Carollers for Peace on Earth

The new Peace on Earth challenge's mood board includes an image of a group of carollers (see top left image on the mood board at the end of my post).  It inspired me to get out a stamp I hadn't yet inked up.

I stamped and watercoloured the group of mice, keeping the clothing muted like the image, and then sponged around them with Distress inks similar to the sky and ground in the image.  I splattered with opaque white watercolour for snow.

I had done an earlier version where I made the colours of the mice's clothing brighter than in the mood board image, but wasn't as happy with it so redid it for the one above.  This is the earlier version:

It's fine but it didn't capture the mood board image the way I wanted, hence the redo for the card at the beginning of my post.

We'd love to have you join us, whether you're inspired by the mood board or prefer to link up an "anything Christmas" card.  There's more inspiration from the Design Team over at Peace on Earth.

I'm also linking my card up at NBUS since I'd never used the stamp before.  And to the ABC Christmas Challenge "Q is for Quartet (four of something - my quartet of singers).

     

Supplies:
Stamps - Pink Ink Designs "A Christmas Carol", PTI sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne, various green, brown, and grey Distress inks
Paper - watercolour paper
Size - 6.25x4.75"
Accessories - watercolour paints, Dr. Ph Martin's bleed proof opaque white watercolour

Spotting Santa

Another two weeks have flown by and it's time for a beautiful new mood board from Peace on Earth.  I was inspired by the top left image (see the mood board at the bottom of my post).

I arranged the animals and the Santa sleigh / moon stamp in my MISTI and stamped and heat embossed them (that way I could sponge my sky and snow hills over them).

I tore strips of paper to mask the snowy hills and die cut a circle to mask the moon, and sponged very lightly above the strips for the ground, with two darker blue inks above the horizon one, and then removed the moon mask and sponged a bit of yellow around the edges.  Any stray ink was easy to wipe off the black embossing.

For a finishing touch I very sprinkled a little bit of Frantage Chunky White embossing powder and heated from underneath to create a light snowfall.

Here's the mood board:

Please head over to Peace on Earth to see more inspiration from the rest of the Design Team and then join us with a card either inspired by the mood board or "anything Christmas". 

Supplies:
Stamps - Lavinia animals, Technique Junkies Santa with moon
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne, Memento Summer Sky, Distress Stormy Sky and Chipped Sapphire
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - clear embossing powder, Stampendous Frantage Chunky Embossing Powder

A Rainy Day Threefer

Vancouver is having such a cold wet spring.  I'm yearning to work in my garden!  But no such luck today.  So I've got cards for some challenges instead.

First up for The Paper Players.  They want to see a craft image on the card.  And for Colorful Options.  They have a beautiful mood board in pastels (see at end of post) that I tried to depict on this card.

A simple stamped and watercoloured card using one of the wonderful Anita Jeram images from Colorado Craft Co.   I love these cute mice painting the flowers!

Next for the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown "Santa" and for My Time to Craft Christmas "Christmas Quote".

I made a circle mask out of masking paper to create the moon. Then I brayered on coated cs using two shades of blue and two of yellow, letting the lighter blue and the lighter yellow meet in the middle.

I stamped the sentiment with StazOn ink as I'd used coated cs. I die cut the Santa and sleigh with black cs, then bordered the panel with black.

And last but not least, for Inkspirational "Clean and Simple" and ABC Christmas Challenge "H is for Houses".

I had a scrap of dp that looks like a chilly winter night sky. I die cut the village out of white so that it looks like it's all covered in snow, making it look even chillier. Layered it on another piece of white cs and then on a white mini slimline card base.

Challenges:

The Paper Players

 

Colorful Options

 

52 Christmas Card Throwdown

My Time to Craft Christmas "Christmas Quote"

Inkspirational

ABC Christmas Challenge "H is for Houses"

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Colorado Craft Co. "Love Art", unknown sentiment stamps
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, black and cream cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Colorado Craft Co. sentiment
Ink - ArchiStazOn Black; Distress Wild Honey, Scattered Straw, Faded Jeans, Stormy Sky
Paper - coated cs, black and white cs
Size - 5" square
Accessories - Frantic Stamper Santa die, circle die to make moon mask, masking paper

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - SSS sentiment
Ink - Memento Nautical Blue
Paper - white cs, scrap of dp
Size - 6x3.25"
Accessories - Gina Marie winter village

Zooming Youngsters

Sneaking in under the wire for the ABC Christmas Challenge "Y for Youngsters and  / or Z for Zoom".  I've got both in this card with the young mice hanging on for dear life behind the older mouse as they zoom down the snowy hill.

Thanks to the challenge, I pulled out a stamp I'd never used before, watercoloured it, added a stamped sentiment and a TH chitchat sticker (seemed so perfect for what the older mouse might be saying), and bordered with red.

ABC Christmas Challenge "Y is for Youngsters and / or Z is for Zoom"

NBUS - Never Before Used Stuff

 

Supplies:
Stamps - Stampendous House Mouse stamp, sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, red and off white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, TH chitchat sticker

Mice and Hedgehogs

I'm really trying to use stamps I've never used before so thought I'd choose one of my never-before-used Penny Black stamps for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge "Christmas".

Love these sweet mice and hedgehogs celebrating Christmas together!

Stamped and watercoloured, bordered with black, and a sentiment and a string of gold peel-off stars to finish.

 

Challenges:

Penny Black Saturday Challenge "Anything Goes or Christmas"

NBUS Challenge "Never Before Used Schtuff"

Christmas Kickstart Challenge "If It's Christmassy, Link It Up"
 

Jingle Belles "It's a Wrap" - any last minute Christmas cards 

 

Supplies:
Stamps - Penny Black critters, Stampabilities sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, cream and black cs
Size - 6x4.25"
Accessories - watercolour paints, gold peel-off stars

Tobogganing with a Friend

Paper Players is asking us to celebrate  "Friends" in their latest challenge.

I went with two little mice friends, tobogganing together - something my best friend and I used to do together every winter when I was a child living in eastern Canada.  We'd go to an old deserted sand quarry with our dogs and a toboggan - no adults with us as it was a time when kids just got to go off and play on their own.

I'd never inked up these cute little mice tobogganing on leaves - don't know why as it's such a sweet image!

Stamped, watercoloured, added Stickles to the snow, placed it on a kraft cardbase on which I scored some lines - pretty quick and easy to make.

Another for my Christmas card stash!  How's your's coming along?

Supplies:

Stamps - Penny Black mice, Great Impressions sentiment

Ink - Archival Jet Black

Paper - watercolour paper, kraft cs

Size - A2

Accessories - Gansai Tambi watercolourpaints, Crystal Stickles, ScorBuddy