Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Snow Globe Cards

Happy Holidays Everyone!
These two cards came together with a bunch of different stamps and dies from several companies. I was planning to make a few cards with the "Snow Globe" from My Favorite Things, and when I saw Jennifer McGuire use Transparency Pockets to hold "snow" between two transparent sheets, I knew this would be perfect for my snow globes. I am entering this card project into the My Favorite Things Color Challenge #132. Read on to find out how I made these colorful Christmas cards!


Jennifer McGuire used a laminator to do this technique, but I used the Mink machine. She called it "Embellished Window Technique" on this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op6PI5KpARw&feature=youtu.be. I made some of these "windows" before I started my cards trying out some of the glitter and small sequins in my stash. I figured this would make the snowy background for the Snow Globes perfect. If you try this >> don't use too much glitter or you won't be able to see the image behind it! I had to make several attempts before I achieved the right look!

Before putting the globes together, I created a background panels with the MFT Candy Stripes Builder for a plaid. Then for a realistic background in the globe, I used the Mini Cloud stencil from MFT and distress ink for the clouds around the central image. This paper was placed behind the laminator sheet with the glitter snow. The second card has purple added to the traditional colors and purple stars for fun!

The Santa and Fairy images are from Gina K Designs colored with copic markers. The grouping of presents is from Lawn Fawn. I added tiny mounds of snow for Santa to stand in, but the Fairy is flying so no snow for her feet were needed.

The sentiment "Ho Ho Ho" is from MFT Pop Up Holiday Greetings (with the extra connection cut off) and "Warmest Wishes" is from Elizabeth Craft Dies.

 


Monday, December 16, 2019

Gift Card Envelopes & Patterned Wrapping Paper

Still no new cards!! but I made some wrapping paper with a bunch of small stamps - and three tiny envelopes made to hold gift cards for my 3 grandchildren who are getting "Disney Money" along with something fun to open for their holiday presents - here they are!



I love making my own design on paper. I bought some plain white wrapping paper and just got out some basic Christmas colors and a lot of little stamps to create this wrapping paper. It's not a lot so I'll just use it on the grandkids's ornaments this year.


The gift card die is from My Favorite Things. (see below) The letter stamp is from Altenew and I just love it! Of course, like everything in my life (particularly jewelry lately) I lost the lower case "c" ... but so far I have made out okay without it. (Yikes...)





Stamped Watercolor Jumpstart with S. Allnock

Hi Papercrafters!
I had to take a break from card making because I am taking an online class with Sandy Allnock called Stamped Watercolor Jumpstart which uses Art Impression stamps. I have finished 6 lessons and will post some pics below. Now, I should say that I HAVE played around with these in the past. In fact, I think it was Sandy who first introduced me to the idea back in May 2016 and I started paying attention to the water color stamps which AI produced. I really want to learn how to water color. In fact, I previously signed up for Sandy's regular watercolor into class, but never finished it. I will get back to it after the holidays, for sure! The classes are at Art Classes with Sandy Allnock
If you are on facebook, you might be able to see some of the students's work here - https://www.facebook.com/groups/390593551370390/


 

                    




        






Saturday, December 7, 2019

Merry Everything

Hi,
I saw someone use this embossing folder a few weeks ago on You Tube and bought it immediately from Amazon. It's from Sizzix and it's one of the very deep embossing folders which results in tremendous dimension. As you can see I used a dark blue card stock. To enhance the snowflake design, I used my wink of stella glitter marker on some of the lines of the snowflakes after applying some white pigment ink with my finger gingerly on the raised surfaces of the snowflakes. I also used a white gel pen on some of the lines to create a more "snowy" effect. I adhered the new "Marie" snowflake die and 2 smaller dies from Simon Says Stamp (cut from white glitter paper) and add sequins from Pretty Pink Posh. The sentiment is from SSS "Merry Everything" embossed with Brutus Monroe Sterling embossing powder. Entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

Inside - Hero Arts Snowflake cling stamp in Distress Inks and SSS "Christmas Wishes" stamp set.
 




Happy Holidays

The weekend finally arrived and even though it's busy, I am trying to finish up some holiday cards! Here is one which fits Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge "Traditional Christmas"and also fits the My Favorite Things Sketch Challenge #466. See the sketch design below. I used MFT "Trim the Tree" stamp and sentiment and cut the panel into three pieces similar to the one highlighted on the website. The background stencil is called "Scattered Bars" from MFT which I had applied to kraft card stock in three different colors, 2 greens and white pigment ink. I hope you can see the effect in this photo. I like the way it turned out.

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Thursday, December 5, 2019

Merry Christmas To You and Yours




Below is another card project for the My Favorite Things Sketch Challenge #466.  One of the MFT designers used a window on her Christmas card so I thought I would do the same with products in my stash. This window is from Poppy Stamps entitled "Madison Window." Looking out you can see evergreens from Inkadinkado, a snow bank, and some clouds made with the "Mini Cloud" Stencil from MFT. I used "Trim the Tree" stamp from MFT for the sentiment and the gifts in the foreground and patterned paper for the wallpaper (from MFT Fresh Squeezed Chevron.) The floor is a stamp from Altenew, "Wood Pallet" and the little character is from "You Gnome Me" from My Favorite Things.  That finishes the Christmas scene for this holiday card! I am also going to enter this in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge "Traditional Christmas."




     



Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Make a Wish

Hello!
I was inspired by this week's Sketch Challenge #466 from My Favorite Things, to create the card below. Check out the sketch below, too. This birthday card uses the MFT stamp "Celebrate with Cake" but first I used a background stamp from Impression Obsession to create the criss cross of dots in blue. I have used this stamp before for male cards because I think it lends itself to a masculine look. In keeping with the "dots" I also incorporated the Spellbinder's Hemstitch Rectangle die which adds little circle cut outs on the rectangular panel. I used multiple layers for this masculine birthday card but no sequins or Nuvo dots!


Ornaments are Friends

Snowmen are a favorite during the holidays no matter how much snow falls! I love this stamp and the sentiment from My Favorite Things called "Trim the Branches." I colored the image with copic markers and used several dies to highlight the snowman in his red frame on top of some patterned paper. (dies from MFT "Stitched Square Frames and Stitched Mini Square Scallop Stax.) The ornament is from a Gina K. Design set called "Deck the Halls" embossed with clear powder for some shine and clear sequins were added for more sparkle. This is for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Traditional Christmas.




Winter Wishes

Hi Crafters!
Below is another holiday card which was inspired by another fantastic paper crafter, Nichol Spohr. I watched a video Nichol did for Simon Says Stamp during "Stamptember" using Polychromo Pencils on dark card stock. I loved the project so much, I ordered the exact same pencils and tried this technique. I did not have the stamp Nichol used, so I substituted Gina K's "Festive Flowers" which was also a new stamp set for Stamptember! The image is embossed in gold first, then colored in with the Polychromo pencils - chromium green opaque, permanent green olive, cobalt green, cobalt turquoise, prussian blue, and white. These blues look almost irredescent on the dark card stock when colored over a layer of white as Nichol did in her video. The sentiment is also embossed in gold. I am entering this in the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge "Let's Sparkle" and the Wednesday Challenge " Traditional Christmas" because of the beautiful poinsettia image from Gina K Design. Thanks for visiting my blog today.



            



Merry Christmas Trees

Thank you to Kristina Werner for inspiration on this card project. I made 6 of these for this upcoming holiday even though Kristina's card was #11 from her Christmas 2018 Series. You can view her video here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URn4ihyVPHA&t=185s

For my cards I used a Memory Box "Garden Holly Bough" stencil on the panel inked in Broken China and Mowed Lawn Distress Inks. I also used this stencil on the envelopes. Stampin' Up has a punch die of a triangle Christmas Tree which I used to cut out the trees from water color paper and followed Kristina's technique of water coloring with several cool colors, then embossing with Brutus Monroe "Sterling" embossing powder with three different designs in each tree.  For the sentiment, I used DCWV silver foil card stock and a Creative Expressions Merry Christmas die. I layered the panel on a piece of Gina K. sea glass card stock before adhering them on a white card base. This card has a lot of shine so I am entering it in the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge "Let's Sparkle" and it has symbols we all recognize for the holiday so I am also entering it in the Wednesday Challenge "Traditional Christmas."

 

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Greetings

Here is another holiday card for this year done in black and gold. It's similar to the red and gold one which used the same stencil from Simon Says Stamp called "Holiday Foliage. " I embossed it with SSS antique gold embossing powder, added some black & gold ribbon from Gina K Designs, with a small bow and double mounted it. First I used some heavy weight gold mylar from Elizabeth Craft Design called Shimmer Sheetz; then I used a black layer for accent. The sentiment is from Sunny Studios. Entering this in Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge "Let's Sparkle!"



Merry Christmas

Below is one of this year's holiday cards with a red and gold color scheme. First I embossed a new stencil from Simon Says Stamp called "Holiday Foliage" with SSS antique gold embossing powder on red card stock, added some gold ribbon and a sprig of gold foliage made with Poppy dies "Tomei Branch" and Small Wispy Pine Needles." The sentiment is from Gina K, run through the Mink machine with gold foil. Check the close up photo to see the shine! Entering this in Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge "Let's Sparkle!"