Ho Ho Ho

I have a purely die cutting Christmas card to share following colour inspiration from Color Hues with red & green – certain neutrals are also allowed:

I started by creating the Santa from a Spellbinders die set ‘Big Jolly Santa‘. I chose to use white glitter card for the fluffy elements of his clothes, and set him aside to work on the background.

The panel behind the scene was created using a Spellbinders embossing folder, and adhered flat.

The trees and snowy slopes were created using die cuts from MFT ‘Snowy Scene Builder’, with the slopes die cut from the same white glitter card, and the trees die cut from two shades of green/ I did back each of the trees with another white layer as the card used was quite thin.

The three ‘Ho Ho Ho‘ die cuts were also from MFT from a set with that name, die cut from white glitter card, each one backed with a white layer.

To put everything together, I adhered the back snowy slope with 3D foam, added the top slope with glue and 3D foam, then attached Santa.

The three words were glued flat to the embossed panel, then the trees also added with glue.

The final step was to add black gems for the two buttons on his tunic, and a red gem to the centre of each word.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Hues – red & green

Craft Rocket – Christmas and/or Winter

Daisy Chain – Christmas and/or Winter

Dragonfly Dreams – embossing – wet or dry

Christmas Winter Scene

Hello. Another card I was able to put together over the past few days, even though it did take me quite a while, with a few techniques involved.

For this scene, I used a Hero Arts kit which has been sitting in my drawer for ages. The kit came with the dies for the scene, three layers to create the scene, as well as the three peeking animals you can see. I couldn’t decide which animal to use – so I used all three.

To being with, I created the background panel. This was a toner sheet, onto which I used an iridescent foil, and then ink blended a dark blue over the foiling.

Whilst this was drying, I die cut the layers for the scene out of dark blue, lighter blue, and a grey.

I die cut the layers again using a white glitter card, and inlaid all those itty bitty lines. I do like to make things difficult – I could have just backed each panel with the white glitter, but no – I went the hard way. Actually, this was quite therapeutic once I figured out how to do it…….behind each panel, I attached double sided sticky tape, then just placed all those lines. I even added some of the stars into the dark blue background layer….

The layers were glued together, and then the peeking animals were die cut from the same white glitter card, and attached as you see.

The sentiment is black foil, and then die cut and layered twice more, before adding.

I then added some black gems over the smaller gaps in the background which were too small for me to inlay.

I do like how this turned out, even though it was fiddly – my fault – and those peeking animals are just so cute.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Make My Monday – winter animals

Aud Sentiments – Stencils and/or Christmas and a sentiment (Christmas and a sentiment)

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

A Cut Above – anything goes with die cuts

Unicorn Challenge – Christmas and/or Winter

Kitten’s First Christmas

Hello again. This card was inspired by my three new kittens, and the current challenge at 52CCT – for a Christmas mini scene with shaped dies:

For the scene itself, I used a Hero Arts Looking Glass die set ‘Holiday Kitten’. I did have to watch a video or two to remind me how to use and align these to create the scene.

I die cut the three layers from white card stock, into A2 panels, using the Hero Arts ‘alignment tool’ stencil. I also used this stencil to ink blend the dark blue at the back of the scene.

These layers were then coloured with my Zigs, and gold paint applied to the top of the baubles. The cat was ink blended in a light brown. All the layers were glued directly down.

The baubles and greenery were swiped over with a gold glitter pen. The top panel was die cut with the window, then run through with a Spellbinders embossing folder.

The next step was to create the gold frame, and for this I used another Hero Arts die set ‘Wood Frame Infinity’ but I had to use some partial die cutting to make it square, as the frames in this set are rectangular. It turned out to be quite effective.

The sentiment is from Spellbinders, the shadow layer die cut out of vellum, and the words out of the gold card stock to match the frame.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

52CCT – Christmas and mini scene with shaped dies

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Christmas Easel Card

Hello. Having just adopted three 18 weeks old Kittens, my time has been taken up with them recently. Now they are settling in, and our other 11 years old cat is ‘tolerating’ them,I have been able to get back into my craft room.

I had a holly berry branch left over after playing with some products from The Greetery, and decided to change my usual style of card to an easel card:

As I already had the holly sprig created, I wanted to keep it as the centre of attention. When I put the piece together, I added some ink blending of a darker green towards the base of the holly leaves, and darker red to the berries.

I created the easel card base, then added gold glitter card stock for little bling effect.

The white pieces were run through with a Spellbinders embossing folder ‘Festive Greetings‘ which has Christmas sayings and words, picking where I wanted the main ‘Merry Christmas’ word to be embossed, which is quite easy when you have such a large embossing folder.

The white piece used as the stopper for the easel part is raised with 3D foam.

The view when the card is closed (but refuses to lay flat!):

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CYHTP – embossing folder, option of numbers not taken

Peace On Earth – anything goes Christmas

Unicorn Challenge – Christmas and/or Winter

Daisy Chain – Christmas and/or Winter

Party Owl Night Long

Hello friends. I have a mixed media card to share for the new challenge at The Alphabet Challenge. The new challenge has the theme of:

Nocturnal Animal

Here is my card:

I started by creating the owl, which is a die from Simon Says Stamp called ‘layered owl’. This was die cut out of a previously created panel when I used ink and a bowl of water to create the marbling effect. This is very easy and straight forward and I have a few panels stashed away. I was taken with this purple panel, and once the elements for the owl was die cut, I then went over one of them with a blending brush to slightly darken that layer.

Now for the background…..I turned to my stash of ink blended and smooshed panels and found this one with the teal and blue at the top and then the orange/red/brown at the bottom. I used the ‘Cloudy Moon‘ die from Hero Arts to cut out the top part, and then used a piece of previously created yellow, brown and grey paper – created using my Gel plate – and placed that behind to make it look like a large moon.

The ‘moon’ piece was adhered to the card base, and the die cut added, the owl was attached with 3D foam, then the die cut branch added for some grounding.

The sentiment is from a Pink & Main stamp set ‘What A Hoot’, stamped onto an ink blended and smooshed piece of card that came out of the centre of the moon die cut, and attached with 3D foam.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations featuring a nocturnal animal.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

Krafty Chicks – anything goes – option of coffee not taken

As You See It – feathers

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

We Love 2 Create – anything goes mixed media

Autumn Foliage

Hello there. It is my turn to host the new challenge at Cardz 4 Galz, and I have chosen the theme of:

Autumn Florals/foliage

Here is my card:

To create the Autumn leaves, I used the Concord & 9th ‘Autumn Inlay‘ die, coloured card stock, and also ink blended the elements for more interest. The leaf elements were inlaid – very fiddly without the background panel behind – and set aside.

The background panel is some patterned paper, cut slightly smaller than the card base and adhered flat. The stitched ovals were die cut – the top one with the same patterned paper as the background, and attached with 3D foam. The leaves and acorns were then tucked underneath.

The mice are from Lawn Fawn ‘Fall Mice’ from a Scrapbook & Cards today virtual event last year -stamped, then coloured with the latching layering stencils, and die cut.

These were attached as you see, then the word was die cut from another Lawn Fawn die set (Big Scripty Words) – layered a couple of times, then attached with glue.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations following my theme.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Daisy Chain – Autumn or Halloween

Aud Sentiments – fall and/or any shape but rectangle and sentiment

Inkspirational – visual prompt (Autumn leaves)

Cupcake Inspirations – theme challenge – fall

Christmas Poinsettia

Hello again. I have a CAS card to share – CAS for me, anyway:

To create this card, I first used a poinsettia die from The Greetery. The flower, stem, and centre were due cut, then I used a darker green and a darker red to ink blend onto he respective pieces.

The layers were adhered, then I took an A2 card base and ran that through with a Spellbinders embossing folder – not a panel – the whole card base. I will be adding a white panel to the inside to write on – but I like how the whole card base has dimension and interest.

The sentiment tag was die cut using The Greetery ‘Ciao Bella Borders‘ die set, then sentiment is from Spellbinders, die cutt then glued down.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Sparkles Forum Christmas – Christmas with red & green

Peace On Earth – anything goes Christmas

CAS Christmas – CAS Christmas and poinsettia

CYHTP – embossing folder, option of numbers not taken

Birthday Leaves

Well hello, everyone. It’s been a while. Hubby and I went for a break to Turkey with another couple, and even though the weather wasn’t the best, we still had a good time. When we got back home we adopted three 18 week old kittens – I know – three!

We had four cats but had to say good bye to three of them over the past 6 months – and I was feeling the loss. We did go to adopt two kittens, but the sanctuary decided to sneak in another sister – so we came away with three…this has certainly kept us busy since our return….

I was able to get some crafting done today, and created this card inspired by the colours of Autumn:

The background leaves panel is from Gina K Designs, and is a poly glaze foiling sheet, which I used an iridescent foil on. I then used her matching leaves stencil and Pinkfresh Studio inks to blend the colours – very haphazardly – but the colours worked quite well together.

The 6 inch panel was cut down, layered with a Kraft card stock, then glued to a white card base.

The sentiment is also from Pinkfresh Studio, stamped onto the same Kraft card, die cut with the matching dies, and the two rounded rectangle layers – from a Hero Arts nesting die set – used to highlight the sentiment against the background.

All were attached, then some iridescent sequins added.

I also managed to create a couple more cards and will be posting them over the next few days.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Just Us Girls – use stencils

Stencil Fun – use stencils – option of using orange not taken

Inkspirational – visual prompt (Kraft, leaves)

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Super Proud Of You

Hello again. It is my turn to host at the new challenge for The Alphabet Challenge. We have reached the letter ‘M‘, and I have chosen the theme of:

M is for Motivational

Here is my card:

This is an inlay die set from the recent Concord & 9th ‘Summer Camp’ called ‘Goodness & Grace‘.

To start, I die cut the inlay panel several times in light blue, green, and a red/orange tone card – I can’t remember which colours specifically….

I then die cut it again in a champagne card for the frame.

The leaves and floral pieces were then ink blended to create some dimension, using a lightly darker colour.

As I wanted to give the leaves some dimension, I wanted a colour behind them that would peek out when you looked from the side, so I die cut a darker blue panel.

The dark blue panel was adhered to a white card base, then I added the light blue background, then the champagne frame pieces.

The leaves and petals were adhered with glue just at the tips, after curling each slightly.

The sentiment from Gina K Designs was stamped, die cut with a Hero Arts circle nesting die, then the same champagne card cut out of a slightly larger circle.

The final touch was to add soem gems.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations following our theme. xx

Birthday Dancing Penguin

Welcome to my second post of the day, for the new challenge at Ally’s Angels. The theme is always ‘anything goes‘. Here is my card:

I wanted to use the cute little dancing penguin with her hula skirt on so I first die cut and created her.

The background is using a layering stencil – also from Spellbinders – to give an exotic feel to where she is dancing, cutting it down with an older wonky square die – I think from MFT. This was matted with another pink layer, then glued onto a white square card base.

The sentiment is also from Spellbinders, stamped then die cut, and layered a couple of times like I tend to do most of the time.

As this challenge is always ‘anything goes’ it really means you can let your creative juices flow and play. I hope you can join us and I look forward to seeing you in our gallery. xx