Sunday, November 30

Comment Winner - Day 29

Congratulations Dorothy S!
Your comment has won you an individual, digital image of your choice.
Please visit my online store to select an image and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.
 
I agree with all of the above - what a WOW card! Need my thinking hat on to decide what dies to use! And the month is almost over - where does the time go?

Day 30 - Do What You Love

Last year I ended the Month of Holiday Cards challenge in the same way - "Do What You Love".  Use the stamps you love using, colour with the mediums you enjoy and design the cards that you would like to receive yourself.  You'll find the task of creating Christmas greetings for family and friends an enjoyable holiday pastime.
 

YOUR TURN: Show me the cards you love to create!
Upload your card here.

Saturday, November 29

Saturday Weekly Winners 4

Congratulations to our fourth and last group of Saturday weekly winners, and because it's the last Saturday in the month I thought I should throw in a few more winners!
Jacee (card 68)
Crafty (card 203)
Angela (card 238)
Loz (card 285)
Deloris (card 299)
Debi (card 304)
Please visit my online store to select either one full set of digital stamps or three individual images and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.

Comment Winner - Day 28

Congratulations Suzana Miu!
Your comment has won you an individual, digital image of your choice.
Please visit my online store to select an image and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.
 
Beautiful wreath! We have also this arrangement but from branches of Christmas tree with cones and shiny ornaments. We can also put it on the Christmas table, together with a Christmas candle. Beautiful moments, indeed, when the whole family is together and feel the joy of this Celebration.
Cheers,
Suzana

Day 29 - Die Cut Delirium

I dragged out all my Christmas themed dies and some white card stock and spent an hour cutting and embossing lots of wonderful Christmassy shapes.  Most of them didn't make it on to my card, but I'm certainly in the spirit of the season and have lots of left over cuts for even more cards!
 

YOUR TURN:  Go nuts with die cuts!
Upload your creation here.

Friday, November 28

Comment Winner - Day 27

Congratulations BAstelfeti!
Your comment has won you an individual, digital image of your choice.
Please visit my online store to select an image and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.
 
You are Aussie Wreath is very very nice.
Here in Germany its cold to Christmas and somtime withe.
Greeting BAstelfeti

Day 28 - Construct A Card

These days card makers have access to a wonderful range of pre-coloured images and card making kits.  Lots of patterned paper is made with images that are easy to cut out with scissors and reconstruct on a card.  There are also several companies who make and sell paper tole kits and pre-cut images for cards and scrapbooks.  I created this card using some pre-printed die cuts from Kaisercraft.  It was fun to mix and match the images to come up with this little Christmas scene. 
 
 
YOUR TURN: Create a card using pre-coloured cut outs, printables or purchased kits.
Upload your creation here.

Thursday, November 27

Comment Winner - Day 26

Congratulations Suze!
Your comment has won you an individual, digital image of your choice.
Please visit my online store to select an image and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.

I think I'm going to enjoy this one! I have one artist whose cards I always love seeing as I love the style of them. Love the scene you have created with your card Beccy.

Day 27 - Create Something Regional

Here in Australia, Christmas is celebrated in summertime.  There are no snowmen, warm scarves, sleigh rides or roaring fires, instead we have the beach, seafood platters, cricket in the backyard, and often, an afternoon thunderstorm.  All over the world, Christmas is celebrated with different foods, activities and traditions and often the cards we make reflect the things that are special to us.
 
For today's card I used a pre-coloured digital stamp called "Aussie Wreath".  It contains gum leaves, blooming gumnuts and Australian flannel flowers finished with a big red bow.
 
 
YOUR TURN: Create a card that reflects the region where you live
or the traditions that are important to your family.
Upload your card here.

Wednesday, November 26

Comment Winner - Day 25

Congratulations SweetDee!
Your comment has won you an individual, digital image of your choice.
Please visit my online store to select an image and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.
 
A white card always has this simplistic beauty but when you had gold or silver metallic paper you just made that even more elegant. And, you can never have to much paper!

Day 26 - What's Your Style?

Lots of card artists develop a creative "style" that can become quite recognisable.  They might be known for their colour combinations, their skill with colouring or their creative use of textiles.
Today I've created a card in the style of Kittie Caracciolo, who makes the most amazing cards using a wide variety of die cuts and inks.  After making this card I certainly have a new appreciation for all the hard work that Kittie does to create her masterpieces!
 
 
YOUR TURN: Create a card based on the style of a card artist you admire.
(You are not recreating a particular card they have done,
you are using their general style as inspiration.)
Upload your creation here.

Tuesday, November 25

Some Tuesday Winners...

I'm really enjoying all the amazing cards, bookmarks, tags and paper creations being submitted this month, the inspiration has been fabulous!  Well done to everyone!
Now... let's have a few more winners:

Irena (card 65)
Nana Connie (card 86)
Deloris T. (card 131)
Donna R. (card 163)
Jackie C. (card 233)

Please visit my online store and select a set of digital stamps.  Email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.

Comment Winner - Day 24

Congratulations Jacee!
Your comment has won you an individual, digital image of your choice.
Please visit my online store to select an image and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.
 
How fabulous Becky, I adore that cute snowman with his scarf round tight, ahhh so cute!
hugs Jacee

Day 25 - Baubles

Baubles are a popular motif for Christmas cards and there are countless ways of adding them to your creations.  I have seen bauble stamps, punches, dies and stickers as well as cards featuring baubles made from fabric, buttons, patterned paper, burlap, twine, rhinestones and glitter.  There are bauble stencils, embossing folders and masks as well as patterns for painting and drawing baubles.  Creative card artists make baubles from other stamps as well.  All it takes is a string, a little bow and a loop to turn your bird, car or horse stamp into a fabulous Christmas decoration.
 
Stamps by: Sparkle N Sprinkle and Stamp-It Australia
 
YOUR TURN: Create a card featuring Christmas baubles.
Upload your creation here.

Monday, November 24

Comment Winner - Day 23

Congratulations Karin!
Your comment has won you a digital image of your choice.
Please visit my online store to select an image and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.
 
Beccy, thanks for all the tips you gave us. I'll try them out. And I love the cards you've created, they're all so cute.

Day 24 - A Touch of Gold

I was looking through my local newsagent recently and was amazed by the variety of metallic cardstock that was on sale, particularly gold and silver.  There were sheets that were so glossy I could see my reflection, right through to pieces that looked as though they were brushed metal.  Naturally I had to buy some... much more than I will ever use in my lifetime, but at least I'm prepared for any eventuality!
 
 
YOUR TURN:  Create a card with a touch of gold.
Upload your creation here.

Sunday, November 23

Friends of Stanley!

It's about time I gave out some more random prizes... this time I'm giving them to those people who used the Stanley freebie from Day 5.  Please visit my online store and select a set of digital stamps.  Email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.
 
Granmargaret (card 26)
Suzana (card 30)
Debi B. (card 37)
Suze (card 167)

Comment Winner - Day 22

Congratulations Vic!
Your comment has won you a digital image of your choice.
Please visit my online store to select an image and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.
 
what a perfect, lush wreath - just love it!! x

Day 23 - Do It Differently

It's great to find a product or technique that's easy to use and looks fabulous, but it's all too easy to get stuck in a creative rut as the same item gets used in the same way over and over again.  Sometimes it just takes a different colour or a different medium to get those creative juices flowing again, and to breathe new life into an item that might be feeling a little stale.
 
Here are some ideas:
Instead of always using black ink for stamping, try grey, dark brown or green.
Heat emboss in white onto a dark background.
Use your stamps as watermarks by stamping in the same colour as your cardstock.
Colour with pencils, markers, watercolours or paints.
Stamp multiple images, cut them out and piece together to build a 3D image.
Stamp directly onto patterned paper.
Stamp onto wide pieces of ribbon with oil-based inks.
Use a monochromatic colour scheme.
Colour in black and white.
Try masking.
 
 

 
YOUR TURN: Dig out a much used item and do something different with it.
Upload your creation here.

Saturday, November 22

New Release: Aussie Wreath Set

This Christmas wreath features some very well-known Australian foliage - eucalyptus leaves, flowering gumnuts and little white flannel flowers.  These plants are more familiar to Aussies at Christmastime than all the beautiful holly, mistletoe and poinsettias that grow in the northern hemisphere.
I'm going to use this image on some of the cards I send overseas to my husband's family, and I'm pretty sure some of my overseas friends will be using the image on cards they send back here to wish their Aussie mates a happy Christmas!
 
Aussie Wreath Set
 
Susan's Card
 
Renee's Card
 
Ilaria's Card
 
Gail S's Card
 
Two cards from Gail K
 
Christine's Card
 

Saturday Weekly Winners 3

Congratulations to our third group of Saturday weekly winners!
KT Fit Kitty (card 23)
Dorothy S (card 95)
Carla (card 214)
Please visit my online store to select either one full set of digital stamps or three individual images and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.

Comment Winner - Day 21

Congratulations Debi!
Your comment has won you a digital image of your choice.
Please visit my online store to select an image and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.
 
This is gorgeous! If you noticed I haven't done day 12 yet because whites make me nervous. Guess I'll have to find my big girl panties and give it a try. But you're really stretching the elastic, girlfriend!!!

Day 22 - Foliage Stamps (tutorial)

On Day 15, I used a large leaf stamp to construct three dimensional poinsettias for my card.  Today I'm using a small leaf stamp, from the "Lovely As A Tree" set, to create a Christmas wreath.
 
 
YOUR TURN: Use a small stamp and three shades of ink to create a holiday wreath.
Upload your creation here.
 
 
You'll need a small foliage stamp and at least three shades of green ink.  If you don't have a small leaf stamp, consider using a fern, flower, butterfly or heart - as long as it's small it will work. 
 
Draw a feint circle on your piece of cardstock with a pencil.  This will form the basic shape of your wreath and can be rubbed out once you have finished stamping. 
 
Start stamping with the lightest of your inks.  Begin at the centre bottom of the circle and stamp up one side until you reach the centre top.  Repeat for the other side as shown in the photo below. 
 
Fill in the wreath making sure you tilt the stamp in different ways as you work your way around the circle.  Try to keep the wreath an even thickness all the way around. 
 
Now ink the stamp using the middle shade.  Starting in the centre at the bottom, stamp in the darker leaves working around until you're about half way up each side. 
 
Now re-ink the stamp in the first colour (the lightest shade) and touch the stem of the leaf into the middle shade again.  Stamp the rest of the way up the wreath on both sides.  This will help to prevent a sudden, and very obvious, change in colour. 
 
Repeat the process with the darkest colour, but only work about 1/4 of the way up each side of the wreath.  Re-ink with the middle colour and again tip the stem into the darkest colour to prevent sudden colour changes. 
 
Now decorate!
 
 

Friday, November 21

Comment Winner - Day 20

Congratulations Crafty!
Your comment has won you a digital image of your choice.
Please visit my online store to select an image and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.
 
What a lovely card. Who would have known there were so many shades of white! Love the way each item reflects the light differently.

Day 21 - Santa Suit Cards

Do a Google image search for "Santa Suit Cards"... that's all I need to say!
 
 
YOUR TURN: Create a Santa suit card.
Upload your creation here.

Thursday, November 20

Comment Winner - Day 19

Congratulations Jennifer!
Your comment has won you a digital image of your choice.
Please visit my online store to select an image and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.
 
Love your beautiful card, Beccy...so elegantly traditional.
I only discovered Pinterest recently, much to my dismay........why dismay?.......because I spend way too much time drooling over all the countless creations by so many talented cardmakers, when I should be playing at being a 'domestic goddess'.
Hugs,
Jennifer. x

Day 20 - Shades of White

Like any other colour, white comes in a variety of shades and tones.  You might have already noticed the differences when you've put a collection of white papers and embellishments together - some look more cream than white, others appear slightly blue or pink.
I searched through my stash of buttons, embellishments and papers to find as many different shades and tones of white as I could.  The combination created a vintage-looking card that I really love!
 
 
YOUR TURN:  Go stash diving for all your white bits 'n' pieces, then create a card using all the different shades and tones.
Upload your creation here.

Wednesday, November 19

Comment Winner - Day 18

Congratulations Sue!
Your comment has won you a digital image of your choice.
Please visit my online store to select an image and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.
 
This is gorgeous, your colouring is wonderful.
I have always struggled to colour with distress inks, I will give it another try with damp paintbrush, that must be where I have gone wrong.
Sue xx

Day 19 - Get Inspired

I love spending time combing through the countless variety of handmade cards that Pinterest has on display.  It's one of the best sources of inspiration for just about anything you care to look for.  You can get ideas for colour combinations, card layouts, designs, folds and embellishments, not to mention all the wonderful products that are out there!
The card I made today is inspired by a beautiful Christmas card I found on Pinterest by a crafter named Gisele.  I made mine into an easel card and added some ribbon, glitter and a stamped panel on the inside to hold the card open for display.
 
 
YOUR TURN:  Find a beautiful card and use it to inspire your own creation.  Don't forget to give credit to the original artist.
Upload your creation here.

Tuesday, November 18

Comment Winner - Day 17

Congratulations Gildett!
Your comment has won you a digital image of your choice.
Please visit my online store to select an image and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.
 
Gosto de cartões simples, este não precisou nem de sentimento, só a imagem disse tudo, lindo!!!
(translation from Google Translate: Like simple cards, this does not even need the sentiment, only the image said it all, gorgeous !!!)

Day 18 - Distress Inks

Distress ink pads are wonderful mediums to use when stamping.  For best results, stamp on watercolour paper with a semi-solid stamp (as opposed to an outline stamp) and then come in with a damp paint brush to blend and lighten the ink.  It does take some practice and a good dose of patience, but playing with the inks is half the fun! 
 

Stamp by Impression Obsession
 
YOUR TURN:  Do some stamping with your watercolour ink pads or markers and practice moving the colour around with a damp paintbrush.
Upload your creation here.

Monday, November 17

Comment Winner - Day 16

Congratulations Jennifer!
Your comment has won you a digital image of your choice.
Please visit my online store to select an image and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.
 
A fabulous idea to use up all those tiny scraps, Beccy...I have tons of them...well, maybe not tons, but lots of them anyway!
Your Stanley Claus is totally adorable.
Hugs,
Jennifer. x

Day 17 - Simply Christmas

I know I've already done a clean and simple card this month, but they are so popular at the moment that I thought I'd do another.  This time I chose a single, simple image, printed it on kraft cardstock, coloured it with pencils and layered it with matching cardstock.  This kind of card is perfect for those who make large quantities of cards for consignments or for great big families!
 
 
YOUR TURN:  Choose a nice simple image and create a nice simple card.
Upload your creation here.

Sunday, November 16

Comment Winner - Day 15

Congratulations Sammy!
Your comment has won you a digital image of your choice.
Please visit my online store to select an image and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.
 
First of all I was struck by the utterly gorgeous colours of your flowers. Just beautiful!
But the stretching stamps tips are incredibly useful too! I've only been stamping a year, so my collection is not very big yet, but I've been getting character stamps, and this post made me realise how useful and versatile other stamps like flowers and leaves can be. Thank you, I found this extremely useful and inspiring. x

Day 16 - Scrap Happy

I can't bear to throw out even the smallest piece of pretty paper, which means I have quite a big stash of offcuts that are waiting around to be used.  I really didn't make much of a dent in it with this card but at least it's a start!
 

YOUR TURN:  Create a card using paper scraps and offcuts.
Upload your creation here.

Saturday, November 15

Saturday Weekly Winners 2

Congratulations to our second group of Saturday weekly winners!
Kelly (card 6)
Loz (card 126)
Deloris (card 144)
Please visit my online store to select either one full set of digital stamps or three individual images and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.

New Release: Finn's Hot Chocolate

Who doesn't love a mug of hot chocolate on a cold winter day?  I doubt there's anything that tastes better.
 
Finn's Hot Chocolate
 
Renee's Card
 
Susan's Card
 
Gail K's Card

Christine's Card
 
Gail S's Card

Ilaria's Card

 




 

Comment Winner - Day 14

Congratulations Ursula Uphof!
Your comment has won you a digital image of your choice.
Please visit my online store to select an image and email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.
 
A gorgeous card. I find monochromatic a bit challenging, so will have to have a go. Ursula xxx.

Day 15 - Extending Your Stamps (tutorial)

Not everyone has a huge collection of stamps for creating holiday cards and sometimes "making do" is necessary.  Have a look through your collection of stamps and try to think of ways you can use what you already have to create holiday themed cards.  Perhaps you can add a little cardstock Santa hat on animals or teddy bears, or colour a beautiful flower bouquet in traditional Christmas colours, or stamp multiple candles for a Hanukkah greeting.
 
I used two leaf stamps from my stamp collection, some white embossing powder and pink scrapbooking paper to create these three dimensional poinsettia cards.
 

 
YOUR TURN: Experiment with your non-holiday stamps to create a holiday card.
Upload your creation here.
 
 
Stamp the leaves onto pink paper with clear versa mark ink and heat emboss with white embossing powder.  Cut out each leaf with a small pair of scissors.

Shape each leaf by rubbing a ball tool gently over the back until the leaf bends into a cup shape.  Now they're ready to use on your project!