EMBOSSING, A STAMP AND A STAG

Two CAS masculine Christmas cards today for several challenges - Christmas Kickstart (embossing folder and a stamp), Let's Squash It (embossing folder and a stamp) and CASology (stag).

Embossed a white piece of cs with my new SSS Forest Border ef and sprayed with some shimmer spray and stamped the "peace" (retired HA) sentiment.  Mounted on a gray card base and added the stag (retired IO die).  The darker spots on the background are where the shimmer spray was a little thick - looks fine IRL but not so much in a photo.

I made another center fold card - had to run it through the machine all folded but it worked out pretty well.  Smudged ink over the foreground trees and added the sentiment and stag and done!

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SPARKLE CHRISTMAS TAGS

I decided to make some Christmas tags for our A Blog Named Hero "glitter/sparkle" challenge this month.

Began by die cutting some tags from kraft cs, giving them an embossed background and using some brown ink on the edges for some definition.  Had the little wooden snowflakes in my stash for ages and they became my sparkle element.  I smooshed them into my Versamark pad, liberally covered them with gold glitter powder and heat embossed.  The "Merry" sentiment was die cut from glitter paper and the "Merry Christmas" sentiment was stamped in black and clear heat embossed for some more shine.

Add some sparkle to your cards and enter them here for a chance to win one of two gift vouchers from Hero Arts!

I am entering the snowman tag at Christmas Kickstart (embossing and a stamp) and also at Let's Squash It (embossing and a stamp).

Thanks for stopping by today.

STAG

Here's a fun fold card that looks rather complicated, but once you get the hang of it, it's quite easy.  Check out this video if you'd like to have a go at making a card like this.  I made my card for the current CASology challenge which has the cue word "stag".  Maybe it could have been more CAS, but I was happy with the way it turned out.

Everything I used on my card is pretty old - the patterned paper background is from Target a few years ago, the stag is from Ellen Hutson and not sure about the rest.  This card is an A2 and folds quite flat.  I used some Nuvo drops for the little red berries on the wreath.

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BIRTHDAY YELLOW AND KRAFT

Kraft and yellow are the colors for The Color Hues Challenge and Seize the Birthday Challenge wants one die cut, two colors and three embellishments.

My kraft background was 3D embossed and smudged over with a little white ink.  I stamped my flower on yellow cs, colored in with a little bit of copic marker and die cut.  Added a bit of gold thread and two enamel dots for my three embellishments.

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TIC TAC TOE CHALLENGE 090

Ashwini is the designer of our TTT board this week and I chose down the right side - sequins, wreath and neutral color.

I made my wreath with leaf stamps and dies from The Ton. The leaves were stamped in gold, watercolored and die cut.  Added some berries die cut from gold paper and adhered a few gold sequins.  For my background, I used a stitched circle die and embossed it into some pale gray cardstock.  Stamped the "Joy" in gold before adding the wreath which is popped up with some foam tape.

So many fun items from which to choose - have a go and enter your card here.

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CHRISTMAS (NON-TRADITIONAL)

 3-D embossing folders are being featured lately by several stamp companies along with ideas for using them.  Yana Smakula had some great inspiration this past week and so I had to have a go.

I first embossed my flower background and then smudged white pigment ink lightly over the top of the raised areas.  That piece was mounted on rose gold metallic cs and then onto a navy card base.  Cut the "joy" from the same rose gold and the "to the world" from the same color as the background.   After I had the design all figured out, it was a pretty simple card.

I am entering my card at CAS Christmas (non-traditional colours), Darnel's NBUS (first time using the ef), Virginia's Show and Share and The Flower Challenge (use a sentiment).

Thanks for stopping by.

OCTOBER CARD CHAIN CHALLENGE

My October card was sent to Elena in Ohia. I used the suggested colors of pumpkin, chocolate and cherry and made a friendship card for her.

I began by stamping the flower background in black on watercolor and then clear embossing.  Pulled out various DI inks in oranges, reds and a little yellow and green.  Put the color on my glass mat, spritzed with a little water and used a small piece of acetate to pick up the color and add where I wanted it.  Wasn't too careful if the colors ran over a bit.  Dried between layers until I was happy with the results.  Cut the piece down and layered onto a dark brown mat with a foam backing.  Added to a card base along with the sentiment and done.

The Card Challenge is always so fun and you can meet new friends from all over the world.  Join the November challenge here.

Thanks for stopping by today.

SEE THROUGH ELEMENT CARD

This month our A Blog Named Hero Challenge is to include a "see through element".  Obviously, one of the ways is a shaker card, but I wanted to create something a little different.  Jennifer McGuire has a fun card that is "see through" and also a pop-up and I went with that design.  I also found this video which has quite a few ideas for more "see through" cards and if you google "Jennifer McGuire+see through cards" you'll find more ideas.  On my blog is another kind of see through which I made years ago.

I stamped my blossoms on watercolor paper in versamark and heat embossed in gold.  Then I loosely watercolored the flowers and leaves - quick and easy with watercolor markers - lay down the pure color and soften with clear water - I did do several layers of color.  Then I die cut with the matching die.  I assembled my card per Jennifer's instructions but altered the size of the window to fit my blooms and also had to fiddle around with the dimensions of the pop-up strip inside.

Be sure to enter our "see through element" challenge this month for a chance to win a gift certificate from Hero Arts.

Thanks for dropping by.

TIC TAC TOE CHALLENGE 088

 Here's a bit of inspiration for you today as part of the latest Tic Tac Toe Challenge.  I went across the center with autumn, any color (copper) and a thankful sentiment.

I used some patterned paper mounted on a copper mat for my background which I added to a kraft slimline card.  Die cut the leaves from the same copper paper.  Added them and the little tag and done. 

Am sure you'll find some inspiration from the fun board created by Felicita - create your card add it here.

Thanks for visiting today.

LETTERPRESS FLORAL FANTASY

Earlier this week, Jennifer McGuire did a post on a letterpress technique using layering dies.  It looked so fun and easy that I had to give it a go!  It was a little more labor intensive than I thought it would be, but am pleased with my result.  I made three cards and can always make more now that I have the template made.

I used Altenew's Floral Fantasy dies to make the letterpress elements.  Used watercolor paper (my cheapo stuff worked fine) and various pink and green inks.  Found some pink cs for a matte and added it to a pale gray card base.  A few sequins and a sentiment finished it.

I am entering this at Seize the Birthday (texture) - difficult to see in the photo, but this technique really adds wonderful texture to a card.

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SPOOKY HALLOWEEN

I love making Halloween cards and have two slimline cards for the new ModSquad Challenge (spooky Halloween).  I am also entering my top card at "Stay Crafty with Hero Arts" - create a holiday slimline card.  I'm presuming Halloween counts.

On my top card I used a haunted house die from Hero Arts mounted on some patterned paper.  Did some ink blending with black soot DO around the base of the house and the moon, added the bats and the ghost peeking out of the door and done.  My second card uses the SSS and Kitchen Sink Stamptember collaboration stamps.  I just used the pumpkin and leaves from the set.  Masked off the pumpkin and leaves to do the ink blending and also around the moon.  Spattered with a few water droplets for added interest.  The cat and bats are die cuts - looking at it now that bat looks big enough to eat the cat!!  I CASED my own card for this card.

Thanks for stopping by today.

PUMPKIN BOUQUET

I finally received my Jack O' Lantern pumpkin dies from Hero Arts yesterday and have had the idea for my card in my head since I ordered them.

I had the watercolored leaves done and waiting to be arranged in my pumpkin vase.  Made my background by stenciling the leaf stencil by Pretty Pink Posh onto a kraft card base with DO ink.  Die cut my pumpkin, added a little brown ink around the edges and popped it up with some foam tape.  Arranged my leaves, added a little sentiment and done.

I am entering my card Color Throwdown (orange, kraft and black),  at CAS Mix-Up (tone on tone stenciled background) and at ModSquad Challenge Blog (pumpkin).

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TONE ON TONE STENCILING

The October challenge at CAS Mix-UP is to do tone on tone stenciling - a technique I have never done.  So today I gave it a whirl and made two cards.

I used the same technique on both cards - stenciling first with a light color (champagne metallic), shifting the stencil and stenciling over with a darker color (DI brushed corduroy).  On the top card I used Pretty Pink Posh's autumn leaves and on the bottom I used Artplorations autumn falling.  I felt the bottom card needed a little something extra, so used an old Hero Arts maple leaf and stamped over the tone on tone in a dark gray ink.  I added some simple berry die cuts on the top card for a little added interest.  A little sentiment finished both cards.

I am also entering my first card in the NBUS challenge as I've never used the autumn leaves stencil.

Thanks for stopping by today.