Christmas Card Challenge # 12 - Inspiration Photo.

Welcome to a new Christmas Card Challenge!

 

This week we have an inspiration photo for you:

 

 

In detail: Christmas Tree and Ornaments!

 

This is my card:

 

I decided to use one of my favourite stamps from Little Claire and some papers from my stash.

This cute little hedgehog is sooo adorable, right?

 

Have a look here to see the wonderful creations from the DT and let's get started! Christmas is not so far away...

 

 



Hedgehogs in Love!

I must confess that hedgehogs have never been a passion of mine, maybe becuase it's not something we see in the big city. But now, after years of crafting, they are one of my favourite subjects!

 

You can imagine how happy I was when I saw this month's image for Gerda Steiner's Monthly Challenge: Hedgehogs Smooches!

 

This is my card:

 

 

Aren't they super-sweet?

 

I chose papers from American Crafts and made a very simple card, with unusual colors for a love-themed Valentine card.

 

Hope you like it!

 

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

Gerda Steiner January Challenge

Crafting from the Heart Challenge # 144: Anything Goes

Digi Chooseday Challenge Wk 4: Anything Goes

 



A Spooky Hedgehog!

Good morning!

I'm here today to show you my card for Gerda Steiner Designs October Challenge:

 

 

I received this sweet Cute and Cold Hedgehog digital stamp as a participant in their September challenge and I decided to transform the pumpkins and make a Halloween card.

Backround paper is from KlouiseDigiArt while the bat is from Lawn Fawn.

 

Isn't it lovely? Probably not spooky at all but oh! so cute!

 

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

Gerda Steiner Designs October Challenge

If You Give a Crafter a Cookie Challenge # 54: Autumn Colors

QKR Stampede Challenge # 213: Pumpkins

Animal Friends Challenge # 43: Autumn/Halloween

The Crafty Addicts Challenge # 26: Anything Goes/Autumn

Christmas Cards Challenge # 36 - Anything Goes.

It's Anything Goes again here at Christmas Cards Challenges!

 

 

This is my card:

 

I chose a Pennyblack hedgehog as main image and neutrals as background colors.

Pennyblack hedgehogs are a favourite of mine and I've had this for a long time so I'm happy to see it come to life in a card!

 

If you need more inspiration, have a look here on the challenge blog or you can head directly to our DT main blogs: 



                       Alanna    Carol    Donna     Gail    Heather     Jessica     JoAnn     Margo     Marsha     Monica     Shirley Anne     Tenia

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge # 300 - Card # 2.

Good morning!

Here I am with my second card for Cupcake Inspirations Celebrations, this time for the Confetti Inspiration Challenge:

 

 

This is my card:

 

 

I loved the idea of adding confettis so I added tiny pearls on the cupcakes, sequins all around the card and liquid pearl dots near the hedgehog.

Again, I managed to use a stamp I've had in my stash for a looong while, I have a crush on Pennyblack's hedgehogs!

 

I hope to have time to make the last card for these celebrations!

 

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge # 300: Confetti

 



Christmas Card Challenge # 9 - Color Challenge.

This week we have a wonderful color challenge for you at Christmas Card Challenges:

 

 

Holiday Hues of greens and blues with a touch of light brown:

 

which I used in this card:

 

I've had this Pennyblack stamp for ages, their hedgehogs are my fav characters, and I'm so happy to see it in one of my cards!

The stamp is colored with Copics and the background paper is from Wild Rose Studio.

 

If you played with us last week, check our blog here to see if your project has been chosen as winner or Top 3 and, of course, take a moment to see the fabulous cards from the DT!

 

You can see them here too:



                       Alanna    Carol    Donna     Gail    Heather     Jessica     JoAnn     Lisa  
                                     Margo     Marsha     Monica     Shirley Anne     Tenia

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

Completely Christmas Challenge # 48: Anything Goes + Make a Square or Rectangular Card

CraftyHazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra for February: Anything Goes

Fab'n'Funky Challenge # 244: Christmas

Robyn's Fetish Challenge # 249: Anything Goes

Through The Craftroom Door Challenge Jan. 27 - Feb. 02: Anything Goes

Christmas Card Challenge # 14 - Use Heat Embossing

Good morning!

Sunday means Christmas Card Challenges and we have a new theme for you this week: you must use Heat Embossing.

I've tried many times to make something using heat embossing but I understand it's not my technique.

Maybe the fault is of my embossing powder or of my heat embosser but I never like the results.

This is the reason why I've made a little card for this week challenge:

I embossed this little hedgehog from Penny Black (one of my first stamps!) with black powder and colored with Copics.

I must say that this time I love my heat embossed card!

Have a look here at my teamies creations:

Alanna

Anne C

Heather

Jenn

Jovita

Karen

Margo

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges.
CraftyHazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra for March: Anything Goes
Festive Friday Challenge # 26: Inspiration Photo

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge # 240 & Great News!

Happy New Year!

Today I'm pretty excited to share some news with you... I was chosen to be part of C.R.A.F.T. Challenge DT!

And this is my first card for the new challenge:

The theme is a super easy one to start with: Anything Goes!

Since I'm a newbie and I wanted to start with the first challenge of the New year, I didn't have time to choose an image from one of our sponsors but check here and see them all!

There's a total of four different sponsors, each with fabulous prizes!

You won't miss the opportunity to win one of them!

For my card I've used a stamp by Tina Wenke available at SP and Company: it is called Fall Hedgies Kissing and it was love at first sight for me!

I found the background papers a whle ago in a magazine and loved to add tiny rhinestones among the flowers in the upper part of the card!

Well, let's prepare your card and join us in the fun!

Snowflakes in July!

Here I am ready with another card for Christmas Card Challenges!

Blogger still has problems but I've found out a way to write a post without losing it, it's enough I don't leave the page!

This week the theme is: SNOWFLAKES!

I love snowflakes in my Christmas cards and in general, it's a shape I adore. I still remember a lovely snowflake pendant with diamonds I saw in St. Moritz 14 years ago... it was so sparkly... I don't have a passion for jewellery and I couldn't afford it, but it was sooo beautiful....

Well, let's gor back to less expensive snowflakes... This is my card:

I found a set of tiny and small snowflakes stamps I bought last year at Muji during the sale and I started stamping them with silver ink on the front of the card.

The image is from PennyBlack, colored with Copics in traditional Christmas colors. It's one of my favourite ever!

Then I added two snowflakes punched from a glittered cardstock from DCVW.

Have a look at all the fabulous creations from the other DT member of Christmas Card Challenges: I'm always amazed to see all their cards and projects!

Alanna

Anne C

Anne J

Heather

Jenn

Jovita

Karen

Margo

Sabrina

Christmas 2013 - Cards # 6 (and 7)

A while ago I was invited by Hazel to join Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra with the card I submitted to another challenge.

Delighted for the invitation, I decided to make a new Christmas card and, inspired by this week theme at the ABC Christmas Challenge, I made this card:

A few days before Christmas I discovered this stamp by Tina Wenke available from Stampavie and I struggled to find a seller who could send it to Italy without spending a fortune. It took a while to arrive but I love it and this was the perfect occasion to use it!

You know my love for carolers and these little critters make no exception!
I mounted them on a white card using cardstocks I found in a magazine and a lovely ribbon.

Oh... they are so cute!

This card is for the following Challenges:
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra: Anything Goes
ABC Christmas Challenge: E for Eyes Down for a Game of Bingo (Not a Square-Pearls-Ribbon)
Christmas Stampin' All Year Long Challenge # 6: Use Patterned Papers

286 days to Christmas and two more cards are ready!
(Well, yes... I loved these critters so much that I made two copies!!!)

Christmas Critters

Critters are my favorite subject for cards, at Christmas and in any other occasion. They can be funny, serious, sad, joyful, they make you laugh or simply smile even in the saddest times.

Being THE SEASON for cards, Christmas has such a variety of stamps that it's impossible not to fall in love with one of them. I unfortunately fall in love with most of them, so my wish list is always long.

Last year I discovered some stamps with hedgehogs I had to buy and immediately I made cards which sold quickly. This year I took them out and the first card is ready:

This oh-so-cute hedgehog is from Little Claire Designs and it seems it inspires me to make red cards: I had a look at the picture of last year card and it was red, although a bit different.

The patterend paper is from the new Festive Treats paper pad from First Edition Paper. I added tons of glitters in the lights on the tree and in the baubles.

I will enter this card in the following Challenges:

Little Claire Monthly Challenge # 24 where the theme is "Christmas"

and

Jingle Belles "Not A Creature Was Stirring"

Well, it's holiday today in Italy so I'd better go and spend some time with my family!

I Love Hedgehogs!

I must admit I love hedgehogs!

It started with a couple of stamps I bought to make some charity cards for a girl who asked for some donations for a "Save the Hedgehogs" cause.

A year + later, I must admit I'm addicted to them!

I remember many years ago when I was still living with my parents I met a hedgehog (the only one in my life) and tried to save it from the road: it was difficult to raise it and put it on the grass!

Living in town means these meetings are pretty rare but I still remember that not-so-little hedgehog!

Among my favorites, there are Little Claire's and I'm happy to tell you that they've just started selling digi stamps next to their clear stamp line and so I took the chance to buy a hedgehog digi with which I made this card:

It's a small card I made for Mother's Day: I colored the digi with watercolor pencils and added two light blue rhinestones and a yellow pearl as flower centre. A heart is a must-have in a Mother's Day card!

This card is being entered in Little Claire # 1 Challenge: for their very first monthly challenge the theme is "Anything Goes".

Mother's Day in Italy is mid-May so there's still plenty of time to think about it!

Pretty in Pink.

I'm definitely a Pretty in Pink girl.

Nor that I wear constantly pink or girly things, but I do love them! I like pretty girly things, pink is probably my favorite color and I adore making girly cards.

My pink nature is more visible in summer, when I can use floral blouses and bags, candy colored shirts and dresses. I love floral curtains, bedlinen and tablecloth.

I have pretty pink and girly accessories around me in my studio especially boxes: boxes covered with pretty pink papers, glass jars full of pretty buttons, old glasses full of ribbons, pictures. And what is not yet pink and girly is there waiting to be turned pink and girly... or maybe shabby. I'm also a pretty shabby chic nature but I think that the two can get along quite well.

Anyway, when I read the theme in this week's PennyBlack Challenge I was delighted: it says "Pretty in Pink"!! Luckily enough, I had a lovely hedgehog dancing already colored from several projects I made last year and so I only needed to add some details, some glitter and make a totally new - and pink - card.

Here's my card:

My daughter is a little dancer and everytime I see a stamp or digi with ballet as theme I can't help thinking about her!

Let's Go Yellow!

As I anticipated yesterday, I have a new card to show you today: it's a Valentine card again but I decided to make it yellow!

The theme at the Pennyblack Saturday Challenge this week is: "Love is..." and finish the phrase. I wanted to make a card for my husband for our anniversary and I loved this stamp from Pennyblack so I stamped two, with the idea to make two identical cards, one for him and one for the Challenge and the shop. The only difference is in the sentiment, for I wrote Happy Anniversary (in Italian of course) in my husband's.

So, here's the card:

This time I started by painting the stamp and I wanted a bright color for the umbrella, so I chose yellow and from this starting point the card took its shape.

I used glitter for the snow and for the ribbons and dots in the gifts.

With my husband in mind I finished the phrase with "YOU"...

This card is perfect for a couple of other lovely Challenges:
The first is Sir Stampalot Challenge where the theme is "All Creatures Great and Small"

The second is A Spoonfull of Sugar Challenge where the theme is "Let's See Some Love"

My daughter approved, what do you think?

Christmas Traditions

When I was a little girl, our preparation for Christmas started around December 8.

It was a tradition to prepare the tree on December 8: it is a national holiday, schools and offices are closed and most of us spent the day decorating the tree, making our Nativity scenes and preparing the home for Christmas.

Years have passed, Ikea has come and now shops start selling Christmas decoration in October, lights are switched on in November, malls are ready for Christmas shopping just after Halloween (which, by the way, we started celebrating just a few years ago).

Is it good? Is it bad?

Having an Internet shop I now have to prepare Christmas cards and items a long before December and I'm in the Christmas mood and colors since last July, but I'm a bit annoyed to be out for shopping in October when it's still warm and sunny and see Christmas decorations.

On December 8 school and offices are still closed but shops are not. They start their Christmas marathon in November and are always open, Monday through Sunday without any stop.

I must admit that, if I have time, I take everything out on December 1: I love the Christmas tree, the decorations and the house looks so pretty in this period.

In this Christmas spirit, I want to share with you a card that I'm entering to SirStampalot November Challenge:

Christmas Traditions

 

Here's the link if you want to have a look at the challenge: http://sirstampalotchallenge.blogspot.com/2010/11/november-challenge.html

For this card I used a lovely Little Claire Stamp which I coloured with watercolor pencils, chalks and, of course, some glitter.

I love these hedgehogs and this card represents a Christmas tradition in our family: on Christmas Eve we go to my Mom's, have dinner there and then open presents. When I was a little girl, we went to my grandparents' house where the whole family met and I was so excited to see everybody coming in with beautiful dresses and presents that we were in charge to distribute shortly after dinner.

Well, that's all for today, I have to prepare some more Christmas cards!