Paper Hugs

This card follows the sketch on CAS(e) this sketch #258 . As soon as I saw it I knew what I wanted to make - here is my card. A pretty little leaf border, a tiny picket fence and a gorgeous sentiment by Clearly Besotted.  The lovely font matches the swirls on the leaves, don't you think? I sponged the white card to colour the leafy border and also for the tiny butterflies - I like the soft colour combination.

I believe I have finished my Christmas cards - well, I say believe, because I really thought I had but my daughter called by yesterday to see if I had 8 spare cards for her coworkers - all men!  So we started together and had them done an hour later - I'll post those pics at the bottom. Anyway, as I believe I've now finished with the Christmas products, I decided to stamp up the Altenew Christmas Rose - we call them Hellebores, because of course they are a winter flower, and our Christmas is in summer.  But I was in the mood for some pale, pastel colours so I set to try out the new stamp, cut them out with matching dies, and in no time had a card finished on my desk.  This stamp is a two-step (or 3 if you count the centre) and looks so pretty clustered together as a bunch.  I really like that there are two sizes of leaves too! I finish the inside of the card with another flower spray.   The sentiment is by Stampin Up - Birthday Blossoms ...

The theme for this week's challenge at Less is Mor e is Monsters!  I have ordered some monster dies, but they wouldn't arrive in time, so I returned to an old stamp from Annabelle Stamps - Monster Birthday!  I love this old friend of mine, so here is my card. The dies that have already arrived however, were the paint splats, so they were added to my little monster to create this monster birthday card!

Challenge #332 at Less is More this week is a one-layer card with the theme of 'Sweet Things'.  For my card I found a recently retired Stampin' Up! set which I have yet to use!  Today was the day! I stamped directly onto a SU notecard (I love to use these) with the sentiment in Versafine Onyx black, and the macaroons and candle in oxide inks, then clear embossed them all at the same time.  Terribly simple, and I thought briefly of smoothing ink in the background, but actually I like it the way it is - that BIG and bold sentiment doesn't really need anything else, does it?  I don't know now why I haven't used this stamp set before - but that's me - always behind lol.

Big Birthdays! is the title of the challenge at Art Impressions this week.  I have recently acquired a few of these fun stamp sets, so am entering one of my latest creations - I usually have the candles or a cake on the card as well, but this time I'm leaving it up to your imagination - I hope it still works.