Merry Christmas

I have a plastic shoebox with various bits & bobs that I've made in the past. Stamped/die cut images or shapes, backgrounds, greetings, etc. Mostly things I've had left over from other projects or that I changed my mind about using & saved for a future project. This card came from elements in that box. The background panel was actually 1 of 4 that I had made. I had used a letter-size sheet of Strathmore Mixed Media paper, & ink smooshed with various Distress inks. Finally, I splattered with gold watercolor, then cut it into 4 A2-size panels. I've been keeping it for the "perfect" occasion. I decided Christmas Card Throwdown's September Sketch Challenge was that occasion, as the sketch has a lot of open background area.

September sketch

I pulled the Divinity Designs "Chickadee Single" image, that I'd previously stamped & die cut, from the same leftovers box. Because the background is so colorful & rather busy, I decided to leave the image uncolored. I cut 2 strips of patterned papers from my scrap stash to ground the image. Because the bird is looking to the right, I flipped the sketch horizontally. I adhered the paper strips & bird to the background. I used the "Merry Christmas" stamp from Hero Arts' "Vintage Christmas Post" (a favorite of mine, sadly discontinued) for the greeting. I stamped it in Lawn Fawn Blue Jay ink onto a light purple strip. I cut the right end at an angle, & glued it to my card so the left end tucks neatly under the bird & branch. Finally, I adhered my card front to a white card base.

I'm also entering this card in Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge: "Stamp It."

Happy Halloween

 

I created this card for Creative Knockouts' Challenge #417: "For the Kids." I will send it to Send a Smile 4 Kids, to brighten a hospitalized child's day a bit.

My design is based on Sketch #SC590 at Splitcoaststampers.com. I first die cut a 3-3/4" diameter circle, & stamped my image, from Penny Black's "Bewitched" set, on that. I masked off the mice, broomstick, & top of the broom, and inked the circle with Scattered Straw Distress ink, to make it look like a glowing moon. I removed the mask, & colored the images with my Prismacolor colored pencils. Since they are flying in front of the moon, I tried to color the mice & their accoutrements lighter around the edges, as if they are backlit.

I adhered a panel of patterned paper, from The Paper Studio's "Trick or Treat" letter-size pad, to a white A2-size card base. After I determined how low the moon would go, I adhered my purple greeting strip. I adhered the moon; then stamped the greeting, from My Favorite Things' "Batty for You" set (discontinued). And that finished this simple card!

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

Send a Smile 4 Kids Challenge: "Cute Fall/Halloween 4 Kids"

Die Cut Divas September Challenge: "Anything Goes"