Christmas Card Club "Snow Covered Trees"

Good morning all.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all...I expect you're all knee deep in red roses, heart shaped chocolates and the like....just like me not!! I expect I'll get something before the day ends!

Another fine day yesterday after a very stormy night! I got lots of household chores out of the way and had an hour or two crafting before tea. Today I get to choosing :)

Another two weeks have passed and it's time once again for our little Christmas Card Club to showcase our makes. I'm a day early as I have a DT post due tomorrow. Mary picked the theme this time and she asked to see "Snow Covered Trees".

I had originally intended using a stamp for this card but decided instead to use the Tattered Lace dies I got free with a magazine last weekend...there were three dies - the line of trees, line of buildings and the single tree. I cut each die twice and layered them up as I wanted them to be quite sturdy, then painted them with white Sparkle Medium from Imagination Crafts. Embossing folder is from Crafts Too.  Landscape dies are from Lawn Fawn, large snowflake is from Spellbinders, the other snowflakes are from Paper Smooches, sentiment is from Cottage Cutz. Sparkle Medium has then been brushed onto the snowflakes, letters and dots.

Challenges entered:

CHNC Extra - anything Christmas goes

Crafting from the Heart - anything goes

Craft your Passion - anything goes

Christmas Card Challenges - white on white

Simply Create Too - anything goes

Inspiration Destination - anything goes

Penny's Paper Crafty - embossing

Allsorts - anything but birthday

Friendly Snowmen!

Good morning all. Friday the 13th EEK...think I'll stay home and hibernate today!

I had a very superstitious Dad...if something could go wrong on the 13th it did! I still don't cross my knife and fork, walk under a ladder or cross on the stairs!!

A lovely sunny day here yesterday, it was nice to have a warm house without having the heating on all day. I had a busy day in the kitchen...where nothing went right and no one enjoyed their tea...today can only be better! Did have time for a little play and you'll see the results in a day or two.

As it's Friday again I'm joining Erika at Snappy Crafts to share a golden oldie today.

Christmas 2007 and a gorgeous Cuddly Buddly image from the Friendly Snowmen set which I've decoupaged. This was an 8x8 card. Decoupage was my first love...in those days the only stamping I was good at was with my feet!

Note the angle on the sentiment...I learned very quickly to do it this way so as not to ruin a card at the last minute with some crooked stamping!

Happy Birthday

Good morning all.

Managed to fit some crafting in yesterday, my mojo still wasn't working with the die cuts left out from Tuesday so I changed tack and got another of my new dies out and made a card that does exactly what it says on the tin!

The background die is from Poppy Stamps. I've cut the die from a snippet of thin white card cut to A2 size. I then attached double sided stickly tape to the back of the piece and inlaid some of the words which I'd cut from some snippets of cerise pink  pearlised card. The rest of the words were then filled with silver glitter (note to self please use the static duster thing first next time!). Both me and the craft room are sparkling like Christmas fairies now! I backed the piece with another snippet of thin white card and mounted to the grey card base with foam tape.

I was going to add some bling but decided it had enough sparkle already.

This is going to be a go to die...I love the result and of course you end up with lots of useful die cut sentiments ready for another card.

Challenges entered:

Less is More - pink and grey

Crafty Gals Corner - anything goes

Inspiration Destination - anything goes

Creative Card Crew - glitter

Sparkle and Sprinkle - anything goes with loose glitter, EP or flock

Hello There!

Good morning all.

Another dry day yesterday but a bit overcast and very chilly...a good day for crafting! Managed to make one card for a guest design position I have coming up on Monday, then my mojo deserted me! I was messing with a couple of new dies and was going to back back last night to make something but had to watch the Liverpool match instead. They won so at least I didn't have a disappointing evening.

Another card from the QVC kit to share today.

Again I've made this just as the kit intended so not a lot of skill involved other than sticking!

Pink and Grey

Good morning all.

We had a bright and beautiful one yesterday again. Lots of little jobs done and a casserole in the oven then I had some time to craft.

Another Anniversary card to share today. The ladies over at Less is More are celebrating their 4th Anniversary...can you believe it? Congratulations to you all, hope you have many more :)

The challenge is a colour one of pink and grey.

Pink base card matted with a grey layer on foam tape then a white. Background stamp is from Unity Stamps, stamped with tattered rose DI. Die is from Memory Box.....cut twice, once with pink card and once with a double layer of grey card so I ended with a solid die cut to piece the other two back onto. This made the die very sturdy and gave it some dimension on the card without using foam pads.

At this point I realised how lacking I was in Anniversary stamps/dies...with love was a magazine freebie and Happy Anniversary is from a decoupage stamp set from Imagination Crafts. A few sequins from Pretty Pink Posh were added to finish off.

Challenges entered:

Less is More - pink and grey

Stamplorations - stamps and hearts

Happy Stamper - sketch

Artistic Stampers - love

Simon says Stamp - pink and red

Live Your Dreams

Good morning all.

Another gloriously sunny day here yesterday. We took a trip to Edinburgh to see if Lora's new glasses were in...after two weeks there was no sign of  them and no one knew why so we're waiting for a phone call today to find out what is happening. Meanwhile we have to hope the sellotape holds! The place was heaving...all the eateries were full and no one has any money! Did have a swift tour around Hobbycraft...it would have been rude not to and got a couple of magazines which had nice freebies and a few other bits and bobs but can't say anything really grabbed me.

Sharing the commissioned card I finished on Saturday.

Various sentiment stamps from Visible Image were stamped and heat embossed with white detail ink then using one of the new 8x8 embossing folders from Crafter's Companion I embossed the card. Card was inked with distressed inks which I then softened with gesso. Dots were stencilled with texture paste. More sentiment stamps were stamped onto tissue and adhered with matte gel. Various small background stamps were stamped in the DI and black archival ink. Frame and number dies are from Spellbinders, happy birthday stamp and banner die are from Clearly Besotted. 

Pages 2, 3 and 4 are made using the same embossing folder and inks but I've inked the folders before embossing. Stamps are from Stampers Anonymous, Lavinia Stamps, Bo Bunny and Unity Stamps...some have been stamped and heat embossed before the embossing was done, others are stamped on tissue and adhered as above, the rest are stamped in black archival or the same DI used on the card.

Very over the top but my cousin wanted something special for her daughter.

Challenges entered:

Open Minded Crafting - no pink, no red

Our Creative Corner - tic tac toe (EP, stencils and mediums)

Craft for the Craic - birthday or anniversary

Crafty Catz - birthdays

Crafter's Cafe - birthday

Simon says Stamp - bright and beautiful

Loves Rubber Stamps - anything goes

Not Just Cards - anything goes

Visible Image - Show and Tell February

Anniversary

Good morning all.

Another lovely day here yesterday weather wise. Managed some crafting and finally finished the commissioned card I've been working on and made the one I'm sharing today. Other than that it was washing and sorting for me! I needed to get rid of the mountain of craft magazines I've amassed...now hubby has a huge box full to recycle!

An anniversary card to share today for my nephew and his wife on their 1st Anniversary which happens later this month.

I fell in love with this Valentine Penguins decoupage set from Pink Gem Designs as soon as I saw it and know the happy couple will love it too. Printed onto ice blue decoupage paper, the base layer is simply matted and layered. I've added all the layers of decoupage and changed the Valentine banner to Anniversary which was also supplied.

Challenges entered:

A Gem of a Challenge - lots of layers

Allsorts - love is all around

ABC Challenge - C is for cupid

Paper Creators Craft - love is in the air

Chocolate, Coffee and Cards - love is in the air

CRAFT - decoupage

Creative Moments - anything goes/love

Fresh Brewed Designs - pink, hearts or a valentine

World Traveler

Good morning all.

It was a lovely springlike day here yesterday after all the frost we've been having. I spent the afternoon at a charity event one of my neighbours was hosting...the children were all enjoying being outdoors. I bought some books to fold and won a nice raffle prize bundle too...including an RNLI note pad which is ripe for transforming!

Sharing a card today which I made for eldest after he passed his motorbike test in preparation for his trip around Iceland later this year.

Stamps from Crafty Impressions Explore set apart from "congratulations" which is from Joanna Sheen. Paper is from Carte Bella. Bike has been stamped onto kraft card and fussy cut then mounted with foam pads.

Challenges entered:

Your Scrapbook Place - anything goes (twist masculine card)

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - anything goes with patterned paper

Brown Sugar - anything goes

Colour My Heart - colour dare

Sister Act Card Challenge - anything goes

Golden Wedding Box

Good morning all. Friday again...how did that happen!

Yesterday was spent doing little jobs that I've been putting off! 

Papers sorted and bills paid - tick

Cooker top completely gutted - tick

Dishwasher put through a cleaning cycle - tick

Old magazines sorted...a work in progress! I did encounter a few familiar faces :) 

Also dealt with a shopping delivery, did two loads of washing, made a pan of soup and Moroccan chicken for tea. Today I need to finish my commissioned card.

I got some happy post yesterday finally...one from the US which was posted at the end of December...the little blighter had taken itself off to the Bahamas for an extended holiday en route to the UK...at least Customs didn't stop it once it finally reached UK shores.

Since it's Friday I'm joining Erika at Snappy Crafts to share a golden oldie today.

An exploding box to share today from 2008 made as a commission from a husband to his wife for their Golden Wedding Anniversary.

I actually made all the cards from the family for them, I think I did about ten cards in total!

I did a very small dummy card which Bill gave his wife in the morning and this was presented to her during a family meal later in the day with a set of earrings inside.

Enjoy your weekend whatever you have planned.

The Little Things

Good morning all.

A day with lots of crafting yesterday...I'm busy doing a special card for my second cousin to give to her daughter on her 30th birthday. This you will see in due course once it's finished.

One I made when waiting for things to dry that I can show:

Both stamps are from Unity Stamps. The sentiment is stamped in versamark and heat embossed with a dark purpley blue EP. The hearts stamp is stamped with a multi-coloured Brilliance pad. Card is simply matted with co-ordinating card stock and a few gems added.

Challenges entered:

Unity Stamps - colour inspiration

Less is More - little ones

Happy Little Stampers - embossing

Happy Little Stampers - sketch

Stamping Sensations - anything goes

Crafting for all Seasons #95 "Have a Heart"

Good morning all.

It's time for our next challenge at CFAS and this time the theme is "Have a Heart". We're  looking forward to seeing all your makes. We're being sponsored by Bugaboo who gave the DT images to work with.

I've used February Word, coloured with promarkers and highlighted with a stardust gelly roll pen. Simply matted and layered on co-ordinating card stock and two heart shaped gems added.

Do pop over to the challenge blog to see the rest of the girls inspiration, you won't be disappointed.

Challenges entered:
Card Mania - add some red
Crafty Boots - hearts and valentines
Dream Valley - valentines day
Eureka Stamps - pink and red
Love to Scrap - love
OLLC - love
The Crazy Challenge - love
AAA - love, love, love

ABC Challenge - C is for Cupid
I Love Promarkers - lots of love

Sending Love

Good morning all.

A quiet day yesterday...more washing and ironing but at least the basket is now empty and the wardrobes are full!

An 8x8 card to share today which I'll use for my Mum either on Mother's Day or her birthday.

Image from Penny Black coloured with promarkers. Dies from Spellbinders. Embossing folder from Die'Sire. Sentiment tags from LOTV and ribbon from my stash. My little bow has been tied on a dinner fork.

Challenges entered:

Penny Black - simplicity challenge

Penny Black at Allsorts - anything goes

Craft-Dee Bowz - anything goes with a hand tied bow

Simon Says Stamp - h is for ...hedgehog

Happy Stampers CAS - embossing

Winter Jornalling

Good morning all.

Many thanks to all who have visited over the weekend and left such lovely comments, I do appreciate them all.

A quiet day yesterday...more washing and some much needed ironing!

Sharing one of the projects I managed to do on Saturday. One of my goals this year was to do some journalling...here is one of my first attempts.

I started by gluing some torn book pages and backing paper to the pages. Pages were then roughly gessoed then I've stencilled with embossing paste using a snowflake stencil from Joanna Sheen and a snowflower one from Sweet Stamps. I used glitter bead gel with a stencil from Clarity stamps which didn't work as planned....but what the heck! Punch waste snowflakes were used across the pages.

Pages were then washed with aquatints with a darker ink being used over the embossing paste. Stamps from Clearly Besotted, Personal Impressions, Paper Smooches, Premium Craft Brands and Stamping All Day were stamped with Memento ink.

Winter was computer generated and printed onto tissue paper. Snowflakes were leftovers from a previous project and were lying in my bit box.

Challenges entered:

Unruly Paperarts - inspire your heart with art day

Eclectic Ellapu Pink Team "Burgundy/Red and Cream"

Good morning all.

This is my second post today, you can find my DT inspiration for Imagination Crafts here.

It's time for a new challenge for the Pink Team over at Eclectic Ellapu where Elaine has chosen the theme of "Burgundy/Red and Cream".

A simple Valentine number from me. Pearlised card die cut and layered. Heart die is a new one from Impression Obsession. Sentiment stamps from Stamplorations. Finished with a few gems.

Do pop over to the challenge blog and see my team mates creations, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Challenges entered:

Time Out - Valentines Day (optional twist hearts)

Fairytale - something with a heart

Simply Create Too - Valentine or use hearts

Addicted to Stamps and More - CAS

Top Tip Tuesday - something new (die)

Bunny Zoe's - hearts

Simon Says Stamp -anything goes

Imagination Crafts "February Challenge - Anything Goes"

Good morning all.

It's time once again for a new challenge at Imagination Crafts.

Our theme is always anything goes and the winner will receive a £40 voucher to spend in the Imagination Crafts Shop.

I've done a canvas this time, although my brain wasn't really in gear when I started!

An 8x8 canvas painted with black gesso, then roughly coated with red acrylic paint. I then used the Time and Motion stencil with white acrylic...if my brain had been in gear I'd have used texture paste!

Next I added the Skateboarder stencil (not yet on the website) using Black Stars Sparkle Medium...I really should have added everything else first! After allowing everything to dry I added lots of bits and pieces...bottle tops, clothing label, buttons, cogs from the inside of a tape roller, tapestry plastic and some wooden embellishments from Prima. These were all painted with white gesso then various acrylic paints. Take Risks sentiment is from Visible Image and I stamped onto tissue paper. After raiding hubby's toolbox I added some silver washers to finish off.

I'm quite happy with the finished results though and eldest is going to hang it on his bedroom wall...so it can't be that bad lol!

Do pop over to the challenge blog to see the inspiration from my team mates, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Challenges entered:

Not Just Cards - anything goes

Use Your Stuff - paint

Inspiration Destination - anything goes

Recycle, Re-Purpose & Re-Invent - anything goes but must recycle

Rhedd's Creative Spirit - anything goes

Altered Eclectics - anything goes