Vintage Santa

Here's another Christmas card made for Hels Sunday Stamper Challenge week 233 where the theme is VINTAGE.

I've used the same Santa stamp as last week (from Tim Holtz's Santa's Wish set) - for some reason I've always done him in a clean and simple way which makes card production a lot quicker.  But this week I challenged myself - stamped him in Jet Black Archival on cream linen card and started painting.  

He's coloured with Distress Inks - Aged Mahogany and Pine Needles - the berries are red Sharpie and his hat and beard are done with a white Inktense pencil.  I've just gone over his hat with a Stardust pen to make it sparkle a little.  To create a frame I've randomly stamped the spruce with Iced Spruce Distress, torn the edges and blended with Aged Mahogany.

The background is stamped with the holly stamp in Bisque Colorbox Chalk and I've just finished the card with some burgundy ribbon and Merry Christmas.

Now for a quandary - it seems to me vintage is just using a duller/darker shade of the colours, but is that what they actually used or is that how we see it now as the colours have faded over the years.  Feel free to give me your thoughts!!   Oh and thanks for looking!!

August

Here's my August tag for The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge  week 9 where the theme is to use TEAL, RUST and WHITE.

Now this one is much easier especially as I had the seaside in mind for August.  The background has a few elements - I used Rusty Hinge Distress Ink for the sand and  Faded Jeans for the sky plus a few dabs of Picket Fence Distress Stain to create clouds.  The sea is a mix of Salty Ocean and Pine Needles Distress inks making a teal colour and I've then torn this to create the white wave edges.

The stamps are from Crafty Indivduals CI- 278.  I've stamped the beach huts on gloss card and coloured them with Tombow pens and added some seagulls to the sky.  Its just finished with the calendar and some teal ribbon.

Well it's another dull day here which makes photoing anything so difficult.  Anyway hope you like and thanks for looking!!

Glamour & Glitz

Here's my entry for the Less is More Challenge week 95 where the recipe is GLAMOUR and GLITZ.

I had a trip to The Craft Barn at the weekend and treated myself to some bits and pieces including this Leaf Swirl Stencil from Imagination Crafts and some Diamond Sparkle Medium.  Well I had to have a play and it certainly looks glitzy!!  

I've just matted the panel on some teal card, added some teal eyelash fibres and part of an earing (see this post) that I bought especially to take to pieces!!  I thought I'd leave the sentiment off until such time as I have opportunity to use the card.

Hope you like and thanks for looking.

July

Here's my next tag for the Craft Barn Calendar Challenge week 8.  The theme this week is CHILDREN/CUTE. 

I thought last week was a challenge but I don't do cute and I have no children stamps ............. but as the whole calendar is going to be a gift for my daughter I'm hoping I can get away with it. 

She's studying History so I've used the medievally looking Lynne Perella stamp from Paperartsy LPC008 inked with Olympia Green Versafine and coloured it using a waterbrush with Rusty Hinge and Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks.  I've masked the image, blended around with Mowed Lawn and Bundled Sage Distress Inks and then splattered it with water.  It's just finished with some ribbon and the calendar.

In medieval times, things were maybe a little darker, but this is my July tag so I went for bright greens and orange!! I have to say it is brighter in real life - it's so dull today to get a decent photo!!  Anyway it's getting harder to fit the theme with the months left but I shall persevere!!

Hope you like and thanks for looking.

Faces

Here's a quick Christmas card made for Hels Sunday Stamper Challenge week 232 where the theme is FACES.

I love the face stamp Hels has used but it's not something I think I would use much and I don't have any people stamps either .....so what to do??  Then I realised I had Santa.....who obviously has a face!!  I know he's covered in whiskers but I'm sure he fits the theme!!

I've stamped Santa (from Tim Holtz's Santa's Wish set) in Plum Archival, edged the card with Silver Dabber and then added some Silver Stickles to create a frame.  I've used a silver base card, added a strip of plum card and finished with some ribbons.

Another christmas card to add to the pile - yeh!!  Hope you like and thanks for looking.

Silver and Blue

Here is my entry this week for the Less is More Challenge week 94 where the theme is to use HARDWARE of some sort.

I had several different ideas in my head, but really this looks like none of them!!   The flower is cut with Tim Holtz's Tattered Floral die - 2 layers fastened with a crystal brad.  The background is stamped with a Kaisercraft Checker Plate stamp (keeping the metal theme!) and sentiment in Archival Jet Black.  I was thinking of alcohol inking the flower but really I think it's quite striking as it is ...... and this is a less is more challenge!!

Anyway, thanks for looking and for any comments you leave.  They are always very much appreciated.

Snowy Scene

Here's a very quick twinchie for the Show us Your Twinchies Challenge week 10 where the theme is to use just TWO COLOURS.

I was inspired by Linda W and her pretty little scene.   Tidying my table I came across my PSX Snowy Village stamp - inked a small section with Olive Versacolor and embossed it with Holographic Super Sparkle powder.  I've just added a red wreath on the front door, a red star on top of the tree and edged the twinchie with Olive to finish. 

Thanks for looking!!

June

Here's my June tag for The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge week 7 where the theme is CANDLES.

This one was certainly a challenge!!  I have no candle stamps, diecuts or chipboard shapes so I had the idea to melt a candle with my heat gun to make an embellishment - that didn't work!!  So I've wrapped a candle in card. tied with a bow and fastened onto the tag - it's my daughter's birthday in June and she'll still be at Uni so she can buy herself a muffin and she'll have a candle put in it and light!!

The background is a mix of Picket Fence Distress Stain with Broken China and Salty Ocean Distress Inks spritzed with water and mopped up.  I've overstamped this with Happy Birthday in Manganese Blue Archival, added some Faded Jeans Distress Stickles and finished it with ribbon and the calendar.

I had problems with the photo - it's not straight and I'm not sure it's in focus.  Maybe too much blue!!   Anyway I hope you like and thanks for looking!!

Christmas Birds

Another Christmas card done - yeh!!  This one fits with Hels Sunday Stamper Challenge week 231 where the theme is to use BIRDS. and with the Crafty Individuals Challenge for November which has the theme of FESTIVE SPARKLES.

Well there are lots of robin stamps out there but I have none and in my search I came across this Crafty Individuals stamp CS180.   The black sparkle embossing powder was on my table from my previous post so I used that - the first thought was to colour the bird a little to make it robin-like but I decided to use the image as it is and carry on the black, red and white colourway.   A piece of red card, some black ribbon and the sentiment stamped in Vermillion Archival. Quite simple but sparkly!! 

Thanks for looking and thank you all for your kind comments - they are always much appreciated.

The Village

Here's a One Layer card for the Less is More Challenge week 93 where the theme is Houses.

Another tricky challenge for me as I don't seem to have many house stamps - it was a choice between a row of beach huts or this snowy scene from PSX which includes several houses!!  I have to admit this is my favourite christmas stamp as it is so detailed and it looks good in various different colourways.  This time, it's just embossed with Black Sparkle powder with the sentiment stamped in Vermillion Archival. 

Maybe it would look better as a 6" square card but as we need to leave plenty of white space, I've left it as A5.  Hope you like and thanks for looking!

May

Here's my next tag for The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge week 6 where the theme is to use FELT.

There is always lots of blossom out in May so I went with a pink theme and some May Blossom.  The background is a mix of Picket Fence Distress Stain with Picked Raspberry and Aged Mahogany Distress Inks spritzed with water and splattered and dried etc.  I've stamped the Mountain Ash in Picked Raspberry at the bottom and clear embossed the Sycamore at the top - both stamps from Oak House Studio. 

I cut the felt blossom flower with my Tattered Floral die and added a brad covered with seed beads etc. It's just finished with ric rac and the May calendar.  I'm not sure why it's so pink - it's not my favourite colour and my daughter hates it too!!  Nice and bright and cheerful though!!

Halfway through now and last week I had a chance to finish off my previous tags. Here are the previous 5 - I've added a little more stamping in places and double matted the calendars to make them stand out more.

I've covered the backs with plain card, inked the edges and then added Journalling Spots so my daughter has somewhere to write.  The stamps are from Autumn Leaves - there are 6 different stamps in the set so I stamped them all twice on white card and then randomly stuck them on the backs.

What colour next week......decisions, decisions!!    Thanks for looking and leaving comments - they are always very much appreciated!

Blue Christmas

I'm carrying on my campaign to make a few Christmas cards and this one fits Hels Sunday Stamper Challenge week 230 where the theme is BLUE.

I still had my Holographic Super Sparkle embossing powder on my table so thought it would be rude not to use it again!!   The main image is a PSX stamp - not sure what it's called, Snowy Village maybe - inked with Indigo Versacolor and then embossed.  The background is Oak House Studio's snowflakes stamp, again inked with Indigo and embossed. 

Nice and sparkly for Christmas!!  Hope you like and thanks for looking!

Pink Christmas

Here's a card for the LESS IS MORE colour challenge week 92 where the theme is to use PINK.

Well I promised myself I'd attempt to do christmas cards for challenges but Pink and Christmas don't go together in my head and my selection of pink card is very limited........ and having used this piece, it's now non-existent!!!

Anyway I've used Oak House Studio stamps - the fir has been stamped very randomly with Laurel Leaf Versacolor and then embossed with Holographic Super Sparkle.  The diamond and the sentiment were stamped with Raspberry Versacolor and again embossed with the same powder.  I've coloured sections of the diamond with a pink Stardust Sakura pen, added gems and just drew a line up to the fir bough.  If it wasn't Less is More then I think another couple of diamonds would look great.

It's a bit of a dreary day here so it's nice to use a bit of sparkle!!  Thanks for looking!