Favorite Cards of 2014

It's New Year's Eve here in New Zealand and I thought it would be fun to go back through the cards I posted to my blog in 2014 and choose my personal favorites.  A lot of people do this at this time of year and I enjoy seeing their cards, so here goes.  If you click on the month, it'll take you to the orginal post.

January

This is one of those rare cards of mine that I really like.  Probably because it's not often I can "randomly arrange" embellishments and have it look okay :)

February

This card was for my mother's birthday.  She got me into card-making and she loves butterflies, so I put extra effort into this card and I love the Fossil Stone background.

March

This is one of my favorite Christmas cards for the year.  I love the red and gray together and the sponging really adds some dimension.  A bit of a departure from my normal white-based CAS cards :)

April

There were slim pickings in April and May because that was when we were living in the garage while our house was repaired after the major earthquake in 2011.  At the same time, I was going through a restructure at work, which ultimately led to me finishing up at CourierPost after 32 years.  

May

I love the faux patina technique and also like the layout of this card.  

June

Yep, another card featuring dark gray - I'm sensing a pattern here!  I love the flower arrangement and the font of the sentiment on this card.  I think I'd only just got the stitched mats dies and was using them on every card - not much has changed in that regard LOL.

I'll go through the second half of the year tomorrow.  Thanks for visiting.

Edited to Add:  I'm linking this up to both Mynn's and Lyndal's Favorite Cards Linky Party.

Cheers
Karren

Make a Wish

I had to have a second attempt at the challenge at Just Us Girls this week.  This time I combined it with the sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch and came up with this card:

I started with a white top-folding card base and stuck a strip of gray striped washi tape directly onto the base.  I then cut the two top layers, die-cutting the scalloped layer.  The sentiment was embossed with Melon Mambo embossing powder, which is a bit darker than I would have liked, but I didn't have a light pink powder and the old Versamark and dye ink trick didn't give a good result, so Melon Mambo it was.  Note to self:  buy some more embossing powders :)

The top layers are popped up with foam tape.  Some pink and clear sequins finish off the card.

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Make a Wish (Mama Elephant)
Ink:  Versamark
Cardstock:  White
Accessories:  Washi tape, Melon Mambo embossing powder, sequins, Large Scallops die (SU)

Cheers
Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout-out at CAS(E) This Sketch.

Thinking of You

Well, it's been over a week since I last posted on here.  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break.  

Today's card did not come out how I imagined, but I'm posting it anyway!  As soon as I saw the inspiration pic at Just Us Girls, I immediately knew what layout and colors I was going to use.  All I needed to do was decide on the stamps.  I wanted a large sentiment over multiple lines and this was all I could find in my stash, so I went with it.

I started with a Fog card base.  I then white-embossed the sentiment and a couple of hearts onto some Cotton Candy cardstock.  A part circle was cut from some Slate cardstock for the top layer.

I decided the Slate layer was too plain so I white embossed the diagonals down each side and added some gray and white baker's twine.  The Slate layer is popped up on foam tape.

Thanks for visiting.  It's obvious I need to get back into my craft room as the week-long break hasn't done my any favors!

Products used:

Stamps:  Sending Happy Thoughts (SSS)

Ink:  Versamark

Cardstock:  Slate, Fog, Cotton Candy (SSS)

Accessories:  White EP, Lil' Inkers Stitched Circles, American Crafts Twine.

Cheers

Karren

Gingham Christmas

Hi!  I should be sick of making Christmas cards, but still I keep churning them out - even though I don't need any more this year!  

This card is for the Candy Cane theme at Curtain Call, as well as the challenge at Fusion (this time I'm using the inspiration pic).  I also used the sketch from Pals Paper Arts.

The gingham panel down the left hand side is a stenciled piece using the Gingham stencil from SSS and some white embossing paste I colored red.  The white panel has several die cut "merry" words layered onto it.  The banner is white embossed and has a little twine bow.  

And that's it!  Thanks for visiting.  I hope your Christmas preparations are winding down and you are getting the chance to relax.

Products used:

Stamps:  Wet Paint Holiday (PTI)

Ink:  Versamark, Real Red

Cardstock:  Real Red, white

Accessories:  Wet Paint Holiday die, white EP, MFT Fishtail Flag die, Gingham Stencil (SSS), Embossing Paste, twine

Cheers

Karren

Critter Christmas

Hi and welcome!  Today's card came about as a result of me wanting to do some coloring and also having some NBUS.  I got an order from SSS the other day and included was the adorable Furry Christmas set as well as the stitched tags from MFT.  I used the colors from Colour Me and the sketch from Friday Mashup to come up with this:

I am also entering this into Simon Says Stamp's Winter Inspiration challenge.  I took my inspiration from the dog and the antlers in the below pics.

I colored up my critters using Copics, making sure to use red and artichoke as the non-neutral colors to meet the color challenge.  The hat, scarf and antlers were painted with Wink of Stella.  I then cut them out and mounted them onto a stitched tag using foam tape.  The sentiment got the same treatment.  I used the Falling Snow stencil and embossing paste on the card base to mimic the grunge in the sketch.

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Furry Christmas (SSS)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Cardstock:  Baked Brown Sugar, X-press It, black

Accessories:  Copics, Wink of Stella, red twine, Falling Stars stencil (SSS), Embossing Paste

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card was top pick at Friday Mashup and got a shout out at Colour Me.

Pop of Black

Hi and welcome to Freshly Made Sketch Challenge Day.  Our lovely hostess this week is the very talented Queen of Layers - Narelle Farrugia.  And, speaking of layers - check out her sketch:

I have to admit, I struggled a bit with this sketch - so many layers for this CAS girl :)  So I fell back on the old stand-by when a card isn't working - black layers.  I find layering with black really helps bring everything together for a more cohesive end result.

As you can see, I flipped the sketch on its side.  I used Lost Lagoon as my base color, along with white, black and vellum.  The horizontal and vertical panels were embossed with the Tiny Triangles embossing folder to add some interest.

I love the font on this sentiment, and while I don't currently need a get well card, I'm sure the need will come around soon enough.  This card was designed along masculine lines to suit a male.

Thanks for visiting.  The design team have a wonderful array of gorgeous cards to tempt you for this, our last challenge of the year.

Products used:

Stamps:  Delightful Dozen (SU)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black

Cardstock:  Lost Lagoon, black, white, vellum

Accessories:  Circle and Rectangle Stitched Mats dies (Lil Inkers), Circle Nestabilities, Tiny Triangles EF (SU), black twine, enamel dots

Cheers

Karren

Icy Snowman

Hi and welcome!  Today I have the great pleasure of being Guest Designer at a relatively new challenge called Retro Rubber.  This is a great challenge and quite unique in that, as well as the usual sketch and color challenges, the twist is you should use older stamps for your cards!  By older, preferably more than a year old - you don't need to go back to last century unless you want to :) 

Like most of us, I love everything that's new and often neglect some amazing old stamps in my sizeable collection, so this challenge is a great way to share the love :)

Anyway, I won their second challenge and was invited to play along as GD on this challenge, which is a cool color challenge to use silver, blue and white on a holiday card.

The stamps I used on this card come from an Inkadinkado set I've had for probably 5 years.  I silver embossed the snowman onto a piece of Midnight Muse cardstock then cut it out with a stitched circle die to get the stitch lines on the inside of the circle.  I then used the same circle die to cut a circle out of a piece of white cardstock which added stitching to the outside of the circle. 

The sentiment was stamped in Midnight Muse ink and the whole panel was mounted onto the blue panel using foam tape.  A strip of silver glitter paper added a bit of sparkle down the right hand side as did the rhinestones.

I hope you'll find time to support Retro Rubber Challenge.  I wish them all the best!

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Holiday Silhouettes (Inkadinkado)

Ink:  Midnight Muse, Versamark

Cardstock:  White, Midnight Muse, Silver Glitter Paper

Accessories:  Pewter EP, Lil' Inkers Stitched Mats Circle Dies, rhinestones

Cheers

Karren

Cocoa Time

Hi and welcome to Merry Monday.  This week, it's my turn to host the challenge and I've gone for an easy theme, given that Christmas is only 10 days away!  My challenge is to create a winter-themed Christmas card.  Easy, right?

For my card, I decided to create a little scene using some Purple Onion stamps from the Stacey Yacula collection.  

I stamped three separate images onto some X-pressit cardstock and colored them with Copics.  For the record, my little cabin is sinking into the snow on purpose (actually, I didn't realise I'd stamped it crooked until I was coloring it at the very end).

The sentiment comes from PTI's Two Feet Deep set and suited this little scene perfectly.  I kept the layout really simple and just layered the panel onto a 5 1/4" square Early Espresso cardbase.

Thanks for visiting.  The design team have done a great job with my challenge and I hope that you can squeeze in a few minutes to make a card to link up to the gallery.

Products used:

Stamps:  Snow Cabin, Louis, Cocoa Stand (Purple Onion), Two Feet Deep (PTI)
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
Cardstock:  X-pressit, Early Espresso
Accessories:  Copics

Cheers
Karren

Birthday Flowers

I've moved away from making Christmas cards today and made a bright and cheery birthday card.  This card uses the fabulous sketch at Retro Sketches, the colors at Color Throwdown and I'm also entering it into the current Seize the Birthday challenge.

I used both pink and red shades in my flowers so I hope this meets the criteria at Color Throwdown.  The leaves were colored in shades of green and I outlined the whole image with aqua to tie in with the scalloped piece.  The right hand panel is washi tape.

The sentiment is a free digi from Hannelie at Desert Diva - she regularly offers wonderful sentiments and this is the first time I actually thought ahead and printed one out before starting my card :)

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Delicate Florals (Penny Black)
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
Cardstock:  White, Coastal Cabana
Accessories:  Washi Tape (SU), Copic Markers, Digi Sentiment (Desert Diva)

Cheers
Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Retro Sketches.

Silver Snowflakes

Today I'm playing along with the Blue Christmas challenge at AAA Cards, the sketch from Fusion and the color challenge at Colour Me.

I started out by silver-embossing the sentiment onto some vellum paper then cutting it with a banner die.  The snowflakes were die-cut with silver paper.  For the top of the card, I embossed with a SU embossing folder then die cut with a scallop die.  A white layer provided some contrast with the card base.  I put dots of glue under the rhinestones to adhere the vellum to the card base.  Some silver elastic cord finished the card.

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Peace on Earth (SSS)

Ink:  Versamark

Cardstock:  Midnight Muse, Vellum, white

Accessories:  Delicate Designs EF, Large Scallop die (SU), Maryanne and Melody dies (SSS), silver elastic cord (SU), Banner die (SU), rhinestones

Cheers

Karren

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

Sparkly Snowflakes

I took some time this morning to make a card using the colors from Pals Paper Arts, the sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch and the "sparkle" challenge at Just Us Girls.

I just want to say for the record, that I hate working with glitter :)  I cracked open my Heat & Stick powder for this card and it was so old that it was all lumpy.  Between that and accidentally turning on my heat gun before putting excess glitter back in the container, I had glitter and powder everywhere!  It was so bad, I had to stop in the middle of making this card and vacuum the floor!  Here's a couple of close-up shots so you can hopefully see the glittery snowflakes.

Anyway, back to the card.  I sponged Soft Sky, Pool Party and Bermuda Bay ink in ombre fashion onto some watercolor paper.  I then die-cut some snowflakes and glittered them (make is sound so easy, doesn't it!).  The sentiment is white embossed and the whole watercolor panel is popped up on foam tape.  Some random sequins finish off the card.

Thanks so much for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Winter Wonderland (Mama Elephant)

Ink:  Versamark, Soft Sky, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay

Cardstock:  White, Watercolor

Accessories:  Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Heat & Stick powder, white EP, Eliza die (SSS), Lindeman and Rizza dies (Memory Box), sequins

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card was a pick at Pals Paper Arts and CAS(E) This Sketch.

Christmas Wreath

As well as being Freshly Made Sketch Challenge day, I also have the privilege of being the hostess.  I hope you'll like my sketch:

I kept my card simple with lots of white space.

I stamped the various components of the wreath using before cutting out with the matching dies.  I painted Wink of Stella over the pinecones and berries before putting it all together.  The scalloped strip was cut with some Olive cardstock and all the white panels were run through the Big Shot with PTIs Canvas plate to give a subtle texture.  The rectangular panel is popped up on foam tape.

Thanks for visiting.  I hope you'll have some time to make a card using my sketch.  And be sure to check out what my teamies have done with the sketch - amazing!

Products used:

Stamps:  Autumn Blessings, Holly Berries (SSS)
Ink:  Olive, Schoolhouse Red, Sparrow (SSS), Versafine Onyx Black
Cardstock:  White, Olive
Accessories:  Fall Wreath die (SSS), Rectangle Scalloped Nestabilities, Canvas plate (PTI), American Crafts Twine.

Poinsettia Christmas

I'm back with another Merry Monday challenge.  Debbie is our hostess this week and her challenge is to use silver, gold, white and one other color on our cards.

For my card, I kept white as the dominant color (surprise!) and used red as my fourth color:

I cut some half inch strips of gold and silver card and ran one side of each through a stitched die.  From there I positioned them onto a white card base and ran the whole thing through the Big Shot with my stitched rectangle die.  The poinsettia was made using the smallest two petal dies from the Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia set.  For the center, I colored some tiny pearls with a copic marker to make them gold.  I then painted the flower with Wink of Stella and you can see a bit of the shimmer in the photo below.

The gorgeous sentiment is from the Clearly Besotted/SSS set called Holly Berries.

I'm entering this card into the Black Tie challenge at The Paper Players.

Thanks for coming by.  Be sure to check out the rest of the design team's cards for some wonderful inspiration.

Products used:

Stamps:  Holly Berries (SSS)

Ink:  Versafine

Cardstock:  White, Gold, Silver, Cherry Cobbler

Accessories:  Rectangle Stitched Mat die, Layered Poinsettia die, Wink of Stella, pearls, Copic

Cheers

Karren