3 looks with 1 design

I love how a simple design can be changed so easily with a change in materials, or in this case, a change in topper. I decided to (finally) use up some sparkly white cardstock scraps rescued from Christmas crackers (from several years ago) and was inspired to turn it into a sparkly snowflake border using the Memory Box "Frostyville" border die. It took quite a bit of fussing to get the card to cut properly since it was both thick and rough but the result is very pretty. I added a rectangle of black card and a backdrop of shiny silver striped paper for a really elegant look but the overall effect was too plain. I decided to use a variety of toppers that were sitting in the drawer already coloured/assembled.

The first 2 cards use Bugaboo kids all dressed up for the holiday. Aren't they adorable? They are coloured with Copic markers and placed over chipboard sentiments. I think the result is quite fun.

For the next card I used a Forever Friends 3D decoupage image that came free in a magazine. I don't often use this sort of freebie but I like how it turned the card into something more fun & child-appropriate.

The final card stayed elegant with the addition of a layered white die cut snowflake (Spellbinders). The 2 layers are held together with a white enamel snowflake brad that has been in my stash for just short of forever (i.e. over 5 years!).

I think the first set of cards are my favourite, probably because I love the Bugaboo kids so very much but I wish I could have made a few more of the last design too. How about you?

Challenges:

• ABC Christmas - favourite punch or die (Frostyville is a total favourite of mine)
• Christmas Card Challenges - die cuts
• Clear it out - Christmas
• Die Cut Divas - Holiday spirit
• Forever Friends - Christmas
• Holly Jolly Christmas - metallic Christmas (metal brad in the bottom card)
• Oldie but Goodie - use a 2012 sponsor image (Bugaboo!)
• Unstampabelles - Christmas w/ no stamps (cards 3/4)
• Use it Tuesdays - Christmas

Winter wonderland

OMG - it's the last day of November and I've barely started on my Christmas cards! I have a few special cards made but the bulk are sitting on my dining room table in various states of completion (and, OK, by completion I really mean that they are hardly even imagined). Panic can be a good thing sometimes - I spent the evening cranking out creating a batch of cards inspired by a gorgeous card I discovered at Splitcoast Stampers.

I started out by die cutting the frames and deer (Memory Box "Debutante Frame", "Orchard Frame", "Deer Trio") from white cardstock. I then embossed the background frame (using Sizzix "Christmas Dots #5"), first spreading distress ink (Tim Holtz "Broken China") on the folder to create the snowy background. I wanted the deer to really stand out, so I inked a second die cut with the same "Broken China" distress ink and layered it behind & slightly off to create a shadow.

The patterned papers all came from my stash - Basic Grey "Nordic Holiday" and 3 Bugs in a Rug "Snow Much Fun".To tie the reds in the snowflake paper in with the red strip and poinsettia, I added some dots of Stickles "Candy Cane" glitter glue in the tree branches and poinsettia centre. The final touches were Stickles "Star Dust" dabbed along the snowy ground and then some inking around the card edge.

Sure sounds like a lot of work but these cards actually came together pretty quickly. The most difficult aspect was keeping my cat from stepping on the drying glitter!

Anyway, off to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a busy day of decorating the house and hopefully making more cards!


Challenges:

There are tonnes of challenges for Christmas cards right now so I'm going a little crazy with my entries.

Crafts 4 Eternity - Christmas
Crimbo Crackers - Anything Christmas
Divas by Design - Sparkle & glitter
Fussy & Fancy - Christmas
Jingle Belles - Anything holiday
Little Red Wagon - Include a tree
Oldie But a Goodie - Let it snow (plus use older item - papers are all over a year old)
Partytime Tuesdays - Anything goes
Tuesday Throwdown - Lots of layers
Simon Says Stamp - Anything goes

Dintinctively Pink Christmas

I'm in a festive mood today so I'm sharing a Christmas card that I just finished up.

I used a sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches as my starting point and was inspired to use pink as my base colour because so many challenges this month are calling for pink (due to it being Breast Cancer awareness month).

I was shopping on the weekend and picked up a couple of new die cuts (the tree and deer) so I just had to use them right away. The tree die cut is from Dee's Distinctively Dies - I cut the tree layers (plus free-handed the largest layer because I wanted my tree to be a bit bigger) and then embossed them using a snowflake embossing folder. I popped up each layer of the tree to give even more dimension. The tree trunk is just free cut from a scrap.

The window frame is also popped up so that there is depth (Memory Box Madison Grand Window with ledges trimmed). The deer are cut with Memory Box (deer trio). I really lucked out with the black/grey patterned paper - I was looking in the scrap box and found just enough of this paper. I love how the design looks like swirling snow.

That's it for now - thanks for visiting.


Challenges:
52 Christmas Card Throwdown - embellish with die cuts/punches
ABC Christmas - anything goes
Christmas Card Challenges - pop it up
D.L. Art - Holiday in Oct/Nov/Dec
Do You Stack Up - embossing
Fussy & Fancy - anything goes
Jingle Belles - creatures
Love to Create - lots of layers

Cutie patootie puppy card

Just back from a wonderful weekend at Crop & Create sponsored by Scrapbook & Cards magazine. I took wonderful classes from 3 of the great women in scrapbooking - Becky Fleck, Vicki Boutin and Kimber McGray. The classes were all based on techniques and I learned so much that I'm eager to try.

But first I want to share a card that I made for one of the weekend contests - Why Hello There. And I am so proud to admit that my card was chosen by Kimber McGray as the winner! Being selected as a winner by someone who has published 4 books on scrapbooking and card making was a total thrill! But enough of the bragging ... here is the card:

I used a couple of new toys for this card - the Grand Madison Window die cut from Memory Box and the Flowers & Leaves die cut from Marianne Design Creatables. The cutie patootie puppy is a front & back stamp from Art Impressions - he is so adorable but I have to admit he's being sitting in my drawer because I've been intimidated about colouring him. I've been working on my colouring though and I'm actually pretty pleased with him. The toughest part of this card was aligning the window and dog on either side of the acrylic so front & back matched up. One last thing to add, I didn't want any writing inside the card to show through the window so the inside of the card actually opens up to the right (the buttons are kind of a handle) so that I can write a nice note.

Challenges:

• 2 Sisters - inside & out (show the inside & outside of your card)
• Aud Sentiments - any sentiment
• Crafting for all Seasons - lots of layers
• Cutie Pie Challenge - die cuts/punches
• Die Cuttin' Divas - anything goes
• Divas by Design - anything goes
• Let's Ink it Up - use your favourite embellishments (mine are die cut shapes and flowers)
• Paper Play - use 2 of something (2 buttons)
• Secret Crafter - anything goes
• Simon Says Stamp - anything goes
• Top Tip Tuesday - dig out something old (stamp has been in my stash for ages!)

Easter greetings

I love finding a great sketch that can be used for multiple cards! I just finished making this batch of cards for the BC Childrens Hospital (sending them via Send A Smile 4 Kids Canada) using last week's sketch from Sketch and Stash. Most of the papers are from the "Peep" pack from We R Memory Keepers. The ribbons, flowers & buttons are freebies from a magazine. The gorgeous die cuts are Memory Box (thank you to my BFF Lee for cutting & sending these for me!). The bunny & puppy images are digital stamps from Karen's Doodles and the dragon is from Dustin Pike's Doodle Dragon Studios. Of course they are all coloured using Copic markers.

After assembling the cards I decided that they needed some some "bling" so I added Glossy Accents on the Easter eggs (background paper on dragon card, eggs in basket on bunny card) and Stickles to the basket filler (dragon card).

Challenges:
2 Sisters - anything goes
Allsorts - anything goes
Corrosive Challenges - another dimension (the images and flowers are popped up)
Crafty Catz - something starting with "B" (buttons, bunny)
Crazy Challenge - anything goes
Doodle Dragon - Pike's Playground - bling (glossy eggs & sparkly yellow basket filler)
Going Grey with Scrap-Creations - pop it
Karen's Doodles - pastel Easter
Moving Along With the Times - layers
Send a Smile 4 Kids - Easter/spring
Truly Madly Crafty - ribbon & bling