Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Celebrate Cats and Dogs - Shaker Cards with Pet Friendly Products



 

Celebrating Our Cats and Dogs 

Hello friends.  As we say goodbye to a rather challenging year, I want end 2020 with a "PAWsitive" post celebrating the furry members of our families.  Pets bring such comfort and joy into our lives. 

I appreciate when the crafting companies like Authentique and Creative Embellishments share their love for pets by offering pet themed crafting products.
 
Through the years Authentique has featured cats and dogs in their collections such as:





The cards today were created using the Companions collection  - just one of the fabulous pet themed collections from Authentique.  I used the 6"x6" paper pad.  

I love the mini sentiment cards that are included in the collection.  The first card, a kitty card, has the following sentiment inside the shaker paw: 
"Some things just fill your heart without trying." 


The cat chipboard shaker set is from Creative Embellishments  and was painted with cream acrylic paint, and topped with Ranger Crackle Accents  to create texture.  Gold glitter was lightly sprinkled on the Crackle Accents while it was still wet.  This allowed the glitter to permanently set into the crackle accents and not fall off.  

Creative Embellishments - Cat Shaker?search=cat%20shaker







The Dog Shaker Card

In the spirit of being equal, I created a companion dog shaker card using the Authentique's Companions collection.  The adorable sentiment here says: 
"The path to my heart is paved with paw prints."


Creative Embellishments - Dog Shaker?search=dog%20shaker





Thursday, December 24, 2020

Christmas Home Decor Wooden Sled

 

Merry Christmas friends.  Today I'm sharing a Christmas home decor sled created using the fabulous wood decor piece from Creative Embellishments and covered with Maja Design's new Christmas paper collection,  "Traditional Christmas".


Creative Embellishments - Sled?search=sled


Take a look at this gorgeous seasonal delight with rich reds and Christmas prints. Here are the individual papers used from the collection: "By the Fire" A and B sides,  "Family Gatherings".

The sled comes with four wooden slats and a top to the sled.  Below I will share how I assembled the sled.   


The sled was decorated with chipboard Christmas Bulbs  and "Merry Christmas" greeting both  heat embossed in gold to add a festive pop to the sled.  The gold is a great accent color for the rich reds of the Maja Design papers. 



Here is a look at the Maja Design's new Christmas collection,  "Traditional Christmas" with it's rich reds and Christmas prints.  The collection surprise charm is the Christmas Elves/Gnomes that will melt your heart.  

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a joyful healthy 2021.  Thanks for sharing a part of  your day with me.


Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Christmas Cards Using Authentique's A Magical Christmas

 

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season.  I'm sharing the last of my Christmas cards today, and proud of myself for mailing EVERY card BEFORE Christmas. I do believe it's the first time ever.  I'm typically an after Christmas mailer. 

Why was this year different?  Authentique's  "A Magical Christmas" Collection - 6 x 6 Paper Pad Bundle helped motivate and inspire me to keep crafting.  

Authentique Paper - A Magical Christmas Collection - 6 x 6 Paper Pad Bundle

I had help from a few products to make each card unique - using various dies from my stash and a few newer ones from Spellbinders:   Joy  Holiday Die  2019 and Spellbinders  Holly Jolly Christmas from   A Charming Christmas Collection by Becca Feeken.  The sled die is very old Memory Box die but a delightful one to use. 

What I especially loved about the  Magical Christmas" - 6 x 6 Paper Pad  were the tiny prints which were perfect for the background in  the "Joy" die cut - creating a beautiful, graceful card. 

Here are the Spellbinders dies used: 
Shapeabilities Joy Etched Dies Holiday 2019Shapeabilities Holly Jolly Christmas Etched Dies A Charming Christmas Collection by Becca Feeken
Next up - the Nativity Creche card.  The Authentique papers are so striking with the red and gold foil cardstock combo.  The Nativity Creche die is another very old die from my stash.  


The last card of the season was created for a young niece who enjoys frosty outdoor activities in winter.  I also enjoyed sledding BUT these days it's more of a thrill to watch her sled.  I can imagine the face plant in the snow as I'm crafting. 
 Sort of like the old saying, " those who can, do.  Those who can't,  craft", or something like that.    

  I'm a fan of peppermint striped paper and the combo with the red snowflake paper makes for a fun card with the hint of a peppermint white Christmas. 



Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Whimsical Reindeer and Festive Mitten Shaker Cards for Christmas

   

Time to shake up Christmas with some shaker cards featuring Creative Embellishments unique original chipboard shaker sets filled with fabulous, festive shaker mix from Buttons Galore and More.  We all need a festive and fun Christmas and I'm doing my best to pitch in and bring cheer to those on my card list.  

The cards today feature a shaker set that I adore - the Whimsical Deer Shaker   and the perfect seasonal Mitten Shaker.  While I love them both, that reindeer has my heart.  



The Christmas Mitten (Shaker Card)

The chipboard Mitten Shaker was painted with cream colored acrylics and speckled with gold acrylic.  Once dry, I added gold braiding to the inside of the card before sealing up to create a faux mitten cuff - with the purpose of adding different shaker mix. 

The paper used today is from card  Maja Design's new collection called Traditional Christmas, with it's rich red tones and beautiful holiday print (plus a few elves/gnomes).  

The Shaker Mix

Every shaker needs some cool mix to bring it to "life".  There are two different mixes used on this card.  Buttons Galore's  Home Spun Holidays Sparkletz mix was used in the hand part of the mitten, and Buttons Galore - Golden Bottle Sequin/ Bead Mix was used in the cuff part.  

peppermint stick SPK145zButtons Galore -Golden Ps726?_pos=51&_sid=0c025c857&_ss=r

Hot Foil Background

Have you tried hot foiling? I'm just getting into the game having recently bought Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil System.  This adds a touch of gold elegance to the card in my opinion. 

The background of the card has been enhanced with a delicate gold foil design created with Spellbinders Filigree Crescent Band Glimmer Hot Foil Plate from Delicate Impressions Collection by Becca Feeken.  

 Filigree Crescent Band Glimmer Hot Foil Plate from Delicate Impressions Collection by Becca Feeken

Filigree Crescent Band Glimmer Hot Foil Plate
 from Delicate Impressions
 Collection by Becca Feeken
Glimmer Hot Foil System
Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil System
  Glimmer Hot Foil Roll - Matte Gold
Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil Roll - Matte Gold


Whimsical Deer Shaker Card

The Whimsical Deer Shaker set was inked with Walnut Stain Distress ink.  I added the Santa hat after it was dry (purchased from a big craft store).  Scroll down and you can see how to create the texture on the trees. 

  

The textured treatment on the Tree Border was easy to make using a mixture of paint ( Forest Moss Distress Paint) with heavy gesso.    I added the mixture to the chipboard with a palette knife - sort of like adding fluffy merengue to a pie.

Once the gesso paint mixture is dry, I inked the edges with Walnut Stain for more dramatic dimension.

The Shaker Mix and Finishing Embellishments

The shaker mix here is Buttons Galore  Merry Mimosa Doo Dadz  added to the red nose and Buttons Galore Golden  Sequin mix for the rest of the head.  The hat has been topped with Buttons Galore's 3D  Holly 3D.

 Buttons Galore -Merry Mimosa Dd100
Buttons Galore  Doo Dadz- Merry Mimosa Dd100
  holly buttons

Thank you for stopping here today.  Have a Merry Christmas and wonderful Holiday season.

Happy Crafting.