Color Hues: TCH #7

Happy holidays on the first of December! I'm delighted to join the Color Hues 7th challenge today as the guest designer. This bi-monthly challenge focuses on a two color palette in your card design. 

The two colors selected this session work well

 for winter themes, don't you agree?

Card #1

My first card sparkles with starry blue holographic paper on one ornament and magenta shimmer paper decorating the second. The blue ball dangles via a scored line from the pine needles. Both ornaments and pine spray were directly glued on a die cut panel which was then adhered to a top-folding white card front. 

Card Menu: Nordic Frames die (The Greetery)

Pine Needle Trio dies (SSS)

What the Doodle: Ornament die (PTI) first time to use this one

December Typed Words (PTI)

Card #2

I hate to discard negative die cuts especially when they serendipitously all line up. After a trim the white rectangle was directly glued to a blue panel to create the blue needles. The winter sentiment will let me use this for Christmas or other occasions.

Card Menu:

Pine Needle Trio dies (SSS)

an old HA monthly kit sentiment

vellum banner (The Greetery)

The Color Hues team have beautiful ideas that you can see on the blog. They would love for you to play along with their new challenge.

My cards are also linked to the SSSW challenge: Anything Goes

Thank you for your visit!

Four Cards from Hero Arts November Card Kit

                                         

It's been a while since a Hero Arts card kit arrived at my house but as soon as the November kit was released it was ordered. I absolutely love its contents and especially the new masking dies. I recently posted two cards on Instagram featuring the tree, bird, and background stamps.  A Blog Named Hero announced their new monthly challenge Glitter and Sparkle which describes cards three and four. I'll show you each in order of their making.

     Card #1                                  

  

Card #2

     

    

Card #3

The circle vine stamp was inked with DI Festive Berries and the watercolor card stock glistens with a light metallic gold watercolor wash (Altenew) around the "ball" ornament. A washi tape hanger with a gold PTI Bells & Bough bow finishes the ornament. Sentiment (PTI)

Card #4

I've seen several rainbow Christmas tree cards this month and decided to die cut the tree using a pad of glitter paper. The trees needed a care taker so the snowman was die cut, stamped, embossed with psychedelic EP, and spiffed up with some coloring. A bit of white snow was added to the tree branch edges. The background was ink blended with DO faded jeans and snow white spatters added to complete the design.

Cards 3 &4 will be added to the ABNH challenge

Thanks for your visit!

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 5

Peace Joy and Love Tags 

Sharing four tags today that were all inspired by Lindsey Larsen's black and white on kraft tags on Day 5 of 25 Days of Christmas Tags.  Three tags used SSS Village houses and trees, Essentials by Ellen Mondo Amaryllis sentiments, PTI Warmest Wishes snowflakes, and miscellaneous Hero Arts stamps. The fourth tag had the same EBE sentiments, PTI's Warmest Wishes and Make it Market Mini Kit: Holiday Folk images.

Thanks for stopping by today! 

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 4

Today's tag features a wreath, word die sentiment and traditional red and green colors! In looking at the daily designs on the 25 Days website, I chose a red bookmark design by Tatiana Trafimovich. The wreath was stacked three layers high for reinforcement, "joy" was cut from green glitter paper, and green DI was splattered on the red tag. While Tatiana cut two different green card stocks for her wreathes, mine used different shades of green inks to add more depth. A fun tag that will probably be added to a card front next month. 

Linking also to JUGS Word Die Cuts challenge

Thank you for visiting!

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 3

 I love poinsettias. I have three different poinsettia stamps but could use a few more! 😉

Today's tag was inspired by the beautiful poinsettia tag by Kim Heggins.

Card Menu: PTI Tag Sale: Quilted, Rustic Wreath (sentiment);                                            Hero Arts Color Layering Poinsettia, Stickles for center

Linking to 25 Days of Christmas Tags

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 2

Today's sponsor of 25 Days of Christmas Tags is Simon Says Stamp! I was inspired by the darling gnome tag Lin Brandyberry shared! Since I've never used the gnome die that she used, I grabbed it and had fun paper piecing the various parts into my funky little gnome. Here's my tag for day #2!

Card Menu: PTI Basic Bookmark #2, Warmest Wishes (sentiment/snowflakes), Tag Sale #8 die; SSS Li'l Gnome; Recollections pattern paper

Linking this also to SSSMChallenge, NBUS

Thanks for the visit!

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 1

For many years I've followed the annual 25 Days of Christmas Tags in November. It is organized by Canadian crafter Tracey McNeely. She is aided by several friends and sponsored by many companies in the paper crafts industry. Each day features a different company's products and the designers share a tag. You choose one that inspires your resulting tag. I don't need very many tags for Christmas but they can easily be repurposed on a card front. I loved Joyce Mehrberg's tags with a cute fox and a pair of llamas.

Card Menu:

PTI: Winter Fox, Ways to Say: Merry Christmas, Tag Sale #10 die

SSS card kit (stump), Altenew alcohol markers, DO inks

Thanks for visiting!

Color Hues #5: Yellow & Kraft

 

Pleased to join the Color Hues #5 challenge this month with an old favorite, Botanical Blocks (PTI). The block was stamped first with DI frayed burlap and again with VersaMark embossing ink and clear embossed. Then using the pictured Distress Inks the image and background was colored using a watercolor brush. A Pierced Feature Frame (PTI) frames the rectangle which was layered three times and adhered to a soft yellow card front. I decided not to add a sentiment for now but have a birthday in mind.  

Thank you for the visit!

So very grateful for you

 

Yipes, it's October 29 and the Altenew Inspiration Challenge is almost over. This is a challenge that I often overlook until it's too late but not this month. My favorite Altenew leaves are the Leaf Canopy set. It doesn't matter if they're stamped in black and white, on vellum, on color card stock, or colored with watercolors or copics, they are gorgeous. 

The leaves were die cut from a panel of Bristol paper that had been smooshed in three Ranger Distress Inks: Fossilized Amber, Bundled Sage and Peeled Paint, my idea of the challenge colors. I absolutely love leaves that vary in colors like this! Squeal!! Each spray of leaves was glued to a matching fun foam die cut before placing it on the Dotted Swirls debossed kraft panel. A simple SSS sentiment strip and a few sequins finished this one! (I actually regret adding the sequins but too late now).

Hope your Halloween is spooky fun and lots of energy for the huge week ahead!

Photos are from a walk in Portland this week. The first photo is a panoramic view looking toward Washington State with Mt Adams peeking up on the left and a faint Mt Hood in Oregon on the right side.

Card is linked to October's Altenew Inspiration Challenge and SSSW Anything Goes

October SSS Card Kit Fun

This summer I subscribed to the Simon Says Stamp Monthly Card Kit. I like the variety of products and also the option to pass on a month that does not interest me or if I'm traveling. The October kit contains a darling bear, owl, fall props, a fabulous large sentiment plus more. I made three cards yesterday from the kit supplies and several Christmas cards. It helped that my husband was away bird watching at the coast.

 

The first card is a slimline birthday card for married friends whose birthdays are in October. I used a new PFS slimline die to cut the windows from white card stock which was inked with Antique Linen DI. The panel was backed with pattern paper from the kit and popped up with foam tape on the kraft card. The figures were colored with copics, color pencils or stamped on color cardstock before I fussy cut them. The envelope was stamped with more of the same items from the kit and lightly colored with pencils. Linking this card to the current SSSW challenge - Make a Card and Envelope.

Two more kit cards

A PTI circle was inked up with the newest Distress Oxide Crackling Campfire ink after embossing the wonderful sentiment. A few leftover die cuts from The Greetery's BotaniCuts Oak were added for interest.

Frankly this cute bear and the owl were my reason to purchase the kit. Using Gina K masking paper simplified stamping this scene. A SSS wonky rectangle die finished the panel edges which was mounted on a pattern paper card front. I left off a sentiment until it's mailed.