Traditional Christmas card

Last night I started on another card to meet the target I set myself for creating at least 5 Christmas cards each month. Of course, an incentive such as the CCAYR challenge (for June the theme is Anything goes) is also very helpful in this respect. Since I needed to finish and upload my 5th card this month no later than tonight, I decided I needed to make a quick card. Using this week's sketch from Sketch N Stash and a collection of things I had lying around, I created this card. The pieces of Marianne Design paper were left over from a card I made last Christmas, the poinsettia die cuts (also MD) also date back from December. The image from a decoupage sheet (also MD) was already cut and only needed to be put together, and the swirl was one I made with my Silhouette digital cutter to possibly use on the green, red and silver card I made recently.

So although these materials don't really qualify as either neglected or new stash, I think I can get away with it. However, I did use one piece of equipment that I have had for as long as I can remember, which is the tracing wheel I delved up from my sewing box to create the faux stitching. I traced the wheel along a ruler and then used a silver-coloured gel pen to create the stitches. How clever (and quick) is that?!

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:
Christmas Card Challenges – Die cuts
CHNC - Anything goes

Pretty in pink

This weekend I allowed myself to be challenged into creating a pink Christmas card. It turned out like so much fun that I actually made two. And to make sure these cards in pink would not be lonely this Christmas, I used the scrap of  patterned paper that was left after creating the cards to create two tags.

For the layout I used this week's great sketch from Christmas Challenges {with sketches}

I also created these cards and tags with the following challenges in mind:

ABC Christmas Challenge – M for Monochrome

Jingle Belles – Lonely this Christmas (aka Tagging Along) >> card + tag
Opus Gluei who are Tagging along with Jingle Belles (or the other way around)

Sew Many Challenges – #58 Dry embossing

Charisma Cardz Challenges – White plus one colour

Winter Wonderland – Pretty in pink

Totally Paper Crafts – #72 Spots and Stripes
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge– #140 Embossing (dry or heat or both; I used both – dry for the background squares and ribbon and heat for the trees in silver on the tags & the card on the right)

CHNC – #26 Anything goes

CCAYR – June Challenge: Anything goes; 4 down, 1 to go, so I'd better hurry

Materials used:

The papers came from a stack of papers I bought through a second-hand market site on the Internet a few years back; no idea what brand they are

Spellbinders scalloped circles

Cuttlebug embossing folders (Swiss Dots & Frills)

The scalloped doily is a Silhouette design; I thought the punched-out holes of the inner circle would be perfect for weaving a ribbon through

The tree stamps are from Imaginisce (the one on the left in smoke-blue Versamark ink, which is more of a light grey; for the one on the right I used embossing powder in silver) and Studio g (I used masking to only get the tree without the entire label).
The pearls are made with different Viva Perlen-Pens. I really love these.

I applied Ranger's disstress ink (milled lavender) on the embossed pieces of white cardstock

The ribbons are from my stash.

The sentiment I created with the Silhouette software and then sent it to my printer.

Get well card – Mojo Monday 196

I wanted to make a simple flower card for a dear friend who has to undergo surgery.
This also seemed a good opportunity to try out my new Cuttlebug embossing folder and my new distress ink. I used Antique Linen on a piece of cream card stock, which gives it a soft look and makes the embossing stand out really well. I matted the card on a piece of mustard brown card stock (very small edge, hardly visible on the photograph) because I felt I needed to offset the embossed piece from the very pale yellow/organgy card. I also applied some Antique Linen distress ink on the edges of the card.

For the layout, I used this week's sketch from Mojo Monday (196).

Other materials used:
Flower: Marianne Design die cut & paper from an old paper pad
Sentiment: StudioLight stamp in gold ink on a piece of mustard brown card stock, the corners of which have been shaped with a corner punch
Button: paper button created with a JoyCraft die cut from the same paper as the flower
Other materials: piece of recycled ribbon; rafia, brad and pearl ribbon from my stash