Spreading Love

I am back to spread some love for a sweet little boy who has cancer. His name is Ethan and is 7 years old. Ethan has neuroblasma, which is spreading. You can read his entire story on his cousin Kristen's blog. Ethan also has an older sister named Sierra who worries about him and takes such good care of him.





This appeal was published on "The Three Clovers Designs" if you want to see the original post. I am just spreading the word and the...love! What we ask is that you too give a little of yourself, and maybe you have a card or two around the house (they don't need to be handmade) to send to Ethan and Sierra. They love to get mail, and that would make their holidays a lot happier!

Ethan & Sierra's mailing info:

Ethan & Sierra Smith

27 Donna Street

Nashua, NH 03060
USA

Please feel free to share their story. Help us spread the love!!

Silver Christmas

Here is another Christmas card... Can you believe Christmas is almost here? I've been preparing for it for about three months, because otherwise I would not have the time to take care of everything that I want to do, as my children are my priority and there would not be enough time left for anything else... Anyway, Christmas preparations are almost over and my family and I are ready to celebrate! :)


This is a card I made using the image of an angel... because I always keep in mind "the reason for the season", which is the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ! Silver is a beautiful color for the holidays, and I was looking forward to an opportunity to use this color scheme a card. The snowflakes are rub-ons, and the sentiment is handwritten. Papers are from Opitec, and the ribbon had been in my stash for ages.


I made this card for the following challenges:

Creatalicious Challenges: Something for Christmas (include snowflake and sparkle/glitter)
Sophisticat Challenges: Christmas (anything goes)
Fun with Shapes and More: Snowflakes
A Spoon Full of Sugar: Monochrome
Creative Card: Gold or Silver
The Pink Elephant: Winter and/or Christmas
Our Creative Corner: Holiday Theme (Christmas)
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge: Snow
Paper Cutz: Snowman or Snowflake

Christmas Bells

Well, I just couldn't miss such a great opportunity to make as many Christmas cards as possible, so here I am again taking part in another challenge or two... ;) I love, love, love Christmas, and it seems I'm not the only one now that I have children. :) My son was so happy and full of life as we were decorating the house for the holidays while listening to Christmas carols and singing along! It made me so happy!

The background paper is shimmery gold, and I colored the bells using gold gel pens (two hues). It looks much more elegant in real-life, but I used the flash on purpose because I wanted to capture the glitter for you to see it better.



I submitted this card to:
Everybody-Art - Red/Green
Creative Card Crew - Gold or Silver
Stampin'for the Weekend - Red, Green and Gold
Stampavie and More - Red and Green
Paper Cutz - Christmas
Stamp Something - Glitzy Somethings
Pile It On - Tinsel Town
Crafty Calendar - Winter Sparkle
Clearly i Stamp - Winter Theme


Thanks for looking, I hope it won't be long before I have the chance to create a new one! :)

Frosty the Snowman

I have finished another card today, with a child in mind. I love giving sweet cards to children, which have their favorite characters on them... Their faces light up when they see them! :)

So here is their winter friend, the snowman...or Frosty to some people. :)


I am submitting this card to several challenges:

Fun with Shapes and More - Snowmen
Sketch Saturday - Sketch #80
Stampavie and More - Christmas
Cupcake Craft - Favorite Carol (Frosty the Snowman)
Creative Card Crew - Christmas
Incy Wincy Designs - Snowflakes

Happy Birthday, Mother!

Hi again! :) I realize it's been awhile since my last post, but I was busy with the children, mainly because my son was ill for a pretty long time. Besides, my little girl has grown up :) and she has more needs now than when she was a new-born :) and also sleeps a lot less ;) Anyway, I love making cards too much to stay away for too long, so my mother's coming birthday inspired me to create a new one. Also, I have bought new accessories for making cards so nothing can stop me now... at least at night, when the children are in bed. :)

Here is the card I've made for my mother, as her birthday is on December 12th. I have to mail it, because we don't live in the same town... Unfortunately, I still don't have a lot of the pretty things that would help me make gorgeous cards like I see on all the other blogs by you, ladies. Every month I spend a lot on this hobby, but I'm still ages away from all the stuff that you ladies have; also, the very few craft shops that we have do not sell all that fancy stuff as cardmaking is still not well-known over here. So please excuse the imperfections in my cards because almost everything is cut out by hand.


This card was made with several challenges in mind:

Pile It On - Flowers and Flourishes
Cute Card Thursday - Swirly Girly!
The Pink Elephant - Color Me Wonderful (I used brush pens)
Charisma Cardz - I'm Dreaming of Summertime!
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Christmas Birthday

I hope you like it and to meet again very soon! ;)

Christmas Stocking

I've had this idea for a card in my mind for weeks! So, I took the opportunity that Winter Wonderland has given us and the card has finally come to life. :) I conceived the card as two doors opening to reveal a room decorated for Christmas (I used symbols such as a Christmas wreath, present, stockings...). The back of the card can be used to write a message. I was hoping to achieve a warm and cosy atmosphere through colors, I hope you like it! :) Merry Christmas everyone! :)

Christmas Card for a Child

I took a break from making cards for a short while as both my children had a cold last week. Thank God, they are alright now, healthy and happy again! Here is a card that I thought I would give my son for Christmas. I entered it into the Lili of the Valley challenge for this week (which requires we make a Christmas card for a child) and the Creative Card challenge (their theme for the week is "babies and children's cards"). I really had fun working at it, and I look forward to celebrating Christmas again with my family! :)

Music = Michael Jackson

I used the opportunity that Digital Tuesday has offered us to make a card involving anything that has to do with music to bring my own little tribute to the wonderful artist that was/IS Michael Jackson. To me he was more than a singer, though: he was a remarkable human being, too innocent to adjust to the way the people of this world think and I can only thank the Lord for letting me understand this humble soul and having him as my role model ever since I was ten. He changed my life for the better and inspired me to achieve the best I can and, most importantly, he taught me to love everybody equally and give more of myself to those in need. Also, coincidentally, his last single has just been released, so here it is for everyone who would like to listen to this amazing voice and talent. I love you, Michael!

Christmas Teddy

I know, another Christmas card... But besides the fact that I just love Christmas, it is also the time to start making cards for that holiday and to start thinking about what gifts to buy/make and for whom. This time, my card is for the challenge at Sketch and Stash, following their sketch, which is simple yet beautiful. I like them simple, as I like to make my cards when my children are asleep, so I don't have a lot of time to craft; the simpler, the better! :)

For this card, almost everything is from a new stash: the background paper, the stamp, the ribbon. The flower is made from some chenille I had for several months but never used. I thought it fits well with the rest of the card because it sends your mind to the plush of the teddies. The whole card is actually prettier in life, with vivid colors. It seems to me my camera did not catch that very well, but I hope it still gives you an idea of the real thing.

Clowns at Birthday

Hi again, with another card. I lost some sleep, but at least it's done! :) Rather colorful and fun, it was conceived for a child. I haven't used such bright colors in my cards before, but I thought that orange was the perfect match for the background paper that I had and for the clowns as well... The technique I used is decoupage (which is the challenge at Charisma Cardz this week), and I took the sketch from Moving Along with the Times; it was offered as a challenge, along with a theme: no stamps. That's great for me, as I don't have many of them and I'm also broke spending all my money on crafting items, trying to catch up with the other ladies who have been making cards for a lot longer... :)

The three balloons at the top are also decoupaged and mounted on foam tape, as well as the two squares. The sentiment is a puffy sticker. I am quite pleased with the result. If you think so too, that would encourage me to try further... Thank you so much for looking! :)

Autumn = Wedding Season

I'm officially a card maniac! :) I can't believe what time it is as I sit here in front of the computer, posting my latest crafting adventure... :)

The card below is for the challenge at Allsorts, called "Autumn Days", and for the one at Papertake Weekly, asking us to use only black, white, and just one more color. I've also submitted the card to Three Clovers Designs, where the challenge is entitled "Think Pink", and I believe it fits because white and black are actually considered non-colors.

Strangely or not, when I say Autumn, this is what comes to mind: weddings. Over here, it is the favored season for weddings as this is the time that the new wine is ready to be served at wedding parties. Most people living in the country owe some vineyard and the make their own wine. I guess this is why they choose to give their children into marriage in Autumn, so that they have the drinks for the party... In fact, I am going to a wedding soon, at the end of October, and another one is scheduled for next year in September. The grooms are both former colleagues from work.

Back to my card now, I have made my own patterned paper using a stamp and some pink ink... It hurts me that I do not have much patterned paper, as you can't find it in stores in my country, and it's a pain to get some... Anyway, I'll try my best using what I already have... I colored Willow and Oakley using my brand new Stabilo markers. :) The sentiment is also handwritten. Besides black and white, I chose to use pink because it's so soft and sweet, just like the bride, the flowers, or the feeling that makes those two souls want to lead the same life...

Non-Traditional Christmas Colors

Here's another card that I've made for several challenges. Above all, this has been a challenge for me to use other colors than the traditional ones for a Christmas card. I wanted to give it a try (or maybe even succeed? :) ), because I love the green-red-gold combination in my Christmas tree and decorations and couldn't imagine myself going a different way... Otherwise I think this pink-brown combination is just gorgeous... Anyway, I would love to hear what you have to say about my attempt at using this colour scheme (hopefully I will get enough courage to be more open-minded about this). :) Also, I wanted to say that the ornaments you can see in the tree are actually hot pink, but because of the flash-light they have taken different hues in the picture. Thank you very much for looking!



The challenges I am submitting this card to are:

Our Creative Corner - Yummy Color Combo (light pink, hot pink, brown, white)
Allsorts - Snowflakes in September
365 Card - DIY Paper
Pile It On - Punches
Christmas Stampin' - Non-Traditional Colors
The Color Throwdown - Color Throwdown

Christmas sparkle

Here is another card this week, this time for Sketch Saturday. Another Christmas card, but I guess I will be glad when the season comes and I have all the cards I need to send ready... :) I admit I have a hard time trying other colours for my Christmas projects than the traditional ones. I simply adore Christmas!! I can't wait to decorate the tree again and do the shopping! :)

FALLing...

With both my little ones asleep at the same time (it rarely happens), I started making this card with several challenges in mind. Autumn is here for my cricket as well, but he is no different than the rest of his species: instead of making provisions for wintertime, he keeps playing his music... Is this for a Miss Cricket? :)



The challenges to which I submitted this card are:
A Spoon Full of Sugar - Fall into Autumn
Whimsy Stamps - Fun Fall Colors
PaperPlay Challenges - NO Patterned Paper
Digital Tuesday Challenges - Clean & Simple Fall Card

Frosty the Snowman

The newest card I've created is this one, for week #15 at Winter Wonderland. I had a separate image of this snowman, and I tried to imagine something about why it was so sad, and this is what I came up with: a little bit of grass piercing the snow blanket... It also sends a message that we should enjoy Winter and all the other wonderful moments of life, because you never know when they're going to end! I hope you have many beautiful moments in your life to enjoy to the full!

Red, White and Blue Man Celebration

I have just finished a card I made for two challenges: for Cupcake Craft Challenges where they asked us to make something using just white, blue and red, and for Allsorts, where we were challenged to make something for the males in our lives. I admit it was not very easy for me, but even the thing that I managed to make a card with kids needing me every two minutes it's a miracle in itself... :)

Tales from Pollycraft Awesome Candy

Tales from Pollycraft is givingaway some fabulous candy, so please visit their blog to check it out and enter to win this prize! You still have until September 14th to do that! :)

#43 Challenge - Just Christmas and Birthday Cards

I underestimated this sketch, I thought I would make the card in the blink of an eye, but I was wrong! :) Anyway, I loved the challenge, and I hope you like my creation. I used some glitter to symbolise snow, and the Christmas tree is made up of little gold stars. I can't wait to celebrate Christmas again, and my son too! He keeps asking for a singing Santa Clause we have to play with it... :)

Handmade Treasures by Creative Card Corner

I have discovered this amazing blog, and I just love it's owner's work, she's truly talented. Please go and visit, it is really worth it! Also, she is giving some candy away, and you could win it for sure if you follow three simple steps... It ends September 22nd. Well, I too hope I win this candy, so we'll just have to wait and see... :)

By Candlelight

This is a card i made for a Winter Winderland contest, called "By Candlelight". I was pretty busy handling housework and the two children, but I hope I made it in time. After all, it's still Saturday over here... :) I really wanted to be part of this contest, and I worked a lot for it, so I really hope you like it... I worked everything by hand, except for the little shining star and corners. Anyway, it feels pretty well seeing something coming out of one's hand in the end... :)

First card :)

This is the first card I post for you to see. Actually, it's for a contest on the amazing Christmas and Birthday Cards, and I followed their sketch. It's a birthday card which I think turned out pretty nice. I had this idea in my head for days, and today I finally found the time to make the card. I used butterfly-embossed pearl-white cardstock as background. I cut out pink petal shapes and glued them together to form a flower. A teardrop-shaped gem that I had in my stash is the falling/missing petal. I also used lilac, light and dark pink cardstock, and a little piece of ribbon.