Catching up - cuddly snowman

I found these two Penny Black snowmen ready to go, and this Papermania paper seemed just right. I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment that comes with the image onto the paper and heat embossed it. One is done with silver pearl embossing powder, the other with gold. The images were coloured with Promarkers. Some of Crafty Ribbons' exclusive ribbon finished off the card.

I've entered the following challenges:

Sweet Stamping - Merry Christmas (26th Dec)

Penny Black Saturdays - Christmas (Dec)

Crafting by Designs - Here comes the Holidays (Dec)

Papertake Weekly - last ever challenge Let it Snow (Tues)

Crafty Cardmakers - #154 Snow (6th Jan)

Pile it on - Winter/Christmas (9th Jan)

Awards:

Cards Galore - anything goes (Dec)

Catching up - Penny Black tree

I had stamped this Penny Black tree and heat embossed it, then die cut it with a Spellbinders oval die a number of times. I found this gorgeous die cut sentiment using a new die I bought earlier this year which is an IO die. Decided they were perfect together - but then I couldn't find the die to cut some more! I spent hours looking until the early hours, resulting in only two complete cards that evening.

I searched for that die again the following night, and gave up and used some Xcut dies instead. Not as pretty but another 6 cards ready!

I have entered the following challenges:

Penny Black Saturdays - Christmas (Dec)

Vintage Stamping - Trees (Dec)

Simon Says - make it sparkle (Wed)

Pile it on - Winter/Christmas (9th Jan)

Polkadoodles - anything goes (15th Jan)

Awards:

Crafting by Designs - Here comes the Holidays (Dec)

Merry Christmas to you!

Well here it is, Christmas day and all of the fuss will soon be over. We are ready, just about. The dogs are bathed, the bathrooms cleaned and the towels washed, the rest of the house is clean, the beds are made. Shopping is as done as it will be, presents wrapped and labelled, I just have one box to decorate, a special box for a special boy. It will contain some second hand Thomas the Tank Engine track and a Sordor mine and is an extra present that will live here for when Kenny visits.

I think most of the presents under our tree are for Kenny, and Richard has added his presents, they are not all ours. Awaiting our visitors to open them.

This card is made from a Unity stamped snow peeps image that I stamped and coloured, with Promakers, last year and a Spellbinders die cut frame that I made when I got this die, they seemed perfect together. The paper is a freebie from a magazine. The sentiment came with the snow angel, and for this frame I attempted to add white through the die with my Sharpie white paint marker. This was the second attempt, the first was far messier. I think this will be a card for next year. The ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons, and I added snowflake eyelets to the corners to let the lime green card show through.

I have entered the following challenges:

I love Promarkers - anything goes (Jan 6th)

Creative Card Crew - anything goes (Jan 6th)

This is Kenny's card, he loves any sort of vehicle so Santa in his snowmobile by Dustin Pike seems like a good choice. I coloured the image with Promarkers, the paper is Papermania/Docrafts, the ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons.

Inside the card.

I have entered this card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday challenges, anything goes - Docraft paper.

I needed a couple of gift card holders and made them with perlescent card and the WR Memory Keepers envelope tool, which made the perfect size holders. I added a couple of images I had stamped and coloured with Promarkers last year. The geese are a Little Claire stamp, and the sheep is a Penny Black stamp.

I haven't decorated the back.

I have entered the following challenges:

Allsorts - last minute gifts (Sat 3rd Jan)

Blue Christmas - it's never to early to start.....

.....keeping the momentum going is harder!

Here is that Inkadinkado angel again, stamped in white and heat embossed before distress inking the card. die cuts are Spellbinders dies, ribbons are from Crafty Ribbons.

I have entered the following challenges:

Weekly Christmas cards - no colouring (Sun)

I love the cosy hat and scarf on this Penny Black snowman. I coloured the image with Promarkers then covered it with some glitter film from Little Claire before die cutting it with a Spellbinders die. Ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons of course!

I am entering the following challenges:

ABC Christmas challenge - A for Anything Christmas (Wed)

Bearly Mine - colour challenge (Jan)

Pan Pastels - Anything goes/Frosty finish (Sun)

Cards Galore - Anything goes (Jan)

Avenue 613 - anything goes (Sun)

Passion for Promarkers - CAS (Tues)

Papertake Weekly - anything goes/option something new (next Christmas) (Tues)

The Alpha Challenge - I for Individual

Last letter, I for Individual! I have really enjoyed taking part in The Alpha Challenge at The Craft Barn.  I have never done anything like this before. This last page features stamps by Lost Coast, Unity Stamps, and Penny Black, birds are doodled by me.

I missed the deadline but you can see some gorgeous entries on The Craft Barn blog.

I'm looking forward to the next challenge for 2014.

The Craft Barn Alpha Challenge S for sheep.

This is my second page for The Craft Barn Alpha Challenge, S for sheep! All the sheep are Penny Black stamps.

My favourite colour combo

With only a few hours to go I spotted this challenge, and my favourite lime green and purple colours! The challenge is the Sprinkle of Imagination challenge ending in minutes now!

The Bird of Paradise flowers on that cake reminded me of this Hero Arts stamp, which I coloured with Marvy Wet Looks and heat embossed with clear powder. I used my Spellbinders dies to cut out the flower which I edged with green ink, and mounted on a die cut purple panel. The sentiment is a Penny Black stamp, stamped in purple and heat embossed with clear powder. The ribbons are from Crafty Ribbons and the final touch was some flat back pearls.

I stamped on this sort of sage green card first, so I have the two versions, the first one looks very bright, I like that!

Here they are side by side.

Challenges entered:

Sprinkle of Imagination - colour challenge.

Daring Cardmakers - all the other reasons (not Christmas)

Simon Says Wednesday Challenges - clean and simple (is as clean and simple as the examples)

Creative Card Crew - pearls

More spooky hats!

These two are the first cards I made with the Unity witches hat and sentiment.

This is a Penny Black witch cat stamp, paired with the Unity Stamps sentiment. Die cut with Spellbinders and coloured with Promarkers. Sorry about the photo, didn't have time to put the mini studio back up then down again.

I have entered the following challenges:

Penny Black Saturday challenges - spooky!

Passion for Promarkers - spooky also (that's spooky)!

Incy Wincy Designs - Purple and black. Monday challenges.

 

The Craft Barn Alpha Challenge G

The Craft Barn Alpha Challenge is on G, and I chose Girafe which is French for Giraffe lol. I used some Sprial Whisper stamps (I don't think they exist as a company now) designed by Debbie Moore, and a Penny Black stamp. These are stamped on card, coloured with Promarkers quickly and cut out, the stamping on the page went badly! All round the page are shapes stamped with my never before used Color Box stylus system, you mould the tip by heating it with a lightbulb (first problem was finding a "normal" lightbulb so it was hot enough) then you press the tip onto a rubber mould then use it as a stamp.

Apologies for the photo on the Craft Barn post, I had to add a WIP image or not get there at all, I was very late with this, I have been so busy all week. On Thursday I was standing on a stall all day explaining about the Made in Bradford shop, this was in County Hall, of course I had to go over and get a car full of stuff ready for it the day before, then take it back yesterday. As well as getting to a hospital appointment.  Then today when I finally had time to get on with it I had started tidying up the space where the now sold eCraft used to sit and cleaning, I had the irresistable urge to clean and tidy it and I had the bad habit of shoving print outs and mail there in the space between the magazine rack full of similar stuff and the ecraft! Anyway I managed to tidy and get rid of a load, and there is so much more to get through but every little helps!

I hope to add at least one more page here for G, I was planning 3.

Here are Geography and Glamorous. Featuring Kraftin Kimmie Stamps for Glamorous, coloured with water colour pens, and Hero Arts map and the Rubber Stampede save the world stamp you have seen before but it behaves better in Stazon. Map stickers were a set that I was given for a present. (Do you think anyone noticed me sneaking this one in?)

WOYWW #218

I can't believe it is Wednesday already, and I detected the smell and feel of Autumn not only last night but this morning and it is still like it. I am cold! What happened to the heatwave that was supposed to stay until September? Not that I wanted it that hot for that long, and the garden would have been totally frazzled by then.

Anyway it is that day again, that day that those who want to share their crafty spaces messes with the world. This was all started by Julia Dunnit of The Stamping Ground, and you can join in too!

 First the birds, I have been trying to sneak up on the little flock of sparrows and other little birds that all descend on my feeder when I am looking out of the kitchen window, and the conservatory window which is beyond the kitchen. So I have tried to grab a photo, I set up the camera with long lens, on the right settings and kept it in the kitchen - then when the little birds arrived I snuck out and - every time they saw me! This was the most I could capture in one shot, and I know it is a bit out of focus! I have one with a sparrow flying in too but only two birds.

 The only bird that doesn't fly away is the lovey collared dovey!

 So here is the desk, from this end, baby book that I made ages ago and I am finally making a box for it, having decided that I can't make an envelope big enough. Then the black on red images are done with an oriental stamp that I bought years ago after falling in love with it when it was used in a magazine tutorial. I think they did their's black embossed on black and cut out some of the background, which was gorgeous and I will try. This is the first time the stamp has seen ink, I was putting some other stamps away, it was in the same box and I decided I would use it, yes I would, and I did! Also next to that are some panels ready to make into cards, some Hero Arts newsprint balloons, and a Dustin Pike image and Spyder Lyn Image to make Christmas cards. Then those die cut frames, I haven't decided what to make with them yet. Then some embossed card, I am so cross, I can't use my A4 Crafts Too embossing folder in the eBosser and don't have another machine big enough, I did sucessfully use my first ever Spellbinders M Bosser, and was very happy with it so have bought a few more - guess what - the second folder won't go through, the eBosser spits it out again - grrrrr! The only consolation is that they will fit the Big Shot so I guess I will be getting that out even more. General mess in the background and Really Useful box full of images coloured or waiting to be coloured, and some die cuts and images ready to use.

From the other end, you can see more of the Christmas images, and that chameleon which I need to finish the zoo book with. Some stamps I am using or going to use, and some that need putting away if I can find the box they came from, and some new ones that need a space to go. There is a blank stepper card that I  creased in the wrong place that I am thinking I can cover the side panels with card panels first of all to fix the problem and not waste the card blank.

I wonder if it is better to be last over at WOYWW, first is great but will never happen, middle - hmmm, don't get that many comments! I noticed that I get over 100 views and maybe 12 comments. So please see the note below if you can't comment.

Just a note to say if you want to comment on this post you need to go to "home" and scroll down to the post and then press "comment", I have reported this issue yet again to blogger.

It's a Quirky great day for a picnic, and a late Alpha challenge page.

Doris choose the theme of Picnic or Barbeque at Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog this week. We are sponsored by Crackerbox Palace who are providing 3 generous prizes, and provided these images and more for the team to use. I used ant, small watermelon slice, small pie, plaid rug, picnic basket and ant picnic sign. I printed the images on white card and coloured them with Promarkers, then printed the ants on green card and cut out the coloured images to add to the green, paper piecing the ants. Does it need some ribbon? I might add some gingham to it (updated photo, card now has ribbon from Crafty Ribbons). The Glorious day sentiment is from a Hero Arts set. The Life's a Picnic sentiment is from Crackerbox Palace.

Hop on over to Quirky Crafts to see some more great examples, and lovely images and please have a go at the challenge, and share your makes with us.

I did have a few problems while making the card, I decided to print the ants onto green card and piece their bodies, and that was ok, I made the main panel up. Then I decided to die cut the sentiment, I had it in green and white, decided to use the green one - the die slipped and it was ruined. So I tried to cut the white one - same thing happened. Then I tried to find more green to print on, the printer would not print, after several attempts I realised the card was slightly different - that is when I found that the sheet I printed on was the only one exactly like that! So I had to re-print the white sheet and use that. I found some green I think will go through the printer but it was a different shade of green altogether! 

I have entered this card in the following challenges:

http://daringcardmakers.blogspot.co.uk/Daring Cardmakers - colour combo

Crafty Ribbons - anything goes with ribbon - Thursdays

This is another T page that I did for the Alpha challenge at The Craft Barn, and I was working on it Saturday evening trying to make the deadline and didn't, it took longer than I thought it would. So not entered but it was fun to do. I chose Travail meaning work (hard work, manual work, handicrafts, supervised pratical work,, housework etc), and Tricoter meaning to knit. So I have knitting chickens by Penny Black, knitting House Mouse by Stampendous, and some Quickutz die cuts, and on the work side Monica the seamstress by Kraftin Kimmie, fireman and housewife by Paper Nation, and I love to read which is a Sugar Nellie stamp by Krista Smith. Saws and paint brush are Visible Image stamps.

Alpha challenge - E

It is E in the Alpha challenge at the Craft Barn and this is my first page, I have a few ideas and hope to work on a couple more pages yet.

I picked Equestre which means Equestrian, Equitation which means horse riding and I couldn't resist Escargo  meaning Snail! I used a mix of stamps, Crackerbox Palace horse silhouettes, sentiment and horseshoes. The pony with the envelope is a Cuddly Buddly stamp and the mare and foal are by PSX and this is one of the first three stamps I bought together in Blade Rubber Stamps along with some daisy stamps. The snail is Penny Black. I found out that Memento doesn't dry very quickly on gesso, and picks up embossing powder so some bits are silver that weren't supposed to be. Also some of the lines have been smudged by the Promarkers because the ink didn't dry, oh dear.

Panic, less than a week to go!

Now I am making cards with all the bits I have to hand, and the images I can find that I coloured and die cut a year or maybe two years ago and these are the result. I have a lot more to make and have just about run out of handy bits so next I need to make very quick cards! (The fact I have had a relapse of my sinus problems hasn't really helped here). Today we have shampooed the carpet and cleaned the floors, washed all the dog toys and half the bedding, the other half will go in hopefully tomorrow when the first is dry, and all because a certain little man is coming to visit for Christmas and is crawling now! Dogs are due to be shampooed tomorrow too!

I have had this Darice topper set for ages, and didn't want to use it because it is real felt and is lovely. 

Another Darice topper set I had ages ago in a mystery box from the USA I think, the card with punched mat was all ready for something to go in the middle, I added red and green stickles into the holly shapes.

This fairy jumped into my hand and the the Snowflake Circle (Hero Arts) was already stamped and embossed and cut, they go well together.

Penny Black dog again, on one of those scalloped cards I have a pile that I die cut which is handy, the card is embossed already with Seasons Greetings, so just added some Crafty Ribbon.

I have entered this one in:

I love Promarkers - anything but square challenge ending 2nd Jan

Spyder Lyn Young's fab snowman and robin image again, another scalloped card and more Crafty Ribbon.

I have entered this one in the Chocolate, Coffee and Cards challenge - Snowmen

Another snowflake circle (Hero Arts) mounted on a scalloped card with a Spellbinders bird, and a bit of ribbon.

The house panel was done by running some metallic red card though a die cutter with a brass stencil then sanding the colour off to show the houses. Scalloped card and Crafty Ribbons Ribbons (from Bev's Christmas Bag).

This time Fluffles by Stampendous is a fairy cat, freebie paper, Crafty Ribbon ribbon, I love this and bought some and then won more in Bev's Bag and even more in Laura's blog candy!

Fluffles is helping with the trimmings! More Crafty Ribbons., This image is heat embossed in green.

This one had to be entered in the ABC Christmas challenge - Deck the Halls!

Remember the tags I made a couple of weeks ago? Well they are too good for tags, and I can't make all my tags like this so they are now on cards, freebie papers. Images by Paper Pretties.

I have entered this card in:

The Joanna Sheen challenge - with love at Christmas ends 10th Jan

Finally for now, this card was already made, I just added an insert. Tree embossed and sanded Cordinations paper, gems, torn vellum and holly eyelets.