Flying Dove

The Male Room has a challenge that lent itself to creating another Christmas card.

I chose a dove in flight, with muted masculine colours.

I stamped the dove with Versamark on navy cs, then added Heat and Stick powder so that I could add Pearl Ex - white on the dove, green on the leaf. The sentiment is heat embossed in silver. I bordered with green shimmer cs, and mounted on a white card base.

While I had everything out, I made a second one - this time a square card with the image trimmed tighter. 

I'd love to know which one you like best.

Supplies:

Stamps - SU Calm Christmas, Tim Holtz sentiment

Ink - ColorBox silver, Versamark

Paper - green shimmer, white, and navy cs

Size - A2 and 4.75" square

Accessories - silver embossing powder, Heat & Stick powder, Pearl Ex (Interference Green and Pearl White)

Snowflakes and a Tree

Two cards again today.

First up, for the Sparkles Christmas Challenge "It's Snowtime":

I created my background using a snowflake stencil cut for me by my dear friend, Loll Thompson, on her Silhouette, various blue Brushos, and watercolour paper. Love the colours I got!

I die cut the sentiment out of black shimmer cs, layered it over a strip of ivory cs, taped it to the snowflake background, then bordered the snowflake background with the same black shimmer cs, and used an ivory card base. A random scattering of dark grey gemstones finished it off.


And my second card, for Christmas Cards All Year Round "Add a Tree":

 

I made a piece of splashed / smooshed background with various green Distress inks on watercolour paper, then stamped the musical background with one of the greens. I die  cut the evergreen, mounted it on white cs, added a heat embossed sentiment, trimmed the panel with a deckle edge die, and popped it up on fun foam.

That's it for me for today - time to go to bed!

Supplies for Card 1:

Ink - Brushos

Paper - watercolour paper, black shimmer and ivory cs

Size - A2

Accessories - blue Brushos, snowflake stencil cut on a Silhouette, dark grey gemstones, Memory Box Let It Snow die

Supplies for Card 2:

Stamps - Impression Obsession musical background, Rosie's Roadshow sentiment

Ink - various green Distress inks

Paper - watercolour paper, white cs

Size - A2

Accessories - evergreen tree die, Spellbinders deckle edge die, clear embossing powder, fun foam, foam tape

Birthday Butterfly

Seize the Birthday has the option of anything goes or "seizing the toppings" by adding butterflies.

I made a very quick card that would be easy to duplicate and flat to mail.

I used various sprays to create a background, and sprayed a little bit of colour onto a scrap of mauve cs.  I die cut the solid butterfly from that scrap, and then the top butterfly layer from a scrap of dark pink shimmer cs.  I die cut an inverted scallop background piece and the word "happy" from navy cs.

Supplies:

Stamps - unknown birthday                          

Ink - Archival cobalt

Paper - white, navy, mauve, and dark pink shimmer cs

Size - A2

Accessories - Memory Box butterfly dies, Spellbinders dies, various sprays

Two Cards for Challenges

First up today is a card for the Color Challenge:

There's something kind of muted about those colours that really appeals to me.  Here's my card:

I applied various Distress inks with my Clarity brushes. I'm really happy with the blend of colours. I flicked some water on it to add texture and interest, and when dry, stamped two of the three sentiments. The third sentiment I stamped on a scrap of white cs, die cut it, and threaded ribbon through the die. The panel is bordered with black and popped up on fun foam.

Next up, The Flower Challenge "Use Your Favourite Flower":

Being a keen gardener, I have many favourite flowers so this is my second entry for the challenge (could do many more if I had time!!).  This time I went with poppies:

I love all kinds of poppies.  This image makes me think of the bright orange California poppies that grow in a patch of leftover soil out in my back lane - every year they reseed themselves and look so lovely and cheerful.

I stamped and heat embossed the flowers and sentiment, then watercoloured and splattered with a bit of the orange.  I trimmed the panel and went around the edges with Distress Antique Linen.  For a background panel, I stenciled dots with Antique Linen on white cs, then used a cream cs for the base.  The focal image is popped up on fun foam.  A few stick-on pearls are in the centres of the flowers and scattered among the dots.

Thanks for coming by today!

Supplies for card 1:

Stamps - Chocolate Baroque sentiments

Ink - Archival Jet Black, various Distress inks

Paper - white and black cs

Size - A2

Accessories -  Rebecca Baer stencil, purple ribbon, label die, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:

Stamps - Penny Black poppies, Rosie's Roadshow sentiment

Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, Distress Antique Linen

Paper - watercolour paper, white and cream cs

Size - A2

Accessories - detail clear embossing powder, Gansai Tambi watercolour paints, dot stencil, fun foam

A Naughty Dog for a Child

Playing around on a rainy day making a CAS card with a dog that would be suitable for a child.  I think this very naughty dog tangled up in the Christmas lights would amuse a child (I have to say it amuses me!).

I stamped and heat embossed the image on white cs, then coloured with coloured pencils and fussy cut it. I glued it to a piece of white cs.

I die cut the opening in the red card base, taped the white cs behind it, and had the plug on the image coming out of the opening.

It's going over to two challenges:

Christmas Kickstart - "Christmassy Canine Companions"

And the Paper Players CAS Challenge "Cards for Kids".

I really enjoyed making this card!!  Might have to make a few more like it!

Supplies:

Stamps - Penny Black

Ink - Versafine Onyx Black

Paper - red and white cs

Size - A2

Accessories - coloured pencils, MFT peek-a-boo window die, clear embossing powder

Glittered Snowflakes

I made this card on a lovely sunny August day - hard to think of snow at this time of year!  It's my reminder card for the CAS Christmas Card Challenge "Glitter".

Snow and snowflakes are the first thing to come to my mind when I think of glitter on Christmas cards so I'm afraid I used snowflakes for both of my Design Team cards for this challenge!  But ended up with quite different cards and techniques.  Today's snowflakes are stenciled:

Because glitter is so hard to photograph, I'm including this close-up done under different light:

I used a homemade stencil (made for me by my dear friend, Loll Thompson).  I mixed a bit of blue ink into a sparkly embossing paste without mixing it thoroughly.  Depending how well mixed the ink was, determined how much blue shows up in the snowflakes - I quite like the variation in depth of colour.

I die cut the sentiment out of blue glitter paper, and added a border of the same, and popped it up on fun foam on a cream shimmer card base that matches the snowflakes quite well.

Please come and join us at CAS Christmas between now and August 24th.  For inspiration, check out the cards by the rest of the Design Team and our wonderful Guest Designer, Michelle (of Seashell Creations).

I'm also linking up my card over at The 12 Months of Christmas challenge "Sparkle, Glitter, and Bling".

Supplies:

Ink - SU Bashful Blue

Paper - mixed media, blue glitter, and cream shimmer cs

Size - 5.75" square

Accessories - homemade snowflake stencil, Cosmic Shimmer Frosty Dawn Sparkle paste, Cutplorations sentiment die, fun foam