So the colour I avoid using is brown and this challenged me to actually design a card using it. For some reason on this photo the card base looks gray but it is a very dark brown by GKD called Charcoal Brown. The kraft strip is a scrap piece cut with a die from a distressed edge set by Spellbinders. I stamped the sentiment in Walnut Distress ink and clear heat embossed it. To get the background I used a stencil and some distress collage medium that I coloured with Frayed Burlap ink before adding it to the card stock. It dries to a faint crackle finish that I think adds to the bark of the trees. The deer was die cut from a chocolate box lid that I had saved because I liked the gold design on it. This piece also looks gray but it is a light brown in reality. I found a sequin on my desk so I added it to the sentiment strip with a tiny gold jewel in the center. Don’t know why I avoid using brown, because the end result of this card is actually something I like.

It is funny how, on occasion, a challenge comes along and we are already working on a card that fits it perfectly. This is one of those cards. The die cut house was left over from a piece I cut off on another project and the circle is from that project too. I added a bit of silver behind the house before I glued it. I also stamped and heat embossed the snowflake from a small set by GKD onto the circle and then added the house to that. The sentiment is from a set by Hero Arts and I added a tiny snowflake there as well. Background is a scrap piece that I cut to size and then added the navy ribbon as shown. A few tiny blue gems and another card is ready for Christmas.

Couldn’t resist doing another card for JUGs after I had seen an image on Pinterest that I found cute. This card is my take on that image found here.

After playing around a bit with placement I stamped both images from a GKD set called Warmer with You and then coloured them with InkTense and Prismacolor pencils. Once done and dry I then dry embossed the snow using a Sissix folder. I die cut another piece of white CS using a border die set also by Sissix I think. Could be Spellbinders but I forget which. Once cut I stamped the sentiment after curving it and then stamped the mittens. I added a bit of sparkle using a Sakura pen, but it doesn’t show on photo. I think I am getting much better at CAS cards.

Using my recently acquired MFT kit, I created this card by stamping the images and then colouring them using a combination of Distress Inks and InkTense pencils. I used a couple of shades of the 3 colours to give some variation to the images. I quite like the result.

A few weeks ago I created this shooting star background by using silver embossing paste through a Hero Arts stencil. Finally got around to using it and made this card for the Double Trouble TicTacToe challenge. I used the diagonal line from bottom left to top right. I didn’t go along with the twisted sister section though.

I added the background piece to a dark gray card front and then took the soft patterned paper from a Recollections pad and die cut the circle before adding it on top. Using the village die from Cottage Cuts I die cut the village I cut a piece off the end so it would fit where I wanted. Before gluing it I used a small sponge with some faint violet ink to give it a bit more definition and I also added a touch of sparkle with a Stardust Sakura Gelly roll pen. The sentiment is from my newest MFT kit. I’m using this particular stamp a lot right now so I guess it is my latest favourite stamp.

A while back I tried making this plaid panel for a colour challenge but hated the result and didn’t use it. It has been sitting on one side for more than a week along with a pile of left over strips from various projects. On Monday I had the idea of using the strips by sticking them onto a scrap piece of CS and the striped piece is from one of those that I made. I made no attempt to match the stripes in width just randomly selected the ones I wanted to use on each panel. Many bits were from mirror CS so a lot of the diagonal stripes are shiny. Another happy accident occurred when I placed the striped piece on top of the plaid and decided they looked good together.

I added the layers to the black card front and then using my new MFT word die and another scrap piece of PP I die cut it and glued as you see here. To finish the card I die cut the snowflake from pale blue mirror CS using a die from a Susan Wilson set. In making this card initially the inspiration was just from what was on my desk, so another happy accident is that the new challenge from Double D is all about blue and this card fits the challenge too.

This card came about because I scored and folded a card base incorrectly and had to decide how to use it so it wouldn’t go to waste. Purely by luck my Pinterest feed had an example of a reverse easel and I figured it was the best solution to using my base. I’ve had the PP for a long time and it came from PaperWishes. It was just right for the card base with the different purples in the design. I also had the ribbon from a chocolate box so I adjusted the size to make it work for this card. The sparkly tag is a store bought die cut and I added a scrap piece of purple after stamping the sentiment and some random sprigs of leaves/flowers. Stamps are from a Wreath Builder set by GKD. Once I glued all the PP and then the tag and bow I created the circle piece for helping everything to stand up using a die set from GKD which also had the flower dies as part of the set. Die cut the flowers and leaves, inked them as you see and then glued them on both the circle and on the tag. Added the circle to the bottom panel and the point of the tag tucks into these flowers to keep it standing. There is space for a greeting either on the under part of the flap or on the back and it folds flat for mailing. It is a pretty girly card and will go to one of my friends eventually.

Last week I was playing around with a sparkly tag and a scrap piece of inked background and wondering what I should create. On Pinterest I saw a card that had a hanging interior panel and I thought the tag would work as the interior panel. I cut a frame from the green card front and made a small hole at the fold line so I could thread the cord through easily. I already had the tiny skating mice coloured and cut on my desk so I added them at the bottom of the tag as if they were on ice and then created the village scene (MFT stamp set) behind them by stamping onto the inked piece. Once it was coloured and dry I glued it to the tag. I also added a white piece of shaped paper onto the back of the card so there is space to write a greeting. Once I had attached the tag and tied the bow, I realized the card wasn’t going to stand easily so I created a piece for the bottom that works similar to those calendar cards I’ve made in the past. I added some sparkly pieces to each corner for decoration and stamped and heat embossed the sentiment also from MFT. The tag swings freely and is easy to move aside for writing on the back panel. I set it aside thinking it may possibly work for an upcoming challenge and today I decided the Inkspirational challenge was perfect for this card.

Someone gave me a sheet of wooden coffee cups some time ago, and I forgot I had them. Seeing this challenge brought them to mind and I dug them out. Using a GKD set of stamps called Coffee, I pulled off most of the sentiment stamps and stamped them as shown using my Misti and some Distress Ink. I added a few coffee beans here and there too. Gave the panel a gold border and glued it to card front. Added the coffee cups and a few gold dots and hey presto a completed card.

As of yesterday, I met my goal of finishing all my international Christmas card leaving me with just the local ones to make now. To make life a little easier I decided to make multiples of several designs, with this card being one of 6. It fits this challenge too. Stamp set used is quite old and unfortunately doesn’t have a brand printed anywhere on the packaging. The sentiment came from a Hero Arts set. I stamped the image and coloured it with a combination of distress ink and pencils then I sprayed a bit of Perfect Pearl mist to get the spatter. Once it was glued to card front I hand drew some gold lines to make a frame for the layer. I also added a bit of glitter to the flower center.