Less is More - die cuts and punches

I've been into my craft room for the first time in a few weeks and of course the LIM challenge was first choice to create for, this week the challenge is to use dies or punches.  Chrissie's card reminded me I had bought 2 Memory Box ornament dies and not used them.  I punched the base layer from Basic Grey DP and the pattern from yellow cardstock, adding a border of the DP, a Stampin' Up sentiment and some tiny gems.  I drew in the red thread for the ornaments.  In real life, the sentiment, thread and DP all look the same red!

My card is for:

Less is More - diecut or punches

Winter Wonderland - a Christmas card

Christmas Inspirations - anything goes

Inky Impressions - punches or dies

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #61 - monochrome magic

 

Welcome to a new Crafty Cardmaker's Challenge, this is one of those weeks when you almost wish you weren't on the DT when you see the fab sponsorship prizes!  This week we are challenging you to make a monochrome project.  The sponsors are Digi Doodle Store with a $10 gift certificate for their lovely images and IndigoBlu who are offering up an amazing prize of a Flitterglu starter kit AND one of their superb stamps!

I made a blue winter scene using the Here Comes Santa stamp set from IndigoBlu.  I masked off a moon and used a mixture of inks on brushes to make a background, giving it a little spritz of water to blend.   The snowflake border at the top is white heat embossed, it shows up far better in real life.  I then added the sentiment and trees, stamping twice before re-inking for the trees.  I really didn't want to add much more to it, so I matted it a few times, added a ribbon and a few gems on the snowflakes.  Brr...  chilly card for a grey chilly day:).

I'm also entering my card for:

Paper Sundaes - clean & simple (not much white space but I hope it fits their criteria!)

Crazy4Challenges - make a scene

Winter Wonderland - blue & white

Challenge up your Life - monochrome

Craft a Scene - winter scene

Pollycraft - chill out

Craft your Passion - no patterned paper, anything goes

One Layer Wednesday - red and white

Susan's simply stunning OLC inspired me to play along at this week's OLW Challenge, to use only red and white or cream.  I have longed for the Stampin' Up Lovely as a Tree set ever since I saw it and finally treated myself to it; ironically it arrived a day after the gorgeous Stamp Addict trees, so it has been waiting for an airing.  As I found I didn't have a bright red ink I took the scary option of red embossing onto white cardstock, this is the second attempt:).  Sentiment is Elzybells, the shaped card shows a narrow strip of red card under its border.
My card is also entered for:
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle - monochromatic
Krafting Kimmie - monochromatic
Crafty Ann's - clean & simple
Prairie Fairy - wet embossing
Floweret - Christmas again
Winter Wonderland - clean & simple Christmas card
Simon Says - anything goes

Creative Inspirations #67 - pick a set

Hi and welcome to what is sadly the last Creative Inspirations Challenge :(.  Both Jude and Cheryl have family issues they need to take care of and the blog will close after this challenge, which has been set by Bea.  The challenge is to pick a challenge:  #1 is distress, buttons and bows, #2 is shabby chic, pearls, lace and #3 is vintage, ribbon, flowers.  I've used set #1, my Partridge in a Pear Tree stamp is a set from Stamp Addicts.  I've embossed it in green, added gold embossed pears and sentiment and added a distressed background and painted my partridge with Distress Ink.  There's some stitching in gold thread, sheer gold ribbon and some green buttons.  I've only been with the CI girls for a few challenges, I'd like to thank them for being so friendly and welcoming and wish all of the team the best for the future.
My card is for the following challenges:
Crafts4Eternity - Christmas
Winter Wonderland - trim a tree - my tree is trimmed with golden pears!
CCEE Stampers - gold
Moving along with the Times - birds
Divas by Design - Christmas in August
Fresh Brewed Challenges - emboss it
Hooked on Craft  - things with wings
Kaboodle Doodles - ribbon

Christmas Blues

 

I'm continuing to play with my Phindy's Place images and this is yet another favourite of mine, it's called Holiday Wreath and I think it's just stunning.  Yet again I've used the sketch from Simon Says, though I've changed it around a little this time; the lovely Lols is trying to get their number of entries this week to over 500!  So I'm doing my bit :).
I've coloured my digi with Copics and decoupaged it on top of a piece of cardstock that I've decorated with spray inks and white embossed swirls stamped on it.  Makes a very chilly looking background!  I was sticking to self-made papers, so I embossed white pearlescent cardstock with my Scor-Pal for the background and stuck a seed bead on each junction.  Snowflake is made with a Woodware punch, sentiment is Craftwork cards inside a Nestie circle.
I'm entering the following challenges:
Simon Says Challenge - sketch
Saturday Challenge - Christmas
Winter Wonderland - penguins and polar bears
Totally Papercrafts - Xmas punches (snowflake)
Cute Card Thursday - the blues
Digital Tuesday - animals at Christmas
Sew Many Cards - snowflakes

Sweet Stampin' - create your own background paper

I'm Nearly All White!

This started out when I saw the challenge at Simon Says Challenge, which this week is to make a card which is all white, with the exception of colour on any image that is used.  Gulp!  I found this really tricky and I will admit that I have cheated a little and my card may not be eligible.  I have two white dry-embossed pieces of card on here and it was just impossible to tell one from t'other, so I edged the snowflake embossed piece with Weathered Wood grey Distress Ink and ever-so-gently sponged some onto the diagonal grid that I'd put onto the larger piece.  In my defence, it took ages to make the grid with my Scor-pal and I couldn't bear it if all that hard work was invisible LOL!
The stamp is by Sheena Douglass and is one I bought at the NEC, stamped in Distress Ink.  I've used a brush and a little water to shade with the ink.  The snow on the rooftops and in the sky is Liquid Pearls and I've sprayed the whole image with iridiscent Spray & Sparkle by Crafter's Companion.  I suspect this is one of the aerosols one is not supposed to inhale, it smells just like Pear Drops - mmm! LOL.  It gives a lovely soft shimmer, hard to show it in the photo.  The gems are from stash, the sentiment is Craftwork Cards and the snowflakes were from a Woodware punch and a Spellbinder, both have clear Stickles on them.
I'm entering the following challenges with my card:
Simon Says Challenge - are you all white ?
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Paper Sundaes - let it snow
Pile it On - Christmas with animals (reindeer in sky!)
One Stitch at a Time - winter wonderland
Allsorts Challenge - the night before Christmas
One Stop Crafts - embossing
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - dry embossing
The Creative Cottage - embossing
Winter Wonderland - sing a Christmas carol (Silent Night)

Craft Your Days Away - all white
CCEE Stampers - create a winter scene
Patty's Creations - Christmas card

Oh Deer!

 I got my Tim Holtz Christmas stamps out to have a try at a Christmas card for a man, which is the challenge at Winter Wonderland.   First I used a textured card which I think looks a bit messy where the deer is overstamped.  The next card is on a regular, smooth card and I prefer it.  Background has Distress Inks in Weathered Wood and, I think, Stormy Sky.  Sentiment is a freebie from this month's Do Craft magazine.

Be Sure to Hug a Snowman this Christmas...

...Just not too hard in case he melts:)
It must be something about the cold mornings (just 3 degrees first thing yesterday here) and the kids going back to school, but I am in Christmas mode at the moment.  At the Craft Barn last week I bought a stunning new 6x6 Basic Grey pad called Jovial, the snowman design looked made for my image, which is another Phindy's Place Christmas image called Back to Nature.   The sentiment came from House Mouse, it's part of the new unmounted rubber sheets and again, it's a perfect match for my image:).

I wanted to use my new Nesties again (thank you Simon Says!) and found this very pretty sketch at Sunday Sketch & Stamp, a new site to me.  I used some of my treasured red velvet ric-rac on the card, so I'm entering the Basic Grey "use fabric" challenge and Cute Card Thursday's Material Girl Challenge.    The flowers were also from Craft Barn, I coloured clear rhinestones and the scrolls were made with a Woodware punch.  Can't make a Christmas card without Stickles, lots of sparkly, snowy Stickles on the image too:)

I'm also entering my card for the following challenges:

Wild Orchid - Make it Sparkle & Christmas Card Challenges - Sparkle & Shine
Paper Sundaes and-Totally Gorjuss are both Christmas in August
Secret Crafter - Make a Start on Christmas

Winter Wonderland - All I want for Christmas - who could want more than friends?  They are what make Christmas special:)