SPARKLES CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE - PRESENTS

Our challenge this month at Sparkles Christmas Challenge  is presents.  Years ago I remember doing a card which had presents as pop up's inside the card and wanted to do it again and managed to find some instructions on youtube.  

I started off the front of my card using some Tim Holtz christmas wallpaper and used the same papers throughout for the presents.  I added a panel on the front of the card which has been embossed with holly and added some paper shapes for the presents and added string.  The sentiments are from Clearly Besotted.

Inside the card there are three pop up presents which are really easy to do but they look so effective.

SPARKLES CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE - FLORA /FAUNA

Flora/Fauna

Welcome to another month's challenge at Sparkles Christmas Challenge.  If you have been with us all year well done - you have at least 10 cards ready for the big day!

Our challenge this month is Flora/Fauna.  I wanted to use this delightful stamp set by Anita Jeram called Snow Happy.  It is so whimsical and I wanted to give it a slightly vintage feel.

I stamped the image using Versafine Clair in Acorn to give a softer feel rather than black.  I coloured it in with distress inks - added some white dots and some pearl drops for the deer's tail, the rabbit's tail and the snowball.  I used some distress ink around the edges to give it a wintry feel and added some pearls and some rickrack.  The sentiment is from an old set and I thought the font suited the card.  

SPARKLES CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE - ALL ABOUT STOCKINGS

We are all about the Christmas Stockings here at Sparkles this month.

I remembered I had this lovely embossing folder with stockings on it so wanted to use that for my card and keep it a CAS (Clean and Simple) Card.  I had a little stocking die in my stash and used it to hang the stockings from some red and white twine.  The little sentiment is from Clearly Besotted and is just perfect for this card.

SPARKLES CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE - CHRISTMAS MUSIC #127

Our challenge over at Sparkles Christmas Challenge #127 this month is Christmas Music.  I used a favourite set from Visible Image called Santa Claus - you can't help but start singing or humming this once you see this sentiment.

I started off with a piece of water colour paper and used the snow stamp from the set with some Versamark Ink.  I then heat embossed it with white embossing powder.  I used Tim Holtz distress inks in blues and blacks to represent the night sky.  

I used Stampin Up Watercolour Pencils to colour in the Santa and then cut him out.  I've added Stickles to his hat and fur on his coat and glossy accents on his beard and moustache.

To make the roof I used the chimney stamp upside down and repeated it and then added the chimney stack on top.  Liquid pearls were added to represent the snow on top of the roof.  

The sentiment in the banner was cut out and I used a stitched framelit for the remainder of the sentiment popping them up on dimensionals. 

We love Chocolate Baroque - Favourite Stamps

Dare 2b Artzy - AG 

Love to craft - AG 

Pearlysparkleschallenge - AG 

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas 

Send a Smile for Kids - Christmas 

Christmas Blog - Songs for Christmas 

Creative Knockouts - Christmas in July 

Krafty Chicks - AG 

FabnFunky - Christmas 

Male Room Challenge - Christmas 

Merry Little Christmas Challenge - AG

The Holly & The Ivy  - AG 

SPARKLES CHRISTMAS FORUM - SNOWFLAKES - MORE THAN 1

Welcome to another Christmas Challenge from Sparkles #126 - our theme for you this month is Snowflakes - More than One!

I've just bought this adorable set by Anita Jeram called Snow Happy and really wanted to use the delightful sentiment.  I started off by using a Tim Holtz snowflake stencil for my background using Distress Ink in Faded Jeans.  I added a strip of Night of Navy SU Cardstock along the front and added some die cut snowflakes covered in SU Dazzling Diamonds.  The little rabbit holding out the snowflake is from the same set - I coloured him in with Distress Ink and a water colour brush and used a stitched framelit to cut him out.

The sentiment was stamped in Versafine Clair Nocturne ink - my favourite go-to black ink at the moment. 

SPARKLES CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE

Welcome to another monthly Christmas challenge at Sparkles - this month it's my choice of theme and I chose Tags.  I'd love to see either Christmas Tags on their own or on your cards.

My card uses a wonderful stencil from Shawn Petite with the word Joyful.  The background snowflake stencil is Tim Holtz and the words on the tag are from Visible Image.  I kept my piece monochrome also using Stampin Up Bermuda Bay cardstock and ink.  I've added SU Glittering Diamonds for the snowflake and some of the words on the tag.

I'm adding this into the following challenges - 

Christmas Crafts All Year Round - the letter J ~(monthly)

Merry Little Christmas - Anything Goes

The Holly and the Ivy - AG

FabnFunky- Christmas 

Christmas 24 Challenge - add some glitter

SPARKLES CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE - CLEAN AND SIMPLE (CAS)

Welcome to another month's Christmas challenge here at Sparkles and we have a CAS challenge for you this month. CAS normally means lots of clean and white space and it is something I struggle with.

For my card this month I chose to use the delightful little set from Clearly Besotted called Merry Mouse.

I used an SU blender pen in Light Grey for the little mice and Distress Inks for the remaining colours.  The sentiment has been embossed with silver embossing powder and I added a small piece of silver washi tape to the bottom.

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge - AG 

International Art and Soul - Natural world at Christmas - no robins

Kraftin Kimmie - Something Yummy 

Addicted to CAS - Animal 

FabnFunky - Christmas 

Delighted to say my card was chosen as a top 3 for International Art and Soul

SPARKLES CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE - SNOWMEN

Our theme this month at Sparkles Christmas Challenge is snowmen.  We don't often get a lot of snow in the UK but we did get a flurry a few weeks after Christmas but it didn't last long. We also had one day's snow in January followed by a lovely clear blue sky which often doesn't happen in January.

I had this die set from Tim Holtz called Cool Yule that I hadn't used the snowman from yet - I started by inking a piece of cardstock with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Weathered Wood and Chipped Sapphire.  I then used a TH stencil for the stars using Chipped Sapphire distress ink.  The Snowman was cut out in various coloured cardstocks and papers and I added some Tri-Spectrum Glitter pen in orange for his nose and his hat.

I used TH shadow alphabet dies for the letters keeping the snowman as the O.  Gesso at the bottom provided the snow. 

I'm also adding this into the following challenge

Craftygals Corner - Snow

 

SPARKLES CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE - NON-TRADITIONAL COLOURS

Well here we are in December our last challenge this year for Sparkles Christmas Challenge.  If you have been playing along with us all year then you at least have 12 Christmas cards ready for the big day!  Our last challenge for you for this year is to use non-Christmas colours on your card.  I must admit I do love my greens and reds so this was a real challenge for me.

I started by inking some card with Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Wilted Violet, Chipped Sapphire and Fossilised Amber.  I then used an old Tim Holtz stamp set Christmas Classic of this wonderful Santa.  I kept him simple by stamping him in Chipped Sapphire and then added some liquid pearls for his hat and around his middle and the top of his boots.  I added a little Tim Holtz Idealogy bell to his hat. The sentiment stamps come from the same stamp set and I used the same colours just to add various Christmas sayings.

I added it to a piece of Night of Navy card stock and used a white gel pen to faux stitch round the edges.

I would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and let's hope 2021 is a much better year for us all - thank you for playing along with us all year.  See you next year! 

 

SPARKLES CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE - SILVER OR GOLD AND /OR GLITTER

Firm favourites are the challenge over at Sparkles Christmas Challenge this month with a choice of Silver or Gold - so I'm not sure why this nearly had my stumped! I tried a few options until I was happy with the one I chose.  

I started off with some Tim Holtz Distress inks and blanked off a part of my base card stock with some paper and then added the inks - I chose Distress inks in Wilted Violet, Weathered Wood and Chipped Sapphire Oxide Ink.  I waited until the ink was completely dry before adding a Tim Holtz snowflake with some Versamark ink and then covering it in Silver Embossing Powder.  

The sentiment stamped in TH Archival Ink in Cobalt is an old TH stamp.