Count your blessings

Surely I need to start counting them, I am sure it will make me less gloomy and all the more thankful.
Here is my last card for this month and I made it an elegant one.
A lot of things going on, so I opted for just 3 colours; rose, yellow and black with just one red accent to break it up.
Hope you like it, thanks for visiting.

I used Tattered Rose Distress Ink on the embossed background. The stamps are Hero Arts and coloured with Copics. I used Coordinations cardstock which I sanded.

The sentiment is  from The Paper Company Studio.

Sending you sunshine and laughter

It has been long while since I did a Cricut card.
I felt like something a bit more summery, to beat the dreary drab.

 Lovely October Afternoon papers; Fly a kite collection.

I have no cartridge with a flag banner, so I made my own heart banner with the Gypsy and Plantin Schoolbook.

The children are cut with A Child's Year and the Gypsy on Coordinations cardstock black/pink, so I would have a soft shadow.
The sentiment is Hero Arts' stamped with Dew Drop Brilliance ink. I added some Distress ink, 3D foam and used MS border punch to finish the card.

To be loved by you is a blessing

Isn't this the most wonderful saying?
And now with Valentine coming soon, it would be very useful. It is from a set from TPC Studio found in my lovely New Forest craft shop.

Frame cut with the Storybook cartridge, flowers with Accent Essentials. As you can tell, a lot of Glimmer Mist was used. Courtesy of my sweet mother sending me another lovely parcel.
Stamps: Penny Black, TPC Studio and American Crafts border stamp.

DP: Coordinations cardstock black -but I used the blue reverse-, MM Ledger Paper. My stamped image is coloured with pencils.

For You

A good doggy this is.
A very short post today. Too busy - freezer decided to start leeking- ...
Everything soft and simple on this card.

DP: Papermania Rose Garden
Stamps: Penny Black Critter Party, Label stamp from Limited Edition Rubberstamps
Stardust Stickles and Nestabilities.

Make a wish

A fresh looking card for today.
Soft springtime colours as I have had enough of dark gloomy winter.
I think I 'm suffering with daylight deprivation,... I crave sunshine.
So a card to cheer me up. Love Penny Black stamps, especially this little Critter Party set.

 I liked the faded look of the background. 

My ink is almost finished, so it wasn't moist enough for the stamp.

Would get the same effect with a brayer.

DP: Making Memories Fresh Anthology - Sydney
Nestabilities: Lacy Squares.
Stamps: Penny Black, Hero Arts Cling background
Ink: Old paper distress ink, Memento Tuxedo black
Copics, Anita's 3D clear gloss finish
Hero Arts flowers with Glimmer Mist Pearl and Old Lace, blue vintage buttons

With Sympathy

A sad occasion, it is. We heard yesterday that our neighbours have both lost their mothers.
No matter what age they become, I don't think it is ever easy loosing your parents.
I don't know what I would do if I lost my mother. So I feel deeply for my neighbours and wish them all the best, together with our sincerest feelings of sympathy.
I made a card to let them know we care.

DP: Papermania Rose Garden, American Crafts
Stamps: Hero Arts, Papertrey sentiment
Colours: Caran d'Ache watercolour pencils, Stickles, Distress Ink Walnut stain.

Happy Birthday, darling.

To my sweetheart,
Wishing you a lovely day and many more to come. Love you.
Made this little card for you. Hope you like it.

Stamps: Lili of the Valley
Cricut: Plantin Schoolbook, Printing Press, Gypsy Wanderings
Nesties: small labels
DP: Making Memories
Colour: Copics, distress ink
MakingMemories eyelets

New cards for the New Year

I finished my cards with the tissue flowers and felt leaves.
It has become a set of 4 cards made with K&Co paper. Love that paper, so very elegant.
I used MM Ledger paper to cut tags with Plantin Schoolbook cartridge and I cut the swirls with the Storybook cartridge.
I added some lace and pearls and kept the design simple.

Tissue paper flowers

A sneak peek of a project I am working on; tissue flowers.
I had some red tissue paper lying around, actually 3 different ones, one was waxy and all 3 were different shades of red.
I folded the tissue and cut 2 different sized circles with my Spellbinders. The advantage of tissue paper is that you can cut several layers at once. I tried a punch, but it just ripped the paper.
I folded the circles in 4 and then cut some waves on the edges to get an irregular shape, rather than just a circle.

Then I stacked up to 8 (4 small on top of 4 larger circles) and punched a hole with my Cropadile in the middle.
I then stuck a big brad in the middle, just an ordinary one from the stationers 'cause you can't see it at all when the flower is finished.
Then I sprayed Glimmer Mist on the circles, just lightly so it is moist, and started scrunching up the inner layers upwards. A bit fiddely, but the end effect is lovely. You can work it as much as you like.

When finished, I gave it a final spray with Glimmer Mist. I tried several colours, but the iridescent gold worked best.

I also cut some leaves out in felt using a Marianne design die.

The felt was a bit too thick and would hardly go through my Cuttlebug. It didn't cut the leaves out completely, but left an imprint deep enough to make it easy to cut with scissors.
I used Olive Vine Glimmer Mist to colour the white felt.
Stay tuned, I 'll be making some cards with these lovelies.

A tag for Christmas

I made a tag by stamping and embossing little images together and brayering ink over the top.
The stamps are from SEI and the paper is from Marianne Design.
The tag is cut with Nestabilities so I could weave a Joy! Crafts sparkly ribbon through it.

A set of 4 Christmas cards

This might be the last of the Christmas cards I will be making this year. I said might...
I chose some K&Co papers to go with some tags I had from K&Co. It is not from the same set, but they still work together.
Green and blue is the main theme and 2 little images from Penny Black.

I used Viva pearl pen to make little berries on the punched out leaves. The seam binding is coloured with Moonlight Glimmer Mist and I added some vintage buttons. The sentiment is from Hero Arts.

 The star die-cut is made with Plantin Schoolbook and Stickles. The sentiment is Tim Holz from Stampers Anonymous and distress Stickles. The seam-binding is sprayed with Old Lace and Sand Glimmer Mist. The button is from Basic Grey.

 Chipboard butterfly from American Crafts with glass glitter and Copics. Sentiment from Hero Arts and Basic Grey button.

The sentiment is again Tim Holz and coloured with Copics. Some Paperchase grossgrain ribbon with a lace sticker on top. I got these stickers from my mom in the parcel she sent to me for Christmas.

Noel

A Merry Christmas to all of you and a blessed time with friends and family.
My heart goes out to all of you who are lonely today and confined due to age or sickness.
Lots of love to my dear mother who is at home, but luckily warm and well. There has been a lot of snow in Belgium and it is quite cold.
This is a card specially for you who are alone on this day. Hugs and kisses.

Stamp: Lili of the Valley
Die-cuts: Christmas cartridge, Storybook cartridge, Plantin Schoolbook, Blackletter cartridge, Nestabilities
Embellishments: American Crafts chipboard heart, glass glitter, Copics, white embossing powder, distress inks
Paper: My Minds Eye

Hohoho!

Another fun stamp from Penny Black Jolly Friends set. Two little hedgehogs meet each other during their Christmas shopping:" Ho! Ho! Ho!".
All papers are by Marianne Design and image stamped on cotton rag paper is coloured with watercolour pencils.

 The embossed background is done with Versamark ink and holographic embossing powder, so it glistens like snow. Some Frosted Lace Stickles around the feet makes it look as if they are really standing on snow.

We have had some snow again yesterday morning, about 5 cm. Luckily it hasn't snowed again like they were forecasting. Tomorrow is back to work and I might have to walk otherwise.

Warmest Wishes

I love making Christmas cards, especially if I can do my own thing. That is exactly what I have been doing lately. I have not bothered with any challenges or contests, I just wanted to decide for myself.
I have used Making Memories papers. Nothing Christmassy about it? I do disagree, just love the unusual combination of it.

The blue background is actually K&Co Que Sera Sera paper, then some ledger paper from Making Memories and papers from the Just Chillin' range of MM. The bauble border is from the Doodlecharms cart and cut with the Gypsy to get the correct length and size for the card. I am getting more used to the gypsy and using it a lot more. The flowers are sprayed with Glimmer Mist and the spruce is a Marianne die, which I coloured.

 The image is stamped on cotton rag from Paperchase and coloured with watercolour pencils and some Sakura white gel pen. I love colouring with pencils, ever since I was a little child and my all-time favourite brand is Caran d'Ache. When I was 6, I had a little box with the Matterhorn in Zermatt on it and I am so happy they still sell them like this. Best pencils ever. I have tried Staedler and Derwent, but they don't feel the same even.

The stamps are ofcourse Penny Black Jolly Friends and Hero Arts.
A sentimental note to end with, Christmas is coming.

Penny Black Christmas window cards

I love Penny Black stamps, so funny and cute.
I have made 2 window cards, by cutting out a part of the front of the card with  Nestabilities.

The cat is from the PB The Wonder set and the sentiments are Hero Arts Holiday Sayings. I kept the cream card base and decorated inside and outside with snowflakes. This time I coloured with pencils. The DP is from My Minds Eye Wonderful Winter.
Next up is the little snowman from the Jolly friends set.

 The sentiment and snowflake stamps are from Stampers Anonymous Tim Holz collection and I used Distress embossing powder and Distress Ink.

 The Snowflakes are from Spellbinders. Ribbons are American Crafts.

The DP is Making Memories and October Afternoon. This image is coloured with Copics.

A gift for you

Short and sweet as I 'm off to do some Christmas shopping.
This is another Elisabeth Bell stamp and she is so cute. I used a bauble cut from the Christmas cartridge and embellished it with lots of sparkle.

Some unusual colours for a Christmas card, he? The DP is October Afternoon, some Viva gold pearl pen and  hurray.... for Stickles.

Little nurse

Another card to share today. I found this cute little nurse stamp from Whiff of Joy.
I used October Afternoon papers and some cuts from the Home Décor cartridge. She is coloured with Copics.

She is stamped on watercolour paper, which allows a more vintage feel when colouring. The downside is that it soaks up a lot of the Copic ink. The little flowers are also Marianne design and the pearls are Papermania.

A special day

Oh dear, it is December 13 and I am too far behind in my posting.
I 've been making cards in my own time and not for any challenge, but still I like to post them as a souvenir for me in days to come.
I have used one of my new Lili of the Valley stamps for a very girlie card.
Hope you like it. I used Marianne papers and dies for this one and coloured with Copics, the butterflies are Joy! dies.

Joy

I had to make a batch of Cricut Christmas cards. I usually make a few, but this year I made a dozen.
It just happened that 12 Rudolphs could be cut in 3" on a 12x12 piece of cardstock with the auto fill feature.
And I just was itching to use the Create a Critter cart again.

I cut the cards with Plantin Schoolbook on DCWV Mariposa glittercard in soft green and cream, I also used the DCWV Holiday Collection for the other cuts. And then their wasn't much else to it than glueing and assembling. These cards fit the small brown wage envelopes from Ryan. My way of considering the environment... On the inside I stamped a Hero Arts sentiment and that is it, 12 in total.
Not so long anymore and it will be Christmas...