Christmas Cards

This month my BFF, Nora, and I started a Handmade Christmas card group on Swap-Bot.  Our goal is to create one new card each month and swap with one partner.  This months theme was open, make whatever as long as it is a Christmas card. 

Keeping to my simple theme I created a basic card with one image.  I ended up making 5 cards and entered the Christmas Cards All Year Long (CCAYL) February Challenge. Their challenge for February was to have pink or red in your card with some dimension. Easy enough my card base is Cherry Cobbler, DSP has pink stripes, and I mounted the sentiment with dimensionals.


 

This is the card I received from my swap partner, Roxie.  Isn't it cute.  I love the non-traditional colors.  Can't wait to share it at Christmas time. 

Thanks for stopping by.

See ya!!

CJ

Operation Write Home Cards

Last week I mailed off 18 cards to OWH for their Spring Thaw Challenge.  I came up with three layouts that I found on different blogs and made several of each design.  I sent 6 of each to OWH and the rest will be used for swaps.  I entered this first card in the OWH Mid-Week Challenge for an "Anything Goes" type card. 



Sending Warm Fuzzies -- SU Paper/Image, Hero Arts Sentiment

 

Happy Mothers Day - SU DSP/Layers/Stamps, GinaKCard Base



Happy Birthday - SU Card base/stamp/ribbon, Basic Grey DSP

 I prefer to keep my cards simple, I am not into the multiple layers, lots of bling type cards--not my style.  I make cards to relax, so keeping it simple is the best for me.  Plus I am just not that creative--too much brain power required.  In addition, the shippers at OWH prefer cards that are not too bulky and blingy for the troops, that way they can get more cards into a box. 

Next week I am participating in my first ever OWH Blog Hop.  I have already made my card for the hop and I have some card making stash selected to giveaway.  More to come. 

Have a great Saturday!


See ya!!

CJ

One more Crazy January Finish!!

Project #4, the Quaker Armadillo from Aury is all stitched up.  This is for my son, who is fascinated with the armadillos that tear up our yard looking for grub worms. Our neighbor has manged to trap a few over the years--nasty looking creatures. The kids like to look at it in the trap--yuk.  They really can do some damage to a yard.  Since we are in Texas dead armadillos are a common sight along the roadside, it is not very often you get to see one alive.  The first time I went to the Weavers Weekend in Oklahoma an armadillo crossed my path as I was walking back to the lodge.  That was my first ever "live in the wild" armadillo sighting. 

Another happy dance for me!!

See ya!!  Thanks to all of you who stop by, I really appreciate your comments.

CJ

Crazy January Challenge 2011 Project #3 Finished!!

Oh my, it is time for a happy dance!!!  I have finished my 5th project for  2011 and 3rd project on my Crazy January Challenge list.  I have finished the Name Flake for my son, Sam.  When we brought him home from China we called him Sammy for the longest time, well at least until he got into Pre-K and decided he like being call Sam versus Sammy.  He is the sweetest and smartest little boy in the world and we are so blessed to have him in our family.

I stitched this up on 18ct hand dyed aida from Enchanted Fabrics--who is out of business, boohoo.  I used DMC 517 for his name and DMC 311 for the snow flakes.  The pattern calls for the larger snow flakes to be covered with beads, but that was not working out well with the 18ct so I decided to just put beads in the center.  Now I am working on the Quaker Armadillo.  



Happy President's Day!!


See ya!!

CJ

Crazy January Challenge 2011 Project #2 Finished!!

The stitching is complete on  project #2 from the Crazy January Challenge.  Later I plan to finish it into a block for display in my daughters room.  This is my fourth (count them 1, 2, 3, and 4) stitching finish for 2011, don't think I finished that many in 2010 and my second finish of the Crazy January Challenge.  I am diligently working on my sons name ornament, plan to start the beading tonight as I watch American Idol. 

See ya!!

CJ

Square Card Challenge

Yesterday I made several square cards in purple, green, red, orange and pink for Swap-Bot swaps and Operation Write Home Challenges.  Today as I was perusing my blog roll I found a a square card challenge listed on Feline Playful's blog.  So I thought why not join in the fun.  Here goes....

Card Info:

Design - Cased from Angie at Chic'n Scratch 

Materials - paper, punches, ink, image from Stampin Up!

Sentiment - Hero Arts

Challenge - Creative Craft World

 

See ya!!

CJ

Another Coffee House Mystery Finished.

Last week I finished "Murder Most Frothy" the fourth book in Cleo Coyle's Coffee House Mystery series and started on "Decaffeinated Corpse"-- don't you love these titles.   I believe I am addicted to these cozy mysteries.  If you want to learn more about Cleo Coyle, her mysteries and pick up a few great coffee recipes check out her website.  My copy of "Murder Most Frothy" has been posted on PBS for the next caffeine addicted reader. 

See ya!!

CJ

Alphabet Kitties are Finished

I stitched up P and Q for the Quilts for Older Children and Adults Yahoo Group.  This is not a pattern I would choose for myself so it was fun to do something a little different.  These squares will be made into a quilt along with the rest of the alphabet and sold to raise money for an animal shelter.  Having rescued two dogs this is a cause close to my heart and I was happy to help.

Alphabet Kitty "Q" was my first entry in the Crazy January Stitching Challenge. 

Enjoy,

CJ 



TUSAL Feb New Moon

Happy Chinese New Year!!  Usually we would take the kids out for a Chinese dinner this evening, but this nasty winter storm has us staying indoors and off the streets.  My kids have missed two days of schools so far this week and we just got that call that school will be closed, again, tomorrow.   We had snow late Monday night and early Tuesday, but it is the layer of ice that came down at the beginning of the storm and the extreme cold temperatures that are keeping us in.  Even the Tuesday paper didn't get delivered until this afternoon.  BRRRRRRR!!! That is a record for us in North Texas we had our two weeks of winter in mid-January, but I guess this year we will have 3 weeks of winter--lol.  The temps are predicted to be around 60 on Super Bowl Sunday.

I digress, enough about the weather.  Here is my February New Moon TUSAL input.  According to my calendar the new moon is today so here is my little jar of bits and it has grown tremendously since the January New Moon.  I have been busy stitching two

squares for charity that I will post pictures of later. If I keep this up I may have to get a bigger container.   Enjoy, stay warm and keep stitching.

See ya!!

CJ