Away in A Manger

Good Morning everyone.

Today im sharing my first set of Christmas cards.  I went with a stained glass feel and the traditional Nativity scene.

6x6" cardblank.  I first die cut the scene from black cardstock and attached a square of acetate behind.  I then used Imagination Crafts Starlight paints on the back of the acetate with a sponge, it needed 2 layers but the paint dries fast.

 I then cut a piece of white cardstock smaller than my cardfront and die cut the nativity die from the middle of it so that i had a 'window'  recess to sit my black one back in.  I then embossed the panel with a brick design embossing folder.  I attached this panel over my nativity scene, mounted onto black card and then the cardbase.   To avoid waste i did actually cut my black nativity from the piece of card i used as my 'mat' layer as i knew it wouldn't be seen so no one would know.

I then stamped a greeting and die cut into shape.  I die cut some winter foliage from card painted with shades of green Starlight paints and added underneath the sentiment. 

Version 2, i made 20 and all are slightly different with my stained glass window and a good start to my christmas cards. 

A close up, you can just about see the shimmer from the starlight paints but doesn't really do it justice, in real life the shimmer and shine is amazing. I found i got a smooth effect using a sponge to add the paint rather than a brush.  Ive had this die years and remembered why i haven't used it much since the first year - it cuts beautifully but takes ages to get all the bits out as it is a solid die so you have to use a pokey tool to poke each little piece out so very time consuming, even using wax paper or a tumble wipe makes no difference.

Items Used:

Cottage Cutz nativity die

Spellbinders circle & oval dies

Tim Holtz foliage dies

Various sentiment stamps

Imagination Craft starlight paints

Acetate

CraftUk Ltd 6x6 cardblanks

Payper box black cardstock

Thank you all for stopping by once again and all the comments you take the time to leave.  I hope you all enjoy the rest of this week and the weekend.  Emmax

Id love to enter the following challenges:

http://thesisterhoodofcrafters.blogspot.com/2019/09/embossing-wet-or-dry.html

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http://happylittlestampers.blogspot.com/2019/09/hls-september-anything-goes-with-dies.html

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https://merrylittlechristmaschallenge.blogspot.com/2019/09/mlccb-14-september-anything-christmas.html

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Birthday Wheat

Morning Everyone

Today im sharing an Autumn Male birthday card, although i think you could also use it for us girlies that are into nature. 

6x6" kraft cardbase.   I attached a square of ivory card which has a light woodgrain pattern to it.  I die cut my birthday circle from the ivory card and attached to a kraft circle, a chocolate brown mirror card circle embossed with a leaf patten and a burnt orange mirror card circle frame, i attached these to my cardfront overlapping each other. 

I then die cut my wheat from chocolate, burnt orange, gold & copper mirror card and kraft card.  The die cuts have open ears so so help them stand out i added a plain one behind.  To get the plain cut i first die cut the die in kraft card and left that one in the die, i then cut the die again with another peice of card, this means that only the outside edge of the die cuts (more details in last photo) 

I then arranged 5 wheat ears, added a twine bow and 3 little chipboard birdies to finish.

Close up on my wheat.

This photo will hopefully make more sense of how i did the wheat, the left one is how the die cuts, to make a solid bottom layer i left the die cut in the die (middle photo) and cut again, this means it doesn't cut all the way through in the middle keeping the little bits attached as (right photo).  Some dies work better than others at this technique

Items Used:

Concord & Ninth leaf/wheat die

Birthday senitment circle die

Spellbinders circle dies

Chipboard birds

Payper box ivory woodgrain embossed card

CraftUk ltd Kraft card

Various mirror card

Thank you all for stopping by once again.  I hope you enjoyed some beautiful weather this week in among all the rain.  My new niece is tiny - as all babies are - we soon forget how small they are don't we.  My niece Alice has settled into school very well and enjoying it.  I hope you all have a good week. Hugs Emma

Id Love to enter the following:

https://themaleroomchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2019/09/challenge-119-autumn.html

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http://diecuttindivas.blogspot.com/2019/09/ch-437-birthday.html

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http://unicornchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/09/challenge-47-autumn.html

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http://craftygalscornerchallenges.blogspot.com/2019/09/challenge-199-fall-colors.html

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https://creativecraftcottage.blogspot.com/2019/09/challenge-122-for-men-in-your-life.html

Life is a Canvas

Morning everyone, i hope you are having a good week.

Today im sharing a stamped card, where ive used lots of different stamps to build up my garden scene.

7x7" scalloped cardbase.  I took a square of white card and stamped my flowers in black and then masked them with pebeo drawing gum. I doodled in some ground with a black fine liner pen. I then inked up the background with distress inks. I added in some detail with oxide inks and stencils.  I added some stamping in grey with a dictionary stamp and stamped in some water drops.  I removed excess ink from the water drops with a damp brush and dabbed with tissue & then added some glossy accents.  

I then removed the masking fluid and coloured the flowers with wink of stella pens.  I die cut lots of little butterfly from purple inked card.  I stamped my little lady onto white card and cut her out.  I stamped the sentiment and cut out. I added my little lady with dimension.  Doodled in white gel pen dots for butterfly trails. 

I then mounted the panel onto silver glitter card and then navy cardstock and then the cardfront. 

A close up, you can just make out the sparkle but in real life the wink of stella pens really shimmer and sparkle. 

Items Used:

Carabelle stamps - 'zinouk du jardin'

Water drop stamps

Stampin Up dictionary stamp

Bee crafty sentiment stamp

Various stencils

Memory box mini butterfly die

Wink of Stella pens

Distress oxide & original inks

In answer to a question last week Kirsty i always use a normal paintbrush over a waterbrush when colouring in images, just personal choice as i find have more control over the amount of water im using. 

Im off to meet my new baby niece today so looking forward to that.  I hope you all have a good day whatever your plans. Hugs Emma

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Id love to enter the following:

http://sirstampalotchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/09/september-anything-goes-with-flowers.html

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http://alwaysfunchallenges.blogspot.com/2019/09/challenge-127.html

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Gaggle of Geese

Morning everyone.

This is the 2nd card i made for my brother's birthday, completely different to the first one but still the farm animal theme.  This image is apt as he has 3 geese that are very free range and come and go as they like.

Approx 6x6 finished size.  I first took a piece of gold mirror card and coloured it with 3 different green alcohol inks, its gives a lovely mottled effect but you still get the shine of the mirror card coming through.

The geese circle was cut from black and white card and off set , i attached them to a die cut circle of of inked mirror card, then mounted onto a large white and then black die cut circle.

I die cut a spellbinders grand labels 1 from black card, a small one from white card and then a small one again from the green mirror card.  I folded the black one in half to form my cardbase.  I dry embossed the mirror one with a brick style embossing folder and then cut it in half along with the white one, i attached them together and added to the base card, one to the front and one to the back. 

Stamped sentiment to finish. 

Showing it side on and how the shape easily stands up.  This definately shows the green tones on the gold mirror card much better.  It you have some alcohol inks in your stash i recommend trying them on mirror card, you get different effects if you use silver or gold too. 

Items Used:

Lavinia Gaggle of Geese 

Spellbinders Grand Label1

Spellbinders grand & standard circle dies

LOTV sentiment circle stamp

Tim Holtz Alcohol inks - green shades

Gold Mirror card

Thank you all for stopping by once again.  I hope you all have a good week. Emma

Id Love to enter the following:

http://cutitupchallenges.blogspot.com/2019/09/challenge-182-farm-friends.html

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https://creativecraftcottage.blogspot.com/2019/09/challenge-122-for-men-in-your-life.html

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http://diesruschallenge.blogspot.com/2019/09/challenge-128-nature.html

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https://do-allkreatives.blogspot.com/2019/09/33-geschnittene-karten.html - shaped cards

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Rare Breeds

Good Morning everyone.

Today im sharing a birthday card i made for one of my brothers birthdays.  On his farm he likes to work with rare breeds and has been a little part of a revival in a few of them. His dairy herd is a mixed bag of breeds and his 2 donkeys like to run with the herd too.  He has just taken on 2 pigs of a lesser breed.  

This lot of Katzelkraft farm animals sure are a mixed bunch and very rare indeed with the lilac & green cow, purple pig and orange yellow donkey.  Mr Cockeral is a bit hyper and into everything and the lime, orange & pink duck has just lost the plot😁  

7x7 scalloped card blank.  On a piece of white card i stamped out my animals, i didn't bother masking them as knew i would be decoupaging the front ones so that would hide any overlapped stamping.  I also stamped out the cow, pig and duck onto another piece of card.

 I coloured them all simply with distress oxide inks. I then cut out the extra ones. 

I mounted my topper onto black cardstock and added a die cut white frame with foam tape.  

I cut a piece of white card smaller than my cardfront and embossed with a hessian effect embossing folder and lightly inked over the top with pale blue ink, i then attached to black card and my card base. 

I then added my extra animals with glue gel with the duck right at the front out of the frame.  I computer printed my sentiment to say 'Rare Breeds.......Oh Yes Indeed'  in a funky font and cut out wonky, mounted onto black card and attached to the card front. I doodled in some borders and added glossy accents to the eyes to finish.

A close up of the motley crew.  My brother actually has geese and not ducks but no goose stamp in the set so went with the fabulous duck instead.

Items Used:

Katzelkrafts Farm animal stamp set

MFT frame die

Crafters companion hessian 8x8 embossing folder

Distress Oxide inks

Thank you all for stopping by once again, i hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Emmax

Id love to enter the following:

https://moo-mania.blogspot.com/2019/09/199-use-stamp.html

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http://2craftycrittercrazies.blogspot.com/2019/09/challenge-30-sponsored-by-qkr-stampede.html

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http://abitmoretimetocraft.blogspot.com/2019/09/a-bit-more-time-to-craft-challenge-99.html

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http://craftyanimals.blogspot.com/2019/09/challenge-30.html

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New Baby Girl

Good Morning everyone.

Last week my 5th niece was born - Charlotte Rose.  So im sharing the 2 cards i made for her, as usual for family occasions i make 2 as one is for my parents so i always try and make them completely different.

7x7" White scalloped cardblank.  I mounted pink patterened paper onto grey pearl card and then the base card.  I die cut my elephant from the soft grey pearl card and the pink paper and layered together.  I die cut a white frame and added it to the card front with foam tape, i added my elephant and my die cut sentiment - the baby is one word and i made up the 'girl' using individual alpha dies. . 

Close up on my little elephant.  I added a darker eye to help it stand out a little bit more as in retrospect think the paper might be too busy.  In order to cut the pink paper elephant i first cut the grey card elephant and left the die cut in the die and then cut the paper, this means it just cut around the outside of the elephant and not the lacy inside. 

For card 2 i used neutrals and a little lion, approx 5.5x5.5".  I first die cut my lion from beige dotty card and champagne glitter card, i then cut off the main and tail and glued onto the dotty lion.  I added a piece of brown card to the back of his head for the ears/eyes.  I die cut a octogen from ivory card and stamped my greeting in chocolate brown, i mounted this onto a champagne glitter octogen. 

Using my crealies octogen patchword die set i die cut the beige dotty card into patchwork peices and mounted them onto a large octogen from ivory cardstock.  I then added the lion topper panel with foam tape.  I used a dark brown fine liner pen to add in stitch details.

A close up on my lion, sadly the photo doesn't do the glitter card justice as it really sparkles. 

Items Used:

Crealies octogen  patchwork dies

Memory box stitched octogen dies

Lion die

Filagree elephant die

Mama elephant frame die set

sentiment & alphabet dies

Kanban pink patten paper

Anne-Marie taupe dotty cardstock

Grey pearl & Ivory leather effect card - payper box

CraftUK ltd white card

Champagne glitter cardstock

Thank you all for stopping by once again.  I hope you all have a good week, i can't beleive its time for the children to go back to school.  Emmax

Thank you card

Good Morning one and all.  I hope you are enjoying your bank holiday monday if here in the UK. 

Today im sharing a thank you card, all stamped with Lavinia stamps.

I first took a piece very dark forest green cardstock and die cut it with spellbinders grand lables 1, i folded this in half to create my fancy shaped cardbase.  On a piece of cardstock id previously made with brushos & pixie powders i stamped out my little scene. Using my stamp platform i lined up my thank you stamp with the foot of the fairy so it kind of looks like she is drawing it with her foot.

 I doodled in some ground & tiny flower with a black fine liner pen.  I then die cut this with a spellbinders scalloped labels1 and mounted onto a large one cut from the forest green cardstock.  I cut a piece of the inked card to layer onto my base card and then mounted my topper by just adding the glue to the bottom half.

I added in highlight details with a white gel pen, touches glitter glue and added a little shading to the ground with a grey marker pen.

Side on view showing how the card stands up.  This is an old favourite design of mine as the non crafting recipients are impressed with it but its also very easy to stand up and easy to post in a normal envelope.  Can easily be done with any square shape.  I do enjoy stamping so much more since getting the stamping platform, its ideal for those with issues with their hands. 

Items Used:

Spellbinders labels1 grand and scalloped

Brusho's 

Cosmic Shimmer Pixie powders

Lavinia stamps

Sentiment stamp

Thank you all for stopping by once again.  I hope you all have a good week. Emma

Id love to enter the following challenges:

https://cceestampers.blogspot.com/2019/08/ccee1934-fancy-fold-cards.html

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https://tuesdaytaggers.blogspot.com/2019/08/in-my-garden-there-is.html  In my garden there is:  lots of hedgehogs and flowers and yes definitely a fairy or two among all the vibrant colours