Folded christmas tree

When I saw this week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge CFC30, The Paper Players challenge #75 to make a Christmas card with non-holiday colours, and this week's Clean and Simple challenge 169, I thougth I'd try to combine them.  This is what I came up with.

 For the CASual fridays Tic Tac Toe challenge, I went with Polka Dots, Kraft and Orange.  Yes, the panel behind the tree is orange, not red - the photo shows the colour more red than it actually is. 

Happy birthday, Jim

My brother had his birthday celebration last weekend, and, as he is kind of an expert on dinosaurs, I had to use that theme for his card.  Paper from Imaginisce and a stamp from SU made the job easy :)  I put the paper onto an acetate card base, just for something different - I really like using acetate, but this one only has strips at the top and bottom that are transparent.

Feel better soon

A friend on mine is going through a tough time at the moment - I made this card to try to cheer her up :)

  I'm submitting this card to the week's "Less is more" challenge - a bit of Bling. 

Red and Rustic Merry Christmas

I thought I'd try to combine two challenges that I've already submitted cards to.   I wasn't entirely happy with my first submission for Moxie Fab's Tuesday Trigger, so I thought I'd try again.  I added a bit of glitter for Less is More "A bit if Bling".  Here's what I came up with.

A bit more bling

I had some scraps left over from making my sister's birthday card, so I cam up with a new card - same equipment and paper, but different layout.  I will be submitting this to Less is More "A bit of Bling"

Red and Rustic male card

I wanted to make a birthday card for a male friend, and I thought I would base it on Moxie Fab's Tuesday Trigger image.  I liked the wood, the colours, textures and the stripes in the image, so I went with those ideas. 

Happy Birthday, Jacqui!

It is my sister's birthday today, and I made her a card yesterday using a sketch from Clean and Simple Stamping - #168.  Here 'tis.

 The background is acetate, stamped with white StazOn.  I'll just have to write carefully in the middle of the card, so you can't see any handwriting from the front!

I'm also submitting this card for this week's Less is More challenge - a bit of Bling (only a tiny bit on the butterfly - I usually do more bling than this!)

Bah, humbug!!

This week's challenge at Just Add Ink (JAI 95) is called "Bah Humbug" - to make a Christmas project with NO Christmas paper and NO Christmas images (a Christmas sentiment is allowed).  The Paper Players have a challenge #73 to make a clean and simple card using White, Navy and Silver.  Here's what I came up with:

Birthday card

This is a card for a friend who likes any colour - as long as it's purple.  The background is SU Concord Crush, and the embossed panel across the card is Wisteria Wonder, that I swiped with some Colorbox Wisteria chalk ink.  The patterned paper is also from SU, and the flower is made out of some textured Bazzil. 

Week 2, card 8 Holiday card boot camp - kept the best 'til last :)

     This will be my last card submitted to the Holiday card boot camp - and it's possibly my favourite of all the cards I've made in the last two weeks (well, maybe 2nd after this one - both are acetate cards, and both have inkadinkado's holly background stamped in white StazOn).
     I had to photograph it against a black backdrop, otherwise you can't see the background at all!  However, the colour has come out a little bit off - the red is actually SU Cherry Cobbler - it is much less of a vibrant red, and more of a rich, deep red in real life. 

         I paper-pieced the holly leaves with some green patterned paper from Basic Grey's "Sugar Rush" collection pack.  For the background behind the holly, I first painted it with bleach, and then went over it a bit with white pigment ink and a Aquash pen to intensify the white a bit more.   Then I added some red pearls from Kaisercraft (I actually got them as a free gift from Simon Says Stamp! Thanks, guys!)

Week 2, card 7 Holiday card boot camp, CAS card sketch & buttons and bows

This card follows this weeks Clean and Simple #167 sketch, as well as Annabelle stamps challenge - say it with buttons and bows.

Week 2, card 6 Holiday card boot camp & JAI card sketch

I really liked Jennifer McGuire's tip for making poinsettia petals out of felt, so I decided to have a go myself.  This weeks Just Add Ink sketch seemed to lend itself to using a large felt flower.

In other news, this is my 200th blog post!  Yay me!!

Week 2, card 5 Holiday card boot camp & CPS card sketch

I've been busy finishing off my mass produced Christmas cards last night and this morning, so I needed to do something different - and CPS Card Patterning Systems came to the rescue with a sketch!!

 Following the sketch to the letter, I thought I'd finished with this:

But I think the punched holly leaves and berries (a la Jennifer McGuire from Holiday card boot camp) finish it off nicely :)

Week 2, card 4 Holiday card boot camp - Joy to the world!

      I made the background on this card using a modified version of Jennifer McGuire's technique from the Holiday card boot camp - I don't have white Distress ink, so I used SU white craft ink, and wet it with a mix of water and glimmer paint.  The background holly leaves are actually a tiny bit glimmery, but you can't see it in the photo :(

      Got a couple of red inky fingerprints on the white panel - it's just to make sure people know it's hand made!!! (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!! LOL!)

Week 2, card 3 Holiday card boot camp - reverse masking

     I made a card similar to this one at a class by Sue Madex earlier this year.  She showed me the reverse masking technique (Jennifer used a variety of this technique in the Holiday card boot camp today).   I added some diamond stickles to the snowflakes for some shine. 
     I also like the way Jennifer adds hemp twine bows behind design elements on her cards.  I didn't have any cardstock in the same mid-blue as on the middle-sized snowflakes, so just like in Jennifer's tip, I used Distress Ink to make the border tthe same colour as the stamped snowflakes - perfect match!  

Week 2, card 2 Holiday card boot camp - Merriest wishes

This card started off completely different - it wasn't going to have any holly at all, but musical notes, and it was going to be pale pink and blue!   Almost everything about it changed, except the layout, which is Kristina Werner's from Holiday card boot camp.

 I made the holly leaves using large and small circle punches (Jennifer McGuire's idea).  I sponged the edges, stamped a script stamp in pale brown, and sprayed with a mix of shimmer paint and Isocol.