He is Risen

I created this card for my mom to send to a priest at her church. Of course she wanted a religious-themed Easter card. I didn't have much in the way of religious Easter image or greeting stamps, so I purchased Trinity Stamps' "Simply Sentimental: Easter" stamp set & coordinating dies. While it's not a completely religious set, it does have words & phrases that are not necessarily cutesy in font style or context. I got the greeting for this card from that set.

 

My inspiration came from this card I saw on Pinterest. While it's not an Easter card, I liked the cross on a label-style background with an element in the middle of the cross. So I ran with that.

 

I die cut the strips for the cross from dark brown cardstock with one of the "Barn Wood Planks" dies from Honey Bee Stamps. Because I needed them to be narrower & shorter than the original die cut, I first glued the die cuts to another scrap of cardstock, then cut them with scissors to the sizes I needed. Because these dies cut deeply-debossed details into the cardstock, I had learned that if you want to trim them down at all, you have to adhere them to a solid backing piece first so they don't fall apart.

 

I used a Spellbinders "Labels Four" die (discontinued) for the panel to put the cross on. I die cut that from white cardstock, & inked the edges with blue ink to help it stand out a little. I glued the cross pieces in place, making sure they were centered & parallel to the sides and the top & bottom as needed.

 

For the single dogwood flower, I opened the "Dogwood Branch" digi image from Fred, She Said in Photoshop. I used the eraser tool combined with the marquee tool to erase the rest of the image, then sized the flower & printed it onto a scrap of Strathmore vellum bristol paper. I added shading & details with my Prismacolor colored pencils, then fussy cut the flower. I glued it where the cross pieces overlap.

I die cut the elements for the greeting banner from the "Banners & Tails" set (discontinued) from Impression Obsession. After inking them lightly with the same blue ink I'd used on the label, I stamped the greeting with Ground Espresso Distress Oxide ink onto the banner.

 

I had created my background during Juliana Michaels' "Stretch Your Stamps" online class several weeks ago. It's been sitting on my desk since then. I decided it would be perfect for this card, since it has kind of a masculine (or at least gender-neutral) look and wouldn't overwhelm the focal panel. I trimmed it down to 4x5-1/4", inked the edges, and adhered it to a white A2-size card base. I adhered my focal panel to that, & then added my greeting banner over the cross. I used a few pieces of scrap heavyweight cardstock behind the main part of the banner to pop it up, which also helped offset the slight thickness of the cross underneath it. I really love how this card came out!

 

I'm entering this card in Little Red Wagon's Challenge #853: "Easter Projects."

Have a Joyful Christmas

This week's challenge theme at Christmas Card Throwdown is "Slimline Card." I don't normally do slimline cards, but I decided to have a go at it for this challenge.

 

 

 

I went with a portrait slimline card, so I cut a piece of 110 lb. white cardstock to 8-1/2x7", then scored at 3-1/2" along the shorter side & folded that in half to create my card base. I cut a piece of Strathmore smooth bristol paper to 3-1/4x8-1/4", so I would have a narrow border on all sides of my panel once I put it on my card.

 

I stamped 5 of the images from Hero Arts' "Christmas Crystals" set (discontinued) onto my bristol panel, making sure to get them perfectly vertical. While this card is not exactly what I'd call clean & simple, I do consider it minimalist, so having my images lined up just right was important for me. I heat embossed the crystals with Wow White Pearl embossing powder. Because 2 of the crystals overlapped 2 others, I first heat embossed the larger ones, let that cool, then placed the panel back into my MISTI. I positioned the other crystals, stamped them with clear embossing ink, & heat embossed them. I think it actually worked quite well in the end! 😊

 

After I had heat embossed all my crystals, I used my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens to color them. I used just one color per crystal to keep things simple. I outlined a section with my pen, then used a wet paintbrush to spread the color towards the middle of that section. I did that one section at a time so the ink would still move freely. (I have found that if you let the ink sit long enough - even on bristol paper - it will set & won't move as easily.) For the crystals that overlapped, I made sure to use colors that wouldn't create mud. I applied the lighter color first (yellow & pink), & then painted in the darker color. I love how it looks like one crystal is shining through the other where they overlap - just as I had planned!

 

When I finished adding color to all the crystals, I had to figure out a greeting. After much playing around and hemming & hawing, I decided to use the "Joyful and Merry" stamp set & coordinating die set by Kristina Werner for Concord & 9th.

 

First, I die cut the Joyful from a scrap of bristol paper. I taped the word back into the negative space for support, & used my yellow & green brush pens to create a gradient of color over the word. Once the ink had dried, I removed the word from the negative & ran it through my Xyron machine to apply adhesive to the back. (Even after the ink dries, liquid glue can reactivate it, so I definitely wanted to stick to dry adhesive for this card!) For the supporting greeting strips, I heat embossed the words onto another bristol scrap, die cut them with a "Sentiment Strips" die from Pretty Pink Posh, and colored each strip with my purple brush pen.

 

I lightly tacked down the Joyful die cut to my panel, just to hold it in place while I worked. I positioned the upper greeting strip, & marked the edge of the "f" on the strip where it crossed. I cut that contour with my scissors, & adhered the strip with double-sided tape, tucking the cut end under the "f." There was a little hanging off the left side of the panel, so I just cut that off with my scissors. I repeated the process with the other greeting strip, curving the left end along the descender of the "y."

 

For the hangers on the crystals, I poked a small hole at the top of each one. I threaded a length of fine silver thread through each hole, wrapped it around the top of the panel, & taped both ends on the back.

I decided to double-mat my panel with silver foil & Midnight Navy cardstocks, both from Recollections. I first adhered my panel to the silver, and used one of my Perfect Paper Layers rulers (discontinued) with a craft knife to cut around the panel. This allowed me to get a perfect 1/16" mat. I cut my navy panel to 3-1/2x8-1/2" and adhered it directly to my card base. I added the matted panel, & that finished this card.

 

I had considered adding Glossy Accents or clear embossing powder over the crystals for extra shine. But I was afraid it might ruin the shading & highlights I had worked so hard to get by making the ink on each crystal a solid muddle of color. So I decided to quite while I was still ahead. 😉

 

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

• Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge: "Emboss It"
• The Paper Funday Challenge #86: "Anything Goes" (I am playing the optional "Die Cuts and/or Punches" twist)
• Creative Knockouts Challenge #568: "Embossing Delight"

Happy Easter

 

The sketch for Try a Sketch on Tuesday's Challenge #690 inspired the design for my card. I basically followed the sketch to the letter, though I did substitute a leafy cluster for the smaller background hexagon.

 

 

I began with the cross panel. After I die cut the mat, using an Elizabeth Craft Designs "Stitched Indented Rectangle" die (discontinued), I die cut the panel from Canson XL mixed media paper with a Hero Arts "Rounded Rectangle Infinity" die to fit inside the mat. I determined the proportions of both parts of the cross, & cut 2 pieces of yellow Frog tape to those measurements. I lightly penciled the position for the tape pieces to center them on the panel, & adhered them on those marks. I made sure to burnish them well to the paper, as I did NOT want them to lift up & let ink underneath. (Spoiler alert: that happened.)

 

One of the palettes from Sarah Renae Clark's Color Cube system (old system version palette #342) inspired my ink color choices. For the ink blending around the cross, I took a cue from this image I found on Pinterest. I used a small ink blending brush to go around the whole cross with Tumbled Glass Distress ink to give me a base color. Then I added in bits of Peeled Paint, Stormy Sky, & Broken China Distress inks. After I had what I felt was a good balance of colors, I peeled off the tape masks. Unfortunately, ink had "leaked" under the tape in a few small spots, but that was nothing that a white gel pen couldn't cover up - shhhh! 😉 I adhered the main panel to the navy mat, & set that aside.

 

For the image hexagon, I used Deep Red's "Lily Blossom." This is a stamp that I have had for a loooong time! I don't use it that often, but it seemed perfect for this card. I stamped it onto Strathmore vellum bristol paper with Altenew's Vanilla Cream ink, then die cut it with a We R Makers "Nesting Hexagon" die (discontinued). I wanted a soft color, but not quite as pale as for "no-line" coloring. I used my Prismacolor colored pencils to color the leaves & add shading to the flower petals. To help it stand out a bit, I inked around the edges of the hexagon with Stormy Sky Distress ink.

 

I pulled out another oldie-but-goodie stamp - Stampabilities' "Happy Easter 2016" (discontinued) - for the greeting. I heat embossed it on another scrap of mixed media paper, & inked over it with Tumbled Glass Distress ink. I blended on some Stormy Sky to the bottom for an ombre effect. After I did that, I realized I may have made a bit of an error in judgment. When I fussy cut (as I was here), I like to outline the greeting or image lightly in pencil first, to give myself a guideline to cut on. (I picked up this tip from Kristina Werner.) But I was afraid that, when I went to erase any errant pencil marks I might have, I might erase the ink as well. After thinking about it for a moment, I decided to see if my Frixion heat-erasable pen would work. So I tried it on a section of the paper that I knew I would cut away, & it worked like a charm. All I had to do was hit it with my heat gun & the ink disappeared without leaving a trace. Whew! So I outlined the greeting with my pen (leaving a little extra room around the greeting than I normally would) & then cut just inside those lines. Even cutting inside the lines, I did have a few pen marks in the end I didn't cut off, so I just erased them with a shot of hot air.

 

I die cut the leaves from mixed media paper with the smaller die from Simon Says Stamp's "Etched Laurel Leaves" set. I wanted a soft green that kind of matched the leaf color I'd achieved in the lily image. It turned out Cracked Pistachio Distress ink was a good match, so I added some of that to my non-stick craft mat, spritzed with a bit of water, & ink smooshed the die cut leaves. I dried that with my heat gun, & repeated a couple more times for the depth of color I wanted.

 

Finally it was time to assemble the card. I found a piece of patterned paper in my collection that had a very faint (as in almost imperceptible) yellow check pattern. I cut that to the full 5x7" card size, & adhered that to my white card base. I adhered the matted cross panel next. I decided where exactly I wanted the hexagon, & used that to help me position the leaf cluster, which I tacked down with a few drops of glue, leaving the tips of the leaves free. I glued down the hexagon, & then the greeting. I had to add a few bits of cardstock behind parts of the greeting, since it overlapped the various layers & so wouldn't otherwise lie flat. I am so pleased with how this card came out! My mom will send it to a priest friend of hers, who I hope will like it just as much.

 

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

 

• Double Trouble Challenge #211: "In with the Old, Out with the New" (used old stamps for a new project) TSOT #690
• The Paper Funday Challenge #85: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)
• 613 Avenue Create March Challenge: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)
• Die Cut Divas March Challenge: "Celebrate Spring"

Sweet Greetings

As always for their first challenge of the month, Christmas Card Throwdown is having a sketch challenge. Because of the direction my gingerbread house, from Hero Arts' "Color Layering Gingerbread House" (discontinued), is facing, I flipped the sketch horizontally. I also added a greeting strip, but otherwise, I stayed true to the sketch.

 

 

I found the patterned paper I used on the background, from The Paper Studio's "Christmas Candyland" letter-size pad, in my scrap stash. I actually had enough of that piece for 2 layering panels, so I went ahead & made 2 cards.

 

I used my MISTI stamp positioning tool to help with stamping the gingerbread house, since there are 4 stamps to line up to build the whole image. I stamped the main part of the house with Memento Toffee Crunch ink followed by Memento Peanut Brittle ink to give it a more golden color. I used Ranger Geranium archival ink, Lawn Fawn Noble Fir, & Memento Cottage Ivy for the red & greens. Since there is no coordinating die, I penciled an outline around the edges of my image, about 1/16" away, & fussy cut it with my scissors.

 

I really struggled with how to add the house to the background so it would stand out. Because the patterned paper is so busy, I couldn't just stick my image down, as it would just get lost. I didn't want to use a cardstock mat, just because it took up a large chunk of the panel & I didn't like the look. I tried surrounding the house a little with tissue paper, both white & sprayed with a dark green Distress Mica Stain, but didn't like the look of either.

 

I finally remembered a trick I've used before with white acrylic craft paint. I placed the house where I wanted it on my panel, and lightly traced the outline with a pencil. Then I smeared the paint on that area with my finger, keeping the outline not too far from the edges of the house and very organic. That did the trick, & all I had to do then was glue the house in place!

 

Before gluing down the house, though, I wanted to add a greeting. So I stamped the Sweet Greetings phrase from the same set onto a scrap of white cardstock with Noble Fir ink. I cut that into a strip, & layered it so the right end went behind the roof of my gingerbread house. I finished the card off by adhering a burgundy mat to my white A2-size card base & mounting my patterned paper panel to that. I will send this & its companion card to Send a Smile 4 Kids. Hopefully it will bring a smile to a hospitalized child this holiday season!

 

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

 

Send a Smile 4 Kids: "Holiday Cards 4 Kids"

613 Avenue Create November Challenge: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist) 

Two Cards - One Hour

 

Christmas Card Throwdown's Technique challenge this week has been "Quick Card." Basically, make a card in 30 minutes or less. Sounds easy, right? Well, suffice it to say my first attempt went over the 30 minutes by about 25 minutes more. Thankfully, I was able to scale back & get not just one, but 2 cards that meet the time constraint!

 

For my first card, I pulled out an oldie but a goodie - "Lovely as a Tree" from Stampin' Up (sadly discontinued). I began by cutting a white cardstock panel to 7x5". I used yellow Frog Tape to mask off the edges, leaving a rectangle in the middle. Then I stamped one of the images with Simon Says Stamp's Mint Candy ink. I wanted a misty appearance, inspired by this card, & this light green fit the bill quite nicely.

 

Without removing the tape, I ink blended in the center rectangle with Bundled Sage. Cracked Pistachio, & Iced Spruce Distress inks. I added extra Iced Spruce around the edges to darken them slightly for a vignette effect. Then I carefully removed the tape, being sure not to peel any of the cardstock up.

 

I stamped the pine tree from the same set off to one side with Simon Says Stamp's Laurel Green ink. I actually stamped it twice (thank heavens for the MISTI!) to get a slightly darker impression. I stamped the greeting, from WPlus9's "Poinsettia Bouquets" (discontinued) in that same color. For the snow on & under the tree, I daubed embossing ink on with a Distress embossing pen, then sprinkled Hero Arts' White Puff embossing powder over that. I brushed off some of the powder, as I'd gotten a bit heavy-handed with the ink, then melted what remained with my heat gun. Finally, I adhered my panel to an A7 card base.

 

 The inspiration for my second card came from this card by Chari Moss. I liked the glittery greenery & the simple CAS design.

 

I die cut the greenery & berries, from the Essentials by Ellen "Poinsettia & Pine set (discontinued), from green & red glitter cardstocks. For the background, I pulled an A2-size cream cardstock panel from my pre-cut card fronts stash. I stamped the greeting, from the Essentials by Ellen "Mistletoe & Holly" set (discontinued) in Candied Apple Distress Oxide ink. Again, my MISTI came in clutch, since I had to stamp it a few times to get a good impression. I trimmed the panel down to 4x5-1/4", and matted it with a dark brown cardstock that I'd adhered to a white A2 card base. I glued my greenery & berries at the top of the panel. I added the glue only to the stems, so the die cuts kind of "hang" freely. Finally, I tied a triple bow from gold DMC Diamant thread & adhered it to the top of the greenery. I don't normally do something this "bare," but I really like how it came out!

 

I'm also entering my first card in The Paper Funday's October "Anything Goes" Challenge (not playing the optional twist).

Woody Merry Christmas

This week's challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown is to use red, green, & brown on a holiday card. I have had this "Christmas" stamp from Recollections of a woody car carrying a tree (discontinued) literally for years & had never inked it up. I decided this was the perfect opportunity to use it.

I began by stamping the image onto a scrap of Canson XL watercolor paper. I painted it with my watercolors, using a gold watercolor from the Fine-Tec Pearlescent Colors to paint the baubles on the wreath & garland. After it had dried, I used my craft knife to cut out the windows, and then fussy cut around the outside of the image with my scissors. I used a black brush-tip marker to "paint" all the exposed edges of the watercolor paper, just to make everything look more seamless. When I had finished all that, I just kind of looked at it & wondered where to go from there.

My first instinct was a snow globe shaker card, but because of the length of the car, it would have been a massive snow globe, unless I made it oval-shaped, which I wasn't too keen on. I also toyed with the idea of stamping some pine branches onto my card front & "hanging" the car from them, as if it were a Christmas ornament. I finally decided to stop overthinking it & just make a traditional shaker card (minus the snow globe element).

I found a piece of burgundy patterned paper in my scrap stash that was big enough to use as a panel on my 6-1/2 x 5-1/4" card. I cut that panel to 1/16" smaller than my card base on each side, & used a "Nesting Ovals Die" from Waffle Flower to cut the center window. I cut a piece of white cardstock the same size, & die cut a window with the next smaller oval die, so it would create a mat around my shaker window. Then I adhered those panels together.

I cut a piece of kraft cardstock slightly smaller than my burgundy & white panels, & adhered my image to that. To create "snow," I used a Ranger Distress Embossing Dabber to pounce embossing ink through the "Falling Snow Splatter" stencil from Simon Says Stamp onto my panel & car. I sprinkled on Hero Arts White Sparkle embossing powder & melted that with my heat gun. To further enhance the snowy scene, I applied ink with the Embossing Dabber to the car tires & area under the car & heat embossed with the same powder.

I used double-sided tape to adhere a piece of Grafix Dura-Lar acetate to the back of my window panel. Before adding my foam tape, I went ahead & stamped the greeting, from Hero Arts' "Holiday Cardinal" set, with StazOn Cotton White ink onto the acetate. Then I added 2 layers of foam tape all around the edges with diagonal pieces of tape in the corners closer to the oval window. I removed the backing paper from the foam tape, & poured in some clear seed beads, being careful not to let the panel "jump" & send any beads flying. Finally, I adhered a second piece of acetate to the foam tape to seal in the beads. (This was a trick I learned from Nina-Marie Trapani, to provide less friction to anything inside the shaker.)

To adhere my image panel behind my shaker, I added double-sided tape to the back piece of acetate on my shaker panel. I peeled back part of the liner paper on each strip to expose only some of the adhesive. (I got that trick from Julie Ebersole.) Then I carefully positioned the window over the image panel so the car was centered side-to-side within the window & not directly behind the greeting. I pressed the panel down so the exposed adhesive stuck to the corners of the image panel, & then carefully pulled back the remainder of the liner paper. I made sure everything stuck securely. I added a 6-1/2 x 5-1/4" kraft panel to my white card base, & finally adhered my shaker panel to the card front with tacky glue. This way I can make sure it will NOT fall off!

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

Allsorts Challenge #834: "Traditional Christmas Colors"
Little Red Wagon Challenge #829: "Captain's Log" (painted woodgrain pattern on the Woody car panels)
613 Avenue Create October 2025 Challenge: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)
Die Cut Divas October Challenge: "Anything Goes"
The Paper Funday October Challenge #81: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: "Get Ready for Christmas"

Peace

 

This week's challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown is to use the colors teal & silver. Small amounts of black &/or white are allowed, but the primary colors need to be teal & silver.

I began by heat embossing the large background image from WPlus9's "Joyful Poinsettia" stamp set (discontinued) in silver onto a panel of white Hammermill 100 lb. cover weight cardstock. I love this particular cardstock for stamping and ink blending, as it is very smooth & not overly absorbent. Once I melted the embossing powder & let it cool for a few seconds, I ink blended over the entire panel with Salvaged Patina Distress ink. Then I went around the sides with Mermaid Lagoon Distress ink, not going all the way to the center so there would be a bit of a "glow" effect from the Salvaged Patina. Finally, to up the drama & contrast, I ink blended just around the edges with Uncharted Mariner, which is a deep teal blue color. I did a little more blending with Salvaged Patina, just to smooth the transitions among the 3 shades, & then wiped off any ink sitting on the embossing with a dry cloth.

I had a leftover peace die cut (made with a discontinued die from Winnie & Walter) sitting on my desk from a previous project It was white, but I thought it might work for a greeting if I die cut it from silver metallic cardstock. Not to let anything go to waste, I decided to layer the silver word with a couple of white die cuts, just for a bit more dimension. So I die cut the peace from Recollections Silver Foil cardstock & a scrap of white cardstock, & glued all 3 layers together.

To finish my card, I adhered my emboss-resist background panel to a white A2 top-fold card base. Then I glued the layered peace die cut on, centered on the panel. I considered adding some sequins or something, but decided to leave it as-is.

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

Paper Funday Challenge #80: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)

Die Cut Divas September challenge: "Anything Goes"

613 Avenue Create September challenge: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)

Joy to You Teepee Card

The August technique challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown is to create a teepee card. (Because there were 5 Saturdays in August, this challenge ran through today.) To my knowledge, I have never so much as heard of a teepee card, so went looking for a tutorial. (The challenge hostess did provide a link to a video tutorial, but I found another one by Sam Calcott at Mixed Up Craft that was easier for me to follow.) I discovered a benefit with a card like this is the base can be made from a lighter weight cardstock, as long as you add the mats & layers with a good, strong glue. So I used Beacon 3-in-1 glue for the main construction on my card layers.

I began by creating the panels for my card base. Initially, I was going to have it be from sprayed/ink-smooshed panels. So I cut three 5x5" squares from Strathmore Mixed Media paper - a heavyweight paper that can take a lot of water well. I pulled out my never-before-used Distress Oxide sprays in Milled Lavender, Seedless Preserves, & Blueprint Sketch to color my panels. I quickly gave up on the Milled Lavender, as it was just too pale to compete with the other two colors. After I finished spraying, I dried the panels with my heat gun & did a bit of ink smooshing with Villainous Potion Distress Oxide ink to add a bit more contrast. I also added water droplets with my Distress Sprayer. I didn't pick up the water with a cloth, but rather just dried the panels with the water on them for a less-bleached look. Finally, I used Frozen Fog Distress Mica Stain to add a shimmery spritzing to my panels.

I glued the panels together, positioned as per the tutorial, & quickly ran into my first problem. Apparently, if you use one-sided cardstock like I basically did, it does matter which way the cardstock layers face. I managed to glue one panel facing the wrong way (so the back showed when the card was popped up, rather than the front). 😝 Because I used a strong glue to adhere my panels together, I had no way to undo my mistake. Rather than start over though, I just shifted course. I was able to cut the triangular layers that would go on top from my "ruined" card base, & cut new card base pieces from solid cardstock. Problem solved! So I went ahead & cut my triangular mats to size from Recollections Silver Foil cardstock & glued those mats & layers to the card base. I also added 2 small bits of Velcro where the one side overlapped the other to keep the card closed when it's upright.

Angled view of card

My original idea for decorating was to use ornaments & make it a "Christmas tree." So I stamped & die cut several ornaments using the "Holiday Style" stamps & dies from Sunny Studio Stamps. When I looked at them on my card, though, I just wasn't feeling it. So I shifted course again & decided to die cut snowflakes from white glitter cardstock. Fortunately, I had a large enough scrap of glitter cardstock in my stash to accommodate several snowflakes. I die cut the snowflakes with the "Paper Snowflakes Mini" set by Tim Holtz (discontinued). I used matte Perfect Paper Adhesive glue to adhere them all in place. I did keep Sam Calcott's tip in mind to have overhanging bits on a particular side, so they don't overhang the card edges when it's folded flat. (That would necessitate using an even larger envelope.) In the end, I only had the one large snowflake overhanging an edge, but it's still a good point to keep in mind.

For the greeting on the front, I used the "Season's greetings" from Honey Bee Stamps' "Pretty Poinsettias" stamp set (discontinued). But wait - the greeting says "Joy to you." Yep - another course shift. I stamped the Season's greetings in Villainous Potion Distress Oxide ink, die cut it with the coordinating die, & adhered it to my card with liquid glue, with the card laying flat. I put an acrylic block on top to keep the greeting from popping up, & left it for a couple of days. When I removed the block, I noticed 2 problems: a bit of the ink had bled (presumably "encouraged" by moisture coming through the cardstock from the glue) & when I propped the card in its display position, the greeting slanted. I had aligned it parallel to the bottom of the triangle, not even thinking that that side would slant when the card was popped up. Again - liquid glue = no clean removal. I was in no way about to start over, though, so I found the Joy to you greeting in Simon Says Stamp's "Holiday Greetings" set (discontinued). I stamped it - again with Villainous Potion - & die cut it with a Hero Arts "Nesting Oval Infinity" die. I die cut 2 more ovals & layered them behind the greeting oval for more stability. I made sure this time to add liquid glue only around the edge of the oval, where it shouldn't affect the ink. Finally, I used a combination of double-sided tape & liquid glue to adhere it to the card front, covering my messed-up greeting. This time, I made sure to have the card propped up so I could level the greeting correctly. And that FINALLY finished this card! It was quite a journey with a few twists & turns, but I wouldn't hesitate to make another, especially now that I know the pitfalls to avoid!

I am also entering this in the following challenges:

Little Red Wagon Challenge #823: "Fancy Fold"

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday September challenge: "Anything Goes"

613 Avenue Create Challenge: "Anything Goes" (not playing the twist)

Happy Holidays Ornaments

This month's color challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown is "Baby Blue, White, & Light Brown." I had gotten the "Holiday Ornaments" stamp set by Pretty Pink Posh several months ago, & it's been lying on my desk ever since, waiting for me to use it. I thought this was the perfect occasion to break it out.

I decided to use Gansai Tambi Pearl Colors watercolors to paint the ornaments, just to give them a little extra pizzaz. I stamped them on Strathmore mixed media paper & painted them with the blue & white paints in the set. I had to water down the blue quite a bit to get it to the right value, but it worked out great in the end. After the paint dried, I noticed that parts of the white areas seemed a bit dingy when I looked at them at certain angles, so I went over those areas with another layer of the white pearlescent watercolor. That improved things. The problem might have been different thicknesses of the paint layers catching the light oddly. At any rate, after the paint had thoroughly dried, I fussy cut each ornament with my scissors & poked holes through the ornament hangers.

I die cut a panel of light kraft cardstock with one of the "Stitched Indented Rectangles" from Elizabeth Craft Designs (discontinued). After putting white metallic thread through the ornament hangers, I glued the ornaments in place on my panel. I folded the thread ends to the back of the panel & adhered them in place with double-sided tape. After the glue dried thoroughly, I heat embossed my greeting, from Honey Bee Stamps' "Pretty Poinsettias" stamp set (discontinued). Finally, I adhered my panel to a white A2 card base.

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

Ellibelle's Corner I Spy with My Little Eye Challenge: "Something to Celebrate"

Ellibelle's Corner Crafty Wednesday Challenge: "Anything Goes"

The Paper Funday Challenges #79: "Anything Goes" (not playing the twist)

Happy Holidays

This week's stash challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown is all about heat embossing and/or foiling. I decided to go the foil route with this card. The camera doesn't do the shine justice, but take my word for it - in the light, you need sunglasses to look at it! :)

I began by creating my background. I taped one of the stencils from Vicki Boutin's "Peppermint" set (discontinued) over an A2-size panel of dark teal cardstock. I applied Liquitex Heavy Gloss Gel medium over the stencil, then pulled the stencil off - VERY carefully so as not to smudge the gel! After the medium dried completely, I laid my silver Minc foil over the panel & ran it through my Mini Minc machine. Then I trimmed 1/8" off two sides, so I would have a narrow border around my panel on my card. Because I used a gloss medium, the foil sticks to it when you run it through a Minc, laminator, etc. This only works with toner foil, not hot foil, & a gloss medium. You can even use something like gloss Mod Podge, though you might not get the dimensional effect you do with a gel medium. (I learned this technique from Lindsay Weirich, at The Frugal Crafter YouTube channel.)

I die cut the greeting & its shadow layer using the "Jolly Holiday Greetings" set from Concord & 9th. I actually cut the shadow layer twice from white cardstock & glued them together to make it thicker. Because the cardstock was on the thinner side, I was concerned it might not layer over the dimensional foiled background with only one piece of cardstock without being bumpy. I glued the "happy" to the backer with liquid glue, but I noticed a little of the cardstock dye ran when the glue squidged out a little. So I ran the "holidays" through my Xyron 1.5" Create-a-Sticker to apply adhesive to the back. That worked out much better. Thankfully, I was able to touch up the few spots where the dye ran with a white gel pen.

I used Honey Bee Stamps' "Winter Greenery" die set for my berry branches & leaves. I die cut the berries from two different red cardstock scraps. For the branches, I didn't have the color brown I wanted in my scraps, so I ink blended Gathered Twigs Distress ink & onto a scrap of a pale brown cardstock. Then I cut my branches out of that, & my leaves from a pale green cardstock.

To position everything, I laid my greeting onto the panel without gluing it down, & used that as a guide. After I had placed my branches & leaves, sticking out from behind the greeting, I carefully removed the greeting layer & glued my embellishments down with liquid glue. At first, I just tacked down the ends that went behind the greeting to hold everything in place, then went back & glued the rest of each die cut in place. I glued my berries to the branches, & finally glued down my greeting with liquid glue. I put a couple of heavy acrylic blocks on top of the greeting to hold it securely until the glue dried. All I had left to do then was adhere it to a white A2-size card base.

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

• Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge: "Anything Goes"
• Creative Knockouts Challenge #551: "Sparkle & Shine"
• Ellibelle's Corner I Spy with My Little Eye Challenge: "Something to Celebrate"
• The Paper Funday Challenge #78: "Anything Goes with Optional Twist - Fun with Stencils" (playing the twist)

Season's Greetings Mouse

This week's challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown is a sketch challenge. I followed the sketch pretty literally, just slightly changing the lengths of the strips going across to incorporate my greeting into the design better.

CCT July 2025 Sketch

I decided to pull out the "Merry Little Mice" stamp set from Honey Bee for my focal image. I actually got this set during their New Year's Eve sale last year, but it has sat in my as-yet-unused stash since. This seemed to be the perfect occasion to use it though.

I decided to begin with the background, since I was using white pigment ink & that would need time to dry. I got out my Penny Black "Dotlets" stencil (discontinued) & stenciled onto a panel of kraft cardstock with Lawn Fawn's Yeti ink. After I hit it with my heat gun to speed the drying a little, as well as letting it sit & air dry for a few hours, I replaced the stencil. I shifted the stencil slightly to one side & up, & inked over it again with Candied Apple Distress ink. My intended look was offset stenciling, but it didn't quite match my vision in the end. While the bit on each circle where the red ink is not over the white does look a hint darker if you look at it just right, it's not truly as noticeable as it should be. I'm not sure what happened, but I think maybe the kraft cardstock I used is just too pale to allow the darker ink color. I might need to experiment with this technique more. At any rate, I decided it's OK, & moved on.

I stamped the image in Versafine Onyx Black ink onto a second piece of kraft cardstock. I don't often color on kraft cardstock with my colored pencils, but decided it would complement my stenciled panel better than white. I used my Prismacolor pencils, & then cut out the image with the coordinating die. Because the pencils covered some of the black stamped lines with a colored haze, I tried going over them with a black felt-tip pen. Unfortunately, the ink wouldn't really mark on the waxy finish, so I ended up using my black colored pencil. That worked much better, so a little pro tip there. Finally, I used a black glaze pen to go over the mouse's eyes & nose to give them a bit of shine.

For the greeting, I pulled out my "Sentiment Strips: Christmas" set from Pretty Pink Posh. I stamped it onto a scrap of white cardstock with the Versafine black ink. I cut it into a 3/8"-wide strip to match the 3/8" wide ribbon I wanted to use for the accent strip on my card.

To assemble the card, I first trimmed my stenciled panel to 4x5-1/4". I adhered green cardstock to my white A2 card base to mat my main panel. I cut a piece of patterned paper from the "Christmas Plaids" 6x6" pad from Recollections, & adhered that to my stenciled panel to go behind my mouse. I wrapped the striped ribbon around the panel & adhered the ends to the back. I added my greeting strip, & trimmed the ends slightly to fit the width of the panel. Finally, I adhered the stenciled panel to my card base, & glued the mouse on. I am really pleased with how this card came out, & will send it to Send a Smile 4 Kids. Hopefully it will bring some joy to a hospitalized child this coming holiday season!

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

Send a Smile 4 Kids: "Christmas in July 4 Kids"

Creative Knockouts Challenge #550: "Christmas in July"

The Paper Funday Challenge #78: "Anything Goes" (playing the "fun with stencils" optional twist)

Peace, Love, & Joy

This week at Christmas Card Throwdown is their "Pillar Tower Card" theme challenge. I had to look up how to make one, and found a good tutorial on Splitcoaststampers (which, unfortunately, I can't find now!). I decided to be a little extra on this one & use die cut trees for my panels rather than rectangles. Even with having to figure out how to make that work, this card didn't really take all that long.

I made a mock-up first with just scrap paper to see if my idea would work. Thankfully it worked without any difficulties. I began the actual card by choosing 7 patterned papers from an old pad from The Paper Studio. (My paper was single-sided, so I needed to glue my papers back-to-back to have patterns on both sides.) Two of the papers I actually found in my (ahem - vast) scraps collection, but for the rest I sadly had to cut into "virgin" sheets. I'm sure I'll use the large leftovers for something, though!

Once I cut my papers to size, I die cut each one, plus a piece of cream cardstock, with one of the "Nested Fir Trees" from Scrapbook.com. I used one of the cut trees from my mock-up as a pattern, & cut a small section off 3 of the trees. I glued those back-to-back with 3 uncut trees, & then used scissors to cut the uncut trees down. I just figured this would be easier than trying to cut everything first & then possibly have the straight edges not line up perfectly due to miscuts.

I made my pillar from a scrap of Bazzill Butter Mints cardstock. I cut it a little shorter than the full height of my card, since the trees obviously weren't rectangular & I didn't want my pillar to stick out at the top & bottom. I scored the 4-1/2 x 3-1/2" panel every 1" along the long side, folded & burnished along the score lines, then added glue to the 1/2" tab at the one end to glue the panel into a hollow rectangular prism shape. I was able to glue my trees to that, lining up the straight edge of each with one edge of the pillar.

After I cut the left section off my cream tree, I stamped a greeting from the "A Holy Holiday" by Paper Smooches (discontinued). (Having the side piece cut off made it much easier to line everything up in my MISTI stamp positioning tool.) I glued that to the last (uncut) patterned paper tree, cut off the excess as for the others, & glued that to my pillar. While I would have liked to have a star at the top, I couldn't make that work. (Believe me, I tried!) So this first Christmas card for our personal stash is done!

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

Paper Funday Challenge #78: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)

Creative Knockouts Challenge #550: "Christmas in July"

No One Elf

The theme this week for Christmas Card Throwdown's challenge is "Santa's Helper." For my card, I used this cute upside-down elf selfie image & greeting from the "Christmas sELFies" stamp set from My Favorite Things (discontinued).

I stamped the image onto a scrap of 140 lb. watercolor paper with Versafine Onyx Black ink. After heat setting the ink, I used my Inktense pencils & damp paintbrush to color the elf & ornament. I added a pale blue wash around the image, & dried it with my heat gun.

I die cut one of the frames from the "Polaroid Tag Set" from Mama Elephant from plain white cardstock. I adhered that over the image. Thankfully, the window in the frame was *just* the right size to cover the black border on the image, as I didn't want that line showing. Whew! The first time I adhered the frame, I actually had the image upside-down. I didn't even notice this until I used the frame-with-image to "audition" patterned papers! Fortunately, I had used double-sided tape to adhere the 2 together, so with a little Undu adhesive remover, I was able to flip the image panel around.

For the background, I found a scrap of an old patterned paper from The Paper Studio in my stash. I cut it to size, & matted it with green cardstock that I'd adhered to my A2-size white card base.

I stamped the greeting in 2 parts onto a scrap of Bazzill Icy Mint cardstock. I masked off the second part of the greeting with a small piece of painter's tape, inked up the rest of the stamp, removed the mask (always the most important step for this technique!), & stamped the text. I flipped the cardstock 180° & repeated the process to stamp the second part of the greeting. I cut them into small strips, & adhered them to the bottom of my frame, a little askew for a more playful look.

After I adhered my frame to my card (again - almost upside-down 😕), I die cut the clip from the "Polaroid Tag Set" from silver shimmer cardstock. The die actually cuts so you can fold the clip in half along the top. I suppose that's if you need the back to be as nice as the front. I didn't need that, though, so I just cut it in half at the top fold line, & glued it in place. Finally, I coated the ornament ball & jingle bell with Glossy Accents. I will send this card to Send a Smile 4 Kids later this year. Hopefully it will bring a smile to a hospitalized child's face.

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

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday challenge: "Anything Goes"

Paper Funday Challenge #77: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday June/July challenge: "Anything Goes"

613 Avenue Create's June Challenge: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)

Yappy Mother's Day

Every year for Mother's Day, I create a card for my sister-in-law from their dog. This year the current challenges at Double Trouble Paper Crafting & Try a Sketch on Tuesday inspired my color choices & design. (Melissa Grant's card featured at TSOT inspired the stenciling on my card.)

Double Trouble's challenge, as usual, is a 3-2-1 Recipe challenge. The elements this month are 3 pastel colors (excluding neutrals), 2 words in one greeting, & 1 slimline card (either mini or full-size). You can exceed the numbers of elements, but need to include at least that many of each. I went with Tattered Rose, Squeezed Lemonade, & Cracked Pistachio Distress inks for my pastels; a 3-word greeting; & a mini slimline card.

I stamped the puppy from Hero Arts' "Fawn and Friends" stamp set (discontinued) onto a scrap of Strathmore vellum bristol paper, & colored it to look like their dog, Glennis. Then I die cut it with the coordinating die.

For the background, I used my chosen Distress inks to color over the "Gingham" stencil by Tim Holtz. Inspired by the sketch, I masked off each section as I ink blended, moving the masks as necessary.

I stamped my greeting with Lawn Fawn's "Harold's ABCs," using their Doe ink for a softer look. I cut each word into a strip, & inked the edges with the same Distress ink colors I'd used for the background, going in the same color order as I'd done the stenciling.

To ground the puppy, I die cut a heart from white cardstock with a die from the Nellie's Choice "Straight Heart" set (discontinued). I laid it on my background where I wanted it & made tick marks where it overlapped each stenciled section. I masked off each section as I'd done with the background & inked in the corresponding colors. Then I glued that to my background, & glued the puppy on top.

I adhered my greeting strips, angling them for a more playful look. Finally, I adhered my panel to a white mini slimline card base. All I have left to do now is add an inside sentiment, & this card will be ready to present.

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

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge: "Make It Girly"

Ellibelle's Corner: Ellibelle's Corner April Challenge: "Anything Goes"

Paper Funday Challenge #75: "Anything Goes" (not playing the twist)

Holiday Greetings - From Rudolph & Friends

This week's challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown is "Sparkle." The inspiration for my card came from this one by Teri Pocock that I had saved on one of my Pinterest boards. I added my sparkle with Christmas Red Stickles glitter glue on Rudolph's nose as well as fake "snow" flakes along the tops of my snowy hills.

I began by punching my reindeer heads with the Stampin' Up "Owl" punch (discontinued). I punched a total of 9, so that I had extras to layer behind each head for increased sturdiness. I inked the edges of each with Walnut Stain Distress ink, including the layering pieces. For the antlers, I used a branch die from Honey Bee Stamps "Lovely Layers: Winter Greenery" set. I die cut it twice from dark brown cardstock, & trimmed off bits to add to my reindeer. I used a 3/8" circle die from Waffle Flower's "Additional Circles" to cut 2 brown noses & 1 red one. I glued the antlers to the backs of the main head pieces, and then glued the layering head pieces on, sandwiching the antlers in between. I don't know if this truly gives the antlers extra strength, but I figure it can't hurt! I glued the noses in place, added a bit of blush to their cheeks with a pink Prismacolor pencil, & used a white gel pen to add freckles to each. Finally, I applied a generous coat of Stickles to Rudolph's nose, & set that aside to dry.

I cut a panel of light blue cardstock to 4x5-1/4" for my background. I used My Favorite Things' "Snow Drifts" dies (discontinued) to cut 2 snow hills for the front. To create the fence, I die cut brown cardstock with 2 of the "Barn Wood Planks" dies from Honey Bee Stamps multiple times. I cut them narrower & shorter, & then glued each to a scrap of kraft cardstock for sturdiness. I trimmed the kraft around each plank, & cut one end of each of the vertical pieces to a point. Then I glued the vertical planks to my background panel, & glued the horizontal piece on top.

I stamped my greeting, from Simon Says Stamp's "Merry and Bright" (discontinued) in Festive Berries Distress Oxide ink onto the bottom of my front snow bank. I heat set that, to keep the ink from smearing, & then glued down my snowy hills. To keep the hills level with the fence, I first glued a scrap of white cardstock to the bottom of my background, extending down from the bottom of the fence pickets, to support the hills. Finally, I added a bead of Glossy Accents to the top of each hill, & pressed clear iridescent flakes of "snow" into that. I set that aside to dry for a few hours.

After the Stickles & Glossy Accents had dried, I assembled my card. I added my deer heads with foam tape along the top of the fence. I glued on googly eyes to each with Ranger Multi Medium Matte. To finish, I added a red cardstock mat to my white A2 card base, & then adhered my panel to that.

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

Ellibelle's Corner: "Anything Goes"

Paper Funday: "Anything Goes" (not playing the twist)

1 Sketch - 2 Cards

Christmas Card Throwdown has a Sketch Challenge this week. For both my cards, I was able to make use of scraps & frames from my stash, which always makes me happy!

I used images from the Essentials by Ellen "Santa's List" stamp set (discontinued) for both of my cards. I found a couple of chipboard frames in a desk drawer that I have had for years. I picked out one for each card to use for the smaller element in the sketch. 

For my first card, I stamped the reindeer onto a panel of Strathmore vellum bristol paper that I'd cut to fit behind the frame. I masked off the deer, and then stamped the tree from the set "behind" the deer & another on the right side of the panel. I masked the first tree I stamped & stamped a third tree next to it. I was very careful to make sure the baseline of each image that was behind another was higher in the scene than what was in front, to make sure they truly looked like they were in the background. I colored the images with my Prismacolor pencils, & then used white acrylic craft paint to splatter snow over the scene.

I covered the frame with a scrap of patterned paper that was larger than the frame. When the glue had dried, I used my craft knife to cut around the outside of the frame & cut out the center opening. After I used a nail buffer to smooth the edges, I inked around the inside & outside with Barn Door Distress Oxide ink to finish everything off. The frame already had holes punched in the bottom section, so punched through those in the patterned paper. I threaded some red ribbon through them & tied a bow in the middle. Finally, I glued my scene panel behind the frame.

I got my greeting from Simon Says Stamp's "Merry & Bright" stamp set (discontinued). I die cut 2 tabs from white cardstock with one of the "Tab" dies from Creek Bank Creations (one for each card), & stamped my greeting onto those. I glued one to to back of my reindeer frame so it peeked out from the top.

I adhered my patterned paper (again from my scrap stash) to the left of my card front, & then glued the frame on top. As a finishing touch, I added a drop of Christmas Red Stickles to the reindeer's nose. (I just had to make him Rudolph!)

I kept my design for my second card even closer to the sketch. I used most of the same processes & products to create this one. I stamped the sleigh onto a panel of vellum bristol. I also stamped Santa onto vellum bristol, and cut him out with the coordinating die. I stamped the list image onto a scrap of heavyweight white cardstock, & die cut that as well. I used my Prismacolor pencils to color Santa & the sleigh & sky on the image panel. I also added some shine to Santa's eyes & buttons with a black glaze pen. Then I glued the list to his hand & a bit behind the bottom corner of his coat.

To ink the edges of the frame, I used Shabby Shutters Distress Oxide ink. I glued the image panel behind my frame, and glued Santa on top. Because he overlapped the inner edge of my frame, I added foam tape under him in that part to give more support. I also used foam tape under the edge of the list that overhung the outer edge of the frame. I adhered my patterned paper panel to the card front, & then glued my frame element to the card. As a finishing touch, I squeezed a dollop of Tulip Puffy fabric paint to the pompom on top of Santa's hat. I let that dry (as per the instructions), and then steamed it with an iron to puff it up. I will send both cards to Send a Smile 4 Kids, hopefully to bring some holiday joy to a couple of hospitalized kiddos!

I'm also entering these cards in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge: "Use Patterned Paper"

Send a Smile 4 Kids October Challenge: "Holiday/Celebration Cards 4 Kids"

Ellibelle's Corner October Wednesday Challenge: "Anything Goes"

613 Avenue Create October Challenge: "Anything Goes" (not playing the twist)

Die Cut Divas October Challenge: "Anything Goes on a Card for World Card Making Day"

Season's Greetings (Faux) Postage

I have another floral-themed Christmas card for Christmas Card Throwdown's "Flower/Flourish" challenge. Nichol Spohr's work strongly inspired the look of this card, especially these cards she recently shared. While I didn't have any of the stamps or dies she used, I loved the overall look of her cards, & just put my own spin on her techniques.

I began by creating my faux postage stamps. I die cut the outer part from a scrap of white cardstock with one of the "Postage Stamp Squares" by Elizabeth Craft Designs (discontinued). I didn't have a square die exactly the dimensions I needed, so I used my paper trimmer to cut 3 squares from Strathmore smooth bristol paper. I stamped the poinsettia from Hero Arts' "Vintage Christmas Post" set (discontinued) on each square, varying the orientation & how much of the flower showed. I used the "2" from Sunny Studio Stamps' "Kinsley Alphabet" stamp set for the postage amount, & just drew a cents symbol with a black felt-tipped pen. I hit each square with my heat gun to make sure the ink was totally dry, and then colored with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers. Finally, I glued each square centered on its background.

For the frame, I centered a Waffle Flower "Additional A2 Layers" die inside a "Scallop Rectangles" die from Pink & Main. I taped the dies together, & cut 5 frames from white cardstock. I glued them together, one on top of another, to create a more dimensional frame.

I cut a panel of white Hammermill cardstock to A2 size, and ink blended an ombre background with Shabby Shutters, Mowed Lawn, & Rustic Wilderness Distress inks. I only wanted my background stamping inside the framed area. So after I finished ink blending, I determined how much of the panel I needed to mask off around the framed area. It ended up being about 3/8", so I applied yellow Frog tape around the perimeter of my panel. I then stamped the "Crackle Background" from Simon Says Stamp with white pigment ink. I used a dry cloth to wipe the ink off the tape (so the ink wouldn't smear onto my panel), then carefully removed the tape. I thoroughly dried the ink with my heat tool, to ensure the embossing powder for my greeting wouldn't stick everywhere.

After deciding where to place my "postage stamps," I positioned my greeting stamp, from Honey Bee's "Pretty Poinsettias" set (discontinued). I stamped with clear embossing ink, and then heat embossed with Ranger White Super Fine Detail embossing powder.

To bring the card together, I first adhered my background to a white card base. I added my postage stamps, & finally adhered the frame in place. I hope I have done Nichol proud, and will definitely employ these techniques in future cards! :)

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

613 Avenue Create: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: "Anything Goes"

Paper Funday Challenge #69: "Anything Goes" (playing the optional twist to make your own background)

Double Trouble Challenge #175: "Any Way You Punch It"