This sketch challenge proved to be a challenge as I couldn’t seem to get any ideas flowing when I started. Rather than continue to struggle, I spent 40 minutes adding strips to scrap card stock while I let my subconscious work a bit. That helped and here is the card I eventually came up with. Mainly used the stamps from a GKD set called Warmer with You, I stamped the images with the help of my misti. The sentiment stamp is from Hero Arts. Images were coloured with Sakura Gelly roll sparkle pens and the snowflakes were stamped with Distress Ink. I added a few gems to the snowflakes and around center glove image as I had a smudge to cover up. There is a lot of sparkle on this card in real life.

For this slimline card, I decided to use a Spellbinders die that I got on sale last year when in Texas. Using a scrap piece of DSP I die cut the sledding image and then using another die from Cottage Cutz I cut two sets of village houses. I coloured the sledding piece using pencils but left some of the DSP pattern showing on faces and base. After dry embossing the snow at the top I then glued the village houses. I also added a bit more of a snowy bank at the bottom and stamped the Hero Arts greeting in the corner. Using a sparkle pen I added some light in windows and on the bunting so that the village would stand out a bit more. Then I added the main die cut on top of the rest. Added this panel to a top folding base and another card completed with only a few more to go now.

I made this card last week but hadn’t yet posted it. After seeing that it fit the new challenge at Inkspirational I decided to post it now. It was inspired by a card I had seen but cannot now find a link to and the designer had used leaves whereas I decided to use stars. Basically I die cut stars from various scrap pieces using 2 different dies along with one tiny one. The frame is from a PaperRose stitched rectangle set. The sentiment is from LawnFawn. Once the frame was cut I added it to the dark blue piece and then onto the card front. I heat embossed the sentiment and die cut the word several times to make it thicker. Played with placement to ensure I could get the stars and sentiment to work together and then glued it all as shown. I’m pretty happy with end result and my hubby thinks it is great.

When I was fooling around with some left over strips of CS I decided to create a couple of background pieces with them. I just randomly glued strips to a scrap piece and then using dies from my MFT set I cut out the trees. I really liked the result so I cut a piece of white CS to look like some snow, glued it at the bottom of the black card front and added the trees. Using 2 tiny star stamps I stamped the stars and then went over them with a sparkle pen. I white heat embossed the sentiment which is from Hero Arts. I would have used snowflakes but couldn’t find one small enough. Note to self – buy some additional small stamps for Christmas designs.

The berries in the photo reminded me of beads so I used sequins to build a tree. Some of the photo colours are represented by both sequins and ribbon. My design style is mostly CAS but as there is a layer it is a combination of CAS and Clean and Layered.

I glued the sequins into a tree shape and added a strip of gold to make the trunk. Added the ribbon at the bottom with the sentiment (from Hero Arts) just above it. A very simple card and quick to make too.

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.