Dreaming of a PINK Christmas

 The January challenge at Christmas Kickstart is Dreaming of a PINK Christmas.  

Today 26th January is a holiday - to celebrate Auckland Anniversary Day - so the last day of 4 days off for me.   It's been very un-summery weather all of the last week or so and today was no exception.  Spend a little time in the craft room and made this card for the challenge

I started with some ombre paper - from Uniti.  Picked out the pinkest part of the paper and embossed it with a snowflake folder (from a magazine from a few years back) Ran some white pigment ink over top of the raised areas.   I used a Gina K stamp set called Playful Penguins to stamp and die cut the pair of penguins.  I stamped and fussy cut the sentiment.   I used some cheapo watercolour paint pens to add colour to my sweet pair.   Added some glossy accents to the beaks and boots and some kindyglitz sparkle glue to the ear muffs, pompom and the centre of the snowflakes. 

First Christmas card for 2026!   

Stress Free Cardmaking Summit -Part 2

 Hi there... I'm back to share three more cards I've made this week inspired by more of the presentations I've watched from the Stress Free Cardmaking Summit...  so a warning that this post is long!

First up I was inspired by Mary Polanco - I actually made two for this one... but simply did not like the first one.... The blues were too green and I found I don't have a medium sized snowflake stamp!  I tried to make on with some fun foam and a die... but my fun foam was too thin and the die too intricate - so that panel ended up in the bin... so back to the drawing board - or should I say the painting board!

For this one, I took some Fabrico Mixed Media paper and masked around the edge.  My first attempt used Catherine Pooler inks to paint, this time I used some Distress Oxides in blues... one little corner seeped under the mask - but that was ok.   I took the snowflake die (a freebie from a magazine) and some silvery shimmery paper and die cut three snowflakes.  I used Altenew's Charcoal Suit grey ink to stamp the Waffle Flower sentiment.   Added some Stampendous Dot Sparkles in silver.  They really are iridescent.  This time my heart was singing.  It was just how I wanted it to look!

Card two was inspired by the presentation by Jess Crafts - her sessions was all about take 12x12 papers and cut them up to make 6 cards.   Well I don't have many Christmas 12x12 papers but do have some 6x6 ones.  So I did just one card - but have enough stripes for at least one more card.  The papers she used had some pages of toppers - I found a topper in my stash... not sure where it came from but I put it to use. 

A nice and quick card to put together as I had cut up my 6x6 at the time I watched the presentation and put it together this afternoon.  Added some Wink of Stella shimmer pen to his hat and finished with some Altenew red enamel dots.  This design will be used a few more times I'm sure - I think I'll make some topper with my stamps, stencils etc. 

And the final one for today - inspired Crafty Al.  Her presentation was all about using Ephemera to make a quick card - using a lovely design.  I found a pack of Christmas ephemera by Kaisercraft - got it when I bought a kit from Uniquely Creative in Australia 2 years ago.  I hadn't even opened it!  And I have two more packs of Nature and Floral ephemera so will be trying out the design and the stepped up versions that Crafty Al provided as an add on to her presentation.   Today's card was the basic design,

The main design element was the soft ink blending behind the ephemera and sentiment.  I used Altenew Firefly green ink for my glow behind the cute Nutcracker which I added with dimensional tape.  Al used small printed sentiments, I decided to stamp a sentiment directly to the card panel.   I used a gold shimmer pen to add some splatter.  

Thanks for stopping by and I appreciate if you made it all the way through.   It's World Card Making Day tomorrow - my time so for me - it's like WCMD weekend as I love trying out some of the challenge in the US - which will be my Sunday!

Snowflake Christmas card

 Hi there,  Time for a share at Die Cut Divas

 This month's theme is "Anything Goes".  

The Prize: $25 gift card  

Thank you to Elizabeth Craft Designs 

for your sponsorship and support.

I was lucky that my team mate Arlene gifted me some ECD dies and one of them was a set of amazing BIG snowflake dies.    I used one of the smaller ones to make this card 

 The snowflake was die cut from Altenew Dazzling Diamond Glitter cardstock and cut in half and but behind the Waffle Flower sentiment cut with a Gina K Master Layouts banner.  The background panel was cut with a square die from the same Master Layouts set and run through my machine with a freebie embossing folder from a few years ago.  Lots of Pinkfresh Metallic pearls were added to give that extra bling.  

Daylight Savings time started yesterday... darker mornings but lovely long evenings.   Spring is throwing us all sorts of weather... Hot and sunny one day, cold and wet the next!  Here's hoping for a better summer than last year.  

Festive Fun Fold Snowflake card

 I got lots of play time over the weekend and got a few cards done.   Today I'm sharing the card I made for the Christmas Kickstart Challenge.  

I found this beautiful greeny-teal cardstock and used a Sizzix thinlits Flip-it die set.  I found some patterned paper in a Reflections pad called Northern Lights, that was the perfect match and contrast.  The stunning snowflake was in my stash.  I don't have the die so must have been gifted to me... so thanks to whoever gifted it.  I also had some beautiful blue-green foil so used Spellbinder's - Yana's Christmas Sentiments hot foil stamps and die set.  A few Stampendous Spraklers sticker dots to finish the card.  

My daughter and the baby made it back home on Sunday... just two nights in the hospital.  

Archie and Finn on Saturday - Archie gave him the little monkey - exactly the same as his favourite cuddly toy.   Archie's is called Trip and Finn's is called Chip!  Archie is besotted with his little brother.  Finn is the spitting image of Archie at the same age.

Snowflakes are winter's butterflies...

 The latest challenge at Christmas Kickstart is Snowflakes are winter's butterflies... 

I decided to try out a technique I saw at over at Natasha Foote's You Tube - creating a delicate background frame DIY - here.  Natasha made her frame with leaves/branches.   I decided to do mine with snowflakes.   

I don't have many snowflake dies... here I used three dies - 2 from a set by Marianne and one a freebie from a magazine.  I used some dies from Lil' Inkers to make the outsides of my frame.   I need to get some A2 layering rectangle dies so I can get a finer frame but these turned out ok.  I layered the frame onto a blue base and then silver embossed the Kaisercraft sentiment,  I die cut the biggest snowflake from some silver card and added it to the frame.  A few silver baubles finished the card.    

I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to do this frame.  l will be trying this DIY frame again. 

Thanks for stopping by.  I appreciate each and every visit.  

It's winter over at Die Cut Divas- and pimp that envelope at StampNation

First of the month, so it's time for a new challenge at Die Cut Divas.  And our theme is Winter... which is ironical as the last few days here in Auckland, have been very warm and summery.

Our sponsor this month are Dies-R-Us.

 

 For my card today I have used Die cut snowflakes.  There are lots to chose from at Dies-R-Us... 

 

I used a number of different dies and added some little Winnie & Walter stars in a pale grey ink from Altenew.    Sentiment is from Winnie & Walter as well.  

Do come and join us this month with your Winter Wonders!  

And there is a new challenge up at StampNation.... Pimp that envelope

Do pop over and see all of what the designers have done... it's awesome.  If you are not a member yet.... you will have to wait till January to join us as the StampNation site is moving to a new platform and registration is on hold for the month while we settle into the new site.  But put it in your diary and come join us... it is so much fun.

 

PS - just realised this is my 1600th post.... my first post was March 15th 2009!  I can hardly believe it's been so long.  I am still in love with this hobby - addicted more like. 

Christmas In July

Its the last day for our Christmas in July challenge at Die Cut Divas.   Our fabulous sponsor is the Frantic Stamper Inc

They have an amazing array of stamps, dies and embossing folders.

So here is my card to share today

No stamping in this one at all.  Just two embossing folders and a die cut.   Great for those quick and easy card you often need when it comes round to Christmas time.

A big thanks to the Frantic Stamper for sponsoring us this month.