Mixed Media Card Challenge

Hi there! As you read this I will be in New York! Yay!

I just wanted to share another card for the Mixed Media Card Challenge, because you still have up until 25 December to enter and the theme is anything to do with *Home* (with lace as an optional element).

I half made this a while ago and it ended up in my unfinished box, so when I found it again I thought it would be perfect for this  challenge. A bit of die cutting and it was finished. I used some yummy watercolor paints, distress markers, Twinkling H2Os  and glitter.
I think the stamp is Impression Obsession, but I'm not sure. 

There is more inspiration from the team today here.
ETA: I'm also entering this in the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Tic/Tac /Toe (Die/glitter/star).

New Altenew Stamps

Well this will definitely be my last card before we take off on the big trip - New York  here we come!

I wanted to have a quick play with some new stamps and I decided to white emboss for the Craft stamper Make it Take it challenge , which is to use white stamping.

The stamps are Altenew Peony Scrolls - love them! I white embossed on vellum, coloured the reverse side with Copics and fussy cut.  The designer paper is from Heidi Swapp - not my usual colours - but sometimes it's nice to be different!
ETA: I'm entering this card in the Altenew monthly challenge from the craft room.

A Very Merry Christmas!

Hi there - this is a short and sweet post. I have lots to do, but pulled something out of my unfinished project box.

This card is for the Merry Monday Challenge and Simon says Wednesday - Bling it on.

As you know it is hard to photograph acetate cards, hence the strange angle of my photo! I've used up some old chipboard letters - I coloured some silver with a paint pen.  Added a few gold sequin stars and the red bow for the 4 colour. Easy peasy, but effective!

You can see my house in the picture below.

Holly Jolly Christmas

Hi there! It's only 4 days before we leave for our big trip! I'm excited, but nervous too, because I've just been diagnosed with a bad cough infection (I have a chronic condition  although I've never smoked) and asthma, so I am really not looking forward to the long flight! I've been concentrating on getting my shoulder better and neglected to treat my cough! Yep! I really need a holiday!

Here is one last Christmas card so say Merry Christmas to all my blog friends.  This card is for the Craft Stamper  Make it, Take it challenge, which has a 'white stamping' theme. This made me think of one of my favourite trends - chalkboard.

The stamp is from the Kaisercraft Basecoat Christmas set and the holly is fussy cut. The background paper is very old from my stash.

Actually, you may see more Christmas cards if I have time, because I have lots of unfished bits and pieces that may turn in to cards lol!

Mixed Media Card Challenge Reminder

Hi there. I'm just popping in with a reminder for the Mixed Media Card challenge. The theme this month is *Home*, with an optional element *Lace*.

Although I have been using lots of media in my previous MMCC cards, they have mostly been a clean and layered style, so I decided to get a bit more Artsy this time - I hope you like it!

I will list in point form how I went about creating this card so that it makes more sense.
- embossed the grass with an embossing folder
- debossed the clouds with another embossing folder
- coloured the grass with distress markers and a Wink of Stellar pen
-Added shading to the grass with Pan Pastel
- coloured the clouds with an oil pastel (shimmer white)
- sprayed home made mist over the sky (distress ink/water/ perfect pearls)
and went over the clouds again with oil pastel when dry
 -Added some colour shine to the grass
- die cut panel
-covered chipboard house with book paper, painted with Gesso and sanded the edges
- coloured the roof and door with red ink and the window with black and added shimmer with glitter pen
-coloured chipboard tree with Memento Luxe
- white embossed the chipboard fence
- die cut birds and coloured with glitter pen
-die cut pennant and white embossed the sentiment
PHEW! I hope that all makes sense!

You still have plenty of time to join in the challenge as it runs until 25 Dec. If you would like more inspiration, then pop over to the MMCC to see what the design team have created here and here.

Distressed Christmas

It's official! My mojo has decided to go on holidays too! We leave for our overseas trip in 8 days and I've done very little card-making or blogging in the last couple of weeks under my Physio's instructions. Now when I do try to create,  I find myself lacking in motivation! Never mind, I think it's a sign to pack everything away and hopefully the 6 weeks break will see me full of new ideas and my shoulder might even be pain free!

Having said that,  I have a card to share today and if I get my mojo back I may sneak in another one or 2 because I have some brand new christmas stamps that haven't yet been used! I made this card for Virginia's View # 10 All Things distressed with some bits and pieces of unfinished stuff.

I stamped the image from Kaisercraft Basecoat Christmas on the co-ordinating paper and white embossed,  fussy cut the pine cones and layered it with more DP from Kaisercraft. I distressed the edges of the first panel, and machine stitched a border. I've used distress stain on the edges of the paper.I'm also entering the Simon Wednesday challenge - Holiday theme and the Fusion Card Challenge (thanks Lyndal!).

Christmas at Home (in Scotland)

Hi there! The countdown is on till Christmas! 25 days to go! In 14 days I will be jetting off to Scotland via NY, Philadelphia and Lucerne to Scotland to have Christmas and New Year with my Husband's family. We're hoping for a white Christmas like our last visit in 2010, which was amazing, but we may not be that lucky this time.

The card I have for you today is for The new Mixed Media Card Challenge - the theme is *Home* with an optional element of *lace*.

This scene reminds me of the 2010 Christmas in Scotland, when we hired a big old farm house for the extended family to all be together - it was so much fun! There was a window like this, with the christmas tree and the cat as well!
I used a background stamp and worn lipstick distress ink to make the pink panel. The blue panel was sprayed with Heidi Swapp Color Shine. The window was coloured with a posca paint pen. I stamped the Christmas tree with Pine Needles distress ink and sponged with mustard seed and worn lipstick. When  dry, I flicked a bit of water to try to get a bokeh effect. The cat was cut with Silhouette using a Winnie &Walter digital file. The holly was also cut with the Silhouette, coloured with distress ink and then berries attached. I used Wink of Stellar on the tree, the holly and the cat and then added the gems, twine, sentiment and lace.

To see the amazing inspiration from the Design Team, pop on over to the Mixed Media Card Challenge blog.

ETA: I am entering this card in the following challenges

 Virginia's View challenge #10 All Things Distressed  

 Festive Friday Challenge  

Simon Wednesday challenge - Anything Goes 

Simon Monday Challenge - Holiday

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - Tic/tac/toe ((die/stamps/ribbon- hopefully lace counts as ribbon!)

Snowman

Yesterday was the last day of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags event and I'm sad that it's ending because there's been so much inspiration!

I decided to make a tag inspired by day 24. The Card Concept design team joined in with Tracey and the theme was to make a tag with a snowman. I think this fits the Clean and Layering style.

I used a free cut file from Bird's Cards (she is so generous and has amazing freebies) to cut the snowman and then added my own touches with rhinestones, buttons and DP. I has fun doing this! I added a bit of distress ink for shadows, but it's a bit hard to see in the photo.  
ETA: I'm also entering this in the Simon Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.
Also entering the Inspiration Emporium Monthly Challenge - Holiday theme.
ETA: I'm entering this in the Addicted to CAS challenge - codeword *Dots*.

A Festive Runway Inspired Christmas

I was inspired by the colours in the Runway Inspired Challenge and since I'm on a Christmas card kick, here's another one! Festive Friday Challenge also have pinks and gold in their inspiration photo.

The snowflake stamps are from Avery Elle and the sentiment die is from Wplus9.

ETA: I'm also entering this card in the Inspiration Emporium Monthly Challenge - Holiday theme.. and Simon Wednesday Challenge - Anything goes.

Stencilled and Layered Stamping Tree

A very quick post to share a couple of cards I made  last week. My arm/shoulder are still playing up, so I shouldn't be on the computer, but my left hand is getting quite quick at one finger typing!

I cut a stencil with Silhouette, and stamped Hero Arts Friends background, then layered some flourishes from Kaisercraft English Rose stamp set using Shabby Shutters Distress Ink. Then I sponged over the stamping, with the stencil still in place and then went over that with Pan Pastel gold.  The stars are from Winnie & Walter Big Bang Confetti.
I'm entering this in the Craft Stamper Take it Make it challenge (use non christmas stamps) and the Merry Monday challenge(Green, Red and white). 
ETA: I'm also entering this card in the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge which is all about stamping. Also entering the Moxie Fab World Tree-mendous Tree challenge.

This is how I did the tree

This next card was made with a stencil, which is actually a  gorgeous Christmas Decoration and Color Shine Spray.

I'm entering this in the City Crafter Challenge,  Just a Word - which is to use a one word Sentiment. 
ETA: I'm also entering this in the Time Out Challenge - the theme is embossing with a twist of adding sparkle. 
I've included dry embossing and sparkle from the Color Shine sparay.

Merry and Bright and a Blog Break

Hi there! I just wanted to let you know I am taking a bit of a break from cardmaking and blogging as I have problems with my arm and shoulder.  I can hardly lift my right arm and every movement is painful. I went to the Physio a few days ago and I thought it was on the mend, but today it's worse again. So I must be sensible and stay away from the computer and craft table until it is better. I will probably need a cortisone injection next week. My priority is to get better for our overseas trip which is just over 3 weeks away.

I made this card for fun last week. Not sure if it fits any challenges, but I thought I'd share it anyway.

This was an experiment. I tried it at first with distress markers, but because the stag stamp is patterned(nordic style) , it didn't work very well,  so then I tried Twinkling H2Os. I quite like the result, but they don't blend like distress markers, so I make have to continue the experimentation.  The stag stamp is from Docrafts and the sentiment is from Kaisercraft.

I also want to remind you about this months Mixed Media Card Challenge - the challenge is Christmas with an option to include bells. You have until 25 November to enter and there is a prize from STAMPlorations!

Gelliplate Christmas

I have another Christmas card for the Craft Stamper  Take it, Make it challenge, which is to make a Christmas card using non Christmas stamps.

This card began with a bit of Gelliplate play using aqua and white paint and confetti paper.
When it was dry I used a Penny Black Dies to cut the tag and the sentiment. . The branch stamp is from Prima and the bird dies are from Impression Obsession. 

ETA: I'm entering this in the Jingle Belles challenge - the theme is *the Great Outdoors*.
I'm also entering this in the Dies R Us challenge where the theme is Anything goes using dies  (Christmas).

Silver and Watercolour

I have a quick post, because I've just realised the Hero Arts Holiday Challenge is closing.

I've decided I really like silver embossing combined with watercolour! I used my favourite Hero Arts background stamp and water colour paints and then used a Papertrey Ink die to make the tag. The sentiment die is from WPLUS9. The embossing folder is from WeR Memory keepers and the stag head is from Kaisercraft.
I'm entering this in the Mad about Metallics category for Hero Arts.
Speaking of metallics, I shall also enter this in Virginia's View Challenge #9 All Things Metallic.
ETA: I'm entering the Just Add Ink challenge (Just add texture theme).

Loll's 12 Tags of Christmas

I made another mixed media tag for Loll's 12  Tags of Christmas Event. It's been so inspiring seeing all the beautiful mixed media tags from Loll and her friends and I'm sad it's the last day. Luckily we still have until the 16th to enter the challenge.

This tag had a change of direction! I began by using theTim Holtz Holly  stencil and distress inks and was planning to have a bird on the tag, but then I wasn't happy with the background so I spritzed it heavily. When it was dry I liked it! I added some depth to the holly with Pan Pastels. Then I stamped the Christmas Script in versamark and rubbed  gold  PanPastel over the image.
Next I stamped the Poinsettia from Woodware stmps on white card with Memnto Luxe red and again with Versamark and rubbed more   Pan Pastel of it. I fussy cut the Poinsettia and then used a embossing tool  and foam adhesive to give it some dimension. To finish off I added the beads, the ribbon and the die cut sentiment. I also added a bit of Wink of Stella over the bloom and sentiment.
ETA: I'm entering this tag in the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - the theme is *stamps*.

A Minty Christmas!

I've had to move my craft supplies back downstairs, because it's getting way to hot to store inks upstairs and too hot and stuffy to create.  For those new visitors to my blog, I live in Melbourne, Australia, so we are coming up to Summer.

I was playing around with some NBUS and this card just seem to make itself! I stamped the Kaisercraft image, silver embossed it and then sloshed some Twinkling H2O over it.

A bit of die cutting and dry embossing, a bow and I was done. I was inspired by the CAS inspiration from Therese at Muse Card challenge and I am also entering Virginia's View Challenge - All things metallic ( again!). I am also entering the Scrapbook Boutique Challenge - they have the cutest cupcake inspiration this month!

Silver and Blue Christmas

I pulled out a very old stamp to make my next card. I was inspired by the theme at Merry Monday Challenge which is Ornaments (silver and blue colours).

The stamp is from PSX, a company that no longer exists. I embossed the ornament and boughs in silver and coloured the image with a mix of distress ink and Twinkling H2Os trying to get a watercolour effect. The sentiment and stars are die cut craft metal from Add a Little Dazzle, left over from the Mixed Media challenge.
I'm entering this in the Merry Monday Challenge, Virginia's View All about Metallics and Simon Monday Challenge.
I just found out out the Dazzling Divas Challenge which is based on the inspiration photo or Anything Goes.
Also entering Simon Wednesday challenge 'We're seeing stars'
and Inkspirational Challenge - theme *Shine*.

Dazzling divas Inspiration 

Playing with new goodies!

I just received a new Memory Box and it is so cute. I couldn't resist using it straight away.

See what I mean, they're cute aren't they?! This is my second card in a row, without any stamping, because it cried out for a die cut sentiment. The embossing folder was a magazine freebie, the sentiment die is from WPlUS( and the gold dots is border is washi tape.

I really wanted to add some splatter, sequins, or a sprig of holly, but I decided less is more and refrained!

I'm entering my card in the CAS.ology challenge where the theme is *festive* and Virginia's View challenge which is All Things Metallic.