Green Christmas

 Happy St. Patrick's Day. I'm celebrating by making a green Christmas card.

For the big focal sentiment, I stamped the shadow area with a sheet music stamp before adding the green letters. I added some white holly leaves with a few red micro beads as holly berries. Just to switch it up a little, there's a contrasting strip of paper along the bottom of this mini slimline size card.

This card is entered in these challenges:

Jingle Belles -- Primarily Green (sorry, no grinch)

ABC Christmas -- F is for Focal Sentiment

Simon Says Wednesday -- Bit of Green

Word Art Wednesday #691 -- anything goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2511 -- anything goes

 

You're the best!

 I saw a technique that's new to me and tried it out in this card. In a nutshell, stamp an image, then use a stencil to add color over select parts of the image. (this is not about having a matching stencil to color the image, you're just adding color without worrying about keeping in the lines or anything like that.) I saw this in a stamp company newsletter, and they were using organic shapes to add color. I have a stencil with a variety of geometric shapes, so that's what I went with. It was fund to match geometric shapes with bits of the image.

First, the image was black-embossed. Then I used a small circle stencil to colors some flowers pink, a triangle stencil to add some green to the bouquet, and a long, thin diamond shape to color the vase. I die thin circles in blue and pink and used them to frame the main image. The sentiment as also black-embossed, with a  pink stenciled circle emphasizing the "Best!" A few blue circles were sprinkled on as a sort of muted embellishment.

This card is entered in these challenges:

The Flower Challenge #100 -- add circles

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2510 -- anything goes

A Cut Above -- anything with dies

Word Art Wednesday #689 -- anything goes

 

Snippets strips

 I'm always on the lookout for interesting ways to use leftover bits of paper, so I had to try this technique I found on Splitcoast. It takes a couple of one-inch wide strips and two one-inch squares of snippets to create an interesting design with a pinwheel at the center. You could use a different width of strip, just adjust the size of the squares accordingly.  (I also used a white snippet for the main panel and a light blue snippet for the matting.)

Embossing the panel added some texture, with a flower and gem embellishment.  

This card is entered in these challenges:

Snippets Playground #501 -- use snippets

Word Art Wednesday #689 -- anything goes

Crafts Galore Encore #113 -- anything goes

The Paper Funday #74 -- anything goes

Digi Choosday -- anything goes

Creative Inspirations -- Anything goes 

Simon Says Stamp Monday -- your favorite technique (dry embossing)

Inspired dragonfly

 I saw this photo prompt  (photo below) at Inspiration Station and loved the composition of the photo and the contrast between the bright flowers and the dark wings of the butterfly, inspiring this card.

The flowers are from Catherine Pooler; The circle was diecut and put on a dark green panel. The diecut dragonfly has a blue shimmer o it. A few sequins add to the shimmer.

This card is entered in these challenges:

Inspiration Station Prompt 70

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: Anything goes

Word Art Wednesday #689: anything goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2508 -- anything goes

A Cut Above: Anything goes with a diecut

Paper Funday #73: anything goes

Gem of A Challenge #3: anything goes

Digi Chooseday #2: Anything goes

Blue Birthday Blooms

 

I started with a whole bunch of blue snippets and randomly cut out various flower shapes using a stitched flower set from MFT Die-Namics. I mixed and matched  pieces to stack up three multi-layer flowers (adding a snippet of pale taupe to the mix).

Used a stitched curve die from Whimsy Stamps on a snippet of off-white, then adhered it to a blue snippet to create the main panel. Arranged the flowers along the curve (popping up the smaller one in the middle) and added a couple of burlap leaves for some texture. 

The sentiment used a bit of the leftover off-white, with a sentiment from Printworks in navy. Everything is mounted on a navy card.

This card is for these challenges:

Snippets Playground #500 -- celebration theme

Allsorts #817 -- shades of blue

A Cut Above -- Anything die-cut

Word Art Wednesday #687 -- anything goes

Beautiful Blossoms #26  --  anything floral

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2507 -- anything goes

 

 

 

Birthday fun

 

I don't think I've made a straight birthday card for a while (meaning one that features birthday images vs. a pretty card with a birthday sentiment.). To make this card, I started with an assortment of patterned snippets and used the sketch #663 from Try a Sketch on Tuesday.

The birthday bear and sentiment are from Studio Katia. The balloon die is from Sunny Studios. The main  image is colored in pencils, and lavender ink is blended around the edge of the circle. 

This card is entered in these challenges:

Snippets Playground #499 -- use snippets

Double Trouble #184 (meets 3-2-1 requirements; balloon is the "in the air" element; also entering in TSOT partner challenge)

Try a Sketch on Tuesday #663 -- sketch

Word Art  Wednesday #687 -- anything goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2506 -- anything goes

 

Ready for Spring

 I am so ready for spring. Right now, the best I can do is make a spring-themed card. For this card, I took a stamped image of a bare tree (from Stampin Up) which I masked while I stenciled a brick wall, then colored in the sky and grass with pencils. To turn it into a spring scene, I used Flower Soft to create the budding flowers and leaves. (I am not even sure if Flower Soft is still available; I've had this one jar of it for years).

The main panel is edged in a brown ink, and I turned it at an angle and matted it with a sweet flower print that also reminds me of spring.

This card is entered in these challenges

Crazy is Our Name, Stencils are our game -- anything goes using stencils

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2505 -- anything goes

Digi ChooseDay #1, week 4 -- anything goes

Pattie's Creations # 227 -- anything goes with an image