Inlaid Christmas Die - Let it Snow !!

Hi, today this is my card for the 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown challenge.

This week it is a technique challenge, Inlaid Dies

Great fun was had chasing the little pieces around with the "Let it Snow" sentiment die.
I cut the die in light blue and pieced into white, for the snow. Then thought about adding some darker blue pieces within the sentiment for some extra colour. I considered stamping just various snowflakes, keeping it quite simple, but I saw this little snowman and he was calling out to me to be stamped. So I made a scene up for him to stand in front of. A lovely winter evening sky completed my background along with some snowflakes as my original idea. Hope that you like my finished card.

Thank you for visiting and reading about my card design.

Kathy xx

Clarity Stamps Challenge No 23

Hi, this is my card design for the current Clarity Stamps Challenge No 23,

"Things with Wings"

I had just purchased the filligraphy swallow set so thought that was as a great stamp set to try out for this challenge. Lots of different ideas for the background, but eventually chose to go with a stamped tile area for the birds and a fully stamped background using the filligraphy petals set. Lots of masking and Adirondack inking, with Stonewashed, Denim and some Bottle to get the shadows. the Bottle shows up more on my photograph than in reality. Used the "Harmony" stamp from a Clarity Word Chain stamp set as my theme.

My colours were influenced by the traditional blue and white china "Willow Pattern" which I felt the filligraphy birds reminded me of. I coloured the swallows with Spectrum Noir pens

I drew the edging to the tile, a la Barb recent demo on C&C, and coloured with distress markers, colours picked up on the two blue matt and layer edging to my card.

Do take a look at the Clarity Stamp Challenge blog so many great designs to get inspiration from, there is still time to enter if you are quick.

Thank you for visiting and reading about my card design.

Kathy xx

Christmas Bells

Hi, this is my card design for the current  52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown

This week it is a theme challenge of bells

After checking through my crafting stash, I could only find this one Waltzingmouse Stamp of Bells. I used it as the main focal point of my card, stamped twice in traditional red. I then masked off a central panel and stamped using Clarity Stamps Holly and Ivy as a background. Plenty of Distress inks for shadow. I drew a wiggly line around the central panel with a fine marker pen, twice and coloured in with red. Finishing off with my sentiment "Merry Christmas" from Waltzingmouse Stamps again, and a red mount.

Thank you for visiting and reading about my card design

Kathy xx

Card 4 Bliss

Hi, this is my card design for this month's Artisant Blog Challange with Aneta.

I have named this, Card 4 Bliss.

Using the colours from the challenge, stamps from Sue Wilson, Justrite and Waltzingmouse. A background stencil from Clarity Stamps. And die cuts from Spellbinders and Tattered Lace. Some colouring in with Spectrum Noir pens and distress inks. Also added liquid pearls around the edge of the heart stamp and die cut with the 3D flowers on, I love that element.

I took a quick photo of all my elements

Then after several attempts at collaging them together I settled on this arrangment

Hope that you enjoyed reading about my card design.
Take a look at Aneta's wonderful blog, there is still time to enter her challenge.
Thank you for visiting

Kathy xx

Blue Christmas

Hi, this is my design for the new 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown Challenge .
This week there are a selection of colours to use. All shades of blue.
Still plenty of time to enter, pop over to their blog and check out the marvellous design team cards.

I have used Clarity Stamps "Winter Wonderland" a snow scene and deer and stag stamps. My sentiment is from Clarity Stamps too. Using the three shades of blue for stamping and adding shade. The stamped edging gives the appearance of looking through a gap in the forest to see the scene. I have mounted my card onto a dark blue matt.

Thank you for visiting and reading about my design.

Kathy xx

Sketchy Christmas

Hi, I have just found this Christmas Card Challenge,   52 Christmas Card Throwdown. Do take a look, there is still time to enter this challenge.

This week it is a sketch, and such a useful sketch for so many ideas.

Using the colours and photograph as inspiration

My design includes a background stamp from Waltzingmouse stamps and the Christmas Eve montage, with Santa in his sleigh, uses stamps from Clarity Stamp, die cut with a Spellbinders Label die set. I have used the forest and Santa stamps for a full card, but love how they transfer to a small section, too. The sentiment is by Justrite Stamps. My card design has photographed in a lighter shade and no pink, just blues and greens.

Thank you for visiting and reading about my design.

Kathy xx

A row of Clarity trees

Hi, I had some spare time, so filled it with a Clarity Stamp project and just found this NBUS challenge.

This is a Clarity Stamp Club project with alterations. Just loved the bright warm colours, like a heady summer's day.

My card is going to be entered into the Never Before Used Schtuff - NBUS#3 challenge - the theme is Anything Goes, but we have to specify our NBUS. 

My NBUS are the row of trees stamp and the sentiment stamp.

All Clarity stamps used, and the super useful moon mask set.
Off to find a frame that suits. I am thinking that a narrow black frame would be great.

Thank you for visiting and reading about my design.

Kathy xx

Clarity Stamps Challenge Trees - Top 5

In the recent Clarity Stamps Challenge - Trees, I made the Top 5 - I am so pleased.

As I have started my new craft dedicated blog, I have copied the details of my card design for you here.

I used a tree scape stamp, "Forest Ridge" and added in some extras with trees from "In the Bleak Mid Winter Carol" set and the Christmas remountables set for more trees and the santa sleigh.

The sentiment "Christmas Greetings" is one of the first Clarity stamps I purchased from a smallish craft fair locally, when to my good fortune, Barbara was demonstrating and I was captivated.


There was a lot of ink in the background to colour the sky, added with Clarity stencil brushes. a moon mask, and shadows on the snow. Mounted up on a dark blue mat.

My photograph is not showing the shadows too clearly, and the sky is looking a little washed out too, which is a shame.

Thank you for visiting and reading about my card design.

Kathy C xx

New Year - New Beginnings

Hi, Happy New Year to you all.

I have, as the post suggests, New Beginnings, with a New Blog - All craft based posts,

Kathy's Crafting Adventures

Please call back soon, and see the adventures unfold.

Kathy xx