Beccy's Place 30 Days of Holidays - Letter "A"

      I'm a couple of days late getting started in the Month of Holidays Challenges at Beccy's Place but I hope to get caught up by doubling my posts for the rest of this week.  Each day, Beccy selects a letter of the alphabet and our cards need to reflect things using that letter.  For the additional 4 days (there are only 26 letters in the English alphabet but 30 days in November), she selects topics or themes for us to follow.  

     I'll be doing mostly Christmas cards but this year I'm a bit behind on Thanksgiving cards so you'll see a few cards for that holiday mixed in with those for Christmas.  I finally learned that Beccy allows any holiday, not just Christmas, and I've been playing in this November challenge for at least 7 years, maybe more.  This is her 10th year putting it on.

     This is my card using the letter "A" for Alcohol markers (ProMarkers), Apples, Amethyst (color of flowers), and Autumn (the season for Thanksgiving.)  I colored this Beccy's Place image with alcohol markers, then cut it with a die from QuicKutz.  The burnt orange CS frame was also cut with a QuicKutz die.  The dp came from an Autumn stack by DCWV.

     Challenges:

Colour Crazy

Double D

Dragonfly Dreams

Paperbabe

Paper Funday

Penny's 

Polkadoodles

Simon Says Stamp

Word Art Weds

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Snow Flurries for Christmas

     I have a very dear and lifelong friend who lives in the foothills of the High Sierras on the California side and more than anything she loves snow at Christmas.  Unfortunately (or fortunately all the rest of the winter) she lives at an elevation where snow isn't something that falls and sticks to the ground for days at a time.  Still, flurries of snow in the cold of December occurs often enough that she crosses her fingers for a cold snap during the last week of December.  So, I've done this card for her as a good luck charm in bringing snowflakes.

I used the sketch at Sketchy Colors

and the image is "Flurry" from Lacy Sunshine 

where we're supposed to 'Celebrate' so I'm celebrating Snowflakes and Snow Fairies.  :-D

     That adorable fairy image is colored with ProMarkers and, instead of die cutting the image, I die cut the frame and placed it over the image.  I have to tell you that I've been hoarding the papers I used here.  They have been part of my Christmas/Winter stash for 2 years and I just love them.  I can't find them any more so I have kept them as treasured pieces, refusing to use them or give them away.  But they just fit this card so perfectly, and she's such a good friend, that I let go and used two pieces of them.

     The snowflake and snowflake buttons are also treasures but I dug them out and decided to use them.  I added dots of Artic Blue Ice Stickles to them, let them dry and then adhered them to the corners.  I used regular Stickles (Star Dust) on the flakes in the image and added Frosted Lace Stickles to the snow on the branches and cones in the image.  What a sparkly splendor!

     Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge -- Anything goes
All That Stickles -- Holidays w/ Stickles
Card Mania -- Fantasy
Craft Your Passion -- Let it snow
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas -- For someone special
Created with Love -- Anything goes
Cutie Pie -- Cute card for a special friend
Glitter n Sparkle -- Show some blue
LEJ Designs -- Festive fun
Lexi's Creations -- Snow
Lunagirl Moonbeams -- Snow angels
Oldie But a Goodie -- Winter
Paper Playtime -- Winter fun
Party Time Tuesday -- Winter wonderland
Passion for ProMarkers -- Use sentiment
Quirky Crafts -- Use special items (papers and buttons)
Speedy Fox & Friends -- Blue Christmas
Top Tip Tuesday -- Snowflakes
Use It Tuesday -- Winter & holiday
Vintage Stamping /Flonz Craft -- Cold and frosty colors

     Downhill to the weekend now and tonight I'm going to my granddaughter's high school concert (we used to call that a "Christmas Concert" but now we have to say Winter Festival.  Sigh...)  I hope you're able to find some calm in the midst of all the holiday hustle and bustle and maybe even find time for a bit of creating.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie