Micro Bead Wreath of Hearts

Good afternoon

I'm back this afternoon to share the last of my 2021 Christmas card makes.  Apologies that the selection was a little limited this year, that will teach me for leaving them even later than I usually do!

This will also be my last post of this year as I'm back to work tomorrow.  As you will have seen in my recent posts, I've also decided to step down from all the challenge blog Design Teams I've been part of for many years.  Hopefully this will give me the opportunity to put my spare time to better use and be able to craft more, without having the other commitments and deadlines that come with being on challenge blog Design Teams.  Hopefully it will be something I could reconsider in the future, it sure was fun.  I still remain a member of the Skull and Cross Buns Design Team and will introduce and showcase Emily's products when she needs me.

Ok, back to my final Christmas card, and this was the one I made for my other half...

To make it a bit more masculine I began with a die cut panel of kraft cardstock.  I used the same technique as my previous trees card which used micro beads...I inked through the stencil with Distress Ink first and then cleaned the stencil before spreading translucent paste through it over the inked image and then sprinkling on the glass beads.  This was then left to dry completely before adhering the panel to a white card base.  And yes, it's the same sentiment again!  It was on my desk so it got used for pretty much every Christmas card this year!  I heat embossed it on a black die cut strip.  To finish, I die cut a bow from red glossy mirri cardstock and adhered this to the top of the wreath.

Materials used:

• Dies: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Double Stitched Rectangles; Altenew - Featured Sentiments Die Set; The Greetery - Fit to be Tied
• Stencil: Clearly Besotted - Circle Around
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Simple Script
• Ink: Distress Ink - Rustic Wilderness, Pine Needles; VersaMark
• Embossing Paste: Sweet Poppy - Stencil Dimensions:Translucent
• Embossing Powder: Brutus Monroe - Alabaster White
• Cardstock: Neenah - Desert Storm; red mirri card from stash
• Accents: Sweet Poppy - Clear Glass Micro Beads

Challenge entries:

AAA Cards - Game #205 - Christmas

Happy Little Stampers - December Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers - December Stencil Challenge - Anything Goes

NBUS - Challenge #33 - The Greetery bow die and the wreath stencil are new to my stash

CHNC - Challenge #574 - Anything Goes Christmas

Uniko - Challenge #68 - Celebrate (Reds and Greens)

STAMPlorations - December Stencil Challenge - Anything Goes

I just love the online crafting community and want to say thank you all for your support and encouraging feedback throughout this year.  It's so great to know that I can provide lots of inspiration, and gain some back too!

So, all that's left to say is...

Winter Foliage Bundle

Hi guys

Today I'm sharing another card I made this Christmas, using some new goodies from The Greetery.  I can't take credit for this design as I saw a few examples from The Greetery where they used these products together and that's what encouraged me to buy them.

I'll get straight to the details...

I began by die cutting a panel with a stitched rectangle die.  I lightly ink blended from the centre using Distress Oxide ink and then laid a snowflake stencil over the top and inked through with white pigment ink.  On some watercolour paper I sprinkled various shades of Brusho pigment powder and spritzed with water.  Once dry I die cut all the foliage.  I stamped the sentiment and heat embossed it in gold.  I layered up and adhered all the foliage before die cutting the string tie from gold cardstock and adhering this over the stems.  To finish I added some red Stickles for the berries.

Materials used:

• Dies: The Greetery - Inside & Out Berry Branch, Fit to be Tied; Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Double Stitched Rectangles
• Ink: Distress Oxide - Tumbled Glass; Hero Arts - Unicorn; VersaMark; Brusho - Leaf Green, Emerald Green, Dark Brown
• Stencil: Memory Box - Tiny Snowflakes
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - O Christmas Tree 
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Gold Rich
• Accents: Stickles - Ruby

Challenge entries:

AAA Cards - Game #205 - Christmas

Happy Little Stampers - December Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers - December Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

NBUS - Challenge #33 - The Greetery dies are new to my stash

CHNC - Challenge #574 - Anything Goes Christmas

STAMPlorations - December Theme and Photo Prompt Challenge (I used the photo prompt)

Uniko - Challenge #68 - Celebrate (Reds and Greens)

I'll be back with another later, thanks for visiting.

Trio of Micro Bead Trees

Hi guys

Tonight I'm sharing one of my very last cards made this year.  

I purchased a new stencil from Clearly Besotted, last month I think, which features some really cute abstract trees and I wanted to use it at least once this year.

As I've only used them once before, I decided to use my clear glass micro beads on this one...

Firstly, I die cut a stitched rectangle before adhering the stencil in place with some low tack tape.  I then ink blended through the stencil with three shades of Distress Ink.  I removed, cleaned and dried the stencil and placed it back in position.  I spread some stencil paste through the tree apertures and quickly removed the stencil before sprinkling over the micro beads.  The paste is opaque to begin with but turns translucent as it dries, and also then holds on to the beads once dry.  I left the panel overnight to dry then gave it a brush over to remove any beads that weren't fully adhered.

To finish I adhered the panel to a card base and then added a black sentiment strip, with the sentiment heat embossed in white.  You can see a closer view of the micro beads in the photo below.

Materials used:

• Dies: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Double Stitched Rectangles; Altenew - Featured Sentiments Die Set
• Stencil: Clearly Besotted - Trimmed Trees
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Simple Script
• Ink: Distress Ink - Blueprint Sketch, Wilted Violet, Picked Raspberry; VersaMark
• Embossing Paste: Sweet Poppy - Stencil Dimensions:Translucent
• Embossing Powder: Brutus Monroe - Alabaster White
• Accents: Sweet Poppy - Clear Glass Micro Beads

Challenge entries:

AAA Cards - Game #205 - Christmas

Happy Little Stampers - December Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers - December Stencil Challenge - Anything Goes

NBUS - Challenge #33 - new stencil

CHNC - Challenge #574 - Anything Goes Christmas

STAMPlorations - December Stencil Challenge - Anything Goes

I hope you liked this one.  I have another to share using micro beads so I'll probably be back with that one tomorrow morning.  That's all for today, I hope you'll pop back again.

Christmas Card Multiples - Winter Foliage

Hi there

I'm back with the other Christmas card multiples I made this year.  I made two batches of two very similar designs, 16 cards in total, using the same stamp set and its companion dies, which I purchased very recently.  When I saw that The Greetery stamps were available in the UK from Seven Hills Crafts I just couldn't resist purchasing a few items!

I love winter foliage and berries for Christmas cards so these are the sets I made...

I stamped this design and the design in the second set (scroll down), using the layered stamping images from the set, on multiple pieces of white cardstock, which was made super easy using the MISTI as the images were in the correct place for the next piece.  Once stamped I then die cut the foliage clusters using the companion dies.  I then die cut the sentiment strips and stamped each one with the same sentiment.  Before adhering the die cuts I added three score lines to the edge of each card base.  The foliage die cuts were adhered flat and the sentiment strips I adhered on glue dots, so still slim enough to send easily through the mail.

This was the second design, using different stamps but the same layout...

Materials used:

• Stamps: The Greetery - Budding Beauties Winter; Clearly Besotted - Simple Script
• Dies: The Greetery - Budding Beauties Winter; Altenew - Featured Sentiments Die Set
• Ink: Altenew - Forest Glades, Evergreen, Minty Mint, Lava Rock, Crimson, Velvet; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Challenge entries:

AAA Cards - Game #205 - Christmas

Happy Little Stampers - December Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers - December Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

NBUS - Challenge #33 - The Greetery stamps and dies are new to my stash

Sweet Stampin' - Anything Christmas

CHNC - Challenge #574 - Anything Goes Christmas

STAMPlorations - December Theme and Photo Prompt Challenge (I used the photo prompt)

Uniko - Challenge #68 - Celebrate (Reds and Greens)

Thanks as always for visit, your support and feedback are so appreciated.  Just a few more to share so I'll be back soon.

Christmas Card Multiples - Solitary Twiggy Tree

Hi there

I hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas with your nearest and dearest and a well-earned break.  The approach to Christmas seems so long yet it's all over so fast isn't it?  I'm just enjoying a couple of days leave from work before returning again on Friday.  

Over the next few posts I'll be sharing the remaining Christmas cards I made this year.  

Every year I say I'll start much earlier but this year I was worse than ever, I didn't start the bulk of my Christmas makes until a week into December!  I always make my individual cards from sheets of cardstock as the quality of the card is far superior to ready-made cards, but I do have a box full of card and envelope sets I've accumulated over the years so that's what I now use when making batches of Christmas cards.

I decided I had to go super simple with my main multiples this year and I made 55 of this design all in an hour and a half one evening, and each also had a paper insert!  The MISTI was definitely my best friend here!

For the majority I used kraft card bases...

The solitary tree and the sentiment stamp were both stamped at the same time with black ink.  I just slotted one card after another into the corner of my MISTI and off I went.  I then added different colour smooth adhesive stars to the top of each tree.  And that was it!  I love the design of this tree, I think it's perfect for CAS designs.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Woodware - Mini Tall Twiggy Tree; Clearly Besotted - Simple Script
• Ink: Versafine Clair - Nocturne
• Accents: Papermania Adhesive Gems - Sparling Stars Assorted Brights
• Card bases from stash

I then had a rummage through my box of cards and envelopes and found some coloured bases, so cracked on and made more of the same design.  I love that these aren't traditional Christmas colours.

Mint bases with pink stars...

and pink bases with blue stars...

Challenge entries:

AAA Cards - Game #205 - Christmas

Happy Little Stampers - December Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes

NBUS - Challenge #33 - tree stamp is new

Sweet Stampin' - Anything Christmas

CHNC - Challenge #574 - Anything Goes Christmas

Thanks for popping by to take a look, I'll be back later with more of my Christmas makes

Perfectly CAS December 2021 Challenge

Good evening

It's time for the December challenge over at Perfectly CAS.  

Sadly, this will be my last post as a member of the Perfectly CAS Design Team, I have made the difficult decision to step down.  I'm so sad to be leaving as I joined the PCAS family from the very beginning in September 2019, and I love that Kylie founded this challenge, aimed at keeping designs perfectly clean and simple.  As mentioned in my recent LIM and HLS posts, I need to take some time to just create without deadlines and DT commitments.  Thanks so much of course to my wonderful friend Kylie, for inviting me to join this fantastic team, and to my super talented teamies whose CAS creations are just amazing.  I still plan to post regularly so please do stick with me.

Ok, onto the last PCAS challenge of 2021...

I went with the sky option of the challenge cue card and, as I'm so far behind with my Christmas cards this year, I made one to fit this challenge...

I knew exactly which stamp I was going to use, and it was the landscape/sky image from this Card-io set, isn't it fabulous?! I just thought it was so unusual and such a lovely scene backdrop.  So, using my MISTI, I stamped it repeatedly using three shades of pigment ink, to create this gradient effect.  It took quite a few re-stamps and blotting ink off areas of the stamp but it's a great technique if you have a stamping platform.  Before stamping the stag I blended a little ink in the 'snow' where he would be standing, just to create some shadow.  The stag and sentiment were then stamped in black.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Card-io - Magical Christmas; The Greetery - Budding Beauties Winter (sentiment)
• Ink: Versa Color - Neptune, Heliotrope, Lilac; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Challenge entries

CASology - Week 398 - Above

Sweet Stamping - Anything Christmas

We Love Stamping - December Challenge - Anything Stamped with CAS Option

NBUS - Challenge #33 - first use of the background and stag stamps

STAMPlorations - December Challenge - Anything CAS Goes

Dream Valley - Challenge #260 - Christmas

Thanks so much for all your visits and comments, they really are appreciated.  As always, this challenge link will remain open for almost a month, until a few days prior to the next challenge starting.