If a picture's worth a thousand words, this post is an entire master's thesis.

It's PSL time at Club Scrap, which means hardcore cardmaking. Teams compete to see who can produce the most cards over a week, fulfilling various requirements along the way. Between that, and my animals being particularly cute this week, this is a looooong post. Be not afraid, it's almost all photos, though, so you can fly through the whole thing in just a few minutes. So don't give up on me. We can survive this long and grueling journey together. Let's begin.

 I adore this bunny image! It not only has a wonderful, realistic rabbit, it has violets, my very favorite flower. For some reason, images of violets are harder to find than most. Anyway, this is my design team card for For Fun Challenges this week. Check us out over there and play along with our color challenge this week--the colors of Mardi Gras--purple, gold, and green. I'm also entering this in the critter challenge at Gingerloft Challenges.

Kleenex on my cat! Seriously, he looks proud, doesn't he? I think he's imagining that he's the flying nun. If the flying nun chased birds.

Such a tolerant kitty. You know why you don't see Weezee with a Kleenex on her head? Because she would slaughter me in my sleep if I dared try.

Usagi is still showing off her winter wear: any blanket she can find.

 This little bunny is blowing sweet little heart shaped bubbles for the Sparkles Forum Challenge which calls for Pink, Blue, and Brown.

 Paper Players gets this feisty little chihuahua for this week's challenge. I got that nifty lace from a vintage lot on Ebay and have been going nuts with the stuff. I love the aged look it has from being stored god knows where for so many years.

 Craft Your Passions challenge this week is Girly Cards, and this one is about as girly as it comes. I love those antennae on the bear. Too cute. It's an image from Just Some Lines. This one's also representin' in the 2 Sisters teddy bear challenge this week.

 I Did It challenge is to use punches...so many hearts!

Well, that's all for now. It's time to give my sad little spine a break. It's angry about the vast weather changes lately and, of course, it's taking it out on me. Ergh. On the upside, I'm busy with orders from my etsy shop and several writing projects, which are good things. Happy Wednesday!

Boioioinnnng...

Just a very quick post with a happy frog card for the Really Reasonable Ribbons challenge. Boing!

Colds and Cards

Sooo...they put me on a temporary round of steroids for my spine, which seems to have worked nicely, except that the immune suppressing nature of steroids made me super-prone to cold/flu things one of which, I seem to be hosting now. Don't get too close to this post. You might catch it too.

I've been using my convalescence to goof off and make cards, so I have a number of them to show off today. :) First, one I made for my nephew Drew.

Hooray for bunnies! I pulled out some of my dresden, too for that shiny border at the bottom. I adore these vintage-style foil scraps. They're part of what makes those crumbling victorian period cards so charming. Though mass produced, they weren't flat printed plain things that seem to be in style now. Almost all commercial cards then had at least some sort of extra on it...embossed foil, layered scrap, a little lace, etc. One of my biggest pet peeves is people perpetuating the notion that "things were better in the old days" (after all, while they had nice cards then, they also had four year old chimney sweeps and lead-based makeup) but the cards back then deserve some sort of props. :)
I'm entering this card in the Cute Card Thursday Challenge, since I feel it is sufficiently adorable. :)

I had a request for black and tan doxies in my etsy shop, so I made this card to practice my canine marking skills. I think he turned out to be pretty cute. :) The image is by a digi artist called Sandy, and the challenge at Totally Paper Crafts was to use a digi stamp. So, this should do nicely.

You've seen this stamp in previous posts, but tis time I used Liquid Pearls and some floral paper from Club Scrap's My Funny Valentine line. I'm entering this one in one of my favorite challenges, the Digi Doodle Challenge.

Here's one from a set that I'm uploading to my Etsy shop today. Edcob? Jakward? You needn't choose werewolf or vampire with this guy. He's going into the Pattie's Creations pet challenge.

And here's my card for my design team at For Fun Challenges this week:

Isn't she cute? We used Michelle Perkett's images to say happy birthday to For Fun Challenges, so I'm entering my card in her challenge this week.
That's all for today...more to come!

A Little Love, A Little Late

So...my Valentines this year will be mailed out *on* Valentine's Day. Sorry, recipients, I've had a dreadful cold for the last week that's rendered me behind on just about everything life can hand a person. So, do forgive me for my belated tokens of love.

Here's a cute scottie card I made using Club Scrap papers, inks, ribbon and stencils. I inked the heart through a harelquin patterned stencil to get that cool diamond look. The gem dogs were a lucky find at a clearance sale. I immediately thought of the Stampin' Up set with the Westie dogs (white version of a Scottie for all practical purposes), hence the little guy stamped on the heart. This card is one I'm entering in the Really Reasonable Ribbon challenge. Check them out! Their ribbon selection rules!

But that's not all...I have a lot of Valentines to send cards to this year, so here is another card I made several of to send on their merry (late) way.

I'm in love with this stamp set by There She Goes, so you may recognize it from a card I made a week or so ago. Don't you just adore the little motion lines by his waggy tail? Anyway, this one is for another of my addictions, the Do You Stack Up challenge.  

So, don't dispair if your Valentine doesn't show up with any goodies today...they may just be really late, like me. :)

Happy Lunar New Year!

Losar, or Lunar New Year is colloquially called Chinese New Year though it's celebrated by Buddhists worldwide. It's one of my favorite holidays, especially since it's actually a whole week long. My cards today are a little behind, still celebrating Groundhog Day. Really, all rodents should have their own appreciation day, shouldn't they? While we're at it, why not all species...we could be celebrating every single day and then some. We'd have to have a new holiday every few hours, which I think is a darn fine idea! Anyway, don't worry, I plan to stuff you full of holiday goodness over the next week, but for now, here are some adorable little groundhogs from Little Scraps of Heaven Designs, who generously sponsored this week's challenge at my design team's home: For Fun Challenges. The prize? A $25 gift certificate, so get over there and submit your card!
 
I love a good challenge, too, so I created my groundhog card with the Really Reasonable Ribbons Challenge in mind. I used some of my favorite ribbon (love the layers!) from Club Scrap, and added a little silver heart to counterbalance the nifty butterfly paperclip adorning the springtime scene.

 Next, a little something I made for the Clean and Simple Sunday Challenge using their sketch and these freaking adorable stamps I got for Xmas from my ubercool friend, Jen K, who seems to always be on top of the coolest and newest crafting toys. It's like she has Scrap-dar. Amazing!

And finally, here's one I made for the Tip Top Tuesday this week, requiring "something girly". I was psyched to find this Hero Arts stamp on sale recently, since I've had my eye on it for about a year. And what good timing because it features violets which besides being my favorite flowers, are also February's flower (and, of course, my birth flower!) I added some sparkle with Doodlebug gems and offset those with some faux grey pearls. I'm very pleased with this card and will likely be sending it to someone else who also enjoys having a birthday this month.

That's all for today. I've got to get ready for the accupuncturist. The last month has been really dreadful for my spine. I've got to get it back in order or I'm going to go insane from being cooped up for so long.

Major Cuteness: 2 and 4 Legged

Just a quick post today. I've been feeling icky lately, so I have to apologise for my absence. So, in an effort to win you back, I bring you a big honking load of adorability, beginning with Henri Marie Raymond Toulouse Lautrec Monfa, better known as Toulousey Goosey, Goosey Goo, or just plain Goo.

Next up, a layout I made for Elizabeth Goodson's Creative Memories January Challenge. It's my completely charming neice, Vivienne. As the journalling states, she is a big fan of Stephen Colbert (talk about good taste!) and the word, "butt-nut", a favorite term of endearment my husband made up for my dog, Revco, who Vivi is slightly less fond of because Rev can't seem to curb his habit of barking in her face. They made up, though, by the end of their most recent visit, over a good (and gentle) rhythmic head bonking with a stuffed stingray, right between the ears. Somewhere between petting and the world's softest bludgeoning.

 Next, a big smile from Ms. Usagi, floppity tongue and all.

 And finally, here she is with her new, blue toupee courtesy a cat toy we had to take away from her before it could be completely eviscerated. It's hard to teach the dogs the difference between a dog toy and a cat toy.
Love the wink here!

Have a great week! It's almost the Fabulous and Festive Month of February! Losar! Valentine's Day! My Birthday! Scott's Birthday! President's Day! And I'm sure I must be forgetting something, but the point is, February is Fun! Whoot!

Something Nice and Something Extra Nice

 

Rough weekend all around. I was in a half ton of pain and had to miss my friend Teresa's open house event that I had been salivating over since I first heard about it (new Stampin' Up Catalogs, some kind of game involving ribbon and quarters, eensie weensie shopping bags, etc.)  I loathed being stuck at home, missing out on cool crafts and games, but the pain was so evil, it made my skin feel like it was humming a full inch deep (which wouldn't actually be skin, but the endodermis or something like that, but please humor me anyway). The worst part is how the pain makes me feel like I'm teeny tiny, wrapped in roll upon roll of scratchy insulation, then stuffed deep inside my own head. Please forgive me, Teresa. I promise I would have been there if I had any choice.

Now, that wasn't so nice, I know, so let's move on to something that is...a challenge!

This challenge is one you can enter in several different ways...all of which you can read about here, at Card Cupid's Blog! You can earn entries by posting about the challenge, making cards for the Card Cupid Program and posting about them, and you can also enter by mailing cards in (marked with the appropriate information so you get credit for sending them). And, if you send in links/messages completing one or more of these different challenge entry tasks, you can be put into the drawing to win this!

What, you may be wondering, is the Card Cupid program? It's a really easy and fun way to do something kind for a sick kid. You create happy cards for holidays, birthdays, or just to wish someone a great day, then send it in to the organizers. There are a few rules you need to follow, but they're not complicated, and I like thinking about who might open the card I'm making while I'm putting it together.

This is my first time making cards for this program. I had a lot of fun, though, so I'm quite certain I'll be making more soon. I made a group of five Valentines, it being that time of year and all. Plus Valentines are just all-around exciting. Hearts, bright pink and red, ribbons and the like are the kinds of things that I can get seriously enthusiastic about. I'm a holiday dork in general because they let you stop, relax, and be tacky. Like a snow day collided with a Big Lots. Glitter, plastic decorations, shiny banners, paper hearts, chalky candy, crepe paper whatnots, colored lights, centerpieces featuring wire covered in whatever that thin metallic plastic stuff is that tinsel is made of...oh yeah, I remember exactly what that stuff is made of: pure joy.

So, interspersed throughout this post are photos of my cards.I hope I did everything right and that the hosts of the challenge like what I've created.

So...consider making cards for some minors who aren't feeling so great--it's an extra nice thing to do! I plan to make more soon, so if your cards want to hitch a ride with mine through the postal system, just ask. I'd be happy to help more cards get to this happy destination.