The Flower Challenge #109 - Use Christmas Florals

Hello friends.  Are the Christmas cards done and in the mail yet?  Mine are made but not addressed yet...need to get busy!!  If you're still in need of a few cards, we have the perfect challenge for you this month at The Flower Challenge...just use your Christmas florals!

Before I get to the details of my cards, I have a bit of news to share.  Regretfully The Flower Challenge will be closing after this months challenge.  I had already made the decision to step down because of time constraints (my 93 year old mom is requiring more of my help and time and we also babysit 2 days a week for our 2 youngest grandbabies, so time in my craft room has become more and more limited.) when Karren announced that she was also struggling to find the time to run the challenge and had decided she needed to close it at the end of this year.  This challenge has had a good run and we have seen some absolutely BEAUTIFUL floral cards during its time, so do not be sad it is leaving but be glad it was and offered so much inspiration for so long!  A very BIG thank you to Karren and all the DT members past & present for all the work they have put into this challenge over the years, and a BIG thank you to all of you who have played along with our challenges too.  I'll still be around and you'll still be seeing flower cards from me as they're at the top of my favorites list to make.  We hope you'll all play along this month so we can go out with a bang...so get out those stamps, dies & stencils and let's flood the gallery with beautiful Christmas florals!!  And now back to my regular post...   

I love Poinsettias and have quite a few stamps, stencils, dies & embossing folders with Poinsettias, so the hardest part of this challenge for me was picking out what to use!  I wanted to try out a technique that Therese Calvird did a while back (you can watch HERE) that uses embossing folders and rubbing your ink pad over the raised areas.  She started using DSP from Crafters Consortium, so I pulled out the only pad of Crafters Consortium DSP I had (Ink Drops - Dusk) and gave it a try using 2 different embossing folders.

I used Altenew's Perfect Poinsettias 3D embossing folder with a lighter piece of the DSP and then lightly ran my Delicata Gold ink pad over the raised areas.  

I matted the embossed layer with a thin piece of gold matte cs and then used the same gold to cut out my sentiment from MB's Merry Christmas Posh Script.  Both layers were attached to a kraft card base and I called it good...no bling!

I have a 2nd card using a darker piece of the DSP and SSS's Poinsettia Spray embossing folder.  I also used the embossing folder to emboss a strip of gold mirror card stock and added it to the left edge of my card.

I wish my photography skills were a bit better so you could see all the detail in this card...it is really pretty IRL!  The die cut sentiment is another favorite MB die called Special Merry Christmas.  Another kraft card base and no bling on this one either.  The Delicata Gold ink has so much shimmer to it that you really don't need to add anything else!

The DT has some absolutely BEAUTIFUL Christmas florals to inspire you to play along and you can find them all right HERE.  This challenge is open till Thursday, Dec. 25th @ 5:00PM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Just Us Girls Challenge #803

Hello friends.  Playing along with the gals over at the Just Us Girls Challenge where it's anything goes stencil week.

I had been inspired last week by a sweet friend to pull out my WF Postage Collage Snowman Stencil which hadn't seen any ink since last Winter, and figured this new challenge was the perfect time to ink it up.  I ended up cutting the postage images apart and had enough that way to make 2 cards.  Take a look...

 Couldn't resist making the backgrounds a little colorful and love how they both turned out.  Here's a closer up of card #1...

I arranged the 2 snowmen and the snowflake images on a white background embossed with my favorite snowflake ef this year from SSS (Snowflake Visions).  I stamped a few extra snowflakes from the North Pole stamp set (WF), and then added my sentiment (WF's Merry Christmas Print Die) and a few PFS iridescent gems.  And also a touch of glitter.

My 2nd card uses the last 3 snowmen images and I used the book binding fold that I've been pretty hooked on lately!  I used again the same ef (Snowflake Visions) on white cs for the main portion and on some pink cs for the binding section (I used white pigment ink over the pink snowflakes to make them stand out a bit more). 

I used the same sentiment as the first card and added a few Disco Ball Sequins (Gina K) and some pink & white baker's twine to finish off this card.  I'd forgotten how cute this sweet stencil set was...thanks for reminding me dear friend!!

Lots of awesome inspiration from the DT and their special guest Leslie, and also in the gallery already, so if you like to stencil, check it all out right HERE.  This challenge is only open till Wednesday, Dec. 3rd @ 6:00PM, so check it out sooner rather than later! :0)

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Color Hues #123 - PINK & GREEN

Hello friends.  Happy December!!  I hope you're all enjoying this wonderful season already and not stressing too much about all that needs to be done.  If your Christmas cards are not finished yet, our sweet DT member Tracey has a fun and beautiful color pairing of PINK & GREEN that will make beautiful Christmas cards. Or thank you cards. Or birthday cards.  It's a perfect pairing for so many different types of cards, so play along with us at the Color Hues Challenge!

I went with Christmas to build up a few extra cards in case I need them...if not then I have a head start on next years stash!  I used an older PFS stencil set (Holiday Botanical Background) to come up with this simple and pretty card...

I used several different green inks (Gina K) to stencil my leaves and then used a couple shades of pink inks (also Gina K) for the berries.  I used The Greetery's Crimped Rectangle Frame die to cut out my stenciled panel and then attached to a top folding white card base.  I stamped my sentiment from PB's rejoice with joy stamp set, and I just love how perfectly it fit in the center of the stenciled frame. 

  To finish I simply added a few gems from SU! and that was all this card needed!  I think I might even make a few more to add to my stash as it was so easy to make and I just LOVE the way it turned out!

We hope you all have a little bit of time this month to play along with us and fill our gallery with all kinds of pink & green cards!  Make sure you check out what the DT has come up with using this color pairing right HERE and then play along.  This challenge is open for the whole month (till Monday, Dec. 29th @ 9:00AM) to give you some extra time, so we hope to see you all soon!  And last but not least, the whole team and I wish each and every one of you a most blessed and Merry Christmas!  
 

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge #100 (Take 2)

Hello friends.  Hope all my American friends are recovering from too much turkey and pumpkin pie and had a wonderful day celebrating with family and friends yesterday!  Ours turned out much smaller than expected (sickness), so we will be eating turkey for days to come!  It's ok though...I love turkey sandwiches!!  But anyway, I have another gingerbread card for you today...I am still in love with the mood board over at the Peace On Earth Challenge and couldn't resist playing again. (My 1st card is HERE) 

Since my first card was a gingerbread house, I thought it was only fitting to do a gingerbread girl this time around.  Here she is...

Isn't she a cutie with her white piping and red glittery bow?!  I used a SSS die called Gingerbread Man that I've had for over a year and is making its first debut today.  (I think this would be cute using felt and stitching it up too!) I made this into another book binding fold card where my 4 1/4" x 11" piece of cardstock is scored in half at 5 1/2" and then scored again 1 1/4" away from the 5 1/2" score line.  For this card I also trimmed off a 1/2" from the front edge so that you could see the coordinating dsp that's on the inside edge.  All the dsp on this card is from an older pack from SU! called Candy Cane Lane.

I matted all my dsp with Real Red cs and also added a Crimped Circle die cut (The Greetery) in the Real Red cs to place behind my gingerbread girl.  I used PTI's Tiny Tags dies for the tiny circle tag that I embossed in white for my sentiment.  A little sheer ribbon over the book binding edge and a few peppermint candy gems finished off this sweet card. 

Lots of fabulous inspiration from the DT that you can check out right HERE.  I must say CONGRATULATIONS again to Darlene & Diane (owners of the Peace on Earth Challenge) on this 100th challenge...I sure have enjoyed playing along over the past years!  This challenge is open till Thursday, Dec. 4th @ 8:00PM.

 

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Freshly Made Sketches #713

Hello friends.  Playing along with the gals over at the Freshly Made Sketches challenge where Jen B has a wonderful sketch for us to follow this week.

While digging through my stash I found an older PB stencil (promenade - 2014) that I think I used once when I first got it and then wondered why I bought it!  I did some ink blending using Fall colors this time and here's what I came up with...

 Extremely CAS but I love the way it turned out!!  I started with Red Velvet ink, then blended into Tangerine Twist and followed with Wild Dandelion ink (all Gina K inks).  I framed the image with a Pierced Feature Frame die cut (PTI) and added my sentiment on a banner die cut from Gina K's ML#5 die set.  The sentiment is from PTI's Autumn Hills stamp set.  

I adhered my stenciled panel, the frame and the banner all to a top folding white card base and then finished with a few PFS Sparkling Champagne Metallic Pearls.  Easy peasy and done.

I am also going to add this card to the current DD Challenge where they are looking for Fall Colors...

 The Freshly Made sketches challenge is open till Monday, Nov. 24th @ 3:00PM and the Double D challenge is open till Sunday, Nov. 30th @ 8:00PM. 
   

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge #100

Hello friends.  The Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge is celebrating their 100th challenge and the mood board they provided couldn't have made me happier!

Look at ALL that yummy gingerbread...cookies and houses galore!  I am still so hooked on The Greetery's Market Place Shoppe Dies and was thrilled to pull them out again to come up with this...

I used the Market Place Mini dies for this card and I also hadn't made a mini slimline card in quite awhile, so this is what I came up with combining the two.  The Market Place Mini dies come as a set of three houses, and since all 3 wouldn't fit on the mini slimline panel, I just decorated one house and used the other two behind and to the sides of the decorated one. I did use Gina K's Brick stencil over the house that I'd die cut from kraft with my brown blending brush and then decorated with all the white trim and the wreaths and bows.  I also added a strip of vellum behind the windows of the decorated house. 

 I used Gina K's ML#7 for my background panel and embossed it with SSS's Snowflake Visions embossing folder.  I did run my white pigment ink pad over the tops of the embossed snowflakes so they would stand out a bit more.  I added a torn snow hill over the bottom portion of my layered panel and added glitter to the torn part for a bit of sparkle and added my sentiment in red to the middle of the snow hill.  I did use foam tape behind the snow hill and also the decorated house to add some dimension.  I finished by adding two little red hearts I had in my stash (I think maybe SU!?).  Really tickled by the way this card turned out!

The DT at the Peace On Earth challenge has some beautiful cards to inspire you, and this challenge is open till Thursday, Dec. 4th @ 8:00PM. They are also giving away 2 different prize packages to celebrate their 100th challenge, so play along for a chance to win AND get the rest of those Christmas cards finished! :0)

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Color Hues #122 - TEAL & SILVER

Hello friends.  Hard to believe we're half way through November already, isn't it?!!  Our wonderful leader Nancy at Color Hues has chosen a color pairing that I think is just perfect to finish up those last minute Christmas cards...

Isn't that a beautiful color pairing?!!  I had recently won a random prize drawing from Jo over at the Christmas Kickstart Challenge, and the prize was a TH Ornamental Birds die set...I think it worked perfectly for this color challenge! Take a look...

I die cut all my pieces from Tranquil Teal cs (Gina K), silver mirror cs & silver glitter cs and then ink blended the Tranquil Teal pieces.  I tried using Tranquil Teal ink to blend with at first, but it just wasn't showing up, so I used just a bit of black ink to darken the edges of the bird and ornament and make them stand out a bit more.  

 Once my die cut pieces were glued together, I worked on the background...a piece of dry embossed cs using HB's Burlap ef and PB's double frames, with foam tape between the two frame layers.  The die set has a die to punch out all the TEENY TINY dots to form the string between the bird & ornament, but I gave up pretty quickly as I was making a mess with the glue and the dots sticking everywhere I didn't want them.  I ended up using some very small crystal gems that came all attached in rows to use instead, and it finished off the card perfectly!  I left the sentiment for the inside so as not to take away from the CAS look to this card.

The DT and our Special GD's Loll and Joanne have some beautiful cards to share with you for inspiration and you can find them all right HERE!  We would love to see all of you in the gallery using this beautiful color pairing!  This challenge is open till Saturday, Nov. 29th @ 9:00AM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!