Christmas Cards

A couple challenges inspired me to make more Christmas cards.  They are my favorite to make.  As you'll see, these two are completely different.

First is my entry for Poppystamps Make it Magic October challenge.  I thought that would mean things like elfs or witches or mermaids.  Lucky for me, the challenge is actually to add some sparkle--right up my alley! 

I die cut Poppystamps 2014 Twirly Whirly Tree 3 times from white cardstock and once from the white/iridescent glitter cardstock from Memory Box Holiday Glitter pack.  All the pieces remained in place when I removed the tree from the die.  It was so beautiful, I decided to make the top tree green using Distress Oxide rustic wilderness.  Then I paper pieced the glitter cardstock pieces into the green tree.  So glad I did, as it's truly beautiful in person.  You can see the sparkle in my IG post.  Simple framing using Gina K rectangle dies and a favorite W&W sentiment finished the card.  I'll make another card with the glitter cardstock outline tree.  Can't let it go to waste!  I'm also entering WAW.

My other card is for the October Papertrey Ink Challenge with the color combo Classic Kraft, Vintage Cream and Scarlet Jewel. 

The PTI products I used are Joyful Florals stamp set/dies, Vintage Cream and Classic Kraft cardstock, Scarlet Jewel printed paper, Classic Kraft and Scarlet Jewel ink cubes, Scallop Stackers:  Small and Delicate Circle die.  The sentiment was gold embossed and the poinsettia centers were colored with a Pental gold Color Pop pen.  You can see the shimmer and shine in my IG post.  

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Note Card and Christmas Card

I love stencils, so didn't want to miss the JUGS challenge which is about to close.  I also wanted to make another Artichoke and Purple card for Color Hues, as my first card had very little purple.  Unfortunately, I missed the deadline.  

I started with a PTI Vogue Vases white diecut.  I found a stencil from a friend that looked made for the vase and it worked great!  After using CN9 Plumberry through the stencil, I lightly brushed over the vase with the leftover ink.  I "glazed" my pottery with clear embossing powder.  I colored the diecut greenery from Memory Box and Poppystamps with CN9 Artichoke.  The same ink was used with Memory Box Texture Distressed Grid stencil on green cardstock.  I've seen some cards I like with pops of white, so I kept Poppystamps Little Layered Asters white and used Plumberry to color the centers and brushed them with shimmer.  I splattered white gouache and added the panel to a slightly larger white card.  I'm also entering SSS Monday and WAW.

I'm happy to have one more Christmas card completed.  No dies, just stamping, and it's flat for mailing.

The background is SSS Poinsettia Background stamped in CN9 Evergreen.  NOEL is a very old Penny Black stamp which I'd forgotten about.  I opened my last jar of JudiKins Egyptian Gold embossing powder--so beautiful in person!  It's been in my stash a long time.  Would you believe it cost $2.50?!  I used a gold sparkle pen to color the letters and added Christmas Red Stickles to the berries.  You can get an idea of the sparkle in my IG post.  I'm entering SSS Wednesday and WAW.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Thanksgiving Cards

Finally made a card with PTI's Fall Bouquet stamps and dies.  The PTI September Challenge colors are Sweet Blush, Harvest Gold and Orange Zest. 

Fun to use my Sweet Blush and Orange Zest patterned papers a friend gave me.  I also used Sweet Blush cardstock and ink, Harvest Gold cardstock and ink and Orange Zest ink.  The pumpkin, flower cluster and sentiment (Take 3 Fall) were white embossed.  I used second generation stamping with Orange Zest for the outline of the sunflower and leaves before using the solid stamps with Harvest Gold.  The flower center was filled with Stickles.  I need a new Sweet Blush ink cube, so had to stamp the leafy branches multiple times using my MISTI.  Cover Plate: Herringbone was cut from Sweet Blush cardstock and Shape Shifters: Circle 3 from vellum.  I found tiny gems in my stash to finish off this card with more layers than I usually make, but I really enjoyed putting it together.  

As I was looking for an old card in my blog, I came across some I'd made using my neglected Distress Paints.  That inspired me to pull them out for another Thanksgiving card.

I used a wet flat brush with peeled paint, fired brick, abandoned coral and wild honey.  Poppystamps Whittle Field and Trees die was cut from a shimmery copper brown paper which is really beautiful in person.  I found just the right sentiment in GKD Autumn Wreath Builder.  Versafine Clair Pinecone stamped perfectly on the paint, although I did double stamp just to be sure it was completely inked.  I seldom use color block techniques, so it was fun to do something different.  I'm entering JUGS using the picture of the trees in the top center of the mood board.  Also entering Time Out since Fall colors here are shades of green, red, orange and yellow.  The trees have really started changing colors in the last 2 weeks.  My card is also going in the galleries for Poppystamps, SSS Monday and WAW.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Papertrey Ink, Altenew and SSS

Decided to make another entry for the August PTI challenge.  This card is very different than my first one and gave me a chance to use some of my PTI cardstock and printed paper.  

PTI 2018 Beautiful Birthday is such a fun stamp set.  I used PTI inks Pure Poppy, Tropical Teal, Green Parakeet, Summer Sunrise and Terracotta Tile.  I added Stickles to the flames for a bit of sparkle.  I brushed PTI Border Bling: Diamonds diecut with Tropical Teal and glued it to the Tropical Teal rectangle.  I matted the cake panel with Green Parakeet cardstock.  Really love the look of the Pure Poppy dotted cardstock layer.  I'm almost out of Green Parakeet cardstock, but had enough to cover the card front.  I stamped the PTI Tiny Tags sentiment in Pure Poppy and matted it with a larger Pure Poppy circle diecut.

Our wonderful doctor of many years is retiring.  We're sad for us, but happy for her.  Decided to use the Altenew August Inspiration Challenge colors for her card.  I can't get enough of Altenew's Chateau Blooms stencils. 

The inks I used are Altenew Rouge, Memento Lilac Posies and Lawn Fawn Manatee.  The flowers and buds were then heat embossed with clear sparkle powder.  You can see it in my IG post.  I die cut the center of the panel with an Altenew Nesting Oval, added thin foam tape and attached it back in place.  Love how the black mat shows enough to help define the oval.  I didn't like so much white around the sentiment from Painted Greetings, so just used the gray ink left on my brush around the edges.  What a difference!  The stems from Branches and Berries die set were cut from vellum and I used gray pearls for embellishment.  I'm also entering WAW.

I had fun using my Lindy's Flat Fabio sprays to make a birthday card for SSS Flickr #250.  

SSS Beautiful Buttercup was die cut from papers I colored with these sprays:  Pink Ladies Pink, Pineapple Paradise and Caribbean Blue.  The flower edges were covered in matching Stickles.  I used SSS Leaf Tumble folder for the background and sprayed it with Flat Fabio Luscious Lime.  To get the design to show, I rubbed a green ink pad over the raised edges.  The vellum die cut is PTI Love to Layer:  Soft Ridges and the sentiment is from PTI Tuck It.  I'm also entering SSS Monday.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Friendship, Christmas, Birthday

I always loved the PTI Challenges and Blog Hops where customers could enter their cards.  So I was thrilled to see the August challenge.  Luckily, I have Pure Poppy, Tropical Teal and Green Parakeet ink cubes.  I used them with PTI Wild Blooms layering stencil set. 

As you can see, I gold embossed the flower details.  Hard to tell, but the Pure Poppy flower centers were embossed with clear sparkle powder.  Since Green Parakeet isn't very dark, I used Tropical Teal for the leaf details.  It worked great!  Love how the panel turned out, so I just die cut it with Scallop Stackers: Small and used Pure Poppy for the mat.  I added very small gold splatters and soft gold sequins.  The die cut PTI Scripted sentiment was stacked and gold embossed.  I've started keeping my favorite makes on display until I mail them.  Makes me happy each time I walk by.  I'm also entering JUGS and WAW.

I wasn't planning to make a Christmas card for Color Hues Navy and Teal challenge, but that's what I ended up with.  The Spellbinders Joy die didn't even get used last year and I really love it.

I tried to follow the directions for how to set your phone camera so it captures the color teal and doesn't turn it more blue.  No luck, but I wanted to enter the card anyway.  The cardstocks are really a navy blue and a teal about the same intensity.  I attached the diecut to a silver oval.  Stickles Glitter Glue that's a very close match to the teal cardstock was added to the flower centers and clear glaze was added to the holly leaves. 

I saved the teal glitter tape letters from the snowflake card in my previous post.  Glad to use them quickly.  I've sure gotten my money's worth from Altenew's Essential Sentiment Strips.  My camera captured this shade of teal without a problem.   

I attached the glitter tape to printer paper and then die cut SSS Stitching Butterflies.  I used a scrap of black cardstock for the bodies and lightly bent the wings forward.  Hadn't used the Altenew Flower Bed embossing folder for awhile and it was just the look I wanted for this card.  I'm entering DCD, SSS Monday and SSS Wednesday.

Edited:  Thanks, Linda.  You're right.  The glitter tape is more of a mint than a teal.  Guess that's why the color looks right in the picture.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Birthday Cards

I embossed white cardstock and yellow vellum at the same time using SSS Blossom Swag folder.  The pieces were attached together and trimmed with scissors to fit on the card.  

There's Yellow Stickles in the flower centers and Frosted Lace on the berries.  The birds from Poppystamps Nordic Majestic Bloom were inked with PTI Spring Rain and Blueberry Sky.  I brushed the wings with shimmer.  You can see the sparkle and shimmer in my IG post.  Fun to use the PTI patterned paper for a different look.  The sentiment from Altenew Modern Dahlia Bunch was stamped in Versafine Clair Blue Belle and embossed with matte clear ep.  I brushed the sentiment diecut and the card front edges with PTI Lemon Tart.  Finished with a few tiny blue pearls that matched.  I'm entering Die Cut Divas, SSS Wednesday via IG and SSS Flickr.

I often use generic sentiments on the outside of cards, like the Hello from PTI Essential Sentiments.  That way I can use the card for any occasion.

In this case, I knew it would be a birthday card, but none of those sentiments fit as well as Hello.  Stencil Week for JUGs inspired me to get out my favorite Taylored Expressions Modern Eucalyptus.  I have Foil-It cards that go with the stencils, but I've used up the one with circles.  Decided to see if I could make my own using a circle die and Sparkle Pop gold pen.  Have to say, I love the result!  I also used the pen on the darkest green sprigs and the flower centers.  You can see the gorgeous sparkle in my IG post.  The inks brushed through the 4 stencils are Altenew Silver Sprout, Sagestone, Olive Grove and Mossy Granite.  Poppystamps Little Layered Asters were brushed with Altenew Strawberry and Dusty Pink.  Hello was stamped in Olive Grove, die cut and stacked 2 high.  I brushed the card front edges with the Olive Grove.  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday and Color Hues.  I'll let the CH team decide if my flowers are close enough to a soft coral. 

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.