BA @ Uniko

Hi, I'm up over at Uniko with a little bit of Christmas card inspiration.
For details on how I made these cards check out the Uniko blog here.

Altenew Plentiful Pine

Morning all.

It's time for a brand new challenge over at Cardz4Guyz. This time our theme, very appropriately is -

ICY COLD

So, perhaps another chance to use the theme to make more Christmas cards like me?

The other weekend, I treated myself to a crafty day with Altenew's Lydia Evans over in N Wales.

We made a batch of cards and had a great time chating with like minded crafters, old friends and new.

We used a couple of the new November release from Altenew, including Plentiful Pine. Like many of their stamp sets it is a layering one but as in this card it doesn't mean you need to use all the layers!

As it is a OL card, so a bit of planning was required before I started stamping.

I first created a window mask and then added a strip of torn post it tape across the opening and added a die cut circle mask too. I carefully added some Faded Jeans DI across the top of the window and then stamped the second layer of one of the small trees in black whilst the mask was still inplace. 

Carefully removing the torn mask, I moved it down the opening and added some more of the Faded Jeans DI to create another snow drift. Before stamping my foreground trees, I removed the circle mask and stamped over the torn mask with the second layer of the tree in Altenew's Evergreen ink three times. I then over stamped each of these with the third layer and black ink.

A little bit of Weathered Wood DI was added to the moon and across the snow to create some suggested shadow. 

Removing the window mask, I stamped the sentiment from the same set in black and added some stars to the sky with a white gel pen.

Over at Twofer, the wonderful Darnell and her DT are asking for Winter Foliage themed cards, so as I still had my stash out, I made another OLC but this time I used the whole card front.

I used the same torn tape masking principle but this time I used Salty Ocean DI to create the sky and to stamp the background trees. An extra snowdrift was added and the large pine tree was stamped in all its glory using Altenew's Green Fields and black ink set. We discussed using white EP for the final layer on the Saturday but I didn't use it this time, I may in future designs. I did think that the base green was a little too pale on the large tree, so added another base layer with a light inking of the Salty Ocean. The sentiment completes.

Two rather Icy Cold scenes I think!

For more Icy inspiration please check out the rest of the DT here, then why not have a go?

I'm joining in over at:-

Use a Frame

Have you joined in yet?

Just popping around to remind you that there is still time for you to enter the STAMPlorations challenges.

As we are getting near to the festive season, I've kept to the Christmas theme with my card inspiration.

The Theme and Photo prompt challenge inspired me, focusing in on the theme element of stamps and circles.

I've used this technique before but using a group of baubles, but this time I went with just the one circular aperture but two cards!

Using my MISTI, I stamped and embossed the STAMPlorations Merry Little Christmas Typography sentiment, twice with gold on red and once with red on white, onto panel cut with the middle sized Crazy Double stitched rectangle die. Using a MISTI ensures that the stamping is exactly in the same position so I can swap around the different elements easily.

To create the bauble effect, I took one of the red panels and die cut a circle. Setting the red rectangle to one side, I took the red die cut circle and added some Memento Rhubarb Stalk ink to the edges to give it a bit of dimension before adding some foam pads to the back. I added a gold chord to the white panel and then popped the red circle over, matching the writing. The finished panel was then also popped up over a base card from the same white card. A bow from the same gold chord completes.

For the red card, I laid the die cut panel over the other red embossed one and marked the edge of the opening lightly with a pencil. With the same red ink as before, I inked the bottom uncut layer to create dimension and the popped the die cut one over the top with foam pads. Some more of the gold chord was used to create the hanger and bow before the panels were glued to a matching red base card. 

OK, so for more STAMPlorations inspiration check out the teams here.

A New Challenge @ Uniko

Morning all.

Are we really half way through November? Christmas is going to be on us before we realise at this rate!

Anyway if you need some inspiration for your Christmas cards then perhaps the latest challenge at Uniko will help. Here's my card -

This was influenced by the new challenge and a card I saw by the wonderful Therese Calvird.



When I saw  the pic it reminded me of a die cut tree I have in my stash that is a fun take of a Christmas tree by STAMPlorations. At first I thought I could stamp the sentiments onto the tree panels but in the end I decided to use some scraps of green and stamp the sentiments from various Uniko sets on those and then use the tree die cut to help placement. I cut one tree out of brown card and starting from the bottom, adding the green sentiment panels.
The star at the top was stamped using the star from Jolly Christmas, embossed with sparkly gold EP and fussy cut. A snippet of red ribbon around the pot completes the tree.

The background was made using the trapped colour technique. Using  the Winter Foliage stencil, I inked through with Versfine onto a panel of watercolour card inked with Antique Linen that I'd left to dry fully first.
Carefully removing the stencil, I added clear EP and heat set. Once cool, I spritzed it with water and removed the excess ink with a paper towel.
I trimmed the dry panel down and glued it to a white base card before popping up the tree on pads.

OK, that's it from me but for more inspiration from the Uniko team check here.

The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

Evening folks.
Have you got all your Christmas cards made yet? I know I haven't, I'm a bit behind this year but perhaps the latest challenge at Perfectly CAS will help you.
Here's my inspiration for you.

The ladies over at CAS Mix Up are featuring the oxidized metal technique, something I'm not familiar with, so after investigating the links, I decided to have a go.
The panel I made was used for this tag and the left over bits were die cut with smaller snowflake dies to make this card. The panel coped best with the large die, these smaller dies had a tendency to cause the embossing layer to flake off but a little heat settled it down again.
The original panel was a silver and turquoise colour that had been in my stash for many many years and it was a little distressed around the edges to start with, but that made the end result even more interesting. I only have one reinker, Tumbled Glass DI, so it dictated that I use a wintery theme!
My sentiment from Uniko's Most Wonderful stamp set was stamped and embossed with silver EP on a white base card and the die cut snowflakes arranged around it, leaving lots of white space.
Quite a quick card and very post friendly.
For more festive CAS inspiration, check out the rest of the team here.

Joining in over at:-




Winter Blues

25 Days of Christmas Tags

Hi. It's the time of year when Tracy McNeely hosts her 25 days of ChristmasTags blog hop.

Today its the turn of Uniko to sponsor the hop, so the DT are sharing some festive tags with you.

Here's one I made using the Sparkling Snowflake die and the oxidised metal effect.

The ladies at CAS Mix Up are focusing on this technique so I had to have a try, so I booted up You Tube link from their site and went experimenting.

I started by creating a panel by adding Tumbled Glass refill ink to a panel of distressed turquoise/silver foiled card that's been in my stash for years. Using my heat gun, I dried the inky surface then covered it with clear embossing powder. After heat embossing the panel, I die cut my snowflake from it. The card was quite thick but I wasn't worried that all the small bits didn't cut out first time as I liked the look, any loose bits were taped in place on the back before adding it to a circle of embossed white card. A hole punched into the top and some silver chord complete.

I've also made a second tag with one of my sentiment panels.

This time I die cut a tag from a panel made with clear embossed stamping on kraft, inked with Vintage Photo DI. A circle of tartan DP, a couple of stamped and die cut holly leaves and some twine and a button, all edged with Vintage Photo DI complete.

The rest of the team have a great selection of tags for your inspiration over at Uniko, but to enter Tracey's blog hop link up here. You'll also find all the Ts and Cs there too.

Penguin Merry Christmas

Morning all.
Gosh the year is rapidly getting away from me, I don't know about you but how come we're into November already!
Anyway it's time for a brand new challenge at Cardz4Guyz.
This time our theme is -

ALL WRAPPED UP

What does that conjure up for you? Well it could be wrapped up in warm clothes or perhaps it could be a present? Here's the card I came up with.

I used one of the penguins wrapped up in his festive hat and scarf from LOTV's Penguin Trio and kept it simple.

After stamping, I coloured him with Copics, fussy cut him and placed him inside a die cut circular frame cut from the same linen effect card as the base. Some foam pads were added to the frame and penguin, then a circle of DP was added to the back and finally added to the base card, stamped with a sentiment that came free with a recent mag.

So that's about it, where will you go with the theme, we'd love to see.
If you need more inspiration, check out the rest of the DT here.

I'm joining in:-

  


Christmas

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Good evening peeps. A new month and a new challenge over at HLS CAS.
Here's my take on this month's theme.

To complete the phrase it goes -to be jolly!
So I've gone with this 'jolly' and seasonal sentiment from HLS stamp set Christmas Joy and some Uniko Winter Foliage.
Nothing much else to say about it really, other than it's a one layer card!
For more seasonal inspiration please check out the rest of the DT and then why not join us in the gallery.


Joining in over at:-



     


One Layer

When is a circle not a circle?

Good morning and welcome to a new month and a new challenge over at STAMPlorations.

Here's my card for the latest Theme and Photo Challenge.

This is where I got my inspiration from.

So how come I went with a Christmas vibe. Well first of all I had my Christmas stash out for another post, more of that later, and secondly the theme is stamps and circles, and when is a circle not a circle, when it's a bauble!

To begin, I inked a panel of scrap card with a mixture of teal blues from the stash, it ended up a little darker than the pic but I think it still works well with the gold embossing which I also picked up on from the inspiration pic. After it had dried completely I stamped two of the baubles from the Christmas Baubles set and used a gold EP for a really luscious look. Instead of fuzzy cutting, I die cut them using a small circle die. The third I treated rather differently, cutting a larger circle from my panel, before stamping the stars from Three Kings repeatedly over it with Versafine, before embossing with the same gold EP. 

To give my die cut circles a bit of added dimension, I inked the edges with a darker blue, fading it out towards the centre. 

From a scrap of gold mirror card, I cut three hangers from the Christmas Bauble #1 die set. These were then attached to the back of each bauble and some gold chord was slipped through the loop and attached to the back. Each bauble was then popped up with foam tape on a panel of white card and the sentiment from Christmas Baubles, was stamped and embossed in gold EP. The chords were then wrapped over the top dege of the panel before adding that to an A6 base card.

So what will catch your eye in the photo, or perhaps you will just stick to the theme of circles and stamps, the choice is all down to you. If you want some more inspiration then why not check out the rest of the DT here, then why not join in.

Joining in over at:-


Christmas


AG option of stars