The sketch challenge at AAA wanted cold and I had been playing with an idea for a while and had the pieces on my desk that I hadn’t fully developed until today. The Christmas challenge mood board at Peace on Earth also looks chilly so I’m adding this to both challenges.

You may remember a card I did a while ago that was inspired by a photo and basically this card is inspired by that same photo. I’ve mislaid the image so unfortunately can’t share it, but it had a frosty flower tucked in front of the moon and I had been thinking of how I could make something look frosty without coating the entire image. The moon was created with a circle die and some alcohol inks. After the ink was dry I added some embossing by stamping a snowflake with Versamark and silver powder. The tree was from Penny Black and I die cut in a shimmer CS. Then I added some Versamark around the branches with a sprinkle of white powder which I didn’t fully heat set. It wasn’t quite enough so I repeated the process but this time added some silver instead. Again it isn’t fully heat set as I wanted it to be grainy. The holographic star was one left over from a previous project and the sentiment is from a Cat’s Pajamas stamp set. I used blueprint sketch ink for this.

I’m quite pleased with the result and I guess this will be one of the first cards to go in my Christmas box for next year, unless I suddenly need a card this week. It probably doesn’t really match the sketch at AAA, but nevertheless it was fun to put together and it sure says cold to me.

Thanks for stopping by, it is appreciated.

To me music is a celebration of many things and I used a scrap piece of vintage music as my background. The star was cut with HeroArts infinity dies from a striped glitter CS and I added the vintage angel on top before adding the Spellbinders sentiment strip. A few additional gold stars and a border of Chrismas CS at the bottom completed the card.

A very easy card done when I was in a hurry to finish my list. I’m in the midst of cleaning up my craft room, but decided to post a few of the cards I completed and mailed. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are having a wonderful day.

The Sisterhood of Crafters is a Christmas theme and here is one of my more recent creations. My friend is a lover of Dachshunds and has one in her life. I searched online until I found an image that I thought would work for adding a puppy to the stocking. I resized it, printed and fussy cut so it would fit inside the die cut stocking. I used a Marianne Design die and cut it twice, once in the striped CS and once in the silver. I added a small piece of DSP from StampinUp down one side and a Taperology rub on at the top right. A little bit of sparkle and a snowflake finished the card. Who can resist that face peeping from the stocking? My friend is thrilled with the card as she phoned me to say so.

Hope everyone has a jolly and Happy Christmas. Thanks for stopping by, it is appreciated.

Cardz4Galz is having a Christmas challenge this time around and my example uses a set from StampinUp that I acquired last year. I haven’t used it a lot so I thought it a good choice for this example. The embossing folder that is part of the set allows for die cutting the embossed section so using some copper metallic CS this what I did first. I used a soft green layer in behind it and stamped the sentiment directly inside the framed section. After stamping the various pieces I wished to use, I die cut them and added to the corner of the frame. This panel was then added to the white card front. The detailed embossing in the copper layer is quite amazing and I love the result.

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ColorHues is asking for pink and silver and I remembered I still had this DSP from StampinUp that I believe may be from the year before last. I cut a panel to fit my silver card front and then die cut the words using a set from MFT. Then I cut several more of the same words so I could lift it up from the main piece. I added a black layer first and then built up the layers to finish with the DSP. A silver snowflake from GKD and a few embellishments from Trinity Stamps and the card was done.

I have finished my Christmas cards finally although not all have yet been added to my blog. At least now I can concentrate on Christmas baking and other prep. We are hosting my yoga group for wine and cheese Monday evening and I have been preparing as much as possible ahead of time. The bases for a couple of desserts are done and I can finish the rest tomorrow.

We have snow here although I don’t think it will stick around for too long as it rains in between. Thanks for stopping by, it is appreciated.

I had 5 more cards to make and now I have 4. I love how this one turned out. Used a frame set from Paper Rose, florals from Dees Distinctively and banner from MFT. Mixed up the silvers and the gold a bit so gold leaves added to a silver flower and vice versa.

The most tedious part of this one was getting all the bits out of the center grid. Once that was done it was just a matter of placement for the rest. I have a few flowers left over so another card in a similar style will done with those.

I figure any of the needed makes that work for a challenge will be posted and this one is perfect for Colorfuloptions.

Thanks for stopping by, it is appreciated.

I didn’t think I would have time for this particular speed challenge, but I was tidying up a few things and came across this background that I wasn’t happy with but had kept just in case it could be used. As well I had these vintage angels from Taperology, and the little stars already cut for a previous project for which I hadn’t needed as many as I’d cut.

My thinking was that if I had this already done then making a card quickly would be doable. So I gathered everything together and laid it out on my glass mat, set the timer and began. I cut the holographic panel and the aurora piece to the size I wanted and glued them to the shimmer card front. I added the stars quickly and then cut the white piece for a snow bank. Added this at the bottom as you see. . The angels were added next and I tucked them into the snow. What took me the longest was the sentiment at the bottom. I didn’t line it up as well as I needed as I wanted it to repeat, but it is good enough for the challenge. Sentiments are from a Divinity Designs set. I was beginning to breathe heavily as the clock was ticking but I finished it with 30 seconds to spare.

Although this isn’t my best background, using it this way has made it acceptable and adding the snow and the angels made me like the end result even though I thought I wouldn’t. My house guests will be arriving soon, but I have the evening meal all sorted and ready to go leaving me with an hour in my craft room. All my cards are done except for 5 and by the end of the week the decorations will be up and I can stop stressing. The 5 I need to make will be completed easily and as they are all for hand delivery there is no pressure.

Caz has chosen the subject of trees for the last of the year challenge at Make My Monday. You can choose a Christmas tree, or forest trees or combine them as I have done with my card here.

My card uses a birch tree die from Taylored Expressions, Christmas tree, from Stamping up, Tiny birds from Poppy Stamps and a sentiment from YNS. I also used the largest modern Oval from Sizzix to create the arch, but cut off part of it at the bottom.

The arch was cut first and the trees were adhered behind after I had added a bit of ink to darken them in places. I added foam tape to the back and set this aside. The background is PP that I’ve had forever, some shimmer CS for the snow hills and I added these to the card front. I set the other layer on top and added the red glitter birds. I cut several of the Christmas tree and layered them for dimension. Added some glitter pen to the tree for the look of baubles but the photo doesn’t pick them up that well. Stamped the sentiment at the top and went over it with a glitter pen. I like using a glitter pen over a sentiment as it softens it a bit without losing the clarity.

Thanks for spending time with me today. As this is the last challenge for the season, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

Life is slightly crazy at the moment, so having a card that fits a challenge without my having to really think about it is a bonus. As I am still completing the last of my cards and this one happens to fit the challenge at the Sisterhood of Crafters, I figured I would add it there. As well it is being added to the Peach on Earth Anything goes.

I used an MFT set called Winter Songbirds for my images, a die frame that I can’t remember who by and a SSS folder for the background detail. I also used shimmer CS and some embellishments from my stash. First I die cut the frame and set the fallout aside while embossing the rest. I had spent a few hours earlier last week stamping all my images, colouring them and then die cutting. Most of the cards I inset the center panel and popped up the panel, but this one I did the opposite and popped up the center piece. I had meant to add a sentiment but forgot and they (I did 8) have already been mailed so too late now. There is a sentiment on the inside.

Thanks for spending time with me today, it is appreciated. I have an invite for this afternoon at one of my neighbors who is hosting a ladies tea party. I’m filling in my time with the last of my card making.

The challenge at Cardz4galz #213 is to make a cityscape. For my example I decided to create a small Christmas scene using some small dies from an unbranded set. Firstly I used a piece of vellum which I inked slightly with Tumbled Glass and Chipped Sapphire. I added a frame using dies from another unbranded set and some mirror CS and added the vellum and a shimmer snow piece in behind leaving it just loose enough to tuck the houses and a tree underneath. The church fit nicely on the hill and I used some fall out bits to add the illusion of snow which I sparkled using a pen. There is gold holographic paper behind the windows of the buildings. I die cut a lot of leaves from a Sizzix set that I’ve had for ages and added them around the frame as you see. There are a few punched branches in copper from an old Martha Stewart punch. The sentiment is from a new set purchased yesterday and is by Spellbinders. I like how it looks and there is no stamping required.

This card was a fun one to make, but took a lot of time due to the design and the fiddly bits of the tiny scene. I am really pleased with the result, but in the future I won’t use vellum as it is too transparent. Thanks for stopping by, it is appreciated as are any comments you make.

I am adding this card into the https://peaceonearthchristmas.blogspot.com/.