Reindeer and Rabbit

Christmas Kickstart wants a reindeer, Christmas Cards All Year Round wants something that starts with R or S, and the Penny Black Saturday Challenge wants us to use a Penny Black die.

A very CAS card - a kraft card base, die cut reindeer (cut twice - once out of white shimmer cs and once out of scrap, glued together for more dimension), die cut sentiment out of white shimmer cs, and die cut tiny bits of greenery out of green shimmer cs to make a wreath around his neck, with tiny red gemstones for berries. I also used a red gemstone for the dot over the "i" in the sentiment as I lost the little die cut dot. Inkspirational wants "furry friends" and Sweet Stampin' wants a CAS card. I used one of the adorable Anita Jeram images.  Simply stamped and watercoloured, trimmed with a lacy scallop rectangle die.  I mounted it on a green card base that perfectly matches one of the presents in the image and lets the green show through the lacy scallops.

Supplies for card one:
Paper - kraft, white shimmer, green shimmer
Size - A2
Accessories - Penny Black reindeer die, Memory Box sentiment die, Sizzix greenery die, tiny red gemstones

Supplies for card two:
Stamps - Anita Jeram (Colorado Craft Co.)
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, green cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, Reverse Confetti lacy scallop rectangle

Woodland Bunny

I've got a very CAS card for CAS Christmas "Woodland Critters".  I chose one of the adorable Anita Jeram images featuring a rabbit and his little bird friend.

Simply stamped and watercoloured.  Then trimmed with a rectangle die.  I took a smaller sized thin frame die and cut it to fit around the image but leaving a border of white.  Then I cut the same size thin frame out of green cs.  I put it back together with the green thin frame in place of the white one and tossed the white one.  I put the panel on fun foam to create a bit of dimension.

Check out the other Design Team members' cards over at CAS Christmas and then come and join us with some woodland critters.

I'm also adding it to Christmas Cards All Year Round "Something Starting with R or S" (I have R is for rabbit) and the NBUS Challenge (it's the first time I used the rabbit stamp).

  

Supplies:
Stamps - Colorado Craft Co. Anita Jeram image and sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, off white and green cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, SSS thin frame die, Spellbinder rectangle die

Embossing with Dies

The Group of Seven Cardmakers has changed its name to the Group of Cardmakers.  We're still doing the same thing - trying different techniques and products.  This month we're embossing with dies.  

My first two cards use the embossed die cut as a background pattern or almost a shadow for the actual die cut.

For this one I smooshed the actual die cut in green ink and then slightly offset it over the embossed die, making the embossed one appear to be a shadow.  I used red liquid pearls to create the berries and added a matching green sentiment.  The shape of the die made it ideal for a mini slimline card.

 

 

I went with a white-on-white look for this second one.  I trimmed the embossed die panel with a deckle die and added a sentiment in grey.  I die cut the mistletoe twice and glued them together for more dimension.  Then glued it over the background with it very much offset from the embossed pattern.  I finished off with using white liquid pearls for the berries.

 

This third card uses an embossed die to frame the image.  This is a great use for dies - I must remember to do it more often.

 

I stamped and coloured (with coloured pencils) the dog, then fussy cut it.  On my focal panel, I embossed with a postage stamp die and glued the dog's feet onto it and popped up his body and head with dimensionals.   I sketched a few lines under him to ground him.

 

Head over to Group of Cardmakers for some more ideas on embossing with dies and get more out of your supplies!

 

I'm linking up the third card with Sweet Stampin' "Animals" and Simply Clean and Simple "Cute Animals"

   
 

 

 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Make an Impression sentiment
Ink - Distress Bundled Sage
Paper - white cs
Size - 6x3.25"
Accessories - unknown berry die, red liquid pearls

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Penny Black sentiment
Ink - Versafine Smokey Grey
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - unknown mistletoe die, Spellbinders deckle edge die, white liquid pearls

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - Colorado Craft Co. (Anita Jeram)
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - coloured pencils, PB postage stamp die, dimensionals, tiny sentiment label die

Blues and Bunny with a Stocking

Colorful Options has a colour palette to choose from and, needless to say, I chose the blues.  

I sprayed the background with a few different blues and then die cut three hexagons out of it and stamped postage marks, etc. on them. I die cut the hexagons again out of scrap cs, popped the scrap ones back in the holes and layered the stamped ones on top of them.

I did some ink smooshing with various blue Distress inks and die cut the flowers and the sentiment out of that.

Here's the colour palette I chose from.  I tried to capture the various shades of blue from the left third of the colours..

 
And a Christmas card for Sparkles Christmas Challenge "Christmas Stocking" and Jingle Belles "Animal Antics".

One of the fabulous Anita Jeram stamps, simply watercoloured, bordered with black, and on an off-white card base.

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - unknown postage mark and text stamps
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, various blue Distress inks
Paper - mixed media cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Alexandra Renke flowers, Happy Birthday die, hexagon die, various blue sprays

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Colorado Craft Co. Anita Jeram
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, off white and black cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints

Wild Reindeer and Pets Posting a Letter

52 Christmas Card Throwdown is asking for "Wild Animals" - I've gone with a reindeer.

I grabbed a background from my box of unused backgrounds - not sure how I made it - possibly just some smooshed ink on glossy cs, with some mixed media stamps added in pale grey.  I stamped various trees on in black ink,  and trimmed it down.  I topped it with a torn strip of white cs for the snowy ground, a black die cut reindeer (also cut from white cs and glued together to add substance), and a sentiment on a stitched banner die.

Today's second card is for The Paper Players whose theme is "Postman Bring Me a Letter".  It's also for the NBUS Challenge as I'd never used the stamp before.

I used an Anita Jeram stamp of the sweetest animals posting their letters.  It's watercoloured, trimmed with a wonky-stitched square die, and mounted on a contrasting card base.  I finished off by adding glitter to the snow on top of the mailbox.

Supplies for card:
Stamps - Penny Black sentiment, various tree stamps, various mixed media stamps
Ink - blue Distress inks, Archival Jet Black
Paper - coated cs, white and black cs
Size - A2
Accessories - reindeer die, stitched banner die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Anita Jeram
Ink - Versafine Onyx Clair
Paper - watercolour paper, blue cs
Size - 5" square
Accessories - watercolour paints, glitter

Frosty Friends

Peace on Earth's new mood board (see at end of post) has the sweetest image of a young deer and a rabbit.  It immediately made me think of my Anita Jeram stamp.  And I had the perfect sentiment for it too.

Stamped and watercoloured, trimmed with a rectangle die, and bordered with some blue/grey cs.  The white spots on the deer were added with a Posca paint pen.

Here's the Peace on Earth mood board.  We'd love to see if it inspires you!

Supplies:
Stamps - Colorado Craft Co. Anita Jeram image, PB sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, blue/grey and off white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, white Posca paint pen

One New Stamp, One Very Old Stamp

More Christmas of course!  Today I'm using a new stamp on my first card and a very old stamp on my second one!

First for the Double D challenge "Oh Deer".  They have a lovely mood board (see below) and I chose the upper left image of the spotted fawns to inspire me to choose the stamp I used:

I just love the Anita Jeram stamps from Colorado Craft Co. so am buying a lot of her Christmas designs.  Since it's a new stamp that I hadn't yet inked up, I'm linking it at NBUS as well.  

Watercoloured, trimmed with a pierced dot die, layered over copper shimmer cs, with glitter added to the snow lines and on the tree branches.

My second card is for Shopping Our Stash "Embossing Wet or Dry".  I went with an embossed background and one of the stamps I bought in my early years of card making.

I created an embossed script background with cream shimmer cs for my focal panel of a stamped and watercoloured image of a chickadee and greenery.   I die cut the image with an oval die cut and also die cut a red oval border. 

    

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Colorado Craft Co., SSS sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, copper shimmer and off white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, Spellbinders pierced dot rectangle die, glitter

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU Beautiful Season, Impression Obsession sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - cream cs, red shimmer and cream shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Twinkling H2Os, script embossing folder, Spellbinders oval dies

Rainy Day Christmas Cards

It's supposed to be gardening season but it's a horrible wet day - the forecast says 100% chance of rain all day.  So what better to do than make Christmas cards!

For 52 Christmas Card Throwdown "Children's Xmas", I thought these sweet friends watching out the window for Santa were perfect:

A very simple stamped, watercoloured, bordered with navy, and popped up on fun foam on the card base. I added some snowflakes with a white gel pen.

I love these Colorado Craft Co. images by the artist Anita Jeram!  I've treated myself to a few of them recently.

 

Next up for Just Us Girls "Red, Black, White" and for We Love Stamping "Favourite Stamp", I chose my all-time favourite Christmas stamp.  Most of you know I love horses so of courseI love this stamp - so much so, I bought an extra one in case this one wears out!

 

 

Stamped in black, the hats coloured with a red marker, trimmed with a stitched rectangle die, popped up on fun foam, and Fun Flock added to the brims and pompoms on the hats, and added glitter to the fence line.

 

And finally for Jingle Belles "Earth Day" (recycle, re-use, up-cycle something), I took a tree off of the Christmas card I received from Julia of createwithjulia and used it on this card:

I found a piece of smooshed green background in my UFO box, stamped the Christmas text stamp on it, mounted it on a white card base, added Julia's Christmas tree to the centre and framed it with a white double-stacked frame die cut.

52 Christmas Card Throwdown

We Love Stamping "Favourite Stamp"

Just Us Girls 

 

 Jingle Belles

 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Colorado Craft Co. "On the Lookout"
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, cream and navy cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, TH merry die, Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Impression Obsession horses, unknown sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - red marker, Fun Flock, Lil Inker stitched rectangle die, fun foam, glitter

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - unknown text stamp
Ink - various green Distress inks for background, Distress Vintage Photo for text
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Impression Obsession frame die, up-cycled tree