An Inked Smooshed Christmas Card

Happy Tuesday everyone!! Nora here from A Creative Touch with a slimline Christmas card created with some snowflakes and Distress Ink.

Even though Thanksgiving is two days away, I have been concentrating on getting Christmas cards created to send out to some of my crafty friends. Ink smooshing is a GREAT technique that you can easily do in a streamline fashion.

Stamps: Bring On the Snowflakes

Fri-dies: Funky Flakes, Pinked Slimline Dies

To start off my card, I used the Pinked Slimline Dies to die cut a large panel out of watercolor cardstock. I then used a WOW! Clear Embossing Ink and WOW! White Embossing Powder to heat emboss snowflakes from Bringing on the Snowflakes onto the card front. 

Next I did the same technique and used the same stamp set on a slightly smaller panel.

For my first ink smooshing pass, I used Crackling Campfire Distress Ink and water. I made sure to coat both my panels by picking them up and then placing different areas over the wet ink.

I used a heat tool to dry the ink on the panels and ink smooshed the panels a second time in a combination of watered down gold acrylic paint and Candied Apple Distress Ink. Combining the gold with the red gave a yellowish tint to some of the background, which I loved.

While the two panels were air drying, I die cut some snowflakes using the Funky Flakes Fri-dies out of white cardstock. When the panels were completely dry, I adhered the snowflakes to the slimline card front as shown.

I then adhered the smaller inked panel over the larger panel.

My last step was use the Merry Christmas Fri-dies to die cut some gold cardstock. I adhered the sentiment across the front of the card. 

I adore how this card came out and I LOVE the colors.

I hope this card inspires YOU to create your own festive Christmas cards!!!

Want to get yourself some early Christmas gifts? Come shop the CAS-ual Fridays store. Use my code NORASENTME to get 15% off your total order!!!

I want to thank you for taking the time to stop by and please be sure to check in for some BEAUTIFUL projects by the other design team members!!!

Have a FABULOUS day!!

A Little Sparkle and Shine

Hello everyone!! Nora here on the blog today with a card I created using some Distress ink, along with the Funky Flakes and Merry Christmas Fri-Dies.

 I started by masking a strip across my card and using Distress ink in three different shades of blue to get the look I wanted. I then used a clear shimmer spray across the whole card front.

Next I die cut white card stock with all the snowflakes from Funky Flakes. I adhered them randomly across the blue strip, making sure that some were hanging off onto the white, as well as onto the blue.

 

I then used the Merry Christmas Fri-Dies and die cut the sentiment three times out of white card stock. I adhered these three sets together to give the sentiment some dimension.

I adhered the stacked sentiment to the card front and then coated it with diamond glitter glue.

It was hard to photograph but if you hold it up to the light it has so much sparkle and shine!!! It was super easy and would be simple to reproduce for multiples.

Just wanted to remind everybody that today is the second day of the special Here We Come a Caroling promotion.

Check the sale section for a new deal that only lasts for 24 hours!!! AND you can use my code NORASENTME to get an extra 15% off your total order!!!

I hope you like my card and it inspires you to add a little sparkle to someones day!!

Merry Christmas and Merry Kiss-Mas Cards

Hello my crafty friends.  Maria here with you and I am back with this "mostly" die-cuts Christmas card, showcasing the Jumping Jacks Fri-Dies, Lovely Links Fri-Dies, Merry Christmas Fri-Dies, Mistletoe Fri-Dies and the Mistletoe & Holly stamp set.  

I stamped and colored the mistletoe image and used the coordinating die to die-cut the image.  I die-cut another piece of metallic red bow to adhere to my mistletoe.  

I used the lovely links die to die-cut 8 pieces on white card stock and adhered these pieces on my card base.  I also die-cut the Merry Christmas sentiment using the metallic red card stock.  Here's my card:

To finish my design, I used the Jumping Jacks Fri-dies to die-cut three pieces on some white glittered card stock, and adhered them onto my card.  Here's a little close-up:

And here are more cards I made with the Mistletoe & Holly stamp set.  

Here's a little close-up:

I hope you like my cards today.  Please visit CAS-ual Fridays to order the supplies I used today.  Incidentally, there is a huge sale going on at the site.  Take advantage and order your favorites now.  Don't forget to use my coupon code below to get 15% off your order. Have a wonderful day!

Christmas Card Production Line!!

Hi there everybody!! I can't believe that there are only just over 5 weeks till Christmas!! I've done no shopping, haven't even have any lists yet, haven't started my Christmas baking and haven't made all my Christmas cards......so to say I'm not prepared is an understatement!

I'm also trying to make lots of cards for a group here in New Zealand that send Christmas cards to rest homes around the country called 'Sending Love NZ', for people who don't have any family. Last year I made 50 cards, this time I'm aiming for 100. I really needed a design that looked good but that I could also turn into a 'production line' and create many in a row, so decided to make that the basis for my post today.

To start with, this is the card design I came up with:

This is a one-layer design with loads of stamping, so thank goodness for my trusty MISTI!! It took a bit of organising with the different snowflakes but once I had it done, it was quite easy!!

 

I started off by using a marker pen to make marks to show how big my card base was on the inside of my MISTI door. I grabbed snowflake stamps and arranged them within that area. I found this handy instead of doing on top of the card base itself. I also did the same on the stamping area paper, so I could put my card in the right place every time. I used snowflake stamps from:

Bring on the Snowflakes 
Dashing 
Joy 
Merry 
Snowy Sayings 
Sugar Plum Fairy 

And since the card is completely covered with images I couldn't hold it in place with the magnet, so I added a little removable tape to the back of each one. 

Now I was ready to start stamping!! I used inks from Waffle Flower and Hero Arts. All I did was press the ink pads on different areas of the stamps and it didn't matter if they overlapped and stamped each card twice to get the best coverage. I did 25 cards in blue.

And 25 cards in pink. I'm so happy with how they turned out, especially the way the colours blended together!!

Now it was time to add a sentiment. I was going to heat emboss one but my card stock isn't very thick and didn't want to warp all my stamping. So I decided to use a large sentiment with the darkest ink I used on the cards:

I'm really happy I stamped the sentiment, it still stands out against the background and the cards are nice and flat. I also decided not to add any sequins to these either as there is already a lot going on with the design. Now all I have to do is write a message in each one, wishing them a wonderful Christmas and happy, healthy New Year. I'll add these to the other 50 cards I've made and put them in the 'Sending Love NZ Drop Box' in town and they will distribute them from December 14th. Hopefully they will make lots of people happy!!

Whew, sorry that was such a long post but wanted you to see how you can create one design and then crank out lots of cards with different colours. I hope its given you a few ideas and if your still needing to buy some Christmas products, don't forget to use my special code to save yourself 15%!!

Thanks so much for stopping by and we will see you back here tomorrow for a rather fabulous blog post.....you won't want to miss it!!

Take care
Shona