card-making

lavenderhousecreations

foxy fun

Happy New Year to all and here is the first challenge of 2026 for Double Trouble. Our recipe is to use: 3 colours, 2 shapes and one sentiment with the theme of cool, wild or crazy.

In my case I’ve chosen cool and wild as represented by the music background, it reminds me of cool jazz bands, and the Lawn Fawn wild animal fox. My shapes are the background panel, a circle die cut as well as the fox himself. The EF is from Spellbinders and I used a linen CS. I used a sanding block to take off some of the colour on the raised sections as I liked the look and it showed off the embossing more. My fox was built using scrap die cutting and then gluing the pieces together. The circle die cut is done with infinity dies by Hero Arts, the sentiment is from Spellbinders and the embellishments are from my stash. They pick up whatever colour they are close to, in this case yellow. My colours are Yellow, orange and pink, but if brown is considered a colour rather than a neutral I guess it would be four colours.

The idea for this card came from Pinterest, but it isn’t a CASE, just a general similar look. Remember that you can join in with the TSOT sketch challenge if you wish, but ensure that you aren’t back linking before you do so.

Thanks for joining me today, I appreciate your time. I wish you joy in your crafting and look forward to seeing your creations in our gallery.

lavenderhousecreations

standing fun fold

Having seen a card done in this style on YouTube, I wanted to try for myself. If you are interested in making one you can go here and see how. I followed the measurements but my card is using a napkin design that I had transferred to some thin card stock a while back. The only stamps I used are on the back piece and come from Marianne Designs and Kitchen Sink. I had to get a bit creative in laying mine out which took some fussy cutting but I’m pleased with the end result. The card stands beautifully, but folds flat for mailing and isn’t too bulky when folded. I’ve already got a smaller base ready for a second one and an image from a tissue box to use on a third.

Figuring out the fussy cutting took a bit of time, and I also did a bit of decoupage on the figure and bicycle. I used an old paper pad (when I say old, I mean really old) that is all sky and cut it to the size I required. After stamping the windmill I coloured it using Inktense pencils and a small amount of water. The ones I plan to do soon, will be much easier as I now have a good idea what they will look like when finished.

This was fun to make and my hubby was quite impressed with it. I am adding it to the challenge at Triple B January 2026 TB Challenge. Considering the weather and the dreary days, doing a card that denotes springtime was a nice project.

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

lavenderhousecreations

pet wagon

Sketch #566

Well here I am again being sidetracked by making another card, which came about because I wanted to use the dies before I put them away.

CAS Colours & Sketches are encouraging us to take either a colour challenge or a sketch challenge from 2025 and turn it into a seasonal card. My card is using Sketch #566 and I followed the orientation and shape of the sketch while changing what needed to be changed to give it a more seasonal look. The plaid paper is from the inside of a store bought envelope, the background oval (cut using Hero Arts infinity dies) is using a scrap piece from my stash. I jazzed it up slightly by adding dots of sparkle gold, but it doesn’t show much on the photo. It looks far better in real life. My little wagon and animals are all Gummiapan dies and my sentiment comes from a set by Crafters Companion. I love the font in this set and have used another of the stamps on the inside of the card. I used both alcohol markers and glitter pens to colour in the animals and wagon.

Although I don’t need any more Christmas cards now, I have several already completed for 2026 and this one will go into that stash. Thanks for joining me today, I appreciate you and any comments you leave.

lavenderhousecreations

just for you

I’m supposed to be cleaning up my craft room and cataloguing my new stuff, but in the process I’ve gotten a bit sidetracked. The latest challenge, AAA Card Challenge #305: Anything CAS Goes, optional twist: white on white and I do enjoy making white on white cards.

The die I’ve used is new and is from Crafters Companion. It comes in two halves with two stamps. I cut it using some scrap water colour CS. The popped up background piece was cut using an unbranded set, also fairly new to me. Using my smaller Misti I stamped the words and when the ink was dry I added the top and bottom parts of the heart. My embellishments are from Trinity Stamps and are clear, but they are designed to pick up colour from anywhere. In this case it is from the overhead light and on the photo they are reflecting the light and look more golden. In front of my computer screen it is all white so they look shiny white.

I guess now I’ve actually used this new die, I can put it away properly haha. As I have several new ones not even opened, I’m pretty sure I shall get sidetracked again. Hubby just came into my craft room, picked up the card and said how he liked it. Then he asked me if I could add the cuts to a coloured background, which was another idea I already had in my head.

I’m off to put away a bit more stuff before I stop for the day. I did all my embossing folders yesterday. They are now all labeled and numbered so I can find them more easily.

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

lavenderhousecreations

Stack the holidays

Sue J has chosen the theme, Cute Christmas for our new challenge at cardz4galz and this is my idea. Using some different coloured CS and a 3D EF from SSS, I created several background pieces so I could make more than one card using this YNS stamp and die set. I stamped the critters several times and coloured each one using combinations of alcohol pens, pencils and a little glitter here and there. After die cutting I set them aside to begin the assembly of each card. For this one I took scrap DPS and using a die set called Essential Modern Ovals I cut one and using different PP I did enough to use on the 4 cards. The sentiment was stamped and cut using one of these ovals as well. Except for the texture this card is basically flat so should go through the post without issues. At the moment Canada Post is back on strike, so if I manage to actually mail Christmas cards this year, it will be a miracle. That said I’m hopeful and preparing them just in case.

It is hard to believe we are close the end of another year and trust that you’ve all had some good times through 2025. We look forward to seeing your creations in our gallery, and above all, we want you to have fun.

lavenderhousecreations

far in miles …

In between other chores or obligations, I’ve spent a bit of time in my craft room sorting through paper scraps, which were getting out of hand. This morning I decided to use a few of the strips and make some backgrounds for using later.

Noticing a new colour challenge, I decided to use some of the strips in the colours and this card is the result of my playing around. I’m actually quite pleased with how it turned out. I used two different shades of teal, the darker in the striped piece with the lighter as a border. I also dry embossed the piece with a spellbinders EF that I received recently. Dies used are an unbranded rectangle set, leaves are from Waffle Flower and my sentiment is from Spellbinders heat set in silver.

It isn’t an elaborate design as the stripes do all the work and it is quite striking in reality.

Challenges I’m entering are:

Color Hues #122-Teal and Silver – haven’t entered this one for a while so it is time.

Anything Goes With A Twist of Food and/or Drink – twist not taken

lavenderhousecreations

diamond fold Christmas

Having seen Sam at Mixed Up Craft, and her new mini series on Diamond fold cards I chose this one to try for myself. I watched the video twice so I understood the basics and then as she suggested took a screen shot of the template so I could keep the measurements handy. After that I chose my base card and the PP before proceeding to follow along with the video. My base card is from Recollections and isn’t a heavy weight type which made it easier for scoring and folding. My paper is from a pack by Alchemy of Art purchased in a sale. And the silver CS is also from Recollections. The die sets used are from Spellbinders, and Essentials.

It isn’t a hard card to make, but it does take time as the scoring and folding are fiddly. I had to stop and start as my neck and shoulder kept causing my left hand to cramp, but I got there in the end. This is another card that will be given by hand to the recipients even though it does fold flat and will fit into an envelope. They are coming to visit soon so it will be waiting for them in their room. If postage wasn’t so high I would enjoy making more of this style and posting them, but the costs involved are making it prohibitive. The card I made for my sister cost me $8.50 to mail.

Thanks for joining me today. In between posting and keeping up with my little DT jobs, I’m also baking for my upcoming party. This particular dessert can be frozen for several months so it is an good one to make ahead.

I shall enter this card into the following challenges:

Just Us Girls Challenge #801 – WORD Week – Winter

Krafty Chicks challenge #794 – Christmas

MLCCB #65 Anything Christmas Goes

lavenderhousecreations

merry birth-mas

My last card as a guest designer at Seize the Birthday, and I’ve had such fun creating for each challenge. With this challenge asking us to use Christmas supplies and because I do have a male friend whose birthday is on Christmas day, I’ve decided this card is for him. This is always a birthday challenge but its asking us to use Christmas supplies to make it.

The strip of plaid CS used here is from a store bought card I received last year. The napkin music is the last piece of others I’ve used in the past. My Rudolph has been made by die cutting ovals and attaching them together. I cut a couple of small circles, one for his nose and another for his hands and I hand cut his teeth and then glued them as you see. Not my idea, but something I’ve seen on Pinterest and adapted for my own version. The bow is from an unbranded die set, the little stars are part of a die set by Marianne Designs and I used an MFT stamp and die set to create his antlers. A little bit of red sparkle on his nose and bow made him look more festive. The sentiment was created on my computer and is another thing I’d seen online. Initially I tried using stamps but couldn’t make it work nicely, so creating my own was the next option.

I’ve had a blast designing for Seize the Birthday and hope you have an equal fun time creating your own birthday cards with Christmas supplies. Thanks so much for stopping by, I appreciate you and your time.

lavenderhousecreations

hand painted baubles

Having seen something similar to this on Pinterest, I wanted to try a version of my own, but I’m no painter. In the end I created a stencil, pulled out my trusty TomBow markers and came up with these. They were so easy to do that I made about five of them. I added some sparkle elements with a Sakura pen and filled in a few areas, then I took a gold pen and free handed the top of the ornament and the cord.

With another marker I went around the edge of the white CS before adding it to the card front. My sentiment is from a Woodware set. I never would have thought I’d be free handing this kind of thing, and I’m pleased with how they turned out. CAS and pretty at the same time.

I don’t believe I’ve entered into the Holly and Ivy Christmas challenge before, so this is being added to their current challenge.

lavenderhousecreations

caroling snow people

With my mojo mostly absent in recent weeks, I was so fed up that I headed to a craft store in the hopes of reviving it. While there I discovered this set of Spellbinder dies, promptly purchased it and made this card almost as soon as I got home.

My papers are from StampinUp and I added sparkle to the stars in the background. After cutting the pieces I attached them as you see and then added the snow people as you see. It was a bit fiddly putting them together but I was smart enough to keep the pieces in little cups so I didn’t lose any. Spellbinders thought of everything here, as they even had dies that work to cover the holes from the back. I would have added black paper anyway, but having them die cut made it so much easier. They also thought of adding a small mark where the noses should go.

I’ve managed to get quite a few cards done this past week, so I must count them to see where I am at. My aim today is to get all the labels done and the cards signed and into envelopes. Our mail is working (kind of) as they are back to doing rotational strikes so some items are getting through. I shall likely mail most of my cards as soon as they are ready in the hopes that they get through the system. Better too early than awfully late and people can put them aside until they are ready to deal with Christmas décor if they wish.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look. I appreciate your time and any comments you may leave.

This card works for the challenge at Peace on Earth Challenge #98 so I am entering it there.