So it is so unseasonably hot right now here in Southern California, and this is making me cranky.  It is just one of those things.  I like to wear layers of cloths, and sit on the couch with a throw, and sleep in a bed piled with blankets.  I like all these things, so when it is February and I’m in shorts and a tee shirt and sweating as I walk to school to pick up the kids, I get cranky.

So that is where I’m at today.  I spent the day working on some new art projects, so that makes me happy, and luckily the house is cool.

And the cards.  I’m loving the cards right now.  There is something about giving myself over to Valentine’s cards this year that has had me excited to make love cards.

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Up first we have our weekly mashup challenge from the designers over at Friday Mashup.  This week they have suggested we mashup a Valentine’s card and a project featuring a Candy image.  And for once, this mashup isn’t such a strange combination, since candy is such a V-day thing.

I pulled out a stamp set from Echo Stamps and went to town stamping the candy in shades of red and black

Memento Ink.  I stamped out the sentiment in both reds and black at the same time onto some white card stock and cut it out.  I pulled out a sheet of red printed paper with hints of black in it and started assembling everything.  Then I stamped out some hearts onto the card and added red Stickles and white Liquid Pearls over the cards.  I’m not certain it came out as a Valentine’s card as such, but I would so give it to someone I love regardless of the day of  the year.

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Up next we have a Christmas Card over at the challenge that crafts christmas cards year round, Jingle Belles.  This week they were asking for us to make a christmas card

that celebrate all things glittery, glimmery, sparkly, and shimmery.

If it is sparkle you want, they lets bring out the sparkle.  I pulled out a holiday stamp from Hero Arts and clear embossed the ornaments and sentiments onto some watercolor card stock.  Then I rubbed on two separate shades of green Distress Ink.  Then I brushed water into the images of the ornaments.  After I dried everything I added clear Stickles onto the images.  It is so very sparkly in real life, and no matter how I photographed it, I could not get the images to show it.  Regardless, I love how the card came out.

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Up next we have another seasonal card from the Christmas card challenge group from ‘Tis the Season.  This week they have given us a color card challenge asking for us to use shades of dark green, white, black, and grey.

This card for me got crafted by acciedent or actually, through play with some new watercolors.  I’ve recently

gotten some new water colors to play with and was messing around with washes of colors.  By mere chance, I found that I had used a green wash, a black wash, and a grayish wash that made a beautiful back ground image.  I so had to use this scrap of watercolor paper in this card.  I simply added some jet black Archival Ink stamped trees and a simple sentiment.  I trimmed the card down and masked it with a little black card stock and adhered it to a card.  Sometimes it amazes me how simple cards can sometimes make the biggest impact.

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Finally we have another color themed card challenge from the designers over at Sunday Stamps.  This week they have given us a color challenge with shades of brown, beige, dark red, and gray/green.  The interesting thing about this images is that is suggests not only a fall, winter, nature theme, but a masculine one as well.  And since we are on the 10th of Feb, it should be a love theme as well.

I pulled out a piece of brown card stock and embossed it with a embossing folder and embossed a woodgrain

pattern.  Then I pulled out a stamp set from My Favorite Things and stamped out two woodgrain images in an olive/gray  ink form Memento onto beige card stock.  I then took a dark red ink and stamped out the sentiment and the hearts.  Finally a snagged a bit of dark brown ribbon and attached everything.  I kind of wished I have left the hearts off the card, but was unable to pull them off, so hearts there are.

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That’s it for today.  I’m going to (brace yourself people living in snow) take my kiddos to the pool because they instantly believe if it is warm enough from shorts, then it certainly warm enough for swimming.  I’m going to let them figure out for themselves that swimming in February is never a good idea while I sip ice tea and work on my winter tan (at least on my legs).  Happy crafting to you all.