A set of Christmas cards with a cardinal

Let me show you the three Christmas cards that I just finished. For the cards, I used the cardinal die, which I believe was created in 2020 as a collaboration between Simon Says Stamp and Tim Holtz and was a free gift with December orders. And I've never used it before. 

The birds

First I created the three birds. The back piece was coloured with brown (Ground Espresso) and black (Black Soot) inks, and the bigger red piece was coloured with Fire Brick.

The rest of the red pieces were coloured with Lumberjack Plaid, Fired Brick and Aged Mahogany.

The beak was coloured with Fossilized Amber and with Vintage Photo around the edges. Later I added Lumberjack Plaid to the brown tail.

The backgrounds

Then I cut three panels from watercolour paper and I started to colour them with Distress inks. I wanted each card to have a different background colour.

One was coloured with Weathered Wood and Speckled Egg.

The second was coloured with Speckled Egg and Salvaged Patina.

And the third was coloured with Stormy Sky.

Then I toned them down with diluted white paint. The acrylic paint is also good for protecting the inky background. When it was dry I spattered with the same white paint to create snowy background. When they were dry I glued them on red background panels.

The pine branches

I wanted to place my birds to pine branches and I found the perfect branches in the Pine Branch Sizzix die set (664228).

I cut the branches from white watercolour paper and coloured them with Rustic Wilderness ink, and I went through the middle part with Vintage Photo marker.

How I put the cards together

So, my inky background was already placed to a red panel. The next step was to adhere to a folded creamy white card. When it was done, I started adding the elements to the card.

First the branches.

Then the birds. I also wanted to add some bigger snowflakes, so I cut out a few using the Twig&Stump (666072) Thinlits die and Winter (663098) Side-Order die. I also added a little sparkle for the snowflakes. First I put Glossy Accents then Distress Glitter. You might see it here:

The texts are from the Stampers Anonymous Tiny Text Christmas stamp set (CMS424).

And you probably see that I added a little glitter and snowdrops to the branches.

With my cards, I would like to join the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Matching Set

Birthday card with a yellow taxi

Hello everyone, Once again, I would like to show you a birthday card. My friend asked me to make a card for her brother-in-law, who will soon be turning 40. He is a taxi driver, so I decided to put him in a yellow car. 

The background

For the sky part, I chose Salvaged Patina and Tumbled Glass, for creating the road I chose Hickory Smoke and Pumice Stone. Then I spritzed with diluted Vintage Photo the whole background and in the end I applied diluted Antique Linen paint to the surface.

The car

For making the car, I used the Sizzix Road Trip Thinlits die by Tim Holtz (666288). I cut the car from white watercolour paper and I coloured every piece with the following Distress inks: Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed, Pumice Stone, Scorched Timber. I coloured the tyres separately with Black Soot marker. Yes I still have this and it still works!

The signs

For the speed limit sign I used two different sized circle dies. I coloured red the bigger then I glued the smaller on the top. I have found the number dies in an old My Favorite Things set. I chose green paper for my text because in Hungary many road signs are green. The text was in a Stampers Anonymous stamp set, Noteworthy by Tim Holtz (CMS446). I stamped the text with embossing ink and heat embossed with White embossing powder.

The clouds

These are also from a My Favorite Things die set, Puffy Clouds.

Birthday card with deer

Here is another birthday card that I made for my other nephew. He will also turn 17 in early November, but I made the card earlier so that I could give it to him in person. One of his favourite animals is deer this is why I chose the Prancing Deer (660033) by Tim Holtz.

The background

I already had the background, I made it for something else, but I didn't use it. For this, I used the starry background stamp from the Christmas Nostalgia (CMS207) stamp set. I stamped them twice next to each other because I wanted a bigger background.

Then I started to ink with blue and brown Distress inks (Tumbled Glass, Faded Jeans, Ground Espresso). The lighter colours to the middle and the darker around the edges.

The cut-outs

I cut out the deer from brown paper with textured surface. You can find the balloon in the Celebrate Colorize set (666285). I coloured with red Distress inks. For the numbers I chose the Alphanumeric Label (664177).

The text

The text is an MFT stamp, it's called Bitty Birthday Wishes.

With my card, I would like to join the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Add Some Text

Birthday card with Trick or Treater boy by Tim Holtz

Hello everyone, Let me show you my latest make, a birthday card that I created for one of my nephews. He turns 14 in November but I had to make his card earlier so that I could give him personally. 

The background.

I chose a watercolour paper and coloured with a cream colour acrylic paint, then spritzed with wet brown paint. For this I used a thick but strong bristle paint brush because I wanted tiny drops. Then I repeated the same procedure with white paint. I inked the edges with a brown Distress Archival ink. I also glued some stars and dots to the background. For the stars, I used the  Celebrate Colorize set (666285) and gold metallic paper from the Idea-Ology Kraft Paper 8x8" paper pad. I used the same paper for the dots, but the Sizzix Sidekick Side-Order die, Birthday by Tim Holtz (662703).

The boy

The boy figure is in the Trick or Treater Sizzix Thinlits die set (664751). I cut out the basic pieces of the boy from Neenah Solar White paper. Then I painted the head and the hair with Copic Sketch markers. Then I cut out the corpus from a heavyweight brown paper and I glued together the Neenah and the brown paper. For his clothes (sweater, pants, boots) I just used coloured paper.

The party hat

This hat is part of the Trick or Treater set. But I glued a tassel behind the hat. And the tassel is also part of the Celebrate, Colorize Sizzix set. I used the same colored papers as for the boy's sweater. 

The banner, the balloon 

These are also parts of the Colorize, Celebrate die set. The ballon was coloured with Distress inks (Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed). And as you can see, I used blue and red paper for the decorations too.

The text

The text is part of the MFT Stamps, Bitty Birthday Wishes stamp set. 

Birthday card with bird on a wooden bucket

My mom's birthday isn't until October but I've already made her card because I don't know when I'll have time to create something due to teaching.

My parents live in a house with a garden, and they always put out food and water for the birds. They like watching them.  So, this card is about a bird landing in their garden to drink water. 

If you like it, here comes the tutorial.

First the bucket. 

For this, I used the Sizzix Bigz, Potted (664184) die. I cut out twice the pot and the parts of the hoop.

Then I drew four lines vertically on the bucket. Then I cut it into pieces along the lines.

I placed the five pieces to the Sizzix Lumber, 3D embossing folder (662718). I ran the embossing folder through the Sizzix machine.

Then I coloured the embossed papers with brown inks (Gathered Twigs and Pumice Stones). I coloured the bucket which remained in one. And then I started to glue the pieces to the bucket. 

Then I painted silver the hoops with Brushed Pewter Distress paint. When the hoops were dry I inked the edges with Black Soot Archival ink.

I put two fasteners (Idea-Ology Mini Fasteners) to the holes and I attached the hoops to the buckets with strong glue. 

Now the bird.

For the bird, I used the Feathered Friends, Sizzix Thinlits die (664433). I cut out the bird from 300gsm watercolour paper and I coloured with the following Distress inks (normal and oxide): Stormy Sky Oxide, Faded Jeans Oxide, Faded Jeans, Prize Ribbon, Ground Espresso, Vintage Photo.

And the background. 

I stamped the Flourish background stamp (Stampers Anonymous, Lattice&Flourish CMS257) to a piece of watercolour paper with embossing ink. And heat embossed with Ranger Silver Pearl embossing powder. 

I placed a piece of real twig to the bottom of the card and I glued a thin strip of moss on top of it. 

I also placed a few tiny hearts to the card. For this, I used a paper that I coloured previously, so I don't remember what kind of inks I used. But I cut out the hearts with Falling Hearts Thinlits die (664415).

The text was stamped with an MFT stamp (Bitty Birthday Wishes). 

With my card, I would like to join the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Stamp it.

Masculine birthday tag with a gentleman silhouette

Hello everyone, I'm here with a masculine birthday tag that I created for my husband who just turned 52. For this, I used the gentleman of the Sizzix, The Park die set by Tim Holtz (665204).

I cut out a tag shape with Sizzix Bigz die, Tag&Bookplates (656938) from white paper, then I blended Speckled Eggs and Tumbled Glass Distress inks to the surface. I added Frayed Burlap to the edges.

I cut out the gentlemen twice from black paper then I glued them together. 

For the balloon, I used white paper and the Sizzix Celebrate Colorize die set by Tim Holtz (666285). I coloured with Squeezed Lemonade and Mustard Seed Distress inks.

The numbers were cut out with the Sizzix Alphanumeric Label die (664177) from black paper.

For the stars, I used again the Celebrate Colorize set and gold metallic paper from the Idea-Ology Kraft Paper 8x8" paper pad.

I used the same paper for the dots, but the Sizzix Sidekick Side-Order die, Birthday by Tim Holtz (662703).

The text is part of the My Favorite Things, Essential Sentiments stamp set. I heat embossed with Ranger fine white embossing powder on back paper.

The final touch was adding a gold ribbon to the hole.

Wedding card with The Park die set

After 20 years of being together and having two children, my sister and her partner decided to get married. So it was really just formality. There was no ceremony, but we family members were very happy nonetheless. And of course, I made a special, personalised card for them.

For the background, I used one of my favourite background stamps, the Stampers Anonymous, Vines and Roses (CMS298). I heat embossed with Ranger Vintage Pearl embossing powder. 

The lady and the gentleman were cut out from thick brown paper twice but I also added a layer of brown paint to the top. They are from Sizzix Thinlits die set, The Park by Tim Holtz (665204).

The balloon is part of the Celebrate Colorize die set (666285). Also from Sizzix, Tim Holtz.

The letters on the balloon are from the Sizzix Thinlits die, Alphanumeric Label (664177). The plus sign is the smallest star of the previously mentioned Celebrate die set.

The date is written according to Hungarian custom, we start with the year. And I used the Alphanumeric Label die again.

But where are the hearts from? Unfortunately, I'm not 100% sure what I ended up choosing. The larger heart, if I'm not mistaken, is the smallest piece of the Stacked Tiles, Hearts die set (665858). But the smallest? 

The text is from MFT Stamps, Essentials Sentiments stamp set. I used super fine white embossing powder on brown paper.

Birthday card with Gladys - You are a star

Hello everyone, I'm here with a card that I made for my friend who likes to sing and who still improves her voice. Actually, it's her birthday card because she is a real star.

First, I took a watercolour paper and I started to blend different blue and turquoise colours using Distress inks. I started with Tumbled Glass, then Broken China and Peacock Feathers. In the end I added Uncharted Mariner to the edges. 

The pieces of Gladys were cut out from white watercolour paper too and I painted them with Distress paints like Saltwater Taffy, Spun Sugar and Scattered Straw.  

The curtain is an MFT (Die-Namics) die, called Take The Stage. I cut the pieces from watercolour paper and coloured with Distress inks: Mustard Seed, Fossilized Amber, Wild Honey.

The text also from MFT, the name of the stamp set is: Friendship Rocks. I heat embossed with a gold embossing powder from the Ranger Ink.  

I coloured a piece of paper with gold paint and when it was dry I cut out a few tiny stars to decorate the background with them. I think I used the MFT (Die-Namics) Stars In The Sky background die.