THE CARD CONCEPT #186 Holiday Gatherings

 Hi there Crafty Friends! Welcome to a Wonderful New Year of challenges at The Card Concept.  The theme this week is 'HOLIDAY GATHERINGS' and I love the inspiration photo - I'd love to dine at that table!

I stamped the foliage around the edge of the card and blended a bit with water and brush. When dry I stamped and gold embossed more foliage and the big bold sentiment. 

Stamps: Penny Black ; Avery Elle

My style: I think you'd called it CAS Mixed Media

I was inspired by the colours and the greenery on the table.

Remember, an inspiration photo is exactly that- a starting point for inspiration. Will it be the colours, the overall theme, the texture, the actual items and/or something else that will inspire your card? 

I hope you'll visit The Card Concept Challenge Blog to see what the rest of the team has created and will be inspired to play along in the challenge with us. 

Choose a design style (or combine styles), create a card, and in your blog post, let us know what inspired you from the photo, what style and/or styles you chose and don't forget to display our inspiration photo and link back to our challenge.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog! I love to read your comments:)

                                            

Creative Circles

 Hey there! I saw the theme at CAS on Friday this week is 'Circle' and this prompted me to make a couple of cards. This is  the first card...

So I had this pretty background sitting on my desk and also the circle windows die I recently purchased and so I  decided to use them together. I couldn't bare to cover up the background with anything, so I decided to let it speak for itself. Then I stamped the sentiment and thought it looked far to CAS, so I just had to add the black splatter. 

I hope it's still acceptable for CAS on Friday. 

Die: Avery Elle

Stamp: Stamplorations

I'm sharing at the following challenges:-

Theme: Circles

Anything Goes

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog! I love to read your comments:)

Snowflake Shaker

Another recent purchase was this gorgeous Snowflake die from Birch press Designs and Christmas stamp set from Memory Box. 

I sponged the edges of the die-cut snowflake lightly with distress ink. The background stamp was white embossed and then the panel was smooshed in a mix of the Distress Ink and Cosmic shimmer (Pewter).

The I made a shaker with the background and frame adhering the snowflake to the front of the card. 

Then I layered the smaller snowflake and sentiment. I added Nuvo Glitter Gloss to both snowflakes. 

Stamps: Memory Box Typewriter Holiday Elements

Dies: Birchpress Designs Pinpoint Snowflake; Avery Elle Snowflake

I'm sharing at the following challenges:-

HOLLY & IVY CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE

Anything Goes

SIMON MONDAY CHALLENGE

Heat Embossing

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog! I love to read your comments:)

52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Feb Technique

It's time for a Technique themed challenge for 52 Christmas Card Throwdown. Lucinda, our host, has asked us to make a Mixed Media card. This is one of my favourite techniques, especially for Christmas cards!

Make a smooshed background with Distress Oxide inks.

Stamp the trees and snowflakes.

Stamp and white emboss background stamp.

Adhere die-cut trees and torn snow panel.

Colour die cut deer and stamp sentiment.

Ink edges of panel with gold ink. 

Adhere wooden snowflake and deer. 

Mount on white card base.

Stamps: Memory Box Christmas Tree; Stampendous Christmas Background; Avery Elle Snowflakes, W&W sentiment

Dies: Alexandra Renke and Dp Crafts

You can see more wonderful cards from our Guest and the rest of the Design Team at our blog. 

I hope you'll be inspired to join us this week!  

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog! I love to read your comments:)

HLS Christmas Challenge (Feb21)

 Hi there! It's time to begin another Happy Little Stampers Christmas Card Challenge. 

I pulled out an old stamp set to make this card and included berries in 3 different colours. 

I used various inks and Zig Markers to stamp the foliage and sentiment. I then die-cut the leaves and berries and fussy cut the banner sentiment.

The background paper has an organic speckled look. I think it's called Enviroment (Birch).

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Spruce & Sprigs; Avery Elle Noel

I hope you'll pop over to the Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge blog to see more creations from the DT and be inspired to join in the challenge. It's never to early to start on Christmas Cards:)

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog! I love to read your comments:)

CAS Colours & Sketches

 Hi there! 
I'm super excited to let you know I'm joining the Design Team at CAS Colours & Sketches for next year. I've really enjoyed joining in their challenges this year and they have so many inspiring creators on their team. So I feel very lucky to have been chosen along with some other incredibly talented card-makers:)

We are joining in the current challenge which is to choose any of the previous challenge prompts from during the year and use it as inspiration to make a Seasonal themed card.  If you're feeling ambitious, you can even combine one of our sketch challenges with one of our colour challenges to create your own double challenge! 

I used Worn Lipstick Distress Oxide to make a wash in the top corner of the card. 

Then I stamped some pine boughs and the sentiment and silver embossed. 

Next I die-cut the Penny Black 'Ornament Branch', coloured it with Brushos and Metallic Watercolours.

I also stamped and embossed a snowflake on the ornament. To finish I splattered some more red and backed with a red card base.

I think these colours are a fun combination for a Holiday card!

As if all of that isn't enough excitement, CAS Colours & Sketches are also celebrating a  milestone 400th challenge this week!   One lucky winner whose card meets our challenge requirements will be chosen from our participants in this week's challenge, and will receive an in-stock stamp set of the winner's choice from Uniko!  Uniko Ltd. is a small family-run business based in the United Kingdom, and it specializes in high quality clear photopolymer stamps designed specifically for stampers by an avid stamper. 

 

 I hope you'll visit the CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge blog to see what the rest of the team created and hopefully be inspired to join in the challenge!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog! I love to read your comments:)

Case Me a Christmas Card with Michelle

 I am so happy to be joining my friend Michelle Lupton again this year in her Christmas Card series. 

This is the how it works this year;  Michelle  will CASE one of her guest's cards, and we will CASE one of hers! CASE stands for Copy And Share Everything - but it's not about just copying a card. It's about getting inspiration from cardmaking friends and making a new card with our own twist.  And, of course, the card has to be a Christmas card!

I couldn't decide which card to CASE, so I made a threefer!

My first card...

I used various blue and metallic white paints to make the background and then stamped the sentiment and snowflakes, heat embossing with white EP.  To finish, I die-cut the panel and added a bit of bling. 

Stamps: Avery Elle Noel; Mama Elephant Merry Greetings

This is Michelle's card...

I'm sharing this card at the following challenge:-

My second card...

I used metallic paints again for the background and die-cut.

The snowflakes were heat embossed with Silver EP. 

Stamps: Kaisercraft Let it Snow ; Wplus9 Hand Lettered Holiday

Dies: Cutplorations Stitched Rectangle (used to emboss) ; WPlus9 Hand Lettered Holiday

and Michelle's card...

Lastly, I had to include an Alcohol Ink card, because Michelle has been making some masterpieces with AIs ...

I had to choose an old AI background, because I'm avoiding using them at the moment due to having Asthma. So the colours are quite Non-traditional, but I think it looks festive! 

I used various pinks, reds, white and gold AIs. I then sliced the sheet up and backed with metallic gold paper. 

Stamps: unsure

Die: WPlus9 Hand Lettered Holiday

Here's Michelle's card

I hope you'll pop over to Michelle's blog and see which of my cards she's 'CASE-d' and also check out her other creations as she is so talented!

 

CAS Mix Up

 Hi there. Welcome back to another CAS Mix Up Challenge.

This month is a Watercolour Challenge, which means Water-colouring must be the main element of your design. Bonnie is our host and she's chosen 'OFF THE EDGE' as the prompt. This gives you lots of freedom, so I hope you'll be inspired to join us.

I used a Penny Black Brushstroke stamp and Zig Markers. I blended with water on the stamp and on the page.  The image was then fussy cut and mounted on the card front. I embossed the border lines with a stylus. The sentiment was gold embossed.

Stamps: Penny Black 'Berry Kissed'; Avery Elle 'Noel'