the less is more challenge this week is to pick one of 5 squares and leave the rest of the white space alone. my first card is still a work in progress; i really tried to fit the image in the lower right, but it just looked off balance. in my mind’s eye, it would work with a one layer, so in 5 minutes i made this. since i’m so far behind in the monthly christmas card challenge, you might see a lot more like this. thanks for popping by.
Category: Christmas
Cardinals for Christmas
i made five of these CAS cards for the monthly christmas card challenge at splitcoaststampers that i’ll give to my dad as part of a set for him to send out. the images were cut from notecards i found at michaels last year and i added a peel off sentiment. i didn’t even have to add any stickles; the glitter is already there. thanks for popping by.
Tiny Tree Trio
the final caardvark challenge is to create a monochromatic card. i stamped the tree in green three times, cut them out, added gems and sponged the edges with green ink. the trees were popped on the card base with foam squares and i used my favourite MS holly punch to create the border, which is also sponged with green ink. i enjoy making smaller cards; this one measures 3 1/4″ x 4″. thanks for popping by.
Bright Stripes
i love striped paper and snowmen, so i was inspired to make this card for the moxie fab tuesday trigger. the hat and scarf are paper pieced, while the snowman is watercoloured. i made the striped frame and cut the striped mat with a circle punch. thanks for popping by.
Hedgie’s Ornament
this is the second card i made yesterday; this one is for the Queen For The Day #40 challenge at splitcoaststampers. i found this adorable mouse and ornament card and had to case it with a hedgie. i watercoloured the image, sponged the edges and popped it on foam dots onto snowflake embossed paper; added a bow and it’s done. thanks for popping by.
Typographical Greeting
this is my second christmas without my son, so i’m losing myself in card making and having a very untraditional christmas. this was one of two cards i made yesterday. the inspiration challenge at splitcoaststampers took us to an album cover site; i loved the typography section so i finally found a use for this text paper. thanks for popping by.
Holiday Treats
i made two dozen of these matchbook candy holders for the parents’ bereavement support group i belong to; we had a holiday theme last night. this will be our second christmas without our son, so we’re not really in a festive mood, but i want to send season’s greetings to my friends, supporters and visitors to my blog. i’ll be keeping busy with my card making because i feel at peace when i’m lost in my world of watercolouring.
i’m submitting this to the meljen’s challenge – sweet as candy and the allsorts challenge of anything goes. thanks for popping by.
the inside:
Snow Fun
i made this card for flower soft challenge #16 – think snow! i watercoloured the snow couple, added flower soft snowflakes and snow on the ground and popped it onto a swiss dot embossed piece that i sponged with distress inks. the snowflake circle was popped on the circle sentiment and the ribbon was tied on. this is a small card that measures 3 1/2″ by 4 1/4″. thanks for popping by.
Christmas Caroling Mice
this month’s splitcoaststampers‘ fan club central theme challenge is a contest with a musical theme, so i watercoloured these singing mice and added stickles for snow. i think the one with the glasses is lip syncing because his book is upside down. it was more challenging to find an etsy item than to make this card, but i found this beautiful tea light candle holder. thanks for popping by.
…not even a mouse
this is my christmas card for my husband; he knows by now to expect either a mouse or hedgie on his cards. i watercoloured the image, added stickles to the fur trim and popped it on foam dots on paper printed with the ’twas the night before christmas poem. thanks for popping by. i’m submitting this to the following challenges:
penny black saturday – holly
allsorts – last minute christmas project
2 sisters challenge – ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas
bunny zoe’s crafts – sparkle and shine
meljen’s designs – red, gold and green
A Queen’s Case
i made this for two splitcoaststampers’ challenges: i cased this pretty card from Bridget, Queen For The Day, but i changed it to a christmas card because the Free For All Challenge is to make a quick christmas card “on the fly.” thanks for popping by.
Glowing Candles
i made this for the flower soft challenge 15 – make a quick and easy card, which this was. i stamped the sentiment in green on the flower soft topper, added vintage flower soft to the greenery and stickles to the flame and surrounding glow. i matted the topper with a shimmery copper card stock, distressed the edges of a ready made folded card and attached the matted topper. thanks for popping by.
Sparkling Snowflakes
i was inspired to use this penny black snowflake wreath and silver glitter mat because of this week’s moxie fab world: tuesday trigger. every dot of the image has been covered with stickles, although they’re not showing up in the photo; it’s overcast. i’ve been enjoying making purple christmas cards, so when i saw the colour, i just had to make another card for my stash. thanks for popping by. i’m also submitting this to the simon says challenge – christmas but no red or green, and the christmas theme at the paper players.
A Candle For My Son
on december 12, like other bereaved parents around the world, i’ll be lighting a candle for my son. from the compassionate friends’ website, “The Worldwide Candle Lighting unites family and friends around the globe in lighting candles for one hour to honor and remember children who have died at any age from any cause.” if you know anyone who has lost someone, please let them know you are thinking of them during the holidays.
i used this week’s simon says sketch to create this card. the candle is watercoloured and stickles were added to it plus glossy accents were used on the holly and berries. i stamped the ivory paper with the penny black text stamp, punched the flowers and punched the leaves from gold mirri paper. i’m also submitting this in the following challenges:
ABC Christmas – Y for yuletide: use 1 or all of holly & berries, red & green, candles
Allsorts – Light Up The Night
thanks for popping by.
Royal Ornaments
sheri, aka KsNurse, is the queen for the day at splitcoststampers; i was inspired by her vintage ornament card, but went with purple because it’s a royal colour. all the gold outlines are peeloffs; the ornaments are watercoloured and popped on foam dots onto a green piece embossed with the snowflakes ef. thanks for popping by.
Gift Card Holder
i created this for the caardvarks challenge. now i only have to make three more and i’ll be finished the monthly christmas card challenge for 2010 at splitcoaststampers. thanks for popping by.
the inside:
Blue Christmas
penny black saturday challenge 127 is to make a monochromatic christmas card, so this was the only stamp that came to mind. i stamped the trees and snow in white on navy, added snow and stickles. the sentiment was heat embossed and the ribbon was tied on with a snowflake button glued on top. thanks for popping by. i’m also submitting this for the following challenges:
simon says challenge: let it snow
bah humbug: feeling the blues
paper pretties: clean and simple
Circle Snowman/Wonky Computer
i cased a circle card from kathy, queen for the day at splitcoaststampers. since i had scraps left over from my last christmas card, the red/white/blue that was growing on me, i made another. i surprised myself – i haven’t been feeling very creative while i’m in the process of switching over to a mac. i had a long list of favourite blogs to visit for inspiration and haven’t yet been able to export them. thanks for popping by.
Caroling Hedgie
this week’s penny black saturday challenge is a sketch by team member Pauline; i was surprised how quickly it came together, although i think this is the first red white and blue christmas card i’ve ever made. it’s growing on me. the image is watercoloured and die cut with circle nesties. i added flower soft to his hat and stickles for snow. thanks for popping by.
Candy Cane Teddy
i created this card for a couple of challenges. this week’s penny black saturday challenge is “all my favourite things.” i love to watercolour my images, i used stickles on the berries and for snow, glossy accents on the candy cane and holly leaves (i love holly), ribbon, flower soft, textured paper, punches and peeloffs. whew! i don’t normally use them all in one card, but it was fun trying to see if i could. the penny black at allsorts monthly challenge is “it’s beginning to look a lot like christmas,” and the penny black designers showcased cards on the inside and outside this week, so i was inspired to do that too. finally, this is for the flower soft challenge at splitcoaststampers.
i used my new MS holly punch around the page and continued the peeloffs on the inside, which came in handy after several failed attempts to stamp a sentiment. thanks for popping by.
Snow Cuddle
i created this card for the “let it snow” theme of this week’s penny black saturday challenge and the caardvark’s challenge to create a new holiday card using die cut(s). finally, this is my october submission for the monthly christmas card challenge at splitcoaststampers; i fell behind after surgery and i’m still trying to get caught up. i watercoloured the image, die cut it with nesties label 8 and attached it to the left “door.”
i used a larger labels 8 for the sentiment on the inside and added some punched snowflakes. thanks for popping by.
Hedgie’s Little Tree
this week’s penny black saturday challenge is to include zig zags or triangles on your project, so this is my interpretation. the image is watercoloured, the star cut out and popped and i added peel off dots to the tree. the red looks more orange in the photo. thanks for popping by.
Cozy Christmas
the caardvarks challenge is to create a new stamped card that is decorated inside and out! i watercoloured this cozy penny black image, distressed the edges, added stickles to the rooftops, snow and tree, although it doesn’t show up well in the photo; and of course, i added my stickles snow. the image is popped on foam tape to a layer of penny black paper, which is attached to a red silk type paper.
for the inside, i heat embossed the penny black sentiment and added punched MS holly borders which i just had to have after i saw jocelyn’s beautiful vintage ATC card. thanks for popping by.
Time For Presents
the penny black blog octoberfest challenge is to create a brand new never before seen card using a stamp from their new christmas catalog. i watercoloured the image, added stickles to the image snowflakes, then added more snow and stickles all over. it might not show, but i painted the moon with a shimmer paint and there are stickles on the clay pot and hedgies. i punched a couple of snowflakes, added stickles to those, sponged the edges of DP and used a copper shimmer paper. thanks for popping by.
Christmas Joy
i created this card for the penny black saturday challenge, which is a fun sketch from design team member debby that i rotated. i’m enjoying the red and green for a change from my untraditional christmas colours. the image was watercoloured, distressed with pink along the edges and popped on foam tape. glossy accents cover the star and i added my usual stickles snowflakes. instead of manually making another one handed bow, i used the bow easy this time – 8 minutes. i’m also submitting this to the simon says stamp challenge – 3 Types of Embellishments (buttons, ribbon, stickles), 2 Patterned papers, 1 Image and to splitcoaststampers’ monthly fan club challenge. thanks for popping by.
Cased Christmas Card
the current caardvarks challenge is to create a card based upon one of the crew caards, and i chose to case heidi’s caard for a couple of reasons: it’s red and green, which i rarely use for Christmas cards, but always like it when others do; and it’s cas, although it took me several hours to make it. my cast was removed on tuesday, so now it’s just a matter of adjusting to the fact that i’ll have limited use of my left hand and wrist – i’m rather proud of my one handed bow. :) thanks for popping by.
Hopeful Hedgie
i’m submitting this card for the September challenge at penny black at allsorts, which is to use punches, and because they are looking to add some new DT members. (edited: oops, i missed the deadline by a day.) i watercoloured the hedgie, added glossy accents to the holly and popped the image on foam dots. i actually managed to thread and tie the button without using my left hand! (i’m counting the days until my second cast is removed). the borders and green dots were punched. this is also for the challenge at Winter Wonderland: Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly. thanks for popping by.
Christmas Down Under
the theme of lili of the valley’s Challenge 66 is Untraditional Christmas, so i was glad that i could participate as i’ve missed a few. i’m particularly fond of this teddy stamp; i wish there were more. (hint, hint). until i order some of the oh so cute Christmas stamps, this is the perfect image for a Christmas card for a friend in New Zealand. i watercoloured the image, added fibres, dew drops and a peeloff sentiment. i know some stampers refuse to use peeloffs, but it takes me just as much effort to align a sticker as it does to stamp with one hand. lol. Thanks for popping by.
A Stocking Full Of Cheer
penny black saturday challenge 118 is to make a masculine card, which i never have a problem doing; i’m fortunate that my husband doesn’t mind if i put glitter and bows on his cards. it’s more of a struggle to continue making cards with the cast on my arm and hand. it’s a good thing i usually make clean and simple cards, even though they now take a bit longer to create. thanks for popping by.
Snow Fence
i made this for two splitcoaststampers challenges:
Friday’s Queen For The Day Challenge, where stampers case a card from the Queen’s gallery and congratulate and honour a fellow stamper that gives each of us inspiration, supportive comments and a great sense of being a part of her life. i was inspired to use this striped ribbon i bought last summer, but it hasn’t worked with anything until today.
this is also for Friday’s Free 4 All challenge to “think snow…man!” i distressed the edges, sponged them with gold ink and did the same to the snowflakes – one is felt and one is punched. a gold dew drop was added to the centre. i added stickles to the trees and ground and added the ribbon. the sentiment is a peel off. thanks for popping by.
Winter Cabin
i literally followed this week’s card positioning system sketch 181 to create this card, one of those rare ones where i didn’t watercolour it. the image was stamped and just the one tree was glittered with stickles. thanks for popping by.
Hopping For A Green Christmas
i made this 3 by 3 inch card for the august caardvarks challenge to create a new Holiday gift tag or mini card that incorporates stamping. this was also for two challenges at splitcoaststampers: the inspiration challenge and the monthly christmas card challenge. thanks for popping by.
W is for Wishlist
this was another of the final projects i completed for the dare to get dirty challenges at splitcoaststampers. i found this magnetic 3 inch wooden monogram at michaels and covered it with the label from the Mistletoe Memory Box paper package. thanks for popping by.
Holiday Bird
this week’s stamptacular sunday challenge is out of this world! and i’m not waiting until the last minute to submit a card. this is also the last of my cards/projects for the dare to get dirty challenges at splitcoast, which means i completed all 33 challenges. whew! the image is watercoloured with distress inks. thanks for popping by.
Christmas in July
it’s christmas in july at Penny Black Saturday Challenge and i almost missed it because a new challenge will be posted on Saturday already. i’m also submitting this for this week’s Stamptacular’s Christmas in July challenge. the hedgie was watercoloured and layered with circle nestabilities. just to make it look more like winter, i added stickle snowflakes and some punched white snowflakes to the designer paper. thanks for popping by.
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