CASE Me a Christmas Card with Michelle Lupton

Hi there

The lovely Michelle Lupton has invited me to join her once again in her CASE Me a Christmas Card Series.  I'm so thrilled to be part of Michelle's series again.  CASE can either stand for 'Copy and Share Everything' or 'Copy and Selectively Edit'.  The aim is to take inspiration from any card made by the other and make a Christmas card.

I had a scroll through Michelle's lovely creations and landed on a card I thought would work well using a die from my stash...

I began with a die cut rectangle and found the central point and ink blended out from the centre with green ink, fading it out.  I then die cut the holly wreath from black cardstock and adhered this in place over the inked background.  I then stamped and heat embossed the large sentiment in gold on a strip of black cardstock and trimmed the edges down using the same stitched die so it would sit in position across the card front.  I thought about adding some berries to the wreath but decided to leave it as just green, black and gold.

Materials used:

• Dies: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Double Stitched Rectangles; Tonic - Holly Bouquet
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Brushed Greetings
• Ink: Distress Oxide - Rustic Wilderness; VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Gold Rich

And here is Michelle's gorgeous card, the photo is shared with her permission... 

I changed the orientation of the card to portrait, I felt that worked better with the circular die.  Just changed up the ink colour and switched the sentiment to gold for a more festive feel.  

I'm now off to her blog to see which of my cards she chose to CASE.  You can find her post, here.

Thank you so much for taking a look and thank you once again to Michelle for inviting me to take part.  Her series has been running since October so why not take a look at

CASEing cards is a great way to craft if you need a creative nudge, just remember to give credit to the original designer.

Christmas Card Multiples - Watercolour and Glittered Die Cuts

Hi there

More multiple makes for you today.  I made four each of four different versions of a similar design.  I just changed up the colours and die cuts for each.

I started with some white card bases and stitched die cut rectangles.  I mixed Distress Inks with water and roughly watercoloured some brush strokes onto the panels and left to dry.  I then die cut poinsettias, holly leaves, bells and snowflakes from some white glitter cardstock and adhered these over the panels onto the bases.  To finish I stamped and heat embossed some sentiments in gold and silver and cut down the sentiment strips and adhered on glue dots rather than foam to make the finished cards more mail friendly.

Red Poinsettia

Materials used:

• Dies: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Double Stitched Rectangles; Poppy Stamps - Small Posh Outline
• Ink: Distress Ink - Candied Apple; VersaMark
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Brushed Sentiments
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Gold Rich

Green Holly Leaf

Materials used:

• Dies: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Double Stitched Rectangles; Tonic - Holly Leaf
• Ink: Distress Ink - Pine Needles; VersaMark
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Brushed Sentiments
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Gold Rich

Blue Snowflakes

Materials used:

• Dies: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Double Stitched Rectangles; Lawn Fawn - Mini Snowflakes
• Ink: Distress Ink - Salty Ocean; VersaMark
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Brushed Sentiments
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Silver

Lilac Bells

Materials used:

• Dies: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Double Stitched Rectangles; Xcut - Filigree Bell
• Ink: Distress Ink - Dusty Concord; VersaMark
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Brushed Sentiments
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Silver

Challenge entries:

Dream Valley - Challenge #238 - Christmas

Try It On Tuesday - Christmas Sparkle

STAMPlorations - December CAS Challenge - Anything CAS Goes

STAMPlorations - December Theme & Photo Challenge - Stamps and Shimmer

I'll be back again soon with more festive makes, thanks for taking the time to visit :)

Less is More Challenge #421

Good morning, everyone

It's Saturday morning so that means there's a fresh challenge just starting over at Less is More.  This time it's the turn of our Theme challenge and here is the cue card...

And we also have a generous sponsor back with us for the month of June, which is the fantastic Uniko so just by playing along in our challenges puts you in the running for our monthly prize.

I used products from Uniko on my sample card...

I did something I've not done for ages for this card, I trimmed away the front panel and used the outside edge of the inside to stamp my border.  I used my MISTI to stamp this multiple times with three shades of pink pigment ink to create an ombre effect.  Next I added a thin strip of pink cardstock to highlight the border of front panel.  I stamped, heat embossed in white and die cut the flower from co-ordinating cardstock and stamped the sentiment in black.  And to finish, I did something else I've not done for ages, I rounded the corners of the back panel for a little interest.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Uniko - Background Builders: Flower Power, Kindness Blooms
• Die: Uniko - Kindness Blooms
• Ink: Versa Color - Petal Pink, Lilac, Amethyst; VersaMark; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Embossing Powder: Altenew - Pure White
• Corner Rounder Punch by Tonic
• Cardstock from stash

Challenge entries:

Time Out - Challenge #163 - Proust Quote

Just Add Ink - Challenge #508 - Just add "F" (flowers)

As always, the challenge will run for two weeks, and if you need more inspiration please do pop over to the main challenge blog, where you can also follow the links to my teamies' personal blogs as they may be sharing more projects there too.

Thanks as always for visiting x

Skull and Cross Buns - Santa's Workshop

Hi guys

I've been itching to share these makes.

There is a brand new clear stamp set for Christmas over at Skull and Cross Buns called Santa's Workshop.

Emily has been extremely busy since the launch on Create & Craft last weekend but this new stamp set is now live on the website, along with four co-ordinating stencils: Geometric Tree, Christmas Stockings, Elf Stockings, Stars and Sparkles.

I had a play with the stamp set and the stockings stencil.  For my first card I couldn't resist the super cute little gingerbread man...

I started by stamping the gingerbread man a number of times and then masked them.  A little tip for you, stamp the image onto a few layers of post-it notes, then you can cut through a few at a time.  I then used a pine needle stamp from my stash to create the effect of a Christmas tree in two green shades.  I removed the masks and coloured the little images with Polychromos before drawing the ornament hangers with a gold pen.  I stamped the sentiment and heat embossed in gold, before die cutting the panel with a stitched rectangle and popping up on fun foam.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Skull and Cross Buns - Santa's Workshop, Merry Christmas; Uniko - Winter Foliage
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Altenew - Evergreen; Memento - Cottage Ivy; VersaMark
• Coloured with Faber Castell Polychromos pencils
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Gold Rich
• Dies: Create a Smile - Double Stitched Rectangles
• Accents: Signo Uniball - Gold

Challenge entry:

Allsorts - Challenge #488 - Trees and/or leaves

Next up, a super simple card using the co-ordinating stockings stencil to add colour...

I stamped the Merry Christmas, you can find it here, in VersaMark and embossed in silver.  I then stamped the stockings from the new set, as if hanging from the sign and also embossed these in silver.  I think the stocking hanger and the double lines on the stocking design co-ordinate so well with the sentiment stamp.  The stockings in the new Christmas Stockings stencil are exactly the same size as the image in the stamp set so I laid the stencil over the embossed images and added colour by blending with Distress Inks.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Skull and Cross Buns - Merry Christmas Neon Sign, Santa's Workshop
• Ink: VersaMark; Distress Inks - Carved Pumpkin, Squeezed Lemonade, Cracked Pistachio, Peacock Feathers, Wilted Violet, Picked Raspberry
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Silver

Challenge entry:

Sweet Stampin' - Use a Stencil (stockings were ink blended through a stencil)

For my final card I used the stocking as part of the sentiment...

The wreath was die cut from some white glitter card and adhered to a die cut green cardstock panel.  I stamped the stocking, coloured with ProMarkers and fussy cut it out to create the 'J'.  The remainder of the letters were die cut, coated in VersaMark and embossed in gold glitter powder.  I added some twine to hang the stocking from the wreath.  It was finished by heat embossing part of a sentiment stamp heat embossed in gold onto a strip of red cardstock.  The sentiment strip and stocking were both popped up on 3D foam

Materials used:

• Dies: Tonic - Wreath; MFT Die-namics - Happy Birthday To You; Create a Smile - Double Stitched Rectangles
• Stamps: Skull and Cross Buns - Santa's Workshop, Merry Christmas
• Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Gold Sparkle, Metallic Gold Rich
• Coloured with ProMarkers
• Accents: Hemptique Twine - Emerald Assortment
• Cardstock from stash

Challenge entry:

Always Fun Challenges - Challenge #78 - Dies and Punches

You can find more examples from my teamies using the rest of the stencils along with the new stamp set over at the Skull and Cross Buns Rubber Stamps Scrumptious Group over on Facebook.  I hope to have more makes using this set soon.

Less is More Weeks #360 and 361 - Sketch

Good morning, crafters

It's Saturday morning and therefore time for a new challenge at Less is More.  We have a Sketch challenge for you this time and to give you more time to participate, and to give the Design Team a break over Christmas, this challenge will run for two weeks.  Here's the challenge sketch...

Happy Little Stampers continues as our December sponsor so please play along for a chance to win the monthly prize.

Here's my DT card, and this one marks the start of my Christmas card makes for 2018!

I die cut the holly wreath and then, after covering with VersaMark ink I heat embossed it three times using gold embossing powder.  I left it a few minutes to ensure the embossing was set and then adhered the wreath to opposite corners of the card base.  I then stamped and heat embossed the sentiment in the same gold powder onto a stitched sentiment strip cut from red cardstock.  This was then popped up on 3D foam.

Materials used:

• Dies: Tonic - Holly Bouquet; MFT Die-namics - Stitched Sentiment Strips
• Ink: VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Gold Metallic Rich
• Stamps: Happy Little Stampers - Mixed Christmas Sentiments

Challenge entries:

Happy Little Stampers - December Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

STAMPlorations - December CAS Card Challenge - Anything Goes (gold) 

Uniko - Challenge #44 - Christmas

Thanks so much for visiting today, and for supporting Less is More throughout this year.  I hope you find the time over the Christmas break to play along with this sketch challenge.

Brusho Snowflake

Hi guys

Just a quick post to share another card I made last month whilst at the Happy Little Stampers Craft Retreat.  This time when we were playing with Brushos.

On some watercolour cardstock I sprinkled and spritzed some Brusho crystals.  Once dry I die cut the snowflake.  After popping out all the little bits from the inside of the die cut I adhered the snowflake to my card base.  I die cut a sentiment strip and stamped the sentiment in purple (unfortunately, I can't remember which ink this was - Altenew I think).  The strip was popped up on 3D foam and to finish I added some glittery enamel dots.

Materials used:

• Dies: Tonic - Winter Snowflake; MFT Die-namics - Stitched Sentiment Strips
• Ink: Brusho - Turquoise and Purple
• Stamp: Happy Little Stampers - Mixed Christmas Sentiments
• Accents: Happy Little Stampers - Enamel Glitter Dots

Challenge entries:

Allsorts Challenge Blog - Challenge #446 - Cold and Frosty Colours

Happy Little Stampers - December Anything Goes with Dies

Christmas Cards All Year Round - December Challenge - Anything Goes

Thanks for popping by, I hope to be back tomorrow night with more makes I've recently made.

Happy Little Stampers October 2017 CAS Challenge

Good evening

And welcome to the October challenges at Happy Little Stampers!  Today is the turn of the launch of the October CAS Challenge and our theme this month is one that may scare some of you...

I used to find creating one layer cards quite terrifying but they are now among my favourites to make.  They just take a little more planning and there is nowhere to hide, for instance you can't hide a blunder under a sentiment strip!

Please follow our usual CAS guidelines but for this one, minimal layers doesn't apply, the design must be on the card base with no additional layers added.

And as always, there's a $20 gift coupon to the HLS store for one lucky winner.

My DT card was so quick and easy and I really like the result...

I used some textured dusky purple cardstock for my card base (for some reason on my laptop it looks blue but on my phone the colour looks more true to life, purples and photography drive me mad!) and then chose to use a wisteria stencil for my focal point.  I bought this stencil a couple of years ago I think at a craft show and have been wanting to use it for ages.  I think wisteria is so beautiful and wanted to use the purple tone on my card but in reverse.  So I positioned the stencil with low tack tape and then pounced some white pigment ink through the stencil with a sponge tool, fading out the ink density at the end of the flowers and leaves.  I then used some anti-static powder before stamping the sentiment in VersaMark and heat embossing in white.  I finished by adding some teeny dots of white Nuvo drops.

Materials used:

• Stencil: Glitzcraft - Wisteria
• Coloured Cardstock: Bazzill Basics
• Ink: Hero Arts - Unicorn; VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Opaque Bright White
• Accents: Nuvo Crystal Drops - Simply White

Challenge entries:

Penny Black and More - October Challenge - Close to Nature

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Darnell's NBUS Challenge #12 - First outing for this stencil :)

I hope you'll play along this month and there's plenty of time as the challenge will stay open until the end of October.  The Watercolour challenge is already up and running, and the remaining challenges will follow over the next few days.

Thanks so much for visiting today.

Less is More Week #335

Hi there

Back with my second post of the morning, which of course is to announce this week's new challenge at Less is More.  It's week one of the month which means it's the turn of our Colour challenge, and this is what we want to see this week...

We have a fresh new sponsor for the month of July too, Happy Little Stampers, so be sure to play along throughout July for a chance to win our monthly prize!

Ok, onto the challenge.  I'm from the UK so obviously our flag, the Union Jack is red, white and blue.  But I really do struggle with this combo and so had a different idea, and that was to use the flag of England.  The red cross of St George on a white background also makes up the central cross of the Union Jack.

I've got two red and white CAS cards to share with you this week.  Here's the first...

I started by blending some red Distress Ink onto some cardstock before using the ghosting technique to create the faded pattern with a stencil.  The stencil is laid over the blended cardstock then spritzed with water before blotting with a paper towel.  Once dry I die cut with a stitched rectangle die.  I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment in white before adhering a die cut flower onto the panel.  This was covered with some clear Wink of Stella and a single glitter dot added before the panel was popped up on fun foam.

Materials used:

• Ink: Distress Ink - Candied Apple; VersaMark
• Stencil: Tim Holtz - Mini Stencil Set 10
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Merci Beaucoup
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Opaque Bright White
• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Stitched Rectangles; Creative Expressions - Scribble Flower
• Accents: Doodlebug Sprinkles - Silver; Wink of Stella - clear

Challenge entries:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Stencil It

The Card Concept - Challenge #76 (Style: Clean and Simple)
CAS on Friday - Challenge #111 - Flowers

And for my second sample this week I got all festive with a Christmas card...

This was super easy to make but I messed about for ages trying to figure out the placement.  I started out with a portrait card base but it worked so much better on a landscape design.  I simply die cut two holly leaves from white cardstock and adhered these directly to the base, then added enamel dots for the 'berries'.  A bold sentiment in red ink finished the card.

Materials used:

• Die: Tonic - Holly Leaf
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Brushed Greetings
• Ink: Altenew - Velvet
• Accent: Doodlebug Sprinkles - Ladybug

Challenge entries:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Addicted to CAS - Challenge #114 - White on White

For more inspiration of our theme this week please do pop over to the main challenge blog and take a look at my super talented teamies' creations this week.  You won't be disappointed.

I hope you all have a great weekend.  I'll be back tomorrow evening with details of this month's CAS challenge over at Happy Little Stampers.