Glimmer & Poinsettias ODBDSLC38

This week's Shining Light Challenge 38 over at Our Daily Bread Designs Blog is to create a holiday card, for any holiday. Tis the season for me to dive into making Christmas cards so this only helped to motivate me to get busy. Here's a few variations using the same stamps from the Blessed Christmas set from ODBD.

I love this Holly Ribbon embossing folder, especially combined with Pearl Glimmer Mist (sprayed after embossing). Wow, what a glimmer! I used my favorite Sakura Clear Stardust pen on the poinsettias to spread that shimmer.

I sponged Antique Linen Distress ink on the embossing before spraying the glimmer mist on this card. You can't see that shimmer but the flower really stands out from that stardust pen!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Stamps: ODBD Blessed Christmas Ink: VersaFine Vintage Sepia, TH Distress Ink-Antique Linen Other: Spellbinders labels4, Ribbon Tag Trio; Cuttlebug EF Holly Ribbon, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist-Pearl, Sakura Clear Stardust pen, Tombow Markers, Ribbon

Thanksgiving cards

The celebrated Thanksgiving Day, a day to gather with family & friends to eat (what we do best together) and share what we're thankful for or the commercial interpretation - day of feasting in preparation for the big shopping weekend, is fast approaching! My hubby is working thru that Saturday following so we will have our little feast a few days later. That means I'll be able to relax and do my own thing that day! Well, I have been invited to a neighbors' so I still have the option to feast. : )

I just finished up some cards that I'm gonna send out in thanksgiving for my family. I had colored these images about this time last year but by the time I finished, the task of matching them up with paper was too overwhelming for me to get them finished for last Thanksgiving. (I HAD to color them all different!) You may recognize a few from previous posts and entries into ODBD challenges but most of them were done these last couple of weeks while Scott was home. (Verse was just added to 2 of the cards posted earlier - the card above and the Orange card on the right below.)

Just like I varied the colors in the image, I tried to vary the style of the card at least slightly tho they still are very similar. They are the standard 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 (or close to it except the first card) for easy mailing so not too much room for variation. I have a hard time making exactduplicates anyway, too many options, too many colors, and I only made less than a dozen (unlike Christmas cards) so why not play!

Some of them were colored with markers (Tombow and Adirondack) and some were colored with Prismacolor pencils. I had lots of practice with layering colors while doing these.

This is a great image to use the out-of-the box die cutting technique. Simple cloth image to cut around : ) I like how the cloth part kinda pops up at you naturally, there's no foam tape under it tho I considered putting some there anyway since I'm mailing it out. Hmm, those grapes almost glow on the left-hand card.

This Bible verse is part of the Fruit of the Spirit stamp set from Our Daily Bread Designs. I had won the fruit bowl image thru the "Whose stamp is it anyway?" competition in Scrap&Stamp Arts magazine last year so I don't have the set. Since I liked the verse with this image, I picked 4 of my favorite fonts to print it out in Word (or Publisher).

Whew, I'm glad these are done! Off to get these ready for the mail! Then on to making Christmas cards. : ) I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and remember to be thankful every day (without the additional calories)!! : )

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs-Fruit of the Spirit Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, Tim Holtz Distress inks-Antique Linen, Tea, Brick

Paper: DCWV Other: Markers-Tombow, Adirondack; Prismacolor Pencils, Spellbinders- Classic Ovals, Sm. Scalloped ovals, Labels 4; Cuttlebug EF- D'vine Swirl, Textile; Sakura Clear Stardust pen, DMC Metallic Gold floss, Foam tape, Ribbon

Ribbons on colors

The Stamping in Time: On Assignment Challenge 21 at Our Daily Bread Designs Blog is to use our favorite embellishment, and to make it obvious as to which is our favorite, since it is so hard to use just one embellishment on a card, let alone pick one favorite!

I love ribbon!! I don't use it on anything but cards but I'm attracted to the many colors, styles and sizes of ribbon. When the craft stores break out the holiday ribbon, I can't resist checking it out, what new colors and designs this year?!! Last month I bought this sheer red ribbon with sunflowers printed on it. It's pretty wide and has wire but I don't let that deter me. It works great as a background, after removing the wire.

Since this is sheer ribbon I put a strip of colored paper behind it. In this first card I used red paper; it brightens the red and deepens the green of the leaves in the print.

Here is the same card but with green paper instead of red. The strip of green paper behind the sheer red ribbon deepens the red and brightens the green of the leaves on the print. It also makes the other ribbon look awfully orange here. It's actually more of a copper color and matches the glittery edging on the sheer red ribbon, but you can't tell that from this pic, grrrrr.

Glitter or other shimmery embellishments are also a favorite of mine. These ribbons happen to have some glitter and shimmer to it. I carried it over to the paper by using some glitter glue. Hmmm, is it still obvious that Ribbon is my favorite here tho?!

This is one of my favorite verses - Don't ask me to pick ONE of those!! It also happens to be the verse Becca Feeken chose to be in the Scripture 4 set at ODBD. I was thinking of and praying for Becca and her family as I made these cards. Becca is pretty well known in rubberstamping blog land, being a part of many design teams for stamp craft companies and with her blog - Amazing Paper Grace. Her husband recently passed away. Tho we celebrate that he is home with our Lord with no more struggles, illness or pain, I pray for strength and courage for Becca and her family as they adjust to his physical absence in their daily life. This makes me think of the Matthew West song "Save a Place for me".

Stamps: ODBD-Scripture 4 Ink: Versafine-Vintage Sepia, TH Distress Ink-Brick Red (sponging) Paper: Prima Marketing, DCWV Other: Spellbinders-Classic Ovals, Big Scallops; Autumn Ribbon-JoAnns; Stickles

ODBDSLC35 Dies and Punches

The Shining Light Challenge this week over at Our Daily Bread Designs Blog is to choose one of their top 3 challenges to make a card with. I chose "Dies or Punches" though I used both on my card. I had some new punches that I couldn't wait to use knowing they'd go well with some die cut flowers I wanted to make!

I just came home from spending a few weeks with my folks in Iowa. My Mom is a big crafter and stamper, one who played a big roll in my addiction with rubber stamps & card making : ) While there, she had me making scrunchy flowers with her Dahlia flower dies. I had only read of the technique and never tried it before. Nothing like getting together with another stamper to get motivated to try new things!!

I had to try making them with my Blossoms 2 dies now that I'm home. To age/distress/darken the red cardstock, I stamped it with the Amazing Grace Hymn stamp before using the dies then I sponged more ink around the edges before assembling the flowers. It's not as easy to "scrunch" cardstock versus copy paper weight or tissue paper, they're a little stiff but it gives them a different look. Gold Stickles were added to the centers to add some sparkle.

Rather than layer the Labels 4 die cuts with the verse, I made a frame using 2 dies to put around the verse that was stamped directly onto the designer paper base. I really like the light pattern on the paper for this card and had fun putting it all together.

Stamps: ODBD - Scripture collection 4, Amazing Grace Hymn

Ink: TH Distress Ink-Frayed Burlap (flowers, edging), VersaFine Vintage Sepia (verse)

Other: Spellbinders Labels 4, Blossoms 2; Martha Stewart Arch Lattice, Leafy vine punch ; Gold Stickles, Pop dots