ABC Christmas Challenge - N & O are for?

It's the second Wednesday of a new month, so that means it's time for a new ABC Christmas Challenge...Lynda is the host, and the themes are:

'N is for No Stamping'

&

'O is for Once in Royal David's City (Buildings)'

The prize for the lucky winner is the matching stamp & die from Your Next Stamp

For my 'No Stamping' card, I started by cutting a couple of baubles from snippets of watercolour effect papers (from the 'Pastel Watercolours' pad from The Works) using my Memory Box 'Classic Ornament' die, then cut the 'Snowflake Ornament' die from snippets of silver mirror card to layer over the top. I embossed another piece of the watercolour paper using an old Cuttlebug folder and matted it onto some more silver mirror card. I cut a sentiment from silver mirror card using my Poppy Stamps 'Folk Merry Christmas' die, then added it all to the embossed background using a couple of little strips of mirror card to 'hang' the ornaments.

For my 'Once in Royal David's City (Buildings)' card, I picked another Christmas Carol themed stamp - 'Bethlehem Nights' by Stampendous. I stamped it onto smooth white card using a Versafine pigment ink in dark blue called 'Twilight'. I stamped it several times to get a really clear image, then heat embossed it using 'Midnight Dream' embossing glitter from WOW. I matted it onto a snippet of navy card, then added it to a white card blank.

The card is really sparkly, and a gorgeous mix of colours, but a real pain to photograph!

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• A Cut Above - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Allsorts - Anything Goes (First card only)
• Christmas Cards All Year Round - M, N & O (O is for Ornaments) (First card only)
• Creative Fingers - Anything Goes (Second card only)
• Creative Knockouts - Christmas in July (First card only)
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - Monochrome (Second card only)
• Sweet Stampin' - Christmas in July (Second card only)

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the ABC Christmas Challenge.

Rainbow Christmas Trees

Today's card features a Woodware Christmas tree stamp called 'Mini Tall Twiggy Tree'. I stamped it across a piece of watercolour paper in a rainbow pattern using Distress Inks: Festive Berries; Spiced Marmalade; Mustard Seed; Lucky Clover; Salty Ocean; Chipped Sapphire; and Wilted Violet. I added a sentiment cut from black card using a Poppy Stamps die called 'Folk Merry Christmas'. I matted the panel on to some more black card before adding it to a DL card blank.

Challenges for this card:

• A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - Stamps
• Everybody Art - We Love Stamping

Christmas Hugs

I have another Christmas card to share today...featuring a couple of pups from the 'Christmas Hugs' set by Penny Black. I stamped them on to a snippet of watercolour paper, coloured them using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut them out. For the background, I layered a piece of snowflake paper (from the 'Glittering Snowflakes' pad by Crafter's Companion) on to a snippet of navy card, then added a snippet of white card...tearing the top edge to give a 'snowy' effect...along the bottom. I cut a star (using a die from the 'Snowy Stars' set by Tim Holtz for Sizzix) and sentiment (using a Poppy Stamps die called 'Folksy Merry Christmas') from snippets of silver mirror card, and popped those on to the snowy background, then added the dogs using 3D foam pads.

Challenges for this card:

• 52 Christmas Card Showdown - Fussy Cutting
• Allsorts - Anything Goes
• Dream Valley - Christmas in July
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets & Christmas in July
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Rudolph Days - Anything Christmas Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

PBSC September - Anything Goes...Optional 'Your Favourite Colours'

It's the first Saturday of the month, so that means it's time for a new Penny Black Saturday Challenge...where the theme is:

'Anything Goes'
or
'Your Favourite Colours'

As usual, we are sponsored by the awesome 1-2-3 Stitch:

Prize - a $20 voucher!

My favourite colour is blue, more specifically shades of teal and turquoise...and I used those colours to make a Christmas card. The image I picked is 'Angel Cat'...I stamped it on to watercolour paper, coloured it using watercolour pencils, adding a pearlescent sheen to his wings with pearl watercolour paint, then carefully cut him out. I made a simple background by brushing some of the blue & green shades of pearl watercolour paint on to an acrylic block, then stamped the block on to watercolour paper. Once dry, I distressed the edges a little, then matted the panel on to blue glitter card before adding it to my teal card blank. I cut the sentiment using my Poppy Stamps 'Folk Merry Christmas' die from more of the blue glitter card.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• Christmas Kickstart - Festive Furbabies
• Crafty Cardmakers - Things with Wings
• Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Stamp
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - Thinks withWings

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.

Winter Wonderland

I've used another birthday present on today's card...it's a Penny Black die called 'Xmas Tree Border'. I loved the design of the sample card on the packaging...so basically copied that! I cut a couple of rows of trees from snippets of green card...then used my Lawn Fawn 'Hillside Border' dies to cut some snowy slopes from snippets of white card, and a new (to me) Poppy Stamps 'Curious Fawn' die to cut the little deer from a snippet of kraft card. I stamped a sentiment (from the 'Merriest Christmas' set by Hero Arts) on to a piece of paper from the 'Mystery Marbles' pad by Craft Sensations), then layered all of the die cut pieces over the top.

Challenges for this card:

• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Crimbo Crackers - Anything Christmas Goes
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Happy Little Stampers (Dies) - Anything Goes with Dies
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• The Sisterhood of Crafters - Dies as the Main Focus

White on White Winter Wonderland

I have a Christmas card to share today...made using snippets of white card. I cut a couple of circles using one of my Nesties, then embossed one of them using a Tim Holtz/Sizzix folder called 'Snowfall'. I used a Poppy Stamps die called 'Pine Tree Border' on the other to cut a row of trees, then distressed the edges a little. I mounted the trees on top of the snowy background using some 3D foam pads, then added it to my card blank. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.

Challenges for this card:

• AAA Cards - Max White Space (Optional Christmas in July)
• C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
• Craft Catz - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Christmas in July
• Crimbo Crackers - Anything Christmas Goes
• Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
• Shopping Our Stash - Christmas in July
• Sparkles Forum Christmas - Include a Tree

Snowy Stars Twofer

I'm sneaking in under the wire into this month's Twofer Challenge, where the theme is 'Stars'...I picked up a new (to me) die set...called 'Snowy Stars' (by Tim Holtz for Sizzix) this week in a lovely little Aladdin's cave of a craft shop, and couldn't resist! I used it to make a birthday card and a Christmas card.

For the birthday card I used the large circular die on a piece of navy card, then backed it with some yellow so that the stars would 'shine' through. I used it as a background for my 'Cat on the Moon' stamp by Penny Black...I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then carefully cut it out. I added a star cut using one of the single star dies from the same set, and heat embossed a sentiment made up of stamps from the 'Wish Upon a Star' set by Lawn Fawn.

For the Christmas card, I cut the same circular die into a piece of paper from the 'Mystery Marbles' pad by Craft Sensations. I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. I added a die cut sentiment ('Folk Merry Christmas' by Poppy Stamps), then added the panel to a white card blank.

Challenges for these cards:

• Aud Sentiments - Bingo + a Sentiment (Die Cut - Pencils - Favourite Colour (Blue)) (First Card Only)
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Goes (Second Card Only)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - No Stamps Allowed (Second Card Only)
• Twofer - Stars (Birthday & Christmas)

ABC Christmas Challenge - February 2017...C & D are for?

We have another fun ABC Christmas Challenge starting today...Wilma is the host, and this month we have two themes for you to use:

'C is for Creature'

AND

'D is for Dimension'

We have two awesome sponsors for this challenge:

All Dressed Up

Prize - 2 free digis of the winner's choice!

AND

Sweet Stamp Store

Prize - $10 Gift Certificate!

Wait...there's more! There's also a fab prize bundle donated by Wilma:

I made a card for each of the two themes...on my 'C' card I featured a cute Hedgie & Robin as my creatures ('Wishes for Kisses' by Penny Black). I coloured the image using watercolour pencils, then simply added some faux stitching along the top and bottom using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I added a snippet of patterned paper (from the 'Special Delivery' pad by Helz Cuppleditch) behind the image and a sentiment from a set by Lili of the Valley.

On my 'D' card I used a Poppy Stamps die called 'Abundant' gifts to cut lots of little presents from scraps of brightly coloured card, then mounted the assembled gifts on to my card blanks using 3D foam pads. Again I added sentiments from the same Lili of the Valley set.

You can see the dimension a little better on this close-up:

I'm also entering these cards into the following challenges:

• Addicted to Stamps - Baby it's Cold Outside (Just the fist card)
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas
• Creative Inspirations - Cute Critters (Just the first card)
• Hiding in my Craft Room - Any Holiday (Christmas)
• Polkadoodles - Anything Goes
• Stampavie & More - Animals (Just the first card)
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the ABC Christmas Challenge.