Wintery Penguin Love (Blog Hop)

In just a few weeks the holidays, with all their sparkle and colour and activities, will be over, and the reality of a cold long winter ahead will sink in.  As much as I love Christmas, I love when my house returns to a more minimalist and serene look after the decorations come down!  And I have always found winter to be a nice time of year....curled up reading one of the many books my hubby bought me for Christmas (hint, hint!) and waiting for those first blooms of Spring.  But each year winter seems to get just a little bit longer, and a little bit colder, and I miss the sun a little bit more.  So for our team blog hop this month, I decided to make a card to help combat those winter blues!

I created a soft watercolour background with four colours that can be pretty intense normally--Costal Cabana, Call Me Clover, Blueberry Bushel and Highland Heather.  The watercolour wash really tones down the colours and make for an icy pastel palette. 

After watercolouring I spritzed some water droplets on top to give it some more dimension.  I think those colours really look wintery and almost like the northern lights!

I stamped my penguins in black Memento ink and punched them out with the coordinating punch, just trimming the bottom flat.  I added a coloured heart in each colour, and popped my penguins up on dimensionals.

The sentiment "With Warmth and Caring From Me" is from the Flourishing Phrases set, and suited my needs perfectly.  I left the inside of my card free of sentiment, so that this card be used for any purpose that comes up (get well, thinking of you, etc.).

I mounted my stamped piece on some shimmery cardstock to represent the sparkle of snow in the sunshine, and placed the whole thing on a Highland Heather card base.

I think this card would be a real pick-me-up to receive on a cold and gloomy February day.  This set and the punch are retiring on January 2, so get yours before they are gone!  

Hop along to see the winter or new year creations my teammates made this month:

A La Cards (Leena)

LollyandSand (Sandy)

JustBStamping (Barb--you're here!)

Stampingjen.BlogSpot.com (Jennifer)

Hofkissed (Stephanie)

Product List

Making Every Day Bright Photopolymer Stamp Set

[148813]

$20.00

Christmas Bulb Builder Punch

[148013]

$24.00

Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad

[147097]

$10.25

Call Me Clover Stampin' Pad

[147139]

$10.25

Highland Heather Classic Stampin' Pad

[147103]

$10.25

Blueberry Bushel Classic Stampin' Pad

[147138]

$10.25

Sparkle Glimmer Paper

[146957]

$6.75

Watercolor Paper

[122959]

$6.75

Aqua Painters

[103954]

$23.00

The Elves Have Arrived!

Our Elf on the Shelf arrived this week and has already been causing quite a stir.  It seemed only appropriate then that elves inspired my card this week too!

Isn't this snow scene too much fun?!  I had a great time colouring my elves all different colours and pretending they worked in different departments at the north pole. ;)  I used my Blends alcohol markers, which make blending and shading so easy.

Here's a closer look at the elves....

 And I added the Big Guy and Mrs. on the inside....

This card has so much depth, and really captures the fun of the season.

Which elf is your favourite colour?

Barb

Product List

Signs Of Santa Photopolymer Bundle

[149967]

$63.75

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock

[140272]

$10.50

Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

[122924]

$11.50

Petal Pink Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

[147272]

$12.00

Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

[144598]

$12.00

Pool Party Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

[144605]

$12.00

Old Olive Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

[144597]

$12.00

Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

[144603]

$12.00

Holly Jolly Christmas (Blog Hop)

Time for another Stamping Symphony blog hop!  This month we are showcasing products from the Holiday Catalogue, which is chock-full of holiday fun!  I have been making Christmas cards for many weeks now and definitely have my favourites, but I broke out a set and a tool that I hadn't used much for the hop.

We made this card at my card class last week, and I think it was hit!

  

The stamped wreath has such a wow factor, and is super simple to accomplish using the Stamparatus.  For those not familiar, this is our new stamp positioning tool, which allowed for perfectly placed berries.  I filled in with hand-stamped evergreen boughs for a beautiful wreath.  Wish I could make one for my door so easily!  :)

For me, every card has to have a little bit of shimmer at Christmas, and in real life, this one has just the perfect amount of bling from the glimmer paper twigs to the gold washi tape.  

I also used my very favourite dies, the stitched shapes, for my sentiment circle.  It just adds a special little something to a die cut, don't you think?

I always decorate the insides of my cards as well, and I really loved how the evergreen boughs come to life with the shading, so I continued that look inside too.

I am still accepting orders for finished (custom) cards, so please reach out if you would like to purchase some handmade cards for your list this year.  

And don't forget to keep on hopping to the others playing along today:

                                

A La Cards (Leena)

LollyandSand (Sandy)

JustBStamping (Barb--you're here!)

Stampingjen.BlogSpot.com (Jennifer)

Hofkissed (Stephanie)

Until next time,

Barb

Product List

Tranquil Tide 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[144246]

$11.50

Tranquil Tide Classic Stampin' Pad

[147146]

$10.25

Stamparatus

[146276]

$67.00

Gold Glimmer Paper

[146958]

$6.75

Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad

[147090]

$10.25

Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad

[147084]

$10.25

Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad

[147083]

$10.25

Sponge Daubers

[133773]

$7.00

Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies

[145372]

$41.00

Card Buffet on Thursday and Sunday

Seats are available for my card buffet this Thursday evening (November 15, 6:30 - 9:30) and Sunday (November 18, 1:00 - 4:00 pm).  Here are some sneak peaks of the cards we will be making--everything is provided, you just need to stamp and assemble!

Email me to reserve your seat!

Barb