It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Hi guys

Welcome to my regular Saturday morning post to introduce the new challenge over at Less is More.  This week it's the turn of our One Layer Challenge.  And we would like you to make cards that depict...

Santa

Our guidelines can be found here.  Please remember to keep your creations clean and simple.

I have three cards to share with you this week, all very different.  I hope these will whet your appetite and inspire you to join us this week.

I was really pleased with the result on my first card, exactly how I had planned it (makes a change!)

This card took a bit of planning but was pretty simple to create.  I sketched a Santa hat onto a post-it note and cut it out from the inside to create a mask, firstly minus the white parts.  I used a grey card base as I wanted the white to eventually show up.  I blended red ink through the mask to add some light and shade.  I then cut two more masks for the fluffy white parts of the hat and swiped a VersaMark ink pad over the negative space onto my card base.  I then heat embossed these areas with white embossing powder.  I finished with a sentiment below in black.

Materials used:

• Cardstock from stash
• Ink: Distress Ink - Barn Door; VersaMark; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Opaque Bright White
• Stamp: MFT - Christmas Cuteness

Challenge entries:

Creative Inspirations - Challenge #335 - Anything Goes
Crazy 4 Challenges - Challenge #310 - Christmas Theme



And my second...

I think the Santa image I used here has a very vintage feel so I started with a kraft card base, masked a central circle and blended in some Distress Ink.  With the mask still in place I then stamped the Santa image, and the sentiment was stamped below in the same ink. It looked like something was missing so I decided to turn the sphere into a bauble and heat embossed the hanger and bow with gold embossing powder.

Materials used:

• Cardstock: Neenah - Desert Storm
• Die: MFT Die-namics - Double Stitched Circles
• Ink: Distress Ink - Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain; VersaMark
• Stamps: Stampin' Up - Santa's List; Clearly Besotted - Ornamental Style
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Gold Rich

Challenge entries:

The Crafter's Cafe - Challenge #136 - Inspired by a Song (Santa Claus is Coming to Town)
Brown Sugar Challenge - Challenge #172 - No Patterned Paper
CAS-ual Fridays - Challenge #145 - Precious Metals

I decided to create an iconic Christmas scene for my third card...

I masked the hill and the moon with post-it notes and blended the night sky with purple inks, and with the mask still in place I stamped the fence and trees.  I stamped the deer and added a little shading at his feet, then stamped the sleigh image and sentiment. As a finishing touch I applied some glue to the brow of the hill and sprinkled with some fine glitter.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Card-io - Christmas Scenery 1, Christmas Scenery 2; Penny Black - Wonder Collection (sentiment)
• Ink: Versa Color - Hyacinth, Heliotrope, Sky Gray; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Accents: Stampin' Up Glitter - Dazzling Diamonds

Challenge entries:

Fantasy Stampers - Challenge #49 - Winter Wonderland

Cute Card Thursday - Challenge #399 - Birds/Animals

Penny Black and More - November Challenge - Anything Christmas

The Friday Mashup - Challenge #234 - Baby It's Cold Outside

One Layer Christmas Card Challenge - Challenge #21 - Anything Goes (twist of Reindeer)

My teamies have made some lovely creations this week so please pop over the the Less is More challenge blog and pay them a visit if you have the time.  One layer cards don't have to be difficult, I think they just take a little more planning beforehand.  We would love for you to join us this week, I'm sure you still have Christmas cards to add to your stash, I know I certainly do!

Thanks for visiting today, I hope to see you again soon.