Sending Joy

This is a new-to-me Betterpress plate set - Colour Mix Joy from Spellbinders.

I used the registration plate to get my placing for each of the letters, pressing them in different colours, overlapping a little.  I added a few of the sentiments that come with the set in black.

I cut them both out with a decorative frame die from The Greetery, and matted them with brushed gold cardstock.

I added some holiday bits and pieces to each one along with some gold pearls.

Christmas Bouquet

 I took advantage of Alex Syberia's July sale to get the Christmas Bouquet die set.  So many possibilities with this one!

I used mainly Concord & 9th cardstock for this one, and added a little ink blending to most of the pieces.

I created a shaped card, so used the outline die to cut out my card base.  I added a glimmered sentiment - and may go back and add some gold paint spatters as well.  We'll see!

Jolly St. Nick

I picked up a few wonderful new-to-me items at The Papercrafter's Workshop Crafty Destash sale yesterday!  I was actually a vendor... but of course you have to check out what others are selling.  Here is the Jolly St. Nick stamp/stencil/die set that was released last fall by Concord & 9th:

I used Distress Oxide inks on a white, A2 panel, and used five of the stencils to put him together.  There are several sentiment stamps that fit on his beard, so I picked one of them, and stamped it in Hickory Smoke ink.

I also stamped and die cut several of the holly & leaf bits, then used the coordinating dies to cut them out and added them around him.  I cut then entire image with a stitched edge die.  I may add a little glitter before I mail this one out?

Classic Twinkle Tidings

My second project with the October Betterpress Society plate, Twinkle Tidings was a more classic colour combo.

I pressed the plate with a Pinkfresh Studio green ink to mimic a classic strand of Christmas lights.  I used the coordinating stencils to ink blend the other colours onto the lightbulbs.

I cut a Pinkfresh Studio frame die in matching green cardstock, and layered it a couple of times for a bit of dimension, adhering it to the base.  I cut the Merry and Bright dies (old Echo park dies) in some red glitter cardstock, layered them once and adhered them over the frame and base.

The 'and' was from a stamp set in my stash.  And that was it!  Quick and easy.

You can get a Betterpress Society subscription from The Papercrafter's Workshop.

Gingerbread Martini

 I've made my last martini cards for the year!  I hadn't had a chance to use the little gingerbread man or the Santa hat yet, so I put together a couple of these in a bright & pretty colour combo.

This is the Olive Martinis set, with the Christmas Cocktails add-on, and the Betterpress Cheers Sentiments, all from Spellbinders.

I used some old patterned paper from my stash, and die cut a smaller rectangle from it that I layered over two other pieces of cardstock so that it was raised up from the base.  I used glitter cardstock for the glass, and added a few gems for some sparkle.

Unity Gretchen Girl

My sweet niece gifted me this image and sentiment!  It was the perfect thing to colour up with my Copic markers while the snow was falling outside my window.  My daughter thinks it looks like me from behind :-)  This is Gretchen Girl from Unity Stamp Co.

I pulled out my Handmade Christmas papers by Simple Stories from a few years ago, as this needed some cozy, homemade vibes to go with the image.  The image is adhered with 3D foam adhesive.

I added a little greenery and some brushed gold snowflakes.  When I decide who to give it to, I'll probably add a little glitter to the snow.

Not a Creature was Stirring

Such a sweet stamp set!  This is 'Not a Creature was Stirring' from Lawn Fawn.  I stamped quite a few of the images several months ago, then coloured and fussy cut them all out this fall.  Today I got five of these put together!  And I still have a pile of extra images to use another time.

 

Everything was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, then coloured with Copic markers.

I used some old CTMH papers from my stash to create a tabletop, and stamped the sentiment with Versafine Onyx Black ink.  A little glitter was added to many of the white areas.

I've taken a couple of non-staged photos, as it proved difficult to capture how pretty the colours of this were!

Snow One Like You

I won a prize on the Lunar New Year Challenge blog last year, and was able to get the sweet Snow One Like You stamp set that I'd missed out on a few years ago (the image).  I coloured a bunch of them up a few weeks ago, and got three made into cards today.

I ink blended my sky using Wild Honey, Kitsch Flamingo and Shaded Lilac Distress Oxide inks.  I added the Birch Trees dies, and cut a snowbank with the Hillside Background dies.  The sentiment is from the Snow Much Fun set - all from Lawn Fawn.

I trimmed my panel with the A2 Stitched Rectangle die, matted it with black cardstock, and glued it onto a piece of patterned paper from the 6131 Halloween S3 pack - both from Art Impressions.

Winter Sprig Christmas cards

I had stamped all of the greenery for today's five cards last year!  So all I had was a pile of pretty die cuts waiting to be used.  It feels great to pull them out and put together some cards.

 

All of the greenery is from the Winter Sprig set from Pigment Craft Co., stamped in shades of Distress Oxide ink, and cut with the coordinating dies.  The bows are from the Fit To Be Tied die set by The Greetery.  I arranged everything in a swag, and put them on a Postage Rectangle die from Spellbinders that was attached to the base with some foam adhesive.  For the first three, I used the Candy Cane stripe stencils from Pigment Craft Co. to add a little background interest.

For all of the cards, I used Foilable sentiments from Pink & Main that were run through my Minc machine with silver and gold foil - a nice little bit of sparkle.

Box Village

I really love the new 6114 - Box Village Template Dies from Art Impressions.  It makes the cutest little house as a box with a shaped journal inside.  I am using just the decorative pieces of the little house to make a card today

I cut the base and door from kraft cardstock, and darkened the roof, windows and door with some brown ink.  I cut the shingles, roofline and door from some white glitter cardstock, and the windows from red and blue.

I pulled out an old grass die that worked really well as icicles, cut it out of the white glitter cardstock, and trimmed it down to add to my scene.  I adhered the house down to my background (papers are from the 5853 - Christmas Magic PP) with 3D foam adhesive.  I decided that it needed a little something more, so added some glittery holly.

Skiing By

I made up these cards several months ago, and actually stamped the images several years ago!!  But today I finally added the sentiments and a little glitter to finish them off.

This is the Skiing By set from Pinkfresh Studio.  I think it's long retired by them, but it will be a favourite of mine for years to come.

I decided to try some off-beat colour combos!  I ink blended several Distress Oxide inks on the sky and mountains, and coloured the critters with Copic markers.

I just adore the little trees that are included with the set - kind of a retro vibe to everything.  I added a few ink splatters with Distress Spritz, and some chunky glitter for some shine.

The sentiments are Foilables from Pink & Main, silver on the purple card, and gold on the warm toned one.

A Merry Little Cocktail

 I've pulled out my favourite 'Olive Martinis' set to make some Christmas cocktail cards.

I ink blended on my white card base, and ran it through my die cut machine with the Starshine Background piercing plate for a little subtle texture.  The glass is cut from Brushed Gold cardstock, and all of the other bits (from the Christmas Cocktails die set) were from papers in my stash.

The sentiment is pressed with my Betterpress machine, using the Cheers Sentiments, and I added a glitter halo behind it.  Santa's hat fur and the mint are also cut from white glitter cardstock.  All products are from Spellbinders.

Market Place Suite

I've put together some cards following Betsy Veldman's design using her new release from The Greetery.  These are the 3 Market Place die sets, that create the sweetest European Market style of buildings.  They work great on their own, but Betsy did a wonderful tri-fold card that I tried to recreate.

SOOO many little pieces!  I don't mind working with fussy die cut bits, and found it easiest if I kept to a fairly limited palette, which allowed me to cut multiple pieces at one time.

It definitely took a little planning, but I am really happy with the end result - and plan to make a bunch of coordinating tags in the near future.

In addition to the three different building designs, there is a set called Market Place Holiday Festoons - all the little wreaths, bows and a few garlands.  There is also a the Market Place Holiday Sentiments stamp set that gives all those wonderful little business signs - such an amazing detail.

After my houses were put together, I cut two hinge pieces that are scored down the middle, that were glued between them to create the tri-fold.  I also cut each house out of cream cardstock and adhered it to the back of each one, which not only gave a clean finish to the back, but provided the 'filler' for the windows from the front side.

I was able to put three of these together, to give to some special people in my life.  Not sure if they're quite done, I may add a little gold or white spatter, or possibly a little glitter.

Market Place Mini

I am so excited to be playing with these!  This is the newest release from The Greetery - a full set of European style buildings, called "Market Place".  This is the Market Place Mini set of dies:

For my first effort, I chose some muted cardstock colours, trying out each building in each of the colourways, so they're all just slightly different.

There is a companion die set called Market Place Holiday Festoons, which includes all of the little wreaths, bows and the Merry Christmas swag - of which I die cut a bunch!

Betsy at The Greetery does an amazing job designing her products - all the details are just perfect, and they're all easy to assemble.

After gluing all of the buildings together, I spattered them with some gold paint, then attached them to a rectangle die cut (also The Greetery!).

So happy to have three more Christmas cards in my stash.  I'm just getting started with the Market Place collection... stay tuned.