Christmas Card Multiples - Sweet Gingerbread Christmas

Hi there

This is another Christmas card design that was quick to replicate so I made a little batch.

Usually I make my own card bases by cutting down sheets of A4 cardstock but I also have a box containing lots of ready to go card bases and envelopes that I've had in my stash for many years.  So for these I grabbed some little square cards.  

Colouring takes far too long when you need to get a production line going so I went on the hunt in my stamp stash for some solid images that I could just stamp one after the other in my MISTI.  I chose a cute set by Clearly Besotted (now retired) for the images and sentiment.

Gingerbread House

I stamped the gingerbread house in two shades of ink, re-stamping around the edge with the slightly darker shade.  These did lighten up as the ink dried by you can just about see the difference in the two shades.  I then stamped the sweet in the upper window and the sentiment below.  Some glitter enamel dots were then added to replicate gum drops.

Gingerbread Man

These were made in exactly the same way with two shades of ink, and then the smiley face was stamped together with the sentiment.  The glitter enamel dots were added here too for the gum drop buttons.

Materials used:

• Clearly Besotted - Naughty or Nice
• Ink: Altenew - Sunkissed, Caramel Toffee, Crimson, Versafine - Onyx Black
• Accents: Happy Little Stampers - Glitter enamel dots

Challenge entries:

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Challenge #521 - Anything Goes (Optional: use the word Christmas)

AAA Cards - CAS Game #180 - Made in Minutes (Optional: Christmas)

STAMPlorations - December CAS Challenge - Anything CAS Goes

Uniko - Challenge #62 - 'Tis the Season

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Last Minute Christmas

Oh, and if you spotted the little gingerbread man ornament, he is made from modelling clay and was made for me by my best friend a number of years ago.  Isn't he the cutest?!

Thanks as always for taking the time to visit.  I have more to come very soon.

Good Luck in your New Home

Hi guys

Today I'm sharing a card I was commissioned to make for a friend a few weeks ago but I forgot to share it here.

It's very similar to card I made two years ago, here.  I just changed up the colours and added a cloudy backdrop.

I die cut a piece of watercolour card with a stitched rectangle as I wanted a textured background.  This was then ink blended with a cloud stencil.  I die cut the houses from kraft cardstock and adhered it along the base of the panel.  I then cut a tiny section using the same die, from coral cardstock, and die cut the heart from it and adhered it in place.  I finished with a sentiment which was made up from three separate stamps.  The 'in your' part of it was from a stamp saying 'good luck in your exams' so it just required a little masking.  Thankfully I catalogue all my stamps using Evernote which made finding the sentiment I needed so much easier!  The card was finished by popping the panel up on fun foam onto the card base.

Materials used:

• Dies: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Double Stitched Rectangles; Happy Little Stampers - Village Die (retired); Lawn Fawn - Hearts
• Cardstock: Kraft - Neenah Dessert Storm; watercolour card from stash
• Stencil: MFT - Mini Cloud Edges
• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Brush Sentiments; That's Genius
• Ink: Distress Ink - Tumbled Glass; Versafine - Onyx Black

Thanks so much for visiting.  I hope you're all keeping well and keeping yourselves occupied at home.  I actually have a week off work this week so hoping to find more crafty time.  See you soon :)

Happy Little Stampers May 2020 CAS Challenge

Hi there

I hope you're all keeping well during these very odd times!

I'm here tonight to introduce the May CAS Challenge at Happy Little Stampers.  And our cue word for this month is...

I think we could all do with lots of those right now!  I kept my card super simple but with some ombre stamping...

I started by die cutting a stitched rectangle and then, using my MISTI, stamped the smile sentiment multiple times in graduating shades, but didn't stamp the 'tittle' of the i.  Thanks goes to Laura Bassen for me knowing the dot was called a tittle!  When doing ombre stamping my preference is to use pigment ink, I find I get a better gradient that way rather than using dye inks.  To finish I stamped the smile emoji in place of the tittle and coloured it in with a ProMarker.  The panel was then popped up on fun foam.

Materials used:

• Die: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Double Stitched Rectangles
• Stamps: Happy Little Stampers - Smile; Clearly Besotted - Text Me
• Ink: Versa Color - Canary, Marigold, Orange, Opera Pink; Memento - Tuxedo Black

I'm looking forward to seeing lots of happy cards in our gallery this month so I hope you'll find time to play along.  As always, the challenge link will remain open until the end of the month.

Happy Little Stampers October 2019 CAS Challenge

Good evening, guys

As it's the beginning of another month we have fresh challenges starting over at Happy Little Stampers.  Right now the new CAS challenge is starting so here's the cue card for this month's challenge...

I decided to go with a cute Christmas card, it's always great to get another Christmas card made (of course I'm way behind with my festive makes AGAIN this year!)...

I chose this adorable stamp called 'Sledging Buddies' for my adventure theme.  I stamped the image in grey ink and added minimal colour with coloured pencils.  The scene was then die cut using a pierced square die and popped up on the card base using fun foam.  The sentiment was stamped alongside in black and I finished by adding some shimmer to the snow with a shimmer pen and some fine glitter to the penguin's hat.  It's not Christmas without a bit of sparkle!

Materials used:

• Stamps: Lili of the Valley - Sledging Buddies; Happy Little Stampers - Christmas Joy
• Ink: Memento - London Fog; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Die: MFT Die-namics - Pierced Square Stax
• Coloured with Faber Castell Polychromos
• Accents: Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen - Clear; Cosmic Shimmer Diamond Frost - Frosty Dawn

Challenge entries:

Crafty Cardmakers - Challenge #242 - Add a Critter
Try it on Tuesday - Animal Magic
Addicted to CAS - Challenge #169 - Creature





Thanks so much for visiting today.  Please do check out the main blog post, my teamies have some great examples to inspire you using the adventure theme.  And as with all the HLS challenges, the linky will be open until the end of the month.

Less is More Challenge #403

Hi there

Apologies for the lack of posts lately, I have been crafting away behind the scenes but haven't been able to share those makes yet.  Lots to come over the next few days though so stay tuned :)

Back to the purpose of today's post, and of course it's new challenge day over at Less is More.  And as August has an extra Satuday we have a Lucky Dip challenge for you this time.  Here is the cue card...

Funky Fossil Designs continues as our sponsor for this challenge so please do play along for a chance to win our monthly prize!

I only have one card to share with you this time but I'm excited to say...I have my first 2019 Christmas card in the bag! 

Here it is...

This was very simple to make.  I started with a stitched circle die cut and heat embossed the sentiment in copper.  This was then popped up on fun foam.  I then die cut the pine needles from green cardstock, the bells from silver mirri card and the bow from gold mirri card, and layered and adhered these in a cluster.

Materials used:

• Stamp: Happy Little Stampers - Mixed Christmas Sentiments
• Ink: VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Copper
• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Double Stitched Circles; Clearly Besotted - Tag Along Die Collection (bow); Marianne Design Creatables - Petra's Larix Larch; Xcut - Jingle Bells
• Cardstock from stash

I really appreciate your visits, thanks so much for stopping by.  Please do pop over to the main Less is More challenge post for more inspiration from my teamies and to see how they've incorporated metallics into their CAS creations.  And the challenge, as always, is open for a fortnight so there's plenty of time to link up in our gallery.  Hope to see you there :)

Happy Little Stampers May 2019 CAS Challenge

Hi there

I'm here tonight to introduce the new CAS challenge for May over at Happy Little Stampers.

We'd like to see just a sentiment on your clean and simple creations, minimal embellishments and inking are allowed, but no images.


Here's my DT card...

I began by masking my card base leaving a horizontal strip which I ink blended with Distress Oxides to create an ombre effect.  I also ink blended a spare piece of cardstock and die cut the hello from it so it was in the opposite direction.  I adhered this onto the card base and stamped the 'birthday' alongside.  It looked like something was missing so I used a ruler and drew some dash lines with a black fineliner pen.

Materials used:

• Ink: Distress Oxide - Twisted Citron, Mermaid Lagoon; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Die: Wplus9 - Happy Trio
• Stamp: Happy Little Stampers - Bold Birthday Sentiments

Challenge entries:

Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #339 - CAS

Addicted to CAS - Challenge #158 - Contrast

Alphabet Challenge - C is for Clean and Simple

Don't forget that this challenge, along with the other challenges over at Happy Little Stampers (some still to start) are open to enter until the end of the month.

Thanks for visiting.

Happy Little Stampers December 2018 CAS Challenge

Hi guys

We've hurtled around to the beginning of another month so it's new challenge time over at Happy Little Stampers.

Right now is the start of the CAS challenge, so here is the cue card for you...

The winner for this challenge will receive a $20 coupon to spend at the shop! Check out all the details HERE.

IF YOU USE STAMPS BY HAPPY LITTLE STAMPERS AND YOU ARE THE RANDOM WINNER, YOUR PRIZE WILL BE DOUBLED!

For my DT card I've used two types of embossing...

I started with a panel of white cardstock, a fair bit smaller than the card base and embossed it using a snowfall embossing folder.  I then cut a strip of vellum and stamped and heat embossed the sentiment in silver.  This was then wrapped around the panel and secured on the reverse.  I then stamped and heat embossed  the holly in silver, fussy cut it out and adhered it over the vellum strip using glue dots.  I adhered the panel to the card base using fun foam and to finish added some red Nuvo drops as the berries.

Materials used:

• Embossing Folder: Hobbycraft - Holly Jolly Christmas Snowfall
• Stamps: Happy Little Stampers - Christmas Joy
• Ink: VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Silver
• Accents: Nuvo Crystal Drops - Red Berry

Challenge entries:

AAA Challenge - CAS Game #129 - Mostly White
CAS on Friday - Challenge #147 - Christmas Card
Inkspirational - Challenge #175 - Anything Christmas Goes
The Paper Players - Challenge #421 - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas





The challenge, as well as all the other Happy Little Stampers challenges will run until the end of the month.  And if you weren't already aware, the Happy Little Stampers store is closing down.  Lots of reductions...

 

So if you want to grab some bargains head over to the store, here.

Less is More Challenge #385

Good morning, folks

It's time for another new challenge over at Less is More.


Before I share the challenge details I just want to take a moment to say farewell to our fabulous teamie and leader, my lovely friend, Sarah who has decided to step down from the team.  Sarah, you've been amazing since taking over the running of the challenge, working so hard behind the scenes, and I, as well as the rest of the DT are going to miss you enormously.  I know you'll stay in touch and may also join us from time to time at Less is More, but if you don't, just remember, I know where you live!!! :)  Missing you already, buddy xx


The challenge starting today will also be the last one of 2018 (booo!) but on a cheery note, along with this challenge we are also holding a Design Team call (yay!).  You can find full details over on the main challenge blog, here.


Ok, on to the challenge details and, yes, it's the 'Marmite' challenge, you either love or hate it.  It's One Layer time but to take the pain away we've made the theme really easy for you...

Continuing as our November sponsor is Happy Little Stampers, so please do play along to be in with a chance of winning the monthly prize

We have a Guest Designer joining us for this challenge too, Katrina Bufton, who was our Lucky Dip winner back in September.  If you have time, please do stop by her blog to say hi and take a look at her fabulous holiday card.


I have two cards for you this time, here's the first...

I began by debossing the card base using a bauble die, then die cut a post-it note with the same die to create a mask before colour blending with Distress Inks.  Once dry I stamped the snowflake onto the bauble with VersaMark ink and heat embossed in white.  I then stamped the sentiment above it in black ink and hand drew the string and bow with a silver pen.  The debossed detail can be seen more clearly in the photo below...

Materials used:

• Die: Clearly Besotted - Signature Christmas Die Collection
• Ink: Distress Ink - Shaded Lilac, Wilted Violet; VersaMark; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Stamps: Happy Little Stampers - Let It Snow and Merry Kissmas
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Opaque Bright White
• Accents: Signo Uniball pen - Silver

Challenge entries:

Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #319 - Clean and Simple

Fab 'n' Funky - Challenge #417 - Christmas

Stamping Sensations - November Challenge - Get Ready for Christmas

Happy Little Stampers - November Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes (CAS)

I wasn't going to share this card as I wasn't happy with the ink blending, I think an odd piece of rogue cardstock found it's way into my stash and the blend was really grainy!  But I do like the card overall so here it is...

I masked around the edges of the card base with post-it notes, leaving a rectangle in the centre.  I then used a landscape die to die cut a mask from some spare cardstock and then blended the sky with Distress Inks.  I removed the landscape mask so I could add some blue to the snow at the base to highlight the rectangle.  I stamped the sentiment before placing the mask back in position. To finish I spread some embossing paste through a splatter stencil to create the snow.

Materials used:

• Die: Clearly Besotted - Tree Landscape Die
• Ink: Distress Ink - Spun Sugar, Tumbled Glass; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Stencil: Tim Holtz - Speckles
• Embossing Paste: Dreamweaver

Challenge entries:

Just Add Ink - Challenge #435 - Photo Inspiration

I do hope you'll play along in our last challenge of the year, and it's a great reason to get some more Christmas/Holiday cards done, if like me you're way behind with them!  And I hope some of you will also apply to be on the DT, our participants are so talented.

Bye for now.

Less is More Challenge #384

Good morning

Starting over at Less is More today we have a Colour challenge for you.  I'll get straight to it and show you the cue card...

As always, please ensure your entries are clean and simple.

Our generous Sponsor for this month is Happy Little Stampers so please do play along in our November challenges to be in with a chance of winning a prize.

Joining us as a Guest Designer this week we have the wonderful Angie of Cimba Creative Fun.  She was our September winner and is a regular participant at Less is More.  Please do pop over and take a look at her gorgeous card for our colour challenge theme.

Right, onto my cards, and I have two for you this time.  Here's the first, using copper, gold and silver and stamps by our fabulous sponsor...

For this card I chose a teal coloured base and used that for my stamped panel too.  I used metallics for the rest of the design.  I began by first stamping the holly and heat embossing with copper embossing powder, then stamped the berries, added the embossing powder and brushed away any parts of the image which crossed over onto the holly before also heat embossing in copper.  I then painted the images using a mix of mica powder and water in silver and gold.  I then stamped and heat embossed the sentiment in silver before die cutting with a pierced square die.  Something else was needed so I die cut the same square from some gold cardstock and offset the panels before popping up on 3D foam.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Happy Little Stampers - Merry Kissmas
• Ink: VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Copper, Metallic Silver
• Mica Powder: Honey Doo Crafts - Silver Sparkle; Ranger Perfect Pearls - Heirloom Gold
• Die: MFT Die-namics - Pierced Squares Stax
• Cardstock from stash

Challenge entries:

Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #317 - Make Your Mark (painted with mica powders)

Stamping Sensations - November Challenge - Get Ready for Christmas

Happy Little Stampers - November Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes (CAS)

My second card is one I recently made for my boyfriend's parents who were celebrating their Golden Wedding Anniversary...

For the main panel I ran this through my Big Shot using a great little embossing folder.  It creates a horizontal banner towards the top and an embossed heart and a border along the bottom.  I heat embossed the sentiment in gold and attached the panel to a slightly larger piece of textured gold cardstock flat on the card base.  I mixed some transparent texture paste with gold glitter and spread this through a heart stencil and left it to dry before die cutting with a stitched heart.  I cut the same heart from the same gold cardstock I adhered to the base.  All that was left to do was adhere the hearts, one popped up on 3D foam, and a little bow made from gold organza ribbon.

Materials used:

• Embossing Folder:  Xcut - Banner
• Stamps: Uniko - Flower Power #7
• Ink: VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Gold Rich
• Die: MFT Die-namics - Stitched Heart Stax
• Stencil: Skull and Cross Buns - Brush Hearts
• Texture Paste: Ranger - Translucent Matte
• Accents: Nuvo Glitter - Light Gold
• Ribbon and cardstock from stash 

Thanks so much for visiting today.  My teamies have some great examples which you can find over on the main Less is More challenge page, here.  So, unless you're super organised (unlike me!) why not use this challenge to add some Christmas cards to your stash using metallics?  I really must get a wriggle on with mine, time seems to be passing so fast, Santa will be on his sleigh before I know it!