SC252 OCC stacked pale pumpkins

This week on the OCC, this adorable pumpkin family is your inspiration. Create a card or project inspired by this photo. Have fun with this challenge, ladies!!!

There is no time limit on our challenges - feel free to participate whenever you are able. To play along, upload your creation to your blog or gallery, then leave us a comment linking to your project so we can check it out. If you upload to SCS, remember to use keyword: OCCC.


I know those pumpkins are orange, but I went a little paler with my round stacked family. Totally sweet, eh?!! I used 'It's a snow day!' from Chicken Girl Design by i {heart} papers. This image is coloured with prismacolor pencils and Gamsol and I used last week's sketch challenge from SCS for this card. What can I say, I had the paper and image ready to go from last week when I was ill, and it was perfect for this OCC challenge as well.

Please take a few relaxing minutes to see what the rest of the OCC DT did with this fun challenge! All the links are on the side bar of my blog.

stamps; it's a snow day (chicken girl design IHP)
paper; eskimo kisses (basic grey), starmist, coconut swirl (bazzill)
ink; black soot distress ink (ranger)
accessories; ribbon (SU!), buttons (basic grey), rhinestones (heidi swapp), double scallop border punch (ek success)

SC253 Trinity Tree

I was sent some fabulous Unity images by Kate at i {heart} papers. 'Technically' this isn't a winter image, but being able to see the skeleton of the tree always makes me think of the colder months. I coloured my image in neutral s with Tombow markers, and highlighted - where the snow falls - with a white gel pen.

I used the Holiday demi phrase set from Just Rite for the sentiment. I thought of doing another sentiment across the lower portion of the card, but, well, I think the magic is enough.

Enjoy your Wednesday!!!

stamps; holiday demi phrase (just rite), tiny trinity (unity)
paper; early bird, nutmeg (cosmo cricket), fern, french silk (bazzill), textured cardstock (ek success)
ink; frayed burlap, tea dye distress ink (ranger)
accessories; lattice pendants, labels 6, decorative photo corners (spellbinders), ribbon (may arts), men dew drops (the robin's nest), rhinetsones (heidi swappp), white gel pen (sakura), markers (tombow)

Vintage Style

This week our October hostess, Lori Rider, has challenged the OCC to a inspiration challenge. Create a card or project using something vintage, or vintage-inspired, on your card or project. Raid your drawers for old buttons and trims, an old tag or photo, or anything else you find.

There is no time limit on our challenges - feel free to participate whenever you are able. To play along, upload your creation to your blog or gallery, then leave us a comment linking to your project so we can check it out. If you upload to SCS, remember to use keyword: OCCC.


I have only a couple more images from my Winter Cotton Scraps left on my desk, and I plan on using them soon. This is a very simple card and there was no stamping involved. The image was already cut out and the scallop circle was just sitting there too, a left over from a card months ago. Even, the little fleur de lis shapes are leftovers! We are having leftovers for supper tonight too. There's a theme going on here, I think.

I needed simple for the OCC challenge, because I spent5 days in bed and another 2 just getting by - the flu got me too. It wasn't a stomach flu, but I guess the minute a 'cold' develops a fever, it's classified as the flu. I'm still not doing a whole lot or I break into a cold sweat. Picture it; I'm in my jammies at my desk sponging and image, and it's a real workout so I have to stop or I'll sweat on my image - EEeeewwwww! I can hardly get down the stairs to my studio. I had a card laid out for the sketch challenge on SCS this past week, but couldn't get any farther than picking the image and the paper. *sigh*

Anyhoo, I slept in quite late this morning, which is very unusual for me, but I think it indicates that I'm on the mend. My kids are on the mend too. Still coughing a bit, but generally better. As for my DH, he was getting paranoid that he might be coming down with this really nasty virus, but it never got past the paranoia stage for him...

Have a wonderful weekend, all! Enjoy your extra hour of sleep!! Or if sleep isn't high on your list today, feel free to pop over to the OCC's individual blogs and check out their beautiful vintage creations.

paper; french silk, starmist (bazzill), wassail (basic grey)
accessories; create a snowflake 1&2 (spellbinders), glitter, linen thread (SU!), button (basic grey), bella's baubles (stamping bella), winter cotton scraps (crafty secrets), ribbon (offray)

CC242 Hanging Ornaments

Today's colour challenge on SCS is Krafty Black Melons! Good golly Miss Molly!!!

I'm still on the sick side of life, but I'm not drippy yet today, so I decided to get another Christmas card out of the way and the colour challenge gave me an opportunity to do a more non-traditional Christmas card. I have some non- traditional people on my list, so this will be going to one of them.

This image is an American Art stamp called Hanging Ornaments. I love these stamps, and they are 30% off the website right now! If you are from Canada (EH!) and want to order, you need to call or email your order because their shipping thingie isn't working and so Canada isn't on the list of countries they ship to. Then, a very nice, young sounding lady will call for your payment. Easy peasy!

I coloured this image with markers and my trusty tombow blender pen. I used copics to create that pink glow around the ornaments. The ornaments were made glossy and dimensional with a little diamond glaze squeezed on them.

Enjoy your week, and thanks for popping by!

stamps; hanging ornaments (american art stamps), christmas expressions (CHF)
paper; communique (graphic 45), raven (bazzill), taupe cardstock (core'dinations), melon mambo, very vanilla (SU!)
ink; black soot, tea dye, brushed corduroy distress inks (ranger)
accessories; diamond glaze 9judikins), beetle black brads (bazzill), black ribbon (offray), button (basic grey), markers and blender pen (tombow), copic markers

OCC Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!!!

Make a card/project inspired by your favorite scary (or Halloween-themed) book or movie. Of course, you can pull out those Halloween images, but if you end up going with another occasion, that's great, too! We just want to see where your imagination takes you. Some examples of books and movies to get you thinking:

Nightmare on Elm Street
Psycho, The Birds, any other Hitchcock
Beetlejuice
The Nightmare Before Christmas


Now, I'm not normally big on Halloween and neither is my family. I saw Beetlejuice when it first came out and I remember being fascinated in a driving by a car accident kind of way. I remember all the black and white, the stripes, that horrible red wedding dress Wynona Ryder had to wear. Here's what I came up with for today's challenge based on the movie Beetlejuice;


I used an old Halloween set I had, Distressed Halloween by See D's. I found so much when I finished cleaning up my basement after the move and the flood! And now, all these gems are close to my finger tips as I create in my new studio. There is a beautiful wrought iron frame stamp in this set as well that I plan on using in the near future.

Have a restful and re-creation-al weekend!!! And enjoy the rest of the spooktacular creations by the rest of the ladies on the OCC by going to both the OCC blog, and for more detail, go to theie individual blogs by using the links on my side bar.

stamps; distressed halloween (see d's)
paper; pepper dotted swiss (bazzill), night & day (SU!)
ink; black soot distress ink (ranger)
accessories; ribbon (SU!), drippy goo border punch (martha stewart), beetle black brads (bazzill), copic markers

Card classes

I have a card class coming up in November. I just love the ladies that take my classes and I do try to spoil them. In December we have a roast beef dinner with a baking exchange and a little crafting thrown in. For November, we will do a whole schwack of mailable Christmas cards. If you are familiar with my personal style, I don't normally do mail friendly cards because I love layers and sky-high embellishments. However, I do respect that these lovely ladies have family spread near and far and need cards to send.

This first card is the 6"x6" card they will be doing. We will be using the new Christmas Mint line by SEI. In their kits, everyone will receive a Christmas Mint stamp set in addition to the papers and embellishments needed to make the cards for the afternoon.


I used Brilliance inks with the acrylic stamps. This is a favourite ink/stamp combo of mine. I like the better coverage Brilliance or pigment inks offer. I like chalk inks with acrylic stamps as well.

This next card is one of two 4 1/4"x 5 1/2" they will be making. I love the softness of this card. The foiled and pearlized papers make this card quite special. Again, a completely mailable card.



I have the 3rd card started but not quite finished yet with me and the kids being sick. It's more brown, red and green like the first card. Lovely, simple and they will have the ability to personalize their cards nicely since they will all have this stamp set.

Have a marvellous weekend everyone!!!

A double challenge Post

It's a little trying having multiple kids sick - KWIM? I haven't been on much because I've had someone needing my attentions starting at about 4:30am every morning for nearly a week now. *sigh* If it doesn't kill me it'll make me stronger right?! It's tough watching asthmatic kids struggling with a cough that would be bad enough because of the cold alone, but combined with their asthma, it's downright alarming! Now, I'm just starting to get tight and a little ahem-y. Bring on the puffers, the vicks and BED...


I made this pink elephant card on Tuesday, but have been a little busy since then to post it. This cutie patootie guy is from the new Chicken Girl Design release by i {heart} papers called Just Skating By. As soon as I saw the SCS colour challenge this little elephant dude popped in my head dancing and skating like the 'Elephants on Parade' dream sequence from Dumbo. I've been looking for an excuse to do a pink elephant and I think he's sweet!

stamps; just skating by (chicken girl designs by i {heart} paper)
paper; always artichoke, cameo coral, bravo burgundy (SU!), poison cardstock (unknown), eskimo kisses pad (basic grey)
ink; black soot distress ink (ranger)
accessories; buttons (basic grey), picture hangers (daisy d), ribbon (SU!), black brads (bazzill), create a flake 1 & 2 (spellbinders), branch punch (martha stewart), clear rhinestones (heidi swapp), prismacolor pencils




Today's ways to use it challenge was to use patchwork on a project. I knew immediately what I wanted to do. There was a card from CHA in January in the Basic Grey booth done like patchwork using their Wisteria paper. It was stunning! There were little pearls on the corners where the papers joined and now that I think about it, their paper placement was much more random than mine.

I used my scor-pal on the paper the patchwork is mounted on, scoring my base into 4 quadrants and then turning it to score into diagonal quadrants. This made the paper placement a guaranteed success situation since I just had to line up my paper with the score lines horizontally, vertically and diagonally. The paper squares were punched out with a 1 1/4" punch. Very easy, despite how complicated it looks.

Thanks so much for popping in today! Your lovely words always mean so much to me.

stamps; home for christmas (SU!)
paper; eskimo kisses (basic grey), parakeet (basic grey), white linen, cardstock vellum (paper accents), rich razzleberry (SU!)
ink (black soot distress ink (ranger), pink chiffon chalk ink (tsukineko)
accessories; goldenberry dew drops (the robin's nest), ribbon (SU!), fancy tags (spellbinders), rhinestones (heidi swapp), 1 1/4" square punch (ek success)