Brown for a Christmas Card?

I wasn't sure I'd make a card for the October Christmas Cards All Year Round challenge - "Monochromatic Browns".  But then I pulled out a vintage style stamp I'd never used and thought it could work well in brown.  Here it is:

I stamped it in my Misti using my Oxide ink - when I reinked some of the paler parts of the stamp, I seemed to get some colour variation in the final stamped image, but I think it only adds to the vintage look.

I then sponged around the edge using two shades of brown to make it look aged.

I attached a Tim Holtz Christmas token with a brad and popped the panel up on fun foam.

So what do you think?  Does brown work for a Christmas card?

Supplies:

Stamps - Deep Red Vintage Santa

Ink - Distress Oxide Vintage Photo, Distress Vintage Photo, Ranger Potting Soil

Paper - PTI Vintage Cream cs

Size - A2

Accessories - Tim Holtz Christmas token, metallic brad, fun foam

Heat Embossed Poinsettias

The current Jingle Bells Christmas Card Challenge is "Embossing Around the Christmas Tree" - any kind of embossing.

Here's my card using heat embossing in black for the poinsettias:

I sprayed a background with three different colours of sprays. When dry, I stamped and heat embossed my poinsettia and sentiment in black.

I wanted the black border to really match the stamping so went around the edge of another square of cs with the same ink and then heat embossed it.

It's popped up on fun foam.

Supplies:

Stamps - Tim Holtz poinsettia, Rosie's Roadshow sentiment

Ink - Versafine Onyx Black 

Paper - white cs

Size - 4.75" square

Accessories - clear embossing powder; various red, pink and orange sprays; fun foam

Pup and Christmas Tree

This week's Merry Monday Christmas Card Challenge is to add a Christmas tree to our cards:

I love the little pup decorating his Christmas tree that I used for this card:

It's stamped, coloured with markers, bordered with a deckle edged red panel, and embellished with Glossy Accents on the ornaments.

I'm also taking it over to the Merry Christmas Challenge where it's anything goes as long as it's Christmas.

Supplies:

Stamps - Penny Black

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper - white and red cs

Size - A2

Accessories - markers, Nesties deckled edged rectangle die, Glossy Accents

NBUS Robin and Holly

Here's my third and final card for Darnell's NBUS challenge.

Darnell limits us to three entries - a good thing or she'd be swamped with entries.  I'm sure I could make a dozen cards using different NBUS things on each one - shame on me for having so much stuff I haven't used.  And for my three entries, I only thought about stamps - never got around to dies, stencils, embossing folders, sprays, inks.......

For this card, I used two Sheena Douglass stamps that came in the same set.

I stamped the holly first and then carefully positioned the robin so that he's perched on it.  I heat embossed both (and the sentiment) so that I could do wet-on-wet watercolour painting and have the embossed edges act as dams.

After watercolouring the robin and holly, I debated adding a sky or a wash around the image and decided I wanted to leave it completely plain - not even a bit of splatter.  What do you think?  Add a wash?  Add some splatter? 

Supplies:

Stamps - Sheena Douglass bird and holly, Paper Smooches sentiment

Ink - Versafine Onyx Black

Paper - red pre-made card base, mixed media cs

Size - 4.5" square

Accessories - clear embossing powder, Gansai Tambi watercolour paints, Nesties square die cut, fun foam

Oak and Aspen

We're into autumn now.  After such a glorious summer in Vancouver, it's hard to say goodbye to all the sunshine we had, but there's something nice about the chill in the air and the desire to do indoor things instead of being out in the garden.

CAS Watercolour has the perfect challenge this month:

And it is an extra special month to enter as it is our 1st birthday!

In honour of it, there are prizes!!

$25 Gift Certificate to Simon Says Stamp for Challenge Winner

&

$25 Gift Certificate to Simon Says Stamp for one random draw of all entries

 (must follow rules to be eligible for prizes)

Here's my card to hopefully inspire you:

I did the leaves in my MISTI by dabbing Distress stains onto the stamps, then spritzing with water before stamping onto watercolour paper.  I was really pleased with the way the colours blended.  For the aspen leaf, I used Wild Honey and Rusty Hinge, and for the oak leaf, Brushed Corduroy and Tea Dye.   When dry, I fussy cut them.

I stamped the splashes stamp from the same set (SU French Foliage) and a small sentiment onto the same watercolour paper, then die cut a centre panel with a stitched die that has the stitching on both sides of the cut line.  I die cut two more panels to match, saving the centre pieces for future projects, and gluing the outer pieces together to create dimension for my frame. 

I glued the stems and top edges onto my panel, and then put rolled pieces of double-sided tape under the lower parts of the leaves to add some dimension.

Head on over to CAS Watercolour for more inspiration from the rest of the Design Team and our fabulous Guest Designer, Marcia of Marcia's Stampin' Pad.  And then link up your card!  Please remember to keep your card CAS, use watercolour in some way, and follow the theme of Fall Leaves.  You have until October 24th to enter.

Supplies:

Stamps - SU French Foliage, unknown sentiment

Ink - SU Baked Brown Sugar

Paper - PTI Vintage Cream cs, watercolour paper

Size - A2

Accessories - Distress Stains (Rusty Hinge, Wild Honey, Aged Mahogany, Tea Dye), twine, fun foam

CAS Mix Up Layered Stencils

It's time for another great challenge at CAS Mix Up.  This month, Design Team member Julia Aston (of the Create with Julia blog) has come up with a stenciling challenge:

I made a small piece of layered stencils, added a stamped sentiment, and chose dry embossing as my choice.

I smooshed a piece of mixed media cs with Fossilized Amber Oxide ink, added a bit of Iced Spruce and flicked on a bit of water.  Then I stenciled some random patches of the TH Burlap stencil with Spiced Marmalade, some TH Gears stencil with Vintage Photo, and then the word "Time" from the TCW Word Association stencil with Iced Spruce.

I created a background layer by stamping the "birthday wishes" sentiment, and then running it through a distress-style embossing folder.  I trimmed the stenciled panel down and mounted it on the background which I popped up on fun foam.

Please come and join us at CAS Mix Up.  There is lots of inspiration from the Design Team and this month's Guest Designer, Sue of Sue's Card Craft.  And if you're unsure where to start, we have links to some video tutorials.  You have until October 24th to link up your card.  Please be sure it is clean and simple, includes some stamping, some stencil layering, and at least one other choice from our list on the right side of the CAS Mix Up blog.

Supplies:

Stamps - SU sentiment

Ink - Distress Oxide (Iced Spruce, Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo, and Fossilized Amber), Ranger Potting Soil

Paper - white cs, mixed media cs

Size - A2

Accessories - Tim Holtz Burlap and Gears stencils, TCW Word Association stencil, Cuttlebug embossing folder, fun foam