August CAS Christmas Card Challenge

  Today I'm sharing my card made for the August CAS Christmas Card Challenge.  Trina is our creative hostess this month and she would like to see pine on our cards!

Here is my card made for the challenge.  I used a pine tree.

Last winter a few of us crafty friends, under Loll's direction and guidance, gathered on Zoom for a craft hour and we learned how to use kraft paper, images stamped in brown and sponged white pigment ink over torn edges of paper to create snowy landscapes.

This is a small panel that I created while playing with this technique.  I stamped the image and sentiment with Archival Coffee Ink.   Then I laid a piece of torn paper over the bottom section and sponged off the edge of the paper onto the kraft with white Pigment Ink, moving the torn paper and sponging again to create the drifts.  Then I lightly sponged over the "sky" with the white ink and added splatter and dots on the tree with a white POSCA pen.

I die cut the kraft and white panels with stitched edge dies and layered them off center over the white card base. 

Below is a larger full A2 card panel I made using the three pine trees in this stamp set.  

It's not CAS because it doesn't have a lot of white space - but I wanted to show the beautiful scene this technique can create! 

So please join us and share your creative pine theme clean and simple Christmas cards over at the August CAS Christmas Card Challenge.   You'll find lots of inspiration from the Design team as well as our TWO August Guest Designers!  Elizabeth and Lucie! 

Stamps: 3 Tree Group - Stamp Oasis (was a part of Rubbernecker stamps years ago), Mini Holidays - Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous.
Paper: Kraft, white card base - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Archival Coffee - Ranger, White Pigment Ink - Hampton Arts
Accessories: White POSCA Pen, torn edge computer paper for landscape mask, finger sponge.

Emboss Resist Birthday

 There's a fun emboss resist challenge going on over at the CAS Mix Up blog this month.

They have links to several different ways to achieve the look and I chose Heat Emboss Resist  with Water Color Wash.

I used a really cool stencil called Milky Way from A Colorful Life Designs, laying it over a panel of watercolor paper and taping around the edges to hold it down.  Then I sponged over the stencil using a finger dauber and Versamark Ink.   I carefully removed the stencil and heat embossed the panel with clear embossing powder.  Then I brushed water over the embossed area and brushed on  the water colors one at a time and not overlapping so it didn't make mud!   I adhered the die cut sentiment from Altenew over the image.

You'll find the challenge here.

Paper: Water color paper - Canson Cold Press, true black - PTI
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Milky Way Stencil - A Colorful Life Design, Essential Sentiment Strips die set - Altenew, Winsor and Newton Water color paints, paint brush, water, heat tool, clear embossing powder.

July CAS Christmas Card Challenge - Reminder

 I'm here today with my reminder card for the July CAS Christmas Card Challenge.  

Barb is our hostess this month and she wants to see Santa on our cards!

I embossed the circles background on my card base using Pin Point Ring from Poppy.  I layered the die cut Santa over the rings with foam dots.  I stamped the sentiment centered below the Santa. 

I added 3 clear gems to the outside edge of the rings. 

Please join us and link up your CAS creations featuring Santa!  You have until 7/24.

You'll find the challenge here.

Also linking my card to:

Merry Little Christmas Challenge

 

Stamps: Holiday Fun Sentiments - Stamping Bella
Paper: White, True Black - PTI, Red Hots - Bazzill, Tan and white textured card - Parklane.
Ink: Obsidian - Altenew
Accessories: Cool Yule Dies - Tim Holtz/Sizzix, Pin Point Ring - Poppy, foam dots, clear gems.

Use Your Wings

 I'm joining in with the July CAS Mix Up challenge today.  The challenge this month is Watercolor and the theme is 'Things with Wings'.

My thing with wings is the dragonfly made using Curio Summer Findings from the Greetery.  My water coloring is the wings as well as the blue background.  I smooshed Dox inks in Speckled Egg and Spiced Marmalade (one at a time!)  onto my craft mat, spritzed with water and then smooshed panels of water color paper, one into each color.  I hope that counts as using watercoloring!

I used Pin Point Rings from Poppy Stamps to emboss the circles and a Small Talk Sticker for the sentiment.

Linking to:

CAS Mix Up

 

 

Less is More

Wishing everyone in the USA a Happy 4th of July!

My vase is a cute little woodpecker filled with Blanket Flowers from my garden.  

I thought they looked bright like fireworks!  

I change his topper every week using whatever is blooming.

The eagle is a die and stamp set from Papertrey Ink.

Paper: Water color paper - Canson Cold Press, white - PTI
Ink: Ranger Distress Oxide Speckled Egg and Spiced Marmalade.
Accessories: Curio: Summer Findings Dies- The Greetery, Pinpoint Rings Emboss - Poppy Stamps, craft mat, water mister, Small Talk Stickers - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology, black Copic.

July CAS Christmas Card Challenge

 Today the July CAS Christmas Card Challenge has been posted!  Barb is our creative hostess this month and she would like to see Santa on our clean and simple designs!

Here is my no layer, stamping right on the card base, clean and simple design for the challenge!

I used another retired set from Waltzingmouse for this CAS card called Jolly Old Elf.  All of his pieces are stamped separately, the hat is one stamp, the face/vest another, the hands/pants/leg stamp and the boots stamp.  There are other options for each piece in the set too - and they can each be stamped in different colors.

I love this sentiment with the pause in it.  I added the line with a black 01 Micron pen to give Santa a grounding and to accent the pause in the sentiment between 'been.....' and '.....good' - like there might have been a '....bad' option as well! 

(there is not a '...bad' stamp in the set however! So everyone gets on his good list! Santa wants to stay positive!)

So let's see all of your Santa's on your clean and simple designs linked up over at CAS Christmas Card Challenge where you will find lots of inspiration from the team.

Stamps:  Joly Old Elf - Waltzingmouse (retired)

Ink:  Obsidian, Ruby Red - Altenew

Paper:  White - Papertrey Ink

Accessories:  black 01 Micron Pen - Pigma, ruler

June Card Chain Challenge Reveal

 Today is the day that all of the cards exchanged for the June Card Chain Challenge are revealed.  

This month I sent a card to Joanne in CA and I received a card from Imke in Germany!

You can learn all about signing up for this fun monthly international card exchange here.

Here's the card I sent to Joanne.

 I used the June suggested colors, the sketch and the Friendship Theme.  

You only have to choose one of the design suggestions: colors, sketch, theme or Product/Techniques - or you can use all of them!

There's still time to sign up for the July exchange (July 6th deadline) - check it out here.

Stamps:  Just Sentiments: Summer, Splits: Best Wishes (retired) - Papertrey Ink

Paper:  Tropical Teal, Terrecotta Tile, Fine Linen - PTI, Water color paper - Canson Cold press, DP Hello Sunshine - Taylored Expressions.

Ink:  Tropical Teal - Papertrey Ink.

Accessories:  Skinny Strips dies - Taylored Expressions, Splits: Best Wishes Die (retired) - PTI

Happy Birthday to Loll!

 Today is Loll Thompson's birthday and many of her friends that are on or have been on her Design Teams are posting birthday cards in her honor.  If you know Loll, then you know she is a very kind, thoughtful and compassionate person, always thinking of others and reaching out when they need a friend.

Here is the card I made for Loll and hopefully she has already received it.

I sponged the background using torn strips of computer paper as a mask and Distress Inks and finger sponge daubers.

As the card says -  I'm wishing you blue skies and sunny days for your birthday Loll!

Linking my card to:

Seize the Birthday

Summer activity - hiking in the mountains

Stamps: Blue Skies - Inkadinkadoo 

Paper: White, Bright Buttercup - PTI

Ink:  Obsidian - Altenew, Ranger Distress Mustard Seed, Broken China and Mowed Lawn.

Accessories:  Small Sun Die - Lil Inker Designs, torn strips of computer paper, finger sponge daubers.