Christmas Post

This is my second card of the weekend, and another Christmas card. I think that makes about 5 so far this year!

It was an incredibly quick card to make that I put together while I was waiting for some paint to dry on another project. It uses Craftwork Cards 'Christmas Post' products.

I started with an 8x8 white card base, adding a dark red mat from cardstock. I then added the paper layer which was just trimmed down slightly to fit. I then added the message and card candi from the embellishment pack and then a paper bow from the co-ordinating set.

The paper already has lots of detail so I felt that it didn't need too much messing about with.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:-
Cards Galore Encore 'bling' 28/2
Crafty Hazlenuts Christmas 'stripes &/or spots' 7/2
Crafty Hazlenuts Christmas Extra 'anything goes' 28/2
Penny's Paper Crafty Challenges 'spots & dots' 4/2
Craft Your Passion 'spots & stripes' 3/2
Paper Shelter 'all wrapped up' 4/2
Christmas Card Challenge 'anything goes' 9/2

Flower Power

I've been busy crafting again this weekend and have managed to make a few cards. Here's the first...

I've used all manner of new things on this card today- some of which are completely new (as in arrived on Thursday from C&C) and some which are new as in had for ages but not used yet!

This card started with the flower design embossing folder which is from the Sheena Douglass range which was a Pick of the Week/4 day deal on C&C last week. I inked one piece of white card using both Picked Raspberry & Peacock Feathers distress ink and then embossed it with the folder. I then sanded back the top of the card to make the flower design stand out as white against the coloured background. I had to join the design as it is an A5 folder so I placed a purple ribbon across the join and attached the 2 pieces to the outside panels of the card. To provide contrast, I wanted the middle panel to be embossed in the opposite way so I embossed it first and then inked it using the same distress ink colours, so that the debossed side was used.

I then coloured the Ebony digi stamp (from The Greeting Farm) using a similar colour palette of pink, turquoise & purple and some gems for her headband. I cut out the digi leaving a small white border and then attached her to the central panel of the card with 3d foam pads. I then added the peel-off message.

To complete the card, I used the same floral embossing folder and three different colours of black core'dinations cardstock to emboss more flowers which I sanded back before cutting out and using as toppers across the card.

This is the first time that I've made a card in this 3 panel style but I really like it and it was quick to put together (although the sanding took ages and made a lot of mess!)

I am entering this card into the following challenges:-
Catch the Bug 'anything goes' 8/2
Polkadoodles 'anything goes/oriental' 9/2
Cards Galore 'bling' 28/2
Graph'It 'anything goes/different colour hair' 9/2
Cute Card Thursday 'something new' 5/2
TGF Farm Fresh Friday 'layers' 7/2
Creative Inspirations 'stamping' 4/2
Digi Choosday 'anything goes/in the pink' 3/2
Challenges 4 Everybody 'anything goes' 28/2
Daring Cardmakers 'belt & braces' 7/2

Christmas Camper

I was having a look round the Polkadoodles website a few days ago when I spotted a brilliant digi stamp of a Christmas Campervan. It's basically a vw camper with a Christmas tree on top. It's great. It was only something daft like £2 so I ordered it and being a digi, it arrived instantly. This is the first card I've made using it and I absolutely love it!

I started by printing the digi image twice onto a normal sheet of copier paper. I then decided which pieces I wanted to paper piece and used low tack tape to attach my chosen papers onto the print out. I then put the paper (with patterned paper on top) back into the printer and printed again so that the design was on the patterned paper. I did this for the tree, the body of the camper & the windows. I cut out the pieces and laid them onto a plain version printed on thin card.

I used my Promarkers to colour the parts of the design that were not to be paper pieced and then used small amounts of glue to attach the paper pieces. I carefully trimmed out the design leaving a small white border.

I then chose a 12x12 DCWV patterned paper that graduates from dark to light- I think it's perfect as the bottom looks like snow for the camper to sit on. I cut it down to mat onto the 8x8 card base and attached with double sided tape. I then used a double layer of foam pads to attach the camper van. The finishing touches were to add the 3 die-cut snowflakes (with a single layer of 3d foam) to the card, embellishing them with large gems. I then added the peel off message and then used Stickles glitter glue to highlight the fairy lights on the tree.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:-
Polkadoodles 'anything goes' 2/2
Digi Choosday 'anything goes' 30/1
Crafting for all Seasons 'for the girls' 3/2

one in a million

Another SWALK card today using toppers from the cd and a message I've created myself using the verse writer. I'm really loving the designs from this cd at the moment- I've been colouring my own images and using the pre-coloured ones from the 'Pawfect Pals' cd.

For this card, I inked the edge of the topper & the message with 'picked raspberry' distress ink and then mounted them onto silver mirror board. I chose a piece of A4 pink card, and folded it to make an A5 card blank and then used a piece of Kanban patterned card as the background. I added my toppers and then placed some small holographic circle stickers into the centre of the flowers to add extra sparkle.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:-
Totally Gorjuss 'furry friends' 31/1
Cute Card Thursday 'so sweet' 29/1
Paper Shelter 'digit image & sentiment' 28/1
Crafting for all Seasons 'for the girls' 3/2
The Pink Elephant 'pink &/or red' 27/1

Loud Music

Before Christmas, I was lucky enough to win a £100 voucher to spend at Create & Craft. It was surprisingly difficult to find things to spend that much money on, even though I never seem to struggle when I don't have a voucher!

One of the things I bought was a brilliant Indigo Blu A5 stamp set called 'Loud Music'. It has a wide range of stamps fitting many different music styles e.g. flowing notes, a guitar, a tape & some fun sentiments. I've already used the set once to make a birthday card for a musical man at work and thought it was about time I did another.

It's a mix between chalkboard & grunge...

I started with a piece of A4 white card which I folded to make an A5 card blank. I cut a piece of black card 2.5cm smaller on each side than the base card and stamped it with the Indigo Blu stamps using white Brilliance Ink. Before the ink had a chance to dry, I rubbed each image gently with some distress ink foam to blur the edges and look like the chalk had rubbed off slightly. When I had finished stamping, I mounted the black card onto some silver mirror board.

I then used 2 off cuts of black stripe paper (left over from my 'pretty grunge' card) in 2 opposite corners of the card and used Black Soot distress ink in the other 2. To finish the card I then used black memento ink and an Inkadinkado star stamp over the top of the distress ink.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:-
Craft Your Passion 'music' 27/1
Crafty Cardmakers 'black & white' 2/2
Crafty Catz 'monochrome' 30/1
Daring Cardmakers 'stripes' 31/1

Present time!

I'm still doing quite well in my Christmas Card quest for 2014 and have managed to make another one today. It's a CAS style card and was very quick to make.

I started with the topper (pre-coloured image from Lili of the Valley) and mounted it onto silver mirror card. I then chose a blue snowflake pattern paper from the Forever Friends Kraft Notes range and mounted them all onto a white 6x6 card blank. To finish the card, I used a bow and 3 buttons, all from the Papermania Festive Spots & Stripes collection.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:-
Christmas Card Challenges 'anything goes' 1/2
Catch the Bug 'photo challenge- penguins' 1/2
Crafty Hazlenut's Christmas Challenges ' trees' 31/1
Craft Room Challenge 'water' 3/2 (ice is just frozen water after all)
Cutie Pie Challenges 'cute blue' 1/2
Love to Create 'buttons' 26/1
Creative Inspirations 'ribbon' 28/1

Christmas sparkle

I've managed to make another Christmas card today. That makes 3 so far for January- it won't last!

Here it is...

I started with a 6x6 white card blank and to make sure my topper matched perfectly colour-wise, I cut down another card blank to make the layer (I'd saved one that I'd messed up the embossing on ages ago so I used the back of that). I chose my stencil (Imagination Crafts) and used double sided tape to stop it moving. I firstly, inked the branch using 'gathered twigs' distress ink and then used an embossing pen to ink the snowflakes. I used 4 different shades of blue mica powders (also Imagination Crafts) to colour them. I also used the mica powders to dust all over the background.

Finishing touches were to add the gems and then mount it onto a blue mirror card mat and then onto the card. I will probably add a message before I send it though. Unfortunately, the beautiful shine of the mica doesn't show up very well on the photo but this one does show the blingyness (good word!) of the gems I've used...

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Crafty Hazlenut's Christmas 'shades of blue' 24/1
Paper Shelter 'winter blues' 21/1
Crafters Cafe 'bling' 22/1
Christmas Cards '1 layer' 26/1
Imagination Crafts 'anything goes' 31/1