Christmas Red Bird

Happy Thursday! I have a card for the Team O challenge at Tic Tac Toe Challenge, I chose the left column - Fun Fold, Punch and Red.

 

I had a great time with this simple fun fold card. It really is simple - just a few panels, a nice bold sentiment and a punched bird. I love that I got to use the bird builder punch. This is a long retired Stampin' Up! punch but a favorite.  I have so many dies now that I rarely use my punches but they really do make creating a card like this go fast. I also used my Bough punch by SU for some of the greenery.

For the bird, I used a bit darker red and sponged the edges for depth. I also used a black pen for the eye and a gold pen for the beak.

I hope you will join us in the fun this week!

Products used:

• Punches: Stampin' Up! Bird Builder and Boughs
• Stamps: Stampin' Up! Holly Jolly Wishes
  

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Peppermint Twist

Our final sketch for 2023 at CAS Colours & Sketches! Next month we have a special challenge for you.

 

I love the sketch that Nancy gave us. It offers so many possibilities.

I used some brand new dies from My Favorite Things and paired it with one of my favorite Christmas embossing folders from Simon Says Stamp. Christmas candy is always so much fun (and tasty!).

For me the hardest part was embossing the sentiment. I really don't have any problems with heat embossing it just seems like a lot of work. But sometimes nothing beats a white sentiment on dark paper. This wouldn't have looked the same in red ink on white. And white ink doesn't cut it for me - so...heat embossing.

I hope you will join us in the challenge this week!

I am also entering this in the Peace on Earth Challenge.

Products used:

• Dies: MFT Sweet Sticks Holiday
• Stamps: MFT Sweet Holiday Words
• Accessories: Stampin' Up! Lovely Labels Punch, Simon Says Stamps 3d Twirling EF

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Let it Snow! with Lawn Fawn's Build-a-Snowman

Happy Thursday! It's Team O's week at Tic Tac Toe Challenge. The board this week can go holiday or not.

 

I chose the left column - blue, snowman, sparkle.

A few months ago I attended the "Always an Adventure" Lawn Fawn event. So much fun! And lot's of inspiration for their products both old and new. Unfortunately I haven't had much time to use my new (to me) toys but I did today. The Build-a-Snowman had been around a bit but the Winter Wonderland Window is new this season.

I used Balmy Blue ink to give some definition to all my snow pieces and even inked his scarf a bit with Poppy Parade for some depth. It's one of those things that you don't immediately notice but adds "that something." To make my life simpler and the card go faster, I cut all the small pieces (not the hat) from white and colored them with Copics or Stampin' Blends. In fact I didn't even cut the die pieces apart - good for not losing any!

For my sparkle I added a few very old embellishments that are supposed to look like snowflakes. I have enough embellishments to last me the rest of my life. I have to restrain myself from buying more and use what I have. I'm getting better at it.

I hope you'll join us in the challenge this week!

Products used:

• Dies: Lawn Fawn - Build-A-Snowman, Winter Wonderland Window, Let It Snow
  
• Markers: Stampin' Blends - Poppy Parade, Call Me Clover, Pumpkin Pie; Copics - Black, E25
• Paper: Lawn Fawn Perfectly Plaid Rudolf, Knit Picky Petite, Watercolor Wishes Petite; My Favorite Things Cheerful Plaid

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Season's Tweetings!

Happy Tuesday! We've got a great color challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches this week. One that can be used for the holidays or not. I chose to go holidays. I've thought about sending out all the random cards I've made throughout the years rather than try to make Christmas cards this year. Although, since Thanksgiving is on the 23rd this year there is slightly more time between turkey day and Christmas I may make new ones... 

I added a neutral brown for the wood and black. My string of lights should have been two die cuts but I used a black Copic to color the string - much easier! I also used Wink of Stella on the roof snow to add some sparkle.

I have found that I am really getting into die cut cards recently. I think there are several reasons for this:

• First I have SO MUCH cardstock and paper that I would like to use it up. I no longer save all those itty bitty scraps! It has to be at least 3 x 3for me to save.
• Second, die cut cards usually go faster than cards I color. I say "usually" because if there are a lot of small pieces then they can take a while. But I also usually have leftover pieces which I save with the dies. And it has happened that I've gone to make a card and had everything I need already cut!
• And lastly, it is really hard for me to give away my hand colored cards. They can take so much time! Especially Stamping Bella and My Favorite Things images as they tend to be larger and/or more detailed others. Cards that I color only go to people that I know will keep them. The thought of someone tossing the image I spent hours coloring really bothers me. (I know it shouldn't but it does.) Die cut cards are easy to recreate. In fact, once you've made one you can assembly line more.

So there you have my reasons that I've been doing more die cuts. All that said, I will probably decide to start coloring a whole lot more next year. I am very driven to create whatever happens to be "singing" to me at the time! Case in point, yesterday I did my first colored card in months.

I'm also entering this in the following challenges:

• Peace on Earth Christmas Card Challenge
• Triple B Challenge - Birds, Butterflies & Blooms
  

Products used:

• Dies: Lawn Fawn Build-a-Birdhouse and Winter Add-on
• Stamps: Lawn Fawn Winter Birds
• Accessories: Wink of Stella

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Christmas Mischief

I have the pleasure of being the hostess this week for the color challenge at Splitcoaststampers. I chose Polished Pink, Granny Apple Green and Balmy Blue with Anything Goes for dessert.

 

I love pink and green as a Christmas alternative to red and green. I added the blue as I wanted to use one of the plaids in this great My Favorite Things paper pad. As it turns out I chose one without the blue.

I could not resist using these playful pups again. I've used each of these stamps before but they really remind me of my two new puppies - Duke and Buffy. My pups are Shih Tzus and the stamp for Buffy (pink hat) is very Shih Tzu like. The other has a bit too long of ears for a Shih Tzu but this dog in the string of lights is totally my Duke! He is full of it - a real little stinker! I thought about trying to mask the stamp and draw in new ears but I just didn't have time.

I used Copics to create the fur and think he looks a bit shaggy. The pinks are hard to match and the SU blend looks nothing like Polished Pink in my opinion so I went with my own combo. I used the RV 10-14 markers but felt there just wasn't enough blue in the color so I overlayed RV02, 06 & 09. It did help tone down some of the neon orange-ish color. As I said, pinks are hard with markers. I just don't like many of the colors that are currently produced.

For my Anything Goes option I made a shaker card. I wanted to add a border to the card so I used a large scallop rectangle to create a panel. I felt the base needed some interest as did the back of the shaker so I used a retired embossing folder (Subtle) to give the cardstock just a bit of texture. I also felt that the plaid needed a little color around the edges so I stacked two layers of Polished Pink cardstock underneath the scalloped panel.

I hope you've enjoyed my card today. To see my other cards using this set click here and here. I have also entered this in the following challenges:

• MFT Sketch Challenge 670
• MFT October Christmas Challenge
• Simon Says Stamp Emboss It! Wednesday Card Challenge
• Peace on Earth Christmas Card Challenge
• Can You Handle the Pressure

Products used:

• Stamps/Dies: My Favorite Things Happy Pawlidays
• Dies: MFT Stitched Dome and Stitched Dome Frames STAX; TSOL Large Scalloped Rectangles
• Markers: Stampin' Blends Granny Apple Green and Balmy Blue Light & Dark; RV10, RV13, RV14, RV02, RV06, RV 09, E30, E31, E55, E37, N0, N2, N4, N8
• Accessories: Stampin' Up! Subtles EF and Enamel Dots, Pretty Pink Posh Sequins - Clear, Ballerina Pink, Cornflower

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Santa Ornament Gift Tags

Happy Thursday! Silke of Team O at Tic Tac Toe Challenge has a great board for us this week.

I chose the top row across - Ornament, Gift Tags and Ribbon. Ribbon goes so well with gift tags it's almost a given!

I used some new dies from Spellbinders.  The Santa Suit ornament literally went together in five minutes (or less). It took me longer to get out my cardstock and find the correct dies for this ornament than to cut the pieces and glue it together. If you need tags in quantity this is the one!

The Santa face took a bit longer but only because I don't have cardstock that is a good skin color. Most are too yellow or pink. (If anyone knows of a good skin tone cardstock please comment below!) So I used ink to blend the ears, nose and face and that took a few minutes. If I hadn't needed to do that, this one would have taken me only slightly longer than the suit. This is a super collection!

Products used:

• Dies: Spellbinders Festive Ornament Etched Dies and Santa's Festive Circle Crew by Nichol Spohr
• Ink: Distress Oxide Tea Dye, Antique Linen and Tattered Rose

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