My blog is called "Creative Smiles" because my designs are the result of incorporating mistakes. With fumble fingers that drop whatever they are holding - repeatedly, it takes a lot of giggles, smiles and creative patience during my crafting process. xx

Thursday, July 20, 2017

It's Christmas! Cardz 4 Galz -Fred She Said

Welcome, friends and visitors! It's great to see you this morning, and I hope you are doing well.

Time for a new challenge at Cardz 4 Galz Challenges today!

Badges are awarded for the Spotlight Winner and Top Picks.
Challenge #52 is chosen by teamie ME! (GIGGLE) -and the theme is:

  CHRISTMAS-WINTER  

So get started on your Holiday Cards now, 
and 
show us your Christmas-Winter projects using any technique and medium!

All paper-crafting projects are welcome.
Challenge ends on August 3rd.

My project today is FLAT for mailing, 
and 

uses the beautiful new Fred She Said Winter Greetings rubber stamp set found at Sparkle N Sprinkle.

My Tombow Markers began hurling insults every time I walked into the craft room because I've been neglecting them. Sad but true...

Do your products hurl insults at you when they have been neglected?

But they forgave me as I delightedly colored this wonderful new stamp set. If you enjoy coloring, this set has lots of fun opportunities. I wanted to color it some fantasy color - like blue or lavender, but Nature won, so traditional red and green happily won the tug of war.

You can imagine how many colors of embossing powders I've collected from SNS over the years. My favorites remain the same, however - The Cosmic Collection and the STARS Collection.
Fortunately (for me), SNS keeps expanding the Cosmic collection, and creates new colors similar to the STARS Collection.

Christmas Green Cosmic embossing powder works as a detail embossing powder. When the light shines on it, it's a creamy, luminous, pearlescent feature. When seen in less light, it shines forth its beautiful green, as shown below:


Sometimes it is difficult deciding how much color to put on an image.
Crafters know that mistakes are impossible to make -
less is more...
more is more...
and medium is more...
it all looks great no matter what we choose to do!


Add an unexpected shade to projects for artistic value. With greenery, I enjoy adding blue tones or purple hues. Here I've used turquoise in the leaves:

TIP:


In the end, I applied the turquoise to some of the berries as well.

TIP: Although I'm not an artist, my rule is to add orange, yellow or chartreuse type shades for blending purposes, as those colors using bring out the beauty in all the other colors. I wish my photography better captured the lovely colors with the embossing powder:


Hoping this close up shows off at least a portion of the glistening pearlescent EP, and the golden threads of the fabric behind the image. (I left the image quite large, so if you click on it, you should be able to see the details) - sorry email followers, you need to visit the blog to enlarge the photos by clicking on them:


It really was difficult for me to not leave the image in a very pale style, but I can do that next time since two images were embossed!

Don't forget to upload your Christmas-Winter Creations to the

Products Used:

Winter Greetings Birds and Wreath Christmas rubber stamp set
The digital set includes papers and more sentiments, plus lots of color images.
Christmas Green Cosmic embossing powder
NUVO Glitter Drops - Golden Sunset
1/4" Tear-ific Tape
Tombow Markers (173, 177, 195, 243, 452, 856
Canson Cold Pressed Watercolor Paper
Craftwell Delicate Dots embossing folder
Golden Woven fabric (on top of green cardstock), 2 colors green, glossy white (for frame)

Challenges I'd like to play in:

  1. ABC Christmas Challenge July "N is for New, O is for Old" (brand new stamp set, old old TERRIBLY old fabric fibers on the card back, and old embossing powder)
  2. C.R.A.F.Thttp://trimmiescraftchallenge.blogspot.com/ #425 "Christmas" 7/28
  3. Creative Ladybird Creations #28 anything goes 8/1
  4. Creative Moments #122 Anything Goes + Christmas in July 7/25
  5. Christmas at Sweet Stampin' July Anything Christmas Goes 8/10
  6. Christmas Cards All year Long (July) Anything Christmas Goes 8/1
  7. Deep Ocean Challenges #159 Christmas in July 7/25
  8. Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #10 Anything Christmas Goes 7/26
  9. Little Red Wagon #403 Christmas in July 7/27
  10. Unicorn Challenge #23 Christmas in July 7/29
  11. Kerst Christmas "July" Christmas Always 8/1


Stamping Hugs,


54 comments:

Shirley said...

Your makes are always so intricate and beautiful plus your step by steps are amazing. Putting me to shame again with the Christmas makes.

Donna my products just sulk when I don't use them which means 99% of my craft room is sulking most of the time ... ahh well what to do except to stop buying the stuff ... as if that's going to happen.

Warm crafty hugs from Shirl x x x
ShirlsCards.

aussie aNNie said...

Love your step by step each time you publish, it's lovely the time you spend to help others. Beautiful card and love your style.xx [aNNie]

Valerija said...

Donna, your card is just gorgeous. Love your stamp.
Valerija xx

KarinsArtScrap said...

beautiful wreath and background paper Donna. it's a very beautiful christmas card
Gr Karin

Shona Erlenborn said...

This is gorgeous Donna. Love the coloring of the berries. Beautifully highlighted! Thanks for the great tutorial.

Paper Creations by Shirley said...

Beautiful card, fantastic tutorial which takes a lot of work to produce, thank you :) Have a great day, Hugs xx

Beebeebabs said...

Such a beautiful Christmas card - love the wreath and beautiful die cut and choice of paper paper thanks for sharing!!!

Chris said...

A beautiful and elegant Christmas card Donna. Fabulous step by step explanation too, so detailed! Thanks for the colouring tips, definitely going to try adding blues and turquoise to my 'greenery' the result on your wreath is beautiful.
Chris
x

Becky said...

Beautiful card. I like that it's flat for mailing. I love the elegance of embellishments, but most times I just try to use something that is good for mailing. So that makes me enjoy your elegant cards even more.

Linda said...

It is a really beautiful card, Donna! And I do not mind thinking Christmas in July. :)

Puppy Kisses and Paper Dreams said...

So pretty! Thanks too for the tutorial on your coloring!! The white uncolored spots on the berries are perfect and really add dimension and highlight. Your background paper is amazing too. I might have to get that Cosmic green EP!! Such a beautiful card!! Hugs to you, my dear friend!

Maryvonne Coussé said...

Gorgeous , fabulous .And your tuto is axesome Donna , as always !
Love this stamp !
Bigs hugs
Maryvonne

Tammy said...

What a gorgeous card Donna! I LOVE that wreath and your coloring is amazing, beautiful background too!
Hugs, Tammy

KraftyKoolKat said...

Such a gorgeous creation sweetie and so much lovely work you have put into it.
Hugs
Cathy
xxxx

Linda Simpson said...

This is gorgeous Donna, love the wreath!
Hugs
Linda xxx

Babs said...

This is so beautiful and traditional Donna I love your wreath and your colouring and your step by step guide on how to make this amazing card.have a good weekend .
Hugs Babs x

Julie B said...

Love that wreath stamp, didn't know they did stamp stamps as I've only ever used digis. You're right about the embossed image as well, looks fab. :)

Sue said...

Hi Donna, Love this one. You've made it look like it has depth.

Hope you are having a lovely day. Sue

cotnob said...

A fabulous Christmas card Donna, such a gorgeous wreath and you have coloured it beautifully. Thank you for all of your tips, I really don't do enough colouring!
Pauline - Crafting with Cotnob
x

Lisa said...

This is so gorgeous, Donna!! The wreath looks amazing!! Your step-by-step tutorials are so fabulous and I always learn so much from you!! I love the colors of the design of this stunning card!! Beautiful, my friend!! Have a great day!! Big hugs :)

Lisa
A Mermaid's Crafts

Jackie T said...

Hi Donna this is a gorgeous Christmas card the wreath is beautiful. Take care. Hugs Jackie

pam said...

Gorgeous festive card Donna, beautiful image and amazing colouring, you are so kind doing a step by step on your wonderful cards De.
Hugs Pam x

Verna Angerhofer said...

So very beautiful is the card you made with this lovely wreath image. I just love the way you showed how you accomplished it too. I almost ordered this set but decided I had to limit to just a couple others and some supplies. Not enough money for a lot and not room for much anymore. Perhaps another time.

crafty-stamper said...

Gorgeous card Donna beautiful wreath love all the fernery and fabulous colouring-love all your tips too
Carol x
would love my craft stuff to hurl insults then could propably find them without going through all drawers first !!!
Carol x

Ina G said...

So many fabulous hints for us to go by Donna. Thank you. What an amazingly beautiful card you produced here. Love to see it IRL. Another awesome layout and so lovely in traditional Christmas colours.

Ann Greenspan's Crafts said...

I love what you've done with this stamp, Donna. The shading with turquoise, adding more green colors in the end, and leaving the tiny spots for the berries. All a bunch of ideas I wish I would be able to remember if I ever color in a wreath like this. Love that die around the wreath too, the white on the green stands out so nicely. I don't know where you find all these challenges to enter your cards in -- that alone takes a full day of time.
Thank you for sharing your tips and beautiful card.

Stampsnob. said...

That is really really pretty I love the clean look of this lovely card......Lis

Conniecrafter said...

Oh my is that ever Stunning, I so love the embossing and your lovely coloring of the wreath! I just love your idea for framing of the wreath and is that die cut ever special with it! Loving the plaid background with it that is just perfect! Love the extra greenery you added to the image .
Thanks for all the great tips too!

Janice said...

A really pretty Christmas card Donna! I love your beautifully coloured wreath, the very ornate frame and the plaid background. I've also been taking part of Christmas in July :-)
Janice x

Planetsusie said...

Oooh Donna - I saw this in the smaller picture and thought it was gorgeous and then I saw the close-up and my mouth fell open!!! It really is fabulous and I love the embossing powders you've chosen. Thanks also for the little tips about the colours you use for shading they really are helpful. Hugs to you Sue Pxxx

Lori Kobular said...

Donna this Christmas card is so elegant and beautiful! I love it!

Mia said...

Your card is stunning, Donna. I love it!

Planetsusie said...

Thank you so much for the comments on my Christmas card Donna - just popped back to tell you that I've remedied the lack of 'linky' thing to the challenge. So glad you told me - it was definitely a senior moment on my behalf! lol! Hugs Sue Pxx (still aching from me swimming yesterday!!!)

Anne Temple said...

Absolutely stunning!

NanaConnie said...

This is stunning, Donna! I love the wreath and the die cut white frame around it. Wonderful sparkle on the plaid background. It's simple but oh, so, elegant!

JanR said...

Such a pretty wreath! The plaid is cool too. Thanks for joining us at Little Red Wagon.

Leslie Miller said...

Donna, that wreath is absolutely beautiful and the pearlescent sheen of the embossing is droolworthy. I don't have any EPs quite like that and I love it! Your coloring is always gorgeous. Adding the blue is a really nice touch. Your berries look real. Highlights make all the difference. Love the way you framed the wreath, and the threaded paper in the background is awesome. Wow all over!

Marie Bingaman said...

Hi Donna,

What a beautiful card you have made! I have the FSS wreath in digital form, but I envy you being able to use such a pretty embossing powder with your rubber version! Thanks for sharing your pretty, pretty card with us at CCAYR! :)

~Marie B -DT

Marlene Atkinson said...

A gorgeous Christmas card, love it. Thank you for sharing with us at THAICC. Marlene DT

Sue said...

What a beautiful holiday wreath, Donna. Love all the green and the plaid especially behind it. I need to start my Christmas cards soon too. Very pretty card.

HugsSue

aussie aNNie said...

Sending hugs and look forward to seeing your house mouse card.xx [aNNie]

Nancy said...

Wow! This is just so GORGEOUS, Donna! Such beautiful coloring, and sparkle and shine! I love everything about it!
Sorry I haven't been around for a while. I've subscribed to your newsletter but for some reason your blog posts aren't coming through. :o)

Wendy said...

So beautiful Donna! ... Thanks for the Facebook friends request:) just popped over to take a look at your beautiful card and now a follower.
Wendy xx

Pia S said...

Your wreath turned out looking absolutely amazing! I'm no coloring expert, I nearly did not get into cardmaking and stamping for my lack of those skills. I've learnt a few tricks along the way, and new ones here, so I get by sort of. Thanks for sharing your tips, I'm sure many more than me will find them useful too.

Loose Stitches said...

Gorgeous creation Donna, love the sparkle and shine!
Hugs, Sherry x
Loose Stitches and Unraveled Threads

ELE said...

Beautiful card Donna ^__^
Thanks for joining us for our Creative Moments Challenge
We look forward to seeing you again next time.
Hugs,
creativEle DT

sarascloset said...

Oh, my, this is a beauty! I love the shimmery plaid background and that wreath is jaw dropping! You did a great job 'coloring', and I'm thrilled to learn some of your tips! Hugs!

Anet's Crafting said...

Beautiful Christmas card Donna. Thank you for playing along with our Challenge at Christmas Cards All Year Round. We would love to see you again ... Anet DTx

CdeBaca Crafts Gallery said...

This is great!

Tracey T said...

Love your colouring of this intricate wreath! Thank you for playing at Christmas at Sweet Stampin'! Tracey

Diane said...

Beautifully created Donna, and love all the added details and wonderful tutorial! This stamp set is another favorites of mine, it is so very pretty!!

Helen said...

Wonderful card!
Thanks for playing at the ABC Christmas Challenge!
Helen x

Donna Phelan said...

Oh WOW! You really have brought out the beauty of this wreath! Your coloring is amazing and the colors that you chose are perfect, they make everything POP for sure! This is such a beautiful creation!

Cindy said...

Cute card. Thanks for sharing with us at CCAYR.