Pinkfresh and Altenew

I have a couple cards for December monthly challenges.  First up is my entry for the Pinkfresh December Monthly Challenge.  I love that this challenge lets you use the theme or colors or both.  Generally, I use the theme and that's what I did this time.  

I like leaves with a design, so decided to make my own printed paper using a PFS stamp and the emboss resist technique.  PFS Folk Snowflake was stamped multiple times without overlapping until I covered a white cardstock square.  After gold embossing, I brushed the square with blue and green Altenew watercolor markers.  When it dried, I die cut PFS Layered Wreath--love the look!  The additional leaf dies were cut from a gold embossed scrap and glued to the wreath. 

The sentiment was made from PFS Classic Holiday Word dies cut from the same cream cardstock as the card base.  The words were stacked 3 high, brushed with shimmer and covered with glaze.  I splattered the card with gold watercolor and tied on a twine bow.  I'm also entering Christmas Kickstart.  

I used 2 of my favorite Altenew dies, Pink Star Tulip and Sparkled Frame, to make a card for the Altenew Year in Review challenge.  I chose January's beautiful, fresh color combo of blue, green and tan.  I die cut all the pieces from white cardstock scraps.  The bloom pieces were brushed with Altenew Caribbean Sky and the leaves with Grass Field.  Then I splattered white gesso.  

The frame was brushed with Rocky Shore--darkest on the outer edge.  I wanted a little color in the background, so smooshed a panel with Arctic and Caribbean Sky.  I did a little molding of the petals and leaves and added a pearl.  The sentiment from Altenew's Build a Garden: Morning Glory was stamped in Rocky Shore, die cut and stacked.  Definitely not a flat card, but I love it!  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday, WAW and Snippets Playground.

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

Hero Arts and Pinkfresh Studio

I intended to make a Christmas card using Hero Arts Christmas Rose embossed in HA gold powder.  

I scribbled several colors of Altenew Watercolor Brush Markers & spritzed with water.  The flowers were too orangey, so I gold embossed the birthday sentiment from HA Find Joy on a vellum strip.  Never tire of Gansai Tambi gold watercolor splatters & gold Stickles.  You can see the shine in my IG post.  

I used gold metallic cardstock for a narrow mat & covered the card front with orange cardstock from my stash that was the right shade.  I'm entering Stay Crafty with Hero via IG, Inkspirational, Die Cut Divas & Word Art Wednesday.  

Several years ago a friend sent me some PFS diecuts.  Decided it was time to make a card with the 2 Merry Days diecuts. 

I embossed the green one, without the little images, using Hero Arts Sparkle powder.  Then I attached it over the light pink tree which still had the images in place.  The background is a PTI Classic Kraft panel debossed with an old TH snowflakes folder.

The sentiment from PFS Classic Holiday Words was covered with Nuvo Glaze.  You can see the sparkle & shine in my IG post.  Luckily, the PFS December challenge is still open.  I'm also entering Christmas Kickstart.

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

Christmas Cards

I had fun pulling out 2 green Altenew watercolor markers to brush onto the beautiful, old IO holly stamp.  I spritzed with water & stamped, repeating until I was happy.  

The silver berries were done with a GKD Holiday Tapestry stamp, Delicata Silvery Shimmer & Silver Stickles.  Really love the font of this HA sentiment from Christmas Rose.  

I still remember the first time I saw an embossed, stamped panel.  It totally changes the look.  Here I used SSS Refracted folder, but this is the debossed side.  Yes, it was an oops, but turns out I like it!  I entered challenges from Flickr. 

Dawn of WP9 makes the most beautiful cards!  I cased her Christmas card in February for a friendship card.

This time I made a Christmas card using Altenew watercolor markers like I did in the first card.  The pine branch is from a very old Stampendous set that I don't think I'd ever used.  The leafy branch is from PB's xmas sprig set.  

I used the same GKD berry stamp & added Christmas Red Stickles.  Love this Uniko sentiment from Season of Beauty.  I seldom use my cream colored cardstock, but glad I used it here.  Made a huge difference to sponge the edges with DO vintage photo which I also used to stamp the sentiment.  

I added a couple cardstock layers to give the sentiment dimension without needing extra postage.  It's interesting how different styles & designs appeal to all of us.  This one I can't get out of my mind & will be using again, for sure!  I'm entering SSS Wednesday.

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

Birthday and Valentine's Day

I didn't let myself do much shopping over the holidays as I'm really trying to use what I have.  My first card is a good example.  

I've had SSS Grid Play stencil & SSS/PPP Damask Greetings stamp set a long time, but neither had been used.  Recently Laura Bassen posted a card on IG that I totally loved.  My card looks very different, but shows how being inspired doesn't mean copying.  I have so many ink pads, I hardly ever pull out my Hero Arts ink cubes.  For this card I used Passion Flower, Ultra Pink & Cornflower.  

The damask images were stamped in Delicata Silvery Shimmer.  For the sentiment, I combined SSS Painted Happy Birthday word die cut & the little words from SSS Anna's Flowers.  I added black & silver splatters plus black Pico Embellisher dots.  I'm entering SSS Flickr challenge, Stay Crafty with Hero use circles & Time Out New challenge--my newly used products hopefully qualify.

Next is my first Valentine of 2022.  I used SSS Heart Banner die, an old MFT sentiment, Spellbinders Floral embossing folder, red Altenew watercolor marker, Liquid Pixie Dust & Hero Arts red ombre sequins. 

The hearts were stacked 4 high & are really sparkly from adding Pixie Dust to the ink from the marker.

Pretty simple card which took me a whole evening to complete--haha!  At least I'm happy with the result.  I'm entering SSS Flickr.

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

Holiday Season

I've been making Thanksgiving & Christmas cards.  First is my entry for Poppystamps Sweater Weather challenge.  The Poppystamps Majestic Maple die was cut 3 times from watercolor paper.  

I used Altenew watercolor markers to add one color at a time, spritzing lightly with water.  I added gold & brown splatters and popped up the middle leaf.  I scored a Classic Kraft card & also splattered it with gold & brown.  

The Spellbinders sentiment was stacked with the top layer cut from gold metallic cardstock.  I haven't used gold thread for awhile & I do like it behind the leaves.  Finished off with gold sequins.  

Next is a Christmas card combining products from several different companies.  The black embossed poinsettia from Gina K's Festive Flowers was colored using a sponge dauber & Memento Rhubarb Stalk ink.  

I added black & gold splatters, as well as brushing on some of the gold.  The black panel was cut with a Papertrey Ink die & Poppystamps Merry Christmas Poe Script was die cut from black & gold cardstock. 

I added gold Stickles & gold PPP sequins.  I'm entering the ModSquad challenge to make a card with a poinsettia. 

Next is a Thanksgiving card using PTI Quilted Summer die with an old favorite DCWV paper pad called Harvest House.  I die cut the frame twice, so it's slightly raised.  

The ephemera is from the paper pad & the brown heat embossed sentiment is from PTI Autumn Adornments.  The Classic Kraft card is splattered with gold watercolor paint.  

I have left over pieces for more quilt cards that I've already started.  I'm entering PTI What Do I Do With This to create a card with embossing powder & TTTC139 (kraft, free, patterned paper).

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

Thanksgiving & Christmas

I had something else in mind for the October PFS challenge, but then I saw the Layered Wreath in my stash.  I've always made Christmas cards with it, so thought it'd be fun to use Autumn colors for a Thanksgiving card.  

I die cut the wreath from watercolor paper & used Altenew watercolor markers.  I just dabbed on one color at a time & lightly spritzed.  The berries were die cut from a scrap watercolored with the 2 brown markers in my set.  I used gold Tansai Gambi watercolors on the scrap from the center of the wreath so I could die cut the additional leaves.  The sentiment from Delicate Wreath was stamped in Versafine Clair Acorn & clear embossed on a vellum strip.  I used a brown scrap for the mat.  The Classic Kraft card & the wreath were splattered with gold paint.  Several of the Small Butterflies I gold embossed are still on my table, so I painted one to match the wreath.  

I used a small paint brush & a bit of water with the ink from the markers.  Decided it needed to be softer, so I brushed on the gold watercolor.  Finished off with PFS Espresso Jewels.  I'm also entering The Snippets Playground.

As you may know, I love wreaths!  I have many stamps & dies, but I also like to make my own.  Decided to use my Gina K Wreath Builder template & SSS Peaceful Christmas for a kraft & red card to enter Color Hues challenge, Rudolph Days & SSS Flickr 186. 

I stamped the little branch & the poinsettia in Avery Elle Cherry pigment ink.  The 3 dots were stamped in white pigment ink, but you can't tell because I decided they needed to sparkle!  

The sentiment from the set was stamped in Versafine Clair Acorn.  I used direct to paper on the edges of the card front & the mat using the red & white inks so everything would match. 

I've seen so many beautiful tree cards lately, I pulled out my old IO Fir dies.  I colored the trees with Sparkle pens & mounted them to a Lil' Inker quilted panel that had some Distress Oxide speckled egg blended in the center. 

The old Penny Black word die was cut from silver metallic cardstock & I used alpha stickers for the sentiment strip.  One of my sequin mixes includes little silver stars which I used instead of dots or sequins.

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