New Year Giveaway

(This post will be pinned to top of my blog for the whole of January - please scroll down for recent posts.)

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wishing all visitors to my blog a Happy, Healthy and Creative 2020!

To celebrate 200 followers, a new year and a new decade, I've decided to have a little giveaway.  

Like most bloggers, I really appreciate all the lovely comments left on my blog, so this giveaway will be going to someone who has taken the time to regularly leave me a comment.   If you would like to be in the draw for this lovely die,  please leave a comment on this post.  There is no requirement become a follower or add a photo of the prize on your sidebar, although it would be lovely if you did.  The only requirement is that I have often seen your name pop up on the list of comments during 2019.   

I really like this die as it can be used for lots of different occasions.  Here are a few examples of how I've used mine.

You can leave a comment any time in January and I'll announce the winner shortly after.  If you leave a comment, please make it clear if you would like to be included in the draw for the prize. 

Catching up.......

Welcome to my new follower, Mary McMillan of Glitter Grammy Plays With Paper.  I hope you can visit my blog again soon.

I'm catching up with a few challenges after suffering with a heavy cold for the last few days.  I haven't felt much like crafting and am behind with my blog visiting, so hopefully I  can find time to visit my favourite blogs this week to see what everyone has been creating.

The Butterfly Challenge finishes today and I was determined to join in this time as I've missed the last couple of challenges.

The panel was made with a Memory Box 'Lucienne Tile' die in pale pink and matt silver, with three tiny clear gems added along the panel.  I die cut the butterfly using Memory Box 'Pippi' and 'Isabella' dies.  The sentiment is stamped with a silver VersaColor ink pad.  I finished off my card with a grey fineliner pen to draw the flight path of the butterfly.

I am joining in the following challenges with this card:

Butterfly Challenge #134 ~ Q - Spin The Butterfly Wheel with Q - Theme and Colour (Quartz Gems/Quick Silver/Queen Pink/Butterfly)

Memory Box January Challenge - Friendship

The theme of the Twofer Challenge this month is 'Hearts', two cards, with different designs, for different occasions using the same die, stamp or stencil.

The heart I used for both cards is a die from the Spellbinders 'Lace Hearts' set of dies.

I am joining in the Twofer Challenge #23  with this pair of cards.

For my first card I used two of the dies, one cutting the outline and one cutting the lattice part.  I added a small punched red heart in the middle.  The heart was layered on Memory Box 'Stitched Square Layers' die cuts.  I cut off half of the front of the card blank and added a triangle of red card, embossing with an Xcut  'Polka Hearts' embossing folder.  The sentiment is computer generated, die cut with a Memory Box 'Stitched Rectangle Layers' die.

This photo show the card open.

I am joining in the following challenges with this card:

Country View January Challenge - Love 

Simply Create Too ~ #156- Monochromatic

HLS January Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

Let's Create and Craft Challenge #155 ~ AG + Option Love is in the Air

For my second card, I used the waste from the heart die cut in my last card as a stencil.  Using an Adirondack 'Denim' ink pad and a blending brush, I inked through the heart shaped aperture.  The Spellbinders 'Feathers' die cut was attached with foam pads to add some dimension.  The sentiment was stamped with Versafine 'Onyx Black'.  

I am joining in the following challenges with this card:

Cardz 4 Galz Challenge #113 ~ White and Blue

Krafty Chicks Challenge #490 ~ CAS 

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge ~ Use a stencil

CAS January Stencil Challenge ~ Use a new stencil (made my own new stencil)
Try in on Tuesday Challenge ~ White space or Colourful Grunge
Allsorts Challenge - Week 555 ~ More than a single word sentiment

20th Anniversary Card

This is a card I was asked to make for a friend to give her sister and brother-in-law.   I was told what sentiment they would like on the card and as their gift was afternoon tea at 'The Ivy' she would like that to be the theme of the card.  The choice of colours was left up to me.

I discovered that the colours for a 20th Wedding Anniversary are Emerald and White, so I used mainly these colours on the card.  After going through my dies for inspiration, I decided to use the teapot from the First Edition 'Tea Party' set of dies.  The ivy is a Joy Craft 'Autumn' die cut. I made the base card with a Spellbinders 'Happy Days' die and used a Sue Wilson 'Heart Lattice' embossing folder for the background.  The pink hearts die cuts from the Sue Wilson 'Mr and Mrs' dies.

This is a different view of the card.

I am joining in the following challenges with this card:

Country View Crafts January Challenge ~ Love 

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Challenge #369 ~ All snippets, except for the green base card

HLS January Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

Let's Create and Craft Challenge #155 ~ AG + Option Love is in the Air

2020 is the year I'm determined to master how to crochet.  I last picked up a crochet hook over 40 years ago and never got past the granny square stage.  So..... last weekend I made my first project - a little bag using the double crochet stitch. (Although in the US I think the stitch is called something else.)  It's just five rectangles sewn together. 

I decided to leave off the handles and turn it into a box for my ink blending brushes. (Although they're really make-up brushes which are a fraction of the price and are more or less identical. 😉)  

I am joining the following challenge with this project:
Alphabet Challenge ~T is for Try Something Different

Octagonal Anniversary Card

An anniversary card I made for friends of ours.

I love the shape of these Sue Wilson 'Ornate Pierced Rectangles' for making a frame, although they are octagons and not rectangles. 😉 

I am joining in the following challenges:

Country View January Challenge ~ Love
HLS January Anything Goes with Dies Challenge
Let's Create and Craft Challenge #155 ~ AG + Option Love is in the Air
Time Out Challenge #152 ~ Photo Inspiration