TCC228 Christmas in July

 

Hi Friends! 

I decided to create another card for our  #228a Summer by the Sea or #228b Christmas in July Challenge at The Card Concept!  

As I mentioned in my previous posts, this is our last challenge for the summer, so we decided to have two inspiration photos.  Our challenge will run until the end of August, and we hope that you will be able to create a card (or two) and join us!

I was inspired by the Christmas in July photo for this card.  The colors, the tree and the Christmas theme for my Mixed Media card. 

It has been a goal of mine to use stamp sets from my massive stash, lol!  I pulled out pne of the images from my stash (I used the digital stamp version of the retired Stampin’ Up! Christmas Joy background) for this card.

I enjoy playing along with other online card challenges and will be participating in the Addicted to Stamps and More #521 Make Your Mark challenge and the Word Art Wednesday #760-#761 Anything Goes Challenge. 

We hope you will take a moment to stop by The Card Concept Challenge blog and check out how the rest of our wonderful Design Team were inspired, as well as the Addicted to Stamps and More and Word Art Wednesday Challenge- gorgeous inspiration from all!

To create this card:

I had this image in my stash- already printed out from the Stampin’ Up! My Digital Studio (remember their digital program from years ago, I still use it). 

I also stamped and fussy-cut the poinsettia images as well as the bells.

All of the images were colored with colored pencils and water-based markers. 

Add the lace and grosgrain ribbon before mounting the background and fussy-cut images onto the card bases.

Add the pearls to the poinsettia centers for finish off the card.

Apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.

Stamp Sets: Christmas Joy Background, Christmas Bells and Boughs (retired Stampin’ Up!)

Inks/Mediums: Printer Ink- Black, Derwent Watercolor Pencils- reds, greens, golds; Water-based Markers- reds, greens, golds

Cardstock/Paper: White, Black, Cherry

Accessories/Tools: White Crochet Lace, Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Pearls

We hope you are inspired to create a card and join us for our #228a Summer by the Sea Challenge (or #228b Christmas in July Challenge).  The deadline to join us is Monday, August 31^st at noon EDT. 

TCC138b Silent Night, Holy Night

Hi Friends!

Welcome to The Card Concept #138b {Christmas In July} Challenge!  I hope you will take a moment to check out the rest of the Design Team cards- so much inspiration!

I absolutely love our inspiration photo- the pretty blues and pinks along with the vintage feel and was inspired to create a Classy and Elegant/ Mixed Media card! 

I am also participating with the International Art & Soul #88 “Christmas Card based on a Carol or Song” Challenge (Silent Night- love this carol) and the Crafty Creations #411 “Anything Goes” Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to visit The Card Concept or the other challenge sites yet, I encourage you to do so- fabulous inspiration from all! 

To create this card:

Ink the Poinsettia Collage image (Divinity Designs LLC) using Versafine™ Onyx Black ink, stamp onto a piece of white cardstock, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.

Once the embossing powder has cooled, watercolor the image using distress inks along with water-based markers, lightly drying the layers with a heat tool.  Once satisfied with the coloring, trim the image and mount onto black cardstock (trim again close to the edge).

Cut a piece of white cardstock for the background (this card is 3 ¾” x 8”).  Using a palette knife, apply glitter gel with a stencil to the top half of the panel.

Allow the gel to air-dry (this only took a few minutes) before mounting onto a 4 ¼” x 8 ½” piece of black cardstock.

Add a piece of white crochet lace to the card front and adhere a strip of melon grosgrain ribbon over the top part of the lace.  Layer a piece of silver metallic ribbon over the grosgrain (wrap the ends of both behind the panel).

Adhere the entire panel onto a 4 ¼” x 8 ½” white card base.

Stamp the sentiment from Peace on Earth (retired Verve Stamps) with Versafine™ Onyx Black ink, stamp onto a piece of white cardstock, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.

Die cut the sentiment with a stitched rectangle die, mount onto black cardstock and trim close to the edge.

Mount the poinsettia image and sentiment onto the card front with dimensional foam (or chipboard).

Using diluted Pearl Texture Luxe™, watercolor a layer of shimmer over all of the petals. 

Trying to capture some of the shimmer on the petals and texture paste :-)

Once dry, add a few white highlights with an extra fine white paint pen and add a rhinestone to the center of the star on the sentiment to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets: Poinsettia Collage (Divinity Designs LLC), Peace on Earth (retired Verve Stamps)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Tim Holtz™ Distress- Spun Sugar, Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers; Stampin’ Write Markers- Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Granny Apple Green, Mossy Meadow; Gina K™ Glitz Glitter Gel, Sharpie® Extra Fine White Paint Pen, Faber-Castell® Texture Luxe™ Pearl 

Cardstock/Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black

Tools/Accessories: Gemini, Jr™, My Favorite Things Stitched Rectangle A2 STAX Set 1 Dies, Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Palette Knife, Tin Tile Stenxil (CAS-ual Fridays); ⅜ Silver Metallic Ribbon (Darice), White Crochet Lace, Rhinestone

Thanks again for taking the time to visit!  I hope I have inspired you to create your own card based on our {Christmas In July} photo and link up to our gallery at The Card Concept- we would love to see what inspired you! The challenge is open until August 3^rd  at noon EDT.

Christmas In July- Another Tissue Watercolor Background

Hi Friends!!

Today I am sharing a Clean and Simple (CAS) Christmas card using the scrap leftover piece of a tissue paper technique background I had created for another CAS card (see previous post here).

Since I already had the background panel, I searched through my stash of "scraps" and found the snowflakes plus the sentiment already die cut/printed and ready to go making this card fairly quick and easy to assemble :-)  

I love participating in online challenges so I am linking this card to the CAS-ual Fridays #198 “Christmas in July”Challenge along with the More Mixed Media July “Anything Goes” Challenge and the Happy Little Stampers July Christmas "opt twist Die Cuts" Challenge.

If you have not already had a chance to visit the above challenge sites, I hope you will do so- so much inspiration from their Design Teams as well as in their galleries!

To create this card:

1). Using Tranquil Tide and Soft Sky Classic Ink, tap the pads onto a silicone craft mat, spritz with water, use a plastic spoon (or palette knife) to mix the ink a bit and lay a piece of tissue paper into the ink (smooshing very gently with your fingers to moisten all of the tissue).  Carefully lift up the tissue paper and set onto a paper towel to dry.  My first layer was a bit light so I added additional ink until I was satisfied with the color.

2). Using a craft glue, spread the glue over an entire piece of white cardstock, squishing the tissue a bit to create more ridges and allow the panel to dry (I did use a heat tool to speed up the process- I am so impatient!).  De-static the panel with an Embossing Buddy®, gently rub the Versamark™ ink pad over the ridges, apply Silver Embossing Powder and heat set with the Heat Tool.

3). Use the Big Shot™ with the MFT Stitched Rectangle STAX Dies to cut the panel, mount onto Basic Black cardstock and trim close to the die cut edge.

4). Print the sentiment from Merry & Type using My Digital Studio™ (retired Stampin’ Up!) onto Whisper White cardstock, die cut with the Big Shot™ with a smaller frame die from the MFT Rectangle STAX , mount onto black cardstock and trim close to the edge.   Adhere the sentiment panel to the tissue paper background panel.

5). Die cut the various snowflakes from Silver Foil, mount a few behind the tissue paper background and sentiment.  Trim another Whisper White panel and mount onto the Basic Black card base.  Add the layered snowflake background panel to the car front with dimensional foam.

6). Finish off the card by adding the large snowflake, rhinestones and a few accents with  Nuvo™ Silver Lining Crystal Drops.

Stamp Sets: Merry & Type (retired Stampin’ Up!- digital version)

Ink/Mediums: Printer Ink- Black, Versamark™, Classic SU! Ink- Tranquil Tide, Pool Party; Nuvo™ Silver Lining Crystal Drops

Paper: Whisper White, Extra Thick Whisper White, Basic Black; Silver Foil, Tissue Paper

Accessories/Tools:  Big Shot™, MFT Stitched Rectangle STAX Dies, Memory Box™ Lindeman Snowflake Die, Impression  Obsession™ Snowflake Die Set, Embossing Buddy®, Stampin’ Emboss® Silver Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Rhinestones

Thanks again for visiting- hugs and I hope all of you have a great week!

Christmas In July- One Layer Old Fashioned Christmas

Hi Friends! 

I hope all of you are having a great week so far!  We are still celebrating Christmas in July with Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps blog hop and sale so I decided to try a One Layer Mixed Media card (in contrast to the vintage style card I posted yesterday) using the same stamp set,  Old-Fashioned Christmas.

I am linking this card to the One Layer Simplicity #OLS29 Christmas In July Challenge as well as the Splitcoaststampers  F4A355 “Christmas In July” Challenge.

 I love the versatility of the wonderful image and sentiments in the Old-Fashioned Christmas stamp set and by omitting the horse and carriage for this card, I was able to achieve a completely different look-don’t you agree?  

I also have been inspired by Heather Telford and Michele “Mimi” Jourdain over the years and tried a few of their techniques for this card.

To create this card:

Score and fold a piece of 4 ¼” x 11” white cardstock in half, create a mask from scrap or sticky note paper for the snow bank on the horizon and sponged Tim Holtz® (TH) Picked Raspberry and Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink onto the “sky” area.

Remove the mask and re-positioned to sponge a bit of TH Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink for the foreground snow banks (using a water brush to blend the color).

Ink the trees only from the Old-Fashioned Christmas clear stamp set with TH Peeled Paint Distress Ink, stamp onto the sponged panel, re-ink the same trees again using TH Forest Moss Distress Ink and re-stamp over the first image (I used my MISTI® Tool for this step).

Use a water brush to blend some of the ink on the trees, add shadows with TH Stormy Sky Distress Ink along with a Speedball® Elegant Writer® Black Pen.

Using a Faber-Castell® Pitt Pen White Marker, add a few snowflakes over the background and add additional snowflakes with a fine paint brush and Titanium White Acrylic Paint.

Use an Embossing Buddy® to de-static the sentiment area, ink the sentiment from Old-Fashioned Christmas with Versamark™ Ink  and stamp onto the prepared surface. 

Apply Pewter Embossing Powder to the sentiment and heat set with the Heat Tool to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets:  Old-Fashioned Christmas (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)

Ink: Versamark™, TH Distress Inks- Picked Raspberry, Chipped Sapphire, Stormy Sky, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss; Faber-Castell® White Pitt Pen Marker, Speedball® Elegant Writer® Black Pen

Paper/Cardstock: Extra Heavy Whisper White

Accessories/Tools: Sponge Applicators, Sticky Note Paper, AquaPainter™, Fine Tip Paintbrush, Embossing Buddy®, Pewter Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, MISTI®

I hope I have inspired you to start your Christmas cards and again, if you have not had a chance to join us yet, checkout our “Christmas In July” blog hop and sale!

Thanks again for stopping by- hugs and have a blessed week, my friends!

Old Fashioned Christmas- Sweet ′n Sassy Stamps