Christmas Scene Cards - the process

Water color scene using Zig Clean Color

MFT Companion die with stitches

Final Card Project - I made 4 of these, two red and two green just
 changing the sentiments and the shape of the snowflakes. I used the Marvy Snow Pen for the 3D effect and a lantern die. I love how
 they turned out especially since I am just learning how to water color!

Two Snowmen Cards

These two snowman cards turned out so cute! 

I just bought a new stamp from Tracy Mae's Mint Owl Designs 

and played around with it yesterday. I used water color paper 

and Zig Clean Color water color brushes.

I used a stamp set with the Merry Christmas banner from Stampin' Up 

and a couple of die cut cardinals to hold up the banner. 

On this second card I used Distress Inks for the night sky 

and heat embossed with white for the stars & snowflakes (last step.)

I had to mask off the main image to stamp the other trees - 

actually they are not stamped. Ha, I just remembered, 

I created a stencil from a tree die and then sponged them with dark green distress ink.

I love the sentiment from Mint Owl Designs - SNOWMANY wishes!!!!

As a side note, I used a die to cut the panel with the image. Then, I used 

my Scan n Cut to make another panel a bit bigger in white before adhering both to

my dark green card stock. This is a 5.5 by 5.5. card. White gel lines accent the shape.

Gift Card Tags

Had some fun today making gift card tags for the holidays! This is a die set from Reverse Confetti which makes the design so easy! I didn't put any gift cards in them yet, but you can see the spot where they go - near the top where the little embellishment is :)

Warmest Wishes

This is my entry for the My Favorite Things Sketch Challenge 256. 

I started by creating the candy stripes using a MFT stamp set by that name. 

It's not perfect, but I enjoyed it very much! I masked the middle section 

before stamping the top and bottom of the panel. 

The other stamp sets used are Hug in a Mug 

and Winter Warmth, both by MFT. 

The ink is MFT Wild Cherry and some red card stock from Gina K. Designs. 

MFT SKETCH CHALLENGE 256

Joyful Wishes

Entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp 

Wednesday Challenge Anything Goes

and SSS Work it Wednesday "Christmas Cards"

Unfortunately, you cannot see the embossed panels! 

Christmas Poinsettia

Altenew Poinsettia and Pine stamp set colored with copic markers after heat embossing with black. I fussy cut it and adhered it to pattern paper with a red card stock frame added and vellum greeting (Lawn Fawn)

Entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge 

and Simon Says Stamp Work it Wednesday "Christmas Cards"

Cute Mice

This is a stamp I borrowed from my sister. I believe it is Penny Black. I used water color pencils and pattern paper with ribbon for accent.

Entering this in the Lawnscape Challenge "In With the Old"

and Simon Says Stamp Work it Wednesday "Christmas Cards"

Kensington Tree

This is the Kensington Christmas Tree from Memory Box. I colored it with copic markers before popping it out of the white card stock, adhered it to white card base and framed it with a scalloped die cut. Added a few Lawn Fawn snowflakes and voila, a simple card. (sorry for the quality of the pic!)

Entering this card in the LawnscapeChallenge "In With the Old"

Giving Thanks Kraft & Cranberry

Here's another Thanksgiving card using some new products and pattern paper. This was my first attempt adding a paper bow to a card! I love the stitched leaves (probably from Lawn Fawn) and the GIVING THANKS die.

Happy Thanksgiving Wreath

Hello again! I have another Thanksgiving card. This one uses kraft for the base, some polka dot pattern paper, a mouse from My Favorite Things, and die cut leaves. After I colored the leaves with copic markers, I added some Wink of Stella for shimmer. I die cut some different shapes to mount it all together. What do you think?

Entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

Thanksgiving Mouse

      I'm loving the Harvest Mouse stamp and dies! I used three colors of brusho to create the card stock and cut it using the Diagonal stitched companion die from Die Namics. The "Thanksgiving" die in blue card stock is from Poppy. The "wishing you a very happy" is from a different stamp set, but it fit in the space perfectly. The mouse, cart, & pumpkins are colored with copic markers.

I'm entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

Thanksgiving Blessings

A Thanksgiving card with lots of details. I created a scene with Lawn Fawn Giving Thanks Mice and used an older Stampin' Up set for the house, trees, pumpkins. I had to make masks, which I don't mind when creating a scene. Copics were used to color the images; plus a new cross die on the top and bottom edge of the panel. Oh, yes, the sentiment is from a set called Words to the Rescue by Steve Fadie. I love it!

Entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp  Monday Challenge

Merry Christmouse!

A little hard to see with the shining light, but this card is my favorite so far for the holidays. I love, love, love the stockings full of mouse! This is a stamp set created by Lawn Fawn for Simon Says Stamp. And, the strings of lights are from Memory Box. Everything was colored with copic markers.

White Christmas

I was inspired by the ribbon - snow flakes in silver and aqua. I used Ma Ma Elephant Snow Cap Mountains die and Lawn Fawn Snow Flakes dies. 

The sentiments is Penny Black "Dreaming of a White Christmas."

Very Merry

Another Christmas card - I'll add the supplies later. Right now I just want to get it posted since it's been on my desk for three days!

Thinking of You at Christmas

Trying to get some Christmas cards made. Here's one using Hero Arts 

Stamp & Cut Christmas Tree, colored with copic markers and sequins added. 

I used a Paper Smooches border die for the little circle cuts along the edges of the pattern paper 

and adhered the Christmas tree with Tombow Xtreme tabs so it would pop up a little bit. 

The sentiment, an older Hero Arts set CL722, was stamped with versa mark and 

embossed in white on red card stock, which is the panel under the pattern paper.

 I scored two lines horizontally right above the sentiment (hard to see here.)

Entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp 

Wednesday Challenge "THINKING OF YOU"

Kindness

 I received my Sharing Handmade Kindness stamp set in the mail a few days ago 

so I wanted to use it today, but I also wanted to create a new card 

for My Favorite Things Sketch # 254. This is what I came up with! 

I used MFT Snowfall stencil for the confetti - this is water color paper (Bristol) so I used the 

Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers in all the bright colors I have for the confetti.

I also water colored the little girl. I have only been water coloring a month or so

and trying to learn how to shade as I go. The stamp is, of course, from the Homemade Kindness stamp set (Hero Arts/ Jennifer McGuire) stamped in Versa mark Pigment BLack Onyx 

and heat embossed with white super fine embossing powder. Then I cut the card

diagonally across the top, two times and mounted the pieces on green card stock.

Entering this in MFT Sketch Challenge 254

Merry Christmas Shimmer

I created this card with the MFT Challenge in mind! 

But, instead of using stars, I used snowflakes. I used brusho on water color paper,

let it dry, then sprayed it with MFT Mixable Mist Sheer Shimmer. You can just about

make out the shiny shimmer on the paper! I found some layering paper and

used a Martha Stewart snowflake punch on the corners. The snowflakes 

are die cut out of silvery white paper. Two are from Lawn Fawn and one is from Savvy Dies.

 I embossed My Favorite Things sentiment from Grand Holiday Greetings 

with fine white embossing powder on a piece of Essentials by Ellen 40 pound vellum

and added a few enamel dots and white gel dashes around the edge.

 I love the "cool" aqua color for the snowflake theme.

MFT Sketch Challenge 253

Here's a close up of the paper (brusho on water color paper) 

and the big snowflake from silvery white card stock.

#sharehomemadekindness #brutusmonroe

Two more cards I made for #sharehomemadekindness this week. A campaign to help with bullying organized by Jennifer McGuire and sponsored by many generous craft companies. Check out her blog here:

AND, I must say thank you to #ChristopherAllen from #Brutusmonroe for sharing digital kindness with all of his periscope viewers. Yes, Chris, these are cards made with your designs! Got them finished in one day! Mailing out tomorrow (or rather today since it's already after midnight! LOL

#1 - 25 Days of Christmas Tags

I found out about a terrific challenge - 25 Days of Christmas Tags 

run by Tracey McNeely. Check it out on her blog,  In My Creative Opinion. 

She has giveaways, discounts, and some very creative contributors. 

So I made a tag today! 

The blog asks the participants to choose a tag from one of the contributors 

for inspiration. I chose Jenn Shurkus's tag. I love Jenn. She is so friendly and helpful in the craft world. Check out her blog too at shurkus.com.

Thanks, Tracey and Jenn, for the head's up!

So here is my tag ... with my cat Pirate Beau

and here is Jenn's tag, with her cat Harley!

Thanks for Inspiring Me

Entering this card in the Lawnscape Challenge 

Challenge - Thinking of you/Love/Encouragment

I made this card for a special teacher... and thought it's simple design was quite effective. 

The little school house is a Taylored Expression's Die. I cut out three red and three black so I could give them a shadow. I had some pattern paper in primary colors which worked well for the panel 

on top of the red. The banner heat embossed white using a Lawn Fawn stamp.

Give Thanks

Entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp

WEDNESDAY CHALLENGE

Here's a beauty! First I stamped an Altenew wood grain stamp on brown paper 

for background panel and die cut it with a stitched rectangle die.

 I used an embossing folder to create some "curtain" paper which sits 

behind the open windows. The window is a Spellbinders Die which I love! 

The cut out pumpkin and leaves are from Memory Box and Elizabeth Craft dies.

 I created the wreath by gluing lots of leaves on a card stock circle with the middle cut out. 

Give Thanks is from the Lawn Fawn set.

Love - I Pick You

#sharehomemadekindness

I made this card for my sister, to cheer her up! Thank you Jennifer McGuire 

for starting this campaign of homemade kindness. 

Love the new stamps for it and the fact that money is going toward 

an effort to stop bullying. Here's a link to Jennifer's blog

Share Handmade Kindness week 1 - family and friends

From the front you only see the top of the mouse gazing up toward the apple tree. 

But when you open the front panel, there is the basket of apples 

and the one picked by the little mouse. Hence, I PICK YOU! 

Also, I'm entering this card in the Lawnscape Challenge

THINKING OF YOU/ LOVE/ ENCOURAGEMENT

Golden Thanksgiving

Love the effect of the brusho water color powders on this paper. I sprayed the whole sheet with Heidi Swapp Gold color shine and boy did it glow. Might be hard to see in this pic. The Lawn Fawn leaf dies were cut out of distress ink colored paper. The leaf in the middle also has Distress crackle paint on top. Check out the close up shot below. The Thanksgiving die is from Poppy, cut from gold card stock, and some gold ribbon to tie it altogether. 

Entering this card in Simon Says Stamp 

Monday Challenge SO GLOSSY

and the SSS Wednesday Challenge Thanksgiving

Brusho and Black

Hi everyone! I still had some of the paper I created with brusho left over from my other projects, so I decided to make one more card with it. Here I chose to combine the colorful fall paper with black accents! My stamp "fall is when nature turns to gold" is an older Inkadinkado one. I should have used the misti so I could have stamped it twice. It's not as dark as I'd like it. But the rest turned out fine. It's hard to see here, but the card is very shiny.

Going to enter this card in the Simon Says Stamp 

Monday Challenge Glossy

Sending Mice Wishes for Thanksgiving

Two cards were created using the paper I colored with Brusho water color powders in yellow, orange, and red. I used the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Grand Maple die to create a space in the panel and swirled some Antique Linen distress ink on white card stock for the background for the mice (colored with copic markers and die cut) from Lawn Fawn "Thankful Mice." Love these little guys!  The smaller leaves are from Lawn Fawn stitched leaves set cut out of brown paper and "painted" with wink of stella gold. The sentiments are from two sets, Hero Arts and Stampendous "Bery Mice." 

Entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp 

Wednesday Challenge THANKSGIVING/ THANKS

 

Harvest Mouse Blessing

Here's another card with the My Favorite Things Harvest Mouse Stamp Set. The brown paper was stamped with Altenew wood tone stamp first then cut using Die Namics Stitched Companion die. I love these dies because they fit on A2 cards so perfectly. Takes the guess work out and saves you a few steps. The card was finished with some ribbon, a red card base, the copic colored mouse and basket of apples. Cute huh?

Entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp

Wednesday Challenge THANKS/ THANKSGIVING

Leaves, leaves, glorious gorgeous ginger colored leaves!

Going to enter this in the Simon Says Stamp  Monday Challenge

So Glossy!

A few weeks ago I watched Jenn Shurkus coloring leaves with distress inks, blending colors together, applying Tim Holtz crackle and highlighting with browns. They were gorgeous! I had to try it. The gold ones below were done the same way as Jenn's using distress inks and the crackle paint on Lawn Fawn leaf dies. But the orange ones were accomplished with brusho powder water colors. I used the brusho in reds, oranges, and yellolw on two pieces of water color paper covering the entire area. Then I spritzed the paper with gold spray (need to check the brand!), let them dry and cut out big leaves with the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Grand Maple die.

I used a spellbinder die to cut a design from my "fall" paper and layered it on brown card stock and a white card which I colored with a bit of distress inks around the edges. I was looking for something to place in between my leaves, and decided on a pumpkin from Poppy. I covered it with versa mark and used a clear embossing powder which created a dark glossing brown. I liked it so much that I decided to do the same for the "Happy Halloween" sentiment which is from Poppy. 

I wish the shine showed up better here. It's really bright and pretty!