Frosty Littles - Hello Bluebird Stamps

Hello!  I have a new card for you today.  If you follow my card making journey then you know that I am totally into 'Slimline' cards right now.  I build scenes and love the characters I get to work with and therefore I like to cram as much into one card as I can!  An A2 card doesn't give you much real estate to work with and so with increasing regularity I'm turning to Slimline cards.  My card today scales new heights since I've adorned it vertically  - tall and slim - the supermodel of cards!



Finished card dimensions are 3 1/2" wide x 8 1/2".  From an A4 sheet of cardstock cut the length at 7 inches then score and fold in half (4 bar).  My panel is cut from the remainder of the A4 sheet and the dimensions are 3.2" x 8.2".  Worth writing those down for future reference!  For your coordinating envelopes just Google 'slimline envelopes' (this search yields the best results).  Sometimes they are referred to as 'invitation envelopes' and also '#9 envelopes'.



So, with the card form made I sourced everything I needed from my Hello Bluebird stash!  Front and centre are those adorable Frosty Littles.   They are perched amongst the banks of snow created using Hill and Dale Die and above them, high in the mountains that soar overhead are the Glacier Peaks Die cuts.  The word Noel is from the Christmas Words #2 Die.  Finally, the clouds are from Puddle Play Coordinating Dies.



My card was made by die cutting several snowdrifts using Hill and Dale and ink blending them very sparingly using Distress Oxide Ink in Cracked Pistachio - I just wanted a hint of mint!  I then die cut all 3 of the mountain ranges from Glacier Peaks.  For the back two ranges I also cut the snowy/glacial peaks.  I ink blended them with a hint of pale blue in the form of Distress Oxide in Tumbled Glass and adhered them.   I also ink blended the front of the card base with more Tumbled Glass again very sparingly to make the sky.



I layered all the die cuts together and stuck them down sometimes just with my tape runner and other times with a little foam tape behind a peak to give dimension.  On Bristol Smooth cardstock I stamped all the images you see from Frosty Littles including lots of the trees.  I watercolour painted the images using a combination of Kuretake Zigs and Arteza watercolour brush pens.  I die cut all the images and began to layer them into the scene as imagined in my mind before I started.  Again some were directly glued down and some for dimension had a little foam tape added on the reverse.

The word Noel was die cut 3 times and each was adhered to the next and then I used a little more Tumbled Glass Ink and added a little blue to it then stuck it down.



Finishing touches time!  I made everything twinkle using Stickles in 'Crystal', I dotted in some pale gold dots with a gel pen through the 'minty' areas and the final touch was the mini wooden stars in the sky.

This card feels sturdy but since the weight is at the bottom it is stable when it stands and doesn't blow over when someone walks past!!!  I recommend 110lb Neenah cardstock for such a project.

Are you up for making a card that will stand taller than anything else on the mantlepiece?  Worth the effort I'd say.

Until the next time, happy crafting .....

Nicky x

Elegant Holly - Pretty Pink Posh

Hi, thanks for swinging by my blog today to read about this slimline card featuring Elegant Holly by Pretty Pink Posh together with the Happy Holidays Script Die.



This is a 'Slimline' card which is to say that it has finished card dimensions that are 3 1/2" wide x 8 1/2" so from an A4 sheet of cardstock cut the length at 7 inches then score and fold in half (4 bar).  My panel is cut from the remainder of the A4 sheet and the dimensions are 3.2" x 8.2".  A simple online search for 'slimline envelopes' will yield several results to make life easier for mailing off your creations!  If you encounter any problems please just let me know and I'll link you up but they are also known as #9 envelopes or Size 9 or even invitation envelopes!



To make this card I cut my pieces of cardstock as per the instructions above.   I then used the Stitched Borders 4 Die and die cut the top and bottom long edges of the decorative panel.  Since this is a long card I die cut once then moved the die along and overlapped by one scallop and die cut again.  Next, I ink blended the panel with Distress Oxide in Spun Sugar and to complete the background I used my Uniball Signo white gel pen to dot in some 'snow'.



On Bristol Smooth cardstock I stamped my holly images using Ranger Archival Ink in Black.  I watercolour painted them using both my Arteza and Kuretake Zig watercolour brush pens.  I highlighted some points again using the Uniball Signo white gel pen and then die cut each image.  I layered them into the scene partially sticking them down and partially lifting them up with dimensional foam tape.



I then took the Happy Holiday Script Die and die cut silver glitter cardstock once and then three further times with regular white cardstock.  I glued each layer to the next, finishing of course with the glitter layer on top and then stuck the sentiment down in the middle of the scene.

White craft foam was applied behind the panel and then adhered to the card base and the finishing touch was the application of Stickles in 'Crystal' to many points on the leaves and berries for that essential Christmas twinkle.

Hope you like the card!  See you next time!

Nicky x

Layered Tree Die with Caroling Critters - Pretty Pink Posh

Hello, thank you for coming by to read about my latest card for Pretty Pink Posh.  This card introduces you to the wonderful new Layered Tree die which I think will become a fast favourite for quick cards and scene building.  I've paired it with the Caroling Critters I have previously created a card with and blogged here (use search function to find that post).



For this card I created a background panel and gave it a faux stitched edge and stamped it repeatedly with a little snowflake die from another Pretty Pink Posh stamp set.  I've used Distress Oxide Ink in Peacock Feathers for this stamping and each snowflake was a second generation stamp so that it wasn't too bold.  I adhered this panel to the 110lb Neenah cardstock base.



On more white cardstock I die cut the 4 portions of each tree, three times each.  I ink blended the portions I wanted to add colour to (not the top portion) using Peacock Feathers again and adhered each layer to the next.  Once dry I arranged the three trees on the card base, the top tree has dimensional foam tape underneath it in order to lift it up and sort of thrust it forwards in the scene.



On Bristol Smooth cardstock I hand stamped the Caroling Critters image using Ranger Archival Ink in Potting Soil.  I watercolour painted the characters with my Kuretake Zigs and highlighted some points with a Uni-Ball Signo white gel pen.  In order to make it appear that they are standing on a snow bank I fussy cut only the top of the image and then I die cut the bottom to match the faux stitched edge to match the background panel.  I adhered the Caroling Critters to the card with more adhesive foam tape.

The final touch was the addition of a generous quantity of 'jewels' which I took from the new Starry Sky Mix.  I added them to the tips of the trees and through the background.  I chose to only stamp a sentiment  on the inside of the card - which I did using Peacock Feathers again so that it all linked up!

If you need me I'll be at my craft table making another card!  Thank you for coming by, see you next time!

Nicky x

Yeti Or Not - Hello Bluebird

Hi, thanks for clicking through to my blog today to read more about my latest card for Hello Bluebird Stamps.  This card uses 'Yeti Or Not' from the most recent release.



First of all I created an A2 panel from Bristol Smooth cardstock by die cutting it with a simple edging die for the faux stitched edge affect which just makes it look 'finished'.  I ink blended it using Distress Oxide Ink in Broken China and then splashed it with water and blotted it up for a snowy affect.  I then die cut the mountains from white cardstock using Hello Bluebird's new Glacier Peaks die.  The glacier peak pieces were ink blended with a little more of the Broken China Distress Oxide Ink and adhered.  I die cut the mountains to match the stitched edge of the background panel.



Using Hello Bluebird's 'Christmas Words' die I die cut 'falala' about 4 or 5 times and adhered each to the next to form a stack and then glued it in place.  I stamped the rest of the sentiment in Ranger Archival Ink in 'Coffee' and adhered that strip with foam tape.



On more Bristol Smooth cardstock I stamped my images with Ranger Archival Ink in 'Coffee' and watercolour painted them using Kuretake Zigs.  I added Wink of Stella to several areas for a pretty twinkle when the card is moved (tis the season for twinkle after all)!!  I die cut the images using the coordinating dies for Yeti Or Not and used more foam tape to adhere them.



I decided my friendly Yeti was feeling so festive he had decorated the mountain tops with Christmas lights which delighted the little reindeer friends ... I like my cards to tell a little story wherever possible.

Hope you like the card and you feel inspired.  Happy crafting!

Nicky x

Little Snowman Agenda - Mama Elephant

Hello!  I treated myself to so many wonderful Mama Elephant goodies recently that I've yet to get to them all due to other card making commitments.  However, this isn't the first time I've played with Little Snowman Agenda as you will know if you follow me.



To make this card I die cut a white cardstock panel and a green cardstock panel using the Grid Window Creative Cuts Die by Mama Elephant.  I kept the negative cuts of the white die cut and set the frame aside for a future card and I kept the positive cut of the green die cut.   I softly ink blended the white parts with Distress Oxide Ink in Spun Sugar and Stamped the lovely sentiment from Merry Greetings because it could not have fit more perfectly into that larger section.   I applied foam tape to the reverse of the green die cut and adhered it to my card base and then applied glue to each negative cut and recessed them carefully in each window opening.



On Copic friendly Neenah cardstock I stamped my images with Memento Ink in black.  I used Copics to colour the snowmen and highlighted a few points with a Uniball Signo White gel pen.  I used Stickles Glitter in 'Crystal' to add a festive touch.   I die cut and applied the snowmen to the windows with more foam tape.  The final touch was the addition of tiny silver micro star 'sequins'.



Another Christmas card completed!!!  I'm getting there!!!  Thank you so much for coming by to read today, see you next time!

Nicky x

North Pole Littles - Hello Bluebird

Hey everyone, I have a new card for Hello Bluebird Stamps to share with you today featuring the super cute North Pole Littles stamps and dies.  They are set in a scene created by using the 'essential' (in my humble opinion) Spooky Scene die!



First things first .... I softly ink blended an A2 panel of Bristol Smooth cardstock using Distress Oxide Ink in Spun Sugar.  I dotted in some falling snow by hand, using a Uniball Signo White Gel Pen and adhered the panel to my card base and set it to one side.



Next, I took the Spooky Scene die and die cut a white cardstock A2 size panel.  I ink blended the trees using Distress Ink in Pumice Stone.   Now, when you die cut the Spooky Scene you get some negative cuts that you'd perhaps ordinarily throw away or use as scrap.   The centre negative cut is really quite large and I decided to grab a hill die from Hill and Dale and cut a second hill which of course will perfectly match the line of the ground from the Spooky Scene cut.  I then took a Versamark Ink Pad and inked up certain areas of the trees and ground and then sprinkled on some Wow! White Puff Twinkle Embossing Glitter and heat embossed .... this stuff is wonderful, can't say enough good about it! I then adhered all the parts of my Spooky Scene back together on the reverse to hold them in place then applied foam tape and added it to the card base.



Now to add some fun colour!  I stamped my North Pole Littles using Ranger Archival Ink in 'Coffee'.  I watercolour painted them using Kuretake Zigs in Light Beige 074, Flesh Colour 071 and Pale Pink 028 to shade their faces with Light Pink 026 for their cheeks and some of the parcels and ornaments.  The deeper red is Carmine Red 022.  Points of creamy yellow are done with a Tombow Dual Brush marker 020.  Hair is done with either Tombow in shade 912 and the other in 969.  The green colour used is an Arteza Real Brush Pen in Mint Green A177.



Cheeks and other points were highlighted with the Uniball Signo gel pen and then die cut and added to the scene with more foam tape.  The sentiment was stamped on a strip of cardstock and similarly applied.  Pretty adorable right?

Thanks for stopping by to read, I hope to see you next time and if you don't want to miss anything do sign up for emails from this blog.

Nicky x

Reindeer Friends - Pretty Pink Posh

Hello and thank you for visiting my blog.  I have card for Pretty Pink Posh today featuring 'Reindeer Friends' from a year ago but always worth revisiting for reasons of obvious cuteness!



I decided on an arrangement for my scene using some previously stamped images and it was abundantly clear that this card would need some different dimensions to the usual A2 standard for us card makers.  This card does not conform to any standard size so I will need to hand make an envelope for it and there are many tutorials out there for how to do this.  So, I made my sturdy card base of 110lb white cardstock by Neenah and then scored and folded it and also cut a panel that was slightly smaller dimensions than the base. 



I ink blended this panel with Distress Oxide Ink in Cracked Pistachio, fading it away to nothing to give the appearance of a snowy ground.  I very slightly diluted a little white acrylic paint and splattered it randomly all over the panel to indicate snowfall.  Once dry I backed the panel with white craft foam and applied it to the card base.

I watercolour painted my reindeer and their piles of gifts with Kuretake Zigs and adhered them to the card with dimensional foam tape by Scotch.



The Merry Christmas die cut sentiment is by Pretty Pink Posh also and was die cut twice and the two die cuts glued together and then they were glued to the card slightly curving the words over the scene to subtly frame it.

The final touch was the application of pearly white sequins throughout the scene which also fits with the snowy scene.

Happy crafting friends!

Nicky x

Hippos On Holiday - Hello Bluebird Stamps

Hello Friends!

Initially I wasn't going to blog about this card, especially as I was in such a creative flow this week (it's been very productive) but I got some enquiries on Instagram about it so I thought I'd share here a little more detail including products and colours used.



I think the impact of this card is in the colour combination, the rest is just scene building and layering.  So I took a panel of A2 Bristol Smooth cardstock (I favour Strathmore).  I ink blended it with Distress Oxide Ink in Spiced Marmalade and splashed it with water and blotted it dry a few seconds later.   I die cut the panel with the stitched edge and applied it to the card base.  With another panel of Bristol Smooth I die cut it to match the stitched edge and then die cut 3 'waves' from Avery Elle.  I casually ink blended these from dark to light using Distress Oxide in Peacock Feathers and splashed them up with some paint splashes using  Peacock Feathers mixed with a little water.  Once dry I dotted in some Uniball Signo White gel pen.



I adhered my 3 wave die cuts to the card panel making sure to keep the tops of the waves glue free in order to tuck my hippos in later.  I took yet more Bristol Smooth cardstock and stamped up my images using Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black.  I watercolour painted them using my Kuretake Zigs.  The hippos and the gray points on the seagulls are done using Blue Gray 092.  Blushing cheeks and the pink on the beach balls courtesy of Light Pink 026.  The remaining 3 colours used are Yellow 050, Orange 070 and Light Blue 036.



I die cut all the characters etc and decided upon my layout and adhered everything with Scotch Foam Tape for dimension.  I selected my sentiment, stamped it with Archival Ink on to a little piece of scrap cardstock and once dry I took a blending tool with a little of the Spiced Marmalade Distress Oxide Ink on it and coloured it up so that it blended into the 'sky'.  The sentiment strip was applied with foam tape.

To add sequins or not to add sequins THAT is the question?!  I decided not to but instead I grabbed a bottle of Stickles in 'Crystal' which reflects blues and greens and I did tiny dots of it throughout the water and into the whiter part of the 'sky'.  Doesn't photograph but it does give a sweet twinkle when the card is handled and it catches the light.

Another card complete!

Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you next time!

Nicky x

Pig Day - Hello Bluebird

Hello friends!

Today I have another card to share with you using Pig Day by Hello Bluebird Stamps.  It is possible this is my favourite stamp set of all time, but I'm not fully ready to commit to that statement just yet!



I took two A2 panels of Bristol Smooth cardstock and blended one with pink Distress Oxide and added some water and paint splashes, this was then die cut with the faux stitched edge and set to one side.  The other A2 panel was die once with the same faux stitched edge then further cut 3 times to provide the grassy edge from the 'Grassy Knoll' die set from Hello Bluebird.  This left one additional negative die cut which I flipped upside down and all 4 were ink blended in Cracked Pistachio Distress Oxide Ink.


I layered up the grassy edges and adhered them but I made sure not to add adhesive near the top of each edge because I knew I'd be tucking my piglets behind tufts of grass.  I used a Uniball Signo White gel pen to add daisy dots into the grass.



I took yet more Bristol Smooth cardstock I stamped my Pig Time images with Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black.  I watercolour painted them using Kuretake Zigs in Pale Pink 028 and Light Pink 026 (for their blushing cheeks and ears) and highlighted their cheeks using the Uniball Signo again.  The little birds were painted with Beige 072 and given a few white speckles.  The animals were all die cut and applied with Scotch foam tape and a pompom was added to the one piglet's party hat.  The sentiments were stamped onto black cardstock with Versamark Ink and heat embossed in Super Fine White Embossing Powder and applied with foam tape.  I then decided to add a couple of puffy white clouds from Rainbow Sky Die from Hello Bluebird just to balance out the scene.   I adhered the decorative panel to an A2 110lb white cardstock base and voila!  Card done!



I think it is safe to say this is FAR from the last Pig Time card I'll be creating and sharing!  Happy crafting everybody, please feel free to leave questions and comments, I'd love to hear from you.

Nicky x

Glittery, Congratulatory Goodness!

Hello all!

I'm sharing what is a relatively quick card to make and yet it is so impactful and beautiful.



All the fun is basically care of Nuvo Glitter Paste.  If you haven't bought any yet I urge you to treat yourself.  It is sold in delicate little pots but I just want to put it out there into the universe that I believe it should be sold by the pint .... like Haagen Dazs ice cream!!!

This card starts with 110lb solar white cardstock by Neenah and then a panel of the same was created and stencil embossed using Distress Oxide inks in 3 different colours and using the 'Folk Dance' stencil by Simon Says Stamp ... so pretty!  Keeping the stencil in place I then applied a generous amount of Nuvo Glitter Paste for a highly dimensional look.  I removed the stencil carefully and left the design to dry and I find this paste dries pretty rapidly which is good - maybe 20-30 mins.



Once the paste was dried to sugar encrusted perfection I was able to attach a die cut MFT frame using dimensional foam tape.  I then stamped the word 'CONGRATULATIONS' in black on white cardstock and attached this also with foam tape and the final touch was to make several die cuts of the word 'Smile' with the cute heart for the dot of the 'i'.  I did about 5 in white and a final one in yellow 'foil' cardstock and then glued each together to make a neat stack finishing with the gorgeous yellow and then attached this to the card using Ranger Multi Medium Matte.



I didn't feel this particular card needed any further embellishment since the whole thing is dazzling when it is handled and moved.

That's all for this time, thanks for stopping by and please do leave me any comments and questions if you have them!

Nicky x