Candles for Christmas (by Asha)

Good morning fellow Chocoholics. It's my turn to share with you two cards I made featuring stamps from the Christmas Candlelight A5 sheet.

For the first card, I created a pinewood window scene. Starting with a piece of white card stock, I stamped the 3 candles and coloured the image with Faber-Castell Polychromos. Then I cut out the window frame and adhered a piece of blue card behind it to create a dark winter night. And since it's winter, I added some falling snow with a white gel pen. The coloured the pine wood with Distress Inks and added the woodgrain details with Polychromos.

Sticking with the wood theme, my second card is a simpler affair. I created the background by first scoring a piece of dark kraft card and then sponging it with Distress Ink to accentuate the score lines. The candles are coloured with alcohol markers and I finished the card with some red ribbon for a pop of colour.

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you're having fun with these new stamps. The rest of the team have lots of design inspiration to share so please swing by often. As always, more pictures and details of all products used can be seen at my blog.

Beijinhos,
Asha 

CAS for Christmas (by Judith)

Hello everyone, it is my turn to post a project using the lovely new Christmas stamps. I love to mix and match old stamps with new, and this project is no exception. I have created a clean and simple card that will be great for making up in batches when you need to make lots of cards in a hurry.

I started my card by stamping the pine cone sprig three times across the top of a white card blank. I coloured the stamp with water based markers so that I could get the variety of colours on the stamp. I added a greeting from the Bold Christmas Words stamp set at the bottom of the card. Finally, I stamped and embossed a bauble from the Christmas Decorations stamp set onto scrapbook paper three times using a sparkly red embossing powder. You always need a bit of sparkle at Christmas!

Thanks for stopping by, Judith xx

Sparkling Trees (posted by Claire)

Good morning folks, Claire here with a couple of cards made with this months newstamps. I always look forward to getting my mits on the new Christmas Stamps from Chocolate Baroque and this years new designs are as beautiful as always  (you can find them all here) I've got a couple of cards to share today using stamps from Sparkling Trees

I made this rocker card using the group of 3 trees and the snowflake stamps using a card blank from my stash. I stamped the trees using Stormy Skies Distress Ink in the centre of the circle and then created a little forest by repeat stamping the image using both first and second generation stamping.

I distressed the edges with more Stormy Skies and added lots of glitter and gems. The bottom panel was created using the same ink and the snowflake stamps from the same stamp sheet. I assembled the card, layering the focal image up over a paper doiley and adding a bow topped with a button. To finish off I've stamped the sentiment from Christmas Candlelight on white card with versamark and embossed with silver embossing powder. I cut the sentiment out and added a little colour with more Stormy Skies. 

You can see the sparkle a little better in this pic

My second card is a very quick and easy make again using Sparkling Trees and a sentiment from Christmas Magic clear stamp set.

I simply stamped and embossed the tree from Sparkling Trees and the sentiment with versamark and embossed with a sparkly gold embossing powder. I coloured the baubles on the tree and then applied glossy accents, sprinkling with some glass glitter. They look a bit like jelly tots lol.

I hope you're enjoying the new Christmas stamps and all the inspiration from my talented teamies.

Thanks for visiting today

Claire xx

Christmas Candlelight and Sparkling Trees By Florence

Morning everyone

I hope your week is going well.

Although it seems quite strange thinking about Christmas in August, the silly season will be upon us in a blink of an eye.  I am determined this year to get ahead and make one or two cards each week.

Who is organised and making Christmas cards now or who leaves them until the last minute?
Mmm....  I wonder!

I would love to hear from you.

Today I would like to share with you two cards made using
Christmas Candlelight and Sparkling Trees.

please click on the image to enlarge

To make this card

Using a piece of Cut-n-Dry and Distress Ink color a piece of white card stock.
Stamp the candle images using black ink.
Stamp the lace boarder using blue ink.

Using a paint brush and water remove some of the ink from parts of the candle images ie the glow of the light and the candles.
Color the images.
Take a mask or stencil and using a sponge and Distress Ink create patterns just on areas of the background.
Stamp the Yuletide sentiment.

Attach the stamped piece to a white blank card.

My second card today is a simple CAS card.

The deer stamp is fabulous.
There are so many possibilities with it and it mixes and matches so well with the other stamps.

Please click on the image to enlarge.

To make this card

Trim to size a piece of coated card stock.
Using pieces of paper or post-it notes mask off the top and bottom of the card stock leaving a 4 cm strip across the top part of the card.
Using a piece of Cut-n-Dry apply some light blue Distress Ink to the whole unmasked area.
Using Distress Ink and a mask/stencil, create the pattern on the boarder.
Move the stencil/mask slightly and apply more ink.
Repeat until you are happy with the pattern.
Remove the paper masks from the card stock.
Stamp the snow flakes and the deers using Archival Ink.
Add some gems to the centers of the snowflakes.
On a separate piece of white card stock, stamp the sentiment, trim the piece to size and edge it with a gold pen.

Make up the card as seen.

That's all from me today.
Thank you for looking

Florence x

Christmas Sparkle (by Julie)

Good morning everyone. Today I have some fabulous, brand new, Christmas stamps to show you. With the weather here in the UK being slightly unseasonal of late, it has not been that hard to imagine all things festive, so grab a cup of something and have a read.
My first card uses stamps from both of the new sets which are Sparkling Trees and Christmas Candlelight.

To start with I inked up the larger pine cone stamp with Watering Can Archival Ink and stamped the design in each of the corners on the base card. The background was created with Fired Brick, Tea Dye and Forest Moss Distress ink before colouring with colouring pencils. The middle panel has been stamped with the naked tree from the Sparkling Trees set, using Spanish Moss Versafine ink and the centre circle was die cut and stamped with the smallest pine cone stamp from Christmas Candlelight. I decided where I was placing the centre panel and then stamped the small pine cone stamp so that it looks like it is emerging from underneath each corner of the panel. The sentiment is from Christmas Candlelight and the card has been finished off with dabs of Crystal Stickles and flat backed gems.

My second card has been created using Sparkling Trees and the sentiment is from Christmas Magic.

The background is just red and green liquid watercolour onto watercolour card, dry with a heat tool and then add dabs of a silver metallic ink pad. The background snowflakes have been stamped with Onyx Black Versafine along with the sentiment and the trees. I stamped the trees for a second time onto green card and embossed with Sparkling Snow Wow Embossing Powder before cutting out and mounting with silicone. The reindeer was stamped with Onyx Black Versafine, coloured with pencils, cut out and mounted with silicone. The sparkly panel was created by spreading Hologram Viva Crystal Gel onto a non stick sheet. Leave to dry completely before peeling off and colouring the smooth side with red and green alcohol markers and then apply the coloured smooth side to some silver mirri card. The black frame has been die cut and embossed with a snowflake embossing folder and then silver gilding wax was used to add highlights. Snowflakes stamped onto acetate using Picket Fence Distress paint were then cut out and mounted with silicone to finish off.

These cards are obviously not quick but are relatively easy to do, so please do pop back regularly where the rest of the Design Team will have more Christmas ideas for you.

It's Christmas! (by Lesley)

No don't worry, you haven't woken up in another world, it is still only the end of July but for us here at Chocolate Baroque Christmas has arrived. And by that I mean I am thrilled to bits to be launching the first of our Christmas stamps for this year.

This is also my first official Christmas release as owner of Chocolate Baroque so I'm doubly excited and I hope you are going to be as delighted with these new stamps as I am; I have to say Sue has really done us proud.  So without further ado here we go.

To begin with we have two A5 sets, Christmas Candlelight

followed by Sparkling Trees

and of course both are available as a money saving multi-buy

We have a wonderful mix of traditional and contemporary here, so whatever style you prefer I am sure there is something here to help make your Christmas projects special.

In addition to these sets, we are also releasing five individual cling mounted rubber stamps that are truly beautiful.

First we have Serena, Bearing Gifts and In Her Arms

and finally Rejoice! and Welcome Home.

If you would really like to treat yourself these are available as a brilliant money saving multi-buy

There are so many possibilities with these and, of course, they complement many of our other Christmas designs. I haven't had time to play with them much myself yet, but as a colourist I can't wait to try these images with my pencils and paints.

However, there are a few ladies who have been flexing their crafting muscles and over the course of the next month there will be some fabulous projects and ideas from our Design Team, so please keep tuned. In fact if you are not yet a follower please click on the 'Follow this Blog' link located in the right hand column and then you will never miss another inspirational post.

Is it too soon to say 'Merry Christmas'?