October CAS Christmas Challenge

Hi there, blog friends! It’s time for the October challenge at CAS Christmas. Our Hostess is my super talented teamie Christine who has chosen ‘Christmas Birds’ for our prompt, and our Guest Designer is Anita from Stampin With Anita.

This is a 'new to me' stamp set by Penny Black. I fell in love with the adorable birds and was lucky enough to find them. I stamped then colored them with Copic markers and added a simple sentiment. I also used Flower Soft for the trim on their Santa hats and Stickles for the snow and pom-poms.

We hope you’ll stop by the Challenge Blog and check out all the beautiful Christmas cards by our DT and Guest Designer...the challenge ends on the 24th, so you have plenty of time to play along with us.....Christmas will be here soon, and this is a great way to add to your Christmas card stash! 

Since this stamp set is new, I would like to share it with Darnell's NBUS Challenge #19  

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Supplies:

Stamps: Penny Black - Winter Wonderland

Dies: MFT - Oval Shadow Die-Namics

Misc: Copic markers; Flower Soft; Stickles - Crystal; MFT Ink - Cherry Crisp 

CAS Christmas Challenge - Reminder

Hello, friends ~ Just a reminder that there is still time to link up your card for the September CAS Christmas Card Challenge. Colleen is hosting this month and she has chosen ‘Christmas Tree’ for our prompt.

This charming little Christmas tree is an oldie but goodie from Papertrey Ink, and I thought it would be fun to ink it up in rainbow order with a gold foil star on top :) I used the Venise Lace Border die to add interest and popped it up on the red card base with foam tape.

Christmas will be here before you know it, and my teamies have created some beautiful cards to inspire everyone ~ Come on over to the Challenge Blog to check them out, and play along with us if you like! You have until the 24th to submit your card!

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Supplies:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Polka Dot Parade #9; MFT - Snow Globe Greetings
Dies: Papertrey Ink - Polka Dot Parade #9; Spellbinders - Venise Lace Borders
Misc: DCWV - Gold Foil cardstock

CAS Christmas September Challenge

Hi there, blog friends! It’s time for the September challenge at CAS Christmas. Our Hostess is Colleen and she has chosen ‘Christmas Tree’ for our prompt. Our Guest Designer is Steph from My Paper Corner 

This lovely Christmas Tree stencil was a gift from my dear friend, Loll...I think she must have known that I would love the swirls in the design. Thanks, Loll! I used DOX inks and blended Squeezed Lemonade with Fossilized Amber to create gold for the star. Once dry, I added sparkle with Glimmer Paste...and that was it!

We hope you’ll stop by the Challenge Blog and check out all the beautiful Christmas cards by our DT and Guest Designer...the challenge ends on the 24th, so you have plenty of time to play along with us.....It's a great way to get started on your Christmas cards! 

I hope everyone is doing well ~ Thanks so much for stopping by,

Supplies:

Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Ornamental Style

Stencils: ARTplorations - Christmas Trees

Misc: Distress Oxide Inks; Nuvo Glimmer Paste - Moonstone

Fusion Card Challenge - Christmas

Hi there blog friends ~ It's time for our last challenge of the year at Fusion and this time our prompt is Christmas. 

This time I decided to go with the sketch...so, I used an old Memory Box ornament die with some pretty Christmas papers. I also used silver thread to hang the ornaments and added a sentiment and a few clear sequins...and that was it!

Don't forget the best thing about the Fusion Card Challenge is that you can choose between the sketch and the inspiration photo, or both! My teamies have created some beautiful cards to inspire you, so feel free to stop by the challenge blog and play along with us!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my U.S. friends ~

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Supplies:
Stamps: MFT: Snowglobe Greetings
Dies: MFT - Slanted Sentiments; Memory Box - Classic Ornaments
Misc: WRMK - Corner Rounder; Pretty Pink Posh - Clear Sequins; MFT - Candyland 6x6 Paper Pack; Altemew - Crisp Pure White embossing powder

November Twofer Challenge - With a Twist!

Hi there blog friends ~

As you probably know, Darnell's Twofer Challenge is one of my all-time faves, and this month we get to play with our holiday greenery! Here are the rules:

For the month of November, Darnell has included a twist ~ she is suspending one of the rules and we are allowed to create two cards for the same occasion ~ Woo-Hoo!!! I am really far behind on my Christmas cards, so I'm thrilled! I kept both of my designs very CAS and plan to create several more of each for my stash :)

The common element in my cards is the greenery in this wreath. For my first card, I watercolored the sprigs with DI's and splattered with gold and white metallic pigment ink from Gansai Tambi. The die-cut sentiment is from last years' release and the red gems are from my stash. The simple white card base is embossed with SU Subtle Dynamic Textured Impression Folder. I die-cut the wreath twice and layered it a little offset, but I think it looks wonky...when I duplicate this card, I'll have to sort that out :)

Another CAS design...I created the background with Twisted Citron and Peacock Feathers DOX then splattered with Winsor & Newton white paint and spritzed with clear shimmer spray. The sprig was cut from the wreath with white glitter cardstock and I used silver foil cardstock for the sentiment and border.

And, here they are together ~

Thanks so much for stopping by...I really appreciate your visits and your sweet comments ~ I read every one of them :)

Supplies:
Card #1
Dies: MFT - Joyful Wreath, Joy (Sentiment)
Misc: Dynamic Textured Impression Folder; Distress Inks; MFT - Gold Foil Cardstock; Stash -  Red Gems

Card #2
Dies: MFT - Joyful Wreath; Impression Obsession - Peace
Misc: PTI - Linen Cardstock (Dove); SSS - White Sparkle Cardstock; MFT - Silver Foil Cardstock; Sheer Shimmer Spritz; Tim Holtz - DOX Inks

CAS Christmas Card Challenge

Hi there blog friends ~ 

I've really missed playing along with Loll & Bonnie's CAS Christmas Challenge the past few months, and when I saw the prompt for April, I just had to grab my elf stamps and join in the fun. 

I started by blending DI's for the background, then added splatters to represent snow. The elf was colored with Copic markers and popped up on a snowy hill, then framed with the Venise Lace die. I also added a touch of Glossy Accents to the ornament and used a silver sparkle pen for the buttons, but they don't show up on screen ~

Here is a close-up:

I know it's Easter/Passover season, but it's never too early to add to your Christmas card collection...there's lots of great inspiration from the amazing team on the CAS Christmas Challenge Blog if you'd like to play along :)

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Supplies:
Stamps: MFT - Santa's Elves
Dies: MFT - Santa's Elves, Surf & Turf (snowy hill); Spellbinders - Venise Lace
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Inks - Peacock Feathers, Salty Ocean; Winsor & Newton - White watercolor
Misc: Glossy Accents

CAS Christmas - December Challenge

Hi there blog friends ~ It's a new challenge over at CAS Christmas, and this month the theme is 'Stars'! I love the movement in this starry stamp, so I was happy to ink it up again and play along! 

I started by stenciling the cloudy sky, then die cut this NBUS Christmas Angel with white glitter cardstock. I stamped the stars and sentiment with Liquid Platinum EP and placed the panel on to an A2 card base.

So, that's it for me...head on over and check out all of the gorgeous cards Loll, Bonnie and their team created for this month's challenge ~

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Supplies:
Stamps: Uniko - Reach for the Stars; MFT - Hand Lettered Christmas (sentiment)
Dies: Stamplorations - Christmas Angel
Stencil: MFT - Mini-Clouds
Misc: SSS - White Glitter Cardstock; Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder

Challenge me a Christmas Card

Hi there blog friends ~ 

Several weeks ago, my Fusion teamie Michelle Lupton invited me to join her for her annual 'Challenge me a Christmas Card Series'. Michelle invites a guest to challenge her with a Christmas card theme, product or technique, then she and her guest post their interpretation of the challenge...

I've been eager to try the Alcohol Lift Ink Technique again, and Michelle agreed. I found an old Hero Arts stamp set with lots of details and created this card:

I started by inking the background from the top about 1/2 way down, and when dry I added the falling snow with Glimmer Paste. Then, I used alcohol ink on Yupo Paper in 2 colors and applied alcohol lift ink to the stamps. On screen, it looks a bit like emboss resist, but in person, the effect is rather unique. I wanted to keep the card as CAS as possible, so I fussy cut the trees, die cut the snow drift, and added the sentiment...and that was it :)

If you would like to learn more about this technique, Jen McGuire has a blog post and video tutorial...Here ~

I would like to take a moment to thank Michelle for inviting me to play along in her Challenge me a Christmas Card Series...I had a lot of fun creating my card and can't wait to see what Michelle created with this technique!

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts - Merry Christmas Trees; MFT - Birdie Brown Greetings Galore
Dies: MFT - Surf & Turf (snowdrift)
Ink: Alcohol Ink - Pistachio, Turquoise; Versafine Onyx Black; Tim Holtz - Tumbled Glass
Misc: Tonic Nuvo - Glimmer Paste (Moonstone); SSS - Falling Snow Stencil; Tim Holtz - Alcohol Lift-Ink, Yupo Paper

November Twofer Card Challenge

Hi there blog friends ~  

I've been busy this week working on DT stuff, but Darnell's Twofer Card Challenge is one of my all-time faves, so I had to make time to play along. 

Check out the gorgeous texture on the front panel...My sweet friend Michele gifted me a few that she created with her new embossing folder, and I used them on both cards today. Thanks, Michele!

I started by watercoloring 2 layers of the wreath with DI's and colored the angels with Copic markers. I used MFT silver foil cardstock for the sentiment and added a few clear gems for some sparkle. Another Christmas card done and dusted :)

******************

The rules of this challenge are to create 2 different cards for 2 different occasions, using the same stamps and/or dies. I needed one more Thanksgiving card, so that's what I did ~

I love the elements in this stamp/die set and thought it would be fun to create an autumn wreath. I colored everything with Copic markers, stamped the sentiment, and added a few clear gems.

Here's a photo of both cards for Darnell's blog:

The deadline is the 24th, so there's still plenty of time to play along with Darnell's challenge...Check it out!

My warmest thoughts and heartfelt prayers are going out to the residents, Firefighters and rescue teams in California, as they continue to struggle with devastating fires along the coast.

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Card #1:
Stamps: Hello Bluebird - Away in a Manger
Dies: Hello Bluebird - Away in a Manger; SSS - Chisholm Wreath; Reverse Confetti - Winter Words (Joy)
Misc: Stampin' Up - Subtle Dynamic Textured Impressions; Copic Markers; Pretty Pink Posh - Clear Droplets

Card #2:
Stamps: MFT - Fall Friends (sentiment); Pretty Pink Posh - Autumn Wreath
Dies: SSS - Chisholm Wreath; Pretty Pink Posh - Autumn Wreath
Misc: Pretty Pink Posh - Clear Droplets; Hero Arts - Detail White Embossing Powder

Be Merry!

Hello again ~ I'm back to share a card I created for the November CAS Christmas Challenge. I have lots of Santa stamps and chose this new set from MFT...

He's kinda cute, right? So, I colored him with Copic markers then die cut the white panel and cross stitch tag to serve as a mat. Then, I added the striped Christmas patterned papers, (which is way out of my comfort zone) and added the sentiment. And, that was it...CAS Christmas!

As always, Loll, Bonnie, and their team have created some really fabulous cards for this challenge...Feel free to pop over and check it out...Christmas will be here very soon!

Wishing you all a great week ahead...Thanks so much for stopping by,

Supplies:
Stamps: MFT -Sassy Santa, Snow Globe (sentiment)
Dies: MFT - Sassy Santa, Slanted Sentiments, Cross Stitch Tag, A2 Stitched Rectangle STAX
Misc: Copic Markers; MFT - Candy Land Paper Pack; Glaze Gel Pens (black & white)

November CAS Watercolor Challenge

Hi there ~ It's time for a new challenge at the CAS Watercolor Challenge and I'm loving the prompt that Susan chose for this month...Christmas Florals & Greenery!

For this beautiful Poinsettia and holly branch, I thought it would be fun to channel my inner 'Loll Thompson'...isn't she amazing? 

Since I love playing with Brushos, I used several shades of blue and green for the background panel, drying it with my heat tool between colors. I wanted a white on white color palette and used linen cardstock for both elements, then added Prills to the center of the bloom and gold EP for the sentiment. A few gold sequins and this card was done and dusted! 

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Supplies:
Stamps: MFT - Cheerful Christmas Greetings (sentiment)
Dies: MFT - Rectangle Peek-a-Boo Window; Penny Black - Layered Poinsettia, Holly Berry Branch
Ink: Brushos - Ultra Marine, Turquoise, Emerald Green, Leaf Green
Misc: Mini Prills - You had me at yellow; Pretty Pink Posh - Gold Sequins

12 Days of Christmas with Kylie & Friends

Hi there blog friends! It's that time of year, and once again Kylie (owner, Happy Little Stampers) is sponsoring her 12 Days of Christmas Card Challenge!

 Happy Little Stampers was created in 2015 by Kylie (owner of ATSM and ATCAS). Kylie wanted to bring out a line of stamps that were useful for everyday crafters. From cute to whimsical images, from every day to funky sentiments there is something for everyone!

So, in the spirit of Christmas, I created this card:

Back in August, I was inspired by this card created by Nancy Littrell and immediately ordered this die...I created the sky with watercolors and dotted it with a glue pen and fine glitter. I added the deer for interest and embossed the sentiment in silver.

Kylie is offering random prizes for a shopping spree at Happy Little Stampers, so if you're looking for some fabulous inspiration and would like to play along, join us! 

Thanks so much for stopping by, and a special thank you to Kylie for asking me to take part in her challenge!

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts - Merry Christmas Trees
Dies: Memory Box - Stitched Circle Trees, Deer; MFT - A2 Stitched Rectangle STAX
Ink: Versamark; Peerless Watercolors
Misc: Quickie Glue Pen; Ranger Silver EP; PTI - Ultrafine Prisma Glitter

CAS Christmas Challenge - Reminder

Hi everyone,

Today is the reminder for the August CAS Christmas Challenge...there's still one more week to play along! For this post, I used one of my favorite Christmas trees ~

I started by embossing the tree in white, then used distress inks in 2 shades of green and gold foil for the star. I also blended Tumbled Glass ink, popped the tree up with foam tape and mounted it to the cross-stitch oval mat. I added a few sparkly sequins and embossed the sentiment in gold...and that was it :)

December will be here before we know it, and we would love to have you join us by submitting a card to the gallery!  A big thank you to Loll and Bonnie for having me along as their Guest Designer for August...it has been such an honor!

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Supplies:
Stamps: Ellen Hutson - Christmas Scribbles (tree); MFT - Cheerful Christmas Greetings
Dies: Ellen Hutson - Christmas Scribbles (tree); MFT - Cross-Stitch Oval STAX
Inks: TH - Tumbled Glass; Twisted Citron, Lucky Clover; Pretty Pink Posh - Sparkly Clear Sequins; WOW - Super Fine Gold EP

May CAS Christmas Challenge - Take 2

Hi there crafty friends! I'm back with my reminder post as May Guest Designer for the fabulous CAS Christmas Challenge!

There is still time to play along in this month's challenge! Here is my 2nd card:

For this card, I stenciled some snowy hills and stamped this really cute Penny Black Snowman. I colored him with Copic markers, used a touch of Glossy Accents for his nose, and added a few polka dots to his scarf with my gel pen. The snowflake is from MFT, which I embossed with iridescent sparkle EP. I used my MISTI to stamp the sentiment and re-stamped it with Versamark and added clear EP for some shine...a clear sparkly gem for the snowflake and a wonky stitched border, and that was it!

I hope you'll go through your stash and dig up your favorite snowman stamps or dies and join us at the CAS Christmas Challenge...you know December will be here before we know it, and it's never too early to get started creating our Christmas cards :)

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Supplies
Stamps: Penny Black - Snowy, MFT - Snow Globe sentiments
Dies: MFT - Wonky Stitched Rectangles
Stencil: MFT - Drifts/Hills
Inks: Distress Ink - Salty Ocean; MFT - Cherry Crisp; Versamark
Misc: Glossy Accents; Judikins Iridescent Sparkle EP; Copic markers; Lucy's Gems - Ice Cube Mix, White Gel Pen