This card fits 2 challenges so I’m entering it into the Paper Players and the Modsquad this week. The Modsquad in particular wanted white embossing and only one other colour so I chose Plum Punch from GKD as my base. The Paper Players require anything festive. Stamps used are from a Hero Arts set and I added a few embellishments to the tree with pearls and a couple of other gems above it. Even when I use an anti static bag, I still somehow get bits of powder in places I don’t want but overall I’m happy with this card.

Having seen several cards shaped like these on Pinterest, I decided to try my own version. The first one I stamped and coloured (both sides exactly the same) and the next 2 I did using decoupage. My cousin had brought me the printed images some time in the past and I had only used one of two of them. Found the rest yesterday in a file and decided to use a few more. Takes time to cut out the pieces and decide what should be popped up into the 3D effect and I only have patience to do a few at a time. The stamped card is my favorite of the 3 while the second card, but first attempt at the decoupage, I almost ruined because I put the panels on to the stand upside down. Rather than take them off and start over I cut the stand in half and glued the top part together so it isn’t as straight as it should be. The camera picks up the imperfections that the naked eye tends not to notice. On the last one I used a die cut snowflake piece that I didn’t use on another design and I only added to the one side of the stand.

This is my second try in designing a card for this challenge. Somehow during the first one I managed to forget to add PP so I took a leaf out of one of my stampin buddies book and wrote down the requirements ticking them off as I went. I think I managed it this time around. I found some PP that looked a bit like snowflakes coming down and cut it into the different length strips. Before adhering them I inked the bottoms with a bit of green then glued them just at the top of the card front. The die cuts are from a Sissix set of 4 foliage dies and I cut them out of a paint chip, and different scrap pieces of green CS. The holly piece I also embossed before removing it from the die. When I was happy with the layout I glued them together and then added to the strips. I stamped the greeting below using a CTMH stamp and went over it with a glitter pen. Using some snowflake fallouts from a scene die I added them to the card front and glittered them after they were dry. The berries were from a hole punch. I added the ribbon/twine at the top and got the bow tied after a struggle. Honestly I wonder sometimes if my hands work at all, as I can barely feel the twine or ribbon when I’m trying to tie a bow. My hubby likes this card – he said it looks very realistic.

At our local art supply store, I found this stencil and I just had to have it. I went into the store to return a defective pen and came out with the replacement plus the stencil. I decided to try using the Nuvo Glimmer paste for my first try and this is the result. It was so striking that at first I wasn’t sure how to use it. In the end I used a scrap silver frame piece around it and I heat embossed the GKD sentiment adhered it in the middle and edged it in a bit more silver. The corners of my frame looked messy so I covered them with some tiny die cuts in a white sparkle and then added the dove which is on a wobbly so it stands out quite a bit. I’m looking forward to using this stencil with inks on my next try. This fits the basic challenge at Double Trouble but my next card will fit both the basic and the twisted parts of the challenge.

I honestly had fun creating this card. I love playing with the Crazy dog/cats sets by Tim Holtz and adding Santa hats just added to the fun. For my background scene I used a Hero Arts set purchased last year and after stamping and colouring these images with Inktense pencils I added the swag trim to the stair bannister. I also added some colour to the stair carpet to make it look as if it had a pattern in it. Sparkle has been added to the tree baubles and star as well as the sentiment at the top. The 3 dogs were done separately, coloured with a mix of Inktense pencils and Prisma colour ones and then I added googly eyes, the precut Santa hats (all slightly different shades of red) and some Nuvo Crystal Glaze to the noses and tongues. All the dogs are popped up but the one in the middle is on a wobbly so when touched he moves. He also sticks out a lot more but it doesn’t show on photo. Layered over the red and then onto the gray GKD card stock.

I think I must be getting tired as I am not feeling very inspired today and making any kind of card is a challenge. That I managed this one is a bonus and doing a colour challenge is never an easy one for me. I got as close as I could to the colours particularly as the Just Jade is a brand new colour and I don’t have much like it in my supplies. The image is from a GKD set called Dashing and the sentiment from a set called Noel by GKD too. I stamped through a mask after I had done the background colour. Should have done it the other way round but I wasn’t thinking properly obviously. I clear heat embossed and then used a pencil to add the colour after which I added a bit of sparkle to the veins of the flower. I mounted it onto the red piece which in turn was mounted to the green card front. Added the bow and a few gems after I added the sentiment panel.

It has been ages since I used my Gina K wreath builder template, so long in fact, that I had to find a video to remind myself of how to use it. LOL. I pulled out a stamp set by GKD called Noelle Mouse and used a few of the small stamps in the set to create this wreath with the aid of the template. I also used one of the circle stamps from the original set called Wreath Builder. I used pencils and some sparkle pens to colour the images and I also added sparkle to the snowflakes and sentiment.

This bottle die is one I haven’t used for a while and it came out of a British Crafting magazine that I used to get once in a while. I backed the gold onto some scrap CS to give it a bit more body and then die cut the bottle. Frenchie Stamps had a YouTube tutorial HERE on what she calls a Skylight Diagonal Fun Fold and I followed this to make the shape. My triangular side pieces are from a paper pack by Reminisce. The swirls are some precut pieces of sparkly bits I’ve had for a while and often forget to use. The sentiment is from Hero Arts. Seems like the only one I’m using lately, partly because I like the font but also because it is the right size for many of my cards right now. I think this differently shaped card qualifies for the Sisterhood of Crafters challenge so I’m entering it there.

Using one of my recently made striped background pieces, I die cut the trees. The background piece is a bit leftover from something done a while ago where I stenciled the stars in versamark and then inked the panel in various distress inks. I added this panel to a navy blue card front and then added the trees to the bottom. The sentiment is from Hero Arts. so my card fits the challenge in 2 ways as I used both stripes and stars (S). Finished it off with some tiny sequins also from Hero Arts.