Friday 16 December 2016

Poinsettia and hexagons ...

The last three months have simply flown by and I'm sad to say this is my last post as part of the guest design team over at STAMPlorations.  I have had fun being part of such an awesome team of designers.

This is to remind you all of the December Theme and Sketch challenge and hopefully to inspire you to join in with the fun.  My card is all about the theme - stamping and collage.



I stamped a panel of card with the poinettia stamp and then coloured using Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers.  I stamped another panel with the two sentiment stamps.   I then die cut both panels with a background hexagon die and combined them together adhering some elements flat to the card base and popping other elements up using foam tape to add dimension and interest.

The details of the challenge are:



I used:
STAMPlorations:  Christmas Bell Medley
Versafine Onyx Black
Stampin Up Die
Zig Clean Color Real Brush Marker.

Thanks to Shery for inviting me to join the team - I've had fun!  Why not pop along and join in with the fun and enter the challenge.

Enjoy!


Monday 12 December 2016

All About Christmas Part 3 ...

As the final posting date looms on the horizon ... finishing off making Christmas cards is becoming critical!!  I've been helped and inspired by this week's challenge at "Less is More" - it is One Layer week which, in theory, means each card takes less time to produce!  The challenge also includes using an outline.  This is my contribution:





I almost feel as if I'm cheating entering challenges with this card as I've done very little ... the beauty to me is in the stamp design.  I did want to add just a splash of colour.

I used:

STAMPlorations Joyful stamp set for the image and Christmas Bell Medley set for the sentiment.
Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers
Versafine Onyx Black Ink

I'm entering the following challenges:

"Less is More" #306 One Layer - Outline

Addicted to Stamps and More #223


STAMPlorations Never-Ending Anything Goes


Enjoy!

Monday 5 December 2016

All About Christmas Part 2 ...

When time is short I need to get creative with the time and resources available ... these two cards are made using the rest of the panel that I created for my earlier card.  Rather than creating another card of the same design I realised by cutting the panel smaller I could create two cards!

Here they are:




Full details of how I created the panel and the resources I used can be found in my earlier post from today.  This time I matted the panel onto some black card and heat embossed the sentiment on black card.

I'm entering the following challenges:

UNIKO November challenge



AAA Cards


Stamping Sensations - December Challenge Floral Fancies

Enjoy!

All about Christmas ...

Time is running too fast for me at the moment ... Christmas Day is a mere 20 days away and I still haven't made enough cards, I'm also frantically knitting jumpers and scarves for presents!!

I created this card using one of my favourite techniques - emboss resist.



I heat embossed the poinsettia onto a panel of card and then blended red and yellow distress inks over the whole of the panel.  I die cut a rectangle and frame from the panel, added a sentiment heat embossed onto some vellum.  The frame is adhered flat to the card base and the central panel has a piece of fun foam behind it to add a little dimension.

I used:
UNIKO - Pure Florals: Poinsettia
STAMPlorations - Christmas Bell Medley
Distress Inks - Festive Berries and Squeezed lemonade.
Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangles
WOW White embossing Powder

I'm entering the following challenges:

"Less is More" #305 - colour challenge - use at least one primary colour

Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge


TIME OUT Challenge #71 - Christmas with the optional twist of glitter/shimmer

Enjoy!

Friday 2 December 2016

Happy Holly ...

As we start the last month of 2016 it is time for a new challenge at STAMPlorations - this month the theme and sketch challenge is:



This month my card is all about the sketch:



This is an optical illusion as the holly is created by embossing paste through a stencil!
I used:
STAMPlorations Christmas Bell Medley
                           Holiday Artsy
                           Mini Holly Stencil
Distress Inks - Festive Berries, Pine Needles
WOW Gold Embossing Powder

Why not pop along to the STAMPlorations blog and see the inspiring cards created by the designers and join in with the challenge.

Enjoy!

Sunday 20 November 2016

Christmas wreath ...

Words have escaped me this morning ... so I will spare you from my drivel and get straight down to business!!

Another Christmas card!



I was lucky enough to win a challenge at UNIKO and could choose a stamp set - a difficult choice to make when there are so many brilliantly design sets to choose between.  So it seemed fitting to use the stamp set for the new challenge at UNIKO - the theme is Christmas which fits nicely with my need to get my cards finished!!

I drew a circle lightly in pencil and then stamped the holly leaves and berries.  I masked off the leaves before stamping and heat embossing the fir leaves.  Stamped the sentiment and popped it on with foam adhesive.  I edged the panel with distress ink (very subtle!) before mounting the panel with fun foam to the card base.

I used:
UNIKO:  Winter Foliage Stamp Set
Distress INks - Festive Berries, Pine Needles
WOW Gold Embossing Powder

I'm entering the following challenges:

UNIKO #36


Addicted to Stamps #220


Enjoy!

Saturday 19 November 2016

Thanks. thanks and thank you ...

It is rare that I manage to post three times in one day ... but, providing I write quickly, today is one of those occasions.  I've been lucky enough to spend most of the day crafting!  This will be the last for today:



This card was inspired by the current challenge at AAA Cards:


I used multiple stamp sets to stamp the thanks/thank you band across the card base before die cutting "Thanks".  I also die cut the letters from some black card to add depth to the letters before stacking them together and placing them back into the gaps.

Enjoy!

Poinsettia spotlight ...

After an hour of stamping and heat embossing (see my earlier post) it was time for something with more colour and one of my favourite winter flowers!



Simple design with a lot of colour.  I stamped the poinsettia and the die cut the centre and coloured only the part of the flower in the circle.  I added some red fun foam behind the circle and adhered it to the card.  Stamped the sentiment and that was it.

I used:
UNIKO Pure Florals: Poinsettis
Versafine onyx black ink
Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

I'm entering the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps and More #220


UNIKO November Challenge


Enjoy!

One design, three stamp sets, three cards ...

Good afternoon!  It's a chilly day in the UK ... I guess winter is already here!

If you are a regular visitor to my blog you will know that I am behind with creating my Christmas cards and keep trying to find a design that I can replicate easily - last week I had some success but I do get easily bored making the same design over and over again!!  So this morning I started the quest again ... today's card is inspired by the challenge over at "Less is More" where the theme is 'Vintage'.  As I'm pretty vintage myself I thought about cards that I received years ago ... my overriding memory is of glitter and I don't do glitter so I had to start again.

This is the card ... or I should say cards!



I began with a panel of kraft card and heat embossed the sleigh stamp and sentiment with gold embossing powder.  On the card based I stamped the snowflakes with versamark ink to give the tone on tone effect.  I popped the stamped image onto the base with a smaller piece of fun foam.

I also made two others:



I used:

STAMPlorations:  Believe in Magic; Celebrate the Season and Peace, Love, Joy
WOW Gold Embossing Powder
Versamark Ink

I'm entering the following challenges:

"Less is More" #303 - Theme Vintage

STAMPlorations Never-ending Anything Goes


Penny Black and More - November Challenge  Anything Christmas

Enjoy!

Friday 18 November 2016

Three Butterflies ...

We are over half way through the month and it's time to inspire you to join in with this month's challenge at STAMPlorations.  This post is all about the "Theme and Sketch" challenge and this card (hopefully) reflects both the theme and the sketch - you can join in just using the theme, just using the sketch or, as I have, combine both.  It really is worth popping along to see the wonderful designs from the team.  This is my card and I hope it inspires you to join in:



As you can see this is all about butterflies.  On the background I have white heat embossed some solid butterflies to provide added interest before die cutting the background.  I stamped three butterflies using two shades of distress ink before fussy cutting them out and adhered them to the panel.  I added the stamped sentiment using some foam adhesive to add a little dimension.

I used:
STAMPlorations Trendy Butterflies
Distress Inks - Mermaid Lagoon and Blueprint Sketch
Sizzix Tim Holtz Mixed Media Dies.

The challenge details:


Enjoy!

Sunday 13 November 2016

Another Poinsettia ...

My first post today was all about a Christmas card that is easy to replicate ... this card is lovely but takes more time to create ... I used Zig markers to water colour the image which takes time:



I used:
UNIKO Pure Florals: Poinsettia
Creative Expressions Happy Christmas die
Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers
Versafine Onyx Black Ink

I'm entering the following challenges:

Stamping Sensations November Challenge - Anything Christmas

Happy Little Stampers


Enjoy!

One die, one stamp set ... seven cards!!

Every year I search for a Christmas card design that is easy to replicate ... this design looks like it might be the winner!!  It is simple, clean design ... inlaid die and heat embossed snowflakes ... a one layer card that doesn't cost a fortune to post!



I die cut the sentiment from the card base and then from some white card stock and adhered the die cut back into the card base.  I stamped and heat embossed the snowflakes and that was it!  Simple design, simple card.

This week's challenge at "Less is More" is for a One Layer card with the theme of "Books/Literature".  With my current Christmas obsession the book that popped into my head was "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens - it also influence my choice of card base. If you visit my blog regularly you will know that I usually use white and cream card.  I thought that Kraft card better reflected the mood and time of Dickens!.  I did try the design out on other colours:



I used:
Creative Expressions Happy Christmas die
UNIKO Stunning Snowflakes
WOW White embossing powder.

I am also entering the following challenges:

"Less is More" #302

Addicted to Stamps #219


Altogether!!

Enjoy!