Poinsettia and Star

Sneaking in under the wire with a poinsettia card for the Christmas Kickstart Challenge "Positively Poinsettias".  It's also going to My Time to Craft Christmas which wants Christmas flowers.  And I think it has enough of a vintage look for The Twelve Months of Christmas Link-up "Vintage" challenge.

I stamped the poinsettia postcard three times. For the bottom layer, I did a bit of watercolour painting on the tiny bell, tiny reindeer, and the flourishes. On the second layer I painted the green leaves and then fussy cut the whole poinsettia. On the third layer, I painted the red petals and just fussy cut that section of the poinsettia. I glued the two fussy cut layers onto the bottom panel and attached that to my card base.

I tried to photograph it so you could see the dimension and the layers.

My second card is for 52 Christmas Card Throwdown "Embossing", Can You Handle the Pressure? (use an embossing folder), Rudolph Days (anything Christmas), and Shopping our Stash "Outta this World" (I chose the option of stars).

 

 

I die cut the large star out of kraft cs and streaked a bit of white gesso across it. Pierced a hole in the top of it and threaded a strip of red gingham ribbon through it. Taped the ribbon on the back of the background panel that was run through a 3D embossing folder. I think this folder gives the idea of the star handing in a Christmas tree.  Added foam tape to the back of the star to pop it up a bit. Stamped the sentiment in red and added the bow and the small silver star.

 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Viva Decor
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, off white c
Size - 6x4.25"
Accessories - watercolour paints

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Impression Obsession sentiment
Ink - Distress Candied Apple
Paper - white and kraft cs, silver mirri c
Size - A2
Accessories - Spellbinders star dies, red gingham ribbon, SSS 3D embossing folder, gesso, foam tape

A Star in a Window

The Peace on Earth challenge always inspires me with its mood boards.  This time I was inspired by the top right image (see the mood board at the end of this post).

I created the star using the Encrusted Jewels technique.  I die cut the star from thin chipboard, then placed it on a warm grill on top of a layer of non-stick craft mat then parchment paper.  I sprinkled it with gold embossing powders.  Once they had melted, I added chunky gold glitter and tiny star glitter on top.  The melted embossing powders holds the glitter in place.  To finish it off, I melted UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel) on top. 

I die cut the window three times - twice out of scrap cs and once out of light grey cs and glued them together.  I die cut the pine branch out of a piece of smooshed green background that I had in my box (and again out of scrap and glued them together).  I put everything together, with a bit of gold cord to hang the star from the branch and a sentiment on a banner.
  
Here's the mood board:

We'd love to have you join us, whether you're inspired by the mood board or choose to make an "anything Christmas" card.  That's lots more inspiration from the rest of the Peace on Earth Design Team.

Supplies:
Stamps - unknown sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - white and light grey cs, lightweight chipboard
Size - A2
Accessories - small Spellbinders star die, TH branch die, Memory Box window die, gold embossing powder, UTEE, chunky gold glitter, tiny gold stars

Christmas Kaleidoscope

The new Group of Seven Cardmakers' technique is something that our member, Darnell, is calling Kaleidoscope Technique.  We were inspired by this card of Jenny's (My Paper Epiphany).  Here's my interpretation:

I stamped the Pink Fresh background stamp with Versamark and heat embossed in gold.  Then watercoloured the image.  It was supposed to be loose watercolouring but I'm just no good at that so ended up watercolouring in my usual traditional way of staying inside the lines!!  Then cut the panel into 1/2" wide strips and played around with rearranging them out of order and deciding what I wanted the card to look like.  I decided to have a vertical sentiment so stamped it and heat embossed it in gold.  Then I glued two strips to the left hand side of it and four to the right.  I felt the card needed a little something else so I found an "encrusted jewels" star that was the same shade of gold in my UFO box and added it.  Here's a close-up of the star:

If you want information on how I do the encrusted jewel technique, see this post on my blog.

There are lots more examples of the Kaleidosope Technique over at Group of Seven Cardmakers from the rest of our members.  If you decide to try this technique, we'd love to have you link up your card for more inspiration for everyone.

Supplies:
Stamps - Pink Fresh background stamp, Impression Obsession vertical sentiment
Ink - Versamark
Paper - watercolour paper
Size - A2
Accessories - Ranger Princess Gold embossing powder, watercolour paints, star die, glitter

Embossed Pine with Star and a Partially Gilded Butterfly

I made this card for the Jingle Belles challenge "Emboss-able" - embossed texture or heat embossing.  I've got both:

I made a dry embossed background with a 3D folder and also made a heat embossed star using the "encrusted jewels" technique.  I die cut the star from thin chipboard, then placed it on a warm grill on top of a layer of non-stick craft mat then parchment paper.  I sprinkled it with gold embossing powders.  Once they had melted, I added chunky gold glitter and tiny star glitter on top.  The melted embossing powders holds the glitter in place.  To finish it off, I melted UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel) on top.

I die cut the pine branch out of a piece of smooshed green background that I had in my box (and again out of scrap and glued them together).  Then glued the branch on the dry embossed panel and hung the star from it with gold cord.  Finished off with a sentiment die cut with a banner die.

For Sweet Stampin' "Things with Wings", I made this:

I stamped the butterfly in my MISTI with Frayed Burlap ink. Then applied FlitterGlu to the stamp, only getting it on parts of the stamp, and restamped it. Pressed gilding flakes onto the butterfly and rubbed off the excess. I like the way it's only partially gilded and looks a bit rustic.

Added the sentiment and a die cut pierced frame.

 

Supplies for card 1:
Ink - various green Distress inks
Paper - white cs, thin chipboard
Size - A2
Accessories - TH 3D embossing folder, IO pine branch die, Spellbinder star die, gold embossing powder, UTEE, gold glitter and tiny stars, banner die, gold cord

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Penny Black butterfly, Savvy Stamps sentiment
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Frayed Burlap
Paper - white and dark grey cs
Size - A2
Accessories - FlitterGlu, gilding flakes, pierced rectangle frame die

Decorating the Tree / Happy New Year

I'm a big fan of the original Penny Black Christmas stamps with the adorable animals in them.  So chose one of them for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge "Christmas".  I'm also adding it to ABC Christmas Challenge "Y is for Your Choice" and Sweet Stampin' "Christmas".

Stamped, watercoloured, trimmed with a stitched square die, bordered with gold cs, and added to an off-white card base.

My Time to Craft Christmas wants a Happy New Year card.  Here's mine:

I started with my top layer.  I die cut the large star and stamped and heat embossed the sentiment, then trimmed with a stitched square die, and then dry embossed with a little narrow star embossing folder.  I taped a small square of starry holographic paper on the card base and then popped up the top panel on foam tape over top of it.

It's also going to the NBUS challenge as I've never used the narrow star embossing folder or the holographic star dp before. 

    

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Penny Black, unknown "joy"
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - off white cs, watercolour paper, gold cs
Size - 5.75" square
Accessories - watercolour paints, Glossy Accents, Lil Inker stitched square die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU sentiment
Ink - ColorBox gold
Paper - white cs, Hot off the Press holographic star paper
Size - 5" square
Accessories - gold embossing powder, MFT star die, Kokorosa narrow star embossing folder

Sheep in Blue and Red

52 Christmas Card Throwdown wants pale blue and red, and My Time to Craft Christmas wants Christmas animals so I combined the two for this card.  I'm also entering it in Inkspirational's Christmas in July challenge.

It's a simple stamped and watercoloured image, trimmed with a stitched rectangle die, and finished off with some gold splatter and a gold border.

 

Supplies:
Stamps - Inky Doodles
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, gold and cream cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, Lil Inker stitched rectangle die

Two Colour Challenges

Colour challenges are an iffy thing for me.  I only do them if a) I like the particular colour combination and b) something comes to mind right away.  I don't like agonizing over how to use certain colours.  So for me to do two colour challenges in the same week is very rare!!

 First up The Color Throwdown "Red, Green, and Brown".  That definitely inspires me as I immediately thought of a Christmas swag with berries.

I had the die cut star sitting on my desk but it was just white so I smooshed it into a puddle of various brown Distress inks. I was really happy with the rustic look it ended up with.  

I also had a scrap of green smooshed cs sitting on my desk that was perfect for die cutting the greenery pieces.  The berry branch is cut from a scrap of dark brown cs.

Glued it all onto a white card base and added a sentiment, stick-on pearls for the berries, and a tiny bow.

The second card is for Colorful Options "Basic Black".  I went with Christmas again, thinking it would be good for a masculine card. 

I die cut the sentiment out of a panel of black shimmer cs and layered the panel over a white card base.  Then die cut the Memory Box Countryside Circle die out of white cs and then die cut it with a stitched semicircle die.  That gave it a nice straight bottom edge to sit on top of the Let It Snow sentiment.  Added a few die cut snowflakes and it was done.

The Color Throwdown "Red, Green, Brown"

Colorful Options "Basic Black"

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Penny Black sentiment
Ink - SU Real Red, various Distress browns and greens
Paper - white and brown cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - Spellbinders star dies, TH greenery dies, red pearls, red metallic twine

Supplies for card 2:
Paper - black shimmer cs, white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Memory Box Countryside Circle die, Memory Box Let It Snow die, various small snowflake dies, cross-stitched semi-circle die

CAS Gilded Star

The Sparkles Christmas Challenge is asking for a CAS (clean and simple) card. 

I sprayed and splattered the card base with gold and copper sprays, and stamped the sentiment.

For the star, I used FlitterGlu and gilding flakes on the star stamp and stamped it on black cs - I'd done this technique on white cs before and wanted to see how the gilding flakes were on black. I then fussy cut it, scored it, folded it, and popped it up with foam tape.

Sparkles Christmas Challenge

Supplies:
Stamps - SU Christmas star, Great Impressions sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - black and white cs
Size - 5" square
Accessories - gilding flakes, Flitter Glu, gold and copper sprays, foam tape

Gold and Silver Star Shaker

Reminder time for CAS Christmas's Silver and Gold challenge!  I did a shaker card filled with silver and gold.

I created the top panel by trimming it with a stitched die and then die cutting a star in the centre of it.  I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment in gold and the small stars in silver.

I added a layer of acetate behind the star and then a layer of thick fun foam (also with the star die cut out of it).  I filled the shaker with tiny gold hexagons and tiny silver stars (hard to photograph them and get their accurate colour!).  Then added a backing layer and taped the whole thing to the card base.

There's lots more inspiration for you over at CAS Christmas.  You have until January 24 to link up a card.  Please be sure it is clean and simple, and follows the challenge of silver and gold.

Supplies:
Stamps - unknown sentiment, Stampendous tiny star
Ink - ColorBox gold and silver
Paper - white cs
Size - 5.75" square
Accessories - Sizzix star die, Lil Inker stitched square die, silver and gold embossing powder, acetate, Nuvo tiny gold hexagons and tiny silver stars

Foliage in a Star

Less is More challenge is asking for "More Than One Type of Foliage".

 

 And it's the end of the month so it's time for the October Rudolph Days "Anything Goes" Christmas card challenge.

I'm trying to clear off my desk so had a look through my scraps so that I could make a card that would qualify for Pixie's Snippets Playground challenge. 

And I used some never-used foliage and mistletoe dies for the NBUS Never Before Used Schtuff challenge.

 

 

 

I die cut the star by setting a smaller die cut inside a larger one and die cutting from a scrap of shimmery gold cs. I die cut the greenery and mistletoe boughs from scraps of smooshed leftovers.

Assembled the star and bunch of greenery on a cream panel, using gold twine to "hang" the star, added a heat embossed sentiment, and popped the panel up with fun foam. Finished off by adding white liquid pearls to the mistletoe berries.

 

I'm hoping to be more regular with my posts going forwards as I'm getting my energy back and starting to feel more creative.

 

 

Supplies:
Stamps - Stampabilities sentiment
Ink - ColorBox Gold
Paper - cream, gold, and white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Spellbinders star dies, TH greenery dies, white liquid pearls, gold embossing powder, gold twine, fun foam

More Fuzzy Flowers and a Sparkling Star

Yesterday I posted this card using one of the two techniques I thought of for creating a card for the Less is More "Out of Focus" challenge. 

It was made by sprinkling brushos through a stencil and spritzing with water.  Today I am using the other technique -inking up a stamp with markers and spritzing with water.  

I put the stamp in my MISTI and inked up with Tombow markers, spritzing lightly, stamping, and repeating until I was happy with it. I trimmed the panel and added fun foam to the back.

I used the same green marker to ink up the sentiment on a background panel and added fun foam to the back of it too.


I'm also posting a Christmas card today as I want to enter the Paper Players CAS "Sparkle" challenge before it closes.

 

I have a sentiment die that says "sparkle" so had to use it!

I stamped and heat embossed the star in white, then spritzed with a gold spray for sparkly speckles and to colour in the design on the star.

I fussy cut the star, scored and folded it, and popped it up with pieces of fun foam (3 pieces layered in the centre, 2 pieces layered in each point of the star so that I could get the centre higher than the points).

With a paint brush, I splattered a tiny bit of the gold spray on the white panel, bordered it with pale gold cs, and added a die cut sentiment cut from the pale gold cs.

It sparkles more in real life but was hard to photograph.

I hope everyone is well and getting through these strange times okay.

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - unknown wildflowers stamp, Rubber Soul sentiment
Paper - watercolour paper, linen cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Tombow markers, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU Christmas Star
Ink - ColorBox White
Paper - white and pale gold cs
Size - 5.25" square
Accessories - W Plus 9 "sparkle" die, white embossing powder, Heidi Swapp gold spray, foam tape