Little Pink Houses

 We woke up to a wintery wonderland.  About five inches of snowfall overnight.  It looks so pretty, but it's turning warmer and grayer and they are calling for rain.  A very typical south-eastern Pennsylvania winter day.  "A slush-fest," my husband calls it.

I'm playing along with the Merry Monday Challenge #142 again this week.  It is calling for cards with houses.  I was inspired by those vintage, pasteboard houses that people decorate with at Christmastime.  I love the sugary colors; blues, pinks, light greens...

 
 I used Paper Smooches Bitty Bungalows for the images and sentiment.  The houses were heat embossed with white embossing powder, water-colored with Distress inks, then die cut.  The back panel is raised and I added little heart sequins from Martha Stewart.
It's a bit hard to tell in the photo, but the sentiment is embossed in silver.  It adds to the frosty feel of the card.  

I think this card is just right for the entire winter season!
Check out the amazing entries.

I'm also linking up to the Paper Smooches Anything Goes Challenge this week.  Love these challenges!  Tons of inspiration!!

Stay warm! 
Mary 

 

Merry Monday Challenge #141 Christmas Critters

This post should be subtitled "Where There's a Will, There's a Way" because I made SO many mistakes that I had to fix!!

I was very happy with my plan and it was coming together great.  Then I tried masking off a double sentiment and got black ink all over the place.  Next, I bent the stamped image while fussy cutting, and I had issues with the partial die cutting as well. 

But mistakes are just opportunities for creative solutions, right?  And I'm happy with how both cards finally came together.

Card #1

           This card is most like my original concept.

I used my new Penny Black stamp and colored with alcohol markers.  The patterned paper is from Doodlebug and the sentiment is from an older SU set.  You would never know there's black ink smudges underneath that ribbon, would you?  Don't tell!!

Card #2

 Tried to mask off the sentiment a second time and there was still a ghost image. So this time I die cut on either side of the goose with the Lawn Fawn stitched border die.  Only I had the die placed incorrectly and the stitched part was on the paper I would be cutting off.  Deep breath......   Oh well.  Decided all was not lost and fussy cut that little goosey anyway.  

All's well that ends well, right?!

 I'm playing along with the Merry Monday Challenge this week.  Hoping to do so often over the next year so I can stockpile lots of holiday cards!

Have a great day!