Cosy Fireplace and Delphinium Thank You

The Jingle Belles challenge has a photo to inspire us.  I was inspired by the fireplace and by the red and blue stockings hanging from the mantelpiece.  My Time to Craft Christmas wants a rectangle-shaped card.  And Sparkles Christmas Challenge wants to see something "Warm and Cosy".  Nothing like being in front of a warm fire at Christmas time!

I stamped the image, coloured it with coloured pencils blended with Gamsol (using only blue and red for the stockings to go with the image), stamped the sentiment in red, and bordered it with a blue polka dot dp.  I added Fun Flock to the pompoms and brims of the cat's and dog's hats, and added Glossy Accents to the berries and to the candle flames.

Today's twofer - a quick thank you card for Sweet Stampin's "Thank You Card" challenge.

I blended a background using three Distress inks. Dried it with my heat tool a bit and then heat embossed the delphiniums in white. I popped it up on fun foam on a black cs layer, added a white embossed sentiment on a black banner, and embellished with some sequins.

 

 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Penny Black image, unknown sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, SU Real Red
Paper - white cs, blue polka dot dp
Size - A2
Accessories - coloured pencils, Gamsol, Fun Flock, Glossy Accents

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Magenta delphiniums, Savvy Stamps sentiment
Ink - Distress Faded Jeans, Dusty Concord, and Seedless Preserves; ColorBox white
Paper - white and black cs
Size - A2
Accessories - white embossing powder, sequins, fun foam

Glitter Snowflakes and A Dog with Gifts

It's still colder than normal here in Vancouver so I'm inspired to do another snowflake card (though we don't have any snow on the ground).  Snowflakes are perfect for Shopping our Stash "Glitter Me Happy" challenge.  It's also going to the Sisterhood of Crafters challenge "Snowflakes".  And to the Inkspirational Challenge "Word Prompt: Snow".

I made a stencil monoprint for the background by spraying a snowflake stencil and then pressing it down onto my cs.  Then layered it with white cs on which I stamped the sentiment and trimmed with a stitched rectangle.  And topped that with two snowflakes die cut out of glitter cs.

For Stamping Sensations "Hand Coloured Image", Penny Black Saturday Challenge "anything Penny Black", and the NBUS Challenge (I'd never used this stamp before):

A very basic card - the image is coloured with coloured pencils, then it's trimmed and popped up on fun foam on a snowflake embossed panel.

     

   

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Art Impressions sentiment
Ink - Distress Broken China
Paper - white cs, blue glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - PaperArtsy snowflake stencil, Mr. Huey's Sky spray, Lil Inkers stitched rectangle die, snowflake dies

Supplies for card:
Stamps - Penny Black
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - white cs
Size - 6x3.25"
Accessories - coloured pencils, snowflake embossing folder, fun foam

Festive Bear, Red and Kraft Valentine, and Snowy Horses

Three cards again today - I was home all day (that's rare for me) so spent the afternoon making a few cards to enter in challenges before they close.

First up for Festive Friday "National Winnie the Pooh Day".  My card has nothing to do with Winnie the Pooh but it uses five of the elements from Festive Friday's list - brown, yellow, red, bear, and colouring techniques (I used coloured pencils with Gamsol).  It's also for The Twelve Months of Christmas "Polar Bears".

I stamped the image in dark brown then coloured with coloured pencils, using lots of red, yellow, and brown.  I blended the shading on the bear with Gamsol and blending stumps.  I trimmed it with a stitched square, bordered with brown cs, and added it to a square card base.

Next up the first of the Valentines I make every year for my best friend (she orders 10 every year).  She loves seeing text on the background of the cards.  It's for The Color Hues Challenge "Red and Kraft".

The background is a kraft dp printed with old fashioned script.  I topped it with a die cut heart duo and die cut sentiment, and added it to a matching red card base.

And back to Christmas cards, for Jingle Belles "Something Old, Something New" and Simply Clean and Simple "Something New".  I used a new horse stamp I hadn't yet used (so I'm also linking it up with the NBUS Challenge) and a snowflake background stamp I've had for many years.

I stamped snowflake background in pale blue, then stamped the horses below it. Added a sentiment, trimmed the panel with a square die, bordered with black cs, and used a quickie glue pen and glitter along all the snowy lines on the fence.

 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - SU Bearing Gifts
Ink - Versafine Clair Fallen Leaves
Paper - white and brown cs
Size - 4.5" square
Accessories - coloured pencils, Gamsol, Lil Inkers stitched square die

Supplies for card 2:
Paper - red cs, kraft script dp
Size - 6.25x3.25"
Accessories - Tim Holtz love die, Poppy Stamps Heart String die

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - Cardio horses, Penny Black sentiment, Impression Obsession snowflake background
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, Distress Broken China
Paper - white and black cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - square dies, glitter

 

Leafy Sympathy and Christmas Dog

A sympathy / thinking of you card that is for Can You Handle the Pressure (Leaves), AAA Card Challenge (Sympathy or Get Well), and My Time to Craft (something tree-related, which of course, leaves are).

I used a leafy embossing folder for my background and an oval die cut for the sentiment that both cuts and dry embosses.  For the focal image, I stamped the leaves in two different shades of green, trimmed the panel and popped it up on fun foam.

I can't do a post at this time of year without including a Christmas card.  For Inkspirational (CAS with an Animal).

A simple stamped and watercoloured image, bordered with black, and on a mini slimline red card base.

 

  

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - SU Very Versailles, Rubber Stamp Tapestry sentiment
Ink - Memento Bamboo Leaves, Distress Bundled Sage
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Cuttlebug embossing folder, oval die, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Colorado Craft Co. dog, PB sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Clair
Paper - watercolour paper, red and black cs
Size - 6.25x3.25"
Accessories - watercolour paints

Christmas Card for a Child

Christmas Cards All Year Round wants a card for a child.  I thought this image of a dog and a cat having fun sledding was perfect.

The image is watercoloured with a little bit of very pale blue splatter, and bordered in red cs.

I'm also adding it to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge "anything Penny Black goes" and Rudolph Days Christmas Card Challenge.

 

Supplies:
Stamps - Penny Black image, SSS sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, red and cream cs
Size - 6x3.25"
Accessories - watercolour paints

Christmas Presents and Four Birds

Two Christmas cards today.  First up for Sparkles Christmas Challenge "Presents / Parcels":

The image is coloured with coloured pencils and then fussy cut and added to the background (gold spray on black cs), and bordered with gold shimmer cs. I stamped the sentiment directly on the card base but it was crooked so restamped it and punched it out and layered it over the crooked one.

Today's second card is for Christmas Cards All Year Round "Four Calling Birds - Four of Something or a Bird".  I have four little cardinals.

I sponged the tiny snowflakes with blue ink through a stencil, and used the same ink to stamp a bit of random text.  Then inked up the stamp with brown and red Tombow markers and stamped over the background.  Finished off with the sentiment stamped in red and a bit of blue sponging around the edge of the panel.  It's popped up on fun foam on a red card base.

Sparkles Christmas Challenge "Presents / Parcels"

 

Christmas Cards All Year Round "Four of Something or a Bird"

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - PaperArtsy image, A Muse sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - gold shimmer, white, and black cs
Size - A2
Accessories - coloured pencils, gold spray, SU tag punch, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU Serene Silhouettes, Stampendous Joy, unknown text stamp
Ink - Distress Oxide Speckled Egg, SU Real Red
Paper - white and dark red cs
Size - A2
Accessories - red and brown Tombow markers, Memory Box Tiny Snowflakes stencil, fun foam

A Cute Dog Instead of a Cute Gnome

The new Peace on Earth challenge has an inspiration board full of cute Christmas gnomes.  I don't have a single gnome stamp so I went with a cute dog stamp.  Peace on Earth is an "anything Christmas goes" challenge (I usually find inspiration in the board - I kept the overall colours I saw in the board, even though I have no gnomes!).

It's a very CAS card (my preferred style) - stamped and watercoloured image, trimmed with a stitched rectangle die cut, bordered in green, and popped up on fun foam on a red card base.

Please come and join us at Peace On Earth.  There's lots more inspiration from the rest of the Design Team.  And should you like Christmas gnomes, here's our inspiration board:

Supplies:
Stamps - Penny Black dog, Colorado Craft Co. sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, red and green cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, Lil Inker stitched rectangle die, fun foam

B is for Bear

The ABC Christmas Challenge is asking for "B is for Bear".

A quick watercoloured image of a sweet teddy bear doing his Christmas shopping. Trimmed with my new dotted rectangle die, bordered with green, and popped up on fun foam for some dimension.

I love the smile on the little bear's face - I just know he is so happy about Christmas, "Christmas Cheer" seemed a perfect sentiment.

ABC Christmas Challenge "A is for Anything Christmas, B is for Bear"

Supplies:
Stamps - Penny Black teddy bear, SSS sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, green and off white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, Sizzix dotted rectangle die, fun foam

Mouse on a Gatefold

Christmas is over but creating Christmas cards is never over for me!  Here's my first one for this year.

Simple stamped and coloured image, bordered with red glitter cs, on a gatefold card base with dp added to the two panels.

For these challenges:

Penny Black Saturday Challenge "Christmas"

SCS Ways to Use It Challenge "Open the Gate" - create a gatefold card

Sweet Stamping "Christmas Creations"

Winter Wonderland Challenge "Anything Christmas"

Supplies:
Stamps - Penny Black image, SSS sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - red glitter and white cs, ColorBok dp
Size - 6x4.25"
Accessories - coloured pencils