Gentle Christmas and Floral Thanks

For the Cut It Up challenge, we have to use a die cut and our favourite colour.  Mine is blue.  I have a friend whose husband just passed away so I need to send her a different kind of Christmas card.  "Merry Christmas" won't really apply for her first Christmas on her own.  So I made this:

I created a faux mother of pearl background with blue Distress inks and silver paint, laid the die cut over it, stamped and heat embossed the sentiment.  I like this sentiment for people who aren't going to be enjoying their first Christmas after a major loss.

I've also got a thank you card today for The Flower Challenge "Thanks".  And for the Sisterhood of Crafters "Thanks".

 I created a background using various light greens and blues of Distress Oxide inks.  Then stamped and heat embossed the flowers in white, and painted them dark blue.  Trimmed the panel and put it on an embossed layer.

  

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Impression Obsession sentiment
Ink - various Distress blue inks, ColorBox silver
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - silver paint, unknown die, platinum embossing powder

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - PB flowers, unknown thank you
Ink - various light blue and green Distress Oxide inks
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - SU embossing folder, white embossing powder, blue paint, stitched sentiment banner die

Neglected Dragonfly, Smooshed Birthday, and a Blue Heart

Diane and Darlene have started another new challenge - The Neglected Stuff Challenge.  A great way for me to dig out something I haven't used for years.  This month I went with a Tim Holtz dragonfly stamp that I've always really liked.  Why, then, did it sit unused for 10 years!!?  I actually did a search on my blog and the last time I used it was in 2015!

I started by smooshing a piece of mixed media cs with two Distress colours. Using the same colours I stamped a bit of subtle harlequin and mesh stamps to add interest and texture. Then I stamped the dragonfly stamp in black on top. And stamped it again on a scrap so that I could watercolour the wings (using the same two ink colours with Glimmer Spray in the place of water). I fussy cut the wings and popped them up with foam tape on top of the original stamping. I stamped a sentiment, die cut it with a banner die, smooshed it in the inks a bit, and popped it up with foam tape.

And a bit more smooshing on this card, for the AAA Birthday Challenge "Ink Smooshing".

I started by smooshing white cs into two shades of blue Distress ink and when dry, stamped some text on it.  Then cut out sections with two sizes of octagon dies and arranged them on an embossed background.  I die cut a leaf out of a green smooshed leftover background scrap and layered it on the octagon.  I spritzed two shades of Distress Mica spray on my craft mat and smooshed another piece of cs and cut the butterfly out of that.  I stamped the sentiment on bit of blue smooshed leftover scrap.

And a third card for today, so that I can enter it into the Penny Black Saturday Challenge "Hearts" before it closes.  A very quick CAS card compared to my first two cards on this post.

The image is stamped in royal blue ink and heat embossed.  Then trimmed with a stitched square die, and mounted on the card base.  It's such a lovely stamp I didn't want anything to detract from it.

 

Supplies for card:
Stamps - Tim Holtz dragonfly, Savvy Stamps sentiment, unknown little harlequin stamp and mesh stamp
Ink - Distress Tumbled Glass and Shabby Shutters, Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - mixed media cs, off white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Glimmer Spray, banner die, foam tape

Supplies for card:
Stamps - Inkadinkado text stamp, AMuse sentiment stamp
Ink - Distress Broken China and Tumbled Glass, Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Spellbinders octagon dies, Memory Box leaf die, Tim Holtz butterfly die, Altenew embossing folder, Winter Frost and Fresh Balsam Distress Mica spray

Supplies for card:
Stamps - Penny Black
Ink - ColorBox Royal Blue
Paper - white cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - clear embossing powder, Lil Inker stitched square die

Flowery Birthday and Two Notecards

For AAA Birthday "Fabulous Flowers" and My Time to Craft "Summer Florals":

I created the background by sponging with various brown Distress inks, stamping some grid lines and sentiment, and splattering a bit.  The I stamped the floral branch on top and used Posca paint pens to colour it - they have enough pigment to colour over the background colour.  I trimmed it with a square die and sponged a bit more of the darker brown around the edges.

Color Hues wants white and aqua.  I made a simple notecard that I can add a sentiment to the inside of when I need it.

A simple smooshed background in shades of aqua, a stamped text / tree image, than a thin black border, a white border with some faux stitching, and then another thin black border.

Addicted to CAS wants to see Critters and I needed a notecard to send to one of my fellow horse-loving friends.

 

 

A simple stamped image, trimmed with a wonky stitched rectangle die, and added to a very thin border of pink glitter cs (my friend loves pink and loves sparkle!).

 

    

 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Penny Black First Blush, Visible Image grid lines, PTI sentiment
Ink - various brown Distress inks, Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - white cs
Size - 5.25" square
Accessories - Posca paint pens

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Viva Decor
Ink - various aqua blue oxide inks, Archival Jet Black
Paper - white and black cs
Size - A2
Accessories - piercing tool, fine point black marker, fun foam

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - Serendipity mustang
Ink - Distress Walnut Stain
Paper - white cs, pink glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - MFT wonky stitched rectangle die

Colour Challenges

I don't know how you feel about colour challenges but I do very few of them - I really have to like the colours to be inspired to do them.  The new 52 Christmas Card Throwdown is a colour challenge - red, kraft, and white.  That's a combination I really happen to like so I made this card for it.

Kraft card base, die cut kraft tree (cut twice and glued together for more dimension), a white focal panel cut with a stitched rectangle die, and then lovely bits of red for the stamped sentiment and the die cut cardinals.

Then I needed a masculine birthday card and thought the Seize the Birthday challenge of green and one other colour (I chose black to keep it masculine) would work.  And I was on a roll with birds so dug out another bird die.

I smooshed a background with various green Distress inks, then stamped a bit of cross-hatched texture and the sentiment on it.  I die cut the branch and bird out of black cs, glued it on the green panel and popped it up on fun foam for more dimension.

  

I'm curious - if you leave a comment, let me know if you like colour challenges or not.

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Hero Arts sentiment
Ink - SU Real Red
Paper - kraft, red, and white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Impression Obsession tree and cardinals, Lil Inker stitched rectangle die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - A Muse sentiment, unknown cross-hatching stamp
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, various green Distress inks
Paper - white and black cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Memory Box bird die, Sizzix branch die

CAS Christmas and a Winter Scene

For the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown "Clean and Simple" challenge and Simply Clean and Simple "Winter":

I used a leftover bit of a smooshed background, a small die, and a vertical sentiment.  There's lots of white space to keep it very CAS!

My second card is for Can You Handle the Pressure? with a theme of "Winter":

The embossing for the challenge is just from a narrow snowflake embossing folder.  The winter farm scene is stamped and coloured with coloured pencils.  It's bordered with black and popped up on fun foam on the red card base.

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Rosie's Road Show
Ink - various Distress Oxide blue inks
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - unknown die, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Serendipity farm, PB sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - white, red, and black cs
Size - A2
Accessories - coloured pencils, Cuttlebug narrow snowflake embossing folder, fun foam

Bear in a Shaker and Small Vertical Elements

52 Christmas Card Throwdown's technique challenge is "Shaker Card" and CAS on Friday's theme challenge is "Animal".  I've got both in this card:

The bear is watercoloured and fussy cut and placed on top of a square of silver cs embossed with a snowflake embossing folder.  I added thick dimensional tape around the edges of the silver cs, sprinkled in some sequins and micro-beads, then added a layer of acetate to the top of it.  I set it behind a white square of cs out of which I die cut a centre square.

The ABC Christmas Challenge wants "U for Use It Up" and / or "V for Vertical".  I included both - using up a scrap of background and a vertical sentiment.  And Christmas Craft Creations wants "Monochromatic".

The background is a tiny leftover bit from a larger background I created by smooshing blue Distress Oxide inks on mixed media cs.  I added a small vertically-oriented die cut and stamped a vertical sentiment.

     

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - unknown bear stamp, PB sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne, SU Real Red
Paper - white cs, silver cs, watercolour paper
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - watercolour paints, snowflake embossing folder, sequins, microbeads, dimensional tape

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Rosie's Roadshow sentiment
Ink - various blue Distress Oxide inks
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - unknown die, fun foam

A Mixed Media Card for a Guy

Cardz 4 Guyz want us to "Get Messy with Inks, Paints, or Sprays.  I really struggle with masculine cards but pulled out an older Tim Holtz image for this one.

I did a background of smooshing with Oxide inks - tapping them on my craft mat, spritzing with water, then smooshing my piece of mixed media cs into them, drying between layers. 

I then stenciled with a grid stencil and vintage photo ink, stamped the postmark and blue splats for extra interest.

The man and the sentiment are stamped in black and heat embossed in clear. And the panel is popped up on fun foam for extra dimension.

He's got an umbrella so I'm assuming it's a rainy day so I'm adding it to The Paper Players "Rainy Days" challenge.

 

 

Supplies:
Stamps - Tim Holtz man and sentiment, SU French Foliage postage mark and splat
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, various Distress oxide inks
Paper - mixed media and cream cs
Size - A2
Accessories - clear embossing powder, grid stencil, fun foam

Colours with Dragonflies / Cardinals with Cups

For the Color Throwdown of green, yellow, and aqua:

I made a smooshed background with Distress Oxide inks on mixed media cs and added a bit of text stencilling for more interest.  I die cut the dragonflies corner twice and glued them together, then glued them on the corner. I bordered with a grey cs and popped the panel up on fun foam.

And, because I really need to get going on Christmas cards for my sale, I did a Christmas card for Stamping Sensations "Anything Stamped with a CAS Option".  Also for We Love Stamping "Birds or Animals", Double D "Things that Fly", and Country View Crafts Challenge "Things with Wings".

It's a stamp I've had for a while but never inked up - don't know why as I really like it!  So it's going to NBUS as well.  It's watercoloured, trimmed with  a pierced rectangle die, border with green, and popped up on a red shimmer card base.

Challenges:

Color Throwdown

 

Stamping Sensations

 

We Love Stamping "Birds or Animals" 

 

Double D "Things That Fly" 

 

Country View Crafts Challenge "Things with Wings"

NBUS

Supplies for card 1:
Ink - Distress Oxide blues, yellow, and grey
Paper - white, grey, and mixed media cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Memory Box dragonfly corner die, TCW text stencil, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Power Poppy
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, green cs, red shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, Spellbinders pierced rectangle die, fun foam