I'm a Happy Little Stamper!

Happy 2019! I'm starting the new year by joining the Happy Little Stampers Watercolour Challenge Design Team! (For me, it's still 2018 as I post this, but the challenge is based in Australia...) A big thank you to Carol Mayne for recommending me, and to Kylie Purtell for believing what Carol said about me. :D 

The January challenge, and my first as a new member of the team, has the optional twist of Texture. 

In a complete change of pace from weeks of Christmas cards and tags, I chose to make a sympathy card: 

This was my first chance to use this pretty sweet pea image from Studio Katia, as it arrived just as the rush of November's 25 Days of Christmas Tags began. I really like it in the vibrant purples of my Zig markers. I found a pale green cardstock that complemented the leaves and used an embossing folder to add my texture element. The sympathy sentiment is part of the same stamp set, making it easy to complete the card. I'll add this to Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday anything goes challenge. 

I hope you will visit the Happy Little Stampers challenge page to admire all the beautiful creations of my new teammates! What better way to welcome January than to join us with your own watercolour project. 

Supplies: Neenah white & scrap light green cardstock, Studio Katia You're So Sweet stamps & dies, Versafine onyx black ink, Wow clear embossing powder, Zig markers, MFT blueprints 29 sentiment flag, Spellbinders grid embossing folder, Mary-Uchida corner-rounding punch

R is for...

Of course at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers, R is for Rude Christmas! Just as Edna is keeping her rudeness on the subtle side - I think? - so am I...

I have paired Santa with this sentiment before, so wanted a new way to use them. Luckily, this sentiment fits perfectly on a tag, so I could feature it in a slightly different way. Some fun patterned paper and a little bit of ribbon for the tag finished it off. 
Some of the sisters are also on the design team at Shopping Our Stash, where the current theme is Tis the Season, so I'm linking my card there as well as to the Happy Little Stampers Christmas challenge, skipping the optional theme of "snow" unless you want to count the red and green dots. :D At least they're not yellow... And one more challenge, the current Christmas-themed Wednesday Simon Says Stamp challenge.
For more rude Christmas inspiration, check out what my sisters in snark, as well as our newest Queen of Snark and guest designer Lisa have dreamed up! This challenge runs for FOUR weeks, so work out some issues on a card and come join us! 

   

Supplies: red, black, Neenah white & desert storm cardstock, Lawn Fawn patterned paper, Technique Tuesday Dear Santa stamps, Versafine onyx black & crimson red ink, Ranger clear & Hero Arts sparkle embossing powder, Copic markers, (?) tag dies, foam tape

It's a Tag!

Every once in a while, I like to break out of my usual clean and simple style of cardmaking. Often when I do, I turn to my Graphic 45 supplies, as they tend to lend themselves to more elaborate creations. (Mine still stay pretty CAS compared to some...) I got all collage-y and made a tag for G45's December challenge: 

It should come as no surprise that one of my favourite G45 collections is A Christmas Carol. Some day I'll run out of it and be sad, but for today I played around with different papers and images until I had a tag I liked. I like how the small journalling card has room for the recipient's name on the front. Of course I will select that recipient carefully, as it needs to be someone who also appreciates Dickens. ;) 

I am also adding this to Simon Says Stamp's Warm Winter Wishes Monday challenge.

Supplies: manila tag base, Graphic 45 A Christmas Carol patterned paper, May Arts ribbon & twine, foam tape

Muse: ChristmasVisions Free-For-All!

Have you ever noticed that the majority of year-round Christmas card challenge blogs close down for the month of December? Not Muse: ChristmasVisions! I don't know about you, but I never have all the cards I need by the end of November, so this can come in handy if you're looking for inspiration. Not only that, but we make it a "free-for-all" challenge, so any holiday-themed card can be linked up. Cornelia offered her inspiration last week, and I'm offering mine below. If you need more ideas, simply stroll through the link-up cards! Something is sure to jump-start your creativity. 

As I often do, I went for clean and simple and cute. I coloured my little snow guy with markers, and did the same with my die cut sentiment, as I'd originally cut it in white. The sentiment also has sparkle thanks to a Wink of Stella marker. Just for fun, I used a swiss dot embossing folder for the backing panel for an easy hint of snow. 

Supplies: Neenah white and Stampin' Up real red cardstock, Neat & Tangled Santa's Wonderland stamps & dies, Versafine onyx black ink, Ranger clear embossing powder, Neat & Tangled Be Merry & MFT diagonal stitched frame dies, Copic Markers, Cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder, foam tape

Winter with the Snarky Sisters

We know, it's not officially winter yet, but it feels like it where I live! And so the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers has a new challenge, W is for Winter. For some reason, even though I am definitely not a fan of winter, I couldn't seem to summon up any snark for my card...

Perhaps my lack of snark is due to all the Christmas tags I made last month? Whatever the reason, I went for this serene winter scene, not dissimilar to this tag (scroll down) I made. I started with a smooshed distress ink background for a wintry afternoon, then added all the different die cuts. A red frame and embossed white sentiment were all I felt were needed to finish the card.  
I'll add this to the current Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes Wednesday challenge. 

There are lots more wintry creations to admire on the Snarky blog, by my sisters in snark as well as our returning queen, Donna! Snarky or not, why not join us with your own winter project? 

Supplies: Neenah white, Papertrey Ink smokey shadow & Stampin' Uo real red cardstock, Canson watercolour paper, Versamark & tumbled glass, stormy sky & spun sugar distress inks, Sunny Studio rustic winter, CUTplorations stitched snow hills & MFT diagonal stitched rectangle frame dies, foam tape