Small interruption to my Christmas in July to let you know that I’m still going with my index card a day challenge too!
Days 28-30 I started pulling out that thick black pen more often so that seems to be making an impact. I also kept going with the raffle tickets and stamps.
Really liked day 29 where I added the ink in blocks and then added the pen work at that point.
Days 31-33 I enjoyed getting inky a lot more … grabbing whichever distress inks I fancied at the time and just laying them over the colour has been fun!
Also rediscovered a batch of book print to play with!
This card is probably the easiest card I’ve made in sometime – and it’s because of the wreath builder template I used. Mine is a copy of a Gina K type of one but it was all I could get hold of at the time I bought it – it has also been in my possession for a long time and I haven’t been using it! That changes now because I’ve realised how ridiculously easy it is to use!
If you watch my Youtube video on this you will hear how delighted I am with this card!
I added pre die cut elements from the stash and those gorgeous altenew enamel dots to embellish.
I will absolutely be using this wreath builder template again because it made this so so easy!
Today’s project for Christmas in July is a ‘twofer’ because I started with half a sheet of A4 and created one background that I then chopped in two. This gave me two panels to use on two cards. I guess as an alternative I could have used one panel as the inside of the card instead – but no I decided to make two cards!
I am delighted with the final cards – my favourite colours and I really do love this stamp set for creating some lovely artsy finishes.
So I inked up the panel after masking with torn paper and then stamped through the gap.
I added some splatters of gold paint before I removed the masks too.
Then stamped and die cut the leaves and pine cones.
The sentiment I kept the same for both cards but different colours.
To both I added the gem and the bow from embroidery floss and the sentiment I stacked three layers to make it sturdy.
I used Shaded Sprice for the base of the card blank and then inside I added white with an inked edge to use the same colours.
I love teal colours so this is perfect for me as a non traditional card.
I videoed the process so please do check out my YouTube channel to see how I made these. YouTube
Today I am kicking off Christmas in July where I am intending to try one festive project daily – and I am starting big with a Video and made three cards!
Not sure if I will do all of them as process videos or not because they can be a little time consuming to edit and upload but will try my hardest!
Of course as it is the first of the month I am doing a patterned paper focus – three pieces of 6×12 Heartwarming Hugs dsp used for these three cards … only a small amount of scrap leftover on the desk from this! (Eagle eyed amongst you might know I used up the scraps on an index card a few days ago!)
I chose to finish each slightly differently but all had the topper of the Merriest Moments die cut and embossed panel and in this case kept this really simple! Just added the papers together and then the topper and those swirly shiny elements.
The next one I added ink to the edges of each panel.
And then some sequins for embellishment.
This added an element of framing each of the pieces of paper and separation … but for the final one I took that to the next level…
The white layer of course adds bulk and weight to the card but I love how this looks and never mind that it makes the cards into ‘large letter’ postage as I make to enjoy the process and to gift people my handcrafted pieces.
Each card I added scraps inside to take the patterned element through the card …
Which do you prefer? The plain, the inked or the layered?
And am I the only one being insane enough to do 31 days of #christmasinjuly ?
Just a quick round up of the past few days of my index card a day challenge…
I’ve had lots of fun using up random stuff for the past few days but keeping to the theme of using up the raffle tickets and old stamps and incorporating circles.
Last week I shared a card made from bits and bobs that I found when I cleared out and sorted the Christmas stash boxes … today is another card made from the same little stack of bits ready to be made into a card.
This time paper leftover from last years patterned paper challenges I gave myself, another of the digital stamp images I had already coloured and die cut and a leftover scrap of white I had die cut with the snowflake cover die.
As I often print more than one version of digital stamp images at a time I usually colour at least a couple of them – this time I had even got around to die cutting them ready for projects! So really was a case of just assembling the card.
I chose a black card base and then added the preprinted foiled sentiment with some foam at one side to finish off!
I still have one of these images left to play with but ran out of patterned paper ready to play with so that has been left for another session.
Simple but cute Christmas card made for the stash!
I’m taking a pause on Festive Friday for the next month – but only because I am going to attempt Christmas in July and do a festive themed post every day. I’ve been trying to get ahead a little so some are already made (and what’s more videoed) so keep your fingers crossed I manage to make it! There may be a couple of non Christmas themed projects in there occasionally too but on those days two posts will be posted! Wish me luck! Also who is joining me?
Earlier in the month I went to the Warrington crop and bought a kit from Sarah … which I finally got around to using! I also videoed this so check out my YouTube video.
I did change up the page layout a little from the original however it’s very close to how Sarah designed it.
Sarah’s page …
I cut down the background a little to mount onto some brown and also added in some smooshed ink using Vintage photo distress ink.
I also added some word stamping for the background.
Love this picture of me having cuddles with little Henry my youngest great nephew last year. He was such a little squidge!
You might also spot that bumpy edge which is using the lovely Hey Little Magpie die – seriously I love these!
Yes it’s come to the point where (unless I find a piece in my stash that has been hiding) I have used up the True Love designer series paper. I have absolutely loved using this … especially to quickly get a floral focal piece onto a card without stamping!
So this one I made with a background of a gelli print!
I grabbed this from the stack I had made and then started adding to it using a stencil I bought at the crop. I didn’t use the stencil in the normal way … I used my stampin blend markers to add circles through the stencil instead of blending over it to show the full pattern. This gave me some dots and circles in pinks and purples.
I decided this would then be the background for true love leftovers. I chose all the edge pieces first to colour and add to the sides of the panel.
I decided to go with grey leaves though as I didn’t want the green to draw focus as a contrast colour … so it’s a bit odd but I think it works!
I then coloured the remaining whole flower cluster and grabbed the last piece of dsp to cut the banner from.
I did add a little dimension beneath the banner to slightly raise it above the background and then added the sentiment.
I added more dimension when adding it to the card blank to raise it a little more and then added the gems to finish off!
So that’s the last of True Love dsp. Hope you’ve enjoyed seeing it over the past few years as much as I have done!
I’m back with my design team contribution for Addicted to Stamps and More and this time the challenge is Make your mark … which refers to colouring mediums! And well I used a few different mediums and techniques on this card to add colour!
I’ve realised I used the same focal image last DT too (I love Altenew floral elements!) but this is a totally different style of card!
Ok let’s start with the focal image … Altenew Eclectic Bouquet. I stamped and embossed in gold, die cut it and then used the stencils and blending brushes to add the colour.
And then ran it through the coordinating embossing folder – which everytime I do this it blows my mind because the texture is amazing!
Then I found pink and gold die cuts that were cut waiting to be used (I do the whole die cut all the scraps in one session and put them in pouches to save time and also get my mojo flowing when I’m not sure what to make!)
Then I found in my stack of premade gelli print backgrounds this one that had pinks and greens and the black and I thought worked well with the focal cluster I had made.
I decided to add another layer of something to it though and embossed it using the Fern 3d embossing folder.
So I mat and layered that onto white and black and then made a square card blank to add my painty panel on the right with the floral image spilling onto the left.
I then chose some floss to make a bow and the gems from the stash and added the gold embossed thank you sentiment (again pre stamped and die cut and waiting to be adhered to a project!
Inside the card I added a panel of the white and onto this I heat embossed in gold the image in one corner to match.
Hello … another quick round up of #dyicad2024 from the past few days …
Genuinely delighted with how well I’m doing on this and how great it has been to make a little something, usually in less than 15 mins each day.
And to use up bits and bobs of stash that’s been hanging around for ages because I stopped art journaling too & didn’t really feel like they worked for card making.
But then also bringing in elements like the stamped butterfly that I stamped and die cut some time ago – good to find a home for it for this!
Some days are easier than others to put the cards together – for example day 24 was hard to find the final elements and get them to work together – but day 22 was simple and came together so easily!
Inkyfingeredcat 