Happy Little Stampers: Christmas

I'm welcoming December with the Happy Little Stampers watercolour challenge! Our optional theme for this last month of the year is, not too surprisingly, Christmas. After making so many tags through November, it was almost a challenge to go back to the larger canvas of a card! I chose a large image to help me: 

My poinsettia is heat embossed on watercolour paper. The line style of the artwork meant there would be lots of nooks and crannies for watercolour powder to show off its different shades and colours. While it was drying, I added a wash of bundled sage distress ink to the back panel, speeding up its drying time with my heat tool. Then, by flicking water, I was able to add some of the same embossing powder to the mat and heat emboss the spatters. I also added some spatters of the same distress ink. Once the flower was dry, I cut it close to the edge, and added it and the sentiment to the green panel. A green card base was my last step. I thought about adding some dimension to the centre of the poinsettia, but nothing I had would have matched the embossing, so I left it alone. 

There are beautiful inspiration cards on the HLS blog today, in a variety of styles! If you aren't in need of Christmas cards, we'd love to see any new watercolour project added to the monthly gallery. I have thoroughly enjoyed this first year of bringing watercolour inspiration to you with Happy Little Stampers!  

Supplies: Canson watercolour paper, Craft Smith textured green card base, Altenew Modern Poinsettia stamps, Versamark & bundled sage distress ink, moonstone embossing powder, Magenta Nuance red watercolour powder

The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers: Yummy

Happy Saturday! We are ready to begin a new challenge at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers: Y is for Yummy! Edna obviously thinks a lot of different "things" are yummy, as do I, but I went for a perhaps obvious choice: 

Dessert is always yummy, right? :D A chocotini seemed like the closest martini to dessert. To offset the choice of brown ink for my drink, I embossed it in sparkle embossing powder and gave it a colourful backdrop using a Concord & 9th turnabout stamp. 

So many interpretations of our theme on the Snarky blog today, by my sisters and our current reigning Queen of Snark and guest designer, Helen! Hope to see you playing along! 

Supplies: Neenah white & Papertrey Ink smoky shadow cardstock, MFT Martini Time stamps & dies, MFT A Toast TO You & Concord & 9th Mosaic turnabout stamps, Versamark, Memento rich cocoa, dandelion, lilac posies, Paris dusk & Stampin' Up real red inks, Hero Arts sparkle embossing powder

25 Days of Christmas Tags: DAY 26!

This is it, it really is the last day of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags! Isn't it nice, having an extra day, sort of like finding an extra present after you think you've opened them all. ;) 

Today we welcome our bonus day guest and sponsor, Hello Bluebird! 

I have two pairs of tags today using Hello Bluebird products. First up, a couple of cuties: 

The fox is very cute, but HELLO, that bunny? Totally makes me smile. For each tag, I coloured the critters in with Copics, picked an appropriate tag colour, and then blended the edges with some white ink for a frosty look. The fox's snowflake is embossed in puffy white embossing powder, and the mistletoe berries are given a hint of dimension with a white glaze pen. Close ups: 

A couple of very simple bookmark tags: 

These large sentiments come in both outline and solid form, and I chose to heat emboss the solid versions, in silver for the blue tag, and white for the red tag. Just to make them different, I sprayed and splattered the red tag with sparkle mist. Again, close ups: 

If you have been playing along in Tracey's event, whether by making your own tags inspired by each day's designers, or by commenting on the designers' creations, you still have a few days to play along! As for me, I can move on to all the things I've neglected over the past 26 days... ;) 

Our 26 generous sponsors! 

Supplies: (fox & bunny) Neenah white & Stampin' Up bashful blue & basic grey cardstock, Hello Bluebird First Snow & Snow Fun stamps & dies, Versamark, Versafine onyx black, Colorbox frost white & Memento Luxe Danube blue ink, Wow clear gloss & puff white embossing powder, Copic markers, PTI Tag Sale 2 & CUTplorations stitched tag dies, Gelly Roll white glaze pen, Offray & Michaels ribbon;  (merry & peace) scrap blue & red cardstock, Hello Bluebird Bold Holidays stamps, Versamark & Versafine onyx black ink, Wow clear gloss, Hero Arts white & silver embossing powder, PTI bookmark die, Hemptique blue & red & silver twine

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 25!

Here we are... Day 🌟25🌟 of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags! (Shh, don't tell anyone, but somehow there is one more day tomorrow...) Today our guest and sponsor is Honey Bee Stamps! 

I had great fun playing with my Honey Bee goodies! I ended up with a trio of tags: 

The sentiments are all from a terrific stamp set called Santa Express. I really like the font! And all the tags are made from their Scallop Circle Gift tag. It includes two different inner circle dies plus a tag reinforcer. For an extra added bonus... the two patterned paper tags? That's from the bag Honey Bee packaged my order in! As soon as I saw it, I planned to use it for my tags. I discovered I had a perfect ink to coordinate with it - but finding appropriate ribbon was another story. :D Because the weight of the bag paper was fairly light, I backed it with white cardstock. And I had one of those days where I could not align them perfectly. When things like that happen, I confess to reminding myself that THESE ARE TAGS - let's face it, they tend to get even less attention than our carefully handcrafted cards! A closer look at each one: 

Do you want to win a prize? Tracey has an amazing lineup of sponsors, and you can be eligible for a prize by making your own inspired tags or by commenting on the designers' posts daily! As a reminder, all the details of the tag event can be found here. And contrary to expectations, I'm back tomorrow with one more day of tags! 

Our sponsors! Thank you! ♡

Supplies: Neenah white & desert storm & Stampin' Up old olive cardstock, upcycled paper bag, Honey Bee Stamps Santa Express stamps, Stampin' Up bravo burgundy & old olive ink, Wow clear embossing powder (for the olive tag) Honey Bee Stamps Scallop Circle Gift tag dies, Pebbles Inc & Offray ribbon, May Arts red twine, jute cord, $ store jingle bells

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 24

Day 24 of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags! It's a little bit like Christmas Eve... well, not really, but it sounds good. ;) Remember that all the details of this event, plus the link-up for your own tags, can be found here. 

For Day 24, we welcome guest and sponsor Heffy Doodle!

Heffy Doodle sent the Tag Team a generous assortment of supplies. Here's the first tag I made: 

These stamps are all from Wanna Build a Snowman, and the stance of this cute little penguin seemed perfect for having him add the star to the Christmas tree. Of course, he's shorter than the tree, so I have him standing on a giant snowball. To ground the scene, I used a Versamarker to add a line of white puff embossing powder. For the sentiment, I used just the last word "warmest" from a longer sentiment, and paired it with the larger "wishes". The main images are all watercoloured. 

For my second tag, I wanted to come up with a design to use what may be the world's smallest gingerbread stamp! 

I used my small Gina K Build-a-Wreath stencil to use my gingie, a candy cane and a hard candy. Mrs. Claus, in her apron, gets to take centre stage. She is coloured with Copics, and her glasses and holly berry have a bit of Glossy Accents. Hey, it was already out from the last tag. :D   

One last quick tag. I asked for Heffy Doodle's Bubble Waves stencil, as when I saw it, I thought it would be fun to use for an abstract, snowy background. 

Does it work? Even if it doesn't really suggest snow, I like how it looks. Since my last tag was images with no sentiment, this one is sentiment only. (I always have a justification. :D) 

I have an obligation to keep up with my tags ;) but if you've fallen behind, not to worry - Tracey will leave the link-up open for a few days after the event ends, so any tags you are catching up on have a chance to be added to the gallery. And don't forget to comment on designers' tags to increase your odds of winning a fun prize! 

All of our sponsors! 

Supplies: (penguin) Stampin' Up bashful blue cardstock, Canson watercolour paper, Heffy Doodle Wanna Build a Snowman stamps & dies, Versamarker, Versafine onyx black & Brilliance pearlescent sky blue ink, Wow clear gloss & white puff embossing powder, Gansai Tambi watercolours, Studio Katia bookmark tag die, frosted lace & icicle Stickles, Glossy Accents, Offray ribbon, Divine twine; (Mrs. Claus) Neenah white & desert storm & (?) red cardstock, Santa's Village stamps & dies, Versafine onyx black, Memento ladybug & bamboo leaves, & Papertrey Ink fine linen ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Gina K wreathes builder stencil, Avery Elle circle tag & Spellbinders circle dies, Glossy Accents,Recollections plaid ribbon, raffia, foam tape; (winter wishes) Neenah white cardstock, Wanna Build a Snowman stamps, Memento Luxe Danube blue & Brilliance pearlescent sky blue ink, Wow clear sparkle embossing powder, Heffy Doodle Bubbly Waves stencil, WPlus9 Timeless Tags 2 die, Offray ribbons 

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 23

Look at that... we are at Day 23 of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags! I can't believe how quickly this month has gone by. For Day 23, our guest and sponsor is Jillibean Soup.

I was thrilled when Jillibean Soup set a pizza box of supplies to the Tag Team! I just wish I'd had more time to play with all the amazing products. Alas, sometimes real life seems to get in the way of crafting (rude!), so here is my tag for today: 

I love this tree with its clean lines, and while, sure, I could have stamped it in green ink, of course I embossed it! What could be better than a glittery green tree? :D The star at the top of the tree is embossed in pale gold pearl embossing powder. The pretty green patterned paper makes a perfect backdrop. As a bonus, I found a length of shiny green elastic cord in my twine drawer. The sentiment is from another stamp set Jillibean Soup sent, Llama Holiday. (See how bad it was? I didn't have time to play with the llama set! :D This will soon be rectified, I'm sure.) 

Don't let life interfere with your participation in Tracey's fun event! ;) Play along by making your own tags inspired by each day's designers, comment on the designers' creations - or both, to maximize your chances of winning one of the amazing prizes offered by our generous sponsors! 

26 terrific sponsors! 

Supplies: Neenah white cardstock, Jillibean Soup You Make Miso Happy patterned paper, Jillibean Soup Winter Wishes & Llama Holiday stamps & dies, Versamark & Memento bamboo leaves ink, Wow clear gloss & pale gold pearl embossing powder, Ranger green embossing tinsel, CUTplorations stitched tag die, scrap ribbon & elastic cord

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 22

Day 22 of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags! It's hard to believe we only have a few days left to go! Today our guest and sponsor is Birch Press Design.  

Birch Press Design sent Carol, Joyce, Kim and me a beautiful layering set of dies called Epiphany. It is the perfect set for tag makers - while they are full A2 sized dies, they also have smaller sections that can be separated for tag-sized projects. I made two tags for today: 

I thought this circular section could represent a snowflake, or maybe even a poinsettia! And if it doesn't make you think of a poinsettia, it can be another snowflake in pink and red. :D My blue one: 

I used three shades of blue to cut each of the dies. After layering them, I simply adhered the design to a slightly larger circle. I used a small hole punch for my navy soutache cord. 

I decided to add my ~poinsettia~ to a white tag base and add a simple sentiment. The silver bling in the centre goes with the silver edging in the ribbon. 

There is beautiful inspiration today on Tracey's blog! Have you been playing along? Making inspired tags, commenting on designers' posts each day - you might win a prize! Not to mention having beautiful tags to use this Christmas. ;)

Our generous sponsors! 

Supplies: Neenah white & assorted colour cardstock, Essentials by Ellen Tis the season stamp, Memento rhubarb stalk ink, Birch Press Design Epiphany & WPlus9 Timeless Tags 2 dies, Studio Katia Classic Christmas confetti, small hole punch, scrap ribbon & soutache braid 

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 21

It's Day 21 of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags! Today Lawn Fawn is our guest and sponsor! 

Lawn Fawn to me is all about cute, and since my tags have seen a distinctive lack of penguins this month, I started with a cute one: 

My little Copic-coloured penguin is skating on a vellum pond, with some pale blue cardstock sky. Just for fun, I paper-pieced penguin's scarf with a scrap of Lawn Fawn patterned paper. I found some matching patterned paper to cut my tag - I'm using a frame element from LF's magic picture changer dies. The twine is from Lawn Fawn too! 

Lawn Fawn sent me a cute new stamp set that coordinates with some that I already have, and so they came out for my second tag: 

More Copic colouring, this time on the sleigh and Santa. The sleigh and I got along really well, but Santa and I not so much - I hope it's not an omen! Despite some marker bleeding and overzealous application of puffy embossing powder, I think he still looks okay. I added some Stickles snow, but didn't worry that the sky isn't blue. 

And finally, a quartet of tiny tags, made easy with Lawn Fawn patterned paper, dies and stamps. 

For more cuteness, head over to Tracey's blog to see the creations of my tag teammates as well as designers from Lawn Fawn and Lawn Fanatics! Play along by making your own tags inspired by those you've seen, comment on designers' blogs... you could win a prize! 

Our many sponsors! 

Supplies: (penguin) Neenah white & Stampin' Up bashful blue cardstock, Lawn Fawn & (?) patterned paper, vellum, Lawn Fawn Winter Penguin stamps, Versamark & Versafine onyx black ink, Wow clear gloss & white embossing powder, Lawn Fawn Magic Picture Slider die, Copic markers, Lawn Fawn mistletoe twine, Offray white ribbon; (Santa) Neenah white cardstock, Lawn Fawn Ho Ho Holidays & Toboggan Together stamps, Versafine onyx black & Memento Luxe love letter ink, Versamarker, Wow clear gloss & white puff embossing powder, Copic markers, gold & silver gel pens, Gelly Roll clear sparkle pen, scrap red ribbon & gold cord, $ store jingle bells; (tiny tags) Lawn Fawn Snow Day Remix patterned paper, Lawn Fawn Tiny Tag Sayings stamps, Versafine onyx black ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Lawn Fawn Tiny Tags dies, Lawn Fawn mistletoe twine