Snowflake Kisses

Hello once again. The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge has finished their summer break and we start another challenge. The theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas’. Here is my card:

The blue star background was created using a new product from Uniko. An ink and flip stencil. I did have to watch YouTube videos made by the owner – Bev – to get my head around it.

I used one shade of blue Distress Oxide, and by flipping the stencil and ink blending again, you get the different tones, and the snowflake shape. I still have no idea how it works – but it does. There are a few of the ink and flip stencils on the web site, and I did buy a couple of them, so I’ll be playing with them at some point.

Once the background snowflake was done, I decided to heat emboss some snowflakes on top. I did make sure the inked panel was completely dry before doing this, of course.

I randomly stamped the snowflakes in the background – no rhyme or reason – and used a silver embossing powder.

The snowflake panel was cut with Gina K Master Layouts, a black layer added, and then adhered to the card base.

The foiled sentiment was also layered with black, and adhered flat to the panel.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas themed creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Peace On Earthanything goes Christmas

Daring CardmakersChristmas in July

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friendsanything goes

Creative Fingers anything goes

Ally’s Angelsanything goes

Crafty Gals Corneranything goes – option of Christmas taken

Merry Little Christmas Challenge anything goes Christmas

Christmas (or not) Bingothe column – free/rectangle/stenciling

Hello Friend

Hello once again. The Alphabet Challenge has started a new challenge, our leader Caz is hosting, and she has a colour mood board for you to base your creations on. Here is the board:

Here is my card:

I chose to make the background the darker grey to highlight the pink of the flowers, and the lighter grey of the vase.

I dry embossed the background panel with a Spellbinders embossing folder, and die cut the vase and foliage from various colours of Concord & 9th card stock using Spellbinders die sets.

Once the flowers were layered together, and the vase adhered with 3D foam, I arranged them as you see. It usually takes me a while to figure out arrangements like this, so this actually took longer than die cutting and gluing….

Once arranged to my liking, I used glue and little pieces of 3D foam, then added a previously foiled sentiment.

Some pink pearls added to the flower centres and the background for extra interest and dimension.

I hope you can come and join us with creations for which the mood board colours are most prominent – neutrals can be added too.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

A Perfect Time To Craft anything goes

Crafts Galoreanything goes

Ellibelle’s Corneranything goes

Here Is A Place To Start anything goes

Triple B birds and/or butterflies and/or blooms

Tic Tac Toemiddle row – free, layers, flowers

Double D challenge basket and/or posies

Beautiful Blossomsflowers

ABC ‘N’ and ‘O’

Hello everyone. The ABC Christmas Challenge has reached the letters ‘N’ and ‘O’, Fabiola is the host this time round and the Christmas themes are:

‘N’ for No Stamping and ‘O’ for Off The Edge’

I went with the no stamping option. Here is my card:

I am sure you all know by now that I am a Spellbinders fanatic, and this card was created using one of their die sets and one of their embossing folders.

The background was embossed and then a darker blue ink blended around the outside edges to create a halo effect.

The baubles were all die cut, and all those little pieces of white and blue were die cut and inlaid back into their little places – a fiddly job, but I treated as a therapeutic endeavour.

I also used some white glitter card stock for some portions of the die cuts.

The sentiment is from a previous hot foiling session.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas creations following one or both of our two themes. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

AAA Colourful Challengemainly blue colour board

A Perfect Time To Craftanything goes

Sparkles Forum Christmashandmade ornament or ornament card

Christmas Crafts All Year Roundanything goes Christmas

Merry Little Christmas Challengeanything goes Christmas

Christmas (or not) Bingo column ‘I’ – free, embossing (wet or dry), glitter (glitter card)

Stencilled Poinsettias

Hello there. I have had a little time from crafting as it was difficult to sit for long periods, but I had planed ahead for my DT cards. This card is for the new challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge‘:

The card was created using a Simon Says Stamp layering stencil set. I added some shading with a slightly heavier hand to the middle of the flowers, and along the edges of the leaves. I also used gold paste through the layer for the middle of the flowers.

The panel was then cut down, matted with a thin black layer, and a gold foiled sentiment on black card stock added.

I hope you can come and join us with your ‘anything goes Christmas’ creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Creative Fingers anything goes

Peace On earth Christmas Challengeanything goes Christmas

Allsorts Challenge – flowers galore or anything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challenge anything goes Christmas

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friendsanything goes

MAWTT early Christmas

Stencil Funuse a stencil – option of birthday not taken

Especially For You

Hello everyone. It’s been a busy few days but I managed to find time to create this card using the colour scheme from the Color Throwdown Challenge:

The background is using a piece of card stock from Concord & 9th and a Spellbinders embossing folder. Once embossed, I used Hero Arts white pigment ink to swipe across, which meant it highlighted the raised areas.

I then used a Spellbinders die set to create the flowers, and some ‘Marmalade’ card stock from concord & 9th, which they discontinued last year – but I do have a stash of that still.

I also used two shade of purple for the stamens, and the centre of the larger flower.

Once adhered to the card background, I added a foiled sentiment. I also wanted that to pop, so used black with white foiling, and then added some black gems.

I shall be entering the foloowing challenges:

Color Throwdownorange, purple, aqua

CYHTPembossing folder – option of flowers taken

A Perfect Time To Craft anything goes

Craft Rocket flowers

Cut It Updie cuts and ‘send me flowers’

MAWTT flowers

Beautiful Blossomsflowers

The Magic of Baubles….

Hello – after a little hiatus, the Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge is back with a new challenge. The theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas‘. Here is my card:

I used a stamp and stencil set for the baubles – heat embossing the outline with gold, then using the matching stencils to colour them in. I wanted a soft look to them, as I knew I was going to add quite a bit of gold.

Once the baubles were coloured and die cut, I also heat embossed, coloured, and die cut the foliage, adding some shading the the leaves by varying the pressure when blending.

The background is a piercing cover plater, and added the frame with some strategically placed foam strips. I then added the foliage and the baubles, tucking them into the frame, and lastly added the heat embossed sentiment.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Cut It Up die cuts – add a sentiment

Peace On Earth Christmas Challengeanything goes Christmas

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Ellibelle’s Corneranything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challengeanything goes Christmas

You Are A Wonderful Friend

Hello everyone. I have a card to share inspired by some challenges:

The background is a dry embossed panel using a Spellbinders embossing folder – one of my favourites – and Spellbinders ‘Fog’ card stock, adhered flat to a card base.

The frame is from Pinkfresh Studio, and is actually a square die set, but I did some partial die cutting to make it a rectangle, big enough for the A2 card base.

The flowers – also from Pinkfresh Studio – were stamped in a grey ink, then ink blended using the matching layering stencils, Pinkfresh inks, and then die cut with the matching die set.

I played around with the layout of the flowers until I was happy, and added them with a mixture of glue and 3D foam.

I added the foiled sentiment with 3D foam strips and some iridescent gems, as the foiling is iridescent.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdowngrey, magenta, aqua

Crafty Gals Corner anything goes

CYHTPembossing folder, option of feminine taken

Fab’n’Funky embossing

Festive Friday three items from list (4 for this card)- grey, flowers, pink, foiling,

Car Shaker

Hello once again. The Alphabet Challenge has reached the letter ‘C‘, and Billie A has chosen the theme of ‘Cars‘. Here is my card:

The shaker element was created using Spellbinders ‘Stylish Ovals’ dies – two dies together to create the frame – cutting the shape several times in white, then a top layer of a light blue/teal. I prefer to use die cuts for the walls of the shaker instead of 3D foam as I think it keeps the edges neater.

Once the white layers were stacked together, and glued to the card base, I added the sequins, then added the top layer to which I had adhered the acetate.

I used a Spellbinders die for the car, from the Spellbinders Advent Calendar 2023, assembled all the layers, then glued that down to the acetate – slightly overhanging the lighter blue/teal as though this was the road……

A foiled sentiment was added for completion.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Gals Corner anything goes

Seize The Birthdaybirthday – option off the edge not taken

Ally’s Angelsanything goes

Classic Design Challengeanything goes – option birthday taken

A Perfect Time To Craftanything goes

Crafts Galoreanything goes

Halloween (and other occasions) Craftsany occasion

It’s Just A Bauble…..

Hello everyone. A new challenge was due to start at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas is our theme – as always, but our leader has been unwell, so there won’t be a challenge for this next two weeks.

I have decided to still post my card for some challenges:

This bauble was created using a Spellbinders die set. There are two baubles in the set, but I chose to use just one of them for this card.

The background is embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder and blue card stock, then a blue ink blended around the outside to create an almost glowing centre.

The bauble and all the elements were die cut out of red, navy, blue, and silver glitter card stock, then all placed on the main background piece as you see. And – yes – all those itty bitty silver hearts were inlaid back too……a little fiddly, but I think worth it.

I adhered the background panel to a card base, then added the bauble with 3D foam, also adding some silver twine behind the top of it- I failed doing a bow soooo many times, that I decided the twine was good as it looks here.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge anything goes

Cut It Updie cuts – something starting with B (bauble)

Creative Fingers anything goes

CYHTP embossing folder, option feminine not taken

Ally’s Angels anything goes

Another Blooming Birthday

Hello again. I haven’t posted for a few days, but I have been playing in my craft room. I have done a little mixed media project from a virtual event last weekend, and I will show what I have made at some point, but for today I have this card to share:

The background panel was created by adding some diagonal yellow strips of card, then dry embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder. This way, the embossed pattern ran across the whole panel.

The layered flowers are from a die set from Waffle Flower, and I used some older Altenew ombre card packs to create them, colouring the centre parts with a Copic marker.

Once they were layered, I decided to add a white layer beneath the teal/aqua flowers, so they stood out a little more from the background.

I chose a dark green for the leaves to make them really pop.

I was going to go with just the teal/aqua flowers, but decided to add the yellow ink blended flower to complete the trio.

The foiled sentiment was added, and as I chose a black foiled strip, I added some black gems, also from Spellbinders.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Pinspirational embossing

Give A Crafter A Cookiebirthday

Dragonfly Dreamsuse a die

Color Throwdown yellow, green, aqua

Krafty Chicksoccasions

Here Is A Place To Startanything goes – option to add flowers taken

Tic Tac Toeleft hand column – flowers + embossing + gem/embellishment