Happy Tuesday, everyone!  I sincerely hope you have been enjoying this holiday season and that you have your New Year's celebration planned.  Our Christmas was peaceful and quiet and our New Year's should be the same.

Our photo this week is a rather fickle one.  I started out to capture the fresh snow but ended up with pine branches instead.  Off on a tangent, I guess.

But you can see a little snow!

Our top three from Challenge #249 were extremely difficult to choose.  We had a few more entries and they were all really good.  Here are the top three (in no particular order):

Jan

Steffi

(I apologize for the poor image quality but could not get it to  copy clearly from Flickr)

Maria

Thank you to everyone who entered and congratulations to our top 3!

Now for this week's sketch (courtesy of Crystal).  It is a fun one and our optional theme is Giving (use it or not).

Here are the cards from the ladies on our team....created to inspire you.

Vicki

Vicki #2

(She created 2 different cards, Woohoo!)

Barb

Crystal

Lynda

Sarah C.

Beautiful, ladies, and sooooo inspiring!  Maybe our followers can find some quiet time to create some amazing cards as well.  I hope so.

Remember that our challenge runs for two weeks and you can enter below or as a comment on our Facebook page.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!  And Happy Crafting to All!

MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!

Challenge #250

Merry Christmas, everyone!  I know it is not quite Christmas but since not very many people will be searching our site on that special day, I decided to offer best wishes now.  From our entire team, I hope your season is happy!

Our photo this week is one of my niece singing in her Christmas concert.  It is not the best photo but she is the best niece I could have.

On to our top three for challenge #248  We were a little light on entries but the cards we did have were top notch.  Here are the top three (in random order):

Maria

Jessica (from Facebook)

Jackie

Beautiful cards, ladies!

Our sketch this week is courtesy of Crystal and the twist (if you decide to use it) is to include metal on your card.  I am a big fan of unusual materials and I think metal is my favourite.  Here is the sketch:

And here are the inspirations from our talented team:

Crystal

LeAnne

Lori

Nicole

Sara H.

Sharon

Gorgeous, ladies!  Thank you so much for taking the time out of your hectic schedules to give us such inspiration.  I hope our followers have the time over the holidays to create some cards of their own.  A little quiet and crafting is always good this time of year.

Remember, you have two weeks to complete your card and may enter it below or on our Facebook page.

Again, wishing you all the best of the season!

Challenge #249

Good morning, everyone!  Well the holidays are getting close and you can feel the electricity in the air.  I was at the mall on Sunday and the line up to see Santa stretched half way down.  I hope we all remember what Christmas s and don't get too caught up in the hoopla.  And I hope that everyone can find some quiet time for themselves.

Our photo this week is one of the pianist's hands at Annie's Christmas concert.  The lighting was bad and I had to shoot at a high ISO but do not so much mind the grain in the photo.

On to our top three for challenge #247 are all great cards.  Here they are (in random order):

Julie (from Facebook)

Kristie

Jenny

Beautiful cards, ladies!  Congratulations to you and a warm "Thank you" to all who participated in this challenge.  It was so nice to see so many entries for this busy time of the year.

Now for this week's sketch - another courtesy of Crystal:

And the optional theme is "The Holidays" - but remember that use of the theme is an option, not a necessity.

Here are the samples from our team:

Sara L.

Vicki

Barb

Crystal

Lori

Lynda

Now, aren't you inspired by these beautiful cards?  I sure hope so.  Our designers have shown you a variety of takes on the sketch and I am looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Remember, our challenge runs for two weeks (so you have lots of time) and you can enter below or as a comment on our Facebook page.  Happy creating, everyone!

Challenge #248

Hello to everyone who stops by this week!  I hope you are enjoying this holiday season and that you can find enough hours in your day to get everything done.  I know you are busy but, please, take some time for yourselves.

Our photo this week is a "proud grandma" one.  Last week, Jordan had his football banquet and he was named Offensive Player for the season.  The coach pointed out that this is the first time this award has been given to a freshman.

Thanks so much for indulging me.

Now for our top 3 from challenge #246.  Here they are in no particular order:

Brenda (from Facebook)

Jan

Hansi

Congrats, ladies, on some beautiful cards!  And thank you so much to all who participated.

Our sketch this week is courtesy of Crystal:

The theme (if you decide to use it) is SNOWFLAKES.  It is entirely up to you how you interpret our sketch. 

Here are the creations from our team to inspire you:

LeAnne

Lori

Nicole

Sara H.

Sharon

Crystal

Kaylin

Wow!!  All these ideas from one sketch!  Great cards , team, and I am sure a great way to inspire our followers.  I hope everyone has the time this week to get some crafting done.  You can enter below or as a comment on our Facebook page.  And remember, our challenge runs for two weeks to give you lots of time to create.

Now, I would like to ask a big favour of all of you.  Please, if you can find the time, leave a comment for our designers letting them know how much you appreciate their hard work.  I know i sure do.  Happy creating, all!

Challenge #247

Good day to all of you out there.  I trust your holiday preparations are coming along well and that you are not too stressed.  And I hope you find some quiet time to get out your supplies and craft.  Personal time is so important during this busy season.

Our photo this week is a throw back to summer.  Each year, my husband brings me in any abandoned wasps nests he finds.  I love the complexity and the amazing architecture of them.  Here is a close up of the one from our greenhouse.

On to our top 3 for challenge #245....Here they are (in no particular order):

Maria

Ellen

Mimi

Cool cards, ladies!  Congratulations to our top three and a hearty thank you to all of you who entered this week.

For the main event, our sketch this week is courtesy of Kaylin and our twist/theme (if you choose to use it) is either NON-TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS COLOURS or ORNAMENTS.  Use either one, combine them or just strike out on your own, it is up to you.

And for inspiration, here are the cards from our team.

Barb

Crystal

Kaylin

Lynda

Sara L.

Sarah C.

Vicki

Beautiful cards, ladies!Great use of our sketch.  I am sure you have inspired our followers to give this challenge a go.

Remember everyone, our challenge runs for two weeks and you can enter below or as a comment to the appropriate post on our Facebook page.  So grab a warm drink, dig out your supplies and have some quiet time creating.  The best of the season to everyone!