Season's Greetings

Wow! Can you believe that it is January 30 already? And do you know what that means?????? Only ten months left to get those Christmas cards done!! lol

Here is this week's sketch from Merry Monday.....

I like the fact that Lesley makes these sketches clean and simple -- so that cards can be easily produced and mailed. Of course, if you like lots of layers and fancy stuff, use double or triple mats and embellish to your heart's content. (Is that okay, Lesley? -- geez, I hope so!)

This card was made with my red, black, creme and white paper pack, Magic of the Season. The stamp is from Layers of Color, Reindeer Waltz, and the ribbon is from Hobby Lobby.

I stamped the reindeer and then cut out a portion so that his head and legs were outside the Fancy Tags die cut from Spellbinders. I don't always have the best of luck with that technique but it worked pretty well this time.

We're getting a little rain here today in Chapala -- the first one since the rainy season ended in September. I've also been bird watching -- the hummers are swarming all around our yard and we're still having those gorgeous orioles visiting the sugar water feeders.

I think the first photo is a black-vented oriole and the second is a hooded oriole. We've seen several types with slightly different coloring, but all beautiful!!

Bye for now,

Betty

Flourishes Day or Night Challenge

Flourishes is having their new stamp release festivities; for this they have a special challenge that is posted at noon. When I saw that the challenge posted yesterday was to made a card that indicated either day or night I knew that I wanted to use Geri Utterbeck's Sunray Technique. See tutorial here.
I also knew that I wanted to use this particular scripture stamp about God's mercies being new every morning. I also know that I am going to hear of someone who needs to be blessed by this particular card because it all came together too perfectly!! The lace and embellishments were given to me by Melisa Waldorf (thanks, friend!). The flower center is a stick pin and I have added a pearl to the center of it.

If you use Flourishes stamps you will be entered into the drawing twice but you can enter this challenge even if you don't use one of their stamps. The lucky winner will receive the entire December Release! Winners will be announced Saturday in Flourishes' Winner’s Circle Post – check back Saturday, December 17th at noon CST to see if you’re one of the lucky winners!

There will be another challenge announced at noon today. Be sure to check it out too!

Betty

A Santa for Brianna

Here's a card I made to take to my granddaughter, Brianna. I'll get to see her and her brother Ashton on Thursday when they come to pick me up at the airport! Can't wait to see those two rascals again, and my sweet daughter too!

I want to enter this card into the following challenges:
Dutch Dare Card Challenge -- use punches or dies
Crafty Hazel Nuts Christmas Challenge  -- use bright colors and/or sparkle
  edited to add:  oops, missed the deadline for Hazel Nuts!

Santa is a Flourishes stamp; the sentiment and banner are from Layers of Color. Cut out my image with a Nestabilities die and cut another slightly bigger by tracing around the outside of the die that I used and fussy cutting it. I added the red rhinestones to the doily borders and then thought that they would be cute as the holly berries. Sure glad I thought about it because I think it's my favorite feature of this card!

Did you see that I won one of Flourishes new releases this week? The First Noel is a beautiful set and is sure to be enjoyed by my church stamping group when I return on Dec. 1; our group will be meeting on the 3rd and I bet one or two of them are going to want to get this set inky!

I may not have any more cards to post for a bit -- will be trying to clean up my craft area so it will be neat and tidy while I'm away and then I have to decide what to put in my suitcase -- probably should take some winter clothes with me and leave the sandals behind!!

Will be trying to get in a few posts while I'm away so you all don't forget me!! Till then, be happy!
Betty

Layers (of Color) and a Warbler

Layers of Color is sponsoring the challenge at Play Date Cafe this week. My stamp is The Warbler by Layers of Color; the sentiment is also a Layers of Color stamp, from The Love Chapter set. Play Date Cafe set the colors of their challenge as Mauve, Egg Yolk, and Artichoke.

The warbler stamp qualifies my card to be entered into the challenges at the Pixie Dust Paperie October Challenge, which is to use a bird(s), and Stamps R Us which is "Nature's Gifts". 

Top Tip Tuesday is calling for layers and I have put a few of those on this card as well!

The ribbon looks like it's white but actually is So Saffron Grosgrain from Stampin' Up and I've put artichoke green rhinestones on the ribbon.

Speaking of Nature's Gifts, we had one of our new hibiscus to bloom today for the first time and it was spectacular -- do you want to see????? Well, here's a picture whether you want to or not! lol!

I feel so blessed to be experiencing the beauty of these flowers outside my window -- at our home in Texas we enjoyed the wildlife but because of the wildlife we weren't able to have beautiful flowers like these! I planted some irises once but the deer dug up the bulbs!!!

Hope you enjoyed my card and the flower and will come back to see me again soon!

Betty