There are Chicks, and There are Challenges, and Then There are Challenge Chicks

I've come late to this party, but I'm here.

I now realize that I am at my most creative when I play in challenges. I need to be forced out of my go-to habits, and some of my fave cards have been made for challenges that made me stretch. It's kind of a relief, actually, not to have to come up with your own starting point.

Especially when your desk is piled two feet high with unfinished business. You feel me?

So a few friends and I banded together, with chickens, and formed an informal challenge group called the Challenge Chicks.

Recognize those chickens?? Those are courtesy of none other than the uber fabulous farm girl Anna Wight, aka Sweet Miss Daisy.

Our band of challenge chicks includes, in reverse alphabetical order: Diane Zechman, Anna Wight, Jeanne Streiff, Kelly Schirmer, Kelli Hull, Vicki Gee, and yours truly.

Our first challenge to each other was to make a tag. Tis the season, after all. And perhaps they sensed that my Christmas gifts typically have someone's name written in Sharpie on the wrapping paper.

Seriously. A sharpie. Home girl needs to use her papercrafting skills for good, not evil.

So I couldn't wait to put together a tag with a technique that evolved in a Splitcoast thread. Someone asked about creating lighting effects on cards, like bokeh. I offered my bokeh technique card, but then, gregzgurl blew us all away with a glowing Christmas light technique, which I used for my tag.

Does that not seriously look like a glowing Christmas Tree?? I love it!! I'm going to do a tutorial on it for you, I promise. It's very easy. And if you're coming to my class this weekend, you'll get to do it. :)

Do you not love that tag hardware that matches the SU label punch? Sheesh. Love it. The trim is the new sweater trim.

Want to play along with the challenge chicks? Bring us your best tag and post it to the Splitcoast gallery, using keyword CHXDEC12! And feel free to grab our blinkie in the right sidebar. 

Now, speaking of chicks and birds and whatnot, I actually have a bonus project for you!

I was invited to be the guest designer for Inky Antics this month, and I'm having so much fun!!

My first project is a little Christmas gift card holder. Because I hang onto things forever, I used a retired Stampin' Up! gift card holder that I just embellished with DSP, a label punch and a wood snowflake I got from Lee in our December Christmas Club kit. The rhinestone I just colored myself. The birdie I paper pieced and colored with Touch Twin markers and popped him up with dimensionals. For full deets, click here!

Well that's more than enough stamping for a lazy Sunday. I better go stomp around in the woods for a bit.

Loveyameanitbye.