Merry Monday Christmas Card Challenge #88 Add an Animal.

It was so wonderful to see the 'mitten' creations last week. There were so many fabulous takes on the challenge. Thanks for playing along with us.

This weeks Merry Monday Challenge is to add some sort of animal to your card.  I know there are SOOO many animal stamps out there so have fun with this one :)

When I saw the theme for this challenge I knew straight away which stamp I would use. I have owned this stamp for about 10 years and I haul it out every Christmas for at least one card. I am happy to say this Penny Black stamp is still available. I don't do cute very often, but I am totally smitten with this kitty image. 

I think it's the cutest stamp ever.

Kitty was coloured with markers and pastels. He is a large image so I kept his accompaniments quite simple. I do love the black and white dotty ribbon. He does have a bit of Stickles on his hat but it is not showing in the photo.

Stamps: Penny Black 'Jolly Christmas Kitty' Stamp, Hero arts Sentiment
Inks: Marvey Markers and cake pastels, Versafine black
Card: Kaisercraft, MME, Neenah White

Do check out the gorgeous cards from the other DT members over at Lesley's blog  Always Playing with Paper

Until next time....happy crafting.

Runway Inspired Challenge #49 - Céline

It's great to have a little late night time to participate in a few Challenges.
My Christmas cards are all made ( I will be making more for MM :0 ) and I am vaguely organised for Christmas. So! A good challenge is just what a need to focus my slightly addled brain. Today is the Runway Inspired Challenge. The dress is so modern and fresh with it's splashes of colour and asymmetric seaming, such wonderful inspiration.

I decided to make the print then cut it to shape. I love diecut feathers for their long elegant shape and their soft edges, perfect against the hard edged asymmetric cuts.

Stamps: MFT Abstract Art Stamps,  Clearly Besotted FANCY FEATHERS and matching dies. Hero Arts sentiment and dictionary print
Dies: MFT, Lil' Inker Stitched Mats Ovals and rectangles.
Ink: Versafine Black, Versamark
Card: Kaskad and Kaiser

It is a hot sunny day here, the garden calls.

Happy crafting.
Karen

CASE Study Challenge #169 - Playing with gold leaf

I am playing along with the CASE Study challenge today. I love that this challenge is honoring Cath, and I adore the fabulous image. 

I had been playing with gold leaf on a card last week. When I saw this challenge I decided gold leaf would fit perfectly. I love how the gold appears randomly on the skirt/dress and tried to replicate that. The card sat without a sentiment for many days as I tried several 'stick on' ideas. In the end I thought this simple approach worked best.

A tutorial on using fine gold leaf here. Ellen uses adhesive paper to secure the gold leaf. I swiped a foil/glitter glue over the card with a palate knife, let it dry (actually force dried it with a heat gun because I am impatient-watch for bubbling), before applying the gold leaf. My gold leaf was purchased from an art shop many years ago. It came as fine flat sheets stored between a tissue. It is really easy and fun to use. I think it gives the best gold finish as I hope the close up photo below shows.

Stamps: Clearly Besotted FANCY FEATHERS and matching dies. Hero Arts sentiment
Ink: Hero Arts Gold embossing powder, Versafine black, aqua pastel (in cake form) background feathers
Distress and Marvey markers, Gold Leaf with Clear Glue for foiling and glitter.

To finish I am including the other Gold Leaf card made last week (not for the challenge). The photo doesn't show the wonderful colour of the gold leaf..

Hope you are having a great day!
Karen

Merry Monday Christmas Card Challenge #87 - A mitten theme

Here we are with another Merry Monday Christmas Card Challenge. This time the theme is mittens. 

I have lived my whole life with a Summer Christmas (and a snowless Winter), Winter Christmas themes seem almost unreal to me. I wonder how many of you have snow right now?? Let me know when you stop by. :-) 

Back to mittens! Such a cute theme and shape. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

It seems I say this every second challenge. I have accumulated quite a few Christmas stamps now, but no mittens. Soooo into Serif Drawplus 6 (a low cost, easy to use, graphics program), to draw a mitten.

I printed it off on DP then coloured the tip and wrist. I have embossed a lace pattern under the vellum sentiment and added some glitter accents.

Stamps: Hero Arts Sentiment, Inkadinkadoo snowflake

Ink: Hero arts embossing powders white and gold. Versafine black ink, Memento Green

Dies: Spellbinders Scallop, PTI  Border, Dee's Distinctively Wreath Builder Die 

Paper: Vellum, Pebbles Front Porch, Kaisercraft Green

Other: Martha Stewart white glitter, pearls, rhinestones, twine

Enjoy your week.
Karen

The Card Concept - A new Challenge Blog and News!

The dynamic Lesley Croghan has developed a fantastic new challenge blog called The Card Concept.

The challenge will be bi-weekly, and it's aim is to present six different styles of card making with a team of twelve designers. The DT are currently being introduced, one at a time, every second day, on The Card Concept's blog. See more  details about the challenge, and it's start date, here at The Card Concept.

I am so excited to tell you that Lesley asked me to be a part of this team, and my day to be introduced is today!!

I will be representing the  Freestyle Collage style along with another designer (who makes the most wonderful cards).

Here is a definition, from the blog, for the Freestyle Collage Style ......

- unrelated items in a collection

- can be done in any style

Lesley asked us to share a card we have made in our style. This card was made for Fusion Challenge #20 and I am happy to say it was chosen as winner for that challenge.

       


I love to layer 'odd bits', asymmetrically, so this style is a good fit for me. 

While I do stamp, I have a real passion for die cuts. In the card above I have used mismatched sentiments, mixed patterns, used different die cut shapes, and added an array of embellishments.The aim is to bring them together as a cohesive whole....well, that's the idea!  :-)

Drop in to The Card Concept to meet the other designers, and do join in the first challenge in January 2014.

See you there!

Karen 

Merry Monday Christmas Card Challenge #86 - Chalkboard Card

I think I can hear the faint tinkling of Santa's bells.....yikes, it's December already! I can start to send out the cards made to celebrate the season. Hmmmm! Will need to purchase stamps first.

This week our challenge for Merry Monday is to make a card using the chalkboard technique. I have made a card using this technique here so it wasn't quite as hair raising this time.

I used Marisa Lerin's gorgeous digital chalk board base which includes the white frame. She has many designs and they are all lovely. Find them here at The Pixel Scrapper. To finish the chalk board effect I rubbed a little white pastel across the black with a tissue.
My obsession with spellbinders eyelet circles continues. You will find yet another one lurking in the background of this card. I have added a favorite Christmas red, and a green that is more yellow than the traditional Christmas green...... I think?? I finished the card with a wee bit of maroon, a bold stripe, twine and buttons.

Stamps: Hero Arts sentiment, Pixel Scrapper Chalkboard image including white frame

Dies: Spellbinders eyelet circles, Lil' Inker Stitched Scallop Border, MFT Stars, Dee's Distinctively Wreath Builder Die 

Inks: Hero Arts white embossing powder

Papers: MME Tis' the Season (green) and other collections, Kascard white linen, Kaiser Kraft red, green and maroon

Other: Buttons, pearl, twine

Check out Always Playing with Paper, home of the Merry Monday Challenge, and Lesley's wonderful new challenge blog, The Card Concept.

See you back here next week.