Inspiration for Challenge #26 - Let's make a Christmas Card

 

Hi there, Squashettes, it's Jo on the blog today to share a little inspiration for our current challenge! We've gone super-easy this month and would just like to see you use an EF to create a gorgeous Christmas card.

Our guest this month is the lovely Cat from Cat Luvs Paper. 

Cat's beautifully CAS card blew us away and you can see it by clicking here. I bet you go 'wow' when it appears on the screen - I know I did. 

For some reason I decided to de-boss the inky, water-coloured background on my card. I used watercolour card, which takes embossing beautifully. I wanted to fill the little 'wells' made by the Christmas Trees with plenty of ink so they were a good, strong colour. Seems to have worked ok and was a quick and simple make.

Embossing Folder - Darice Trees

The cards in the Squashy Gallery for this theme look fabulous. I really think that including embossing seems to especially suit cards made for the festive season. You have until the end of November to play along with this challenge and Cat, Gail and I all hope you'll come and join the festive fun! 

Challenge #15 - It's Your Call

 Welcome, welcome, welcome to the 15th challenge here at 

Let's Squash It! 

Let's Squash It! is The Embossing Folder Challenge.  We are gonna help you explore the world of the not so humble embossing folder and encourage you to dig 'em out, knock the dust off and find old, new and fun ways to make your projects pop. 

We have an awesome team to keep you entertained and awesome challenge themes to stretch your creativity and get you using all those long forgotten and neglected embossing folders. 

For those of you who are just tuning in you can check the previous posts for the story behind the genesis of the challenge and the technique posts for awesome tips and techniques to help you make the most of your supplies and folders.

Challenges start on the 10th of the month and run to the last day at 23.59 GMT.  We will be picking top picks and a winner, who will have a chance to be our guest designer for a future challenge.  There is a little prize on offer for a randomly selected winner and these will all be announced on the 8th of next month.   

So, Challenge #15

And this month's theme is

Use any Embossing Folder AND Any Technique

It's coming up to the crazy time of the year so we are keeping it simple.  Use any embossing folder and any technique.  Revisit one of the techniques we have shared in previous challenges, maybe try something you didn't get a chance to do, or share any other technique you know.  We all like to learn new things.    Please make sure you include both parts of the challenge on your card and also check da roolz to ensure your entry will be eligible for the random prize draw!

We are very pleased to have our Let's Squash It!! Empress joining us as our guest designer this month.  Please welcome Carol Gunn.

"Hello from Hamilton, New Zealand.  I still love card making as much as I did when I started 20 years ago and try to make a card a day - I love to share handmade happiness.  I don’t have a particular card making style but tend towards the unfussy, although I have been known to go WiLd from time to time and I do like to get inky and messy and try to make the most of stuff I have.  I love challenges and trying new things,  and I’m so pleased to be invited to ‘guest’ in such a creative team.  Get inspired, try something new, happy crafting!"    

And here is Carol's card

 

Carol's Card uses  

WeRMemoryKeepers Embossing folder - Woven

Carol used a Jennifer McGuire technique called Filled Embossing 

for her gorgeous card.

 

 

And here's some inspiration from the team......

 

 

Gail's Card uses 

Sizzix Embossing Folder - Stripes

Gail used double emboss technique with holographic embossing powder.

It's very blingy in the real.......

Jo's Card uses 

Sizzix/Sophie Gullar Embossing Folder - Vintage Texture

 

 

Please do check da roolz to make sure you will be in the running for da prizes.  

This months randomly selected winner will be able to choose a prize from the

Let's Squash It! Prize Vault

 

Now it your turn!

Grab your embossing folders and join the fun.

We are looking forward to seeing your cards.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Challenge #9 - More Inspiration

Hello Squashettes!!  Gail here today with a little more inspiration for our current challenge, use a nature themed embossing folder and watercolouring.  Some gorgeous makes in the gallery already, but still plenty time to join the fun.

Today I'm using a beautiful 3D folder from Sheena Douglas called Wisteria Wall.   I love the way Sheena tends to combine soft and hard elements together in her designs.  I am not really a flower person, but when I saw the riveted sheet background behind the lovely wisteria I just had to buy it.  The sale price helped me along as well........

I am so pleased how this turned out.  I smeared distress inks on my craft mat, spritzed generously with water, then I used my water brush with added bling to watercolour the embossed design.

I embossed a normal pale grey thin card sheet with the folder and used Wilted Violet for the flowers and Evergreen Bough for the leaves.   You can be quite accurate with placement of colour on the embossed areas, as I tried to be with the leaves.  The flowers I was more splashy with, and after I had finished painting I still had some colour on the mat so I just kept loading it on to create very pleasing shades of violet. 

I used very very dilute Stormy Sky and gave the background a watercolour wash.  I love how the embossed areas suck in a bit more ink giving automatic shading.  Cool and very easy.

I sandwiched my panel in an old book to dry and flatten out.  One cup of coffee later and it was ready to mount on a 9x7" card base.  I trimmed a smidgen off the side and added a pre-printed sentiment strip from a Kort og Godt patterned sheet.  It says Good Friends are Worth Their Weight In Gold.  Well, you are, aren't you.  

Thanks for dropping by.  We hope you feel like getting squashy and splashy with us this month.  Linky closes last minute of the month so still plenty of time to sit in the shade and watercolour a masterpiece.  Hugz

Challenge #9 - Inspiration

 

Hi, it's Jo here with a little inspiration for Challenge #9 -  Nature meets Watercolouring.

For my card I used Darice Embossing Folder Bold Daisy, which seems to be out of stock everywhere I've tried to link to. Such a pity as it's a gorgeous folder.

The die cut and sentiment are from Simon Says Stamp set You Matter. 

This card was very quick and simple to make and just involved smooshing some Distress inks, spraying with a little water on the EF and running it through my Cuttlebug. 

We've already got some beautiful cards in the gallery but, as always, we'd love to see more people play along with this fun challenge!