Design Team make for "My Time To Craft Challenge Blog" #406 - Birds

It's time for a new challenge prompt on the "My Time To Craft Challenge Blog".  The theme for #406 is "Birds".  If you get the chance, please do pop over to the blog and take a look at some of the fab makes by my Design Team colleagues

Here's the card i've created: a snowscape with a crow on the fence post.

For the sky, I masked off a circle and filled it with three shades of Distress Oxide Inks, using the shades of Antique Linen, Mustard Seed and Wild Honey.

I then covered the moon shape with a mask and coloured the surrounding sky, using the following Distress Oxide inks:  Spiced Marmalade, Picked Raspberry, Abandoned Coral and Chipped Sapphire.

For the fence post, I used a stamp by Lavinia Stamp that actually has a pheasant sitting on the top of the fence post, so I stamped the fence post using Versafine Clair "Nocturne" ink on an off-cut of card, then cut the shape of the fence out.

I created layers of the snow landscape, cutting hills and adhering onto the card.  I gave the snow a pink/orange blush to create a slight reflection of the sky on the white snow.

I used one of the crows from the Lavinia Stamps "Crows Set" stamping it over the moon and snowscape.  I then adhered the fencepost below the claws of the crow.

The birds in the sky, is a stamp also by Lavinia Stamps called "Birds"

The "Winter Wishes" sentiment is part of a Papertrey Ink set called  "Winter Hills", again stamped in Versafine Clair "Nocturne" ink.

New Home Card (Papertrey Ink)

I have new neighbours next door but one, so I made a little welcome to your new home card.

I've made several very similar cards over the years using the same Papertrey Ink dies from their "Love Lives Here" set of stamps and dies.  I used patterned paper from a 6x6" stack called "Pretty Posy" and the sentiment is from another Papertrey Ink stamp set called "Winter Hills", stamped in Memento "Rhubarb Stalk" shade of ink.

Design Team Make for "My Time To Craft Challenge Blog" (388) - Winter Birthday (Lavinia Stamps)

This is a Design Team card I have made for the "My Time To Craft Challenge Blog" on the theme of "Winter Birthday".  Please do pop over and take a look at the fab creations from my fellow DT colleagues.

For my card, I started by using water colour pencils with a paint brush to paint the sky and the land.  

Using a Lavinia Stamp called "Trees", I repeat stamped the image across the card using Versafine "Vintage Sepia" ink.  I added the Lavinia Stamp "Birds" stamped in Versafine "Stormy Grey".

I continued to build up the image with adding more depth with the water colour.  I then cut the image down to 4x4" and mounted it onto brown card.  At this stage I added some icy/frosty sparkle using a silver glitter Signo Pen.

I cut a piece of plain paper to 4x4 size, positioned it in the middle of a plain card and marked where the line of trees was, then stamped the same tree image across card from side to side.  I lifted the paper mask and then positioned and stuck the water colour image down.

The Papertrey Ink sentiment, from their "Winter Hills" set was stamped in Versafine "Vintage Sepia" ink to finish the card.

Bright & Beautiful Christmas Cards (Stampin' Up)

This morning I have been playing with a Stampin' Up double stamp set called "Bright & Beautiful"

On the black background card, I have heat embossed the stamped design using a Versamark pad and Papermania "Enchanted Gold" embossing powder.  The sentiment on this card is by Woodware.

On the white and pink card, I have stamped using a Ranger Adirondack Brights ink, in a shade of "Raspberry".  Again, the sentiment is by Woodware.

On the white and green card, I have stamped using a StazOn ink in the shade called "Emerald City".  The sentiment is from a Papertrey Ink set called "Winter Hills".

Winter Wishes (Squirrel) Christmas Card

I'm guessing this will be my last make for November.  Looking back, it's been a productive month.

For this card, I started off by making the background using Tim Holtz Distress Inks in shades of greys and blues.

Using a die, I cut the tree trunks in white card and stuck them onto the background.  Free hand, I cut two snow slopes and glued them on top of the tree trunks at the base of the card. I then used a Signo Pen for the snow flakes.

I used a Papertrey Ink sentiment stamp from their "Winter Hills" set and stamped it at the bottom right hand side of the card.

The squirrel is from a stamp set that came free with Crafts Beautiful Magazine (Dec 17 issue).  I stamped the image then coloured it with Promarker pens.  I added sticky foam pads to the underside and stuck the image onto the card. I added a little grey shadow beneath the squirrel using distress inks.

Here's an image of the magazine and stamp set, in case you want to shop for it too.

Rabbit Winter Wonderland Christmas Card

I made this card yesterday, but didn't get round to popping it on here.

I'd been to the supermarket earlier in the day and was drawn to the free set of stamps on the front of "Crafts Beautiful" December 2017 issue of the magazine.  

I was especially drawn to the rabbit, hedgehog and squirrel stamps, so knew that I would be playing with those.

For this card, I used my water colour pencils to create the blue grey wash for the sky.  

While that was drying, I stamped the rabbit, coloured it in with three shades of Promarkers and then cut out the rabbit shape. 

Using an off-cut of white card, I cut a gently curved slope to replicate a snowy hill, which I stuck on top of the water colour sky.  I then mounted the coloured square onto a piece of brown card and trimmed to size.

Finally, I added sticky foam pads to the back of the rabbit to give a more 3-D look.  I added snowflakes to the sky using a white Signo pen and added the Papertrey Ink sentiment (from their "Winter Hills" stamp set).

Christmas Winter Wishes Wreath Card

It's just over a month till Christmas so I thought I'd better crack on with a few cards.

For this card, I used the Stampin' Up "Softly Falling" embossing folder for the background.

I then cut two branch wreaths (using Stampin' Up "Swirly Scribbles" thinlits dies, over lapping the die cuts to give the impression of a fuller wreath.

I then used Stampin' Up "Christmas Pines" stamp set for the cones.  I die cut the cones and the foliage using the co-ordinating "Pretty Pines" thinlits dies.

I positioned and glued the foliage and the smaller fir cone.  The larger one, I elevated using foam pads.  Finally, I added a red die cut bow, pearl gems and used a Sakura "Jelly Roll" pen to add highlights to the fir cones.  I stamped the sentiment using a stamp from the Papertrey Ink set called "Winter Hills".

Spellbinders "Four Seasons Silhouettes" Cards

Another die from my "happy post" the other day is this set of four season dies + a frame which I purchased from Hope & Chances website - they specialise in Spellbinders die sets and are often the first to have them in the UK.This set comprises of five dies in total.  One for each of the four seasons and then a frame.

The first card that I made was the one for Spring.  I wanted to create quite a fresh feel, so opted for an embossed white background (using a Sizzix embossing folder).  I then mounted the white die cut seasonal square on a mint coloured card,  The sentiment is from a Penny Black "Garden Friends" set.

For Summer, again I opted for a white embossed background (using a Cuttlebug embossing folder).  I used pastels with a paintbrush to apply the colour to the square die cut and then mounted it onto a pink card.  The sentiment on this card is from a Stampin' Up set called "Good Greetings".

For the Autumn season card, I went for warm shades of orange and brown.  The background of the card is a piece of craft card.  I randomly stamped different leaves onto the card (using Stampin' Up Vintage Leaves stamps).  I cut the square die in brown card this time and mounted it onto an orange shade.  The sentiment is something I have had for a while and may have come free with a magazine. Finally I added some little gem stones for interest to the background.

The Winter season is a personal favourite and I've stripped the card right back to having a plain white background, with the die cut square being mounted onto a grey coloured card.  The stamped sentiment is from a Papertrey Ink set called "Winter Hills".  For me the simplicity of this card works.  It's a quick make too, so I may make a few of these for Christmas.