Christmas Birds and Snow Dust

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

I treated myself to a Penny Black stamp I'd been eyeing for a while (even though I have more than enough Christmas bird stamps - but I just can't resist them!).

I bought it not realizing how big it is - hard to use on a regular A2 card so this is quite a bit larger.  I kept it simple - stamped and watercoloured, trimmed with my Tim Holtz deckle edge trimmer, and added to a red card base.  I added Glossy Accents to all the berries.

It's for a few challenges - Penny Black Saturday Challenge "Christmas", NBUS, Christmas Cards All Year Round "Anything Christmas", Shopping Our Stash "Winter Holidays", and Triple B "Birds, Butterflies, and Blooms".

A second card today is for two challenges - Double D "Winter / Snow Scene".  I was inspired by the beautiful blue and white of the snowy scenes in their mood board (see below).  And for Stamping Sensations "Favourite Colours" - my absolute favourite colour is blue, and I love blue and white together.

I stamped the trees with Versamark and heat embossed with a glitter white embossing powder. Then added a mask to create a snow bank and sponged two shades of blue Distress ink over the panel. The sentiment is die cut from white shimmer cs and stacked twice for dimension. The panel is popped up on fun foam on a white shimmer card base.

     

 

       

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Penny Black birds, SU sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, dark red cs
Size - 5.5x4.75"
Accessories - watercolour paints, Tim Holtz deckle edge trimmer, Glossy Accents

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Penny Black Snow Dust
Ink - Versamark, Distress Stormy Sky and Chipped Sapphire
Paper - white cs, white shimmer cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - Penny Black winter die, Judikins White Diamond embossing powder, fun foam

Torn Edge Masking

This month the Group of Seven Cardmakers have been playing with Torn Edges.  There are a couple of ways to use torn edges, but I chose to only use them for masking on this post.  My first card follows the later technique in this video (it starts at the 10:25 mark on the video).

I tore the edges on some scraps of cs, placed them over my focal panel, and sponged in the remaining open area with three colours of Distress inks.  Unlike the video where he leaves the masks in place, I removed them and then stamped so that my branch extends beyond the sponging in a couple of places.  The branch and sentiment are stamped in very dark blue ink and the focal panel is bordered with navy cs.

For my second card, I followed this video which includes stencilling within the open area created by the torn edge masks.

Once again I tore the edges of some scraps of cs, used them as masks, went over the open area with light blue ink, then laid down my snowflake stencil, and sponged with two darker shades of blue.  I trimmed the panel, popped it up on the card base on fun foam, and added three snowflakes and a sentiment die cut once from glitter cs and once from scrap white cs and glued together for dimension.

There is a third torn edge technique but I haven't had a chance to try it yet.  Please head over to Group of Seven to see it and to see all the examples made by the group.  You're welcome to link up a card if you try one of the techniques but just be aware it's not a challenge - it's for inspiration only!

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Impression Obsession branch, Great Impressions sentiment
Ink - Distress Tumbled Glass, Weathered Wood, and Victorian Velvet; Versafine Clair Twilight
Paper - white and navy cs
Size - 5" square
Accessories - Spellbinders square dies

Supplies for card 2:
Ink - Distress Speckled Egg, Faded Jeans, and Chipped Sapphire
Paper - white cs, white glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Echo Park snowflake dies, SSS snow die

Celebrations

For the Stencil Fun challenge "Christmas" and the Inkspirational challenge "Celebrate", I have this card:

I did the background with red and green acrylic paints and a poinsettia stencil on a gelli plate.  Trimmed it and topped it with the Merry Christmas sentiment frame die cut and bordered it with dark red cs.

My Time to Craft wants to see December or January holidays.  I have a Hanukkah card:

I sprinkled blue Brushos on mixed media cs, spritzed with water and let it run to make a free-form background. I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment, then trimmed the panel, popped it up on fun foam, and added the silver die cut Star of David.

   

I hope you all had a good holiday, whatever one you celebrate!

Supplies for card 1:
Paper - mixed media, white, and dark red cs
Size - A2
Accessories - gelli plate, red and green acrylic paints, Imagination Crafts poinsettia stencil, Simon Says Stamp sentiment frame

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU sentiment
Ink - ColorBox silver
Paper - white, mixed media, and silver cs
Size - A2
Accessories - PTI die, silver embossing powder, blue Brushos, fun foam

Gold Flowered Thank You and Traditional Christmas Colours on Vellum

For the Flower Challenge "Use Gold", I made die cut gold flowers on a very CAS card:

A very quick and easy thank you card - gold glitter die cuts (cut twice for dimension) on a red card base - still kind of festive in those colours so it's good as a Christmas thank you.

My second card is for Simply Clean and Simple "Red and Green".

I followed a SCS tutorial on "Double Stamped Vellum".  I stamped and heat embossed the white branches and pine sprig on the front of the vellum, then stamped the coloured leaves and berries on the back.

I layered the vellum between two die cut pierced frames and then added foam tape to the back of the frame of it to give it more dimension on the card base.  I finished off by adding a die cut red sentiment.

 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Paper - gold glitter and red shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Memory Box Honey Blossom die, Dee's Distinctively thank you die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - various branch and berry stamps
Ink - ColorBox white; Distress red and green
Paper - vellum, white and red cs
Size - A2
Accessories - white embossing powder, Tattered Lace sentiment die, MFT pierced frame die

A Snow Globe and Gold and Silver Stars

52 Christmas Card Throwdown wants to see snow globes.  And The Sisterhood of Crafters want to see a Christmas card.  So I made this:

I used a snow globe die with a stamp that fits perfectly inside it.  I stamped the image on the focal panel in dark blue and stamped random bits of the splatter stamp from Gorgeous Grunge in silver around it.  The snow globe is die cut once from silver matte cs and three times from scrap cs.  The three scrap ones are glued together and then a circle of acetate is glued on top of them, and the silver snow globe on top of the acetate.  I sprinkled a bit of rock candy glitter on top of the image, then glued the snow globe over it.  I added a die cut sentiment cut from the same silver cs as the snow globe.  

You can see the glitter in a pile at the bottom - but it will shake over the image as those three extra layers of the die cut give enough height for glitter.  If I'd wanted to add sequins or microbeads, I'd have had to use foam tape instead.

I've also got a card for Colorful Options - they want gold and silver and, rather than another Christmas card, I've got a New Year card:

I stamped the splatter stamp from Gorgeous Grunge in gold on the main panel. Then die cut various sizes of stars out of scraps of gold and silver cs (some glitter cs, some shimmer cs). I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment and die cut it with a label die. 

   

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Art-Kure church, Gorgeous Grunge splatter stamp
Ink - Versafine Clair Twilight, Martha Stewart silver
Paper - chalk cs, silver matte cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Taylored Expressions snow globe die, acetate, Ranger Rock Candy glitter, Memory Box sentiment die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU sentiment, SU Gorgeous Grunge splatter
Ink - ColorBox Gold
Paper - cream cs, gold and silver shimmer and glitter cs, black shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - gold embossing powder, label die, various star dies

Three More Christmas Cards

There are still lots of Christmas challenges I want to link up to this month!

First of all, for Can You Handle the Pressure? "Dry Embossing with a Twist of Holly":

I used one of my very first embossing folders that has a swirly holly design.  It creates an ideal background for an older Penny Black stamp.  I inked it and the sentiment with a Kaleidacolor ink pad in various shades of green.  I popped the stamped panel up on fun foam and added red Stickles to the berries.

Second is a card for My Time to Craft Christmas "Elements Beginning with the Letter S".  I have snowflakes, Santa, and sleigh.

The background is a piece that I created when making a gelli plate print for a card I posted earlier (see this post for the earlier card).  I had a lot of blue acrylic paint left on the snowflake mask - before cleaning off the mask, I pressed it onto a piece of mixed media cs to use up the paint.  I added a die cut Santa and sleigh, and a narrow black border.

Lastly, for Festive Friday "Christmas Festive Food":

The challenge requires at least 3 things from their list - I have Christmas pudding, red, white, and brown.  The image is coloured with coloured pencils, trimmed with a Nordic frame, and bordered with dark red.

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Penny Black Winter Bough, Make an Impression sentiment
Ink - Kaleidacolor Caribbean Sea
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Sizzix embossing folder, red Stickles, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Penny Black sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - mixed media cs, off white and black cs
Size - 6x3.25"
Accessories - Santa / sleigh die, blue acrylic paint, Memory Box snowflake mask

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - unknown image, PB sentiment
Ink - black ink
Paper - white and red cs
Size - A2
Accessories - coloured pencils, The Greetery Nordic Frame die, fun foam, glossy accents

Winter Landscape

Peace on Earth's latest mood board is four lovely winter scenes.  The upper left image inspired me to use a stamp I've never inked up before.

I put the stamp in my MISTI and inked it up with Memento Dew Drop inks - the pointed shape of the little Dew Drops helps ink up things like the fence posts I wanted brown and the snowy drifts that I wanted light grey.  I inked and stamped repeatedly until I was happy with the results.  I then inked up the whole stamp with Versamark and stamped over the coloured inks, and heat embossed it.  This sealed in the colours and allowed me to sponge the sky without worrying about smudging my image.  I used a variety of Distress inks to sponge the sky.  I added a heat embossed sentiment.

Here's the Peace on Earth mood board:

We'd love to have you join us, whether you're inspired by the mood board or prefer to make an "anything Christmas" card!

Because I've never used the stamp before, I'm linking it up at NBUS as well.

Supplies:
Stamps - Penny Black image, unknown sentiment
Ink - various Memento Dew Drop inks, Versamark, various Distress inks
Paper - white cs
Size - 6.25x4.75"
Accessories - clear embossing powder

A Church with Glitter and Snowy Greetings

The Inkspirational Challenge wants us to "Add Glitter".  Perfect for a snowy scene.  I chose a stamp I've never inked up before so am also adding it to NBUS.

The image is stamped and watercoloured, bordered with green cs, and glitter added on all the snowy sections with a Quickie glue pen.  It's quite a chunky glitter so really picked up the light when I photographed the card.

My second card is for Shopping our Stash "Whatever the Weather".  I went with snow.

I used the old Faux Batik technique that's been around for a long time.  I stamped and heat embossed the snowflake background stamp in white and then made several folds in all different directions.  Then unfolded it and sponged over the whole panel with various blue Distress inks.  I used blue glitter cs for a border and for the shadow background of the die cut sentiment.

  

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Power Poppy
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, cream and green cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - watercolour paints, glitter

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Hero Arts snowflake background
Ink - ColorBox White
Paper - white cs, blue glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - white embossing powder, SSS Snowy Greetings die

A Notecard and a Hanukkah Card

Starting off with a non-Christmas card - a note card for a set of blank cards that I'm making for a friend.  It's for the Color Throwdown Challenge "cobalt blue, aqua, and gold".

 I dropped alcohol inks in shades of blue onto yupo paper. I rubbed some gold foil onto the sticky bits of the AI.  I die cut the white stems, glued it onto the AI / yupo piece and set it inside a stitched oval opening. 

Next before I get back to Christmas cards, I've got a Hanukkah card for the Tic Tac Toe Challenge.  I chose the diagonal line that says December holiday, ornament, die cut.

I die cut the Star of David ornament out of silver glitter cs and again out of a scrap of white cs, and glued them together for more dimension. The branch is die cut from grey cs. The sentiment is stamped in blue and heat embossed, then die cut with a rectangle die. I glued the branch and ornament to it, adding blue ribbon to hang the ornament from the branch.

I'll be back next time with more Christmas cards. 

  

Supplies for card 1:
Ink - blue alcohol inks
Paper - yupo, white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - gold foil, flower stems die, Lil Inkers stitched oval die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Rubbernecker Hanukkah sentiment
Ink - ColorBox True Blue
Paper - silver glitter, white, and grey cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Paper Rose Star of David ornament die, Sizzix branch die, Spellbinders rectangle die, clear embossing powder, blue ribbon