Tuesday, 25 November 2025

Paper Mug for Christmas

 Hi it's my time to share at Die Cut Divas - our sponsor this month is Lawn Fawn and our challenge is Critters.  


My project today is a sweet little Christmas Mug 

I saw this video on You Tube by Christy Gets Crafty - Isn't this a cute little gift Mug.   It used two sheets of 6" patterned paper.    It's really easy to follow Christy video.  I die cut the tag from a Spellbinders die set and stamped the sentiment from Lawn Fawn - Cozy Cats Christmas Add on.  Stamped the little Kitty, his antlers and the present onto some scrap white card.  I used alcohol markers to add colour and die cut them out before adding to the tag.   Had fun making this and I'm sure I'll be doing some more - adding some chocolates as a gift. 

Do come and join us at Die Cut Divas with Critters and don't forget to use your die cut machine.  

Wednesday, 19 November 2025

More Christmas cards using the mixed media background.

 Well over the last few days, I've made up three more cards using some of the mixed media masterboard I made. 


I had used Gina K Master Layout 2 to cut the panel.  I then used some texture paste through a star stencil and sprinkled with some Diamond Dust glitter.  Matted it with the dark green card and added the gold die cut sentiment (minus the shadow layer) and some gold dots. 

Next I used a square panel of the background 


Matted the square panel with the dark green (looks black in my photo) and used a strip to add my red die cut sentiment.  Added some little red star embellishments.   A very quick card. 

And the last for today 


This panel was a smaller one cut with one of the dies and matting layer dies from Gina K Master Layouts 2.  The background panel is a white embossed panel (Christmas words) matted onto a white layer and added to the top folding dark green card base.   Added the panel to the base layers and then used a Hero Arts stamp and die set called Holly Jolly to make the leaves.  Used Catherine Pooler inks - Eucalyptus and Green Tea.   Stamped the sentiment from the Hero Arts set in Altenew Forest Green Crisp Dye ink and used a circle from Pinkfresh Studio's Mini slimline Essentials die set.  Added the die cut circle over the Holly leaves and finished with some dark green dots. 

Still two pieces of the background to make into cards.  


Sunday, 16 November 2025

Mixed media Christmas background - Inspired by Ardyth

We have had a very relaxing weekend at our friends in Mangawhai.   Went up on Friday evening and came back this afternoon.   Got home at 3.00pm so after unpacking I heading into my craft room.   I had watched Ardyth Percy-Robb video (see it here) yesterday where she made one large panel of watercoloured and mixed media background using some powders to make her watercolours.  I really love how she managed to get such a gorgeous background and made 16 cards!   I definitely didn't get that many made!   

I used a sheet of Bristol smooth 250gsm card.  I taped it to my glass matt and went to town!  Used  Nuvo Shimmer powders in Blue Blitz, Cherry Bomb and Atlantis Burst and Pixie Powder in Lava Red.  I did stripes of colour vertically along the long side - then white paint stenciling, gold paint stenciling, used the blue and red paints to stencil as well.  Water splatters, gold paint splatters, spritzed with white shimmer spray and Fossilized Amber Distress spritz.  I forgot to photograph the panel before I chopped it up.  

I made one panel into a card this afternoon. 


I trimmed the panel to 3.25" x 4.5" and ran it through an embossing folder - Holly and used Catherine Pooler Eucalyptus ink to highlight the raised areas.   I matted it onto some dark green card and added to a white base.   For my sentiment I used a new to me die set - cut the words with the dark green and shadow layer from vellum.  Made some dark green enamel dots by adding some clear packing tape over a scrap of the dark green card and used a dotty die to cut the dots, 

And here are the other panels still to use


 so will be making some more cards so I can get my Christmas cards in the post by the end of this month. 


Monday, 10 November 2025

Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Just Add Antlers!

 I'm still not well and after a very busy weekend, today I was shattered and still coughing so another day at home.  I did two half days - Monday and Wednesday and had Tuesday and Thursday sick.  Went to the doctors on Thursday - Chest infection and bronchial asthma - so antibiotics and taking time off.  

I rested up today and spent some time in my craft space this afternoon.  I had sorted some digital images over the weekend and two day I printed two old Bugaboo images to enter into the challenge at Christmas Kickstart Challenge.

 


First one used a favourite Christmas image - Puppy Reindeer.   I've used over the years since 2014.


Isn't it gorgeous!  The sentiment was part of the digital images.  I printed and used Spectrum Noir Tri-blends to colour.  Added little bits of Gelly Roll Sparkle clear pen to the bells and on his hat, the stars, the ground.  I masked off the edges and used a Blue Grey maker to add a faux matting layer.   Added some silver die cut sequins. 

My next card also uses a Bugaboo image from 2016.


A cute as reindeer.   Again used the Spectrum Noir Tri-blends to colour.  Added a Kaisercraft sentiment.  A little of the Gelly Roll Sparkle Clear pen on the starts and the Christmas baubles.  

I went to photograph the cards and for the live of me, I couldn't find the first card anywhere.   I honestly couldn't find it at all, then remembered I had cut and folded some card bases and put them in a folder.  Yep, sure enough there it was amongst the bases.    

Hopefully off to work tomorrow. 


Saturday, 8 November 2025

Red for Remembrance at Sweet Stampin' Challenge.

 Time to share my card for Sweet Stampin' Challenge.  Our theme this fortnight is Red for Remembrance.   We'd love to see you join us with your RED projects. 

I did a bit of mixed media for my background.   I'm enjoying trying out this technique at the moment. 

My background is some linen like cardstock and I did ink smooshing, and stenciling with some Altenew Coral Bliss ink, some stamping and stenciling using Altenew Cloudy Night and Silver Lake.  Used two different Kaisercraft inks.   Added some little bits of a napkin and added some stenciling with Nuvo Shimmer Paste for some texture.  For my flowers I used two dies... the flowerheads are Altenew Petite Mountain Aven Layering dies cut from red card and the stems from Birch Press Peony Duo Contour layers cut from green card.  I added some Altenew dark purple ink for the flowers shadow areas.   I added the flowers to the card and added a pre-printed sentiment.  Finished with some gold splatters of watered down Slippery when Wet Lunar paste.  



Wednesday, 5 November 2025

More mixed media inspired by Stress Free Cardmaking Summit

 Hi.  I have enjoyed trying some more mixed media on my cards inspired by both Erin Reed and Juliana Michaels.   Today I used Erin's butterflies and her design elements... but on a bit of a mixed media background. 

On Sunday Grace and I did some backgrounds using watercolour paints and some chunky Himalayan salt.  Some worked really well, some not quite so good.   Grace took home 4 backgrounds and I did 3.  My first background was light colours and I added some fine table salt with some of the chunky salt.  The fine salt didn't really work but did stick to the card which gave it a bit more texture.   It was this one I used for my background.

To enhance the background I used some Lindy's Starburst sprays - Clam Bake Beige and Whale Watch Blue. Used TCW Multi stencil, Circle stencil and Mini Geometric Art Lyrs with a variety of inks including black. Added some white shimmer spray splatters.   Stamped part of a Couture Creations sentiment with Altenew Cloudy Night ink.  Added the strips of black and purple together on the card and added the fussy cut butterfly.   Finished with some of my homemade enamel dots.  

Keep a look out for another mixed media card coming up on Saturday.  

 

Saturday, 1 November 2025

Christmas Bells

 Hubby was washing the house this afternoon and I had to shut myself inside to avoid getting sprayed..   or at least that's what I told myself!   So headed to the craft room... I was inspired by a Facebook memory of a card I made way back in 2016 - using Sunny Studio Holiday Style stamp set and the gorgeous layer bell. 

Here's what I did today


For today's card I chose some blues to make my bell.   I used Altenew Evergreen ink for the branches and added some ink blending with the same ink and a detail blending brush to give the tree some depth. 
For the bell I used Eastern Sky, Ultramarine and Azurite Crisp Dye inks.  I stamped the sentiment from the stamp set in the Azurite ink and added some Midnight Sky Nuvo Crystal Drops. 

And while I had the stamp set out I CASE'd a card from Mendi (on the Sunny Studio blog)  I loved her idea of white embossing on pale blue card. 


I stamped and fussy cut the silver bells.  I used Altenew Silverstone, Industrial Diamond and Pure Graphite.   I really struggled to get the bells lined up so decided to work from the darkest - the front layer to the lightest - the base layer.   That seem to work better.   I added some sparkle pen to give them some shimmer.   I white embossed the branches from Sunny Studio - Christmas Trimming set along the top and bottom of the card.   I then used the sentiment from that set and stamped it in the middle of the card.  I added 3D tape to the back of the bells after drawing the strings in silver gel pen.   I tied red grosgrain ribbon and added to the top of each bell.   For my little embellishments, I die cut some stars from silver card using a little Mama Elephant die.  It has hearts, stars, and two different sequins.  

Slowly growing my stash of Christmas cards.  I've been enjoying going through my Flickr albums that I've created over the years and getting ideas to remake them.    


Friday, 31 October 2025

Altenew October Challenge....

 Back for a second post today.... another card made this afternoon with new goodies from my Scrapbook.com package.  This time an Altenew embossing folder and matching stencil set - Whimsy Motif.  I've been eyeing for a while and was happy to see it on sale the other week.  



The colours are very pretty and look a little autumnal.  


I embossed my white card first and then used the stencils to add the colour.   I used Warm Sunshine and Caramel Toffee for the flowers and Olive and Hunter Green for the leaves.  Used Honey Drizzle ink to make the matting layer and to stamp the sentiment from CYL Silk Art.  Added some splatters of bronze metallic watercolour paint.  Just love the stencils and embossing folders that Altenew make.