Christmas overload....

 I am in Christmas card making overload!   This time of the year I get carried away making lots of Christmas cards.  Over the weekend I was tidying up a bit and came across more ephemera packs of Christmas images - brought over the years and forgotten about!   And lots of Christmas stamp sets I'd forgotten about too!  

Here are a couple I've made - first up using some ephemera baubles.  I made a mini slimline base and die cut a central panel from some shiny green paper. 

I added the baubles and used a gel pen to add lots of dots around them.  The strings and bows were drawn with a gold gel pen. The sentiment is a Spellbinder's hot foil set.   A CAS card. 

My second card used a stamp from Inkadinkado (0 Joly Night) and one of the circle die cut cards I found at an Op shop a while back. 

These cards are tri folds, so I made the most of that idea and stamped and coloured the manger image onto the middle fold.  The card bases are also very textured.  I stamped and clear embossed the manger and added the colours with Prisma pencils.  The sentiment from the Inkadinkado set is line art type - but the texture meant some didn't stamp well, so I took a black pen and filled in the letters. 

I did do some more card making last week and during the weekend... one that I made for my NZ swap group... something really outside my comfort zone - the theme this month is Steampunk.  As soon as the recipient lets me know she has it, I can post it.   And one for an upcoming design team post that doubles as my son's birthday card... for his upcoming birthday on the 13th.   

 

 

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Use Something from your Old Stash

 Hi there.  It's time for a new challenge at Sweet Stampin' Challenge.  And it's a fun challenge... Use Something from your Old Stash.

I've been stamping for about 11 years or so now.  Today I am using a stamp set I got not long after I started stamping.  It's an Inkadinkado set circa 2007 and I have always loved it. 

I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black ink as I knew I wanted to colour with a Copic marker.  I used a purple marker and to give some texture I used my score board to score some lines around the edges.  I added some Spectrum Noir clear sparkle pen to the dress and used a fine line glitter pen to add some colour to the sentiment.  A few little pearls on the waist finished my card.  I played around with adding some clear gems but decided in the end to keep it CAS. 

StampNation WCMD Challenge - City Scapes

World Card Making Day challenges are still going on at StampNation... It's running all weekenwd (and into Monday my time!)  This time our challenge is Cityscapes.

A fun challenge.  I recently got a NZ stamp set called NZ Iconic Places and this was chance to use it..

Supplies:

STAMPS: NZ Iconic Places Collection (Craft Creations)

                 Santa and Reindeer (Inkadinkado)

INKS:   Versafine Onyx Black

            Distress Inks -  Blueprint Sketch, Faded Jeans, Tumbled Glass, Hickory Smoke

            Colour Box Frost White

CARD:  Cre8tiv White, Basic Black

ACCESSORIES:  Copic Marker R29, Copic White liner

 

I started by creating an evening/night time scene by using a variety of distress inks.  I then stamped the Auckland Skyline... I did some creative stamping so that I could have a whole skyline.   Finished with Santa and his sleigh going across the night sky.

Hope you have had a fun weekend .... still a few more hours over at StampNation for couple more challenges. 

Happy Easter

It's Easter Sunday and I am wishing you all a Happy Easter.

I was asked to make a religious Easter card for a friend to send to her elderly aunt.  I made up two cards for her to choose from.

First card used some PP from Couture Creations as the base layer.  I the then stamped the cross by Inkadinkado onto some watercolour paper and cut out with a stitched oval die.  I coloured the stamping with Watercolour pencils.  I added some water to the background colouring. 

My second card also used stamps from the Inkadinkado set.  The embossing folder and the diffusser I used are by Inside Out Embossing plates and folder.  I used Copics to colour the image. 

My friend chose the first card and I gave the second on to the woman I sit next to.  She is very religious so loved it.  

Thanks for stopping by today. 

World Card Making Day (or should I say Weekend!)

3rd October is World Card Making Day and because we are the first place in the World to see the sun - I got to spend the weekend celebrating... as the 3rd in the States is the 4th here!

So I started on my Saturday and decided to do the challenges at StampNation - they started midnight Friday so by the time I looked just after lunch Saturday 4 challenges were already up... I managed three cards in the afternoon,  so here they come

#1 - Inspired by USA - Bandannas

Using a Doodled Dry Emboss technique I saw on Splitcoaststampers.   Time consuming but fun result.

#2 Inspired by Canada - Hudson Bay Blanket

using Simon Says Stamp Holiday Borders.  Sentiment from Hero Arts.

#3 Inspired by Switzerland - Edelweiss Flower

 Used Simon Says Stamp Fog card stock and Lil'inkers dies to make my base and layer.   Hero Arts Wreath stamped in Versafine Olmypia Green.  Flowers and leaves from Inkadinkado stamped in London Fog Memento ink.  Coloured with Zig Clean Clear markers and fussy cut.  Finished with a Impression Obsession die cut bow and a Hero Arts sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing my WCMD  fun.  I'll be back to show you a few more later in the week.   I did get two more cards made today - and hopefully the rest of the challenges during the coming week

And I'm leaving you with some exciting news in our family.... we are to be Grandparents in April next year... Our daughter and her husband are expecting.... Very exciting news.

How much "mess" can three people make?

Let me show you...........

Yesterday I was joined by Helen and Lei for a day of stamping.  With just the three of us, we spread out a bit.... look at all the creativity going on... between the three of us we made over 15 cards.  And I finished off another one today. 

Most of what I did was for upcoming design work so can't share just yet.  But I did borrow some of Lei stamps and made some cards.

 

I'm not sure who makes the stamp. (Could be Inkadinkado)  I went for a very monochromatic look.  I inked up the stamp with Hero Arts Charcoal ink and then added the Winnie and Walter sentiment stamps.  Can you see where I had to fix a mistake?  

 

This card was the other stamp of Lei's I borrowed.  It is by a NZ company called Rubbadubbadoo.  I had stamped it onto cream card and then cut with a Spellbinders die. Sponged with Antique Linen ink while it was still in the die.  To make the outside layer, I drew around the outside of the die and hand cut.  The background PP is from Rosie's Studio.  The flowers are from Prima and the die cut leaves from a Cherry Lynn die.    This is a for an upcoming birthday for a friend.  I have made a little box envelope to put this in and will hand deliver when the time comes.  

 

I had an awesome day with my friends.  We did miss the others but as I had sent out the invite at short notice it was good to catch up with those that I could.  

Hope your weekend was a great as mine was.

 

Another Christmas card plus my Art Journal cover.

I have another of my Saturday's cards to share today.  This CAS Christmas card that was inspired by a Hero Arts stamp.

Here is the stamp that inspired the card. 

 

My tree is an old Cuttlebug die from 5 years ago.  I cut it in green card and then added to the card which I had embossed with a Spellbinders square die.  I added sequins to my tree.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts. I can see myself making a few more of this design with some of the other sentiments in this set. 

And now for a little something different.  I've decided to start an Art Journal.  This is something a little outside my comfort zone.  I have done the front cover.

 I tore a page out of the journal and started by scribbling some Gelatos onto my craft mat and spritzing with water and pulling my paper through it.  As it's not watercolour but cartridge paper, I had to be a bit careful.  Once it dried  I used a Dylusions stencil and some lightweight texture paste.  Once that dried coloured with Gelatos.  Outlined the flowers (Thanks for the idea Barb!) with a black pen.  Stamped some words (Kaisercraft) added the centre image (Inkadinkado) and the harlequin stamps (unknown) Finished with a Hero Arts Butterfly stamped and die cut.   At least it's a start.   I have done two more pages... one single page that is painted and textured but not yet finished and a double page that is something quite different again.... I'll share later.

Lots happening over the next week or so.  I'm posting on Die Cut Divas this week and also at Little Blue Button stamps blog as well as taking part in a blog hop with LBBS.  Keep a look out for that... so have been busy.  I've been making flowers tonight, while watching TV.  

Have a great week all

                              

Easter Wishes

When I got my Cardmaker Magazine, there was a delightful card from Julie Overby that was so pretty and when I saw it as the Project in the newsletter (here)  I knew I was going to CASE it... I just adapted it with what supplies I had.

I only had the Tessatina die instead of the Spellbinders Lattice die, so had to cut it 4 times.  I used my Xyron mini sticker maker to layer it onto some green PP.  The cross stamp from Inkadinkado was too large for the size I wanted so I stamped it and then photocopied at 75%.  Reduced to the perfect size!   I cut it with a Spellbinders oval and then trimmed a blue mat and added to the Fancy oval die cut.   I cut out a banner with the Simon Says die and stamped the sentiment.   My outer mat looks black but is in fact a very dark purple which looks awesome with the dark teal.

Entering this into the Easter/Spring challenge at Simon Says Stamp

Thanks for stopping by.

You're Special

That's the sentiment I used on a card for my great niece.

I used the image from Some Odd Girl that I was practising my colouring with Copics.  I got a book on colouring with Copics which was about colouring people.  I was pleased with the results I achieved.  I fussy cut the girl and added her to my base.  The PP from Creative Imaginations  and the sentiment from Inkadinkado.

I entered this into the "Something New" Challenge at Simon Says Stamp challenge blog.

My Mum and Dad headed back to Australia yesterday afternoon.  I did so enjoy having them here for the last 3 weeks and I'll miss having them around.  But it does mean that tomorrow it's back to work for me.... my two weeks leave is up :-(    Not looking forward to having to get up early..  been sleeping in till after 8.00am every morning and staying up late watching movies. 

Thanks for visiting today.  Wishing you a great week full of creating.

Dawn

"Charlie and The Chocolate Factory" @ Red Carpet Studio

This week over at Red Carpet Studio we are having a combined Layout team and Card team challenge... Anything Goes as long as it includes something Sweet... think cakes, cupcakes, cookies, candy etc... a Layout, a card, 3D project, altered item....   Do pop over to the blog to have a look at the exciting projects the teams have created.  And have a peek at what you could win over on our Facebook page.

Our sponsor for our challenge this week is Vampire Craftin and you could win a blog makeover

 So on to my creation this week.  I went with a cupcake card....

I found this yummy looking PP in my stash and the beautiful ribbon came around a gift.  I used some Cupcakes from Inkadinkado which I coloured and cut so I could layer onto the Spellbinders die.  I had sponged the background with the die still in place, with Spun Sugar distressed ink.  Added some stickles to the icing on the cupcakes.

Do hope you will join us with our "Sweet" challenge.

Dawn