My first Crafting with Dragonflies DT project -- Christmas Tags

So, like many of us, I keep quite busy in the online crafting world: I'm a sponsor/DT coordinator, on 3 design teams, and volunteer twice a week at Paper Playful. However, I just couldn't pass up the invitation to join the Crafting with Dragonflies team. Hey, why the heck not?!
This is my first challenge as part of the DT. Our theme for this fortnight (I know that not a word we Americans use, but this is an Australian-based challenge & I really like the word!) is Christmas Tags. So, no cards, tags only!

I used Santa in Chimney by QKR Stampede to make tags for some little presents for our nieces and nephews. We visited them last month, and my Mom had bought them all sweet little ornaments, so I cut the boxes with my Silhouette (using a design by Lori Whitlock) and added the paper-pieced tags.

I pieced the image in three pieces: the base, which includes the chimney; his body and coat (which I digitally paper-pieced with a textured-red digi paper); and his bag, which was cut from a shiny green paper. I heat-embossed the names (I have a tutorial here). I used white flocking and Polar White FlowerSoft for Santa's beard and trim.

Here is a sample of the lovely ornaments Mom sent:

Inspiration/Challenges:
All Crafts Challenge: Anything but a Card
Anonymous Stamps Challenge: Anything Goes (optional theme: Deck the Halls)
MarkerPOP Challenge: Happy Holidays + Copics
Miriam's Crafting Blog Monthly Challenge: Homemade Gifts
My Craft Creations: Always Anything Goes
Perfectly Rustics: Christmas Gift

Many thanks to the Crafting with Dragonflies team for welcoming me into the fold. Hope you all will join us for this challenge! Thank you for visiting,

Paper-Pieced Penguin

The Pile It On Challenge is having its yearly December-long challenge, this year with the theme P is for...! The challenge will actually run 5 weeks, December 1 - January 4. You can enter as many times as you like, providing it is a new challenge made with our rules in mind.

I piled on four "P" items: Penguins, Polka Dots, Liquid Pearls, and Poinsettia. 

Our sponsor for the month of December is Jellypark, so I used her Penguin with Woolly Hat digi stamp:

The penguin and snowflake cut files are from Santa's North Pole Workshop set by SVG Cuts. I used SCAL to make the borders ... don't you think the ones on the inside look like the back of a line of penguins‽

The fabric poinsettias are from my stash, and although the one on top was already pre-glittered, I added some gold Stickles for extra shimmer.

The Notch-Swing card design was self-designed; If you'd like to try it yourself, the cutting file are available for purchase in my Etsy Shop.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Crafting By Designs: Christmas/Winter
Digi Sketch Challenge: Paper Piecing (2nd entry)
Fab 'n' Funky #195: Cute critters
Jellypark Friends Friday Challenge: Christmas
Left of Center Creative Challenges: LOC or No People
Shopping Our Stash #121: Holiday Or Winter (the fabric poinsettias are from my stash)
Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays): Anything Goes
Simply Create Too #51: Snow or Use Only White
Sweet Pea Stampers: Lots of Texture
The Crazy Challenge: Snowy winter

Update: This was the random prize winner for Fab 'n' Funky "Cute Critters" Challenge!

Thank you for visiting, and hope you'll join us this week at Pile It On,

Anything Goes at Sunshine Mail

Happy December! It's time for a new Sunshine Mail Foundation Challenge. Our theme is "Anything Goes" and the only real rule is that you send in at least one card (it doesn't have to be the card you enter in the challenge; Donation guidelines here).

Our sponsor is Deasy Designs, so I used one of their freebies:

 It's on an Action Wobble:

Inspiration/Challenges:
Action Wobble Challenge: CAS card
Crafty Ribbons #72: Anything Goes with Ribbon
Creative Card Crew: Sweet Treats
Digi Sketch Challenge: Paper Piecing (2nd entry)
Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays): Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Thank you for visiting,and hope you'll join the Sunshine Mail Challenge,

Cacti Christmas

Our theme this week at Pile It On! is Non-Traditional Christmas, either non-traditional colors or a non-traditional image. I played with the idea of Christmas being traditionally being portrayed as a snowy time; my folks live in Arizona, and lots of people decorate their cacti!

I used a digi stamp from our sponsor, Milly with Toffee Apple by Pink Gem Designs: 

I've hand-cut my own step cards before, and I've even designed my own version in SCAL to cut on my Silhouette, which is why I was very willing to pay the 99¢ for this Side Step Card by Lori Whitlock from the Silhouette store. Funny story: a local crafting friend got a Silhouette around the same time I did, and we laughed that some of the first files we bought were cut designs we've hand-cut in the past! Nothing like experience to foster commerce.

I also used the Cactus Set by Sarah Bailey, which I layered with both sides a Core'dinations cardstock and a shiny red paper. I bought the caramel apple brads last year at Scraps of Love, and the geckos are from a punch also purchased there.

Challenges:
ABC Christmas Challenge: Winter Wishes
A Gem of a Challenge #107: Sparkle + Pink Gem digi
Aud Sentiments Challenge #94: Any Sentiment
Creative Corner #45: Heavy Metal
Crafter's Cafe #38: Metal
Crafty Creations: American Thanksgiving/Christmas
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday: Winter Scenes
Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge: Warm Christmas
Stampin' For The Weekend: Feeling Festive
Stamps & Fun = Creativity: Digi stamp

Thank you for visiting, and hope you'll join us this week at Pile It On,

Layered leaf Notch-swing card

Ya'll are going to get tired of my notch swing cards...I'm just having too much fun playing with my Silhouette machine! I've pre-cut some front panels from my favorite DPs, and this lovely yellow pattern from Graphic 45 worked well for this week's colourQ challenge.

I also used my Silhouette to cut the leaf overlay embellishment (you can read more about my process in this post.

For the the sentiment, I created it in SCAL using the Georgia font and the "Union" tool. I cut it from a yellow paper and used chalks to add some dimension. I sprayed it with a matte coating to set the chalk, and used orchid Liquid Pearls for the border.

If you'd like to try it yourself, this Notch-Swing card design is now available for purchase as SVG files in my Etsy Shop.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Chalk N Stock: Anything goes just use chalk (on sentiment)
colourQ challenge: Color combo #215
Connie Can Crop: Leaf it up to me...
Creative Card Crew #49: Pearls
HIMCR #124: Die Cuts


Thank you for visiting,