Color Throwdown: Sending you Holiday Hugs & Love

I couldn't let the challenge at the Color Throwdown go by without playing. It has pink in the color combo and I still needed to make Christmas cards for my pink-loving nieces! Here's what I came up with.

My card uses silver embossing powder and a sparkly silver star - and the pink plaid background paper is also glitter paper - so there might be enough glitter for one of my nieces.  But I'm realizing as I type that there's only three gems and that's not nearly enough - I may adhere a few more before I send it!

I got the Reverse Confetti Tree with lots of ideas to use a rainbow of colors or lots of patterns, but in this case, I think the plaid glitter paper works beautifully.  The sentiment is from The Stamp Market. The set is called Merry & Magical - it's full of fun fonts and some slightly different sentiments - mostly "magical" sentiments but in this case I love that it includes "hugs & love"!

All I have left to do for Christmas is one more niece (so expect some pink/sparkle this week) and my two sons (which will probably be snarky).  However, I still have quite a bit in my not-yet-used stash but now I can make Christmas card 100% for fun!!

Thanks to The Card Concept for the inspiration!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: The Stamp Market Merry & Magical and dies

Dies: Reverse Confetti Tree Dies and Oh My Stars, Honey Bee Stamps Scallop A2 Card Frames

Paper: Glitter papers from Michaels, Stampin' Up Smoky Slate

Other: Taylored Expressions Silver Embossing Powder

The Card Concept: Peace on Earth

There’s a new inspiration challenge at The Card Concept and the theme is Peace on Earth. My Clean and Layered card was inspired by the gorgeous wreath with the big bow and the simple "peace" below it.

 

This stamp and die set from Stampin' Up was a little late coming into my stash so I missed all the wonderful autumn possibilities. I already have multiple wreaths so I held out as long as I could but I eventually decided that this set had so many wonderful details, I just had to have it. 

With the inspiration photo, I wanted the wreath to be fairly full so I layered up a couple of different wreaths then added pinecones, gems and some golden sprinkles in the same paper as the "PEACE". The bow is not in the wreath set but I liked the big bow in the photo so found one in my stash.

I'm actually in good shape with my Christmas card production.  I've been in very different places over the years - from absolutely in a panic when December hits to coasting in and being able to relax.  I much prefer relaxing.  Although this year, for reasons I cannot explain at this point, I am knitting some gifts - nothing big but enough that I still have some moments of panic when I look at my gifts in progress! So I seem to have substituted knitting panic for my cardmaking panic.  Oh well - the tree is up and twinkling at me and my Christmas music playlists are queued up - so it's hard to get too stressed!!

I hope to see you playing along with us this week at The Card Concept. And I hope your Christmas cardmaking (or knitting or baking or decorating) is going well!!

 SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Sparkle of the Season (just the pinecones)

Dies: Stampin' Up Seasonal Swirls dies and Playful Alphabet dies, Hello Bluebird Holly and Pine (the bow)

Paper: Stampin' Up Tidings of Christmas, Cherry Cobbler (with a sparkle applied to it), Evening Evergreen, Tranquil Tide, Crumb Cake, gold cardstock unknown

Ink: Stampin' Up Soft Suede

Other: Altenew Window Slats 3D, Sunny Studio Ruby Red Jewels

Freshly Made Sketches: Make a Wish

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Cécile and here’s what I did with it!

 

Sadly, I missed the square part of this sketch until I was writing this post about an hour before it went live.  I really like square cards - I don't know where my head was!

The sketch is fabulous - I love little trios of accents.  I need a birthday card this week and I stuck with Cécile's stars because they were just right for a birthday celebration.  Then I found this detailed cupcake in my not-yet-used stash. The colors were picked simply to get as far from Christmas colors as possible.  My two sons have birthdays 4 days and 7 days away from Christmas so for their entire lives I've been very careful to differentiate Christmas and birthday.  Well, at least until they got old enough to want expensive electronic gifts then Christmas and birthday merged for the gift giving.

I did add a bit more in the background than the sketch had. This is an office mate that I don't know well but I feel like she would want a few more frills - so I added a scalloped edge and some embossed sprinkles. 

I hope to see you playing along with us this week at Freshly Made Sketches.

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: My Favorite Things Frosted Cupcake, Paper Smooches Teeny Stars, Honey Bee Stamps Scallop A2 Card Frames

Paper: Stampin' Up Mango Melody, Daffodil Delight, Balmy Blue; Memory Box Graceful Garden Glitter (the yellow and the orange) and Delicate Pastel Glitter (the blue)

Other: Simon Says Reverse Birthday Sentiment Strips, Taylored Expressions Sprinkles Embossing Folder

Freshly Made Sketches: Layered Poinsettia

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Jen Brum and here’s what I did with it!

 

A poinsettia seemed like a great choice for the middle element and I had the Waffle Flower Layered Poinsettia die in my not-yet-used stash.  I knew it could stand alone because it has wonderful details in each petal. 

I played with a patterned stripe, but I decided on greenery so I used a sprig from the Waffle Flower Spotlight Elements. The set comes in a handy-dandy predesigned layout for spotlighting - I know that's obvious by the name! So the sprig and that sentiment are actually on one stamp with the idea that you can spotlight portions of it.  But since I do like sticking with the same company when possible and since the look of the sprig seemed right with their poinsettia, I cut the stamp apart and used the sprig and the sentiment separately. I used the sprig to the right fairly close to the edge, then I flipped it and used just a few pieces (it overlaps in the middle but hidden by the poinsettia.)

I hope to see you playing along with us at Freshly Made Sketches!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Waffle Flower Spotlight Holiday Elements

Dies: Waffle Flower Layered Poinsettia

Paper: Stampin' Up Flirty Flamingo, Whimsy & Wonder dsp

Ink: Stampin' Up Mint Macaron

Poppystamps: Sweater Weather

I'm on the Poppystamps blog today with this reminder to play along with the current challenge: Sweater Weather. Sweater Weather can go in a lot of directions from fall to Christmas and winter. I took one last chance to do a fall card before the unofficial end of fall. Isn't it odd how as a cardmaker, you can make Christmas cards all year round, but autumn cards have a very short window which in my mind ends tomorrow!

I started with the idea of a window and windowsill and then I just started cutting all of my favorite dies including the charming Whittle Forest Squirrel, a Pile of Pumpkins and some Orchard Leaves. 

I added some rustic "curtains" and a sparkly yellow glow coming from inside.  I walk almost every day and one of the sure signs of fall (besides being able to swear a sweatshirt/sweater) is that it gets dark earlier and the lights in each house glow through the windows.  It is such a warm and happy time!

There are many more pictures and details on the Poppystamps blog.

For those who celebrate - have a Happy Thanksgiving!!  Eat too much! Nap long! Enjoy the family!!!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Poppystamps Small Madison Window, Whittle Forest Squirrel, Orchard Leaves, Pile of Pumpkins, Brush Hello, Swaying Birch

Paper: Memory Box Glitzy Glitter, Delicate Pastel Glitter, Woodsy Plaid, Kraft Woodgrain, Cream Woodgrain, Earth Neutral, Sunny Orange

Other: Autumn Fairy Jewels

The Card Concept: Wrapped in Love & Joy

There’s a new inspiration challenge at The Card Concept and the theme is Rustic Holiday. My Clean and Layered card was inspired by the warm and rustic colors, patterns and textures.

With the inspiration in mind, I paged through my not-yet-used Christmas stash and quickly decided these trees were just right.  They are from an older Stampin' Up set but are still in the catalog.

Because of the wide variety of patterns and textures in the inspiration photo, I decided to use three of the trees for variety on my card. Then since I tend toward clean and fresh cards, having that much pattern in the trees led me to a simple white woodgrain background.  I just got this tag set and realized one of the sentiments from the stamp set fit so it seemed a perfect base to my trees!

Using them had an important side-purpose too.  This is a Stampin' Up set and it uses a punch and punches take lots of space and I'm totally out of room in my not-yet-used Christmas stash box and using this today frees up some room for some new shopping.  Whew!

I hope to see you playing along with us at The Card Concept!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Perfectly Plaid

Punch: Stampin' Up Pine Tree Punch, Tailor Made Tag dies

Paper: Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler, Cinnamon Cider, Garden Green

Ink: Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler, Cinnamon Cider, Garden Green

Other: Stampin' Up Simply Elegant Trim (the gold for the tag), Gold Glitter Enamel Dots and Pinewood Planks Embossing Folder

Freshly Made Sketches: Holiday Sprigs

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! This week's sketch is by me and here’s what I did with it!

 

I was clearly thinking Christmas when I added the tree to the sketch and I did do a Christmas card, but no tree! (Although I do think it would be really cute with a tree!) Sometimes a mood strikes and I have to go with it - in this case, the stamp set with the poinsettias and the greenery was calling my name.

I do surprisingly few green, red and white cards even though that's classic Christmas. I find that it can be a somewhat stark or harsh combination.  I do like red and green with kraft. Then in the case of this card, I found paper that had a blue base and I also used that blue color on the pine sprigs and a few sequins and for my eye, that was enough to tone down the red and green.  Isn't it funny how all of our eyes perceive things differently?  Colors that I truly dislike, others name as their favorites and vice versa.  And seriously, who doesn't like red and green? (Other than me!)

I do love this stamp set and will have to do more with it.  It's fun that there are solid and outlined images for different looks.  I used both for the poinsettia and for the leaves to the right.  I left them as outlines (vs. coloring them) just for the contrast and I love the look.

I hope to see you playing along with us this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  I'll be checking out all the cards in the gallery and I'm sure many of them will go into my inspiration files...they always do!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Essentials by Ellen Holiday Sprigs (and dies)

Paper: LDRS Creative Peace & Joy, Stampin' Up Poppy Parade and Shaded Spruce

Ink: Stampin' Up Poppy Parade and Shaded Spruce, Papertrey Ink Ocean Tides (the pine sprigs)