Vintage Birds and Holly

I am not that good at the full-blown vintage style of cardmaking, but I do love vintage images.  I bought this one a while back but only just inked it up for the first time.

It's stamped, watercoloured, trimmed, and mounted on a holly embossed background.   Nothing complicated as I wanted the image to have pride of place.

Because of its vintage look, I'm entering it at A Vintage Journey where their current challenge is Holly Jolly Christmas.


Please check back tomorrow as I'm planning to list 10 cards that are the ones I'm most happy with from 2019.

Supplies:
Stamps - Crafty Individuals
Ink - Versfine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, cream cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, holly embossing folder

Poinsettia Day

Thanks to the wonderful Mac (Sweetest of Peas), I've discovered a new challenge, Day of the Month.  Not only do you get to enter, but you also get to vote on your three favourites of the entries - a fun twist on a challenge.

The current challenge is Poinsettia Day.

I used a stamp I've had for ages from a Vancouver stamp company, Local King.  I also inked it up with their markers, using the technique they demonstrate in this video (go to around 4:50 in the video).

I stamped a pale background in Adirondack Lake Mist on glossy cs with the poinsettia stamp and a small text stamp.  Then inked up the poinsettia stamp by randomly swiping the markers over it.  Trimmed it, bordered with a scrap of copper cs, and popped it up on fun foam on a red card base.

Looking forward to seeing what "days" this challenge comes up with next year!

Supplies:
Stamps - Local King Rubber Stamp Co.
Ink - Adirondack Lake Mist
Paper - glossy cs, red and copper cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Local King markers, fun foam

Glitter Everywhere

I got together with Loll and Christine to play with glitter a bit before Christmas.  Loll wanted to try Jennifer Maguire's glitter stenciling technique seen in this video.

So for this first card that's the technique I used:

I used a holly stencil, inked it up on the back with Versamark (to make it easier to get it off the double-sided tape - despite JM saying they are easy to peel off, they are not, so use the Versamark!), and laid it over a piece of cs that I'd covered with double-sided adhesive.  I added green glitter through all the openings, tapped off the excess, and then brushed off the remaining excess with a make-up brush.  After removing the stencil, I added silver glitter for the background.

I was going to make two very CAS cards out of it but ended up using both sections, bordered with the same holly die cut, as I wanted the sentiment to say "holly jolly".  When I tried to squish both die cut words into one of the frames, it looked too crowded so decided to add both frames to one card.  Not as CAS as I'd like, but I had to get the card mailed so left it!


Christine then wanted to try doing glitter with die cuts, so I made this card:

I put double sided tape on a piece of cs, and, leaving the release paper in place, I die cut the trees.  I peeled off only the sky part of the release paper from the die cut and added blue glitter, then tried to carefully brush off all the excess (but didn't quite succeed as you can see from the specks of blue in the white trees).  I then peeled off the rest of the release paper and added clear sparkly glitter to the trees.

Trimmed it down, put fun foam on the back, and added it to a shimmery cs base.  I smudged the sentiment when I stamped it directly to the card base, so redid it and cut it out with a label die.

One thing we quickly learned from a couple of failed attempts was that you need to have a strong contrast between the glitter colours.

Loll's craft room was sparkling all over!!  As were we!  And probably even our dogs as we got together for a doggy play date as well as a bit of crafting.

I'm entering the first one in the Christmas Kickstart Challenge "Last Minute Madness" as these really were last minute cards! 

And in the ABC Christmas Card Challenge "Y is for Yuletide" as I think of holly as a typical yule symbol.
 

Supplies for card 1:
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Poppy Stamps Holly Vine Frame die, Penny Black Holly Jolly dies, green and silver glitter

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Penny Black sentiment
Ink - ColorBox Blue
Paper - white cs, white shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Memory Box Evergreen Window die, blue and clear sparkle glitter, clear embossing powder, Spellbinders label die, fun foam

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

This week's SCS CAS challenge is asking for a card relating to our Christmas Eve traditions.  I love to sit by the fire and listen to beautiful Christmas carols, especially those by fabulous choirs like Kings College, Cambridge.

Here's a You Tube video of them performing Hark the Herald Angels Sing to put you in the mood of this card:

 

You might not be able to see it, but this stamp has the words "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" written across the top.

I used a snippet of Yupo coloured with blue alcohol inks from my box of backgrounds. With the stamp in my MISTI so it wouldn't smudge on the Yupo, I used black pigment ink and clear embossing powder.

Trimmed the image, bordered with a scrap of slightly shiny black cs, and popped it up on a shimmery white card base.

I'm linking it up at the following challenges:

Snippets Pixie's Playground (I used snippets of background and black cs from my leftovers)

52 Christmas Cards Throwdown (use a previous 2019 challenge - I used both May's Theme Challenge "Choral" and January's Technique Challenge "Heat Embossing") 

Christmas Kickstart Challenge "Last Minute Madness" - making a card on Dec. 24th is definitely last minute!

Supplies:
Stamps - Deep Red
Ink - various blue alcohol inks, Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - white shimmer cs, black cs, Yupo
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - clear embossing powder, fun foam

Back to Christmas

I'm back to Christmas cards today.

First up, for the Addicted to CAS "Tree" challenge:

Stamped, watercoloured (including a shiny copper watercolour paint for the stars), trimmed with a wonky stitched rectangle die), bordered with copper cs, and added to a base made of a rustic cardstock flecked with copper.


Next up, for Christmas Cards All Year Round "Santa".  I did two slightly different versions.

I watercoloured the stamped image, changing the colours of the sleigh and house in the two versions.  I used two different sentiments and two different border treatments.  To both cards, I added glitter to the snow line, tree, rooftop, and the trim on Santa's robe.  I went over the snowflakes with a Stardust gel pen.

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Jofy tree
Ink - Archival Potting Soil
Paper - watercolour paper, copper cs, natural copper flecked cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, copper watercolour paint, MFT wonky stitched rectangle die

Supplies for card 2 & 3:
Stamps - unknown Santa stamp, A Muse sentiment on card 1
Ink - Archival Jet Black
Paper - watercolour paper; white, red, and gold cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, glitter, Stardust gel pen

Flowers Instead of Christmas

I was inspired by a couple of challenges to make flowery cards instead of Christmas cards!  (Though I do need more Christmas cards!)

First up, Penny Black and More "Flowers All Over" - flowers as the predominant focal element of the card.  I have a friend with an early January birthday and tulips are her favourite flower so it's good to get her card made well before the busy holiday period.

I inked up the tulips in my MISTI with mini Distress inks, then spritzed lightly with water, and stamped onto watercolour paper - I repeated until I was happy with the results.

I used a matching green cardbase, a white heat embossed sentiment on black, and added a scattering of pearls.


Second up, The Flower Challenge "Use a Die".   I needed a card to send off to one of my sisters who's going through a rough time.

I recently bought the Altenew Peony Bouquet stamp and die set after looking at it for a few years.

This is my first time using it. I actually layered three stamps so got a nice variation of colour.

I used the matching die cuts and taped the leaves flat to the cs and popped the flower up on foam tape.

A simple sentiment and three sequins finish it off.

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Penny Black tulips, Chocolate Baroque sentiment
Ink - various small Distress inks, ColorBox white
Paper - black and green cs, watercolour paper
Size - A2
Accessories - white embossing powder, pearls, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Altenew Peony Bouquet, PTI sentiment
Ink - various greens, pinks, and red Distress ink
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Altenew peony dies, Lil Inker stitched rectangle die, foam tape, white sequins

Bethlehem or Jerusalem?

A quick card for the current Christmas Kickstart Challenge "The Christmas Story" - something related to the reason for Christmas.

I did a card depicting the City of David:

I was confused as to whether it is Bethlehem or Jerusalem that is known as the City of David, so being a retired librarian, I had to look it up.  Apparently the Bible refers to both those cities as the City of David - Bethlehem because David came from there, and Jerusalem because David conquered it.  David was one of the early Israelite kings.  So there's your history / trivia lesson for the day!!

I stamped and heat embossed the city and sentiment stamp in black.  I die cut a Christmas star and some regular stars out of gold shimmer cs, bordered with the same cs, and added it to a white card base.

This will be for a friend of mine who is far more religious than me and always appreciates a card that depicts a more religious theme.

Supplies:
Stamps - old unmounted stamp - anyone know the make?
Ink - Versfine Onyx black
Paper - gold shimmer and white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Memory Box Star of Wonder die, small star dies, clear embossing powder

One Christmas Card and One Birthday Card

I'm sorry to have been so missing in action.  I was crazy busy getting ready for my fundraiser where I sell cards and shortbread to make money to donate to the therapeutic riding where I volunteer - I made many many batches of shortbread (and even so, sold out!).  And most of the Christmas cards made by myself (and those donated by Loll, Christine, and Trina - so grateful for their generosity) also sold.  I needed a week off after that!

But now I want to get a post done for a couple of challenges that are ending soon.

First up a Christmas card for 52 Christmas Card Throwdown's Technique Challenge "Watercolour":

 

I stamped the image in brown archival ink and watercoloured it. I did a blue wash around it and added glitter to the snow on the berries and branch. I used shimmery copper cs for the base and die cut sentiment. The panel is popped up on fun foam for dimension. 

On to the birthday card, for Seize the Birthday "A Touch of Red":

 

I inked up the raised parts of an embossing folder with Versamark and used it to emboss watercolour paper.  I then added a clear sparkly embossing powder.  Using red watercolour paints, I watercoloured the flowers and buds.  I then bordered with red cs and popped it up on the card base.  I added two little flower embellishments on each side of the sentiment.

Be back soon with more Christmas cards!

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Stampendous bird
Ink - Archival Potting Soil
Paper - watercolour paper, copper shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Gansai Tambi watercolour paints, glitter, small noel die, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Memory Box sentiment
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark
Paper - watercolour paper, red and cream cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Darice embossing folder, sparkly embossing powder, watercolour paints, small flower embellishments, fun foam

Penny Black Robin

The Penny Black and More Challenge is asking for "Christmas" this month.  

When I was watercolouring the image, I ended up with a big red blob on the white space to the right of the robin. So I fussy cut around the right edge of the image. I had a leftover die cut stitched rectangle on my desk so laid the image over that and trimmed the straight edges to fit. Then stamped my sentiment on the white section, added Glossy Accents to the berries, and popped it up on fun foam on a kraft card base.

Supplies:
Stamps - Penny Black bird, PTI sentiment
Ink - Archival Jet Black
Paper - watercolour paper, kraft and white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, Glossy Accents, Lil Inkers stitched rectangle, fun foam

Twofer Greenery

Darnell's Twofer Challenge has a slight twist this month.  Instead of having the two cards be for totally different occasions, they can both be for the same occasion.  This is to help us get our Christmas cards done.

I love Christmas greenery as a theme.  Here are my cards:

I love this Penny Black greenery stamp.  I've used it with traditional colours before (as I did here for the second card), but have never tried foiling it.  I love the way it turned out, but it is darn hard to photograph.  Here are two shots of it, with slightly different lighting to try and pick up the wonderful shine of the foil:

 

I used Deco Foil Transfer Gel on the stamp and added gold foil.  I trimmed the image panel and cut a narrow diagonal strip out of the centre, leaving space for my heat embossed sentiment.  The two sections of the image are popped up on fun foam.

My second card uses traditional Christmas colours, with the stamp turned the other way.  

 

I put the stamp in my MISTI and first inked up the leaves with a few shades of green Memento Dew Drop ink pads (their pointed shape make it easy to ink things like this) - stamped and reinked and stamped until I was happy with it. Then did the berries with a couple of red markers and the stems with a brown marker. Stamped the sentiment in brown ink and popped the panel up on fun foam.

So great to get two more Christmas cards done!

Supplies for 1st card:
Stamps - Penny Black greenery, Penny Black sentiment
Ink - ColorBox gold
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Deco Foil Transfer Gel, gold foil, gold embossing powder, fun foam

Supplies for 2nd card:
Stamps - Penny Black greenery, Paper Smooches sentiment
Ink - various Memento Dew Drop green inks, Archival Potting Soil
Paper - mixed media and red cs
Size - 5.25x4.75"
Accessories - red and brown Tombow markers, fun foam

Sweater Weather

Time for a reminder to enter the CAS Christmas Challenge "Warm and Cozy"!

Nothing is more warm and cozy for me than a lovely thick sweater.  I particularly love the beautiful Fair Isle sweaters with snow motifs like this one:





So I used a stencil and white paste on blue cs to create this card:

To keep the card CAS, I only used a portion of the stenciling.  I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment on vellum and tucked it around the stenciled panel.  Then added a frame (cut twice and glued together for more dimension).

Please come and join us with your interpretation of "Warm and Cozy".  There is more inspiration from the Design Team and this month's Guest Designer, Bobby (bits & pieces), over at CAS Christmas.  You have until November 24th to link up.


This is the last CAS Christmas for 2019.  The team is taking a break over December, but will be back January 3rd with a new challenge.

I'm also linking my card up over at the Jingle Belles Challenge where they want something you wear when it's cold outside.

Supplies:
Stamps - unknown sentiment
Ink - Versamark Onyx Black
Paper - blue and white cs, vellum
Size - A2
Accessories - clear embossing powder, MFT pierced frame die, TH stencil, white embossing paste

Blue Monochrome

Today's card is my reminder to you to join us at CAS Watercolour!

My card for the original challenge post was in red, so thought for this one, I'd go to my favourite colour, blue.

I took a stencil and used a few shades of mini Distress inks on the stencil, spritzed with water, and created a stencil monoprint.  Love the blend of the shades of blue!

I did a sentiment strip in a matching blue on vellum and attached it under a pierced frame die cut (cut twice and stacked for dimension).  I added a few blue sequins for a bit of bling, still in the monochromatic colour scheme.

In real life, the sentiment shows up more but somehow it doesn't in my photo.  Here's a close-up to show it better and to also show the lovely blend of blues:

 
You have until November 24th to link up over at CAS Watercolour.  There's lovely inspiration from the rest of the Design Team and this month's fabulous Guest Designer, Birgit (Rapport fran ett skrivbord).  

Please note that there will not be a CAS Watercolour challenge in December as the Design Team is taking a break over the holidays.  We'll be back January 3rd with the first of next year's challenges.

I'm also linking the card up with our sister challenge, CAS Stencil as they are asking for a stencil monoprint.

 

 

Supplies:
Stamps - The Artful Stamper sentiment
Ink - mini Distress inks (Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean, Broken China), Memento Bahama Blue
Paper - white and mixed media cs, vellum
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - Memory Box Texture Flourish stencil, blue sequins, MFT pierced square frame dies, fun foam

A Red and Green Card, and a Shimmer Card

The 12 Months of Christmas challenge wants red and green this month.

I stamped the inchies and punched them out. They are popped up on fun foam, as is the background dp.  

I'm also entering it at the Pixie's Snippets Playground as I used a scrap of dp and some scraps of ivory cs for the inchies.


Next up is the AAA Cards CAS challenge "One Image and Shimmer".

I stamped the stars in copper pigment ink and, with a Versamarker, drew a bar for them to hang from, then heat embossed with Stampendous Aged Taupe embossing powder to get a bit of an uneven rustic look.  Then sprinkled a bit of the same embossing powder around the image and heat embossed it from underneath, and painted the insides of the stars with gold watercolour paint.   I popped it up on fun foam and added a heat embossed sentiment.  The card base is gold shimmer cardstock.

Here's hoping everyone is getting their Christmas cards done in plenty of time!!

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Darkroom Door Christmas Inchies
Ink - Memento Rhubarb Stalk
Paper - Gina K Pure Ivory cs, Graphic 45 dp
Size - A2
Accessories - 1" square punch, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Anita's stars, unknown sentiment
Ink - ColorBox Copper
Paper - white cs, gold shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Stampendous Aged Taupe embossing powder (stars), Ranger Pirate Gold embossing powder (sentiment),  Spellbinders label die, fun foam

Purple and White

I'm honoured today to be the Guest Designer over at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown after winning their white, blue, and brown colour challenge with this card!  The challenge is:

And it was a challenge for me as I'm not used to using purple on a Christmas card!  Here's what I made:

 

For the background, I sprinkled purple Magicals onto mixed media cs and spritzed with water.  They spread beautifully into slightly sparkly shades of purple.  I let it dry naturally rather than heat drying so that the heat gun didn't blow the colours and make them pool.

I die cut the snowflake and glued over the purple panel (after first trimming it down).  Popped it up on fun foam on a white background piece on which I'd stamped my purple sentiment, and then popped that piece up on fun foam on the card base.

Since purple on Christmas cards is such a challenge for me, I'm looking forward to seeing what cards are entered over at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown!

Supplies:
Stamps - Hero Arts sentiment
Ink - Memento Grape Jelly
Paper - white and mixed media cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Spellbinders Snowflake Snippets die, purple Magicals, fun foam

Wild Horse and Snowy Woods

I'm on a horse theme these days.  Here's another:

I splattered a piece of watercolour paper with Liquid Frisket to create snowflakes drifting down in the sky.

I stamped and heat embossed the horse, then took some brown watercolour paint and filled in the open areas of its body.

I created a mask for the snowy hill and stamped and heat embossed the trees so that they were not in the foreground. Leaving the mask in place, I sponged the sky.

I removed the liquid frisket, added a sentiment, and put white glitter on some of the tree branches, the upper line of the snow and behind each hoof as if the horse was kicking up snow as he galloped.

It's being linked up with the following challenges:

The Paper Players "Into the Woods" - I like to think the horse is galloping into the woods to shelter from the snow.

Christmas Kickstart "Snow"

Krafty Chicks Challenge "Winter"

 

Supplies:
Stamps - Local King Rubber Stamp mustang, Tim Holtz trees, Penny Black sentiment
Ink - Versafine Vintage Sepia and Olympic Green, Distress Stormy Sky
Paper - white cs, watercolour paper
Size - A2
Accessories - liquid frisket, clear embossing powder, white glitter, brown watercolour paint

A Warm and Cozy Pony

The November Christmas Card Challenge is "Warm and Cozy".

As many of you know, I love horses and volunteer with therapeutic riding and also ride myself.  Come this time of year, it gets cold enough that the horses have to wear blankets when not being ridden.  The blankets are a real pain to take off and put back on, but the horses definitely stay warm and cozy in them.  Here is one of our therapy horses (on the left) and her friend in their winter blankets:

And here's my card, a tribute to all the winter horses and ponies:

The pony is stamped, watercoloured, and fussy cut.  I added a stitched hill line and some die cut snowflakes to my background panel, then added the pony with the hooves glued right down and the body and head popped up with foam tape.  I added glue and glitter to the hill line, around the pony's hooves, and to the snowflakes on her blanket, and fun flock to the bottom edge and neckline of her blanket.  The panel is popped up on fun foam.

Please head over to CAS Christmas and check out the examples made by the rest of the Design Team and this month's wonderful Guest Designer, Bobby (bits & pieces).  Looking forward to seeing what ideas you come up with for our "Warm and Cozy" theme!

This will be our last challenge of the year.  The Designers are taking the month of December off to relax and rejuvenate before all the amazing challenges coming up in 2020.

I'm also linking the card up at Christmas Cards All Year Round where the challenge is "Stockings or Other Winter Clothing".  I figure clothing on a pony counts!!

Edited to add colour variations:

Supplies:

Stamps - Whimsy pony, Stampabilities sentiment

Ink - Archival Jet Black

Paper - white cs, watercolour paper

Size - A2

Accessories - Impression Obsession and Penny Black tiny snowflake dies, Simon Says Stamp stitched slope die, Gansai Tambi watercolour paints, glitter, fun flock, foam tape, fun foam