Butterflies and brick

 

Look at that , two posts in two days. Just like old times. (I've had a slight lull in work, but I don't expect it to last long.)

This card features an awesome butterfly die-cut  that someone gifted me with.  It was cut from white cardstock, and I colored it with what I've heard called the Smoosh-spritz-drag technique -- smoosh Distress inks on a non-absorbent surface, spritz with water, and drag the paper through it. First I used a couple blue Distress inks, and followed with a blue distress oxide ink. The main panel is a piece of ivory cardstock on which I inked brick shapes using a Stamplorations stencil. The sentiment is from Stampin Up.

This card was inspried for the Butterfly Challenge. Mrs. A's shape/technique this time is what she calls an inside out card (definitely check it out here) but I didn't have a really good long die cut to use, so I when with a straight card this time.

This card is entered in these challenges 

Butterfly Challenge #152 -- (Category 2: Inking theme and ivory/iceberg colors)

Word Art Wednesday #479 -- anything goes 

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2108 -- anything goes 

The Paper Shelter #458 -- CAS

Crafty Sentiment -- anything goes 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday -- anything goes

Christmas carolers

 

I have a CAS Christmas card for you today. I created this little scene through the magic of masking. The carolers are from The Artful Stamper and the trees are from a Whimsy Stamps set. I stamped the carolers first, made a mask to cover them, then added the trees in a couple different colors of green. The sentiment is from Stamplorations.  I wanted to keep this clean and simple, so I simply used a bright red snippet to one side for a serious pop of color.

This card is entered in these challenges:

ABC Christmas -- C is for Christmas

Rudolph Days -- anything Christmas

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenged #530 -- anything Christmas

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday -- anything goes

The Paper Shelter #458 -- CAS

Crafty Sentiments -- anything goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2108  -- anything goes

Word Art Wednesday #479 -- anything goes

I could make one if I wanted to

       And when I say "I could make one if I wanted to" I mean a snowman, not a card featuring a snowman. Like most of the country, we have a ton of snow just outside our door right now. But I'd rather stay inside and make a card, thank you very much.

       This card features a stamp set I got recently from Stamplorations, and I used the Bugaboo Stella sketch for this week. It's a CAS design, with the snowman and sentiment on the same white snippet, with another snippet with a line of snowmen separating the image from the sentiment. (That snowman paper is from a 6x6 pad, and since I usually make A-2 cards, there's typically a strip about that size left over.) Up in the right corner there's a plastic snowflake.

        Hope you are staying warm and dry (unless, of course, you want to make a snowman).

                

This card is for these challenges:

Bugaboo/Stella Says Sketch #904 -- use sketch

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #529 -- use green

CRAFT #587 -- anything Christmas

The Holly and the Ivy #88 -- anything Christmas

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge -- use patterned paper

Word Art Wednesday #479-- anything goes

Stamplorations Never-ending challenge - use Stamploration productions

Crafty Sentiments -- anything goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2107 -- anything goes

Subdued Herringbone

 Mrs. A's Butterfly Challenge has presented me with another interesting technique to try. The theme this time is Herringbone, and she presented 3 ways to do a herringbone pattern, all different from the way I learned.. I tried the one she called the quilter's version, probably because it calls for several squares of patterned paper to start.

I cut up a couple snippets of coordinating papers, one dark and one light.  I used less of the dark paper after trying a couple arrangements. For embellishment I added twine and a butterfly (cut from yet another snippet of coordinating paper).  If I decide to add a sentiment, it can go in the lower left corner.

This card is for these challenges:

Butterfly Challenge #151 (butterfly, twine, herringbone and Hansa yellow)

Pixie's Snippet Playground #395 -- use snippets

Crafts Galore #84 -- anything goes

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge -- use patterned papers

Word Art Wednesday #475 -- anything goes

Simon Says Stamp, Wednesday Challenge -- anything goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2105 -- anything goes

Inlaid die

 

I made this card using the inlaid die technique, and it was my first time trying it. With a relatively simple die like this ornament and circle, it wasn't that challenging, but I really admire those who have the patience to use this technique with dies that in includes lots of tiny pieces. I supposed most people know how to do this technique already, but quick recap if  you don't -- die-cut the outline in the card stock  you'll in lay in, then die-cut the piece (ornament here), and put it into the whole you've created (in the white here).  The white circle is also inlaid in the solid red.

This card is for several challenges:

January Rudolph Days - Christmas

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #527 -- anything goes

CRAFT #584 -- anything Christmas

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2104 -- anything goes

Word Art Wednesday #475 -- anything goes

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge -- use patterned paper

A little gap

 

I've been really struggling for inspiration lately, so when I see an idea that intrigues me, I jump on it. I found an intriguing idea recently in Mrs. A's current Butterfly Challenge, to make a gap card. I've seen these made with acetate, but she makes them with just the die-cut holding the pieces of the card front together. 

For my card, I followed the directions Mrs. A gives on her blog for creating the gap. I made by central piece with a couple of existing diecuts and some new ones.  I had the bright pink flower and light green vine already and they layered together really nicely.  I used nested dies to cut a smaller shape from a pink gingham snippet of patterned paper and a larger one from a black snippet.  For the butterfly, I used an apple green snippet of card stock for the solid under layer and a snipped of textured gold card stock for the filigree layer. From that, it was a matter of just assembling everything in a pleasing manner.  I decided to just use white card stock for the base rather than doing a layer of patterned paper because there's a lot going on in the center as it is.

This card is entered in these challenges:

Butterfly challenge #150 -- gap card, gingham, colors Granny Smith (apple green) gold, and geranium (bright pink)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge -- layer it up

Pixie's Snippet Playground #394 -- snippets (all the die cuts)

Word Art Wednesday #473 -- anything goes

Bring on the butterflies

 Happy 2021 everyone!. Wishing you all the best in the new year.

I have finally tried making a card in a box, which I'm sure you made years ago. I am always leery of "fun folds" because they don't usually go well for me, so I don't see the fun in them. This was actually very easy. (If you've never done one, the tutorial a SCS is very good). 

This also turned out to be an excellent way to use up snippets of patterned paper, and everything aside from the pink card stock used for the base is a snippet. (You pretty much need to cut a fresh piece of 12x12 paper to make this style).

I decorated the card with a variety of punched and die-cut butterflies, which I had stashed away. (However, I used snippets on all of them when I made them.) A few are mounted on strips of acetate so they are "flying" out of the box.

The hardest thing about this style is photographing it because all the butterflies look like a jumble.

This card is for these challenges:

Pixie's Snippet Playground #393 -- use snippets 

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge Jan 2021 -- use patterned paper