Gingey

Welcome to another Merry Monday challenge!  This week, Kristie has challenged us to use a gingerbread man or woman on our cards.  Check out the adorable inspiration photo:

Whenever I think of gingerbread men, I think of the Shrek movies.  Love those movies!  

  

For my card, I used a Crumb Cake card base embossed down each side with the Needlepoint Embossing Folder.  The DSP is from a retired pack called Christmas Cocoa.  My gingerbread man is from the Scentsational Season set and clear embossed in Crumb Cake ink.  I then colored in the buttons and squiggles with markers.  My sentiment, which I thought pretty appropriate is from the Candyland set by Close to My Heart.

Thanks for looking.  Don't forget to check out the rest of the design team cards - they are amazing, as usual!

Products used:

Stamps:  Scentsational Season (SU), Candyland (CTMH)

Ink:  Versamark, Crumb Cake

Cardstock:  Crumb Cake, Real Red, Christmas Cocoa DSP

Accessories:  Hero Arts White EP, Circle Nestabilities, Holiday Collection Framelits, American Crafts Twine, Needlepoint EF (SU), Brights markers

Cheers

Karren

Purple Dots

This is my second post for today.  If you receive this via email, be sure to scroll down for my Celebrate Blue card.

My second card made on the weekend incorporates three different challenges - Friday Mashup to use polka dots, the sketch from Pals Paper Arts and the colours from ColourQ.

I used a new-to-me set from Verve called Lean on Me.  I first stamped the flower in Memento Angel Pink ink then colored using my Copics.  Once that was finished, I stamped over the image in Versamark and white-embossed.  This is a trick from Jennifer McGuire.

The leaves were die-cut from Xpress-it cardstock, then roughly colored using Copics.  To match the flower, I took my Versamarker pen and outlined them before white-embossing.

The rest of the card is fairly self-explanatory. 

Thanks for looking.

Products used:

Stamps:  Lean on Me, Party Time (Verve)
Ink:  Versamark, Memento Angel Pink
Cardstock:  Crumb Cake, Elegant Eggplant, Xpress-it, Subtles DSP, Regals DSP, Vellum cardstock
Accessories:  White EP, Elizabeth Dies, Tag die (PTI), American Crafts Twine, Pointed Flowers Die (Verve)

Edited to Add:  This card got a Shout Out at both Friday Mashup, ColourQ and Pals Paper Arts.

Cheers
Karren

Celebrate Blue

Hi and welcome.  I finally got some time to stamp just for me on the weekend, but it took me a couple of days to find the time to blog!  Can't wait until things go back to normal and we're back in our house and I have all my schtuff around :)

I've got two cards to post today and this is my first.  I made this card using the beautiful blue colour challenge at Colour Me and the fun challenge at CAS-ual Fridays.

I white-embossed the word "celebrate" from the Shenanigans set onto watercolour paper then liberally spritzed the paper with water.  I dropped a single drop of ink in each of the challenge colours onto my craft mat and spritzed with water.  I then picked up one colour at a time with my paintbrush and painted the watercolour paper.  I started with Coastal Cabana at the top, then Tempting Turquoise, then Pacific Point and finally Bermuda Bay at the bottom.

After heat-setting, I trimmed to size and mounted onto a white card base.  Three blue sequins finished off the card.

Thanks for looking.

Products used:

Stamps:  Shenanigans (CASual Fridays)
Ink:  Versamark, reinkers (Coastal Cabana, Tempting Turquoise, Pacific Point, Bermuda Bay)
Cardstock:  Whisper White, Watercolour Paper
Accessories:  White EP, blue sequins

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Colour Me.

Cheers
Karren

Balloon Trio

It's time for another challenge at Freshly Made Sketches and this week our hostess is Cindy Lovell, all the way from Germany.  Cindy has a wonderful style and I love the way she combines different elements on her cards.  Here's the sketch for this week:

I love circle elements on cards, so I was excited to see this sketch.  

I decided early on to use my new SSS balloon dies for this card and I also wanted to use my Winnie & Walter set again.  Then I saw the colors in the W&W logo and the final piece came together - my color scheme of orange, pink, yellow, green and blue - not a complete match to the logo but close enough.

I cut the big balloon from Old Olive DSP and the smaller balloons from Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight and Melon Mambo cardstock.  I tied black twine around all the balloons after stamping some images from Big Bang Confetti on the smaller balloons.

The word "happy" was embossed with Pool Party EP then the "birthday" stamped under it in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.

Thanks for looking.  If you haven't already, be sure to visit the FMS blog and check out the inspiration from the rest of the design team.

Products used:

Stamps:  Big Bang Confetti (W&W), The Big, The Bold & The Happy (W&W)
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight
Cardstock:  Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Pool Party, Brights DSP
Accessories:  Balloons Dies (SSS), Pool Party EP, Black American Crafts Twine, Fishtail Flag Stax (MFT)

Cheers
Karren

Wordy Tree

It's Merry Monday time and this week Susan has challenged us to use a Christmas word and decorate each letter.

Well this proved to be a tough challenge for me, and after looking through all my available stamps, I ended up at the eleventh hour searching through the Silhouette Online Store to find something remotely suitable and came up with this:

This file was cut from Basic Black cardstock and painted with Wink of Stella for a bit of shimmer.  Now, stupidly, I packed away all my gold and silver glimmer paper, so my only option was to silver emboss some cardstock and cut a couple of thin panels and a star cut from the Holiday Collections framelits - my only available star!  Here's a closer look at the shimmer of that fantastic Wink of Stella pen.

Hope you enjoy the different and wonderful interpretations of the design team and challenge yourself to give it a go!

Thanks for looking.

Products used:

Ink:  Versamark

Cardstock:  Basic Black, Whisper White

Accessories:  Silver EP, Silhouette cut file, Silhouette Cameo, Holiday Collection framelit, Wink of Stella

Cheers

Karren

Calypso Rose

It's a gorgeous Saturday afternoon here and it's so nice to finally see the sun after weeks of rain!  To make things even better, today I had time to craft just for me.  It's been weeks since I had time to craft outside of DT commitments and, let me say, I was a bit rusty :)

I chose a couple of my favorite challenges to play along with - Just Add Ink and ColourQ.  Of course, with most of my supplies still in storage, I had to use the current SU colors of Calypso Coral and Pool Party, rather than Peach Parfait and Baja Breeze.

I started my card with a Basic Gray card base, then placed a piece of retired So Saffron DSP over top, after rounding two corners.  The rose is stamped using Calypso Coral stamped off.  The leaves were stamped using both So Saffron and Pool Party to make them look greenish.

The die cut border is a Memory Box die called Tessatina Border and the sentiment is from the Avery Elle set Oh Happy Day.  The inside was finished simply using the same die.

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Stippled Blossoms (SU), Oh Happy Day (Avery Elle)
Ink:  Calypso Coral, Basic Gray, So Saffron, Pool Party
Cardstock:  Basic Gray, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Whisper White, Subtles DSP
Accessories:  Tessatina Border die (Memory Box), Circle Nestabilities, Subtles Candy Dots

Cheers
Karren

Move Forward

Hi, it's time for another challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week, the lovely Jen Brum has given us a fun and unique sketch.

I was looking for die cuts to use for the shaped panel and somehow ended up with no die cuts and a masculine card!

Because of the size of my images, I had to place the sentiment slightly below the shaped image but I think it's still close enough to the sketch to pass muster :)  Oops!  I've only just noticed now that the black panel should go to the bottom of the card.  Doh!  Sorry, Jen!

I started with a Crumb Cake card base which I stamped with Peacock Feathers distress ink and Memento Gray Flannel ink, using Gorgeous Grunge.  The black panel is dry embossed with a tread plate EF and rounded on opposite corners.

The car was stamped in Peacock Feathers ink and cut out.  The sentiment is on slightly crooked which really annoyed me so I straightened it after I took the photos.  The inside was kept pretty simple:

Thanks for visiting.  The rest of the DT will blow you away with their creativity this week so be sure to check them out.

Products used:

Stamps:  Maximum Power (CTMH), Gorgeous Grunge (SU)
Ink:  Peacock Feathers Distress, Memento Gray Flannel
Cardstock:  Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Whisper White
Accessories:  Heavy Duty EF (Couture Creations), Corner Rounder

Cheers
Karren

Tranquil Christmas

Welcome back for another Merry Monday challenge!  This week my fellow Kiwi, Karen Davis, has a color challenge for us.

Use slate, kraft and white or cream on your Christmas card.  

I had just received my first ever Mama Elephant stamps and fortuitously, included was a set that was perfect for this challenge!

The Winter Wonderland set is just gorgeous!  I white-embossed the birch trees down the left side of a Basic Gray card base.  I then clear-embossed over Crumb Cake ink the cute mama and baby deer.  For the second week in a row, I went with a snowbank.  I didn't intend to but I couldn't work out how to place the sentiment and the snowbank worked best.  I stamped the sentiment in Hero Arts silver ink which is gorgeous and then painted some Perfect Pearls over the whole white panel.  

You can just see a bit of the shimmer in this photo as well as the clear embossed deer.

On the inside, I kept it simple and stamped the deer in the silver ink.

Thanks for visiting.  Check out the inspiration from the rest of the design team - their work is gorgeous as usual!  

Products used:

Stamps:  Winter Wonderland (Mama Elephant)
Ink:  Versamark, Crumb Cake, Hero Arts Silver
Cardstock;  Basic Gray, Whisper White
Accessories:  White EP, Clear EP, A2 Curved Die (SSS), Perfect Pearls (Ranger)

Cheers
Karren

Stacked Hello

Hi and welcome to the weekend!  This is the first weekend in over a month where I'm not frantically packing or moving, so it's nice to relax - even if we are living in the garage LOL.  This card I'm about to show you was my first attempt at this week's sketch for Freshly Made Sketches.  I ended up not posting this card to the DT blog because it was just too far removed from the sketch.  I do like it though so here it is:

And here's the sketch:

I just got an order from Simon Says Stamp and wanted to use some new stuff.  I cut the hello die 6 times - 2 each from Daffodil Delight, Pool Party and Old Olive.  I then stacked them together.  In future, I would stack the colors together to make more of an impact.  See what I mean:

It's hard to tell there are different colors used here.  The card base and white panel were treated to some embossing paste and stenciling.  (If you saw my final FMS card, you'll see some familiar pieces!  I used the bottom two layers on my final card.)

Because I can't leave my Wink of Stella pen alone, I had to color the word die.  This shot on my craft mat is the best I could get of the gorgeous shimmer.

Thanks for visiting.  If you haven't already, check out the FMS and give Cindy's sketch a go.

Products used:

Cardstock:  Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Pool Party
Accessories:  Hello die (SSS), yellow twine (American Crafts), Enamel Dots (Freckled Fawn), Bubbles Stencil (Tim Holtz), Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste, Old Olive reinker

Cheers
Karren

Limited Supplies Challenge!

Hi and welcome back for another Freshly Made Sketch challenge.  This week, the lovely and talented Cindy Hall has given us this sketch:

Can I just say up front that I really struggled with this card - not because of the sketch but due to having limited supplies on hand.  This is why I don't go to crops, etc because I always want what I haven't got!  Having said all that, after several attempts, this is my final card.

I stenciled onto both the card base and the larger white panel using a Tim Holtz stencil and embossing paste.  The floral image was white embossed onto vellum and colored on the back using Copics.  It was adhered to a white panel using vellum tape and lots of burnishing!  

Thanks for visiting.  Be sure to check out the inspiration from the rest of the Design Team.

Products used:  

Stamps:  Delicate Florals (Penny Black), Strictly Sentiments (WPlus9)
Ink:  Versamark, Old Olive
Cardstock:  Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Vellum
Accessories:  White EP, Copic markers, Tim Holtz Bubble Stencil, Freckled Fawn Enamel Dots, American Crafts Twine, Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste, Old Olive Reinker

Cheers
Karren

Jolly Snowman

Hi and welcome back for another Merry Monday challenge.  This week, Kathy has challenged us to use a snowman on our card.  Look at this adorable inspiration photo.

And here's the card I made:

I used a retired SU set called Jolly Old St Nick.  This snowman is just too adorable and after I stamped him onto some Whisper White cardstock, I lightly colored him with Copics.  The "snow banks" were cut with my new A2 curved die from SSS.  The Soft Sky panel has white-embossed snowflakes.I actually stamped the sentiment crooked so I had to add another front snow bank, which actually adds a bit of dimension to the card!  My snowman is popped up on dimensionals.

Thanks for looking.  If you haven't already, check out the inspiration from the rest of the design team.  They will amaze you, as always.

Products used:

Stamps:  Jolly Old St Nick
Ink:  Versamark, Tuxedo Memento Black
Cardstock:  Bermuda Bay, Soft Sky, Whisper White
Accessories:  Copics, A2 Curved Die (SSS)

Cheers
Karren

Hello Cubed

It's Freshly Made Sketch time and this week our sketch hostess is the very talented and always funny Linda Callahan.  Linda has given us a very cool sketch with lots of possibilities.

I just received my new Winnie & Walter stamps and had to put them to use so came up with this card to fit the sketch.

I am loving the large hand-written sentiment trend that's happening now and took my cue for this card from Ardyth's gorgeous card here to stamp the sentiment in different colors.  I used Pool Party, Coastal Cabana and Bermuda Bay.  The black panel is dry embossed with a new-to-me Cuttlebug embossing folder.  I was going to punch out a star embellishment for the card until I realised that all my punches are packed away.  Doh!  It wasn't until I finished the card that I thought of using the Silhouette to cut some star shapes.  Double Doh!

Here's a peek at the inside.

The whole main panel was colored with my Wink of Stella pen.  It's hard to get a photo of the gorgeous shimmer but this one shows a glimpse.

Thanks for stopping by.  If you haven't already, head on over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the inspiration from the rest of the design team.  They're sure to blow you away as always!

Products used:

Stamps:  The Big, The Bold and the Happy, Big Bang Confetti (W&W)
Ink:  Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Lucky Limeade
Cardstock:  Bermuda Bay, Basic Black, Coastal Cabana, Whisper White
Accessories:  Cuttlebug EF, Stars brad, American Crafts Twine, Wink of Stella pen

Cheers
Karren

CAS Mistletoe

Hi and welcome back to another Merry Monday challenge.  This week, Debbie has given us a theme challenge - use mistletoe on your card.

I went very CAS with my card this week:

I inked up my mistletoe stamp with black ink, the used a Q-tip to rub off the ink from the bow before coloring it with a Cherry Cobbler marker.  I then loosely colored the leaves with a Copic marker and colored the berries with a white gel pen before painting over that with a Wink of Stella pen - which I couldn't capture on film!  I used dimensionals to pop the narrow panel up on the Cherry Cobbler card base.

Thanks for looking.  Make sure you check out the rest of the Design Team's inspiration.

Products used:

Stamps:  Christmas Blessings (SU), Signature Christmas Greetings (PTI)
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
Cardstock:  Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White
Accessories:  Cherry Cobbler marker, Copic marker, White Gel Pen, Wink of Stella

Cheers
Karren