Wednesday 15 December 2010

Last minute Christmas cards...

Hi! So how's everyone in craft-land? I've made the last of my Christmas cards now (though there a few I've yet to show you) so relief all round. I've got at least one gift I want to make though so will be making a start on that later this week.

My Christmas preparations are coming along OK. My in-laws, sis and partner and bro are all coming and the latter 3 are staying for 1 or 2 nights so I've been planning food and drink!! I now know what we're having, what I'm making and what's ordered so I feel a bit more relaxed. I did a trial run of a Bailey's Cheesecake at the weekend which was gorgeous if I do say so myself. Hubbie took it into work as I didn't think we should try and eat a whole cheesecake ourselves (!) and it went down a treat so I'll be making that. Am also going to try a Nigella Lawson Chocolate Fruit Cake which seems to have a gazillion ingredients and Mum's trifle recipe. Am not making a pudding or mince pies- M&S will see to that!!!!

Mum is feeling a bit better this week but the drain from her liver still has showed no sign of easing up so she has to go and see her surgeon again on Tuesday. He will decide whether she needs to have further surgery. Every day we have to measure what comes out of Mum's drain (yes it is as horrible as it sounds) and I hope that it will be going down but no such luck as yet. If she has to have further surgery, we are worried it will delay her chemo AGAIN!

Anyway, enough ramblings... onto cards!!! yay!


I think this is one of my favourite Christmas cards I've made this year- even though it was my last one and one of the simplest, I just love this unusual paper and, of course, this gorgeous Penny Black stamp. She is coloured with copics and I paper pieced her dress and the Christmas tree with some coordinating paper. I added lots of Stickles to match the background paper and to bling her up!

I'd like to enter this into:
One Stop Craft Challenge- Sassy Christmas
Cupcake Craft- Non traditional Christmas
Lots To Do- Glitz
Allsorts- Last minute Christmas cards

Here's her close up! How gorgeous and stunning does she look? I wish I could do my hair like that!!

Crafty stash used: Stamp (Penny Black); Paper (DCWV); Watercolour pencils; Assorted cardstock; Gold Stickles

Here's my second Penny Black girl. I just adore these stamps! I'm particularly proud of this one as I stamped her dress on Christmas ribbon! Then I used a 3-D foam pad to make the dress pop out like a prom dress. What do you think? She's coloured with watercolour pencils and glammed up with Glamour Dust.

I'd like to enter this into:
Penny Black Saturday- Holly and Ivy
Sweet Stampin- recipe
ABC Christmas- H for Holly
Stamp With Fun- Christmas!

Crafty stash used: Stamp (Penny Black); Watercolour pencils; Papers (Doodlebug, Artic Frog); Assorted cardstock; Glamour Dust; Gold Stickles; Leaf (Prima); Ribbon (The Altered Element); Flowers (?); Gem (Lakeland)

And here's her close up! Do you like her dress and gem as her belt?

One final Riley card... Riley is coloured with copics and the papers I've used are all DCWV I think.
I'd like to enter this for:
Daring Cardmakers- Snow much fun
Pink Elephant- Winter Wonderland

Crafty stash used: Stamp (Riley); Copics; Papers (DCWV); Assorted cardstock; Sentiment (Craftwork Cards); Brad (Lakeland)

And I like the Sketch Saturday sketch so much I used it for this card too!! Do you like how the paper matches his jumper?!

Crafty stash used: Image (Penny Black); Copics; Papers (DCWV, Doodlebug, Artic Frog); Assorted cardstock; Sentiment (Craftwork Cards); Embellie (freebie)

I'm not sure if I'll have time to do a post next week but I just wanted to wish each and every one of you a very Happy Christmas! Thank you all for following me, leaving comments and giving me support throughout the year, I really do appreciate it. Have fun!

Friday 10 December 2010

Hi everyone! Hope you're OK. Thanks for all my birthday wishes, I had a nice day as my sis and her partner came for the weekend plus my sis took over nursing duties so I had a nice break for the day. I got a few bits of crafty stash but I haven't had a chance to post them yet, will do it next time. This week has been a bit hectic as my Mum has felt really ill all week so I've had numerous visits to the doctor but thank god she is feeling better today so all is well. With my Mum being ill, I'm hosting Christmas for the first time and I have to say, I'm not really enjoying the stress of organising everything- now I know what Mum had to do all these years!! I suppose it's not helped with everything that's been going on but I feel highly unprepared and unskilled!

Anyway onto some cards I've managed to make this week:

First up is this little collection of 3 Elzybells' Cracking Mouse stamp. I'm entering this into Die Cut Dreams' Challenge which is "seeing triple" eg make 3 cards on one theme. I've coloured all the images with a mixture of lyra pencils and watercolour pencils and then added Stickles to highlight.

This first card is for the Mojo Monday sketch which I rotated and Lil Red Wagon- use a diecut. Papers are by Cosmo Cricket. Large snowflake is a Sizzix die. Do please click on the image to see the colouring in more detail.

Crafty stash used: Stamps (Elzybells); Lyra pencils; Watercolour pencils; Papers (Cosmo Cricket); Assorted cardstock; Pearls (Ebay); Die (Sizzix); Snowflake embellie (freebie)

This second card is using Bo Bunny papers and I added stitching around the image and on the background layer. Ribbon is recycled. Snowflake embellie as before. I'd like to enter this for Stampin Royalty- Winter Holidays and Secret Crafter- Christmas!

Here is a close up. He is tooo cute!

My final card in the trio is using paper by My Mind's Eye and some scraps of cardstock which I did some doodly stitching around.

My next card is for Sketch Saturday only I'm posting it now on Friday as I haven't had time before!!! My new Art Institute stamp again and using simple Doodlebug papers with stitching added.

Crafty stash used: Stamp (Art Institute); Copics; Brush Markers; Glamour Dust; Papers (Doodlebug); Assorted cardstock; Stitching; Sentiment (Craftwork Cards); Snowflakes (The Works); Nesties

A different look for this card. I've used my Stampington stamp and have stippled around the edges of the image using some blue and silver metallic inks. The swirls are Inkadinkado stamps to which I've added gems, a pearl and dots of Liquid Pearls. A bit dreamy don'tcha think? Sentiment is a See D's one.

I'd like to enter this for ABC Challenge which is jewels and gems and Stamptacular Sunday- blue Christmas.

Crafty stash used: Stamps (Stampington, Inkadinkado & See D's); Inks; Stipple brush; Gems (Lakeland); Pearl (Prima); Liquid Pearls

Finally a different shaped card. I'd like to use these more often as they're small and it challenges you to do something simpler. Image is Penny Black coloured with watercolour pencils and outlined in copics. Paper is Doodlebug I think. I added stitching and a punched snowflake. I'd like to enter this for Crafty Pad- anything goes!

Crafty stash used: Stamp (Penny Black); Paper (Doodlebug); Watercolour pencils; Copics; Assorted cardstock; Punch (Woodware); Pearls (Wild Orchid Crafts)

I hope to really make the cards I make next week my last ones cos otherwise it'll be too late to send 'em!!!! Hoping you all have a fun crafting week, hope to have some crafty stash photies to show you. Hope your snow is clearing!!!! xxx

Thursday 2 December 2010

Snowed in!

Hi everyone! How are you all coping with the crazy weather?! We have had so much snow here in Essex!!! The good news is that we picked up Mum from the hospital in Basingstoke on Monday, the day before all the snow arrived else she'd probably still be there!!!! Thanks for your sweet messages re my Mum, she is doing remarkably well. They took out about a third of her liver in the end so I hope they got all the bl**dy stuff out!!! She is now back at mine, running me ragged! Lol. Not really, she's a model patient but I am pretty tired of running up and down the stairs every five minutes!! I'd make a rubbish nurse I'm sure!

Well I really should be panicking re how many Christmas cards I've still got to make but life has a way of putting things in perspective, eh? So I'm not worrying too much, they'll get done when they get done!

So onto some cards I've made in the last couple of days...

The first card is a non-Christmasy one for my sis's partner. He's a great cook and loves cooking and baking so I thought this Riley stamp would be perfect. I've used 2 of my fantastic Die-namics on this card- the notebook border (don't you love the perforated edge?!) and the star border (so great for male cards). I copied a recipe for chocolate muffins off the internet and printed out on card and then used the Die-namic to make it look like it was out of a notebook. Image is coloured with copics. Sentiment stamp was freebie with Craft Stamper magazine.

I'd like to enter this into:
Crazy 4 Challenges- used script paper

Crafty stash used: Stamps (Riley & freebie); Copics; Papers (DCWV); Assorted cardstock; Die-namics; Nesties; Computer generated recipe


Second up is a new stamp I got whilst on hols when visiting the Art Institute. I think this is such a great image, it's so unusual. It's quite hard to colour with copics so I've used a mixture of brush markers and copics. I added Glamour Dust to the tree. Papers are by Lily of the Valley. Sentiment is computer generated and, yes, I've used another of my new Die-namics for the open scalloped border.

Here is a little close-up. Don't you just love his beard?!

I'd like to enter this for:
Technostamper- sketch
Cutie Sunday- Santa Claus

Crafty stash used: Stamp (Art Institute); Brush markers; Copics; Glamour Dust; Paper (LOTV); Assorted cardstock; Die-namics die; Computer generated sentiment; Pearls (Wild Orchid Crafts)

Third up are my Elzybells' carollers. They are coloured with copics with some serious paper piecing going on. I also added Faux Snow on ground and Glamour Dust on the carollers. Papers are by My Mind's Eye and sentiment is also Elzybells.

I'd like to enter this into:
ABC Challenge- ice and snow
ABC Christmas Challenge- use holly & berries or candles or red & green
One Stop- Christmas cuties
Crafty Pad- Snowflakes

Another close-up. I'm really digging her stripy coat and glittery scarf!

Crafty stash used: Stamps (Elzybells); Copics; Papers (My Mind's Eye); Assorted cardstock; Faux snow (Art Institute); Glamour Dust; Snowflake (recycled)

Last up is a simple card using a Sizzix word die. Papers are My Mind's Eye again.

Crafty stash used: Papers (My Mind's Eye); Assorted cardstock; Sizzix die; Gems (Lakeland); Snowflakes; The Works

Thanks so much for stopping by, I really do appreciate it. I know I've been a bad blogger!!! It's my birthday on Sunday, I really wanted to have my new look craft room finished but what with one thing and another, that's not happening! Maybe it'll be done by Christmas with any luck! Happy crafting! x