Kraft and Red with Gingerbread

Merry Monday's challenge this week is Kraft and Red:

I  went with a gingerbread theme as that works really well for kraft and red. 

Pretty straightforward - stamped and die cut the gingerbread men, stamped the sentiment and die cut it with a tag, die cut the red panel with a stitched rectangle die, and assembled, using foam tape to pop the gingerbread up and twine for the tag. Added a few red pearl gemstones for the buttons on the gingerbread men.

It's also a perfect card for the SCS Ways to Use It challenge "Mmmm, Food".

Supplies:

Stamps - SU Scentsational Season, Old Island Stamp Co. sentiment

Ink - SU Baked Brown Sugar

Paper - red, kraft, and white cs

Size - A2

Accessories - SU gingerbread die, Spellbinders tag die, Lil Inkers stitched rectangle die, twine, red pearl gemstones, foam tape

Gilding Flakes Tag

My wonderful friend, Loll Thompson (Stamping with Loll), is running her Christmas Tag event again this year.  Today is the first day.

And she's invited me to be one of her Guest Designers.  I'm thrilled!

The guidelines for the challenge are that it must be a mixed media Christmas tag (any style / any size) which includes stamping, plus two mixed media elements (techniques or products).

I decided to make a tag using gilding flakes for the background.

For the base, I covered a piece of cardstock a bit bigger than my tag die with Sook Wang double sided tape, then added the gilding flakes and burnished them.  I die cut the tag.

I cut three of the Tim Holtz tree die and glued them together for substance, then went over the top layer with Versamark and heat embossed it with white embossing powder.  I decided I wanted a bit of sparkle and colour in it, so added more Versamark and this time, heat embossed with Frantage Shabby Green Embossing Enamel (it is mainly white with a bit of green, and a bit of gold in it).  I then glued it to the tag.

I stamped the sentiment with Staz On Ganache on a narrow strip of pale gold vellum, wrapping it around the tag.

To add a bit more interest to the top of the tag, I sprinkled Frantage Chunky White Embossing Enamel on either side of the tree top and heated it from underneath so that it wouldn't blow off.

A bit of gold cord with coloured flecks in it finished off the tag.

Here's a close-up photo of the Frantage and the gold cord:

It was incredibly difficult to photograph.  If I got the details of the Frantage "snow" and the sentiment stamping, I lost the beautiful shine of the gilding flakes.  So the above photo does not do justice to the gilding flakes.  Here's one that shows the shine:

Be sure to drop by Stamping with Loll every day from today until November 17 to see Loll's twelve tags and those by the other daily Guest Designers.  It will hopefully inspire you to create a Christmas tag of your own to link up!

Supplies:

Stamps - A Muse sentiment

Ink - Staz On Ganache, Versamark

Paper - white cs, pale gold vellum

Size - 5.25"x3"

Accessories - Tim Holtz tree die, Die-namics tag die, Cosmic Shimmer Verdigris gilding flakes, white embossing powder, Stampendous Frantage Chunky White Embossing Enamel and Shabby Green Embossing Enamel, gold flecked cord

Merry Monday Mug

Merry Monday has a great inspiration photo challenge this week:

It inspired this card:

I started by embossing a background piece of white cs with a stripes embossing folder.  I added a piece of corrugated cardboard on top of that (trimmed down from a coffee shop cup sleeve).

Then I stamped and heat embossed the mug and the steam, and die cut them with their matching dies.  Also die cut the sentiment.  Glued them onto the corrugated strip and the card was done!

I'll be back tomorrow with a tag for an exciting tag event hosted by Loll Thompson so be sure to drop by.

Supplies:

Stamps - Stampin' Up

Ink - ColorBox red and grey

Paper - white cs, corrugated cup sleeve from a coffee shop

Size - 5.25" square

Accessories - embossing powder, Stampin' Up dies, Stampin' Up embossing folder, Tattered Lace sentiment dies

Fireworks above the City

Less is More has a colour challenge this week and is asking for fireworks colours.

I went with fireworks colours up in the sky but without actually depicting fireworks (since I have no fireworks stamps).

My friend, Loll Thompson, cut the cityscape die for me on her Silhouette and gave me both the negative and the positive.  I laid the negative down and went over it with black ink and then heat embossed it.

I sprinkled various colours of Brushos over it and spritzed them with water, controlling the colours so I didn't get a muddy mess.

I trimmed it and added it to a white cardbase with a simple sentiment.

Supplies:

Stamps -

Ink - Versafine Onyx Black

Paper - white cs, mixed media cs

Size - A2

Accessories - clear embossing powder, homemade stencil, various Brushos

A Final Farewell to Autumn Leaves

It seems appropriate to being doing one more autumn card as all the leaves are pretty much off the trees in my garden (which means I'll have to do a final garden clean-up soon!).

Addicted to CAS has Leaves as their current challenge.

My good friend, Loll Thompson, cut some stencils for me on her Silhouette so I used one on this card to depict the glorious colour of a forest in autumn.

I sprinkled red, orange, and yellow Brushos through the stencil and spritzed with water.  When dry, I trimmed the piece with a rectangle die and then die cut the centre with a stitched oval.

The oval is taped directly to the kraft cardbase and the outer rectangle is popped up on foam tape.

I used the same Brushos to colour a couple of scraps of cs and die cut a couple of tiny sprigs of leaves to attach to the bottom corner.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:

Paper - kraft cs, mixed media cs

Size - A2

Accessories - Brushos, home-made forest window stencil, Ali Express tiny leaves die, foam tape, Lil Inker stitched oval die

Watercoloured Poinsettia

Christmas is fast approaching so the November challenge for CAS Watercolour is here to help you get some cards made.

I have fallen in love with some of Jill Foster's recent techniques.  I love the one (see this video) where she places one of the bold brushstroke stamps in the MISTI, using small ink pads to lay down colour on the stamp and then adding details by watercolouring, and another one (this video) where she colours the stamp while in the MISTI, then going over it with Versamark and clear embossing powder so that it is really easy to do either a watercolour wash or sponged background.

I combined the two and created this card:

I inked up the poinsettia with mini Distress inks, spritzed with a bit of water, and stamped, then watercoloured on top to blend the colours, paint in the veins, etc.

When dry, I inked up the poinsettia with Versamark and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  I was then able to do my watercolour wash background without worrying about making the poinsettia colours run.

I added a heat embossed sentiment and some splatter, and popped the panel up on fun foam.

Please come and join us at CAS Watercolour.  Since Christmas cards are my favourite cards to make, I'm looking forward to seeing all your cards!

Supplies:

Stamps - Penny Black poinsettia, Paper Smooches sentiment

Ink - various mini Distress inks, Versamark, Versafine Smoky Gray

Paper - mixed media, white cs

Size - A2

Accessories - clear embossing powder, fun foam