Joy, Hope, Peace, Believe, Christmas

 I made this card using one of my favourite Christmas tree dies - perfect for making quick CAS cards.

To make this card I used:
     5.5" x 4.25" white hammer card blank
     Creative Expressions 'Festive Collection - Christmas Tree Greetings' and My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Rectangle STAX Die-namics' dies
     Snippets of green and gold mirri

I used the largest rectangle die to emboss an outline on the front of the card.  I die cut the Christmas tree from green mirri and attached it to the front of the card with Artist-tac.  I then used a tiny snippet of gold mirri to cut the star and inlaid the pieces into the top of the tree.

I am entering the following challenges:
     ABC Christmas Challenge - U for Uncluttered
     A Cut Above - Anything Goes with a Die Cut
     Allsorts - Traditional Christmas Colours (I have chosen green and gold)
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - CAS
     Simply Clean & Simple - Anything Goes

Kath x

Peony Posy Birthday

I made this card for my mother-in-law's birthday using a similar design to the card I made for a friend's 70th Birthda, although this card was made with a 7" x 7" card blank so is slightly larger.

To make this card I used:
     7" x 7" white matt card blank
     Hunkydory Deco-Large 'Peony Posy' card and topper
     Creative Expressions 'From the Heart - Female Relations' and Tattered Lace 'Mini Butterfly' die
     Snippets of gold mirri

I trimmed the backing card, layered it onto gold mirri and attached it to the card blank.  I layered the peony posy elements with foam tape and attached the topper to the front of the card - I didn't use all of the layers as I find the cards too bulky if all the layers are used.  To finish I die cut 'Mum' and two small butterflies from gold mirri before attaching them to the card.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Triple B Challenge - Birds, Butterflies, Blooms (I've chosen Butterflies & Blooms)

Kath x

Pansies Cross Stitch Card

I recently bought this lovely cross stitch kit to make into a birthday card for a friend who loves brightly coloured pansies.

To make this card I used:
     Orchidea 'Pansies' cross stitch kit
     14 hpi white aida

The kit came with printed aida as well as a chart, but I chose to use my own aida as I'm not keen on stitching on printed fabric.  After finishing the design, I trimmed the fabric and used double sided tape to attach it behind the aperture.  The card was then folded over the back of the stitching.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Triple B Challenge - Birds, Butterflies, Blooms (I've chosen blooms)

Kath x

World Cardmaking Day

I made this card for the Uniko 'World Card Making Day' challenge using stamps from two 'new to me' Uniko stamp sets and following the sketch at AAA Cards.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Uniko 'English Country Garden Butterflies' stamp and coordinating dies
     Unidk 'Birthday Wishes' sentiment stamp
     Creative Expressions 'Clean and Simple - Zig Zag Border' die
     Versafine Imperial Purple ink
     Orange and purple Promarkers
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Snippet of white matt card

I used the Zig Zag border die to emboss a strip across the top of the card.  I stamped the butterfly onto a snippet of white card using purple ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder before cutting it with the coordinating die.  I then coloured the butterfly with orange and purple Promarkers.  I placed the card into my MISTI and stamped the sentiment with purple ink before embossing it with clear embossing powder (the sentiment stamp had been cut by its previous owner which made it fit the bottom of the card better).  To finish I attached the butterfly to the embossed strip.

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Cards - Sketch Challenge
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     As You Like It Challenge - Square or Not (6" x 6" square cards are my preferred card size as I feel they suit my CAS style.  I do sometimes make smaller square cards and occasionally a C6 card, but 6" x 6" is my favourite)
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - Birthdays
     Simply Clean & Simple - Anything Goes CAS
     Triple B Challenge - Birds, Butterflies, Blooms (I've chosen the butterflies option)
     Uniko - World Card Making Day 2025 with Uniko

Kath x

Ho Ho Ho

I take part in a couple of 'Secret Santas' each year and like to make a small Santa card to enclose with my present - this Mouseloft design is perfect for this year's SS.  I had been gifted the chart and left over threads which I matched to some of my own threads to stitch the design.

To make this card I used:
     4.5" x 3.5" red tri-fold card with circle aperture
     Mouseloft 'Ho Ho Ho' chart
     14hpi cream aida
     DMC threads

After stitching the design I trimmed around the edge of the fabric and mounted it behind the aperture before folding the card behind the stitching to cover the back of the design.  Simple!

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Santa in September
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes

Kath x 

Heartfelt Thanks

I spent some time today making a lot of autumnal leaves, some of which I've used to make this thank you card.

To make this card I used:
     C6 white matt card blank
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Oval STAX Die-namics' die
     Clearly Besotted 'Fall Flowers' stamps and coordinating dies
     Clearly Besotted 'Fancy Saying' stamps
     Versafine Crimson Red, Smoky Grey, Toffee & Vintage Sepia
     Distress Ink Ripe Persimmon
     Snippets of white hammer card

I stamped the leaf outlines onto snippets of white hammer card - stamping them several times in various shades of brown, red and orange inks.  The leaves were cut with the coordinating dies and set aside.  I then used the largest die to emboss an oval in the front of the card blank.  I placed the card into my MISTI and stamped the sentiment with dark and light brown ink to give the same shades as the leaves.  I attached the small leaves directly onto the front of the card and then attached the large leaf with a foam pad.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Addicted to Stamps & More - Make Your Mark (I have used inks)
     Allsorts - Trees, Leaves and Plants
     Alphabet Challenge - K for Keep it Simple
     Cardz 4 Guyz - Autumn/Fall
     CAS on Friday - Fall
     Simply Clean & Simple - Clean and Simple
     Stamping Sensations - CAS
    
Kath x

Happy Christmas

I enjoyed using the CAS Colours & Sketches sketch for my birthday card so thought I would use the same sketch for a Christmas card.

To make this card I used:
     C6 white matt card blank
     Memory Box 'Traditional Ornament' and 'Lydia Ornament' dies
     Woodware 'Delightful Dangles - Christmas Tree' sentiment stamp
     Versafine Vintage Sepia ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Sizzix 'Dots' embossing folder
     Snippets of white matt card, dark brown pearlescent card and gold mirri

I trimmed a snippet of white card to a width of 1.5cm and cut it slightly narrower than the card blank before embossing it with the dots embossing folder.  I placed the card blank in my MISTI with the embossed strip on top so I could where where to place the sentiment.  I removed the strip of card and stamped the sentiment with dark brown ink before embossing it with clear embossing powder.  I then attached the embossed strip above the sentiment.  I die cut the Traditional Ornament from dark brown pearlescent card and the Lydia Ornament from gold mirri.  The fancy die cut was embossed before being layered onto the brown ornament before being attached to the embossed strip.

I am entering the following challenges:
     A Cut Above - Anything Goes with a Die Cut
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Alphabet Challenge - K for Keep it Simple
     CAS Colours & Sketches - Sketch Challenge
     Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
     Simply Clean & Simple - Clean and Simple
 
Kath x   

Bees & Best Wishes

I made this tag to attach to a friend's birthday present as she is a lover of any type of insect.  The honeycomb card has been in my snippets drawer for years, but was perfect for this tag.  I also used a 'new to me' Stampin' Up tag punch that I first saw on Sarn's blog and have recently found at a very reasonable price on Vinted.  

To make this tag I used:
     Stampin' Up ' Scalloped Tag Topper'  punch
     Crafter's Companion 'Sweet Florals' and Uniko 'Simply Said Blocks II' stamps
     Versafine Onyx Black ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Gold Promarker
     Wink of Stella
     Snippets of white matt card, honeycomb card and gold ribbon

I trimmed the edge of the honeycomb card so it was 2" wide and then punched the tag topper.  I trimmed a snippet of white matt card to 2" and punched the tag topper before layering the two so the back of the tag would be flat for me to write my message.  I stamped the bees and sentiment onto more snippets of white card using black ink and embossing them with clear detail embossing powder.  I fussy cut the bees and coloured the bodies with a gold Promarker and added a Wink of Stella to the wings.  The bees and sentiment were then attached them to the tag with foam tape.  To finish I tied a snippet of gold ribbon to the top of the tag.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Addicted to Stamps & More - Make Your Mark (I have used ink and a Promarker)
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     Christmas (or not) BINGO Challenge (I have used Line N - Tag, Free & Stamped Phrase)
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 515
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
     Tag-along (and ATCs) - Things with Wings

Kath x

Santa and Presents

I stitched this design when we were away earlier this year - the cute Santa is perfect for the current Christmas Kickstart Challenge 'Santa in September' challenge.

To make this card I used:
     5" x 5" white matt card blank
     Durene Jones 'Santa' cross stitch chart from Cross Stitch Favourites magazine
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched  Circle STAX Die-namics' die
     14hpi white aida
     DMC threads
     Snippet of green textured card

After completing the stitching I set it aside to make the card.  I didn't have a snippet of red card large enough to make the front of the card, so chose green instead.  I trimmed the card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and die cut a stitched aperture from the centre.  I attached the stitching to the back of the aperture and then the panel to the front of the card.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Santa in September
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes

Kath x

Snowflake Serenade

I was lucky to win this lovely 'Snowflake Serenade' stamp set in the Uniko 'Christmas in July' challenge and teamed it with my 'Big Bold Wish' stamp and die to make this Christmas card.

To make this card I used:
     7" x 5" white matt card blank
     Uniko 'Snowflake Serenade' stamp
     Uniko 'Big Bold Wish' stamps and coordinating die
     Versafine Majestic Blue and Brilliance Pearlescent Sky Blue inks
     Woodware Snowflake punch
     Snippets of white matt card and silver mirri

I trimmed a piece of white matt card to 6.25" x 4.25" and stamped the large snowflake stamp in pale blue ink.  I stamped 'wish' onto a snippet of white matt card, stamping several times to get a good depth of colour before cutting it with the coordinating die.  I die cut the 'wish' outline from a snippet of silver mirri and layered the two die cuts.  I placed the snowflake panel into my MISTI with 'wish' in the lower corner so I could see where to stamp 'Make a'.  I removed the die cut and stamped the rest of the sentiment in dark blue ink, stamping a couple of times so the letters had the same depth of colour as 'wish'.  I then layered the panel onto silver mirri and attached it to the card front.  I attached 'wish' to the lower corner but didn't think the card looked balanced, so I punched three small snowflakes from another snippet of silver mirri and attached them to the upper corner.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Addicted to Stamps & More - Make Your Mark (I have used inks)
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Stamping Sensations - CAS or Anything Goes
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 514
     We Love Stamping - Anything Goes

Kath x

Summer Garland Card

When I make a paperweight for my mother-in-law last year, I originally stitched the design onto 18hpi aida.  This was too small for the paperweight so I put the design into my 'finished cross stitch' drawer and stitched it again on 16hpi for the paperweight.  I've recently been gifted a lot of tri-fold card blanks and this small red card had the perfect size aperture for the small design.

To make this card I used:
     4.5" x 3.5" red tri-fold card blank
     Framecraft 'Summer Garland' cross stitch chart
     18hpi cream aida
     DMC threads.
     
To make this super quick card, I trimmed the fabric and attached it to the rear of the aperture before folding the card over to cover the stitching.  I've plenty more designs in my 'finished cross stitch' drawer so need to make them into cards too!

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     As You Like It Challenge - Layered or Flat (definitely flat for me as they are cheaper to post and also fit my CAS style and my cross stitch designs)
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Cardz 4 Galz - Stitching, Real or Faux
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes

Kath x 

Happy Birthday to You

I made this card for a friend's birthday using the current sketch at the CAS Colours & Sketches challenge.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Uniko 'English Country Garden Butterflies' stamp and coordinating die
     Hobby Art 'General Greetings' stamp
     Memory Box 'Wicker Panel' die
     Versafine Imperial Purple ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Promarkers    
     Wink of Stella
     Snippets of white card

I die cut the Wicker Panel from a snippet of white card and attached it across the front of the card.  I used purple ink to stamp the butterfly onto another snippet of white card and embossed it with clear embossing powder before cutting it with the coordinating die.  The butterfly was then coloured with Promarkers - cream and two shades of green. - with the green areas highlighted with a Wink of Stella.  I put the card into my MISTI and placed the butterfly onto it so I could see where the stamp the sentiment.  After removing the butterfly I stamped the sentiment with purple ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder.  To finish I shaped the butterfly's wings and attached it to the front of the card.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Birthdays
     Alphabet Challenge - K for Keep it Simple
     As You Like It Challenge - Layered or Flat (flat are my preferred type of cards as these fit my CAS style as well as being cheaper to post)
     CAS Colours & Sketches - Sketch 
     Moving Along with the Times - Butterflies and/or Dragonflies
     Simply Clean & Simple - Birthdays
     Stamping Sensations - CAS
     We Love Stamping - Anything Goes
     
Kath x