Creepmas Angel ....

... Morning! I can't quite believe that it's Christmas Eve already. It's been a strange year and an even stranger holiday period. First we could meet and now we can't, but we can make the best of it. A few years ago, while in the States, I took part in an event called The 12 Days of Creepmas. Basically, it's a gentle dig at retailers who insist on putting out Christmas stuff before Halloween is even over. I found out that Kat loves all things Creepmas and since then I've made a few Christmas cards with a hint (or more) of Halloween. So this is Kat's card this year, it seems entirely appropriate!!

Stamps: Rick St Dennis Digi - Gloria Excessive; Uniko - Snowflake Serenade, Stunning Snowflakes, Festive Sentiments

Inks: Gina K - Key Lime, Sea Glas, Blue Lagoon; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Dies: Spellbinders - Petit Ovals Lg (S4-128) #5, Petit Ovals Sm (S4-140) #6

Accessories: White Card; Teal Satin Mirri Card; Copic Markers; Sakura Stardust Pens; Uniko Stencil - Let It Snow; Gems; Nuvo - Clear Aquashimmer Brush

I think this Creepmas Angel is just fab. I had this image in my stash from a while ago, so I simply added colour with my Copic markers and Sakura Stardust pens. I cut out the image with an oval die and layered it onto some teal satin mirri card. I used a snowflake stencil for the background using a mix of lime green and soft teal. I stamped a bold sentiment at the foot of the card, adhered the image, added a lots of little gems and some shimmer to the angel's wings - sadly not visible in this photo!! On the inside, I stamped a Christmas greeting and lots more pretty snowflakes.

I'm submitting this card to the current challenge at Uniko - USC#62 where the theme is 'Tis the Season with the option of sparkle, and to The Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge - H&ICC#85 where the theme is Anything Christmas Goes.

Before I go here are few of the Creepmas Christmas cards I've made in the past - both my son and daughter love them!!

I made all the cards above in 2015 - they were such fun to make and the Scary Creepmas card above was for Kat that year!! That's all for now.

Plaid Snowmen ...

... Good Morning! Three days on the trot - go me!! I like to make special Christmas cards for my family and this is the one I made for our son:

Stamps: Funstamps - Scribble Snowman; Waltzingmouse Stamps - Cabin Plaid Background; Uniko - Snowflake Serenade

Inks: Gina K - Key Lime, Sea Glass, Soft Stone; Versafine - Onyx Black; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Dies: Stampin' Up! - Word Bubble Framelits

Accessories: White Card; Uniko Stencil - Let It Snow; Taylored Expressions - Masking Ovals; Clear Embossing Powder; Nuvo - Clear Aquashimmer Brush

I'm submitting this card to several challenges and they are:

• The Male Room - TMR#145 - they want to see tartan and plaid
• CASology - CAS#380 - Snowman
• Uniko Challenge - USC#62 - Christmas with the option of sparkle
• Cardz 4 Guyz - C4G#260 - Snowmen

This card feature three of my all time favourite snowguys! I stamped a plaid background in soft lime and soft teal and on top of that I stamped the Scribble snowman and fussy cut them out. On white card I stamped three more snowmen and cut them out. I carefully cut out two hats and scarfs in white and adhered them to the plaid snowmen, adding a bit of colour the hats and scarfs. On the white snowman I added a green plaid hat and teal plaid scarf. I wanted to keep the card fairly simple, but still have some snowflakes in the background. I used a snowflake stencil over which I placed the Taylored Expression large oval mask and softly inked in some snowflakes. I adhered the two plaid snowmen flat to the card and used dimensional pads to adhere the white snowman. I made the greeting by typing the sentiment on my PC and used a speech bubble die to cut it out. I lightly brush green and blue ink around the edge of the bubble and used dimensional pads to attach it to the card. I finished the card by adding lost of subtle sparkle to the snowmen. On the plaid snowguys I added sparkle to the hat and scarves, and on the white snowman, I added it all over the body. On the inside, I cut a panel of white card, stamped a greeting added a swirl of soft blue and green snowflakes, and finished with a cute snowguy peeking in from the bottom of the card.

You can't see the sparkle in the photos above, so I took a close up to show all the lovely shimmer on the snowguys. You can also see the pretty plaid patterns too.

It's going to be a busy weekend. We don't put our decorations up early. No, not even this year!!! The tree goes up on Saturday and we decorate everywhere then. I'm also going to be making some homemade marzipan for our Christmas cake, I might even do a few homemade mince pies too. All a special treat for my hubby!

Anyhow, that's all for now. See you again soon. Thanks for stopping by.

SHC - Plentiful Pines ....

.... Morning! It was a lovely day yesterday. I went out for my walk in the afternoon and it was so nice and warm, a bit overcast, but that's fine. And today, well, we are told that it's going to be HOT!! Anyway, enough of the weather, I'm here this morning with my post for Seven Hills Craft blog. I've used Altenew's Plentiful Pine stamp set to make a birthday card - it's quite bright and cheery!

Stamps: Altenew - Plentiful Pine; Lawn Fawn - Blue Skies
Inks: Gina K - Powder Blue, Blue Raspberry, Blue Denim, In the Navy, Applemint, Key Lime, Jelly Bean Green, Grass Green, Sea Glass, Ocean Mist, Turquoise Sea, Blue Lagoon, Jet Black Amalgam; Distress Oxides - Crushed Olive, Mowed Lawn, Tumbled Glass
Accessories: White Card; Copic Markers; Lawn Fawn Stencils - Hillside Stencils

I'm submitting this card to a few challenges. The Male Room - TMR#136 where the theme is In the Garden, hopefully this counts. The Paper Players - PP#491 where they want a card with Men in Mind - they'd like it CAS too, not sure whether this counts. Finally, I'm also playing along with Uniko - USC#59 where it's Anything Goes with the option of bright and happy, and I think this is!

I stamped the large pine tree in four shades of aqua ink - I really like the depth you build up with these stamps, they are so easy to line up too. For the smaller trees I used shades of green and blue. I know that in real-life you don't really get trees that are that blue, but I like the idea! There are dies that go with this stamp set, but I didn't use them I simply fussy cut the trees. To make the background I used Lawn Fawn's Hillside stencils and distress oxide inks. I created a couple of hills. I added a mask for the sun and used torn paper to create the suggestion of cloud banks, and stamped a few cloud outline images. I finished the front with the birthday greeting from Plentiful Pine. I've not had time to decorate the inside, but will do that later this week.

I first came across this stamp set at an Altenew workshop in November 2019 run by Lydia Evans (who lives in a town near me). We all made some Christmas cards using these stamps - they didn't get posted out last year, but were the first ones made for this year. Before I post them out, I'll add some sparkle to the trees to suggest snow, and I'll do the insides too.

That's all from me today. I've been busy doing a week long online class with Dyan Reaveley and a few hundred art buddies called Distinctly Dylusions. It was brilliant and I'll share my pages soon. We have a week off, and then I'm signed up for another week long class. So looking forward to it. See you again soon.

Uniko Challenge - Colours ....

.... Hello! Can you believe that we're halfway through March already? No, neither can I! Only a few more days until it's officially spring and then it'll be Easter before you know it. That sort of leads into today post - I'm sharing my card for the new Uniko Challenge - USC#46 where we want you to use some or all of the colours in the graphic photo and we have the option of making an Easter card. Here's my card:

Stamps: Uniko - Some Bunny, Happy Succulents, Birthday Sentiments
Inks: Distress - Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Salty Ocean; Versafine - Onyx Black
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Stampin' Up! DP - Daffodil Delight; Uniko Stencil - Scattered Polka Dots; Copic Markers; Spectrum Noir - Sparkle Brush; Clear Embossing Powder

As you can see, I used all the colours and made an Easter card too. I stencilled the polka dot background on the card using distress inks. I stamped the bunny on white card and coloured it with Copic markers. I put it back in the MISTI and restamped in Versafine and heat embossed with clear powder - I really like that you get a super crisp line using this method. I carefully cut out the bunny and adhered him flat to the card. I added lots of sparkle to his feet, chest, inner ear and bow tie. I finished the front by stamping a bold and simple greeting. On the inside, I cut a mat layer of yellow design paper and on the white panel added more polka dots and finished with a bold greeting. I'm submitting this card to Creative with Stamps - CWS#24 where they want us to use a bunny, and also to City Crafter Challenge Blog - CCCB#403 - they want bunnies too!

Don't forget to visit the main Uniko blog to see more inspiration from the Design Team (well, some of us!!) and also from our Guest Designer Michele. You'll see more from the rest of the DT when we do our reminder post in a couple of weeks.

Do you feel inspired? Well have fun, you've got plenty of time to join in, the deadline for submission is midnight (BST) on Friday 20th April, that's 7.00pm EDT in the States. And we have prizes too:

PRIZES

• Main winner chosen by the Design Team - £25 eGift Certificate
• Random twist winner - £4 in stock clear stamp set of winner's choosing
• Randon Uniko stamps winner - £4 in stock clear stamp set of winner's choosing
• Top 3 chosen by the Design Team - 150 Loyalty Reward Points

That's all for now - see you again soon.

Uniko - Theme ....

... Hello and good morning! I'm a bit late with my post for our new challenge at Uniko - UC#41. This month challenge is to create a

MASCULINE CARD with the optional twist of FATHER'S DAY

I did have this card ready yesterday, but I've been having some 'puter issues, hopefully now resolved. Anyway, I decided to go with the option of a Father's Day card:

Stamps: Uniko - Background Builders Round in Circles, Nautical Treasures
Inks: Versamark; Stampin' Up! - Night of Navy, Smoky Slate
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Night of Navy; Silver and Gold Embossing Powders

I got the idea for this from an advert on TV the other day - it was black with gold and silver dots, and it reminded me of these stamps. I used my MISTI to stamp the diagonal lines - it makes it so much easier to get even stamping. I embossed the stamped images with a mixture of silver and gold embossing powders, cut the panel to size and adhered it to a white card. I added some distressed circles in the corner using first and second generation stamping. I cut a strip of white card onto which I stamped the greeting and adhered it to the card. On the inside I cut a mat layer of navy card and on the white panel added some more circles, this time pale grey, a greeting ad a compass. I'm submitting this card to the current Fusion - FUSION#73 challenge where I've been inspired by the navy patterns idea - although I used circles.

Do visit the Uniko blog to see more inspiration projects from the rest of the Design Team. And, as if that's not enough encouragement, we have prizes too:

PRIZES

• Main Winner chosen by the DT - £25 eGift Certificate
• Random Twist Winner - £4 in stock clear stamp set of winner's choice
• Random Uniko Stamps Winner - £4 in stock clear stamp set of winner's choice
• Top 3 chosen by the DT - 150 Loyalty Reward Points

You've got plenty of time to join in with this month's challenge. The deadline for submission is midnight (BST) on Friday 23rd June, that's 7.00pm EDT in the States.

That's all from me today - I've got a busy day lined up. I need to get into my craft room and make a few DT cards and today I really need to work on my ironing pile!!! See you soon.

Uniko - Challenge reminder ....

.... Good morning! I'm here this morning to remind you about our challenge at Uniko - USC#39. This month our theme is ANYTHING GOES, however, there is the optional twist of LOVE. I was late for the original post, so I absolutely had to get a card made for today. I decided go with the option of love:

Stamps: Uniko - Always & Forever
Inks: Distress - Blueprint Sketch; Versafine - Onyx Black; Versamark; Stampin' Up! - Pool Party
Dies: Die-namics - Ampersand
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Pool Party, Smoky Slate; SU DP - Smoky Slate, Island Indigo; SU Punch - Heart Lg, Heart Sm; White Embossing Powder

I used a couple of challenges making this card. I used the colours from MFT Colour Challenge - MFTCC#62 and the layout is based on the sketch over at The Paper Players - PP#329.  As I've got some polka dots on my card, I'm also submitting it to Inkspirational - INK#127 where they want to see polka dots. I used some grey design paper and card to cover the card base and covered the join with a strip of silver peeloff. I stamped the large heart in my MISTI, this was so that I could ink up the stamp a couple of times to get good coverage and depth of colour. I carefully cut it out. To make some card to match this heart I used the direct to card technique to colour a scrap of white card. I used my heart punches to punch the smaller hearts. I stamped the sentiment on the edge of two hearts, one in black and one in Versamark which was heat embossed with white powder. I used dimensional gel to attach the hearts, the smaller ones are flatter to the card, but the large one has quite a bit of dimension. I finished off by adding a grey ampersand die cut. On the inside I cut a mat layer of grey card and on the white panel stamped a sentiment and a tiny open heart.

Don't forget to visit our blog to see more inspiration from the Design Team and from our Guest Designer, Izzy of Izzy Scrap. We've changed the format of the challenges a bit. The challenges are now FIVE weeks long - giving you lots of time to play along, and we'll have six challenges this year. Not only that, we have prizes if you join in the fun.

THE PRIZES

• Main Winner chosen by the DT - £25 eGift Certificate
• Random Twist Winner - £4 in stock clear stamp set of winners choosing
• Random Uniko Stamps Winner - £4 in stock clear stamp set of winners choosing
• Top 3 chosen by DT - 150 Loyalty Reward Points

You still have plenty of time to join in - deadline for submission is midnight (GMT) on Friday 24th February (7.00pm EDT). Have fun!!