Fluttery By Wednesday #219

This is a busy week as everyone tries to tie up those last minute details to get ready for Christmas. Only five more days until Christmas Eve -- where has the time gone? Except for doing a little baking, I think I'm ready. How about you?

Because we know this is a busy time, we appreciate all of you who have been able to join our Flutter By Wednesday challenges. We've tried to keep them simple for you this month by having an "open" theme all month long. This means that you could/can do anything you want as long as you add a butterfly or fairy somewhere on your card, and that is the case again this week. No theme, no sketch, no color requirements -- just do your own thing and add a butterfly or fairy!

Despite being a wee bit tired of making Christmas cards and ready to "move on," my FBW card for this week is a darling little Christmas fairy image. I've colored her up using my Copic marker. I printed this image twice, coloring the fairy once and fussy cutting her out. I then colored the baubles on the second image (which I left intact and cut into a rectangle). I then glued my fairy to the flat panel, leaving one wing (the right one as you look at the card) dimensional by using a small foam dot under it.

My card base is red, but then I used non-traditional pastel colors for the rest of the card. My background and strip DP are from a small 6x6" pad by MME called Merry/Joyex/Alegre. My ribbon and bow is Ofray, and my pink beads are by Recollection. You can't tell, but I did use Stickles on her little wings.

I hope you will be able to carve out a little creative time for yourself during this busy, last minute count-down time and will join us in this week's challenge. If you visit the Flutter By Wednesday blog, you will notice that a number of our DT members have had to take this week off, but the ones who were able to participate have created some beautiful cards. Go take a look.

Challenges Entered:
http://eurekastamps.blogspot.com/ - Christmas Spirit
http://kaboodledoodles.blogspot.com/ - Christmas Holiday
http://theprettylittleribbonshop.blogspot.com/ - It's Christmas
http://cutiepiechallenge.blogspot.com/ - Cute Christmas
http://craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge.blogspot.co.uk/ - Christmas Anything Goes
http://theresmagicintheair.blogspot.com/ - Snowman or Anything Christmas

Angels Proclaimed His Birth

As we get closer to "the day," I know we have less time for our crafting pleasures. However, if you find yourself with a little extra time, we'd really enjoy having you join us this week with the Twist of Faith blog challenge. This week the theme is simply

CHRISTMAS!

 

Your card creation should reflect Christmas in some way.  Remember our 'twist of faith' with your creation using a scripture, or quote or an uplifiting sentiment that suits this week's theme.

This week, our sponsor is MICHELLE PERKETT STUDIOS!

Our random prize winner will receive their choice of one of the gorgeous images showcased by our design team in this challenge post! We are thrilled to have MPS sponsoring our challenges because the images are so beautiful, and not just because Michelle is one of my favourite artists!

Do stop by Twist of Faith and have a look at the BEAUTIFUL cards the DT members have created this week for your inspiration.

Challenges Entered:

http://www.hidinginmycraftroom.com/ - go digital
http://cardsgalorechallenges.blogspot.co.uk/ - Christmas
http://digihaven.blogspot.ca/ - Anything goes
http://ladybugcrafts.blogspot.com/ - Christmas
http://simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.com/ - Merry Christmas
http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com/2012/12/challenge-59-glory-to-god.html - Glory to God
http://divasbydesignchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/ - Anything Goes

 

Red, White and Green

I am still running behind. As much as I love the Christmas season, this one has been a bit more hectic than usual. Anyhoo, this is not the time nor place for a sob story (grin). It is time for another challenge at Card Crafter's Circle, so here is my DT card. This week our theme is traditional Christmas colors -- red, white and green. Just a note that this is a color theme, so your card doesn't necessarily have to be for Christmas. If you are like many of us (myself included), you've pretty much finished up your Christmas cards for the year (and hopefully, unlike me, you've already gotten them posted).

Our wonderful sponsor for this week is Robyn's Fetish, and one randomly drawn winner will receive their choice of five (5) digital images from Robyn's Fetish ... thank you for such a generous prize!






Despite the challenge NOT necessarily having to be Christmas, Robyn provided the DT with lovely Christmas/winter images (you MUST take the time to go over to Card Crafter's Circle and see the lovely cards the DT members have made). I received this BEAUTIFUL holly and bow image with which to work (isn't it gorgeous??). I colored it with Copic markers and cut the image with a circle Spellbinder die. I then used the scalloped circle die to mat the image.

I used an embossing folder by The Paper Studio called Intricate Swirl, DP from Echo Park's Very Merry Christmas 6x6" pad, pearls from Recollections and poinsettia flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts to round out my red, white and green card.

Do You See What I See?

It is time, once again, for the weekly challenge at Twist of Faith. Our theme for you this week is

Inspired by Carols

Your card creation should be inspired by a Christmas Carol. Remember our 'twist of faith' your creation should also include a scripture, or quote or an uplifiting sentiment that suits this week's theme... perhaps even a line or two from your favourite Christmas Carol!

Our challenge this week is sponsored by MelJen's Designs, who continues to delight us with magical images! Our MelJens prize is 4 uncoloured images. 

I know many of us are busy, busy, busy right now. I, myself, seem to be further behind this year than I've been in quite a while. However, in the hustle and bustle, whether shopping, wrapping, cooking or even cleaning (yikes, really???), I do enjoy having my cd player going and listening to the lovely Christmas music that makes this season even more beautiful. I am always hard-pressed to answer if someone asks me what my favorite Christmas song is. I end up naming off a dozen or so songs, "Oh Holy Night," "Silent Night," "O Come All Ye Faithful," are just a few of the "old" favorites, with "Mary Did You Know," "Little Drummer Boy," and "Do You See What I See" as "newer" ones on my list. We were only allowed a few MelJen images with which to work our DT magic, but when I saw this image on the list, I knew I wanted to use it!

I colored my image with Copic markers, but added a lot of "extra" (which don't show up well in the photo -- always a disappointment, and I'm going to work on getting better pictures in the new year). After coloring the star (upper right), I went over it with a Sakura glitter pen. The snow (on ground) was painted in with Liquid Pearl (using a brush), and then I went back and added raised sections of the Liquid Pearl by squeezing straight from the bottle. The "fur" on the snowman's hat is Stickles Star Dust. Lots of shine and sparkle to this little card. The card base is white with a dark blue layer and then the DP. The only other embellishments used were the ribbon/bow and  punched snowflake under the round sentiment (which I typed on my computer and then punched with a circle punch).

Please take the time to go over to Twist of Faith to see what my fellow DT members have created for your inspiration. I leave you with the words to my inspiration song (which I could actually do an auditory link, but feel free to hum along as you read the words - smile)!

 

Said the night wind to the little lamb,
"Do you see what I see?
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
Do you see what I see?
A star, a star, dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite,
With a tail as big as a kite."

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
"Do you hear what I hear?
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
Do you hear what I hear?
A song, a song high above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea,
With a voice as big as the sea."

Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
"Do you know what I know?
In your palace warm, mighty king,
Do you know what I know?
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold--
Let us bring him silver and gold,
Let us bring him silver and gold."

Said the king to the people everywhere,
"Listen to what I say!
Pray for peace, people, everywhere,
Listen to what I say!
The Child, the Child sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light,
He will bring us goodness and light."

Celebrate December

It is time for another Card Crafter's Circle challenge, and this week we want you to concentrate on December celebrations. Think of all the things we might celebrate this month... Advent, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Birthdays... you name it.. if you celebrate it in December it will fit this weeks' challenge theme,

We also welcome back as our sponsor Whoopsie Daisy... Linnie creates delightful sheets of hand-drawn images, with each sheet containing 4 images! There are so many to choose from that you will definitely be able to find an image to fit whatever you need.  Do visit her blog to see all her fabulous designs. Our randomly drawn challenge winner will receive their choice of two sheets of digital images (that's a total of 8 new images).

 

Linnie provided one sheet of images for the DT to use. My image is this cute little tyke all dressed in his/her reindeer jammies waiting for a Christmas story, the presents to be passed around, or the jolly man in the red suit? Who knows for sure, but isn't he/she darling? I've colored everything up using Copic markers on X-Press It brand card. My white card base is layered with red card and then a DP. I placed a ribbon over this combination. I matted my image with both red and green card and placed that over the ribbon. I matted the sentiment onto a red scalloped circle, added my bow, a tiny white pom-pom to the hat and some red gems in the corners and on the sentiment and voila, a charming little Christmas card.

Christmas Flutters

It is time to flutter again. We realize this is a busy time for everyone, so through the month of December, we are keeping our challenge simple -- open theme with the only requirement being the usual butterfly or fairy. This means you can create whatever you like as long as you add a butterfly or fairy to your creation.

This week we are fortunate to have a wonderful sponsor -- Di's Digi Downloads!

Di's Digi Downloads has offered a prize this week of a $10 voucher good at her store!!

 

I am like many of you in that this time of year is a busy one. I've spent the past week wrapping packages and making a list of gifts I'm still missing. Hoping one more shopping trip will finish up the buying part for us (we also have two grandchildren who have birthdays this month). Anyway, my lovely card today is a prime example of how we can make lovely items despite lack of time! Can you believe I spent less than 30 minutes making that beauty?

 

The front of my card is a decoupage project from a British cd. The page contains the main image and various elements that can be cut out and layered for a 3-D effect. After I printed off my sheet, I decided the image was lovely "as is" so decided I would only layer the two butterflies. I cut out the second image and using a dimensional foam dot, I adhered the duplicate butterfly to the page. I also took a small dot of regular glue and "flat glued" the bottom edge of the butterflies. This is a technique that I learned from a British crafter who goes by Debbie4000 on the web (http://debby4000.blogspot.com/). She is a fantastic decoupager who colors her own digital images and creates her decoupage elements from them for her cards.

 

I cut a piece of deep plum card as my card base and adhered the main image to the card. In addition to the raised butterflies, I added rhinestone gems to the centers of my flowers (round and teardrop shaped in various sizes depending on the size of the center). The sheet for this project included second images for some of the flowers, but I decided not to use them. The original image has such rich shadowing that the picture doesn't look "flat" and already has a depth to it. The addition of the gems, along with the two raised butterflies was all that was needed to make a beautiful, elegant looking card. My Hubs could not believe it when I walked out of my craft room less than 30 minutes after entering and announced that my card was made! He approved of the results -- and he would not have hesitated to tell me if he felt it needed tweeking, redoing or just plain pitching (grin)!

 

So there you have it. Now we'd love to see what you will share with us this week.

I Am the Light and the Way

I can't believe that December is here. It seems as if it were just a week or so ago that I was taking down Christmas decorations and putting them away. Not only that, but yesterday (Dec. 3rd) was my 47th wedding anniversary. Now I know that many years have not passed since I walked down the aisle on the arm of my wonderfully Daddy to where my husband-to-be waited for me. It has been quite an adventure and continues to be -- wow! Hum, OK, where was I? Oh yes, this week's challenge for Twist of Faith. Our theme for you this week is

LIGHT

Your card creation should depict LIGHT.  You may use a source of light. (the sun, the moon, a lamp, a candle) some where on your card OR you may use light as your scripture. Just remember to add our 'twist of faith' to your creation (a scripture, quote or an uplifiting sentiment that suits this week's theme).

"Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a lamp for my path."

Psalm 119:105 NLT

 

Our sponsor this week is Pholkart Blessings! But sadly, the digi images from Pholkart Blessings are no more. The designer, has decided to stop creating digital images, and return to other art mediums.... this is an exciting step for Patti, but we will miss your wonderful images! With a generous soul, Patti is still meeting her sponsorship with us, for which we are very grateful, and our challenge winner will receive two images from Patti's Pholkart Blessings!

My little card is a quick one. Again, I have to apologize for my lack of time. It isn't that I'm all that busy; it is that I'm all that unorganized! I really feel bad as the Lord gives me a new day each morning, and I feel I'm squandering the opportunities He is providing me. OK, I'll quit snivaling now and get on with the task at hand.

Using my little image, "Away in the Manger," I've colored it up using Copic markers. I cut the image into a triangle shape using one of my Spellbinder dies. I then matted it with a thin border of green and a wider border of burgundy DP. My base card is kraft with a layer of burgundy DP. I created a strip of green dotty DP matted on kraft and a die doily using a Spellbinder die. My bow is made from jute string, and I added green and red buttons (which I "stood up" against the bow by using hot glue to secure them). Below is a close up picture of the buttons and bow.

That's my little card for today. Please take a minute or two to hop over to our Twist of Faith blog and see the wonderful cards the DT members have created. As for me, well "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be happy" OR in my case, let me rejoice and be productive (grin)! Blessings, everyone.