I love challenges!!!!

But I mean, really,,,,,,,,,,WHO doesn't love a chance to win a prize? I know that challenges bring out the best in me, I love having a theme, or a color or a sketch to get my creativity flowing,,,,,,so exactly WHO doesn't like challenges? LOL.

So today, I have a very vintage card with a GORGEOUS Victorian santa that I just could NOT pass up,,,,,I got him at The Graphics Fairy (button to the right), and I just HAD to make a card with him. I loved the turquoise blue in his outfit, so I paired him with some Recollections paper that was turqoise/Aqua, and some that had some gold shimmers. I cut out the key, key hole and flourish on my cricut out of brown paper, then I heat embossed this gorgeous sparkly gold glitter embossing powder, purposely missing some spots so that it would look even more vintage and old. I cut the poinsettia out with my Maryanne die (of course!), and I stamped a Tim Holtz Believe stamp and a crafty Secrets post mark with sepia ink. I then inked EVERYTHING with the archival sepia ink, to really antique it (I love this stuff! I think it does a better job antiquing than even Tim Holtz distress inks!) Finally, I wound some thin strips of paper around a pencil to create the curly q's, and added a gold corner embellishment, and I called him done,,,,,,,not even a RIBBON! So easy, really!

I love him,,,,,,and I'm entering him into the Sugar Creek Hollow challenge this week, which has the theme of "Non-traditional Colors". It's my second entry to that challenge, and needless to say, it's a fantastic challenge that I find myself going back to week after week!!! You can find that challenge HERE!

I'll also be entering him into a challenge I've never tried before! I'm always on the look out for new challenges, sometimes I try them once, and sometimes I'm hooked! But this one sounds like a ton of fun,,,,,It's the Mami Doodles challenge and you can find this challenge HERE!

And finally, one more challenge for this santa! I'd like to enter him into the Simon says stamp challenge HERE! There's a gorgeous photo montage this week for inspiration, so pop on over!

I hope you all have a lovely week,,,,,,,,,it's ALMOST OVER!!!! And stop by and try a few challenges,,,,,you might just get hooked!