Christmas Going Around..

Welcome

Thank you for taking the time to visit -

I will not be 'around' the internet for the next week or so as we are moving next weekend, and there is still a lot to be done, as well as a farewell and three Christmas 'Events'...

This card is for the start of the new, December Challenge at We Love Stamping,
where the challenge is to use Winter flowers or foliage.

There is also some other information to share:

A change to selecting Guest Designers as often those selected by the DT do not make contact, so in future anyone interested in being considered for a GDT spot should add GD against their name when entering. A Guest Designer will be selected from those entries and the Design Team will of course still select their Top 3.

I started by brushing the stencil (discontinued) with the ink that was on my brush

I then stamped the wreath (a magazine freebie) three times, moving it slightly between stamping - 

I used Memento inks in Cottage Ivy, Bamboo Leaves and New Sprout

The ornaments were stamped on a snippet of card in the Cottage Ivy ink, painted with Twinkling H2O paints and trimmed out, before I coated them with Glossy Accents.

These I placed in various spots on the wreath and stencilled swirl.

The sentiment was from another freebie set, and stamped in Cottage Ivy

I ran the edge of the panel over the dark green ink pad to give definition, and did likewise on the insert. 

The insert was stamped with the wreath in Bamboo Leaves, and then I painted with gold and red paint - and you can see why I stamp, don't draw my images :)

The envelope was similarly stamped and painted, but using all three inks for the wreath.

A few clear rhinestones finished the card.

The prizes this month are from AALL & Create: 

     

I am linking this to:

Pixies Snippets Playground Challenge #468 - Anything Goes using Snippets

Dream Valley Challenge #306 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #267 - Anything Goes

Polka Doodles Challenge Week #48 - Anything Goes

Pammies Inky Pinkies Challenge #2347 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #623 + 624 - Anything Goes

Paper Dragonfly December Challenge #23 - Anything Flies (goes) Opt, Christmas

Patties Creations Challenge #213 - Anything Goes

Crafty Calendar December Challenge - Christmas Themed

Elliebelle's I Spy With My Little Eye Dec Challenge - Sparkle and/or Shine

Feminine Steampunk

Welcome

We have a date for moving, so it will be packing, not cardmaking and blogging that will occupy me for the next few weeks. 

This card was made for my NZ swap group, where the theme for the month was steampunk.

The beautiful image is from Gecko Girls, I sized and printed it, then distressed and brushed the edges with Aged Mahogany and Vintage Photo D.I.s.

I layered some lace that was on my desk onto the bottom of the feature panel, after adding ink and some gold mica spray to it

The cogs were cut from gold card using some (old) dies from Marianne Crafts, tucking some under the panel, and some on top.

The sentiment was embossed on a scrap of ink smooshed card, as when I stamped it directly onto the card base I did not get a good impression - oops.  After die cutting it, I inked the edges to match. By cutting it with a circle die, it fitted better with the cogs. 

The layer between that panel and the base was coloured with Lindy's Mica Powers - Cuckoo  Clock Cardinal and Bratwurst Brown, spritzed with some Grab a Guy Gold, and embossed with an old Spellbinders EF.

That, and the focal panel, were then mounted on some cream card, edged with both the DI's also.

The inside panel was lightly grunged with surplus ink from  my work surface, brushed with the same brown ink as I used on the edges of the front panels and then I added some washi tape.

The same washi was added to the envelope.

I am linking this to:

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #623 + 624 - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2346 - Anything Goes

The Crafter's Cafe Challenge #303 - Feminine

Ally's Angels Challenge #76 - Anything Goes

A Perfect time To Craft Challenge #11 - Anything Goes

The Crafty Addicts Challenge #7 - Anything Goes

Elliebelle's Crafty Wednesday November Challenge - Anything Goes

Paper Dragonflies Challenge #23 - Anything Flies (Goes) or Dragons

Creative Fingers Challenge #266 - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz Challenge#660 - Anything Goes Opt Christmas or winter

Birthday Candles x2, or is it x3?

Welcome

I made these cards much earlier in the year, as a result I am unsure of the inks that I used...

The base of both cards is what I call a 'mop up' sheet, where I spray any ink on my work surface with water, and then splat, press, and drag my cardstock through it... It looks as though I also sprayed this sheet with a gold mica spray

The happy birthday was a white die cut I had prepared when house sitting for another stamper last year, coloured with ink and then 'glittered' with some stickles.

The candle fronts were cut from snippets of sparkle card, and the backer from a larger snippet of gold paper, then they were layered together.  

The lace was white, and I coloured it with the same ink as the die cut.

I finished the inside with some toning washi tape..

The second card differs only in colour - same background and composition, but the theme colour  is pink.

The three year olds are girl cousins,  born within hours of each other... 

the cards were for a family member to give to them.

I am linking these to:

Snippets Playground Challenge #476 - Anything Goes using Snippets

(the sparkle  card and gold paper were the snippets)

Creative Fingers Challenge #266 - Anything Goes

Polkadoodles Challenge Week #46 - Anything Goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #218 - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2346 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks 623 + 624 - Anything Goes

Elliebelle's Crafty Wednesday November Challenge - Anything Goes

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Make it Sparkle

Digi Choosday Challenge Week #46 - Anything Goes

Everybody Art Challenge #546 - Use Lace and/or Beads

We Three Kings...

Welcome

This card is  for the mid-month posting for We Love Stamping, November Challenge, with the optional theme of Christmas Characters

Before I get onto my card, there are some changes to the challenge...

With immediate effect we have relaxed our rules and will now require you to have 'At least one stamped element on the front of entries'. Of course if you are a seasoned stamper then we will still love seeing your fully stamped creations and the Design Team will continue to share their love of stamping.

My card is as follows

I 'coloured'  this card front solely with silver heat embossing, 

using two sets of Christmas stamps from Sweet 'n' Sassy Stamps

The image of the three kings, and the sentiment are from the We Three Kings Set

The stars are all from the O Holy Night Set.

I would advise that you stamp all your card front before embossing - I had to do some creative 'shielding' of some areas while I heated other areas... 

I also embossed the edges of the dark blue panel with the same silver ep.

The image on the inside was stamped with Memento Paris Dusk Ink

The envelope was stamped with the same ink.

The prizes this month are:

 

I am linking this to:

Archi-scraps November Challenge - Embossing, Wet or Dry

Digichoosday Challenge Week #45 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #621 + 622 - Anything Goes

Pammie's inky Pinkies Challenge #2345 - Anything Goes

C.R.A.F.T Challenge #698 - Christmas

Cardz 4 Galz Challenge #212 - Embossing, Wet or Dry

Creative Inspirations Challenge #8 - Anything Goes

Paper Dragonfly Challenge #23 - Anything Flies or Festive

My Time To Craft Challenge#521 - It Must be Christmas

Through the Purple Haze November Challenge #210 - Anything Goes

Heart Anniversary

Welcome

This card was made some time ago, but I have not had time to blog it until now - 

as I am house-sitting, I thought I would have a lot of time for such things, not so, it turns out :)

I started with the base design paper, which I was very pleased to find in my stash - I have banned myself from buying more, as I rarely use it now, and all my pads are likely out of print.

The background die cut used the Urban Grunge die by Uniquely Creative, cut from kraft card

The hearts are an old (bought on clearance) set by Whimsy Stamps, cut from red sparkle card

The two gold strips came from a set of gold adhesive stripes I bought years ago - 

yes, I am trying to stash bust!

The sentiment stamp is a magazine freebie, embossed with red EP - again a very old powder, in an unmarked container!!  I think it may have been from a local equivalent of K-mart..

The inside had a couple more hearts from  Whimsy Stamps

To decorate the envelope, I used the negative from the die cut hearts as a stencil to form a border.

The card was well received by the couple.

I am linking this to:

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #217 - Anything Goes

Through The Purple Haze November Challenge # 210 - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2345 - Anything Goes

Jan's Digi Design November Challenge - Anything Goes

Digi Choosday Challenge Week #44 - Anything Goes

Ally's Angels Challenge #76 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #621 + 622 - Anything Goes

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Use Red

Dream Valley Challenge #305- Occasions other than a Birthday

Polkadoodles Challenge Week #45 - Anything Goes

GDT Christmas

Welcome

And a special welcome to my newest follower, Helen Nile. You can see her fabulous cards here

A final post before I go into hiatus for a while - this was made some weeks ago.

I was offered a Guest Designer spot for Dragonfly Dreams for this month's challenge, where there was an inspiration photo to follow. 

I took the colours, the ornaments and the stars on the ribbon as my starting point

The images are from the recently released Uniko Mid Century Modern Baubles set, and the star clusters from an older Sweet'n'Sassy set, Oh Holy Night.

I stamped and embossed all the elements, including inside the baubles, before fussy cutting them and 'suspending' them on fine silver cord.

The sentiment is from the same set as the Baubles, silver embossed onto blue, and mounted with a border of silver mirror card - the same card I used under the corners of the focal panel.

The inner was stamped on the left side with the third bauble in the set, and I drew in the silver 'cord'.

A matching bauble was stamped onto the envelope.

I thought I was going into an hiatus, but moving day has been moved by two or three weeks, just as I had started to pack my craft room... life !

I am linking this to:

The Paper Funday November Challenge #59 - Anything Goes, Opt of Thanks

Pattie's Creations Challenge #212 - Anything Goes

The Crafty Addicts Challenge #7 - Anything Goes

Leann's World 101 November Challenge #66 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #619 + 620 - Anything Goes

A Gem of a Challenge Week #22 - Anything Goes

Crafty Calendar November Challenge - Anything Goes

Polkadoodles Challenge Week #44 - Anything Goes

Leah SB Designs Challenge #23 - Visions of the Season

Paper Dragonfly Creative Challenge #23 - Anything Flies opt Festive

3-D Leaves and a Funny Bone

Welcome

I also wish to extend a very warm welcome to my newest follower Cheryl Hollingsworth.

I am about to pack up my craft room (plus) ready to move in the middle of next month, so you may not see me much over the next four weeks ... I am so looking forward to the move into my own suite, attached to the extensively extended and renovated house of my daughter and family.

This card was made for a gent in my extended family.

I started with a piece of pale green card and the Altenew 3-D Embossing Folder, Floating Foliage.

I generously inked the folder on one side with Memento Cottage Ivy ink, and ran it through my Cuttlebug - and then repeated - that was a bit nerve wracking, but it worked.

The sentiment panel is a gold edged 'visiting card'. and the sentiment is a Riley Funny Bone one, that I stamped twice in the same green ink, then in Versamark ink before clear embossing.  

To add some subtle interest and give the card a bit of a masculine vibe, I split some string down to one ply  - it gives the strand a bit of a fuzzy look and it has a an interesting crimp to it

Sone green gingham washi finished the inside

And also the envelope.

I am linking this to:

Digi Chooseday Challenge Week #42 -= Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #619 + 620 - Anything Goes

A Gem of a Challenge Week #22 - Anything Goes

Jan's Digi Stamps Designs October Challenge - Anything Goes

Use Your Stuff Challenge #496 - Anything Goes

Allsorts Challenge #752 - Embossing, Heat or Dry

Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes -twist - Greenery/Leaves

Polkadoodles Challenge Week #43 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #264 - Anything Goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #216 - Anything Goes