Ooooo!! Shiny!

I am not a very prolific card maker. That is a statement of fact. But, I kind of got obsessed with a new die and lost my mind!! I made ten cards so far with this die and I'm not done yet. I don't usually do the same card twice, but all these cards are the same design but done two different ways and they are all SHINY !
I used the incredibly awesome Pile of Gifts die from Simon Says Stamp Stamptember release. I put Be Creative tape on a piece of card stock and stuck it on behind the negative cut out. For some cards I diecut the gift pile out of metallic papers and pieced it all back in. For others, I cut the gift pile out of the paper backing from the Be Creative tape, and pieced it back in. This allowed me to remove individual pieces and fill the areas in with different glitters. I found that a 5mm ball stylus was very good for pushing the glitter into the tape. I attached stripes of metallic paper down the sides of each card and then mounted the diecut panel with foam tape. All the stamped sentiments are from the first two JustRite stamp sets I ever bought. (You know you like a stamp when, years later, it's still your go to.) The sets are Christmas Nested Sentiments and Christmas Nested Frames and Occasions. I also used the Christmas Nested Sentiments on the inside of my cards and a sentiment from a newer JustRite set, Christmas Labels Twenty. On some of the cards I used the Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder by Ranger, and it is just so beautiful!
I have lots of photos. I am really crazy about these cards!

I am linking to :
 JustRite Christmas Linky Party: http://justritestampers.typepad.com/justrite-inspiration/2014/10/christmas-linky-party.html
Simon Says Stamp "Show Us What You Made" : http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/blog/show-us-what-you-made/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FzvpCX+%28Simon+Says+Stamp+Blog%21%29
Hiding In My Craft Room, Any Holiday : http://www.hidinginmycraftroom.com/2014/10/himcr-171-any-holiday.html
Allsorts Challenge Christmas: http://allsortschallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/week-282-christmas.html

Rustic Christmas Card

My super awesome sister just sent me three gorgeous new Spellbinder 5x7 card creator dies, which is great, bringing up the grand total of my 5x7 dies to <drumroll> four. Now don't get me wrong, I have more Spellbinders dies than I know what to do with. All different types of them, borders and labels and A2 card creator ones, but I only had one for 5x7 cards, and I know why. I'm afraid of 5x7 cards. Mind you it's not the mind numbing terror that I feel when I see a doll. ( The ads for the Annabelle movie send me flying out of the room!!) It's more that quiet desperation you felt when sent to the chalkboard to do some stupid problem involving a train going who knows where at a mysterious rate of speed, and you don't know why you want to know, let alone how to figure it out.

Anyway, I didn't start this card by making a big scary 5x7 card base whose empty expanse would intimidate the heck out of me. I started instead with a lovely JustRite b'ground stamp, to which I added pieces I cut from the Spellbinders 5x7 Reflective Moments die. The image was coloured with Copics and I stamped and cut extra Holly leaves to add another layer and to cover with Glossy Accents. I used Liquid Pearls for the Mistletoe berries. I cut out the centre of the stamped image and then I stamped the centre part of the stamp ( the lacy looking oval) on acetate with Stazon. I wanted the sentiment on the inside of the card to be visible. The sentiment is from JustRite's Christmas Labels Twenty. When I was done putting most of the elements together, they would only fit on a 5x7 card. This was a much better way for me to tackle a larger card. Now, if only I could find a way to deal with my fear of dolls!
I'm linking this to
  JustRite's Christmas Linky Party
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Get Krafty
Allsorts Challenge #282 Christmas

Birdhouse in Blue

A few weeks ago I picked up my first Heartfelt Creations stamp set on sale at a local store. I had always avoided HC stamps, not because I didn't like them, but because I did ! There are so many wonderful companies that make beautiful stamps, and I have learned that it is best for me to have tunnel vision and restrict myself to only a very limited number of companies. I had recently added SSS stamps to my short list and didn't plan to add any more. HA! I've heard it said that the road to Hell is built on good intentions, and I'm in the process of building a super highway! You wouldn't believe how fast I went from no HC stamps to the entire Sunflower collection and it's the Garden Romance ones that sucked me in. I love birds so how could I resist the sweet birdhouse with flowers? It is so much fun to paint, and I used it to make my favourite card ever, but I can't share it yet. I don't want the person I'm sending it to, to see it now.
I made a card very similar to this one already, and I'm probably going to make a whole lot more. I get obsessed sometimes and right now it's all about this stamp and the SSS die I'm making Christmas cards with. I go from one to the other depending on my mood.

I kept this card pretty simple for mailing, I love making flowers to add to this image, but I have others done like that. I stamped the image with Pumice Stone Distress ink and painted it with Peerless paints. I also added Wink of Stella in clear to the flowers which only shows in person. The frame is made with Spellbinders Devine Eloquence.

Simon Says Stamp has a Watercolour challenge here: http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/simon-says-use-watercolors/

Ghoulish Greetings at IO

I didn't think I'd be able to enter IO's  Ghoulish Greetings Challenge. Impression Obsession has THE VERY BEST Halloween dies. Seriously, the very best! But, even though I love Halloween, I don't have any reason to do more than one card so I can't justify buying all the great Halloween dies that I would so love to have. If I do a card, I use Halloween papers to make it. So I thought I'd be sitting this one out,  but Carmen to the rescue! She sent me some of the most adorable little ghosts cut from IO's die (DIE121-E ). I used those little darlings, some cute paper, ribbons, IO's fence die (DIE934-U) and the really useful IO Bare Branch die ( DIE022-U) to make a tag. I don't make tags, so this was fun and different.

The Impression Obsession DT does the most wonderful Halloween cards, and if you love Halloween, you have to go see them!!

                                                                                                                                                                    

A Bit of my Crafty Space

The Winnie and Walter blog asked for people to take a "craftie" of their space. Here's a little piece of my work space. Not going to show my whole desk! Too scary !!

I keep a lot of my dies on my giant pegboard next to my desk. I like to be able to see them. This board is 8 x8 feet, almost floor to ceiling. I love that it is so big, because I can hang just about anything on it, so I don't forget what I have! ;)

WCMD : Pattern Play with Shay

Okay, three challenges in a row, done on the same day. Who am I ??!!
Another challenge on the Winnie and Walter blog is "Pattern Play with Shay". The challenge is to use anything to create a pattern on your card. I am in love with the beautiful pattern of the Spellbinders Filigree Delight die.

I used what may be my favourite stamp right now. It's called 'Bird Haven' by Heartfelt Creations, and I stamped it with Distress Ink and painted it with Peerless Watercolours. I fussy cut a couple of the flowers and put them on foam tape. This card makes me happy! I love using watercolours and I am very fond of fussy dies!

WCMD : Unexpected Stamping

I can't believe that I found another challenge on the Winnie and Walter Blog that I just couldn't resist trying. I had this big plan to avoid challenges and just do my own thing. That didn't work out too well, I seem to need a challenge to get inspired. This challenge called for unexpected stamping, basically to use stamps differently. I thought the concept was really interesting and although I'm not thrilled with my card, it is a concept worth further exploration.

I die cut a scalloped triangle out of white card stock and embossed it with a snowflake folder. I repeatedly stamped "Merry & Bright" on the card base. I cut a frame out of green mirror card to mat the top layer and used foam tape to raise the front up. I added a trunk and a star to my tree to finish the card.
The 'unexpected stamping' aspect is that the tree is filled with word stamps.
You can find the challenge here:
http://www.blog.winniewalter.com/2014/10/wcmd-2014-unexpected-stamping-with-kelly.html

WCMD Colour Challenge

I saw an intriguing colour combination challenge on the Winnie and Walter blog for World Card Making day.
http://www.blog.winniewalter.com/2014/10/wcmd-2014-colour-combo-with-gayatri.html

These aren't  colours I would usually use together, and I really like challenges like that. Peach is not a colour that I am fond of, so for some strange reason, I can't resist a challenge with that colour. I think I'm trying to learn to like it ! :)

I used one of the flower stamps and a sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp Summer Garden set, and the matching die. I think this might be a CAS card. (Oh Horrors! Nooooo!!)  I've been taking my nasty migraine medication the past two days, and I have no control over my brain and never know what kind of card will come out of the chaos! So I hope real CAS card makers (like the other Shona, who is awesome at CAS) will forgive me for making a hash out of their style.
One amazing thing happened during the making of this card. I used Liquid Pearls and (you should sit down for this), I didn't stick my fingers in them or set anything on top of them !!! I can't believe it, it's pretty much a miracle !

Unity Be Inspired Challenge

I really meant to do a card ages ago for the Unity Be Inspired challenge this month. I haven't been very much into card making lately and I forgot all about it. D'Oh ! The inspiration picture is gorgeous and I knew I had to try something for this challenge. Better late than never, right !


I was just saying today that I bought all these Dylusions Sprays and I never use them. ( I remember why, now!) Good Grief, what an awful mess I made!
I did use something I do love, the OUTSTANDING Unity SMAK kit from April 2014.  I also used a sentiment from the March 2014 KOTM. I still have so many images to use from both these sets. I love the kits!

I used copper embossing powder for the stamped image on the outside and the sentiment on the inside of my card. I used Rubber Cement to mask off my leaves so all the spray wouldn't get on them and then I used Dylusions yellow with a paint brush to colour them. I wish I had done this earlier as the light is dreadful here at night. ( Yes, Carmen, a lightbox is a great idea). The ribbon and the matting on the card are more of a red purple than they look. They match my hands perfectly. Told you I made a mess! Something else that doesn't show up so well is the fact that the whole front is covered in Shimmer Spritz. Can't get enough of that stuff!