Unused Botanicals and Using up Patterned Paper

 

Both of these cards would qualify for the ABC Christmas Challenge "U is for Unused Stash".  This first one uses a stamp I bought years ago and never inked up, and some of my largely untouched stash of glitter cs and green cs.  I'm also linking it up at NBUS (Never Before Used Stuff challenge).

I love this array of Christmas botanicals - it's got holly, ivy, a poinsettia, some fancy dried seedheads (probably alliums), and a couple of Christmas ornaments for good measure.  It was so much fun to colour with watercolour paints (after stamping and heat embossing in dark green).  I trimmed it with a stitched square die, layered it on platinum glitter cs, created a square card base, and heat embossed a dark green sentiment on a stitched sentiment tag.

My second card uses up some of my unused and neglected stash of patterned paper (of which I have far too much) and a very old and neglected ornament stamp and die.  So it's going over to the Neglected Stuff Challenge.  And to the Color Hues Red and Green challenge.

 

 

I stamped and watercoloured the ornament in shades of red and green to match the paper, die cut it, "hung it" on the dp with red metallic cord, and added a stamped sentiment die cut with a stitched sentiment banner die.

  

  

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Crafty Individuals
Ink - Versafine Olympia Green
Paper - hot press watercolour paper, American Crafts platinum glitter cs, Bazzill Gumball Green cs
Size - 5.5" square
Accessories - clear embossing powder, watercolour paints, Lil Inker stitched square die, stitched sentiment die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Heartfelt Creations ornament, unknown sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Rhubarb Stalk
Paper - Graphic 45 dp, off white cs, watercolour paper
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, red metallic cord, small clear gems, stitched sentiment banner die, Spellbinders ornament die

Cat and Mouse, and Santa in a Snow Globe

For two Christmas critters challenges - Jingle Belles and We Love Stamping.

Stamped and watercoloured, then bordered with a double stitched cut out die.

A second card for today - for 52 Christmas Card Throwdown - a mini scene inside a shaped die.  I put my scene inside a circle and made it into a snow globe.
 

I cut the Santa and village out of black cs, assembled it on a white glitter circle, added the snow globe base, and layered it over a dry embossed snowflake background.

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Penny Black, Rosie's Roadshow sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, off white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, Memory Box stitched cut out die

Supplies for card 2:
Paper - white and black cs, white glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - snowglobe die set (unknown), 3D snowflake embossing folder

Reindeer on Sprayed Background

I'm hosting CAS Christmas this month and my challenge is "Reindeer".  A good opportunity for me to use one of my favourite reindeer stamps!

I created a background using a couple of different blue sprays and a silver spray.  When dry, I put the piece in my MISTI and stamped the reindeer in black - it took a couple of reinkings and restampings to get a good solid image.  I bordered it with silver shimmer cs which happens to perfectly match the silver bits of spray in the background.

There's lots more inspiration from the Design Team over at CAS Christmas.  We'd love to have you join us with your reindeer cards.  

 

Supplies:
Stamps - Studio Light
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - mixed media cs, white cs, silver shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - various blue and silver sprays

Country Mailbox

The new Peace on Earth mood board has a lovely image of a country mailbox.  It inspired me to pull out an older stamp I haven't used for a while.

 

I coloured the image with coloured pencils, trimmed it with a square die, and popped it up on fun foam on an embossed background.

 

Here's our Peace on Earth mood board.  Head over to the challenge to see how the rest of the Design Team interpreted it, and then come and join us!

 

 

Supplies:
Stamps - Heartfelt Creations mailbox, Penny Black sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - white cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - coloured pencils, Gamsol, SSS 3D Frosty Pines embossing folder, Spellbinders square dies

Glazed Wings and Spaniel with Bells

Another dove card ready for my best friend to buy at my Christmas card fundraiser.  It's for Double D's "wings" challenge and Rudolph Days challenge.

I had my embossing glazes out on my desk and decided to play with them.  I sponged a background with Bundled Sage Distress ink and then stamped the dove and sentiment and coloured the flowers and leaves on the dove with markers.  I then rubbed Versamark over it and added Bundled Sage embossing glaze and heat set, thinking I'd leave it all one colour.  But there was not enough contrast with the dove so I did another sponged background with Speckled Egg, stamped and coloured the dove on it, rubbed Versamark over it, and added Speckled Egg embossing glaze to it.  Then fussy cut the dove and glued it on top of the green one.  I cut the panel with a label die before mounting it on the card base.

Jingle Belles wants Christmas animals.  I used an old stamp of a cocker spaniel wrapped in sleigh bells.

It's coloured with coloured pencils blended with Gamsol to get nice shading on the dog (the bells are coloured with a silver metallic pencil). I trimmed it with a fancy label die and then sponged around the edges with Antique Linen - except it came out grey as the sponge I used was dirty! I popped it up on fun foam.

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Fun Stamper Journey dove and sentiment
Ink - Versamark Onyx Black, Distress Bundled Sage and Speckled Egg
Paper - white cs
Size - 5.25" square
Accessories - Tombow markers, label die, Distress Bundled Sage and Speckled Egg embossing glaze

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Creative Images
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, Distress Antique Linen
Paper - off white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - coloured pencils, Gamsol, silver metallic pencil, Sizzix label die, fun foam

Peaceful Wings and Favourite Things

The Double D challenge wants "Wings".  My best friend always asks me to make some Christmas cards for her with doves on them so thought this was a great opportunity to use a dove die with its wings wide open.

I sponged a blue background, then stamped the branches and sentiment in black.  The dove is die cut twice out of white cs and glued together for more dimension.

Next up is a card for the Word Power challenge where the sentiment has to be the focus of the card.  It is going to a good friend whose favourite things in the world are dogs, books, and coffee so when I found this sentiment stamp, I had to get it just to make a card for her.

I created a background with grey ink through a stencil, stamped the sentiment in Barn Door red ink, and heat embossed it with Fired Brick embossing glaze. Then trimmed it with a rectangle die. It needed more interest so I cut a thin frame out of the rectangle, and then cut another one out of red cs and inserted it into the gap. I popped the panel up on fun foam for more dimension.

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - A Muse sentiment, Penny Black branches
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, various blue Distress inks
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Penny Black dove die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Technique Junkies sentiment
Ink - Distress Barn Door, light grey ink
Paper - white and red cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Distress Fired Brick embossing glaze, Spellbinders rectangle dies, SSS thin frame die, grid stencil, fun foam