Merry Christmas!

Hi friends!

I'm here to share my last two Christmas cards for 2016. I run out of time and energy in the end and not everyone that I would have wanted to send cards to received one from me... But that's life I guess. :) However, I got some extra boost for these last cards: at Inkspirational we DT members have done a Secret Santa for a couple of years -we all get a person to send a small present to and everyone receives something from their Secret Santa too. This year I received a wonderful craft package from my Secret Santa: it contained die cuts, stamped images, sparkly enamel dot-type embellsihments, pre-made brush water color sheets and even some Christmas sentiment dies. Amazing package! 

Here's the two first cards I made with the supplies. I used the brusho sheets (my Secret Santa tipped that they would be great for die cutting but I just couldn't bare cutting through them! They were so pretty!), the dies (for the word "merry"), the die cut bauble and those lovely sparkly embellishments. In the first card I also used a Uniko stamp for the "string" of the bauble and a Sugar Pea designs bow die + Christmas sentiment by STAMPlorations. My second card is super simple, I've only added a heat embossed Finnish Christmas sentiment and a snowflake I had. I so love these sparkly enamel dots, they look amazing! Thank you Secret Santa!

With this post I want to wish everyone the most wonderful Christmas. I hope you'll enjoy the holidays by celebrating, resting, hanging out with loved ones... And by crafting of course! :)

I'd like to join Simon Says Stamp Work it Wednesday (use dies) with my first card. 

TIME OUT Challenge Reminder!

Please click on the card for more clear and detailed look! 

Hi friends!

I'm here to remind you of our current TIME OUT Challenge where we are CASEing (Copy and Share everything) a fabulous card by Kim

I decided to use Kim's CAS layout but turned her design into a Christmas card by stamping flower-like snowflakes and using a bit more muted colors and some sparkle! My card looked a bit dull on a white base but gold glitter card seemed to bring it into the holiday season. :) Have a look what our talented guest designer Deepti and our DT members have made for your inspiration and then.. Take TIME OUT and craft! 

New Challenge at Inkspirational

Hi friends!

We have a new challenge for you at Inkspirational and this time Sandie has chosen the theme:

Fun theme and perfect for quick and easy Christmas cards! Our guest designer this time is Tracy and she made a wonderfully sparkly butterfly-card, don't miss it or any cards from the DT, click HERE! 

I took the cue sparkle very seriously... Both my sentiment and my image are sparkly! I've heat embossed the sentiment (Penny Black) with sparkly, silver embossing powder. The penguin (Lawn Fawn) is stamped and colored in with Copics, but after that I covered all areas of the penguin with different colored Stickles and the results were pretty fantastic if you ask me -the penguin looks like a sticker IRL, not like something I've stamped by hand! Such a cool effect. I'm a bit fussy with my Stickles and always use a small paint brush for applying it but it's worth it because you can really control the coverage you get. The die is by MFT. Hope you like!

I'd like to enter:

http://addictedtostamps-challenge.blogspot.fi Make Your Mark (my 2nd entry)

http://stampinroyalty.blogspot.fi Clean and Simple
http://asyoulikeitchallenge.blogspot.fi Use your favorite silver/gold. Mine is silver... I just looooove this sparkly silver embossing powder. It's especially perfect for Christmas cards!
http://audsentimentschallengeblog.blogspot.fi Anything Goes + sentiment
Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday (use dies)
http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/ Anything Goes (my 2nd entry)
http://cleanandsimpleonsunday.blogspot.fi (my 2nd entry)

TIME OUT Challenges Reminder

Hi friends!

I'm here to share my DT reminder card for the current TIME OUT Challenge

Christmas with an Optional Twist of Glitter/Shimmer

Click HERE for all the challenge details + fabulous inspiration from our talented guest designer Valentyna and DT members! We are sponsored by Uniko so do not hesitate to play along, the fab prize could be yours! 

I've made a simple card with a stamp set I've had for almost a year and only used it now for the first time.. I ordered this online to practice on my watercoloring but after receiving the stamp it was clear for me some details were way too tiny for coloring (at least with my patience...) -like the bricks in the house, the fence and the bench... So I've been wondering how to add color to this image. In the end I did end up water coloring but with a more simplified style + I used an old wink of stella brush as my water brush (you can easily fill the pen after it's empty) and was able to turn my Distress Inks into sparkly watercolors. :) Thank you Anita who has once made this and the idea stuck in my head! :) The background I "brushed" with brown DI and an old make up brush. I wanted it to be very soft and water coloring and ink sponging both failed, I think this looks nice. :) After the image was all done I die cut the panel and heat embossed a sentiment from the same stamp set. Hope you like and thanks for popping by! 

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

https://modsquadchallenge.blogspot.fi Christmas Dimension (I've popped up the stamped panel with 3d foam and I think the coloration gives some dimension too!) 

http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/ Anything Goes

http://cleanandsimpleonsunday.blogspot.fi Christmas

http://addictedtostamps-challenge.blogspot.fi Make Your Mark

Christmas Card for Challenges

Hi friends!
I'm here to share a quick card I made for challenges.

My sketch comes from Can You Case It Challenge

I was also inspired by the current City Crafter Challenge, use gold (gold heat embossing + gold Stickles used here)

and I'm also entering

http://thepaperplayers.blogspot.fi Clean and Simple Christmas

http://mmmchallengeblog.blogspot.fi CAS Christmas

http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/ Use 3 of something (3 sequins)

http://pennyblackatallsorts.blogspot.fi Christmas with Stamping (I hope my stamped and heat embossed Penny Black sentiment qualifies!) 

This is not the CASest of CAS cards but I think the overall look is still clean. Or is it? Let me know what you think! Thanks for popping by! 

Guest Designing at CASology!

Hi guys!

Today I have the great pleasure to be guest designing at CASology, woohoo! I won their "team" challenge with my card here and was naturally over the moon happy! Thank you everyone at CASology for this amazing GD opportunity!

The cue card this week is "soft"

My design defined is:

"Add interest to your CAS designs with texture and techniques: paper with soft velvet finish and extremely light stenciling used here”

So, what I did: I cut a square out of beautiful card that has dark brown velvet swirls on it -it feels so soft and nice to touch! I attached a Penny Black die cut flower on top of the velvet card using foam tape and 3d stickers -the card has lots of dimension which I also find adds interest to clean and simple designs. I stenciled a fish tail pattern very very softly to the card base to the top part of the card base, fading it out completely (I used an old  make up brush for this) and stamped a greeting by Altenew. I hope you like my card, I think it turned out very soft and pretty! :) Thanks again for having me as guest designer,  CASology 

I'd like to enter:

http://simplylessismoore.blogspot.fi Vintage 

( I think that swirly velvet paper is perfect for vintage look!)

http://cupcakeinspirations.blogspot.fi/?m=0 Inspiration photo 

(I used the colors of the photo)

New Challenge at Inkspirational!

Hi guys!

Welcome to a new challenge at Inkspirational! Our challenge this time is "chill" -such  a fun word for this time of year and very appropriate for those Christmas cards many of us are in need of!

I went with "chill-cold-cool" kind of thinking process and made a simple card with Lawn Fawn stamps. I masked the snowbank and sponged the sky and then stamped some snow with white pigment ink and a background stamp by Marianne Design. I colored in my arctic critter with Copics, die cut it and added a sentiment. Love my frame dies by MFT too! A couple of die cut snowflakes finish off this little card.

Please head on over to our challenge blog for inspiration from our DT and guest designer Teresa. Loved her winter scene, so pretty! Thanks for popping by and I hope to see you joining us! 

I'd like to join:

http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/ Christmas critters

http://sevenhillscrafts.blogspot.fi/p/blog-page.html Inspired by Christmas song (Baby it's cold outside)