Christmas Stars

Good Morning everyone

Today im sharing a batch of cards that started out using very slim offcuts of Christmas/winter themed papers left over from previous years from making envelopes.  I had no idea where these would end up but first off i used the strips to make a 'new' paper by adhering them all to a piece of paper.

I raided my stash for old silver mirror & glitter card which was about time it was used, the silver going nicely with the blue tone papers.  

DL card white card base (approx 4x8")

I cut my stripe paper to size and put through a 3D embossing folder, this helped embed the stripes together as well as add a lovely tactile feel.  I then dry brushed over the top with vintage white chalk paint and a light touch over the top with white pearl cadence dora paint which gives a beautiful shimmer.  I matted this onto silver satin card and then the card front.

I cut the middle out the silver mat layer which i then used for my die cut elements - thus making it go further and no one would know as the hole is hidden behind the beautiful embossed panel.  

I die cut the circular sentiment from navy blue card, then cut a circular frame from white card using 2 circle dies, then a larger frame from the same silver card used for the mat layer.  You end up with a 'doughnut' so can see through the middle to the paper and embossing. 

I then die cut alot of stars from the various silvers, blue and white and adhered a different centre into the frames....very fiddly but worth it, i used a bit of tape behind the star to hold the solid centre into the frame.

I then adhered 3 under the sentiment as if hanging from circle, I used pinflair glue gel here so could get them at different levels etc..

Close up on the stars.

Navy solid star with silver satin frame

Silver solid star with silver glitter frame

Silver glitter solid with navy frame

Sadly the photos just don't show the beauty of the glitter, mirror and beautiful pearl stars😞  In real life they really shimmer and sparkle in the light.

Version 2 using silver mirror card for the mat layers

Version 3 uses silver glitter card for the mat layer

This shows my paper stripes adhered to A4 paper to make my 'new' paper.  When i did this i had no idea what i was going to make so on one i adhered the patterns horizontally and the other vertically.  The papers are all slightly different widths so i just stuck them on randomly, not over thinking it.

Left photo shows it just embossed and the right one shows it after i dry brushed the white and pearl paint over the stars, it just softens it all and helps bring the different patterns together.  Honestly in real life it is very shimmery

Items Used:

MFT Christmas sentiment circle die

Spellbinders Circle dies

Frantic stamper Star on a string die 

Lisa Horton Slimline 3d embossing folder 'Starry Night' LHCEF077

Various scraps of patterned papers

Jane Davenport gess-oh 'white' 

Cadence Dora paint 'white'

Id love to enter card #1 into the following:

https://pixiessnippetsplayground.blogspot.com/2026/09/challenge-541.html

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https://12monthsofchristmaslinkup.blogspot.com/2026/09/challenge-136-anything-goes-christmas.html

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https://craftingacutabove.blogspot.com/2026/09/september-challenge-20.html - 2nd Entry

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https://peaceonearthchristmas.blogspot.com/2026/09/peace-on-earth-challenge-120.html

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https://lovethoseprettypapers.blogspot.com/2026/09/atg-love-those-pretty-papers-september.html

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https://merrylittlechristmaschallenge.blogspot.com/2026/09/mlccb-70-anything-christmas-goes-mlccb.html

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https://hollyandivychristmas.blogspot.com/2026/09/challenge-212-anything-christmas-goes_01649853709.html

 

WLS Sept#2 - Trees & Leaves

Good Morning everyone

Its mid way through our September challenge over at We Love Stamping where the theme this month is very topical 

TREES & LEAVES

Don't forget the stamping

Ive gone with a stamped leafy background here as the backdrop for my stamped owl.

Card size approx 5x7" die cut from Kraft card.  Being recycled Kraft card is a good one for a tree theme as saves us cutting down another tree😁 

I stamped the leafy background stamp onto ivory cardstock using my red & orange ombre inkpad, i then added a little green colour with my inktense pencils and then added highlights with white inktense pencil.  This is an A7 stamp so i stamped it twice to get a panel big enough for my background.  I then die cut with the arched panel die which I also cut from more kraft card.  

I adhered the kraft card frame onto a deep rich rust coloured cardstock and then adhered the leafy panels into place and added to the card front.

I then stamped my owl onto more kraft card, coloured with inktense pencils and cut out.  I die cut some leaves from white vellum and added to the cardfront with pinflair glue gel, adding the owl on top of the leaves.  Stamped sentiment with green glitter gems added to finish.

The sentiment is by Clearly Besotted and the set is called 'seasonal sentiments' some of my most used sentiment stamps ever as something for all seasons so very useful

Items Used:

aall&create stamps #557 'Open Leaves' & #306 'owl'

Clearly Besotted stamps 'seasonal sentiments'

Crealies XL arch die set

Arch frame die set 

MFT leaf dies

Kaleidacolor ink pad 'desert heat'

Versafine Clair ink

Derwent Inktense pencils

CraftUK ltd kraft card

Papermania Vellum

We have this fabulous prize for the lucky winners this month so hop over to We Love Stamping to join in 

Id love to enter the following:

https://unicornchallenge.blogspot.com/2026/09/challenge-124-not-square.html

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https://carabbiemomentsofcraft.blogspot.com/2026/09/challenge-286-autumn-colours.html

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https://girlzcreativecrafts.blogspot.com/2026/09/challenge-72-shaped-card.html

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https://dreamvalleychallenge2.blogspot.com/2026/09/challenge-368-autumn-colours.html

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https://craftingacutabove.blogspot.com/2026/09/september-challenge-20.html

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https://inspirationstationchallenge.blogspot.com/2026/09/inspiration-station-challenge-september.html - Inspired by the colours and leaves

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https://craftyanimals.blogspot.com/2026/09/challenge-109.html

 

WLS #1 Sept - Trees & Leaves

Good Morning everyone

Its the first Sunday of September so time for a new challenge at We Love Stamping where the theme picked by me is 

TREES &/OR LEAVES

So apt for the season but don't just think Autumn, we can have lovely bright spring or summer trees/leaves or a wintery wreath full of different foliage's so lots of choices.

For my card I decided to go for both and used a leaf background stamp inked with all the colours of autumn leaves as they change, my ombre ink pads were perfect for this and finished with a brown mirri card die cut tree trunk.

5x6.5" Card cut from cream linen card.

Onto cream linen card i stamped the leaf stamp inking up with 3 different ombre ink pads and die cut into long rectangles.  

As the stamped die cut rectangles were slightly too short for the die i wanted to use for my topper panel i cut them apart where i decided i wanted my tree to go as this would hide the join - originally i planed to adhere back in a continued line but as they slipped on my topper before i glued them in place and i thought ooooh i wonder if i off set them....happy accident but i liked it so adhered them offset slightly - i think it adds interest to want is quite a simple design and adds to the movement of the leaves in the seasons - they go from greens into orange/reds into browns and then drop to the floor. Photo below shows this better.

I die cut the tree trunk from dark chocolate brown mirror card and adhered into place, covering the join in the leaf panels.  I adhered the topper panel onto the card front.  Stamped the quote with dark brown ink onto more cream linen card and added across the bottom of the card front with glue gel so its slightly raised.  Enamel dots added to finish to give the feel of falling leaves.

You can see the shine on the mirror card better at this angle, it just adds another texture and finish.  It was only after adding the enamel dots to my sentiment strip when i realised they were UK traffic lights😂

Quote reads

'Nothing is more peaceful than the whispers of the wind through the trees'

My topper showing how i added the stamped panels.  I could of course just have cut all the panels with a trimmer to fit the stamped panel size but as i was making a fairly CAS design I wanted to use my stitched edged dies to add interest so I made the stamped image fit the dies with some hidden cuts.

Items Used:

aall&create stamp #556 'leaves'

Inkylicious quote stamp 'forest quote'

Kaleidacolor ink pads 'carribean sky, cappuccino delight & desert heat'

Enamel and glitter dots

Memory box birch tree die

MFT stitched panel dies 

CraftUk ltd cream linen card

We have 2 prizes this month, a $30 store voucher from Taylored Expressions and Penny Black stamp set and stencil from Buddly Crafts so hop over to We Love Stamping to join in 

Id love to join in the following:

https://cinspirations.blogspot.com/2026/09/september-challenge-hello-autumn.html - #2

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https://thefourseasonschallenge.blogspot.com/2026/09/fall-season-september-2026.html - 2nd entry

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https://www.simplyellibelle.com/2026/08/ellibelles-garden-party-no-18-anything.html

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https://sweetstampinchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2026/08/use-die-cut.html

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Autumn Wheat - Creative Artiste Sept

 Good Morning everyone

Its the first Friday of September so time for a new challenge over at Creative Artiste where the theme is anything mixed media goes

MIXED MEDIA

Use at least 3 different mediums

Ive gone for a full on autumnal wall hanging with sheaves of wheat

Approx size 5.5x7.5" (14x20cm)

Photos below with a step by step.

Once i had made my wheat i added some of the same gilding flakes to my background in places to tie it together.  I then got arranging my wheat using pinflair glue gel, as i had curved the wheat with a ball tool i could add dabs of pinflair behind them, building up a nice full arrangement....just counting ive used about 20 stems.

I then tied a bow using several loops of garden twine for a nice rustic natural feel....it stayed like that for a long time but i kept thinking it needed something and on looking for something else i came across some printed chipboard shapes and in the set was a turquoise heart which was the perfect colour...i added a nice thick layer of glossy accents to it which adds another finish to the project............

I love adding different finishes to alot of my projects so that the light plays on them at different times of the day, always adding a different look and feel depending on which angle you are looking at it and whether its in sunlight or artificial light at night.  

You can see the light hitting the guilding flakes more here

I love how the wheat turned out from the messy painted background to lovely ombre of autumnal colours giving them more depth than a flat single colour and so simple to achieve - see below 

I used garden twine for my hanging for a rustic feel and added a few beads to match the colours of the wheat

I stamped 'Autumn' onto a scrap of kraft card with dark brown ink and tore it into shape and added into place.  I found a turquoise chipboard heart in my stash which i covered in glossy accents and added to the twine bow.

I cut a piece of corrugate cardboard box to size and peeled off some of the top layer to reveal the corrugations.  I then dry brushed with soft blue white acrylic paint which i also used to stencil on some foliage.  I then used grit texture paste through a brick stencil, it is a duck egg blue colour so a nice contrast to the oranges of the wheat.  I then dry brushed on some soft teal over the whole panel and edges.

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How i made the wheat

I covered 2 sheets of scrap A4 with autumnal coloured acrylic paints - just sponged them on randomly- the messier the better here.  Once dry i added the dreaded gilding flakes - i hate these things so they hide in the back of the cupboard, but i decided to try them this way and found it much better for me as i could just take one flake out at a time so they didn't quite get everywhere.  I just added dabs of mod podge randomly and dotted on the gilding flakes - this is a mixed colour of copper, silver & gold.  Once dry i rubbed off the access.

 

Yes this sheet looks a mess however once its die cut into shape its takes on a completely different look and feel.........see below

I die cut them with my very old IO wheat trio and you get a more natural look with the variegated colours on each head and flashes of the gilding.  Its an easier way to colour die cuts and use up old scrap paper/card as well.  I mostly used folkart matt and pentart chalky paints.  

Items Used

Impression Obsession (IO) wheat tri die set

aall&create stamp set 'seasons'

Cosmic shimmer 'Andy Skinner' matt chalk paint 'Ice Blue' 

FolkArt matte paint - 6459 ocean blue, 434 berry wine, 2560 bark brown, 

954 fresh foliage

Pentart dekor chalky paint - sun yellow, orange, red

Cosmic shimmer guilding flakes

Foliage stencil

Brick stencil

garden twine

cardboard box

beads

I hope you all have a wonderful September and enjoy the splendour of the Autumnal season. Emmax

Id love to enter the following:

https://craftingfromtheartchallenge.blogspot.com/2026/08/august-challenge-2026.html

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https://die-cut-divas.blogspot.com/2026/09/an-ai-event-art-impressions-for.html - Ive recycled the backing panel from a cardboard box and used recycled Kraft card 

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https://thefourseasonschallenge.blogspot.com/2026/09/fall-season-september-2026.html

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https://addictedtostamps-challenge.blogspot.com/2026/09/challenge-525-diecuts-andor-stencils.html

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https://lilredwagon.blogspot.com/2026/09/challenge-874-hayloft.html

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https://cinspirations.blogspot.com/2026/09/september-challenge-hello-autumn.html

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https://tolanythingbutacard.blogspot.com/2026/08/the-outlawz-anything-but-card-september.html