Out with the Old and In with the New!

Poobah Deena has given us out theme for the very first challenge (#121) of 2012:

Out with the Old and in with the New!

And true to custom at

The Order of the Opus Gluei

we are invited to interpret this wonderful theme

IN ANY WAY WE WANT!!

How cool is that?

I used an old photo (very old) and a bunch of supplies that have been languishing in the bottom of my file cabinet for about the same amount of time.

(years, folks, many years)

But I like it.

I hope you join us for our first challenge on 2012

The Order of the Opius Gluei

Happy New Year!

Leftovers

Hi.

I have some Christmas ATC's you haven't seen yet.

So, since Christmas and the accompanying hoopla is almost ready to go back into storage,

I shall show you what's left.

That's it.

Onto Valentine's Day, I guess!

Soft Yellows and White

The December Colour Challenge at

Gingersnap Creations

is

Soft White and Yellow

And so, wanting to milk every single minute of Christmas that I can, I made this:

Gotta go, the kids are here.

:-))

Soartful-Dragon in the New Year

"Dragon in the New Year", get it? Draggin in...oh never mind.

I have soome WAY COOL news to share with you.

Are you ready?

Pay attention, there may be a test.

Yessiree Bob, I am now a bonafideeee member of the Soartful  Design Team!

I am so excited!

I'd say I'm too excited to sleep, but I can sleep anywhere,

anytime, in fact, in Thailand my DD and I perfected something we called SWA 

Sleeping While Awake.

Didn't want to miss a thing, you know?

But I digress.

Our very first challenge of 2012 is

DRAGON/NEW YEAR

(not draggin in the new year as I originally said.  You don't have to be tired to play along.)

It seems like a good sentiment to start the year off with,

and I had this adorable baby dragon by

January Designs, that was just waiting to be used in something.

JANUARY Designs?!

Perfect.

Join us at

Soartful Challenges

won't you?

Carla has some awesome images there for your use and inspiration.

Besides, we're a nice bunch of folk.

And

HAPPY NEW YEAR!*!*!

Final Friday Fill Ins!

Happy New Year to all of you!!! And...here we go!

1. Wait, wait _wait just one more minute, I'm not done!!_.

2. _Everything about me_ is a little different.

3. In addition, _to that, we now have to deal with this_.

4. _That IS NOT_ is the way we do it here!

5. At the end of the year, I like to _be excited about what the coming year will bring_.

6. _Maybe having a man in my life (gasp!)_ is one of the things I'm looking forward to in 2012.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _my kids (OK, I'll call the SIL one of my kids now) coming for supper_, tomorrow my plans include _cleaning out the storage locker_ and Sunday, I want to _decide where to go next_!

 

And a huge Happy New Year to Janet for giving us a year's worth of

Friday Fill Ins!

Jingle Belles Rock!

They do so too, right?

It's a new year (almost) and the first challenge over at the Jingle Belles Challenge blog is

NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENTS

They are some witty belles, doncha think?

Hah!

And the best part of this challenge is that they invited me to take part!

How cool is that?

(Can you hear me singing "Jingle Bell Rock"?  I am)

The other good news is that you too can play along with the Belles and make a Christmas card every two weeks, then come next Christmas, you'll have all that work done and can just put your feet up, sip a little eggnog and pat yourself on the back while all your friends are out there standing in long lines at the

Post Office and frantically glueing red and greeen construction paper together.

NOT THAT there is anything wrong with red and green construction paper, mind you.

I use it a fair bit myself.

It's just that you'd probably rather be in your jammies in front of a blazing fire,

feeeling self-satisfied, come next December, right?

HOWEVER, when I made my card for this challenge, I was in more of a pink mood.

Pretty easy-peasy, this first one.

I fully intend to get all complicated as the year unfolds. 

You'll have to play along and see if the same thing happens to you.

Jingle Belles

Taking back December one Holiday Card at a Time.

Remember, your eggnog awaits.

80 Themes

WELL.

Kimmie's Digital Whisper 100 Themes inspired me.

In fact, I would attribute any progress I have made in digital art, to this Challenge.

Having said that, it is one day before the end of the year and I must confess, I have 20 Themes left.

:-( sniff, sniff.

I really meant to do it.

But I only got 80 done.

So I shall continue well into the next year, and finish them all.

on my own.

lol

The other artists who particpated in this challenge set up a separate blog for their 100 themes,

 but I didn't do this until about a month ago.

Duh.

So that's where all 80 are now.

That place is called

 Electra Whispers

So I'll be hanging out there from time to time.

For now, I'll leave you with my last creation:

EDEN

About as far from Christmas as you can get, eh?

20 more to come.

Gingersnap Kudos

Have you been to

Gingersnap Creations?

They have THE BEST challenges and some of the best artwork I've seen anywhere.

I just found out that a Thank You card I made was picked as a Ginger Gem this month

and I'm tickled pink about that!

SO MUCH work goes into that wonderful site, and I just want to say a great big

THANK YOU

to everyone over there who works so hard to bring us all the great challenges they do.

The lady's face is by Cemerony, background elements used are by Pugly Pixel.

Thanks Gingersnaps!

Christmas Joy #10

Makin' Stuff!

Christmas stuff, making Christmas stuff!

I look forward to it all year and am sad when it's time to stop.

ALTHOUGH, thanks to the magic of Google,

I've learned that I can feed my addiction all year round!

(dancing)

You can probably tell, this is not an ATC, which all of my earlier Christmas Joys have been.

But SO WHAT?

They're my joys and I get to decide the form they take.

My friend Jana says I can keep making more Joys

until the Christmas decorations are taken down.

That will probably mean I am posting Joys until Easter.

But that's OK.

I love Christmas.

I love making Christmas stuff.

 

 

Ho Ho Ho.

I may make more.

I may not.

We'll see.

Thanks for looking!

Friday Foto Collage

It began as this:

and it became this:

Friday Foto Collage

Winter

This week's challenge at

Collage Obsession

 is

WINTER

I know winter.

We do winter really well here in Canada.

So I took a photo from a walk I went on the other day,

not far from where I live, and

gussied it up with some elements from

Beth Rimmer, Dido Designs, Cajoline, Emeto Designs, and Studio Rosey Posey

Thanks for joining me as I blurf and particpate in sonme new challenges!

Wordless Wedneday

Wordless Wednesday

WOYWW?

This is what's on mine.

See the canvas birdhouse?

Well, I made it into and album for my daughter who is preggers, and there is a page for each month of the little guys first year.  No journalling needed, just a picture.,  How easy is that?

She has no idea that once this littler critter arrives, she will no longer have time to put makeup on, have an entire meal,

shower WITH SOAP and RINSE THAT SOAP OFF, but hey, 

That will be our little secret.

That's it, that's all!

Time to go visit Julia at

A Stamping Ground

and see what the rest of her loyal subjects are up to!

It's All About Me

I've never taken part in 

The Three Muses

challenges.

And tonight I just wanted to make stuff on the computer.  Just make all sorts of stuff.

The theme.

all about me

is so perfect for me, sometimes I can really have ingrown eyeballs.

It spoke to me, y'know?

Anyways, here:

In case you think I'm being egotistical (THAT is a big word)

It's exactly the opposite.

I suffer from a monumental lack of self-confidence.

So let this be a new beginning for me.

It's

all

about

me.

today anyhow.

Elements used are by
Cemerony, Beth Rimmel, Amanda Sok, Laurie Anderson, Rachaels Scraps,
New Life Dreams Designs, Becca and Tumblefish Studios.

Print

Hi guys!

I know I'm not the only one who has been MIA.

I went into the mountains for Christmas and it was so awesome!

I'll have to show you some pics.

In the meantime, I did a piece for this week's

Take A Word challenge: 

 PRINT

Images used are by Correen Silke, Dezinaworld, Gmiller, Amanda Sok, and Becca

My apologies to those I've missed.

Thanks for looking and enjoy those turkey sandwiches!!

To the most wonderful friends I have made here in Blogland...

May your holiday be as sweet as you are!

Christmas Joy #9

OK, I may not have time to make 12 Joys. 

My stupid computer crashed and I haven't been able to connect for the past few days.

Arrgh.

Family Traditions

We don't have many,

(unless you count the inevitable argument between my mother and father on Christmas Day.)

But my mom used to make Christmas candy, so my girl and I have been doing that the last couple of days.

And when she was little, I made a big quilted Christmas tree, and each day in December she got to choose and hang a tiny woodern ornament.  She loved that.

AND, I sewed a tiny little mouse family one year, before she was born

 (when I had time to do such things)

It comes complete with a Mamma Mouse reading the Christmas Story to her little mousettes, sitting in her overstuffed armchair, as well as a four-poster bed, complete with lace linens and a Christmas quilt...

What can I say. 

I've always been a touch OCD.

But each year we put it out and this year is no different.

Are you ready for Christmas yet?

Well, you had better get a move on then...

Friday Fill Ins

1. Said the night wind to the little lamb, _so, do you come here often_?

2. The first Noel, the angel did say, _whazzup?_.

3. Dashing through the snow, in a _furious attempt to get to the mall before the stores close_.

4. It came upon the midnight clear, _that no matter how much I tried, I was not going to get my name off the naughty list in time_.

5. When I was small I believed in Santa Claus, _and the Great Pumpkin_.

6. And the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing _when you look up something on Bing_.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _guests for dinner_, tomorrow my plans include _seeing some friends I haven't seen for while_ and Sunday, I want to _celebrate Christmas and then head for the mountains!!!

 

See more merry Fill ins here!

Christmas Joy #8

is Store Decorations!

The more bizarre, the better! One Christmas my daughter and I spent Christmas in Thailand

and someone had apparently decided that Christmas trees were supposed to be orange. 

So everywhere we went there were these bright orange Christmas trees!

 And the day we arrived in Bangkok,one of the malls had a "Christmas display"

and the "elves" were wearing turqoise.

What can I say.  I loved it.

WOYWW?

INCHIES.

Christmas INCHIES are on my desk.

I showed them a couple of weeks ago and am now showing you what I've done with them.

Here's a better look at most of them:

It's fun peeking into other people's workrooms isn't it?

There are lots more at The Stamping Ground

And while you're there, give Julia a great big hug for hosting us each and every week!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

I used to be a quilter, you know.

Just because

Birdhouses

Peggy
Gatto of

Friday Foto Collage

has given us a number of girft wrap images with which to create something.

I chose this one:

Pretty funky, eh?

Not much left to say, is there?

Soartful

Pink, Black and Silver.

That's what Carla at

Soartful Challenge

has challenged us withn this Monday before Christmas.

She has provided us with the PRETTIEST images

and I didn't even choose the prettiest.

What's that?

Where's the silver?

On the little girl's crown OF COURSE.

Geesh.

Keep Calm and Carol On, my friends.

Elements used are by Cermerony, Lisa's Altered Art,

Kim Klassen, and
Ceil Chapman, American dress designer.

Sepia

Take A Word

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas!

Fluffy.

Fluffy and white and reasonably warm. 

Just cold enough that that fully white sparkly stuff doesn't turn into brown slush.

(or, heaven forbid, ice!)

That's what the Poobahs are up to over at

The Order of the Opus Gleui

Dreaming of a White Christmas.

I made a banner in the spirit-

PEACE.
That's what I feel when I'm out in the snow.
(SNOW, I said, not STORM or minus-40 weather)

Each one started with some lace from Mikeys.  I edged some old silver paper I had, with it.

On top of that is some white cardstock I ran through my Cuttlebug, to make a snowflake pattern.

I had some REALLY SHINY silver paper that I have no idea what I was saving for, and I made some of Tim's rosettes out of that.  Put a punched snowflake on the rosettes.

I cut rosette shapes out of my photos and edged each of them with silver Liquid Pearls

A glittered letter on top and put it all together with some silver and white ribbon/twine from Mikeys.

Whatever would we do without Mikeys?

Now you can take a break from all that cookie-eating, eggnog-swilling behaviour

and create something to do with a White Christmas.

And link up with us at

The Order of the Opus Gluei

Joy of Christmas #7

Cookies!!!!!!

The last couple of years, I've gone to a church "Cookie Walk".

That's where you purchase a disposable container and walk around a big gym and fill it with

Cookies!!!!!

Yummy, home-made

Cookies!!!!

real Scottish shortbread, sugar cookies, macaroons, chocolate chip, meringues, toll house

ACK!

Gotta go.

To the freezer.

Did I mention I love cookes.

At Christmas?

Thank you, thank you, thank you

CARD!

This is simply a very sinple card. 

I picked up the

Stampology "Thank You" stamp and was looking for a reason to use it.

And I've had this handmade paper in my stash since my last trip to Portland in, oh, maybe 2001.

Time to use it too, right?

See the leaves in it?

They were kind of a pain.

When I saw that the

Stampendous Saturday Color Challenge Week 3

was pink, gold, cream and brown or three out of four...

AND

Gingersnap Creations

Once in a Blue Moon Challenge is

Thank you notes!

So, I've made a pink, cream, brown and gold

Thank you note.

Thank you for stopping by.

Joy of Christmas #6

Gift Giving

I love to think about and dream about what I can give to those I love.

I do not have a large family and only a few gifts to give, but I really enjoy planning, and then finding, and sometimes making, and then wrapping.

And of course the opening!