Needed a congrats on your new home card for some good friends and decided to try to create one that would meet this challenge at the same time.

It doesn’t seem to matter how careful I am to use an embossing buddy I always get some powder specks where I don’t want them – sigh. Anyway I stamped the envelope – from a set I won and don’t remember the brand of -around the edges of the card and then coloured them using challenge colours as close to a match using Prisma pencils. Using gamsol I blended each one. I then stamped the sentiment from the same set in the middle of the cs. I added a few nuvo dots here and there to jazz it up a bit.

The Modsquad challenge simply wouldn’t let go and even kept me wakeful thinking about how to do another card. I guess that means that the challenge is a truly good one and one of my stamp buddies has also done more than one …

Starting out with a cream CS I cut the geometric shape and with other CS I die cut several more so that I would have different colours to paper piece with. I adhered the frame to Black CS and began to fill in the spaces with various shades of brown and cream leaving a few black spaces. Taking the small word dies, of which there are 10 in the set, I cut out them out in a dark cream. When I laid them on top I realized that the dark cream didn’t show up well on all the browns so I carefully spread versamark on a few and then heat embossed in black. I added some nuvo christel glaze to the dark cream ones. Worked a treat although time consuming to do even with a trick of using purple tape to hold them together. I adhered the words down and was about to post the card when I realized I had forgotten the tag. After die cutting the smallest one I stamped the word hello in black and added a couple of black fallout pieces from another project. Then I added the dark brown wool to the top and tied a small bow. Finally my brain can let go of this challenge – lol.

The Modsquad challenge this week is to use only 3 colours and I challenged myself to come up with a Christmas card using these colours. I personally think these are the most difficult colours to use without something else to brighten it so this was a real challenge for me. It also required a tag.

I found a fun fold card to try and this is the result. The one I saw used a circle die but I decided to use a tag die instead. I used warm Cocoa CS from Gina Kay Designs, and added the cream in a light weight CS. I can tell you that using a lightweight CS makes a huge difference to both the stamping and to the cutting. This one is by Recollections and I now know why I don’t use it much. When I placed my tag die onto the card front I needed to tape it in place and even though I was very careful and I used the purple tape the paper quality was such that the tape pulled some of it off. Sigh! I scored the inside cream piece as per instructions and then prior to folding I stamped the gift, snowflake and sentiments in both black and versamark ink. I heat set the sentiment with Black EB powder for additional dimension. Using the same stamps I stamped the cream front panel in the same way prior to cutting out the shape. After I got the folds right I adhered it inside and then added the separate tag so that it moves in the larger space created for it. I also added a small mouse for additional decoration. Before I send this to anyone I shall likely add a bit of colour and sparkle to it as I find it a bit drab, but for the challenge it is correct.

Made for the Double D challenge of using a silhouette this week. I decided to go very simple and just use a die and a stamped heat embossed sentiment.

I cut the shape from my new Tutti Designs winter forest scene from black paper. I made my card front using a silver heavy weight CS acquired several years ago and added a small panel of new (just received) pearlescent Vellum on top. Added the die cut to the front and added two of the black flower shapes that came out with the cut to the top corners. Heat embossed the sentiment in silver from a set by KaiserCraft received last year in a card making class. The vellum is really pretty but the photo doesn’t capture the subtleness of the sparkle unfortunately.

The Paper Players is a colour challenge this week. As most of my friends know I’m not really into Halloween so decided to something totally unrelated to any holiday including Fall.

After looking through some of my paper stash I found the orange background piece and I also found the patterned paper too. I used a card front in edible eggplant (the closest I could find to the colour at Paper Players). Then I adhered the orange paper to the front. I cut the PP using a border die that I can’t remember manufacturer of and this added the gray I wanted for the edge. Then I stamped the two feathers in versamark and heat embossed in black. Did the sentiment the same way. Stamps are from a GKD set called Snowbirds. I found the orange brads in my stash which I’d completely forgotten about and decided to use them at the corners. Then I added a few sequins for some bling. I kind of like it, but am not sure.

Global Design have a wedding/anniversary challenge on this week and this is the card I came up with.

Basically I CASED an image found on Pinterest made by Connie Stewart with my own take on her idea. I masked off a portion of the kraft cs and using versamark stamped the flower from a set called Sunlit Flowers by Altenew, rotating the stamp a little each time. Added fine gold embossing powder and heat set. I also added a single leaf to fill in a bit more space. I added a strip of gold Washi tape down the edge and using that same tape die cut a heart from Stitched heart set by Memory Box. Using a smaller one from same set and cut out of the same kraft cs I stamped the sentiment in versamark. Heat set this and then did the same thing a second time to get a thicker impression. Added a bit of ribbon and a charm for the finishing touch. I really like how this turned out.

This challenge calls for using trees so I decided to use my new Lawn Fawn flippin awesome die to make a flip card.

Initially I followed along with a video as this is the first time I’ve used the die. It isn’t hard but I wanted to be sure I had it right. I cut all the pieces out and made the flip part ensuring it was working properly before I adhered it to the card front. Then I started to decorate the panels. Cut out the trees and all the other bits and slowly added them to each panel. Used Bonnies idea of gilding flakes for the maple leaf – worked like a charm. Added a white panel on the last flip (not shown) and stamped the word friend from one of GKD sets. Also used the sentiment for the bottom of the card from the same set. Added a tiny bow and it was finished. Hubby most impressed. One small detail was that my slide kept getting stuck as I used a thick CS for cutting out the shape. Used a trick from a DT and added a bit of acetate so now it slides perfectly.

Halloween isn’t something I enjoy or celebrate and because there are no longer many young kids living on our street, we often disappear that evening and avoid the fuss. That said one of my neighbors now has a young daughter, so I usually make her a card and add a few dollars inside.

I have one set of Halloween stamps, unfortunately of very poor quality, as they are very soft and two of them have torn in half. Using the spider web stamp and iced spruce distress ink I stamped it over the white cs. I then added the strip of ribbon I had left over from something else. Taking a small strip of white cs I stamped the stars and then the spider sentiment. Using an orange pen I filled in the colour on the words and a sakura jelly roll pen to add some glitter to the stars. I then adhered this to the spider web card. This set included the word Halloween which I stamped in Carved Pumpkin and cut to size. A few gems to fill in some spaces were required to give this card a bit more impact. Inside I have used a new Lawn Fawn die that allows me to make a pocket for a gift card or in my case some dollars.

Here is the second card from my initial attempt at one in orange and white. It fits another challenge so am entering it for fun.

Using the skeleton leaf set from GKD I stamped two of the larger leaves in Ripe Persimmon. I also stamped the word grateful in Spice Marmalade. Using the same inks I placed some on my craft mat and sprayed it with water so I could get it onto a wet brush and gently sprinkle over the top. When dry I added the paper pieced thanks to the bottom. The die is from a Concord and 9th turnabout set I purchased.