There are two challenges to make "winter" cards this week. One is Joan's Garden challenge #40, and the other is the Oozak November challenge. For 365 Cards Day 246 the challenge was to "say it with flair" - have one item on your card that really "POPS!" Sandy Allnock recently did a card that had clear embossing on a black background, and I decided a nice bright snowflake would "pop" on black.
This card uses three Stampin' Up! snowflake stamps for the embossed background of irridecent snowflakes on black. The bright snowflake is also by Stampin' Up! - both the stamp and the punch that does all the fine cutting for you.
I wanted my punched snowflake to sparkle, too, so I used Versa Mark and the iridescent embossing powder to give it two coats of sparkle. Multilayer embossing is a technique that I haven't used in awhile, so it fits for the Our Daily Bread challenge to Operation Write Home. However, there's a limit of one card per person on that challenge, and I already submitted one. Even with the double embossing, the snowflake didn't "pop" enough for me, so I punched a second snowflake from glossy white card stock and layered it under as a "shadow" to the flake. That made it work for me. Of course, to attach the snowflake to the card I used the Xyron Create-a-Sticker.
I'm in a card club that meets every other month, and tomorrow's our day. The challenge for our swap is to make a "cute" (but non-juvenile) birthday card. I've had this set by Stampin' Up! for awhile, and not used it much. I think it qualifies as adult "cute", even if the sentiment is a little mean.
The 365 Cards Day 248 challenge is "half and half" - do the sentiment half on the outside, and half on the inside. (I took that generally, not exactly half.) This sentiment is in two parts, but I also did an inside sentiment to complete the card.
The dry embossed background was done with a 5x7 Cuttlebug folder. The gears and clock parts reminded me of "time" and that fits for birthdays with lots of candles. The image was colored with Copic Markers, cut with a Spellbinder's classic oval Nestability, and then the edges were distressed with Wild Honey and Tea Dye Distress Inks.
Stamp TV's Mix-it-up Monday challenge is to do a card that is "warm and cozy." I figured snuggling up knitting is a warm and cozy occupation. The 365 Cards Day 44 challenge is this recipe:
So, I started with a pink card base, made it a patterned paper by stamping a swirly background and dusting with Perfect Pearls. Using Perfect Pearls is "pulling out an old technique or tool" that I haven't used for awhile. That's the challenge for Our Daily Bread's November challenge to Operation Write Home. It also fits for the Simon Says Stamp & Show challenge to "Just add pearls." Then I used the same stamp to add pattern to the darker pink paper mat. This time I added the same Perfect Pearls (violet) to clear embossing powder, and heat embossed. Unfortunately, you can't really see the shine in the photo. 
The image stamp and the sentiment come from the Gina K Designs "Basket Additions" set. The basket is stamped on one patterned paper, and the basket liner is stamped on another - both by Stampin' Up! That covers the four patterned papers, the two stamps and the one sentiment. The knitting supplies, as well as shading on the basket and liner were done with Copic Markers. To complete the Day 244 challenge, I added three chipboard hearts, colored with Copic Marker and then shined up with Diamond Glaze.
My mother-in-law had a birthday last week, and we are celebrating with a little party tomorrow. Naturally, her birthday card was "influenced" by the current challenges. LOL!
The sketch is from 365 Cards Day 242. The addition of the sentiment "tag" covers the StampTV Free-for-All Friday to do a "backward" or "recessed" card. That challenge comes from an Australian woman, and I think it's pretty clever. The sentiment comes from the Gina K Designs set "Garden Silhouettes" and the strip of background paper is from the rubber-band background challenge.
Another thank you card - this one with a masculine feel for Our Daily Bread challenge. It also fits the Simon Says Stamp challenge to "Get in Shape", and the Outlawz October Opulance color challenge with the twist to use a pumpkin on the card. This card does use a Gina K Designs sentiment stamp from the Basket Additions set, so it works for the StampTV Oldies but Goodies challenge this week. Also, being a Thank You card, it fits for the 365 Cards Day 243 challenge, and (if it's not too late) for the Paper Smooches challenge. Whoo Hoo!! The dry embossing was done with the Cuttlebug "Pumpkin Harvest" folder, and the embossed die cut is "Pumpkin Spice" by Cuttlebug. The designer paper for the leaf and vine is from a Stampin' Up! pack, and the sentiment was shaped by a Stampin' Up! punch.
This card uses three Stampin' Up! snowflake stamps for the embossed background of irridecent snowflakes on black. The bright snowflake is also by Stampin' Up! - both the stamp and the punch that does all the fine cutting for you.
