It's a beautiful, warm sunny summer day today, so I am posting a Christmas card!
This embossed paper has been kicking around since I made a card a while back and embossed it the wrong way up. I'd chosen the blue paper, stamped some flourishes onto it and then placed it in the embossing folder the wrong way up which results in the snowflakes being de-bossed. I made another one for that project but kept this to use again.
So it was perfect for this blue silver and white challenge from 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.
I've added some silver thread and an embossed silver sentiment, which is straight even though it looks squint.
Now I'm off to enjoy the sunshine. I hope you get it too.
x
I was being a a bit dense. (Nothing new there). I wanted to make a card for the Butterfly challenge which is currently:
Years is to be numbers, dates, etc. I don't have any special birthdays or occasions to make just now so I was stumped. Then I realised it is either /or. I always try to include both but I don't have to. So here is my card with just yellow and a butterfly:
I stamped the flower, butterfly and swirls in Versamark and then embossed in clear. I spritzed with water and then sprinkled on Brushos. Yellow on the flower and butterfly and then a little green. The spritzed some more and went away and left it. It didn't look great but drying does the trick.
When it was completely dry, I ironed it between pieces of paper and the embossing melts off on to the paper. That was the easy bit.
Here is a closer look:
I'm not sure if that really shows it or not.
I was stumped about how to make it into a card.
I chose kraft as I thought I'd done it on cream paper,then realised I hadn't. LOL. Anyway it suits it.
I stamped the sentiment onto the paper. Then I didn't like it.
Stamped sentiment and cut out on a white strip. Added green lines top and bottom and taped it on over the stamped one. Then I didn't like it.
The green was wrong.
Tried to pull it off but I have bought some very good tape so was in danger of ripping the artwork. My old tape would have come right off.
THEN I got a piece of kraft, stamped and stuck it over the stamped sentiment and the white card one! Finally I was happy. Hehe. I know, I'm a perfectionist and it is only a card.
It's taken me three goes to write this post. The main problem was the photos not loading and then blogger not saving but I think I'm there now. Fun and games with the old internet. Obvously no-one is up and using it yet today.
Have a good weekend everyone and I hope the sun shines for you at least some of the time.
I've managed to make a card for the 52ChristmasCardThrowdown. This week the challenge is a sketch. A nice simple one.
Here is my card:
I stamped the little house first then coloured it bright blue. I drew round my cutting shape with a smallish embossing tool then masked off the circle and the house.
I stamped the trees in Eggplant then lightly sponged the sky in the background. When I took the mask off, I didn't like the colour of the house so I went over again in pink to give a more purpley colour which goes better with the trees. I was very careful as I find that going over again can lead to it bleeding out of the lines.
Then I just needed to add the sentiment and add a little sparkle to the trees.
The house stamp is Polka Doodles and the others were free with a magazine.
I've been so busy in my garden. Lots of plantng and sowing but mainly battling the weeds and the slugs (ugh) so I've had less time to indulge in stamping. When I need to sit down I creep in and colour or stamp something then head back out. I'm not complaining, I love it!
The garden is blooming though, all the rain has done some good and this is the time when all the hard work pays off. There is some benefit to our climate, here in the UK!
I'm also linking to the Paper Players who, I've just noticed, have a Christmas in July theme.
Needing inspiration for a card for one of my nephews, it arrived in the form of this Birthday Blog hop inspiration photo.
I love these balloon stamps,I'm happy stamping and colouring them again and again.
It came together very quickly and for once went to plan. The inspiration for the rounded corners was from the packet of stamps which are on acetate with rounded corners. I like it.
Stamps used were Stamplorations Balloons and Banners coloured with Pro-markers.
I love stamping wreaths but I try not to do too many or I'd be sending similar cards out every year. Then I hit on the idea of using my favourite snowflake stamps for a wreath with a twist.
I liked it so I made a couple more in different colours.
I think I like the first one best though.
I drew a faint pencil circle and then stamped using three snowflakes and first and second generation ink. Then I added the sentiment. Finally since it is for Christmas, a bit of magic and sparkle with glitter and Stickles.
Last night, which may I remind you was June, we watched gales blow a branch blow down onto the power lines near our house, complete with flashes. It took out our power, of course. As it is June and doesn't get dark early, I was able to craft on the windowsill using the last of the light and add the glitter and cut out the matts as the light faded. Luckily the power companies raced to our rescue and had it fixed in a few hours. So I hope those of you in the UK are enjoying the summer!
So I'm happy to say I'm in time to link this with June's Rudolf Days. I've not made many Christmas cards recently but now have a few more for my stash .
Also linking to Pixie's Snippets Playground. I had to use new card for two card bases but all the rest was snippets. I should say that the cards are quite small, 11x11cm but I do have envelopes to fit!
I'm happy to say I've used up all my plain white snippets of any decent size and now only have narrow strips so I need a plan for using those.
A quick post as I should be getting ready to go away. Why do I always forget how much there is to do before you go?
The challenge at AAA Cards is 'Watercolours'.
Here is my card:
I made this by stamping and embossing the swirls in clear powder. The I sprinkled Brushos on and wet it with a spray bottle. I got it really wet so the ink spread about and pooled. Then the trick is to walk away and leave well alone! I used green and yellow crystals and the blue comes out of the green.
When it was dry I ironed off the embossing powder which just leaves the swirls. I used copier paper above and below to soak up the embossing.
To give credit the idea is a combinantion of several I saw on You Tube. One is here and I can't find the other. Oh, you can waste a lot of time on here, some amazing ideas, I just need to remember them. I've tried this one a couple of times and it works really well.
I'm not sure how well you can see but it gives a really cool effect and no-one knows how you did it!
I didn't want to cover up any of the swirls so I just added a simple sentiment.
I hope to get a chance to visit some of the fabulous entries, I love looking at them but must get organised first.
xxx
Sometimes a challenge grabs you and you just have to join in. This week Less is More are asking for Purple. I know many blogging card makers love purple and I am no exception.
I rummaged though my very well organised (!) box of stuff and found a scrap of paper that I had coloured in an experimental inking session sometime. I think I'd crumpled the paper up, wet it, then inked. This is what it looked like:
I wasn't sure where I was going with it except that I wanted to cut out purple flowers.
The inky paper gives a lovely effect, rather like batik.
I used a Leane Creatief die, made the flowers and decided to inlay the bottom layer of each flower so I moved them all and cut out the shapes, trying to stick to where I'd decided I wanted them - which I mostly managed. The bottom left hand corner fell apart, predictably, but I was able to save the bit and stick it on.
I used a piece of thin card behind the white square to glue it all down onto. Once I had it all stuck down, heart in mouth, I trimmed two flowers as I wanted it to be off the edge. I knew if it didn't look right I'd ruined the whole thing! But I think it did and I hope you do too.
The sentiment is Paper Smooches and the background swirl is one from and Artemio set. I've used them so many times.
As it's all made from snippets I'm hopping over to Pixie's Snippets Playground where Miss has time off for good behaviour I mean, she's doing teacher training so who knows what is going on while she's away?
I'm also linking to CASology very late in the day. Where it is week 200 and celebrations are underway.
