Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge #12 – Snowman & Hot Beverages

Second image shows the inside section of card.

In searching for some cream coloured CS I came across a package of pre-folded card blanks that I had forgotten about. Actually when I purchased them my skill set was not that great and I couldn’t figure out how to add the PP properly, so I just put them aside and didn’t use them. At the same time I also found the little coffee cups, another embellishment that got lost in a drawer. These cups are made of wood. The snowman is my take on a Woodware stamp I had seen but not purchased. I liked it so decided to have a go at drawing my own version. It is quite similar to the actual stamp but not an actual copy as that would be infringing on someone else’s art work. I did use some stamps as my drawing skills are limited. The face is from MayMay and is made up from several in a set. The holly on the hat is from a very old Dare to be Artsy set and I added a paper hat band and scarf. I also used a black Spectrum Noir glitter brush to give sparkle although the photo doesn’t show it. The little snowflakes are fall outs from a border frame die by Papertrey and I used silver glitter on these. Paper is from a Recollections pad. This card is definitely wintery but looks a lot warmer than our current outside conditions.

I am entering this card into two challenges this week, the first Caffeinated Christmas and the second Double D. Thanks for stopping by.

Color Hues #54 Navy and Cream

The challenge at Color Hues helped me to remember that I have this intricate Dove die, from Creative Expression and I thought it would be perfect to cut in cream and then add it to the Navy card base. I had seen a photograph of a black and white tile with a section of the tile in thin white stripes and that gave me the idea to cut some stripes from the cream CS and add them to the corner. The die cut word uses some old gold paper and a Spellbinders word and using the same gold and infinity dies from Hero Arts, I used the smallest star and cut 3 for added interest. I like the simplicity of this card and the cream CS is slightly embossed which gives a nice look to the bird and stripes but it only shows to the touch or with the naked eye.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your different weather conditions don’t make life challenging. It is quite cold here at the moment and they are predicting a snow storm for tomorrow.

http://justusgirlschallenge.blogspot.com/

Amusing cards are not generally my forte, but I had seen an image with the tree looking like a person and it made me smile. Not having the right stamp meant I had some thinking to do to see if I could make something using the supplies I do have. This card is a mish mash of stamps from different sets. Two are from the Cats Pajamas, one is from Dylusions, another StampinUp as well as Hero Arts and MayMay Made it. The stars are from some stickers in my stash. Although the card is okay, I can see better ways to do it should I try another one. I stamped the legs first masking off a section as the stamp was quite long and I only needed a portion of it. Then I stamped the face, masked it to stamp the tree around it. Stamped the bow at the top, again using only part of a stamp, after which I fussy cut the entire piece out and added foam to the back. I coloured it using mostly pencils and Sakura gelly roll pens. The little package was done separately and also fussy cut once coloured. It too was popped up on tape. The card front was stamped with the dotted swirls to give a background to the focal image. I added the focal image, stamped the sentiment and fussy cut that before popping it on top. Although the inspiration image at JUG’s is more of a formal look, I decided to add this to the challenge as a fun card with a message that gives it a warm feel as in the photo. My goal this year has been to use as many of my stamps in creative ways as possible. I do believe I’ve achieved that goal with this card. I sure hope it makes you smile.

Just Us Girls Challenge #660 – Photo Week

This is a small card using a 4′ x 4′ card front and Hero Arts stamps. I stamped all the images masking off where necessary to get the right placement. The tree was heat embossed clear. Using mostly water colour pencils I coloured in the images enhancing some with Sakura gelly roll pens. I added some silver dots to the stair carpet to try to create a pattern but in retrospect I should have left it alone. The sentiment has sparkle added over the top of the stamping which has created a slight shadow to it. I can just imagine this little puppy waiting for his new owner to love him. I shall have to make an envelope for this one as I don’t have any the correct size. Happy Sunday to you all.

Anything Goes Embossing With a Twist of THANKS

Having seen a post on Pinterest featuring a card similar to this one, I was intrigued to see if I could make my own version. The challenge was in figuring out how it was done, because the post is not attributed to anything in particular so no instructions or guidance. I thought about it for a while and decided to try die cutting and layering. I used the die negative sections and layered from there. I tried paper piecing but couldn’t get the look I wanted that way. Anyway the card base is black and is a funny size because I did the layers first and then cut the card to fit the finished part. The final oval is one of the die cuts that I stamped in black and added a bit sparkle to using Sakura glitter pens. The embossed layer uses a new SSS snowflake folder that I really like. Before I embossed it I had die cut the center and I added this layer before adding the image oval. The poinsettias are stamped and heat embossed in silver then die cut and glued together with a sparkly silver center to each. I also curved some of the leaves a bit for a more realistic look. The leaves were stamped and fussy cut as there is no die for them in the set, which is a last year’s StampinUp Christmas set. I’m really pleased with how this turned out and it am entering it into the CYHTP challenge. I hope you’ve all recovered from your Thanksgiving festivities and that you are enjoying a nice weekend. Thanks for stopping by.

https://peaceonearthchristmas.blogspot.com/

I’ve been on a clean and simple kick using a lot of white recently and this is one of the ideas I came up with. It works nicely for this challenge as there is a lot of white in the mood board and I added a pop of red with a poinsettia. I got the inspiration for this style from something seen on Pinterest and this is my take on what I’ve seen. Using Hero Arts infinity star dies I cut two shapes on a 4″ x4″ piece of card stock. After adding foam tape to the back I pulled the gold thread through where the star shapes connected. I then added some corrugated (made by me) CS behind the die cut layer before adding it to the card front, which is a 1/4″ larger. As well I added the sentiment, which is from a Divinity Design set, prior to adding it to the card front. Using a Sizzix set of foliage dies I cut the holly piece in white, cutting it down slightly and tied it on using the thread and a bit of glue to hold it firm. The poinsettia is from Dee’s Distinctively and I had cut and put together quite a few ready for use. Once I had the little bow the way I wanted it I pulled the longer threads out so it gives more lengths. I did several variations of this style, all of them slightly different, and am happy with how they turned out. I think these cards are my favourites this year. Because these cards are all small squares and I didn’t have the right size envelope for them, I handmade envelopes using my board and some thin CS.

Thanks for taking a look and have a great upcoming weekend everyone.

Color Hues #53 Scarlet and Green

I have an unbranded banner die set that I’ve been using a bit lately and it has one tiny thin banner that I couldn’t see how I might use. It is too small for a sentiment, or at least any that I own and in general I don’t use banners very often. When I saw the colours for this challenge I was thinking about what kind of design I would use and had the idea of cutting a few of these very thin banners in different greens and a bit of scarlet. Two of the banners look blue in the photo, but they are actually a dark teal. I wondered what they would look like if I attached them at the top section and spread them out, decided it would give a kind of tree effect and using a small hole punch and a brad I attached them together. My original idea was to have the tree sitting on a border and I played with some new Heffy Doodle border dies to see what would happen. I added the border to the embossed background (SSS Filigree Folder) and made a black frame (Hero Arts Infinity dies) for that layer. I wasn’t sure I liked the result but after I added a bit more of the black above the border it worked. I set the ‘tree’ above and added some die cut stars (Hero Arts Infinity dies) from mirror CS and foam tape to the top. The sentiment is from a Divinity Design set and I added a black border to that as well. In the end I quite like how this turned out. The border grounds the tree nicely and my hubby thought it looks good so I’m posting it. I hope you are enjoying your weekend. We make the most of a couple more dry days before the predicted week of rain starts on Monday. Thanks for stopping by.

Make the Cards Challenge #68

The main panel was cut using an MFT die and then I stamped the dots using a StampinUP tree stamp and Speckled Egg Ink. The image and sentiment stamps are from Divinity Designs and the DSP is from StampingUp. Once I had added foam to the back and sentiment to the front of the die cut panel I added it to the DSP and from there to the card front. I stamped and coloured the birds using various pencils and a bit of water. Added a touch of sparkle here and there and once dry I die cut them and added into the circles. I’m not really into the slimline cards, but do make them once in a while and I quite like how this one turned out.

We have a bit of sunshine today although there is a sea fog lower down so no view because of that. At least it is dry enough that my hubby can deal with the winter canvas on the boat with out worrying about slipping off the deck. Have a great day everyone and thanks for stopping by.

SSC296 ROUND AND ROUND

It is a sketch challenge at Sunday Stamps and I had these circles left from a die frame as well as a test piece of mica stained CS. I decided to use the circles and some cuts from my test piece along with a leftover section of an embossed piece. I added the circles and then the panel to a mirror piece to give a small frame. The trees are from a StampinUp set from last year and once die cut I added them to the circles. Then I used a Divinity Design set from a couple of years ago called Beary Christmas and I stamped the 3 smallest images, coloured them with pencils, die cut, added a tiny bit of sparkle and then on to the circles. Using an unbranded banner die I cut the sentiment piece and added it underneath the center bear. The two panels were added to a small slimline piece. I added a few sticker stars as embellishments and called it finished. I have quite a few cards done for Christmas but still have a number to go. At least most of the international ones are done as well as all the ones for the USA. Hopefully you are all catching up on your own Christmas cards and thanks for taking a look here.

Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge

For this card I used a little Trinity Stamp die that came as a thank you for shopping with them in an order I made. I used some StampingUp DSP to cut out the cup and paper pieced the the design back into the cup. The little bird is from an SSS set and was left over from a previous card and the background piece was something I stenciled ages ago and didn’t like much so it was pushed aside. It works as the frame for the rest so I’m glad I didn’t toss it. The holly is from a Sizzix die set and the berries are from CTMH, also so old that they were forgotten about. I used a negative from an MFT die for the word and tried something that Gina K did with foil. I coloured it and then placed it behind the negative piece. I punched the corners of the panels before adding to the card front. This is my last card for today. My shoulder is hurting from a pulled muscle and I think a rest is in order else I’ll not be able to sleep later. Thanks for stopping by.