The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Hello. The new challenge has started at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge. The theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas/festive’. Here is my card:

I die cut the Pinkfresh Studio snowflake panel in white and shiny red card stock, and adhered to the base card. I ensured the red was aligned with the white and cut the extra off the side.

I then used a Pinkfresh Studio snowflake die with a red non-shed glitter card, and with the same red shiny card, and layered the snowflakes – some shine and glitter on each of the three snowflakes I used.

The sentiment is gold heat embossed and die cut using the matching die set.

Once all was adhered to the card base, I added some gold gems to the centre of the snowflakes, and then two more sets of three.

I hope you can come and join us – I look forward to seeing you in our challenges. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Beyond The Blue – use some gold

Krafty Chicks – occasions

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge – Christmas

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – Christmas

Daring Cardmakers – Shine

The Sisterhood Of Crafters – Christmas/winter

A Robin Christmas

Hello there. A little playing in my craft room yesterday created this card:

I searched through the Color My Life app for a die set I knew I had which contained Robins – but couldn’t remember the make and where I had stored it. I found it was a Creative Expressions die set from Lisa Horton – and an old one as the date on the back was 2017 – but at least I had remembered I had it somewhere.

I first die cut the robins using brown, Kraft and red card stock. I added their little hats – red and a white glittery card stock, then set aside.

The leaves and holly were die cut from a previous created mica sprayed piece of card, which I had also splattered with white Liquitex acrylic paint. The white glittery oval is die cut from a Gina K master Layout’s die set.

I then turned to the card base, added a brown layer, and a white dry embossed panel – a Spellbinders embossing folder – and then played with the layout of all my elements until I was happy, adding a previously foiled sentiment.

Here is a look at all the glitter and shine:

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Sparkles Forum Christmas festive things with wings

Daisy Chain Challenge Christmas is coming

Winter WonderlandChristmas and Robin Red Breast

Allsorts Challenge wings and/or tails

Make My Monday Challenge things with wings

CYHTPembossing folder – twist of thanks not taken

Merry Kittimas

Hello. A chance for me today to do a little more Copic colouring – in-between binge watching ‘Warrior Nun’ first season. Here is my card:

This cute little kitty and the presents are from a new stamp set from a new company to me, bought a few weeks ago at a Craft Show. I stamped the images, coloured with Copics, then cut out using my Scan-n-cut. I added some white gel pen to the presents just for a little more interest.

The patterned paper was adhered to the card base, the white stitched rectangle adhered using 3D foam, but before adding the kitty and presents with 3D foam, I stamped a sentiment from the same stamp set.

It’s interesting to me that I coloured the cat, when none of my current 4 cats have that colouring! How bizarre is that? I have two black and white cats, a tabby, and a tortoiseshell………weird the way my brain works sometimes…….

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crazy For Cats Challengeanything goes with a cat

Fab’N’Funky ChallengeChristmas Animals

Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper Challenge anything goes with patterned paper

Stamping Sensations Christmas Celebrations

Dragonfly Dreams Christmas

Cutie Pie Challengecute four legged friends

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends anything goes

Just……..Hello…..

I have a CAS card to share which incorporates several of my favourite techniques – ink smooshing, die-cutting, and using embossing folders:

I dry embossed a white panel and stuck to the card base with 3D foam.

The Tim Holtz flower (Holiday Brushstrokes) was die cut from a previously created orange ink smooshed panel – the different small layers had some extra ink blending on the edges to make them a little darker – and glued together. The yellow centre is from another panel using mica sprays.

I also die cut the leaves in that die set from a brown card stock, then adhered these with a mixture of 3D foam and wet glue.

The sentiment if from Lawn Fawn, die cut three times in white, then a brown die cut on top.

I added some red enamel dots as extra accents.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

TTCRDanything goes

Krafty ChicksCAS

Creative Knockoutsanything goes

Color Throwdown red, orange, brown, yellow

Mix It Upanything goes – option to use a technique

Hello Friend….

A new challenge has started at The Alphabet Challenge. Having reached the letter ‘Q’, Melanie has chosen the theme of ‘Quilt‘. Here is my card:

I used Concord & 9th dies to create this very colourful card. A lot of die cutting and then gluing the triangles together – then deciding which colours to put where, in which pattern – goodness knows how quilt makers manage.

I used some dotty patterned paper for the triangles, adhered to the base panel, a black layer, then stuck onto a white card base.

The bigger orange sentiment has a slightly off-set black layer – and the shadow layer to make it stand out a little more – the smaller sentiment in black.

Just one itty bitty black gem for the tittle on the letter ‘i’ of friend – really because lost the die cut one and didn’t want to risk a black Nuvo drop…..

The Design Team has come up with some original shapes and colours – I hope you can come and join us. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends anything goes

TTCRDanything goes

Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper Challengeanything goes with patterned paper

Avenue 613 Create anything goes – option of fancy folds not taken)

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Love To Craft anything goes

Thankful For Your Friendship

Hello once again. It’s my turn to host the new challenge starting at Cardz 4 Galz. I have chosen the theme of ‘stencils’. Here is my card:

This card is – obviously – a slimline card – but slightly longer than the usual. I started with the card base, and die cut the Pinkfresh Studio deco frame twice – it wasn’t as long as I needed it – but I knew I could cover the join with my other elements.

I dry embossed a panel to go inside the frame and adhered the frame with 3D foam – I wanted to add the elemenst with 3D foam, and to tuck them under the frame in certain places.

The birds and branches are from a stamp, die and stencil set from Pinkfresh Studio. I stenciled this several times with different colours of birds and flowers, then used the matching die, which created lots of separate pieces, and set about arranging them in my frame.

I knew I wanted to cover the join in the frame, so I started there, then looked for a sentiment and arranged everything else around that. Some of the leaves and flowers I trimmed down to fit, and added gold gems to match the sentiment.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations which include a stencil – I look forward to seeing your creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Allsorts ChallengeAnything goes (option to add number/s not taken)

MMM Challenge thank you

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friendsanything goes

CYHTPembossing folder (wreath option not taken)

Crafts Galoreanything goes

Die Cut Divas anything goes with die cuts

Here Is A Place To Startanything goes – option words of thanks

Avenue 613 Createanything goes (option fancy folds not taken)

Stencil Funstencils (option fall colours not taken)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge stencil it

Rainbow Christmas Lights

Hello. I’m quickly popping along to share a card created an older die set from Lawn Fawn:

I used the ‘mini string of lights’ and die cut out of silver glitter card stock, then die cut each light out of the rainbow card stock I had – a mixture of Heffydoodle card stock and an unknown brand from my stash.

The coloured pieces were glued onto the silver string and attached to the edge of the card.

The sentiment is a previously foiled strip from my stash.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Clean and Simple on Friday CAS Sparkle

AAA CardsCAS – along the edge and rainbows

Gold and Green Christmas

Hello. After playing in my craft room I created this card. So very different to my recent posts – but the kind of many layers card I used to create back in the day. I had forgotten how much card stock this takes – and I must admit I ‘gutted’ a few of the layers. The dies used are from Sue Wilson – stitched squares, holly octagon – and are many years old:

I created a white card base to be slightly over the size of the first layer – and two layers of green, two layers of a brushed gold were matted – with one gold layer dry embossed – also a Sue Wilson embossing folder. The two smaller gold and green layers were die cut from the two larger layers – no waste, and you can’t see that I did that – don’t tell anyone!

Aligning the snowflakes on the gold layer took a minute or two – straight lines all over the place on that background.

The holly berry octagon was die cut in the green, and the other additional holly layers either green or gold – depending on how it all fit together.

I decided not to add a sentiment, but I’ll certainly add something to the inside instead of the front.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Krafty ChicksChristmas

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge anything goes

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge anything goes Christmas

Daring Cardmakers Holly

Crafty Friends ChallengeChristmas

Ally’s Angelsanything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challengesanything goes Christmas

ABC Christmas Challenge – W and X

ABC Christmas Challenge has reached the letters ‘W’ and ‘X‘. The themes for the Christmas creations should be ‘White’ and/or ‘Xtra Special‘. Here are my cards:

As you can see – I had a ‘white’ moment for both cards. I think white on white gives a touch of elegance,especially with a pop of gold.

For the trees card, I dry embossed a dotty pattern onto a white panel – I think it should be rain drops – but also looks like snow to me……

The trees from Elizabeth Craft Designs were die cut out of white glitter card stock, and the sentiment is from a previous foiling session.

For the more involved snowflake card, I created a panel of white linen card smaller than the base, then used my bone folder and scoreboard to create a frame around the edge, and a few lines at the top of the ornament- almost a hanging thread or string.

The snowflake was die cut from white card stock and white glitter card – a new card for me from Pink Frog Crafts here in the UK – and adhered to the bottom of the dry embossed lines.

The sentiment is also from Simon Says Stamp – the outline in Spellbinders gold cardstock and the inner parts of the words from the same glitter card stock. I didn’t use the shadow layer.

As I had used gold for the outline of the words, I had the ‘bright’ idea of inlaying some gold back into the snowflake. I say ‘bright’ ‘cos that was fiddly as fiddly as could be – but I’m glad I didn’t give up as I like the result.

I hope you can come and jpoin with your Christmas/Festive creations following our theme – I look forward to seeing a White and Xtra Special gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Tree card:

Allsorts Challenge sparkle and shine

Creative Fingers Challengeanything goes

Crafty Friends Challenge Christmas

Unicorn Challenge Christmas is coming

Merry Little Christmas Challenge anything goes Christmas

Snowflake card:

AAA Cards CAS anything goes

Craft Rocket Challenge Christmas/Winter

Crafts Galoreanything goes

Die Cut Divasdie cuts anything goes

Dragonfly Dreams Christmas

Birdie Christmas Greetings

Hello. I have a card to share inspired by the current colours at Color Throwdown:

I decided to make a Christmas card with those colours, and used a few Spellbinders die sets I have.

The background is embossed using an older embossing folder from Sizzix – not a Christmas design by any means, but I liked that it add some interest.

The central die is from Gina K designs and one of her Master Layouts, raised and adhered with foam.

The birds were put together using all the layers in each die set, but for the bird which is supposed to be a cardinal, I changed his/her tail feathers to the smaller ones from the other bird.

The floral elements and ferns are also from Spellbinders.

I played with the layout a little, stuck the elements down when I was happy with a mixture of 3D foam and glue, then added some sequins – I restrained myself to only adding three – and found that the sequins actually shine a little pink – so matches the colours perfectly.

I added the previously foiled sentiment for a total contrast so there is no mistake that this is a Christmas card……! Despit the colours…..!

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown mustard, pink, green

CYHTP embossing folder – option pumpkins not taken

Christmas With The Cuties anything goes Christmas – option food/drinks not taken

Sparkles Forumfestive and things with wings

Die Cut Divas anything goes with die cuts

Merry Little Christmas Challenge anything goes Christmas