Stencilled Snowmen

The current challenge at Jingle Belles is a colour challenge, whereby we must use at least 3 of the colours provided in this graphic.

And the current technique challenge at 52 Card Throwdown is Stencilling. 

 I am also entering this in the Addicted to Stamps & More! Christmas Challenge.           

 

Here's the card!

This vibrant and stencilled snowman card fits the bill! I used the Waffle Flower postal collage dies and snowman stencils and stamps to create this fun card. I used Distress Inks to create a northern lights background for the snowmen and set them on a dry embossed panel.

That was a different way for me to use the stencils and dies. Normally I leave the framed elements all together in a postal panel. The variations are in the framing, and the little embellishments added here and there. Those are generally dictated by where I have smudged something nd need to cover it up! Here is a sampling of those types of cards. It's like a fun Where's Waldo search to try and spot the differences in them. Thanks for visiting!

Balloon Banner

 At Seize the Birthday the challenge is:

This Clean and Simple card fits the bill. I used Taylored Expressions stamps and dies and a Sizzix stars embossing folder. Popped up a few balloons with foam tape.

I was also inspired by the Monday CAS challenge at Splitcoaststampers to use a balloon.

Freshly Made Sketches #735

 

I find card sketches to be super challenging, but in a good way! Sometimes it is good to stretch beyond the norm. When I saw this sketch I immediately thought of a Waffle Flower Stencil I had not used called Postal Collage Envelope Stencil. 

I thought it would be fun to line up the envelopes in this staggered grid.

The stencil is a two-part affair, the flaps are inked first and then the body. I ended up cutting them out by hand as lining them up on a card front was a little tricky. I used Distress Inks.

I am entering it on the FMS blog. 

Sketch Challenge - Modern

As promised in my last post, here is a more modern take on the sketch challenge at the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Facebook Group. The sketch was:

My card this time features skinny strips of patterned Lawn Fawn papers that I cut and glued to get the background.

Rather than a circle, I used an ANCIENT Cuttlebug die, possibly one of the first I bought, with a matching embossing folder for an ornament made from one of the Lawn Fawn papers. I heat embossed the corner sentiment in super fine white, which is a Waltzingmouse Stamp (retired).

Same sketch, two very different cards!

Vintage Santa

I have made a vintage Santa card for the month-long sketch challenge at the private Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Facebook group. They have a blog for inspiration, but the gallery of cards submitted for this sketch is over on Facebook. I always struggle to remember that's where we need to go to enter a card! Here is the sketch.

When I saw this I immediately thought of the cover image for a Pink Paislee 8X8 inch pad of printed cardstock that I have loved to use over the past decade. It was called City Sidewalks and I am down to my last three sheets, and the cover, which featured snippets of all the paper styles in the pad. So this card is a bit of a cheat because all the "brickwork layout" in the background was done for me!

The Santa and girl is a paper coaster I re-purposed here in a nod to the Peace on Earth Day challenge at Jingle Belles to create a holiday card that features re-cycled, re-used or up-cycled elements. A red ribbon and tiny ruby gems were accents. The sentiment seemed best stamped in red.

I have a modern version of this sketch card coming in a second post. Very different vibe!

Addicted to CAS #306

 

I cannot say I am "addicted" to Clean and Simple Cards but I greatly admire them. I struggle with them, but the current challenge is a postage theme and I am a sucker for mail-related items. Some of my first red rubber stamps way back when were postoids (faux postage) and quite artsy. Still have 'em!

I ended up with TWO cards from this challenge - using a positive die cut and negative. First up - Stampington & Co's Large Cancellation stamped in soft grey and framed with the leftover scalloped
frame from another postage project.

I diecut the Pinkfresh blooms out of the background, and then inlaid the diecut back into the hole, and added purple bits to the blooms.

A little dry embossed hello strip serves as the greeting.

My friend Sandy Phillips recently posted a swap card where she deckle-edged the negative space from die-cutting to frame the "hole"and I thought it was a great idea. 

I used microglitter in shades of lilac and green to fill in the negative space. This is called Burnished Velvet Technique. I burnished (rubbed) the glitter into double-sided tape and in real life it sparkles quite nicely. Some Waffle Flower postage stamps finished off the card.

*Challenges:  Addicted to CAS #306; Addicted to Stamps & More #515.

Doggone Birthday Card

Here is a sweet and simple dog-themed birthday card, perfect for a fellow who likes dogs. I fussy-cut the dog out of white cardstock, and the cake. Coloured with Copic markers.

 

I am entering this in the Seize the Birthday blog challenge for Anything Goes.

Making Tracks

Belated wishes for a Merry Christmas to you and yours! This Christmas card features the Spellbinders Special Delivery dies along with Penny Black Tall Trees and the Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Borders.

Any photos I have seen of this car show the rear lights as yellow, but brake lights are red, so I made sure to make that teeny, tiny die cut in red cardstock

I am entering this in:

Die Cut Divas Christmas/Winter December Challenge

Inkspirational Challenge #357 - Designer's Choice - COLD

Cut it Up Challenge #346 ~ Anything Goes

12 Months of Christmas Link Up

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Stitched Blooms Happy Birthday

 

Here's a card for a birthday that uses Spellbinders dies and a stencil (from the Let's Stamp Together subscription package) and a little stitching. Banner die also Spellbinders.

I used some Pearlescent stencil paste through the stencil to get a background with a bit of texture. Envelope embellished with a stencilled die cut.

I am entering this in Seize the Birthday #254 (Anything Goes).

World Cardmaking Day Challenge #3

 

The third World Cardmaking Day Challenge from Scrapbook & Cards Today was to use one stamp for the background and the focal image of a card. I chose this coffee pot from Waltzingmouse Stamps as I needed a masculine birthday card for a coffee lover. 

World Cardmaking Day Challenge #5

 

This was one of five challenges issued by Scrapbook & Cards Today. The challange was to weave something with paper strips to create a card.

I used offcuts of special alcohol ink backgrounds and metallic cardstock that I had saved from other projects.

I added some diecut butterflies and a few sequins.