CHRISTMAS TREE

I didn't take the latest Online Card Class, but have seen some cards on IG and FB using some of the techniques.  One that caught my eye was using a background die, adhering it to a piece of cardstock and then die cutting a shape (at least I think that's what was done!).

 

I die cut a HA die in gold and adhered to a piece of silver cardstock.  Then I die cut the tree.  Die cut the tree again on white cs and adhered to a silver card base.  Glued the gold and silver pieces in, embossed the sentiment in gold and done.  This was a twofer as I was able to get two cuts from the gold and silver background.  

Thanks for stopping by.

 

NATURE CHRISTMAS CARDS

After a week of cleaning and reorganizing all my card stuff, I was really ready to be creative today.  Found some dies I hadn't used in ages and also some I'd never used.  Addicted to CAS has nature as it's theme this month and I needed to keep adding to the Christmas card stash.

On my top card, I used two old favorites - perched reed bird and grove branch - both old Memory Box dies.  I embossed a snowy background and added the silver branch and red bird.  Stamped the sentiment in black and clear embossed - the sentiment is a new one from Hero Arts.

Same snowy background and sentiment on my second card.  Die cut the trees for the first time ever and added the stag.  Two easy and CAS cards for Christmas!

 Thanks for stopping by.

 

CELEBRATE

There's a great board created by Felicita up on the TicTacToe Challenge today.  I chose birthday, free and balloon for my card today - always love that free space in the center.

This was a pretty fast and easy card - a few die cuts and some pretty patterned paper.  You could always create a similar background with swiping ink colors or cutting strips of color.   It's a mini slimline - 3.25x6.5.  Added a few gold sequins to finish with some glitz!

The winner of our challenge this week will be a future guest designer.  Thanks for stopping by today.

BIRTHDAY BACKGROUND

You will get a lot of bang for your buck with the Hero Arts Birthday Message cover plate die!  Not only was I able to make two cards with my designs today, I had letters left over to make a third card.  My cards today are in keeping with our A Blog Named Hero Challenge this month which is background basics.

I die cut the cover plate from pp and black on my first card.  I adhered the pp cut atop a copper metallic card base.  Then adhered the black piece over that - shifted it to give a shadow effect and trimmed off a bit of overhang. The copper card base give a great bit of shine to the card.

For my second card I used a black card base.  Die cut the orange piece of cs and trimmed to 4x5.25 and glued on top of the black.  Then glued all the orange letters back in place, then the black letters on top and then the patterned letters for the final layer - nice raised texture. These will make great fall birthday cards in these colors.

There's still time to enter this month's challenge on Instagram (#abnhaugustchallenge) and have a chance to win one of two gift cards from Hero Arts.

Thanks for stopping by today.

PERFECTLY PERFECT

TicTacToe#126 has a fun "back to school" theme designed by LeAnne.  My card is going to my granddaughter, Katie, who is coming all the way from England to play beach volleyball for Stetson University in DeLand, FL.  She'll be visiting me for a few days before school starts and I plan to give her this card with a few $$ tucked inside.  When she was little, we went to see the stage musical of Mary Poppins and I always told her she was perfectly perfect from the song - hence the sentiment.

 

I went down the right side of the board with sentiment, ABC's and yellow.  First created the bookmark with some Graphics 45 ABC paper from ages ago.  Then made the mini slimline base, embossed the red paper with an alphabet coverplate, made the little band to hold the bookmark and done.  I think it turn out perfectly perfect!!

I am also entering this at The Day Of the Month Challenge where the theme is "book lovers".

Thanks for dropping by today.

 

BIRTHDAY STRIPES

Another coneflower card - this time using stripes as an entry for the Seize the Birthday Challenge.

This is a mini slimline card - 6.25x3.25.  Made my coneflower with various shades of cardstock and then blending darker inks on top for some contrast.  Added gold metallic dots on the flower center.  Put it all together with some striped paper, a black outline rectangle, sentiment and sequins.

Thanks for stopping by.

BOOK LOVERS

Found a new challenge to enter via my friends, Linda and Gundi.  It's the Day of the Month Challenge and this month the theme is Book Lovers Day.

I won this stamp and never have used it - just couldn't think of a way to design a card around it - so this challenge made me do it.  First stamped and colored it with my Zigs and then fussy cut.  Found this really old scripty paper in my stash and thought it would be a perfect background for the books.  Blended a bit of brown around the edges for a vintage look, added the sentiment and a few little hearts and done.

Thanks for stopping by.

BATS

Festive Friday's prompts were the inspiration for my card - bats, night, black, silver, emboss, moon.  I will also enter my card at Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge - anything goes.

 

The background is some pp I've had for ages - thought the spooky night scene was perfect for a starter.  I added a silver moon and some sparkly bats along with the little embossed silver sentiment.  Used silver Wink of Stella on the bats - very difficult to photograph effectively tho.  One more card for the Halloween stash!
 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

CONEFLOWERS

My card today is for two challenges - Color Throwdown (gray, tan and white) and The Flower Challenge (use a die and option slimline).

My card is actually a mini slimline (3.25x6.5).  I die cut the flower base in white and and shaded with pumice stone DO.  Assembled with the tan flower center which was shaded with brushed corduroy DO.  Embossed a piece of light gray cs with the 3D daisy and put it all together with a little sentiment embossed in white.

Thanks for stopping by today.

FLORAL GARDEN BACKGROUND

Backgrounds take center stage this month at A Blog Named Hero.  Chose the lovely Flower Garden coverplate die for my card today.

 

First made a smooshed a piece of watercolor paper with wilted violet, peacock feathers and picked raspberry DI and when dry, die cut it.  Then die cut three more of the coverplate with white cs and layered it all up.  Used copic markers to add some green on the leafy areas and give more definition to some of the flowers.  Added this to a white card base and framed in white.  The sentiment was stamped in black and clear embossed.

Be sure to join our challenge gallery on Instagram- (#ABNHAugustchallenge) for a chance to win one of two Hero Arts gift cards.

TICTACTOE CHALLENGE #124

Joanne has created a great challenge board for us this week at The TicTacToe Challenge.  I went straight down the middle with flower, patterned paper and ombre.

My yellow ombre background is actually patterned paper from a delightful pad from Pinkfresh Studio.  I first die cut my floral die from the pp and then from a piece of heavy white cs.  Poked out all the pieces from the white cut and glued to a white card base.  Then I did the "puzzle piecing" of all the yellow and white bits.  To finish off I added the black sentiment and some enamel dots in shades of yellow.

I actually was able to make two cards from the pp die cut.

Adhered the die cut piece to a white card base and using a yellow copic marker colored in the center of the largest flower.  Added the sentiment and a few enamel dots and I had a twofer!!

 

I hope you'll join our challenge this week and you will have a change to become a guest designer.  See you in the gallery.

 

HALLOWEEN CAT

A last minute entry for the TwoOldBats Halloween challenge.  I used one of the photos as inspiration.

 

First I made my blended background with various DO inks.  Then stamped the leafy background and blended some darker inks on the bottom to ground the scene.  Spattered all with some water before adding the pumpkin and cat.

 Thanks for visiting today.

 

POINSETTIA

I felt like a little ink smooshing today and created a background with some Karin markers in purple, blues and pink.  Then decided to go for a non-traditional color card for the CAS Christmas Challenge (poinsettia).

After creating my background and spattering with water, white gouache and gold, I embossed the poinsettia and highlighted it with white pigment ink and a finger dauber.  Also added some of the gold metallic paint to the poinsettia centers.  Mounted on a white card base along with the little sentiment and a few gold sequins.

I am also entering my card at Watercooler Wednesday where the theme is "all about occasions".

Thanks for stopping by today.

 

TWO MORE CHRISTMAS CARDS

Managed to make two more cards inspired by the Card Maker Success Summit from last week.  

 

I don't remember who did this design except that she used a wreath stencil and layered various shades of green.  Since I didn't have a wreath stencil, I die cut three wreaths in greens and layered them together.  Otherwise I used the layout of the original card along with a "Merry Christmas" sentiment and a different sub sentiment.

This card was inspired by Justine Hovey - again adapted her idea to the supplies I owned.  I gold embossed the single gold star and used die cuts for the snow and trees - Justine did mostly all blending for her scene.  Happy with both of these.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

FRAMED

I love many of the digi designs available, but my printer won't take anything heavier than 80# paper - so coloring the designs is pretty limited.  Fell in love with this one from Alex Syberia and again no luck in coloring.  Saw somewhere just using the black and white (sorry can't remember where) and made this card for Seize the Birthday - "framed" is the theme.

Made a frame using two rectangle slimline dies to frame the digi background.  Die cut the sentiment from some patterned paper and shadowed it in black.  Added the little "happy" and a few black enamel dots and done!

Thanks for stopping by today.

I have been following along with the Card Maker Success Summit this week which is focused on Christmas in July.  It's been interesting and tremendous effort by Brandi Mahon to produce.  As with any workshop that I attend, there are parts I like, don't like, or just am not interested in - but I always figure if I take away one or two good things, it's been worthwhile.  So far have made three cards and have a couple of more that I'm going to try.

 

Laurie Willison made a stenciled card, but I didn't have any of the products she used - so improvised.  Her card was a one layer card using a rectangle stencil to make a white border.  I just cut out a rectangle and stamped my leaves and berries in light gray ink and then colored with pencils.  Used a striped stencil to make the background.  Added a few gold sequins, the little sentiment and some glossy accents to the berries.  Layered up my stamped piece and adhered to a white card base and done.

Therese Calvird made a lovely poinsettia card (doesn't she always!!!).  I made two cards from her idea.

I first watercolored a pink and green piece of wc cardstock-wanted enough for two cards.  After die cutting and layering my poinsettias together, I made the backgrounds.  Used the individual petal dies to dry emboss the background on the top card and a stencil for the second card.  A few gold sequins and a sentiment completed both.  I will enter my second card at CAS Christmas Challenge where the theme is poinsettia.

 Thanks for stopping by - hope you have a good week.