It's beginning to look a lot like...

...time to start the Christmas crafts! I would usually wait until at least the 1st of December to break out anything Christmas related ( maybe that's why I'm always so rushed by the 25th!).  We are starting our Christmas Holiday Schedule over at Practical Scrappers, and today we're all about Christmas cards.
Here's my contribution, made with an absolutely adorable Digital Stamp from La La Land Crafts. I did a combination of Copic coloring, and paper piecing using The Great Outdoors Collection from Momenta.

I added a bit of Tim Holtz Distress Ink in the new Seasonal colours of Evergreen Bough, and Iced Spruce (YUM), a sentiment stamp from Studio G, chipboard snowflakes from American Crafts, mini pompoms from the Dollarama, all on a 6 x 6 card base made from Bazzill cardstock.

La La Land Crafts for Kids Contest

My boys (Ethan age 4 and Parker age 2) love it when I clear a space for them in my craft room and break out the punches and craft supplies. They've recently taken to stamping, and I keep tins of small stamps at hand just for them ( oh ok- sometimes I use them too). They even have a bin full of their own ink, and know how to clean the stamps when they are done. I've come to learn though there is one crafty technique they love more than stamping; they love to cut up paper. Armed with scissors, punches and a paper crimper, all I hear is cut, cut, cut ( they are boys after all).

I had stamped Star Boy Luka upon request for Ethan, and Fireman Luka for my Fireman crazed Parker so that they could make birthday bookmarks for a contest over at the new La-La Land Crafts for Kids blog. This is all we had to show for it: 

 by Ethan age 4 ( and 3/4)

 

by Parker age 2 ( and 3/4)

Not only that, they didn't even stick around long enough to help me clean up!

Oh well, I guess they take after me after all.

Pink Elephants and Corrugated Cardboard

It's not as interesting as it sounds really, but  I've been making cards again. I might actually be starting to like the whole process of card making more- I know I say that with each new batch...

The first one was made for a challenge on the CARDS blog using 100% pink product. This is a huge challenge for a mom of 3 boys who has very little in the way of pink anything in her arsenal. Can you believe other than the sheet of pale pink Core-dinations and the Double Dot ( Bo Bunny) cardstock that I used on this card, I do not own a single sheet of pink cardstock?! I had to dig  and dig just to find those!Thank goodness for scraps!

This one was for  my brother-in- law's birthday. He's got a cute bulldog, so I couldn't resist this La La Land Stamp of Luka and Tuffy, and colouring Tuffy to look more like his dog Winston. I haven't played around with monochromatic colouring much until now, and it was a quick job, but I'm pretty pleased all things considered.

 

I got some great shots of Parker outside in the rain today. He looked like a sad puppy at the window after nap asking me if he could go outside. He kept saying " I lub the rain... " I did what any mother who is off her rocker would have done. I put on his boots and coat, gave him his choice of umbrella and took him out to splash in the puddles and mud of a half completed back yard ( loads of mud!!)

Cardmaking

I am the first to say that I don't really see myself as a cardmaker, although I haven't given a store bought card now in years, and all our friends expect their handmade creations at every event.  I just don't make a habit of making cards "just because". Since I've been asked to make some cards for my LSS showcasing new stamps though, I find I'm slowly starting to gravitate towards wanting to make more cards...

materials:
Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper, Prism Simply Smooth
Pp: Doodlebug Design Inc, WRMK
Copic Markers
Distress Stickles
Ink: Memento
Stamp: La La Land Crafts

Materials: Bazzill Basics Paper
Pp: WRMK
Stamp: Penny Johnson
Ink: Memento
Copic Markers

This next one wasn't for a sample, but for a very special little girl born on Thursday to our good friends.

Materials:
Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper, Prism Simply Smooth
Pp:Scrapmode
Flowers: Prima
Brads, Basic Grey, Dollarama
Rub-On: American Crafts
Copic Markers
Ink: Memento, Distress Ink
Stamp: Impression Obsession
Digi Stamp: Mo Manning (diaper crew)

Definitely more pink on these three than I've used in a long time!