SHC - Silver & Gold ....

..... Morning! This is a pre-prepared post as I had surgery last Thursday (see post from Monday) and I'm not sure how well I'll feel post-op!! This is my weekly post for Seven Hills Crafts blog and I've got a Christmas card to share with you. Yes, I know it's only just finished, but I like making Christmas cards and it makes things so much less stressful in December. Here's my card:

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Yuletide Ornament

Inks: Versmark

Dies: C&9 - Yuletide Ornament

Accessories: White and Black Card; Silver Embossing Powder; Finetec - Pearl Colours; Tim Holtz Watercolour Card; Silver Holographic Card

I'm submitting this card to CAS Christmas - CASX#01 where they want us to use silver and gold, and to Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge - HLSXMAS#01 - where it is anything goes this month.

I stamped the ornament in Versamark on watercolour card and heat embossed with silver powder. I used several shades of gold watercolour paint to colour the ornament - it has a wonderful shimmer in real-life. Once dry, I used the matching die to cut out the ornament and adhered it flat to an US AS note card. I used the die to cut out a silver holographic bow, along with a couple of white bows which I layered together. I added the bow to the ornament. I completed the front of the card with a simple greeting which I stamped in Versamark on black card. I heat set with silver powder and cut it out with the matching die. Once again, I layered the sentiment onto two other dies and added it to the card. I did decorate the inside, but forgot to take a photo!!

That's the card for today - thanks so much for stopping by. See you soon. x

The Christmas Tree ....

... Morning!! Yes, it's me with another post - that's three in a week. Wow. Today I'm sharing a card that I made for Rachel - my daughter's flat mate. Rach asked me to make a personalised Christmas card for her grandparents - it was my absolute pleasure. Here's the card:

Stamps: C&9 - Fa La La Fringe Tree, Perfectly Penned, Yuletide Ornament, Tiny Trees Turnabout; Hero Arts - Color Layering Holly Leaf

Inks: Gina K - Jelly Bean Green, Fresh Asparagus, Christmas Pine, Lipstick, Warm Cocoa; Versafine Claire - Nocturne; Delicata - Golden Glitz

Dies: C&9 - Fa La La Fringe Tree

Accessories: White Card; SU Card - Pear Pizzazz; Kaisercraft DP - Christmas Edition; Red Satin Mirri Card; Gold Satin Mirri Card

I'm submitting this card to Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies - HLSAGD#12 and to Merry Little Christmas Challenge Blog - MLCCB#41 where it is always Anything Christmas Goes.

Rach asked me to make a more traditional Christmas card for her grandparents. So this card is mostly more traditional - I've used red and green and featured Christmas trees, but I think the backing paper gives a slightly more contemporary twist. I trimmed the design paper to fit a 6¼" x 4½" card. I stamped the personalised names with an older C&9 set - Perfectly Penned - it's super and the first time that I've actually used it!! I stamped the fringe tree on green card using several shades of green ink. I used the matching die to cut it out the stamped layers along with the green base tree. I adhered the layers and added pretty red satin baubles to the tree. I adhered the tree to the notecard, added a gold star and finished with a simple greeting. Inside the card, I cut a mat layer of green card. On the white panel I stamped a Christmas greeting. I stamped the matching mini fringe tree towards the bottom of the panel.

I sent the card to Rachel earlier this week and she was delighted with it - just hope her Nanny and Pappy like it too. That's all from me today. See you again soon.

SHC - Christmas Time ...

... Hi! I'm here with my weekly Seven Hills Craft blog post. I love making Christmas cards - which is why I make them throughout the year - and it makes things so much less stressful in the coming months. I currently have 56 cards in my stash, and today I'm adding another 2! I really like the new Concord & 9th Christmas release and got a few (several) of the sets, and I'm using them here combined with MFT and Lawn Fawn. Here's the first card:

Stamps: Concord and 9th - Yuletide Ornament, Big On Christmas; MFT - Itty Bitty Holiday

Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Distress & Distress Oxide - Kitsch Flamingo, Picked Raspberry, Spun Sugar, Shaded Lilac, Wilted Violet

Dies: C&9 - Yuletide Ornament

Accessories: White Card; SU Card - Blushing Bride; Tim Holtz Watercolour Card; Clear Embossing Powder; Imagine Crafts - Sheer Shimmer Frost

I'm submitting this card to Color Hues - CH#29 where they want us to use pink and purple. I'm also playing along with Happy Little Stampers Christmas - HLSXMAS#09 where it's anything goes, with the option of non-traditional. 

I started by stamping the bauble on watercolour card with Versafine ink and embossing with clear powder. This helps me as I'm not brilliant with watercolours!! I wet the card with water and some frost shimmer spray and used a brush to drop in some distress inks. The great thing with distress inks is that is loves water. I allowed the colours to flow and blend and, once happy with the design, used a heat gun to dry the inks. I used the matching die to cut out the finished bauble along with two plain white ones which I layered behind the finished ornament. My plan had been to have a very CAS card with only the ornament, but instead I created a festive text background using words from various stamp sets. I used the oxide inks to stamp the words. I adhered the bauble and finished the front with a bold black sentiment across the bauble. Inside the card, I cut a mat layer from pink card and on the white panel I stamped the bauble in pink ink and added a simple greeting in black.

My next card features a background panel that I made using some of the smaller stamps that come in stamp sets:

Stamps: Lawn Fawn - Giant Holiday Messages; C&9 - Yuletide Ornament

Inks: Versamark; Gina K - Applemint, Key Lime, Sea Glass, Ocean Mist, Turquoise Sea, Blue Lagoon; Versafine - Onyx Black

Dies: C&9 - Yuletide Ornament

Accessories: White Card; SU Card - Costal Cabana; Clear & Gold Embossing Powder; Copic Markers; Nuvo - Clear Aqua Shimmer Brush

I'm submitting this card to The Paper Players - PP#560; they gave us a super sketch to use. I'm also playing along with Merry Little Christmas Challenge Blog - MLCCB#38 where it's always anything Christmas goes.

I started by stamping the little snowflake stamps from Lawn Fawn's Giant Holiday Messages in Versamark ink. I heat embossed with clear powder. Then the fun part - I added blue and green inks to reveal the snowflake background. I trimmed the panel to 3" x 5½" and adhered it to an A2 notecard. Using my MISTI I stamped the holly sprig three times on white card, removed them and coloured the images with Copic markers. I returned the coloured images to the MISTI and restamped with Versamark ink and heat embossed with gold powder. I used the matching die to cut out the coloured holly sprigs, along with several plain white die cuts. At this point I realised I wanted a gold trim to edge the coloured panel. None of my gold cardstock matched the embossed holly, so I made my own. I rubbed Versamark along the edge of white card, applied gold powder and heat set. I repeated this process for a second time and the end result is a smooth gold panel that matches the gold embossing on the holly. I trimmed it to ½" wide and adhered it to the card. I adhered white die cuts to the back of two of the holly sprigs and adhered them at the top and middle of the card. The other holly sprig I adhered directly to the card. I finished the front with a simple greeting. This was stamped with Versafine black ink, heat embossed, die cut and layered onto three white die cuts. Inside the card, I cut a mat layer of aqua card. On the white panel I stamped one of the large greetings, used Copic markers to colour the leaves and open letters, restamped with Versafine black ink and heat embossed with clear powder. I layered the finished panel onto the aqua mat and added to the note card.

I now have 58 cards in my Christmas stash. I need about 65 for my regular list, so I'm almost done. I'll keep making cards as I do like to have some spare, and I also make special cards for my family.

I hope everyone had a good weekend - the weather here was lovely, but yesterday we had rain, and cooler temps. Still it's only to be expected as autumn seems to have arrived. That's all from me today, see you soon.