House Of Cards Blog Hop - Three Projects

PLEASE NOTE: this is a sticky post that will remain at the top until 15th December.  Please scroll down for my newer posts, thank you!

Welcome to the House of Cards Term One Blog Hop!  If you've come here from Mynnette's blog, then you are in the right place!  If you have just stumbled here and would like to participate, please hop over to the House of Cards challenge blog to get started!  We've got some fabulous sponsors that are providing prizes, so make sure to leave comments at each stop for a chance to win!

For the December HOC blog hop challenge we would like you to create projects using this inspiration photo. 

I've made three projects for the blog hop using images from our wonderful sponsors.

First up is a Cute and Fun style card.  The large snowflake is very, very sparkly as it's been heat embossed with Vintage Pink embossing tinsel.  Here is the card front...

 ...and here is the inside and the envelope.  Ta-dah, inside is a cute and fun pop up penguin!  The penguin is the adorable 'Penguin in Scarf' digi image from Dilly Beans - available HERE.

My second card is a Classic and Elegant style card and I've used the oh, so beautiful 'On a Winter's Day' digi image from Delicious Doodles at Stitchy Bear - available HERE.  Here's the card front.

Here is the inside and the envelope.

My final project for the blog hop is in the Shabby & Vintage style.  I've made a 2-4-6-8 gift box from Crumb Cake CS, added some cream lace, a shabby bloom and a tag with a very blinged up crown!

Inside the gift box are 6 very pretty vintage floral gift tags.  These (and the tag on the gift box) are freebie images available to download and print from Eclectic Anthology.  They are part of the 'Free Printable Romantic Gift Tags' download - available HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!  Please join in the fun of our hop and make your way over to Gale's blog!  Then please play along with us - make a project inspired by our photo and share it on the HOC blog for another chance to win a prize!

If you lose your way during the blog hop, please see the full blog hop list on THIS POST at the HOC Challenge blog.

Snowman Jolly Christmas Card - HOC Nov Colour/Photo Challenge

Throughout November at House of Cards we are asking you to be inspired by this photo and/or the colours.  This week we want to see CUTE & FUN style cards.

 

An unusual colour palette for a Christmas card but that's what I went for anyway!   I was searching my digi files looking for something else entirely when I came across this adorable snowman image created by Torico at Birdie Brown.  I promptly abandoned what I was working on and decided it was perfect for my HOC Cute & Fun challenge card so I worked on that instead.  I'd downloaded this 'Snowy Day' image ages ago but never used it - it's a fabulous freebie and can be found HERE. 

I enlarged the image (it measures approx. 4 1/2" square), printed it twice and added colour with artists coloured pencils.  I added Stickles to the falling snow, the snow bank and to the snowman's nose and added Glossy Accents to the buttons.  When everything was dry I adhered the image to black and Pumpkin Pie mat layers which I glued to the front of a 5 1/4" white square card base.  I fussy cut the snowman and popped him up.  I stamped the sentiment and speech bubble, fussy cut that and also popped that up to complete the card front. 

Here's the inside of the card and the envelope front.

You can be inspired by the photo itself, or just by the colours like I was, or be inspired by both - just remember that this time we're asking for CUTE & FUN style cards and you must use at least three of the colours from the prompt picture.  I do hope you'll join in with this week's House of Cards challenge, I'd love to come and see what you create - everyone is welcome at our House!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Birdie Brown 'Snowy Day' digi image, Hero Arts 'Jolly Christmas' & 'Very Merry Christmas' clear sets, 'Snowflakes' Rollagraph stamp, SU! 'Snowflakes' set
CS:  PaperMania square white card blank, SU! Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black & Whisper White
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black,  SU! Pumpkin Pie & Pear Pizzazz
Tools:  1 1/2" & 1 3/4" circle punches
Embellishments & accessories:  Artists coloured pencils, Star Dust & Orange Peel Stickles,  Ranger Glossy Accents, Dimensionals

 

Flower, Bee & Ladybird Thank You Card - HOC Oct Sketch Challenge (Cute & Fun)

At House of Cards we're asking you to use this wonderful sketch for your challenge entries during October.  You can rotate the sketch and change shapes - as long as the layout comes through to us on the finished card it's all good!  For the first week we want to see CUTE & FUN style cards using the layout.

 

I used Melon Mambo CS to make the 5 3/4" square card base.  This layout is great for using patterned papers and I chose four designs from the cheery and bright SU! Sunshine and Sprinkles pack to use on my card.  I stamped on watercolour paper and coloured with inks and a blender pen.  I stamped and fussy cut a second flower so I could pop it up and stamped the sentiment.  I stamped and die cut the bee and ladybird and added fun touches - Star Dust Stickles to the bee wings and Crystal Effects to the ladybird body - then I popped both of them up.

For an extra touch of fun I cut the card front in half diagonally.

 

 

Here's the inside of the card with a sentiment and another glossy ladybird.  That ladybird with her smiley face is adorable! 

I covered the envelope flap with yellow patterned paper and added a stamped, coloured and fussy cut flower to finish.

Other members of the Cute & Fun DT have made wonderful cards for inspiration so do check them out and then please join us at HOC this week and make a Cute & Fun style card using the sketch! Everyone is welcome at our House!

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts/Sizzix 'Flower Garden' stamp & die combo set, Hero Arts 'Thank You Messages' & 'Sending Smiles Messages' clear sets
CS: SU! Melon Mambo, Basic Black & Whisper White
Patterned paper:  SU! Sunshine & Sprinkles DSP
Ink: VersaFine Olympia Green & Onyx Black, SU! Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz & Sahara Sand, blender pen
Tools: dies from Hero Arts/Sizzix 'Flower Garden' stamp & die combo set,
Embellishments & accessories: Star Dust Stickles, Ranger Glossy Accents, SU! Dimensionals

 

Snowmen Merry Christmas Card - HOC Sept Colour Challenge - Cute & Fun

Throughout September at House of Cards we're featuring this colour combo for each of our challenges.  This week we want to see Cute and Fun style cards using at least 3 of the colours shown in the photo.

The picture says 'vintage hues' and the colours and photo struck me as very sophisticated.  So when I came to make my Cute and Fun style card with these colours I was struggling to start with!  Then I remembered the very cute and fun SU! Frosty Friends stamp I have on loan from my kind friend Jan.  I decided to go with two purples and the dark grey colours from the prompt picture, using Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant and Basic Gray along with white.

I stamped the image in Basic Gray ink and added a touch of colour with inks and a blender pen.  I die cut the ovals and added Rock Candy clear glitter to the bottom of  the image oval.  I made a 5 1/4" square Wisteria Wonder card base and added the dotty paper and a decorative punched border.   I did more punching to get photo corners, small snowflakes plus the large snowflake.  I punched a few large snowflakes and stacked them together to get a thick chipboard like shape and I added Diamond Dust clear chunky glitter.  I attached a die cut Elegant Eggplant snowflake to the glittered snowflake with a square rhinestone brad and popped the snowflake up.  I added gems to the snowflakes on the photo corners and used one to dot the i in Christmas to complete the card front.

Here's a closer view of the colourless glitter - click the pic to get a larger view.  The Rock Candy underneath the snowmen is really fine and the Diamond Dust on the snowflake is much chunkier.

I cut a white panel for inside the card and stamped a sentiment and the SU! Snow Fun image - I think that line of snowmen is adorably cute!  I also stamped that on the front of the envelope.  I finished off by adding tiny punched snowflakes on the inside and added gem centres.

A close up of the cute line of snowmen - the alarmed one next to the melted one makes me laugh every time I use this stamp!

 I hope you'll take part in our HOC Cute & Fun challenge this week, I'd love to visit your blogs to see what you've made!  Everyone is welcome at our House!

Supplies:
Stamps:  SU! 'Frosty Friends' stamp, 'Sassy Salutations' set, 'Snow Fun' wheel stamp, Penny Black 'Joy. Hope'
CS: SU! Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Basic Gray & Whisper White
Ink: SU! Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant,  & Basic Gray, blender pen
Tools:  Petite Oval Nestabilities dies, Woodware snowflake punches, Cuttlebug snowflake die, Stamp-a-ma-jig
Embellishments & accessories: Tim Holtz Clear Rock Candy Stickles Dry Glitter, Diamond Dust chunky glass glitter, square rhinestone brad, purple gems, 3D foam tape

 

Happiest Wishes Birthday Card - House Of Cards Month One Cute & Fun Challenge

Woohoo, it's time for the first ever challenge at House of Cards - how exciting!  House of Cards is the brainchild of Mynnette and she very sweetly asked me to be a co-owner alongside her. We're kicking off with this luscious colour combo challenge.

This colour challenge runs for the whole month of July - but each week the challenge will feature a different card making style.  For this first week we'd like to see Cute and Fun cards using at least three of the colours from the picture entered into the challenge.   I'll be producing cards along with the Design Teams for the Cute & Fun and Classic & Elegant weeks so here I am with my first House of Cards Cute & Fun card!

I loved this birdie stamp when I first saw it and then when I saw a paper pieced card on display that featured the birdie, that was it - he HAD to come home with me! I've used a 5 1/4" square white card base and I've layered my white panel onto Broken China and Cherry Cobbler mats.  I paper pieced and popped up the bird's body and wing and he's standing in punched grass.  I cut the clouds from  patterned paper, popped most of them up and added some punched hearts to echo the heart shaped wing.  To finish the card front I added some clear jewels and aqua nailheads.

Here's the inside and the envelope with more clouds, hearts and a sweet sentiment!

Mynnette's idea to incorporate different styles into this challenge is fabulous don't you think?!   Maybe you'll be comfortable with the week's featured style and that's wonderful, you'll be raring to join in - but what if you're not comfortable or familiar with the style?  We'd love you to give it a go anyway, we're hoping that we can encourage you to try a new or different card making style to your usual one.  You never know until you try, you just might like it and you'll be adding another crafty string to your bow!  For guidance, we have this Definition of Styles tab on the House of Cards blog which gives a description of each style and there are card examples too. 

If you follow the House of Cards blog and Like us on our Facebook page you can enter a draw for a giveaway!  We have one giveaway for the U.S.A. and Canada, one for the U.K. and Europe and a third giveaway for Australia and New Zealand. A fab new challenge to take part in and the chance to win a prize - what are you waiting for?!  Here's a link to the Followers Giveaway page. 

I know the rest of the Cute & Fun DT will have fab cards to inspire you so please go and check their work out!  We'd love for loads of people to join in with our House of Cards challenges - and I really hope you'll join in with our inaugural challenge!  Everyone is welcome at our House!

Supplies:
Stamps: PaperMania 'Bird', SU! 'Happiest Birthday Wishes' set, Hero Arts 'Yummy Treats' clear set
CS: PaperMania square white card blank, SU! Cherry Cobbler, Broken China Core'dinations CS
Patterned paper:  Doodlebug Flower Box 'Garden Garland', SU! 'Festival of Prints' DSP stack
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Cherry Cobbler
Tools: SU! 'Heart to Heart' punch, Martha Stewart Grass border punch
Embellishments & accessories: aqua nailheads, SU! Rhinestone Jewels & Dimensionals, 3D foam tape