Some Peace & Quiet Is All I Seek

As the Lady Commander of Copics was busy entertaining some of her monster friends, I thought it may be a good time to retreat to the newly redesigned crafting chambers and perhaps catch up on some tasks I have been setting aside for too long. Just as I sat down at my new oaken desk, which still has that “new furniture” smell, I  heard a small sound behind me. Slowly turning in my chair I spotted one of the monster pals who had followed me into the crafting chambers. Despite the warm spring day, the little blue fellow was wearing a toque on his horned head. “Hi,” he said raising his arm straight up in the air in greeting. “Stay?” he asked, cocking his head to the side as my direwolf, Lycan is so fond of doing. I sighed and nodded my head as the creature plopped himself down on the floor.

I still had three panels of that pesky paper I didn’t like, having already used three here, here and here. 

I selected the panel from the bottom right and started by masking off the peace on earth part of the background paper and spraying the rest of the paper with some Perfect Pearls mist to make it look like it was snowing. 

Setting that aside to dry, I stamped the “Goat Monster” Stampotique image and coloured him with Prismacolors. I stamped the toque using the Dylusions “Christmas Accessories” set and coloured it with Prismas as well. I then cut the monster’s horns off so I could fit the hat on his head, earning myself +58 accessorization exp points. The little birds from the Lawn Fawn “Bannerific” set I stamped on patterned paper and cut out. Some brads and twine finished off the front of this card.

The sentiment inside came from the My Pink Stamper “Biggie Christmas Sentiments” set.

This creation will appear in the following challenges:

Stampotique Designer’s Challenge #97: Trimmed Stamped Images

CHNC Challenge Extra for April

Stamping for Pleasure April Rudolph Day

Christmas Stampin’ All Year Long Challenge #13: Anything Goes

Jingle Belles: Flying Home for Christmas

My Creative Moments Word Play Saturday: Weather

The blue beast had his bulbous eyes fixed on me with rapt attention while I worked. Eventually it became unnerving and I had to take him back down to the rest of his friends and the Lady Commander. I would have to speak with her about having all these monster friends of her’s running amok in the Guild Hall.

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

What Hides Beneath

Today the Lady Commander of Copics and I were shopping in the market square, buying some more unnecessary paper packages that the Paper Weaver had just created, when we came across a vagrant child begging for coins in the streets. He was dressed in old looking winter clothes, most of the items moth eaten or torn. The Lady Commander was about to give the child a coin when I placed a hand on her wrist, stopping her. She looked at me with questioning eyes. “That is no beggar child, sister,” I said slowly, never taking my eyes from the boy. Angela looked from me and back to the youngster. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but before she could, I tossed a handful of magical powder at the child. As he started coughing, his glamour slowly stripped away. Beside me I heard a sharp intake of breath from the Lady Commander as she realized what she had almost done.

It was time to use up yet another panel from the ugly Donna Salazar paper I had purchased. 

 The first two cards I made with this paper are here and here. This one went together pretty quickly. First I stamped Oliver from The Greeting Farm’s “Fuzzy Wuzzy” set onto watercolour paper. I then water-coloured him using Distress Markers and my Hydra Brush, earning me +319 water elemental exp points. I stamped some snowflakes onto the background, but it ended up you couldn’t really see them anyways. To finish off the card with some embellishments, I used a couple brads and some thread. Done and done. Three panels of the paper gone! Only three more to go!
 

The inside sentiment came from the My Pink Stamper “Christmas Wishes” set. 

On the envelope I stamped some Christmas foliage using a Recollections brand set.

This card will be begging for a win in the following challenges:
ABC Christmas Challenge: B for Bows or Boys
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Anything Goes
MFP Speedy TV Simple Salutations Challenge #30: Anything Goes
Christmas Stampin’ All Year Long Challenge #1: Anything Goes
Jingle Belles Challenge: Ho Ho H20!
Sparkles Christmas Challenge #25: Anything Goes
CHNC February Challenge Extra (Anything Goes Christmas)

Where there once was an innocent, but shabby, looking boy now stood a slimey Serpentine Warlock. These vile creatures are known for tricking people into giving them possessions such as coins or trinkets which they then use in dark magic rituals to posses the victim. “If you want to live to see another day, you’d best make yourself scarce, warlock,” I said placing my hand meaningfully on the hilt of my sword.

He hissed in my face, toxic spittle hitting my cheeks. “If I ever see your face, glamoured or not, in this village again, I will cut off your head and feed it to my hellhounds!” I shouted after him as he slithered away. “Let’s go, sister.” I steered Angela, visibly shaken in the direction of the Guild Hall. She looked as though she could use a cup of tea...or five.

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

Young Love Is Sew Cute

While I don’t count sewing amongst my current skillset, one of the Guild Hall’s house gnomes, Emita, fancies herself quite the seamstress. I was helping her clean up her fabric scraps (which reminded me of my hoard of paper scraps) when I came across an old doily sewn onto a scrap of denim. Amused, I held up the fabric and asked Emita what she had been attempting to make with a doily and old jeans. Emita blushed and shyly explained she had been working on a special Christmas project for a house gnome named Barkle who worked in the stables. Intrigued, I wondered if I could attempt the same concept on a paper Christmas card.

This was made using another panel from the ugly sheet of “on sale” paper I bought. 

You can see the first card I made with this sheet here. Anyways...it felt good to use another sheet of that ugly paper. I stamped some images from the Tim Holtz “Haberdashery” set to make it look more... um...”sewy”... (there I go turning verbs into adjectives again with a “y”). I also distressed the edges to make it look more like scrap of denim. I stamped the Amelia image from The Greeting Farm’s “Fuzzy Wuzzy” set and coloured her with Prismacolors. I then added some glitter to the stars in her hair and on her dress and shoe. (YAY +219 sparkly exp points!) I threaded some buttons in an “x” pattern and glued those onto the card to finish the front off.

The inside sentiment was a combination of the My Pink Stamper “Christmas Wishes” set, Lawn Fawn’s “Jessie’s ABCs” set and Echo Park’s “Holly Jolly Christmas”. Yikes...that was a lot of stamping - {lol}.

The envelope I stamped with a cheapo Recollection brand stamp that kind of reminded me of buttons.

I will be stitching this card to the following challenges:
ABC Christmas Challenge: X for X Marks the Spot
TGF Farm Fresh Friday: Christmas Themed Card
Winter Wonderland Challenge: Red and Blue
Creative Card Crew Challenge #25: Star (stars in her hair and dress)
Jingle Belles: December to Remember
Sparkles Christmas Challenge #23: Button or Bow
Hooked On Craft Challenges #27: Christmas
One Crazy Stamper December Sketch or Holiday Challenge
Dream Valley Challenge #47: Christmas

After finishing up with Emita, I urged her not to give up on her Christmas project for Barkle. She promised she would finish it...but working up the courage to give it to him was another matter altogether!

~ Guild Master Crystal ~

Flight of the Aviard

Today was a busy day at the Guild Hall as the Lady Commander of Copics and I assisted a lost Aviard. The Aviards are small clans that reside deep in the forests and rarely emerge to mingle with other villages. The different clans communicate by whispering their messages to small birds who then repeat the message to the Aviard it was intended for. The one who came to the Guild Hall for assistance was separated from her clan when she ran off chasing a small rabbit. Using our superior tracking skills, aided by some lucky die rolls, we were able to locate not only the stray Aviard's clan, but the rabbit she was pursuing as well.

So last year my sister and I both bought these sheets of Donna Salazar paper during a huge craft supply order we were doing from an internet store as they were on sale for only 5 cents per sheet:

Despite them not being my usual style...and a little...ummm...”ugly” I bought a couple sheets anyways because I just couldn’t pass up on a deal - 5 CENTS! You can’t even buy a piece of bulk candy for 5 cents anymore. So I bought them, added them to my stash of paper and there they sat. It took me a whole year to finally use them, but I did. I decided to create an interesting juxtaposition of ugly and cute, whereas Angela went in the complete opposite direction and just made cards as ugly as possible with these, using her stash of ugly ribbon that was given to her. {lol}. I stamped “Birdie Kiddo” by Stampendous and coloured her with Prismacolors. The little bunny was from the “My Silly Valentine” Lawn Fawn set. I also pulled out some red raffia, blew the dust off the roll as I haven’t used this stuff in a while, and added it to the corners.

The inside sentiment was from the My Pink Stamper “Biggie Christmas Sentiments” set. I also used a cheap Recollections brand stamp for that ...acorn? Not really sure what that it.

I also stamped the “acron?” on the envelope to make it all match.

This cutie-ugly card will be entered into the following challenges:
Shopping Our Stash Challenge #76: Best Deal Ever or I had to buy it, it was on SALE!
Simply Create Too Challenge #26: Use Your Stash (the background paper)
Lawnscaping Challenge #45: Dust ‘Em Off! (haven’t used the raffia in a long time)

The little Aviard was happy to be reunited with her people. Her clan, worried sick about her, thanked the Lady Commander and I and sent us home with rolls and rolls of red raffia. How they acquired so much raffia is a mystery, but hey...I’m not one to pass up a good deal.

Look for more of the “ugly background 5 cent paper” cards to come. There was six panels on that sheet...five more to go.

~ Guild Master Crystal ~