First Christmas Card for 2014

At the end of last year with the Christmas card rush like many I decided that next (now this) year I'd try and make a Christmas card a week…..and yes I know its February already but here we are at last with one :-)
I saw the challenge over at Merry Monday to add an animal

 and my first thought was a Dasher Reindeer….but in the end went for a different look :-)

The Dove and greeting are both from the Calm Christmas stamp set that was available in the Seasonal Catalogue. I love the Dove but it is a bit tricky to cut out. Here he is layered onto some Silver Glimmer paper and his eye is a Basic rhinestone.

Card stock: Island Indigo, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer

Inks: Island Indigo, Old Olive (marker)

Stamps: Calm Christmas

Accessories: Big Shot, Oval Framelits, Print Poetry EF,  Silver Ribbon, Frosted Finishes embellsihment, Basic Rhinestone, Dimensionals

This is the first time I've made a Christmas card outside the usual time frame of Oct- Dec and it does present some extra challenges I found - especially with no current Christmas DSP or stamps available but I am sure we will get used to that as the year goes on :-)

Happy Stamping until next time,

Jan

Midnight Muse for FMS

This afternoon's card is inspired by the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week.

 I am still making my way through Christmas cards so it was just a decision of which image to use….and the beautiful dove from Calm Christmas is my favourite this year. I loved what Cindy made with this stamp too! Here is my version:

The card base is Midnight Muse and the White layer is embossed with the Pretty Print embossing folder. The lovely Silver Foil card stock is layered on top of another piece of Midnight Muse. The greeting s stamped in Versamark and clear embossed. The basic pearls used for agents are coloured with a Midnight Muse marker after being attached to the card.

Card stock: Midnight Muse, Whisper White, silver Foil

Ink: Midnight Muse, Hunter green (retired marker for branch), Versamark

Stamps: Calm Christmas

Accessories: Big Shot, Pretty Print EF, Basic Pearls

Whilst working in the garden today I came upon my favourite rose showing all of its colours. Its a Chameleon and when the buds first open they are a rich yellow and pink.

The next day the yellow fades a little as the pink flourishes.

And later the pink fades too to the edges and the centre fades to white

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

I'm back!

I'm sorry its been a little while between posts - I haven't been so well. But we are improving and back on track again.

I have some great news in that I won my first ever card Challenge over at Just Add Ink last week with my Girly Grunge card! Such a lovely surprise! A big thanks to the JAI team for all the great challenges and the lovely encouraging comments! For years now I have been inspired by the JAI Team and all those who enter the challenges and so I am excited to be able to enter now let alone win one! Wow!!

Today I have a couple of Christmas cards to share - neither will be entered in a challenge today but hopefully we will have a Challenge card for you soon.

Yes, this card is similar to a previous card - sometimes just a small adjustment can make a card an individual! The base of the card is Midnight Muse and the next layer is River Rock added with dimensionals to allow the Burlap to be tucked underneath. The "button" is actually a brad - one of the retired Baja Breeze corduroy brads from a couple of years back. I like the "natural" feel it has -  it compliments the Burlap ribbon don't you think?

The Wonderful Blessing is stamped in Midnight Muse and then some Dazzling Diamonds are applied using a Glue pen to the angels and stars above the stable. And it is cut out with the circles framelits as is the layer underneath.

Card stock: Midnight Muse, River Rock, Whisper White

Inks: Midnight Muse

Stamp: Wonderful Blessing

Accessories: Big Shot, Circles Framelits, Basic Rhinestones, Burlap Ribbon, Corduroy Brad.

The second card is inspired by a sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches. This card is a case of Cindy Hall whose card you can see in the link above. It is too similar to enter but I have another idea forming for an entry card so watch this space :-)

Yes Midnight Muse is THE colour today! The Background paper is from the Winter Frost Specialty pack - my "go to " pack this year, I love the colours! So the belly band has a gap in it and the left side is  embossed with the Petals a Plenty embossing folder - it looks like a Poinsettia! The greeting is embossed in White but next time I think Midnight Muse might be better?

Card stock: Midnight Must, Pool Party, Whisper White

Designer Series Paper: Winter Frost Specialty

Inks: Midnight Muse, Pool Party (marker for the branch), Versamark

Accessories: Big Shot, Petals a Plenty EF, White Embossing Powder, Basic Rhinestones

Happy Stamping until next time,

Jan

Silver Calm

Before I get to what has been happening today I have this card to share with you that I made yesterday. Its inspired by the lovely sketch at The Paper Players this week. And there is still a little time to enter it into the challenge!! As I still have LOTS of Christmas cards to make it was always going to be one :-)

It came down to which stamp set to use for the focal image…and I thought I'd try the dove from the Calm Christmas set and use some of the lovely Winter's Frost Specialty DSP and thats how this card came along!

The base layer is Whisper White followed by Coastal Cabana. The beautiful metallic and blue striped piece of DSP is layered onto some Pool Party card stock and the banners are hand cut and made from the same DSP, more Pool Party card stock and the new and gorgeous Silver Foil all embossed with the Pretty Print EF.

For the dove I tried a number of variations (White embossed, foil stamped…) before finally settling on the Silver embossed  version and gave him a pearl for an eye. The greeting too is Silver embossed.

Card Stock: Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Pool Party, Silver Foil
Designer Series Paper: Winter Frost Specialty
Inks: Versamark,
Stamps: Calm Christmas
Accessories: Big Shot, Pretty Print EF, Silver Embossing Powder, Organza Ribbon, Basic Pearls

I had some lovely card making friends come over today and they even brought Lunch!! How spoilt am I?! We had a lovely time together. Thank you so much Ladies!!

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Calm Christmas for FMS #109

Today's has ben a busy day - as soon as Sally (dog) jumped off the bed just before 6am to go and hide in the bathroom  - a sure sign of rain - I had a feeling it was going to be one of "those" days…and it was! Yet I still have a card to share with you today so that is good! And its inspired by a great sketch at  Freshly Made Sketches this week.

After having a look at my required list of close to 50 Christmas cards this year…I decided it was time to really concentrate on making them!!

The base of the card is Real Red card stock and the vertical layer is a piece of Crumb cake embossed with the Print Poetry EF and added with Dimensionals.

The Dove image is first inked with Real Red ink and then the branch cleaned and inked with a Gumball green marker and then stamped onto white card stock and cut out.

Its then added with Dimensionals on top of a piece of Burlap Ribbon which has been cut in half horizontally. A small pearl is used for the Dove's eye and three more adorn the ribbon.

Card stock: Real Red, Crumb Cake, Whisper White

Inks: Real Red, Gumball Green (marker)

Stamps: Calm Christmas

Accessories: Big Shot, Print Poetry EF, Basic Pearls, Burlap Ribbon

In between the rain today we managed to get to the Park and let the dogs have a play. They love the rough and tumble!

And then they just love to love :-)

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Practice for FMS

I hope you are having a wonderful relaxing Sunday. As promised yesterday, here are two cards made as practice for the Freshly Made Sketch challenge. I thought they might be too busy for the "clean" requirement  - with the embossing and the Bling in the centre panel.

The Burlap ribbon was the starting point for this card...such a lovely earthy texture! The Peace greeting is from the Calm Christmas stamp set and I used a Versamark pen ( sadly now retired) to ink just the Peace portion of the stamp and embossed with Gold EP

But I thought it was TOO much white (or Vanilla, actually) so I removed the bottom layer

What do you think?

Card Stock: Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green, Very Vanilla

Designer Series Paper: Be Of Good Cheer (Retired)

Ink: Versamark

Stamps; Joyful Christmas, Calm Christmas

Access: Gold Embossing powder, Burlap Ribbon, Frosted Finishes Embellishments

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Peace Ornament for FMS 108

Its another glorious spring day - a warm 27 degrees and after a busy morning out and about it is time to get back to making Christmas cards. Today's card is inspired by the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week.

This is my first entry for one of their challenges so I hope I have captured the "Clean" look ok!! This is the third card - come back tomorrow to see the cards I thought might be a little too busy for this sketch :-)

The Ornament is from the Holiday Ornaments stamp set and  is cut out with the co-ordinating Framelits - and even easier this year with the addition of the Magnetic Platform to keep the dies in place!

The DSP is from the Winter Frost Specialty pack and the Peace is part of a stamp from the Calm Christmas set - inked with Versamark and embossed with Silver EP.  And I did still try to find some room for bling :-) - Some Rhinestones on the ornament and the lovely Silver Glimmer Paper!

Card Stock: Basic Slate, Pool Party, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer 

Designer Series Paper : Winter Frost Specialty

Stamps: Holiday Ornaments, Calm Christmas

Inks: Bermuda Bay, Versamark

Accessories: Big Shot, Holiday Ornaments Framelits, Silver embossing powder, Basic Rhinestones, Silver Ribbon, Fancy Fan ( I think that's its name, now retired) Border Punch 

Nothing like a spot of exercise on a nice sunny day!

After all it IS a lovely green paddock - especially after the Council took out again the trees that were planted just yesterday...and already watered :-) 

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Calm Christmas for Just add Ink

Today's card is yet another Christmas card - well it IS that time of year :-) and this time for the challenge over at Just Add Ink this week.

This card does actually lend itself quite well to mass production so it may find its way to a number of letter boxes this year :-) I do like the colour combo of Pool Party and Mdnight Muse!

The dove stamp is first inked with Midnight Muse ink before the branch is wiped clean and coloured with an Old Olive Marker.

Card Stock: Pool Party, Midnight Muse, Whisper White

Stamp: Calm Christmas

Inks: Midnight Muse, Pool Party Old Olive (Marker)

Accessories: Big Shot, Pretty Print EF, Pool Party Seam binding, Frosted Finishes Embellishments, dimensionals, Glue dots, Basic rhinestones

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Spring Is In the Air and PP #164

Its another gorgeous day - the sun is out and it is quite windy. There have been reports of bush fires in New South Wales and Queensland this week so hopefully it will not be another bad fire year. We have been blessed with such a mild winter that the grasses and bush have grown well.

Today's card is for a sketch from the Paper Players

Spring also is the season for some serious Christmas Card making so here is what I came up with.

I love this Winter Frost Designer Series Paper so that is where I started from for the colours and got out the new(to me!) Pool party embossing powder for the greeting. The Angel is stamped in Bermuda Bay ink and then Clear embossed too. And the bottom of the white layer is cut with the Adorning Accents Framelits and then put through the Big Shot with the same named Embossing Folder. Both have been in my stash for a while but so much easier to use now with the Magnetic Platform!

Card Stock: Smoky Slate, Whisper White, Pool Party, Silver Glimmer Paper

Designer Series Paper: Winter Frost

Stamps: Rejoicing with You, Calm Christmas

Inks : Versamark, Bermuda Bay

Accessories: Big Shot, Adorning Accents Framelits and Embossing Folders, 21/2' round punch, Pool Party Ribbon, Circle cutting system (non SU!)

Also today our Pink Taree Bottlebrush tree came into flower - it really is a bright pink!! Traditionally Bottlebrushes are mainly red but I love this different version which blooms each Spring and Autumn.

And today we also are thinking of Sally's best doggy friend Monty and his family today. Monty is having surgery to remove a small tumour from his neck. We hope you will soon be up and about and running around as well as ever Monty - and enjoying lots of cuddles and rest in the meantime :-)

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan