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Let It Snow

Hello everyone. There is a new challenge just begun at Cardz 4 Galz, and this time the theme is ‘Let It Snow’. It’s an ideal time to create more Christmas cards for your stash, and I hope you find time to join us with this theme for the next two weeks.

Here is my card:

Now this stamp set was a challenge – it is the ‘Invisible Snowman’ from Kitchen Sink Stamps. there is no outline to line things up with, it’s a case of placing items where you think they will go and then layering all the stamps for each individual item.

Yep – each item stamped has two, three, even four layers – and I like layering stamps. It still took me a while to figure out how to do this…….and even at the end I still went in with Copic C00 and C01 to create a light kinda outline for him – and added some snow lines underneath him – very faint, but they’re there.

Then I thought the background was a little too blank – so I went in with two lighter greys and two Uniko snowflakes – I’m itching to make something else with them – and stamped all around him. So it’s snowing….maybe….

I layered him with a red shiny card, and stamped the Clearly Besotted sentiment – a freebie with a crafting magazine.

So – definitely going to play with this guy more, but I’ll need patience – and no puddy tat trying to ‘help’!

I hope you can come and join us – I would love to see your ‘Let It Snow’ creations in our gallery.

xx

Challenges I shall be entering:

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – atg Christmas

Christmas at Sweet Stampin’ – atg Christmas with option of stars

Addicted to Stamps – atg

A Bit More Time To Craft – atg

Meowy Christmas

Hello there. A new challenge is starting at ABC Christmas Challenge, the letters this month are ‘W’ for Wreath, and ‘X’ for fauX.

Here is my card for ‘W’ and Wreath:

I played around with the images I wanted to use first, then began by stamping the wreath, using Catherine Pooler inks, and the Uniko bough from the ‘winter foliage‘ stamp set.

I then used a red ink to stamp the dots around the wreath, but can’t remember which stamp set it’s from – as I’d tidied it away afterwards – very unlike me! I think it was Altenew – but not sure………

After placing the Simon Says Stamp ‘Christmas Cats‘ image in the centre, I masked it’s ears, then stamped the antlers, then coloured with Copics.

The holly and berries are from the same Uniko stamp set, and the sentiment is from the same Simon Says Stamp set.

I’m trying to use some of my designer papers, and found this brown one from Stampin Up which seemed to match the brown of the wreath, so I used that as a matting layer.

I hope you can come and join us this month, and add another card to your Christmas stash……..

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – atg Christmas

Color Crazy Challenge – atg colouring

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – atg with a critter

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – atg Christmas

Fractile Leaf Thank you

Hi everyone. I’ve been itching to play with the Simon Says Stamp ‘Fractile Leaves’ stamp set, and saw the opportunity for several challenges:

I used quite a few of the leaf stamps in the set and stamped them onto Arteza water-colour card in a variable pattern, to try and cover a lot of it – but leaving quite a few spaces.

I used Catherine Pooler ‘Green Tea‘ ink as the olive colour for the colour challenge, then heat embossed in a clear embossing powder – twice – to give a raised edges for all the little lines in each leaf.

I then took the Arteza Teal brush marker – and just played – putting the ink down,, and using quite a bit of water – as I wanted some pooling of the ink in each little area on the leaves.

Whist that was drying I took the MFT ‘Thank You’ die and cut it out of a rust coloured card stock, then a navy card stock – but when I put those colours together – even off-set – they didn’t look right. So – I die cut the word again in plain white, put that in the middle of the two colours – and I think the three layers work well together, with the white showing the other two colours nicely.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – teal, olive, navy blue, rust

Just Us Girls Challenge – thanks

Time Out Challenges – inspired by words (grateful)

A Bit More Time To Craft – atg

Looking for latest Challenge Here Click Badge Below

Wishing you Christmas Joy

Hello there. It’s a very, very wet day here today, so plenty of opportunity to get to my craft room – after I’d done some tidying and sorting out, anyway.

I decided to use the colours and sketch from the current challenge at CAS Colours and Sketches, and create this Christmas card:

I began by stamping one of the Christmas tree images from Simon Says Stamp Festive Trees and all three of the challenge colours, and filled-in some of the triangles for added impact.

Once I had die cut them, I added them to a small square of white card which I had embossed in a rain embossing folder – but used the de-bossed side. I did toy with the idea of ink blending – but I wanted this card to be quite clean – so kept it white.

The sentiment is from the same stamp set, piecing together three of the separate stamps, and that gorgeous little snowflake is from a Uniko stamp set – and I actually fussy-cut the snowflake out! I know! Me? Fussy-cutting? Well – I was desperate to use this snowflake on the end of the tag – so a girl’s gotta do, what a girl’s gotta do, right?

The blue layer on the square is a piece of Stampin Up DSP – which I’m trying to use a lot more of, and I think is in the correct colour……

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CAS Colours and Sketch – sketch and colours

Die Cutting Divas – atg with die cutting

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – atg

Fab’n’funky challenge – atg Christmas

OUR BLINKIE

CAS Christmas Borders

Hello once again. I have a CAS card to share today made for a few challenges. I find CAS quite difficult, and always want to add more to them – I have to restrain myself!

Here is my card:

I used a 5×7 inch card base, and stamped two of the borders from a Uniko stamp set, using Barn Door Distress Oxide.

That’s it- all done…………

However, trying to decide which borders to use, which one on top, whether to stick to two of the borders and not add more – now that was difficult.

The stamps are also a little longer than the card base – arranging the images to be as central as possible – again – not easy!

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

Water Cooler Challenge – anything goes

Simply Less Is More – CAS one layer card with winter flora

AAA Cards – CAS maxi white space with option of geometric

Snowflakes everywhere

Hi there. There is a new challenge beginning at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge. As always, the theme is anything goes as long as it’s Christmas.

I ended up making two cards on a similar theme:

This first card is using the Concord and 9th ‘Snowflakes Turnabout‘ stamp set and Altenew inks – the four blue shades. The 3 additional snowflakes are also from Concord and 9th, and die cut out of Crafters Companion Ice Blue Luxury card. A little more shine and dimension:

This second card is using the same turnabout stamp set, heat embossing in white on a light blue background:

I actually heat embossed each layer before turning it round to stamp the next, so it’s a good thing I had the turnabout jig to line things up again.

I again die cut the Concord and 9th ‘Snow Flurry’ dies out of the same ice blue shiny card.

I hope you can come and join us and make more cards for your Christmas stash – I look forward to seeing you in our gallery. XX

By the way – there is still time to add your creations to our Design Team call………. :)

Challenges I shall be entering:

Just Add Ink – add a technique (embossing)

Crafty Friends – embossing wet or dry

Allsorts Challenge – make your own background

Christmas Corners

Hello again – some more time in my craft room this morning, I decided I wanted to colour some images, so broke out my new Clearly Besotted stamp set ‘Christmas Corners‘ and set to it.

Here is my creation:

I stamped the images in Gina K amalgam ink, chose some colours:

and once coloured cut out using my Scan’n’cut – always a little nervous doing this as still getting to grips with that machine, and always wonder if it’s going to miss an outline or something – in this case it was perfect.

I stamped the sentiment on the card base, then adhered my mouse and baubles images, and attached to a 7×5 inch card base – my go-to size of card.

I also added some Ranger ‘Glossy Accents‘ to the lights, and some white gel pen for highlights, then let it dry before I stood it up to take a photo.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Clean and Simple on Sunday – CAS big sentiment or word

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – atg Christmas with option making own background (option not taken)

Crimbo Crackers Challenge – anything Christmas or Festive

Colour Crazy Challenge – anything colouring

The Sisterhood of Crafters – CAS

Tone on Tone Snowflake

Hello again. I have been creating a card for a few challenges today:

A clean and simple card utilising a cue word, and some die cutting.

I used Lawn Fawn ‘Fog‘ card stock, and die cut the Concord and 9th snow flakes – with double-sided backing paper on the back – and stuck to a die-cut panel.
The smaller snowflake I added on top of the larger snowflake, and some of the little tear-drop excess pieces I stuck onto the larger snowflake as you see.

The sentiment was heat embossed on white, just to tie-in with the background white card,

Here is where I played a little with the brightness on the photo:

……but I think is a little too bright – but I’m playing!

Challenges I shall be entering:

CASology – cue word ‘FOG’ (fog card-stock)

Inspire.Create Challenge – die-cutting

Addicted to Stamps and More – CAS

Sparkly Reindeer Christmas

Hello. I have another Christmas sparkling card to share today:

I used a die set designed by Cathie Shuttleworth for Creative Expressions, and die cut that out of white card stock. I kept the white un-blingy, as I knew the black sparkly card was sooooo sparkly, that it would be too much. Too much bling? I am sure I heard you ask that…..well, yes, for this card anyway!

A couple more pictures:

I added the stars that came from the die cut to the background, and then die cut some snowflakes using the Concord and 9th ‘Stocking Stuffers‘ die set – again all in plain white card.

Quite a simple carde to put together, once I had decided on the design and which card stock to use.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Daring Cardmakers – black as the main colour

Watercooler Challenges – occasions

Dragonfly Dreams – use black – a lot or a little

Rainbow card challenge – brazenly black

Double D Challenges – Silhouettes

Blingy Star

Hi there. Another challenge has begun at Cardz 4 Galz and this time we want to see something beginning with ‘S’ as the main image. Here is my Design Team card:

A couple of close-ups of the bling:

Well – I certainly went all-out with the glitter and shine, didn’t I?

The card stick if from Crafters Companion, and the pack comes with 2 blue shiny card, and the glimmer card. I only used only of the shiny cards to keep it more-or-less monochrome. I do like monochrome when it comes to Christmas cards.

The die set which cut the three layer star is from Presscut, which I bought at a crafting show a couple of weeks ago – especially for this challenge, actually. As a DT member, you know we get the challenge themes well before the challenge goes live – and I’m planning my cards for the next month……talk about organised!

I didn’t know which layer to put where on this star – so I cut all the layers in both the blue and glimmer card, and played around with them. I decided to put a white background behind it, just to show-case the lower blue layer, and a frame cut out of some square dies I have to – well – frame it!

I die cut the sentiment and adhered as you see – onto the glimmer card so it would show up better, but leaving the actual star itself open in all it’s glory……..I may have to cut this out of other colours too – loving that star.

I did find that I had to use the metal shim in my Gemini Junior to make sure it cut through both these card-stocks, as they have a coating, making it so a little more pressure is needed to get through that coating.

I hope you can come and join us – I am sure you have lots of ‘S’ themed dies and stamps……..Santa, Star, Snowflakes – just to name some Christmas ones.

I hope to see you in our gallery – and please visit out DT members blogs for hints and tips into their own creations.

XX

Challenges I shall be entering:

Crafting with an attitude – anything goes

A Bit More Time to Craft – anything goes

Happy Little Stampers – anything goes with dies

Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge – Christmas with option of sparkle