CHRISTMAS COLOUR CHALLENGE

Christmas Card Throwdown definitely has a different and non-traditional challenge this week.  After some thought, decided on a wreath for the focus for my card.

Began by die cutting a bunch of leaf sprays in different shades of aqua.  Die cut a very slim circle for the base and then arranged the leaves in three layers.  Added red sequins with aqua seed beads for the "berries".  Used an impression plate for some texture on the card base (4"x5.5") and then added the wreath - offset so it would be off the left side a bit.  Lastly added the sentiment and done!
 

I'm pleased with the way my card turned out and also that I added another one to my stash!

 

SKETCH CARD

I very rarely create a card for a sketch challenge - don't know why - maybe because they're too complicated or it just doesn't trip my trigger.  This week's sketch from Freshly Made Sketches really appealed to me.

I began by die cutting, stamping and embossing some leaves.  Then I stamped and white embossed the same leaves in the corner of my A2 card base.  Left the stamp in my MISTI.  Diecut the stitched square and put it back in the MISTI so it would line up with the card base.  Stamped and embossed this and also the sentiment.  Temporarily adhered the square to the card base while I arranged and glued down the leaves.  Then, using foam tape, adhered square to card base.  Added the little sequins for some pizazz and done.  

Thanks for visiting today and always love to read your kind comments.

SANTA

The new challenge for July at CAS Christmas is "Santa".  I have one Santa stamp and one die - so not too much of anything for starters!!

Decided to use this very old stamp from Jane Doodles and began by coloring him.  Didn't like it.  Tried various designs in black and white - didn't like those either.  Finally went with the gray/blue cs in a light and darker shade.  The snowflake embossing folder is from Sizzix and also very old.  After embossing I went over the raised parts with white ink.  The frame around Santa is some silver metallic and the sentiment is from the same set as the Santa stamp.  After assembling, I added clear sequins and done!

I am also entering my card at Die Cut Divas where the theme is "Christmas in July".

 

Thanks for stopping by.

SUNFLOWERS

Thought some sunflowers would be a good focal point for Felicita's board this week for the TicTacToe Challenge.  I went down the right side with friendship, any color and any shape die.

Used a sunflower stencil that is meant to make a regular slimline card, but cut it down for a mini slimline (3.25"x6.25").  Inked the flower and added the stamped part of the sentiment and the large "big hugs" die.  Black Nuvo dots in the center of the sunflowers finished off the card.

Hope you'll join our challenge this week for a chance to win a guest spot in a future challenge.  Crafty Hugs!

 

O CHRISTMAS TREE

The challenge this week at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown is dry embossing.  I also just discovered another Christmas Challenge (Christmas Craft Creations) and will also enter my card there as the theme is trees.  Have had this fun folder and never used it so decided to have a go with it.

Used some cream metallic cs for my embossing and also for the Christmas tree which I trimmed with some gold sequins.  The tree was die cut four times to layer up for some dimension.  Added the little sentiment and done!

 

Also am entering my card at Darnell's NBUS challenge as I have never used the Christmas tree embossing folder.

 
Thanks for stopping by and always love to read your kind comments.

CONEFLOWERS

I made card today for the Just Add Ink challenge which wants us to "just add flowers" - not too difficult for me!

I'm using an idea from one of Jennifer's recent videos which was about combining products and I also used her card layout idea.  The coneflowers and leaves were stamped with a dotted stamp using a darker color ink than the paper.  Difficult to see in the photo but the card base was impressed with a circle impression plate and then there's ink blending around the flowers.  Used black Nuvo drops on the centers of the flowers.  Added the little sentiment and done!  The completed card fits in an A2 envelope.

 

Thanks for visiting me today and always love to read your kind comments.

 

CAS CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE

I haven't entered the CAS Christmas Challenge in ages and when it began again this month with "wreath" as the theme, I wanted to do something a little different - and it took me the whole month to figure it out!!  Decided on a heart wreath and a non-traditional A2 size card.

 

A few weeks ago Jennifer Mcguire did a video on combining different products - but what I took away from it was the design for my card.  The card base is 3.25"x5.50" and the whole card will fit into an A2 envelope.  I used desert storm for the card base and The Greetery's boxwood wreath.  Nuvo drops were added for berries and the background was spattered with gold metallic watercolor.  To make sure my card would fit I lined up the right edge of the card base on a ruler on the 4.25" mark and then lined up the wreath on the left so it would hang off the edge at the 0 mark.

Thanks for stopping by and always enjoy reading your kind comments.

 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

 Just a quick card for Father's Day.

The large letters were cut from white and then mounted on a black card base.  Added the sentiment and a sprig of green and done.

ANOTHER QUILT

Designed another quilt card with my new quilt dies for LeAnne's TicTacToe Challenge #166.  I chose some wonderful patterned paper for my quilt pieces to create my card using the center row down - die cut, square and twine.  

After doing a couple of these cards, the paper pieced quilt was not difficult and really fun to design.  Love how my square quilt for the TTT board came together.  Added the little vellum tag and a twine bow and done.

Hope you'll enter our challenge this week and have a chance to a guest designer on one of our future challenges.  Crafty hugs!

 

 

HELLO

Joanne created a wonderful board for your inspiration this week on the TicTacToe Challenge #164.  I went across the bottom with (lots of) flowers, (a little bit of) twine and (a vellum tag) free.

I stamped in black and used a stencil to color the lovely bouquet.  Then I added more definition with colored pencils.  The little vellum tag with a twine bow finished it off.  My card is a mini slimline - 3.25"x6.25".

I hope you will find some inspiration from Joanne's board and design a card for our challenge this week.  You have until 1 PM on 9 June to enter your creation for a chance to be a guest designer on a future challenge.  Crafty hugs!

 

SENDING BIRTHDAY WISHES

I love tictactoe challenges and this one from The Paper Players was a perfect way to rev up my lost mojo.  I went down the left side of the grid with birthday, slimline and die cut.  I CASE(d) one of my own cards.

The peony 3D embossing folder makes such an easy and dramatic card front.  I trimmed that piece to 2.75"x5.75" and added to a mini slimline card base - 3.25"x6.25".  To create the deep embossing I wiped the front and back of the cardstock with a baby wipe before embossing (a "Jennifer" trick).  Added the gold die cut "Sending" along with the birthday sentiment and a few sequins and done.

Thanks for coming by and always love to read your kind comments.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

I decided to make myself a birthday card for the TicTacToe Challenge this week as today is my birthday and I am also the designer for this week's board.

From the board I used the diagonal from left to right - die cut, free and large sentiment.  Had fun arranging the pinks and oranges for the letters.  The "happy" is stacked up four deep and just slipped those sweet little posies behind the letters.
 

I hope you will find some inspiration from my board and design a card for our challenge this week.  Crafty hugs!

 

QUILT

My niece gave me the most fabulous quilt (the large blue one) as a housewarming gift and when I saw Concord & 9th new quilt die, I had to have it to make her a thank you card.  This card is not the card I sent her, but one done in pastels.  She does her quilts in bold colors and in non-traditional patterns and has won many prizes and has been published recently in a quilt book.

I really had fun sorting out the patterned papers for my card and in the end had enough cuts to make two cards.  I'll wait until I need a card to put a sentiment either on the front or inside.

Thanks for stopping by and always love to read your kind comments.

TICTACTOE #160

Vicki has the honors this week in bringing our TicTacToe #160 for your challenge - and a great board it is!!

I went down the left side with white on white, silver and die cut.

I heat embossed with silver the flower and then fussy cut.  Used a square stitched die for the background of the square silver die cut (it's silver metallic paper - sorry you can't see the shine in the photo).  Shading was added to the flowers and leaves with a soft gray Zig watercolor marker.  Added all to a white card base for the white on white requirement.  

Hope you'll find some inspiration from this week's board and enter our challenge.

 

ALTENEW ACADEMY CLASS

After spending the past two previous months packing and unpacking, organizing cupboards, arranging furniture, and everything else that goes along with a big move (big in so many ways!) - I decided to take an Altenew Academy class to restart my crafting.  The class was only four days and for each of the days I created a card.  I already knew most of the techniques, but the class forced me to create every day.  Each of my cards was inspired by a card the instructors had made.  I am not going into details about each card - just will mention the particular technique.

alcohol markers

 

 

masking

stencils

 

was supposed to be watercoloring, but I didn't feel like watercoloring so just made a card using the same products as Jennifer
 

All the info about the class is here. 

 

Thanks for stopping by and always love to read your kind comments.

 

TICTACTOE CHALLENGE#158

Felicita has a great board of inspiration for you at the TicTacToe Challenge.  I went across the bottom with free, die cut and stencil.  Actually used several of the other elements from the board also - ink blending, layers, florals.

I used a stencil from SSS - bouquet of roses.  Ink blended the flowers and leaves first and then removed the stencil and blended more color over them.  The sentiment is layered up three times.  White dots in the flower centers and a few veins in the leaves finished my card.  My card is a mini slimline - 3.25"x6.25.

Looking forward to seeing your entries in our challenge this week.

HAPPY EASTER

Bunny is going to Easter dinner today to help decorate the table.  

I have seen this cute bunny on so many cards, but decided to use him as a little table decor for each place setting for Easter dinner.  Once I had the design figured out, it was easy to mass produce them.

I have spent the last month unpacking boxes in my new home in Texas.  Finally have my craft room pretty well organized.  Bought new boxes for storing stamps, dies, stencils and embossing folders.  Will post some photos when it's all finished. One bit of advice is to take pictures of how your crafts are arranged if and when you ever move.  Would have been so much easier to set up again.

Hope you all have a blessed Easter.