AUTUMN COLOURS

I'm in a sort of Autumn frame of mind - it's one of my favourite seasons and summer has left us again in the UK - mind you it's pouring down today so not a great autumnal day but a good day for crafting. 

I started off my card by using some Really Rust ink from SU (an old ink) and some Old Olive and masked off a square and just did some gentle water colouring with an aqua painter.  I wanted just a nice soft background.  I then used the birch trees from Winter Woods and the little first from Waterfront and stamped them in Early Espresso.  The birds are from High Tide.  

I then cut out a panel with a stitched framelit from some Very Vanilla and added the watercolour behind it. I layered it onto a piece of Cajun Craze.  I added a couple of cut out leaves from Colourful Seasons and gold embossed the sentiment and used an old banner die to cut it out.  I added a heart embellishment.

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

Artsystamper - Fall Flowers
Global Design Project - Trees, Leaves
Color my Heart Color Dare - Tic Tac Toe - Espresso, Ruby, Ivy

CHRISTMAS BONUS

I had a nice start to my Christmas Festivities by finding out I had been published in a UK Craft Magazine - Craft Stamper.

My card used the Winter Woods stamp set from SU with the trees embossed in white embossing powder onto Soft Suede card stock.  I added white ink at the bottom for the snow drifts and the same for the snow. 

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

 Merry Little Christmas Challenge which is Anything Goes.

Allsorts Challenge - Anything Goes

Inkspirational - Christmas Tree

Sunday Stamps - Neutrals

Watercooler Wednesday - Anything Goes

Christmas Challenge Blog - Anything Goes



I was also thrilled to see I had been featured in Try it On Tuesday's spotlight for the year 2018/2019 for my Tim Holtz Bird Talk card - what a lot of work for the Design Team that must have been and such a lovely idea.

 

A GENTLE CHRISTMAS CARD

Mindful that Christmas can also be a sad time for lots of people my card today is slightly more thoughtful with mellow colours. I followed the sketch for Global Design Project #GDP218




I used Crumb Cake card stock as my base and used the retired SU sweater embossing folder to give a cosy feel to the card.  I added a strip of the wood paper and used the lovely trees from SU Waterfront stamped in Basic Grey.  I then used a stitched framelit to cut them out and sponged the edges.  I added some holly and some ribbon.  The sentiment is from Winter Woods. 

             

STAMPIN UP ONLY CHALLENGE - EMBELLISHMENTS

Our challenge for you this week at SU Only challenge is to add Embellishments - simple you would think so why did it take me ages to think of something! And then I came up with a Christmas card - what a surprise.

The set I've used is current Winter Woods but the papers are retired.  I started with some green card stock and added some of the retired DSP called Be Merry.  I used a retired embossing folder in a Holly Pattern for the white part and joined both of them with some retired Washi tape from Warmth and Cheer.  I stamped the tree in both Garden Green ink and Tranquil Tide at the edges to give it a bit of dimension.  I added some Garden Green twine and popped it up on dimensionals.  Lots of lovely red rhinestones give the tree lots of sparkle.  The sentiment is from SU Merry Patterns and cut out with a retired banner framelit.

I'm excited that this card was chosen this week as one of the Favourites over at SplitCoast Stampers 



 

WINTER WOODS MEETS MERRY PATTERNS

There is a colour challenge over at Global Design Project this week which inspired this card.



I love reindeer on Christmas cards and this Merry Patterns set from SU is one of my favourites.  I started with the birch trees from Winter Woods stamped in Smoky Slate which was stamped off.  I masked off the deer and stamped him in Smoky Slate for his head and then used Old Olive and Lovely Lipstick marker pens for the body. I cut it out with a stitched framelit and sponged the edges.  I used Versamark ink to add the tree branch stamp to the card stock.  I used some of the gorgeous Noble Peacock DSP for the tag and added some Old Olive twine. I added a snowflake just to give a bit more sparkle.

 

ANOTHER TREE CARD

I've been playing with some more trees for the challenge over at As You See It which is Trees.


This one still uses the Winter Woods I used the other day but I've paired it with another old SU set Merry Patterns.  I stamped the reindeer first on some watercolour paper and coloured it in with various Tim Holtz Distress Inks.  I then masked it off and using Ranger Adirondack ink in Cloudy Blue I stamped the birch trees behind.  I added a touch of Basic Grey and some Wink of Stella to give them a bit of shine.  I then made a frame for the deer and added the same birch trees in Versamark on green cardstock.  I used a SU banner punch for the sentiment and edged it with Wink of Stella.  The twine is from my stash.  

 

JOY OF SETS BLOG HOP - OCTOBER SAME STAMP SET THREE WAYS

We have another Blog Hop for you this month from the Joy of Sets Facebook Group which I run. My thanks to Andrea Parr for organising us again, especially as she is so busy at the moment with her Charity Event for Ben's Beanies. Today we are showcasing one stamp set three different ways.  I chose to use Stampin Up's Winter Woods - I love this set as it can be used for far more than Christmas . 
My first card could be for any occasion.  I made a mask and inked it with More Mustard,  Old Olive and a touch of Tangerine Tango.  I then stamped the Birch Trees from the set in Early Espresso.   A simple banner for the sentiment and a heart finishes off this simple card.

My second card uses Crumb Cake as a base and the birch trees from the same set stamped as a background.  I made my own DSP with the other stamps in the set and stamped the tree onto Crumb Cake with Early Espresso and cut it out.  I added some glitter to make it shine.  I then added some washi tape to the back and some Old Olive twine.  The sentiment was cut out with the label punch.

My third offering also uses the birch trees from this set which have been watercoloured.  I started off with some Water Colour paper and added a cloud stencil in Tim Holtz Stormy Sky.  I used Tim Holtz Shabby Shutters Distress Ink and Barn door for the grass.  I added some extra colour with a sponge dauber on the actual trees, adding a  touch of Tim Holtz Aged Mahogany.  I layered it onto some Always Artichoke card stock and then some Crumb Cake.and added some brown twine from my stash. I cut the sentiment from the main sentiment to give another option for sentiments.  

To continue on the blog hop - click on the next below to be taken to Kaylin's Blog.

If you are working backwards click on the previous to be taken to Annette's Blog.

If you would like to be part of our next Blog Hop or to join our Facebook Group click on the image below - we have lots going on as well as a monthly blog hop.

I'm also adding some of these trees into the As You See It Challenge as their theme is Lovely as a Tree

 

STAMPIN UP ONLY CHALLENGE - CLEAN AND SIMPLE

We have a Clean and Simple (CAS) challenge for you this week at Stampin Up Only challenge.  I know we are still officially in summer but my mind turned to a Christmas card....again!

I wanted to use the Winter Woods set which is still current.  I used some inked off basic gray ink to stamp the birch trees for the background.  The trees were stamped in the same ink and then cut out with some tree thinlets.  I kept the sentiment in the same basic grey ink and mounted it on some grey cardstock.  A few rhinestones on the trees and the sentiment just gives the card a touch of sparkle. 

 

STAMPIN UP ONLY CHALLENGE - #SUOC224 - MASCULINE THEME

A great theme over at Stampin Up Only challenge this week - Masculine themed cards. We all seem to struggle with these and - to be honest - it's probably only in our heads because I'm sure the men don't really care! 

My card today uses Winter Woods - just to show this set is not just for Christmas.  I took my inspiration from a video I had seen Jane Allmark do with those lovely birch branches. I love Silver Birches - they are very special trees and I have three beauties in my garden.  I added them to some of the Wood Textures DSP.  Before adding the cardstock though I used the paper to cut out the shape for the sentiment.  I never like to waste paper and often use backing pieces to cut out or punch out shapes before using it to layer.  The leaves were done cut out of Wild Wasabi using the Colourful Seasons framelits.  The twine is retired and the sentiment is from the retired Watercolor Wings set and fits the retired banner framelit perfectly.