Christmas in September -- Six Cards

Hello on a Saturday!

It's been a whirlwind of a week and whatever crafty time I had available was spent making the six Christmas cards I'm sharing today.  It all started with Jo's Christmas Kickstart Challenge #114 -- Reindeer Games.  That sounded like fun to me!

I chose my previously enjoyed Cottage Cutz Santa w/Reindeer Buddy.  You can use Santa and the reindeer together or separately.  I cut the whole works four times and proceeded firstly with the two joyfully cavorting reindeer pals.  This is the card I'm sending to Christmas Kickstart.

Card base embossed with TH Sizzix Lumber 3D EF, Hero Arts Wood Frame (spare part)

Each of the reindeer cards also feature Tim's Holtz Sizzix Big Tidings and various spare parts.  I was determined to use as many spare parts as possible, therefore all three designs are different.  I believe this next card is my favorite.

The yellow background, black Waffle Flower Dreamy Frame, and smallest white stars are all spare parts.

All the reindeer appear a little bug-eyed due to my heavy hand when applying white acrylic paint for the eye glint.  Oops.  Do they look like they've been drinking?

I managed to use a little more designer paper on the next card.

Poppystamps Wispy Pine Needle Corner and Spellbinders Blossom Nestabilities are both spare parts.

I finished up with three identical Santa cards.  Each Santa has a snowflake on his beard, strategically placed to cover a smudge.  Hmmm, maybe these are my favorites.  Santa is just such a fun and happy guy!

Penny Black Crystal Frame, Memory Box Pretty Presents,
Impression Obsession Ho Ho Ho and Small Snowflake Set

Total Christmas cards in the box:  29

Along with my cavorting reindeer I'm sending thanks to Jo and her elf, Loll, at Christmas Kickstart for prompting me to get a few more cards in the box.  Thank you, too, for visiting.  Have a happy weekend!

One More Daisy Card

Hi again!  Pardon me while I slip in a card I made way back in early August.  This was my third use of Spellbinders Fresh Picked Daisies and I think maybe my favorite.  I pulled a watercolor background from my stash and coordinated that with a Stampin' Up Marigold Morning card base, and Marigold Morning ink on the sentiment.  The daisies and leaves are Copic colored.

It's interesting how the leaves in this die set are very pretty and graceful, and the daisy flowers rather fun and funky.

I think I can put the daisies away for a while.

I'll leave you with the recipe, below, and a wish for a daisy kind of day!  Thank you!

Stamps:  Inside only  Paper:  Hammermill Premium 100 lb white, Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb hot press watercolor, Stampin' Up Marigold Morning  Ink:  Marigold Morning, other forgotten for watercolor background  Coloring:  Copics for image, watercolor smooshing for background  Dies:  Spellbinders Fresh Picked Daisies, Creative Expressions Happy Birthday sentiment  Other:  Stampin' Up Subtle embossing folder for card base

Guest Designing with Penny Black Saturday Challenge

Hello there!  I'm honored to be guest designing alongside Denise (The Crafty Den) at the Penny Black Saturday Challenge this month.  The theme is always "anything goes", but with an optional prompt.  This month the option is "use a die".

 

I'm all for using a die!  In this case I colored the wisteria blooms and leaves from Penny Black's Wings of Joy set, then cut the curve with PB's Curved Stitch die.  From my already-made-up stash I plucked a Memory Box dragonfly which happened to be just the right colors.

I watercolored with a mix of Stampin' Up inks and Tombow markers.  Did the background first, then the blooms.  The leaves were stamped separately and hand cut to drape over the blooms and add texture without too much dimension which enables the card to be easily mailable with no extra postage.  Finished with a few sequins for a touch of garden magic.

The sentiment is from the Penny Black Serene Beliefs set.  I've been using this set a LOT since its summer release, mostly for the insides.  Every word is beautiful.

I hope you'll join us at the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.  I just love seeing all the PB goodness by the talented team and those who play along.  Have a super day!

Stamps:  Penny Black Wings of Joy and Serene Beliefs  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico extra white 140 lb hot press watercolor, Hammermill Premium 100 lb white  Ink:  Memento Toffee Crunch for image, Stampin' Up Brocade Blue for sentiment  Coloring:  Watercolor with Stampin' Up reinkers and Tombow markers  Dies and Other:  Penny Black Curved Stitch, Memory Box Azure Dragonflies, sequins, Wink of Stella on dragonfly wings

Double D Challenge: Vases and/or Pitchers

Hello again, friends!  It's Double D time, and Diane has the prettiest board to inspire you.  Today the challenge is Vases and/or Pitchers.

I love everything on the board and I could make one or more of each.  However, I went with the watering can because I've only used my Spellbinders Sprinkle & Grow die set once and I didn't care for the card despite how cute the die set is.  That's on me.  Today I'm much happier!

I brought in a few extras from the toybox -- a pretty frame, some fun designer paper, a bit of grass, and a cute sentiment.  The scalloped corners of the panel within the frame were done with a punch I've had since my early days of paper crafting.  I love how it works with the frame as though it was meant to be.  The sentiment was cut from the designer paper.  The glossy dots were punched from it, too -- 1/4" & 1/8" hole punches -- then glossy glaze applied.

Sometimes everything comes together in harmony.  I wish that was always the case.

We would love for you to come play with us at Double D.  The team has some pretty vases and/or pitchers, and I just know you have some, too.

Thank you for taking the time to visit with me today!

Stamps:  None  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb watercolor, Hammermill Premium 100 lb white, Stampin' Up Going Gray, Polkadoodles Peeling Paint designer paper  Ink:  Stampin' Up Gable Green and Almost Amethyst for blended background  Coloring:  Tombow markers for watering can, Copics for flower arrangement, ink blending with brushes for background  Dies:  Spellbinders Sprinkle & Grow, Simon Says Stamp Teardrop Pinpoint Frames, Creative Expressions Mini Hello & Hi, Impression Obsession Grass Border

This is the Life

Hello there and welcome back!

We're not done with summer yet, but pretty soon we'll be thinking "fall".  In fact, I already am.  Geez, it's so close!

My Sleeping Mouse from Colorado Craft Company is from one of several "card kits" I created directly after Christmas last year.  This kit had the makings for three cards with focal images stamped and ready to color, card bases made up with designer paper, as well as embellishments chosen and tucked into the bag.  They were infinite fun from start to finish.

 

This little guy was colored with Copics, cut with the matching die, and set onto an oldie Poppystamps Woodland Oval.  The designer paper is Brutus Monroe Autumn Tapestries with Freshly Made Sketch #707.  The flower is Cottage Cutz.

All three cards from my made-up kit are pictured below -- Colorado Craft Company This is the Life and Sleeping Mouse.

I think they'd make a cute little gift set tied up with raffia, and I have a friend with a fall birthday who might just love them.

No challenges today, just playing in my room.  Our son is coming this weekend and I have a big, hearty soup to make, so I'll be in the kitchen after a friend and I take our pretty girls for long walk in our hilly neighborhood.  Sophie's sweet friend, Myrtle, is a mini-Australian Shepherd who lives just around the corner.  The two of them make quite a pair!

One more of just Sophie with her new collar from one of the craft booths at our local Blackberry Festival last weekend.  It's only for dress up, not for everyday.

Thank you for joining me.  I wish you a lovely day!

Whimsical Houses for Three Occasions

Greetings friends!  I haven't had this much fun playing house in a long time!

In June I bought the entire Whimsical Village Collection by Vicki Papaioannou for Spellbinders.  They went straight to my use-next basket and here we are at the end of August and I'm just now getting around to them.  I LOVE them!  For each card I brought in a little something extra from the toy box.  See under each picture for noteworthy mentions.

***  FALL  ***

Spellbinders Whimsical Houses, Village Companions (clouds & dog), Whimsical Wishes sentiment
Poppystamps Stitched Landscapes, Cottage Cutz Fall Barrel (sunflowers)

***  HALLOWEEN  ***

SB Whimsical Village, PS Stitched Landscape & Stitched Cloudline
Cheery Lynn (long since out of business) Happy Halloween
Ghost sequins
(The Happy Halloween and the cloudy background were both spare parts --hooray for spare parts!

***  CHRISTMAS  ***

SB Whimsical Houses, Whimsical Wishes, Whimsical Skies 3D embossing folder + white ink
Memory Box Slender Pine Trees, Poppystamps Stitched Landscapes

Total Christmas cards in the box:  23

I had way too much fun playing with this collection and getting three more cards done for the upcoming busy cardmaking season.  I meant for the first card to be for Thanksgiving, but as soon as I glued down the sunflowers I realized they would not be in bloom in late November.  Oh, well, a fall card is good, too!

Challenges:

NBUS Challenge #89.  Everything from the Whimsical Village Collection is never before used schtuff.
Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge.  Anything goes or be inspired by the mood board.
Peace on Earth Challenge #118.  Anything goes or be inspired by the mood board.

 

Thank you!  Happy crafting!  

One for CAS Christmas -- Santa's Sleigh

Well, friends, so far this month I have just one Christmas card to add to the box.  I'm not sure why I was dragging my feet.  Summer, I suppose.  I did, however, want to play along in Loll's CAS Christmas Challenge where Julia has chosen the theme of "Santa's Sleigh".

I don't have much in the way of Santa's sleigh stamps or dies.  I came up with three, but only one that I really wanted to use this year.  I combined a Stampendous sentiment with Lavinia's Pippin Mini and The Wishing Tree.  Three stamps and some ink blending on a one layer card... it doesn't get much more simple or quick in my craft room!

I stamped in Versafine Onyx Black and clear embossed with fine detail powder.  Using torn paper I masked the lower edge for snow, then ink blended over everything with Stampin' Up Almost Amethyst and Brocade Blue.  Wiped away excess ink from the embossed sentiment and images, flicked with water, blotted with a paper towel.  The mini-slimline card is 3 1/2" x 6".

Total Christmas cards in the box:  22

You know I'm not very good at CAS so I hope it's okay for the challenge.  I appreciate the inspiration to create this card as I do love it and I was missing my Lavinia stamps.

Sending thanks to the team at the CAS Christmas Challenge for all the inspiration, and thanks to you for stopping by to visit!

Stamps:  Stampendous Christmas Sky, Lavinia Pippin Mini & Wishing Tree  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 110 lb  Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Stampin' Up Almost Amethyst and Brocade Blue  Coloring:  Ink blending with brushes  Other:  WOW! clear gloss super fine embossing powder

Nest Building Bird

Hi again, friends!  Nesting season has passed here in the northern hemisphere, but it's always anything goes in my craft room.  I still have some bird dies not yet used so I set about rectifying the situation.  This one is a PTI die, Feathered Friends 14.  I recently moved it from my not-yet-used-dies basket to my use-next all purpose basket (stamps, dies, embossing folders) and it wasn't long before it became a card.

For the life of me I couldn't figure out what kind of bird this is supposed to be (any ideas?) so I spent way too much time searching for something likely.  I finally settled on a Crested Bunting which lives in China.  Even still, I took some liberties -- the white spots, for instance.  It's nest building in a thicket courtesy of Memory Box Bird's Nest and Poppystamps Thicket Frame.  The parts are all ink blended with brushes.

Every now and then I like to send a card "just because" and I especially like to make them!

I'll be sending my feathered friend along to the following two challenges:

Triple B Challenge -- Always birds, butterflies, or blooms.
NBUS Challenge #89 -- My never before used schtuff is the PTI Feathered Friends 14.

Thanks for your visit!  I love when you stop by.  Have a good weekend!

Stamps:  Stampin' Up retired Itty Bitty Backgrounds (sprinkles)  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 110 lb, Cougar Natural, SU Close to Cocoa  Ink:  SU Close to Cocoa, Really Rust, Old Olive, Ranger Distress Soot Black  Coloring:  Ink blending with brushes, Copic for eye, white acrylic paint for eye glint and spots  Dies:  PTI Feathered Friends 14, Memory Box Bird's Nest, Poppystamps Thicket Frame, Creative Expressions Stacked Just Because  Other:  Scotch brand foam mounting tape to pop up bird body