Kraft and Cream Christmas

Over on the Christmas Cards All Year Round blog this month's challenge is to make a Christmas card using kraft card and cream as the predominant colours, but you can add an accent of another colour. Some of the DT team have used red which looks so effective but I chose gold..

My card was made for a specific person and is a hard one for me to make.  It's for my niece's husband.  We lost my niece very suddenly and tragically in June 2013; she was just 31 years old.   This is the second Christmas that our family faces without Alison who was one of those people who was first on the dance floor, first to see what the children had on their Christmas lists (she's Godmother to youngest) and first at any family gathering and her loss leaves a gaping hole in all our lives. 

So this card is for her husband.  He doesn't celebrate Christmas in the same way as he did with Alison but I like to let him know that he's in our thoughts at this particular time of year where Alison's loss is felt so deeply.  There is no sentiment on this card (although if it were to have one it would go top right) as wishing him a Merry or Happy Christmas doesn't feel right.

So, onto this card.  I used a 7" x 5" landscape card blank and used X Cut rectangular parenthesis dies to make the layers.  The base layer is gold mirri which I embossed with an Embossalicious snowflake embossing folder.  I stamped Stampin' Up's Silent Night image onto kraft card and heat embossed it with Wow Seafoam White powder.  The snowflake was cut using  Die'sire dies and a white glittered brad was pushed though the centre to hold them together.  I used the sentiment stamp from the Silent Night set inside the card (it says "May a peaceful spirit fill your heart and bless your live this season and all year long") - I felt this was just the right wording in these circumstances.

Forever Friends Twins

I needed to make a card for my daughter's friend's 13th birthday so once again turned to these cute little characters.  I came across this decoupage in my box, all ready to put together and, as there were 2 identical images, I decided to make 2 almost identical cards (just the sentiments are slightly different).

I used a 5" x 7" card blank and used paper from the Pink Parfait range.  I punched a border using a Martha Stewart punch and added fuchsia gems.  So that the decoupage didn't look lost on the base card, I used a scalloped circle nestie to frame the base later.  I used a Sakura glitter pen (transparent) to highlight the water beneath the main image.  The sentiments are Craftwork Cards and were added to SU scalloped oval punch outs (a bit wonky looking at the photo, they don't look that bad in real life!)

Simply Stampin' Challenge

It's been a while since I've entered a blogland challenge but yesterday I was in the mood and found this sketch on http://simplystampinchallenge.blogspot.com/ which seemed like a lovely way to try to get back into things.

Here's the card I came up with which is for my niece's birthday at the end of the month.

I used a stamp from the Stampin' Up set Summer by the Sea and stamped it simply in sepia ink (Versafine) onto white card. I used my nesties to mat the image and used paper from the Hanoverian collection by Papermania (which is one of my paper collections) for the background. I think the brown card was part of a Stampin' Up set but I can't be sure! I found flowers, card candy, button and some ribbon in my stash and used a Stampin' Up scalloped oval punch to layer a Craftwork Card sentiment oval on.

As it's been a long time since I've used a sketch for a card design I've followed the sketch just about to the letter - experimentation will come in time!

My Son's Birthday Cards

The top card was from his sister and used another LOTV image - anyone who knows my son would recognise him in this image, he could have posed for it! Some Stampin' Up paper, 2 small and 2 medium sized red brads and a Craftwork Cards sentiment completed it.

The second card was made using a FF A4 card kit, the only extra addition was the number 6 which was a stamped image stamped and embossed in silver and mounted using plain and scalloped circle nesties.

Beary Nice Challenge

The new challenge set on the card making forum I belong to was nice and simple - bears! I used this sheet of paper and cut the image out from a second identical sheet and decoupaged them. I added some glossy accents on the 'drink' in the cup and also to the vase (neither the glossy accents or the decoupage shows up in the picture!). My usual Craftwork Card oval sentiments and Stampin' Up oval punches finished it off.

Blue RAK card

I made this card to a card-making friend as an RAK this month. The fold was taught to me by Elaine at a Stampin' Up evening held at her house and, for once, I was able to remember it when I got home and have made several since (just to make sure it stays in the brain you understand!). I think I used blue Brilliance ink to stamp and watercolour the little FF bear. The paper on the front was FF and the paper inside is Stampin' Up.

Birthday Card

It's my work team leader's birthday next week so I've finally had a chance to use the Stampin' Up Golden Oldies set. I love the gentle humour of them. I stamped it using an old Whispers Ink pad (aubergine) - had them ages, I've let the children use them too and still going strong! I liked the look of it just stamped so I didn't bother with colouring. The paper was sent to me by a very good friend because I happened to mention that I never had purple or lilac paper when I needed it! The sentiment is Craftwork Cards (yes again!) and is mounted using the Stampin Up oval punches which fit them so well. The 'frilly bit' was made with the Fiskars Threading Water border punch.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 1

Was away last week so that's why there's been nothing new!

Came back to Challenge number 1 on Crafty Cardmakers which was Blossoms. Had to make a card for my nieces birthday at the end of the month and this is what I came up with. The card blank is pre-printed with the pink flowers (from a QVC Forever Friends kit) and I stamped and coloured the image using watercolour pencils. The outer circle is a very pale pink pearlescent paper and the scalloped oval is punched with a Stampin Up punch on pink glitter card. The message plaque is by Craftwork Cards and the lovely big flower is from a jar of Prima Daisy Doodles which I bought in Florida earlier this year.

A Spoon Full of Sugar - Challenge 62

My first ever challenge card! I liked the sketch on a spoonfull of sugar and had the image all ready to be made up into something. Image is PB, the paper is DCWV, the sentiment is Craftwork Cards

One Idea, Two Cards

Two cards, almost identical except one was made as a Get Well card for a friend who's been through the mill a bit recently and the other I made into a birthday card. I coloured the image with Promarkers and used a Craftwork Cards message plaque layered with the Stampin' Up oval and scalloped oval punches. I also dug out some seed beads and glossy accents for the flower centres