Color Hues #99 Pink and Aqua is the current challenge and I chose to make this card. I started it this afternoon, but didn’t have time to finish it. As I can’t sleep at the moment, I decided to have a go at finishing and posting it.

Having seen something along the lines of this design, I CASE’d it and came up with this. The original was done in black and white, but I can’t attribute it to anyone as there is no description attached to the photo I saw. The card is 6×6″ and I reduced each layer by 1/4″ using an aqua blue and a very soft pink parchment. The pink layer was embossed using an SSS EF. I guessed the size of the strips and added the pink parchment on top after it was embossed.

The little snowman is from a GKD set and I coloured him with water colour pencils and used foam tape to pop him up. The lampposts are from YNS, my poinsettias are from Creative Expressions and the sentiment is from Spellbinders. Ribbon from my stash. I had intended to add the ribbon behind all the layers, but forgot so I had to get creative to add it behind the strips before they were glued in place. I have a weird die set I’ve had forever, and hardly ever used, to create a kind of buckle for the ribbon bow. I cut 2 and offset slightly so both colours show. I shall have to make an envelope or a box for this one, but it will be given to someone rather than mailed.

I’m quite happy with the end result, although as always, I can see ways to improve it if I choose to do another one. Thanks for spending time with me and I appreciate all comments that you may make.

The Inkspirational challenge this week is Challenge #328 – Designer’s Choice – Layer It. I’ve been working on a series of cards for my yoga/coffee group and this is one of them. Although they are all similar in design the unbranded stamp set has different frogs and different poses so I got creative with them.

I used paper from different sources and the ones used here are from StampinUP and some scraps of holographic and green CS. As well as the yoga stamp set, I used a sentiment, mat and Santa hat from Hero Arts and dies are from StampinUP, HeroArts infinity dies and Dee’s Distinctively for the snow on the tree.

I cut my circles, inking the larger one to get a pink edge that ties in with the PP. After stamping, masking and colouring the frog I masked him again so I could stencil in the snow flake background. After putting the circles together I scored a line so I could bend it around the back of the card. (next time I will use thinner CS). I added the hat after it was all put together. There are a lot of layers here and it was time consuming to create but I managed to get 11 done over a few days. Colouring was done with Inktense and other watercolour pencils.

Thanks for stopping by, your time is always appreciated.

Challenge number 238 here at Cardz4galz, has been chosen by Dawn and her theme is texture. She will also be choosing the winners.

My card uses a new Kokorosa die that is a guitar shape silhouette. My sentiment is a freebie from Natasha Foote. To begin, I cut the guitar out of a textured CS and then decided how I would place it on my card. Using some water colour CS I marked lightly where I wanted the colour to go and then painted in the various colours using water colour paints. When this was dry I added the guitar using thin foam tape behind to give it dimension. I backed this panel with some mirror CS and then added to the card front. Once the sentiment was added it was finished.

I quite like the end result and I love the die as it is so interesting to look at when cut. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you and your time.

This card uses another of the small transparencies mentioned in my last post. In this case I added it to a small white piece and then onto both a silver and a gold layer before popping up the layers. The sentiment is from a YNS set and the little garlands are from a newly acquired die set from Scrapbook.com.

The photo doesn’t do it justice as I couldn’t reduce the glare and I tried several times in different locations. In reality it is quite a defined image.

I decided to add this card to the current challenge at Peace On Earth Challenge #75.

I’ve been working on some acetate cards this week and using rub-ons to create them. I’ll post a few soon. It is a lazy way to make a few cards quickly, but I need quick right now.

Thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate you and any comments you may leave me.

Yesterday I had this image and sentiments from the Colorado Craft Company ready on my desk, but I didn’t have time to do anything with them. This morning I see that Sunday Stamps, SSC348 In the Frame has a sketch challenge and I decided to use them for it. I deliberately didn’t colour the image as the background paper is quite busy, but I did add a bit of sparkle here and there, which of course isn’t picked up by the camera.

The papers are from a Recollections pack that I bought last year. I used a small corner punch on the main image and popped it up on a thin foam layer.

It is a dreary gray day today, but we have to pick up our wine order at a local winery so we are off to do that and to walk our dog at the same time. Getting some fresh air will hopefully help me with some ideas.

Thanks for stopping by, your time is always appreciated.

The challenge at Color Hues #98 Red and Black and I created this Christmas card. The stamp/die set used is an older HeroArts. I kept the card as simple as possible and I quite like how stark it is.

After stamping the images I used clear heat embossing colouring the baubles and ribbon with Inktense pencils and water. After die cutting I added both images to the black piece popping the stairs up slightly so the tree looked right beside them. The bow ribbon was glued flat to the stair bannister. After stamping and heat embossing the sentiment in Festive Berries I added it to a scrap piece of red CS. My note card is shimmer white, but the photo makes it look a bit gray for some reason.

This is my last card for today as it is time for me to prepare the evening meal.

Thanks for stopping by, your time and any comments you leave are always appreciated.

November 9th AnyThing Goes With A Twist of Coffee, Cocoa, Warm Drinks is the current challenge at CYHTP and this is my take on it. This also works for the challenge at SOS534 – Time For A Hot Drink. The stamp and die set is from YNS and I used just the coffee cup and one of the sentiments. The EF is from SSS and I added a bit of sparkle using a Sakura pen. I am lousy at arithmetic so my measurements weren’t quite right but I made it work. I did mess up the sentiment on the card base so had to add a cover up otherwise I would have had to start again. I may do more in a similar design as I’ve now worked out the kinks in my math. When it comes to numbers I’ve resigned myself to being hopeless.

Entering the challenges is helping me to do more Christmas cards and my mojo is improving too.

Thanks for stopping by, your time is always appreciated.

As I’m doing Christmas cards, I decided to make one work for the Warm and Cozy challenge at DD. It is a 4×4″ card, as the image is a small one. I think I got this set as a freebie and it is from Stampendous. Too me a cup of hot chocolate and marshmallows feels cozy. I used an EF from SSS for the background layer and then backed the main image layer with some black CS for definition. The image was coloured with pencils and Sakura gel pens.

It is more challenging to make cards this year, as the postage is more expensive. If there are any embellishments they often won’t go through the machines so I’m trying to make cards that are flatter and without embellishments. It kind of spoils creativity. And sending to the USA is restrictive because if there is anything inside that isn’t paper it is either refused at the counter here or returned by their customs. I love getting a real card and love to send them as well, but I’m sure others are having the same issues I am.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your weekend proves to be fun.