CASEing Miriam Prantner

Today's Christmas cards were inspired by the card that Miriam Prantner created for the release of Warm Winter Scene cover plate by Neat & Tangled last year. At the time, I had just received the SOA Winterhaven collection that came with a super fun assortment of village scene dies and I knew right away that I wanted to use these to replicate Miriam's card. Especially since I already owned the Happy Holidays dies by Neat & Tangled that were included in a previous Stamp of Approval collection.

I'm linking up this card at SSS STAMPtember - Anything goes with Neat & Tangled

My first card is pretty much a copy of Miriam's card, using the Winterhaven dies to emboss my background. To make this task easier, I used masking tape to hold my row of dies together, so that I could create several rows, while shifting each row to the left or right for some variation.

For my second card, I created my background in the same way, but used the Joy die and one of the sentiment stamps from the Winterhaven SOA collection to finish it off, and I wrapped a length of red baker's twine around my card and tied it into a bow.

I'm sharing my card at:

SSS Wednesday - Anything goes

Winter Wonderland - Anything Christmas goes

CHNC - #405 Anything Christmas goes

Crimbo Crackers - #166 Anything Christmas/Holiday goes

Jingle Belles - Dashing through the snow
Although I realise there's no actual sign of snow on my card,
I hope you'll agree that my background is
reminiscent of a peaceful snowy winter village.

StampNation floral cards

Here are a few more cards that I created for StampNation swaps in the past few months.

First up, there's this floral card that I creating using the Flashy Florals stamp set by MFT and Catherine Pooler inks. The sentiment was white heat embossed onto a strip of black cardstock. A black mat and some clear sequins finished it off.

For my second card, I used some pretty flower paper and added a bold sentiment (Good vibes, Neat & Tangled) that I heat embossed onto a circle of vellum. Again, a sprinkle of clear sequins was enough to finish it off.

I'm linking up my card at:

STAMPtember - Anything goes with Neat & Tangled

For the third card, I used the layering Aloha stencils by Concord and 9th to create my soft florals.

I'm linking up my card at:

STAMPtember - Anything goes with Concord & 9th

Swap cards

At StampNation we have a fun feature where we can sign up each month to create a card following the theme for that month and sending it to an assigned fellow member. It's fun to be able to share your creations with fellow cardmakers this way.

Here are a few cards that I created this year but haven't shown on my blog yet.

This one was for a PenPal swap where everyone who signs up sends a card and receives a card. For my background, I used patterned paper to which I added a few black splatters. I also did a little ink blending around the edges using Antique linen distress ink. The heart was die cut from a left-over 'dendritic technique' panel and I blended some tumbled glass distress ink over it. The sunshine sentiment was die cut using an Essential by Ellen die and stacked with 2 white die cuts. To ground my heart, I used two strips of washi tape.

This one was for a swap where members can sign up once to indicate they would like to receive a card, while you need to sign up on a monthly basis if you are willing to send a card that particular month. The recipient never acknowledged reveiving my card, so I'm just hoping she did receive it and enjoyed it too.

If you're a follower of my blog, you may recognise the rainbow stripes from another card I posted. The dies I used are by CutPlorations (stitched panel), Essentials by Ellen (Silver linings), Sara Davies (nested hearts).

Since this card has never been published before, I'm hoping it's ok if I enter it into the current Wednesday challenge at Simon Says Stamp, where the theme is Anything goes.

This is a card that I created for the August PenPal swap. I created my background by repeatedly stamping the cherry image from an older set by Clearly Besotted (It's your birthday) and die cutting my panel using the double stitch die by CutPlorations. The dies that I used for my sentiment panel are also by CutPlorations. The sentiment is from Studio Katia's Citrus Trimmings set, and the two cherries on top are from Clearly Besotted's Fruit salad. They were coloured in using Prismacolors, fussy cut and foam mounted.

I'm linking up this card at:

Summer CUTplorations challenge

STAMPlorations never ending anything goes

SSS STAMPtember - Anything goes with Studio Katia

SSS STAMPtember - Anything goes with Clearly Besotted

For this one, I used the NBUS Manatee Mischief by Clearly Besotted that I snagged in a sale. I coloured in the image using coloured pencils and then fussy cut and popped up the pineapple cocktail. I used the small images from the set to stamp my tone on tone background.

The image below shows the added fun and sparkle from my Spectrum Noir clear sparkle brush.

I'm linking this one up at:

 STAMPtember - Anything goes with Clearly Besotted

Seize the Birthday - Travel

Hello everyone. It's time for another challenge at Seize the Birthday, where I'm guesting as the Surprise Party Guest until the end of November.

This fortnight we are inviting you to share your travel themed birthday cards with us.

Since the Toppings are always optional, the only real rule for playing along is creating a birthday themed card. Easy peasy, right?

My alcohol lift ink pad arrived last week, so I was eager to go and have a play with my acohol inks and my new ink pad.

My waves strip was created by lifting off the alcohol ink from one of the panels I had created by spreading out the alcohol ink onto yupo paper using a paint brush. I had intended to use the entire panel for my card, but sometimes things don't turn out the way you plan, so in the end I fussy cut my waves strip and foam mounted it to another slightly lighter alcohol ink panel.

Before die cutting my sentiment (Poppy Crafts), I created my own wood paper by swiping two brown ink pads over a scrap of Neena Desert Storm cardstock. I layered it onto a brown die cut before adhering it to my background panel. I used the same brown cardstock for my mat.

Do hop over to the Seize the Birthday blog to see what the fabulous Design Team has created to inspire you. 

I'm also linking up my card at:

Allsorts - #486 Water or the colour blue

SSS Wednesday - Anything goes

Another alcohol lift wreath

For this wreath, I added two dots of cranberry alcohol ink in the locations where I wanted to lift off the poinsettias from my other Stampers Anonymous wreath stamp.

Again, a frame and sentiment (white heat embossed on a snippet of black cs) finished this one off.

CAS Christmas - Wreath

Unfortunately, the linky had just closed when I wanted to link up, 

but I'm early for this month's Rudolph Days, 

where Maureen has just published this month's post, 

with wonderful samples by the DT.

Alcohol lift wreath

My alcohol lift ink arrived a couple of days ago, so I had a play and created a panel of greens, so I could lift off this wreath by Stampers Anonymous.

To finish off, all it needed was a small mossy green frame and a gold embossed sentiment (Winnie and Walter).

Challenges I'm playing:

CAS Christmas - Wreath

Cupcake Inspirations - #454 Green and brown

Addicted to Stamps - #166 Christmas comes early

Sweet Stampin' Christmas

CHNC - #404 Anything Christmas goes

Stamping with markers

Hello. I'm back again with a sweet and short post before heading to bed. I used my new Tombow markers to ink up this oldie but goodie HA stamp. To let the colours move a little more, I also added a spritz of water to my stamp after I had created several colour layers already and then came in with a brush to move the paint in just a few spots where it hadn't moved enough in my opinion. A Merry die cut from my lef-overs box and a heat embossed sentiment finished off my panel that I foam mounted to a rustic cream card base (PTI).

CAS Mix up - Stamping + inking with markers

 + watercolouring, die cutting, heat embossing

CAS Watercolour - Trees

HLS Christmas - AG, option: Tree

Allsorts - Water or the colour blue

Stamping Sensations - I spy ... 'B' (blues, bird, birches)

Sparkles Christmas - #92 Blue and gold

Peace and Party

It's the 24th of the month today, and that means it's time to post my cards for a couple of my favourite challenges in order to enter them before the linkies close.

This month's Twofer challenge was all about Leaves, and I decided to use one of the leaf images from my NBUS Geometric Greenery set by MFT to create both a Christmas wreath and some rainbow balloons.

For my Christmas wreath, I made some light pencil marks to divide the top part of my panel into 8 equal parts and then turned my panel each time to stamp the leaf into each segment with the help of a grid block and my Catherine Pooler ink (Eucalyptus). I stamped each leaf again, slightly offset, using second generation stamping (to cover up a booboo), but in hindsight I wish I had simply started over for a crisper look. I will probably redo this card anyway, since it's perfect for creating multiples. The sentiment was stamped in red (Peppermint Scrub, CP ink) and since this ink stays wet a little longer than other dye inks, I immediately sprinkeled clear embossing powder  (Hero Arts) on top and melted it with my heat tool. I added 3 more layers of clear ep to create a bolder and smooth glossy effect. The thread-nest image was heat embossed in gold (Papermania). Both stamps are from an older Studio Calico set. I adhered my trimmed-down panel to a red card base and popped up my fussy-cut centerpiece using thin foam tape.

For my birthday party card, I used masking to give my bitty bear (MFT) a bunch of leaf balloons to hold instead of the original umbrella. I then used additional masking on my panel and my stamped images to do some soft background blending using distress inks (Tumbled glass and Pumice stone), and then coloured in the images using Prismacolors. To finish off, I stamped the sentiment and attached my panel (Bristol from a Tombow lettering block) to a white Neenah card base.

I'm linking up both cards at:

Twofer Card Challenge - #9 Leaves

My wreath card is also playing at:

CAS Christmas - Wreath

HLS Christmas - Anything goes

My birthday card is also playing at:

Stamping Sensations - I spy ... 'B' 

(bear, blue, brownish, birthday, balloons)

Pile it on - #146 Think big and/or one layer

Crafty Animals - #18 Anything goes with animals

MFT Card Design Superstar Contest - Lovely Day

I created another card for the 2018 Card Design Superstar Contest, for the Clean & Simple Genius category.

I tried to go super CAS for this one, while making sure to follow the rule of thirds and hitting the sweet spot. Although the card only has a few elements, I used stamps from 3 different MFT stamp sets to create it: 

- flowers - Sow much cuteness

- vase/bottle - Sushi date

- sentiment - Fresh squeezed

I used my MISTI to line up my bottles and flowers and then did some simple colouring using my Prismacolors. The sentiment was white heat embossed onto a snippet of black cardstock and foam mounted onto my panel, which in turn was foam mounted to my A2 card base.

The layout was inspired by the sketch below from the MFT Wednesday Sketch challenge.

I'm also linking up my card at:

ATSM - #309 CAS

CAS on Friday - #141 Flowers

SSS Wednesday - Pop it up

Seize the Birthday - Die Cuts or Punches

Hello everyone! I'm super excited to announce that I will be making an appearance as the Surprise Party Guest at Seize the Birthday for the next 3 months.

When I received an e-mail from Nancy asking me if I would be interested in joining her and the team as their Surprise Party Guest until the eind of November, I simply could not refuse. I enjoy playing at Seize the Birthday and am always in need of birthday cards (who isn't?). Besides, playing along could not be easier. The only real requirement is to create a birthday card. The toppings are always optional.

This fortnight, the toppings (optional theme) is Die Cuts or Punches, so I pulled out my new MFT dies again (I still had them taped together from a previous project last month) and an older heart balloon die by Marianne Designs.

Before die cutting the sentiment, I created an ombre background using my new MFT cloud stencil and three shades of blue distress inks. I mounted my panel onto a dark blue mat and adhered this to my A2 card base. I added a little sparkle to my balloon using a SN glitter brush and foam mounted it onto my panel.

Do pop over to the Seize the Birthday challenge blog to check out the inspiration from the talented ladies of the Design Team. I would love to see you play along this fortnight.

I'm also linking up my card at:

SSS Wednesday - Pop it up

Pixie's Snippets Playground - #334 Always AG with snippets 

(mine's a snippet of red cs for my balloon)

ATSM - #309 CAS

Star gazing

Hello everyone! Last month, I was inspired by Nanette at StampNation to create a galaxy background on a large panel (I used an A4 sheet of watercolour card), and I decided it was high time to use it to create some cards. So here's the first card I created.

The cheap set of sparkly watercolours (from a local shop) that I used to create my first layer does provide some amazing sparkle to the background IRL. I also added some diluted glass bead gel, some water droplets, splatters of white acrylic paint and some white enamel accent stars. The image (Penny Black) was coloured using Spectrum Noir coloured pencils and then fussy cut and then poppped up over my hand-cut snow bank from a snippet of hammered cardstock. The star (Essentials by Ellen) was heat embossed in white (SSS) and the sentiment (SSS) was stamped in Archival black ink with the help of my MISTI.

I'm linking up my card at:

Jingle Belles - Peace on earth

SSS Wednesday - Stamp on it

Allsorts - #484 Bears

Stamping Sensations - Something beginning with 'B' - Bear

Cupcake Inspirations - CIC543 Spectacular backgrounds

Almost forgot to link it up at PBSC as well,

where this month's theme is Anything goes with PB. 

The sketch is optional.

MFT Card Design Superstar Contest - Roll with it spinner/slider

Hello everyone! The 2018 Card Design Superstar contest at My Favorite Things has been launched, and it inspired me to take out and combine a few stamp sets that I bought earlier this year.

I have been wanting to create a proper spinner/slider card for quite some time now, and I thought this cute piglet (Sow much cuteness) fit the bill perfectly, especially when pairing it up with this fun sentiment from the Sushi Date set. Of course, I wanted to create a circle slider, but I don't own the Circle Spinner Channels. Darn. Fortunately, I do own the Surf & turf dies and discovered that the circle frame of my Shaker flower die set had the perfect width to act as my slider channel.

To create my background panel, I first blended Cracked pistachio and Mowed lawn distress ink to create the impression of a mottled green field, and then added Tumbled glass and Salty ocean along the edges. After adding some water splats and drying my panel, I used the circle frame die from the Shaker flower set to die cut my slider channel, and then created a flower bed using one of the small flower stamps from the Sow much cuteness set and Copic markers. I also wanted to make it look like there were more flowers in the field, so I used one of the small detail stamps from Flashy Florals to do some random first and second generation stamping. I stamped my sentiment in black and stamped, coloured (using Copics) and fussy cut my piglet before assembling my card. The Spin & slide discs and the small circle dies from the Surf & turf set made this job super easy.

I have the card standing next to me in my office and it makes me smile every time I see it. And of course, I need to make the piglet spin and slide every so often. I can almost hear her giggle with joy. I hope it makes you smile as well!

I'm linking up my card at:

MFT 2018 Card Design Superstar: Innovation master

SSS Wednesday - Stamp on it

Crafty Animals - #18 AG with animals

HLS - September AG with dies

Crafty Cardmakers -  #217 All creatures great and small

August Rudolph Days featuring Winnie and Walter

What do you get if you want to sneek in a card at two favourite challenges at the last moment? You take inspiration from Winnie and Walter's Rerun challenge to create a Christmas card!

I don't own the W&W stamp set that was being featured in August, but I was totally inspired by the card that Gayatri created. However, after blending my distress inks onto the Bristol card from my new Tombow Lettering block, I could not bear to do any stamping on top, so I left it plain and simple.

Stamps: Winter Woodland and Comfort + Joy by Winnie and Walter

Die: In a Word: Merry by Winnie and Walter

Sequins: SSS Sparkle & Shine mix

Inks: Distress inks in Spun Sugar and Cracked Pistachio, Archival black, Versamark

Embossing powder: white, SSS

I'm linking up my card at:

August Rudolph Days

Winnie and Walter Rerun No. 33

SSS - Anything goes