Celebrate with River of Creativity!

 December is here and this months challenge at River of Creativity is Celebrate! You can enter anything that you've created that means celebration to you! I made this card especially for this challenge to celebrate my growth as a card maker and to celebrate this wonderful season.  I hope you like it!

I used Trinity Stamps Slimline All Spruced Up stamp set to make the fur tree outline, the pine cones, poinsettia flowers & leaves; I stamped the fur trees with Wendy Vecchi's Archival Ink in Fern Green,   for the pine cones I used Potting Soil, all on regular card.  Then I used the Fern Green for the poinsettia leaves and Red Geranium for the flowers on watercolor card (the Fern Green and Red Geranium are the best inks to use for green & red designs in my opinion.  I haven't found better colors yet!).  I used my Zigs to color in the poinsettias and the leaves. I used the coordinating dies to cut everything out and used a slimline card base. Then I cut out the sentiment from glitter card and glued it onto vellum. That was placed on the card, the poinsettias are pop dotted and the little glitter dots are Christmas Red Stickles.  I realize my sentiment isn't perfectly placed, but I loved this card so much I wanted to share it anyway. I hope you have a celebration project you can share with is at River of Creativity - remember, you can enter anything that is handmade!

This is the last challenge for now - after the holiday season is over stay tuned for a NEW River of Creativity Challenge - we are doing a revamp!! COMING SOON!!!

I wish that each & every one of you has a peaceful holiday season :) Be safe :) Thanks!! Christi

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Sparkle Mode
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Holidays/Christmas
International Art & Soul, #123 - Use Dies and/or Punches
Allsorts, #653 - Use a Die
Cut it Up, #240 - Holiday Cards
Crazy 4 Challenges, #613 - Christmas Flowers/Foliage
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge, #571 - Anything Christmas
Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge, #5 - Anything Christmas

You are Spooktacular!

Hi everyone! This card was made with an older Lawn Fawn set and even though it's older, I think it's an adorable stamp set {the set was released in 2014!!}.  You can still buy this set from Lawn Fawn, or any place that sells their products but I was lucky to find the stamps and the dies on one of my de-stashing FaceBook groups.  

 

I started out stamping the bats on standard white cardstock, then filled in the background using the candies and stars from the Spooktacular set.  I left the bats black and white, coloring the other items with some Copic markers.  I trimmed the background and attached it to a white card with dimensional dots.  I stamped the sentiment with the same black ink I used on the background, Gina K's Amalgam ink in Obsidian on white card, cut it out with Stitched Rectangle Dies from Memory Box and layered it onto dark purple card which I then trimmed as well.  I have to take a moment and talk about this Amalgam ink - it is the only ink I have found that can be used for both water coloring and alcohol marker coloring.  Granted, if I am going to watercolor, I typically stamp on this watercolor paper, so it isn't as if I don't know what medium I will be using as I am making a card, but it takes out that little bit of worry wondering if the ink I have used will smear once I am coloring it.  The color is vibrant and the price point is right in line with most inks.  So I attached the sentiment to the card with dimensional dots as well, finishing the card off with some sequins I had in my stash and Stickles in the color Cosmic.  Stay tuned as I have another card I made using the same stamp set on the way.

While this card is a bit more juvenile than I typically make I am very pleased with how colorful and cheerful it looks.  I tend to lean towards the darker side of Halloween, so this was a nice break from the spookier side of the holiday. However, a friend did say to me that she feels things don't come much scarier than this overload of cuteness - fear not, the dark side is on the way :) Thanks for stopping by! Christi  

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Lawn Fawnatics, #111 - Coffee, Tea & Treats {I used LOTS of Treats!}
Creative Knockouts, #425 - Anything Goes
Funkie Junkie Challenge - Grunge, Ghouls or Giggles {entry 2}
Creative Moments, #225 - Anything Goes
Daring Cardmakers - Halloween Inspired
Retro Rubber, #170 - Fallin' for Autumn

Shaker Magnet & Owl Ornament

Every year I make my sister some small trinket she can put on her little Christmas tree or hang on something else.  Since it is well past Christmas - yes, I am late {I honestly forgot I even had this post waiting to be published!} - I wanted to share this year's goodies.  :) 

I had made the little owl ornament a while back with stuff from my stash and some Stickles Glitter Glue as the snow {if you want to know any of the items I used in the owl ornament just let me know}.  What I want to focus on is the beach scene globe, which is a shaker magnet.

What I Used to Make my Shaker Globe
Sizzix/Tim Holtz Tiny Travel Snow Globe Dies Set, #664182
Dimensional Domes, #663559
Various Cardstock {including heavy duty white}
Simon Says Stamp Nested Circle Wafer Dies, #SSSD111466
Wooden Circle from Stash

Magnet from Stash
Shaker Stuff from Stash {I don't know what to call this - it is similar to little rocks}

I got the idea to make her a beach scene magnet since she moved from Florida to Colorado and often will say she misses the beach.  Well, now she has a little piece of it that she can look at when she feels the need!  I started the magnet by cutting out all of the pieces, then assembling them on the circle I had cut out prior {the circle is included with the dies}.  Once that was done and dried, I cut out another circle, using heavy white card and the Simon Says Stamp die, and placed the scene on that.  I used E6000 to glue a wooden circle to the assemblage; I didn't want to glue the magnet to just paper and have it possibly rip, so I used the wooden circle as the stage for the magnet.  Lastly, I put a small bit of shaker material on the scene and glued the plastic globe onto that.  It was really very simple to make as long as you have the ability to work with tiny pieces of cardstock.  I have never

Side View

been able to use tweezers so I just use my fingers, toothpicks, and luck. 

I hope you like my magnet and owl ornament - she was thrilled.  I have since acquired the Tiny Snow Globes set so expect to see some holiday magnets coming your way!   Very soon I will be having a giveaway on my Instagram account so if you are part of that social media, I urge you to begin following me.  Don't worry, I will happily follow you back!  If you aren't yet on Instagram, well, you don't know what you are missing!  There is more content, crafters, ideas, and things to inspire you than anywhere else I have seen.  And you can use your computer!  Just go to Instagram.com and make an account. Thanks for stopping by!   Fondly, Christi

I am entering my Beach Shaker Magnet in the following challenges:
Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies, February Challenge
NBUS February Challenge, #23 - Never before Used Stuff {the Tim Holtz products are NBUS}
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Add Some Texture {my shaker element!}
UnstampaBelles, #108 - Anything Goes
We Love 2 Create, #2 - Anything Goes Mixed Media
CRAFT Challenge, #586 - Anything But a Card
More Mixed Media Challenge - Anything Goes
Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge, #68 - Anything Goes

Love is in the Air with Paper Funday's February Challenge

Hello everyone! I'd like to take this time to announce that I am now on the Design Team of  The Paper Funday Challenge Blog which is a monthly challenge open to any and all papercrafts!  I am very excited to share my first creation for the month of February; our challenge is Anything Goes with the Option of Love is in the Air.  I chose to work with the option this month and here is my card:

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Red Cardstock
Light Pink Cardstock
Simon Says Stamp Pawsome Love Stamp Set, #SSS102077
Simon Says Stamp Pawsome Love Die Set, #SSSD112094C
Simon Says Stamp Ornate Love Dies, #SET12180L {retired, I just used the heart die}
Gina Marie Designs Lacey Lattice Rectangle Dies 
Watercolor Paper {I use this}
Zig Clean Color Brush Markers
Gina K Amalgam Ink Pad in Obsidian Ink
Derwent Inktense Pencils
Stickles Glitter Glue in Christmas Red 

I've been finding that using colored pencils, watercolor or not, along with my Zig Clean Brush Markers allows me to color in designs better and I have much more fun when I am mixing mediums.  That is what I did with the images I used on this card; I stamped them, colored them, {I can't remember which I used first but I think it was the pencils} and then cut them out, and set them aside.  For a background, I used the lace lattice dies and red cardstock.  I had first used a clear dimensional gel on the heart balloons but for some reason as it was drying it cracked and while that look may be fine for some projects, it just didn't work for this one so I covered the clear dimensional gel with the Christmas Red Stickles and they came out nice and sparkly.  I stamped the sentiment onto light pink card and used a heart die to cut it out.  Lastly, I adhered all the pieces to the card base and here you have it!

I love how each of the kitties is different; I still have yet to master adding stripes to my cats without them looking silly, but I think these cats are adorable even without the stripes!  Now it is your turn to create a paper craft or two and enter it into our challenge; after all you have the entire month so I am positive you can make something and join in the fun{day}!  I hope you enjoyed my card!  I am hoping to see you soon!  Fondly, Christi

Lawn Fawn Let it Snow

I hope you like this sparkly winter card as much as I do!  I am still struggling with the fact winter is here because I am sitting here with my window open - it is snowing right now and I still have my window open!  I love the Colorado weather!  Since it is snowing, I thought I'd share this card with you:

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base 
Lawn Fawn Simply Celebrate Winter Stamps, #LF1769
Lawn Fawn Simply Celebrate Winter Dies, #LF1770
Lawn Fawn Really Rainbow Christmas Petite Paper Pack {retired but available}
Watercolor Paper {I use this}
Zig Clean Color Brush Markers
Gina K Amalgam Ink Pad in Obsidian Ink
Stickles in Star Dust
Spellbinders Curved Rectangle Dies, #S5-006 {retired but available}
DCWV Glitter Metallic Mat Stack 6" x 6" {retired}
Maroon Pearl Paper from stash

I had stamped, colored, cut, and put the glitter glue on the row of houses a while ago. If you are a regular reader you know I like to have extras of any stamps I color and cut, and this was a left over from a batch I made with the Lawn Fawn stamps.  Once the glitter glue dried, I set about deciding on a background, and this time I chose a snowy gray background so as to not distract from the houses.  Again, when deciding the sentiment I didn't want to distract from the houses but at the same time I wanted it to stand out enough that it would be read.  This maroon pearl paper is actually from an envelope I had gotten in a kit about a million years ago.  I used the dies to cut out the frame from the white glitter paper and adhered it all to the white card base.  I think this card looks a lot more complicated than it was to make!

I will be having a giveaway on my Instagram account so if you are a part of that social media, I urge you to begin following me; don't worry, I will happily follow you back!  If you aren't yet on Instagram, well, you don't know what you are missing!  There is more content, crafters, ideas, and things to inspire you than anywhere else I have seen.  And you can use your computer!  Just go to Instagram.com and make an account!  It's very simple and I promise you will not be sorry!  Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and check out my work ~ Fondly, Christi

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Retro Rubber, #150 - Winter Wonderland {the stamps & dies I used came out in 2018}
Pammie's Inky Pinkies, #2014 - Anything Goes
International Art & Soul, #100 - Winter
Crafty Catz - Anything Goes, Option of Winter Fun
Die Cut Divas - Frame It
My Time to Craft, #449 - Glitter and Sparkle

Have a Magical Winter Season

If you visit this blog regularly you know how I just adore Lawn Fawn.  I've had this set since it was introduced {last winter} but hadn't made anything with it until recently.  And I went a bit overboard; once I got started, I couldn't stop and ended up making three cards!  Instead of doing a separate post for each card, I decided to do just one.  So here is a picture of all 3 cards together:

Now in order to tell the cards apart, the first one is Landscape, the second is Portrait, and the third is Three Fairies.  I wanted to let you get a better look at each card.

What I Used to Make my Cards:
Each of the three cards uses the following:
White Card Base
Lawn Fawn Frosty Fairy Friends stamps, #LF1224
Lawn Fawn Frosty Fairy Friends dies, #LF1225
Watercolor Paper {I use this}

Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black

Zig Clean Color Brush Markers

Wink of Stella in Clear {all of their wings sparkle}

Dimensional Dots

Gelly Roll Gel Pens, Stardust Pack

For the first card, Landscape, I also used the following:              

The Landscape Card

Distress Ink in Broken China

Petal Point Pad, Alchemy, the Silver Ink

Lawn Fawn Starry Skies die, #LF1377

Silver Glitter Paper

The first thing I did when making this card {after the fairies were all stamped, colored, and cut} was stamp the sentiment onto the card base using Broken China ink.  I cut some stars out of silver glitter paper and glued them in various places around the card and stamped the wand swirls in silver ink.  

I used dimensional dots to attach this fairy to the card, placing her appropriately so that the wand swirls and stars were in the correct areas.

The Portrait Card

For the second card, Portrait, I used the following products:

White Scrap {for embossing folder}
Darice Scroll Background Embossing Folder, #1216-62
Distress Ink in Broken China

For this little fairy, first I stamped the snowflakes and wand swirls in Broken China and stamped the sentiment in Jet Black ink, then I dry embossed the background.  I attached the background paper to the white card base and finished the card by using dimensional dots to adhere the fairy.  

Finally for the third card, Three Fairies, it was time to have some fairies hanging out together outside their home.  I picture them practicing flying and getting those wand swirls perfect.

For this last card I used these additional products to make my card: 

Three Fairies

Scrap White Card {for banner}
Spellbinders Shapeabilities Vintage Pierced Banners, #S4-820
Distress Ink in Broken China
Light Blue Cardstock
Darice Embossing Folder Snowflake Trim, #1219-135
Stickles Glitter Glue in Crystal

Step one in constructing this card was running the light blue card through my Big Shot to dry emboss the paper.  I glued the background paper to the white card base and made the banner out of scrap.  The sentiment was stamped onto the banner after it was cut, and then it was assembled.

The fairy house was water colored like the fairies and I added a bit of glitter glue to the roof and the tip of the front door.  I was trying to give the illusion of snow, but since I used a clear glitter glue you can't really see it, even in person.  So we will just say it's ice; works for me!  The fairy that carries a muff is now holding a star leftover from the first card and another star has been added to the top window of the house.  

I hope you enjoyed my cards; these fairies are adorable.  ~Christi

I am entering all of the cards in the following challenges:
Fashionable Stamping - #143, Anything Goes
The Fairy & the Unicorn - M, Anything Goes
The Crafters Cafe - Fairy Tale {hope my fairies count!}
Friendship Challenge - #38, Anything Goes with Snowflakes
Just for Fun - Use Blue & Silver {entry 2}
Sweet Stampers - #28, Winter/Snow
Alphabet Challenge - W is for Wings
Fab 'n Funky - #425, Fantasy Figures
Lil Red Wagon - #482, Winter Blues
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Frilly and Funkie - Winter Blues

Home for the Holidays with Hero Arts

Since winter is still here, I wanted to share this winter wonderland card I created using the Home for the Holidays set from Hero Arts.  It's my last entry in the Winter Wonderland challenge at a2z Scrapbooking.  If you look closely, you can see the sparkle on the card and I accomplished my goal of creating my own Winter Wonderland!  There is a bit more time left in the challenge, so why not link up your own Winter Wonderland creation? 

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Hero Arts Home for the Holidays Stamp Set, #CM282 {you can special order from the store}
Hero Arts Home for the Holidays Die Set, #DI556 {you can special order from the store}
White Shimmer, Gray and White Cardstock
Watercolor Paper {I use this}
Zig Clean Color Markers
Sue Wilson Mini Expressions Warmest Wishes die, #CEDME018
Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Backdrop, Landscape, #LF1502
Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink in Fern Green and Potting Soil
Hero Arts Ink in Intense Black, #AF345
Stickles in Stardust

I wanted a charming landscape for my houses so I began this card with the backdrop which I cut from white card.  I had found this grayish white, almost speckled paper {it almost looks like vellum to me} in my stash and decided to use that for my sky.  I added some Stickles snowflakes to the sky as well.  It's difficult to see in the pictures, but there is glittery snow on the houses and trees.  I stamped all of the houses on watercolor paper, colored them using Zig Clean Color Markers and, when they were fully dry, used the coordinating dies to cut them.  I stamped the trees with colored ink on scrap card and cut them out as well.  I wanted the card to look a bit old fashioned so I colored the houses lightly to give a Norman Rockwell feel to the card.

Another Look

Even though this is a Christmas set, you could essentially use the houses without snow {like the cabin} any time of year.  I think sending a card after the holiday "rush" is almost better than getting a holiday card.  Like getting a present out of the blue.  In order to compose the scene, I cut the hillside backdrop and the sentiment both out of white shimmer card.  I placed the houses and trees in various places on the backdrop and the sentiment in the top right hand corner.   As I am looking at the card now I think perhaps I should have made some smoke come out of the chimneys to add a bit more warmth.  What do you think?  Regardless, this setting is definitely a Winter Wonderland to me.  I can picture a roaring fireplace inside the homes, the families gathered around it drinking hot cocoa, all  warm and snug in their flannel pajamas.  Sounds really good to me! I hope you get some inspiration from my card and perhaps compose your own Winter Wonderland to enter into this month's challenge at a2z Scrapbooking.  If you need some supplies, feel free to use my discount code CHRISTI15 at the a2z Scrapbooking store to get 15% off your order of any size, even special orders!  Thank you so much for dropping by, it's been nice to share the end of the year {can you believe it!?!} with you and I hope you will continue to pop in ~ Fondly, Christi

I would like to enter my Home for the Holidays card in the following challenges:
A Blog Named Hero - M, Winter {graphic below}
Country View Challenges - M, Christmas
The Artistic Stamper - Christmas {entry 2}
Ellibelle's Creative Moments - Christmas
Double D Challenges - Let it Snow {graphic below}
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Crimbo Crackers - #174, Anything Christmas Goes

Let it Snow

Hello and welcome to my incredibly late post for the Not Just Cards November challenge.  I completely forgot that my post was due today! Oh well, better late than never!  I have some fabulous friends up north and a good friend of mine is involved with designing dies for various companies.  She sent me a HUGE goodies package a while back and this tree die was included.  I think I can find out where to get one if you'd like.  Just drop me a note by using the contact form on the right side of the blog or message me on Facebook.  This is the card I made with that die; it looks very peaceful to me.

What I Used to Make my Card:
5 x 7 white card
Trees Die {unbranded}
Stickles in Diamond and Stardust
Elizabeth Craft Dies, Let it Snow, #1234
Silver and White Shimmer Paper

The first step in this card was to cut out the trees and go to town with my Stickles.  I just used all the white glittery bottles I had and, in hindsight, I could have used some silver as well.  I let the trees dry overnight; this is a MUST otherwise you will get Stickles, glitter, and/or glue everywhere.  

Another Peek

The next day I mounted the glittered trees onto a 5" x 7" card.  While it was drying, I found some scraps of silver and white shimmer paper.  After die cutting the sentiment twice, I glued the white onto the silver, with just a peek of the silver paper showing.

Lastly, I adhered the sentiment onto the trees.  That's it!  I really love the glittery trees; I think I've figured out a way to cut the die cut paper to fit on an A2 card.  If my idea works, I'll be making more of this type of card to send out to my friends.  Don't worry, I promise to let you know how I accomplished getting the trees sized down to A2 size!  Why not enter your projects in the challenge? The theme is always Anything Goes and you can enter anything you'd like - remember it's Not Just Cards! I hope this post finds you and yours happy, healthy and joyful. ~ fondly, Christi

I am entering my Let it Snow card in the following challenges:
Daisy Chain Challenge - M, Christmas/Winter
Friendship Challenge - #35, M, Anything Goes w/ Option of Mostly White
HLS Anything Goes With Dies - Anything Goes
Monochrome Magic - M, #16, Anything Monochrome Goes
Jo's Scrap Shack - Anything Goes
Crafters Castle - M, #11, Anything Goes w/ Option of Holidays
Crafty Catz - Anything Goes w/ Option of Getting Ready for Christmas
Cardz TV - #73, Anything Goes
Cut it Up Challenge - #160, Clean & Simple
That's Crafty! - Winter Wonderland
Craft Rocket Challenge - M, #54, Christmas is Coming!
Little Red Wagon - #471, Just a Sentiment
Creative Moments -#156, Anything Goes
A Bit More Time to Craft - #79, Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies

Jo's Scrap Shack

Merry Christmas Wreath

One of my favorite things is when I can stretch my crafting supplies - I love it when I can make something intended for something else, another holiday or project and shape it into something entirely different.  Today I am sharing a card I made with what I'd call a spring die, after I turned it into a holiday die.

What I Used to Make my Card:
Red Card Base
Small Fairytale Oval, Memory Box, #99172 {Calla Oval Wreath will work also!}
Poinsettia Mini, PoppyStamps, #1971 {could use this poinsettia set}
Stitched Oval Stax, MFT/Die-Namics, #MFT-521
Sentiment, Merry Christmas, My Sentiments Exactly! #G545
Wendy Vecchi Ink in Red Geranium
White and Green Card
Red Glitter Card
Stickles in Gold

I got the idea for this card after I spied the Poinsettia dies in the Dies R Us store.  I had to have them and the flower is so tiny and cute, I hope to be able to incorporate it into some other projects.  First, I cut the Small Fairytale Oval out of green card.  Then I set to work on the poinsettias.  I cut each layer out of red glitter card {there are three layers to each flower}, glued them together, then added the gold stamen.  The gold Stickles came out really dark and I was thinking I might have to make the flowers all over again, but once it dried it was fine. 

Once the poinsettia flowers were dry, I added them to the Small Fairytale Oval.  I trimmed some of the green flora to accommodate the flowers and also the

sentiment. The sentiment I chose fit just so even after I trimmed the inside of the oval a bit, so in order to ensure that I'd get the Merry Christmas in the right spot I taped the oval with washi tape around the sentiment while I glued it.  You can see the washi tape right under the ink; I used a scrap piece of white card since I knew I was going to cut the entire design out again.  Before I go further, I have to gush about the Red Geranium Wendy Vecchi ink.  In my opinion, it is the truest red ink I've found.  You may not be able to tell with the sentiment being so thin, but it is the only ink I use on my holiday projects that call for red ink.  Plus, it's archival so it dries permanent on most surfaces and it's waterproof.  I don't care for tomato red or orange reds when I need a true deep red.  Enough about the ink. 

When the oval dried around my sentiment, I cut it out using one of the Stitched Oval Stax dies and adhered it to a red card base.  This is all part of my attempt to be a bit more clean and simple with my card designs.  I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and are enjoying the holiday season! 

I do hope you will continue to join us at the Dies R Us Inspiration blog - we are there through the holidays with tons of brilliant inspiration! Fondly, Christi

Don't forget to join in on all the fun at the Dies R Us Challenge Blog.  

There's  a new challenge theme offered on the 1st and 15th of each month

 and one lucky  randomly drawn winner will receive a gift voucher prize to 

the Dies R Us Store.  For your convenience, all the important Dies R Us 

links are provided below.

click below for:

STORE
CHALLENGE BLOG
FACEBOOK
INSPIRATION BLOG

FRIENDS OF DIES R US PINTEREST PAGE

I am entering my Merry Christmas Wreath card in the following challenges:

Muse:Christmas Visions - ANY Holiday Card, #90

Happy Little Stampers Christmas - Anything Goes

Outlaws Twisted Thursday - Anything Goes, Twist: Poinsettia 

Die Cut Diva's -Winter Time

The Artistic Stamper - Christmas

Lost Coast Portal to Creativity - #43, Christmas/Winter

Incy Wincy - Red & Green

Hero Arts ~ Christmas Village

I love getting My Monthly Hero Kit each month from Hero Arts.  Not only do I get introduced to new products, but it is truly like Christmas every month! I haven't had a chance to play with December's kit, yet, but I made this cute little village scene using November's kit.  I hope you enjoy it :)

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Watercolor Paper
My Monthly Hero, October, 2017
Hero Arts Intense Black Ink
Distress Markers
Derwent Inktense Colored Pencils
MISTI
Wink of Stella in Clear
Oxide Inks in Salty Ocean, Seedless Preserves, Broken China and Faded Jeans
Stickles in Christmas Red and Green
White Glitter Paper
Silver Gel Pen
Red Glitter Gel Pen
Dimensional Dots

I began this card by making the sky using the Oxide Inks.  I am stunned every time I use them and they work to give me a beautiful sky! I honestly never thought I could make a scene with a truly amazing sky and I am thrilled I can do it now! 

Some Parts

As the Oxide Ink sky dried, I stamped my images on watercolor paper, using Intense Black ink and my MISTI.  I stamped a few of the images a couple of times so that if I ruined one {or two} with my coloring, or die cutting, I'd have other choices to use.  I used the pencils to do the bulk of the coloring, accenting the images with Stickles, gel pens and Wink of Stella.  

Once everything was dry, colored and cut out, I cut the mountain range out of

Another Look

white glitter cardstock.  I attached that to the sky panel, then placed my buildings, and Mr. & Mrs. Claus, onto the mountain, occasionally using dimensional dots for some of the buildings.  I debated for a while if I should have put something in the sky, a sentiment or something, but then decided to leave it as is.  I'm fairly sure you can tell it is a Christmas Card.

I would love to know if you get the My Monthly Hero Kits, or any subscribed kit for that matter and your opinion of them.  I hope to be able to see some of your creations and if you've made a village scene, please leave me your blog address in the comments so I can go leave you some blogger love.  I hope you & yours are having a healthy, happy and safe holiday season ~ Hugs, Christi

I am entering my Christmas Village card in the following challenges:
A Blog Named Hero - M, Winter Holiday
The Artistic Stamper - M, Christmas
Christmas Cards All Year Round - M, Anything Goes
Die Cut Diva's - M, Winter Cards 
Emerald Creek - M, Happy Holidays
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Christmas/Winter Holidays

Snowflakes

Hi all! It's been quite snowy here in Colorado and we are expecting more tomorrow (my knee and sinuses agree with that weather forecast) so I felt that I needed to get a bit snowy myself.  My favorite way to get snowy is inside my craft room - it's warm, dry and fun! And getting new goodies is ALWAYS a good thing, so when I got the Tim Holtz/Sizzix Paper Snowflakes Mini set I had visions of what I wanted to do.  If you have read this blog then you know blue, white & silver are some of my favorite colors and they definitely lend themselves to a frosty project.

How I Made my Card:
Square (5 1/4 x 5 1/4) Card Base in White
Various shades of Blue Cardstock
Silver Cardstock
Tim Holtz/Sizzix Paper Snowflakes Mini, #661599
Quietfire Designs "Warm Winter Wishes" Stamp, #6399
Lindy's Gang Lapis Lazuli Blue Gold Embossing Powder
Embossing Fluid
Stickles in Fairy Dust, Arctic Ice and True Blue
Nuvo Crystal Drops in Midnight Blue & White

The first thing I did was cut out a bunch of different snowflakes using the Paper

Snowflakes Mini dies.  I cut out a TON of them, using the medium and small dies the most, and using different shades of blue and also silver cardstock.  I actually had the snowflakes cut for a while before I had even thought of this card.  I knew I was going to use them on something so I began layering them, decorating them with the Nuvo Drops and the Stickles and just generally blinging them up.  I fussed and spruced up those snowflakes within an inch of their lives.  But, finally, I had to decide what to do with them.  I decided on a square card since I wanted to showcase as many of the snowflakes that I could, especially 'cause they are just SO pretty.  So I fixed them around the white card base until I found an arrangement I liked - and of course I forgot to take a picture and I left the card on my desk overnight.  Guess what happened? My adorable little tribe of furbabies decided it was just too pretty to ignore.  So, I fiddled with the snowflake placement again, using the flakes I could find.  

As I was trying different placements, I realized I need a sentiment.  I adore this stamp and I use it a lot, it is definitely one of my all time favorites and at least 6 years old, so I broke out my "Warm Winter Wishes" and thought that I should emboss it on a separate scrap of cardstock since I hadn't decided snowflake placement yet.  I embossed the sentiment with the Lapis Lazuli Blue Gold (and you really can't see the beauty of this powder - go to Lindy's site and marvel in how they mixed that blue & gold so perfectly) and trimmed it down.  I set it aside until I got the pattern I wanted using the snowflakes, then I tucked it under the flakes and glued it down. 

Another Look

Now that I had the sentiment down, it was time to get those flakes attached to the card.  For a bit of drama (those dramatic snowflakes!) I decided to pop dot some of the flakes and leave others flat.  I had to cut the pop dots into fours to get the pieces small enough for the itty bitty snowflake "arms".  But it worked. So, there you have it.  I hope you have enjoyed my little tutorial and perhaps got a bit inspired to glam up your snowflakes! Fondly, Christi

PS: Since I am entering a few challenges that are specifying that something new must be used I wanted to say that my something new is the Paper Snowflakes Mini Sizzix set, just in case.

I am entering my Snowflakes card in the following challenges:
Frilly & Funky - Winter Hues
Simon Says Stamp Work it Wednesday - Something New
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Chill Out
Make my Monday - #37, A Winters Walk
Die Cuttin' Divas - #300, Blue and Silver 

Retro Rubber - #54, Let it Snow
The Craft Barn - The Song Challenge, Let it Snow
NBUS #8 - Must Use Never Before Used Schtuff :)