Friday, November 29, 2019

Fall & Christmas

I can’t believe that the Beccy’s Place  7th Annual Month of Holiday Cards Challenge is almost over.  During the last few years, I was able to participate everyday… but this year's work and health issues messed up that plan! I’m glad that I did get several cards made and entered as Beccy is one of my favorite people in blogland! This is my eighth entry, and it represents the letter “R” since it features a cute Rudolph plus funny sentiments from the set “Here Comes Christmas.”  I used a few shades of brown Spectrum Noir markers, a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen and red glitter glue (for… you guessed it. His nose!)  I used a Bugaboo Stella Sketch and several festive paper scraps to create the background. Am entering this card into several other challenges including Outlawz Saturday Challenge- Favorite Things (because one of my favorite things is making cards with humorous sayings!)          

Entered into: 
Beccy’s Place Challenge- Nov      
Bugaboo Stamp- Stella Says Sketch Challenge #720                             
Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge- Animal
Outlawz Challenge- Saturday Paper Ala Mode- Favorite Things   

A few months ago I won several digis from Patties Creations and finally had a chance to create with one of them named the Matryoshka Doll Family.  When I saw this digi I knew that I wanted to create a card that resembles the nested dolls by somehow revealing one image at a time. I settled on this multi-paneled card. I colored the dolls with Spectrum Noir markers and a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen. After a bit of fussy-cutting, I laid them out onto a sheet of copy paper, experimenting with where the folds would be. I then created the folded card with cardstock, and adhered the dolls. The Merry Christmas Oval is from Birdscards and the Noel is from a Lily of the Valley digi set named “Christmas Wishes.” 

 
 
Entered into:  
Pattie's Creations Challenge- #164 Anything Goes
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge-Anything Goes                                 
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                       
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #414-415 Anything Goes                   

My final card this post features a sweet image from The Paper Shelter named Cute Bavarian (which I’ve had for over a year.) I colored her with Spectrum Noir markers and a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen then created a background with rich fall colored paper scraps using the a fun sketch at a challenge I just stumbled upon named  Sketch N Scrap.  I followed the sketch, except my image is taller, and when I added one leaf in the place of the flower in the sketch, it looked odd to me. So… I added a few more leaves and liked it better (but I REALLY like fall leaves!) The sentiments are computer-generated.

 
Entered into:  
The Paper Shelter- #408 Blast from the Past (use an image that is at least a year old)  
Sketch N Scrap-Card Sketch #158 (photo)
Outlawz Challenge- Twisted Thursday- Anything Goes
                          


Winter and Christmas Fun!

It’s Friday, so time for another challenge at QKR Stampede!  Stop by the challenge, which is always “Anything Goes” and several prizes are awarded. Maybe you’ll be inspired to enter a card or two yourself? My DT card features a digi from QKR  named “Christmas Cheer.”  I colored this happy snow guy with Spectrum Noir marker and a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen. I attached him atop a few colors of cardstock with staples on the corners (love the rustic touch this adds and saves on the cost of adhesive. I go through a lot of the stuff!)  The taped the layered image to the top of a Christmas card. I love the bold stripes… and also love that the box of 10 cards was 90% off at Goodwill last Spring! Another bonus is that I can just use the cards inside sentiment. This time I decorated it with a holly sticker I picked up at Hobby Lobby AND a candy cane picture that I fussy-cut from a candy cane box and highlighted with a white gel pen for realism. So fun!
 
Entered into:  
Outlawz Challenges- Songs and Rhymes- Frosty the Snowman
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #118 Anything Goes
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                       
Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge- #465 Anything Goes   
Cute As A Button-#50 Anything Goes      Optional Twist- Thankful for You

My next two cards feature a fun card fold that is a bit time-consuming but is sure to be appreciated by the recipient. 
The first one I’d actually created nearly 20 years ago… but never finished it. Last weekend, I found it hiding at the bottom of a box of partial cards. It was stamped, but not colored, and the adhesive had come loose leaving a few discolored strips. (I think I used glue sticks back when I first started making cards, so it appears that the “stick” is long gone!)  The cute bunny images were from a company named Uptown Stamps, which is out of business. But their Holly Pond Hill Bunnies wood mount stamps pop up (or should I say hop up?!) on EBay quite often. I colored the little cuties with Aquarelle colored pencils and a Gelly Roll white gel pen to fit into the current Bugaboo Color Challenge. I also added a few strips of dark card stock to cover the discolored adhesive. They don’t look great… but they look better than what was there. And they even highlight the sentiments a bit. (The "Hello" Sentiment is an old wood mount from Embossing Arts and the "Thinking of you"  sentiment is from Printworks. Sadly, both companies are no longer in business. EA closed their doors many years ago, and Printworks in March 2018.)  My final addition was to add some glitter to the snowflakes.
I wanted to provide info for the fold so headed to Pinterest. Took a while but I found the instructions under many names including a Hexagon Fold and Hexaflexagon. (The one that was most helpful to me is HERE. Plus this site has a TEMPLATE.)
I noticed that the points on some of the rectangles of my bunny skater scard held hand-sketched stars. I remembered that the person who showed me how to make these cards provided a little instruction sheet that helped the recipient use these little stars to “open” the hidden sections of the card. I couldn’t find those instructions in my stash so will need to re-write them before sending these cards. When I do that I’ll post them here.
I’m entering this card into several challenges including The Paper Shelter (2 decade-old images count as older than a year!) and Outlawz Saturday Challenge (making fun fold cards is one of my favorite things to do!)
 
  
Entered into:  
Bugaboo Stamps- Color Challenge [photo]                
Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge- Animal
The Paper Shelter- #408 Blast from the Past (use an image that is at least a year old)  
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge-Anything Goes                                 
Outlawz Challenge- Saturday Paper Ala Mode- Favorite Things            

I used the instructions I found on Pinterest (noted with the last card) to make another Hexaflexagon card. This one is for the Power Poppy Challenge “Triple Play.” I did use the same image on my card three times, as required. But I also made a card that has three sides. So… yay! This time I used a Power Poppy digital set named Gingerbread Family that you can find HERE. I printed the gingerbread house and three gingerbread guys onto Kraft cardstock, then colored them with Spectrum Noir marker and a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen. Cute paper and rickrack borders from my scrapbook scrap, plus sentiments from the digi set finished up the three sides. So fun!
Note- I did leave some open spaces on the "side" with the gingerbread guys for messages to be written. 
 
Entered into:  
Power Poppy- Creative Confetti- Triple Play
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #414-415 Anything Goes                   
Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- Nov                                  
Lemon Shortbread Challenge- Anything Goes #107
Polkadoodles Challenge-Week 48 Anything Goes                        
          

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Fun & Fantasy

I recently won a Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge and had fun picking out three digis from Lemon Shortbread. This adorable image, named “Fairy in Acorn” delighted me. (You can find it HERE. ) I colored the image with Spectrum Noir markers, a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen and a silver gel pen on her wings. To add some depth to the digi, I printed off an extra copy of the fairy, trimming the wing from the body, then attaching her head and body to the digi with foam tape. I also used an Exacto blade to cut out the window panes and the doorway behind the fairy and attached lavender dotted "wallpaper" with foam tape. The colorful fall leaves were upcycled from a grocery store ad. The sentiment on the front of the card was cut from a sheet of sentiments. The inside “Make a Wish” sentiment is a freebie from Papercrafts magazine. You can find it HERE. I added a few tiny red rhinestones to both sentiments for a bit of sparkle. 
I’m entering this card into several challenges including Outlawz Saturday Challenge- Favorite Things  (Fairies are on my list of favorite things),  and the  Butterfly Challenge (For the month of December the Butterflies are safely tucked away and Fairies, Gnomes, Pixies, Elves and Imps are invited to come out to play! )

      
Entered into
Lemon Shortbread Challenge- Anything Goes #107
Butterfly Challenge- #133 X is for “Guess Who?  (photo)
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #414-415 Anything Goes                   
Outlawz Challenge- Saturday Paper Ala Mode- Favorite Things            
Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- Nov                                  

This is my seventh entry into Beccy’s Place  7th Annual Month of Holiday Cards Challenge. It represents the Letter H for “Halloween” and features a wonderful freebie Jackolantern digi from Beccy’s Place that you can find HERE. I kept the coloring to a minimum with just a few  grey Spectrum Noir markers and a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen. I added depth to the card by cutting out the Jackolantern's face with an Exacto knife, then mounted the image onto yellow vellum with thick foam tape. I backed this with a layer of white paper and orange vellum. The inside sentiment is a freebie from the Create with TLC blog that you can find HERE.
Entered into:  
Beccy’s Place Challenge- Nov      
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge-Anything Goes                                   
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #118 Anything Goes
Outlawz Challenge- Twisted Thursday- Anything Goes

My final posting today took a little time to make but I like the results. The front of the card features a free image named Christmas Door from Birdscards that you can find HERE. I used a fine line brown marker to add wood grain to the door, a pretty copper brad for the doorknob and a Tim Holtz brick stencil to add some realism to the front of the card.  When you open the door, a friendly scene greets you.  A sweet Gerda Steiner image named “Santa and Kitten” (Available HERE.) I colored Jolly Ol’ St. Nick with Spectrum Noir markers, a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen and a silver gel pen on his belt buckle. He is attached to a wonderful Christmas scene from a Dover Publishers Coloring book named “Creative Haven Country Christmas Coloring Book.” I didn’t do any coloring on this background so that Santa stands out. If you explore the coloring sheet you’ll find several delights, including another little cat snoozing on the sofa beside the tree.  (BTW- I signed up the Dover weekly newsletter a while ago and have appreciated that I receive weekly email links to a half dozen coloring and activity books, each offering 4-5 pages that are available for a short time as free downloads. Sign up for the sampler newsletter to start getting your own treasures.) The inside sentiment is from a Lily of the Valley digi set named “Christmas Wishes.”  Am entering this card into several challenges including Double D’s ChallengeWhat’s Your Christmas Style? (I do like Santas... and greenery) and 
The Paper Shelter's Blast from the Past Challenge (the door digi has been in my collection for several years, and I won the Santa and Kitten clear stamp last Christmas, so almost a year ago!)  
  
 
 

Entered into:  
Double D’s Challenge- What’s Your Christmas Style? [photo]                
The Paper Shelter- #408 Blast from the Past (use an image that is at least a year old)  
Gerda Steiner Designs- Share Your Designs Challenge-Nov                  
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                       
Polkadoodles Challenge-Week 47 Anything Goes             
Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge- #465 Anything Goes             
         


Saturday, November 23, 2019

Holiday Fun

I love the intriguing stamping opportunity called "Twofer Card Challenge" which requires that participants use the exact same stamp or die to make two cards with different designs for two different occasions. The November  Challenge is named Holiday Greenery. My favorite greenery this time of the year is Christmas Trees and Pine boughs, and the wonderful fragrance that they bring from the outdoors in. Ahhh… heaven!
 
Entered into:  
Twofer Card Challenge- #22 Holiday Greenery

My first card features the pine boughs framing two sides of the card. I embossed them with dark green pigment and fine-line black powder. The sentiment is stamped with green pigment and clear powder. When finished I sponged shades of brown and black in from the edges to the center. The ornament from the set was stamped in black onto kraft cardstock, then colored with Tombow markers and white gel pen. I found the wonderful red patterned paper in my stash that fits beautifully with the lovely pattern on the ornament. Burgundy ribbon, some silver foil for the ornament topper, and silver photo corners finish the card front. The inside sentiment is also from the SU set. It is decorated with an additional ornament. 
I'm entering this card into several challenges including Double D's "What's Your Christmas Style?" In answer to that question... I don't know if I have a specific style for Christmas cards. I make all kinds- this one is elegant! 
 
Entered into: 
Double D’s Challenge- What’s Your Christmas Style? [photo]                
The Paper Shelter- #407 A Christmas Card
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                       

The second card is dedicated to Autumn and features one sign of the season in my home state of South Dakota- the “flushing of the pheasants” from the field during hunting season! I created the cloudy sky with a cloud template cut from scrap cardboard, a makeup sponge and blue chalk. The pheasant, a wood mount stamp from a company named Northwoods stamps that appears to no longer be in business, is stamped in black ink and colored with Spectrum Noir markers and a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen. I used the pine bough stamp and a black ink pad to create “tall grasses” across the bottom of the card front. When I added some color with green alcohol markers the color bled quite a bit, but that added a nice watercolor look. The last touch was to add some highlights across the tops of the wide grass blades with a white gel pen. The inside of the card features several real pheasant feathers. They show the beautiful colors (including light shades of teal and aqua in the one of the left) and textures (the features are sleek and smooth or very soft and fluffy. I hadn’t planned to put the little fluffy one on the card… but when I was trying to get other feathers back into their bag, it gently floated out and landed on the table next to the card.  So… it now adorns my card. The sentiment on the front is a freebie from Decosses Dynamite Doodles and the one on the inside of the card is a freebie from TlcCreations.
  
Entered into:  
Simon Says Monday Challenge-Recycle                                                
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #414-415 Anything Goes                   
Outlawz Challenge- Saturday Paper Ala Mode- Favorite Things            

This is my sixth entry into  Beccy’s 7th Annual Month of Holiday Cards Challenge for the Letter S (singing snowman .) It features a gatefold card with a bold sentiment from a Beccy’s Place digi set named Snowman. I colored the image with Spectrum Noir markers and a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen. The inside sentiment is from We Are 3, a Digital Set named “Christmas.”
 
Entered into:  
Beccy’s Place Challenge- Nov      
Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #484
Polkadoodles Challenge-Week 46 Anything Goes                                  
Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- Nov