Cmas Card Challenge - April - Winter

The theme for the Christmas Card Challenge for April is "Winter". What comes to your mind? Snowflakes, snowmen, sleds, skates, icicles, sleighs, igloos, penguins came to my mind.

I resisted going for the easy snowflakes. I found a sled on my Joys of the Season Cricut cartridge. Excellent. Now I needed a context for it. I decided on a fence with snowbanks. I cut the fence with my Sizzix die in tan card stock and added texture with a brush marker. I created my background with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder on white card stock then brushed Bashful Blue ink pad over the bumps to represent falling snowflakes. I cut a piece of white card stock with CM Wavy cutter to make the snowbanks. I placed them behind and in front of the fence after brushing the edges with the blue ink pad. I cut the sled in black and the layer in red then glued them together. I added the lines on the sled with a white gel pen. Then I leaned the sled against the fence. I color printed the greeting and embossed it with clear embossing powder. I ripped the edges and brushed the edges with a marker. Used some tiny red brads to hold it in place.

Join me in making Christmas cards all year long! Post a comment with a link to your card. I look forward to see your cards!

I created 6 of these cards.

Total cards = 26.

Card Club - March - Leaf Trio

I designed and color printed my greeting which was printed to match the card on a neutral cardstock. I then punched three 13/8" circles in the card color and three 1.25" circles in the neutral color. I then used the Sizzlet Little Leaves die in the card color. I trimmed the neutral piece to leave a small border all the way around. Glued to card front. I then glued my three colored circles above the greeting. Then the three neutral circles. I then cut the little leaves branch into 3 different leaves and adhered those in the centre of my neutral circles. This design is so versatile. I made some in blue with white, brown with cream, purple with white. I designed 4 different greetings as well. Great card!

Card Club - March - Felt Flower

I really like the punchy color of these flowers. I found them at a local craft store. I chose my card to match the flower color. Then I embossed a layer with a Cuttlebug embossing folder, which was trimmed and glued to the card. I used hot glue to adhere the flower and leaves to the card. I added a short orange ribbon to the wire stem. Tah Dah! Easy!

I had pink ones, turquoise ones and white ones. For the white ones I left the white embossed layer with the orange ribbon worked quite well.

Card Club - March - Button Flowers

I designed the three flowers in Corel Draw. I printed the greeting and flowers on one quarter sheet of white cardstock. I cut the blue scallop border with my Die-namics die. I trimmed both to leave a small border of card. I trimmed the greeting from the remaining piece and glued it left of the blue border. I added my white ribbon across the stems of the flowers. I adhered my 3/8" pink buttons with small Zots to the centres of my flowers.

Again, a lot of color combinations. Red flowers with blue centres, yellow flowers with purple centres, and blue flowers with red centres.

Card Club - March - Tulip

I decided to make tulips for Card Club this month. A few girls will want Easter cards so I started with two designer coordinated sheets of paper. I selected a card that worked with the DP. I cut the flower with my Cricut from green card stock. I traced the tulip onto another paper and cut it out and glued it over the flower. I cut the greeting from the other sheet paper. I glued a contrasting strip of paper under the greeting strip and used a couple of brads to highlight the words.

The non-Easter ones feature the same layout except I replaced the greeting with a coordinating ribbon. I have torn the top edge of the purple strip then tied the white ribbon around the card front and knotted it just off centre.

Card - Custom Greeting

I had a friend order a couple of cards with custom greetings. I used an Astroparche -Natural card. I placed Anna Griffin flourish designer paper to the top two thirds of the card. I placed a piece of coordinating striped paper to the bottom third of the card. I die cut a leaf sprig with a die from Stampin Up! in coordinating card stock. I used my quick drying adhesive to put the diecut in place. I layered the color printed custom greeting over a layer of the same coordinating card stock. I added a deep green brad on the right hand side to balance the greeting.

Card - Silk Flower Trio

I started with a Kiwi Kiss card. I embossed a white card stock rectangle with the Victorian embossing folder. I then applied some ink to the edges with the stamp pad. I died the silk flowers with the re-inker which ensures they match. I added a second small white silk flower and attached the flowers to the card with white brads. I color printed the custom greeting and trimmed to fit the top half of the card.

Card - Kiwi Flower Trio

Another green card. I started with a Kiwi Kiss card. I had dyed several white silk flowers with the matching re-inker and let them dry over night. I added white smaller silk flowers and attached them to the card with terracotta colored brads to coordinate with my decorative paper. I cut my striped decorative paper with a scallop thin die. I glued 2 of the scallop borders to the top half of the card. I color printed my greeting, ripped the top and bottom edges and added 3 small buttons with Zots to the right hand side. This greeting was layered over the scallop die cuts.

I have a new scallop Die-namics border die - thin dies from My Favorite Things MFTStamps.com. I am very happy with it's proportions for card making. It's six inches long. Perfect.

Card - Flourish Paper

I was inspired by St. Patrick's Day coming and decided to work with green. The card is Astroparche - Natural which has a green tinge to it. I cut a rectangular piece of Anna Griffin flourish paper to cover the card front. I cut a strip of coordinating striped paper and placed it across the card in the bottom third I added a length of Spring Moss gross grain ribbon through a slot in the fold which was taped to the inside of the card. I created my small flower with the Stampin Up! Tri-flower punch with the flourish paper and a solid card stock. These were layered with the dark one beneath the light one. I added a small button with a Zot. Then used a Zot to attached the flower accent to the card front.

Card - Sympathy - Masculine

Another interpretation of the quilt card. I laid the quilt square accent on the top half of the card leaving an even border all the way around this time. I felt the button was appropriate for a masculine card. I used the same stamp as earlier and embossed it in clear powder. I added faux stitching by hand around the quilt square as well as along the greeting with a fine black marker.

Card - Quilt Sympathy

I created this card based on supplies from card club. I needed a sympathy card for my friend Susan. I created my diamond shape quilt design with the 4 squares as before. I felt that I wanted a softer look so I layered 2 white silk flowers in the center held in place with a brad instead of a button. I had grey ink that coordinated with the designer paper so I stamp the greeting and embossed it with clear embossing powder. I smudged the edge of the card with the ink pad and embossed those areas as well. The designer paper is from Stampin Up!

Card - Sunflower

I love sunflowers! I chose a royal blue card. I created the flower with Spellbinder's thin dies. I cut 2 yellow flowers, one dark brown center and one leaf. I chalked the petals and the leaf. I layered the 2 yellow petals over one another offsetting them to create a full flower. The center gets cut out on the yellow so I had to put it back in and tape the petal layers together. I selected a Cuttlebug large dot embossing folder for the white background and used it on the center as well. I mounted the brown center with a 3D Zot which gives a bit of dimension. The flower is a great size for this A2 card.

I'm going to try doing it in red to see if it will pass for a poinsettia. Keep an eye out it!

Card - Spring Colors

I've been saving this paper for a long time. We need a reminder of spring this week.

I selected matching card stock to the layer of patterned paper. I found silver cording to go with the metal flower accent. It was layered over a white silk flower held in place with a tiny silver brad.

Just a nice bright card!

Cmas Card Challenge - March - Monochromatic

The theme for March is monochromatic. Choose a color and select several hues of it for one card. Select light, medium and dark hues of a color. Texture is a great way to add interest if the colors don't offer a lot of contrast. Texture can be added with fiber, embossing folders, thermal embossing, felt, flocking, ribbon, and much more. What comes to your mind? Make a card and add a link to your card in a comment on this posting. I'd love to see what you create.

I chose a card stock textured with columns in a cream color. I added a layer of vellum that has seasonal text printed in a gold color then embossed with Pastel embossing powder. This powder allows the base color to show through and adds a pearl look to it. I cut a Sizzix star from pearl card stock and placed it over the vellum. I placed adhesive under the star to keep the vellum on the card stock and the star to the vellum. I trimmed star to the card edge. I added cream colored brads in opposite corners to help keep the vellum in place.

I managed to get credits and inserts in all of them so far. That was my drawback last year.

I made 8 of these.

Total cards: 20