Cardinals on a Winter Pine

 Another Christmas card for the box!  

I made this for the Inspiration Challenge over at Splitcoaststampers

I just purchased this lovely cardinal die and stencil set from Waffle Flower so was happy to get it out and play with it.

We are fortunate to have cardinals come to our bird feeders every evening,  so I know the male is the vibrant red and the female and young cardinals are gray/greenish with slight touches of red to protect them from predators - I googled the Cardinal Female to help me try and ink it correctly.

  

The die comes with a stencil to color them so it was pretty easy once I decided what colors to use!

The pine branch and cones are from an older set called Botanicals: Pine Bough from the Greetery and I actually had some branches and pine cones already cut and colored in an envelope in the die package from some I made a few years ago (yay!) so I used them.

The cardinals and pine cones are up on foam dots. And I added Ice Stickles for frosty glitter. 

(boy, I haven't had Stickles out for quite a while!)

Sending my card to:

Sparkles Christmas Challenge

Sparkle and Bling

ends 7/31

Jingle Belles

left vertical - animal, die cut, red

ends 7/30

NBUS

1st time using the cardinal dies and stencil

Paper: white, Leaf Green, Kraft, Cocoa Bean - PTI, DP Seasons Greetings - Waffle Flower

Ink: Ruby Red, Dark Night, Snapdragon - Altenew, Light Spruce - Gina K Design

Other Supplies: Cardinal Duo Die N Stencil - Waffle Flower, Botanicut: Pine Bough - The Greetery, Christmas Tree Sentiments - Waffle Flower, black gems, foam dots, blender brushes, colored pencils, Ice Stickles glitter glue.

Blue Poinsettia Christmas

 Another Christmas card for my box - using another new Better Press Plate and Die set called Poinsettia Corner.  I inked the Better Press Plate with Better Press Black and colored the poinsettia spray with Copics.  

I made 6 of these in one seating - 3 with blue poinsettias and 3 with dark pink poinsettias.

I'm sending my card to:

Jingle Belles

Poinsettia Perfection  

Ends 7/16

Peace on Earth 

ends 7/13

Inspiration photo -  inspired by blue poinsettias.

NBUS

1st time using this poinsettia Better Press Plate.

I.D.E.A.S

week I  Ink/Color Mediums

I used Copics

CAS on Friday

Botanical  ends 7/9

Tic Tac Toe

bottom left to top right

flowers/free/CAS

ends 7/17

Christmas Crafts All Year Round

Blue Christmas  ends 7/31

Paper:  Better Press Bisque Cotton Panel - Spellbinders

Ink:  Black Better Press - Spellbinders

Other Supplies:  Poinsettia Corner Press Plate and Die Set - Better Press/Spellbinders, Copics E31, G20, BG10, green enamel dot - Altenew.

Reminder Post - Christmas Kickstart: Baubles

 Today, as the Guest Elf for January -  I have a reminder post for the Christmas Kickstart January Challenge - Baubles.

I used another die from Festive Ornaments from Sizzix for my baubles card  - Santa's belted belly! (See my 1st post for the challenge using the plum pudding dies in the set here) 

I added a silver cord to hang it and layered it over a beautiful piece of pine branch DP.   Santa's belt is black glitter card but the sparkle doesn't show in the photo.  I popped up the bauble with foam dots and taped the top of the silver cord on the back of the DP.   Inside I stamped "Here Comes Santa Claus"!

So lets start building our new stash of Christmas cards so we're not in a rush come December!

You have until Jan 31 to link up your 'Bauble' cards over at Christmas Kickstart!

Thank you to Jo for inviting me to be Guest Elf for January -  I'm happy to be starting my Christmas card stash for this year!

Also sending my card to:

Christmas Crafts All Year Round

The Christmas Song ends 1/31

They know that Santa is on his way.

Jingle Belles

Something Old - DP,  Something New  Santa belly ornament die

ends 6 pm EST 1/15

Love those Pretty Papers

ends 1/31

Peace on Earth Christmas

Anything Goes Christmas ends 1/16

Stamps: Jolly Old Elf - Waltzingmouse (retired)
Paper: Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink, Black Glitter paper - Recollections, Kraft Stock Metallic Gold and Silver - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology, DP - Make It Merry - Honey Bee.
Ink: Nocturne - Versafine Clair
Other supplies: Festive Ornaments - Spellbinders, silver cord from stash

Guest Elf at Christmas Kickstart - Jan 2025 Baubles

 Today, I'm excited to be posting a card as the Guest Elf at Christmas Kickstart for January!  

For those of us living in the US - baubles are what we call ornaments, just in case you weren't sure (like me)?!

I recently purchased a fun die set - Festive Ornaments - from Spellbinders that has 5 ornament designs 

(sold out on Spellbinders site, but still available on Amazon)

I used plum pudding dies from the set for this card - matching it with patterned paper that had plum pudding and other Christmas desserts and foliage on it! 

 

And - I made my Christmas card a Christmas Thank You card because I needed one to send a friend and I used a bauble on it!

So we hope you will join us in January, creating a Christmas card with Baubles on it!!  You'll find the challenge here.

I'll  be back with a reminder post on January 15th!

Also sending my card to:

Christmas Crafts All Year Round

Christmas Song  ends 1/31

Line: Jack Frost Nipping at your nose - 

 Frosty snow on the ornament and snowflakes in background

Jingle Bells

Something Old - Something New ends 1/15

DP is old - ornament die is new

NBUS

first time using the ornament dies

Love those Pretty Patterned Papers

ends 1/31

Peace on Earth Christmas

Anything Christmas  ends 1/16

Stamps:  Join Us - Waltzingmouse (retired)

Ink:  Nocturne - Versafine Clair

Paper:  Scarlet Jewel, Pine Feather - Papertrey Ink, White Glitter Paper - Recollections, Kraft Stock Metallic Gold and Silver - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology, DP Wintery Wonderlands - Brass and Bliss.

Other Supplies: Festive Ornaments Dies - Spellbinders, foam dots, silver cord - from stash. 

Inkspirational #321 - Woodland

 Here is my DT card for Inkspirational #321 challenge -  Woodland.

Woodland made me think of snowy Christmas in the woods!

I die cut the dome out of a  lovely piece of DP from Charlie and Paulchen showing these children enjoying the snowy woodlands.  I die cut the snow globe base out of a piece of woodgrain DP and the little sliver between the globe and base is die cut out of Brushed Silver. 

 

I also die cut the globe out of clear acetate and layered it over the image with little glue dots in the bottom corners and top center (that do show a bit!).   I added three little 'snowflakes' over the acetate.

The snow globe is layered over the background DP with foam dots.  The sentiment is a Small Talk Sticker.

How does the word Woodland inspire you?   Please show us by linking your creation up over at Inkspirational!  You have until 8/9!

Also linking my card to:

NBUS

1st time using the globe die although I've had it for years!!

First time using this DP

Christmas Kick Start

My snowg globe is like a frame?!  ends 7/31

Christmas Crafts all Year Round

anything goes  ends 7/31

Jingle Belles

Dashing Through the Snow  ends 7/31

Peace on Earth Christmas

Inspired by the blue of the candles/snow/pine and pinecones   ends 8/1

Paper: Clear Acetate - PTI,  DP - inside snow globe/Charlie and Paulchen, background/Qualiity Paper Pad - Studio Light, snow globe base - Grain and Grunge - Honey Bee.
Accessories:  Snow Globe Thinlits Die - Tim Holtz/Sizzix, Small Talk Stickers/Occasions - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology, Vanilla snow flakes/flowers - Simon Says stamp

Inkspirational Challenge #305 - Celebrate: Nativity

 Inkspirational Challenge #305 has just posted! 

and here is the DT card I made for the challenge.  I am celebrating the birth of Jesus with my card.

I bought this beautiful Nativity Triptych from Tutti Designs at least two seasons ago and this is the first time I pulled it out to use it. I love this beautiful scene!

I die cut the triptych out of metallic gold and then cut out a panel of black with it. I inserted the gold die cut into opening in the black panel.

I created my background using the Smooshing with Cling Wrap technique.

I recently did a post with The Group of Seven Cardmakers on this technique. Click here if you are interested in seeing my blog post on the technique.

So how do you interpret Celebrate?

We hope you will link up your card so we can see it over at Inkspirational!

You have until 12/29!

linking my card to:

NBUS

First time using the Nativity Triptych die.

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge

Anything goes

ends 1/7/24

Jingle Bells

last minute Christmas Cards

ends 12/23

Cut it Up #293

Celebrate

Little Red Wagon

Christmas

Stamps: Simple Strips: Christmas - Taylored Expressions.
Ink: Nocturne- Versafine Clair, Ranger Distress Festive Berries, Rusty Hinge.
Paper: Bristol Smooth Mixed Media Paper, True Black - PTI, Metallic Gold - Parklane (JoAnn).
Accessories: Nativity Triptych Die - Tutti Designs, Cling (Saran) Wrap, water mister, craft mat, foam dots.

Group of Seven Cardmakers - Oct Technique Stencil over Heat Embossing

 It's time for the October Group of Seven Cardmakers technique!  This month we are stenciling over a heat embossed background stamp.  

There is a video on this technique as well as written step by step instructions over at The Group of Seven blog.

Here are two cards I made using this interesting technique followed by a few creation photos for each card.

For the Christmas card - I white embossed a text background stamp Twas the Night Before (it's the whole story of 'The Night Before Christmas"!) from Rubbernecker.

Then I stenciled over the white embossed text using Frosty Flakes Stencil from the Greetery using Ranger Distress Stormy Sky and Salty Ocean

and here is the resulting panel

To finish my card, I die cut the Santa and Sleigh and the Merry Christmas out of blue glitter paper and adhered them over the embossed text.

I used all the same steps for my first card, white embossing the Windowpane Plaid background stamp from The Greetery

and then stenciling over the embossed panel using the Lupines Stencil from ArtPlorations and Distress Inks Mowed Lawn and Seedless Grapes.

And here is the resulting panel

To finish my card, I added a Small Talk Sticker Sentiment, rubbed the edges of the panel with Gold Pigment Ink and splattered over the panel with a Black POSCA pen.

Note:  As with most techniques, you have to experiment with what background stamp works well with what stencil.  Think about how much un-embossed white will be left on your panel when you go to stencil over it. 

We hope you'll give this technique a try!  If you do - please link up your card over at The Group of Seven blog so we can all see it!

I'm linking my Christmas card to:

NBUS

first time using Frosty Flakes Stencil

Inkspirational

Jingle Bells

Not a Creature was stirring

flying reindeer!

Linking my Stenciled Lupine card to:

Stencil Fun Challenge

Orange or anything goes

ends 11/4

Christmas Card

Stamps:  Twas the Night background stamp - Rubbernecker

Paper:  White - PTI, Bermuda Bling Glitter Paper - Core-dinations (Michaels)

Ink:  Stormy Sky, Salty Ocean - Ranger Distress, Versamark.

Accessories:  white embossing powder, embossing pillow, Dash Away All Dec 2021 Stamptember die - Tim Holtz/Sizzix, Special Merry Christmas Die - Memory Box, Frosty Flakes Stencil - The Greetery, blender brushes, heat tool.

Lupines Card
Stamps: Windowpane Plaid background stamp - The Greetery.
Paper: white - PTI
Ink: Ranger Distress Mowed Lawn and Seedless Preserves, Versamark, Gold Pigment Ink - Color Box
Accessories: Lupines Stencil - ArtPlorations, finger sponges, Small Talk Stickers: Occasions - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology, Black POSCA Pen, white embossing powder, embossing pillow, heat tool.