Santa & Friends

This week's challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown is all about "Santa & Friend(s)." Basically, create a Christmas card with Santa & one or more of his friends. I immediately thought of Bugaboo's "Scene It: Santa and Friends" digital image (discontinued), & thought it would be perfect for this challenge. With the proportions of this image, you really don't need anything else to make an impactful card!

I decided to make the image the size of my 5-1/4x4" panel, which leaves a 1/8" border on all sides of my A2-size card. I sized it in Photoshop, & printed it onto a panel of Strathmore Vellum Bristol paper. I used my Prismacolor colored pencils to color the image. The most difficult part of coloring was trying to determine in a couple of spots what went where. Because this is a rather complex image, I just went one element at a time while coloring.

After I finished the coloring, I matted my panel with burgundy cardstock that I'd adhered to a white card base. I decided to add a little something extra, so I went over Rudolph's nose with White Blizzard Nuvo Glitter drops. I also added that to the bell on the elf's hat & more bits here and there around the snow areas. And that finished this card! The longest portion was honestly the coloring. I love how this came out, though!

I'm also entering this card in Send a Smile 4 Kids' "Happy Holidays 4 Kids" challenge.

Cozy Christmas Card

The Fall | Winter Coffee Lover's Blog Hop inspired the theme of this card. I used one of the coffee cups from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps' "Holiday Cheer" digital stamp set for the focal image. The design is based on Sketch #SC571 at Splitcoaststampers.com.

I sized the cup image in Photoshop, then printed it onto a panel of Canson Montval 140 lb. watercolor paper. I used my watercolors to paint it, and fussy-cut it out.

I used my We R Memory Keepers Frame punch board to create the frame for the image from white cardstock scraps. The watercolor paper I used for the cup has a bit of thickness to it, & I didn't want it to stick above the surrounding frame. I made a few frames, all the same size, so I could stack them for dimension. I did have to trim a bit from all but the topmost frame, just so their edges wouldn't stick out at all from behind. After I had cut all the frames, I stamped my greeting - from Hero Arts' "Cozy Penguin" set - onto the bottom of the front frame. Then I glued all my frames together.

I cut a backing layer from scrap cardstock the same size as the outer perimeter of the frames, & adhered 2 pieces of patterned paper from my scrap stash to that, positioned so they would show through the window in the stacked frames. (I wanted a countertop & wallpaper look.) I glued my frames on top, & glued down my coffee cup, so it appears to "sit" on the counter. I adhered a panel of patterned paper from graphic45's "Christmas Carol" 6x6" pad to a white A2 card base for my background, & then glued my framed image onto the card.

I'm also entering this card in Double Trouble's Challenge #125A: "Deja-BREW."

Season's Greetings

This week's challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown is to use the colors blue, red, & white on your card. Other than black, those are the only colors you can use. I created this card, inspired by that challenge & Kristina Werner's lesson on Day 2 of Online Card Classes' "Holiday Card Workshop 2022."

I stamped the plaid design with My Favorite Things' "Plaid Background Builder" set (discontinued) & Candied Apple Distress Oxide ink onto a panel of Bazzill Icy Mint (pale blue) cardstock. Then I adhered that to my white A2 size card base.

For the snowflake, I used Hero Arts' "Color Layering Snowflake." I stamped the first layer with Hero Arts Cornflower ink, & the second with Lawn Fawn Forget-Me-Not ink. For the third layer, I used Ranger White Super Fine Detail embossing powder. I kind of wish (in hindsight) that I'd used a dark blue embossing powder instead of white, but I still think it looks OK. I just feel the dark blue would have popped more. Next time! :)

I stamped the greeting, from Hero Arts' "Finch Greetings," onto white cardstock with Forget-Me-Not ink, & fussy cut it out.

I laid the snowflake & greeting onto my background, & just felt the card needed a bit more. So I got some white holographic sewing thread & made a messy nest to put behind the snowflake. I used my ATG adhesive on the back of the snowflake to tack down the thread. Then I glued that to my card with liquid glue, just so it would hold very well over the Oxide ink. I glued my greeting down, centered below the snowflake, & that finished this card.

Peaceful

The current challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown is a sketch. I followed the sketch pretty much literally, except to extend the strips across the entire panel.

I got the inspiration for the background from Koren Wiskman's lesson on Day 7 of Online Card Classes' "Holiday Card Workshop 2022." I masked off the border with yellow Frog tape, & ink blended the center with Saltwater Taffy, Worn Lipstick, & Abandoned Coral Distress inks. I used the "Gracious Leaves" embossing folder from Memory Box to emboss the panel.

I heat embossed the greeting, from Simon Says Stamp's "Holiday Greetings Mix 1" stamp set, with gold onto a scrap of patterned paper I had in my stash. I cut that into a strip & added a narrow strip of matte gold foil cardstock along the bottom. I adhered that to my embossed panel. Finally, I added my panel to a Simon Says Stamp Fog cardstock mat that I'd adhered to a white A2-size card base.

I'm also entering this card in Through the Craft Room Door's "Anything Goes" challenge.

Snowy Season's Greetings

This is my second card for Christmas Card Throwdown's October Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge. For this one I chose the diagonal row of Favorite Color (purple), Patterned Paper, & Die Cut.

I used the remainder of the same "failed" alcohol ink background from my first card for this challenge to die cut the snowflakes. As Jennifer McGuire says, if you do a background you don't like, just die cut from it! 😊 I cut a panel of pink patterned paper from an old 6x6" pad from BoBunny, & matted it with navy cardstock, to complement the dark blue snowflakes. I glued my snowflakes to that.

I die cut a label with one of the "Grommet Tags" set by Spellbinders (discontinued) from yellow cardstock, & heat embossed my greeting with navy embossing powder. The greeting comes from Hero Arts' "Holiday Cardinal" stamp set. I adhered 3 purple strips - scraps from an ink smooshed technique piece I'd done previously - to my pink panel. I then adhered my greeting label over those. As a finishing touch, I colored 2 clear gems with a navy Sharpie marker, and glued them over the holes in the ends of the label.

I'm also entering this card in Hero Arts' "Stay Crafty with a Blog Named Hero" October challenge: "Merry Everything."

Hummingbird Happy Birthday

My counselor's birthday is coming up this weekend, & I made this card for her. The design is based on Sketch Challenge #580 at Try Stampin' on Tuesday. For the main elements, I rotated the sketch 180 degrees. I added the sequins at the bottom right, in place of the banner in the sketch.

I embossed my background panel with the "Vines" embossing folder from Park Lane, then adhered it to my A2-size card base. I stamped the "Hummingbird" image from Divinity Designs onto a scrap of 140 lb. watercolor paper, using Ink on 3's Fade-Out ink. I painted that with my watercolors. I used a black glaze pen to go over the eye, & added in the catchlights with a white gel pen.

I printed the flower from Fred She Said's "Hummingbird & Columbine" digital set onto another piece of watercolor paper. I watercolored that as well. I stamped the "happy birthday," from Altenew's "Balloon Bunch" set, with Villainous Potion Distress Oxide ink. I felt that went well with the purple I'd used in the bird.

I adhered my flower panel to my card. I die cut the hummingbird with the coordinating die, & also die cut it 3 more times from white cardstock. I layered all the die cuts, & then glued it onto my card. I added 3 5mm Crystal sequins from Darice onto the bottom right, & that finished this card. I really love how this came together, & I'm sure my counselor will love it, too.