Mix It Up Challenge Blog - #85 - Embossing

 Time for a new month and a new challenge at Mix It Up Challenge Blog.  This month it's all about embossing - heat embossing or dry embossing, your choice.

I used dry embossing on my card, but with a little twist, using a technique from Simon Hurley's YouTube series back in the spring.

Using the Simon Says Stamp Wildflower Field embossing folder, I embossed the image on white cardstock.  Then I turned the embossed image over, so the debossed (indented) side was facing up.  I used a brayer and lightly rolled some Lunar Paste over the debossed image.  The paste covered the flat side of the image without going down into the debossed areas.  This left the florals in white with the shimmery background in blue.  Once this dried, I used a scalloped rectangle die to cut the image and attached it to a card front with thin foam tape.  I added a foiled sentiment to finish off the card.

I hope you find some time over the next six weeks to join in our challenge.  We would love to see which technique you choose and what you create!

52 Christmas Card Throwdown - August technique challenge

 The technique challenge for this month at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown is to create a fracture card. You can see a tutorial for this technique on the 52CCT blog.

Sometimes called a shutter card, this technique involves a shaped centerpiece (typically a square or diamond), a pattern paper background and thin 1/4" cardstock strips that match the card base.  Here's my card for the challenge:

I stamped and colored the square Santa image, then tilted it slightly so the fracture strips would be angled. I added a few tiny clay peppermint pieces to the top and bottom strips.

Cozy Christmas

 Jingle Belles is hosting a "Masculine Merriment" challenge right now, featuring cards with a more masculine feel to them.

I pulled out an older Hero Arts stamp and die set and made this little Christmas fireplace scene.  It's a more muted color scheme with the darker red fireplace and gray hearth, so I thought it fit with the more masculine theme.  Plus, who doesn't like to sit by the fire on a cold winter night?  I inked around the edges of the background with some dark red and kraft inks to create a bit of a frame for the image.

ABC Christmas Challenge for August

 The current challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge is a choice between:

P - penguins

Q-Quartet

R-rectangles

I went with Q for quartet, with four sparkly little bottle brush Christmas trees.

The background was embossed with snowflakes.  I stamped the bottle brush trees in various colors, using gray for the bases on all, then die cut them.  Crystal glitter was applied to the trees and once that dried, I adhered them to the card front, along with a silver embossed sentiment.  I love the nostalgic vibe of the colorful bottle brush trees.   

52 Christmas Card Throwdown - August color challenge

 The August color challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown is to use red, green and brown on your card.

Here's my card for the challenge:

Stamp and dies are from the Timeless Tidings set from Tonic Studios.  I reallyl like the pine branches in this die set, they cut really well.  The white label die is from Gina Marie Designs.  I don't use kraft as a base for Christmas cards to often, but it was just perfect for this woodsy foliage feel.

Sparkles Christmas challenge #186

 The current challenge at Sparkles Christmas is a monochrome Christmas.  For my card, I used shades of green/teal for the trees and the sparkle background behind them, as well as the sentiment.

I added three tiny gold star sequins to the top of the trees for a bit of shine.  The tree stamps are ones from PaperTrey Ink that I hadn't used in a long time.  I'd forgotten how cute they are!

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #112

Christmas Kickstart's current challenge is all about the presents!

Here's my card for the challenge. I used a few different stamps sets for this one.  The sentiment was heat embossed in gold.  The presents were adhered with a mix of flat and dimensional adhesive.    I used a splatter stamp for the background sparkles.