Happy Thanksgiving and GO7

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!

Happy Thanksgiving to my US friends and a belated

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends.

I hope you are finding lots of things to be thankful for.

Sometimes it's hard to see those blessings.  I hope that today you can find at least one.

This month the Group of Seven Cardmakers are using die cuts to make

textured backgrounds.

For my first card, I used 2 pieces of Saffron cardstock that's been dabbed with

various Fall colored inks.  I die cut this etched branch from one piece and glued

onto the other piece to create a textured background.

Then I die cut another branch from copper foil, trimmed a bit off and added over top.

A thin frame die cut from foil and some punched dots to add a little bit of

extra pizzazz.

Since Christmas is just around the corner, I used this technique for another

Christmas card.

This time I used a NBUS die and cut it multiple times to add randomly

over a card front.

I die cut another from Mixed Media paper and watercolored with ink pressed

into the top of my ink pads and a waterbrush. 

I die cut Joy from my Twiggy Alphabet three times, sponged color on one,

and stacked them for the sentiment.

I hope you'll go to the Group of Seven blog to see what the fantastic textured

backgrounds my GO7 friends have done. Maybe you'll want to try the technique

yourself and link your card.

Challenges:

Group of Seven Cardmakers - Textured backgrounds

NBUS #68 - Never Before Used Schtuff (Holly Branch)

Rudolph Days - ATG Christmas

 

Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes (ret SU)

Ink:   Early Espresso, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Cherry Cobbler

Paper:   So Saffron, Copper Foil

Other:  Privet Branch Die (SSS), A2 Thin Frames die (SSS), Punches

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamps:  

Ink:   Garden Green, Real Red, Cherry Cobbler (SU)

Paper:   Neenah Solar White, Mixed Media (Strathmore), Christmas Pine (GKD)

Other:  Red and Greens Die (PB), Twiggy Alphabet dies (MB), Stitched Rectangles die (SSS)

Enjoy!

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We Three Kings

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!

Before I need to dig out that roasting pan and start cooking, I've got another

Christmas card to share.

After stamping the Three Kings in black and embossing with clear powder, 

I went to work on the background.

I used a piece of acetate that had come in a stamp package and blended ink along the

edge while tipping it in different directions.  I hadn't used this technique in a long time.

I don't know why because it's a fun technique and makes an interesting background.

There's a star on this stamp, but I masked it (and the frame) while stamping and used

the mini Northern star stamp that I got with the Wise Men.  I was able to place

it right where I wanted it and I used gold embossing powder to give it a glow.

All of these stamps including the sentiment are from my NBUS box.  I'm trying to use

all my Christmas NBUS before buying any more.  I can't say that I've succeeded as

this joined my NBUS box quite recently.

Challenges:

Christmas Kickstart #92 - Wise Men Three

Krafty Chicks #743 - CAS

NBUS #68 - Never Before Used Schtuff

  

Card Recipe

Stamps:  We Three Kings (Lavinia), Northern Star Mini (Lavinia), Star Cluster (Lavinia), He is Born (PTI)

Ink:   Nocturne (VC), Blue & Purple Distress inks

Paper:   Neenah Solar White, Black

Other:  Clear EP, Gold EP, Infinity Circles, Circle Thin Frames die (SSS), Subtle EF (ret SU)

Enjoy!

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Holly Bear Christmas

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!

My friend Michele recently shared some Christmas images for me

to play with.  This one tugged at my heart.

This one was on Neenah cardstock so I pulled out my Copics and smiled the whole

time I was coloring.

I stuck to traditional colors and used a pierced snowflake background behind the

design piece. I had trouble figuring out where to put the sentiment and ended up using

it as a tag and popping it up in the corner.

I had so much fun with it that I colored another.

This time I used a more non-traditional color for his scarf and added some

dots with a white gel pen.

I cut around the top holly leaves before I die cut the image so the

leaves would be outside the die cutting.

This sentiment is again popped up and one that I pressed when Michele 

came to visit.

Thank you for sending me an envelope of fun, my friend.  I'm looking forward

to coloring up the rest of them. My friend Michele is Guest Designer at the

Penny Black Saturday Challenge this month. Do check out the challenge and

 see the scene she created. 

Challenges:

Penny Black Saturday - ATG using Penny Black or optional Create a Scene

Can You Handle the Pressure - ATG with embossing folder/twist of Winter Fun

Darnell's I.D.E.A.S. - ATG

 

Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps:  Love and Magic (PB), Festive Snippets (PB)

Ink:   Copic Friendly

Paper:   Neenah Solar White, Real Red

Other:  Copics (C00, C0, C1, YG17, BG09, G24, R29, R39, R22), Pinpoint Snowflake Plate (MB), White Gel Pen, Chunky White EP (Stampendous), Baker's Twine 

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamps:  Love and Magic (PB), BP Sending Joy Sentiments (SB)

Ink:   Copic Friendly, Real Red

Paper:   Neenah Solar White

Other:  Copics (C0, C1, C2, G24, G43, G46, YG03, YG17, BG11, BG13, BG15, R37, R29), Curvy Cap Pinpoint Layers Die (MB), White Gel Pen, Chunky White EP

Enjoy!

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Sunflower Thanks

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!

Wow, this month has sped by and I'm just under the wire for a couple of challenges.

My friend Nance and I recently had a playdate and this came from one of the

beautiful embossing folders she brought.

I embossed it with Strathmore watercolor paper so I could watercolor, then

colored with my Zigs and a waterbrush.

Feeling very Fallish these days, I pulled out my copper foil for the sentiment

and some little punched dots.

I don't know what took me so long to get this done.

Too many fun things to do and so little time!

Challenges:

The Flower Challenge #97 - Thanks

The Four Seasons - Fall

Card Recipe

Stamps:  

Ink:   

Paper:  Watercolor (Strathmore 300 series), Neenah Natural, Copper Foil 

Other:  Sunflower Embossing Folder (Erin Lee Creative), Zigs (yellow, bright yellow, deep red, olive green, dark brown), Yana's Wonderful Scripted Sentiments, Yana's Layered Scripted Sentiments (SB), Punches

Enjoy!

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Noel Wreath

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!

Here's another Christmas card from my UFO box.

The grapevine wreath was in the box and I did what I do with the wreath on the door

when the seasons change.  You can add anything you want (or what's punched or die cut

in the bits boxes) and change the whole look.

This time it's finished off with pine and holly with a poinsettia added in.

A bird cut from gold foil and then embossed and a big red bow added some

more color and elegance.

The foiled Noel looks a bit off, but my Glimmer Machine doesn't work the best

and it could be off due to the shine that the camera doesn't like.

I'm adding this to a new to me challenge where my friend Nance is guesting for

the next several weeks.

Challenges:

AAA Colourful #10 - Reds, Greens and Gold

Just Us Girls #754 - Mood Board - See that wreath?

Jingle Belles - CASE their Banner

 

Card Recipe

Stamps:  

Ink:   

Paper:   Neenah Solar White, Shaded Spruce (SU)

Other:  Nordic Frames (Grty), Funky Wreaths (TH), Holiday Blooms (Spl), Fit to be Tied (Grty), Birds (IO), Perfect Sentiments Holiday Foil Plate (PFS), Gold Foil

  

Enjoy!

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Your sweet and thoughtful comments warm my heart!

Santa

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!

When I was cleaning out my UFO box, I found some of these Santas

all stamped and ready to color.  So I pulled out my Copics and got to work.

This stamp set was retired long ago, but I love the stamps in the set and continue to 

use them. I hope you don't mind.

Challenges:

Inkspirational #329 - Word Prompt: Santa

Sparkles Christmas #166 - Snowflakes

Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps:  Seasons Greetings (There She Goes OOB), Mini Christmas Greetings (Spl)

Ink:   Memento Tuxedo Black,

Paper:   Neenah Solar White, Cherry Cobbler

Other:  Copic Markers, Anytime Tags Die (LI OOB), Kars Snowflake EF (ret Cuttlebug), Snowflake EF (MS)

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamps:  Seasons Greetings (There She Goes OOB), 

Ink:   Memento Tuxedo Black, Weathered Wood (DI), 

Paper:   Neenah Solar White

Other:  Mini Slimline Double Stitch Rectangle Die (Kat Scrap), Winter Stencil (Echo Park), Silver Glitter Paste, Border Builder Die (LI OOB)

  

Enjoy!

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JOY

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!

How are you coming on your Christmas cards?

When my sweet friend Michele came to visit, she brought her night and day pine press plates 

and they were the first things I dug into.  I had a new set of ink cubes from 

Pinkfresh Studios and we found that they worked beautifully with the Betterpress system.

This was my absolute favorite of the two plates.  It inks the background and leaves the

pine boughs looking white and snowy.

The Immense Joy die cut was a fun surprise in the mail and I thought they went

together beautifully paired with my favorite Nativity die.

I used a little chunky gold embossing powder on the center of the O and heated 

from the back for a "starry" backdrop and layered the white die cut slightly offset

from a gold die cut.

I'm hoping to find these press plates half price one of these days (wink)!

Challenges:

Just Us Girls #753 - Word Week (Joy)

Card Recipe

Stamps:  BP Day and Night Pine plate (SB)

Ink:   Sage (PFS)

Paper:   Watercolor (Canson), PB Porcelain, Gold Foil

Other: Immense Joy die (PB), Nativity die (?), Chunky White & Gold EP (Stmp)

Enjoy!

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Thanks to all who have subscribed to my blog by email.

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Hemlock Chickadee

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!

I don't mean to alarm you, but do you realize that we're more than halfway

though November and Christmas is just around the corner?

I used to do a lot of different crafts and loved to use the hemlock cones that I

would collect at my Dad's house in VT in the summertime.  I still have a kissing

ball made with these cones and an artificial sprig of mistletoe.

When this die set went on sale, I couldn't resist.

The branches and chickadee were cut from mixed media paper and

watercolored.  I cut the hemlock cones from kraft and added a bit of color

with a marker at the tops.  They are very tiny and my fingers had as much color

as the cones when I was finished.

I put it all together on a piece of kraft embossed and ink swiped for a

snowy forest background.

Challenges:

ABC Christmas - W is for Watercolor or X is for Xylophone

Darnell's I.D.E.A.S. - Third Monday is Embossing

Krafty Chicks #742 - Christmas

NBUS #68 - Never Before Used Schtuff (Hemlock Cones & Chickadee die)

 

 

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Merry & Bright Sentiment Strips (Spl)

Ink:   Rustic Wilderness, Pine Needles, Vintage Photo, Smoky Gray, Basic Gray, Crisp Cantaloupe, Peach Parfait (SU), Black Marker (SU), Whisper White, BP Black (Spl)

Paper:   Kraft, Mixed Media (Strathmore)

Other:  Hemlock Cones & Chickadee dies, Scrolled Punch & Pierce Plate, Mirrored Arch Labels (all SB), Tall Pines 3D EF (SSS), Merry & Bright Sentiment Strips Die (Spl), Sparkle Texture Effects (MS)  

Enjoy!

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Thanks to all who have subscribed to my blog by email.

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Pink and Aqua for Color Hues

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!

I am so excited to be part of the Design Team at Color Hues!

It's one of my favorite challenges and I'm thrilled to join these talented 

designers to bring you inspiration using the chosen colors.

For my first card as a Color Hues designer, I chose to use this sweet

Sing Joy elfette!

My sweet friend Marcia chose the fantastic colors of Pink and Aqua for this challenge.

I'm calling this little gal Joy as she has a joyous spirit and sings with all her heart.

She was stamped on Mixed Media Paper with Memento ink and watercolored using

Stampin' Up inks.  I used the die to cut her out and cut the sentiment too, adding

a little ink to shade it.  Her hat brim and pom-pom are winked.

Snowfall was added using chunky white embossing powder and heating from 

underneath so it didn't blow away.

There's a special Guest Designer, Teresa, joining us for this challenge.  Do check out

her fun card and see the wonderful inspiration that the rest of the team has to

share with you.  Then I hope you'll join us using any hue of these two colors.

Neutrals are always welcome.  The challenge closes on November 29th.

How can you use these colors?  I hope to see you in the 

Color Hues gallery.

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Sing Joy (PB)

Ink:   Memento Tuxedo Black, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Pool Party, Coastal Cabana (SU), Tattered Rose, Tea Die, Vintage Photo (DM)

Paper:   Mixed Media (Strathmore), Neenah Solar White, Pink Pirouette, Silver Glimmer

Other:  Sing Joy Cutouts (PB), Stitched Rectangle die (SSS), Snowflake EF (MS), Snowflake Die (IO), Chunky White Frantage (Stampendous), WOS

Enjoy!

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Gingerbread Bouquet

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!

I'm squeaking in at the last minute with this card.

Gingerbread is a staple for our Cookie Day and this gingerbread man stamp

and die is always among my Christmas cards.

The bouquet is new and I had fun coloring and arranging all the pieces.

I stamped the edging with white pigment ink and heat embossed, then used a

stencil to add some cracks in the cookie.

The enamel buttons and black dots were in my stash.  All of the greenery and

candy canes were cut from white Neenah and inked up with finger daubers.

A pierced cover plate provided the background.

Added to add.  I don't need to decide whether to eat the head or feet first.  I claim

all the broken pieces (on the real thing, not the paper version).

Challenges:

Peace on Earth #75 - Inspired by the gingerbread on mood board below

Jingle Belles - Christmas Feast

NBUS #68 - Never Before Used Schtuff ( Spellbinders Dies)

  

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Gingerbread Boy (Rubber Cottage), BP Plate Merry & Bright Sentiments (foiled)

Ink:   Whisper White, Baked Brown Sugar, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green, Real Red

Paper:   Kraft, Neenah Solar White

Other:  Gingerbread Boy Die (RC), White EP, Textured Peeled Paint Stencil (MB), Christmas Bird Poinsettia Dies (SB), Pinpoint Snowflake Plate (MB), Glimmer Machine, Gold Foil

Enjoy!

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Thanks to all who have subscribed to my blog by email.

Your sweet and thoughtful comments warm my heart!