Wise Men for the Nativity Challenge

A reminder about the CAS Christmas challenge "Nativity" ending on July 24th.

Like the card I posted for the opening of the challenge, I'm using another stamp I picked up at a second hand sale so I have no idea who made it.

I stamped it in Archival ink on watercolour paper, painted it, trying to create a glow around the Christmas star.  Trimmed it, popped it up on fun foam, and went over the stars with a gold gel pen.  Very quick and easy.

Please check out the reminder cards by some of the other Design Team members at CAS Christmas.  We'd love to have you join us!

Supplies:
Stamps - Stampendous Nativity Christmas
Ink - Archival Jet Black
Paper - PTI Vintage Cream cs, watercolour paper
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, gold gel pen, fun foam

A String of Stars

The Jingle Belles Challenge wants Stars and / or Stripes.  I love stars on Christmas cards so got out a long neglected older stamp.

I stamped and heat embossed the string of stars, trimmed the panel, bordered it with gold glitter cs, popped it up on fun foam, added a die cut sentiment out of the same gold glitter cs, and added tiny gold star stickers to the centres of each star.

Supplies:
Stamps - unknown old stamp
Ink - ColorBox Gold
Paper - Gina K Pure Ivory cs, gold glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - tiny star stick-ons, Papermania Tinsel Gold embossing powder, Tattered Lace sentiment die, fun foam

Gold Nativity

Oh my goodness, it's already time for the new CAS Christmas challenge!  And this month, Marcia is our host and wants to see "Nativity" as our theme.

I went with a very CAS card, especially in the "simple" meaning of CAS.  It would be a great one to mass produce as it was quite quick to make.

I put the stamp in my MISTI and stamped it a couple of times to get a good impression and then heat embossed in gold.  Likewise the sentiment.

I did not have a gold cs that matched the embossing powder well enough so I cut my bordering panel, used an embossing dauber on the four edges, and heat embossed it with the same gold powder as I used for the image.

Popped the panel up on fun foam as I always think that makes the card more interesting and adds quality to it.

Please come and join us at CAS Christmas.  There is lots of inspiration from the Design Team and this month's wonderful Guest Designer, Jane (Purplejet Loves Crafts).  You have until July 24th to enter.

The image is a stamp I picked up at a second hand sale and it had no label on it, so I've no idea who made it - if anyone knows, please let me know.

Supplies:
Stamps - unknown nativity stamp, Rubber Soul sentiment
Ink - ColorBox gold
Paper - Gina K ivory cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Ranger Princess Gold embossing powder, embossing dauber, fun foam

A Masculine Sympathy Card

For The Male Room challenge - "Use Die Cuts":

I used a tree die cut which seems appropriate for a sympathy card for a male friend.

I rustled through my box of backgrounds and found one in muted blues and greens suitable for a masculine card.  It was created with the rolling marble technique (see here for a tutorial).  I didn't have any regular round marbles so used the slightly irregular-shaped florists' marbles. I seemed to end up with more blotches than the results the tutorial shows with regular marbles.

I trimmed it down to the size I wanted and popped it up on fun foam. I die cut the tree out of brown cs and sponged the edges with Gathered Twigs ink to give a bit of definition. I added a white heat embossed sentiment over the trunk.

Supplies:
Stamps - Great Impressions sentiment
Ink - ColorBox white;  Distress Gathered Twigs;  Distress reinkers - Old Paper, Faded Jeans; ColorBox white
Paper - white and brown cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Impression Obsession Bare Tree die, white embossing powder, florists' marbles, fun foam

A Penny Black Favourite Stamp

Sneaking in under the wire for the Penny Black and More Challenge "Favourite Stamps" and for the June Rudolph Days challenge.

My favourite Penny Black stamps are the adorable dogs that very much look like spaniels (and most of you know I have an English Cocker Spaniel - my third of that wonderful breed).

Easy CAS card - stamped, watercoloured, trimmed with a circle die, bordered in green shimmer cs, and placed on a white shimmer card base.

I coloured the dog in the colouring of Will, my previous spaniel as the dog's pose and activity made me think more of him, than of my current spaniel.  Will died almost two years ago but I still miss that dear quirky fellow.  Here he is doing what he loved best, fetching balls at the beach in his young active days:

And an older, more serious pose:

Thanks for looking at my card and photos and sharing my memories!

Supplies:
Stamps - Penny Black
Ink - Archival Jet Black
Paper - watercolour paper, green and white shimmer cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - watercolour paints, Lil Inker stitched circle die, MFT wonky stitched circle die

Repeat Day

The Day of the Month Club has a fun challenge "Repeat Day".  You have to use a stamp repeatedly.

I put the wildflower stamp in my MISTI and inked up with Distress Weathered Wood, then spritzed with water and stamped onto watercolour paper. I moved the stamp over and repeated twice more.

Then I used black pigment ink and embossing powder for the clear sharp black image of the flower and for the sentiment.

Thanks for coming by.  I hope everyone had a good weekend.

Supplies:
Stamps - TH wildflower, PTI sentiment
Ink - Distress Weathered Wood, Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, ivory cs
Size - A2
Accessories - clear embossing powder, fun foam, Spellbinders layering rectangle die