Santa and Sleigh

CAS Christmas is asking for Santa's Sleigh.

The image is stamped and watercoloured, then I trimmed it with a mini slimline rectangle die and sponged around the image with two shades of Distress ink.  I popped it up on fun foam on an off white card base.

Check out what the rest of the Design Team created over at CAS Christmas, and then join us with your own card featuring Santa's sleigh! 

Supplies:
Stamps - Crafter's Companion Nordic Christmas, SSS sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, Distress Chipped Sapphire and Seedless Preserves
Paper - watercolour paper, off white cs
Size - 6.25x3.25"
Accessories - watercolour paints, fun foam

Santa and a Lamp Post

I struggled a bit getting inspiration from the new Peace on Earth mood board (see it at the end of this post).  I couldn't come up with an idea for a Christmas card with a nautical or beach element in it.  So instead, I went with incorporating the blue lamp from the top left image and the Santa dressed in non-traditional colours from the bottom left image.

The lamp post was stamped and heat embossed with a metallic blue powder but came out too grey so I went over it with a blue alcohol ink marker and got it quite close to the blue of the lamp in the mood board.  The Santa is a really old SU stamp.  He's heat embossed, then watercoloured with pearlescent watercolour paints.  I painted a bit of rough ground at the bottom and splattered with a bit of blue and gold.  And bordered with a gold shimmer cs that matches the gold of Santa's stars.

Here's the mood board.  Head over to Peace on Earth to see how the rest of the Design Team interpreted it.

Supplies:
Stamps - SU Star Santa, Penny Black lamp post, Art Impressions sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - waterddolour paper, gold shimmer and off white cs
Size - 6x4.25"
Accessories - clear embossing powder, metallic blue embossing powder, blue alcohol marker, Yasutomo pearlescent watercolour paints

Santa on the Roof and Snowman with Dog

Two mini slimline cards today, both on coloured cardbases.  I enjoy making Christmas cards between Christmas and New Year as I'm still feeling in the Christmas mood and I always have lots of free time.  

So here's one for Christmas Cards All Year Round "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and Double D "Santa and / or Snowman".  And for the NBUS Challenge (I've never inked up this stamp before and I've had it for quite a while).  I'm also entering it in : Sweet Stampin' "Christmas", The Twelve Months of Christmas "Anything Goes Christmas", and The Christmas Kickstart Challenge "If It's Christmassy, Link It Up".

I used a Tim Holtz stamp I've had for ages and never inked up. Simply stamped and watercoloured and mounted on a blue shimmer card base.

For the Penny Black Saturday Challenge "Snow or Snowmen", I got out a Penny Black stamp I haven't used for ages.  It's also for Cardz4Guyz "Christmas Critters".

Stamped, coloured with coloured pencils, trimmed and added to a tan card base, and embellished with a Gelly Roll Stardust pen on the snowflakes.

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Tim Holtz
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, blue shimmer cs
Size - 6x3.25"
Accessories - watercolour paints

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Penny Black
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - off white and tan cs
Size - 6x3.25"
Accessories - coloured pencils, Gelly Roll Stardust pen

A Red Train

The new Peace on Earth challenge has a mood board full of images of trains.  Not having any train stamps or dies, I borrowed this delightful set from my friend, Loll.

I stamped all the images, coloured them with alcohol markers, and die cut them with the matching dies.  Added them to my focal panel (die cut with a stitched rectangle die) and drew a black line under the train and added a sentiment below.  I added it to a dp background that perfectly matched the colours (the green holly leaves do match the green in the train but they are shiny so hard to photograph).

We'd love to have you join us at Peace on Earth with either a card inspired by the mood board or an "anything Christmas" card.

I'm also linking my card up at Sweet Stampin' where they want to see die cuts along with stamping, and at Christmas Kickstart "Santa in September".

 

Supplies:
Stamps - Sunny Studio "Holiday Express"
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper - white cs, Glick dp
Size - A2
Accessories - Sunny Studio "Holiday Express" dies, alcohol markers

Back to Christmas Cards

After the recent flurry of Valentine cards, I'm now back to Christmas ones.

First of two for today is for the ABC Christmas Challenge "D for Die Cuts" and the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown "Black, White, and Gold".

I die cut the stars out of a square of black cs and layered it over a gold card base. The Santa and sleigh is die cut twice and glued together for extra dimension. The trees are only die cut once.

Today's other card is for Cardz 4 Guyz "Clean and Simple".

I used the Heated Copper Accents technique shown in this video by my friend Loll to create my copper Christmas tree. I glued it to a piece of blue smooshed background, tore little strips of white cs to layer for snowy ground, stamped and heat embossed the sentiment in copper embossing powder.

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - SSS sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - black, white, and gold cs
Size - 5.75" square
Accessories - Sizzix Dash Away All stars and Santa, Spellbinders square die, evergreen tree die

Supplies for card :
Stamps - Rosie's Roadshow sentiment
Ink - Versamark, various blue Distress inks
Paper - white cs
Size - 6x4.25"
Accessories - thin copper sheet, tree die, copper embossing powder

Ombre Sky, Trees, and Stars

This month the Group of Seven Cardmakers is showcasing Ombre as our Design Element.  For my first example, I used ink blending to create a blue sky.  This is the method I've typically used when I think of creating an ombre effect.

I blended various blue Distress inks from light up to dark on coated cs (easier to get a nice blend than on regular cs).  When dry, I stamped the image in archival ink, then coloured the berries with a white gel pen.  I did a little bit of splattering with a white Posca paint pen to give the effect of a few lazy snowflakes drifting down on a cold winter day.  I added a sentiment die cut with an oval die.

On our Group of Seven website we have a couple of videos showing different ways of doing ombre.  I followed the technique in this video for my next card.

I die cut the trees from three shades of green cs and layered them over a dry embossed background, using bits of foam tape to raise each layer off the previous layer.  Then I added a black die cut Santa and sleigh and a black border.

I made one more using the stacked die cuts ombre method.

For this one I used three shades of copper glitter cs and die cut stars out of it and stacked them on top of each other, and then on top of a star embossed background.  In hindsight, I wish I'd cut each word out of a different shade of the cs - but too late!

I'm adding this third card to My Time to Craft's "New" challenge (one of the options is a New Year's card).

Please check out the cards by the rest of the Group of Seven Design Team.  We'd love to have you link up cards using an ombre technique.  It's not a challenge but we all love seeing your ideas or interpretations.  

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Penny Black
Ink - Archival Jet Black, Distress Tattered Glass, Broken China, Stormy Sky, Salty Ocean
Paper - white cs, coated cs
Size - A2
Accessories - white gel pen, white Posca paint pen

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SSS sentiment
Ink - Archival Jet Black
Paper - white, black, 3 shades of green cs
Size - A2
Accessories - CuttleBug snowfall embossing folder, Frantic Stamper Santa / sleigh die, unknown trees die, foam tape

Supplies for card 3:
Paper - white cs, 3 shades of copper glitter cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - star embossing folder, Spellbinders star dies, Tattered Lace sentiment die

Flowery Thanks and Father Christmas

I needed a change from all the Christmas cards I've been making lately.  For the Flower Challenge and for My Time to Craft - both challenges are looking for thank you cards.

 A friend gave me some very wide washi tape. I wasn't sure what to do with it so stuck some on a piece of cs, went over it with a light gesso wash so that I could stamp on it, then stamped some very pale script and a darker flower. Then I went over the flower with gouache paints to give them some colour. Added two gemstones to the panel and one to the flower, and bordered it with black cs and added a vertical Thank You stamp.

My second card has to be a Christmas one as it's coming up on us very quickly!  Inkspirational wants to see Santa.  I dug out one of my older stamps, SU's Father Christmas - I love this old-fashioned looking Santa.

I stamped the Santa in the centre of an A2 panel of Bristol cs and coloured with coloured pencils.  Then embossed it with the Snowflake Frame embossing folder - it fits perfectly!  I added the panel to a chalk white card base.

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Hero Arts sentiment, Lime Citron script stamp, Magenta flowers
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne, Memento London Fog
Paper - white and black cs
Size - A2
Accessories - wide washi tape, gesso, gouache paints, gemstones

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU Father Christmas, SSS sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - bristol cs, chalk white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - coloured pencils, Ultimate Crafts Snowflake Frame embossing folder

Group of Seven Stencil Monoprints

The Group of Seven Cardmakers are playing with the stencil monoprint technique this month.  I tried it with two different mediums - ink pads and mica sprays.

First up using Distress ink pads:

I patted various shades of blue and purple mini Distress ink pads on my star stencil, spritzed with water, and laid it down on watercolour paper, pressing lightly with a rag.  I removed the stencil and patted up any excess watery ink.  I had some areas around the edges without any colour so I sponged the same inks around all the blank edges.

I die cut the Santa and reindeer twice from black cs and glued them together, then added them to the stencil monoprint, along with a sentiment banner.

I wasn't 100% happy with the monoprint as there were some blotchy sections, especially around where the reindeer are - the result of not enough water when I spritzed.  So I decided to try doing one using TH mica sprays, thinking I'd get better coverage on the stencil:

I still got some blotchy sections over on the right but I trimmed the panel down and got rid of most of them.  I used three different colours of mica sprays and got a nice blend of colours.  I added a snow bank and sentiment (die cut from white glitter cs) and two reindeer (die cut from copper shimmer cs and from scrap cs and glued together for more substance).  The card base is the same copper cs as the reindeer.

There are two good videos on the technique here:

Stencil Monoprint by Lee-Ann Cross (6:50)

Stenciling with Brushos by Loll Thompson (2:29)

 

And please head over to the Group of Seven blog to see more samples by the rest of the group.  If you give it a try, we'd love to have you link your card up as inspiration for us and others. 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - unknown sentiment
Ink - TH Distress inks (Chipped Sapphire, Faded Jeans, Stormy Sky)
Paper - watercolour paper, white cs
Size - 6x4.25"
Accessories - star stencil, Santa die,

Supplies for card 2:
Paper - watercolour paper, copper shimmer cs, white glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - TH mica sprays (Winter Frost, Fresh Balsam, Frosted Juniper), TCW tree stencil, SSS stitched slopes die, TH reindeer and joy die

Santa Flying over Woods and Snowy Monoprint

Our hot weather has ended and I actually have socks and a sweater on today so posting Christmas cards seems quite appropriate!

First up for My Time to Craft Christmas "Woods" (a grove of trees, a forest, etc.), I have Santa flying over a grove of evergreens.  It's also for Rudolph Days (anything Christmas) and Stamping Sensations "Christmas in July".

I brayered the background on coated cs, using a mask for the moon and two shades of blue Distress ink. I stamped the trees and sentiment while the background was in my MISTI to make sure I got a good impression and to avoid smudging. Then added a die cut Santa and sleigh, and a black border.

Next up, Jingle Belles want to see snow.

For my snowy background, I used a technique I learned from this Jennifer Maguire video.  I blended a couple of shades of blue Distress inks on a piece of white cs, then stamped the snowflake background in Versamark and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  I spritzed it generously with a clear shimmer spray and then placed a second piece of plain white cs on top of it and ran it through my Big Shot.  The clear embossing creates a resist and only the surrounding ink transfers to the second piece of cs as the Big Shot applies pressure.  It's that second piece that I've used as my background for this card.

I allowed the lovely soft background to take centre stage on the card.  I bordered it with a blue glitter cs and die cut the sentiment out of the same glitter cs (and also out of white cs that I slightly offset to give a bit of white showing behind the blue glitter).

 

 

   

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Impression Obsession tree line, Make an Impression sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne, Distress Speckled Egg and Faded Jeans
Paper - coated cs, white and black c
Size - A2
Accessories - Frantic Stamper Santa's Sleigh die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - unknown snowflake background stamp
Ink - various blue Distress inks, Versamark
Paper - white cs, blue glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - SSS Snowy Greetings die, clear embossing powder, clear shimmer spray

For an Important Woman and a Recycled Santa

Shopping our Stash is asking for a card for either Mothers' Day or for an important woman in our lives.  My Mum passed away several years ago so I made this for my sister.

Stamped, colour, trimmed with a pierced dot rectangle, bordered with pink (love the way it shows through the pierced dots), and embellished with sequins.

Jingle Belles want to see Santa.  I'd meant to enter this in their last challenge (Earth Day - use recycled items) but I didn't get it finished in time.  Seems appropriate that it still gets posted at Jingle Belles!

I used a Santa off a commercial card I received last Christmas.  I added him to a gelli plate background from my box of many backgrounds, and stamped and die cut the sentiment, rubbing a bit of gold ink around the edge of the die.

 
 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - ?
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - white and pink cs
Size - A2
Accessories - coloured pencils, Spellbinders pierced dot rectangle die, sequins

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - PTI sentiment
Ink - ColorBox Fresh Green, gold ink
Paper - gelli print background, white cs
Size - 6.25x4.75"
Accessories - Sizzix label die

A Santa for Peace on Earth

For this challenge, Peace on Earth has a great mood board with Santa images.  I used an old Santa stamp that I've had for ages.

I coloured the Santa with watercolour paints, added a vertical sentiment, trimmed with a pierced rectangle die and mounted on a red card base to allow colour to show through the pierced dots.

Please check out the inspiration from the rest of the Design Team and join us at Peace on Earth with a card.  We'd love to see you be inspired by our mood board, but if not, you can enter an "anything Christms" card.  

Supplies:
Stamps - SU Santa, Impression Obsession sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - cold press watercolour paper, red cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, Sizzix dotted rectangle die