Krafty Chicks Challenge #563: Christmas

 Yeah, it's Thursday! Time for another Krafty Chicks Challenge. Let's put the spotlight on Christmas this week! With all this rain we have been getting (needing) in Central Alberta, it's been a tad chilly lately. The furnace has even come to life a few times to warm us up in the mornings. Almost feels like we should have snow on the ground. Almost!!

Now how about this scene to get you in the festive creating mood! I was cleaning out my iPad pics and this one cried out at me: "Today is the day we do this!"  Who am I to argue with the voices??

There are quite a few steps to creating a scenic card. First I stamped and die cut all my "bits". Stamped my mountain range first on the panel and another on copy paper to create a mask. Took the Blending Brush to the sky. Stamped a few naked (as my grandsons would say) trees and some pine or spruce trees as well in the background. Last step is to layer all my die cuts and stamp the greeting.

Supplies I used:

• Alpine Adventure stamp set: retired
• Winter Woods stamp set: retired
• Mountain Air stamp set: 151610
• Thick Basic White card stock:159229
• Real Red card stock: 102482
• Garden Green card stock: 102584
• Crumb Cake card stock: 1209553
•  Pool Party ink pad: 126982
• Real Red ink pad: 147084
• Crumb Cake ink pad: 147116
• Garden Green ink pad: 147089
• Gray Granite ink pad: 147118
• Smoky Slate ink pad: 147113
• In The Woods dies: retired
• Alpine Sport dies: retired
• Stitched Curves: other brand
• Tasteful Textiles 3D Embossing Folder:152718
• Blending Brushes: 153611
• Sponge: retired
• Linen Thread: 104199
• Mini Stampin' Dimensionals: 144108
  

• 

 I like to keep the inside of the cards I create simple so as to leave plenty of room to write a personal message. Often times it's a strip of the dominant colour card stock with a stamped image coordinating with the card. And then something similar for the envelope. And that's a wrap!

Head on over to the Krafty Chicks Challenge Blog for more details about the challenge and for more inspiration for Christmas week from the Design Team. There's even a place for you to upload your project at the end. I hope you play along with us and show us what's happening in your craft space.

Here's a direct link to our wonderful Design Team's Blogs:

Leanne's Blog

Nance's Blog

Lori's Blog

Carol's Blog (Guest Designer) 

Krafty Chicks Challenge #562 - Stamp Act

 Welcome June and all it's spring/summer beauty. I have my garden planted and all of my flowers too. All there is left to do is the weeding and mulching but Alberta has been hit with a heat wave for the last few days and I can't stand the heat. It's a job for another day!

Onto my card for this week's Krafty Chicks Challenge: STAMP ACT. As long as I have something stamped, be it image or sentiment, it's qualifies for the Stamp Act challenge!

 I made this card for a very special girl who turned 3 on the weekend. Ever since she was born, her cards have had a lady bug on it, so it wasn't going to be any different this year. I used a bunch of Stampin' Blends to colour the images. By the way, one can never have enough Blends, collect them all and keep the retired ones too.

Supplies I used:

• Little Ladybug stamp set: retired
• Heart stamp: January 2021 Paper Pumpkin
• Thick Basic White card stock: 159229
• Highland Heather card stock: 146986
• Melon Mambo card stock: 115320
• Old Olive scrap card stock: 100702
• Memento ink pad: 132708
• Highland Heather ink pad: 147103
• Melon Mambo ink pad: 147051
• Stampin' Cut and Emboss Machine: 150673
• Ladybug Dies: retired
• Circle and Scallop Circle punch: retired (not shown, used for sentiment)
• Decorative Mask : retired diamond shapes
• Sponge Daubers: 133773
  
• Stampin' Dimensionals: 104430
• Stampin' Blends, light and dark, Lovely Lipstick: retired
• Stampin' Blends, light and dark, Daffodil Delight:154883
• Stampin' Blends, light and dark, So Saffron: 154905
• Stampin' Blends, light and dark, Old Olive: 154892
• Stampin' Blends, light, Granny Apple Green: 154885
•  Stampin' Blends, light and dark, Soft Suede: 15496
• Stampin' Blends, light, Smoky Slate: 154904
•  Stampin' Blends, Ivory: 154922

 

To decorate the inside of the card, I used a little decorative mask in the corners, stamped of the heart of hearts twice and stamped Happy Birthday through it, another ladybug, and some glimmering hearts left over from a different project. The envelope is decorated quite similarly. I knew this card was going to be hand-delivered, so I covered most of the front, leaving a heart shape for the Birthday Girl's name, with the decorative mask and added more glimmering hearts.

Need more inspiration for the Stamp Act challenge, hop on over to the Krafty Chicks Challenge Blog to get the details and upload your project. You can also visit the Design Team's personal blogs here:

Leanne's Blog

Nance's Blog

Lori's Blog

Carol's Blog (Guest Designer) 

 

Krafty Chicks Challege #561 - All Occasions

Welcome to another great challenge week from the Krafty Chicks Challenge blog. All Occasions is the theme, so I went with a card of encouragement. We all need a little cheering in our lives and recognition for our endeavours. And people (me included) love to hear that you are proud of them.

Krafty Chicks Challenge #561

With a just a few die cuts, a decorative mask (stencil), some splatters, and an embossed sentiment, I think my friend will love this card. When you have someone in your corner, you are unstoppable.

Supplies I used:

• Strong And Beautiful stamp set: retired
• Thick Basic White card stock: 159229
• Basic Black card stock: 121045
• Coastal Cabana card stock: 131297
• Coastal Cabana ink pad: 147097
• Memento ink pad: 132708
• VersaMark ink pad: 102283
• Stampin' Blends, light Pool Party: 154894
• Stampin' Blends, dark Daffodil Delight: 154883
  
• Decorative Mask, Basic Patterns: 150697
• Blender Brush: 153611
• Water Painters (splatters): 151298 (not shown)
  
• Heat tool: 129053
• White Embossing Powder: 155554 (part of the Basic bundle)
• Dandy Wishes Dies: 154315
• Stitched Shaped Dies (2 circles): retired
• Stampin' Dimensionals: 104430
• Multipurpose Liquid Glue: 110755

 To keep things simple, I decorated the inside of the card and the envelope pretty much the same, a little stencil here and a couple of die cuts too. It is faint enough that you could still write over top of the stencilling. I personally will try to keep it within the circle, so a short and sweet message.

I do hope my card inspires you to play in the Hen House from the Krafty Chicks Challenge blog. And upload your project so that we can see what is happening in your craft space. You can also go directly to each Chicks personal blog here:

Leanne's Blog

Nance's Blog

Lori's Blog (off this week)

Kim's Blog (Guest Designer)

Krafty Chicks Challenge #560 - CAS

 Happy Krafty Chicks Thursday to you! 

Are you ready for this week's challenge?? I'm the hostess so I say it's CAS week, as in Clean And Simple. Here's my card:

Krafty Chicks Challenge #560

I cased this beauty from Karen Hadler. She's a talented Stampin' Up! demonstrator from New Zealand. I had her card saved on my iPad to recreate since December 2018, so it was about time I did. You know you're a paper crafter when there's more pics of cards than people pics. Lol! Last I check I have 825 pictured saved on my iPad, only 82 are family and friends. The rest are sketches, business ideas, but mostly cards to case or use as inspiration.

I started by swiping my ink pad across the panel. Then the flower was easy enough, it's a two-step stamp. I added a sentiment and underlined it with a pattern. A Clean And Simple card has been created!

I kept the inside of the card and the envelope just as Clean And Simple. Used a different flower from the same stamp set. 

Supplies Used:

Art Gallery stamp set: 154421

Very Versailles stamp set: 149275

Thick Basic White card stock: 159229

Soft Sea Foam ink pad: 147102

Garden Green ink pad: 147089

Gorgeous Grape ink pad: 147099

Highland Heather ink pad: 147103

Memento ink pad: 132708

Regal Bundle Markers : 147155 (Garden Green)

Bright Bundle Markers: 147157 (Gorgeous Grape)

Subtle Bundle Markers: 147156

Want some more inspiration?? Go check out the Krafty Chicks Challenge blog to see what the Design Team have created. Hope you play along and upload your project so that we can see what's happening in your craft space.

Here's a direct link to the Design Team's personal blogs:

Leanne's Blog

Nance's Blog

Lori's Blog (off this week)

Kim's Blog (Guest Designer)

Krafty Chicks Challenge #559 - Christmas

Good day everyone! It's Christmas week for the Krafty Chicks Challenge that starts today. I know, who wants to think Christmas when Spring is here and Summer is just around the corner, I can feel it. But if you think about it and start making the holiday cards along with the Design Team, you'll have 12 ready to go cards. You won't have to rush to create during that busy time of year, just write your message, sign your name and address the envelope. Heck! You can do that now too, just add postage and mail it in December. My point: it's never too early for Christmas!

I picked my stamp set first and had a whole other idea for a card. It's funny how things turned around once I found this DSP (Designer Series Paper). Originally, I was going to use the DSP as a background to a stamped snowman, possibly punched out and stuck onto a rectangle matte. I still might create that card. 

But when I saw this pretty little snowman, already cut and ready to go, it was just waiting to be showcased. I then found a matte in Shaded Spruce. It was too small but when I off-set it, it looked good. Then I added the red/snow strip and it clicked in my head, let's go with this. It looked perfect on the striped matte. I thought of just adhering that to a white card base but that just didn't look finished. You know me and my layers, or more like my aversion to white space. That's when I added the Shaded Spruce panel, that needed snowflakes. Added my sentiment and I was really happy at how it just rolled out! Pretty!

Supplies I used:

• Snowman Season stamp set: 158341
• Thick Basic White card stock: 159229
• Shaded Spruce card stock: 146981
• Basic Black card stock: 121045
• Let It Snow! Specialty Designer Series Paper: retired but still well loved
• Shaded Spruce ink pad: 147088
• VersaMark: 102283
• Heat Tool: 129053
• White Embossing Powder: 155554 (bundled with Black and Clear)
• Black Stampin' Dimensionals: 150893
• Paper Snip Scissors: 103579

 

 

Using some of the scraps I had left of the DSP, I kept the decor simple on the inside of the card. A littlefussy cutting of mini trees, a thin strip of Shaded Spruce, and a sentiment. For the envelope, I stamped the snowflakes to coordinate it with the card front. While I looked at some scraps, I noticed that I could paper piece the snowman and hid the cut marks under the scarf. It was a perfect finish!

 

Head on over to the Krafty Chicks Challenge Blog to get more details about the challenge and see more inspiration for Christmas week from the Design Team. There's even a place for you to upload your project at the end. I hope you play along with us and show us what's happening in your craft space.

Here's a direct link to our Design Team's personal blogs:

Leanne's Blog

Nance's Blog

Lori's Blog (off this week)

Kim's Blog (Guest Designer)

 

 

Krafty Chicks Challenge #558 - Stamp Act

 Welcome May! Here in Alberta, we didn't get much of April showers but I am starting to see the new growth in my flower beds. It's officially Spring in my books! I started some seedlings a few weeks back that are ready for our little greenhouse. I'll be glad to get it off my kitchen table. There's a few more seeds to be planted, like flowers and herbs, and that will be this weekend's project along with planting potatoes, beets and carrots into the garden.

Onto my card for this week's Krafty Chicks Challenge. Stamp Act is almost as easy as Anything Goes, I just had to be sure to stamp something onto my project.

In case you didn't realize this, Stampin' Up!'s new Annual Catalogue 2021-2022 went live this week as well and I wanted to introduce the newest In Colors with this card. To create the stripe background, I first had to make some Stampin' Spots, just add a few drops from the Ink Refills onto uninked spots and voila, you're all set. Then I dragged the each spot down an over-sized panel side by side. I tried not to overlap too much but there's still a few white spots. Adds to the handmade feel! Then I cut it to size and mounted it crooked onto a black panel. 

Here's a secret: my In Color panels was cut just a little bit off, and didn't center nicely on the Basic Black matte. I could have straightened it but that would cut off a lot of the end colours. Solution: off set your panel and matte and no one is the wiser unless you rat yourself out.Tada!! Easy fix!

 

Using the Etched In Nature stamp set, I stamped a butterfly in each colour, put a dimensional on the back and popped it on the card. Add a sentiment and some gems to complete the project. I was going to make this as Thank you cards for my customers but decided that's just too much fussy cutting. I'm a lefty that has a hard time finding great comfortable scissors, so I limit how much I fussy cut.

 

I used the cut off strips from my panel to the inside of the card and the envelope. Why throw that loveliness away?? Ties it all together. Add a few more stamped butterflies and it's that simple to finish off your card and envelope.

Supplies I used:

• Etched In Nature stamp set: 155463
• Thick Basic White card stock: 159229
• Basic Black card stock: 121045
• Uninked Stampin' Spots: 141822
• Polished Pink  Classic Stampin' Ink Refills: 155713
• Pale Papaya  Classic Stampin' Ink Refills: 155671
• Fresh Fresia Classic Stampin' Ink Refills: 155612
• Soft Succulent  Classic Stampin' Ink Refills: 155779
• Evening Evergreen  Classic Stampin' Ink Refills: 155577
• Heat Tool: 129053
• White Embossing Powder: 155554 (now part of a Basic set with black and clear)
• Lovely Labels Pick A Punch: 152883
  
• 2021-2023 In Color Jewels: 155571
• Stampin' Dimensionals: 104430
• Paper Snips Scissors: 103579

Need more inspiration for the Stamp Act challenge, hop on over to the Krafty Chicks Challenge Blog, get more details and upload your creation. You can also visit the personal blogs of our wonderful Design Team.

Leanne's Blog

Nance's Blog

Lori's Blog (off this week)

Kim's Blog

 

• 
  

Krafty Chicks Challenge #557- Anything Goes

 Can you believe April is almost over?? It’s getting nicer out and we’ve started working in our garden. It’s all tilled up and hubby planted his onions already. My seedlings are growing at a faster rate with the extra daylight hours, I’ve already transplanted them into bigger pots. And I’m just itching to get out to the nurseries for some pretty flowers.

It’s Krafty Chicks Challenge Thursday today, so here’s my card.

My grandson was over for a sleep over this past weekend. I usually spend all my time with them when they are visiting; no cleaning, no chores, and I don’t usually make cards unless I involve them in some way. And since I needed a card, I asked Kenley to first find me a stamp set: Garden Wishes. Then by looking at the stamps, pick one or two colours: Blue and Yellow. He's good at this!

I let him stamp the image and then colour it. (He is at the age of not posing for the camera anymore and loves making funny faces. Best pic I could get!) Once he was done colouring, which I touched up a bit, we used my Big Shot to die cut the dandelions. Both my grandkids love playing with the Big Shot. We also cut a couple of sizes of Stitched Rectangles and Nested Labels before settling on this layout.

 For the sentiment, I introduced Kenley to the Heat Tool and Embossing powder.  Although he looks bored in this pic, he was quite impressed when the powder changed into a glossy sentiment. My feelings exactly every time I play with embossing powders. I did the fussy cutting though and by that time he was actually tired of crafting but I think he wanted to get back to his electronics game.

So I finished the card by first adding fun tone-on-tone water colouring on the Coastal Cabana panel, it was too faint and didn't have the effect I was looking for. So in comes the mask and the Blending Brush. That's it! That's what it needed!

As no card would be complete without finishing the inside and decorating the envelope, I stamped and coloured the dandelion image and stenciled on the flap and corner of the envelope and on the edge of the card.

Supplies I used:

• Garden Wishes stamp set: 154408
• Thick Basic White card stock: 159229
• Coastal Cabana card stock: 131297
• Bermuda Bay card stock: 131197
• Basic Black card stock: 121045
• Crumb Cake ink pad: 147116
• VersaMark ink pad: 102283
  
• Watercolor Pencils: 141709
• Water Color Pencils Assortment 2: 149014
• Water Painters: 151298
• Heat Tool: 129053
• White Embossing Powder: 109132 (product will be retiring as an individual item but return in the new Annual catalogue as a bundled product with other colours on May 4th.)
  
• Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine: 149653
• Stitched Rectangle Dies: 151820
• Stitched Nested Labels Dies: 149638 (Retiring product, discounted 20% until May 3 or while quantities last.)
• Dandy Wishes Dies: 154315
• Retired Masks (stencil)
• Blending Brush: 153611
• Stampin' Dimensionals: 104430

I had fun crafting with my grandson. Hope we have more session in the future before he really gets too old to spend time with his Grandma.

 Head on over to the Krafty Chicks Challenge Blog for more details, more inspiration and link up your project for this week's Anything Goes Challenge. I also encourage you to visit the Design Team's personal blogs and see what going on in their craft space.

Leanne's Blog

Lori's Blog

Nance's Blog

Melanie's Blog (Guest Designer)