We Three Kings......

I was really chuffed that 'Simply Cards & Papercraft' printed a photo of my Lego card in their magazine this month, on their letters page.

Another eight Christmas cards finished today, all of this design.

The stamp was an old Anita's one and the image was coloured in with Promarkers and Stardust glitter pens.  The embossing folder was Crafter's Companion 'Snowflakes' - a bargain buy at the NEC this month for only £1!  It was size 5 x 7 so perfect for covering the whole of the card front. I added a silver spot to each of the snowflakes to highlight them.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 153 ~ I used red snippets
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra ~ Anything Goes 

Bambi

Now, I'm not usually a person who does découpage, in fact I've never done it before.  All that cutting out seemed a bit fiddly for me, but a free gift with a magazine I received yesterday was a Découpage and Paper Pack.  So, sat in front of the TV last night, I decided to cut out some of the pieces. I'm sure I remember a quote about  idle hands being a bad thing!  I quite liked the patterned papers in the pack, so this is the card I came up with.  

The little deer had six layers including the base layer.  I wasn't sure of what to use to attach the layers, so I used foam pads, cutting some of them up into tiny pieces for the legs.  I seem to remember seeing silicone glue being used for découpage, but as I didn't have any, I had to make do with foam pads.

Noel

Happy Thanksgiving Day to all my American blogging friends. I hope you are all having a wonderful day!

Today's card is another Christmas card, this time in black, white and silver.

I used a Die-namics star die for the panel and attached black glitter card behind the tiny star apertures, although I'm not sure you can see the glitter in the photo.  The stamped the Noel image was heat embossed with black embossing powder.  Although it was one stamp, I cut out the four letters, then matted it first on silver and then on black glitter card.  I punched three stars out from the glitter card to add the finishing touch. 

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge ~ Anything Goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra ~ Anything Goes 

Twit Twoo

Another birthday card today.  There is something about owls I just love and I seem to have quite a collection of owl dies and stamps - but you can never have too many owls!

For this card I've used a Tattered Lace owl die.  I've added a couple of little eyes to make him come alive.  I used a Darice embossing folder 'Wood Grain' for the background. The leaves were punched with a Woodware leaf punch.

I would like to enter the following challenges:
Allsorts Challenge Blog - Week 286 ~ No design papers allowed

Fairy Musician

Another new follower to introduce today.  Miranda's lovely blog Bolletje Lucky is translated into English, so pay her a visit and see her lovely designs.

The latest addition of the Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine has a fabulous set of fairy stamps as the free gift.  I used one on a stepper card for a friend's birthday tomorrow.

As it's a silhouette stamp, I kept to the theme of red, white and black, one of my favourite colour schemes.  I added a couple of red pearls to the stamped image to give it a bit of details.  Red, white and black snippets used today so off  to play in Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 152.

I would also like to enter the following challenges:
Addicted to Stamps Challenge #92 ~ Lots of Layers
Penny Black and More Challenge ~ Anything Goes
Loves Rubber Stamps Challenge 127 ~ Things with Wings

Embossed Butterfly

Another butterfly card, this time a CAS one for my sister-in-law.

 The die I used for the panel down the side is a new one I bought at the NEC this month - I do like having a birthday in November, with birthday money to spend at the NEC!  It's a Memory Box die - 'Piestra Tile'.  The butterfly was punched out twice, then embossed before layering it to make it look 3D.  I used little black pearls for the body.  

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Country View Crafts' Challenge Blog ~ Bugs, Bees and Butterflies
Allsorts Challenge Blog - Week 286 ~ No design papers allowed

I'll be popping over to Pixie's Snippets Playground when the gates open tomorrow, as I used red snippets on my card.

Paper Pieced Butterfly

The challenge on the Butterfly Challenge Blog this week is 'Paper Pieced Butterflies'.  After looking through all my butterfly stamps and punches, I decided to use the lovely Lavinia 'Zen Butterfly' stamp.

I first stamped the image on a snippet of white card, then again on two contrasting oddments of Papermania patterned paper.  I cut out the top wings from one of the patterned pieces and the bottom wings from the other.  I then attached them over the original stamped image.  The body was coloured in with a purple Wink of Stella Glitter pen.  I found a VERY old butterfly corner punch, which I used for the purple piece of card. It pays sometimes to tidy my craft room, as I discover things I'd forgotten about!  The matted image was attached with foam pads,  as it made the corner butterflies stand out.  The dainty embossed background is one of my favourites.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Butterfly Challenge # 19 ~ Paper Pieced Butterflies

Country View Crafts' Challenge Blog ~ Bugs, Bees and Butterflies

Loves Rubber Stamps Challenge 127 ~ Things with Wings

I'll be popping over to Pixie's Snippets Playground when the gates open tomorrow, as I used lots of snippets on my card.

Snow and Sparkle

The Lavinia Stamps challenge this month is 'Snow and Sparkle', so I thought I'd try to creating a snowy background for the Lavinia 'Star Gazing' stamp.

After a couple of false attempts at using a mask with the ink to create the snow drifts, I finally worked out the best way to do it.  I made a mask by cutting a piece of acetate, as I find it easier to use than paper.  Little white pearls were added to the scene for the falling snow.  I used two Spellbinders Arched Window dies to make the window frame.  Star Dust Stickles were added to the centre of all the snow flakes on the patterned paper to give them a bit of sparkle, before finishing off with punched silver holographic snowflakes.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Lavinia Stamps Challenge #11 ~ Snow and Sparkle 
Stamping Sensations November Challenge ~ Christmas
Lisa B Designs Monthly Challenge ~ Christmas Sparkle
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 151 ~ Used silver snippets
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra ~ Anything Goes 

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge ~ To the Moon
Divas by Design ~ Let It Snow

Christmas Kittens

I'm getting there with my Christmas cards..... 62 made so far.  This is my latest one, a spring fold card, using a cute Little Claire stamp.

The image was coloured in with Promarkers, Cool Grey 1,3,and 5 and Poppy.  I covered the bauble with Glossy Accents which gave it a lovely domed effect, which is hard to see in the photo.  I added clear gems to the punched border at the bottom to give a bit of sparkle.....after all, it is nearly Christmas!

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Little Claire's Challenge # 51 ~ Shaped Card 
Stamping Sensations November Challenge ~ Christmas
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 151 ~ Used red snippets
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra ~ Anything Goes 

Hedgehogs

I just had to share the birthday card I received this week from my great nephew.  I thought it was pretty impressive for someone who was only five last month.  What cute hedgehogs!

I even got a hedgehog inside the card!

Craft Fair

What a busy couple of weeks!  I've eventually found time to get back on my blog again. One new follower to introduce this week.  Bonnie of 'Stamping with Klass' makes the most beautiful CAS cards.   

I had a stall at a craft fair since the last time I blogged.  

Not exactly a success, although I was one of a few who just about covered the cost of the table!  A Saturday evening on a cold and wet November evening, in a hall tucked away in a quiet road is not the best time to have booked a stall at a craft fair, I discovered!  Only about fifty people turned up to buy anything.  But hey-ho, I'll know for next time and the £16 I paid to have a stall all went to charity, so that was okay.  My daughter has a charity place in the London Marathon next year and needs to raise £1,400.  The sale of all my cards etc will be going towards this total, so the £1 I took, after paying for the stall, is the start of my fundraising to support her.  £1,399 to go! I'm looking out for a few more local craft fairs where I hope I'll have more success.  The day after the craft fair I went to the NEC in Birmingham with a couple of friends for the Hobbycraft Show.  There were so many crafty things to tempt us with..........and we lost all our will power to only buy things on our wish list!

So, onto a couple of cards made this week, a Get Well Soon card and a Sympathy card, both for men.

I usually make my own stepper cards, but this card was done with a stepper card die, which is great for making a fairly quick card. It even cuts out the patterned paper to decorate it.  The patterned paper was left over from a previous card and I used a snippet of white card for the scalloped oval, so I'm off to play at Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 151.

I made this design of card recently with a white base card, but the effect looks so different using black.  

Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Firstly, I have another new follower.  I especially love the cute images Janice uses on some of her cards.  So go over to 'Stamping Mad' to see her lovely creations. 

I decided I need to keep going with my Christmas cards, as well as making other cards, so this is my next design for this year.

I've stamped and coloured twenty of these Rudolph images, so just nineteen cards still to make of this design!  The stamp is an old Anita's one and I've coloured the image with Promarkers and a red Sakura Stardust pen to add a bit of sparkle to the decorations hanging from the antlers.  When Rudolph was coloured, he had a black nose from the stamp.  I decided I really needed to give him a shiny red nose.  The only way I could work out how to do this so it looked okay, was to cut an oval using a snippet of red holographic card. The patterned paper is from a Christmas paper stack I bought at the NEC Hobbycraft show last year.  From memory, it was just £1 - bargain!  I hope they've got some good bargains next weekend, when I visit!  Card Candi finished off my design.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 149 
Stamping Sensations ~ Simply Christmas
Little Claire's Challenge #50 ~ Christmas Theme
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas challenge #201 ~ Sparkle

Happy Birthday

It's now three months since I worked out how to add a followers button.  I just want to say thank you to everyone who has become one of my followers, I'm now up to thirty two! Thank you for all the lovely comments made about my cards.  They really are appreciated.  I thought I'd start introducing my followers from now on, so you have a link to all their lovely creations.  My latest follower is Pam, who makes the most amazing cards, so please pop over to her blog, Pamscraft, to see her beautiful designs.

I wanted to take a particular Happy Birthday die with me on holiday last week, but after searching high and low I couldn't find it.  It wasn't in the box where I keep all my dies, but as I hadn't had a chance use it, I was beginning to think I hadn't actually bought it!  So I took my similar Merry Christmas die away instead and made a batch of Christmas cards like this one HERE. After discovering the receipt for the Happy Birthday die yesterday, I knew it had to be somewhere.  Eventually I found it yesterday evening and started mass producing some cards, all slightly different, for my craft stall next weekend.  Here is a selection of the ones I finished off this morning.

The football is a peeloff, put onto stiff card, cut out and attached with foam pads. 

 I used  patterned paper for this one, punched out two flowers and double layered them, then attached a brad for the centre.

The penguin was made using my Stampin' Up owl punch.

Here is the Stampin' Up owl again - in its natural state! I backed the word 'birthday' with plain dark green paper to make it stand out.

Although I used snippets on all these cards, the owl card is my favourite card on this post, so I'm going to share it in Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 149

 Here's that little Stampin' Up owl again, this time turned into a Minion.

Finally, a simple punched butterfly as an embellishment, decorated with tiny pearls.

I would like to enter my butterfly card for the challenge over at Country View Crafts where the theme is 'Bugs, Bees and Butterflies'.

I love this Memory Box die as it is so versatile, especially for making a quick card.  Apart from the card blanks, everything was made with snippets, another good reason to use this lovely die.