Colorful Stars of Christmas in July

I made this stary Christmas card for this week's color challenge on Split Coast. Karen was the  hostess and she gave us Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze and Cherry Cobbler for our colors. A great color combo don't you think??!! Her dessert option  - to make it Christmas or winter.

I also wanted to get my cards made for the Waltzingmouse Forum Christmas challenge for July - This month we were challenged to use stars on our cards.  So I combined the two challenges!   I make at least 3 Christmas cards for each WMS forum challenge - so I'll have 36 cards by Christmas!   Here are two more of the same design just using different colors!

I embossed a wonky rectangle on the white panels then cut a smaller wonky rectangle in star patterned paper to place inside the embossed frame. My stars are cut with Nestabilities and adhered wth foam tape. I stamped starbursts on the stars and added tiny twinkles to the centers as well as some on the sentiment.

My stamps are from Compliments of the Season by Waltzingmouse.

Have you checked out the WMS Christmas Challenge in the Forum yet???

You can also read the details about it  on Claire's blog here.
Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Compliments of the Season

Paper: white, Simply Chartreuse, Berry Sorbet - PTI, navy and light blue Coredinations, DP - Textstyle Bitty star basics, PTI
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: tiny twinkles - Taylored Expressions, wrinkled seam tape, wonky rectangle & star Nestabilities, foam tape

Christmas in June

Ok, so I know it's not Christmas and it's not even still June !! Well - let me explain ......  I'm partipating in the Waltzingmouse Forum Christmas Card Challenge where every month Lynn gives us a new challenge to use for that month's Christmas cards.

The June Challenge was to use a big ribbon and I think I kept putting off making a card because I like to make my Christmas cards as thin as possible so they don't cost extra postage and I knew a big ribbon would be THICK!  But when it suddenly got to be July I realized I better get one made before the July challenge got posted!!

So here's what I created:

When I thought big ribbon I imediately thought big ornament!  So I got out the Vintage Ornament set and thought this background from Pic-Nic Patterns would look good behind it.  The sentiment is from Compliments of the Season.  The ornament is popped up on foam tape and the ribbon is adhered with a glue dot.

I always like to make at least 3 cards when I do the Christmas challenge so hopefully I'll have enough to send out when December rolls around -  so I made three this month just changing the sentiment on the ornament.  And you know - this silk ribbon is pretty light so I bet if I do mail them it may not even be more postage!  So much for worrying so long about it!!!

July 10th is when Lynn posts the challenge for this month -  you should check it out and come join us!  You'll thank me in December!!

Stamps:  Waltzingmouse - Vintage Ornaments, Compliments of the Season, Pic-Nic Patterns.
Paper:  White, Simply Chartreuse, New Leaf - PTI
Ink:  Memento Bamboo Leaves, Tuxedo Black
Accessories:  foam tape, clear rhinestones - Michaels, glue dots, satin ribbon - May Arts.

Christmas in April - with Snow!

It's time again for the Monthly WMS Christmas Card Challenge over in the Waltzingmouse Forum -  this month Lynn's challenge is to use white glitter or flock -  Easter Snow if you will!!  
I used ivory Flower Soft on my cards - and I made 3 -  each with a different background to see how the snowy trees would look.   This is the first one I made -  using Enchanted Evening card stock for the background.  You can click on any picture to see it larger.
 

For my second try -  I used Bitty Star Basics patterned paper in red - thinking this might look rather Christmasy.

For my third try I used the same Bitty Star Basics paper but in light blue.  I used the star paper to be like the night sky -  but if I used the Bitty Dot Basics and that might have looked like snowfall?! which it sort of does here since you can't see the fine detail of the stars.
 

The trees and star (on the first one) are from Teeny Trees and the frame and sentiment are from Frame it. Both of these sets are very versatile and can be used for many different occasions with lots of sentiments in each set - so check them out!

I think I like the first one with the dark blue 'sky' background best.   Which one do you prefer???

I hope the 'snow' doesn't melt over the summer!!! LOL!!!  Now I have 5 more Christmas cards done (I made 3 of the dark blue one while I was at it!)  Whoo hoo!!!

Come on and join the challenge over in the WMS forum!!
 
Stamps:  Waltzingmouse - Frame It, Teeny Trees
Paper:  White, Enchanted Evening, Text Style 2008 Bitty Star Basics - PTI
Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories -  Ivory Flower Soft, High Tack PVA glue - Aleenes

Christmas in March

I know, I know - we are really getting ready for Spring, Easter Eggs , Daffodils and SUNSHINE!!!

But Lynn has posted the March WMS Christmas Card Challenge over in the Waltzingmouse Forum - this month the challenge is to make 3 identical cards using kraft, white and red.

I pulled out the wonderful Festive Foliage stamp set to make my cards this month. I just love this pine bough with the pretty pine cones. Doesn't it look great embossed in white on the red??!! I'm trying to create pretty but CAS (clean and simple) designs this year - 1) so they are easy to duplicate and 2) so they don't cost extra postage when mailing!

So I kept the layers to a minimum, didn't pop anything up on foam tape and just added twine rather than some thicker bling!

My Merry Christmas sentiment is from the Season's of Love-Tags set.

You can read all about the monthly Christmas Card Challenges here on the WMS blog and here in the WMS forum in the Playroom. New challenges are posted on the 10th of each month!

Come join in the fun and get your Christmas cards done early this year while your at it!

Hot Tip:   Need some new rubbah??!! check out Rubbernecker Stamps this weekend (Fri 3/25, Sat 3/26 &; Sun 3/27) -  Dave is having a special sale -  for every $25 purchased in stamps you get 2 free stamps  (usually you get 1 free stamp with each $25 stamp purchase) 

Oh - and if you have a minute -  check out my Peanut's Cards over at the PSA Stamp Camp today!  Here's one of them!

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Festive Foliage, Merry Christmas from Seasons of Love - Tags.

Paper: Craft - Gina K, White & Pure Poppy - PTI

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Versamark.

Accessories: Twine - PTI, white EP, hot gun, corner rounder - Zutter.

Christmas In February

Lynn has posted the February Christmas Card Challenge over on the WMS forum! This month's challenge is called "Quick Pick" to use something on your work table to make your card(s). Here are 4 cards I made for the challenge this month.

I usually clean up and put away all my stuff after I've finished a project so I have a (fairly) clean space when I sit down to work on something new. But, I did have a card front stamped with these 4 trees - that hadn't worked out the way I envisioned so it was just sitting in a basket where I put pieces of things not used.

I cut out each tree and put one on each card using foam tape. I chose patterened papers that coordinated with the colors of the trees. The papers are cut with Mega Deckled Rectangle Nestabilities.

I stamped the snowflakes with gold ink on the trees and around the sentiment. So now I have 4 more cards made!

You can read all about the monthly Christmas Card Challenges here on the WMS blog and here on the WMS forum in the Playroom. New challenges are posted on the 10th of each month!

Come join in the fun and get your Christmas cards done early this year while your at it!

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - (sentiment & snowflake) Twas the Night Before Christmas, (tree) Teeny Trees.

Paper: white - PTI, DP K&Co Tim Coffee Designer Mat Pad (blue), Basic Grey Archaic Paper Pad (2 greens), Kioshi Paper Pad (brown with dots)

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Ranger Distress Milled Lavender, Peeled Paint, Bundled Sage, Chipped Sapphire, Color Box Gold

Accessories: mega deckled rectangle Nestabilites, Sizzlits lots of tags Labels 1 - SU, Foam tape.

It's Christmas Every Month in the WMS Forum!

Waltzingmouse DT member Lynn is hosting a monthly Christmas Card Challenge over on the WMS forum! It just started so you can get right in at the start!

On the 10th of every month, Lynn will post a new challenge - January's challenge is to recycle something on your card.

I had already thrown away my Christmas cards and we no longer exchange a lot of gifts (going for the better option of just spending time with family!) so I didn't have any cute tags to reuse. I was in a quandry - what could I recycle?!?

I did, however, save one card that my boss and his wife sent me that had three lovely angels on it. The card was handmade in Bangladesh. I saved it just because the angels were so beautiful - and when I saw it on the shelf in my craft room- I thought - a ha!! I will recycle that into 3 cards!

The angels' halos and wings are a gold textured paper and their dresses feel like a soft suede - they are just lovely - I had to curve the wings a bit as they were overlapped on the card. I chose the colors for my cards based on the colors of their outfits.

I gold embossed one of the WMS music stamps onto Scarlet Jewell paper, layered it onto gold paper and adhered it to the card. I sponged all the edges of the card with Antique Linen ink, adhered the angels over the panels with Scor tape to hold them firmly - and then stamped Peace in the corner.

Here is each one individually -

I just love how these came out! (Sorry the pics aren't the best - I took these at night - I really need to get a better picture taking system!)

I never would have made these pretty cards if it wasn't for this challenge! And now I have 3 cards made for next Christmas! whoo hoo!!

So check it out and add your 'recycle' card to the forum! There are prizes to be won! You can read about it here on the WMS blog and here on the WMS forum in the Playroom. I wonder what the challenge will be for February?!

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Musical Backgrounds, Nutcracker Sweet

Paper: Vintage Cream, Scarlet Jewell - PTI, Gold - Marks Finest Papers

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Distress Antique Linen, Ranger Distress Antique Linen

Accessories: Gold embossing Powder, hot gun, blending tool & Non stick craft mat - Ranger.