LOC card and candle

I had a chance the other day to take some time out and make a birthday card for a birthday on the 27th, so I took the opportunity to break out my new  Layers Of Color  stamps.  
                                                                                                          
I was so keen I used images from three sets!

I started with a dark green card base, and chose a lovely lemon card to go over that for the design base and embossed it with the Cuttlebug Textile Textures embossing folder before sponging the edges with Memento Pear Tart Ink.

The lace is some that has been in my scraps box forever... I think it was my late MIL's stash!! 

I chose the flower and leaf image from the Flowering Gems set, stamped them with Memento Tuxedo Black on white card and  painted them with Twinkling H2O's - Love using those paints as they are so versatile and give such a lovely sheen.  The half pearls are by Kaiser, and the very small dots around the centre of the flower are made with dimensional glue. 

I started with three leaves surrounding the flower, but it looked odd, so three more were added.  They are attached to the underside of the flower, which is popped up on dimensionals over the lace.

The bee is from the Granny's Jewellery set - again painted with Twinkling H2O's and then I used clear rhinestones to glam it up.  I only adhered it to the card under the body so the wings are slightly raised to make it more realistic.

I finished the card with a wee corner stamp from the Flutterescent set.  I painted the butterfly in one of the shades of pink I used in the flower, and mauve.  The final touch were the two sets of three gold rhinestones in opposite corners.  I decided against a sentiment on the outside of this card as it was already so busy.

Next I really branched out and tried my hand at stamping on a candle - well, transferring stamped images to a candle - although not perfect, I decided the end result was good enough to give as part of the gift to go with the card.

I stamped the images in chalk and dye inks, coloured them with chalks and then positioned and adhered them.  The candle has been wrapped in cellophane and tied with a pink bow since this photograph was taken.

The final touch was that I stamped the flower once more on white card in pink ink and coloured it with chalks, popped the centre with dimensional glue and cut it out to use as a gift tag on the parcel.

I think I am organised for Christmas... we are sharing the main meal Christmas Day with my DD's in-laws, who we have been friends with since before our offspring met!  We are basically having a quiet family Christmas, with folk staying around to help us paint the house.... no beach expeditions for us!!

Thank you for calling by - I really treasure your comments, and wish you all the very best for this special season when we celebrate the start of God's plan of redemption - the birth of His son Jesus. 

3-D this time

Life has certainly been moving faster than me these days!! What with the fine weather finally arriving and the garden needing my attention, and DH painting the house and needing my assistance at times, papercraft has come a poor second!! 

I made time late yesterday to decorate some gifts.  Last year I learned how to make caramel sauce by boiling condensed milk, in its tin, for three hours...hmmmmmmmmmm very yummy. 

The tins are then decorated and presented as a gift, or part of a gift, with instructions as to what it is and how to use it, and if you need more, how to make it!

I decorated the 'blue' tin by adhering some blue satin ribbon at the bottom, punching a border on the white card (cut to measure), covering the card with a piece of (recycled) sparkly ribbon, and embossing Merry Christmas in silver along the top edge.  The card was then attached with double sided tape and the rhinestones adhered for a finishing touch.

I then popped it in a wee bowl, included chocolates and instructions, and wrapped them in cellophane and added beads and double bowed the ribbon to present as a gift.

The red tin started with the same method, and I then embossed stars and Christmas crowns with halogen silver for some added sparkle, and added gold rhinestones on the punched border.

I omitted the bowl when wrapping this gift, and used silver beads and red ribbon. This one will be added to a box of wee gifts.... 

I decorated this large round box for my friend as a work-box for a project she will be starting in the New Year.

Here is the box - name embossed in silver and decorated up, so the many males in her house cannot mistake it or be tempted to 'borrow' it :-).  The paper is some I have had for YEARS and finally cut into it - it is like the polished shell of the Paua (a shell fish unique to New Zealand, related to the abolone)  I added a ribbon (again recycled) some flowers I have had for 18 months and pearls and I am really pleased with it, although I don't think the photograph does it justice.

Thank you for  calling by - I love to know you have been, and your comments really 'make my day'.

Christmas Blessings to you all.

Split Image Christmas Tree

I made this card some days ago, and as I have lost my mojo in a big way at the moment, I thought I would display it now.

I first used this technique (split image, or double negative) years ago, and recently it was featured on a Stamp TV video tutorial.

The stamp is one I bought approximately 10 years ago - the first year I made my own cards.  It is from kiwistamping - the folk who own this business are responsible for my subsequent addiction to papercraft!!

I used silver embossing powder on the blue cardstock, and gold on the yellow card, cut the two images in half and mounted onto the red before filling the circles in the design with clear stickles.

I then  cut and embossed a  piece of chocolate wrapper with my classic rectangle Nestie and put it slightly angled onto the white card before mounting the image panel over it onto the white base card - don't know why it is showing pale blue!!   Oh the vargarities of technology!

To finish the card I added three gold stars bottom right.

Simple and quite quick to make - the secret is in cutting both pieces of card to the same size before stamping, allowing a wee bit of what I call 'wriggle room', stamping the image in the centre of each piece, and then splitting the image at the same place.  If needed, you may then trim the finished piece down to the size you want, but it you are a wee bit off centre with one of the original stamped images, you can 'wriggle' your way out of it at this point. Experience speaking here :-).

Thanks for calling by - I love reading your comments and knowing that you have 'called'.  Have a great day!

White Angel

I finished the Christmas cards yesterday whew!! and today I made a card that has been wombling around in my head for the past few days.... based on various challenges. 

Initially inspired by the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge, (which also required an image of something that flies related to Christmas in it), here, developed by the Stamping Sisters In Christ challenge (to use a gift image, remebering that Chirst is the greatest gift of all), #15 and refined by this weeks SCS Limited Suppies challenge- to use white and one other colour, and only one layer!! 
I think I may have 'disqualified' myself from the latter as I used too many layers :-).

The three panels at the back of the card were embossed with the floral textures folder through the cuttlebug - (where would I be without that machine!) The wee gold embossed gift images are from kiwistamping, the. 

The vellum layer was stamped and gold embossed with part of a wreath, a fine line classic stamp from Inkadinkadoo,  I handwrote the line 'Glory to God in the highest' after cutting the quarter circle with the colcuzzle.  The oval was cut and embossed using the no4 large scalloped oval nestie, and the line inked with my gold pen before removing the nestie.

The wee angel from Anita's was also stamped and embossed on vellum and adhered in the centre only so I could lift the wings for some more dimension.

I really enjoyed making this card as it was a 'just for fun' card - no pressure to make it for someone or some event :-)

Thanks for calling by, and I do treasure your comments.  I trust you are having an awesome day.
God bless.

A card made from a RAK - well almost!!

I haven't uploaded anything for several days, so thought I would pop this one up as a tribute to Lovely Linda who supplied many of the elements in this card! Thank you Linda.

The silver background is a pie-plate put through the cuttlebug - Linda and I both appreciate re-cycling - the image is also part of the RAK, and I coloured it with chalks, but added a wee bit of sparkling ink on the bonnet edge and to highlight the seams of the jeans, oh, and on the boys hair!

The ribbon is silver - despite how it shows in the photo, and the sentiment, and the edge of the sentiment base, is emobossed in silver.  I finished the card with the five silver brads.

Thanks so much Linda for your generosity with the RAK.  I really enjoyed this image and it was great to pair it with the CB'd foil.

I have been busy making my Christmas cards, and am about halfway through them.... :-)

Thanks for calling by, and I so appreciate knowing you have visited.  Do have a wonderful day.