Christmas Card Kit Club ~ September 2012

Hello friends and followers!  Welcome to the second installment of the Christmas Card Kit Club 5 of my crafty friends and I have organized.  I got the idea from my crafty friend Suzanne; each of us takes a turn hosting the challenge for a month by mailing supplies to the other members of the group - images, patterned papers, embellishments, etc.  Everyone receives the same materials, and we have the entire month to make one or more cards with them.  Then, on the last day of the month we all share our creations on our blogs and have fun seeing what everyone else made with the same supplies, plus we have a big head start on our holiday cards for the season.  Isn't that a fun idea?  I was so happy my pals wanted to play along.  So, this month Lydia was our  host and sent us the following supplies (all by Stampin' Up!) including:  
Images from Winterful Wonderland 
Candlelight Designer paper 
Snow Festival Tags 
Noel Notes laser cut note and scalloped liner 
Champagne Glimmer Paper 
1/8" Old Olive Taffeta Ribbon, and 
Designer Brushed Bronze buttons.
Here is a pic of the kit contents:

(please click on the photos for clearer resolution).  And here is the card I created with my kit:

(Holiday acrd count - 16, just dismal!!)  I meant to create more projects this month, planning to craft all the livelong day this entire weekend (I like to stew over ideas for a while) and then my husband's business trip was cancelled at the last minute, so a weekend-long craftfest was no longer in the cards.  
          Now I know you are excited to see what my talented friends made with their kits as well, so be sure to visit them all, I am sure they have something beautiful for you to see:

• Kelli
• Lee
• Lydia, our September hostess, 
• Misti, and 
• Peggy Sue.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hope you enjoyed our first Christmas Card Kit Club Hop and will join us again last the day of the month in the future!  Cheers!

~Crafty Math Chick

SNSDC73 - Hip to Be Square

Hello AGAIN Friends & Followers!  Welcome to my third blog post of the day (if you are looking for my TSG Treat Holder post or my Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge post, please scroll down) for Sweet 'n Sassy's Digi Challenge.  This week's challenge theme: Hip to be Square (you all have that Huey Lewis song running through your head now, don't you?  I know I do...).  I decided to take this challenge beyond the two-dimensional and make a cube to accompany my square card using my favorite Sweet 'n Sassy's Puppy Love digital stamp set (which is also available in clear as 'Woof You' for anyone interested) to make this little gift set:

(Please click on the photo for clearer resolution).  Our neighbor's furbaby is having a birthday next week, I thought this would be a cute little gift for her.  I found this AWESOME Cube Box Tutorial by Jinky Kowalsky on Papercraft Planet, and converted all the metric measurements into inches (yeah, that took a little while, LOL!).  I really like the original way this cube opens - with the two sides folding down (when they are upright or closed you can secure them with a pretty ribbon).  Lotsa squares embellish the sides of this little cube box, with pretty pre-glittered and paw prints papers from the Paper Studio.  I did my best to color the pup like our neighbor's cute furbaby - she is really white with some grey dots around her paws, lower legs and ears - and added some bling to jazz the projects up a bit.  
     Hope you will join us and play along with our Hip to be Square Challenge - you don't need to use a SNSS digi, any digi will do, but we spotlight one person who uses SNSS digis on their card or project every week, and it could be YOU!
     Okay, three posts is definitely enough from me in one day.  I hope you enjoyed them all and I hope you have a WONDERFUL weekend!  Cheers!
~ Crafty Math Chick 
These creations also fulfill the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• Oldie but a Goodie Challenge - Show us your ribbons (I have had just about everything in this project for more than 6 months, except for the Milk Bone dog biscuits of course), and
• Come and Get It Challenge - Anything Other Than a Card (granted, there is a card there too but I also made that cute cube gift box right?).

WnW89 - Sketch Challenge

Welcome back for my second post of the day!  (If you are looking for my TSG Treat Holder post, please scroll down).  It is time for a new Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge, and for Challenge 89 we have a sketch challenge for you created by my fellow teammie Lyndsey:

Our furbaby was 2-3 years old when we adopted him and his teeth were not in the best shape.  I did what I could to try to get them in better shape but apparently it was not enough.  So, he had his first professional dental cleaning this week, and his teeth are SO white now!  His vet was really incredible!  She saw how nervous I was and gave me a tour of the facilities and described the procedure step-by-step - she even called me the same day of his preliminary blood work to tell me everything was fine - you don't meet many folks who take that kind of time these days, so I wanted to bake her a batch of brownies to thank her for taking such good care of my baby and attach a card.  I used Wags 'n Whiskers adorable Puppy Love image to create this card:

(please click on the photo for clearer resolution).  The larger pup reminds me of Ty so I colored him with this beautiful, unique coloring and left the little companion white.  I borrowed the "Thankful for You" sentiment from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps' 'Fall time Cocoa' set and added some paw print bling from the paper Studio.  I think that paw print border punch by EK Success is my favorite.
     Hope you will play along with us!  You have two weeks to link your creation and one lucky participant will win a FREE Wags 'n Whiskers Rubber Stamps!  You don't even need to use WnW digis, any digi will do, however, if you use WnW images on your card youw ill be entered into a second drawing for a free WnW digi image - can't beat that!  So join us!
     Thanks for stopping by - hope you will visit later today for my third blog post of the day.  Cheers!!
~ Crafty Math Chick

Quick 'n Easy Pixie Stix Holders

Hello Friends & Followers!  Thanks for joining me today for the first of three (I KNOW!) posts.  This one is dedicated to TSG's parade of quick & easy treat holders, and it doesn't get any easier than these Pixie Stix holders!  I first got the idea from Jami Sibley in this post.  Here is my version of it with a cute pumpkin from Bugs & Hisses and some patterned paper from the paper Studio:

(Please click on the photo for clearer resolution)  I basically follow Jami's directions to a 'T' for this 7-stix holder (mine only has 6 in it but it holds 7) made from a 4.5" x 5" piece of cardstock scored at 1.25", 1.5", 3.5" and 3.75".  Then you rotate the cardstock 90 degrees and score at 1/4".  You snip the 1/4" scores up to where they intersect the other score lines (this will be the bottom of your pixie stix holder) and secure with super tacky tape or your adhesive of choice.  I actually use scotch tape - it is on the back and the bottom, no one sees it anyway, and it is cheaper than using up my Monomulti.  I think the patterned paper panel ended up being 2" x 4" and then I used nesting circle punches in 1 1/4" and 1 1/8".  It honestly takes just a few minutes to make and you can have a lot of fun mixing and matching different colors, small images and patterned papers.  Kids love them and they can hold pencils just as easily as Pixie Stix for the diabetic trick-or-treaters.
     Be sure to stop by the TSG Blog for more treat holder creations from the talented TSG Trendsetters!  I am sure they will inspire you will all kinds of great ideas.
     Enjoy!  Hope you will stop by for my other two posts later today.
~ Crafty Math Chick
PS - This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• DRS Designs Challenge 44 - Pumpkins, 
• Craft Us Crazy Challenge 27 - Halloween,
• Come and Get It Challenge - Anything but a Card, and 
• City Crafter Challenge Blog Week 128 - An Early Boo.

 Thanks for the fun challenges guys!!

Gettin' Sketchy with Sweet 'n Sassy

Hello Friends & Followers!  I hope you are having a good week!  I wanted to take a break from the ongoing process or unpacking & organizing my craft room to play along with this week's Sweet Stop Sketch 177:

I had SO many ideas for it but finally decided one this one:

(please click on the photo for clearer resolution - and if anyone has some Photoshop tips on how to get the photo to look as nice ON the blog as it does when you click on it - PLEASE share them with me!!)  Obviously I rotated the sketch 90 degrees clockwise (you know me, I love to flip and rotate those sketches around!), replaced the oval with this puppy I simply adore from SNSS' Woof You set (it is also available as a digi, called 'Puppy Love'), coloring him in to resemble our furbaby, and replaced the ribbon strips with some grass layered in Garden Green and Wild Wasabi and sponged at the edges to give them some additional depth.  His bandanna is paper pieced with the same plaid patterned paper (LOVE plaids!) I used for the background.  So what do you think?
     This card also fulfills the requirements for the following additional challenges:

• Di's Digi Design Challenge - use more than one die cut or punch (one for the grass and a corner rounder for the sentiment),
• Marker Pop Challenge - Color Something (my pup was colored in with my Copics),
• The House That Stamps Built Designer's Choice Challenge 926 - Paper Piecing (the bandanna was paper pieced), 
• Inky Impressions Challenge 78 - Animals, 
• Fab 'n Funky Challenge 140 - Starts with 'F' (the blog said 'F' could stand for 'fur', I also 'fussy cut' the pup out by hand), and 
• Bearly Mine Challenge 54 - Add a Sentiment.

     Thanks for stopping by to see my card and read my ramblings.  Hope you will be by tomorrow - I will have another post (or two) for your viewing pleasure!  Cheers!
~ Crafty Math Chick

SNSDC72 ~ New Release Blog Hop (with scoring)

Hello Friends, Followers and Hoppers!  So glad you could stop by!  It is time for another Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenge, but today we are very excited to add something MORE!

The Sweet `n Sassy Digi Challenge ladies are bringing you a Fun Blog Hop for our September Digi Release!!

While you're hopping, be sure to leave some love on each of the blog hop posts…One of the ladies below is a mystery blogger and she will be picking a random winner from the comments on her blog post!! (it could eve be ME - you never know...)  The winning prize will be the whole September Digi Release!! (The winner will be announced here on Friday, September 28th.)

Before we get to the challenge for this week how about we share those new digis....

Pumpkin Kitty $3.00

Autumn Collage $3.00

Happy Flowers  $3.00

4 Petaled Flowers $4.00

And now for today's challenge:  Add "Scoring"for your creation!

Just a few things to keep in mind as you play....

Please remember to use digital images ONLY for the challenge.

~You don't have to use SNS digi images to play along but we sure do love when you do!

~Please share a link to your creation using the Linky feature at the end of this post. If the link feature is down, please add a link with your comment.

~When uploading to online galleries, please use keyword SNSDC72.

Every card you enter into our challenges throughout September, you will get one entry to be eligible for winning 3 digis of your choice from the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps store.  Every week, we spotlight one participant who uses SNSS digi images for their card or project.  (We strongly think those of you who love to use our digital images should be recognized a little more.)  ;)

Here is the card I made for today's hop, I used Pumpkin Kitty, who I colored with my COPICS (WOOT!  WOOT!!  They are finally unpacked - Yeah!) with some DCWV Harvest Time papers, some copper ribbon from  Michaels and some pumpkin shaped bling by The Paper Studio to create this little number:

(Please click on the photo for clearer resolution).  The sketch is Sketch 283 by Card Positioning Systems.Can you see the scoring I added to create a frame around the edge?  A little bit of scoring is an easy way to add some class to a card!

Now, here is the blog hop list to see September Digi Release-Scoring Challenge creations...

Cynthia Olheiser (Guest DT)
Sarah Miller (Guest DT)
Ceal Pritchett
Cyndi Bundy
Makiko Jones
Melinda Gleissner
Crafty Math Chick (<-- ME!!)
Patricia Hays
Stephanie Wright
Wendy Jordan

Have fun hopping along - and a fabulous weekend too!

• This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challanges:
• Card Positioning Systems - Sketch 283, 
• Stamp and Create September Challenge - Anything Goes,
• Marker Pop Challenge 7 - Color something, 
• Crazy 4 Challenges 154: Anything Goes with a fall twist,
• Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge 157 - fall/harvest (and SNSS is sponsoring - so check them out too!),
• Digi Makeover Challenge 54 - Welcome Fall with a digi image, 
• Sassy Studio's Dare to Be Sassy Challenge 43 - fall colors, 
• Paper Shelter Challenge 82 - fall image with fall colors, 
• Southern Girls Challenge 53 - Bling Bling, 
• Papertake Weekly - a Hazy Shade of Autumn, 
• Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge 56 - Autumn colors with ribbon, and
• Corrosive Challenge 158 - Animal Companions. 

~Crafty Math Chick

WnW88 ~ Circles

Hello again friends & followers!  Time for another Wags 'n Whiskers Challange!  This week's challenge is Circles!  I am still in the process of unpacking after my second move of the summer and don't have access to most of my crafty supplies, but I found this adorable print out of Ansley's Surprise (LOVE this image!!) and thought it would make a nice tag for the holiday season (I work on cards all year long but NEVER have enough tags!)  So I punched her out and a few other circles since my circle punches are one of the few things that were easy to find, colored her in with my Bic Mark Its and arranged them concentrically:

(Sorry the picture is a little out of focus - my camera battery died and I cannot find my charger ANYWHERE!  ARGH!  Have I mentioned how much I can't stand moving all the time?!!).  The twine was actually wrapped around something I received in the mail in the past few months - waste not want not!
     Hope you will play along with our challenge - you have two weeks to link up and one lucky participant will win a Wags 'n Whiskers rubber stamp of your choice - AND, if you use WnW images, you are entered into a second drawing to win a free WnW digi as well.  So play along and maybe you can win some of these cute images for yourself!  Have a great weekend stamping friends!
~Crafty Math Chick

SNSDC71 ~ Pop Up Cards!

Hello friends & followers!  I hope your September is off to a great start!  This week's Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenge is to make a pop up card!  There are lots of different types out there, I decided to go with this tutorial for a pop-up gift card holder on Splitcoaststampers.  I didn't have any gift cards handy, so I used Sweet Cocoa Digital image and some festive Merrymint paper by American Crafts along with a packet of instant cocoa to make this:

(the cocoa was a little chunky, but I didn't have any gift cards or envelopes handy for this project).  Little Cocoa was colored in with Bic Mark Its (nope, not unpacked yet).
     Hope you will play along with us - you don't even need SNSS digis - any digi will do!  And every card you enter during the month of September puts you in the running to win 3 SNSS digis of your choice, so make sure you play along every week to increase your chances to win.  Good luck - and Happy Friday!
~Crafty Math Chick