Merry Christmas!

We wish you all a merry Christmas and joyous new year!

Love,
David, Shery, and Kathryn

Paper craft project no. 408: Remember the good times one layer card

Popping by to share a card I made where I used Cretacolor Aqua Stic watersoluble oil pastels for stamping and watercoloring. I have a step-by-step photo tutorial on the STAMPlorations blog here.

Fun challenges:

• Creative Card Crew #103 - Anything Goes
• Deep Ocean Challenge #119 - Anything Goes
• Inkspirational #98 - Bah Humbug! Anything But Christmas

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o) Wishing you and your loved ones the merriest Christmas and most joyous New Year!

Paper craft project no: 407: Happy holidays one layer card

Popping by to share a card I made for the current challenge over at Time Out. It's the last challenge for the year and we have the Home Sweet Home Photo Inspiration challenge. Here's the photo:

Source

I was inspired to make a quick CAS Christmas card. Stamped the bells (Holiday Sketches: Christmas Bells) and the big sentiment (from a new stamp set that's coming in January) and handwrote the "holidays" with a black gel pen. I colored the leaves and berries with markers for a pop of color.

Hope you'll join us and link up your photo inspired creations! 

Speaking of CAS...I'm proud to share the news that in January, STAMPlorations will be starting a clean and simple card challenge. And we have 5 awesome ladies joining the STAMPlorations design team to lead our CAS card challenges! Read all about it here.

Fun challenges:

• Use Your Stuff #203 - It's Christmas Time
• The Male Room #25 - Christmas
• Crafty Creations #304 - Happy Holiday
• Color Throwdown #373 - Any Christmas Creation, Any Colors

Thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to smile! :o)

Paper craft project no. 406: We wish you a mocha Christmas one layer card

Popping by to share a card I whipped up for the Winter/Holiday Coffee Lovers blog hop and the ARTplorations Stencil blog hop. Check out both posts because there are plenty of prizes up for grabs simply by leaving a comment. And if you made something using stencils within the last month, make sure to link it up by Sunday to the flash stencil project linky party for a chance to win more stencils.

  

To create my one layer card, I stamped the coffee cup and then masked it. Then I placed the snowflakes stencil over the card and sponged 2 shades of blue (soft pool and pool by HA). I  added some faux texture with the grunge stamps and and stamped the coffee-themed sentiment. Finished the card by coloring the coffee cup with watercolor brush pens.

Fun challenges:
* Simon Says Monday Challenge - Holly Jolly Stamping
* Crafty Creations #304 - Happy Holiday
* Craftyhazelnut's Christms Challenge Extra
* Inkspirational Challenge #97 - Flake

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft project no. 405: Especially for you one layer card

A new challenge starts at Time Out. It's also the last challenge for the year and it's the Home Sweet Home Photo Inspiration challenge. Here's the photo:

Source

So I looked past the Christmas wreath and went with the...door! :o) Perfect timing too because when I snuck in some time to create my card, new stamps arrived. The package included the Country Rustic set I illustrated and one of the images in there is a door. So I stamped it in black archival ink and colored it with Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens. Finished it by stamping the simple sentiment in black.

How will you be inspired by the photo? Check out the cards my teamies created. Joining us as guest designer is Sonja from The Art of Stamping.

Thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft project no. 404: Be amazing one layer card

Over at the STAMPlorations blog, we're having the third ARTplorations stencil blog hop! Throughout the week you'll get to be inspired and see projects featuring stencils (and stamps too!). Lots of prizes up for grabs for those who hop along as well as share their stencil projects in the flash stencil project linky party (which starts tomorrow).

My card's pretty simple: I sponged yellow through the Butterfly Prints stencil and then for a little interest, sponged a bit of orange on two corners. Then I stamped the framed butterflies (Hope Blooms), masked it to stamp the second frame (Mixed Media Elements), and then finished with the sentiment (Hashtag Authentic).

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft project no. 403: Believe one layer card

Click here for my post for the
STAMPlorations Giving Thanks blog hop.

Howdy! For the next couple of weeks, it's the Inspired by Words challenge at Time Out. The phrase: Snowflakes are winter's butterflies. Pretty metaphor, isn't it?

I zeroed in on the word "snowflakes" and went with creating a {surprise!} one layer Christmas card :o) When I was rummaging around our trailer one day last week, I discovered to my delight that I had a stack of 12x12 chalkboard cardstock from DCWV. I hoard way too many designer papers and cardstock and promptly forget about them. I think this one has been languishing in my stash for a couple of years. So I picked one of the dark green chalkboard cardstock and cut out three 4x6 cards from it. With my HA unicorn ink, I stamped the sentiment (Bold Sentiments: Believe), the snowflakes (Framed Christmas: Peace Love Joy), and the grunge border (Mixed Media Elements), and the card is done :o)

Check out the cards that the rest of the TO design team made. Plus we've got Ashwini from Experiments with Cardmaking joining us as guest designer.

Fun challenges:

CAS(E) This Sketch #150
AAA Cards #53 - Anything Goes
Fab 'n' Funky #283 - Christmas
Stampavie and More #250 - Snowflakes
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
The Card Concept #44 - Festive Glory (I took my cue from the giant brown snowflake hanging behind the comfy chair; my card is CAS)

    

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft project no. 402: Thankful for you one layer card

My one layer card today is for a special blog hop we're having over at STAMPlorations. The STAMPlorations girls and I have come together for the Giving Thanks blog hop. We're sharing projects that express our gratitude. If you visit and leave comments on the stops in the hop by Friday, November 27, you could win your choice of (4x6) stamp set from STAMPlorations.

I had fun creating my card using different sets (Hope Blooms, Holiday Expressions: Thankful for Autumn, Mixed Media Grunge, Mixed Media Elements, and Blossom Like a Butterfly) stamped in Hero Arts and Ranger archival inks. Nothing fancy -- just plain stamping with a little bit of masking.

I hope you'll check out what the rest of the team made. You can find links to all the Giving Thanks projects in this post.

Fun challenges:

• The Crazy Challenge #211 - Everything Goes
• Take It Make It November Challenge - Take A Stamp Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart #87 - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft project no. 401 : Bloom and shine one layer card

Quickly popping by to share a reminder card for the current Time Out challenge. We are CASEing the awesome Karen Dunbrook. Below's her card:

I CASEd the layout of her card. I for the background, I stamped the ink pad directly onto the card base, added some faux texture (Mixed Media Elements), and stamped the large narcissus in black ink. Lastly, I stamped the sentiment (Hope Blooms, Bold Sentiments: Believe).

Do check out the cards the TO design team made and then link up! Guest designing with us is Jen of I Create.

Fun challenges:

• CASology #173 - Pretty (flowers are pretty, aren't they?)

Thanks for stopping by! don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft project no. 400: Merry one layer card

It's a new challenge over at the One Layer Christmas Card challenge blog. As usual, it's anything one layer Christmas card goes, but for the next couple of weeks we have the optional twist: silhouette.

I skipped the twist and just did a simple card. I sponged green ink over an ARTplorations stencil (The Merry Tree) before stamping the newsprint grunge stamp (Mixed Media Grunge). I roughly traced the outline of the Christmas tree with a black gel pen and finished the card by stamping the simple sentiment (Joyful) in red.

Hope you can play along! Check out the beautiful one layer cards that my teamies made:

Lee-Anne

Vickie

Kim

Susan

Fun challenges:

• The Glory of Christmas Challenge #72 - CAS
• Come and Get It Challenges - Winter Holiday
• Alphabet Challenge - T is Tis the Season

Thanks for stopping by! don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft project no. 399: Believe in the impossible one layer card

At Time Out, the new challenge is all about CASEing one of my favorite cardmakers, Karen Dunbrook! Here's her card that the TO girls are CASEing for the next couple of weeks:

I CASEd Karen's use of a stencil and placement of sentiment. I sponged mint julep (HA) over the ARTplorations retro circles stencil, added faux grunge texture by randomly stamping the script, numbers, and splatters (Mixed Media Elements), and stamped the sentiment (Bold Sentiments: Believe) in black

Do check out the cards the TO design team made and then link up! This week guest designing with us is Jen of I Create.

Thanks for stopping by! don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft project no. 398: Season's greetings one layer card

Popping by to share a quick CAS one layer Christmas card. No special techniques -- just simple masking and stamping and combining 3 different stamp sets (Framed Christmas: Believe in the Magic, Mixed Media Elements, and Christmas Bell Medley). I have a step-by-step tutorial here.

Fun challenges:

• Card and Scrap #106 - Christmas
• Craft Your Passion #287 - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft no. 397: Season's greetings mixed media tag

I'm excited to be part yet again of Loll's super awesome event, Twelve Tags of Christmas. Loll started this annual event last year and I had a fun time, as well as many other fellow crafters. This year promises to be even more awesome than the last because there are not 12 but 25 of us guest designing for Loll! And there are even more prizes -- you won't want to miss it :o)

For my mixed media tag, I started by applying a coat of gesso on a large manila tag. Next I applied white Distress paint and once that was dry, I placed the Holiday Words stencil and sponged Ranger archival inks (Emerald Green and Vermillion). I gave the tag some faux texture and dimension by stamping pine boughs (Christmas Bell Medley) and grunge stamps (Mixed Media Elements). I also added some splatters with Inktense pencils and ran a dark brown Japanese watercolor brush pen all around the edges of the tag. I stamped the framed candles (Framed Christmas: Celebrate the Season) and colored them with watercolor brush pens before adhering to my tag. I also stamped, colored, and fussy cut several poinsettias (Christmas Bell Medley)  and layered them onto the tag. I gave them a little shimmer with Twinkling H2Os. Last, I stamped the sentiment (Christmas Bell Medley) on scrap, cut it out, and adhered it to finish the tag. 

Whew! To tell you the truth, it took me 3 days to finish this tag, thanks to my sweet little bundle of joy, Kathryn, who's now 10 weeks old (and growing and getting more and more adorable by the day, if I may say so). I worked in 5- or 10-minute blocks and the tag I visualized in my head when I started was not the tag I ended up making. Nonetheless, I was happy with what I made ;o)

Below is another look at my tag.

Hope I've inspired you to make a mixed media tag and I hope you'll join Loll, me, and my fellow guest designers by linking up your creation(s).

Thanks so much for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft project no. 396: Merry Christmas one layer card

Popping by to share a card as a reminder that there's still a week left to join us at Time Out Challenges! We'd love to see Christmas projects, and if you're in the mood...the optional twist is pink and/or purple. Joining the TO girls as guest designer is the talented Suchi. The challenge is sponsored by Uniko Studio.

I went with a clean and simple (but still grungy/artsy) one layer card. I stamped and masked the framed poinsettia in black before stamping the splatter and script in pink. I added a little more interest to the framed poinsettia by stamping the grungy border to make a second frame. I finished the card by stamping the sentiment.

Fun challenges:

• Addicted to Stamps #169 - Clean and Simple
• Crafting by Designs - November Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft project no. 395: You are awesome one layer card

Sharing a one layer card where I used painters tape to create a mosaic effect. I've got a step-by-step photo tutorial for this card here :o)

Fun challenges:

• Just Us Girls #317 - Wild Card (One Layer Card)
• Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
• Creative Moments #80 - Anything Goes
• 613 Avenue Create #148 - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft project no: 394: Have a very merry Christmas one layer card

We're starting a new challenge at the One Layer Christmas Card Challenge. It's always anything goes one layer Christmas cards but for the next two weeks, the optional twist is "reindeer".

I skipped the twist. I went monochromatic by using different green inks (Memento). Stamped the numbers background first, then the pine boughs in varying shades of green ink, and then the script background. I stamped the sentiment in black and finished the card by rounding one corner.

Check out what the rest of the design team created and then hopefully you'll join us and link up your one layer Christmas cards :o)

Kim

Lee-Anne

Susan

Vickie

Fun challenges:

• Sisters of Craft - ATG
• Christmas Card Challenges #48

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)