Inspired by My Pyjamas

My friend Darnell entered a challenge I wasn't aware of - Shopping Our Stash.  They have such a fun current challenge - Pyjama Day (make a project inspired by our favourite pyjamas).  

I was inspired by my very cosy flannel pyjamas covered in sweet little sheep, many of them wearing patterned sweaters:

I had the perfect stamp in my stash.  I stamped and watercoloured the image, and framed it with a pierced dot square frame die.

Shopping Our Stash "Pyjama Day" 

Supplies:
Stamps - Inky Doodle sheep, unknown sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, cream and red cs
Size - 5" square
Accessories - watercolour paints, pierced dot square frame die

Robin on a Shovel

Time for a new Peace on Earth Challenge!  I was inspired by the mood board (lower left image).  It was the perfect opportunity to get out a stamp I'd never used.

A simple stamped and watercoloured image, with a heat embossed sentiment, a bit of splatter, and sponging around the edges of the panel to add to the rustic look.  I popped the watercoloured panel up on fun foam on a layer of dp that ties in with the colours.

My inspiration came from the photo on the lower left of the Peace on Earth mood board:

 

Please come and join us!  There's lots of other inspiration from the rest of the Design Team.  You can be inspired by our mood board or you can make an "anything Christmas goes" card.

Supplies:
Stamps - Sheena Douglas Stampworkz robin, SSS sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne, Distress Antique Linen
Paper - watercolour paper, cream cs, Flair Design dp
Size - 6x3.25"
Accessories - watercolour paints, clear embossing powder, fun foam

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

New Gilding Flakes

Jingle Belles want to see something new either from Santa or that we gifted ourselves.  Those of you who know me well know that I love blue.  I treated myself to some gorgeous blue / silver gilding flakes.  I also bought a set of lovely rectangle dies from The Greetery.

I die cut the dove and coated it with glue and then pressed in the beautiful blue / silver mix of gilding flakes. I added it to a panel trimmed with the fancy rectangle die and layered that over blue cs to have some colour showing through the rectangle die. The sentiment is stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with a pearly blue embossing powder.

Jingle Belles "What Did Santa Bring You?"

NBUS "Never Before Used Stuff"  - it's the first time I've used the gilding flakes and the rectangle die.

Supplies:
Stamps - A Muse sentiment
Ink - Versamark
Paper - white and blue cs, scrap of green glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Sizzix Delicate Wings dove die, Cosmic Shimmer Blue Ice gilding flakes, The Greetery Nordic Frames rectangle die, Stampendous Sapphire Pearlustre embossing powder

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

Hearts from Snippets

For the latest Snippets challenge, Diane says it has to be anything but Christmas.  That prompted me to make the first of several Valentine cards that I'll make this year.

I went through my pink scraps and pulled out this pile of snippets:

They were perfect for die cutting a series of hearts of various shapes and sizes.  I decided it worked well for a slimline card and I have the perfect long narrow script stamp to create a minimal background for the hearts.  I stamped the script in a pale pink and then the sentiment in a brighter pink that I heat embossed.  And then stuck my hearts on top in a slightly haphazard row.  A nice quick card that is great for using up snippets!

Snippets Challenge "Anything BUT Christmas"

Supplies:
Stamps - SU sentiment, Kaiser Craft script
Ink - Distress Tattered Rose, ColorBox Pink
Paper - white cs, snippets of pink cs and dp
Size - 6.25x3.25"
Accessories - various heart dies, clear embossing powder