Is this getting boring???! More Christmas cards... and a gift!

Hi. I hope everyone had a good weekend. Did you see the X Factor? Thank goodness Lloyd has gone. Cute kid but way out of his depth. I think this week will be the really interesting week as all 4 of them are good singers. I think the finalists will be Olly, Stacey and Joe. What do you all think?

I'm feeling a bit better but not great. I've got to ring the GP for my test results today so I'm hoping it'll be a case of just getting some more antibiotics. Anyway, feeling grotty gave me the chance to do alot of crafting so here are my makes for last week.

This first card I'm really pleased with. I wanted to go for a more elegant style. Using my nesties I cut a circle out of a post-it note and then stuck it down on white card to act as a mask. I stippled a variety of blue and silver inks around the edge of it. I then took off the post-it to reveal a white circle. I then stamped the Papermania deer over the top of the circle. I then used this gorgeous Inkadinkado beaded swirl set to create a frame by stamping off the page. I then double mounted it and tied a bit of recycled ribbon around it. The sentiment is from the Papermania set too. I'm not sure where the paper is from, I bought it as a single sheet.

Crafty stash used: Stamps (Papermania & Inkadinkado); Assorted cardstock; Ribbon (recycled); Buttons (Recycled); Nesties; Inks & stipple brush; Post-it note

I liked this style so much I decided to do the same thing for this gorgeous Inkadinkado lamp stamp. This time I used an oval nestie and I did the edging on the main background of the card instead of the image. Finally I added a Christmas ribbon and some hot fix crystals.

Crafty stash used: Stamps (Inkadinkado); Assorted cardstock; Ribbon (?); Hot fix crystals (London Bead Co.); Inks & stipple brush; Post-it note; Nesties

I've had a couple of orders for my handbag charms for Christmas presents so this is the first one I made this week. The photo doesn't really do it justice as the light is reflecting on the colours too much but you get the general idea! This one is called Red Scarlet.

So now on to some challenges! This card is for the Our Creative Corner Challenge who have a sketch with baubles to follow. It came along at just the right time as my friend, Fi, bought me these fab little bauble embellies and I was wanting to use them! The paper is Papermania. I pulled the hanging thread out the back of the embellies to make one long thread rather than a loop. I added some lovely wide silver ribbon with a strip of silver on top and then added a silver Sizzix swirl which I thought would look great as a sort of silvery branch. I then added a sentiment and silver sequins (also from the set Fi gave me).

Crafty stash used: Paper (Papermania); Assorted cardstock; Embellies (The Works); Stamp (Papermania); Swirl (Sizzix); Ribbon (recycled)

And on to my final make. This is for the ABC Challenge and Card Patterns and Our Secret Crafter. The ABC Challenge is I for Indigo Blue. I'm not sure if this looks indigo blue in the photo as the flash had to be on but it is! Card Patterns obviously have a sketch to follow and Our Secret Crafters' Challenge is Christmas trees.

The paper is by Doodlebug, the trees are little embellies given to me by the lovely Fi as well! The gems are by Lakeland. I loved this sketch, think I will use it again!

Crafty stash used: Papers (Doodlebug); Assorted cardstock; Embellies (The Works); Gems (Lakeland)

Hope you enjoyed your visit today. Look forward to seeing you all soon! x

Yep, you guessed it! More Christmas cards.....

Hi everyone! I hope you had a nice weekend. I'm under the weather with a bladder infection and hubbie is in bed with flu- what a healthy pair we are! So am feeling as miserable as the weather here in Essex so I thought I might as well get on with the Christmas card making. I started way too late this year so I feel like I'm rushing them a bit which I really hate doing! So this first card is for a few challenges and is based around a cute Penny Black snowman. The paper is last year's DCWV Christmas pad and the top layer has the words to "Jingle Bells" on which is perfect for this week's Allsorts Challenge which is a Christmas carol or song. I even found a rub on which said "Jingle Bells" too! I added a punched strip, some raspberry ribbon, a punched snowflake and blue hot fix crystals.

I'm entering this card for the following challenges:

Penny Black- Winter Wonderland

Friday Sketchers- sketch!

Allsorts- Christmas songs

Crafty stash used: Stamp (Penny Black); Copics; Papers (DCWV); Assorted cardstock; Punches (Martha Stewart & Woodware); Ribbon (Poppicrafts); Hot fix crystals (Bead Co.; Rub on (K & Co)
This next card is for the Crazy for Challenges sketch which really suited a quick and easy bit of cardmaking. The image is Stampendous coloured with copics, I wanted to use really bright colours on this card to reflect the bright paper which I think was DCWV again. I made use of my snowflake punch again which is new for this season and which I've used on just about every card I've made. The little white snowflake is a gorgeous snowflake embellie which my lovely friend Fi bought me- you'll be seeing more of these!! (Thanx so much, Fi! x)

Crafty stash used: Image (Stampendous); Copics; Paper (DCWV?); Assorted cardstock; Punch (Woodware); Snowflake embellie (The Works); Sentiment (Lili of the Valley)
Finally here are a few more cards I made. The images may be Hero Arts I'm not sure. I coloured them all with copics- just added highlights which you can't really see that well in this photo. The paper is by Artic Frog. More use of my punch and snowflake embellies!!!

Crafty stash used: Sentiment stamp (See D's) Images (Hero Arts??); Copics; Paper (Artic Frog); Assorted cardstock; Punch (Woodware); Snowflake embellie (The Works); Ribbon (Recycled)

Hope you enjoyed visiting today, have a fab week! x

More Christmas cards!

Hello, hello! I'm panicking a bit as I'm getting seriously behind on my Christmas cards and I've just had some orders for some of my handbag charms for Christmas presents so I've made some fairly simple cards this week and only one of them is for some challenges as it cuts down on time a bit!!

So the card above is being entered for the following challenges:

Winter Wonderland- St Nicholas

Copic Colour Challenge- Red, green, yellow

The Secret Crafter- 4 Seasons

I don't know where the image is from but I coloured it with copics and then have triple mounted sandwiching between a nestied layer. The papers are all from a DCWV stack I bought last year. The little tag was free with a magazine a few years ago and I stuck it on card, cut round it, made a hole in it and threaded ribbon through.

Crafty stash used: Image (?); Copics; Paper (DCWV); Assorted cardstock; Tag (freebie); Ribbon (Lakeland); Nesties

I then made a few other quickish cards. This one again is using a recycled embellishment from last year's Christmas cards. I mounted the embellishment on gold card and used papers from a Papermania set and then just mounted the whole lot on goldish card and added 3 purple gems. Very quick but I think the colours make it look quite opulent!

Crafty stash used: Embellishment (recycled); Papers (Papermania); Assorted cardstock; Gems (Lakeland)

These last 2 designs I kinda cribbed from my Christmas sketch book which I got last week and is totally fab! The tall card behind I basically just used up old scraps of paper, embossed a scrap of card and created a little embellie using nesties, my snowflake punch and a pink hot fix crystal.

The square card was made using Doodlebug papers, again I created an embellie using nesties and a snowflake punch but this time I also added die cut letters. I really wanted to go for unusual colours- hope you like the look!

Crafty stash used: Papers (Doodlebug; DCWV); Assorted cardstock; Nesties; Punch (Woodware); Hot fix crystals; Ribbon (Lakeland & recycled); Lettering (Sizzix); Snowflake embossing folder (Cuttlebug)

Cupcake Craft, Colour Create & Just Christmas.. Challenges

Hello all! Yet another miserable wet day here in Essex and I've got a couple of cards to post. The first is for Just Christmas & Birthday Cards Challenge who've got a sketch to follow this week. I've used the sketch to make a card for my hubbie who's birthday it is on Sunday. I bought this Changito Monkey stamp especially for him as he's on his laptop which is very apt for my hubbie who designs computer games for a living! I especially love the banana instead of the apple on the PC! I coloured Changito in using Lyra pencils and I've used one of my fav colour combos using papers by Pebbles Inc.

Here is a little close up of the cute chapie!

Crafty stash used: Stamp (Stampendous); Lyra pencils; Papers (Pebbles Inc); Assorted cardstock; Nesties; Ribbons (recycled); Button (Sizzix)

My second challenge entry is for Cupcake Craft Challenge who's topic this week is "Snow" and Colour Create who's colour combo is blue, silver and white.

I made this card using some recycled snowflakes pulled off an old christmas card- I think they work really well. The papers are by Papermania and the sentiment is by See D's- again I did a bit of tricky overstamping but, hey, that's what See D's are for!!

And another little close up!

Crafty stash used: Stamp (See D's); Papers (Papermania); Assorted cardstock; Nesties; Corner rounder punch; Snowflakes (recycled); Sticky lace (?)

4 challenges and some chickens!!

Creative Card Crew & 365 Cards Challenges

Hello ladies!! Hope you're having a good Tuesday. It's a horrible miserable rainy day here in Essex so I've taken the opportunity to do a bit of crafting as I've got some orders to fill and am running out of time on all of them!!

So onto my first card which is for my Mum's birthday. I LOVE this stamp! It's called Dahlia Hen and it's by Whipper Snapper. It reminded me of my Mum- mother hen and all that! I've entered this for the Creative Card Crew Challenge who's challenge is ribbons and gems and 365 Cards Challenge who's challenge is Feathers! I coloured in the image with Lyra pencils and Sansador and have paper pieced her pinny. The papers are by Basic Grey. I used my nesties to create an apeture for Dahlia to sit in and then raised up the foreground to make it 3d- I hope you can see what I've done there! I then added a ribbon and cut out some little birdies from matching paper and added some rose hot fix crystals and sentiment.

Crafty stash used: Stamp (Whipper Snapper); Lyra colorsoft pencils; Papers- Basic Grey; Nesties; Ribbon (Poppicrafts); Hot fix crystals (Beadcraft); Sentiment (Craftwork Cards)

365 Card Challenge & My Time to Craft Challenge

My second card is an order for my sister's friend and it's another chicken!! I LOVE these Whipper Snapper chickens- how did you guess?! I'm entering this as another card for 365 Card Challenge and also My Time to Craft Challenge who's challenge this week is scallops.

So again I coloured chicken with Lyra pencils and Sansador and paper pieced her pressie and ribbon. The papers are all by My Mind's Eye and I cut out the flowers from one sheet of the paper and added those as embellishments with scarlet hot fix crystals in the centre.

Crafty stash used: Stamp (Whipper Snapper); Lyra pencils; Papers (My Mind's Eye); Nesties; Sentiment (Craftwork Cards); Hot fix crystals (Bead Craft)

Crafts 4 Eternity Challenge

And my final card is another card order for my sis's partner. I was actually following the sketch for Crafts 4 Eternity but forgot that you also had to add 2 ribbons and a paperclip!! Doh!! So this little doggie is by Elzybells and I've coloured with copics and decoupaged his head and paws. The papers are all by Making Memories and I used the Sizzix buttons die to make the buttons.

Crafty stash used: Stamp (Elzybells); Copics; Papers (Making Memories); Nesties; Sentiment (Craftwork Cards); Sizzix die; Punch (Martha Stewart)