Happy Holiday

This card was so much fun. I love the 'Primary' challenge at Fusion - I love bright colours, and the sketch was... well, challenging!

 It was a bit like a jigsaw working out how to piece it together.
The card is unashamedly a summer one (sorry, those of you approaching winter!) and when I made it, it was windy and cold, so I was looking forward, not out the window. Since I made it, we've had another major earthquake here in New Zealand, and many, particularly in the South Island, are suffering the consequences. I even wondered if it was appropriate to post, but then decided that I quite like how it makes me feel hopeful that there might be good things to look forward to soon.

Made using:
Stampin' Up paper (Whisper White, Garden Green, Real Red, Daffodil Delight), Pacific Point ink and 'brights' enamel dots
Craft Creations Kiwiana Christmas dies, embossing folder and stamps

Awesome and grateful

For this card, I drew inspiration from three challenges: Less is More's colour challenge #301: purple and gold; The Paper Players' theme challenge PP320 'Count your Blessings - Thankful' and Stamp, Ink, Paper's theme challenge 'Grateful'. 

I have just received Stampin' Up's new Stitched Shapes Framelits, and was pleased when the oval shape worked with the Pretty Paisleys embossing folder. I can see many happy hours fiddling around with the stitched shapes ahead!

Here's the inside: 

Made using:

Paper: Stampin Up Very Vanilla, Gold foil and Petals and Paisleys DSP

Stamps: Paisleys and Posies, Grateful Bunch

Other: Stampin' Up Stitched Shapes Framelits, Pretty Paisleys Embossing Folder

Merry and Bright

It's been a while since I had time to make a card for a challenge - very annoying when your job gets in the way of making cards!
I thought CAS(E) this Sketch's challenge #196 was great, and suited a very simple colour scheme, which I'd been wanting to try. As I did once before here, I used New Zealand's Christmas-blooming pohutukawa blossom, both as the main image and embossed into the lower half of the card.

Made using:
Stampin' Up Whisper White and Real Red paper
Craft Creations Pohutukawa Dies and Kiwiana Christmas Pohutukawa embossing folder
Rosies baker's twine
Simon Says Stamp Christmas Greetings

Card offering support

I made lots of cards over the weekend, since I knew I'd be back at work (school) today. However, this also means lots of posts at once! I loved the idea of a simple card offering support, in CASology's Week 218 challenge, and tried to strip back colour, design and layers as much as I could. Just HAD to lift the central image a little, though!

I embossed the flowers in white onto one of my favourite card colours - Stampin' Up's Sweet sugarplum. I chose Early Espresso as the sentiment colour - black seemed a bit harsh. Here's a close up: 

Made using: 

Stampin' Up products: Sweet Sugarplum and Whisper White paper, Sheltering Tree stamp (sentiment)

Other: American Crafts Zing! embossing powder in opaque white, BoBunny's Doodle Blooms stamps, My Favourite Things Sie-namics steel dies (stitched frame)

Freshly Made Christmas Card

I'm on a bit of a mission to make Christmas cards, and so the first thing I think about when looking at a new challenge at the moment is if I can imagine a Christmas card using it. Freshly Made Sketches' #257 gave me this idea. I was pleased to be able to use my new frame die from My Favourite Things.

Made Using:

Stampin' Up's Very Vanilla paper, Early Expresso, Watermelon Wonder and Emerald Envy ink

My Favourite Thing's frame die

Simon Says Stamp!'s Merry Christmas die and Christmas 3x4 stamp

Kaisercraft's Christmas Wishes stamp

My Mind's Eye's Christmas on Market Street Designer Cardstock Paper

Southern Christmas

I loved this week's CAS(E) this sketch challenge - #193 (see below) , and used it to give shape to my thoughts about Christmas cards here in the Southern Hemisphere. I do love 'traditional' Christmas cards with snow etc, but it always seems a bit odd to be exchanging them while wearing togs (a swimsuit to all you non-New Zealanders!) and eating summer foods.
I gave this card a New Zealand flavour by including the five stars (four big and one little) of the Southern Cross, which appear on our flag (also see below). I sponged the background with various shades of blue to suggest the light shining from the stars, but otherwise kept the colours very simple.

Made using:
Stampin' Up: Night of Navy and Whisper White paper, Pictogram Punches stamp set, silver embossing powder, Delicate Ornaments Thinlits dies, Soft Sky, Marina Mist, Dapper Denim and Night of Navy Ink
Other: Versamark Embossing ink, Simon Says Stamp Christmas 3x4 stamp set

Thanks in turquoise and lilac

For this card, I used Less is More's Colour challenge #296: turquoise and lilac, and CAS(E) this Sketch's #192 (see below for sketch). I love the new Petals and Paisleys suite from Stampin' Up, and enjoyed using it here.

Made using:

Stampin' Up Products: Whisper White Paper, Petals and Paisleys stamps and dies, Thoughful Banners stamps, Bermuda Bay ink, Lovely Lilac ink

Other: Francheville rhinestones, Faber Castell Watercolour pencils