Quick And Easy Holiday Cards

It's time for another Impression Obsession challenge.  This time the theme is Quick and Easy Holiday Cards.  I had a bunch of die cuts from some of my Christmas dies, so decided to use those.  What could be quicker and easier than adding some dies to a background?!

Card 1

Impression Obsession Dies/Stamp:
Joy DIE833-G 
Loopy Tag DIE863-S 
Primitive Candy & Holly DIE894-U 
Cover-A-Card Ticking CC126 

Love the touch of silver for the 'joy, and the ticking background.  When I am not feeling particularly creative, but want to stamp, I stamp several backgrounds from my CAC stamps, then I have them when I need a quick background for a quick card.  Some holiday dies over it and Voila!  A quick and easy holiday card.

Card 2

 

IO Dies:

Typewriter Sentiments DIE905-Y 

Winter Doilies DIE906-ZZ 

TeaCocoa DIE9-2-U 

These Typewriter Sentiments were really fun!  Another quick and easy die card using a pp background this time.  Even  faster! 

Hope you are enjoying you holiday preparations.  Be sure to check out the other designer's posts for more quick and easy holiday card ideas.  You can find links to their posts on the IO blog HERE.

Thanks for stopping by. 

Blessings,

 

We Have A Winner! And An Elegant Christmas Card

As promised, I have a winner from my Dec. 9th blog post.  Sorry I'm a day late with this post...time just got away from me.  I drew a name from the comments section to win the card I had posted.  
And the winner is....drumroll..... Debbie Gaetz.  Congratulations, Debbie.  Just send me your address and I will get the card right out to you.  You can email me at weblynda at yahoo dot com with your address info.

With all the excitement of the holiday season, I thought I would share a peaceful, soft card today.  I think the gray with the touch of lavendar and white are calming and soothing, and the gold adds just enough interest.

Impression Obsession dies/stamps:
Twas The Night CC3582 
Happy Holidays C5685 
Winter Foliage DIE907-YY 
Winter Doilies DIE906-ZZ 

I stamped the Twas The Night Cover-A-Card stamp onto gray card stock with white pigment ink, then attached it to a lavendar A2 sized card front.  

I am addicted to IO's Cover-A-Card stamps.  They're great for that perfect background, and make a quick and easy card with just a verse or small image.  I have tons of them, and use them frequently.
One of my favorite ways to use them is how I used this one in my card today.  Just softly stamped so that it is 'there,' but unobtrusive, so that the attention is on the die cluster.  The background subtly serves as the perfect 'stage' for this lovely bouquet.

I used several die cuts from the Winter Foliage  set for the arrangement, coloring some with a soft distress brush, an leaving some white, and some gold.

I embossed the verse, and added some Studio Katia gold foil pearl embellishments. 

Inside:  I added another of the Winter Doilies  dies to the inside, with more of the Winter Foliage dies.

Inside

I hope you like my card, and I hope you are enjoying your holiday preparations and festivities.  Thank you for stopping by today.  

Blessings,

Christmas Poinsettia Card And Technique Junkies 35% Sale!

Greetings lovely peeps!  I have a card to share today, using lots of red, with shimmery gold and a teensy bit of white.

Stamps:  SS099 Poinsettia Set of 4
              JT030 Victorian Greetings Set of 6
              SS085 Fairy Tale Set of 5 (inside)
              S448 Big Flourish (inside) 

 **See below for details for how to get 45% off the Fairy Tale Set and Big Flourish stamps I used inside the card! 

I started with Arteza watercolor paper, and used distress ink with ink applicators to cover the paper with downward swipes of pink and red distress ink.  When fully covered, I sprayed a fine mist of water over it to let the colors blend and soften.  When that was dry, I sprinkled droplets of water onto the background, then wiped them up with a cloth, to create soft whitish splotches.

I stamped both poinsettia images from the Poinsettia Set randomly onto the panel, using the same pink and red inks.

I used white pigment ink to stamp the Merry Christmas verse from the Victorian Greetings set.  Finally, I added some white acrylic paint dots with a stylus tool, then spattered on some gold FineTec paint.  

I layered the panel onto a panel of gold glitter paper, then onto a red A2 card front.

Next, I white embossed the smaller poinsettia from the set onto a scrap of red card stock, and painted it with FineTec gold paint, then spattered the same gold onto the panel.  I love, love, love this shimmery, shiny paint.  
I added this to a gold glitter panel, then a white panel, with a scant 1/16" border, just to bring in a tad more white to offset the white splotches and embossing.  I added this to the card with foam tape to give the card some dimension.

For the inside, I used gold sparkly embossing powder for the verse from the Fairy Tale Set of 5 set and the Big Flourish stamp. These are the stamps in the reduction sale.  See details below.

close up

I hope you like my card!  Now for details of the amazing sale:

 Don't forget the 35% off all items in the 

 35% Inventory Reduction Category!

 

https://techniquejunkies.com/35-inventory-reduction-sale/

PLUS…

Take another 10% off by using my code TJ10Lynda

That's 45% off these stamps

How to redeem…

• Select items in the Inventory Reduction Category – they will be discounted automatically in your shopping cart

• Apply my discount code TJ10Lynda with these reduced stamps at the checkout to save 45% off!

For a very different look using this stamp set, see my post HERE.
 

Blessings,

 

Impression Obsession Old Is New - Watercolor Poinsettia Card

Welcome to Old Is New at Impression Obsession!  It's time for our design team to share some new projects using Impression Obsession older stamps.   I have one of my winter favorites for you today, with non-traditional poinsettia colors....

IO Stamps/Die links:
Watercolor Poinsettia F13173
Layered Pinecone WP883 (verse inside)
Merry Christmas DIE330-R

NOTE:  Would you like me to send you this card?  I will draw a name from my comments, and will mail this card to the winner.  Full details are below, so be sure to stay with me (or skip to the bottom of this post).

Now...on to my 'how I made this card' portion...   

I started with a panel of Canson XL Bristol Recycled paper.  I ran some blue and green distress pads from top to bottom, repeating until I achieved the desired effect.  I misted this with water so the colors would blend slightly, not too much.  I let that dry (OK, I 'coaxed' it dry with a heat tool because I am not all that patient).

When the background was dry, I used a white pigment ink pad to stamp the Watercolor Poinsettia randomly along the top and side of the panel. 

Again, the heat tool to dry the pigment ink flowers, then I used my favorite colored pencils - Polychromos, of course - to add some greens and blues for shading, and white for highlights.  The flowers seemed a bit overwhelmed by the background, so I ran along of some of the edges with a really dark teal blue to bring them out a bit more.  I feel that did the trick.  

I added extra white with a white gel pen.  I did have a difficult time getting the white gel ink to glide onto the surface.  I guess it just didn't like all that pencil and ink!  But, some of it took, so I went with it.  Finally, I sponged some of the white ink along the edges of the card to soften.

I adhered this onto a white A2 card front, then added a layered Merry Christmas die cut.  It's not evident in the photo, but the top layer is from white glitter paper.  I love the extra pizzazz that gave the card.  

Inside

Inside:  I stamped the Watercolor Poinsettia image, then stamped it again in second generation.  The verse is from the Layered Pinecone clear set (another of my older favorites).

After the photo shoot, I decided the card needed a bit more sparkle to carry over the sparkle from the die verse, so I added some Stickles to the flower centers.  Here's a photo with the Stickles centers.  What do you think?  Better before, or better after I added the Stickles?  

Close-up

 
















Now for a chance to win this card:
Let me know your thoughts about the Stickles addition in the comments.  I will draw one name randomly from the comments, and send the finished card to the winner!  Only one comment per person, please.  Name a friend with whom you shared this blog post for another chance to win, and your friend will also be entered!  I will send your friend a different card from a previous post.
You have until noon EST, on Sunday, December 15th to comment for a chance to win. 
I will publish the winner's name on Monday, Dec. 16th, so be sure to check back then to see if you have won.  


Thanks so much for visiting my blog today.  For more inspiration, visit the Impression Obsession blog HERE for links to the other DT member's posts.

Blessings,

Penny Black Saturday Challenge Sparkle & Shine - Winter Whites & Greens

Happy Saturday, my lovelies!  It's the first Saturday of the month, and time for Penny Black Saturday Challenge!  The theme is always 'Anything Goes,' and this month, the optional theme is 'Sparkle & Shine.'  So, here's my sparkly, shiny card for your inspiration.....

Penny Black stamp set:  Winter Whites & Greens

I summoned my inner glitteratzi for this card. I started with crystal glitter card stock.  I decided to sacrifice a piece for experimentation, and I'm so glad I did.  This paper is so glittery/shimmery, and smooth.  I will be getting lots more of it.  You can find it HERE.

Since regular dye inks would smudge on the smooth, non-absorbant surface of the glitter paper, I used Ranger Archival ink minis to stamp the tree.  I used my Misti to get some depth of color on the branches.  I love these little permanent ink pads.  They are great for when I want to stamp something on non-porous surfaces, and for when I want to brush color over existing stamping.  The will not smudge or smear.

The snowflakes are from the same set, as is the Merry Christmas verse.  I used the Ranger Archival inks for those elements also.

I used scissors to create snow hills from extra glitter paper, and placed them along the bottom.

 
I placed the stamped panel onto some red foil shimmery card stock, then onto a dark green A2 card front.


Some red crystal gems and a silver crystal star finish off the front. 



I wish you could see how glittery this card is in real life!  The background glitter paper is subtle, yet definitely shimmery and glittery.  And the gems add that extra sparkle.  I'm so glad I tried this little experiment. I will be using this technique frequently, especially with holiday projects!

I kept the inside simple, leaving space for a personal greeting and signatures.

 
This challenge is open now.  You have until Friday, January 3rd, to enter.  The $20 voucher prize for this challenge is provided by our generous sponsor:





I hope you are inspired by my card, and will join us.  You can check out the other designer's projects HERE, on the Penny Black Saturday Challenge blog. 

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today.  Please come back Monday for Impression Obsession's Old Is New day!  I have a different take on a traditional poinsettia to share with you.

In the meantime, enjoy your day, whatever the season is where you live.  

Blessings,
  

Impression Obsession Challenge - It's Snow Time

Hello lovely peeps!  Welcome to my blog, and my post for the Impression Obsession Challenge "It's Snow Time."  I have lots of snow on my card today....

IO Stamps/Dies Links:
Snowy Friends WP984 
Snowflakle Sparkle CL972 
Sm. Snowflake Set DIE100-F 
Hill Landscape Layers DIE343-T 

This was such a fun card to create!  I really enjoyed the process.  

I stamped the snowpeople images onto white card stock, and colored them with my Polychromos colored pencils.  For the snowbanks, I used distress inks in light blues and some paper 'hills' I made with the landscape dies.  I brushed the ink up from the hill masks to create the shadow areas.

I used the landscape dies to create a snow bank under the images, and added that to the panel, then attached the panel to a blue A2 card front.  A strip of red and white peppermint stripe pp edges the left side of the panel.  I added the verse with VersaFine Clair ink in Nocturne.

I added die cut snowflakes, then used glue to adhere glitter to the flakes and to other elements on the card front.

Inside:  I stamped some snow flakes in white pigment ink, and added a strip of the peppermint stripe paper.

That's it.  Easy and fun!  Don't you just love the cheery expressions on these snowpeeps?  And the fun wintertime elements.  

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you will join our challenge this time.  You just might win a prize, you never know.  And who wouldn't love a $25 gift certificate this time of year! 

Stop on over at the Impression Obsession blog to see the other designer's projects HERE.  Hope to see you in the challenge!

Blessings,

Quick And Easy Holiday Mistletoe Card

Hello, and welcome to my blog today.  I have a really easy and quick holiday card to share today. 

I used the Technique Junkies stamp Mistletoe 
and my Misti, with Arteza Real Brush Markers.  Full directions are on my blog post on the Technique Junkies blog HERE. 

NEWS FLASH:  Pat just announced 35% off all items in the 35% Inventory Reduction Category!
 

https://techniquejunkies.com/35-inventory-reduction-sale/

PLUS…

Take another 10% off by using my code TJ10Lynda

How to redeem…

• Select items in the Inventory Reduction Category – they will be discounted automatically in your shopping cart

• Apply my discount code TJ10Lynda with these reduced stamps at the checkout to save 45% off!

I hope those of you in the US enjoyed a peaceful Thanksgiving.  Our holiday decorations are up, and I am in full Christmas mode here, with music and festivities.  Soon the cookie baking begins, and cards will be mailed.  I love everything about this season, but mostly how it brings family and friends together.

May your holiday preparations and celebrations bring you joy and peace.

Blessings,