Christmas in June

I am trying to work ahead on my Christmas cards this week since I always seem to be running a losing race in December.

The challenge on the weekly blog Merry Monday Christmas is Cards for Kids.

I will buy gift tags when they are on clearance to make cards out of.  These tags are usually the focal point of your card and an easy way to produce a few cards.  I suppose in a way it is cheating - but I am OK with this type of cheating or short cut taking - maybe that is a better explanation for me to use Christmas gift tags.

I had eight of these sweet little penguins.  I went into my supply of Christmas papers and found some good papers to coordinate with the many colors in the scarf of the penguin.  I did use my Silhouette to cut my layers for matting the penguin.  This sure makes it easy when you are doing multiples of a card.

I dry embossed some snowflakes from recycled card stock for the background.  The sentiment is from Paper Smooches.  I added a little snowflake brad where the hole for the tie was.  Everything is quite glittery.  The snowflake may need a little pink bling on it.

I have kitted the seven other cards to be assembled when I am unable to create from scratch.

Thanks for stopping by.  I am off to work on a mixed media  birthday card.  I think this will be fun.  I predict for lots of layers.  You will have to wait until July 1 to see it though.  It is for a challenge blog where I am a team member.

Christmas Cards and Oldie Moldie Monday

It is Monday again - time to show some love to your old supplies.

The current challenge on Jingle Belles is Frosty the Snowman.  I was looking for a stamp and on the shelf was the snowman that I used on my card.  The snowman has such a cute personality and today it is a girl snowman because she is all dressed up in her pink scarf and hat and is wearing some bling on her finger tips.

The paper is random pieces from different collections that I gathered together to use.  I did see a date of 2008 on one of the pieces.  The stamp is from Stampendous and is colored with Copics.  The sentiment is from Paper Smooches.  The felt snowflakes are from my supplies.  I added some extra bling and Stickles to finish off the card.

I did add some blue chalking around the image so that the white paper which the image was stamped on was not so WHITE.  Sometimes this distracts me from the card so have tried to find a way to add just a small amount of soft color.  What do you do for this.

I did make four cards so I am a happy Christmas card camper.

Merry Christmas Santa

As I was looking for a particular style of paper, I ran across some snowman images (you can see them on my Monday post) of course, I needed papers, so I went searching for Christmas papers in kraft tones and found paper but also found a sheet of stamped Santas (black on kraft paper).  I now have four more Christmas cards made.  Three of the cards are basically the same but one Santa was not stamped real well all over so I just die cut the face out and made it into a card.

I made three of this card.

I made one of this card.

I am going to enter this in the challenge at Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge which is to use layers.  Believe me, I tried to use as much paper as I could on these four cards.  I have even completed the insides of the card.  Maybe I should line the envelopes also.  (insert grin)

Currently I have been working on a Penny Black large stamp and trying to use it in multiple ways.  I did this last week with a large over all die cut.

Oldie Moldie Monday Christmas Card

It is Monday - time to show some love to your old supplies.

I found two of  the image used on this card while I was looking for something else.  I decided they needed to be made into Christmas cards this year - they have aged well enough.  The paper was in my large Christmas paper supply.

The current challenge at Jingle Bells is Anything But Blue.  No blue was used on this card.  I know there were more of these images that were colored - maybe I need to look in that stuff some more.  This was a pretty easy card to make and I really like it plus it is pretty flat - so easy to mail.

Remember to show some love for your old supplies.

Holiday Card

I am getting back into the swing of card making and doing some challenges.  I like to do the different Happy Little Stampers challenges when I have a chance.  I like that I have a month to get them done.  The May challenge at Happy Little Stampers for Christmas is gift.

One of the designers used a Penny Black stamp that I also had and I went looking for it.  It is a sweet little snowman.  I have another Penny Black snowman who is very similar but he does not have a gift and I have no idea where he is hiding.

I decided to do a non traditional color for my Christmas card.  I really like how the card turned out.  It is so sweet and I know exactly who will receive it.

The card is slightly under six inches.  The paper is a Teresa Collins 6 x 6 pad.  The image is colored with Copics.  The snowflakes were in my supplies.  The ribbon was hand dyed using a distress paint and ink to achieve the perfect color.  The banner was fussy cut.  I have finished the inside also so all it will need is an address at the beginning of December.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my sweet little holiday card.

Happy Holidays

When you are a card maker, it is never to early to start working on your Christmas cards.  I try to look at the different challenges and find something that trips my trigger.  This week Addicted to Stamps' challenge is Holiday.    

This is nice because every day could be some sort of holiday - I went with Christmas.

This paper all comes from a 12 x 12 pad so I need to get busy and make cards from it.  I did kit 5 more cards so I can assemble them when I visit my daughter while dog sitting.  It gives me something to do and also a feeling of accomplishment plus I have some more Christmas cards completed.

The stamp is embossed with brown embossing powder.  I believe the stamp is from Hero Arts.  It has long lost its packaging.  The tree was cut with my Silhouette and then I used a background stamp to put the plaid design on it.  A little twine and a red ball complete the card.  Everything was chalked with a brown chalk.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Happy Valentine's Day

What better way to celebrate Valentines Day than to post a Christmas Card.

The current challenge at Jingle Belles is "text me" - to use text in your Christmas card.  

This challenge reached right out and grabbed me; I knew exactly what stamp I was going to use and miracle of miracles, I knew where the stamp was.  I had bought it last fall and never used it.  It is from Hero Arts.  I also have another stamp which is perfect for the inside:  Sending you peace, love and joy for the holidays.

I made my own background paper.  I started with a piece of watercolor paper.  I put one shade of distress ink and water on a piece of acetate and then squished it onto the watercolor paper.  I kept doing this with this color until I had this shade of blue all over the paper.  I let it dry.  I then repeated the process with another shade of blue distress ink.  Here is a look at the piece of paper I made and yes there are two shades of blue on this paper.

I inked my stamp with VersaMark ink and used Silver embossing powder.  I then cut out the design with a die cut.  This was matted with a dark blue metallic paper.  Silver thread was wrapped around the card and a bow was added.  The image is pop dotted on top of the card front.  A couple silver glitter dots were added to the opposite corner.  A very simple but beautiful card (In my opinion).

The inside is finished also.  Yeah Barb.

Christmas in February

I am trying to make Christmas cards throughout the year so I have enough in December to mail out to everyone.  I have even decided to do some multiples of cards.  This is a card that will have 6 made just like it.

I like to buy gift tags at the end of the holiday season  to use on cards.  I have many that have not been used yet but this particular gift tag was just bought this year at Tuesday Morning.  I believe there were 12 in the packet so I will get my money's worth out of my 99 cent investment.

The paper is from a new American Crafts 6 x 6 I bought when I was in South Carolina.  I only bought three 6 x 6 pads while I was there.  It was my first time in AC Moore and they had quite a few but I only got one there.  The two Christmas ones were bought at a scrapbook store in Seneca, South Carolina.

I am playing along with the challenge at Merry Monday Christmas Challenge.  The challenge is to use Santa on a card.

Isn't he the sweetest looking Santa?  The cord I used on the card is the cord for the gift tag.  It matched perfectly so use it.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts.  The card is also fairly flat so should only cost me the extra for being nonmachinable.  I have 5 more cards to make just like one.  I also have all the insides ready.  I am going to be "somewhat" prepared for sending my Christmas cards in December.  Maybe I will even get them addressed in November.  Wouldn't that be a novel idea.

Have a wonderful day.  I am recovering from my vacation in South Carolina.  I am having lunch with a friend today.  I am looking forward to that.

Christmas Card in January

This really should be an oldie moldie Monday card.  The paper for the card is from a 12 x 12 pad of Paper Studio paper.  For this card I let the paper do the talking.  The trees on the paper were quite lovely so just cut each piece to emphasize the location of the trees.  The cut was from the center of the 12 x 12 sheet.  I got two cards from this cut.  I just had to alter the placement of the sentiment.

I believe the sentiment is from Hero Arts.  It is embossed in brown Zing embossing powder.  I finished the insides also.  This is a goal for this year to finish the inside of all my cards as I make them.  I think I will go pull out the other sheet of tree paper, cut out the center section and make two more cards.  I imagine the remainder of these sheets will be used as green mats.

I think I have about six Christmas cards made for 2016.  I hope I maintain this rate.  When I am home, I am trying to do the different Christmas challenges.  This helps and you get a variety of cards.
Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day.

Christmas Cards in January

Yes it is cold enough for Christmas so I am making some Christmas cards.  I am going to be gone for a couple weeks so want to get some made for the weeks I am not home.  It is warmer where I am going but not sandal weather.

The current challenge at Jingle Belles is Oh Christmas Tree.   I bought this beautiful tree stamp from Impression Obsession.  It is gorgeous embossed also.  The paper is a 12 x 12 pad from Paper Studio.  (Iguess I should have saved this card for Oldie Moldie Monday.)  Maybe I can come up with another one.  The card base was cut with my Silhouette.

The inside was finished and the envelope was decorated.  I need to go adjust the sentiment - it is a hair low on one side - I think - of course - it could be my photography skills.

Stay warm and create something.

Christmas Card in January

I am trying to make Christmas card throughout the year so that I have enough in December.  Weekly challenges help to do this and these are good for me because I do not like to do bunches of the same card.  I can make maybe 4 to 6 of the same card.

This week the weekly challenge on the Christmas Card blog - Merry Monday - is to use plaid.  I love plaid paper.  As I went through some of my 6 x 6 plaids, lots of companies do not make plaid designs - what is wrong with them.  Plaid is so versatile plus you can put so many pretty colors in a plaid.

The stamp I used on the card is one I bought in the Christmas clearance section of Michael's.  I am not for sure I even like it after I used it.  Maybe I need to color it completed rather than just coloring different things on the image.  It seems that my favorite way of stamping recently is to  stamp with VersaFine Ink and clear embossing it.

This year I am also finishing the inside of the card and decorating an envelope when I make each card.  This way they will be all ready to be addressed and mailed in December.

Have a wonderful Thursday.  It has warmed up a little here in Wisconsin but we are going into the deep freeze again over the week end.  I am packing my bags getting ready to head to South Carolina for a couple weeks to visit friends.  It is only in the high 40's and 50's there but it is warmer than here.  I did cancel my pedicure - my toes aren't coming out for those temps.

Christmas - Oldie Moldie Monday

It is Monday - time to show some love for your old supplies.  Lucky me - the Christmas Card Challenge Blog Jingle Bells is continuing their challenge of something old and something new.

This week I bought a new thinlit die - it is a sentiment - I thought it would make some great Christmas cards and they would be fairly easy.  (and I was correct - since I had the supplies out I made two)

The paper is old - it is a paper pad from Paper Studio.  Nice pretty paper in the traditional Christmas colors of red and green.

I was trying to make the cards flat to help with mailing costs but then I thought I needed something in the corners - a little more red - so now the card is less mail friendly.  Oh well - I think I am single handed keeping the post office in business.  Last week's trip to the post office was $13.00 and that cost does not include the envelopes that did not need extra postage on them.

Remember to show some love for your older supplies.  I now have 3 Christmas cards made for next year.  The insides are done on all of them and the envelopes are decorated.

Christmas Card 2016 #1

I know we just ended the Christmas holidays but if you are a cardmaker, you really need to start now so you have cards to mail in December 2016.  This is especially true if you usually make one of a kind cards (although I am kinda toying with making some multiples this year - toying is the word).

Yes I am still mailing cards - I call these my winter and new year cards.

If you follow some of the Christmas card blogs, you have an advantage in getting some of your cards ahead of time.  This week the challenge on Jingle Belles is Something Old/Something New.  This challenge worked in well with my Oldie Moldie Monday challenge to myself.

My card this week uses new paper that I bought this year.  The image was already stamped and colored so that was a bonus.  The snowflakes were in my supplies (well aged).

Another goal I have for the year is to finish the inside of each card as I make it.  The inside is done and I even grabbed an envelope and decorated it also.

Remember to show some love for your oldie moldie supplies - they still make wonderful cards.

Merry Christmas Tree How To

This is a Christmas card made using a stencil and ink to create the tree.  I hope that the step out below will inspire you to try some new ways of making your Christmas cards.

Directions:

Step 1:  Cut cream colored cardstock to 4 inches by 5 inches.  (Finished size will be trimmed when assembling the card.)  Take your tree stencil and mask off the trees on the stencil you will not be using. 

Step 2:  Tape down your stencil onto your work surface.  Center the tree stencil you will be using over your cardstock and tape it down also.  (This is a good way to use all that washi tape you have been hoarding.)

Use a sponge dauber and start applying ink through the holes in your stencil.  In the Kaleidacolor Fruitcake Inkpad there are three shades of green.  Use all three shades of green, the different colors will give your tree more depth. 

When I was happy with the color, I removed the stencil. 

Step 3:  Stamp the sentiment on a piece of vellum using VersaMark Ink, add gold embossing powder, and heat emboss.  (Before stamping the sentiment, use an anti static brush on your vellum.  This will help stop the embossing powder from sticking in places you do not want it to stick.)

Step 4:  Take a scrap piece of your cream cardstock, rub VersaMark on it, add gold embossing powder and heat emboss it.  This paper will be used to punch an embellishment for the tree.

Step 5:  Trim your tree image to the size you want for your card front (3 3/8 inches by 4 ¾ inches). 

Step 6:  Cut a mat from the cream cardstock (3.625 x 5).  Add Tear It! Tape to all four edges.  Pour gold embossing powder over the tape and heat emboss.  The gold mat perfectly matches the gold in your sentiment.

Step 7:  Add a piece of Tear It! Tape to the very edge of cardstock.  Repeat the above steps.  Cut the gold strip with your paper trimmer.  This trim strip will be used at the top of the vellum sentiment. 

Step 8:  Wrap the vellum strip around the bottom of the stenciled image.  Take a bottle of Sheer Shimmer Spritz (gold), shake it to mix the color.  Lay your image in a box.  Hold your bottle above the image and just spray.  Do this several times.  The gold mist falls onto your card front and adds a beautiful shimmer.  To get more defined splats of color, shake your bottle, remove the lid and gently bounce your finger against the stem.  Let your image dry.

Step 9:  Cut a green mat just slightly larger than the gold mat.  Adhere the gold strip to the top of the vellum with the Tear It! Tape.  Add your gold mat and green mat to the image.  Attach to your card base (3.875 x 5.25).  Punch a gold star for the top of the tree and attach it with glue.  A gold enamel dot was centered on top of the star.  Three red embellishments were added to the gold strip. 

Difficulty

Intermediate

Time

45 min + dry time

Materials Needed

Imagine Crafts

·         VersaMark ink

·         Gold Embossing Powder

·         Kaleidacolor Fruitcake Inkpad

·         Tear It! Tape

·         Sheer Shimmer Spritz (gold),

Other:

• Hero Arts Sentiment Stamp
• The Crafters Workshop stencil – Mini Evergreens
• Miscellaneous:  Cream and green cardstocks, Vellum, Heat gun, Favorite adhesive, Enamel Dots

Oldie Moldie Monday

It is Monday - time to show some love to your oldier supplies.  Today I  am using an older piece of patterned paper (Pink); old book pages and a sentiment stamp I have had for awhile.

I drew the little bird on some book pages.  He is colored with InkIntense colors and then cut out.  My inspiration for the bird was from Pinterest.  I find that I like drawing birds.

The background piece (yellow) is two layers of book pages which have gesso added to them and then a light color wash of yellow.  It picks up the yellow in the bird.  The bird was glued to the background.  I stenciled some embossing paste dots around the bird.  I stamped little black stars (it needed something more so that is why I added the stars.)  I assembled the card and added the sentiment.  I  then put the entire card in a box lid and misted over the top with a grey spray.  The mist falls gently onto the card front.  I love the little extra the mist adds to the card.

I am entering the card in three challenges.

The first challenge is the Monday challenge blog for Simon Says where the challenge is "holly jolly stamping."  The sentiment and stars are stamped.

The second challenge is the mixed media challenge at Happy Little Stampers.  The challenge is "Anything Goes."

The third challenge is the Christmas challenge at Happy Little Stampers.   The challenge is to use a star on your Christmas card.

Thanks for stopping by and remember to show some love for your oldier supplies.

Merry Christmas Holly Card How To

Please enjoy the "how to" instructions for making this card with a stencil.

Directions:

1.  Gather supplies.  VersaFine Black ink; Holly stamp and stencil; Kaleidacolor Inkpad (Fruitcake); sponge daubers; and paper.

2.  Cut paper to fit size of stamp.  Stamp image with VersaFine Ink.  Lay stencil over top of stamped image.  Add red ink with daubers to berries.  Use all three colors of green in your inkpad to color your leaves with daubers.

Carefully move down the stencil covering areas you have already colored.  You need to adjust the stencil as you move down the stamped design so the stencil and stamped image align.

3.  Trim stamped/colored image for card front (4 x 4 ¾).

4.  Stamp sentiment; cut out with die cut.

5.  Cut kraft mat (4 5/8 x 5 5/8) and make green card base (5 x 6).  Cut red strip for bottom of card (5/8 x 4 5/8). 

6.  Distress edge of all papers with distressing tool.

7.  Adhere all layers together.  Tie twine around red strip.  Pop dot sentiment to front of card.

8.  Lay completed card in box.  Mist gold spray over card front several times.  Take wand out of bottle of gold and tap the wand gently to make larger splats on card front.  Let dry.  Add bow. 

Finished Card Size:  5 x 6

 Difficulty

Intermediate

Time

1 hour + dry time

Materials Needed

Imagine Crafts:

·         Kaleidacolor Raised Rainbow Dye Inkpad (Fruitcake)

·         VersaFine Pigment Ink (Onyx Black)

·         Sheer Shimmer Spritz (Gold)

·         Sponge Daubers

Other:

·         Cardstock:  Kraft, Cream, Red and Green

·         Holly Stencil and Stamp (Penny Black)

·         Twine

·         Distress Tool

·         Foam Tape

·         Enamel Dot

Friendships

I love the sentiment that came with this snowman from My Favorite Things - I am hopefully going to make a couple more cards for my two neighbors that I am very close to.  Without them I would not be able to stay in my house.  They help with the moving and snow removal.  Thank goodness.

The snowman is stamped on book pages which have a light coating of gesso on them.  I colored around the snowman with distress inks.  The paper is from Bo Bunny.

I am entering this into the weekly Wednesday challenge on Simon Says Stamp where the challenge is Let It Snow.  We are having balmy weather in Wisconsin so I am not going to complain about lack of snow.  We have had rain so we are getting moisture.

Happy Saturday everyone.  I am going to visit my Mom and Aunt today.

Wiener Dog Christmas

I have a couple of friends who have or had wiener dogs so I try to make a wiener dog Christmas card each year.

This is my card for this year.

The stamp is from Michael's and the paper is from Basic Grey.  The sentiment is from Paper Smooches.

I am going to enter it into the last challenge on Jingle Belles.

Have a wonderful day.

Napkin Cards

There are so many beautiful napkins out in the world.  I actually found myself taking pictures of some when I was in a grocery store as I giggled away and, of course, I had to send the images to people so they could giggle also.

I am sure you realize that you can make beautiful cards out of the napkins.  You need to take the napkin apart.  I then modpodge the image to a piece of card stock and let it dry.  After it is dry I trim the image to my card front.

I made seven of this card for my daughter to give her assistant managers.  She manages a large retail store in the Milwaukee area and the holidays are so stressful.  She works such long hours.  In my retirement, in really bad stretches, I go stay at her house and take care of the dogs and cook her something to eat and have someone to talk to.

The card is a little large but they will all be hand delivered so it doesn't matter on the size.

This is the inside of the card.

I am entering this card into the weekly challenge at Addicted to Stamps where the challenge is holiday.

I hope the holidays are full of joy for you and no stress.  Enjoy your Thursday.

Let's Be Merry

Today I am sharing a card made from the tag I posted yesterday.  I hope this little bird I drew with inspiration from Pinterest and his little bitty Santa Hat.  It makes me want to giggle and be merry.

I am entering the card in the following challenges.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge where the challenge this week is anything goes.  

I am also entering the card in the Christmas card challenge on Happy Little Stampers where their monthly challenge is to use a tag.  I am getting double duty out of this tag.  Yesterday I entered it into their mixed media challenge - today it is a card.

I cut a mat just a little bit larger than the original tag.  I then made a card base and trimmed the top edges by hand to give the card a tag shape.  I added a small twine bow to finish the tag off.

Here is a close up of my little birdie and his tiny Santa hat.  Doesn't he make you smile?

Happy day before Thanksgiving.