Twixtmas?

Hi, hope you all had a fab Christmas. We had a full house including my gorgeous 9 week old Grandson over. Lots of Nannee cuddles, especially as he is rather a windy chap! He loved the opening of pressies and the twinkling fairy lights on the tree. He did, however, keep my daughter up all Christmas Eve. :( 

Anyway we are now in that strange limbo between Christmas and New Year, Twixtmas perhaps?

Still, it does give us not working, time to have a quiet play with this years Christmas crafty goodies.

My lovely Son bought me a full set of Prismacolor coloured pencils, to go with the Zigs he bought me last year, I do love an Amazon wish list. The number of crafty pressies was somewhat reduced though as two items my OH ordered, one was eventually unobtainable according to Amazon, it being ordered way back at the end of October and the other arrived without it's contents! The MFT packaging was there but no goodies inside for me to play with! The seal across the bottom was open, so they must be on the floor in the despatch area. 

Never mind, I did have a play with a set of Altenew stamps that remind me of Christmas Roses or Hellebores, their I Adore You set certainly have that look about them. 

Needing a card for my SiL's birthday early in January, I had a play with the aforementioned Zigs and no line watercolouring. Here's the end result.

I used this picture as a guide to the colouring

which reminded me of the June colour inspiration over at Altenew's review of the year, with the plum and pink tones. I caught a YouTube demo here which also inspired me, it popped up when looking for hellebores/Christmas roses.

I started by stamping some of the flowers in Antique Linen DI on watercolour paper, then using some masking fluid and a mapping pen, blocked out the stamens in the center of the flowers. When completely dry I used my Zigs to colour the flowers. When dry I removed the masking fluid, added extra white with a gel pen and fussy cut them. Leaves were done similarly except for the masking fluid.  On the demo there was a trick using something called cling wrap but unfortunately it must be different to our cling film as it didn't work at all when I tried. Shame as it was a really good idea to keep your layout in one piece whist gluing down the bits. Had to do it the old way, taking a photo before the elements moved.

 Loved the gold edging on one of the examples, achieved by running the card panel edges along the Versamark pad before embossing with gold EP. To keep the gold theme going I added a die cut gold sentiment popped up partially on a fun foam die cut and a few sequins from the stash.

So that's it really. Just realised that I have lots of DT posts coming up so I better get a wriggle on with those!

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Seasonal Flowers

Favourite Christmas cards 2017

Well all is calm after the Christmas festivities. I hope you all had a fab celebration and lots of crafty goodies in your stocking.

In the past few years I've done a run down on my favourite cards of the year starting with my Christmas faves so here they all are.

I have tried to keep up with my stash throughout the year so this first choice was made back in June.

An entry in a Less is More sketch challenge, do like a good sketch, this card uses an inked panel and a die cut tree landscape.

On into July and this card using this fab Uniko poinsettia stamp, I just love the big bold image and is perfect for watercolouring. 

I decoupaged the center and added the die cut embossed celebrate.

In the same week I made another winter/Christmas card, this time using Brusho, tissue paper and embossed snowflakes.

I must have been feeling the cold that day as this has a very cool feel to it!

After seeing some fab watercolour cards on YouTube I bought a Penny Black stamp at the stamp fair at Port Sunlight in October. This was my second attempt using it.

Having a MISTI certainly makes using this type of stamp so much easier, you can get a lot of definition into the image. The snowy effect is made by adding Frantage, chunky EP, on the still wet panel, then heat setting. Not wishing to spoil the panel I wrapped a #Uniko gold stamped and embossed sentiment on vellum over it.

 My last card is perhaps one of my faves. It is a OL card and took quite a bit of planning but I think it was worth it.

The theme was candle or light source and I was thinking of doing a watercolour version but after a bit of thought I couldn't see a way to keep it clean and crisp. The end product involved a lot of masking and delicate inking to get the effect, along with the judicious placing of liquid masking fluid.

So that's my Christmas card year, what's yours? 

Cute Owls

Hi, just nipping in with a quick post for a couple of challenges out there.

Here is a card I made to give to my OH this year.

Love the cute Lawn Fawn owl stamp and the cheesy greeting. I use the owl on it's own a lot but the greeting only seems right for a romantic Christmas card. I always struggle with what to give the OH for birthday and Christmas so it's usually only something silly, such as the Man Cave sign I bought him for his last birthday but I have sussed out the unwanted gift from him, Amazon wish list! Anyway the sentiment here is just the thing, if a bit cheesy.

I kept the background simple, using my fave EF, falling snow, and a couple of  die cut snowdrifts. I did die cut the heart before I embossed the background, stamping the sentiment and adding a few fussy cut stamped hearts before replacing it into the background panel. The owls were coloured with Copics before fussy cutting them. I must admit to preferring that method to the new thing of matching die cuts, I can never get them to look right and it's cheaper! A little bit of white puffy paint anchors the owls in the landscape.
I think it's also the perfect entry over at Less is More, birds/feathers, The Male Room, Christmas and Inkspirational, gift.

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Rudolph Take Two

Good morning.

Hope all your Christmas prep is on track and all your cards posted!

If you are in need of a quick last minute card perhaps this week's challenge at Cardz4Guyz could help as our final theme of the year is -

LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS

Well that just shouts CAS to me so here is a card that just took a few minutes to put together!

I made a card a couple of challenges ago for our reindeer challenge and had a couple of extra images left over, so with the addition of a snippet of DP from the bits box and a precut frame in the diecuts box, this is the result. I think the glossy accents on Rudolf's nose took longer to dry than the rest of the card put together!

Check out the rest of the team for more last minute inspiration here and then show us your makes.

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Festive Free for all

Went with the stag head image!

CUTplorations, a reminder

Evening all. 

I hope you are all ready for the Christmas festivities, I'm sure I'm not! Still, not to panic, just the turkey to pluck and dress and find somewhere cold for it to stay 'til it's time for the oven. This year it's only travelling, well not on it's own legs, about a 1/2 mile from the sheds at the end of the lane. I usually get one from the local butcher all dressed and ready but he retired this autumn so a friend said he would order us one from the local turkey farm, so it will be the OH who has the job of getting it oven ready!

Anyway, down to business. I've a reminder for you that if you need a few last minute cards to make you could do no better than use this month's challenge at CUTplorations to get them done. Here's a quick CAS card I made.

based on this festive photo.

image source: weihnachtstrend

If you remember my card from the first challenge post, I had a panel of red card with the Merry Christmas cut away. Well here is that panel all spruced up and looking festive with a candy stripe replacement!
I got the idea when I saw the DP peeking through the leftover panel as it was laying discarded on the desk. At first I was just going to over lay the red onto the candy stripe DP but in the end I thought it looked better cut and popped up on some funky foam.
I replaced the die cut sandwich of foam and DP into the aperture of the red panel, cut with the smallest of the Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies. I decided to juj up the leftover panel a bit with some tiny clear embossed trees from the Trendy Christmas trees set.  As I was mounting the finished panel on a base card I used the same piece of candy striped DP that I cut the Merry Christmas from, waste not want not.

So that's about it, for more inspiration check out the rest of the team here.

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Stamping, pattern paper, emboss

Joyful Christmas Wishes

Morning all.

Just popping by to share a card I made for the latest challenge at Less is More.

Had a little bit of time yesterday to have a play and decided to make this OL card but the light went before I could take a piccie. Ironic as the theme is candles or something depicting light!

As this is OL week, I started by masking off a square on a white base card before stamping the branches and the lamp. The lamp is a lamp post stamp from Flowersoft about 10 years ago and the branches are basically a twig stamp from an Altenew set with added branches done freehand. I added some masking fluid over the branches and in the sky to create the snow. When fully dry I inked in the sky using Chipped Sapphire and Blueprint Sketch DI. Around the lantern I added some Scattered Straw and Spiced Marmalade. After removing the mask, I stamped the sentiment in black.

Job done.

Most of our snow has melted, even the extra we got on Wednesday night so getting around is a lot more pleasurable, until you hit the shops that is! Here are a couple of photos taken by the OH on Monday as a reminder.

     

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                                                       Christmas

CAS

Sparkly Snow.

Morning all, hope you are all safe and well.

We had a very quiet weekend due mainly to the eight inches of white fluffy stuff which settled over this part of the Marches. The sun is out and the air is clean and crisp today and to be honest I could have done with my sunglasses coming back from walking the dog. We were restricted to the drive as the snow is too deep for our little Max. Normally he is so small that he doesn't sink into the snow, but what fell this weekend is soft and powdery and he sinks in up to his nose! He loves it really and would stay out longer that is good for him.

Anyway lots of time some crafting as we couldn't get out. Here is a card that perfectly reflects today.

A simple diecut, layered card, using a MFT square frame die, a panel of glitter paper and part of a die cut panel cut using a Creative Expressions die.

So even though the sun is shining I think it will be another day at least before we will be able to be out and about, so it would be a shame not to play a little longer in my craftroom, I will get those Christmas cards posted sometime before this Christmas, hopefully!

Some mid morning shots of the fields, such a glorious morning, taken by the OH.

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Snowflakes

Not four but three candles!

You remember the classic Two Ronnies sketch? 

Sorry but this is just a post to share a card with three candles I made for this month's HLS Anything Goes with dies challenge which starts today!

This is another of the light up cards I made on the HLS retreat in November. When I got home I decided to juj it up a bit with some gold mirri card, Like the snowflake I posted earlier, it lights up when you press the middle of the greeting. The frame looks a bit wonky but it was actually the sunlight reflecting off the mirri card frame, mirri card is a nightmare to photograph.

After cutting out the Memory Box die from white card I coloured the flames and leaves with Copic before adding some red glitter embossing powder to the ends of the sprigs before heating to set. 

The sentiment was stamped and heat embossed with gold EP and the centers of the candles put back in and then the group was glued over the circuit, see Kylie's video here for details.

Once home I added the gold frame and foliage.

So for more die cut inspiration check out the rest of the team here.

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Holiday Greeetings

    

Christmas                                  Happy Christmas/Holidays

Red and Green

Morning all.

Hope you are all well and prepared for the cold snap that is forecast to descend on us later today.

Anyway, it's time for a brand new challenge over at Cardz4Galz, we would love to see your projects containing-

SNOWMEN

I know it should really be snowwomen but hey. I chose this snow person stamp because the character looks a little more like a lady than my others! She's all wrapped up in her Santa hat and green and red spotty scarf.

The stamp is from Woodware, I bought it last year but just got around to using it! As it is a large image I kept it simple just colouring with Copics and mounted on a scrap of red paper. I kept to the colour scheme at Less is More, even the carrot is coloured red, from the orange end of the reds, R00, R02 and R04, the hat and scarf using the darker R32, 34, 37 and 39. A little bit of texture was added with Puffy Paint to her hat trim.

A simple sentiment from LOTV completes my card.

Check out the rest of the team here and why not join us.

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          CAS                                                               

Snowflakes are Winter's Butterflies

Evening folks. I'm back to share a card I made for this weeks challenge at ATSM. This week our challenge theme is -

ANYTHING GOES

So go wild, it's all in your hands!

I used a couple of challenges and got arty with my inspiration card.

I love the watercolour cards I see on the Penny Black blog by Mimi Jourdain and have loved putting on my watercolour hat. This one uses a trio of fir trees and a larger PB one to create the woods in my landscape. 

I started with a piece of w/c paper, splattered some masking fluid over panel and masked out a circle cut from a post it, then decided where to put my trees. When dry, using a torn paper mask, I wet the background and stamped some pale blue trees in various heights. The sharper ones were where the paper had dried out too much, then once dry but without moving the mask I stamped the trio of trees in black Versafine. As Versafine is not water soluble you get a clear crisp impression that contrasts with the soft blue of the trees behind. Removing the mask I washed in some more of the pale blue as shadows on the snow. When totally dry I removed the mask and masking fluid and stamped the sentiment. The finished panel was glued to a top folding white base card.

For more inspiration checkout the rest of the DT here.

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Winter Trees and flowers

                                                                  edit 7/12 forgot I meant to enter here too, doh!