Kool Kitty Musings

Greetings from the North Pole

Merry Christmas!

Well, the time has come to share my last set of cards for the year.

I made four cards with the Destination North Pole set from The Greetery.

Two were in this design:

Stamps: The Greetery - Destination - North Pole,
Dies: The Greetery - Destination - North Pole, The Greetery - Crimped Frame
Stencils: The Greetery - Destination Map

And the other two were cards for my niece and nephew:

I started out by stencilling the map backgrounds onto white cardstock in blue ink, setting them aside to dry, and cutting them out with the Crimped Frame dies from The Greetery.

Next, it was time to get cracking on all the small die-cut elements. Lots of time spent cranking my Sidekick and repeat stamping in the Misti for these.

Once they were done, I worked out where I would place the elements and stamped in the road names.

Once everything was assembled, I inked up the edges of my card bases with Distress Oxides to coordinate with the blue and pink tones used on the cards.

Glued everything down, and added some Stickles here and there for some frosty goodness.

Wishing you a happy holiday season and a crafty 2023!

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The Greetery - Destination - North Pole stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Destination - North Pole dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Crimped Frame dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Destination Map stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Altenew - Morning Frost dye ink Shop at: MISC	Distress ink pad - Saltwater Taffy Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress ink pad - Speckled Egg Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress Oxide ink pad - Tumbled Glass Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Uncharted Mariner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Doe ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Kiddie Pool ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Pizza Crust ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Walnut ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Bubblegum ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cherry Kisses ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Cotton Candy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fern ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Forest ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Greenery ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Lipstick Red ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Pacific ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Raspberry ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Rosy ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Altenew - Warm Gray ink cube set Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC (UK)
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | MISC	Tim Holtz - Distress Glitter - Clear Rock Candy Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC
Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

A veritable winter village

Well, obviously two cards weren't enough.

In October, I went away for a crafty weekend with friends.

I had high hopes of getting ahead with my Christmas card production and thought an assembly line style project would be a good way to use my time.

So, Concord & 9th Home for the Holidays was top of my list.

Despite disappearing to attend a wedding in the middle of the crafty weekend away, I did make some progress on creating this set of cards:

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Home for the Holidays
Dies: Concord & 9th - Home for the Holidays Stacks, Concord & 9th - Card Stacks Base
Stencil: Simon Says Stamp - Falling Snow

To keep the mess to a minimum, I prepped the 9 card bases from three shades of blue cardstock (the maximum number of bases I could cut from them with the Card Stacks Base die) ahead of the retreat by applying white embossing paste through the Simon Says Stamp Falling Snow stencil, and a sprinkling of Rock Candy glitter. There is no way I would ever use Stickles or loose glitter that needs time to dry at a retreat. I've been there, done that, ruined a few projects!

I also cut all the card stack levels for each card and then edged them with the snow drift die in the Home for the Holidays set and spent a happy evening watching the latest season of Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix scoring and adhering all the stacks to my snowy card bases.

Then it was just a matter of packing all the supplies I'd need to cut and assemble the rest of the scene.

Well, by the end of the weekend I had all my houses cut and assembled (from various shades of Concord & 9th cardstock and a few others in my cardstock scraps folder) but I was far from finished.

Once home, I managed to gradually complete the remaining tasks one step at a time.

First adding all the vellum pieces behind the little houses to fill in the windows, adding the glittery snow to the roofs, cutting and assembling all the tiny little wreaths, cutting and assembling all the snowy trees I'd need, then cutting all the lampposts I'd need.

The next step was to assemble all the elements I'd cut and add some Rock Candy glitter to the snow drifts for extra sparkle.

Finally, when the cards were dry, I stamped the sentiments on banners and added them.

It ended up taking the best part of the week to finish all 9 cards.

I may have had my fill of tiny Christmas houses for this year, but the cards have turned out lovely, even if I say so myself!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Concord & 9th - Home for the Holidays stamps Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Home for the Holidays Stacks dies Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Card Stacks Base dies Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Simon Says Stamp - Falling Snow stencil Shop at: MISC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Vellum Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Memory Box - Delicate Pastel glitter pad Shop at: MISC	Tim Holtz - Distress Glitter - Clear Rock Candy Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste - White Shop at: EH | MISC	Marvy Jewel Picker Shop at: AZ (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Glue tube Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Scor-Tape - 1/4" Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Driving home for Christmas

Good morning!

Here's another card I made using the Boughs & Holly stencils set from Concord & 9th as the background to my card design:

Stamp: The Greetery - Merry Sprigs
Dies: Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine, PTI - Tag Sale #2, Sizzix - Tiny Snowglobes
Stencils: Concord & 9th - Boughs & Holly

I don't have the matching stamp and die sets for the Boughs & Holly stencils, so I filled in the middle area for this design in the set with a festive kraft tag and the rather fiddly Tiny Snowglobe dies from Sizzix.

I white-embossed a sentiment from The Greetery's Mini Sprigs set on the tag after blending some brown tones on it for extra depth.

A fluff of snow under the car added the perfect finishing touch, and the red glitter bow provided that much-needed festive sparkle.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Merry Sprigs stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine dies Shop at: MISC	PTI - Tag Sale #2 die Shop at: MISC	Sizzix - Tiny Snowglobes dies Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Concord & 9th - Boughs & Holly stencils Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Doe ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Walnut ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Versamark ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC (UK)	Neenah 80 lb smooth Desert Storm cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | MISC
Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Memory Box - Festive glitter pad Shop at: EH | MISC	Hero Arts - White embossing powder Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Cosmic Shimmer - Fluffy Stuff Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Marvy Jewel Picker Shop at: AZ (UK)	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	EK Success powder tool Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC
Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - Believe

Morning!

It's the last challenge of the year over on the Daring Cardmakers blog.

And the theme word for this week is BELIEVE.

So, into my stash of supplies I dove and found something that would work perfectly for this challenge:

Paper: Crate Paper - Hey Santa (r)
Stamp: Mama Elephant - Holiday Messages
Dies: Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine, The Greetery - Crimped Frame, Waffle Flower - Surface Tag Die: Santa Add-on (r), Waffle Flower - Surface Tag Die: Starter Set (r)

I started out by creating a Father Christmas focal point using the Surface Tag sets from Waffle Flower.

For extra pop, I coated the beard element with Cosmic Shimmer Fluffy Stuff and puffed it up with my heat gun.

Thankfully, there was just enough space to fit in the sentiment from Mama Elephant on the Crimped Frame from The Greetery for a little contrast against the foiled background paper.

As a finishing touch, I added a little festive greenery and Nuvo Drops.

Make sure you check out the lovely projects from the rest of the design team here, and play along if you can!

Happy crafting!

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Mama Elephant - Holiday Messages stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine dies Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Crimped Frame dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Waffle Flower - Surface Tag Die: Santa Add-on (r) Shop at: MISC
Waffle Flower - Surface Tag Die: Starter Set (r) Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC (UK)	Crate Paper - Hey Santa - 6x8 paper pad Shop at: MISC | SBC
Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Oyster Grey Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Cosmic Shimmer - Fluffy Stuff Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Ranger - Glossy Accents Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Home for the Holidays

Morning!

Well today's projects are definitely the poster child for much of my Christmas cardmaking as I finally succumbed and purchased the Home for the Holidays Stacks and coordinating Card Stacks Base dies that Concord & 9th released last year.

And here are the results of their first outing back in October:

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Home for the Holidays
Dies: Concord & 9th - Home for the Holidays Stacks, Concord & 9th - Card Stacks Base
Stencil: Simon Says Stamp - Falling Snow

These two cards were my test run for my larger Christmas card production plans and of course, with the use of texture paste and loose glitter, certain steps had to be done on separate evenings.

So I started out by cutting the bases and stencilling the falling snow on with texture paste, and adding Rock Candy glitter to the paste before it dried.

Then I cut all the elements I needed, mainly in my Sidekick, so they'd be ready to assemble.

Once the houses were assembled, I added vellum behind the windows.

I arranged the houses on the snowdrifts and added the lampposts and trees into the mix.

Then I added a dusting of more Rock Candy glitter, and once dry a stamped sentiment from the coordinating stamp set.

I still love the Papercute font (which looks to have been used for the Let it Snow sentiment) and was included in the Beautiful Mess app I used to use almost a decade ago - I would love it if they incorporated it on Instagram... but until then, will just have to admire it in clear stamp form!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Concord & 9th - Home for the Holidays stamps Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Home for the Holidays Stacks dies Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Card Stacks Base dies Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Simon Says Stamp - Falling Snow stencil Shop at: MISC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Vellum Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Memory Box - Delicate Pastel glitter pad Shop at: MISC
Tim Holtz - Distress Glitter - Clear Rock Candy Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste - White Shop at: EH | MISC	Marvy Jewel Picker Shop at: AZ (UK)	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Scor-Tape - 1/4" Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Snowglobe Christmas

Morning!

One of my new festive cardmaking investments last year was the Cabin Snowglobe Pop-Up Easel die set from Poppy Stamps.

I'm a real sucker for snowglobes and there isn't a Christmas that goes by without at least one or two snowglobe cards on my desk.

For today's set of cards, I've stuck more faithfully to using this die set as depicted on the packaging.

There's nothing wrong with that, and it also saves a little time as I often dither about choosing elements from here, there, and everywhere!

I thought it would also be a good opportunity to make four of the same design while I had everything out and was going to be cutting so many elements.

Here are the colour combos of Distress Oxide inks I used for the sky background:

• Fossilized Amber, Saltwater Taffy, Worn Lipstick, Picked Raspberry
• Tumbled Glass, Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire
• Salvaged Patina, Peacock Feathers, Faded Jeans

It definitely pays to take an assembly line approach when making multiples of a design. So cutting many of the elements ahead of the assembly stage really saves time.

Stamp: The Greetery - Christmas Time Sentiments
Dies: The Greetery - Christmas Time Sentiments, Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine, Poppy Stamps - Cabin Snowglobe Pop-Up Easel
Other: Distress Oxides

While the blended skies were drying, I cut all the tree elements and wooden base elements and used the existing dye ink that was on my blending brushes to add extra colour (not that it's obvious in the images). The wooden bases don't have a woodgrain effect on the original dies, this look was achieved using woodgrain cardstock or pieces of cardstock I'd previously run through with an embossing folder or plate and had filed away for future use. A bit of dye ink really brings out the texture.

Next I got out my splat box and Gansai Tambi water colours, oh and some white ink... it was time to add snow to the trees and sky backgrounds with a mix of pearlescent white and white paint and bleed-proof ink.

While they were drying, I worked out how to decorate the base of the snowglobe and add a sentiment.

I cut the holly leaves from the Snowglobe set, plus some pine boughs and berries from the Holly and Pine set from Hello Bluebird.

I wanted a banner sentiment that would cover the base almost edge to edge, and the Christmas Time set from The Greetery was just right.

I stamped the banner with light shades of Lawn Fawn ink (listed below) and then added the sentiment in Versafine Onyx Black.

When everything was dry after splattering/inking, it was just a matter of assembling all the elements.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Christmas Time Sentiments stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Christmas Time Sentiments dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine dies Shop at: MISC	Poppy Stamps - Cabin Snowglobe Pop-Up Easel dies Shop at: EH | MISC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Chipped Sapphire Shop at: EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Faded Jeans Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Fossilized Amber Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Peacock Feathers Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Picked Raspberry Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Saltwater Taffy Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress Oxide ink pad - Salvaged Patina Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Tumbled Glass Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Worn Lipstick Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Ballet Slippers ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Kiddie Pool ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Minty Fresh ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | MISC	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Dr. Pj. Martin's Bleed Proof White watercolour Shop at: AZ (UK)	Kuretake Gansai Tambi 36-pan watercolour set Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - Gift

Morning!

The theme word for this week's Daring Cardmakers challenge is: Gift

While I had my Christmas paper storage box out from a previous cardmaking session, I spied this yet-to-be-used gift paper patterned paper from an old My Mind's Eye collection called Christmas on Market Street.

It provided the background for my card:

Paper and journaling cards: MME - Christmas on Market Street (r)
Stamp: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Christmas
Dies: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, Pinkfresh Studio - Essentials Blanket Stitched Oval, WPlus9 - Under the Mistletoe

I used some of the journaling cards from this collection as the other elements for my card - including that Christmas tree, and simply jazzed them up using dies and my trusty WRMK corner rounder.

To add a little pop to the Christmas tree, I dotted the baubles with Glossy Accents and added a festive red bow to the frame.

Finally, for my sentiment, I stamped one of the Sentiment Suite Christmas stamps on a coordinating die cut and tucked it behind the other layers.

Make sure you check out the fab projects from the rest of the design team here, and play along if you can!

Happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Christmas stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Pinkfresh Studio - Essentials Blanket Stitched Oval dies Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC	WPlus9 - Under the Mistletoe dies Shop at: MISC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Lipstick Red cardstock Shop at: MISC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Morning Dew (clear) Shop at: AZ (UK)
Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - December Elemental Inspiration

Well, well, well...

December certainly has come around quickly.

With it being the first Friday of a new month, we have a brand-new elemental inspiration challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog.

There were several elements for this image that sent me down a rabbit hole of Christmas cardmaking, and I made 8 similar cards in total (apologies for the less than perfect photos, but the light has been a real challenge this week).

The elements that inspired me were the winter foliage/florals, a round element (wood slice in my case), and a sentiment in black ink:

Paper and stickers: Crate Paper - Peppermint Collection (r), Basic Grey - Jovial (r), Echo Park - Everybody Loves Christmas (r)
Stamps: Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas, The Greetery - Merry Sprigs
Dies: The Greetery - Merry Sprigs, Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine, MFT - Fishtail Flags STAX (r), Sizzix - Tim Holtz - Mini Holiday Greens, The Greetery - Wood Slices, WPlus9 - Under the Mistletoe

My little crafting Odyssey started out with me stamping each of the eight floral elements in the Merry Sprigs set from The Greetery in various shades of ink, using Fern, Forest, and Greenery ink from The Stamp Market for the leafy elements and the various other shades listed for the berries and florals. Must say Altenew Morning Frost is a great shade for "white" when stamping on white cardstock. :)

When all the florals were dry, I added clear Novo drop details to the berries and flower elements.

I had some great papers in some older collections that would work with these florals without hogging the limelight. I always love a bit diagonal pink/red and white stripe this time of year:

There was even some old Basic Grey paper among my snippets that worked well with the warmer green and red tones:

But back the proces... I cut lots of foliage from the Sizzix and Hello Bluebird sets listed above, using Forest cardstock from The Stamp Market for the warmer pine look.

And Jade cardstock for the cooler pine tones.

Before my big assembly session started, I matched up the greenery to the florals I wanted to use, then got to work creating the Wood Slices.

I cut the wood slices from brown and beige cardstock in my scraps folder, then blended the inner slice with Pizza Crust and Doe ink from Lawn Fawn.

I then added the foliage elements to the wood slices, and put the assembled slices in my Splat box to give them a splattering of white paint.

Once the slices were dry, I adhered the floral elements and finished them off with a red bow from an old set of dies from WPlus9 - it was just the right shape and size for this purpose. I love it when old purchases get a new lease of life like this.

With all eight wood slices assembled, it was now a matter of time of working out what to do with them.

Enter the very vintage collection of Christmas papers I have.

I needed something neutral that would allow the florals to pop.

Well, there was a sheet of paper in the Peppermint Collection from Crate Paper that went perfectly with the jade and fern tones of the foliage. Thankfully, I had enough of this blue paper to cover six card bases and found some Basic Grey and Echo Park offcuts in my stash that would work for the remaining two cards.

The white and pink fishtails are also cut from old Crate Paper festive collections.

I stamped each one with the sentiment from Hello Bluebird's Typed Christmas set and assembled the cards using snippets of scrap cardstock to add dimension rather than foam squares.

The cards looked nice but were missing a little contrast - so I cut a strip of this October Afternoon striped paper also in my stash to finish off the top edge of the cards, adding a border sticker where needed to cover a join, and a strip of the blue paper to finish off the pink card.

And there we go, all cards complete.

They really are much prettier in real life - the colours pop so nicely against those papers.

I love it when "assembly" style card production isn't a fiddly chore. I easily get bored when it is and just want to get everything finished.

But a clean and simple design like this one was quick to complete over a few evenings.

Make sure you check out the wonderful projects from the rest of the design team here, and play along if you can!

Happy crafting!

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Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas stamps Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Merry Sprigs stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Merry Sprigs dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine dies Shop at: MISC
MFT - Fishtail Flags STAX dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Sizzix - Tim Holtz - Mini Holiday Greens dies Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	The Greetery - Wood Slices dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	WPlus9 - Under the Mistletoe dies Shop at: MISC
Altenew - Morning Frost dye ink Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Black Licorice ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Blue Jay ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Doe ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Pizza Crust ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Cherry Kisses ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cotton Candy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fern ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Forest ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Greenery ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Lipstick Red ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Papaya ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Peony ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Altenew - Warm Gray ink cube set Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | MISC
The Stamp Market - Forest cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Jade cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Lipstick Red cardstock Shop at: MISC	Dr. Pj. Martin's Bleed Proof White watercolour Shop at: AZ (UK)
Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Morning Dew (clear) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SHC (UK)	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC
Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Get well soon

Before it is full-on festive projects on my blog, I'm just dropping in to share a card I made for my book group friend Elaine, who's currently resting up following her op.

Happy colours and pretty blooms surely help increase the healing vibes. ;)

Paper: Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes - Willow Lane (r)
Stamps: Concord & 9th - Painted Peony, Concord & 9th - Picked Posies
Dies: Concord & 9th - Painted Peony, Concord & 9th - Picked Posies, MFT - Jumbo Fishtail Banner STAX (r)

I started out by stamping the Painted Peony blooms and leaves with various shades of ink from The Stamp Market and Concord & 9th.

I found some lovely coordinating papers in the Willow Lane collection that provided the perfect backdrop.

And for a change, I stamped the main sentiment in a shade of ink that wasn't black - but of course a black ink had to come in somewhere for a fishtail sentiment, finished off with a little gold washi tape and pearls on the banner.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Concord & 9th - Painted Peony stamps Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Picked Posies stamps Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Painted Peony dies Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Picked Posies dies Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)
MFT - Jumbo Fishtail Banner STAX dies (r) Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Coastal ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Coral Reef ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Greenery ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Leafy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Papaya ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Salmon ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Concord & 9th - Ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | MISC
Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes - Willow Lane - Blossom paper (r) Shop at: MISC | SBC	Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes - Willow Lane - Meadow paper (r) Shop at: MISC | SBC	Altenew - Golden Edge washi tape Shop at: MISC | SBC	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC