Homespun Holidays

I'm a fill-in over at Feline Playful - THE go-to blog for challenges! I don't know how my lovely team mates manage to create cards, work, live, and still find time to post the more than 500 challenges. My head spins just filling in from time to time! They are some of the most energetic and creative blog folks I know. We hail from all over planet Earth:

Southampton, UK
Stafforshire, UK
West Midlands, UK
Edinburgh, UK
Kent, UK
Vancouver, Canada
Karachi, Pakistan
Queensland, AUS
Monticello, MN, USA
Montclair, VA, USA
Dayton, OH, USA
Sioux City, IA, USA
Baltimore, MD, USA
Chicago, IL, USA
Columbia, TN, USA
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

If you'd like to click into these lovely ladies' blogs we are all listed on the side bar of Feline Playful.
 
Well - the Feline Playful team is Feline (Feelin') very thankful and is celebrating a milestone. The team covers (posts) more than 500 challenges! We are celebrating with a blog hop - click here for details. Mark your calendars!

 
Now on to my card - another Christmas card for friend Mary Lee. My challenge to myself was to make each of her cards using a bit of fabric.
 
 

 

 
Homespun Holiday
~Base card PaperTrey Ink Kraft cardstock - edges smudged
~Layer of scrap Christmas fabric
~Ornament is a stamp from the Michael's dollar bin, colored with Copics, dotted with gold metallic pen, highlighted with Stampin' Up Crystal Effects
~Wire loop attached at the top of the ornament
~Red silk embroidery ribbon
Challenges and Inspirations
Crafty Hazelnut's - Christmas - anything goes
Designed 2 Delight - anything goes
Class Act Insider - Christmas (stamp)
Stampin' for the Weekend - holidays
Totally Paper Crafts - Christmas in August
4 Crafty Chicks - metal
 
Thank you for clicking by.
Nancy in Iowa

Welcome to ...

What a weekend! The final freshman orientation all day Friday and Saturday. Saturday also included washing all the windows at my mother's house, changing her linens, filling her bird feeders and playing a game on the iPad with her.

Today I get to go take photos of athletes moving in .... unfortunately (for ME) most of them live in the 'dorm of doom' (five floors, no air conditioning, no elevators)... How is that for a fall sport work out program?

Tomorrow a meeting in Des Moines, IA (3 hours away).

I did manage to get my laundry done, the front yard mowed, and make a replacement card for friend Mary Lee. This is very similar to a previous card I made for her. Somewhere along the line I decided I needed to make all five of her request cards using fabric since she is a quilter. So... if my math is correct (which my friends and family know to be a dicey situation) I need to make one more Mary Lee card then the Fabric Five will be complete.

P.S. Blogger is not my friend! It won't allow me to post comments on my blogger friends sites. VERY frustrating! And I don't have time to figure it out right now.  Word Press is looking more and more inviting every day...

Doorway to the Holidays
~Base card PaperTrey Ink Kraft cardstock
~Layer of green cardstock
~Four strips of fabric scraps
~Two layers of hunter green ribbon topped with red/gold ribbon
~Free digital image from Bird's Cards colored with Copics, printed twice - wreath cut and attached using sticky foam dots
~Wreath highlighted with Inkssentials Glossy Accents and Stickles Candy Cane
Challenges
Paper Sundaes - say hi (a door with a wreath appears to say hello..come on in)

Thanks for clicking by,
Nancy in Iowa

I'm Snow Easily Distracted

I've been struggling with what to do for the fifth Christmas card that dear friend Mary Lee has requested. My muse has been either asleep or on holiday as she hasn't been much help lately. I like the idea of incorporating fabric into the cards for her since Mary Lee is an avid quilter. At this point I have five cards completed but think I will take two from the pile and replace them with two other (yet to be created) cards that include fabric scraps. I'll have to ponder this one for awhile... (attention Muse - that is your cue to snap to attention!)

I decided to use the star and a similar layout to a previous card but the rest of the elements...well that happened by way of design cabal...move a stack of DVDs...see the box of corsage pins that were transferred from my mother's house...suddenly a pin seemed appropriate for the star...the pin led me to believe that a dangley of some kind was absolutely necessary - thus the snowflake (previously dangling from an earring). The decision to add a pin to the star prompted the need to open the craft tool drawer to get a needle nose pliers to snip the pointy end of the corsage pin off...and poof...a reminder that I have colored staples!

So now I have shared how UNPLANNED my cards usually are. AND you can see how easily I become distracted by just about anything!

Snow-(Ca)Ball

~Base card Paper Trey Ink Kraft cardstock - edges smudged using Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip

~Layer of My Mind's Eye Signature Christmas - edges smudged using Color Box Blue Lagoon - notice the shimmer on the design paper - YUM!

~Lower layer of design paper is more My Mind's Eye Signature Christmas - edge torn and smudged using Color Box Blue Lagoon, attached with three turquoise staples

~Three layers of fabric for the star, single layer of machine stitching

~Corsage pin

~Snowflake

Challenges and InspirationsChristmas Card - (the earring snowflake is a repurpose/recycle)

Dream Valley - distressing

Inspire Me Fridays - anything goes

Just Add Ink - tearing/distressing

Raise the Bar - anything goes

Stamp Man - stitching

Craft Us Crazy - anything goes

For Your Inspiration - photo inspiration

Thank you for clicking by,

Nancy in Iowa