Magical Christmas for Bears

A reminder that the CAS Christmas "Christmas Critters" challenge is ending on November 24th.  And a reminder that we don't have a challenge in December.

Here's my reminder card:

I love this stamp of the sweet polar bear giving her baby a ride.

Very CAS and quick to make - stamped, watercoloured, bordered with gold, and a bit of gold pen on the stars.

I hope you can join us with your Christmas critters.  There's lots more inspiration from the Design Team over at CAS Christmas.

 

I'm also adding it to:

Krafty Chicks' "Week 2 - Christmas" challenge

We Love Stamping "Christmas" challenge

ABC Christmas Challenge "W for Whimsical" 

Winter Wonderland "For a Child"

Stamping Sensations "Christmas"

Supplies:
Stamps - Crafter's Companion
Ink - Archival Jet Black
Paper - watercolour paper, gold and cream cs
Size - 5" square
Accessories - watercolour paints, Spellbinders square dies, gold pen

One CAS Card, One Not So CAS Card

Two Christmas cards today as I'm trying to get some challenges done before they end.

First up, for Less Is More "More But Still CAS".

Here's how they explain the challenge: "The idea behind this challenge is to use lots of small images or shapes or words/sentiments but at the same time keeping the card as CAS as possible. How many small images/shapes can you incorporate into your CAS design?"

It seemed the perfect opportunity to get out my long-neglected Rubber Stamp Tapestry peg stamps and create a wreath with them.

How I made it:

• Drew a light pencil circle to use as a guide.
• Stamped various peg stamps in reds and greens around the circle, and a sentiment inside it.
• Die cut with stitched circle die and popped up on fun foam.
• Embellished with a small green bow.

Moving away from CAS for the second card.  It's for Christmas Crafts All Year Round "Hearts or Love".  

I was stumped for awhile for what to use but then decided there was a real sense of maternal love in this bear showing her cub the stars in the winter sky.

How I made it:

• Stamped the bears and coloured their scarves and added a bit of shading to them with Zig markers.
• Die cut them with the corresponding dies.
• Created the background by masking the bottom and then doing a mixture of smooshing and blending with Distress inks for the sky. 
• Stamped the stars that came with the bears onto the sky and heat embossed in gold. 
• Added the sentiment, mounted the background on gold cs, popped the bears up with foam tape, and added Crystal Stickles to the snowline and under the bears.

Two more for my Christmas card fundraiser!

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Rubber Stamp Tapestry peg stamps, unknown sentiment stamp
Ink - Distress inks (Forest Moss, Pine Needles, Candied Apple, Festive Berries)
Paper - white cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - Lil Inker stitched circle die, green ribbon, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Recollections bears and stars, Rubber Soul sentiment
Ink - Versamark, Archival Jet Black, Distress inks (Faded Denim, Stormy Sky, Dusty Concord)
Paper - mixed media cs, gold shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Recollections bear dies, Zig watercolour markers, gold embossing powder, Crystal Stickles, foam tape

Bears in the Moonlight

AAA Cards' theme is "Moonlight".

I stamped and watercoloured the image, using my Gansai Tambi paints.  The set includes a metallic gold paint so I used that on the stars.  I decided that since the bears were already looking up at the stars, they might as well be looking at the moon as well so used a small circle die to cut the moon out of pale gold glitter cs.  I used the same glitter cs for the sentiment.  The card base is a similar shade of gold shimmer cs.

I drew extra hill lines with a fine pointed black marker around the bears as the baby bear looked like he was sitting in thin air in the stamp.  I added blue shading to the hills.

Here's a closer photo, hopefully showing more of the gold shine of the stars and the glitter cs of the moon:

I'm also adding it to The Merry Christmas Challenge "Anything Goes" and The Rudolph Days "Anything Goes" challenge.

Supplies:

Stamps -  Penny Black

Ink - Archival Jet Black

Paper - gold shimmer cs, scrap of gold glitter cs, watercolour paper

Size - A2

Accessories - Gansai Tambi watercolour paints, fine black marker, Spellbinders circle die, Tattered Lace sentiment die, fun foam

Is Tobogganing a Sport?

The new Paper Players challenge is "Sports".

Since I need to make lots of Christmas cards, I went with a winter sport - tobogganing.  Got my card made, and then found myself wondering if tobogganing is actually a sport - too late now if it's not, the card is made and here to be posted.

A quick card to make - stamped, watercoloured, trimmed with a stitched rectangle, and bordered with red and green to match the bears' scarves.

Supplies:

Stamps - Penny Black Arctic Antics

Ink - Archival Jet Black

Paper - watercolour paper; red, green, and cream cs

Size - A2

Accessories - Gansai Tambi watercolour paints, Lil Inkers stitched rectangle die