WWC249 - Karen's "All About Occasions" Challenge

Early this year I came across a delightful Art Impressions stamp set called "Full of Thanks".  It was perfect for Thanksgiving and so I put it aside.  Miraculously I'm actually using it for a Thanksgiving card as planned.  (I don't know about you, but my plans frequently go wonky).  Of course the star of every Thanksgiving is the turkey and for my family, it's all about the dressing.

I decided to concentrate on another definition of the verb "to dress".  Isn't he a handsome young bird?  The colours I've used are all taken from the gorgeous Designer Paper in the background.  I think Stampin' Up! brought it out at least eight or nine years ago (yes, it's retired) and I finally decided to raid my stash.  Hoarding paper is something I don't seem to be able to stop doing.

My base is the Heavy Very Vanilla followed by a layer of plain Designer Paper and then the layer of cross-stitch Designer Paper.  Vertically to the right I've added a strip of Designer Paper featuring corn cobs in a variety of wonderful colours, with a matte of Soft Suede behind it.  My wonderful turkey image is attached with Dimensionals, on a matte of Cajun Craze.

The sentiment says it all!  I love it and hope you do, too.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've entered my card into the following challenges: 

Shopping Our Stash Weekly Challenge #409 - So Thankful

Cutie Pie Challenge #141 - Add an Animal

Get Creative Challenges #86 - Last Challenge of the Year AG with a Holiday Twist

Art Impressions Challenge #271 - Anything Goes

Dare2bartzy Challenge - November - Thankful

WWC248 - Kath's Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

I had a whole bunch of half-thought out ideas of masculine cards I could create but somehow nothing really caught my interest.  Then I came across a stamp set which I picked up quite a while ago and put aside.  It's funny!  It's cute!  To my mind it was the perfect choice for this week's challenge.  I hope you like it, too.

The set comes as one stamp with this trio of laughing animals and, of course, a nice selection of sentiments from which to choose.  There is something about these three that tickles my "funny bone".  I had fun colouring them with my Stampin' Blends, too.  For the background, I just "scribbled" around the animals using the Light So Saffron.  The ground is coloured using the Light Gray Granite.  The zebra is coloured with the Basic Black and Light Flirty Flamingo.  The giraffe also has some Light Flirty Flamingo and then the body is Light Crumb Cake covered over with Light Pumpkin Pie.  Finally, the elephant is coloured using the Smoky Slate with touches of Flirty Flamingo.

I used a base of So Saffron, a matte of Gray Granite and then stamped on Whisper White.  It's a light-hearted card.  I love it and hope you do, too.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

Arty Divas Challenge #9 - Anything Goes

Crafty Creations Challenge #402 - Anything Goes

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #107 - Anything Goes

WWC247 - Marsha's "All About Occasions" Challenge

I have a brand new House Mouse stamp that is perfect for our "All About Occasions" Challenge.  And this time I was able to "marry it up" with one of my favourite Stampin' Up! Specialty Designer Series papers, the Feels Like Frost.  I hope you love the results as much as I do!

Isn't that a fun image?  I love the way the mice appear to be swinging on top of those bells, hanging from the snow-laden branch above.  For this card I used a base of Heavy Whisper White and added a matte of Night of Navy.

I stamped the adorable little House Mouse image onto a piece of Mixed Media paper using my Stamparatus.  I left the paper attached with the magnets and proceeded to paint the bells using the Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint.  Once that had dried, I inked up the bell images again, avoiding the mice, and then stamped the lines back onto the bells.  I love the results, don't you?

I used the Stampin' Blends to colour the mice, the ribbons, and the details on the bells.  Of course I had to fussy cut the images and it was simply impossible to cut each hair that sticks out around those sweet mice.  I therefore used my Basic Black Stampin' Marker to ink only the hair around the mice and stamped that where I intended the images to be on the Designer Paper.  You can see how well that worked once they had been glued down.  It looks as if the entire image was stamped in one piece, doesn't it?

I also used the Shimmery Crystal Effects to add sparkle to the snow on those branches.  It adds more dimension, not to mention the pretty shimmer.

Since I had a strip of the Designer Paper left over, I used it inside the card, adding a wide strip to the left side and a very narrow strip to the right.  I think it makes a perfect border for the sentiment, don't you?

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

House-Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge #304 - Anything Goes

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #106 - Anything Goes

Arty Divas Challenge #8 - Anything Goes

WWC246 - Tristan's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Baby, it's cold outside.  There's a lot of snow out there, too.  So I'm definitely thinking of winter and wintry things as I sit wondering what to do for our Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge.  For some reason the Playful Penguins stamp set keeps coming to mind.  So I'm thinking that there's no reason a penguin can't be feminine, right?

Look at that pink and gold scarf and toque.  Doesn't that just scream "lady penguin" to you?  And the sentiment worked out so well, too.

I began with a base of Heavy Whisper White and then added two thin mattes.  First I added Pool Party and then I added Lovely Lipstick.  The background Designer Paper is retired but I loved the "swirling" snow drifts and flakes.  What a perfect environment for those penguins!

I stamped the penguins onto a piece of Whisper White and then fussy cut them.  After colouring them with my Stampin' Blends, I attached them to the front of the card.  Then I cut out three snowflakes using the Seasonal Layers dies.  Although I just used scraps of Whisper White for those snowflakes, they have a wonderful sheen to them since I painted them with the Frost White Shimmer Paint.  I also added some of that Shimmer Paint to the snow drifts that the penguins are standing on to anchor them.

For the inside of the card, I just added some snowflakes stamped with Pool Party ink and a perfect sentiment from the same stamp set.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #106 - Anything Goes

Dragonfly Dreams Challenges - Winter/Christmas

Crafty Sentiments Designs - Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #366 - Anything Goes

Crafting by Designs: November Challenge - Anything Goes