**Phew** -- Just In Time -- The May Card

**Phew**  Just in time -- Finally, I have my May card for the 2014 Christmas Challenge, over at digistamps4joy, ready to share.  I had already colored this month's image, ("Time To Go"), a couple of weeks ago but had not figured out the best way to turn it into a card.  Then I saw a partially completed doodle on the desk and decided to use that somehow as the background.  At the last minute almost.  This morning ...
     Starting with a few colored pencils in a variety of blues, the area around the circle was colored.  A blending stump helped smooth out the pencil lines somewhat.  Using assorted glitter glues (from WalMart's Studio M line of glitter glues similar to Ranger's Stickles), I randomly filled in the circle ... then I had to wait for it all to dry.  And wait and wait and wait.  After hours of waiting, it was dry but not flat.  [In the scan, the glitter glues look more like desert sands as the glitter does not show off its shine.]
     A slightly smaller piece of cardstock was added to the back of the panel which is 3 3/4 by 5 3/4 inches.  A 4x6" index card was called into service -- with a border of Smooch inks, which I got from Paper Wishes years ago and have almost never used until today -- maybe a splodge here or there but (I think they are the next "search" I do at YouTube, the Internet's second most popular search "engine" or so I have heard) ...  The panel was attached with just a small amount of glue in the center to hold it in place while I applied strips of packing tape.  The tape adds a gloss and glisten to the finished panel but also, where it wraps the edge, helps hold the pieces together.  Since the top panel had flattened out quite a bit but was still a little rippled, I thought this sealing layer couldn't hurt.
     Still not quite completely flat, I used Alene's Tacky Glue in the pen applicator to attach the panel to the card front.  Once again, I've chosen to attach my 4x6 panel to a Strathmore Photo Mount Card with an embossed frame.  The frame makes placing the panel easy, and the embossing around the frame adds just a small touch of elegance to any card.
     Since the Alene's Tacky Glue is so strong, I decided that would be the best way to attach this month's image to the glossy surface of the background panel.  However, I just noticed that the camel's head is already coming loose from the background.  I may need to use something like Glossy Accents or Close To My Heart's Liquid Glass to attach the image to the packing tape.  I believe that kind of sealer can be used as an adhesive on a slick surface.
     Usually Jake and Kitty would present the monthly card, but this card needed to be scanned since it was not flat and because of the packing tape which would have caused glare.  Not to worry, though, Jake and Kitty are digging around the desk here to see what they can get me to share with you next so that they can play "model" once again ... **grin**

If you have any suggestions on how to flatten out panels or how to attach them so they flatten out or how to attach something on top of a glossy surface, PLEASE leave me a comment below.  THANKS!  [Over at my book review blog, I am offering a pdf file of a bookmark and bookplate for comments -- if you have an idea for "comment bribes" I can offer here, please leave those ideas in the comment section below too.]

Oh, yes, once again, I encourage you to join the fun at digistamps4joy and the 2014 Christmas Challenge (click on the link to the monthly Christmas Challenge at the top of the page).  There are other challenges at the blog too.  Check them out!  I think you will enjoy them!

{Now I am off to figure out what happened to the post about the April Card -- I opened it to get the link to digistamps4joy and **poof** there is just the picture of the card and half a sentence.  I know I goofed and had only "previewed" the post before I added the link over at the digistamps4joy blog, but I did "publish" the post and had at least one comment ... well, if I can't find the missing bits, I'll have to 'wing it' **sigh**} 
{**double bigger sigh** I just finished the "publish" of this post, and instead of looking at the list of posts, I hit the button to "View Blog" -- and when I scrolled through there, the April Card post is all there.  I AM SO CONFUSED!  What's new, eh?  LOL!}

March Card for 2014 Christmas Challenge

Jake & Kitty present the March Card

In February I discovered the true joy of digital "rubber" stamping.  Oh, I've known about digital stamps -- and often use the Stampin' Up! digital images and plenty of other stamp-like images and "real" images found in digital scrapbooking kits.  However, I discovered digital stamping and LOVE it.

There are tons of sites devoted to digital stamping and I will be sharing a few of them soon.  The one I want to share today is:  http://digistamps4joy-sa.blogspot.com/

There is a "challenge" in progress there that may be of interest to you.  It is the 2014 Christmas Challenge.

Every month, a free digital image is provided.  You download the image and make a card using that image.  Upload it to your blog and post a link using the Mr. Linky at the  challenge post or email it to Desire if you do not have a blog.  I missed the January installment of the challenge because I did not know about the challenge then.  But if you make one card a month, you will that much ahead when the holiday season comes around.  WHAT A GREAT IDEA!!

Actually, I printed off the given images in a variety of sizes and made more than one card in February;  the image was a young dinosaur with a Christmas ornament dangling from the tip of his (or her) tail. That was so fun to color!

Jake and Kitty present the February card for the 2014 Christmas Challenge

I've made just this one card, so far, in March because my printer is acting up.  It is getting low on blue ink but for some reason is printing in green and ignoring the fact it has a new black cartridge recently replaced.  **Sigh**

Then, it decided to stop printing.  Well, that isn't true ... I put one of my fish on the scanner bed and hit the button for "copy" and a semi-decent printout landed on the drop area.  If I try to print from the laptop to the printer, I get an error message "Printer not ready.  Check connections."  Connections are apparently fine as a "scan to computer" command works just fine.  *BiggerSigh**

Anyhow, until the printer starts behaving -- I think I won't be doing more cards with this image.  Although, green is a festive color and I have a few more prints of it that I can use ... Hmmm ...  :D

In case you are wondering -- the items I used to make the card include:

• Strathmore Photo Mount Card with Embossed Frame (lovely watercolor paper texture to the card, too) -- I LOVE these cards because the embossed frame makes it soooooo easy to place the 4x6 inch image
• The March Image 
• Background papers are by Close To My Heart
• The image was printed on white cardstock, then I lightly sponged Whisper stamping ink around the edge (also by Close To My Heart).  Feeling in the mood to be a bit strange, I popped one of the air pockets I received in a package recently -- it is green plastic and I decided to wrap the print in the plastic.  I found a couple scraps of cardstock and colored them with Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils;  hand-drew a few bits of holly and used the pencils to color them in too.  Wrapped one of the bits of cardstock with polyester embroidery thread by Polystar.  Used a bit of grosgrain ribbon from a packet purchased at Wal-Mart in the 97 cent craft supply bins.

You can join in the 2014 Christmas Challenge too!  Visit the blog for Digistamps4Joy (http://digistamps4joy-sa.blogspot.com/) and click on the challenge button.  Hope to see your card posted there too!  :D