Flat Feliz Navidad

This fortnight we're embarking upon that most challenging of challenges (at least for Lauren, lol!); it is generally called the One Layer Card; though some folks refer to it as the No Layer Card. 

What does that mean? It means your entire design is flat... your elements get stamped, drawn, embossed, etc, directly onto the cardbase; so basically you're not taping or gluing ANY additional papers/diecuts/layers to that base. We're looking (as the title implies) for completely FLAT cards this time. Are you up for the challenge? Great! Here we go:

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "I started by using a torn piece of typing paper as an inking mask creating three shades of Mowed Lawn Distress Oxide Ink (start at the bottom and then keeping inking over the whole space to keep the bottom darker than the top).  Next I stamped two Memory Box Sentiments and the Memory Box Holiday Greenery Stamp.  I used alcohol markers to color the greenery, turning part of the leaves into a poinsettia.  I added a few extra berries & a leaf to finish.  I colored out of the lines a bit, so I just embraced that coloring style ... sort of like the fill stamps that are meant to be a bit off from the base image."

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "This is NOT my natural metier, but I'm always up for a challenge! Starting with a white 5.5" square card, I taped off all four edges with low-tack washi, then broke out the awesome Wendy Vecchi Build-a-Plaid Layered Stencil Set from Spellbinders to create a diagonal Christmassy plaid in Archival Inks of the red, green and gold variety. I added some of Hero Arts' Winter Foliage Rub-On Transfer poinsettias and foliage as well as a rub-on sentiment from another set of HA Rubs called Holiday Messages. I like the way you can very very faintly see the plaid inking underneath the transfers AND the fact that this baby is even flatter than the average credit card bill, which will be such an advantage when I hit the post office in December!"

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Link your newly made One/No Layer holiday card(s) right here! JB2507: Flat Feliz Navidad runs until 6pm (Eastern) on Wednesday, April 9th.

Going Green

Spring has sprung and the only things more beautiful than the budding leaves outside are the Grinchly Green holiday cards in our Readers Gallery. We highly recommend taking a little time to check out all of them, but in the meantime, here are three that especially caught our eye this fortnight.

Tina Z of Treebug

...combined a green-gloved Santa in a green candy car, driving through a gorgeous green patterned paper landscape!

Gail L of What's Normal

...stitched this gorgeous and intricate bauble with green metallic thread, added a bold green bow, and mounted the panel on a green embossed foil mat... et voila!

Marianne of Marianne's Cards 'n Stuff

...went impressively minimal with just one simple, perfect, Geometric Tree stenciled in two perfectly chosen shades of green for CAS card perfection! 

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And now let's find out which cardmaker be getting a little more "Green On" 

when this adorable PoppyStamps holiday tree die set lands in their mailbox! 

The Random Number Generator has chosen

Lucky #9

which means Jolanda Johnstone of The Inque Spot Studio is our winner!

Please send your snail mail info to

llaurenb (at) hotmail (dot) com 

so we can get those sweet dies on their way!

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Many thanks to all who participated, as always, we enjoyed seeing every single one of your creative and beautiful designs. We'll be back at Midnight with a brand new prompt we hope will make you want to work flat out to join the fun! ;)

I'm Dreaming of a GREEN Christmas

We're still getting our Grinch on, by making predominently green holiday cards. Here's how we showcased our green this week:

Lauren's Other Card

Lauren says, "This week I went a bit collagey, and if you say the words, "collage" and "green" to me in the same sentence, I immediately think about my stash of vintage S&H Greenstamps, obviously. (Thank you, Stephanie!) These have been layered over a 4x6" piece of 49 and Market's Spectrum Sherbet Lace Washi, to which I added a strip of drywall tape, some Eyelet Outlet Silver Pearl Swirl Bling and the diecut tree (Sizzix Christmas Tree #2) made of torn and layered scraps of green cardstock that I stumbled upon in the diecuts box last week. Some edge distressing, a sage green mat and a bit of machine stitching complete the design."

Stephanie's Other Card

Stephanie Says, "I've been making my way through another Gelliarts gel print a day month, so I have lots of prints for creating at my disposal.  I cut numerous green prints into 3/8" strips and created a quilt background.  Then to help tie them together, I embossed the panel using an old quilt-like texture embossing folder.  To finish the card, I added this sweet little chef in green from Fancy Pants cookies for Kringle Ephemera."

And the Luck of the Green will be with one lucky participant who will receive a brand new Nordic Dimple Trees Die set by PoppyStamps.

Get Your Grinch On

This fortnight we're asking you to Get Your Grinch On, which means we're celebrating our friend the Grinch by creating cards that are predominantly GREEN (and bonus points if you throw in a Grinch too).

Here's how we're showing our GREEN this week.

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "I started with a fun green polka dot card base.  Next I matted a tag from Doodlebug Designs Candy Cane Lane with a link layer of blue to match the present and give a big of contrast to the background.  I added some glittery silver ribbon, a tie of lime twine, and a tiny bit of red bling for the gingerbread man's button.  I finished by using foam tape to add the tag for a bit of dimension."

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "I started with a (seemingly firm) plan that involved a Christmas Tree layered with about six different shades of torn green cardstock. But then... I found this little quartet of adorability on a sheet of journal cards and the next thing I knew my card had four snowmen, two green polka dot papers, three EO Snowflake Brads and eight washi tapes. Because that's the way I roll, lol. (Not to worry, I can make the other card for next week!)"

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And the Luck of the Green will be with one lucky participant who will receive a brand new Nordic Dimple Trees Die set by PoppyStamps.

JB2506: Get Your Grinch On runs until 6pm (Eastern) on Wednesday evening, March 26th. Link as many newly made, mostly GREEN holiday cards as you'd like to, right here:

BLING It On!

What's sparkly and shimmery and absolutely awesome? Every single one of the cards in the Bling On the Holidays Readers' Gallery, of course! If you haven't already treated yourself to the inspiration therein, we highly recommend the trip. Meanwhile, here are three cards that especially caught our eye this time:

Susan B of Cardmaker's Garret

...used multiple shades of green pigment powders and a stencil to create her gorgeous multicolor branches of holly; then framed them in red and added loads of beautiful, blingy berries!

Becca S of Becca's Quest for Love and Country Creativity

...built a wonderous winter landscape set under a snowy sky full of glistening snowflakes and pearly accents; surrounded by a pristine snowfall of glittery acrylic paint!

Deanne Saunders of A Little Bit o' Paper

...stacked a constellation's worth of blue and golden diecuts, added lots (& LOTS!) of glorious glitter et voila... a shaped card that shines as brightly as the stars it resembles!

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Here's a badge, if you'd like one!

Many thanks to everyone who played along, we loved seeing ALL of your cards! We'll be back at Midnight with a brand new prompt we think might find you GREEN with envy! ;) 

Jingle Belles are BLING-ing

We're still BLING-ing in the Holidays at Jingle Belles this week ... creating cards featuring jewels, gems, beads, pearls, glitter, stickles, or anything sparkly.

Here's how we got BLING-y with it this week.

Lauren's Other Card

Lauren says, "Believe it or not, this week's card has more BLING-centric elements than last week's... but admittedly they are harder to see. The gorgeous three-layer tree is Simon Hurley's Classic Christmas Tree from Spellbinders. I diecut the solid background tree from deep green cardstock and the foliage from medium green. I used a natural sponge to lightly dab both layers with Bronze Liquid Pearls for a subtle iridescent shimmer. I diecut the tree stand, some of the ornaments and the background mat from shimmery gold cardstock. I cut more ornaments from gold metallic and gold glitter cardstock. I added small rhinestones and pearls to the tree before mounting the whole thing on a piece of Lawn Fawn's Spiffier Speckles in Leprechaun (perfect for March!) on which the speckles are gold metallic. Finally I added a layer of ancient Hambly Screenprints doily patterned paper, which is also shimmery"

Stephanie's Other Card

Stephanie says, "I started by covering my snowflake designer paper with Eyelet Outlet Silver Pearl Swirl Bling.  Next I added sentiments from Concord & 9th Big on Christmas, using strategically placed foam adhesive, so the sentiments floated above the bling."

Remember, you have until 6pm EST on Wednesday, March 12th to link-up.

BLING on the Holidays!

This fortnight we're celebrating (...you may have guessed it from the title...) BLING! All you need to do is make a card featuring jewels, gems, beads, pearls, glitter, stickles, or anything sparkly and join the fun by adding it with the Linky tool at the bottom of this post.

Meanwhile, here's how we're BLING-ing it this week:

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "Bling is the perfect way to decorate a Christmas Tree, especially this three layer Kaleidoscope Christmas Tree die cut set from Spellbinders.  I cut the bottom layer of my tree from white glitter paper for even more sparkle.  And for a bit more shine, I topped the tree & die cut the My Favorite Things PEACE Die-Namics sentiment from Concord & 9th Champagne Foil Paper.

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "I've had these Bling Snowflakes from the big box store for aggggggggges, so I was determined to use them for this prompt. I found a funky gel print made (at some un-remembered time, lol) by using an ancient Darice snowflake embossing folder to remove paint from the plate. I added some older Tim Holtz metallic rub-on transfers to enhance the holiday theme. My sentiment and mat are white glitter cardstock and the finished card is an A6."

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JB2505: BLING on the Holidays runs until 6pm (Eastern) on Wednesday, March 12th. Link your beautiful BLING-centric card(s) right here: