lavenderhousecreations

postcard christmas

Although when I started this card I was thinking it may work for the next Peace on Earth Challenge #96, at the time I hadn’t seen their mood board or the DT designs. However, one example features a postcard and here is mine.

I was thinking about my Woodware postage frame die the other day and wondering how I might use it for a Christmas card? As it happens, I had already pulled out the MFT village stamp set I’ve used here, so I inked up some CS to give the blue background and stamped the scene in the middle. I used the accompanying stencil only to assess where to add other images. I added the trees, some from GKD, another MFT, the tiny mouse is Hero Arts and the sentiment is StampinUP. Everything was clear embossed as I worked and I coloured everything before I used the die to add the postage holes. I did trim down the edges to ensure it fit onto my card front which is from Spellbinders. At first I wasn’t sure if I liked it, but after my hubby and our artist friend were complimentary about it, I’m more comfortable with it myself.

I’m really trying to keep my cards as flat as possible for this season, as postage has become more expensive and the rules about some items keep changing.

Thanks for spending time with me today, I appreciate you and any comments you may leave.

lavenderhousecreations

skeleton leaves

It always puzzles me as to why the colours in a photo don’t look quite the same as in reality. This photo is a case in point. Here at home it isn’t as yellow as it shows here and is in fact more like the colours needed for the challenge. As You See It has a colour theme and a photo for inspiration this week.

My card started a while back as a mop up piece from some inking I had been doing. I set it aside for a few days and then stamped the skeleton leaves, an incentive set from GKD, setting it aside once more. I had intended to use it, and had already cut the piece using the unbranded die set I’ve just acquired, but in the end, went in a totally different direction. So once again it languished in my waiting to use pile.

It seems it was waiting for this challenge so I cut another piece using the next size die, using CS similar in colour to the one in the challenge and put the two together. My card front is dark gray but is CS from GKD. The sentiment strip is also GKD and I edged it with a black pen and added some copper glitter to the words before attaching it on top. Two Waffle Flower enamel dots completed the card.

Thanks for joining me today. I appreciate you and your time.

lavenderhousecreations

wishes for Christmas

Challenge #259 at cardz4galz has been chosen by Lynda and she has chosen the theme of using dies and or punches. This gives you a lot of choice for your own ideas.

In my case I’ve used a die from Waffle Flower that is still fairly new and not fully used until now called Elegant Envelope. I die cut the base flap and bottom of the envelope in cream and then a decorative piece in gold. The embossed base uses a new folder from Taylored Expressions which I added to a darker matte gold card front. The flower piece is a stamp from GKD that I inked in Seedless Preserves ink and clear heat embossed along with the sentiment, which is from another GKD set. I used Inktense pencils to colour in my flowers after which I fussy cut them before adding them as you see in the photo. I also used a Sakura gelly roll pen to give colour to the stamens of the flowers. I’ve kept the card as flat as possible for mailing as I recently had to pay a large sum to mail something internationally, that was slightly too thick for the system. Its no surprise to me that Canada Post is having financial issues because people simply can’t pay the ridiculous stamp fees these days.

I enjoyed making this card and quite like the end result. We hope you have fun making your own designs and look forward to seeing them in our gallery.

lavenderhousecreations

maple leaf thanks

Challenge #356 – Rectangles & Circles is the latest theme at As You See It and I’ve only now had time to take a look at creating a card. When one has international visitors that need a tour guide one doesn’t have time for much of anything else. That said, it was a fun if tiring week.

I followed the sketch although I think my rectangles are a little too wide in retrospect. I used some leaf prints that I had done a while back and basically cut the strips from a section. To add some interest I used a corner punch on the ends, which I quite like. My sentiment piece was die cut twice and I offset it slightly when gluing together. This comes from a Gemini Crafters Companion die set. The Maple Leaf is from a YNS stamp and die set. I stamped it in a dark brown and then clear heat set before I used some inks to add colour. When it was dry I die cut them and added more die cuts to the back for a bit of dimension and to add some strength. The 3D folder is from Sizzix and I used some shimmer gold CS and then swiped gently with some brown ink.

As it happens, one of our neighbors came round with some fresh plums from their trees while I was creating this card. I decided to use the Thanks die so I can give it to them later this week. As well, we’ve had 24 hours of rain, so everyone is feeling thankful at the moment. Now we are back to the heat, but hopefully with less risk of fire.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your time and any comments you may leave.

lavenderhousecreations

oodles of doodles

Challenge #679 here at Double Trouble is to make a doodle style image card. You may hand draw, use a stamp or die as long as it looks like a doodle. You need 3 doodles, 2 layers including card base and 1 sentiment. If you wish you can take the optional thing 3 by Twisted sister and do a pop of colour and thing 2 is to use the sketch and enter into TSOT as long as you take care not to backlink.

As you can see I used a clown image as my doodle and it is from an old wooden block stamp from Stampers Choice. I also chose to do a pop of colour which I added using pencils and some glitter Sakara pens. My sentiments come from SSS. The background PP is from Simple Stories.

Have fun doodling and we look forward to seeing your creations in our gallery.

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

lavenderhousecreations

bright as the sun

I was honored with an invitation to participate as a Surprise Party Guest at Seize the Birthday and this is the first of five cards I have made. The day the email arrived I was so surprised and delighted that I almost fell of my chair.

This challenge features embossing and I have done both dry embossing and heat embossing. The idea for this card came from a lovely design done by Marie SanFilippo, but I’m unable to link, as it was part of a private group held by Spellbinders. I used a folder from Taylored Expressions for my background and added swipes of metallic gold ink from Scrapbook.com to add some colour. My sentiment and the sun face are from Spellbinders and my flowers are from Memory Box. I used some yellow pop of color from Scrapbook.com for my flower centers. And I used gold CS to cut a background piece for the sentiment so I could offset the main part on it.

Although I do like my card, I wish I was allowed to show you the one done by Marie as it was truly an amazing card. Mine is quite different but the idea of hers is here.

Thanks for joining me today. I appreciate you and any comments you may leave. Have fun making your own cards featuring embossing.

lavenderhousecreations

May your stocking be full

September 2025 Peace On Earth Challenge #95 which is an anything goes Christmas challenge although there is a mood board for anyone needing a boost for ideas. I had the stocking already done as I was playing with this die a few posts ago, and I decided to use it here.

The stocking is from a small die by Marianne Designs, purchased in the Netherlands and I cut it using different PP so I could paper piece a little to give it more definition. PP is from a Recollections pad. The background layer is actually from a store bought card received last year that I thought would work for something else one day and it works well here I think. The tiny sentiment is from a GKD set, and the star banner is from Scrapbook.com. The lacy piece is a border die from Crafters Companion that was poorly cut. I layered it with another poorly cut piece and decided it would work as a kind of mantlepiece to hang the stocking from. The twine is from my stash and it took me forever to tie it into a satisfactory bow. The threads kept separating but I managed in the end. I added some sparkle to the snowflakes in the stocking as well as some red dots to the leafy area.

This card is a fairly simple one and although there are layers its still flat enough to be mailed as regular postage, although not to the USA, as their regulations have changed and anything that isn’t paper means it has to go as a package, which is becoming expensive.

Thanks for spending time with me today.

lavenderhousecreations

musical notes birdie

Musical Challenge is the current challenge at Double D and because I already had this piece of napkin music attached to CS I decided to use it. I used a die from YNS to cut the top and the bottom and then added it to the leftover PP.

After searching through my stamp sets, I pulled out an old GKD set and used the bird (fussy cut after colouring) and the branch, stamped and heat set. From another GKD set I found the sentiment, stamped and die cut this with an infinity oval from HeroArts. A few small gems and a pen around the edges finished this nicely. I attached it to a shimmery note card and called it finished.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it a lot.

lavenderhousecreations

hot cocoa hugs

Challenge #258 at Cardz4galz is Billie’s choice and she is asking for Stitching, either faux or real. As you can see I have chosen faux and used an unbranded rectangle die set to cut my image and sentiment layers. My stamping is done using a YNS stamp that I found to be cute. Used Versamark and then heat embossed in gold before colouring it. I added a leftover strip of music tissue and some glitter strips to make a background.

My image was coloured using a combination of watercolour pencils, Prisma colour pencils and a Sakura glitter pen. The little stickers are from Doodlebug designs. The light caught the pink one in a weird way so it looks marked but it really isn’t.

Thanks for joining me today. We look forward to seeing your designs in our gallery and most of all we hope you have fun creating.

lavenderhousecreations

Sweet surprise

Our latest challenge here at Double Trouble is to have an aperture in your design. The recipe is to use 3 layers not including the card base, 2 images of your choice, it can be a die cut or ephemera as well as any stamped image, and last but not least an aperture. If you choose to follow the # 678 sketch at TSOT make sure you don’t post until after that challenge starts else you would be backlinking. My card follows the sketch but isn’t entered due to backlinking.

My Paper is from StampinUP and the aperture die is also from a set by them. In fact the sentiment base is another of the the dies from that specific set, called Everyday Details. The floral image was stamped and is from a new to me set by Inkadoo. I had done this floral some time back and didn’t use it at the time. As it was ready to go I fussy cut it and added it inside the aperture. I deliberately kept this card fairly flat as recently postage has gone up and it is becoming costly to mail anything that is thicker or that has embellishments. It has more than the 3 layers of the recipe but nothing has been popped up on foam tape. I think the little butterfly is also from StampinUP but cannot remember for sure but I definitely used some scrap DSP to die cut from. Sentiment is from a SSS set.

We sure hope to see your creations in our gallery and look forward to seeing them. Above all have fun and enjoy the process.

Thanks for joining me today, I appreciate your time and any comments you may leave.