Christmas Kickstart - Snow Days

Over the weekend, I managed to sneak a few happy hours in my craft room and create a card for the Christmas Kickstart Challenge theme, Snow Days. I started with one card, but once it was finished, it felt more wintry than Christmassy. So, using the same snowflake embossing folder, I had another go and came up with this festive version.

For the Christmas card, I started with a square panel and ran it through with an old freebie snowflake embossing folder. It may be from years ago, but it still creates such lovely, deep impressions and makes a beautiful snowy background.

Penny Black’s Snowy stamp and die felt like the perfect focal point. I stamped and die cut the image, coloured it, and then added Kindyglitz glitter glue to the pompom and hat for a little festive sparkle. To finish, I added a small red die-cut sentiment from a Sizzix die set.

This the first card I made using the same embossing folder, along with the stamp that originally came with it. I stamped the image first in blue ink, clear embossed it, and then added the embossed snowflake background.

To bring in some extra shimmer, I added sparkle pen details and white Nuvo Drops, then finished the design with a blue snowflake die from Scrapbook.com coloured with sparkle pen. I really liked how this one turned out, even if it felt more like a winter card than a Christmas one.

Christmas at Sweet Stampin' Challenge

It's time for our Christmas challenge at Sweet Stamping Challenge.   It runs for the rest of the month 

 I have a cute Snowy the Snowman card to share. 

My background was a practice piece - where I splattered white ink and gold paint.  I die cut it with Waffle Flower Deckled Frame die and added some dots of a white paint pen for my snow bank.   I stamped Snowy onto some white textured card and used some Altenew paints to colour him up.  Added a hot foiled sentiment from Spellbinders.

I'm also entering this into the Christmas Kickstart Challenge. - If it's Christmasy - link it up!  

Come and join us at Sweet Stampin' Challenge.  

Time for a tag at Sweet Stampin' Challenge

 Time for another challenge at Sweet Stampin' Challenge.   Our challenge is Tags...

I've been on roll with my Penny Black Snowy stamp.  And had one left from my watercolouring the other week.  So I decided to use it to make my tag for the challenge.  

The Cuttlebug Snowflake embossing folder makes the perfect pairing for this stamp.  I had Snowy coloured with Altenew watercolour paint.  Before doing the embossing, I stamped the sentiment onto the tag.  The tag was die cut from a Catherine Pooler set.  The background was lightly smeared with Nuvo Glimmer paste and once Snowy was added, a few Nuvo iridescent flat sequins.  

I am entering this one into the Penny Black Saturday Challenge - for September. 

Do come and join us at Sweet Stampin' Challenge. 

Chillin' with my Snowmies....

 It's time for the latest challenge at Christmas Kickstart Challenge and it's right up my alley... Chillin' with my Snowmies.... 

Perfect timing as I still have a couple of Penny Black Snowy's painted up waiting to be used.   

Today I used the one I had stamped onto some Mixed Media paper and painted with Orange Cream from the Altenew 36 pan watercolour set. 

I decided to use the Cuttlebug Snowflakes embossing folder for my background.  I inked it up with some Catherine Pooler Orange Twist ink and ran it through my machine.   Love how it turned out.  I found some gorgeous burnt orange paper in my stash and used my new Gina K Master Layout 12 set to die cut the fancy circle frame.   It cuts the circle out of the frame but I just laid in it back in.  I pop up Snowy on the frame.   I stamped a sentiment from Rosie's Studio Hearth and Home set with the Orange Twist ink and fussy cut it out.   I am so pleased how this non-traditional coloured card turn out. 

More Snowy cards

 I'm working on making my Snowy images into cards.   So far I've managed to make three cards... so warning - photo heavy post. 

First up is a card that used some paper piecing and a touch of watercolouring 

I had this lovely piece of tartan patterned paper in my stash - some freebie papers from a magazine from a couple of years ago.   It was double sided so I used my Gina K Master Layouts to cut the main panel and then used it to add stitching to the sides of the contrast piece.  I matted them with some dark blue card.  Used the smaller rectangle from the ML and stamped the sentiment from Rosie's Studio Hearth and Home set.  I stamped Snowy onto some Mixed Media paper and onto the plaid paper.  I used the die to cut him out and then fussy cut the hat and scarf and added.  I used some watercolour paint to add a bit of shading and for his nose and cheeks.  Added some Kindyglitz glitter glue to part of his hat. Once it was all dry I used some 3D tape to add Snowy to the card. 

Card 2 

For this one I started with Snowy stamped onto some 145lb/200gsm Bristol paper.  I used some cheap KMart Metallic paint to add colour to him.  Added some blue gems to his front.  For the background of the card I used an old Cuttlebug embossing folder - Snowflakes.  I had some lovely blue iridescent card that I used for a layer panel.  Before gluing in behind the panel I die cut the Spellbinders scallop circle.  Saving the blue card.  I then used a Spellbinders Petite circle. I also die cut the two snowflakes that came with the Snowy die.   The sentiment is from the Rosie's Studio stamp set.  I should have stamped it before embossing so had to fussy cut it.

Card 3

And for this final one I used the textured card with the circle already cut out of it.  I made this a shaker card.   For Snowy I again stamped him on Bristol card.  And then used some very cheap watercolour pencils to add the colour to the scarf and hat.  I used a little distress ink to colour the shadows.  The sentiment is from a Waffleflower set. 

I'm entering the first one in the Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Any Goes with the optional challenge - lots of layers

Thanks for stopping by today.  As you can see I had a great weekend playing with Snowy.   Don't know why it took me so long to get him.  

Playing along at Woodblock Wednesday challenge.

 Once a month over on Amy Tsurata's blog (Tsurata Designs) Amy runs a challenge - Using Woodblock stamps.    Very timely for me as yesterday my latest purchase - Penny Black's woodblock stamp - Snowy- arrived.   This stamp was originally designed and produced in 2008 and is still available.   After many years of wanting this one... I finally went and bought it!  

So today was a working from home day and I used my breaks to start this card and then after I did my required hours, I finished it off.

I started by adding the sentiment on my card.   It's from the Penny Black stick and shine series.  I added the stick and shine and then used silver foil.  Hard to photograph.  It looks black here.  I then used Broken China Distress Oxide to blend on the background.   I took a Montaga snowflake stencil and added random snowflakes with Nuvo Glimmer Paste.  I used a Lawn Fawn curved die to cut some snow banks.  I stamped snowy and using the stamp as a guide, used some smooshed Distress inks to paint him.  I used Candied Apple for his hat and scarf and Wilted Violet for the white shadows.  

As this was Snowy's first outing as well as using the Stick and Shine sheets... I'm entering this into Darnell's NBUS challenge

I am happy that I bit the bullet and finally got this stamp (and all the other goodies I got when I was ordering it!)   Well worth the 21 day wait for it to make it's way here.

Hope you get to do some weekend crafting.