower. It's a simple but sweet card.

Card #2

Another adorable Bugaboo digital stamp just to say hello. Again the image is colored with alcohol ink but the edges are done in chalk ink.

Don't forget to join our September challenge at Chalk N Stock and check out Bugaboo stamps.