52CCT - Colours ....

..... Hello!  It's time for our colour challenge at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown.  Louise's colours are inspired by her love addiction of coffee, so I used that for my somewhat non-traditional Christmas card:

Stamps: Reverse Confetti - Be a Barista, Tinsel 'n' Trim; Winnie & Walter - Scenery: Big Bang Confetti
Inks: Versamark; Stampin' Up! - Baked Brown Sugar
Accessories: Cream Lustre Card; SU Card - Baked Brown Sugar; SU DP - Very Vanilla; Wink of Stella - Gold, Clear; Gold Mirri Card; Glitter; Gold Embossing Powder

I used the sketch at Reverse Confetti - SFYTT#23 to create this layered card.  I cut a panel of light brown card and stamped snowflakes in Versamark, added some sticky stuff and then glitter.  I cut a panel of cream design paper (sadly now discontinued) and attached a trim of gold mirri card.  I stamped the coffee cup on cream paper, heat embossed with gold powder and coloured a gold stripe with my Wink of Stella brush.  Once cut out, I added some sparkle to the pattern in the coffee foam - if you squint and look really, really hard - it's almost a Christmas tree!!!!  I finished the front with a horizontal strip on which I stamped the sentiment.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of brown card and added some decoration and a greeting to the white panel.

Here's a close-up of the coffee cup - it sparkles and if you look closely, you really can see that Christmas tree ☺.  

For more inspiration using our colours of COFFEE AND CREAM, check the blog to see what the rest of the team have made to share with you.  Have fun!

SNG - Jingle Bells ...

... Hello again!  I'm still busy working on Christmas cards for this year - I'm almost finished, but I think it's better to have too many, than not enough!!  This one is cute with an edge of grunge!

Stamps: Rick St Dennis Digis - Billy Goldenbells; Reverse Confetti - Tinsel 'n' Trim; Stampin' Up! - Gorgeous Grunge
Inks: Distress - Evergreen Bough, Tumbled Glass; SU - Mossy Meadow, Glorious Green; Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Lil Inkers - Stitched Ovals - #4
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Kaisercraft DP - Gingerbread; Copic Markers; Wink of Stella - Gold

I used a couple of challenges in the making of this card.  I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches - FMS#165 for the layout (I kept, mostly, to the sketch), and I used the theme from Addicted to CAS - ATCAS#53 - where the cue word is DOTS.  I got this cute little guy from Rick's Zibbet shop.  I printed him on white card, coloured with Copic markers, cut out with a die and then while in the die I shaded in some grass and a sky.  I covered the card base with this fab dotty paper and added some grungy splatters before adhering the die cut image.  I finished the front with a fun sentiment.  On the inside I cut a mat in the same design paper and kept the greeting really simple - and totally appropriate too!

That's all for now.  Take care and see you soon.

Creepmas Day 3 ....

.... Good morning!  It's Day 3 of the Smeared & Smudged 12 Days of Creepmas.  If you look quickly at this card, it could almost pass as purely Christmas!  It would have to be a quick look mind!

Stamps: Rick St Dennis Digi - Creepmas Tree Monster; Reverse Confetti - Tinsel 'n' Trim; Waltzingmouse - Elf Made
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Anita's DP - Classic Christmas Red; Copic Markers; Vellum; Wink of Stella - Clear

I used the sketch from this week's Retro Sketches - RS#134 for the layout.  I used some design paper from my stash (it goes really well with my Creepmas tree monster).  I printed this guy on to some scrap paper, coloured him with Copic markers, added some sparkle to the ornaments, cut him out and finished him with chunky glitter on his hat.  If you like my Creepmas tree - you'll find him, and many more digis, at Rick's Zibbet shop.  On the inside I cut a mat layer in the same design paper and added a bold sentiment on the white panel.

Here's the list of all the folk playing along with the 12 Days of Creepmas - I'm off to check out what they've made.

Terra- Hop Hostess
Black Dragon
Maureen
Teresa
Julia
Sue The Nanny
Jane
Susan
Nan
Shell
Kim
Monique
Airless Chambers
Keren
Sarah
Leigh
Lisa
Lady Brayton
That's all for today - do come by tomorrow to see my new card for 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown.  See you then!

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!

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!