Warm wishes

As I worked on this card, the temperature is setting some sort of record for this day in December, probably around 70F (which Google tells me comes out to about 22C).
Well, if you're going to have non-traditional Christmas weather, why not not-traditional Christmas colors?
The inspiration for this card came from Cookie Challenge #34, with the sketch from this week's Sketch Saturday.
I started by stamping two rows of snowflakes, using both large and small stamps. 
The image is from Bugaboo, colored with pencils. (That bird is so not a titmouse, but I colored him like one, because they are my favorite winter birds). The snowman (snowgirl?) is covered with Wink of Stella, with some icy Stickles thrown in good measure. The image is mounted on a snippet of lavender (such a snippet that it actually has a scalloped circle cut out of it, but you'd never known if I had not mentioned it.)

I would like to enter the card in these challenges:

Sketch Saturday #392
If you give a Crafter a Cookie #34 -- inspiration cookies
Simon Says Stamp Monday -- winter wonderland
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday -- make it sparkle
V's Sweet Ideas #41-- non-traditional Christmas Colors
 Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #260 -- anything Christmas
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas extra -- anything Christmas
Pixie's snippet Playground #208/209 -- Use snippets
Word Art Wednesday #214/15 -- anything goes

Merry Christmas

Let me start off by wishing everyone  a merry Christmas and thanking you for your kind comments throughout the year.
It's not often you look at a Christmas card and think "it needs a little more black," but I think this does. I may go back and edge those ornaments in  black to get a little more depth.
I know you're sick of me saying I've about used up this mat stack from Echo Park, but I squeezed another card out of the snippets.  Depending on how creative I get, there may be one or two more cards left from the rest of the snippets. 

This card is for these challenges:

Pixie's Snippet Playground #208/09 -- snippets
Word Art Wednesday #214/215 -- anything goes
Holly Jolly Christmas -- Merry Christmas
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #260 -- anything Christmas
 Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra -- anything Christmas
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned paper Challenge -- anything patterned paper

Time to decorate

I went into Christmas overdrive yesterday, doing my first round of shopping and decorating the Christmas tree. I also made one more card, so hopefully I have enough now.

The card was inspired by the photo inspiration at the Share The Joy challenge, and the sketch is from Mojo Monday.  The ornaments are from a set by Hero Arts (maybe... it has disappeared in the current mess) and they are silvere mbossed on green snippets (the green paper has a slightly raised stripe pattern that showed up in the embossing, but I'm calling that texture...).  The sentiment is from the dollar bin at Michael's, also on snippets, with the silver paper recycled from some advertising brochure that arrived in the mail and got added to the snippets bin.  The red, still another snipped, is cut with a Marianne border die.
I am entering these challenges:

Mojo Monday #427 -- sketch
Simon Says Stamp Monday -- Christmas
Share the Joy #14 -- inspiration photo
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #259 -- anything Christmas
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra -- anything Christmas
Holly Jolly Christmas -- Merry Christmas
Word Art Wednesday #213 -- anything goes
Pixie's Snippet Playground #207 -- use those snippets

Christmas tag

I've been fun making tags, and here's one inspired by something I saw on pinterest. I stamped the music score on a white tag and gold-embossed the sentiment.  The holly leaves/berries are a felt embellishment.

My tag is joining tags from other people  in these challenges:

Catch the Bug Christmas Chaos Day 6 -- Christmas wrapping
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday -- Tag it
Crafting for all Seasons #116-- anything but a card.

Bundled up

Here is another card using up the snippets left from an Echo Park Christmas stack. I think I'll try to use them up and be done with them this Christmas so I can start fresh with something new next year.

The sketch for this is from Bugaboo's Christmas Chaos.  The choir kids are colored in pencils mostly, with a little gel pen for some of the smaller areas. I'm debating whether to add a sentiment, but the strip down the bottom says Christmas Joy, which is the message anyway.

I'm entering the following challenges:
Bugaboo Christmas Chaos -- day 2, sketch
Creative Inspirations #339 -- All wrapped up
Clear it out -- Anything Goes
Pixie's Snippet Playground #206 -- snippets
Word Art Wednesday #213 -- anything goes
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas extra -- anything Christmas
Simon Says Stamp Monday -- Christmas
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned paper Challenges -- use patterned paper

Masking magic

Masking is one of the first techniques I learned as a stamper and it's amazing how often I forget to use it.  On this card, however, I remembered to use it, so I was able to do CAS. So CAS, in fact, that I was able to crank a couple versions out really quickly.

I stamped the reindeer (A Muse), masked him, then used a reverse mask to sponge in the blue square. Added a red nose on Rudolph, a couple of light blue sequins, and a green sentiment and matted it.

The sketch is from Happy Little Stampers and the color combo (Granny Smith, Watermelon, saltwater taffy and chocolate) is from Taylored Expressions Share the Joy challenges.

This card is for these challenges:

TE Share the Joy #13 -- colors
Happy Little Stampers -- Dec. sketch
Cookie Challenge #33 -- Rudolph
Catch the Bug Christmas Chaos Day 1 -- Here comes Santa Claus (led by Rudolph, of course)
Stamplorations -- Dec. Theme of Stamps and holiday
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra -- anything Christmas
Word Art Wednesday #212  -- Anything Goes

Winter's butterfly

The challenge at Time Out is to be inspired by the phrase Snowflakes are Winter's Butterflies. This image seems to reflect that, with the snowman trying to catch a flake as you might try to catch a butterfly.
The cute image is one of my faves from the no-longer-around Paper Cupcakes. He's colored with pencils with an added layer of shimmer thanks to Wink of Stella painted on him.
He's finished off with a die cut snowflake and a couple of snowflake brads.

This card is for these challenges:
Time Out #45: Inspired by Word
CRAFT Challnge #339: Winter
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #257-- use die cuts
Craftyhazelnut's ChristmasExtra -- anything Christmas
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge -- use patterned paper
Word Art Wednesday #211 -- anything goes

Celebrating leftovers

I made this card with snippets left over from a 6x6 Echo Park Christmas stack. (I didn't actually save anything this small, I cut them to fit). I arranged the snippets on a snippet of adhesive paper, leaving space between for "grout," or in this case, gold EP.  On edges where I didn't leave enough room to add embossing powder, I just edged in gold ink.

The poinsettia is from The Ribbon Girl, and the sentiment was a clearance special, embossed in glittery gold.

I am entering these challenges:
Rudolph Days -- November
Bunny Zoe  -- sparkle
Inky Impressions #278 -- traditional Christmas colors
Holly Jolly Christmas -- embossing
Pixie's Snippet Playground #204  -- use snippets
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra -- anything Christmas
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned paper Challenge -- use patterned paper
Kraftin Kimmie's Wonderful Wednesday -- anything goes
Word Art Wednesday -- anything goes

Joyous angels

 

This ended up being a kind of girly looking Christmas card, but I like it.  The angels are silver-embossed on a snippet of navy cardstock that has specks of white in it (so not that is not random EP). The blue strip in the middle is a wax resist where you make by embossing the wax paper, then ironing it on the card stock, and then applying ink. The card has a ton of sparkle with the gems and the silver shimmer paper layer. The shimmer paper is also a snippet -- it was too small, so I cut it and used part above and part below the blue strip.

The layout for this is the Catch the Bug Stella Says Sketch #318.  The awesome lace along the bottom is from The Ribbon Girl.  

I'm entering these challenges:

Bunny Zoe's Crafts: Sparkle

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #256: Things with wings

 Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra: anything Christmas

Catch the Bug: Stella Says Sketch #318

Catch the Bug: Bingo (lace, bling, sentiment)

The Ribbon Girl: any image

The Paper Shelter: blue/white/silver

Pixie's Snippet Playground #  : use Snipets

Cardinal tag

I have another tag inspired by Tracy McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags event on her blog, In my Creative Opinion.  This one was inspired by a tag created by Jess Gertsner of the Lawn Fawn DT. 

On my card, the birch trees (Mark's Finest Paper) are stamped in black Memento ink. I watercolored in the blue sky and added a three-dimensional sticker of a cardinal, I used both red twine and black-and-white twine, and finished it off with a sentiment in red.

 

I am entering these challenges: 

Happy Little Stampers November Christmas Challenge.

25 Days of Christmas Tags Challenges

By Jess Gerstner, Lawn Fawn DT

Carolers tag

Tracey McNeely has been doing 25 Days of Christmas Tags on her blog In My Creative Opinion), and she has me all excited about making tags.  I was inspired by a tag by Jane Taylor of Uniko's DT. (Mostly I was inspired by the colors, but these little carolers look elfish, don't they?)

I started with white tags and pounced brown ink on them. The carolers are from The Artful Stamper, colored in pencils. The to/from is from Purple Onion. The tags are edged in gold ink and embellished with baker's twine and gold cording.

I'm entering the tag in these challenges:
25 Days of Christmas Tags
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra Challenge

Holly holly

I came across these holly and berry stickers that have been living in my Christmas file for a few years and decided to make a CAS Christmas card from them. The panel is popped up on pretty thick dimensional tape.

I'm entering these challenges:
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #255: Red and Green must be seen
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra Challenge: Anything Christmas.
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday -- Christmas
Share the Joy #12 -- CAS
Word Art Wednesday #210 -- Anything goes
Kraftin Kimmie Stamps Wonderful Wednesday -- anything goes
Crafty Sentiments -- anything Goes.

Thanksgiving wreath

The Technique Challenge at Splitcoast this week was to make a wreath from die-cut shapes.  I grabbed by Poppy maple leaf die and a bunch of snippets and this is what I came up with.
I added a raffia bow and a sentiment, and I have a Thanksgiving card to send my in-laws.

I am entering this card in these challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday -- thanks/Thanksgiving
Catch the Bug -- Give Thanks
Cuttlebug Mania -- Thanks
Pixie's Snippet Playground #203 -- use snippets
Word Art Wednesday #210 -- anything goes
Crafty Sentiments -- anything goes

Caroling in the snow

I am down to nothing but snippets from this collection of Christmas papers from Echo Park.  This layout from the Catch the Bug challenge turned out to be a great way to use snippets, and I may repeat it to use up the rest of the bits of papers from this set.

The cute carolers are from The Artful Stamper. They are singing in the snow (signified by glitter).


I'm entering these challenges:
Catch the Bug -- Stella Says Sketch #317
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge  #253 -- it's time to sing
Creative Inspirations #334 -- Sparkle
Pixie's Snippet Playground # 201 -- use snippets
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra -- anything Christmas
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge -- use patterned paper
Word Art Wednesday #208 -- Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly -- Anything Goes

Fall Flowers

I made this card using the current Mojo Monday sketch. The image is from Impression-Obsession, colored with pencils. There are a couple of layers of Glossy Accents on the vase, so it actually looks like a glass vase in person. The image is wrapped with coordinating baker's twine.  The sentiment is from Purple Onion Designs.


I'm entering these challenges:

Mojo Monday #422
Simon Says Stamp Monday-- make it glossy
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday -- thanks
The Ribbon Girl -- anything goes
Papertake Weekly -- anything goes
Kraftin' Kmmie's wonderful Wednesday -- anything goes
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper challenge - use patterned paper

Plaid roses

As cards go, this one is about as self-explanatory as it gets. The roses were an RAK so I don't know who makes the die (possibly Stampin' Up).  Sentiment is from A Muse.

I'm entering this chard in these challenges:
Catch the Bug October Recipe -- Black, White and a pop of Color
Curtain Call -- Plaid
Craftyhazelnut's patterned paper Challenge -- patterned paper
Word Art Wednesday #207 -- Anything Goes

Blue jay way

I have this thing about coloring realistic images of animals -- I call up a photo on Google images and try to copy the colors. (I'm fine making fantasy-looking animals any color.) I am really happy with how this blue jay came out.

The card was inspired by the photo inspiration challenge at Creative Inspirations. I cut the image to give it a tile look, matted it on a matching snippet of blue card stock, put it on a neutral cardstock, and added a die-cut sentiment.

I'm entering these challenges:
Creative Inspirations #333: Photo Inspiration
Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps #304: Nature
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: Anything Goes
Word Art Wednesday #207: Anything Goes
Pixie's Snippet Playground # 201:  Snippets

Leaf time

Here's a fall card featuring die-cut and punched leaves.  The sketch is  from Bugaboo. The tree stamp is an old one from Posh Impressions.  The die-cut Leaves are from a Spell-binders die, and the smallest ones are made with a little cheap punch. The ribbon is actually raffia.

This card is for these challenges:
Catch the Bug: Stella Says Sketch #316
Cuttlebug Mania: Trees
Moving along with the Times: Trees/leaves
Word Art Wednesday #207: Anything Goes
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge: use patterned papers.

Pun fun

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas challenge this week is "The Nativity."  I do have a Bethlehem stamp, but I decided to go a non-traditional route, using the With Wondering Awe set from The Alley Way. If there were shepherds, there were sheep, so here they are.
The star outline is embossed on navy blue card stock, and I filled the interior with a white Wink of Stella brush.  The sheep are fussy-cut and popped up, and the sentiment is on a fishtail banner.

I'm entering these challenges:
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #252 - the Nativity
The Alley Way Stamps -- October link up
Rudolph Challenge for October -- anything Christmas
Time Out Challenge -- Christmas with the option of using pink
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra Challenge -- anything Christmas
Word Art Wednesday #207 -- anything goes

Shine On

Here's a CAS card I made.  I don't usually do a lot of splattering, but it just seemed right for this card, so I splattered orange watercolors on the base card, then added some speckles of brown. The image is stamped on a snipped of white, along with a sentiment from the same set, then mounted on a mustard colored snippet, which I tore at the bottom.  I added a snippet of coordinating ribbon and called it a day. (Image is from a little set from Hot off the Presses).


STAMPlorations is having a fall flowers linky party, if you link up by the end of Sunday with a card featuring flowers you could win one of three new stamp sets.

The card is for these challenges:
STAMPlorations fall flower linky party -- flowers
Share the Joy Challenge #8 -- Clean and simple
Pixie's Snippet Playground #199 -- use snippets
Word Art Wednesday # 206 -- anything goes

Naughty or Nice?

Here is another Christmas card, this one featuring an image from Dr. Digi.  I wanted to keep to a red/green/white color scheme as much as possible, so I left the background bare.
The sketch is from the Catch The Bug Challenge (Stella says Sketch #316).

I'm entering these challenges:
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #251 -- appropriate for child
Catch the Bug -- sketch
Really Reasonable Ribbon -- Christmas with ribbon
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday -- All wrapped up
Word Art Wednesday #206 -- anything goes
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas  Extra -- anything Christmas

The Art Forger

This month, my book club is reading a book called "The Art Forger," which is about the forgery of a Degas painting. (I enjoyed it; it's one of the better books our club has selected IMHO).
 I grew up with a Degas ballet painting on my wall, so I couldn't resist this stamp when I saw it. I've never figured out how to properly use it. This time I tried stamping on watercolor paper and adding some watercoloring to it.
The layout is from the current Sketch Saturday challenge. I embellished it with a little "junk bow" made up of snippets of lace and ribbon and a ballet slipper charm.

I'm entering these challenges:
Sketch Saturday #383 -- sketch
 Addicted to Stamps #167 -- Make your mark
The Ribbon Girl --Pastels
Crafty Sentiments -- pink
Word Art Wednesday #206 -- anything goes
Creative Inspirations -- anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge -- use patterned paper.

Eek, a vampire!

 

There are lots of Halloween themed challenges going on right now, and this is my entry for them.  

The vampire is from Stamping boutique.  He's colored with pencils, and embellished with rub-ons (bat and sentiment) from a set I picked up at a consignment sale -- the package says they are from Little Yellow Bicycle. 

The card is an entry for these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: Halloween mood board/color challenge

Time Out -- Halloween 

Crafty Sentiments -- Halloween

Moving Along with the Times -- Halloween

Cookie Challenge #29 --- Halloween

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned paper Challenge -- patterned paper

Vintage feel

This is a quicky I made for Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge, where the theme is vintage/shab  chic.  The scene is upcycled from a card, and it looks very vintage to me. I simply matted it on a red snipped and added the sentiment. I'm not sure the CAS style is terribly vintage, however, I think the embellishment gives a vintage feel. (The awesome poinsettia is from The Ribbon Girl.).

This card is for these challenges

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #250 -- vintage
CRAFT #333 -- Christmas
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra -- anything Christmas
Word Art Wednesday #205 -- anything goes

CAS purple Christmas

I made this card based on one I had pinned a few weeks ago. The original was blue and white. I think this one would be easy to mass produce.  I used Versamark to make the purple snowflakes, so I let it dry overnight before adding the embossed elements, so that did add some time. However, I made a similar version in blue where I used a darker blue ink instead of Versamark, so there was barely any drying time required.
The fabulous snowflake stamps are from Impression-Obsession,  I'm not really sure the origin of the sentiment (possibly CTMH?).
I'm entering these challenges
52 Christmas Card Throwdown -- purple or blue and metallic
Creative Inspirations -- CAS
Word Art Wednesday #205 -- anything goes
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra -- anything Christmas

A little note

This is a card I made using the current Sketch Saturday sketch. I got the image as an RAK.   I've seen it around and admired it, but I don't know who makes it.  the background is a page from a very old thesaurus. After I finished the card I realized the black background was rather harsh, but since I can't restamp the main image, I have to live with it.

I'm entering these challenges:
Sketch Saturday #382 -- sketch
Word Art Wednesday #204 -- anything goes.

Simple Sympathy

I sent out a sympathy card and made a note to myself to make another to have on hand. Sadly, before I got that done, I found a need for one.
This is what I came up with: It follows the Stamplorations sketch for October, and the butterfly is a Stamplorations stamp. The butterflies are white-embossed on three different shades of blue from a paint swatch card.
The sentiment is from All Night Media, with a little piercing detail added.

 I'm entering these challenges:


Butterfly Challenge #40 -- embossing
STAMPlorations -- October sketch
Just Us Girls #313-- sympathy
Word Art Wednesday #204 -- anything goes
Crafty Sentiments -- anything goes
Papertake Weekly -- anything goes.

CAS Christmas

I used the current Mojo Monday sketch to make this CAS Christmas card. The Christmas tree image (source unknown) is stamped in Garden Green and matted on a red snippet. The packages along the side are all cardstock stickers.

This card is for these challenges:

Mojo Monday -- #418
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday -- CAS Christmas
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #249 -- all wrapped up
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas ChallengeExtra/October -- anything Christmas
Word Art Wednesday #204 -- anything goes

Feeling like fall

Actually, it's a little early for fall colors here, but they are all over the blogosphere.  Here is a fall-inspired card using the current Sketch Saturday Sketch.

The image is from Lacy Sunshine and is called Gusty Oak.  I colored it with pencils, and used a piece of hemp ribbon to add the diagonal element.

I'm entering these challenges:
Sketch Saturday #380
Crafty Sentiments -- autumn leaves
Catch the Bug - Autumn colors
Papertake Weekly -- autumn colors
Crafting for all seasons #111-- autumn colors
Time Out --  'Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile'
Word Art Wednesday #203-- anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday -- anything goes
Craftyhazelnut's patterned paper challenge -- for October.

Sweet scene

I don't use a lot of stickers, but I thought this one would be a good one to showcase. And the colors worked perfectly for Crafty Sentiment's color challenge (gummi worm colors). The layout is the Stella Says Sketch #314 from Bugaboo. 

All the papers are snippets -- even that green scallop that has been waiting around for months for me to use it.
I realized AFTER I had put the sticker down on the oval that it would look better if I sponged, so the  sponging is pretty uneven.

This card is an entry in these challenges:
Catch the Bug -- Stella Says Sketch #314
Crafty Sentiments -- gummi worm colors
Inky Impressions -- dots and stripes
Pixie's Snippet Playground #196 -- use snippets
The Paper Shelter #220 -- birthday card with sentiment
Word Art Wednesday #202 -- anything goes
Craftyhazelnut's patterned paper challenge -- use PP

Not so simple CAS

This looks like a clean and simple card, but getting there wasn't easy. I had done all the stamping and embossing  and die-cut the bottom when I realized I had burgundy ink on my fingers and had gotten some on the card. So I made a new card, then decided I didn't get the placement of the staps quite where I wanted. So, I went back to the original card and added the ribbon and bow to cover up the stray ink.

The stamps are from a variety of sets/makers.  Pine bough from Prickly Pear, sentiment from Stampin Up; pinecone is unknown. Green Grass, Baroque Burgundy and versamark inks with glittery gold EP.

This card is for these challenges:

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #247 -- begins with P
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra -- anything Christmas
Rudolph Days -- Anything Christmas
Addicted to Stamps #163 -- addicted to holidays
Papertake Weekly challenge -- Christmas
Simon Says Monday -- use real (not digi) stamps

Vellum flowers

There have been several gorgeous cards featuring vellum flowers that I have wanted to CASE, so when Time Out Challenges made that a challenge, I was eager to jump in. However, upon reviewing what I thought was an extensive collection of flower images, it turned out I didn't have any that remotely resembled the big open flowers everyone else was using. So, I ended up going another route.

Inspiration card by Tracey

Instead of sponging color on, like Tracey did in the inspiration card, I used watercolors. Then I white-embossed the rose on a die-cut vellum oval and laid it on top. Those brads are actually doing a job on this card, holding the vellum in place.  Sentiment is by The Alley Way Stamps; rose is from Endless Impressions (I think).

This card is for these challenges:

TIME OUT #40 -- CASE Tracey
Simon Says Monday -- real stamps, no digis
Simon Says Wednesday -- no dp
Word Art Wednesday #202 -- anything goes