The Simple Joys of Christmas

Hope you are all on the home stretch with your Christmas prep and look forward to slow down and enjoy the celebrations. We travelled back home on Friday, and boy was it a crazy flight. We had a really tight layover and only barely made it, flights were running late and of course full to the brim. Luckily we made it, which is better than our bag which is now somewhere out there, who knows where. Luckily I had anticipated this might happen, so we had our toothbrushes and a change of clothes in our hand luggage. Unfortunately all our Christmas presents and the board games we were going to play were in the lost luggage. Not sure if we will get it in time for Christmas or not... I'm quite disappointed that it hasn't shown up yet as it should only be an hour away! But the most important thing is that we made it and get to spend Christmas with family and friends. And that's more than so many who were stuck in London due to issues at Gatwick. I hope they will all make it home for Christmas.

Anyhow, I failed to make quite enough handmade Christmas cards so some friends and neighbours ended up with a store bought card. I’ve decided it’s the thought that counts!  It's been quite a busy end to the year. I made the above card inspired by a smooshing Distress Oxides background which I found in the mess that was my craft desk. I tore the edges a bit, inked them with Distress Ink and stamped some grungy stamps in the background. I then stamped and coloured STAMPlorations Holiday Sketches Christmas Candles which I had taken out to make another card. Last, I added a heat embossed sentiment from Homespun Christmas. 

With this card I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas or any other holiday you celebrate this time of year  and thank you for stopping by my little blog. I hope to see you again in the New Year!

I’m linking up with CAS on Friday where the theme is Make a Christmas card, Crimbo Crackers where Anything Goes and ABC Christmas Challenge where the theme is Z is for Zero Embellishments. 

Stamps: STAMPlorations Holiday Sketches Christmas Candles, Homespun Christmas, Mixed Media Elements, Mixed Media Grunge 

Ink and colouring:  Distress Oxides, Distress Ink, Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics

Card: white 200 gsm card, watercolour paper, scrap of red card

Other: WOW white embossing powder

If you need to create some last minute cards, you could 

use these stunning FREE digi stamps. You can download 

them on the STAMPlorations blog.

Rainbow Yuletide Deer

I created a card a few days ago using STAMPlorations Yuletide Deer and Distress Inks. I just finished sending off my Christmas cards back home and realised that depleted me completely of cards. As I still need quite a few (and to be fair, I have already cheated a bit and used some store bought cards...). I decided to create a batch of cards in different colours.

I'm linking up over at AAA Cards where the theme is Three of Something, CAS on Friday where the theme is Make a Christmas Card, Make My Monday where the theme is CAS Christmas, Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the theme is Christmas and Shopping Our Stash where the theme is Tis the Season

Card: 200 gsm white card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Yuletide Deer
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Tsukineko Versamark 
Other: Papermania Copper Embossing Powder

Christmas Night Dreams

Yes, it's another Christmas card... What can I say. Less than 20 days to go! Are you getting super energised or exhausted? I'm a bit all over the place. I look forward to spending the weekend with my sister as I haven't seen her in ages! The project I'm working on is coming to an end and I naively thought that as we get to the end the workload would start easing off. More fool me! And on top of long days at work, I'm applying for new jobs. Writing applications and doing interviews almost counts as a second job! I'm sure it will all end well, but I'm not very good with change, so while it's all going on I find it exhausting. I feel like I want to sleep for a week. 

Anyhow, nothing like a crafty break to take my mind off everything that is going on. I was inspired by the inspiration image over at Fusion. I'm also linking up over at Lawn Fawnatics where the theme is Winter Holiday, Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge where the theme is B is for (blue in this case) and Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers where the theme is W is for Winter (sorry - no snark this time).

Card: 200 gsm white card, scrap of dark green and red card, Hobbycraft 190 gsm white card

Stamps: Lawn Fawn Winter Skies and matching dies

Dies: Lawn Fawn Forest Border, Stitched Hillside, Scripty Merry die

Ink and Colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine, Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Copics

Other: Wow White embossing powder

December STAMPlorations CAS Challenge - Green

It's time for this year's last STAMPlorations CAS challenge. Thanks for playing along with us this year, your creations have been inspirational and we enjoy every single one! I hope you will join us for our December challenge and our optional colour twist this month is green. 

For my card I used the lovely Holiday Sketches Christmas Candles which I heat embossed in gold and coloured with Gansai Tambi watercolours. I added a gold heat embossed sentiment from Homespun Christmas and splattered some red and green watercolours to add interest.

I'm linking up over at Clean and Simple on Sunday where the theme is Make A Christmas Card and The Flower Challenge where the theme is Use an Older Stamp or Die. I found a tag I made using this stamp from November 2016 so it's at least two year's old, although probably even older. Last but not least I'm also linking up over at ABC Christmas challenge with their Z is for Zero Embellishments theme.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Holiday Sketches Christmas Candles, Homespun Christmas
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versamark, Gansai Tambi watercolours
Card: 300 gsm Daler Rowney watercolour paper, 200 gsm white card, Stampin' Up red card
Other: Gold embossing powder from my stash

Bright Red

I've seen a bunch of bright red gorgeous Christmas cards around the Blogosphere and the Instagrams so of course, I had to create my own version. I used Distress Inks and STAMPlorations Yuletide Deer. Sometimes it's nice to create cards with minimal supplies. When I first started crafting and didn't have a big stash of crafting supplies (I still don't have enough... well at least I don't have enough space to store everything these days...) I was always on the lookout for ideas for cards that could be created using a small number of stash. For this design, all you need are a few shades of ink in your preferred colour, a festive stamp set and some embossing powder. And it's easy to create multiples of the card quite quickly.

I created the red background by applying Distress Inks in Abandoned Coral, Festive Berries, Barn Door and Fired Brick using a foam applicator and splattered with water. I then used an antistatic tool to ensure the embossing powder would only stick to the images (don't ask why I am so particular about this, but it could involve numerous bad experiences in my crafting past). I stamped the deer in Versamark and heat embossed in copper and gold. Last, I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set.

I'm linking up with ABC Christmas Challenges where the theme is Zero Embellishments, Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge where the theme is B is for (in my case bold and bright), Inspire.Create. where Anything Goes and Double D Challenges where the theme is Run Run Rudolph.

Card: 200 gsm white card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Yuletide Deer
Ink: Distress Ink Abandoned Coral, Festive Berries, Barn Door and Fired Brick, Tsukineko Versamark, Versafine Onyx Black
Other: Copper and gold embossing powder from my stash

December STAMPlorations TAG Challenge - Christmas

Welcome to our December TAGplorations challenge. Our theme is Christmas with an optional twist of glitter. Perfect for crafting those last (or first?) tags of the season. I have to admit I'm better at crafting tags than actually using them! Maybe this year my Christmas resolution should be to use more of my tags, although we have agreed to have a gift-free Christmas this year with family so it might be a bit hard to use tags, come to think of it... 

I decided this close to Christmas I don't have time to create anything time-consuming or elaborate, but I don't want to skimp on making gorgeous projects. The fun layered stamps by Shirley of Bees Knees include many festive images such as the Holly I used here. You can find others, such as layered Mistletoe, Poinsettia or even Snowman in the STAMPloratios shop. It's so much fun to use these artsy stamps and I like using non-traditional Christmas colours for extra wow-factor. The Typgrafia Christmas stamps are perfect to add that big, bold and beautiful sentiment whether you prefer to heat emboss it like I have or stamp it in one, or why not multiple, colours. There are so many gorgeous stamps in this series, but I have to admit Merry Little Christmas has become my all time favourite (but don't tell the other stamps...)

Card: 300 gsm watercolour paper, Dovecraft 110 gsm premium vellum

Stamps: STAMPlorations Layered Holly, Merry Little Christmas Typografia Christmas 

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Victorian Velvet, Iced Spruce, Frayed Burlap, Tsukineko Versamark

Dies: CUTplorations Stitched Tags Nesting Dies

Other: Gold embossing powder, adhesive gems and pink ribbon from my stash

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.

Two Quick Holly Cards

More Christmas cards! It is, after all, the biggest card event of the year, right? I've been on quite a roll making Christmas cards lately, which left my desk in what could either be described as creative disarray... or maybe just chaos? I finally had to admit defeat and clean it as I wasn't able to make any more space for crafting. When I dug into the archeological layers of all the stuff that had accumulated on the desk, I found a panel I had stamped using the lovely Layered Holly but which had never been developed further. 

With less than a month to go until C-day, I thought every useful piece of crafting should be used and therefore die cut two pieces from the panel using Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies. For the first card, I simply added a black banner with one of the lovely sentiments from Layered Holly heat embossed in white. I then attached everything onto a warm red card base. I absolutely love the pretty sentiments in this stamp set.

For my second card, I die cut the Holiday Words plate die twice - once from red and once from black card. I think the black die cut really makes the sentiment really pop due to the contrast.

The cards were inspired by the holly-laden holiday treats over at The Card Concept (for the CAS style). I'm also linking up over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where Anything Goes and Craft Rocket Challenges where the theme is Christmas is Coming. 

Stamps: STAMPlorations Layered Holly

Dies: STAMPlorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies, Holiday Words plate die

Card: Hobbycraft 160 gsm white card, red and black card from my stash

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Mowed Lawn, Pine Needles, Abandoned Coral, Barn Door, Tsukineko Versamark

Other: Wow White Embossing Powder

Last chance to use my code STAMPGIRLKAROLA to get 20% off products in the NEW RELEASE and 5x7 STAMP CLUB categories and to get a free metal die with your order from theSTAMPlorations store. Offer is good until November 30th, after which the offer code will still be valid for the discount but you will not be eligible for the free die.

Silver Stag

I have spent the whole day trying to sort out the mess that is my digital photo library. Nothing like a new computer to find the motivation to try and sort things out and only move relevant bits and bobs over to the new computer. But boy oh boy is it hard work!! My new year's resolution for next year will be to do a monthly photo cleanout instead of having to go through thousands of photos. If you have any good tips on how you manage your photos, please share!!

About today's card - it's quite quick and easy, perfect for December crafting really. It's inspired by the colours over at Color Throwdown and the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches. I'm also linking up over at Make My Monday where the theme is Non-Traditional Christmas Colours and Christmas Crafts All Year Round where Anything Goes.

Card: White 200 gsm, Stampin' Up patterned paper from my stash

Stamps: STAMPlorations Yuletide Deer, Mixed Media Grunge

Dies: CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies 

Ink: Tsukineko Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Disterss Ink Smoky Slate

Other: Papermania Silver embossing powder, small adhesive rhinestones from my stash

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at theSTAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.

STAMPlorations for Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

I'm excited and slightly high on caffeine - today I have the pleasure of joining STAMPlorations in the launch of the Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop 2018. If you have played along with this blog hop before you know this is a massive event for all lovers of crafting and coffee, and if you haven't - hop over to have a look, I can guarantee you will be glad you did. You can find more coffeelicious inspiration from my fellow STAMPlorations designers on the STAMPlorations blog. There are plenty of prizes to win and a generous discount code for the STAMPloratons store too. As if that wasn't enough, you will also find the latest gorgeous STAMPlorations free digi which I have used for my second card!

For my first card I used the big coffee mug from Anywhere There's Coffee and embellished it with a bell from Jingle Bells, coloured with Copics and fussy cut. I used a panel from my box of leftovers, bits and bobs which I have at some point in the past created by smooshing neutral colours of Distress Oxides onto watercolour paper. I stamped part of the From Across the Miles Typografia Christmas sentiment in black Versamark and used a brush to cover the sentiment in copper Perfect Pearls for a subtle shine and added some Ranger Distress Stickels to the bell.

For my second card, I used the new STAMPlorations free digi. I used to think there was no way of watercolouring digis as that made the printer ink spread and become messy. But that was before I discovered clear gesso. Now I can print digis, cover the paper in a thin coat of clear gesso and watercolour to my heart's content. Works really well on colouring book pages too! I coloured the image with Gansai Tambi watercolours, stamped the sentiment in Black and then brushed Perfect Pears over the sentiment and over the whole image to give it a warm coppery sheen. I also added Perfect Pearls to the coffee mug to make it shimmer but it's a bit difficult to capture in the pictures.

Stamps: STAMPlorations Anywhere There's Coffee, Jingle Bells, From Across the Miles Typografia Christmas, STAMPlorations free digi

Dies: STAMPlorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies 

Card: Daler Rowney watercolour card, Hobbycraft 160 gsm white card, 

Ink and colouring: Distress Oxides, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Gansai Tambi watercolours, 

Other: Ranger Ice Stickles, Copper Perfect Pearls, clear Gesso

Today is the last chance to use my code STAMPGIRLKAROLA to get 20% off products in the NEW RELEASE and 5x7 STAMP CLUB categories and to get a free metal die with your order from the STAMPlorations store. Offer is only good until November 30th, after which the offer code will still be valid for the discount but you will not be eligible for the free die.

Bliss Under Starry Skies

Just a super quick post today as I've been busy setting up my new laptop. Yes, after 9 years my trusty old Macbook Pro, which I bought when I first moved to the UK, now gets to retire. I decided that as I'm getting older, I no longer can lug around such a big and heavy brick. So it's basically health and safety to get a new computer, right? To be fair, the old brick has served me well and after 9 years of use, it's actually brilliant value for money. But the new one definitely has its benefits, like that it's about a third of the weight and all sleek and slim.

But on to more interesting things - today's card was inspired by the Starry Skies theme over at Daring Cardmakers. First I inked up the ARTplorations Oh My Stars! stencil with blue Distress Oxides and created a monoprint onto watercolour card to create the sky. After the ink had dried I inked Mustard Seed Distress Oxide through the stencil, and while the ink was still wet, added sparkly clear embossing powder to give the stars a pretty sparkle.

I smooshed green and brown Distress Oxides to create the ground, and die cut with Stitched Snow Hills. I stamped the cute critters from Woodland Friends, coloured with Copics and fussy cut. I drew a branch for the owl to sit on, and last I heat embossed a sentiment from Noteworthy 3 on a piece of dark blue card. 

I'm also linking up the card over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where Anything Goes this week.

Card: Daler Rowney 300 gsm watercolour paper, Neenah Solar white card, scrap of dark blue card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Woodland Friends, Noteworthy 3
Dies: CUTplorations Stitched Snow Hills, Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies
Stencil: ARTplorations Oh My Stars! 
Ink: Tsukinko Versamark, Memento, Distress Oxides
Other: White and shimmer clear embossing powder 

Don't forget there is still a few days left to use my code STAMPGIRLKAROLA to get 20% off products in the NEW RELEASE and 5x7 STAMP CLUB categories and to get a free metal die with your order from theSTAMPlorations store.

Snowflake Trio

Pushing on with the Christmas cards! I started with the idea for this design and created the blue card first, but then I thought a really neutral colour scheme could work well. And then I remembered the gorgeous hand-made paper I was gifted quite a while back and which I think is way too nice to actually use. But I did use the corner of a sheet to die cut the beautiful Lawn Fawn Stitched Snowflakes. It looks quite beige in the pictures, but it's actually quite light in colour. I just love the slightly patchy, natural look of the paper and it feels absolutely gorgeous, almost velvety.

I'm linking up this card over at CAS on Friday where the theme is Washi tape and Time Out where the theme is Black, White and one more colour

I'm linking up this card over at AAA Cards where the theme is Mostly White and Make My Monday where the theme is Nontraditional Christmas Colours.

Card: White 200 gsm card, handmade tan paper, light blue shimmer paper, scrip of black card

Stamps: Lawn Fawn Toboggan Together

Dies: Lawn Fawn Stitched Snowflakes, Mini Snowflakes, Scripty Merry Christmas Border

Ink: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Tim Holtz Salty Ocean 

Other: Adhesive gems from my stash, Stampin' Up Washi Tape

Snowflake Flurry

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. You know what is the mother of getting your mojo on for creating Christmas cards? Making your list of people you are going to send cards to, counting the cards you have already made and realising you still need to triple your card stash. Nothing like CAS designs to the rescue - I think I created at least six cards today 

Today's card was inspired by the colours over at House of Cards. I'm also linking up over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge where the theme is Let It Snow, Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the theme is Baby It's Cold Outside and Sparkles Christmas Challenge where the theme is Embossing.

I created the background using Distress Inks, splattered with water and added heat embossed snowflakes. The sentiment is a mix of a STAMPlorations stamp in black on vellum and a STAMplorations die, cut from silver and gold mirri card. 

Card: 200 gsm white card, vellum, gold and silver mirri card
Stamps: Stampin' Up Endless Wishes, STAMPlorations Noteworthy 2
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Iced Spruce, Walnut Stain, Antique Linen, Tsukineko Versamark, Versafine Onyx Black
Other: Gold, silver and white embossing powder, CUTplorations Holidays Word die

Don't forget there is still a few days left to use my code STAMPGIRLKAROLA to get 20% off products in the NEW RELEASE and 5x7 STAMP CLUB categories and to get a free metal die with your order from the STAMPlorations store.