Ribbon and bows

Christmas always seems to creep up at top speed and so I decided to try and be ahead of the curve and so here is my first Christmas card for 2018.

I have used the mouse from the Berry Mice image from my A Very Mice Coloring Book. I colored her, yes her as her name is also Monica, with my Prismacolor Colored pencils on Canson Mi Tientes sand paper and then fussy cut her out.

I cut the gift that she is carrying out of Christmas patterned paper with a stitched hexagon die and applied the ribbon and bow with golden satin ribbon.

The top right hand corner is embellished with a flourish die cut done from DCWV metallic washi tape paper and I added the sentiment in the middle. The sentiment is white heat embossed on black cardstock and then cut out with a stitched circle die.

I created my scene on a card panel just slightly smaller than a regular A2 sized card which I embossed with a Darice snowflake embossing folder. I then adhered the card panel onto a cardbase to complete the card.

General supplies:
Canson Mi Tientes sand colored paper
White and black cardstock
DCWV Metallic Washi Tape paper
Berry Mice House Mouse image
Sentiment stamp from stash
Prismacolor pencils
Stitched hexagon and circle dies
Flourish die
Darice Snowflake embossing folder
Versamark ink
White embossing powder

Entered into the HMFMC Anything Goes/Optional theme "Ribbons or Bows" challenge #262
Entered into the Stempelsonne Anything Goes Challenge #200
Entered into the Cardz 4 Galz Buttons and/or Bows Challenge #68

Emboss and die cut

I have another birthday card to share with you today. This one was inspired by my Darice embossing folder with a whole tree on it.

I embossed the card panel with the tree embossing folder and then used my Crayola water color paints to paint the leaves and the stem. I was going for whimsy on this entire card and so did some very loose watercoloring here, not attempting to color the whole raised area of each leaf or the branches. I added some grass along the base of the panel with a light green paint.

The bicycle is a die cut which I colored up with my Prismacolor colored pencils.

Here again I was going for whimsy and so did not add much shading or blending, just adding color.

In keeping with the loose watercolor on the embossed tree, I did not attempt to cover up every little bit of the white cardstock of the die cut.

I added the Happy Birthday sentiment by white heat embossing the sentiment onto black cardstock and cutting it out with a small banner die. I added this banner over the tree branches on the top right hand side of the card.

Water color was an excellent medium to color the tree in with as it needed no pressure to apply the color and thus all the embossing on the panel was kept in tact.

General supplies:

Cardbase from Paper Studio Simple Basics collection

White and black cardstock

Crayola watercolors

Prismacolor pencils

Versamark ink

White embossing powder

Happy Birthday sentiment stamp

Darice tree embossing folde

Bicycle die

Entered into the Inspiration Destination Anything Goes with OPTIONAL TWIST: Spring or Pastel Colors Challenge #146 

Entered into the Let's Craft and Create Anything Goes + option Easter Challenge #135

Entered into the Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes Challenge #78

No pencils

I am always needing birthday cards (aren't we all?) and so today I have been busy.

This card is another one using the emboss resist technique. It is so fascinating to watch the design pop out of the white card when applying the ink over the top.

The stamps are retired Stampin Up stamps and I stamped them with Versmark ink directly onto the card base to make this a one layer card. I embossed with white embossing powder. Then using Memento inks with a mini blending tool, I applied the color.

I do enjoy ink blending and will definitely do it again in the future.

General supplies:

Reflections 110lb heavyweight cardstock for card base

Stamps from stash

Versamark ink

White embossing powder

Memento inks

Mini blending tool

Entered into the QKR Stampede Challenge #287 Anything Goes

Entered into the A Perfect Time To Craft Always Anything Goes Challenge #3

Entered into the Always Happy Birthday Birthday + Anything Goes March Challenge

House mouse and a bunny

It is time for another House Mouse challenge and this time the optional theme is Bunnies. Since none of my House Mouse images have a bunny in them, I did some masking and stamping.

I used the sweet image from my Very Mice Coloring book called Keeping Cool. I stamped the bunny with a stamp from my stash and then colored both images with my Prismacolor pencils, adding white gel pen highlights on the eyes. I cut the panel out with a stitched rectangle die.

Using a Post It note, I then masked the horizon line and inked the background with Memento Inks. leaving a "glow" around the critters.

Since the bunny is in for an accidental shower (that can happen when bunnies lie in the flower bed) I thought the card lent itself perfectly to become a belated birthday card.

I cut the letters O-O-P-S out of yellow cardstock and glued them to the front panel which I then matted onto a piece of the same yellow cardstock and applied the panel to the card base.

The card was completed with an appropriate sentiment stamped on the inside.

General supplies:
Strathmore Paint Pad paper
Reflections 110lb heavyweight cardstock for card base
Yellow cardstock
Keeping Cool House Mouse image
Bunny and Sentiment stamps from stash
Prismacolor pencils
Stitched rectangle dies
Alphabet dies
Memento inks
Mini blending tool

Entered into the HMFMC ANYTHING GOES with the option of Bunnies challenge #261

Orchids - clean and simple

This card is made with the orchids lesson in the Kit and Clowder Elements of Nature class. I loved the very sleek look on the flowers and wanted to keep the card that way. As with all my coloring, I did the orchids with my Prismacolor colored pencils.

I trimmed the drawing paper on which I had done the orchids down and added it to a bright green card panel that I had created with my stitched rectangle die. I then adhered the panel to a cardbase

Since this is a Thank you card for a German friend, I spelled DANKE on it with individually cut letters from an alphabet die set. I cut the letters out of chocolate cardstock.

This is one of those cards that definitely proves that less is more. I have also tried a new background for my card photography. What do you think?

General supplies:
Canson XL Drawing paper
Reflections 110lb heavyweight cardstock for card base
Orchid digi stamp from the course
Green and chocolate cardstock
Alphabet dies
Stitched rectangle die
Prismacolor pencils

Entered into the Stempelsonne Anything Goes Challenge #199
Entered into the Fabrika Fantasy Challenge #18 - SPRING
Entered into the Aud Sentiments Anything Goes Challenge #198
Entered into the Do-Al(l) Kreatives Spring/Easter Challenge #15