A Dog in a Santa Hat and a Starry Wreath

Christmas Craft Creations want us to "Add a Hat", Double D want "Christmas Animals", and Cardz 4 Guyz want "Festive Creatures".  I used a never-before-used stamp for the card so it's going off to NBUS as well.

I was inspired by the right hand images in the Double D mood board to use a new Colorado Craft Co.  I watercoloured the dog in the colours of my English cocker as the image made me think of her!  Then trimmed it with dotted pierced rectangle die, layered it over copper cs, and popped it up on fun foam on a red card base.  I added fun flock to the brim and pompom of the hat.

The ABC Christmas Challenge is "W for Wreath".  Instead of a traditional greenery wreath, I used a star wreath.  I used up several snippets of papers so I'm adding it to the Snippets Challenge.

On the left side of my card base, I added a strip of dp bordered by thin strips of gold shimmer cs and stamped a gold heat embossed sentiment to the right side.

I die cut the star wreath three times - twice out of of white cs and once out of Tim Holtz gold glitter peel-off paper. I stacked the three together and added it over the dp / card base / sentiment

  

 

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Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Colorado Craft Co. dog, Penny Black sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, copper and red cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Sizzix dotted rectangle die, watercolour paints, fun flock, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - unknown sentiment
Ink - ColorBox Gold
Paper - gold shimmer and white cs, SEI dp, TH gold glitter peel-off paper
Size - A2
Accessories - gold embossing powder, unknown star wreath

A Sad Card and Two Christmas Cards

First of all today, for Festive Friday "International Animal Rights Day", a dog sympathy card to have on hand. 

For Festive Friday, you have to choose at least 3 things from their list - I chose animal, supportive sentiment, texture (the embossing folder), neutral colours, and animal patterns (the paw prints).

I did a letterpress technique on the embossing folder by running dark grey ink over the raised area of the folder before embossing.  The dog and the sentiment are stamped in black.  The condolences sentiment is inside the card.

Next up, Can You Handle the Pressure? challenge wants dry embossing with a twist of Christmas, and Shopping our Stash "Splish Splash" (use a water medium - I used Magicals, a powder that is activated with water).  My best friend always asks me to make her several Christmas cards with a dove / peace theme.

The background was made with the embossed toilet paper technique.  I layered 5 squares of toilet paper, misting with water in between each one and again on the top layer.  I placed it inside a script embossing folder and ran it through my Cuttlebug.

Then I took a piece of mixed media cs, sprinkled it with Magicals and spritzed with water.  When dry, I stamped and heat embossed the dove on it and then fussy cut.  The sentiment was die cut out of the same piece.  I created a frame with a pierced die, cut twice and layered for more substance.  I find using a frame of some sort over a toilet paper background prevents the edges from coming apart.

The embossed toilet paper has a wonderful feel of homemade paper.  For more ideas for using it, see this video and this tutorial.

For both this card and the first one, I used some cs I bought at a paper outlet.  I don't know what brand it is but the colour is labelled "chalk" - it's a great neutral colour.  I have a big pack of it so I'm sure it will show up often!

A threefer today!  For AAA Cards Challenge "Black, White, and Gold" and My Time to Craft Christmas "Snowflakes":

I started by using gesso to stencil the snowflake on black cs to create a resist for my stamping, then stamped the Christmas script background stamp over it in gold. I replaced the snowflake stencil and sponged gold ink through it.  I splattered with a bit of white acrylic paint and trimmed the panel.  I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment in white on vellum and wrapped it around the panel, then popped the panel up with fun foam on a gold shimmer card base.

   

       

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - SU dog, Technique Junkies sentiment
Ink - SSS Intense Black, Versafine Clair Morning Mist
Paper - chalk cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Spellbinders rectangles, unknown embossing folder

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - unknown dove stamp
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - toilet paper, chalk cs, mixed media cs
Size - 5.25" square
Accessories - Sizzix embossing folder, blue Magicals, clear embossing powder, MFT pierced square frame, TH peace die

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - unknown Christmas script stamp, Stampabilities sentiment
Ink - gold and white ink
Paper - gold shimmer cs, black cs, vellum
Size - A2
Accessories - snowflake stencil, gesso, white embossing powder, white acrylic paint, fun foam

Santa Flying Over Snowflakes

Peace on Earth has a lovely mood board (see below).  The Santa flying in his sleigh on the bottom right inspired me as did the colours and the snowy scene on the top left.

 

The background is a gelli plate done with blue acrylic paint and a snowflake mask.  The Santa and his reindeer are die cut from black cs twice and glued together for more substance.  The sentiment is white heat embossed on black and die cut with a banner die.

 

Please come and join us at Peace on Earth.  You can either be inspired by the mood board or make an "anything Christmas" card.

 

 

Supplies:
Stamps - Penny Black sentiment
Ink - ColorBox white
Paper - mixed media cs, off-white and black cs
Size - A2
Accessories - unknown Santa die, tag die cut, white embossing powder, Memory Box snowflake mask, blue acrylic paint

Under the Wire Again

There are so many great challenges out there but sadly I miss some of the deadlines and then there are these where I just get a card posted in time.

For Christmas Cards All Year Round "Holiday Song or Carol", I chose O Little Town of Bethlehem:

Stamped, coloured with coloured pencils, and a strip of gold tape added down one side for a bit of embellishment.

The Christmas Kickstart Challenge wants "Christmas not as we know it" so I went with some very different looking snowmen:

My friend Bonnie kindly stamped off a few of this image and sent them to me.  This is a variation on one I posted a couple of months ago.  Stamped, watercoloured, bordered in black.

And a threefer today.  Inkspirational wants a card for any of the seasonal holidays so I am posting a Hanukkah one for this one.

I created the focal image by stamping and heat embossing the menorah in silver and die cutting with a circle die.  The background has a flourish and sentiment stamped and heat embossed in blue.   I embellished with little silver jewel stickers on the flourish.

   

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Woodware Peaceful Night
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - white cs
Size - 7.25x3.75"
Accessories - coloured pencils, gold tape

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Rubber Cottage "Snowflakes"
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, off white and black cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - Hero Arts Happy Hanukkah, SU flourish, Rubbernecker Hanukkah sentiment frame
Ink - ColorBox True Blue and Silver
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - clear and silver embossing powders, Dazzles silver jewel stickers, Spellbinders circle and rectangle dies

Smooshing with Cling Wrap

The Group of Seven Cardmakers are using cling wrap with smooshing this month.  Here's my first card:

For this one I used Magicals on black mixed media cs.  Love the sparkle and the texture I got.

I die cut a reindeer out of silver glitter cs and had him leaping off a sentiment die.

Up next:

This card uses Magicals on watercolour paper.  I didn't get as much texture with this one but I do love the colours.  I had to use quite a lot of Magicals and a lot of water to stop the colour getting absorbed too quickly into the watercolour paper.  Loll kindly lent me her reindeer stamp that I've been trying to buy for ages and I stamped and heat embossed it in black.  Luckily I was using my MISTI as it took a lot of repeat inking and stamping to get a good impression on the watercolour paper.  

I wanted to border it in black but all my black cs looked dull next to the shine of the black heat embossing and the sparkly streaks from the Magicals, so I ran Versamark around the edges of a die cut rectangle of cs and then heat embossed with black embossing powder.  It's much more effective as a border.  To continue the shine I used a white shimmer cs for the card base.

Head on over to Group of Seven Cardmakers if you want to see more examples of this technique using different papers and different products.  And feel free to add an example of your own to the linky!

Supplies for card 1:
Paper - black mixed media cs, white cs, silver glitter cs
Size - 7x3.75"
Accessories - aqua Magicals, Penny Black reindeer die, Memory Box sentiment die

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Studio Light
Ink - Versamark, Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, white shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - black and clear embossing powders, blue and mauve Magicals

A Squirrel for Autumn and a Winter Landscape

It seems I'm often sneaking in under the wire for challenges!  Here I go again with two cards.

First up, for The Four Seasons Fall challenge, I was totally inspired by the sweet little squirrel in the bottom right image on their mood board (see below).

I stamped the squirrel on watercolour paper and then again on masking paper - fussy cut the mask and laid it over the squirrel on the watercolour paper. I then stamped the berry branches over the squirrel. Watercoloured, trimmed the panel, bordered with black, added to a cream card base, and went over the berries with Glossy Accents.

I'm sending it to my sister - she's moving and said one of the little things she'll miss (hence the sentiment) is the antics of the squirrels at her present house.

Next up, for Cardz 4 Guyz "A Winter Scene" and 52 Christmas Card Throwdown "Winter Countryside":

I stamped the image, coloured the buildings and trees with alcohol markers, sponged the sky with pearlescent ice blue ink, sprinkled with chunky white embossing powder and heated it from underneath to create the falling snow, and popped the panel up on fun foam on a dark green card base.

   

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - ArtSpecially squirrel, Penny Black berries, Chocolate Baroque sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, black and cream cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, Glossy Accents, masking paper

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Serendipity Winter Farm, SSS sentimen
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne, Brilliance Pearlescent Ice Blue,
Paper - mixed media cs, dark green cs
Size - A2
Accessories - alcohol markers, Stampendous Frantage Chunky White embossing powder, fun foam