3 Kings on a stamp!

I've had this extra large stamp stamp for a while, but haven't got around to using it.

In addition to making 'ordinary' Christmas cards I've been wanting to make some Christmas themed thank you cards, and this combination of challenges seemed a perfect opportunity. The pretty palette at Nacho's lent itself to a sandy theme. Hope you like it.

Now, I appreciate 'vehicles' usually have wheels, even the dictionary agrees with you! However, the primary definition (in my dictionary at least) is that a vehicle is a "...means of conveyance...", and therefore I'm stretching out and hoping my camels and their wise men pass muster at CASology.

Nacho Average #166: Daffodil Delight, Mossy Meadow, Tangelo Twist
Christmas at Sweet Stampin': Travel/Transport
CASology #171: Vehicle
Simon says Wednesday: Thanks/Thanksgiving

Oh Christmas Tree

A Christmas Tree with a glitzy twist.

I had every intention of making a card with a Christmas tree using a stencil, but then I found that I'd made something completely different. Sorry the photo is a bit dodgy, taking snaps of metallic card is always troublesome.

Tree is by Clarity, coloured with alcohol markers in this week's CTD palette, with layout inspired by Freshly Made Sketches. It's a bit hard to tell, but I promise the circle in the background is green!

Freshly Made Sketches #211
Color Throwdown #367: Gold, Coral, Green
CAS-ual Fridays #145: Precious Metals
Christmas Cards All Year Round: Oh Christmas Tree

Musical HB2U

I think we all know that 'guy' cards are quite hard, especially if you don't know someone very well.

My ambition to make a few cards today failed, however, I needed one for tomorrow, so knuckled down with the latest CAS Colour and Sketches for inspiration.

This may feel like a bit of a stretch interpreting the sketch, but I feel the elements are there, even if they are all stamped rather than separately coloured. I put all the colour in the 'clingfilm on glossy card' background.

I don't have any Stampin' Up colours, so I've blended them from a selection of distress and adirondack inks.

CAS Colours and Sketches #148: Rose Red, Rich Razzleberry, Wisteria Wonder
Addicted to Stamps and More #169: Clean and Simple
Simon Says Monday: So Glossy (I used glossy cardstock, although it's not too obvious from the photo!)

Stockings and Fairy Lights

I've been making Christmas cards today, nice ones, but not the 'each takes hours sort'. So to round the day off I made one in 'my' style, rather than cobbling them together from pre-printed images and old Christmas cards. (I hasten to say that I'm trying to make enough for a charity sale table, and if I stick only to my normal style I'll never make enough in time).

So, on with the show, and much to my surprise (must be that time of year) this fits many current challenges. Given I'm a bit time-poor at the moment, I'm going to rest my normal, 3 max rule, and have a challenge combo blow-out. I think I'm within the rules everywhere, but please forgive me (and feel free to disqualify me) if I've made a mistake.

A one-layer, classic Clarity card. One of their 'The Night before Christmas' stamps, surrounded by the Fairy Lights stencil to jazz it up a bit. The unusual colour combo is courtesy of Color Throwdown (curtsies), and I confess the 'Rust' has come out a little more brown than I intended.

Color Throwdown 366: Rust, Aqua, Gray
Shopping our Stash 225: No patterned paper
Addicted to Stamps and More 168: Holiday (Christmas)
One Layer Christmas Card Challenge 20: Twist = Stockings
Simon Says Wednesday: Anything Goes
Just Us Girls 317: One Layer Card
Allsorts 335: Christmas
52 CCT: Pick a previous theme (#10 Oct '12 - Fairy Lights, could maybe also be #16 - Santa Claus, also known as St Nicholas)
Clarity 33: Clean and Simple

Never grow up ...

I was honoured to be selected at this week's Guest Star Stamper at Color Throwdown. I love their challenges, so it's a treat to get the colours early and put my brain to work.

The colour values of this week's palette are very similar, i.e. I think of them as 'medium' colours in quilting terms, not lights, not darks. After a bit of pondering, and playing (and breaking my die cutting machine!), I settled on a stencil,  brushing the colour through. Enhanced with a sentiment and the darling wee fairies and elves from Clarity stamp.

I used Adirondack Lettuce, and Distress Broken China and Worn Lipstick.

Hope you like it

Just us Girls #314: Use Stencils
Color Throwdown #364: Guest Star Stamper

Somewhat silly

When I saw Casology's key word I decided it wasn't for me, same when I saw the Colour Q palette. But as is sometimes the case, in the middle of the night, when I couldn't sleep an idea gradually emerged.

A stamp that had come with a magazine, or similar, that I thought I'd never used, along with it's pun-ridden sentiment. A palette so that is so far from traditional Christmas it just couldn't work, and layout on which a twist could be put.

So here's how I explain my "Silly" entry. To me the challenges felt silly, which means, I didn't think I could do them justice. I was silly, for not believing in myself. Whilst the palette and the image felt silly, they could be worked into the seemingly silly - a tasteful Christmas card.

The image is from Crafter's Companion. Coloured with alcohol markers (silly me for having a stash of these, and almost never getting them out). Put into tags, and chisel tip of a marker dragged around the edge. Clarity Holly & Ivy stamp in the background, stamped thrice into a rough circle.

See what you think. I love it :-)

CASology 167: Silly
CAS Colours and Sketches #145
Colour Q #311: Basic Black, Tangerine Tango, Wisteria Wonder, Kiwi Kiss

Stockings hanging by the fire

I've had this stamp for ages, it's part of a Molly Blooms stamp set and sprang straight to mind when I saw the Festive Decor challenge at Sweet Stamping Christmas.

The palette at Friday Mashup is beautiful, and whilst not traditionally Christmas, I have seen it used for some stunning star quilts. I wanted to use it for this, even if it meant I would just use the colours rather mashing it up with masking. A simple sentiment to set off this CAS Christmas card.

Christmas at Sweet Stamping - Festive Decor
Simon say Stamp - CAS Christmas
Friday Mashup #229 - Autumn is in the air: Masking and/or Palette

You've been tangoed

This card seemed to get more and more orange the more time went on. I ended up feeling that it worked, but wasn't really me. Almost like I'd been fighting to meet the brief, rather than making a card that truly fits my style.

I chose to colour this Clarity image with Distress Markers, mainly because I'd stamped it with Archival ink, rather than Memento, and I couldn't be bothered to redo it. This means it's come out rather darker than I'd intended.

It's also reminded me why I've been following fewer sketch challenges of late. However, unexpectedly it does work with the Tic Tac Toe from CAS-ual Fridays. Let me explain. I used the middle line - colouring, spritzing, die cutting. The spritzing may need explaining - rather than spritzing the card itself, I spread spiced marmalade ink onto a blending mat, spritzed the mat with water, and then transferred the ink onto a piece of backing card. No commercial designer papers here!

CAS-ual Fridays #144 - Tic Tac Toe
Nacho Average #162 - Garden Green, Marina Mist, Tangerine Tango
Mojo Monday #418
Allsorts #332 - No designer papers

... the year's last loveliest smile

I wasn't sure I'd ever use this sentiment, but it's precisely what's required for Time Out's challenge, and is a perfect opportunity to make a custom inkpad for this lovely maple leaf stamp.

There are lots of lovely autumn challenges about at the moment, and I'm combined a few here in a clean and simple card. To lift it slightly I masked a simple stripe and stamped a few leaves in there too. Simple, but effective, I hope you agree.

Time Out #41 - Autumn ... the year's last loveliest smile
Stamping Sensations - Colours of Autumn
Less is More #245 - One Layer Autumn
Simon Says Monday - Autumn is in the air

Christmas in Pink

This was fab, two pink challenges popped up at once, maybe not surprising since it's Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Given Jingle Belles also had the 'Deck the Halls' prompt the Clarity stamp was a given, as were the silver embossed holly boughs. I masked the music, and then dusted in some spun sugar with a brush. I then put some worn lipstick distress ink in a spritzer with some mica powder which I used to add some texture to the card (blocking the nozzle a few times along the way!).

I confess I'm not sure whether this will stay as a one layer card or get worked into something slightly different, the card blank is a bit covered in pink ink!

Crimbo Crackers #91 - Pink
Jingle Belles - Deck the Halls in Pink
One Layer Christmas #19 - Silver
Addicted to CAS #74 - Sparkle

Seahorse

I wanted to do something non-Autumnal with the fab selection of colours at CTD this week, so came up with this little number.

Seahorse coloured with Spectrum Noir pencils in Red and Yellow


Background coloured using Fresco Chalk paints in Green and Brown

Color Throwdown 362: Red, Orange, Brown, Green

Krafty Christmas

This was a breakfast time brainwave. Sadly that meant I'd only have an hour or so to experiment and pull this together when I got home before the deadlines hit! The key part of the brainwave was the shape. Up to this point I was despairing of how to play along with this month's Clarity challenge.

Here I am with seconds to spare! Which is my poor excuse for a fuzzy picture.

Clarity baubles stamped onto Kraft card and embossed with white detail powder. The white on its own looks lovely, but I loved the colour combination over at Tis the Season, so I've jazzed it up with a bit of colouring using Spectrum Noir pencils, in blues and greys.

CASology #165 - Circles
Tis the Season #51: Marina, Sky, Slate
Clarity #31: Shaped Cards

Priestly Anniversary

I made this in twenty minutes flat, and it probably shows.

I was singing for a special service for a friend who was celebrating 50 years of priestly ministry, and I love this stamp for Ordinations, Christenings etc. It's a Michael Powell stamp from Do Crafts.

Watercoloured using Adirondacks Pesto, Butterscotch and Terracotta, plus Distress Evergreen Bough (I think!)

Colour Me #90: Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Crushed Curry
Simon Says Wednesday: No designer paper
Simon Says Monday: Use a stamp

Fetching the Christmas Tree

I've had this Sheena Douglas stamp for ages, but haven't had it out of the packet before. Shameful I know.

I missed the Merry Monday 'watercolour' deadline, but it was watercoloured using Adirondack inks: Slate, Rust and Lettuce. Matted onto grey card to complete.

ColourQ #309: Basic Grey, Going Grey, Really Rust, Summer Starfruit
Addicted to Stamps and More #163: Holiday
Christmas Cards all year round: A country Christmas

Christmas kisses

Channelling some super CAS tendencies here. I don't think I've ever put as little on a card, but I like it.

The primary inspiration came from the latest One Layer Christmas challenge

The image and sentiment came from a Crafters Companion kit, and I coloured it with Spectrum Noir pencils.

Color Throwdown #361: Green, Yellow, Black, White
One Layer Christmas #18: Mistletoe
Crimbo Crackers #90: Someone Special

Inlaid Christmas Tree

By the skin of my teeth I think I'm going to get in in time to play around with some of this week's fabulous challenges

I was primarily inspired by the challenge over at Friday Mashup, and used a Spellbinders die I've had for years, but have rarely used. Apologies for the fuzzy picture, it's late and I always do really badly with metallic card.

 Jingle Belles/Shopping our Stash bonus: Stashing through the Snow/Use something at least a year old
The Friday Mashup 226: Inlaid die cutting (with a nod to the sketch as well)
ABC Christmas: S is for Silent
Allsorts 329: Sparkle (it's hard to see, but the tree is covered in glamour dust)

Just a note

This idea has been brewing for a few weeks, initially inspired by a sketch challenge over at Less is More, which is long closed!

However, I needed to make a very quick thank you card this morning for some friends who had invited me to lunch. So I admit this is neither my best work, nor a good photo!

My friends, like me, are keen on all things musical, so this seemed a perfect opportunity to break out my new 'Musical' stamp set from Clarity.

I stamped the instruments in Versamark on coated stock (I feel they should be whiter. Should I have left them to dry completely? Used more ink? Used less ink?), and then brayered over them, firstly with Adirondack Wild Plum, and then Adi Denim. Curled the stave to create a bit of movement, and then stamped in a quick tune, adding the time signature by hand.

Layered onto some dark blue paper, then onto a 5x7" card blank. Took a quick photo and flew out the door. Feels a technique worth repeating, when I've got the opportunity to take a bit more time!

Color Throwdown 360 - Black, Pink, Dark Blue
CASual Fridays 143 - Musical