CAS Christmas Mid month reminder

It's time for our CAS Christmas Card challenge mid month reminder.

Our Design Team and Guest Designer Bobby of Bits and Pieces have some gorgeous cards for you're inspiration.

But Don't forget the rules - 

- Christmas cards only following the monthly theme

- Cards must be CAS (lots of white space, uncluttered, minimal embellishments)

- Link to your entry post, not your entire blog

- Include a link to this challenge in your write-up

- New card creations only please

- Enter up to three (3) times

Here is my card, a simple holly die cut on white with a silver background.  The sentiment is stamped with Ranger archival blue and the Holly is a Tim Holtz mixed media alterations die, keeping it CAS with a masculine look.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Rubbernecker sentiment
Paper: 110lb white, glitter paper.
Ink: Ranger Archival.
Accessories:  Tim Holtz mixed media alterations dies.
Techniques: Die cutting

Serendipity farm house

Last month I joined Serendipity blog Design Team as Guest Designer in their blog hop. The great thing about their bi-monthly blog hop is you have the chance to win  $20 worth of free stamps, who wouldn't want to win.

I love this Winter homestead set, it's such a peaceful Christmas scene and really perfect for a CAS Christmas Card.  I don't usually create one layer cards but this stamp really shouted CAS, CAS, CAS.

I use prismacolour pencils to colour the house and barns and then used Nuvo glitter pen and glimmer spray on the whole card.  It's hard to see but the card has a beautiful soft shimmer to it.

I'm entering this for 

June CAS Christmas Card Challenge (masculine)

Merry Monday (add a barn to your card)

Christmas Crafts all year round 

Card Recipe
Stamps: Serendipity winter homestead set
Paper: 110lb white
Ink: Ranger archival black
Accessories: MISTI, Prismacolour pencils, Nuvo glitterpen, glimmer spray.
Techniques: Pencil colouring.

Pencils with Gamsol

During our recent crafting retreat Susan (Cardmaker's Garret) walked us through using coloured pencils with Gamsol.  I wanted to see what would happen if I used pencils on coated card, it certainly lightened the colours and made the colour move easily around on the card stock.

I used this cute guy from Katzelkraft, he's looking a little blue today.

I'm entering this for the following challenges

The paper players #396 Animal Antics

Addicted to stamps and more #294 CAS

Card Recipe
Stamps: Katzelkraft, Sentiment Tim Holtz
Paper: 110lb white, 110lb Coated card
Ink: Ranger Archival black, Ranger archival blue.
Accessories: Faber Castell pollychrome coloured pencils, gamsol
Techniques: Gamsol pencil colouring

CAS Christmas Encrusted Jeweled Ornament

 It's time for CAS Christmas card Challenge and the theme is Masculine.

Our Design Team and Guest Designer Bobby of Bits and Pieces have some amazing eye candy for you to peruse before you join in.

But Don't forget the rules - 

- Christmas cards only following the monthly theme

- Cards must be CAS (lots of white space, uncluttered, minimal embelishments)
- Link to your entry post, not your entire blog
- Include a link to this challenge in your write-up
- New card creations only please
- Enter up to three (3) times

My card is a die cut which has been covered with embossing powder and little bits of gilding flakes some tiny beads and any sprinkles I could find in my stash it's Encrusted Jeweled Faux Enamel.

I die cut my ornament and poured some embossing powders of it while it was on a hot plate.  There is a great video showing the technique

I hope you like the effect of adding extra sprinkles while it's hot so they stick to the enamel.

Here are a couple more pictures of our crafty retreat. 

Now I'm sure you have seen some of the pictures of the gals at the retreat on my last post for Eat Sleep Craft Repeated but I just got a few more from Darnell.  We had some additional crafters with us, Tika my dog and Tess Susan's dog were helping. 

Poor Darnell lost her stuffed horse Tika thought it was a present for her.

Tess got up to a little mischief and  pulled so many pieces of Kitchen roll out of the garbage and chewed them into little snippets of paper.

This little rascal is Tika, Dylan our other dog was on vacation at another friends for the week.

and here's Tika and Tess together, they look like angels but don't be deceived😛

I hope you enjoyed my card and the photos of the dogs, I would love to hear from you.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Sentiment Unity
Paper: 110lb white, Black
Ink: Ranger archival
Accessories: Die cut ornament (Gina Marie), Emerald Creek Embossing powder (Baked texture Deep sea), Frantage embossing enamels (shabby blue), (shabby white), gilding flakes, beads, electric fry pan
Techniques: Encrusted jewel faux enamel.

Eat Sleep Craft Repeated

We're all together again in my back yard and in Bonnies Craft room.
From left to right- Nancy Litrrell, Trina Pham, Susan Bridman, Loll Thompson, Me and Darnell Knauss, we were joined by Nance Salkled  and Bonnie Klass Via Skype.

We had a busy time with dirty pours, faux enamel die cuts, gamsol pencil work and so much more.

Here's one of my pieces from one of our crafting sessions. The background has been blended with distress inks, and a baby wipe was crumpled to pick up some colour.  Although by the time I added shimmer mist and crackle paste you can't actually see that.

I borrowed Susan's TCW stencil Bay leaves and used crackle paste for dimension, I then mounted the panel on black fun foam.

We all had so much fun and are hoping to do it again next year.

Card Recipe
Stamps:
Paper:
Ink:
Accessories:
Techniques:

Snow globe Snowman

It's time for CAS Christmas Mid Month Reminder. This month if you haven't been over to check it out the challenge is Snowmen.

Our Guest Designer for this month is Barb of Barbs Studio Creations. Along with Susan our host, Barb and the rest of the Design Team we have some great inspiration for you.

For my card I used a snow globe die which I've had in my stash for eons and this is the first time it's touched paper. 

I die cut the snow globe in white and lined the back of the holly leaf base with some silver foil paper. I die cut a window and a foam frame for the shaker. The background is out of my UFO stash, it was a piece of card with a nail polish marbling on it. The colours were so soft I thought it was perfect for the wintry background.

I die cut a hill and stamped the snowman along the edge, I re-stamped the snowman and die cut it.  I coloured him using touch alcohol pens and then used Nuvo clear glitter to make him sparkle. I added black pearl pen to pop up his buttons.

I hope you like him😏

Card Recipe
Stamps: Tim Holtz snowman and sentiment
Paper: 110lb white, White fun foam, acetate window, silver foil card
Ink:  Memento black,
Accessories: Sequins, Touch alcohol pens, Viva Decor black pearl pen. Simon Says hills die, Creative Expressions Snow Globe die.
Techniques: Die cut

Serendipity Blog hop 2

 It's time for the second blog hop of the month over at Serendiptiy.

Every month you have a change at winning a $20 gift certificate by entering in the blog hop.

Just head over and leave a comment on all the blogs for the best chance of winning.

You have from May 16th to the 20th to leave your comments and the winner will be announced on 

May 21st.

Also don't forget to check out their $1 + Cling stamp sale, lots of new stamps have been added.

These are unpackaged cling mounted stamps on sale – most for $1, some for $2 or $3.   There is also Cling Grab Bags with 2X as many stamps as normal – 10 stamps for 50 cents – while supplies last.

Now on to my first card is their Toadstool and Violet stamp, I used my MISTI to stamp using tea dye distress inks then watercoloured.  Once it was dry I re stamped using archival inks.

I used a pearl pen to add some water droplets to the leaves and the toadstool cap. I die cut the white frame to focus on the pretty image.

My second card is their Petunia and butterfly stamp which I also watercoloured and added a watercolour wash background.

This is the same image using pencils on Kraft.

Christine Alexander (That's me)

Serendipity

Beth Chiu 

Julie Warner

Mary Beth Lopez

Miriam Napier

Vicky Zimmer

Card Recipe
Stamps: Serendipity
Paper: 110lb white, Black, Kraft, Watercolour
Ink: Ranger distress, Ranger Archival
Accessories: Watercolours, Pencils, Sequins,  Viva Decor Pearl pen, Frame Die (Stamplorations)
Techniques: Watercolouring, Pencil colouring

Snowman Selfie

My snow man seems to be in a winter storm with the texture paste and the infusion powders, the weather looks looks pretty gloomy behind him.

I die cut the frame using a Simon Says Stamp Merry Christmas frame and inlaid some of the sentiment in black so it would stand out.

The texture paste adds a lot of dimension and accentuates the powdered inks as they pool around the edges,

I'm entering this for the following Challenges

CAS Christmas card challenge (snowmen)

The Holly and the Ivy Christmas Card Challenge anything goes.

Christmas Cuties Let it snow.

Card Recipe
Stamps: High Hopes
Paper: mixed media, 110lb white, black
Ink: Ranger archival black
Accessories: Infusion powders, texture paste, masking tape, zig watercolours, white gel pen, Simon Says stamp frame die.
Techniques: powdered inks, watercolour

Pencil on black card stock

I'm on a roll with my pencil work, this time I thought why not work on black rather than Kraft. 

This is what I came up with. The Christmas stars is from a JOFY set, I stamped in white and coloured the stars and circles using pencils. I added some gold and silver pencils to add some sparkle. I inlaid the JOY with silver glitter card stock. The black is layered on silver glitter and then popped up on black foam. 

 I added a few more tiny circles with some Viva Decor glitter pen (Hologram), you can just see them in this photo.

I'm entering this for the following chellenges

ABC Christmas Challenge

Merry Monday #289 add a star

Happy Little Stampers anything goes add a star

Card Recipe
Stamps: JOFY
Paper: 110lb white, Glitter paper, Black
Ink: SU white
Accessories: Viva decor glitter pen, Tim Holtz Christmas sentiment Die
Techniques: Pencil, Inlaid die cut.

May CAS Christmas Challenge - Snowman

It's time for CAS Christmas challenge, Susan is our host and I can guarantee there will be tons of inspiration from the Design Team and Guest Designer Barb of Barb's Studio Creations.  May's theme is Snowmen and I just found out I have soooo many snowmen, some have never been inked up, I'm so excited. 😉
Drop by and check out the CAS Christmas challenge rules and then come play with us, you'll have fun I promise. The challenge goes to May 26th and the Winner and Outstanding Designs will be announced on the 28th.

Every so often I want to pull out my pencils, pencil sharpener and Kraft card stock- this is the result.

My Snowman is one of the Christmas collection stamps from Sugar Nellie and my sentiment if from the Paper Artsy JOFY Christmas collection .I must admit this is one of my favorite sentiment  stamps for Christmas, it's so versatile.

Here is a close up of that adorable Snowman, I hope you like him as much as I do.

I hope you play along with us this month.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Sugar Nellie, Sentiment-JOFY
Paper: 110lb white, Kraft
Ink: Ranger Archival Black
Accessories: Prisma colour Pencils, white signo gel  pen
Techniques: pencil colouring