Thursday, 31 December 2015

Butterfly Hello

I received a set of Prima oil pastels for Christmas...they're water soluble, so I had a little play at making a watercolour background on today's card. I scribbled a rough butterfly shape using a couple of the pastels, then blended them using a waterbrush. I added a die cut butterfly (cut using a Joy Crafts die) over the top, a sentiment (cut using a die from a Craft Asylum set by Sizzix) cut from a piece of card coloured using the same pastels, and some adhesive pearls.


Challenges for this card:


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Wednesday, 30 December 2015

Contented

I've used another new stamp on today's card...he's called 'Contented' and is of course by Penny Black...love that sticking up ear! I coloured him using watercolour pencils to match the papers from the 'Awesome Boy!' pad by Recollections for Michaels (found at TK Maxx). I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I die cut the star from of the papers in the pad using one of my Nesties.


Challenges for this card:
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Tuesday, 29 December 2015

Bella in Car

I've used another new stamp on today's card...this one is 'Bella in Car' by Wild Rose Studio...which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are from the 'Now & Then' pad by My Mind's Eye...I distressed the edges a little, then added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Big Messages' set by Paula Pascual.


Challenges for this card:
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Sunday, 27 December 2015

Pile It On! Challenge - Christmas or Winter

I'm back with another card for this month's Pile It On! Challenge where the theme is:

'Christmas or Winter'

Our sponsor for this challenge is Pink Gem Designs:
Prize - 2 Digi Images of the winner's choice!

I know that most of you will probably think I'm mad making Christmas cards the day after Christmas, but I received a lovely new 'build a snowman' stamp set from my lovely bloggy buddy Samantha for Christmas, so it would have been rude not to ink them up right away! The stamps are by Stampendous, and the set is called 'Stretchy Snowmen'...and basically you build your own snowman...pick an outline, choose a face, add some arms and buttons, then clothe him...great fun! I made two snowmen, then fussy cut them out and added them to two very similar cards:


I created a 'snowy' background using my Simon Says Stamp 'Falling Snow' stamp (heat embossed in white on navy card), and my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside Border' dies (using the snippets of white card you get when you cut a square card blank from a piece of A4 card - I always keep them for this kind of thing). I added a sentiment (from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous), then nestled the snowman into the snowdrifts.




Here are the Challenges I've piled on:
For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Pile It On! Challenge.

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Thursday, 24 December 2015

My Favourite Five Christmas Cards of 2015

I'm playing along with my lovely bloggy buddy Debby and sharing my favourite five Christmas cards of the year this evening. I made 119 cards this year, so it took a little while for me to go back through them and select my favourites! Here they are in date order (I've linked to the original post for each card if you want any details):

Reindeer Pup (January 2015)
I loved creating snowy scenes...

Rudolph in the Forest (February 2015)
...see...I told you...

Before the Snow (May 2015)
not much snow on this one, but still a scene...

Snowboard Ride (September)
...and back to the snow...and this chap makes me smile!

We Three Kings (November 2015)
...and now for something totally different...

And before I go...here are a couple of photos of the Christmas cake I made...it took a family effort to decorate it though!


And a close-up to show you the glittery sparkly snow:


Merry Christmas to you all x
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Wednesday, 23 December 2015

ABC Christmas Challenge - Z is for...

We've reached the end of the alphabet, so it's time for the last ABC Christmas Challenge of the year...Samantha is the host, and the theme is:

'Z is for Zoo Animals'

Our sponsor for this challenge is Bunny Zoe's Crafts:
Prize - A £10 Gift Certificate!

I went with a monkey for my 'zoo animal' and used 'Monkey See, Monkey Do' by Penny Black, which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The patterned paper is from the 'Countdown to Christmas' pad by My Mind's Eye...and I edged it using some strips of red and blue card (shhh...don't tell anyone, but they're just little snippets of card, and don't go right underneath the paper, just along the edges!). I added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen, and some BasicGrey brads.


I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:
For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the ABC Christmas Challenge.
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Sunday, 20 December 2015

No Peekin' Snowman

I have a confession to make...I don't actually need any more Christmas cards...they've all been written...I even have some spares...and I certainly have more pressing projects that I should be spending my time on...but whilst looking through my image box for images to colour to use on said projects, I came across this cute little snowman ('No Peekin' Snowman' by Penny Black) and thought he'd be perfect for the 'Homespun' themed challenge over at Less is More. This was a really quick card to make...I simply coloured the image using watercolour pencils, pierced a simple border, added a snippet of gingham paper (from the 'Christmas in the Country' pad by Papermania) and a Lili of the Valley sentiment.


Challenges for this card:


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Thursday, 17 December 2015

Little Boxes

I have a couple more little gift boxes to share today...to match these ones I made a few weeks ago...using my We R Memory Keepers gift box punch and papers from the 'Countdown to Christmas' pad by My Mind's Eye. I used strips of the paper to wrap around the boxes to look like ribbon, and then added a little snowflake decoration made from snippets of co-ordinating card. I used my Nesties for the circles, and a Cuttlebug die for the snowflake...I embossed the plain circles using my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' folder, and added an adhesive pearl to their centres.


Challenges for these boxes:

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Sunday, 13 December 2015

Quality Street Wreath

Apologies for being a bit quiet on here the last couple of weeks...the end of term is always the busiest time, what with concerts, exams, extra lessons & rehearsals...but I'm done with school now until next year! I still have a few Christmas projects to complete...some of which I can't share on here until after Christmas (don't want to spoil the surprise!), but I will still have a few projects to blog...including this chocolate wreath:


I make a couple of these each year (one for my house, and another for my parents)...it's become a sort of tradition...we hang them on internal doors though, and they get slowly  demolished over the festive period. I start with a polystyrene wreath (I'm still using the original ones I bought 4 years ago), with a piece of wired ribbon tied around in a bow from which to hang it. I use a hot glue gun to attach the sweets...I use Quality Street because the wrappers are fairly plain...most other sweets have too much branding on them...and can fit a whole tub on each wreath!

Challenges for this wreath:


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Wednesday, 9 December 2015

ABC Christmas Challenge - Y is for...

We have another fun ABC Christmas Challenge starting today...Wilma is the host, and the theme is:

'Y is for Youngsters'
(Make a card for a child, or featuring a child)

Our sponsor for this challenge is Fred She Said:
Photobucket
Prize - $10 Gift Certificate!

I've made a card suitable for a little person...featuring 'Snowy' by Penny Black. I coloured him using watercolour pencils, then cut him out and added some sparkle to his hat using Stickles. For the background, I added some strips of washi tape and a sentiment from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.


I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:
For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the ABC Christmas Challenge.
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Sunday, 6 December 2015

Pile It On! Challenge - Christmas or Winter

We have a fun new Pile It On! Challenge starting today that will last for the whole of December...and the theme is:

'Christmas or Winter'

Our sponsor for this challenge is Pink Gem Designs:
Prize - 2 Digi Images of the winner's choice!

I made a (fairly) quick and simple Christmas card using a Lili of the Valley image called 'Christmas Bunnies in Stocking', which I coloured using watercolour pencils. I pierced some holes around the edges using my CutterBee Bug, the mounted it on to my card blank using 3D foam pads. The washi tape is from Hobbycraft and Papermania, and the sentiment stamp is from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.


Here are the challenges I've piled on:


For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Pile It On! Challenge.
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Saturday, 5 December 2015

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Christmas/Holidays

It's the first Saturday of the month...so that means it's time for a new Penny Black Saturday Challenge...and this month the theme is:

'Christmas/Holidays'

We are sponsored for this challenge by:

Prize - a $20 voucher

I started by stamping the bauble stamp from the 'A Bright Tomorrow' set in black ink on some plain white card, then coloured them using watercolour pencils. Then I stamped some of the snowflake flurries from the same set in Versamark around the edge, and heat embossed using clear embossing powder. I blended shades of blue Distress Inks (Salty Ocean, Mermaid Lagoon & Peacock Faethers) around the edges, and then added some sparkle to the baubles using my Wink of Stella pen. I matted it on to a panel embossed using my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' folder...I used one of my 'Stitched Hillside Border' dies to cut the wavy edge at the bottom. The sentiment stamp is from the same stamp set.


I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:


For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.

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Thursday, 3 December 2015

Scribbly Christmas

I have a batch of simple Christmas cards to share today...using my Tim Holtz 'Scribbly Christmas' stamp set. I simply stamped the trees and matching sentiments in black ink on little 4x4 square cards, then coated the trees with Stickles glitter glue...there are 18 cards in total:


Here's a close-up showing the sparkle:


Challenges for these cards:
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Tuesday, 1 December 2015

O' Christmas Tree

I have another Christmas card to share today...using my 'Christmas Tree Cupcake' stamp by Indigo Blu. I coloured it using watercolour pencils, carefully cut it out, then gave it a generous coating of Stickles glitter glue. For the background, I embossed plain white card using my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' and Sizzix 'Holly' folders. I distressed the edges a little, and cut the curve using one of my Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside Border' dies. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.


Challenges for this card:
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