Clean and Simple Christmas Cards

These were fun to make and I like that they're clean and simple.  I'm thinking they might be a good design to mass produce this year.
I used a sketch from:  CAS Colours and Sketches #231

I'm also entering them into The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #10 - Anything Goes

Thanks for looking!

Stamps: Lawn Fawn Cheery Christmas; Lawn Fawn Toboggan Together; Avery Elle North Pole Pals (sentiment)
Die:  Kaisercraft ornate oval; Paper Roses stitched rectangles 

CAS birthday card

Entering this card in:
Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #271
CAS on Sunday Challenge #99 - Black and white + a colour of your choice

  Loved the black and white + 1 colour prompt and think I'll be making a few of this card in lots of different shades to have in my stash.

Stamps:  Mama Elephant Brush Strokes; Mama Elephant Pandamonium; Stampin Up Endless Birthday Wishes 
Dies:  Mama Elephant 'birthday'

Thanks for looking!

A couple of clean and simple cards

Entering this card in the following challenges:
Casology - Cue word:  Cut
Seize the Birthday - Theme:  Anything Goes

I fussy cut the cow and die cut the white rectanglar piece. 
I used Mama Elephant stamps (lunar animals and brush strokes) and Stampin Up stamps (endless birthday wishes) to make this card.

   

 I created this card for a  colleague who celebrates a birthday in early Jan but unfortunately I forgot it.  The inside of the card reads:  "But I do!"

Thanks for looking!

Birthday Card

Another card using the sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch #204. 

Lots of white space again which I'm loving!

Using Mama Elephant Stamps (Pandamonium) and distress inks.

Here's another look at the sketch:

Thanks for looking!

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge

 

Entering this card in the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #269.  

I forgot how much I love card sketches and I really enjoyed having a clean and simple card sketch to follow.

Couldn't decide whether to use a blue strip or a pink strip...so I joined them together and used both!

Stamps:  Altenew Vintage Roses; Stampin up Watercolour Wings (sentiment)

Inks:  Stampin up and Distress Inks

Thanks for looking!

Tis the season to be jolly...

Well, it's not really Christmas time but I love this stamp so much and really wanted to use it.  Why not?!  I'm envious of those people who are clever enough to make Christmas cards all throughout the year so that they are totally organised with many handmade cards by December...well, now I have one card ready at least!  It's a good start.

I loved this sketch from Friday Mashup! and thought that the Santa stamp would work really well.  The stamp is a lot larger than the circle, but I just wanted Santa's face to fit. 

The Challenge this week at Friday Mashup! is:



The 'mashup' is to use the 'delft tile technique' on your card.  I haven't used the technique on this card but I am about to head off and have a go.  I've never done it before and I love the way it looks.  Hopefully I'll have another card to share soon using the technique.

I followed the sketch pretty closely, just changed the placement of the circle and sentiment.

Thanks for looking!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz (Santa); Kaisercraft (sentiment) stamp; Cre8tiv Border Icons (hearts)
Brad: Kaisercraft

Clean and simple flower card

Here is a card I have made for The Friday Mashup! card challenge.  The challenge this week was to use a watercolour wash and to keep your card 'clean and simple'. 

I rarely do clean and simple cards even though I love the look of them.  Must make them more often!  This would be an easy card to make multiple copies and give them away as a gift.

Supplies:
Flower die: MFT dies
Sentiment stamp:  Kaisercraft

CASology 'Orange' challenge

Here is my first attempt at using distress inks.  I have seen then used lots and lots on different blogs and on pinterest and LOVE how they look, but I've always been a bit scared of them!  I finally decided that I HAD to have them, and yesterday I made an investment (as opposed to a large impulse purchase!) at my LSS and bought five distress ink pads and some of the basic tools to use them.  Here is a link to two of the cards that I found very inspiring:  MASKerade blog and Made Marion blog.  Both are gorgeous blogs, I spent plenty of time drooling over their cards!  The MASKerade blog though, oh boy, I think I pinned just about every card that she has made!  WOW!  Her cards are absolutely stunning...I could look at her board on pinterest all day long!

The card is far from perfect, I made a number of errors, but given that it was my first ever attempt, I am so pleased with how it turned out!  I used post it notes to mask off the area of card that I didn't want ink on.  I used the red, orange and yellow distress inks to create a sort of 'sunset' backdrop.  I then spritzed it twice with a mini mister to give it a gorgeous, slightly distressed look.  Once it was dry, I simply stamped the bird cage image, took off the post it notes and stamped the sentiment, then it was done!  So much fun!

Some of the errors I made included not having one post-it note stuck down properly at the top, therefore you can see where I accidentally got red ink at the top left corner of the card, kind of spoiling the whole 'nice straight line' effect that I was going for!  When I pulled off the post it notes, my three year old immediately informed me that "Mum, look, you made a mistake at the top.  You need to rub it out!"  Thanks for pointing that out mate!  I also forgot about the back of the card and so when I'd finished inking and I sat the card back down on the 'messy mat', I got little ink marks on the back!  Oh well, I'll call them 'character marks'!  Also, the second birdcage didn't stamp as well as it could have, I need to make sure I press harder near the edges.

Anyway, all in all, not a bad first effort, and I am dreaming of all the possibilities!!

I am going to enter this card in the CASology challenge - I have been quietly drooling over this blog for weeks and weeks but been too scared to enter!  The cards on here are just incredibe - so inspiring and so beautiful.  Their challenge this week is:


 so I think my card will fit in nicely with this challenge.  Click here for the CASology blog - definitely worth a visit!

Stamps:  Kaisercraft bird cage image
Sentiment stamp:  Amy R stamps
Distress inks:  Barn door, Spiced marmalade, Mustard seed

Thanks for looking!

New baby cards

My cousin is expecting a baby any moment now so I got busy and made her this pink baby card (I don't know why but I am convinced she is having another girl!)  Then I figured I better make a blue one as well, usually I guess incorrectly.

I love embossing on cards and these squares were quick and easy to emboss.  I inked over them in white ink just to make them stand out a little bit more.  I rarely make cards in pastel colours, I much prefer bright colours, but I enjoyed the change and think they look very 'babyish' and appropriate for a newborn.

I followed a sketch from the Clean and Simple blog,  I've never been to their challenge website before, so I hope that my cards are considered 'clean and simple'!  I guess it refers to not having too many embellishments or lumpy bumpy things?  Anyway, I really liked the sketch, so I rotated it and used it for these cards.  I thought I may as well enter their challenge and hopefully the cards fit the bill!  This is the sketch:

The monkey is from the Create a critter cricut cartridge.
The rose is a rolled rose MFT die.
The little rocking horse dies were purchased from my LSS.
Baby stamps are 'Amy R Designs' stamps.

Thanks for looking!