The Greetery Holiday Frames and Winter Crest Christmas card

 

Hello everyone, and welcome to the new Christmas Challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More.

I used some NBUS stamps from the Greetery and came up with this card.

I cut the background mats with the Spellbinders Stylish Oval dies and embossed the white one with a snowfall e/f from Sue Wilson.  The rest of the items are from the Greetery Winter Crest collection

The design team has some great inspiration for you over on the Addicted to Stamps and More blog, and you can add your entry there if you decide to join us.

I'd like to play along at

A Cut Above: September Challenge - anything with a die cut

Peace on Earth Challenge #96 - anything Christmas goes

Crafty Calendar Challenge September - lots of layers

CRAFT Challenge #764 - Christmas

Creative Inspirations Challenge September- Christmas

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #192 - anything Christmas Goes

Thanks for stopping by,

Hugs,

Carol x

Lisa Horton Poinsettia Wreath Christmas card

 

Hello all,

I hope you are well and getting some creative time for yourself. I started the year well with taking time every week to sit and create something, but things are slipping now that the weather is getting brighter. I need to remind myself that I always feel happier and more grounded when I take time out of the busyness for myself. Since I had the car accident last month, I have been very nervous behind the wheel. We'd had our old car for many years, so we bought a newer model of the same one, thinking it would be an easy transition. What on earth has happened to cars over the past 10 years?? There are so many lights and beeps with all the bells and whistles we managed perfectly well without before! I'll stop there because I'm sounding my age and I know I'll get used to the new developments over time, and wonder how I managed without them. 

Anyway, were here for the start of a new challenge 

E for Embossing

or

 F for Focal point sentiment

or

 G for Girls

I went with E for embossing and came up with this card.

I embossed the silver background card with a Sue Wilson Snowfall folder, and the wreath was die cut and embossed with the Lisa Horton Poinsettia wreath set. I used the stencils in the set to colour it.

I'd like to play along at

Merry Little Christmas Challenge #61 - anything Christmas

Festive Friday Challenge - Christmas

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #180 - anything Christmas goes

Stencil Fun Challenge March - must use stencils

Make my Monday Challenge #247 - use dies or punches

Thanks for stopping by,

Hugs

Carol x

John Next Door Christmas card

Hello everyone and welcome to the new challenge at ABC Christmas Challenges. 

I am hosting this time and I have a prize for the randomly selected winner.

Our themes this time are 

U for Unusual Colours

and/or 

V for Velvet

I came up with these

U for unusual colours

I had some NBUS bauble Christmas Tree dies from John Next Door so I cut it from silver card and backed it with purple glitter card to give some festive sparkle. 

For the background, I die-cut a panel of white card using a Waffle Flower die and inked it with Papertrey Ink Lavender Moon ink, which tones well with the purple, although it looks a bit pinky in the photograph. The panel was embossed with a Sue Wilson snowfall die and the sentiment is from Paper Smooches.

V for Velvet

For my velvet card I found some paper in my stash with a lovely wooded snow scene that I thought looked velvety and I just sponged on some blue and purple ink to emphasise the snow line. The deer is from Penny Black and I cut it in white before inking with beige/ brown inks and added some dots with a pen. The sentiment is also from a Penny Black stamp set.

I'd like to play along with

NBUS Challenge #67 - NBUS John Next Door dies

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #91 - colour palette - I used the blues and beige

Sparkles Christmas Challenge # 165 - use the word Christmas

Christmas with the Cuties #85 - feature a critter

FarmQuest Country Christmas Challenge #13 - - anything goes country Christmas

My Time to Craft Christmas Challenge #96 - Christmas Tree

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs

Carol x

Lisa Horton Poinsettia Christmas card and John Next Door and Papertrey Ink mistletoe Christmas card

Hello everyone and welcome to the September challenge at ABC Christmas Challenges.

This time we are hosted by the lovely Lynda of Loopyloo Cards and she has this prize for the lucky winner.

The year is flying by, and we only have four challenges left before the big day, so why not join us and get your Christmas card list out of the way early?

This time we have

S for Stencils

and/or

T for Traditional Colours 

I came up with these cards:-

S for Stencils

I used the Lisa Horton Christmas Wreath set which consists of a 3D embossing folder, stencils and a die.

I used shades of blue and pale grey ink through the stencils and cut the wreath apart for a change. The background panel was embossed with a Sue Wilson snowfall folder and the sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp.

T for Traditional Colours 

For this card, I cut the John Next Door Holly Circle Frame It die from white card and backed it with green card to show off the holly leaves. The mistletoe is from Papertrey Ink, and I stamped it with green ink before die-cutting it and shaping it a little. I used Nuvo Drops to create the holly berries around the circle and finished it off with a PTI bow.

I'd like to play along at

Can You Handle the Pressure Challenge with a Twist of Leaves - poinsettia leaves

Thanks for stopping by

Hugs

Carol x

 

The Greetery Cathedral Window Christmas card

                                      

 Hello everyone and welcome to another challenge over at ABC Christmas Challenges.

Most of the UK has been basking in wonderful sunshine along with an occasional thunderstorm, so I confess that I haven't been spending much time at my craft desk, but I did enjoy making my card for this challenge.

Our themes this time are

L for Lots of Layers and/or M for Mice. I did start a mouse card but got sidetracked and just ended up with my L for Lots of Layers

For the background, I embossed a Sue Wilson ornament embossing folder onto some white card and matted it onto a black layer. I next inked up a panel of white card with yellow and orange oxide inks and a blending brush to provide a background for the window. The beautiful window die (from my NBUS box) is from The Greetery and I cut this once from black glossy card and once from white, then offset them before adding them to the inked panel. I fussy cut around the window and then layered it onto the background. For the holly, I found some snippets of card from my stash that I had smooshed some green inks onto and I then cut the leaves with a die from The Winter Additions die set from Apple Blossom. 

I added the holly to the card along with a stamped and die cut 'Joy, and finished off with some Nuvo drop berries. I really liked this Cathedral window die and think it would be easy to adapt this design for weddings or Christenings too.

I'd like to play along at

NBUS Challenge # 51 - Cathedral Window die

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #142 - anything Christmas Goes

Happy Little Stampers June - anything goes with dies

Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge #41 - anything Christmas goes

Snippets Playground Challenge #456 - the holly is from snippets

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs

Carol x

John Next Door Bauble Frame and Altenew Diamond Frame Christmas cards

Hello everyone and welcome to another challenge over at ABC Christmas Challenges.

Our host this time is the talented Helene from Mummylade and she has a little gift for the winner of this month's challenge

We have three themes for you this month and as we have reached P, Q, and R we have:

P for Pink

Q for Quarter

and/or

R for Reindeer

First up is my P for Pink

I took some white card and used inks to blend a pink ombre effect with Spun Sugar, Picked Raspberry, and Abandoned Coral Distress Oxides. I cut the Altenew Diamond Frame cover die and added this to the panel. 

The focal image was made with the Sue Wilson Festive Collection Christmas Tree Greetings die which I cut a couple of times in green and white so I could stack them and add a drop shadow.

My second card is Q for Quarters

For this one, I used the John Next Door Bauble Frame dies and just used the inner parts of the baubles to cut into the card. This provided three of the quarters and I completed the fourth one by adding a die-cut snowflake to the card. I matted the panel onto some aqua card and placed some red emelishments to add some contrast.

You'll find lots of inspiration over on the ABC Christmas Challenges blog and I'd love to see your entry in the gallery.

I'd like to play along at

The Holly and Ivy Challenge # 121 - anything Christmas goes

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #64 - things not found in a Nativity scene

Happy Little Stampers August - anything Christmas goes - no twist

Peace on Earth Challenge #21 - anything Christmas goes

My Time to Craft #40 winter holiday decorations

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs

Carol x

Mama Elephant Stems and Sprigs and Sue Wilson Basket birthday card

 

Hello everyone and welcome to another challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More. Yay - it's our 10th birthday so we are in party mode and I'd like to thank Kylie for all her work to keep this awesome challenge going!

This time we want you to make your mark with any colouring medium you choose, so break out your supplies and have some fun.

I came up with this 5 x 7 card.

I'm really liking teal at the moment so it features in this one. I stamped, die-cut, and coloured (with Copics) a lot of little flowers and leaves from the Mama Elephant Stems and Sprigs set and arranged them in a basket cut from kraft card with a Sue Wilson die.

I placed the basket on a mat cut from the MFT Blueprints 33 die set and matted it onto a Waffle Flower scalloped rectangle die. The sentiment is from a Happy Little Stampers set and I white embossed it onto a banner shape before tying it onto the basket with some twine.

We've just got back from holiday where we spent a week in a country cottage with our daughter and her dog. We had a lovely relaxing time before coming back to empty our kitchen ready for a much-needed refurb. How could a small kitchen house so much stuff!!! I feel a good clear-out coming on.

My talented Teammies have some great cards to show you over on the ATSM blog and would be delighted to have you visit them.

I'd like to play along at

Passion for Markers #644 - birthdays

AAA birthday challenge #38 - flowers

Through the Purple Haze #193 - anything but a square

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs

Carol x

Lawn Fawn Scalloped Easter Treat Box and Sue Wilson Easter card

 

Hello and welcome to the new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More.

This time we are looking for projects for any occasion and although I'm a little late with this, I wanted to share my Easter makes with you.

For my Easter card, I used the Bright Rosa Elongated Hexagon dies to create my card base and layers. I stamped the background with the My Favorite Things Balloon Strings stamp.

The other elements on the card were made with 2 Sue Wilson Easter die sets. The little chick comes facing to the right but I cut another, turned it over, and used a ball tool around the edge before adding the features so it could face the other way.

You've seen my Lawn Fawn Scalloped Treat Box before for Halloween and for a New Home gift, so as I have to find plenty of use for it, here it is again as an Easter gift box with some little eggs inside. They were place setting decorations for Easter Sunday lunch so everyone could take one home.

I had quite an assembly line going with all those little die cuts that I cut in white and coloured with alcohol markers. A very relaxing way to spend a couple of hours!

What occasion will you go for? You'll find lots of inspiration over on the blog and I hope to see you in the gallery.

I'd like to play along at

Make My Monday Challenge #174 - Springtime

Happy Little Stampers May Challenge - anything goes with dies

Art Piaskownica: Gift Boxes

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs

Carol x

Crafters Companion Sparkling Tree, MFT Santa's Elves and Sue Wilson Christmas Tree Greetings Christmas cards

Good morning everyone!

It's good to welcome you back for the ABC Christmas Challenge for October and it's hard to believe that after this one, there will only be two more Challenges before the big day! 

Thanks to everyone who played along last month. We had some great entries and if you entered, don't forget to check the post on the ABC blog to see if you were a lucky winner. 

We have two fabulous challenges for you to choose from or combine this month
 and they are:

U - Under the tree

and

V - Vocabulary ( use words)

Julie is our lovely host for this challenge and she has a great prize for the winner

This is my U for Under the Tree card

I used some paper from my stash for the background because it resembled wallpaper and added a little dado rail. The tree is Sparkling Tree from Crafter's Companion and I cut it 3 times and stacked it, ink blending just the top copy. There are a couple of birds in the tree and I inlaid the wings and added a couple pearls for the eyes. My favourite elves from MFT are coloured with Copics and are gathered around the tree ready to decorate it. I cut an oval to make a rug, stamped and embossed the sentiment, and added a glittery star to the top of the tree to finish it off. My little Granddaughter is having an elf on the shelf for the first time this year, so this card is destined for her.

V for Vocabulary 

For this card, I went with a very simple design. I cut the Sue Wilson Christmas Tree Greetings die from a stitched rectangle panel of mint coloured satin card and then placed the panel on a scalloped rectangle of holographic card. I die cut the word tree again 4 times from white card and stacked all the layers together before inlaying them into the aperture. All that was needed was to cut a tiny red star and coat it with glossy accents. The raised word tree gives lots of dimension and the holographic card shines through with lots of different colours that are very pretty irl.

I'd like to play along at

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #102 - anything Christmas goes

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #55 - make one for a loved one. (Granddaughter)

Pinkfresh Studios Hanging Florals Birthday card

 

Hi everyone and welcome to my blog. 

Do you ever think that you need to press a reset button on your crafting habits? I have been giving it some thought lately because I've got into the habit of letting other things take precedence and that leads me to feel less creative when I get around to taking some time for crafting. I often only sit down to make a card when I have a DT deadline and have to apply my bottom to the seat because I hate to renege on a commitment. This gives rise to a pressured and rushed session that leaves me feeling unsatisfied. It isn't as if my time is being spent in other ways that feed my soul. I'm usually busy and love seeing people again, but find that this tires me much more than it used to after staying home so much in the last 18 months. And I've been following watching/listening/reading the news much more than is good for me with all the horrific things that are happening to my fellow human beings and the planet we all share. Don't get me wrong - I think it is important for me to be informed about what is happening so I may help where I can and place my vote where I think it should go. However, it is not helpful to feel overwhelmed by things I have no control over, and it is time for me to reconsider how I am choosing to spend my time. So, I need a new start where I include the things I want to do in my day like crafting, reading, and walking. September always seems like a good time for starting again - I suppose that's a throwback to starting a new academic year, and I hope the enjoyment and relaxation of these activities will return when I prioritise time for them again. After all, at one time it was hard to get me to do anything else lol - and that was a whole different issue! 

Anyway, I'd like to share my card for the new ATSM challenge - and this time we are looking for your birthday ideas.

I needed a card for a friend who is about to celebrate a big birthday, so I turned to this lovely Pinkfresh Studio stamp and die set called Hanging Florals. I cut 3 sets so I could stack them and just coloured the top one with Copic markers.

I used a Sue Wilson die set called Classic Adorned Squares for the backing layers and used the embossing die to add a little extra interest. The sentiment used Pinkfresh Studio's Perfect Sentiments stamps and dies.

You'll find lots of inspiration from the Design Team over on the ATSM blog and I know the team would love it if you visit them.

I'd like to play along at

International Art and Soul Challenge #116 - birthday

The Paper Players #556 - tic tac toe - I used the left row down

Sweet Stamping Challenge - lots of layers

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #323 - All things feminine

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs

Carol x

Penny Black Nose to Nose and Crafter's Companion Christmas card and Sue Wilson Merry and Bright Christmas card

Hello everyone and welcome to another ABC Christmas Challenge where we are helping you to ease the holiday busyness by getting your festive cards done before Christmas.

Our July challenge runs until 31st July and is hosted by the lovely Wilma 

who has a prize for the lucky winner.

Our themes for this month are

N for North Pole

and/or

O for Off to one side

I came up with these cards

N for North Pole

The background snowflakes are from a Crafter's Companion embossing folder and I decided to use the debossed side for a change. The igloo is also from a CC embossing folder and I shaded it with a little blue ink and added some glitter before I fussy cut it out.

I looked up to ensure that Polar Bears live at the North Pole so I could use this cute stamp from Penny Black called 'nose to nose', and I coloured it with Copics before fussy cutting it and adding it to the front of the card. The sentiment is from the MFT Sweet Holiday Penguins stamp set.

O for Off to One Side

For this card, I used Oxide Sprays to make the background and die cut a rectangle aperture from it. I cut the Sue Wilson Poinsettia Garland die and layered it up before adding some glitter to the veins and some berries with Nuvo Drops. The sentiment is from Happy Little Stampers and I finished off by adding a trio of tiny hearts.

As always, you will find lots of inspiration from my very talented Teamies, over on the ABC Christmas Challenges Blog, and I hope you will join us this time.

I'd like to play along at

 

Dare 2B be Artzy - Christmas in July

Dragonfly Dreams - Christmas in July

Digi Doodle Challenge #40 - Christmas in July

Christmas with the Cuties #50 - Christmas Cuties

Sparkles Christmas Challenge #126 snowflakes

Thanks for stopping by

Hugs

Carol x