#1040 – All Hugs

Hello and welcome to another new challenge at Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies challenge. As the name suggests, this is ‘Anything Goes‘ challenge, as long as you are using dies to make your project.

Here’s what I made for your inspiration this time –

I started with the die cut – I used Stamplorations Bloomtangled 1 to die cut 2 panels of white cardstock and adhered them together. I then trimmed the piece diagonally and adhered it on another piece of white cardstock and trimmed that also along the same line.

Next, I used Altenew Hannah Elements with Adirondack Ginger ink and then colored it using Zig Brush Marker pens. I then adhered the die cut panel on top. Since I didn’t want the trimmed edge to be visible, I added a strip of washi tape on top. The washi tape also has a bit of gold foil on it for some subtle bling! 🙂

Finally I added the sentiment. I used Simon Says Stamp/CZ Designs Hugs die to cut 2 pieces of pink and 2 pieces of black cardstock, and white cardstock for the shadow die. I stacked the die cuts together, adhered them and added them to the card. I refrained from adding any more embellishments, since there were plenty of details in the card already! 🙂

And that’s my card! And I’m joining these challenges –

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge #445: Die cuts and/or Stencils

The Flower Challenge #80: Pretty Pastels

Checkout more awesome inspiration from the rest of the DT at the Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies challenge blog.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

#1008 – Go Metallic with Gel Pens

Hello and welcome! It’s time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday and this time the optional Topping chosen by Cathy is ‘Metallic‘. Every Challenge is always Anything Goes and a special Topping is included for extra fun. It’s not required to include the topping on your birthday project.

And this is what I made –

I had a few techniques in mind, but in the end I chose to use these Uniball gold and silver gel pens, which have been in my stash from the longest time. And they perform so well too!

I started with stamping the flowers from Altenew Garden Treasure stamp set in black ink on a dark green paper – after all, metallics shine more on darker cardstock! I then traced the images in gold gel pen. The images have thin defined outlines which were not really standing out so I thickened the outlined a bit more and used a silver pen to fill up some spots and add a little definition as well. I also added a few dots using the silver pen.

Such a beautiful shine!!

Once done, I trimmed the image to center the drawing a little more and then added a frame using both the gel pens, using my ruler. I then adhered this panel to a kraft brown card base. For the sentiment, I used Altenew Bold Greetings die. I used a metallic dark gold cardstock I had at hand. This gives a subtle shine, so as to not take away the focus from the metallic, shiny florals, but has enough shine to compliment the image as well.

Sorry for the photos not being up to notch, the weather is pretty dull here, not much sunshine. 😦 And the color of the gold metallic pen is looking more greenish but it is a proper gold color irl. Not sure why that is – might be the background green is affecting it.

Anyway, that’s my card. And I’m joining the following challenges as well –

Addicted to Stamps and More #433: Birthdays

The Flower Challenge #70: CAS

Checkout more cards with more metallic elements in the Seize the Birthday blog where you can see what the DT and our Surprise Party Guest Karren J have created!

Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

#976 – Poinsettia cards for Christmas

Hello and welcome! Its time to showcase a few Christmas cards I made for this year! Its only my second year making Christmas cards and I decided to make more this year. And since I wanted to make more, I decided to make sets of cards. And today I am presenting the first set.

I started with painting panels with metallic paints – I used the ones from Prima Marketing. I chose three shades of paint for each panel, swiped them on the card to give some gradation and set them aside to dry.

I then embossed them using We R Memory Keepers Geometric embossing folders. I also splattered some Unicorn sparkle paint..its a beautiful champagne like color and wicked sparkly, and Picket Fence distress paint..to resemble snow. Yes, sparkling champagne-like snow too. 😀 I then adhered these over ivory colored cardstock.

look at that shine!!

Coming to the poinsettia, I die cut them out of white/cream cardstock, adhered them and added a gem, from Lucy’s Little Things, in the center, to match the color of the embossed panel.

For the sentiment, I first die cut banner shapes using Stitched Jumbo Fishtail Banner. I stacked at least 3 of each, gold heat embossed the sentiment, from Winnie & Walter Happy Owlidays and Sweet Holiday stamp sets, twice on each panel, to give some additional dimension.

This made it look a bit plain, so added polka dotted gold foil washi tape on top and also added a bow using combination of white twine and gold metallic thread. Finally, I adhered the banner and the poinsettia in place. And that completed my first set of cards!

Although this was not actually the first set I made, this was the first ones that I finished photographing and editing, so here it is first! 😉

I’m joining the following challenges:

Watercooler Wednesday challenge #330: Anything Goes

The Flower Challenge #63: Christmas

CrafTangles December challenge: Red/Green/Snow

Hope you enjoyed these cards! Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

#956 – Striped Background

Hello and welcome! I had made this card for our Inspiration Station challenge that us sisters have. But I hadn’t followed the theme right, so I thought I would make something else for the challenge, and post this card separately.

I started this card with making the striped background. With my sister’s help, I had collected these stripes from some time now. In fact there are even more left in the stash, to make more cards. Luckily, I was able to quickly find stripes that looked good together. I adhered these on a piece of copy paper, then trimmed the overhanding stripes.

And this became a fine time to get lost on how to continue. The background was so pretty, I didn’t want to add much on top which would cover it up. And some of the die cuts I originally had in mind, I dropped since they weren’t looking good on this. Thankfully, I had these pair of ‘Crocus Flowers’ dies from Simon Says Stamp. I die cut a few pieces from white cardstock and adhered them together, I then adhered vellum below it, and cut it out as cleanly as I could. I think I did a pretty good job! 🙂

I figured I would adhere them on an incline, just so they would match the stripes. Finally, I stamped the sentiment, from Paper Smooches Simply Said stamp set, fussy cut it, and adhered it using foam tape on top of the card. I adhered a few white rhinstones for embellishing.

And that’s my card. I’m joining the following challenges with this card –

The Flower Challenge #58: Add Spots or Stripes

Watercooler Wednesday challenge #320: All About Occasions

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #410: Die Cuts and/or Stencils

Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

#934 – Sending Big Hugs

Hello and welcome! Its always fun to use new products in the stash, and challenges are sometimes the perfect opportunity to use them. We have a new challenge up at Tic Tac Toe, where we still have the theme of Mom/Feminine/Encouraging going on, but a new board, by myself for you to play with –

I chose the mid row of Embossing – Florals – Encouraging Sentiment and this is what I created –

I have this gorgeous new flower from Altenew in my stash now – Build a Flower: Peruvian Lily. I don’t think I could ever have enough of looking at it!! 😀

Well, for this card, I chose a mint blue to be my choice of color for the flower. Once I stamped it all and die cut it. For the background, I had already decided on a mix of stamping and embossing. I first stamped a panel using Hero Arts Leaf & Floral Background – a very old stamp, but it has the most gorgeous patterns! I stamped it using a light kraft color, then embossed using Elizabeth Crafts Mini mosaic embossing folder. I love the effect that produces – you tilt it to one side and see the stamping, tilt it to the other side and see the embossing. Its just fun!

So anyway, I trimmed this panel to the size I wanted, and then foam mounted it on a light blue textured cardstock. For the sentiment, I first die cut the letters from Neat & Tangled Journaling Alphas. I stacked the die cuts for dimension and then added Zig Two way glue on top. On this i placed some blue holographic foil, and pressed it using my fingers on to the die cut letters. Either the pressure or the glue wasn’t enough, but the foil didn’t cover the entire surface of the letters. But I kinda liked this look, so I let it be. The rest of the sentiment came from Altenew Adore You stamp set, which I have stamped partially, and trimmed. I adhered the die cuts on the card, whereas I used a few pieces of scrap cardstock adhered behind them to mount the stamped sentiments.

And that’s my card! And I’m joining the following challenges –

The Flower Challenge #55: Pretty Pastels

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #403: Birthdays

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Sending Hugs

Watercooler Wednesday challenge #314: All About Occasions

Checkout what the rest of the design team and our guest designer have prepared for you to get inspired in the Tic Tac Toe challenge blog. And thank you so much for stopping by!