Monday, November 30

Day 30 - Do What You Love

Today's challenge won't be a surprise for those of you who have been playing along for the past couple of years.  I always end the month with a "do what you love" card, because ultimately, creating the things we love with the colours, shapes and textures we enjoy, is what this craft is all about.
 
 
YOUR TURN:  Do what you love.
Upload a photo of your creation HERE.

Sunday, November 29

Comment Winner - Day 28

Congratulations Kitty!
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


KT Fit KittyNovember 28, 2015 at 11:41 PM
I've got lots of oldies in my stash! When I first started stamping, I would buy and buy (I worked then so I had some money hehe). Great idea to dust off the old stash! Your stamp is an oldie but a goody - it's gorgeous!

Saturday Weekly Winners

Congratulations to our fourth and final
group of Saturday weekly winners!

I've thrown in a few more for good measure...

Wilma (Card 80)
Debi B. (Card 94)
Annie(Card 125)
Suze (Card 169)
Fit Kitty(Card 191)
Marianne (Card 211)
Anet (Card 247)
Gail K. (Card 254)
Ursula (Card 272)
Teresa H. (Card 284)

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

Day 29 - Something New

Out with the old and in with the new!
Today I want you to use the newest item you have in your stash.  It might be a nice new stamp, new paper, a wonderful embossing folder or some fabulous new pencils.  Your item doesn't have to be new on the market (and no, you can't tell your significant other that I'm forcing you to go shopping!), it just has to be new to you.
 
At my stamping club we recently had a visit from Michelle's Stamps and Cards and I couldn't resist purchasing the Scribbly Christmas set.  I used one of the trees and one of the fabulous sentiments to create my card. 
 
 
YOUR TURN: Create a card using something new.
Upload your creation HERE.

Saturday, November 28

Comment Winner - Day 27

Congratulations Suzana!
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


Suzana MiuNovember 27, 2015 at 9:32 PM
I like your sleigh full of presents and love.
The perfect beauty of Christmas: love and sharing...

Day 28 - Something Old

I want you to dig... dig deep... right down to the bottom of your stamp drawer until you hit those dark, dusty corners where old stamps lurk unused and under appreciated.  It's time to bring them back into the light, back to where the ink flows and the markers mark!
 
I've had this fabulous holly stamp since the late 90's.  It used to be mounted on wood, but in the great block purge of 2011, I separated it from it's mounting and added some cling foam to the back.  Now it's stored amongst the other lovely Christmas stamps I own... not quite the bottom of the stamp drawer, but still rather unappreciated considering how lovely it is.
 
 
YOUR TURN: Use an old stamp to create a card.
Upload your creation HERE.

Friday, November 27

Comment Winner - Day 26

Congratulations Conny Hillgaard!
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
 
 
Conny Hillgaard  November 26, 2015 at 3:53 PM
Thank you Beccy for all these great challenges - and they are a challenge. I love it!

Day 27 - Non Traditional Colours

Christmas doesn't just come in red, green and gold!
 

 YOUR TURN: Experiment with non-traditional colours for your next creation.
Upload your cards HERE.

Thursday, November 26

Comment Winner - Day 25

Congratulations Carla!
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
 
 
Carla November 25, 2015 at 10:11 PM
This picture is one of my favorites.
In my country, you do not see the red cardinal.
Beccy you have so nice colored and beautiful poinsettias there, it's a fantastic card.
Cheers,
Carla

Day 26 - Christmas Carols

Christmas carols are full of inspiration for images, sentiments and card-making ideas.  I've seen cards featuring the three kings, the baby Jesus asleep in a manger, mother Mary, Christmas trees and even a little drummer boy.  Have a look through your collection of stamps and images to see what carol inspired creation you can come up with. 
 
 
YOUR TURN: Create a card based on a Christmas Carol.
Upload your creation HERE.

Wednesday, November 25

Comment Winner - Day 24

Congratulations Heather!
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
 
 
Heather G November 24, 2015 at 10:17 AM
My mom collects Belleek and I can't wait to try this on a card for her and let her know what the technique is called. I love the softness of the colors you used (and Kittie's cards). Thanks for taking me on a trip down "memory lane" - my mom, who's my best friend, lives in another state so it's nice when I can craft something that has meaning for her also.

Day 25 - Use a Freebie

The web is loaded with free digital images for keen card-makers everywhere.  A google or Pinterest search will turn up hundreds of choices for just about any occasion you can think of!  But if you don't want to stray too far, don't forget that I have a long list of freebies that are permanently available right here on my blog... like the one I used for todays card.  Click on the "Image Index" link, just under the banner at the top of the page to access the vault of freebies!
 
 
YOUR TURN: Use a freebie!
Upload your creation HERE.

Tuesday, November 24

Comment Winner - Day 23

Congratulations Marianne!
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
 
 
Marianne November 23, 2015 at 6:35 AM
Such a sweet card, Beccy. I love all the texture, but there's a few products I have never heard of, such as puff paint and Kindy Glitz. But I guess I have enough other supplies to add texture and glitter. It's kind of fun to think of ways to mimick a certain effect with the supplies on hand. Makes me think of the time when I used Alleen's real snow as embossing paste.

Day 24 - Use a Tutorial

The internet contains a wealth of information for paper crafters.  There are sites with in-depth tutorials, live video class rooms and step-by-step instructions that cover just about every aspect of the art of paper.
To create the cards here, I followed a great tutorial by Kittie Caracciolo that she calls the Belleek Inspired Technique.  It's well worth a look!
 
 
YOUR TURN:  Use a tutorial to create a card.
Upload your creation HERE.

Monday, November 23

A Few Brave Souls...

I think those brave souls who gave negative colouring a go (day 20)
deserve a little something for their efforts.
 
Congratulations to:
Annie (card 246)
Margaret A. (card 248)
Debi B. (card 250)
Suzana (card 252)
 
Please visit my online store (www.beccysplace.com) to select a set
of digital stamps, then email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.

Comment Winner - Day 22

Congratulations Donna!
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
 
 
Donna November 22, 2015 at 2:14 PM
I am always amazed at all the products that you can buy for this hobby. And so many that I've never heard of. Kindy Glitz is new to me. But Stickles and Glossy Accents I know. I might even have some puffy paint around somewhere. I guess I should "shop my stash" and see what kinds of things I can add without buying anything new. Your gingerbread house is adorable. You used all those fun add ons to perfection! Thanks for the inspiration!

Day 23 - Monochromatic

Choose one colour and go with it!
Black and white included.
 
 
YOUR TURN: Create a card with a monochromatic colour scheme.
Upload your creation HERE.

Sunday, November 22

Comment Winner - Day 21

Congratulations Janelle!
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
 
 
janelle winchcole November 21, 2015 at 6:43 AM
Hi Beccy, thanks so much for sharing this wonderful card and its tutorial with us. Well you certainly make it sound easy enough, yeh right! but coming from someone who can only do a passable stick figure, I think I'm in for a long day. So off I go...practice makes perfect so they say. Janelle x

New Release: Snow Angels

These cute little guys are great for quick and easy cards, and are particularly suited to clean and simple styles.  They are easy to fussy cut and can be layered for extra dimension.
 
Snow Angels

Petra fussy cut around one of the snow angels, removing his
wings and halo for a fabulous traditional snowman.

AJ used lovely bright, non-traditional colours to created her fabulous card.

Anesha printed one of the snowmen at a larger size
to create this fun and modern Christmas card.
 
Anesha created her own fabulous background
paper using the snowflake image from the set.
 
Carla mounted this little angel in the
centre of a beautiful die cut snowflake.

Christine used lots of fabulous, bright colours on her
beautiful Christmas project.

Judy put together an awesome easel card using all three
snow angels... don't you just love the fluffy clouds?!

Karin has opted for a monochromatic colour scheme
for her gorgeous Christmas card.

Saturday Weekly Winners

Congratulations to our third group of Saturday weekly winners!
Rebecca (card 12)
Donna Rinckel (card 99)
Marleen (card 241)
Please visit my online store to select one full set of digital stamps and
email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com.

Day 22 - Mixes and Mediums

Just a squeeze of Kindy Glitz, a splodge of Glossy Accents, some spots of puff paint and a squelch of Stickles and I had a sparkly, shiny, textured Christmas card!
 
 
YOUR TURN:  Use some mediums on your card.
Upload your creation HERE.
 

Saturday, November 21

Comment Winner - Day 20

Congratulations Chris!
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
 
 
Chris November 20, 2015 at 8:16 PM
What a beautiful effect this technique achieves, your card is stunning. Your photo's make it look easy but I know that there is considerable skill applied here ...I'm going to have to give this a try, who knows- with patience- I might be able to produce something as lovely!

Comment Winner - Day 19

Congratulations Tina Z.!
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
 
 
Tina Z. November 19, 2015 at 5:45 PM
What a brilliant idea to make a snow globe - I have always used my die to make them.
Snow globes have a special meaning for me - my husband and I collect them when we travel and our first snow globe is from Paris.

Day 21 - Candy

Christmas candies are a much loved part of the holidays for children and adults alike.  Their bright colours and interesting shapes make them lots of fun for decorating, gift giving, cooking and crafting.  Candy canes are probably the most popular of the sweets, but there are also peppermints, bon bons and gorgeous little chocolates that come in a variety of fun shapes and sizes!
 
 
YOUR TURN: Create a sweet card or project!
Upload your creations HERE.
 
 
Here are some candy canes to get you started...
 
 

Friday, November 20

Day 20 - Negative Colouring (tutorial)

Usually when we colour in, we start with a light background and add colour and shadows to give the appearance of a three dimensional image.  Today I want to show you how to work in reverse... instead of adding shadows we are going to be adding highlights.  Although this can be done using multiple colours, I'm going to stick with a simple black and white palette.
 
 
YOUR TURN: Use the tutorial below to colour an image for your next card.
Upload your creation HERE.
 
 
For today's project, you'll need a stamp, a piece of black cardstock, a white ink pad and a white pencil.  Begin by stamping the image directly onto the black cardstock with the white ink.  It doesn't matter if the ink is a little transparent, we'll make up for that with our white pencil.

 
Very lightly apply a layer of white pencil on the focal point of your image.  You want it nice and soft so that you can build up the intensity of the pigment as you work.  Leave areas of obvious shadow uncoloured - if you have a look at the bird below, you'll see that I didn't colour beneath her wing.

 
Now start adding some highlights.  The whitest areas of the image will be the places where the light hits directly.  In my case, that means the ends of feathers, the top of the head and beak and the end of the tail.  You can apply the white pencil in layers to build up the intensity of colour.  Don't be tempted to do it all in one go or you will end up with a very obvious division between light and dark... you want it to be gradual.

 
If you have a close look at the holly leaf below, you can see that I've used individual pencil strokes placed very close together.  You can do this by "flicking" the pencil carefully from light to shadow, as though you were doing quick hatching lines.  As the pencil lifts off the paper it will leave a tail that gradually fades out... this does take a little bit of practice.  For the best results, follow the shape of the object you're colouring.
 
 
For the rounded holly berries I started by adding a heavy white line on the side that would be facing the light source.  In my case, the top, left hand side.  Work from that area down to the opposite side, gradually fading out the pencil by reducing the pressure you apply as you colour.

 
I added a little more pencil to the border and edges of my images to bring it altogether.  As the pencil is so soft and prone to smudging, I finished by applying a single coat of matt spray varnish - hairspray works too!


Thursday, November 19

Comment Winner - Day 18

Congratulations Annie!
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
 
 
aussie aNNie November 18, 2015 at 7:16 PM
You have got me on a roll here Beccy, each day I am being educated and keeping the brain active...thanks for the fab ideas each day.

Race Winners

Congratulations to the first ten past the post!
Annie
Treebug
Suzana
Liz Cavill
Dorothy S.
Suze
Margreet
Wilma
Debi B.
Carol G.
 
Please visit my online store to select a set of digital stamps
then email your choice to me at beccymuir@yahoo.com

Day 19 - Snow Globes

Snow globes were the inspiration for the card I created today.  After colouring the image, I placed it behind a circle of embossed acetate and added lots of stamping, glitter and embossing to the background to give the effect of a glass dome filled with little snowflakes.



YOUR TURN: Create a card inspired by snow globes.
Upload your creation HERE.
 

Wednesday, November 18

Another Mini Challenge

Ready for another race?

The next ten people to upload a card to the Month of Holiday Cards Challenge will win one full set of digital stamps.  You can upload as many cards or projects as you like, but you can only collect one prize until all ten digital sets have been won.

Our starting point this time is card #223
 
Ready...
Set...
GO!

Comment Winner - Day 17

Congratulations Nessie!
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
 
 
Nessie November 17, 2015 at 6:02 PM
It is so easy. But I would never have thought about that myself. I always tried the pencil line. But as you said it is so difficult to remove afterwards. So thank you very much for your useful

Day 18 - Clean and Simple

CAS cards continue to be one of the most popular styles amongst card makers.  They generally have just one layer with a simple sentiment and small focal point with lots of clean, clear space.
 
 
YOUR TURN: Create a clean and simple card.
Upload your creation HERE.

Tuesday, November 17

Comment Winner - Day 16

Congratulations Suzana!
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
 
 
Suzana Miu November 16, 2015 at 5:22 PM
I just wonder if you start to guess what I want to try and learn!
I looked for some tutorials for watercolor technique and I was astonished about how many ways of playing with colours they are! It's like a life time job!
Thank you for your tutorial: beautiful creation!

Day 17 - CASE Yourself

Instead of looking for inspiration online or in magazines, I decided to turn to the huge photo library I have on my computer.  Since I photograph almost every card I create there was a LOT to look through, but it also meant lots of ideas to choose from.

Today's Cards

My inspiration from 2013

YOUR TURN:  Take some inspiration from your own work to create a card or project.
Upload your creation HERE.

Monday, November 16

Comment Winner - Day 15

Congratulations Connie!
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
 
 
Connie Walsh November 15, 2015 at 7:20 AM
I love Christmas but I have to say that I am not fond of winter or snow. So today I decorated a palm tree.

Day 16 - Watercolours


Watercolours are one of my favourite painting mediums.  These days there are so many different techniques and methods of application that most of us can find something we enjoy using.
I love to colour with distress markers, which allow me to control exactly where I place the colour.  I've included a little step-by-step picture guide below.


YOUR TURN: Create a card using your favorite watercolour technique.  
Upload your creation HERE.

Photos are copyright Beccy Muir.  All rights reserved.