Christening {Mo’s Digital Pencil}

Hi, crafty friends. Today I’m sharing a card made for a little girl whose christening was actually back in November.

This Christening image from Mo Manning is one that I’ve used in the past as well, and I used a bunch of scraps of patterned paper as well as some really old dies and flowers to create this card. More than anything, I love it when my pile of scraps shrinks. It doesn’t happen very quickly, because I rarely use this much patterned paper on a card, but boy, does it feel good.

I used 3 different collections of patterned paper from Maja Design for this card. One of the benefits of using their papers is that their collections usually match pretty well. Vintage Basics Summer, Vintage Baby and Sofiero are the collections I used for this card, and they all match. I used older dies from Lifestyle Crafts, Cottage Cutz, Scrapmagasinet, Marianne Design and Spellbinders, as well as flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and Papirdesign.

The insides of the card have a very similar layout, and so does the back. Onto a white circular panel, I stamped a christening stamp from North Star Design using Soft Granite ink from Hero Arts.

The card was too thick to fit inside a regular envelope, so I created a box envelope using a punch board from We R Memory Keepers. Onto a diecut eyelet circle I stamped a Norsk Stempelblad AS sentiment and adhered it to the box envelope.

This image is so quick to color and doesn’t require a ton of markers. Easy peasy!

Time for Mittens {Purple Onion Designs}

Hi, crafty friends! November and December are usually fairly hectic around here, and this time, they were especially hectic. I changed jobs and felt like I worked around the clock, which left little time for blog posts and to upload my creations to Instagram. As a result, I’m playing catch-up, and I have a few more holiday cards and tags to share over the next few weeks. Let’s face it, I make Christmas cards all year anyway, so I’d probably be sharing holiday cards in January even if November and December hadn’t been as crazy as they were.

Every year I seem to create just enough Christmas cards by making them all year, but I tend to neglect gift tags and scramble last minute to get them done as I wrap presents. This time I was a little more ahead, and this gift tag was one of the early ones I made, featuring Mittens from Purple Onion Designs, as well as the Snow-capped Duo in the background.

I created a very layered tag for my niece and used the Stitched Traditional Tag STAX die set from My Favorite Things to achieve that faux stitch look that I’m such a fan of. I used another stitched die from MFT to create the slope in the background and added both the ground and my fussy cut cat using foam tape.

Through the hole at the top, I looped a bit of tinsel and tied a bow around it using Purple Plum divine twine from Whisker Graphics. I also die cut a letter tag using the Personalized Tags die set from My Favorite Things from some Winter Wisteria cardstock from Papertrey Ink. My niece loves purple, so I thought it fit nicely. I also added a charm with a pair of mittens, I just couldn’t help myself. This tag doesn’t even have to be a holiday tag, it’d be perfect for someone born in the winter months (not my niece, though, her birthday’s in June).

On the back of the tag I used a piece of patterned paper from the Forever Green paper pack from Moda Scrap. I die cut it using that same stitched tag die from MFT that I used on the front and stamped a to/from stamp from the B06 stamp set from Norsk Stempelblad AS using Milk Chocolate ink from MFT. I love their inks, they stamp so well!

You wouldn’t think I’d use this many colors for such a small image, but I did. I even airbrushed the sky in the background using B93, 91 and 90 (a color I’ve made myself), and used BG93 and BG90 with a tip to tip technique on the trees in the background for just a hint of color. I wanted the main focus to be on the cat in the foreground, so I chose very soft colors for the background.

January

Hi, there!!! Happy new year! I hope your 2022 is off to a good start. I’ve decided to try to send out more cards this year than in previous years. I make so many during the year that I feel the need to at least try to put smiles on people’s faces by giving them a handmade card. I’ve also decided to start a birthday calendar, and I’ll be sharing a new calendar page at the beginning of each month throughout the year. A calendar will help me keep track of birthdays and where and when to send cards.

My page for the January calendar features this cute owl from Haven Hill Crafts, from the Snowed Inn stamp set, which also includes a sweet fox and the coolest moose! The owner, Hanna, contacted me in the fall, asking if I would like to play with some of her stamps. Of course I had to say yes. This owl is so cute, and there’s also an awesome washi tape stamp in the stamp set.

I stamped the snowflake in the stamp set repeatedly across my background using Iceberg ink from Altenew. I did second generation stamping on some of the snowflakes, especially where they overlap the lines where I intend to write. From Cornflower cardstock from My Favorite Things, I die cut the letters to spell januar using the In Stitches Lowercase Alphabet die set, also from My Favorite Things. I adhered the letters using liquid glue, centering them above the dates for the month.

I used lots of colors for this little owl. Isn’t he just the cutest, sitting there on his branch wrapped in a scarf?

Sending all the hugs your way {Rachelle Anne Miller Creative Studios}

Hi, crafty friends! Rachelle Anne Miller has a new release out today, and I couldn’t pass up this Starry Night Bears image. I love the two bears looking up at the night sky, and the scene is so wonderfully framed, Rachelle knocked it out of the park with this one. If you use the code ELINVENGE at her store, you get 10 % off.

I wanted the focus to be on the image and kept the rest of the card pretty simple. I stamped a sentiment from the Hugs Make Everything Better stamp set from My Favorite Things directly below my image using Smokey Shadow ink from Papertrey Ink. I wanted something a little bit softer than black, but I did stamp it twice, so maybe I should have used black after all. Close to the sentiment and close to the top of the scene I used one of the Stitched Borders dies from Lawn Fawn to create a decorative edge. I love faux stitching details on my cards, and this diagonal one is a fun change from the ones I normally use.

Onto a panel of Lemon Tart cardstock from Papertrey Ink, I stamped the All Lined Up Diagonally Background stamp from My Favorite Things using Harvest Gold ink from Papertrey Ink, which is a tiny bit darker than the Lemon Tart. It adds subtle tone on tone interest to the background without distracting from the focal point of the image. I adhered the panel directly to a white top fold card base I created from Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink and added my image towards the top of the card using foam tape for dimension.

Simple color palette today. I also used BV27 for the sky, which is a color I’ve made myself.

Gift tag/ornament in one {Rachelle Anne Miller Creative Studios}

Hi, there. It’s been kind of quiet here lately, I’ve been busy at work and I also prioritized getting my international holiday cards out in the mail. I still have the domestic ones to go, but there’s still time to send those, so I’m not too worried. I created this fun gift tag/ornament for my sister and her husband for Christmas, featuring the brand new Gingerbread Couple from Rachelle Anne Miller.

I colored the gingerbread cookies with my Copics and used a circle die to turn it into a circle. I die cut another circle from patterned paper from Papirdesign and used a die from the Glassic Snow Globe die set from My Favorite Things to cut a window from the same piece. I stamped and white heat embossed a sentiment from Norsk Stempelblad AS below the window and added a shaker pouch from My Favorite Things that I filled with the Icicle Sequin mix from Hero Arts.

I die cut another circle from the same patterned paper that I used on the front and white heat embossed a to/from stamp from Norsk Stempelblad AS in the center. After adhering all the pieces together, I cut a hole at the top, reinforcing it with an eyelet before pulling string through. This shaker gift tag can definitely be used as an ornament too, and I’m hoping that’s what will happen.

Simple image and simple colors for this one.

Easy peasy criss cross card {Mo’s Digital Pencil}

Hi, crafty friends. Today I’m sharing a card that’s a little bit different. It’s a criss cross card. I’ve made a few of them in the past, but it’s been a while, and they’re kind of fun to make.

This card was created for a little girl whose christening was this past Sunday. I think the Baby and Bunny image from Mo Manning is super adorable, and it’s an easy one to color up fairly quickly too. I chose some purplish patterned papers from Papirdesign and Maja Design and colored the image with Copics that matched.

I die cut the image using a circle die from Lifestyle Crafts and matted it with kraft cardstock. I also printed the name and date on a piece of white cardstock that I also matted with kraft. I put a doily from Helz Cuppelditch behind my image and added flowers using a hot glue gun. I took out the yellow centers of two of the flowers and replaced them with Lavender pearls from Kaisercraft.

On the inside tag I added a circle diecut made from white cardstock for a space to write a personal message. I used the Labels Trio die set from Spellbinders to create two “handles” from kraft cardstock. I tied a bow and attached a charm to one of them for a little added interest.

On the back of the card I stamped a sentiment from North Star Design using Amethyst ink from Altenew.

The card isn’t very big, it only measures 5×5″, but it’s quite dimensional and doesn’t fit in a regular envelope, so I decided it was best to create a box envelope.

I rummaged through my 12×12″ cardstock and found a color that matched pretty well, and used my Envelope Punch Board from We R Memory Keepers to create the box. I added another Helz Cuppelditch doily for cohesion, as well as more of the patterned paper that I die cut using the Impact alphabet die set from My Favorite Things.

Not a whole lot of Copics used for this.

Be merry {Purple Onion Designs}

Christmas is less than a month away, and I admit I haven’t bought all my presents yet. I have, however, been good at creating Christmas cards all year. I think Christmas cards are the most fun cards to make, even in Spring, and as a result, I have plenty done and never have to scramble last minute to create them.

Today I’m sharing a simple one, featuring Shirley and Sharon, this owl and smaller bird with a snowflake garland between them. This image doesn’t need to be used for Christmas either, it would be great for a wintery birthday card.

I stamped the image with Extreme Black ink from My Favorite Things onto X-Press It blending card, colored the image with Copics and fussy cut, leaving a thin, white border. I prefer cutting right up against the stamped lines when I fussy cut, but with the snowflake garland, that just wasn’t an option.

I used an oval die from Spellbinders to cut a window into a white cardstock panel. I then used the Snowflake Oval Frame embossing folder from Simon Says Stamp to create a little bit of texture to my plain white cardstock. This embossing folder has an oval in the center that doesn’t emboss (where you can stamp a sentiment), but I wanted a window for my card and cut out an oval before using the embossing folder.

I created a card base from Spring Rain cardstock from Papertrey Ink and stamped part of a sentiment from the Home For The Holidays sentiment set using Spring Rain ink in the exact spot I wanted. The sentiment actually says Eat, drink and be merry!, but by using just the last part, it fit my card better.

I put lots of foam tape on the back of the white cardstock with the dry embossed snowflakes and adhered that to my card, and then added foam tape behind my colored image and placed it in the center of the card.

Simple color palette for this card.

Snowman with ice cream {Streamside Studios}

Hi. I’ve been having so much fun creating these gift tags with the Snow Much Fun stamp set from Streamside Studios that I just can’t seem to stop. I’m sharing just one today, though, it’s the last pairing of green with a kraft background.

The process for creating this one was identical to the first ones I shared in this blog post. I used the Snowflakes stencil from Ciao Bella along with modeling paste from The Crafter’s Workshop for to create the background. I then added all my other elements on top, sort of in a cluster, using die cut scraps of patterned paper from Pion Design, a couple of heat embossed sentiments from Norsk Stempelblad AS and a heat embossed seal stamp from Poppydesign.

There’s lots of texture and visual interest on this tag because of all the layers of paper, the foam tape to add dimension and the stenciled background. The accessories on the snowman are in a brighter green color than everything else on the tag, which still makes him stand out against the other elements.

For the back of the tag I used a couple of stamps from Inkido, as well as more of the white heat embossed sentiments from Norsk Stempelblad that I created lots of in one of my compartmental crafty sessions. These tags were heaps of fun to put together like this.

Snow much fun tags {Streamside Studios}

Hi, there. I’m sharing a couple more gift tags I’ve created with the Snow Much Fun digi stamp set from Streamside Studios. These snowmen really are cute, and I shrunk them down a bit before printing, making them tiny and even cuter. In the post at the start of the week (right here) I shared about the process of creating these tags, which was so much fun.

For these tags, I chose red instead of green. I planned ahead and colored some of the snowmen with green accessories, and some with red. For one of these tags I used the Falling Stars stencil from Simon Says Stamp, and I thought it was fitting to add the snowman with the star for that particular tag.

A lot of elements are the same on these two tags as the first two; patterned paper from Pion Design die cut using the Happy Days Ticket Stubs die from XCut. I also used the same die from Altenew that I used with the green cardstock on this one, and it’s a nice added element that doesn’t have the perpendicular angles than many of the other layers do, so it breaks up the monotony a little and adds interest. For the tag with the stars, I used the word JUL from the Gledelig jul die from Kort & Godt, and for the tag with the Christmas present, I used the word klem from the Juleklem die, also from Kort & Godt. I added red paper doilies from Papirdesign to the base of these tags, it’s a nice foundation to put everything else on top of.

The backs of these are pretty similar to the backs of the green tags I made. I used the same 24.12 stamp from Inkido and the same stamps from the Distressed Patterns stamp set from My Favorite Things, but changed the ink color to Pure Poppy ink from Papertrey Ink.

Live like there’s snow tomorrow {Purple Onion Designs}

Hi, crafty friends. I’m sharing a slimline Christmas card today, featuring Hazel and Snow-capped Christmas Tree from the new It’s Snowing Cats and Dogs collection illustrated by Shari Bresciani for Purple Onion Designs. I love this cat looking up with the fishbone in her hand, and if you pair her with this tree, it kind of looks like she wants to replace the star on top with her fishbone, which is just too funny.

I colored the cat, tree and ground with my Copics, before deciding that I really wanted a dark, intense night sky. I stamped and fussy cut masks for both images, then did some free hand cutting of a snowbank at the back, before I went in with my Copic airbrush system and some dark blue colors to quickly create the sky.

I used the largest of the dies from the Slimline Double Stitched Rectangle STAX set from My Favorite Things to cut down the panel to fit on the front of my card, and stamped a sentiment from the Snow-capped sentiment set from the Snow Much Fun collection (also new, illustrated by Shari Bresciani) using Blue Yonder ink from My Favorite Things.

I sprinkled on chunky white embossing enamel from Stampendous, making sure no granules covered the sentiment or Hazel’s eye before melting the granules from the back of the panel. I adhered my snowy scene to a card base I created from Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink, and my card was complete. I didn’t want to add anything else to it.

For such a simple scene I sure used quite a few colors. The ones that come after the jump in this graphic are the ones I used to airbrush the sky.