Ghome Be Merry - Paper Craft Crew Challenge Horizontal sketch Challenge #479

 The temperature has been extremely hot for the last week or so.  I had to cancel my outdoor class and bring it indoors and today I am "hiding" in the basement making some Christmas cards.  Just seeing snowflakes, snow on the ground, snowmen, and penguins has a visual cooling effect. Crazy maybe, but it does work!

Gnomes have been popular for the Holiday season for a number of years now, and this year is no exception.  The "Kindest Ghomes" bundle and DSP, is absolutely adorable and work so well together.  Most of the images of the Gnomes and toadstool houses can be  cut directly from the DSP using the coordinating dies. Which is what I did for this card.

I made this card for the horizontal sketch challenge at the Paper Craft Crew Challenges #479

The card I made is a monochromatic blue, having used the following colours: Night of Navy, Pacific Point, Balmy Blue, and Pool Party.

The card base is Pacific Point card stock, layered with Basic White embossed with the Winter Snow embossing folder.  At the left end of this embossed layer is a 2" strip of Storybook Gnomes DSP (Pacific Point blue with white snowflakes).

The 4 by 3" focal image piece was sponged using the Stampin' Up blender brushes.  Starting with Pool Party, I gradually layered on Balmy blue, Pacific Point, and finally Night of Navy ink leaving the saturation lighter in the center and darker around the periphery. Snowflakes were added using white acrylic paint and the tip of a small paint brush.

Wonderful Snowflake embellishments were carried over from last year and this was a perfect time to use one.  I added one towards the left side of the background, and then added the toadstool house (shades of blue)on top of it using dimensionals.  The gnome was added to the right and slight in front of this house.  A bunny, fussy cut from the DSP was added to the left of the house.

Some liquid applique and glitter was added below the added elements to 'ground' them.

The sentiment is from "Christmas to Remember".  I think one word says it all.

To finish the card, some Clear Wink of Stella was added to some of the Toadstool elements, the attire of the Gnome and the bunny.

Supplies Used:

Stamps:  Kindest Gnomes, Christmas to Remember

Inks:  Black Memento, Pool Party, Balmy Blue, Pacific Point, Night of Navy

Papers: Pacific Point, Basic White, Storybook Gnome DSP

Accessories:  Winter Snow Embossing Folder, Wonderful Snowflake embellishment, Clear Wink of Stella, Liquid Applique, Dazzling diamonds, Gnome dies.

A Wintery Moon - Hand Stamped Sentiments #368 - Another Mini Catalogue Sneak Peek

 This card, featuring two new stamp sets, one from the Annual Catalogue, and  the other from the new  Mini catalogue. was made for the sketch challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments. The Elegant Evergreen stamp set from the current Annual Catalogue is available now; the Peaceful Deer starting August 3.

I am fascinated by full moons on wintery skies, so the circle on the card sketch became just that - a full moon. Looking back on the finished card, the moon could have been a bit smaller and probably would do that in a future card.

But back to the beginning.....

To start I embossed the front flap of a Thick Back White  A2 card with a now retired Winter Snow Embossing Folder. 

On  a separate piece of  Basic White card stock, I marked off where the moon would be and die cut a circle to act as a mask.  I die cut a second circle but in Basic White card stock.  Daffodil Delight was lightly added to this die cut circle. and would be added over the masked off area.

With the mask in place, a  blender brush was used to apply 3 shades of blue in the following order:  Pool Party, Balmy Blue, Pacific Point, and Night of Navy. Some Daffodil Delight was added to the sky above where the moon would be.

On the left upper sky, a cluster of snowflakes were embossed with White embossing powder.

Using the tree stamps from the Evergreen Elegance set. a large and a small tree were stamped using Evening Evergreen ink and fussy cut.  A little bunny from the Peaceful Deer set was also stamped, coloured with Smokey Slate 'blends' , and fussy cut.

The sentiment, stamped with Smokey Slate ink,  was punched at both ends using the Lovely Labels Pick a Punch Punch.

Putting the card together.......

After adhering the sponged sky about an inch from the top fold, the moon was added in the penciled off area. On the bottom of the moon, towards the right, the large and small trees were added, with the little bunny on the ground near the base of the smaller tree.

The sentiment was added over the bottom edge of the sponged art piece.

To finish the card, some Elegant Faceted dots were added to the front in random places, and.... some Clear Wink of Stella.

Supplies Used:

Stamps:  Evergreen Elegance, Peaceful Deer

Inks:  Elegant Evergreen, Pool Party, Balmy Blue, Pacific Point, Night of Navy, Versa Mark

Papers;  Thick basic white, Basic White 

Accessories:  White embossing powder, blender brushes, Layering Circle die, Lovely Labels Pick a Punch Punch, Winter Snow embossing folder, Elegant faceted gems.

Here is another card I made using the same sketch, only in Monochromatic tones of gray and white.

Owl I want for Christmas - Paper Craft Crew Challenge #396

I'm still relatively laid up with an injury earlier last week.  So this Thanksgiving weekend I will be catching up on some card making and blogging.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone but celebrate in small numbers and/or outdoors please.  That coronovirus is as anxious to get you as you are to eat the turkey!

I am hearing from friends and family that the Thanksgiving cards I mailed have reached their destination, so on to Christmas cards!!!

 "Have a Hoot" what a neat name for a stamp set.  Those little owls are so darn cute!

For the sketch challenge with the Paper Craft Crew Vertical Challenge, I couldn't resist placing two cute 'love birds' inside a snow globe.

The Night of Navy card stock card base is layered with Whisper White embossed with Winter Snow embossing folder.  Before adhering it to the card base the edges were sponged with Night of Navy ink.

Two identical  pieces of Snowflake Splendor DSP, offset from each other were added near the center, and the snowglobe was added to the bottom left of this.

On a separate piece of Whisper White, the image of the two love owls were stamped inside of a the top of the snow globe, coloured, and die cut.

The base of the snow globe was embossed with gold embossing powder and die cut as well.

The two pieces were adhered together to form the complete snow globe.  Before adding some glitter crystal effects to the edge of the globe, it was sponged with some Night of Navy ink and then a bow make with glitter balmy blue Baker's twine was added with a glue dot.  Some tiny snowflake embellishments were added randomly around the owls and also on the DSP.

The snow globe was added to the card front using dimensionals.

The sentiment, stamped in Night of Navy ink was added below the globe using small dimensionals.

Supplies Used:

Stamps:  Still Scenes, Have a Hoot

Inks:  Black Memento, Night of Navy, Watercolor pencils (Early Espresso, Old Olive, Real Red, Pacific Point), Versa Mark

Papers:  Night of Navy, Whisper White, Snowflake Splendor DSP

Accessories:  Snow Globe scenes, Gold embossing powder, Glitter Balmy Blue Baker's twine, Snowflake embellishments, Glitter Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds, Dimensionals, Winter Snow embossing folder