Making christmas cards without christmas stamps

When it comes to Christmas stamps I have not been able to talk myself into buying very many yet, because after all Christmas only comes once a year. Since I have dived into card making as full on hobby I have changed how I feel about that. This hobby is some thing I am have become very passionate and excited about. Which is very hard when you don't have any friends around you who share your passion  for  card making or even your hobby.  This year I wanted to get involved with the Caring Hearts card drive, and realized I only have three stamps that could be called Christmas and not one of them says Merry Christmas.  Being a stay at home mother means that I make lots of sacrifices for my family and I don't very often get the things I want because my family comes first. So, I do plan to get more Christmas stamps in the future but for now I consider it a challenge to think outside the box and really put my creativity into play.

These cards I would like to enter in one challenge each. The first card in the Word Art Wednesday Challenge #155. The second card in the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and the theme is anything goes. And my final card in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge the theme for that challenge is Kraft. Hope that you liked my work and would be so kind as to leave me feedback please. 

Parade of christmas cards

Today, I am going to let the pictures show you what I have been up to lately.

 Parade of Christmas cards:

I think will post a few of these for the Word Art Wednesday Challenge and also for Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. I hope that you enjoyed my work. This Saturday we are having some ladies over for fellowship, paper crafting, and apple bread. 

Copic coloring and poinsettia

   Here are two of the cards I have finished. I have been trying some of the things that I learned from the Online Card Classes Copic Marker class. I may not have any ink for my printer to do homework print outs but I have been trying to practice what I have been learning with what I have.

   This gorjuss image here I tried some shading and hair techniques. I still need to practice to get better but  I am finding coloring images to be fun and relaxing. The poinsettia was something I cut out with my cricut machine and colored referencing pictures on google images of poinsettias. I used what I had and didn't really do any shading on this one. Then I put it on a simple white embossed background and matted it with green to match the leaves. I am so glad that I invested in taking this class it has been well worth it. 

Snowflakes, watercolor challenge, and homework

   I have not been able to post as often lately. I have been busy being a mom and I have also been taking the newest online card making class for copic markers. That has been a blast even if I haven't been able to practice very much yet. First off I want to share my card I made with my limited supply of copic markers. Keep in mind I only have 20 copics and 5 of them are neutral greys.

Gorjuss girl with copic coloring

   This is going to be a thank you card. I loved coloring her while my kids watched a video it was nice and relaxing. I can't wait to get some more colors for skin and hair to try. If you look really close you can see the silver embossing on the very edge of my colored panel. Maybe next time I might try tackling coloring a background? If I am very brave. : )

    I am making some cards for the Caring Hearts Christmas card drive. This card drive is to give Christmas cards to the elderly that are in nursing homes and may not get to spend Christmas with their families. Here are a couple of the cards I made for that today.

I am going to enter these in Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Watercolor challenge. I wanted to use foil paper on the letters and didn't have any so I took glossy accents and glued actually foil to card stock and then die cut it. Hope you enjoyed my work, let me know what you think, leave me some feedback please.

Sympathy tea rose card

 I have finally got signed up for the Online Card classes: Copic markers. I have had only had a chance to sit down and do the first two days. There is so much I have learn already, and I look forward to learning even more. My copic marker collecting is just getting started, so I don't have very many colors to work with yet. Clean and simple is not really my card style, I am not sure I have found my style yet. I do like to embellish and some times I am not sure when less is more. But I wanted to work on being more versatile with my card making. Virginia's View Challenge #8 is clean and simple. I thought this card I worked on today would be just the right thing for this challenge. (I am trying to work on improving the quality of my pictures.)

Sympathy tea rose card.

 I resisted embellishing this card any more than some glossy accents for dew drops. This is a card I am really proud of. Hope you enjoyed seeing my work and would leave me some feed back please.

Sincere Thanks - Batik inspired background

   My card that I created was inspired by batik fabric. It is used a lot in quilting and has gorgeous water color like look to it. Just go on Pintrest and type in batik to find all kinds of lovely fabrics and designs. I love the look so I wanted to try and create something like it with a card back ground. First I cut a piece of water color paper and blended distress inks in three colors. I used tattered rose, spiced marmalade, and fired brick. After that I embossed the flowers with Hero Arts ultra fine clear embossing powder.

Batik inspired thank you card

   

After that I took a paint brush and dipped it into some water and applied the water to the petals of the flowers. I let the water set for a few minutes and then blotted it away with a clean paper towel. When that was complete I took two different size dots and embossed them with silver Hero Arts embossing powder. I also embossed my sentiment on to a strip of vellum and wrapped it around the front of the card and fastened the ends of the vellum on the inside of the card. I will be entering this card in the Word Art Wednesday blog challenge. For their anything goes challenge #152. I hope you enjoyed my card and would be so kind as to leave me some feedback please.