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!

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!

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!

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!

Gold and Purple snowflakes ...

A quick post to share another Christmas card:

I took a panel of card and cut a circle from it and then stamped and heat embossed in white some snowflakes before stamping purple snowflakes around the aperture.  I then die cut and heat embossed some gold snowflakes and a sentiment onto the card base.  The panel was then edge with distress ink - not easily seen in the photograph.  The panel has been adhered to the card base with foam adhesive to add dimension and the gold snowflakes have been added.

I am entering the following challenges:

"Less is More" #301 Colour challenge - Gold and Purple

Addicted to Stamps #219


Enjoy!

Gold and Purple ...

Another day and another Christmas card design ... inspired by this week's challenge at "Less is More", it's all about colours!  The challenge is to use gold and purple ... I don't think I've used purple for Christmas before but I think I will be using it again.  My card is all about die cuts and heat embossing:

I used:
Die'sire Snowflake Bauble die
STAMPlorations Bell Medley sentiment
Distress Ink - Wilted Violet
WOW Gold and Clear Embossing Powders

Enjoy!

Three Daisies ...

Good Afternoon ... it is time for the November challenge at STAMPlorations,  This month the theme is:

I'm hoping to inspire you to join in with the challenge using the theme and/or the sketch.  I decided to use the theme this week.  This is my card:

I began by stamping three daisies which I coloured with Zig markers - I trimmed the images and rounded two corners on each image before inking the edges to match the edge of the stamp (also to cover up the fact that my trimming was not quite as accurate as it should be!!).  I spread some embossing paste through a stencil to add interest and texture to the card base.  The daisies have only been adhered with a small amount of adhesive in the centre of the image to add further interest.

I hope you will pop across and join the challenge.

I used:
STAMPlorations:  Boxed Blooms and Bold Sentiments
                             Subway Art Builders
                             Weathered Wood Stencil
Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers
Golden Modeling Paste
Distress Ink - Wilted Violet
Versafine Onyx Black

Enjoy!