52 Christmas Card Throwdown - 17.23

There's a sketch challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown and I must admit it had me stumped for a while and I'm still not sure I love my card but I want to keep up with this weekly challenge as long as I can.

I turned the sketch 90 degrees to the right.  The Memorybox mistletoe makes up the triangle in the sketch, cut from green and inked to add dimension.  The berries are white glitter paper.  My one last scrap of the striped paper was cut in half to add the stripes and the sentiment is a die from Concord and 9th.  Do you think it resembles the sketch?

Thanks for dropping by.  

If you would like to subscribe by email,

please fill out the subscription form in the upper right sidebar.

It is also important to add  Bobby.bitsandpieces at gmail dot com to your contact list 

so Google recognizes the address and delivers the updates.

You may also unsubscribe using the same form. 

Playing Cards with Friends

There's nothing better than being able to craft with friends.  Now that we are social distancing, the next best thing is playing virtually.  Michele and I have shared our craft rooms in the past but today we are each making and posting a card we made with the same parameters - the Memory Box mistletoe die with Speckled Egg and Rustic Wilderness Distress Oxide inks. 

I started with Michele's favorite embossing folder of mine, Fabric Weave by Spellbinders.  Well actually I started by clear heat embossing the sentiment from My Craft Spot (oob) and inking the panel with Speckled Egg DOX.  Then I embossed.  For the mistletoe, I inked the paper with Rustic Wilderness DOX and sprayed it with Glimmer Mist.  I cut one from the wrong side of the paper so I could have two images to make my mistletoe fuller.  For the bow and berries I took my VersaMark pad direct to paper and heat embossed it with White Pearl.  I'm just sorry you can't see all the shine.

I can't wait to see what Michele did with the mistletoe die and Oxide inks.  Shall we go take a look together?  You can find her here at I Card Everyone.  

Color Throwdown #619

I recently got the Memory Box mistletoe and thought it would work great with the Color Throwdown challenge.

The mistletoe was watercolored with Zigs and placed on an SU embossed panel that was cut with a Spellbinders Hemstitch die.  I added the required red to peek through and cut the bow and TH sentiment in silver.   I just realized I didn't add the berries.  They could have been my red element although I do believe actual mistletoe berries are white.

I'm slowly but surely getting my Christmas cards done.  How about you?

CAS(E) This Sketch #246 and 25 Days of Christmas Tags Day 3

It's quite some sketch they have for us over at CAS(E) This Sketch.  What do you think?

I went looking through some of my backgrounds and found one I thought would work for the sketch.

I did the background with Brushos and the plastic wrap technique and thought it looked like an out of focus flower garden.  I added flowers and leaves from SOA, trying to make them the color of the area where they are stamped.  The sentiment is white heat embossed on dark green paper.

I also have a tag for you.  I loved this one from Shona Chambers on day three.

I have this set from CASual Fridays but changed it up a little.

I watercolored the leaves and bow with Distress Inks and since mistletoe berries are really white I added a little dash of a gray Zig and then covered them with Pico Embellisher.  I want to try to make a tag for every day and I do have one for Day 2 now but I haven't looked beyond that.  I'm headed there now to see what wonderful things all the Design Teams have done.

Thanks for dropping by.  I hope your week is off to a good start.

Merry Monday #249

I did it!  My very first digi image.  I wasn't sure if my printer ink would work and not smear but it did fine as you can see by this mistletoe that I did for Merry Monday.

I printed it on light weight multi-media paper so it would go through my printer and I could watercolor it with Distress Ink.  The sentiment is from My Craft Spot (closed).

Thanks for dropping by.

Less is More #291 and Freshly Made Sketches #252

When inspiration hits I have to make a card even if I should be doing something else. ;)  The minute I saw the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches I knew what I wanted to do.

I did some smooshing on watercolor paper and cut out  MFT leaves, adding their sentiment and some wood-look paper on Altenew Spicy Yogurt cs.  I couldn't let the rest of the paper go to waste so I made a second card, changing the sentiment and paper.

Is it any wonder I love Fall with all those gorgeous colors.

And what follows Thanksgiving?  Why Christmas of course and I had the perfect sticker to use for Less Is More's sticker challenge.

An embossed border and a stamp from My Craft Spot made this card EZPZ.  And just under the wire too. ;)

Thanks for dropping by.  I'm off to the lake for the Labor Day weekend - part work, mostly fun.

MM #144

I've been making so many valentine cards that it seemed weird to bring out my Christmas stamps but I wanted to get a start on my cards with the challenge at Merry Monday - with a bow.  Now I don't put bows on my cards, at least not real ribbon bows.  Maybe a twine one now and then but if they can't be mailed in a regular envelope then I forego them. Luckily I had a bow stamp and this card was born.

I was perusing the Dick Blick catalog in art class a couple of weeks ago and saw that they had their Inktense pencils on sale half price.  I couldn't afford to pass that up.  I played around with them the other night and knew they would work for this stamp set by Sheena Douglas.  I think the practice one turned out better than my finished card but isn't that often the case.  I accidentally spattered some paint as I was wetting the pencil tip so went ahead and made intentional spatters.  I will tell you, using those pencils takes practice. Lots of it.

Thanks for stopping by.  Your visits and comments are always appreciated.

Merry Monday #116

The minute I saw the challenge at Merry Monday I knew what I wanted to do.  I haven't played with them for a while but when I have an idea for a card immediately upon seeing the inspiration, I have to do it.

I recently purchased this mistletoe stamp and it fits perfectly with the green and white challenge.  I stamped it with Peeled Paint Distress Ink and then used more with a water brush to color it in.  I put a little Glossy Accents on the berries to round them out and make them shine.  The main panel is embossed with Forest Branches and mounted on a green paper from "who knows where".  I had planned to add a sentiment but I got a smudge on the bottom of the watercolor paper and had to cut it shorter.  It looks fine without one.

Now that my sister is here from Denver to stay with my Dad, I will have more time to make cards and enter some challenges.  I have my list all ready.  I did plan to do more today but we all went to the nursing home this afternoon and they were having a gospel concert.  We sang and clapped and I played air dulcimer. (lol) At least I have tonight to finish a card I have started and plan some others.

I'm so glad you stopped by.  Please come again.

Merry Monday #102

I was taking pictures of my cards today and my husband said "What are you going to do with all these cards?"  Then when I visited my mother this afternoon, she asked what I'd been doing.  When I told her making cards, she said "All day, every day?"  I guess it takes another card maker to understand.

Tonight's card is for Merry Monday.

I used the tipped tops from PTI so I could show off the print paper without it getting in the way of the mistletoe, which is a Cricut cut.  I love this sentiment from My Craft Spot.

I could post all the cards I have ready to go but then the post would be too long so I'll just keep you in suspense.  I still have a couple more that I want to do for challenges that end mid-week. Since they're forecasting snow tomorrow, it will be a good time to stay in and get them done.

I'm glad you took the time to come by my blog.  If you have a little more time, why not leave a comment.  I love reading them.