Phase One of Christmas prep is done...main level of our house is clean, the laundry is done and all presents are wrapped - check!  I could have finished up stuff around the house that still needs to be done, but that'll be for tomorrow since I felt I earned a few hours of play time in my craft room!

 For my card, I used Sand cardstock cut with the Greetings Frame die; popping it up on the Cloud White card base.  On the center of the frame, I sponged Iced Aqua,  Sunshine and Sand ink and stamped the trees from Christmas Bear using Sand ink.  I love this sweet little bear from the Christmas Bear set and adding some eyelashes and a pink Santa hat made her a girl bear :)

 

Thanks to these challenges for the inspiration:

 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Any Critter

Always Fun - A Christmas Carol

O' Christmas Tree

Animal Friends - Anything w/an Animal

Cupcake Inspirations - Holiday

 Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes

Muse Christmas Visions - Anything Goes

Shopping Our Stash - Gah! Pink!

A tribute to Leslie Hanna

Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

 

 

 

Rustic Gift Box

 If the truth be told, I love wrapping gifts!  I gave my team a box of little treats - nothing much - but the wrapping was a 'wow'!  Making the packaging special, made the "it's-the-thought-that-counts" gift special too!

 I used a box die and cut kraft cardstock and before assembling the box, embossed it with a Richard Garay pines embossing folder.  I used some holiday greenery stamps/dies from Papertrey Ink (Spruce & Sprigs) and a pine cone die from Gina Marie.  The tag is from Lawn Fawn's Tiny Tags die set with a sentiment from Simon Says Stamp Big Scripty Greetings Holiday set.

Thanks to these challenges for the inspiration:

Curtain Call - Pines

This is their final challenge :(

 Cut It Up - Boxing Up The Holidays

Cuttlebug Mania - Anything Christmas

 

Die Cuttin Divas - Holiday

Happy Little Stampers - Anything Goes with Dies

 The House That Stamps Built - Color

Inkspirational - Gift

Little Red Wagon - That's A Wrap

 

Moving Along With The Times - Anything But A Card

Through The Purple Haze - Anything Goes

 

Paper Sweeties 25 Days to Christmas

Today I'm up on Paper Sweeties' 25 Days to Christmas Countdown Design Team Blog Hop!  Each day through the Christmas season, the Design Team is sharing their holiday projects with you!  Be sure to check back every day on the Paper Sweeties Blog for the Daily Deal!

 December 1st: *December Challenge Posts*
December 2nd: Nancy Salkeld
December 3rd: Visions of Sugarplums Holiday Hop
December 4th: Karen Letchworth
December 5th: Lori Turner
December 6th: Maria Patrick
December 7th: Larissa Heskett
December 8th: Winter Coffee Lovers' Blog Hop
December 9th: Michelle Bala
December 10th: Kathy Schweinfurth
December 11th: Mackie Robertson
December 12th: Lori Turner
December 13th: *December Planner Posts*
December 14th: Maria Patrick
December 15th: Michele Henderson
December 16th: Nancy Salkeld
December 17th: Karen Letchworth
December 18th: Jinny Newlin
December 19th: Lilian Forsyth
December 20th: Debbie Marcinkiewicz
December 21st: Kathy Schweinfurth
December 22nd: Lisa Bzibziak
December 23rd:  Karen Letchworth
December 24th:  Lisa Bzibziak
December 25th:  Debbie Marcinkiewicz

For my card, I layered some sweet pattern paper for the background.  I then cut gold sparkly cardstock and red pattern paper from the Rectangle Scallop Frame die.  Emma is ready for bed in her pretty I Love You nightgown and go to sleep - because Santa knows when you're sleeping and knows when you're awake!  The sentiment is from Have A Holly Jolly Holiday and the holly is from the new Meet Me Under The Mistletoe stamps/dies!

I'm excited to be sharing my card in these challenges:

 Addicted To Stamps - Season's Greetings

 Craftaholics R Us - Anything Goes

Crafty Cardmakers - Christmas

Cupcake Inspirations - Holiday

The House That Stamps Built - Christmas, Red/Green & Glitter

 Merry Monday - Stamping, Die Cut, Red

The Paper Girls - Holiday Fun

Tuesday Morning Sketches - Anything Goes

Words 2 Craft By - Christmas In My Heart

 Here's wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! 

STAMPlorations December CUTplorations Challenge - Reminder!

For my card, I used the Layered Holly stamp set (love this new set!), silver embossing the holly outline image then filled in the berries with glitter glue.  I placed a silver strip of cardstock to the bottom and cut red cardstock using the Peace On Earth Phrase die!

Ready to play for a chance to win a STAMPlorations gift certificate?  If you need more inspiration, be sure to check out the rest of Design Teams' fabulous creations on the STAMPlorations blog!

      Guildlines:

• Players can link up as many projects as they want (1 project per blog post)
• Players must use at least 1 STAMPlorations product (stamp, stencil, die, or coloring page, or digi stamp)
• Prizes: $10 GC for the winner; $5 GC each to the 2 top picks
• If there are more than 25 entries: 1 player will be randomly drawn to win her choice of CUTplorations dies worth up to $15