CCT - Theme ....

.... Morning all! Blimey, it's April already! As it's the first Saturday of the month, it's time for our new challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown - CCT07. We have a fun theme for you to use on your Christmas cards for the next couple of weeks:

MUSICAL NOTATION

Here's my card - a fairly clean and simple card:

Stamps: CAS-ual Friday Stamps - Big Treble, Love Notes, Christmas Carols, Uniko - Simply Said Christmas
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Distress - Festive Berries
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Stampin' Up! DP - Real Red; Cuttlebug EF - Distressed Snow; Zig Clear Colour Brush; Spectrum Noir Sparkle - Clear; Gems; Vellum; SU Punch

This is a fairly small card measuring 3½" x 5", but it's the perfect size to showcase this lovely treble clef stamp. I stamped the image direct onto the card base and then embossed the snowflakes. I coloured the treble clef with a bright red Zig brush and went over it with a clear sparkle brush. I also added a touch of sparkle to some of the snowflakes. I didn't want to hide the treble clef, so I stamped the sentiment on vellum, heat embossed it with clear powder and punched it out. I finished the front with a few tiny red pearls. On the inside I cut a mat layer of red design paper. On the white panel I stamped a border of musical notes and added a simple Christmas greeting along with a tiny musical note accent. I've used the sketch from this weeks CAS(E) this Sketch challenge - CTS#215.

I really like this theme, so I decided to make another card. This one if much larger, 4½" x 6¼". I have a large, okay HUGE, stash of design papers, and I think this theme lends itself to using up some of that stash. Here's my card:

Stamps: CASual Friday Stamps - Love Notes, Christmas Carols
Inks: Versafine - Vintage Sepia; Delicata - Golden Glitz
Dies: Uniko - Snowflakes
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Kaisercraft DP - Holy Night; Gold Textured Card; Spectrum Noir Sparkle - Clear

This card came together really quickly. I found a sheet of design paper showing the Christmas carol, Hark the Herald Angels Sing (one of my favourites), and cut it to fit the front of the card. I layered it on some gold textured card. I wanted to keep it reasonably simple, but felt that it needed something. So I cut a gold snowflake from the gold card and attached that to the front.  I did add a touch of sparkle to the star above the Nativity image. On the inside I cut a mat panel from some more co-ordinating design paper. On the white panel I stamped a simple Christmas greeting and added some gold musical notes. I'm submitting this one to the April Love to Craft Challenge Blog - LTCCB#09, where Anything Goes.

Do visit our blog to see more inspiration cards from the rest of the Design Team. You've got plenty of time to play along with our MUSICAL NOTATION theme at Christmas Card Throwdown. Deadline for submission is midnight (BST) on Friday 14th April, that's 7.00pm EDT in the States. Have fun!!

Kat has finished school for her spring break and she really needs it, she's been working so hard! I think that most of the schools are off now for a week, and in the UK it's two weeks. We're having a week away - it's going to be a busy week. We're off to Disney, Orlando! Should be lots of fun. Whatever you're doing for the break, have a great time!

52CCT - Stash challenge ...

....  Morning!!!  It's time for our new challenge at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown.  The theme this week is dimensional paper flowers - you can use ready made flowers, punches, or dies, and I've stamped my flower and decoupaged the image.

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Text It; CAS-ual Friday Stamps - Christmas Carols; Reverse Confetti - Tinsel 'n' Trim
Inks: Versamark; Stampin' Up! - Smoky Slate, Lucky Limeade, Strawberry Slush
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Lucky Limeade, Melon Mambo; Vellum; White Embossing Powder; Copics

I've gone for some very bright, non-traditional colour for my card using the colours from this week's Merry Monday - MM#100.  I used the layout from last week's Waltzingmouse Fanatics challenge - WMSFC#13.  I started by stamping some text onto the bottom of the card in soft grey and then made the panel with white and lime card.  I stamped the sentiment in lime at the top of the card.  Next I stamped the large, funky poinsettia three times in Versamark on to bright pink card and vellum, heat embossing them all with white powder.  I cut out the whole of the bright pink poinsettia and attached it to the card.  I coloured the reverse of the vellum flowers with lime on one and pink on the other and then carefully cut out the layers, to reveal the bright pink at the bottom, some green leaves and the top pink layer.  I finished the centre with some gems.  You can't really see the dimension of the flower above, so here are a couple more views showing that I have got a dimensional paper flower!

You can see that the petals have a gentle curve and on the side view you can see all three layers.  I have kept it reasonably flat so that it is okay for the post.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of lime card, stamped the poinsettia in pink and added a sentiment.

For more inspiration with dimensional flowers check out the cards from the rest of the Design Team, and from our Guest Designer, Scraplady.  That's all for now!

52CCT - Theme ....

...  Hello everyone!  According to the calender it's only a week until spring starts, but looking out my window to the snow on the ground, it is still very much winter!  It's time for our new challenge at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown and this week Patricia has picked the theme "STARS".   Here's the card I made:

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Frame-It, Festive Foliage; CAS-ual Friday Stamps - Christmas Carols
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Chocolate Chip
Dies: WMS - Pine Cones; Die-namics - Scattered Stars
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Gold Card; SU DP - Garden Green; SU Markers - Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Garden Green, Old Olive

I've used the colours from this week's Merry Monday - MM#99 challenge: brown, green, gold with either white or cream.  I have to admit this is not what I initially came up with.  I had a much more vintage card with brown base and I didn't like it, so I started again.  This time I have a clean, layered card and I'm happy.  I cut a panel of white card slightly smaller than the base and die cut the stars.  I stamped the sentiment, layered gold card behind and adhered it to the card base with dimensional tape.  I coloured the pine cones and branches with markers, stamped the image and cut it out with the matching die, adhering it with very thin dimensional pads.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of green design paper and on the white panel stamped the pine cones again (second generation image) and a simple sentiment.

I know that we're now well into March and many of you can't see why we are making Christmas cards as we come up to spring.  Well, if you've joined in since we started this year and made only one card, you have 13 cards in your stash.  The idea is that you get ahead so that you have more time for the parties and being with family.  Come on - we are looking forward to seeing your cards based on a Star theme.  As always, our Design Team have wonderful inspiration cards to share with you as does our Guest Designer, Scraplady. 

That's all for now.  We have a photography filled day planned today.  Kathryn is really enjoying her new (and expensive) hobby, and we have a Family Pass at most of the shoots.  I know I'm biased, but Kathryn has some lovely shots from last week - here's one:

If you want to see more of Kathryn's work, here's the link.  Bye for now!

WMSFC/52CCT - Take two ....

...  Hello again!  I've another card to share with you this morning.  Once again it's based on our sketch at Waltzingmouse Fanatics and our colours at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown.  After I'd finished my earlier card for 52CCT/WMSFC, I made this card:

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Sewing Box Christmas, Faux Fun; Reverse Confetti - Tinsel 'n' Trim; CAS-ual Friday Stamps - Christmas Carols
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Calypso Coral, Island Indigo; Versafine - Onyx Black
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU DP - Cherry Cobbler; Buttons

I think this goes to show just how versatile the colours and the sketch are!  This time I kept it quite clean and reasonably simple.  I stamped the knit pattern twice onto white card and then carefully cut the zig-zag to follow the stitches, attached the kraft stitches to the coral ones and then adhered them to the card.  I stamped the tree onto white card, very, very carefully cut it out and than ran it through the Xyron to make it self-adhesive.  I stamped the tree pot onto some cherry DP and layered it onto the image.  I stamped a really fun sentiment at the top and finished the tree with button baubles!  On the inside I used more of the cherry DP to make a mat and on the white panel I stamped some snowflakes and a sentiment.

I'm submitting this card to the Merry Monday challenge - MM#98 as they want to have country charm with some stitching, yes - although it's faux, and some buttons - yes - lots!  For more inspiration with our sketch check out Tara's card. 

You have plenty of time to play along; the deadline is Thursday 20th March, 5.00pm GMT (that's 1.00pm EDT).  For just this challenge the UK is only 4 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight time, as their clocks don't go forward until 30th March!!!  Looking forward to seeing your creations with our sketch.

I'm having a very crafty weekend.  Last night I was at a Gelli Plate Journal class run by Amy Flowers - I'll share pictures later in the week.  And today, I'm at a couple more of Amy's classes - the first is Watercolour & Rubber Stamps 201 which should really interesting, and then later in the afternoon it's Layer Cake Collage - making a canvas with collage techniques, acrylic paints and pan pastels.  On Sunday, my crafty activity is photography - this has now become a family hobby.  Kathryn has discovered that she likes photography - and she's good!  That's all for now.  Have a good weekend!