Wednesday, December 4, 2024

AH 606 - Joyful Christmas

 Welcome to Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge 606! 

I chose to stay close to the sketch but I angled the strips in the background. The holly leaves and berries were stamped around the outside of a piece of white cardstock and coloured with markers. I adhered that to dark yellow cardstock and then to the front of the card. I used a fine tip black marker to draw an outline around the edge and added a few gold gems around the sentiment. 

Come and join us at Atlantic Hearts and show us how you interpret this challenge. 

You have until Sunday evening to link up your project. 

We can't wait to see what you create!

Enjoy,

Alyson

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

TSOT 660 - Friend Flowers

 Welcome to Try a Sketch on Tuesday Challenge 660!

This is the last challenge for 2024. 

The sketch can be interpreted in so many ways. I chose to use several foiled images - both hot foiled and laminator foiled. 

The background was hot foiled with silver onto black glitter paper. I use a hot foiled diamond shape to enhance the centre of the card. The flowers and leaves were all laminator foiled and I chose to colour them with markers instead of using the stencils. Before placing the flowers and leaves, I cut thin strips green cardstock and added them diagonally across the card, leaving the section inside the diamond open. The images were arranged inside the diamond and I added a hot foiled sentiment across the centre. This card is so shimmery in real life - a camera just doesn't pick up those details! 

Come and join us at TSOT and show us how you interpret this sketch. 

You have until the end of the month to link up your project. 

We can't wait to see what you create!

Enjoy,

Alyson

Monday, December 2, 2024

DT 181 - Wishing You Joy Easel Card

 Welcome to Double Trouble Challenge 181 - our last challenge of 2024!

The small graphic is below - please visit the Double Trouble Challenge Blog for detailed information. 

I saw a different version of an easel card on Pinterest and wanted to give it a try. The front is a window type of opening. 

The two inside solid pieces were covered with woodgrain paper. I manually cut a frame from a third piece of cardstock and added three pieces for the inside of the frame. The frame piece was embossed with a woodgrain embossing folder and I dragged some ink pads over that to give it more interest. The images and sentiments were all foiled in gold and I stencilled the flowers and leaves. Those pieces were stacked onto more die cuts and adhered to the front of the frame. I added two sections of gold metallic thread and some gold gems around the images. I did die cut more of the pieces to adhere to the back to cover up the messy work. The card folds flat for mailing and there is a place on the back to write a message. 

Come and join us at Double Trouble and show us how you interpret this challenge. 

You have until the end of December to link up your project. 

I am also linking up my card with the Jingle Belles challenge

We can't wait to see what you create!

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Sunday, December 1, 2024

DD December Challenge - Good Tidings Split Card

 Welcome to Dragonfly Dreams and our December challenge!

The theme (no surprise) is Christmas.

I have seen variations of this card several times. It looks so easy but it is a little deceiving. 

The border piece was die cut from gold foil and I die cut a second piece of white cardstock and embossed that with a holly embossing folder. The sentiment was arranged on the curve and embossed with gold. All the little branches and flowers were arranged under the border. The centres of the flowers are actually tiny die cuts so I didn't add anything else to this card. 

Come and join us at Dragonfly Dreams and show us your Christmas projects. 

You have two weeks to link up your creations. 

We can't wait to see what you create!

Enjoy,

Alyson

PS December Challenge - Four Panel Christmas Card

 Welcome to Pearly Sparkles December challenge!

The theme for this month is Christmas. 

My Christmas cards were finished a while ago so this is an extra one that I will put aside for next year. 

The front panel was die cut (it is hard to see the rectangular pattern in the photo) and I lightly inked around the edges. A tree and gift images were die cut and added to that piece. 

Inside the card, there are four panels. The left side has an inked tree and a stencil was used to add green glitter paste to the open sections. I added that to an embossed panel and used clear Stickles on the raised "snow". The next two panels have a window die cut from them and I placed vellum behind the open windows. The wreaths were stamped and die cut and I added some greenery and a poinsettia at the bottom of each window. The last panel has the word MERRY die cut and paper pieced three times above the word Christmas. There is a panel on the back to write a message. 

Come and join us at Pearly Sparkles and show us how you interpret this challenge. 

You have until the end of the month to link up your project. 

We can't wait to see what you create!

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Saturday, November 30, 2024

SS 765 - Merry and Bright

 Welcome to Sketch Saturday Challenge 765!

This week, we are asking you to choose a sketch from the vault. Past sketches can be found on the Sketch Saturday Challenge Blog

The optional twist is to choose a sketch from 2014. 

I chose Sketch 310 which is from 2014. 

I cut four squares of patterned paper and light yellow cardstock and lined them up on a red background. A dark green line was drawn around those pieces. The centre panel was embossed in gold and coloured. I added some small poinsettia sprays in opposite corners and placed a sentiment across the centre with metallic thread underneath. I put a gold sequins in the centres of the flower to finish off this card. 

Come and join us at Sketch Saturday and show us which sketch you use for this challenge.

You have two weeks to link up your project. 

We can't wait to see what you create!

Enjoy, 

Alyson 

Friday, November 29, 2024

CD 629 - Mosaic Strips Birthday

Welcome to Colour Dare Challenge 629!

I used all the colours in the graphic plus black and white. 

 The strips of coloured cardstock were placed on black cardstock and cut apart. They were then adhered to another piece of black cardstock but offset to form a mosaic pattern. I die cut a birthday sentiment from yellow and black cardstock and also stamped and die cut some candles. Those pieces were adhered to holographic paper in the centre of the card. Holographic paper is so difficult to photograph... The first photo shows the card in the usual format I use - and the holographic paper looks purple (!) but the second one shows it from a different angle and that is what I used, thinking it would photograph better. Ah, such is life. 


Come and join us at Colour Dare and show us how you interpret this challenge. 

You have two weeks to link up your project. 

We can't wait to see what you create!

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Cut It Up 318 - Poinsettia with Sparkle and Shine

 Welcome to Cut It Up Challenge 318!

The theme for this challenge is sparkle and shine. 

I love both sparkle and shine so this was fun! I inked a stencil with shades of blue and turquoise, making it lighter at the edges. The stencil was covered with clear glitter paste and once the stencil was removed, that panel was left to dry. The greenery pieces were inked with grey inks and some were splattered with a mix of Perfect Pearls and water to add shine. The poinsettia was inked with the same colours I used for the background - teals and blues - and also spritzed with that shimmery mix of Perfect Pearls and water. Once everything was dry, I cut down the background and adhered it to a dark blue mat, a turquoise mat and then to a white card base. The poinsettia with the greenery was assembled in the centre of the card. A hot foiled sentiment was placed across the centre of the image. 

Come and join us at Cut It Up and show us how you interpret this challenge. 

You have two weeks to link up your project. 

We can't wait to see what you create!

Enjoy, 

Alyson

MTTC 548 - Rainbow Tag

 Welcome to My Time to Craft Challenge 548!

The theme for this challenge is anything but a card. 

I chose to make a tag and this was simple and easy! I stencilled the image onto white cardstock using eight Distress Oxide inks and die cut the top using a scalloped die. I used the same die to cut a piece of holographic paper and lined up the pieces at the top before cutting the rest of the outline A small sentiment was stamped across the bottom and some white ribbon was threaded through the hole at the top. I used some Liquid Pearls to add dots of the same colours around the image. 

Come and join us at MTTC and show us your non-card projects.

You have two weeks to link up your project. 

We can't wait to see what you create!

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Thursday, November 28, 2024

Four from One Card Set

 I have seen this idea several times in the last few weeks - it's an idea that has been around for a while but has made a comeback. 

The same image was stamped four times on a piece of letter size cardstock. I used a stamp with stencils so I could colour the images fairly quickly. Once that was finished, the cardstock was cut into four even pieces for card fronts. 

I used green cardstock for the bases and trimmed down the stamped images. I also embossed each of the stamped panels with a 3D embossing folder. Sentiments were stamped and added to each card along with some gems and ribbon for a few of them. This is a great way to make several cards from one design. 


This shows the design for stamping (although it has the finished cards already, the visual is there). 

Enjoy, 

Alyson