Rustic Christmas

Rustic Christmas, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

I was hanging out on the Sizzix blog and saw this card.  Jeanne Streiff made it using one of those super cool die cuts that makes a super cool "moving" card. I don't have the die, but I loved her idea of the rustic Christmas tree.

I used the same kind of layout, just with no moving parts! Super easy to make and while it takes a little bit of extra time, totally worth the effort.

I love core'dinations paper and used that for the layers. The blue layer was dry embossed and sanded. The green tree was simply hand cut then sanded. The brown tree trunk is textured Bazzill cardstock--also sanded.

All of the layers were inked on the edges with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.

The "ornaments" are Distress Stickles blobs. ;-)

Note how that snowflake is just perfectly positioned right above the tree top, like a Christmas star halo?

Yeah, totally planned that.

Totally.

*snicker*



Supplies:
Paper: Recollections (kraft card blank); core'dinations (blue and green cardstock); Bazzill (brown cardstock)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Gathered Twigs)
ETC: Cuttlebug (Snowflakes embossing folder); Ranger Distress Stickles (Picket Fence); Glue Glider Pro


If you're in the path of Hurricane Sandy, please take care! Way down here in South Carolina, we're already getting some wind. Looks like we might get a bit of snow tonight too. But nothing like what our neighbors to the north are experiencing! :-O BE SAFE!!


~Cynthia

CASology #16: WILD

CASology #16: WILD, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

It's great to be playing along with the CASology challenge again this week! This time the Cue Word is WILD.

I decided to go the nature/wild direction. I love scene cards--and I love to make them too!

I cut a piece of Eclipse Paper to make a hill and valley shape. Eclipse Paper is like a sheet of sticky note/Post-It Note paper. It's low-tack so it can be reused.

I stuck that on a piece of white cardstock then made the night sky using three colors of blue Distress Inks, lightest on the bottom to darkest on top. I used felt applicators to get texture-like snow swirls. Towards the bottom I brushed on a bit of Pumice Stone to create a blowing snow effect.

I also punched a circle for the moon and tacked that down before I inked the sky. When that was done, I removed the circle and stamped the tree, then the deer.

A bit of chalk adds a soft brown to the deer, while gray chalk gives soft shadows beneath the deer and the tree.

The final step is snow. I used a white gel pen to create snow drifts, piled snow on the branches and falling snowflakes. Then I dotted glitter in the sky and added a bit to the trees for subtle sparkle.

Inside the card I'll stamp Silent Night and have another Christmas card done! YAY!


Supplies:
Paper: Recollections (white card blank); Neenah (Solar White cardstock)
Stamps: Stampendous (Winter Trees set)
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Black Soot, Pumice Stone, Chipped Sapphire, Faded Jeans, Stormy Sky)
ETC: Inkssentials (Opaque Pen, white); Inkadinkado (Blending Chalks); Eclipse Paper; Atyou Spica Pen (Clear); Marvy (circle punch)



When I first tried this layout a year or so ago, I had the tree and moon on the left side, the deer on the right. The deer were looking at...well...nothing as their heads are pointed to the right. I showed the card and my mistake to my Mom and she said, "Your deer cannot take direction very well." LOL!


~Cynthia

More Jack O Lantern Fun

More Jack O Lantern Fun, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

I got the inspiration for this card weeks ago when CASology ran the ZOO challenge. Tracey over at her In My Creative Opinion blog had this cute card and I loved it! The gerbils in my brain were just spinning around on their little wheel as ideas flew about like autumn leaves in a wind storm! ;-)

So I decided I needed a few more Halloween cards and used Tracey's layout.

(I'm thinking about changing the name of my blog to "Shamelessly Copied." What do you think?? LOL!)

I ran a piece of black cardstock through ye olde Cuttlebug using the Distressed Stripes embossing folder. Love that one.

Then I die cut two scalloped squares and inked the heck out of the larger one. The smaller one got a stampin' with that funny little Jack O Lantern. I used Distress Markers to get all the colors right. Then I went over the pumpkin part with a tiny bit of Blending Chalk so he would be orange.

I layered all that and stamped the sentiment at the bottom.

This is such a cute and easy layout. I think I'll use it for a few Christmas cards too. Ooo, maybe some Thanksgiving cards as well!

See? The gerbils are spinning in my brain again!!


Supplies:
Paper: Recollections (white card blank); Neenah (Solar White cardstock); Bazzill (black cardstock)
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Black Soot, Rusty Hinge); Distress Markers (Forest Moss, Black Soot, Rusty Hinge)
Stamps: Stampabilities (Happy Jack O Lantern, Happy Halloween)
ETC: Cuttlebug (Distressed Stripes embossing folder); Inkadinkado (Blending Chalks); Nestabilities (Classic Scalloped Squares Small); Glue Glider Pro


Oooo, I just had another thought! Wouldn't this be so cute if you flipped the card horizontally and used smaller scallop squares--like a post card with a stamp?? Ohhhhh, I gotta go to my craft room!!! =D


Happy Monday!

~Cynthia

CASE'ing with Klass

CASE'ing with Klass, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

Oooo, when I saw this card over on Bonnie Klass' blog (Stamping with Klass), I knew I was going to shamelessly copy it! Absolutely gorgeous. Go there. Now.

Are you back? See what I mean? GORGEOUS.

Anyway, I decided I needed to get a move on with the Christmas card making. So why not shamelessly copy AND get a Christmas card made?

I know, awesome, right?? =D

So here's my take on Bonnie's creation. It involved a few more steps than I usually do, but so worth it.

First I cut all my paper. I used a white card blank and cut a dark green piece of cardstock slightly smaller than the card blank, then cut a red one slightly smaller than the green.

I embossed the red piece with the beautiful music embossing folder and cut that, leaving a small space between the two.

I cut a tiny sliver of white cardstock. I knew I wanted to use the tree punch, but I had nothing like the flourishes Bonnie used on her card.

Hmmm.

*scratched head for several minutes*

*put on thinking cap*

*looked through all stamps*

*began to panic*

Nothing was small enough to fit on the little sliver of cardstock.

And then it hit me.

Well, not really since it's a clear stamp. It sort of flopped at me.

The Penny Black set called Winter Greens and Whites has a lovely flower with stem-flourish things. (You can see the set here--it's the flower on the top right of the set.)

If I only inked the stem-flourish ENDS, I could get a tiny flourish that fit!!

So I did! I made a small dot at the midpoint of the sliver, then stamped the flourish twice, once on each side of the dot. The tree covered up any mess I may...ahem...have made. ;-)

PERFECT.

I adhered all the layers, popped up the tree on some foam dots and my CASE of Bonnie's beautiful card was done! YAY. Only like 400 more cards to go!!!


Supplies:
Paper: Recollections (white card blank); Bazzill (green and red cardstock); Neenah (Solar White cardstock)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Pine Needles)
Stamp: Penny Black (Winter Whites and Greens)
ETC: Cuttlebug (Allegro embossing folder); Punch Bunch (tree); Scotch (Pop-up Foam Circles)


Mad props and HUGE thanks to Bonnie for making (and posting!) her beautiful card!


Have a great weekend, everyone, and thanks for visiting today!!


~Cynthia

CASology #15: Night

CASology #15: Night, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

I'm hoping that this counts towards this week's challenge on the CASology blog. I mean, it's shadowy. The bats are flying around. It's spooky.

That should count as NIGHT, right?? ;-)

And pretty much as CAS as I can get too! I used two inks and stamps from 3 different sets. The moon was made by sponging color through a circle I punched out of scrap cardstock.



Supplies:
Paper: Recollections (white card blank)
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Black Soot, Squeezed Lemonade)
Stamps: Studio G (sentiment); Clear Art Stamps (Halloween Fun set--bats); Gina K (The Giving Tree)
ETC: Marvy (1.5 inch circle punch)


Thanks for checking in! Craft on!! =D


~Cynthia

OLW 109--Halloween

OLW 109--Halloween, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

I have finally found my mojo and done a little bit of creating!

That...or I was feeling pressured to get these cards made so I could send them out on time!! =D

I'm playing along with One Layer Wednesday, but as usual, my cards aren't one layer, so I'm only playing along in my head! ;-)

Super simple cards today. I made several versions of the same layout. I used a Martha Stewart apple punch to create the pumpkin shapes. I cut off the apple leaf and rounded the bottom to get more of a pumpkin look.

I colored the stem with Distress Markers and then drew pumpkin lines with a Distress Marker too. I LOVE the "thin" side of the Markers!!

I cut various mismatched shapes for pumpkin eyes and mouths from black cardstock. I like them looking all uneven! Makes them look hand-carved, right?? I adhered two pumpkins to the card blank, then popped up the third in the middle for some dimension.

Finally, I stamped the sentiment to the side in black ink.

Seriously, so easy. And they can be made assembly-line style too! =D


Supplies:
Paper: The Paper Studio (kraft card blanks); Bazzill (orange and black cardstock)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Black Soot); Distress Markers (Forest Moss, Rusty Hinge)
Stamp: Stampabilities (Happy Halloween)
ETC: Martha Stewart (apple punch); Zig Two-way Glue Pen; EK Sucess (3D Dots)



And that's it for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by!!


~Cynthia

Tim's October Tag

Tim's October Tag, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

Yes, folks, it's time once again for the monthly installment of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2012!! Sir Tim made us wait a whole extra week, but as always...totally worth it!! So here's my take on October's Tag.

I started out by covering a manilla tag with a piece of 7 Gypsies tissue paper. I added a bit of purple and orange acrylic paint, then immediately blended it around with a baby wipe.

Next I blended Distress Inks (Ripe Persimmon and Seedless Preserve) to highlight the wrinkles in the tissue paper. I hit it with a few sprays of Perfect Pearls Mist in Biscotti for a lovely shine.

I die cut the BOO from Grunge Paper, painted it with black acrylic paint. I followed Tim's recipe for coloring dry glitter. I mixed Studio G glitter with Pitch Black Alcohol Ink. Very cool idea! I covered the BOO with Glossy Accents and then pressed the black glitter onto the die cut.

I stamped the pumpkin (Heartfelt Creations) on Grunge Paper too. I inked that with Ripe Persimmon and added Rusty Hinge for shadow. I went over the stamped image parts with Rusty Hinge Distress Marker, then brushed it with the tiniest bit of Antique Bronze Distress Stain for a bit of sparkle.

I adhered a distressed, torn train ticket (Pretty Little Studio), circled October and 31 with a Barn Door Distress Marker and adhered it to the tag. I added MAGIC from the Chit Chat stickers, distressed with a bit of Ripe Persimmon.

I adhered the BOO and the pumpkin with Glossy Accents.

**Oops!  Forgot to say:  I cut a short piece of green paper twine, misted it and then distressed it with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.  I curled it around a Q-tip while wet so it would dry curly.  Then I adhered it behind the pumpkin stem.**

Finally I stained a piece of seam binding with Rusty Hinge and Spiced Marmalade Distress Stains. (Wow, the Stains make this SO EASY!!)


Gracious! I hope you followed all that!! If not, just head over to Tim's website and check out his step-by-step instructions! =D


Thanks so much for stopping in today! I love it when you visit!!


~Cynthia