Hi, everyone. We’re almost two weeks into spring, but there are still patches of snow and ice on the ground, and there’s even more snow in the forecast. I’m compensating by making happy, colorful cards and this one features Daisy Daisy from Mo’s Digital Pencil.
I colored the image with Copics, added some simple ground and flowers next to her and die cut my panel using the largest die in the Additional A2 Layers die set from Waffle Flower, before adhering it to a card base I created from Lazy Day cardstock from My Favorite Things. It’s been a really long time since I’ve made one of my signature “cluster cards”, so I decided it was time for a new one. I keep little die cut scraps in storage pockets sorted by color, which makes it easy to find pieces that will fit any color combination I’ve chosen for my image. I play around with the composition, and when I’m happy, I adhere it all to my card. Some directly, some using foam tape. This gets very thick very fast, but I love this process.
I stamped a sentiment from the Pristine Peonies stamp set from Altenew using Picked Raspberry Distress Oxide ink, then die cut it into a banner using one of the dies in the Essential Stitched Sentiment Strips die set from My Favorite Things. This goes really well with the other fishtail banners I already had going in my cluster, and the color matches nicely with the pink striped patterned paper from Sunny Studio that I used. I finished off with a few enamel dots from the Pocketful of Sunshine pack from Altenew.
Very springy color palette. I’m here for it!!
I colored up the penguins with my Copics and fussy cut them right up against the black lines. These are very simple shapes and easy to fussy cut. I put the penguins aside while I worked on the rest of my card. Onto a card base I created from Blue Breeze cardstock from My Favorite Things, I stamped tiny snowflakes from North Star Design using Spring Rain ink from Papertrey Ink for a subtle tone on tone look. This is super subtle, my ink pad needed reinking, but I went with it and didn’t reink until after the project was complete, I didn’t want to stop half way.
I used the Stitched Snowflake Backdrops die from Lawn Fawn to create an impressed snowflake pattern on a piece of Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink. I added a few extra layers of cardstock behind it and adhered it to the card base. Using the Postage Collage Die and coloring stencil from Waffle Flower, I created postage stamps for my penguins to sit on. I stamped the snowflakes on these as well, and ink blended a little in from the edges to define them a tiny bit. It’s still subtle, I hadn’t reinked my ink pad at this point. I added dimension behind each of the postage stamps, adhered them to the card and mounted the penguins on top. I used the Hjerte 3 die set from Papirdesign to die cut my sentiment from Berry Sorbet cardstock from Papertrey Ink. I die cut four and stacked them together for a dimensional look, before adding a 
Simple coloring for simple images.
I did a lot of coloring the day I colored these monkeys. As you can probably tell by their fur, my markers needed to be reinked at this point. I could have chosen a different brown combo. I could have taken the time to refill my markers, but I had colored so much the day I colored this that I just wanted to keep coloring. I probably should have stopped and taken the time to refill or chosen a different combo that didn’t need reinking. This is a good reminder to reink your markers. You can be an amazing colorist, but if you don’t take care of your markers, your coloring will look uneven. I went with it anyway. The 5 year old getting this card is not going to notice that my coloring’s not perfect, and it doesn’t always have to be. I’m trying to let go of my perfectionist tendencies, and this was a good exercise. I will refill these markers before I use them again, though, don’t you worry.
The card itself is very simple. I stamped a sentiment from the A06 stamp set from Norsk Stempelblad AS below the image, using Cornflower ink from My Favorite Things. I then used the second largest die in the Watercolor Rectangle STAX die set from My Favorite Things to turn it into a panel with a fun edge, before I added dimension behind it and adhered it to a top fold card base I created from Cornflower cardstock from My Favorite Things. I finished off the card with some enamel dots from Papirdesign.
Simple color palette. And I really do need to refill those browns. Even E23 was giving me trouble.
I created a mini slimline card this time. I figured it would go well with the tall, skinny image. This particular mini slimline measures 3 1/8 x 6 1/8″. I colored the image with Copics and used a die from the Stitched Mini Slimline STAX die set from My Favorite Things before I went over it with the Bokeh Elements Stencil Duo set from Waffle Flower and Rose Quartz ink from Altenew to create a soft background behind the chicks. I didn’t even bother masking them off, the pink ink was so light. I then trimmed down a piece of Lemon Tart cardstock from Papertrey Ink and used the Diagonal Stripe stencil from Simon Says Stamp with Scattered Straw Distress Ink to create some interest to the base as well. I stamped a sentiment from an Easter stamp set from Papirdesign (PD18390 Påske) using Obsidian ink from Altenew, and the card was complete.
Bright, cheerful color palette for this one.
I’ve used this image a few times in the past, but I’ve never colored the penguins blue, which kind of blew my mind when I realized. I decided to remedy that and created soft blue penguins and a corally pink scarf. I cut my panel down to a square, die cut a heart in the center using a die from Papirdesign and mounted the negative onto a square card base I created from Berry Sorbet cardstock from Papertrey Ink.
Onto my colored heart, I stamped a sentiment from the Mini Messages stamp set from Mama Elephant using Berry Sorbet ink from Papertrey Ink. I adhered the heart to the card front and added a few sequins from the Starry Night mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards to finish my card.
Oh, and before I forget, I used a super simple color palette for this one.
I colored my reindeer with Copics, added black Glaze to his eyes for shine, a white dot on top with a Gelly Roll 05 once the black was dry and also a thick layer of Glossy Accents to his nose for dimension as well as shine. I fussy cut him leaving a white border and proceeded to work on the rest of my card.
I covered a card base with the Julhälsningar sheet from the Vintage Winter collection from Maja Design. This has a little bit of pattern to it, but not so much that it’s too distracting. I created a window in a white panel using a heart die from Papirdesign, then used one of the dies in the Stitched Borders die set from Lawn Fawn to create a little bit of interest to the sides, before adhering the panel with foam tape to the center of the card front.
Using the Merry Script die from Mama Elephant, I die cut three layers from white cardstock and one from the patterned paper to adhere on top. I stacked the four together and adhered my die cut to the card. I white heat embossed a sub sentiment from the Holiday messages stamp set from Mama Elephant onto a scrap piece of patterned paper and trimmed it down to a strip, before I added a few layers of cardstock behind it for dimension and adhered it below my die cut word.
I mounted the reindeer on foam tape offset in the heart opening and added die cut snow flakes here and there. Some I created with the Snowflake Confetti Fancy die from Hero Arts, some are made with the Stitched Let It Snow Circle Frame die set from Memory Box, which includes a die that cuts three individual snowflakes (which is what I used).
This card has a lot of texture and dimension, and the shine on Rudolph’s nose is the perfect detail to draw attention to him!
Not a lot of Copics for this one.
I colored the image with Copics, and after a couple of cards recently with very muted, vintage colors, I went super bright with this one. I love penguins done with BGs instead of grays, it’s like they’re happier, somehow.
I stamped and white heat embossed a sentiment from Huldra Designstudio directly onto my card base, which I made from Oceanside cardstock from Concord and 9th.
Above and below the colored panel, I added strips of patterned paper from the Party Patterns paper pad from My Favorite Things, before mounting it all on foam tape for dimension. I finished off the card with enamel dots. The bright green ones are from Papirdesign, the teal and yellow ones from the Cool Summer Nights and Pocketful of Sunshine packs from Altenew. The Papirdesign ones have more dimension to them than the ones from Altenew, which creates a little more variety.
By using an untraditional color palette and a non holiday sentiment (winter hug), this image can be used for more than just Christmas. I’m thinking this would make a great wintery birthday card.
Fun colors used for this one!
I colored my image with Copics and used a fancy border die from Papirdesign (Snøkrystall ramme 2) to create trees and snowflakes along the edge. I wanted to do something different, and actually created a card base from vellum. I have heavyweight translucent vellum from My Favorite Things, and it’s a very thick, sturdy vellum that can handle being a card base.
I sprinkled on chunky white embossing enamel from Stampendous both on my colored piece and on the vellum base, before adhering the two together. I decided to create a white panel with the same die cut border for the inside of the card, as the vellum is very slick and not well suited for writing a personal message.
I stamped and white heat embossed a sentiment from the B05 stamp set from Norsk Stempelblad onto Autumn Rose cardstock from Papertrey Ink. I used the Wax Seals die set from Waffle Flower to turn it into a faux seal and mounted it onto my card using foam tape.
The vellum and die cut border create unexpected elements, the embossing enamel creates texture and you get a little bit of dimension with the sentiment seal. They all contribute and make this simple card a special one.
Not a whole lot of Copics for this, and a fairly muted color palette.
I tend to choose fairly bright color combos, but this time, I wanted to shake things up with a more vintage vibe and used a very different color palette.
I colored the wreath, then fussy cut right up against the black stamped lines in the image. I added foam tape to the back and mounted it to a top fold A2 card base i created from Rustic Cream cardstock from Papertrey Ink.
I die cut the sentiment from Classic Kraft cardstock from Papertrey Ink using a die from Papirdesign. I stacked three die cuts for a little dimension and adhered the letters at a bit of an angle inside the heart wreath, before finishing off with a few faceted pearls from Kort & Godt.
The foam tape on the back of the wreath makes it look like it’s floating above the card front.
Vintage color scheme!
I admit, I don’t make many Halloween cards. Halloween’s not really my thing. I think it might be the costumes that freak me out. I was scared of Santa as a kid (to be honest, Santa still creeps me out) and I never liked dressing up for carnival in kindergarten either. I don’t know what it is, I’m just not a fan. I am, however, a fan of these ghosts, they’re so adorable. In the stamp, the ghosts are holding a banner, but I wanted the ghosts alone, so I removed the banner, did a little bit of stamp surgery in Photoshop to complete their arms (since they’re holding the banner, you don’t see the entire arm on either of these ghosts). I created mirror images of each of the ghosts so I had four different ghosts to work with, and made a few copies of each.
I did very simple coloring of the ghosts, I just wanted a hint of color and actually only used four markers. I cut down my panel, added foam tape to the back and adhered it to a white card base I’d covered with Caribbean Sea cardstock from My Favorite Things.
I die cut the letters to spell happy using an alphabet die set from Papirdesign. I die cut each of the letters three times from white cardstock and once from Gravel Gray cardstock from My Favorite Things that I adhered on top of the three white ones for a stacked, dimensional look.
I white heat embossed a sub sentiment from the Itty Bitty Boos stamp set from My Favorite Things onto a scrap piece of Caribbean Sea cardstock that I cut down to a small strip. I adhered a couple of additional layers of cardstock behind it before I adhered it to my die cut letters. I added a few pink sequins from the Heaven Sent mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards, and my card was complete.
As I mentioned, I only used four markers for the coloring of these ghosts.
Papirmølla 