CAS Christmas Card Challenge

Happy weekend .........

The sun is shining again ..... yeah!   The temperature has dropped a little though ........ over here it has anyway!  And I must confess, the 'C' word (dare I say it .......Christmas!) has been mentioned a couple of times lately.  Don't worry, I'm not going full on festive just yet but, I am playing along with this month's CAS Christmas Card Challenge ...... well, I have to make a start on those cards at some point!

As you can see the theme is .... Santa's Sleigh

I smooshed a little bit of Distress Ink onto my card using a piece of acetate ...... I love this technique.  Everytime you smoosh the results are different, and no matter how hard you try you can't repeat one particular 'smoosh'.  I know this because, it took me three, no wait four attempts to create this finished card!  The harder you try not to make a mistake, the more they happen ....... don't you just love CAS designs.  Anyway, I got there in the end!  

Once the smooshed ink was dry, I stamped the cute little Santa and Sleigh over the top, using my MISTI and a black Versafine Clair ink.

I dotted around some falling snow using a white gel pen, and added in a few dots of glitter glue here and there to give a touch of sparkle.

To finish off  I stamped my sentiment ...... the words in red are an old wooden Penny Black stamp (yes I do still have a few wood mounted stamps that have survived all the clear outs).   

The small text underneath is from a Stampin Up set.

I do love CAS card, even though they can be a little difficult to achieve!

Thanks for popping by, enjoy your weekend.

We've got the Manx Grand Prix going on, so I don't think we'll be going very far this weekend.  

Oh well, at least there's horse racing on the TV and the football season is underway so, every cloud and all that!

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:

Inks ........  Distress Ink - Chipped Sapphire; Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Versafine - Crimson Red

Stamps ....... Holiday Home stamp set - Stampin Up! (Santa & Sleigh and small sentiment); Wood mounted ..... to all - Penny Black
Other ......  Acetate (for the smooshing); White gel pen; Crystal Stickles Glitter Glue

What's this ..... another Christmas card!

Happy Wednesday,

I hope you are all enjoying your week.  

We're almost at the end of July, this year is just flying by!

I'm getting all festive today, and sneaking in at the last minute, with a card for the CAS Christmas Card Challenge. 

The theme this month is all about Snowmen .......

I love this cute little guy from Penny Black.  And this couldn't be more Clean and Simple.

He's been stamped in black ink, coloured using Zig Brush Markers, and a simple sentiment stamped underneath.  

A little touch of sparkle from some clear crystal glitter finishes him off perfectly ...... gotta have glitter on a Christmas card!

I may just do a few more of these, and make an early start on my cards Christmas!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.

It's our wedding anniversary tomorrow so I think we're off out for a nice lunch somewhere.

I'm starting to feel a little more like myself again, thankfully.  Still can't do much though,, and I'm still very nervous on the stairs but, at least things are moving in the right direction.

Cheerio until next time, 

Products used .....

Stamps ........ Snowy - Penny Black; sentiment from Tim Holtz Mr Frosty CMS499                   

Inks ......... Versafine Clair -Nocturne (my go to black ink); Delicata Golden Glitz ink

Other ....... ZIG Clean Color Brush Markers; Quickie Glue Pen; Fine Crystal Glitter

It's never too early for a Christmas card ........

Happy Thursday .......

The weekend is almost here!  It's going to be a busy one too I think.

I can't believe I'm saying this but, I have a Christmas card to share today ........ I know, I know, it's only June but, the CAS Christmas Card Challenge is up and running again this month ..... Yeah! it's nice to see it back.

I do love a good Blog Challenge, and CAS is one of my favourite styles of card, although not always the easiest to create ........ no room for error.  

Not only did this card take a couple of attempts (out of practice I think!) I struggled getting a decent photo. But hey ho!  here we go ........

I started by stamping the tree using a grey ink.  Grey gives a softer look than black which I thought would work well with this image from the Penny Black stamp set.

Once the ink was dry I brushed a little Distress Ink (Weathered Wood) over the top to create a bit of interest behind, and also to ground the tree

I then stamped the bird from the same Penny Black set, onto the tree and coloured him using Brush Markers, and added my sentiment in a matching red ........ love the pop of colour!

A little bit of water splattered here and there, which I left for a few seconds on the ink and then lifted with a paper towel.  A real easy technique for creating the look of falling snow.

 

I finished off with a touch of glitter here and there for a bit of festive sparkle!

First Christmas card of the year ....... done!

Thanks for popping by, enjoy the rest of your day.

I'm off to catch up with todays results at Royal Ascot.  It's Gold Cup day today and I might just have a penny or two on the race!

And, for any England fans out there ...... didn't we do well last night!  4-2 ....... a fantastic opening game, and a great score against our long standing nemesis - Croatia.  

Could this be it, is football finally coming home?  A bit early to start singing that I think.  Anyway ..... well done England!

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used ......

Stamps ...... Woodsy - Penny Black Slapstick/Cling, Sentiment from Christmas Time 3 - Tim Holtz

Inks ....... Versafine Clair - Morning Mist, Distress Ink - Weathered Wood, Versafine Ink - Crimson Red

Other .......  Zig Clean color Brush Markers, Clear Crystal Fine Glitter

A last minute Christmas card for the CAS Christmas challenge ..........

Happy Wednesday .........

How's your week going?  

February is almost done, less than a week and we're into March!!  Not sure I'm ready for it this year ...... it's my birthday month and it's a really BIG one!!!!!!   What's the saying ......... the more candles the bigger the cake.  It's going to have to be a BIG cake!!!!

Anyway, we're still in Ferbruary, and I'm playing along with the CAS Christmas challenge again ...... yes I've managed to sneak in another Christmas card!

Really quick and easy, and hardly any colouring required.  It's one layer too. so great for posting!

The theme this month is  ...... Winter Scene

The snow we had last weekend got me thinking about snowmen so that was where I started. 

I stamped this jolly little fellow straight onto my card base.  He's a really old Inkadinkadoo wooden stamp, so no MISTI but he always stamps beautifully so it wasn't a problem.  

I then added a touch of colour to him and his little friend using ZIG Markers

I created a mask with a piece of copier paper for the hillside and with that in place I stamped the trees in the background

I drew in the tree line with a black fine liner, added a touch of sparkle with some fine crystal glitter, and finished off with a stamped sentiment (that I did use the MISTI for ...... I didn't want to mess it up and have to do it all again!)

The snow we had didn't stick around very long, it never does here.  We didn't get chance to build a snowman.  

Thankfully though, the storms seem to have passed ...... for now!  It's still cold and a bit breezy though, but at least the sun is shining.  Mind you, it is half term here on the island, so we should have know the weather wouldn't be great this week!! 

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.

Cheerio until next time .......

   

Supplies

Stamps: Snowman stamp from Inkadinkadoo;  Trees - Clarity; Sentiment was a freebie from a Craft magazine

Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Delicata - Golden Glitz for the sentiment

Other: ZIG Clean Color Brush Markers; Black fine liner pen; Quickie Glue Pen; Fine crystal glitter; Piece of copier paper to make the hillside mask

A Christmas card for a windy Wednesday ........

Happy Wednesday .........

Everyone OK? ........ I do hope so.  

We're hurtling towards the weekend again ...... at least the diary is clear for this one!  

I'm playing along with the CAS Christmas Challenge today ........  I'm still trying to make a start on filling up the festive card box!

The challenge this month is to create Winter Scenes ........ 

I just love die cuts for quick and easy cards.  This is from an old Stampin Up! die set which I think is called Hometown Greetings (not sure if its still available though)

I simply die cut the houses from white cardstock, and then added colour to just the tree using Distress Ink and a ZIG marker

Using Distress Inks, I then inked the top half of another piece of white cardstock.   To create the look of  a wintry sky I splattered the ink with clean water, let it sit for a few seconds to active the Distress Ink, then mopped up the water with a paper towel, removing some of the ink with it leaving this splattered look behind ........ giving the look of falling snow

A stamped sentiment underneath, and a touch of glitter on the tree finishes off my card.

It's it bit wintry outside today.  We're just about to batten down the hatches again as we've got back to back storms coming in over the next few days.  No ferries again today, as storm Dudley is beginning to blow a hoolie out there ...... it's freezing cold with the wind but the sun is shining ..... for now!!

  

This poor chap has managed to find a sheltered spot in the garden.   He comes in quite often and just wanders across the lawn.  He's being a bit careful today though, the wind is ruffling his feathers just a little bit!

Thanks for popping by ...... enjoy the rest of your day.

If the weather's bad where you are, stay safe.

Cheerio until next time ......

Supplies:

Dies: Hometown Greetings (Stampin Up!)

Stamps: Christmas Time 3 (Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous);  A Winter's Scene (Julie Hickey)

Inks: Distress Inks - Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire (for the sky) & Peeled Paint for the tree; Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Delicata - Golden Glitz

Others: Brown ZIG Marker (for the tree trunk); Fine Crystal glitter

More Silver and Gold for the CAS Christmas Card Challenge .......

Welcome to the weekend! .......

This one is going to be pretty much like last weekend ..... more birthday celebrations!  I told you January was a busy month!

It's been a busy week too ..... most of it spent in the craft room, working with a new release coming soon, from Sweet Poppy Stencils.  New stencil designs and new stamp sets ...... you're going to love it! I'll be back with lots more details on that soon.

I did make time to play along at CAS Christmas again, before the challenge closes on the 24th  ....... well, all my festive stamps are still to hand so it would be a shame not to use them!

The theme is Silver and Gold ....... I love this combination!  Perfect for all sorts of cards, but works so well for festive designs ...... not easy to photograph though!!

I used the pretty Christmas Circlet from Penny Black ....... stamped and heat emobssed in gold, slightly off the edge of my card.

I then used a sparkly silver gel pen to colour in the leaves on the wreath, and Paperartsy's Gold paint for the berries ..... so pretty

A few gold paint splatters ....... to use up the paint ........ and a simple Christmas sentiment stamped in gold, inside the wreath to finish off.  

So clean and simple but very elegant I think ........ will definitely be making more!

Here's another very quick and easy card, and about as CAS as you can get .......

Stamped in silver and gold inks, and a tiny die cut star on the top ...... done!

Again, another one perfect for batch making!

More birthday celebrations this weekend, it's Chris's turn on Monday.  Won't be quite as busy as last weekend ......... this one was 30!!!!

There was lots of food and wine ...... dry Janaury was put on hold for the weekend!

At least I didn't have to cook .......

Things were a little quieter on her actual birthday .......  a meal out at our favourite place.

My little girl is growing up!!

Thanks for popping by ..... I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Cheerio until next time .......

Supplies

Stamps: Christmas Circlet (Penny Black); Berry Sprays (Woodware) for the Merry Christmas sentiment; Eclectica stamp set ELB10 - Lin Brown (PaperArtsy) for the tree;  Scribbly Christmas (Tim Holtz) for the Season;s Greetings 

Inks: Versamark; Gelicata Metallic ink - Golden Glitz, Silvery Shimmer

Others: Gold Embossing Powder (WOW!); Sparkly Silver gel pen; Fresco Finish Chalk Paint - Gold (PaperArtsy); 

Starting early .........

Happy Thursday .........

Here we go again ....... New Years resolutions and all that!  Have you made any?  

The diet starts tomorow ........

I'm not going to leave my Christmas cards to the last minute this year ........

I'm going to get fitter ........ 

I'm making my Christmas cards early this year ........

I'm not going to buy any new craft supplies until I've used up some of what I've already got ......

HaHaHa!!!! .......... as if that's going to happen!  Not a chance.

I have made a Christmas card though ..... whoo hoo!!

Only because I'm playing along with the CAS Christmas Card Challenge.  

It's the perfect excuse to make a start on filling up the festive box again.

The first challenge theme of the year is ....... Silver and Gold 

All the decorations have been put away, apart from the ones still on my craft desk ..... the stamp variety!

This was really quick and easy to do. I used the Merry Christmas Color Layering set from Hero Arts.

I used the bold words from the set to create the bauble ...... stamped on black cardstock, and heat embossed with WOW's silver and gold embossing powders

I added a few silver and gold ink splatters to the background, and finished off with a bow made from a piece of gold thread.

Well that's the first one for the festive box done!

I haven't actually made any New Years resolutions this year, except I'm trying to have ..... I won't say completely alcohol free January because it is Lauren's 30th birthday on the 17th, so there will be a few celebrations then but, other than that, I'm going for a dry(ish) month!

I did make this though ........ again in silver and gold but it's not really a Christmas card.

I used some of that stash that's been mounting up in the craft room ...... you know, the stamps we have to have then when we have them we don't use them ........ yes those!

Heat embossed and splattered as before, with a little touch of silver gel pen

I'm going to link this up to Darnell's NBUS Challenge

Hmmm ...... maybe that's something else I should try each month ...... use something from the NBUS pile.   I'll kep you posted on that one.

Somerthing I hadn't planned for in the New Year was this .......

Yep! It's finally got me!  Hubby too.  He was first on Dec 30th (luckily we had nothing major planned for New Years Eve), and then me on Jan 3rd. 

We're both double jabbed and boostered thankfully, so it's not too bad.  I feel like I've got a bad cold, and I'm easily tired but other than that I'm fine  .......... it has taken me three days to get the Christmas trees and decorations down and away though!!!  

Hubby's not too bad either, he's actually working, from home of course.

We're currently in our 10 day isolation period.  Think I'll spend mine in my craft room.

Thanks for popping by ...... enjoy the rest of your day and stay safe!

Cheerio until next time .......

Supplies:

Stamps: Merry Christmas Color Layering stamp set (Hero Arts); Happy New Year Clear stamp set (Whimsy Stamps)

Inks: Versamark ink;  Delicata Golden Glitz and Silvery Shimmer inks

Other: Gold and Silver embossing powders (WOW!); Gold thread; Silver Metallic Gel Pen  

Grey and Red for the CAS Christmas challenge ........

Happy Wednesday ........

It's the middle of a very wet and windy week here on the Isle of Man ..... not very nice at all.  It's definitely weather for staying warm and cosy at home ...... time to get the winter woollies out I think!

There's still quite a festive feel going on in the craft room after World Cardmaking Day at the beginning of the month (which reminds me, I must share the rest of my cards with you!)

My favourite festive stamps are out, there's glitter everywhere, and oooh, there's some new Christmas stamps appeared in there too ....... I wonder how that happened!!  Now I just need to decide what to do with them.

There's already a few cards in the festive stash, thanks to the CAS Christmas Challenge, and I'm playing along with another one this month

It's a colour challenge for October ...... Gray and Red

As I said, I do have some new stamps to play with but, I have to use this little guy at least once every year ......

Stamped in grey Versafine Clair ink, and coloured with a red ZIG Marker, this really was so quick and easy ...... one layer too, so great for popping in the post!

The sentiment was stamped in red, and I added a few snowflakes for a litle extra detail

A touch of sparkle to finish with some fine crystal glitter, and we're all done! Told you it was quick and easy.

Speaking of the festive season, the local garden centre is launching it's Christmas Display this evening ..... yes it's that time of year again! 

We'll be popping in later to have a look.  Well, I have new space to decorate this year, I need some 

ideas.  And, there's always room for a pretty new bauble, or two, on the tree!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.

Cheerio until next time ........

Products used:

Stamps: Snowman - a really old (but well loved) Inkadinkadoo wooden stamp (97347-LL); Sentiment - Wonderful Christmas (Inkylicious); Snowflakes are from an old StampinUp! set

Inks: Versafine Clair - Morning Mist; Versafine - Crimson Red

Other: Red ZIG Clean Colour Brush Marker; Fine crystal glitter; Quickie Glue Pen