Memory Box - Glowing Candles

Having bought this die in the earlier part of the year at a craft show I did not remember it until I was searching through my die stash.  I think I have found my quick and easy mass produced Christmas card !!

The die is Glowing Candles from Memory Box used with a Tim Holtz Sizzix embossing folder called Distressed Frame.  I did have to trim the card as the frame is a bit smaller than the cards I have.

Memory Box - Meadow Bird

I also have a lot of cardstock which now needs to be used before I go out and buy more (just simply do not have the space for anymore !).  This card was made using Hero Arts cardstock with a Memory Box die called Meadow Bird and a Stampin Up Cogs Extra Large punch for the gear shape decoration.

A simple card using dies and punches which I tend to forget about sometimes.

Memory Box - Prim Poppy

With having had to reorganise my craft storage area using a lot of plastic crates which have ended up being quite heavy I have decided to change my way of thinking when it comes to planning a card.  I usually start with an image and then try to match it up with background paper and the card.  This time I started with the card (and do I have lots of those - did not realise just how many until I had to pack them all up), chose the background paper and then went for the topper.  I have done about 10 cards altogether which makes it easier for me to unpack the crates only once and chose the paper.  I certainly do not have to enrol in a gym here as will get plenty of weight lifting doing my craft !

The background paper to this card has come from an old 6 x 6 pad made by Fresh Print called Blueberry Swatch book.  The poppy is a Memory Box die called Prim Poppy with the sentiment being a Hero Arts one from the set called Remember.  It was stamped using Archival Cobalt ink and die cut with Sizzix Ovals.

Memory Box Die - Serene Bird

Memory Box dies are amongst my favourite with this one being no exception.  I have been experimenting with Zentangle  and thought the bird would have a different look if I squiggled a couple of patterns on it.  After that I used Distress inks and a sponge to pop a bit of colour onto the cardstock.

Underneath the bird is a MFT die called Fishtail Stax.  The background paper is a scrap from my stash and the sentiment is a Gina K Design one punched out using a Stampin Up oval.

Punch art Mouse in Xmas hat

This is one of those cards which took on a life of its own !  I saw something similar on the internet but cannot for the life of me find it again.  Apologies for not giving that crafter the credit !

The background is a Dreamweaver Stencil LG611 - Stone done with Pumice Stone Distress ink and a stencil brush.  The window and shutters are Memory Box dies called Small Madison Window and Small Madison Window Shutter.  The shutters were sponged with Aged Mahogany Distress ink.  The curtains were made from Spellbinders Classic Squares cut and angled, the Xmas tree is a sticker and the mouse was made up as follows :

Face - the circle is an old Cuttlebug die with the face being from Peachy Keen PK757 - Wide Eyed and Bushy Tailed Face Assortment.
Ears and hands - Stampin Up Owl punch
Hat - Cottage Cutz Santa down the Chimney

The snowman is from an Inkadinkado set called Doodle Winter and was coloured in using a variety of markers and aqua pencil crayons.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts Holiday Sayings and it was stamped with Maroon Archival ink.  It was die cut on Sweet Stack Labels from MFT.

Whimsy - Silver Fairy

It is a bit daunting using an image such as the Whimsy Silver Fairy.  There have been so many beautiful cards made with this stamp, most of them works of art.  I rather like to keep my cards plain and simple so opted for a more uncluttered look for this card.

The fairy was coloured in using Copics and die cut with Sizzix ovals.  The wings were overlaid with vellum.  The green frame is a Memory Box die called Twirling Vine Frame.  I had already made the flowers so I cannot remember from which dies they were cut but I think it might have been Marianne D.  The background paper is from Creative Memories.

Memory Box - Jasmine Frame

I decided to make a set of small cards in a box as a gift and used the Memory Box die called Jasmine Frame on all 4.  The sentiments are from a variety of different Hero Arts stamp sets with the Christmas one being a peel off.  The labels are from a retired Clear Dollar die set.

Katzelkraft - Chat Kipling - again

This is definitely a set of stamps I will get a lot of use out of.  The images are so detailed that it is not necessary to add any colour to them.

On this card I framed the image using a Sizzix Oval - these dies are narrow ovals and come in really handy.  The border punch is a Martha Stewart one, the sentiment is from Clear Dollar's Something to Crow About and it was punched out using the Stampin Up Word Window punch.  The die behind the sentiment is a Clear Dollar one and the black die cut behind that is from Memory Box Pastry Labels die.