Quick & Simple Christmas

I've made another Christmas card...well...one of my New Year's resoltions is to make my Christmas cards all year round again...so I'm afraid that (hopefully) you'll be seeing lots more unseasonal cards fom me! This was a really quick and simple card to make...I'd been working on new music arrangements all day, but just had to squeeze in some crafting in the evening. The ornament stamp is from the Forever Friends 'A Winter's Tale' set...and when I first saw it I thought it would look good simply stamped with a ribbon bow tied over the top, to make it look like they're hanging from the ribbon, so that's what I did! I coloured the baubles using watercolour pencils, then added some sparkle with a Sakura Stardust pen. The gingham ribbon is from Hobbycraft, and the sentiment is from a 'Me to You' set that came free with a DoCrafts mag.

Challenges for this card:

• Creative Craft - Resolutions (One of my crafting ones is to make Christmas cards all year round)
• Cute Card Thursday - What's New? (The image & sentiment stamps are both new)
• Incy Wincy - Anything Goes
• My Mum's Craft Shop - Something New (New stamps)
• Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes & Optional New (The stamps are both new)
• Pink Elephant - Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp - Something New (New stamps)
• Top Tip Tuesday - Anything Goes

First Christmas Card of 2012!

Guess what I did yesterday? Yep that's right...made a start on this year's Christmas cards! Well, it's never too early...I plan to make them all year round again...and besides, I got some new stash for Christmas! The image I've used is from the Forever Friends 'A Christmas Tale' set...which was a Christmas present...I coloured it using watercolour pencils to match the My Mind's Eye 'Countdown to Christmas' papers. I added the faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug & a white gel pen. The snowflakes were cut from kraft using Marianne Designs & Cuttlebug dies, and the sentiment is from a 'Me to You' set that came free with a Docrafts mag. The spotty buttons (also a Christmas gift) are from a 'Neighbourwood' set by Helz Cuppleditch, and the baker's twine is from the Ribbon Girls.

Challenges for this card:

• Forever Friends - Sketch
• Christmas Cards All Year Round - Non-traditional Colours (Teal)
• Crafty Catz - Santa's Hat (On the dog)
• Creative Friday's - It's Cold Outside
• Crimbo Crackers - Snowflakes
• My Time to Craft - Winter Pals
• Paper Sundaes - Some Old (The MME papers) & Something New (The FF stamp & buttons)
• Simon Says Stamp & Show - Some Old (The MME papers) & Something New (The FF stamp & buttons)
• Squirrel & the Fox - Something New (The FF stamp & buttons)
• Totally Gorjuss - Happy

Christmas Singing Duo

While I had my BasicGrey 'Figgy Pudding' papers out yesterday, I made another Christmas card...this time using the sketch from the Friday Sketchers Challenge...although without the optional 'Blue & Orange' colour combo. I chose instead to use the Colour Create colour combination of 'Ruby, Cream & Gold'. The image is a cute House Mouse stamp called 'Christmas Singing Duo', which I've watercoloured, and added a hint of glitter to the candle flames and snow. The sentiment stamp is by Three Bugs in a Rug, and the ribbon was tied around a Christmas present last year...I love recycling! lol

Friday Sketchers with Charisma

This card uses the sketch for this week's Friday Sketchers Challenge, and the colour combination of 'Purple and Green' from the Charisma Cardz Challenge. I've used one of the floral stamps from the Woodware 'Art Deco' set for the main image, and some Whiff of Joy 'Spring Swirls' (embossed in clear powder) on the background. The sentiment is also by Whiff of Joy, the ribbon is from Poppicrafts, and the lace was in the candy I won from Camilla.

Friday Sketchers meets Forever Friends...

I've combined this week's Friday Sketchers sketch, with the theme of a 'General Birthday' card of the Forever Friends Challenge. As the paper (from the 'Sweet Nothings' pack by Papermania) is so busy, I've stuck quite strictly to the sketch - although I did add a couple of Prima flowers, as I felt it needed something in that corner to balance it out. The sentiment is from the 'Anytime Messages' set by Hero Arts, and the buttons are from my stash.

Dutch Dare Challenge #29

I had a lovely afternoon yesterday, playing with some of my new crafty bits and catching up with some of the challenges. This sketch is from the Dutch Dare challenge blog, which I have stretched to fit a square card. My main image is a Forever Friends stamp, the papers are by Papermania ('Sweet Nothings'), and I've used another of my new Cuttlebug embossing folders ('Spots and Dots') on the plain cardstock.

Secret Crafter #5 vs One Stop Craft Challenge #2

Well, after I'd spent most of yesterday working hard, I thought I'd treat myself to a little crafting time, and join in a couple more challenges, as I needed to make a card for a crafty friend. I think that all of the hours I'd spent staring at my computer screen had addled my brain...all was going well until, I embossed my backing card the wrong way up, which meant I had to flip this week's Secret Crafter sketch over, and make a 'mirror image'...either that or have the birds upside down! lol Then when I went back to the blog to have another look at the sketch, I noticed the 'twist' of only using the colours 'Brown, Pink & White'...hmmmm...how did I miss that the first time I looked???

As you can see, this card is definitely NOT 'Brown, Pink & White'!!! Luckily, I'd combined the sketch with the theme of 'Things with Wings' over on the 'One Stop Craft Challenge', so it wasn't a complete dead loss! The winged things are: the butterflies on the stamp ('Butterfly Wishes' by Penny Black), and the birds (Cuttlebug 'Birds & Swirls' embossing folder) on the background card. The patterned paper is by Dovecraft ('Aquamarine Floral' stack), and the sentiment stamp is form the 'Critter Party' set by Penny Black.

As I really liked the sketch, I thought I'd give it another go...and pay attention this time! So here is my 'Brown, Pink & White' card (with the sketch the right way round too!):

I've used a 'Forever Friends' image this time, with paper from the 'Glitter' stack by DCWV, a pink and brown spotty 'Flora Doodle', ribbon from a set from the £shop, my 'Swiss Dots' embossing folder and the same sentiment stamp as my first card.

I promise I'll pay more attention next week!

Yet more Christmas cards...

Well, all good things must come to an end...it's back to school tomorrow, but before I get back into work mode, here are a few more cards I made yesterday.
The first is using a Forever Friends image I got sent in a swap, with a sentiment stamp from a set by Studio G:


The image on this one is called 'Winter Pup' by Hero Arts - I've decoupaged his head, but you can't see that very well in the photo, and the green paper has been embossed with the 'Swiss Dots' folder:

The last one has a Penny Black image from the set 'Christmas Critters':

All patterned papers are from the 'Christmas Wishes' stack by DCWV, and the circles and ovals were cut using Nesties.

Secret Craft Saturday Challenge #4

There's a fab sketch by Donna for this week's challenge - I can see myself using this one again! I've used a Forever Friends image that I was sent in a swap, and some more of the yummy DCWV 'Christmas Wishes' papers in traditional Christmas colours. The sentiment stamp is from a set by Three Bugs in a Rug, and the gold trim across the bottom of the card was a freebie with the new edition of Docrafts Creativity.

Forever Friends

I swapped some images with one of my buddies on Docrafts earlier this week, and received a load of the new Forever Friends stamped images. To be honest, I didn't think that they'd be my kind of thing...despite my love of Penny Blacks, I'm not really into 'cute'...but I really liked working with this stamp. The backing papers are by DCWV ('Glitter Mat Stack'), and the sentiment is from a clear stamp set 'Fabulous Birthday' by Hero Arts.