Snowmen ...

It is only at this time of the year that I make more than one card of the same design ... but as we get nearer to Christmas it becomes a necessity.  Every year I promise myself to start making Christmas cards earlier and every year I get to December and still need cards ... at least I am predictable!  Today I thought I would share these cards, one design different colours:

A simple design that I could use for multiple cards using different stamp sets and backgrounds.  I first created the background using a stencil and distress inks to create a water colour effect,  The Snowmen were all stamped and heat embossed before colouring with Zig Real Brush markers and then fussy cut to provide a focal point.  The Snowmen were adhered to the card base with foam adhesive for added dimension.

I used:

PaperArtsy - JOFY 17 stamp set

Impression Obsessions Cover a Card Snowflakes Stencil

Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

Distress Inks - Tumbled Glass, Speckled Hen, Salty Ocean

I'm entering the December challenge at Country View Challenges - Anything Christmas.

Stay safe!

Pink and Brown Tag ...

 Another dreary Saturday afternoon ... chilly weather and overcast sky ... and we are still in lockdown!  It makes you wonder when all this is going to end.

I've just made a tag with a colour scheme inspired by the current challenge at Color Hues - this time the choice is Pink and Brown, another colour combination that I don't think I've ever used.  I finally came up with a design for a tag:

I stamped 5 outline circles which I masked before using a collection of small background stamps to add colour and interest to the vertical line - for a grungy effect.  I die cut and stamped 'Christmas' and adhered the panel to the tag with foam pads to add a little dimension.

I used:

Gemini Christmas die and matching stamp set.

CUTplorations Stitch Tag Nesting die

Simon Says Stamp Lots of Dots

Kaisercraft Wood Grain

STAMPlorations Mixed Media

Lawn Fawn Milos ABC

Memento Rich Cocoa ink

Distress inks - Picked Raspberry and Vintage Photo

Ranger Archival Ink - Potting Soil.

Color Hues The Color Challenge #6

Keep Crafting!

Along the edge ...

I've started the week with that Monday morning feeling ... I'm sure I should be doing something useful or important but instead I have been messing around with paper and card.  Even this had me going round in circles ... I did mange to create a couple of cards:

 

Simply die cutting and sticking!

I used:

Various snowflake dies

STAMPlorations - Alpha die; Merry Christmas sentiment die

Gelli print for the snowflakes

I'm entering the current challenge at AAA Cards #179

Keep Safe!

Red and Black ...

Another card for the Christmas card collection ...

 

Lots of stamping and just a pop of red.  I stamped and masked the robin before using two border stamps across the card.  I then masked the border along with a strip down the length of the card before stamping the words.  The robin was water coloured with distress inks.

I used:

Distress Inks - Festive berries and squeezed lemonade

Sheena Douglas Stamp set - A Little Bit Festive

Sentiments from numerous stamp sets.

I'm going to enter the current TIME OUT Challenge #174

Keep Crafting!

Golden Stag ...

Another day, another Christmas card:

 

Another simple design using die cuts and a stamped sentiment. I'm not sure where the stag die came from possibly free with a magazine.

I'm going to enter the new challenge at CASology #378

Take care!

Christmas 2020 ...

 I'm finding it difficult to imagine what Christmas will look like this year ... one thing I do know is that I will still be sending cards to my family and friends, maintaining contact has never been as valuable as it is at the moment! 

As always I'm trying to find that one design that I like enough to make multiples of ... I like the design of this card but it does take more time to create than some of my other designs but on reflection since I retired last November and with lockdowns I do not seem to be short of time!! (I'm often short of motivation though!!)

First, I stamped and heat embossed the seasonal words down the left hand side of the panel before colouring with a wash of distress inks.  I coloured some embossing paste with ink before spreading it through a stencil. As this was trying I die cut the other elements out of a piece of scrap card - the sentiment was die cut numerous times before gluing into a stack.  As I had the supplies on my desk I made a second card with slight changes:

The main difference in this card is that I left the paste white and then sprinkled blue embossing powder on the top and then heat embossed it - this adds a bit of sparkle to the background (unfortunately it doesn't show in the photograph!).

I used:

STAMPlorations - Joyful stampset

Stampin Up - Star Stencil and Not Quite Navy Ink

Ranger Embossing Powder

Distress Inks - Peacock Feathers and Tumbled Glass

I'm entering the following challenge:

TIME OUT Challenge #174

Stay Safe and Keep Crafting!

STAMPlorations November Theme and Photo ...

Wow, here we are November already and time for a new challenge at STAMPlorations Theme and Photo  ... I hope you are ready to join in with the fun.  This month the challenge is:

My project takes inspiration from the photograph of lined images and the stark contrast of black and white, as well as the contrast between line and solid.

I used:

STAMPlorations - Yuletide Deer

CUTplorations - Wonky Stitch Texture Plate; Basic A2 Nesting Dies, Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle

Versafine Onyx Black Ink

(This post contains affiliate links. When you click on them and place an order, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you)

I've been working on my Christmas cards for a couple of months now.  This is the first black and white card for this year ... it did lead me on to making a couple of others but you'll have to wait until the reminder post on 15th November to see those designs!

I hope you are inspired to join in and don't forget to check out the STAMPlorations blog for lots of more designs to inspire and delight from the rest of the Design Team.

Take care!

Blue and Orange ...

 Now this is an interesting colour combination for me and one that I don't think I've ever considered for a Christmas card!!  I was inspired to try this combination by the current challenge at Color Hues: the color card challenge:  I was stuck for ideas especially as I need to concentrate on Christmas cards so just 'went with the flow' ... I cannot decide whether I like the end result or not but here it is:

I heat embossed a background stamp before colouring with a water colour wash using distress inks and oxides.  The geometric stag was also created in the same way before fussy cutting it out.  The blue panel is flat to the card base and the stag is adhered with foam tape to add dimenson.

I used:

STAMPlorations - Yuletide Deer

Tim Holtz - Stripes and Holiday Type

WOW Clear Embossing Powder

Distress Inks and Oxides - Spiced Marmalade and Salty Ocean

UNIKO - Simply Said II

These are the challenge details:

Keep creating ..

Holiday Leaves Take 2 ...

Another two clean and simple cards to add to the Christmas stash - once again created using the Tim Holtz Holiday greens die set.

The top holly one was die cut from a scrap of yupo paper coloured with alcohol ink and some foil.  The red one was from some gel plate printed card.

Simple designs but so easy to create.

Enjoy!

Along the edge ...

More progress today on the Christmas card front ... another six cards made, all different although all created using dies and printed card stock created on my gel plate.  The new challenge at AAA Cards gave me the inspiration for this design:

Mostly die cutting with just the sentiment stamped ... I quite enjoy monochrome cards.

I'm entering the following challenge:

AAA Cards #155


Enjoy!

STAMPlorations Words are centre stage ...

There are times when words should take centre stage and the typografia stamps from STAMPlorations are perfect for this and to showcase these new stamps we are holding a blog hop and giveaway.

It is worth checking out the amazing designs that the team have created and if you leave a comment you will have a chance of winning a prize - so the more you comment the greater the chance that you could win.  I hope my cards will inspire you to check out the stamps.

The poinsetia stamp is from STAMPlorations: Christmas Bell Medley

If you decide to buy some of the stamps you can get an extra 20% off by using the code STAMPGIRLELAINE.

I hope that you'll join in with the blog hop.

Enjoy!

ASTM Holiday Challenge ...

Are you getting ahead with you Christmas cards? What about Halloween? or Thanksgiving? If you haven't made a start yet and need a reason then why not join this week's challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More as it is all about holidays!

As I'm still trying to get ahead with my Christmas cards that is the holiday I'm celebrating ... I know it is only June but we are half way to Christmas!!

A very CAS design - a stamped image coloured with markers and a die cut sentiment.  I would like to say that it was quick to make (something I always look for in a Christmas card) but it seemed to take ages!

I used:

Sheena Douglas - Christmas Visitors Stamp Set

Creative Expressions - Happy Christmas Die

Lawn Cuts - Stitched Rectangles

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Markers.

I hope you'll find the time to join in with the challenge.

Enjoy!

Christmas Wishes ...

A quick post this evening!  I need to get moving on Christmas card production otherwise the final posting days are going to be here and I will not be ready!  I like to come up with a couple of designs that are easy to make ... tonight's card is my first attempt at this year's design - if you've been following my blog for sometime you will recognise last year's colour theme is still popular!

My first indoor photograph for weeks ... not good!

Embossed snowflake and heat embossed sentiment

What you see is what you get!  Apologies for the awful photographs I need to sort my lighting out for the long dark days!

I used:
Stampin Up - Endless Wishes
Uniko - Stunning Snowflakes
Distress Inks - Salty Ocean, Tumbled Glass and Peacock Feathers
Sizzix - Christmas Thinlits

It is One Layer Week this week at "Less is More" with the theme of 'Wishing' - so I think this fits!

Enjoy!

Purple Christmas ...

Good afternoon!  If you've visited my blog recently you have seen the Christmas cards that I have been making in colours other than traditional red and green.  Well just when I thought I would try some in traditional colours the wonderful designers over at "Less is More" decided that this weeks challenge would be to create a Christmas card NOT using red or green!!! So this is my contribution to my growing stash of Christmas cards.

A simple design, I think I might make a view more of this design in different colours and maybe a little more embossing.

I used:

Uniko Studio - Stunning Snowflakes
Distress Inks - Picked Raspberry, Shaded Lilac
Memento Ink - Grape Jelly

I'm also going to enter the challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More where the theme is Clean and Simple.

Enjoy!

Christmas in August ...

Plan ahead seems to be the mantra for producing Christmas cards!

I'm in Bruges at the moment on a short break with my daughter so I have scheduled this post - so if all goes according to plan it should be mid morning on Friday!

If you follow my blog or the Craft Stamper Magazine Blog you may remember that I won the June Take It, Make It challenge, something I am very proud of as the card represented a departure from my usual style.  As a winner I was invited to be on the Guest Designer Team for the August challenge.  The challenge was launched at the start of the month and the idea is to create a card using any technique that has featured in the Craft Stamper magazine since the start of the year.

My first problem was which technique should I use!  I have been toying with an idea for my Christmas cards and the more I thought about it the more I realised that the concept was ideal for this opportunity - so out came the stamps and the inks.  I chose the Repeat Stamping Technique as showcased by Lydia Brooke Evans in the March Issue.  As I will be making a number of these cards I have tried them out in different colours - you should be able to see a black and white version on the Craft Stamper Blog.  These are the second and third versions:

I used

Clearly Besotted Stamps
Simon Says Stamps
Distress Inks
Stampin Up Inks

This is the card that I won the original challenge with:


Enjoy!