Christmas card

This week on the Mod Squad Challenge Blog, we were asked to have music, or words from a Christmas carol on our card. I had music notes on my card last week so I decided to use words from a carol.

I started by stamping the image (Hero Arts) on a piece of Bazzill Basics Simply Smooth white cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I coloured it in with Spectrum Noir markers: GG1, GG2, IG2 for the wings and sash' GB1, GB3, TN4 for the hair, LG4, LG5, JG5 for her robes and FS6, CR10 for her face and hands and GB11 for the horn.

I stamped the sentiment (Momenta) in Versamark, sprinkled Martha Stewart Antique Gold embossing powder on and heat set it. I sponged the edges of the card front with Stamp Craft Green ink and matted it with some patterned cardstock from the DCWV The Christmas Stack. I attached a piece of ribbon and adhered everything to a white card base.

I am also entering this in Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

One layer birthday card

My niece's birthday is coming up so I needed to make a card. I thought I would try the One Layer timed challenge on the Mod Squad Challenge Blog. I have to admit that I made this more than once. I was hurrying so much that I kept making mistakes!

It took me five minutes to make the card. Most of that time was spent embossing the sentiment and using the Stamp-a-ma-jig. Once I had stamped the branch I needed to place the bird and the wing in the right spot and the Stamp-a-ma-jig helped me do that.

Making a one layer card is harder than it seems so thanks for the challenge. It made me think 'outside the box'.

These are the products I used:

Sentiment: Quietfire Design

Bird and branch: Stampin' Up!

Notes: Recollections

Ink: Versamark watermark; ColorBox Fresh Green and Scarlet; VersaFine Onyx Black

Embossing powder: Recollections Black

Washi tape: Recollections

Christmas Tag

After a fairly warm fall so far, the weather turned cold yesterday and today. It got me in the mood to make a Christmas tag for the Mod Squad Challenge Blog - Tag Time. I decided to use traditional colours - red and green.

I used a Spellbinders Shapeabilites from the Labels and Tags set to cut the top of the tag and the white piece. When I ran it through my Cuttlebug I put the C plate on just the top of the die so only the top would cut. I trimmed the very top of the white piece so it would fit better.

I inked up the main part of the image (by PSX) in Fresh Green ColorBox ink and stamped it. I then inked up the poinsettia in Cranberry ColorBox ink and stamped it using the Stamp a ma jig. I wanted it to pop a bit so I went over it with Spectrum Noir marker DR4. I used CT4 to colour in the middle.

The background needed something so I stamped a snowflake, from my stash, with VersaMark ink. I used Recollections clear embossing powder and Glitter Ritz warm highlights micro glitter to give some sparkle.

I used the Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia die to cut out the smallest 3 layers and curled them slightly to give some shape. I stacked them, punched out a yellow circle for the middle, glued them together and adhered the poinsettia to the tag with a Glue Dot. I punched a hole in the tag and threaded a piece of green ribbon through.

One tag finished for my Christmas presents - many more to go!  

Thinking of You card

This week I made a card for a few challenges. The Mod Squad Challenge Blog wanted us to use a doily, the Simon Says Stamp Blog Wednesday Challenge wanted us to make a Thinking of You card and the Simon Says Stamp Blog Monday Challenge wanted to see how we were inspired by the Good Ol' Days.

I was at a conference all weekend so I had to make a quick and easy card. I covered the front of a white card base with some patterned paper by Louise Tiler from a pack called Floral Fantasy. I had a large doily so I cut off a piece to go over a corner of the card and cut a piece of Bazzill Basics cardstock to go over the doily. I stamped the Thinking of You sentiment by Recollections with Versa Magic Purple Hydrangea ink and inked the edges.

I used the hummingbird stamp from the Hummingbird set by Hot off the Press to tie in with the patterned paper and fussy cut it. I popped up the hummingbird with some foam dots and the card was finished.

I figured that the doily and the patterned paper made the card look a little like the Good Ol' Days.

Blue Christmas card

This week on the Mod Squad Challenge Blog the challenge is to make a blue Christmas card. It was like deja vu because I made a blue Christmas card last week! So I made a quick and easy one this week.

I sponged the background with Stampin' Up! Bashful Blue, Ballet Blue and Brilliant Blue. I stamped the Stampendous stamp with Brilliant Blue and the sentiment (Inkadinkado) with ColorBox Frost White. I embossed the sentiment with Recollections Snow embossing powder and used Stickles (Golden Rod) on the star to make it sparkle. I matted the card front with some blue cardstock and adhered it to a white cardbase.

I am also entering this in HIMCR - Any Holiday and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

Christmas card

I love playing with my Spectrum Noir markers. I can colour and get beautiful shading or I can make a background with them. In this card I did both.

I used the Gina K Designs digital image, printed it on Bazzill Basics Simply Smooth white cardstock and coloured it with TB1, TB3, TB4, TB5 and IG2. I used Stickles Star Dust on the gray part of the ornament to make it look like silver and sparkle.

I scribbled on my craft mat with TB9, TB6 and TB3 and spritzed with alcohol until the colours blended a bit. I used a piece of photo paper and placed it on the mat to pick up the colour.

I cut 2 scalloped ovals out of regular white cardstock and coloured the edges with TB5 and IG2. I used more Stickles on the outside of the gray oval. I trimmed the 'Joy' to fit inside the blue oval. 

When everything was dry I adhered it all together onto a white card base and added a small silver bow.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

Stamp TV Mix It Up Monday Challenge - Christmas Comes Early

Mod Squad Challenge Blog - It's my Favorite

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Anything Goes

Hiding in my Craft Room - Any Holiday

Recessed Christmas card

This is a card for the October Release Party Challenge. We had to make a card with a recessed focal image.

I printed the Gina K Designs digital JOY stamp on Bazzill Basics Simply Smooth white cardstock and coloured it with Spectrum Noir markers DR1, DR4, and DR6. I embossed the front panel with Baby's Breath Cuttlebug embossing folder, leaving an unembossed strip near the middle. I scored a line on each side of the strip and attached the AC Glitter ribbon in the middle.

I cut a hole in the panel so the focal image would show through. I matted the front panel with red cardstock and used foam squares to pop it up over the focal image. 

Thanks card

This card was made for four challenges. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is a color coordinates challenge. We have to use some of the following colors - Black, Slate, Orange Peel, Green Apple and Lavender. Hiding in my Craft Room asks us to use embossing. Mod Squad Challenge Blog wants us to use a real button and Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is "O is for...". My 'O' is Organized Randomness!

I used a Sizzix Stampin' Up! embossing folder with some white cardstock and embossed the background. I took some scraps of orange, green and lavender cardstock and embossed them. I fussy cut the hexagons and adhered them on to the background in an organized random way!

I used some coloured brads from my stash to fill in some of the empty squares. I stamped the sentiment (from Hero Arts) with Adirondack Wildflower ink. This was an old ink pad that someone gave me. It used to have several shades of blue and purple but the colours have run together so it just gives a grayish slate colour now. I embossed another scrap of orange cardstock and cut out a small shape, big enough for the sentiment and the button. I cut around the sentiment to fit inside the orange shape.

I didn't have any baker's twine in the right colour so I used Spectrum Noir marker OR2 and made my own twine. I threaded it through the button, tied a bow and used a glue dot to fasten it to the sentiment shape. I used tape to adhere the sentiment and the sentiment shape and used foam squares to fasten the background onto an orange mat before taping it onto the slate card base.

Fall Birthday card

The two challenges that inspired me this week are Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Falling in Love with... and the Mod Squad Challenge Blog - Tag it. I love the fall colours, especially the oranges and browns so I made a card with fall colours and a tag.

I stamped the leaves (from an unknown set in my stash) onto white cardstock with Versamark ink and embossed them with Martha Stewart Copper embossing powder. I took the photo at an angle so you can see the shimmer on the leaves. I sponged some Really Rust Stampin' Up! ink all over the cardstock and used a kleenex to rub any ink off the leaves. I also used the same ink to make a small rectangle for the sentiment (Fiskars) which was also stamped with Really Rust. I framed both of these pieces with some orange American Crafts cardstock.

For the tag I used an oval scalloped die and cut and embossed some more orange cardstock . I stamped the leaves with the Stampin' Up! ink set - Pumpkin Patch. It has 5 separate colours that you can push together. I used various parts of the ink to get different colours for the leaves.

I used a piece of ribbon behind the sentiment and attached everything to the ivory card base. I attached a piece of gold thread to the tag and attached it to the inside of the card with a piece of Sookwang tape, leaving the covering on one side. I tucked the tag under the ribbon so it wouldn't swing too far. The recipient of the card can use the tag for someone else.

Sympathy card

Well, I completely missed World Cardmaking Day. I was at a meeting all day and then was out in the evening, too. Then I received the sad news that my aunt had died after a long battle with cancer. I knew I wanted to make a sympathy card and had just picked up some stamps from someone who was selling all of her craft supplies. The challenge on the Mod Squad Challenge Blog was to use pink in some way. At first I wasn't sure that pink would go well with a sympathy card but thought if I used a subtle shade it might work. Here is what I came up with.

I wanted to keep it fairly simple so I chose a couple of encouraging images. Flowers and butterflies always make me feel a little better and give me hope for tomorrow. I masked off the bottom of the flower image so it would fit on the square. I inked around the edge of each square very lightly. I embossed the white cardstock for a bit of texture and framed the small squares with the same pink that I used for the card base.

It's hard to tell from the picture but the piece of ribbon is a pale pink. I adhered everything together and popped up the sentiment with some foam squares.

For the inside I stamped the sentiment and the full flower image from the front of the card.

I used the following supplies:

Cuttlebug embossing folder

Hero Arts sentiment on front of card

Versafine Onyx Black ink

Martha Stewart Pink Dahlia ink

Chocolate Baroque flower stamp

Stampcraft butterfly stamp

Stampin' Up! sentiment inside card

pink and white card stock and ribbon from my stash