Christmas Reindeer with Mama Elephant

Hello everyone,

I am deep into Christmas creating over here, so I thought I would pop by and share a few cards and tags I made today using the super cute Mama Elephant set that is filled with playful reindeers. The set was released awhile ago, however, I just picked up the stamp and die combo recently, when I saw it on sale.

I started off by stamping a full sheet of Neenah solar white cardstock with the images, using Gina K Designs Amalgam ink, and went to town colouring them with my copics. All the reindeers are coloured similar with E31 and E33, and the hoofs and antlers were E37. The grey is W1. I kept them all fairly simple, with not a ton of shading,as I was trying to get 30 images coloured in one take while the baby was napping.

As for the paper, I used only scraps I had on hand. I have been working hard at using bit and pieces up and not cutting into a new sheet right now. Later in the season, that will come, but for now, there are so many scraps, there is no need. 

I also made 12 Tags. Once again, scrap bits for these cuties. I sell tons and tons of tags at my Christmas shows, and I know these guys will be some of the first to go this year. Or I may just keep them for myself!!

In total, I made 20 cards and 12 tags so far with this set, and I am sure a few more will follow.

I know many crafters are starting their Christmas creations already, so keep going and those that are procrastinating, like I usually do, get on it!  Hopefully you see something that sparks you, and inspires you.

Remember...be creative, think of others and kindness always matters.

 Kim

The Ton Stamps -- Butterfly Love

In today's post, I will be working with these stunning stamps and die from The Ton Stamps.  I own many stamps and inks from them, they are hands down one of my favourite companies out there. The quality of the product is top notch and some of the most visually impressive designs on the market right now. If I am scrolling around on social media, I can always spot The Ton Stamps designs on a card, there is something distinctive about Effie's stamp detail, that makes them pop!

So this July, I got to meet the lovely owner of The Ton Stamps in person, and I was in awe!  She is equal measures of gorgeous, talent and genuine, through and through! I LOVED chatting and hanging out with her, and her mom, as well as taking her phenomenal make and take.  I learned so much about watercolouring!!

Me, giddy to meet this delightful human, named Effie, the owner of The Ton Stamps!!

Like I said earlier, I own several products from The Ton Stamps, however, I only discovered the large pop up dies while they were all spread out in front of me at the make and take. Wow!!  Are they ever neat!  I played around with the peony pop up die there, but knew when I got home, I needed to order the Butterfly one......just so pretty!

I purchased the Monarch Pop-Up Dies and the Beautiful Butterflies 3 Stamp set, and that is what I will be sharing with you today.

I started by creating background paper using the stamps. Using black Versafine, I stamped a random pattern all over the paper, added Hero Arts clear embossing powder and heat set. I kept the colouring of the butterflies super simple, because I wanted to create half a dozen 8x10 sheets, so just a quick bit of orange and yellow went into them, using my Zig markers. At first, I was going to keep the background white, but decided to add colour to one sheet to see if I liked it. Guess what? I did! So I added Distress Ink, in Spiced Pumpkin and Scattered Straw all over the paper, and a few drops of water and ending up loving how it turned out. Sometimes, you just need to play around with things!

  I cut the patterned cardstock I had made, down to my card base size of 5 x 7, and mounted on black. 

I had a specific person in mind while making this card, so added a 'Thinking of You' stamp and die sentiment from Gina K Designs to it. 

Couple of  sequins from Simon Says Stamps in Moonshine, rounds it out for me.

Now to the inside and using the fun pop up die. 

 To start, I took a sheet of watercolour paper and added Distress Inks in the same colours I used before, and covered the entire paper in an orange wash of colour, and set it aside to dry. Then cut out the outline using black 110lb cardstock. Once the watercolour paper was dry, I die cut the back of the wings out. Now it was just a matter of adhering all the pieces together, which was really easy. For this, I used Craft Tacky Glue from Tonic. Once the butterfly was assembled, I simply added him to the card base at the fold.  Found some older Basic Grey patterned paper in my stash and added it in to cover up the tabs that are on the back of the butterfly and to add some more pretty to the whole look. Final touch for this guy, was a few white dots scattered on the orange using a white Copic marker.

I created another butterfly and added him to a large flower I had made earlier, that was sitting atop a wedding gift.

 Nice little take away for the bride, to have.

I loved working with this die set, very easy with impressive results. Can't ask for much more! 

When you get a minute, hop on over to the website and check out Effie's incredible product, you won't be disappointed!  https://www.thetonstamps.com

Now, I better write a message inside to my sweet friend Julie, who is dealing with a tough medical blow right now, and get it into the mail for her. (P.S. Julie, close your eyes, you did not see this card!!)

(Not an affiliated post, just love for The Ton Stamps)

Remember...be creative, think of others and kindness always matters.

 Kim

Penguin Christmas Cards using Wild Rose Studio

I know, it is only the summer, but I am deep into planning and prepping for the Christmas season already. I have even started to create a few cards and tags, so I thought I would share!  Craft show season comes up quick, and these things always get away from me, so better to be extremely early, than not at all!

For these two cards, I worked with Wild Rose Studio Stamps. I have several different stamps from them, and boy, are they cute! This little guy and the owl set, are some of my most beloved stamps.

I have had this penguin stamp for a few years, and he has been used plenty of times, but I pulled him out anyways past all the new stamps I have, and started colouring.  He is so darn cute, I couldn't pass him up on the shelf!

To start off, I got out my Gina K. Designs Artist Choice 110lbs cardstock, and black Amalgam Ink.  As I was not sure if the penguins would be copic coloured or pencil coloured, this awesome ink by Gina K Designs allows me to use any colour medium, once I decide.   I went ahead and stamped a couple dozen, that way they are ready to go for a quick project another time. I decided to use my Copic markers for them.    

                   


Penguin C1, C3, C5, C7 
Feet Y13, Y35, Y38, YR04
Present  BG10, B02, 
Ribbon Y11, E31, E33, R37
Scarf  YR000, R11, R83










Penguin C1, C3, C5, C7 
Feet Y13, Y35, Y38, YR04
Feet Y13, Y35, Y38, YR04
Present YG03,YG63, G94
Ribbon Y11, E31, E33, R37
Scarf  R22, r24, R29, R35





Once these cuties were coloured, I set off on a hunt in my scrap pile for papers that would match. I have such a leftover stash of bits and pieces on my work space right now, I knew it would not be a problem to find matching papers, even if they weren't Christmas patterns per se. I cut the frame using a Lawn Fawn - Stitched Scalloped Die - from Bazzill paper, as well as the the red sentiment from Bazzill. The background  papers are from some very old Poppystamps leftovers, and the red denim is from Recollections...........not bad for a scrap pile offering!

Once the cards found matching papers to hang out with, it was just time to assemble and embellish. For that, I stamped the Merry Christmas sentiment with a Stampabilities stamp using Versafine ink, added sequins with Simon Says Stamp - Assorted Moonshine, and last, but not least, I dug out the bells, twine and wood snow flake from my stash. Of course, Stickles for a touch of glitter on their hats.

The Red and Green card front is popped up on two pieces of craft foam, just to give it a little dimension and to not make the card front bumpy on top of the wrapped twine. 

While I was colouring these guys last week, I put a fun poll on my Instagram account @thecreativecard, asking which colour combo folks liked better. For several days, the pink/teal combo won, but as of today, the red/green has won by a landslide! Sorry pink/teal!

Anyways, hope everyone is enjoying the end of summer and the routine that the fall season often brings. I know in our house, we are looking forward to the schedule of school and work. 

Remember...be creative, think of others and kindness always matters.

 Kim

Sunny Studio Stamps Balloons

Hi everyone. 
Been a little busy these days with lots of unexpected things popping up, and eating away at my already planned tasks and deadlines. Funny how our lives think it has the right to just take over our crafting time!! How rude! lol!!

Anyhoo....today I am sharing a card I made a couple weeks ago and started the matching post, but like I said, life has taken ownership of my time.

I recently bought several new Sunny Studio Stamp sets to play around with. As I make so many birthday cards, one of the them that I bought was the "Birthday Balloon" set. I thought these would be great to add to my collection as the image has so many options for stamping and great little sentiments as well. I just adore the Birthday script in it!

Sunny Studio Stamps Birthday Balloon

I played around with colour combos and ink companies that I really liked. In the end, I settled on Gina K Design inks for them all. Using my Misti stamping tool, I stamped about 50 balloons in all different colours, then used the coodinating die to cut them all out. 

After that, I just started to make card fronts and piled on the balloons! Each were different, some had several and some had a single balloon. In the end, I was able to complete 20 cards and they are ready for my upcoming craft show season.

For the card above, I simply stamped the outline all over a 12 x 12 cardstock sheet, to create a random background, which could be cut up. By having a simpler backround, I then only used three of the detailed, cut out balloons and popped them up with foam. By starting with a large 12" paper, I was then able to quickly cut it up into 4, 5" squares (like this one) and then still have a 2" strip that got cut up into other card fronts. I always think, go big or go home! You have it all out, why just stamp on little piece when you can complete several at once!

Most of the balloons were finished off with a bit of "wink of stella" and/or "Tim Holtz Micro Distress Glaze" to give great sheen to the balloon. I love that glaze, as it gives the balloons another layer of realism, like it truly is reflecting the light source.

I highly recommend this set, as it is easy to create multiple fun cards to have on hand, and such a great price point too!

(Not an affiliated post)

Remember...be creative, think of others and kindness always matters.

 Kim

Perfect Poinsettia

Yes, it may only be the beginning of October according to the calendar, however, Christmas is well under way on the crafting calendar!  Us makers, are always working well ahead. From this point on, my house has glitter trails everywhere as I am always working away on something to get ready for the Christmas craft show season.

I don't plan on buying too many new stamps/dies this year, as I did purchase many new ones last year, and never really got to use them all, so I will be selective this year. But, hey, it is early and I could be eating my words after seeing all the new stuff that will be released shortly by the companies!  One new one I have already picked up is from Gina K Designs, and it is called Perfect Poinsettia. It is a layering stamp and I just love it! I found it very easy to line up and get great results quickly. I have not played too much with different colour combinations yet, but I will as I create more and more Christmas cards. I know most people think of poinsettias as red flowers, but they do grow them in white and pink as well. When I was florist, pinks were always my favourite. I loved to see a mass of the pink flowers accented with gold decor, it was just so classy I thought.

Using my MISTI, I started off stamping using Gina K Design white pigment ink onto Gina K Design layering white paper. I used pigment ink first, as I find I can get a different look, when using dye inks as the layering colours on top. It also keeps the colours much brighter, once they all dry. Once I stamped the white layer, I give the same stamp a quick wipe to get the pigment off, then ink it up the 'Innocent Pink'. This is where the fun happens as you can see the dye ink sitting atop the pigment because it can't soak in right away, so it creates a bit of a beading or mottled look.

I continued to stamp out the next three layers, lining up the center each time. I found this set very easy for aligning the layers. I focused on one cut out area each time and was just fine for placement. You can see in the picture which little notch I used!

The outline layer was done in 'Kraft', the next layer was 'Dusty Rose' and the final detail layer was 'Red Velvet'.  Leaves were done in Dandelion, Jelly Bean Green and Grass Green.

After all the stamping was done, I fussy cut out the leaves and two flowers as I wanted layers and depth for the card front.

To create the card, I embossed the green layer of paper with a swiss dot pattern and then started adhering all the pieces. A quick sentiment and some enamel dots and card was complete!

I look forward to making many more cards with this set and seeing all the possibilities it has. For now, I hope this one has inspired you to start creating some Christmas cards or maybe complete some you already have underway. Remember to check out Gina K Designs for this set and other new ones that will be released shortly.


(This is not a product affiliated post.....I just share what I buy and love)

Remember...be creative, think of others and kindness always matters.

 Kim

Birthday Card

card created by The Creative Card

Popping in with a card I just finished up today. I love this "Happy Day" set from Concord & 9th, and find myself coming back to it often.  You can use the cake image for lots of different occasions, and even though it tends to be a bit more classic in its design, you can just as easily make it bold and modern with the right colours.

As you can see here, I went with the classy colours as it is for an 80th birthday and this lady is class all the way! 

Can be purchased at www.concordand9th.com

I started by stamping with Versamark, on Gina K. Designs Artist's Choice 110lb White Card Stock and heat embossed with gold powder from Stampendous. Then onto the colouring with my copics. I actually used very few different colours, as I don't have a large collection, I just kept colouring over the shaded areas to darken up the colour to show highlight and shading. 
The copics I used are:  Leaves -Y11, YG03, YG63, Flowers -YR000, R83, R85, Cake - YR000, E31,E33, and the platter is E31 and E37

Once I was happy with the coloured cake, I cut out with he coordinating die.

I had this scrap of paper, by Lost & Found, on my desk from another card and I just loved it with the cake. So a touch of foam behind the cake to mount it and done!  Ok, well not yet, but close!  I stamped and cut the happy birthday banner from the same set and attached it to the card front. Drew two little lines to look like sticks holding up the banner. The set actually has a stick stamp in it, but figured I would mess it up as the pieces were already attached to the card. Drawing was a safer bet!

To finish up, I added Versamark and the same gold embossing powder to chipboard numbers and adhered them to the cake. Of course we needed a touch of bling.....so a few sequins from Pretty Pink Posh completes the card.

Hope you like my card inspiration for today!!

(This is not a product affiliated post.....I just share what I buy and love)

Remember...be creative, think of others and kindness always matters.
-Kim

Quick Zig Color Pen cards

Good Morning Card makers!

After a much need break from work and life, that included an amazing trip to Korea, I am back in the game and full of inspiration  from all my travel.

Upon arrival home, I was in need of 6 cards almost right away, so to maximize my time, I used one of my favourite stamp sets "Hello Lovely" from Concord & 9th for all of them, but just changed them up a bit as I went.

I stamped each one with Versamark onto watercolour paper, then heat set with clear embossing powder. Then the fun began.....colouring!! While in Korea, I picked up more Zig Clean Color pens as they were so inexpensive there.....as in 80 cents each inexpensive!!  I coloured each one differently, yet brightly. I know some may find my choice of bright flowers on a sympathy card odd, but I have never been a believer that everything to do with funerals and death need to be black, calm or sedate, and that was only reaffirmed in Korea when we saw a funeral procession and all the flowers where white or vivid pink or yellow. They celebrate the happy that once was, not the darkness you already feel with their passing. Anyhow, you can see bright ruled here, no mater what the sentiment it was reflecting.

As for sentiments, they are both from Gina K designs. The 'Thank You' is from the Bold & Blooming Set and the 'Sympathy from the Sentimental Calla Lily set. Both fairly new releases, that I absolutely adore and use often.

Once done all that, I felt they needed a little something more, so I mixed a touch of the grey and black Zigs together with more water and splashed it on with a paint brush, some cards richer in depth than others. Each finished off with complimentary nuvo drops.

Once they were dry, I mounted onto 6" x 6" card bases and personalized the insides and envelopes.

So far now, a few more cards are caught up personally, but several orders await my attention, but I will focus the next few days on getting sleep, hanging out with our son who we were away from, and the mountain of laundry that is piling up!

Remember...be creative, think of others and kindness always matters.

 Kim