My entry for this challenge was inspired by both the gnomes and plaid as well as the colour red. The stamp used is new and I got it on sale at a local craft store and at the same time purchased the Echo Park Ephemera die cut package. Stamp is by Stampingbella and is called appropriately two gnomes on a log. I coloured it with a mix of Inktense pencils, and Sakura and Ohuhu pens. Firstly though, I stamped it with Versamark and heat embossed in black. I fussy cut it because I forgot to use the stamping buddy and ended up with product in places I didn’t want. Added it to the card using foam tape to give dimension. Used a scrap piece of white sparkle paper which I cut to give the illusion of snow. Added the Plaid sentiment to some white CS and fussy cut that prior to adhering to the card front. I also used the last of the small fallouts from my bird cuts to give the look of snow falling. I really like this fun stamp and may get more from this company down the road.

When I found and used one of the small Asian style dies the other day, another idea come into my head. I had a slimline piece already die cut using an MFT triple stitched circle die and I tested to see whether the small fancy circles would fit into it. As you can see, they fit beautifully so I layered the circle aperture piece onto some pale blue mirrored card and then paper pieced the fancy circles into it. To hide the marks the die left behind I used some white border strips that a good friend cut for me a long time ago. To me this gave the look of some snow. Prior to adding the fancy pieces I also used a tiny strip of white glitter and wove it between the openings of the die cut. Then with all the die cutting I did earlier with the border die that didn’t quite work, I used the fallouts to decorate and embellish. Some I coloured and some I left white. I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment which is also from MFT. I’m quite pleased with how it turned out. Whether it is wintery enough I don’t know but it is certainly cool (as in cold) looking.

When I first started this card I die cut it using some pale blue gingham paper, but I didn’t like it, although I kept a few of the fallouts available. Then I tried cutting it on a card front and didn’t get the placement right so that too went by the wayside. I will use it, but in a different way than intended. This is my 3rd attempt and I’m still not sure I did it correctly but have made it work nevertheless. I really wanted the card to stand upright but adding more CS made it too thick so instead I used some sky paper from a pad I’ve had forever. I’m not sure it is truly a winter card although my hubby thinks it is, but at least it has the blues and a bird which is the part of the mood board that inspired the card. I used a few of the gingham fallouts as embellishments here and there and I also added some sparkle to both the bird and the fallouts. I’ve also decided to use a sentiment just on the inside of the card as nothing I tried looked right on the front. After thinking about the placement, as I look at the finished card, I think in future placing the die right at the bottom of the card front and preventing the top edge from cutting will work better. Then I’ll use scissors to extend the longer side cuts to the top and bottom of the card so only half of it gets cut away, but still leaves the bird behind. Or I’ll make the card size to fit the die rather than use the usual size. Don’t know why I didn’t think of that before I started.

When searching for a die in one of my drawers I came across two small decorative dies that I haven’t used for a long time. Both have a slight oriental feel to them. I can’t remember who the manufacturer is, sorry. Using some papers gifted to me recently I cut some and using a landscape orientation, I added them to the card front with the split as per the sketch. After die cutting the small circle I added it to a slightly larger white circle and then with foam tape added it to the card front. I cut a small heart out of a scrap sparkly piece and I stamped the sentiment onto a black strip and heat embossed it. The sentiment comes from a newish set by MFT called Friends like you. These are all fairly long sentiments and are good for slimline cards. I chose one of the shorter ones for this card. After adding the sentiment I tucked the heart slightly underneath then I added some tiny gems on the printed dots that were part of the pattern on the top piece. This will probably go to a friend who is struggling a bit at the moment. She needs a paper hug as I can’t give her a real one. Even without Covid it would be hard as she lives in another country.

This card uses a background die that I’ve had for a while and believe I purchased as an unbranded die. I decided the last piece of white sparkle CS from LawnFawn would be a good one to use for this. I added it to the card base and in the process dropped it with the glue side down so it messed up the card front. I’ve no idea what is going on with me and glue but I’ve had several mishaps recently. Anyway I cleaned it up and got it glued down after which I realized that the card front was still slightly marked in a few places. Having these stitched hearts already cut meant that I could use them to cover up the marks and still keep the card. The word die is from MFT and I added it at an angle as you can see. A few iridescent gems finished the card. I like that this card, as well as my previous post, can be used as Wedding, Valentine or Anniversary cards so I’ve left the inside blank until I decide.

Doing a card in silver and white has been on my mind since Monday and I had several ideas on the go. Of course as I began things evolved a whole lot differently than what was in my head and I ended up making two cards that work for the challenge. The other one will follow this post later. I had initially cut out some small stitched hearts in silver and white from a set by Memory box, but they looked a bit blah so I had to think a little bit. Having a roll of silver plumbers tape on my desk I had the bright idea of adding it to some CS and either embossing it or die cutting. I opted for die cutting and used the panel die by Tattered Lace for this. Once it was cut I added it to some white sparkly CS from LawnFawn. (note to self – need to buy more). Using a metallic silver CS I cut two card bases and added this panel to the front of one. Then I added a white heart with a silver one offset on top to the side of the panel. The word die is from MFT and is called Loopy Love and as you can see I used black CS to cut it. The embellishments are Studio Katia iridescent bubbles and I found them when cleaning a drawer and they work perfectly for this card. As you know I am fond of elegant looking cards so I’m happy with this one.

It is my hubby’s birthday soon and I made this card for him. I followed a post from Jennifer McGuire to get the look I wanted. I’ve had the set for a long time and only used a small portion of it, but I remembered seeing the post and decided to give it a go. Initially I had begun another card altogether but although the colouring of the digi stamp worked how I wanted to add it to a card didn’t so I’ve set it aside and will likely use it differently down the road. As my hubby is an Aussie I thought surfing was a good idea and I’m really happy with how this turned out. Every thing used is from the kit except for the birds. They came from a different set but I can’t remember the name. I added some opal blaze to the surfer and the sun which you can just see on the photo. The surfer really shines in R.L. Once in a while I make a card I’m really proud of and this is one of those times.

I have some new stencil pastes called stencil butter in both gold and copper and I wanted to try one of them out. As well I have this new stencil called Doodle genie by Chatter Box so I thought using the butter would be a good idea. I did the stencil and set it aside to dry. After going through my PP I found the piece I used here from StampinUp and thought it would look good as a background. Once the paste was dry I used some inks to add a bit more to the top layer and I also used an outline stamp that came with another set I bought in Holland. After adding the twine I popped up the layer onto the card front. The sentiment comes from a Joy Clair set called everyday sentiments.

So the other day when making a similar card I stamped this little whale and then messed up the colouring process. On that project I simply started again and set this image aside for a while. After playing a little bit I managed to fix the image enough that it could be used and this is how I used him. I had the textured blue scrap and added him to this piece after I had cut the corners off the scrap. Then I cut a couple of other hearts (slightly distressed look to these) and added them before popping the whole piece up with foam tape. The PP was a gift from a friend who didn’t want to use any more of it herself and it works beautifully with the rest. Stamp set is Newtons Nook and sentiment is from the same set. I added a few gems and a bow and he fits the sketch I hope. Its a simple card but I like it and hope you do too.

This is my last card for today and was designed for the Paper Players challenge which requires a critter of some kind. Considering I have deer in my garden daily it seems appropriate to use a deer stamp. I’m not the best at scene cards or CAS cards but I enjoy trying to make them. For this one I used a fallout circle from an MFT die cut and a multi step stamp set (very small set) from Kitchen Sink Stamps. I’ve had it for a while and never got around to inking it till today. I began by stamping the grass and then the deer. I added the stone wall at the top and the bench in between. When placing the circle on the card front I played with what to put behind it. I thought about some sky or clouds but wasn’t sure. In going through my stencils I found the tree which is by Designs by Ryn and decided this would work. After adding the tree I adhered the circle over the top and then stamped the sentiment which is from my Spellbinders new set. I decided not to add any bling to this card although I may change my mind prior to using it.