Joy - 1 layout, 4 different looks

Heya my dear crafty friends!
Only two days left until Christmas :o) I am not in a christmassy mood yet, but I hope that will come once I have sorted out what to cook and what else needs decorating and that kind of thing. Are you always prepared in advance or more like me? Well if you are a little bit like me in that matter maybe you still need some quick Christmas cards? Then this might just be the post for you then.
Creating these three cards...

...went very quickly, because I had made this card first:



and really liked the whole layout with the big sentiment saying "Joy" and also the two stripes at the sides of the patterned paper. As you can see (in the picture above and the following ones) depending on which patterned paper was used the card gets a very different feel.

The patterned paper in combination with the sentiment and the snowy hills are elements of all of these 4 cards. I also added two critters to each card, making sure they at least kind of faced each other and coloured their accessories in a matching or complimenting colour for "their" background colour. When you choose animals like penguins, rabbits or polar foxes they can be coloured quite quickly I think. 

Also I found that by using different elements such as trees or mountains it changes the feel of a  scene a tiny bit, too ;o) Which one is your favourite? I hope that, if you are still in need of some Christmas cards, you will try this layout, because I really liked it. If you do so, I would be thrilled if you could comment here on my blog or tag me on instagram (@maikreations)

Until next time I wish you and your loved ones a happy time, please stay safe and happy crafting,
yours Maike

Supplies:

Stamps: "First Snow" & "Skating Party" by Hello Bluebird

             "Me and my Yeti" by Mama Elephant (perfect for the little elements)

Dies: "Mini Snowflakes Dies" & "Finley's ABCs" by Lawn Fawn

Challenges:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge "Christmas Critters"
Animal Friends Challenge "Fox and / or Rabbit"
Send a Smile 4 Kids "Winter Cards 4 Kids"
Sweet Stampin "Last Minute Christmas"
Inkspirational Challenge "Snow"
Stamping Sensations "Anything With Wings" (Penguins)
Sparkles Christmas Challenge "Non-traditional Christmas Colours"
Fezziwigs Festive Frolics "Santa Says Last Minute Makes"
Alphabet Challenge Blog "S is for Snow Scene"
Always Fun Challenges "Christmas"

Merry & Bright (Huge Snowflake)

Hello everyone ;o)

So glad you stopped by! I hope this post finds you well and in good spirits :o) Many lovely people deserve a handmade Christmas hello and so I always need and create loads and loads of Christmas cards!

For this card I used the super cute image of Henry the skating bear and the huge and wonderful snowflake stencil by Create a Smile Stamps. Even though the image is rather small compared with the card size I fell that the big snowflake helps to tie it all together ;o) What do you think? Also it is made rather quickly, because there is only one time-consuming element in form of the Copic coloured bear. However, the card can be created withing 30 minutes I would dare say.

For the snowflake I used Distress Inks in Picked Raspberry and Wilted Violet and created a kind of ombre effect going darker towards the edges. To finish the card off I also added a bunch of sparkling sequins, the sentiment and also - of course - sweet Henry ;o) I hope you like the card! There will be one or two more to be found here until Christmas and I will choose cards that can still be made last minute ;o) Hope you'll stop by and until then I wish you a lovely time, all the best and stay safe! Happy crafting, yours Maike

Supplies:

Stamps: "Henry - skating bear" by Purple Onion Designs
              "Jingle Greetings" by Mama Elephant
Stencil: "Snowflake" by Create a smile Stamps

Challenges:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge "Christmas Critters"

Allsorts Challenge "Sparkle and Shine"

Crafty Calendar "Christmas Theme"

Sweet Stampin "Last Minute Christmas"

Cute Card Thursday "Anything Goes"

Fezziwigs Festive Frolics "Santas Says Last Minute Makes"

Modsquat Challenge "Bears"

2 Crafty Critter Crazies "Anything goes Challenge #45"

Snowflakes at Papercraft Challenge

Heya my dear crafty friends,
today I am back with an inspiration card for Papercraft Challenges. Our theme this time is "Snowflakes" and our kind sponsor is Gerda Steiner Designs. That cute snowman image is one of their digis and if you'd also like to work with it or do like their stamps you should definately play along with us this month. Gerda Steiner Designs offers a $15 gift certificate for the winner of this month' challenge. 

This year I really fell for the combination of blue and purple shades for my Christmas and winter themed cards. It transports a frosty feel that I really like, so I coloured the snowman accordingly. For the shading of the snowman I used Copics in BG11 and BG10 to give it a bit of a rounded appearance and more dimension. The patterned papers I used are from Echo Park "Winter Magic"paper pad and I just adore the colours! To tie it all in I used "Shaded Lilac" Distress Ink on the edge of my card base and also coloured a strip of paper which became the sentiment strip. Lastly I added the snowflakes all over the card to help guide the eye a little and added some glitter glue accents using Nuvo Glitter Drops in the clear version "White Blizzard".

I hope you are going to play along with us and share your lovely "Snowflake" makes in our gallery! Have a fantastic day and happy crafting everyone! Yours Maike

Supplies:
Stamps: "Snowman and Birds Digital Stamp" by Gerda Steiner Designs
              "Merry Messages" by Lawn Fawn

Dies: "Rounded Stitched Window" by Reverse Confetti
          "Mini Snowflakes" by Lawn Fawn

Challenges:
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge "Let it Snow"
Simon Says Monday Challenge "Ice Cold"
Send a Smile 4 Kids "Winter Cards 4 Kids"
Little Red Wagon "Snow Day"
Crafty Calender Challenge "Christmas Theme"
The Cutie Pie Challenge Blog "White Christmas"
Christmas With The Cuties "Have yourself a merry little christmas"
Sweet Stampers Challenge "Anything Goes"

Be merry (pine trees and Santa)

Heya my dear crafty friends.

I hope you have started well into December. Christmas is just around the corner, so I would love to share a Christmas card with you which I have made as an inspiration for the newest theme "Pine Trees" over at Challenge Up Your Life:

For this card I started with stamping the trees in the back and colouring the sky as well as the trees themselves with Copic markers. I also added a bit of light blue in a hill shape to give the large white space a bit of interest. I think it makes the snow scene look more interesting that way.

Next I stamped and coloured an older but beloved Santa image stamp. It has just the right size to almost fill a card but still leave enough room to fill in whatever you like. I used this image and the two similar ones that also come in the set loads of times. 

Next I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment "be merry" by Lawn Fawn and also cut it out with the matching die. I thought it would be the perfect sentiment for this scene. I hope you are going to join us this month and share your lovely designs with us and the world. Happy crafting everyone and please stay safe! Yours Maike

Supplies:

Stamps: "Here comes Santa Claus" by Sugar Pea Designs

              "Festive Tree Trio" by Purple Onion Designs

              "Winter Big Scripty Words" by Lawn Fawn plus matching die

Die: "Small Stitched Rectangle Stackable Dies" by Lawn Fawn

Challenges:

Simon Wednesday Challenge "Anything Goes"
Bastel-Traum Challenge "Winter"

Creative Craft Cottage "Christmas / Winter"

Sweet Stampers "Christmas"