Christmas Card Catch Up

Christmas must nearly be over as we are onto turkey soup now! The best part of the festive season - the soup that is, not that it's almost over!

I didn't get a chance to blog all my Christmas cards before the 25th so this is going to be a marathon post. I hope you have a St. Bernard by your side because you may well need a just a wee sip from the brandy barrel before you get anywhere near the end!

Here we go.

The Chocolate Baroque stamp that was  the freebie with December's Craft Stamper made an appearance on most of my cards this year - it stamped so beautiful.

I joined in the world wide annual Christmas card swap on the Cardmaking Paradise forum. Here is my make  -

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Xerox Colortech+ card
Papermania kraft card
Tartan scrapbooking paper
Inks
Memento - Tuxedo Black
Distress Inks - Tumbled Glass, Walnut Stain
Memories - Sand Memory, Soft Leaf
Stamps
Father Christmas - Blue Moon
Snowflake - December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie
Sentiment - Hero Arts C2850
Other
Red chalk
Glossy Accents
Ultra fine crystal glitter - Stampendous
Spellbinders die cut tag
Ribbon
Brads

This is the swap I received from Australia. Thank you Colleen!

~~..~~

 I intended having silver bows on this next card but I couldn't get them to stick even with Glossy Accents. The red bows looked less garish in real life.

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Xerox Colortech+
Silver card
Inks/Embossing Powder
Tumbled glass Distress Ink
Versamark
Archival Ink - Jet Black
Judikins EP - Lapis Lazuli
Stamps
Snowflake -December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie
Bauble - maker unknown
Sentiment from Reindeer Swirls set SSC1064

Other 

Organza ribbon

~~..~~

I'm sure the image was straight on this card and it's just the angle of the scan that's making it look wonky!
 

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Xerox Colortech+
Silver card
Inks
Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Memories - Sand Memory
Brilliance - Poppy Pearlescent
Stamps
Snowflake -December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie
Main image - Crafty Individuals CI-169 
Other

Red organza ribbon

~~..~~

I won this Darkroom Doors word block stamp in the Craft Stamper giveaway at the end of 2011 and this has been the first chance I've had to use it.

Card Recipe

Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Xerox Colortech+
Tim Holtz Core'dinations card
Inks
Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Memories Sand Memory
Brilliance Poppy Pearlescent
Stamps
Snowflake -December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie 
Word block stamp - Darkroom Door DOWB006 Christmas
Other
Spellbinders snowflake die cut
Ultra fine crystal glitter - Stampendous

Ribbon 

~~..~~

My next offering was based on a card in December's Craft Stamper.

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Gold paper from Craft Creations
Maroon card
Stamps
Snowflake -December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie
Sentiment from Reindeer Swirls set SSC1064 
Inks
Memories Sand Memory & Soft leaf
Brilliance Poppy Pearlescent
Other
Red flat pearls

 ~~..~~

This tag had a hinged back on it so it could stand unaided.

 

Card Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Inks/Embossing Powder
Tumbled Glass Distress Ink
Versamark
Personal Impressions Clear Gloss EP
Memento Tuxedo Black
Copic markers
Stamps
Patchwork Robin personal Impressions PICST001
Snowflake Crafty Individuals
Other
Seam binding coloured with Broken China Distress Stain
Sentiment free from Birds Cards

 ~~..~~

I made several variations of the next card - quick and simple - and yes it's that free stamp again!

Card Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Inks
Memories Sand Memory
Brilliance Poppy Pearlescent
Walnut Stain Distress Ink
Stamps
Snowflake -December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie
Sentiment- Crafty Individuals CI-142

 ~~..~~

 The template for the stocking on this card and the image on the next card both came from Birds Cards, a site with free digital cutting files, digital stamps and more.

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Scrapbooking paper
Glitter card
Inks
Archival Jet Black
Walnut Stain Distress Ink
Stamp
Crafty Individuals CI-326
Other
Ultra fine crystal glitter - Stampendous
Snowflake brad
Red organza ribbon

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Snowflake paper from Craft Creations
Red card
Image
Digital image from Birds Cards
Inks
Broken China Distress Ink
Promarkers/Copic markers
Other
Spellbinders snowflake
Gem

 ~~..~~

 Phew! that's Christmas all done and dusted for another year!

Tim Holtz Challenge - December

Not one but two tags this month. That's because the 2012 challenge didn't start until February. You can find Tim's tags here.

I've tried to stay as close as I could to Tim's basic designs but this has meant a lot of improvisation throughout the year on my part and this month was certainly no exception.

I don't have any metallic Distress Stains so I used Rangers Gold and Silver Dabbers instead. It didn't mix particularly well with the Distress Stain but did the job. However it does make taking photos difficult.

For this first tag I made my own tissue tape from micropore tape. I printed out some music I found on the net (pity I didn't use a something with more notes rather than "O Come All You Faithful" for the pan pipes!) and laid the tape over one stave and put it through the printer again. You can also make tissue tape by stamping on micropore instead of printing. The tinsel came from a piece which displays our Christmas cards each year - just hope we don't get extra cards next year!!

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white, printer card
Watercolour paper
Silver card
Tim Holtz "Coredinations" card
Holly sprig from scrapbooking paper
Paints/Inks
Broken China Distress Stain
Adirondack Silver Dabber
Archival Ink Jet Black
Distress Inks - Broken China, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door, Fired Brick, Black Soot, Vintage Photo
Stamp
Clarity
Dies
Spellbinders snowflake
Cuttlebug Hippie Chick alphabet
Other
Music from internet
Micropore tape
Tinsel
Stampendous crystal glitter
Gem
Seam binding

I didn't have a reindeer charm for my second tag but I did have a Tim Holtz  die-cut reindeer. So I copied it on my printer reducing it by half and printed it onto some card. I then cut out the image - very fiddly - painted it with silver paint and then triple embossed it with clear powder.

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Papermania kraft card
Xerox Colortech+ card
Tim Holtz "Coredinations" card
Old book pages
Paints/Inks
Fired Brick Distress Stain
Adirondack Gold & Silver Dabbers
Jet Black Archival Ink 
Versamark
Distress Inks - Walnut Stain, Fired Brick, Peeled Paint
Stamp
Poinsettia - Stampabilities F1188
Other
Tim Holtz Elegant Flourishes die
Tim Holtz reindeer die-cut reduced on printer
Diamond Stickles
Glossy Accents
Personal Impressions Clear Gloss embossing powder
"Joy" sentiment from internet
Seam binding

I've really enjoyed making the 12 tags of 2012. It's been fun kicking the grey matter into action and working out how to get a similar outcome despite not having all the ingredients that Tim used on his tags. I've learnt some new techniques along the way and reacquainted myself with some long forgotten stash. Do hope that we get to do it all again in 2013.

Wishing you a very ................

Christmas with Cardmaking Paradise

These three cards were made using templates from Cardmaking Paradise. Why not pop over to the site and take a look at what's on offer.

Firstly meet Percy and his mum Polly waiting for Santa. To make Percy, I reduced the original template to baby size on my printer and glued him in front of mum.

Card Recipe
Anna Maria Designs "Super Smooth, Super White, Printer Card"
Tumbled Glass Distress Ink
Black permanent ink pen
Glossy Accents
Bottle top
Black Promarker
Crafty Individuals stamp CI - 326
Ribbon

I've had this Father Christmas stamp for several years and wasn't sure how to use him. The other day I had one of those light bulb moments - he would fit with the Cardmaking Paradise house template. It looks a bit dull in this photo but there is glitter on the snowflake and Father Christmas to give some sparkle.

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Tim Holtz Core'dinations Card stack
Xerox Colortech +
Black card
Cream Christmas Holly - Craft Creations SR104P
Inks
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink
Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Stamp
Wizard Santa - Funstamps F-M152
Other
Spellbinders Snowflake Die
Copic markers
Stampendous Crystal Glitter
Brad
Peel off greeting
Martha Stewart edge punch

My final card is the Cardmaking Paradise rocking snowman.

  
Card Recipe
Anna Maria Designs "Super Smooth Super White Printer Card"
Scrapbook paper from  Craft Creations
Orange card
Black card
Distress Inks - Tumbled Glass and Black Soot
Wire
Wiggly eyes

Fabulous Blog Candy from Crafty Individuals

Crafty Individuals has some fabulous blog candy on offer until the 10th December and this wonderful array of goodies is what you could win.

 

You will find all the details on how to enter on the Crafty Individuals blog.

Two of a kind

I was really chuffed with these two cards and it's not often I say that about things I make. I used the wrinkle free distress technique to apply the ink before applying some more through a mask. On the second card I also added some random script.

Card one

Card Two

Card Recipes

(Both cards)
Card - Craftworkcards Digital Ultra Smooth Premium Cardstock
Mask - Crafters Workshop -  Mini Harlequin
Stamp - Stamp Addicts Wildflowers SA-5029
Ink - Ranger Archival Jet Black

Card One
Maroon card
Picked Raspberry & Shaded Lilac Distress Inks

Card Two
Black card
Peacock Feathers & Squeezed Lemonade Distress Inks
PaperArtsy Script stamp MN44

Follow Your Dreams

For the background on this card I applied Distress Inks with a Dreamweaver stencil brush. This is now my preferred way to apply these inks as it gently builds up the colour on cardstock, although I do go just around the edge with a piece of cut'n'dry to finish off.

 Card Recipe 
Card
Anna Marie Super Smooth, Super White, Printer Card
Silver paper  
Inks
Versafine Onyx Black
Distress Inks - Broken China, Tumbled Glass 
Stamps
Personal Impressions Flower Silhouette PICS057
Personal Impressions Fairy Silhouette PICS056
Leaves - Crafty Individuals  CI-234 
Other
Stampendous ultra fine crystal glitter
Computer generated sentiment

Classy Cat

I do like black and white cards and this cat stamp from Katzelkraft is just right for that colour combination. For the paws I the stamped the image four times before I photocopied them at a reduced size.

Card Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Super Smooth, Super White, Printer Card
Black card
Embossing Folder/Dies
Embossing folder - Cuttlebug Swiss Dots
Spellbinders Nestabilities - Oval and scalloped oval
Inks
Versafine Onyx Black
Black Soot Distress Ink
Stamps
Cat - Katzelkraft Mini 01
Paws - The English Stamp Company
Other
Sentiment - computer generated

Artexed!

For the background of these cards I used the gesso technique shown by Liesbeth Fidder in the November edition of Craft Stamper. The result looks like an artexed ceiling! I sprayed the gesso with Dylusions which is fine until you use glue then the inks re-wet and you have to be careful not to get it on your fingers and transfer it to where you really didn't want it. Obviously from that remark you've guessed I did just that!

Card One

Card Two 

 

Card Recipe (Both cards)
Card
White card
Black card
Paints/Inks
Claudine Hellmuth Studio Gesso
Dylusions Ink - London Blue, Vibrant Turquoise
Stazon Jet Black
Ranger Archival Jet Black
Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Stamps
Flourish - Crafty Individuals CI 182
Lady - The Artistic Stamper
Dots - Stamp Addict
Dies
Tim Holtz Elegant Flourishes
Other
Paper Flower spryed with Dylusions
Brad

Card One
Core Color  Card "Aqueduct"

Card Two
Silver card
Salty Ocean Distress Ink on dress
Broken China Distress Stain & Ink around the edge of white base card
Base card - Anna Marie Super Smooth, Super White, Printer Card
Alcohol ink on brad