Blue and White Christmas and Belated Flowers

A couple of cards just in time for some challenges!

52 Christmas Card Throwdown wants blue and white cards - my favourite colour combination!

I made a background by sprinkling blue Brushos on watercolour paper and spritzing with water.  When dry, I trimmed it with a pierced dot rectangle die.  I die cut the dove and sentiment from the same white cs as the card base.

The Paper Players want a clean and simple card featuring florals. 

Stamped, coloured with coloured pencils and blended with a bit of Gamsol, trimmed and mounted on a red card base.

  

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps -
Ink -
Paper -
Size -
Accessories -

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps -
Ink -
Paper -
Size -
Accessories -

Dove's Wings, Masked Snowflakes, and a Horsey Thanks

52 Christmas Card Throwdown's Stash challenge wants us to use our stamps.  The ABC Christmas Challenge is "w for wings".  I went with a beautiful dove stamp where the dove has his wings spread wide.

I stamped the bird and sentiment on watercolour paper in dark blue and heat embossed. I watercoloured the bird with light blue paint. Trimmed the panel with a square die, and cut the next size up of square dies out of blue glitter cs. I die cut three small snowflakes out of the centre of the blue glitter cs, then layered the dove panel onto the blue glitter cs, and glued the three little snowflakes on the dove panel. I used an off white cs for the card base as it matches the watercolour paper better than white cs.

Try It on Tuesday wants to see snowflakes.  

I used a mask to create the snowflakes.  I laid it on watercolour paper, then sprinkled blue Brushos over it, spritzed with water, patted dry to prevent colour seeping under the mask, and lifted the mask.  I let the panel air dry and then trimmed it, added it to the card base, and framed it with a die cut frame, cut twice and glued together.  I had a burgundy glitter die cut sentiment sitting in my UFO box and like the contrast it added.

A third card for today as I needed to make a thank you card for a friend who took me out for my birthday.  It's going to Sisterhood of Crafters who want to see Thanks.

 My friend has a horse so a card depicting a horse is perfect for her.   I sponged a background with various blue Distress inks, then cut the die cut out of a square of white cs, layered it over the background, and added a simple sentiment.

    

  

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Technique Junkies
Ink - Versafine Clair Twilight
Paper - watercolour paper, off white cs, blue glitter cs
Size - 5.5" square
Accessories - watercolour paints, clear embossing powder, tiny snowflake dies, Spellbinders square dies

Supplies for card 2:
Paper - off white cs, watercolour paper, burgundy glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - TCW Winter Wonderland snowflake mask, blue Brushos, Impression Obsession frame die, Penny Black sentiment die

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - Memory Box sentiment
Ink - Distress Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire
Paper - white cs
Size - 5.25"square
Accessories - Starlit Studio die, Spellbinders square die

Nordic Winter and Blinged Holly

For the ABC Christmas Challenge, I'm going with "D for Die Cuts".

I got out my Tim Holtz Nordic Winter die - it's so much fun to use.  I die cut it three times, once each out of white, green, and bronze shimmer cs, then made a blue shimmer card base, glued the negative piece from the white die cut over it, and then inlaid the green trees and bronze reindeer.  I added a sentiment on a narrow strip banner.

 

The problem with using this die (which I love) is that you always end up with many leftover little bits, and how many cards do I want to make to use them all up?!!   But it is fun doing the inlaying and coming up with colour combinations for it. 

I've also got a card today for the Jingle Belles challenge "Bring on the Bling".  Lots of gemstones on this card:

 

I laid a holly stencil over watercolour paper, spritzed generously with water, lifted off the stencil, and sprinkled with a few shades of green Brushos. After it was dry, I trimmed it down to the best section, stamped the sentiment, die cut a frame (twice so I could layer them together for more substance), added it all to a red card base, and added red gemstones to the berries in the image.

 

 

 

  

Supplies for card 1:
Paper - white, green, blue, and bronze shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - TH Nordic Winter die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Penny Black sentiment
Ink - Memento Cottage Ivy
Paper - watercolour paper, dark red cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Tim Holtz holly stencil, green Brushos, red gemstones, MFT pierced rectangle frame die

Recycled Bottle, Layered Flowers, and Monochrome Doves

Today is Earth Day so it seems an appropriate day to post this card for both Jingle Belles and Sweet Stampin' challenges to include a recycled element.

The little bottle came off a commercial card I received and the ribbon off a Christmas gift.

I stamped the sentiment on white cs and cut the sections out and layered everything on some festive dp.

I feel that the sentiment is such a major part of the card so I'm also linking it up at Word Power.

Next up is a card for The Flower Challenge "Add Layers".  I've got a watercoloured focal image layer, a pink bordering layering, and a dp layer on the card base.  It's also for Colorful Options "Pastels".

And last for today, Addicted to CAS wants a monochrome card.

 I used a little scrap of cling wrap background made with a couple of different blue Brushos (sprinkled, spritzed with water, then cling wrap scrunched up on it, and left to dry).  I framed it, added the two die cut doves, and added a blue heat embossed sentiment.

                  

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Dylusions sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - white cs, dp
Size - A2
Accessories - recycled little bottle, recycled ribbon

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU Echoes of Kindness flower
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - white and pink cs, dp, watercolour paper
Size - 6.25x3.25"
Accessories - watercolour paints

Supplies for card :
Stamps - Stampendous sentiment
Ink - ColorBox Royal Blue
Paper - watercolour paper, white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - clear embossing powder, Memory Box dove dies, Impression Obsession frame die

Butterflies and Birds

My Time to Craft Challenge wants to see butterflies.  I used this as a chance to make a card for a friend who loves purple.

I created the background by sprinkling purple Brushos on watercolour paper and spritzing with water. When dry, I stamped and heat embossed the butterfly in white, and stamped the sentiment in black and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I trimmed the panel and popped it up on fun foam.

My next card also has a butterfly but it's for Can You Handle the Pressure? - use an embossing folder with a twist of birds.  I used my embossing folder to frame all my little images, including an image of a bird.

 

 

I stamped some of the images in black and some in dark brown, and then coloured them with coloured pencils. I die cut the images with a small square die cut. I stamped and heat embossed tiny sentiments on the two right hand squares. They are popped up on fun foam on a panel that is dry embossed with the border folder.

 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Visible Image butterfly, unknown sentiment
Ink - ColorBox white, Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - white and clear embossing powders, various purple Brushos, wonky stitched rectangle die, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU Nature Walk, SSS tiny sentiments
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black and Rich Cocoa, ColorBox gold
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - coloured pencils, SU embossing folder, gold embossing powder, Spellbinders square die, fun foam

Heat Embossed Reindeer Panel and Bleached Iris

For the ABC Christmas Challenge "E is for Embossing", I went with heat embossing.

I created a background by spraying some silver spray on cs.  When dry, I stamped the image panel in black and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  I bordered with silver glitter cs and mounted on a silver shimmer card base.

For the Penny Black Saturday Challenge, I used a lovely Penny Black iris stamp I've had for ages.  It's also for Seize the Birthday "Spring Floral" - the early small irises are starting to bloom in my garden!

 

 

I created a blue background by sprinkling with various blue Brushos and spritzing with water.  I let it air dry.  Then stamped the irises and used a small paint brush and bleach to lift the Brushos colour from inside the iris image.  Then stamped a few bits of random script around the irises and added a sentiment die cut with an oval and lightly sponged with blue ink.  Bordered with black cs.

 

 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous reindeer panel
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - white cs, silver glitter cs, silver shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - silver spray, clear embossing powder

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Penny Black irises, Stampington & Co script, A Muse sentiment
Ink - Distress Tumbled Glass, Versafine Clair Twilight and Nocturne
Paper - black and white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - bleach, blue Brushos, Spellbinders oval die

Geometric Sympathy, Bright Butterfly, Christmas Heart

I need to send a sympathy card today so used the ATCAS "Geometric" challenge and a technique I learned from Eileen Godwin to make this card.  It's also for Shopping our Stash "It's Not Easy Being Green" challenge.

Using a straight edge and blending brushes, I lightly brushed four colours of ink on the background, turning the straight edge every time I changed colour.  This created the geometric pattern.  Then using the same colours, I lightly stencilled over top of it.

Then I stamped the image and sentiment on top of it, trimmed with a stitched rectangle and popped it up on fun foam.

Next up, a birthday card for my sister.  Penny Black Saturday Challenge wants "Wings", My Time to Craft wants "Create Your Own Background", and Sweet Stampin' wants "Bright Colours".

The background was created using the saran wrap technique with Brushos sprinkled on glossy cs, spritzed with water, then saran wrap scrunched on top and left to dry.  The butterfly was stamped on watercolour paper on which I'd sprinkled the same colours of Brushos and spritzed with water, letting the colours blend and dry naturally.  I then fussy cut the butterfly, glued its body to the background and popped the wings up with bits of foam tape.  I die cut the sentiment twice and glued them together for extra dimension.

For Christmas Crafts All Year Round "Hearts", I used a stamp that is a heart-shaped wreath.

The background was created by sponging with three shades of green Distress ink and splattering with some diluted white paint.  I stamped and heat embossed the heart wreath in white and added a bit of colour with Tombow markers.  Then trimmed the panel with a stitched square die.  Finished off with a dark red mat and a sentiment trimmed with a small rectangle die.

   

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Stampendous Branch Flight, Great Impressions sentiment
Ink - Distress (Shabby Shutters, Iced Spruce, Peeled Paint, Old Paper), Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Lime Citron stencil, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Penny Black butterfly
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - white cs, white glossy cs, watercolour paper
Size - A2
Accessories - blue, yellow, and green Brushos; saran wrap, happy birthday die, foam tape

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - Penny Black Christmas heart, unknown sentiment
Ink - green Distress inks, ColorBox white, Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - white and dark red cs
Size - 5.25" square
Accessories - Tombow markers, white embossing powder, Lil Inker stitched square die, Spellbinders small rectangle 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