Hopefully the last Christmas card of the year!

Yes, still making those last Christmas cards and this one is specially because my Niece is getting Daisy and Dandelion for her present, on CD and stickers and decoupage sheets. Hope she likes the CD.
Daisy, or is it Dandelion, was coloured with promarkers and I decoupaged the hat and paws, I love those paws! Niece is from a clear Papermania set, the stamp and greeting were a magazine freebie. Nestabilities large square and scalloped square used.

Christmas and birthday

Nearly the last Christmas card, and a birthday card too. The penguin stamp is a Stampavie stamp, coloured with Promarkers and glitter glue and a gem star over the star the penguin is holding. The tulips are Stampendous and I have a spare unused set up for grabs if anyone wants it. This is the second card I have made and a different colour combo this time makes this a very pretty card.

I photographed these against my craft room wall so they could be better shots, I had to put the mini photo studio away for Christmas lunch and now I have a brand new mini studio I hope to use very soon, once the electric piano is removed from the table!

I got a few lovely crafting bits and pieces for Christmas from my son who visited NY in November and hope to show you something using them soon. I have a scroll die set, a star die, two embossing folders and some Tim Holtz tape. Lovely.

I have entered these in the ABC challenge K is for Keep it Simple, last minute cards in a hurry and these were both very last minute and I think fairly simple!

I am also entering the top card in ABC Christmas challenge, zero for zero time left, and the penguin card was made Christmas eve late! 

A couple more Christmas cards - owls

 Two more cards to share with you. The first is using a Hero Arts clear set which is so cute, my Uncle loves owls so this is for him. I coloured the owls with Promarker die cut the panels with Nestabilties, and the card blank with a Sizzix Bigz XL scalloped card die, the ribbons are from Crafty Ribbons and the bow made using the Mini Bowdabra. I am going to enter it in the I Love Promarkers challenge which is anything goes.

 The second card is another Dovecraft bauble shaped card blank, and I attached a Hot off the Press panel matted on a scalloped panel cut with Nestabilities and attached with holly eyelets. I hope the recipients will hang this card with the ribbon loop, perhaps on their Christmas tree.

Quick cards

These card blanks are from a pack by Dovecraft of 30 shaped cards. I bought them in a sale I think, and found them when trying to make quick panic cards. I feel a bit cheated that one of the shapes is a rectangle (yes I know that is a shape) and the rectangle comes in gold and silver, which means there are less novelty shaped cards. There is one more shape not shown here which is a bauble, and I will post photos of those in due course. I have found some panels that I did last year, and with the Christmas trees I drizzled Stickles glue for tinsel and stuck gems to them and added wooden Christmas shapes that were a present. I think my favourite shapes are the crackers, I decorated them with Docraft stick on ribbons and felt shapes, and one little Hero Arts stamped dog, and I felt the need to add a cracker joke which I found using Google, printed off and cut into strips and stuck inside the crackers.

I don't like the snowflake one, which is an embossed snowflake on an octagonal card and the card is poor quality. Perhaps I will find a better way to decorate it, I am not happy with the effort above which is stickles and a gem in the middle.

I went to work this morning and distributed cards and gifts, and posted a few cards on the way,  then we were sent home again due to the snow. So having addressed all the cards I had just about I know how many I have left to make now, and have been busy making more this evening.

Snow brought U.K. to standstill again?

Panic but snow stopped Christmas

I have been desperately trying to make my Christmas cards this past week, still a long way to go. One evening I sat and coloured these cute puppies I had stamped the night before, and I found some tiny cards and envelopes that fitted perfectly - quick cards I thought but by the end of the evening I only had 6 cards to show for my efforts so I am having to make quicker cards now.

The puppy is a Hero Arts stamp called Winter Pup, and the greeting is a Penny Black stamp called Cozy. Coloured with Promarkers, die cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities and a star gem added to this one to cover an ink mark - whoops! I also added a touch of Papermania glitter glue to his hat. I think he is a very cute pup.

As for all this snow, we haven't had snow this deep since the bad snow last year that stopped everything after Christmas. We don't get much round here. I had been ordering Christmas presents online all week too, with a vain hope they would arrive today in time for giving to the recipients who were due to visit for a family party tomorrow at my parents. However the recipients are snowed in and the party is now postponed until perhaps after Christmas and we have had no post at all today. I know everything I am waiting for has been dispatched, maybe it will all work out in the end!

I am such a bad DT member

So sorry everyone especially teamies! This has been such a hectic week with so many things I have ended up doing, and I have tried to make a side step card so many times when I had a minute without success. This is because I was following American instructions in inches from the SCS forum (thanks, I will try and find the link and post it later) and 1/8th inches, using a metric ruler that had 10ths not 8ths, and it didn't work, I am also not very patient with precise measuring and hopeless at using a craft knife - in fact dangerous at times! Have been out to buy a new steel rule today with 8ths, also found a plastic one which has both 16ths and 10ths. So this attempt was slightly better.
Stamps are Holiday Dolls clear set by Hero Arts. I have never been a fan of flower soft until they brought out Polar White and this is the first time I used it. Images coloured with Promakers, Docrafts and Stickles glitter glues used, also Ranger Glossy Accents.

This is my DT challenge card for Quirky Crafts Challenge blog, you have just under a week left to enter, and the theme is Around the World. My card is about China, the mountains and snow.

As I have family round tomorrow, and then I really need to get into gear and finish my Christmas cards (unfortunately the bulk of them) not to mention some outstanding present shopping I may not get to post again before Christmas. So in case I don't - Happy Christmas to all my followers and visitors to this blog, and Happy New Year too (just in case).

Angel in paradise

Here is the same angel but stamped and embossed with white Brilliance ink and Hampton Art white embossing powder from a set of pastel colours. Added a punched edge using a Martha Stewart trellis punch, stamp is as before Inkadinkado, sentiment is Hero Arts. Snowflakes punched with Xcut punch and a freebie Tonic punch that I got with a magazine recently. Accent colour here is blue metallic only used for the biggest die cut label, Nestabilities used for the die cuts.

Don't forget to go and enter your black and white craft project with an accent colour and lots of punching over at the Quirky Crafts Challenge blog. You have until Friday (around 16:00 GMT) to get them in before voting starts Friday afternoon. Don't forget to visit and vote on Friday or Saturday even if you haven't managed to make something for the challenge.

I just spotted a challenge I can enter, The Crafty Pad challenge this week is snow (there are a lot of snow cards about, not to mention the weather in the U.K. right now). Going to look for more.

ABC Christmas challenge blogspot have an Xmas challenge so have entered that too.

Quirky Crafts Challenge 39 - recipe by Cazzy.

Yep, it is my recipe, and the recipe is mainly black and white with one accent colour and LOTS of punching. So get out your punches and go wild. We are still taking names of people interested in joining us on the design team permanently or for a guest spot. Also the winners of the last challenge have been announced over on the Quirky Crafts Challenge blog. We have also introduced an exciting new feature of Inlinkz, which is public voting so anyone can go vote for their favourite three cards at the end of the challenge and we will have a public and a DT favourite as our winners.

Here is my DT card:

This wasn't the card I had in mind to make, it just sort of happened. I was moving a box of stamps and spotted the Inkadinkado angel stamp still unused, and thought I would try it. I tried it in white on black too using embossing powders and after several attempts with different powders I got a good image, so watch out for the next version of this card. Next I went to look for punches and suddenly found the musical note punch, perfect for the angel with the trumpet. Instead of holly or snow, I ended up using a deep border punch by Martha Stewart to make the black lace, and punched out snowflakes in silver, which became my accent colour, with an Xcut punch. I cut the angel and matting shapes with Nestabilities large labels die set. Finally I looked for a sentiment and found the Peace stamp in a Hero Arts clear set, stamped and embossed in silver and die cut with the same large labels set. I also corner punched the gate fold corners. I had problems getting this photographed, even with a mini photo studio. Here is another version:

Not sure if that is any better to see, it is on a small easel that I cropped out.

 

Sugar Nellie tent card for PCP group challenge.

My first tent card, this was made for a Paper Craft Planet challenge on the All Things Sugar Nellie group. I used a Diane Duda stamp coloured with Promarkers but I am not happy with my colouring. The image is cut out with Nestabilities ovals (original sketch was a circle but I hope this is allowed), I think the papers are Dove Craft but I am not certain. Glitter glue also used, and a Papermania ribbon.

Day off Tuesday Sand where has it gone?

I did have a lie in but only until just before 9am. Then I packaged up some more ebay sales ready to post, and the morning seemed to just vanish. I made my lunch, then at about 3pm after I gave up waiting for the last person to pay and forced my way through the school run parents who think my little cul-de-sac is the school car park. Then met three way traffic lights on the way to the only local PO still open, had problems parking due to schools home time, but did, posted the parcels then set off home the way I came, only because the car was now turned round pointing in that direction by the time I parked. I hobbled to the PO and back to the car, then set off. There was a huge traffic queue at the lights which are permanent lights but nobody could move anywhere because of the temp lights a bit further on. So I turned round, three point, and then back the other way only to find a queue the other end of the road, and when I got through that finally I joined at least one more queue. The only good thing about all of this was by the time I actually managed to get back home  (a 20 minute task having taken an hour) the school run lot had gone and I had a clear run onto my drive, and didn't have to shout at anyone or fight for my drive!

I also nearly got two of the buyers mixed up, well not nearly - I actually had the wrong name and address and packing slip already attached to one package before I realised what I had done about an hour later! Luckily I realised or it could have got very complicated and expensive to sort out.

So there is still one person who hasn't paid since Sunday, and we are talking about less than £10. Annoying because it means another trip to the PO when she decides to pay and I won't be able to do it tomorrow but there doesn't seem like any danger of being paid tonight. I also managed to sell my little snowmen stamps to someone on a forum so they have gone too, the rest of the unsold stuff is on UK Stampers now and if there is another free listing on ebay soon it will go back on with more stuff when I sort some out.

I have been making a card to show off the other stamp set I have a duplicate of. I am not happy with my colouring of these images, and must have another go at doing it differently. I found some old Papermania paper with tulips on which is a perfect background and used this gate fold card which I have also decorated inside with the same paper.

I had intended to do so much more crafting today but it wasn't to be.

The stamps are by Personal Impressions. The card blank is a C5 size, and the tulip stamps are available to buy new if you are interested as they didn't sell on Ebay.

Its my age.....

I set off for work this morning in the fog and frost and ice, soon I joined the back of a big queue of traffic where there isn't normally one. Sat there and crept forward for 20 minutes before realising it was probably because of a road parallel to the A road I was trying to get to, which I normally take, that was closed for remedial work (having been closed for a week and resurfaced only a month or two ago, so what went wrong?)  Reached for the mobile to check the date, as I had remembered the closure started on the 15th but I didn't think it was the 15th yet, of course it was!

Couldn't find the phone, bother had left it at home - started to remember where I left it then remembered it was next to my glasses so I wouldn't forget it. Bother - forgot my glasses! I have been wearing them all the time but don't need them all the time for distance.

I decided that on balance it was worse to turn round and get them and then rejoin the queue all over again, so I carried on to work, and struggled all morning but did manage to work on some documents on the PC on 148%.

I was also hobbling round all morning with a very painful heel that started yesterday morning, and got worse after I walked the dogs with it. At least it took my mind off the pain from my dodgy knee on the other leg! The pain is worst when I first stand and is right in the back of the heel, as I walk it eases off a little but not a lot and painkillers don't touch it at all.

After lunch I couldn't carry on working any longer without the glasses so took the afternoon off and tomorrow so I don't have to repeat the experience, at least I missed the homeward queue by going early too.

Christmas cards, snowmen

Here are a couple of Christmas cards I made today. I used the same stamp set I am selling on Ebay right now, they are a duplicate unused set and the auction ends tomorrow. There are also some sets of Cuttlebug dies going at bargain prices.

I think you could use these Personal Impressions stamps on their own, or together in any combination. The cards used here are C6 size. I coloured the stamps with Promarkers, and die cut them with Spellbinders Nestabilities, then mounted them on a Nellie Snellen frame. I added some 3d stickers to finish the cards, which were really quick to make, just as well as Christmas is getting nearer and I don't have many done at all!

Blog candy

Just found this great blog candy over at Cat's Whiskers Jacqui's but it ends today so be quick:

Oh dear I am so tired today, was up to midnight putting things on Ebay including more stamps and some unused unopened Cuttlebug dies. Lots more to go I am sure but the free listing ended at midnight so maybe another weekend for the rest. I will try and be ready with photos next time and postage so I can list it all quicker.

Challenge time on Quirky Crafts and DT call

Challenge 38 on Quirky Crafts is a sketch by the lovely Spyder (Lyn). I wanted to use this very cute snow person by Penny Black which is coloured with Promarkers and some glitter glue and Stickles on top. I love his cosy scarf and hat.

Here is the sketch:

I used some Papermania paper, ran some metallic blue card through the Big Shot with a Crafts Too snowflake embossing folder, added some punched layered snowflakes and in the top corner it is hard to see but there are two snowflake eyelets in dark blue. The snowflake ribbon was a freebie with my last order from Crafty Ribbons, and the buttons were in my stash. The greeting is from a T for Transparent set by Penny Black and is heat embossed with blue powder. Die cut shapes using a Nestabilities scalloped circle.

Due to Anne sadly not being able to continue on the design team we are looking to recruit at least one new member, we can't manage with three. We also want guest designers. We are doing this for fun but do have at least one sponsor lined up for next year so there will be a few free digi images at least.

I am going to enter this in the Penny Black Saturday challenge which is Let it Snow. Sorry it is a bit out of focus at the top, busy day.

If anyone is interested I am having a craft room clear out (someone please hide my credit card and don't let me see any new stamps, or stamps in a sale) and have been putting surplus stash on Ebay, more to come this evening hopefully as I found a heap of Cuttlebug dies I haven't opened and more stamps. My userID is cazzooblue.

Craft Room clear out on Ebay

I have made a start at my craft room clear out, see what I have listed so far here hopefully more to come tonight or tomorrow.

Check out my new photo. http://ping.fm/ybEK7

Flippin Women - Bingo and Happy Birthday Sister in Law

Remember I said I bought some bargain Flippin Women and Men stamps? Well here is the Flippin Women bingo stamp set that I used on this Sister in Law card yesterday.
I coloured the image with Promarkers, cut out the two images and sandwiched them together with acetate in the window of the card. I cut the window with a Spellbinders Nestabilties large label die. I used the other stamps in the set to add the words and balls to the front, and stamp the message inside. I found some bingo paper that I remembered having, it is by Karen Foster, now I need to find more of it!
I cut the lining in two parts to make it easier to line up the front apetures, even doing that the lining "caught" and didn't line up perfectly but it isn't too bad. Happy Birthday and Sister in Law are both Papermania stamps, the latter is from the brilliant Relations double set which I recently purchased in Trago Mills (it has just about every relationship you could want), the former is from a Daisy and Dandelion set.

Looking round for challenges I might be able to enter and found:
Cute Card Thursday - So Transparent.
Charmed Cards Crafty goings on blog - anything with an image you coloured yourself and you can win great blog candy here - 72 Copic markers, how cool is that!

Glue Arts - BOO ME

To be booed by Glue Arts and possibly receive some Halloween candy you need to post this ghost and then go post a reply on the Glue Arts blog so they can come visit.