Framed Christmas

This week's challenge from Sunday Stamps was an interesting sketch made up of frames:

I went back to my absolute favourite set from last year's Stampin' Up Christmas Catalogue - the Quilt set. I ended up not using the stamps, but the dies and paper instead, to make this card:

Ingredients: Stampin' Up card (Blushing Bride, Garden Green, Real Red, Pool Party, Whisper White) Quilt DSP, Quilt Builder framelits, Quilt Top embossing folder.

Other products: Crafter's Choice 'New Traditions' stamps, Rosie's glitter dots. 

Apples!

The theme this week for The Paper Players was... Apples (and Clean and Simple). Luckily, I read some of the designer's blogs, because it wasn't till I read Jan Clothier's that I remembered that I, too had the Thoughtful Branches apple - and like her, that was the only apple in my collection!
The card started out super clean and simple, but then I had a workplace (well, craftplace!) injury - caught my finger on the paper cutter - and bled all over one edge of the card. Rather than start again, I made a frame for the un-bled-on bit - I hope it's still clean and simple enough!
The card:

Ingredients

Stampin' Up card (Whisper White, Night Of Navy) ink (Nigh of Navy, Basic Black, Granny Apple Green, Real Red), stamps (Thoughtful Branches, Swirly Frames, Itty Bitty Greetings), MFT stamp and dies (Kitschy Kitchen)

Musical Christmas

I loved Just Add Ink's sketch challenge #431:

I especially loved that I thought of a way to use the Musical Season stamps and dies - I think they're great, but I haven't had much success with them. (Until now!)

Ingredients:
Stampin' Up card (Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler), water colour pencils (Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler, Gorgeous Grape) stamps (Musical Seasons), dies (Musical Instruments), gold embossing powder, Botanical Gardens vellum
Other Products: Stazon Black ink, gold card

Simple Christmas

I'm trying to make some Christmas cards, this year, that don't assume the recipients will be filled with nothing but joy. Perhaps it's because I'm getting older, but I think Christmas can become overwhelming, particularly if you're grappling with loss or sadness. I used Freshly Made Sketches sketch challenge #359 as a starting point for this card:

Ingredients:

Stampin' Up card (Whisper White, Island Indigo, Gorgeous Grape, Elegant Eggplant) ink (Elegant Eggplant, Island Indigo) Quilt Top embossing folder, Quilt Builder framelits, Pretty Label punch, 

Christmas Pines stamps for sentiment.

Other: gold card, Recollections 'Northern Lights' DSP, Rosie's glitter dots. 

CAS Christmas

I'm clearly in a CAS mood at the moment! I'm making and (gathering up ones I've already made) cards to send to my daughter, who is now working for a charity and asked if I had some to donate for sale. I leapt at the chance - now I can feel virtuous about time spent in the craft room (aka her bedroom, but she left home years ago, so I think it's fair to re-purpose it!)
Anyway, personally, I like Christmas cards that don't evoke winter, since we're on the way to a summer Christmas in NZ. This one, in response to CAS Colors and Sketches #294: Blushing Bride, Soft Suede and Berry Burst (a delicious combination!)  isn't particularly summery, but I wouldn't call it a winter card either.

Ingredients:

Stampin' Up card, (Berry Burst, Whisper White, Soft Suede), ink (Basic Black, Berry Burst, Soft Suede, Blushing Bride), stamps (Festival of Trees, and Christmas Pines for the sentiment) and punch (the one that goes with the Festival of Trees!)

Tagged housewarming

I made this CAS card for a friend of ours who has just moved into his new house. Together, Less is More's 'Tags' challenge #382 and Color Throwdown's color combo for ctd515: green, kraft and white gave me the idea for the card (we gave him a mandarin tree, so the garden-y image is appropriate!).

Card ingredients: 

Stampin' Up card (Whisper White, Kraft), watercolour pencil (old olive), Seasoned with Kindness stamp set.

Other products: Stazon black ink, francheville diamantes, American Crafts black glitter embossing powder and thread, Faber Castell Umbra watercolour pencil, Sizzix Tag Collection framelits