Happy New Year!

This will be my last post of 2017, so Happy New Year to all the visitors to my blog.  I hope you all have a happy, healthy and creative 2018!

It seemed appropriate that my last card of 2017 is a Thank You card.  Thank you for all your visits, comments and friendship throughout 2017.  

A CAS card using one of the first sets of stamps I ever bought, a Tapestry set, 'African Daisy Border'.  I can't remember the last time I used this set, so it was time I gave it an airing!  I used Adirondack inks to stamp the pattern.  The fishtail sentiment banner was hand cut.

I am joining in the following challenges:
Penny Black and More December Challenge ~ CAS

Less is More Challenge #360 & #361 ~ Sketch 22

Thank You

Well that's the Christmas festivities over for another year....memorable for all the wrong reasons!  I didn't invite a stomach bug, but one arrived late on the 22nd and stayed until the 27th!  So, no trip to Devon to spend a few days with the family and no Christmas dinner...in fact no food at all for me for three days. Thank goodness for good friends who delivered a Christmas dinner for hubby!   Our house smelt of disinfectant, rather than turkey,  to make sure hubby didn't go down with the dreaded bug. Family presents are still here, as well as all the treat boxes I made, so we'll need to arrange a belated family lunch sometime in the New Year.  But hey-ho, hubby and I were warm over Christmas, didn't need to record anything on the TV to watch later and still have all the Christmas chocolates to enjoy!

Here is the first of a few thank you cards I need to make.

 I used a Memory Box 'Grand Thank You' die with patterned paper from an old Dovecraft paper pad.  The top part of the card is embossed with a Spellbinders 'Dainty Dots' embossing folder.  I added a punched flower in the colours of the flowers on the patterned paper.

I am joining in the following challenges:

That's Crafty Anything Goes Challenge

Die Cuttin' Diva's Challenge #349 ~ Thank You

HLS December Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

Bizzy Bec's December Challenge ~ Anything Goes

More Treat Boxes

More chocolate treat boxes to use over the festive period, this time a cracker shape.  I'm planning to add little tags with names on to use as place names on the table.

The crackers were made using a WRMK Candy Box Punch board.  The Santa faces are stickers I bought to use with my Reception class for Christmas activites when I was teaching full time, so they at least seven years old!  They've been gathering dust all this time, so I thought it was about time I used them. I stuck them on a scalloped Nestabilities die cut, added two Memory Box 'Twilight Snowflakes' die cuts and tied the end of the crackers with red and gold cord. 

I am joining in the following challenges:

Memory Box Challenge #31 ~ Holiday Greetings

Country View December Challenge ~ Christmas

Winter Wonderland ~ Anything Christmas Goes

HLS December Christmas Challenge
Moving Along With The Times Challenge #61 ~ Anything But A Card

Another tag

Another tag today, using two of the Poppystamps 'Stitched Main Street Tags' dies.

I die cut one tag in white.  Before die cutting the second one in dark blue, I attached a strip of white card, die cut with a Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside Border' die, so I could 'ground' the tree.  The tree is a Poppystamp 'Snow Flocked Tree' die cut, with Glamour Dust added to the layers of a tree to add some sparkle and a punched matt silver star at the top of the tree.  I added some 'snowflakes' with Nuvo Crystal Drops.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Poppystamps Challenge #39 - Anything BUT a Card!

Country View December Challenge  ~  Christmas

HLS December Christmas Challenge ~ Anything Christmas Goes

Cuttlebug Mania Challenge ~ Anything Christmas

Fairy Wish

Have you ever had one of those days when it takes longer to take a photo, than it does to make the card?  Well, today I had one of those days. Silver mirror card is difficult to photograph at the best of times, but when it's a silhouette and the light is bad.....this is the best I could get!   The fairy's legs ARE silver!!

So, onto the card I made for my granddaughter's 8th birthday.  The die is a new one I bought recently in Hobbycraft during their half price sale, with this particular card in mind.  It's an Intricut die called 'Intricate Fairy'.  The set of dies comes as a pack of three, including a fairy wand and a star.  I actually used the star from the wand and snipped of the stick, as the star was a better size.  I used a snippet of silver non-shed glitter card with the main die, just cutting out the wings as I wanted to inlay them rather than leave the wings as an outline.  The embossing folder I used for the background is Creative Expressions 'Shimmering Stars'.  The sentiment is computer generated and printed in grey, as it looked less harsh than black.  I added a little red punched heart to finish off my card.  I was really pleased how the card turned out, but I can't say the same for the photograph!

I am joining in the following challenge:
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Weeks 311 and 312 ~ Use snippets (everything was snippets, except for the card blank)
Butterfly Challenge #91 ~ The Fairies, Elves, Pixies, Gnomes come out to play
HLS December Anything Goes with Dies Challenge
Shopping Our Stash #334 - Gah!! PINK!! 
Papercraft Challenges - Challenge # 1 ~ Happy Birthday
Tic Tac Toe Challenge #028 ~ Embossing, Die Cut, Pink

Reindeer Tag

Christmas cards all made, written and posted, so time to start on my tags. 

 Most of the tags I need to make are for children's presents, so I dug out an old wood mounted stamp with a cute reindeer on.  I know I've had this particular stamp for a long time - the date on it is 2002!  The image is stamped with Memento 'Tuxedo Black' and coloured with Promarkers.  I added some Nuvo Crystal Drops for the reindeer's nose and clappers of the bells.  I always thought they were called clangers.  Surprising what you can find out on Google!! LOL!!  The tag shapes were cut with two of the Poppystamps 'Stitched Main Street Tags' dies, the green tag shape is non-shed glitter card.  A little piece of ribbon finished off my tag.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Poppystamps Challenge #39 - Anything BUT a Card!

That's Crafty ~ Tis the Season Challenge

Country View December Challenge  ~  Christmas

HLS December Christmas Challenge ~ Anything Christmas Goes

Cuttlebug Mania Challenge ~ Anything Christmas

Penny Black and More Challenge ~ Clean and Simple

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #272 ~ Make Your Mark
4 Crafty Chicks #381 ~ Christmas/Winter Critters

Santa Pillow Boxes

 I've finally got round to blogging again after nearly a week.  I've made a couple of cards this week, which I can't put on my blog until I know they've been received

I made sixteen little Santa pillow boxes this evening, filled with chocolates, ready for Christmas day.  (As usual, the gold mirror card I used for the buckles doesn't photograph well!) I used a Sizzix pillow box die and snippets of black, white and gold mirror card.

I am joining in the following challenges:
Country View Crafts December Challenge ~ Christmas
The Crafter's Cafe Challenge #187 ~ Anything Christmas Related
HLS December Christmas Challenge ~ Anything Goes
HLS December Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

That's Crafty ~ Tis the Season Challenge
Winter Wonderland Challenge ~ Anything Christmas Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge ~ Christmas/Winter Holidays
Cuttlebug Mania Challenge ~ Anything Christmas

I spent several hours today shaking a bucket outside a local supermarket with my hubby, a few friends and Santa in his sleigh.

   It was fabulous seeing all the children's eyes light up when they spotted Santa!  Despite it being an expensive time of year, it was lovely to see so many people dipping in their pockets to fill up our buckets, raising lots of money for local charities. 

Candlelight

Another Christmas card with a few challenges in mind.  My Christmas cards for this year are all made and written, with a few spare in case I have forgotten someone.  So, I'm starting on my cards for Christmas 2018!

The image is a wood mounted Stampendous stamp I found in a bargain bucket at a craft fair earlier this year.  The image is stamped with Memento 'Tuxedo Black' and coloured with Promarkers.  The sentiment is from a Woodware set of stamps, stamped with Versafine 'Onyx Black'.  To add some sparkle, I went over the yellow, orange and grey with a clear Spectrum Noir glitter brush.  I added some faux stitching around the edge with a fineliner pen to finsh off my card.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Less is More Challenge #358 ~ One Layer - Candles / Something Depicting Light

Country View Crafts December Challenge ~ Christmas
Addicted to CAS Challenge #126 - Sparkle

Penny Black and More December Challenge ~ CAS
AAA Cards CAS Game #105 ~ Sparkle

Sparkly Snowmen

We had our first snow of the winter this morning.....okay, it was only enough to dust the roof of the car and was gone within about 30 minutes, but it WAS snow! LOL!

There are a few 'Snowman' challenges around, so out came my favourite snowman rubber stamp.  The Country View Crafts Challenge this month is 'Christmas with the option of Reds, Greens & Rust', so my first card incorporates these colours. I'm not sure why the red looks a bit orangey, but in IRL it is bright red.

The stamp is an old wood mounted stamp by Anita's.  I coloured the image with Promarkers, then went over the falling snow, the snow on the ground and the snowman's body with a clear Spectrum Noir glitter brush pen to add some sparkle.  After matting and layering the image and raising the sentiment up on foam pads, I finished off my card with five Card Candi.

I am joining in the following challenges with this card:

Country View December Challenge ~ Christmas with the option of Reds, Greens & Rust

Cardz 4 Galz Challenge # 62 ~ Show Me A Snowman

HLS December Christmas Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Sparkles Christmas Challenge #83 ~ Snowman/men

City Crafter Challenge Blog Week 391 ~ Where did you get that hat?

My second card, like one of yesterday's cards, is using blue and white, the colours of our local football team.  Mr Snowman is dressed ready to go to the match tomorrow.  This card will be for another friend who regularly watches the team play.

I am joining in the following challenges with this card:

Cardz 4 Guyz Challenge # 184 ~ Snowman

That's Crafty Challenge ~ Tis the Season Challenge
Winter Wonderland Challenge ~ Anything Christmas Goes
Pile It On Challenge #137 - Non-Traditional Holiday Colors
The Male Room Challenge #75 ~ Christmas/Winter Wishes/December Celebrations

Santa

I'm making a few of this design for some very special little people in our family.

The background is embossed with an Embossalicious e/f, 'Reindeer Forest'.   The dies I used were from eBay and the ribbon from my stash.

I am joining in the following challenges with this card:

City Crafter Challenge Blog Week 391 ~ Where did you get that hat?

Country View Crafts December Challenge ~ Christmas

Deep Ocean Challenge Challenge #169 ~ Santa is Coming to Town

I made one more with Santa wearing the kit of our local football team for a friend.  Our rival team wears red and white, so I never put red on the cards I send her! LOL!

(The football fans are affectionately known as 'The Gasheads', due to the original stadium being in smelling distance of the gas works many years ago.)

I am joining in the following challenges with this card:

Dragonfly Dreams Challenge ~ Non Traditional Christmas
Pile It On Challenge #137 ~ Non-Traditional Holiday Colors
CHNC Challenge #362 ~ Anything goes as long as it's Christmas
CHNC challenge extra for December 2017
Addicted to Stamps and More!  Challenge #271 ~ Anything Goes
The Male Room Challenge #75 ~ Christmas/Winter Wishes/December Celebrations

Bunnies

I saved this as a draft post until I knew the card had been received, but somehow the photo and all the text disappeared, so I had to start again....but then I forgot to make the post live!!  So here's my post - better late than never! 

I made this card for Cara, a blogging friend. You can find her blog, Crafting Bunnies HERE.  When I mentioned in a comment on another blog that I'd been looking for this particular embossing folder for ages, but thought it had been discontinued, Cara very kindly said she had a duplicate one I could have!  Well, I just had a do a Happy Dance, thank you so much Cara!  The e/f is by Creative Expression, 'Heart Lattice'.  I knew I had to use bunnies on Cara's card and the Joanna Sheena 'Rabbit Family' dies were just a perfect size.  The grass is  MFT Die-Namics 'Fresh Cut Grass' die cut.  A strip of sentiment ribbon finished off my card.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - Week 444 ~ Thank You

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #201 ~ Animal Magic

The Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge ~ Give Thanks

Handwritten sentiment

The Butterfly Challenge this fortnight is 'Butterflies + H is for Handwritten and/or the colour Lemon'.  The lemon bit is fine, but handwritten?! I've never handwritten anything on my cards before, apart from a bit of Zentangling, so this was a first for me.  I decided to make a 'thank you' card as I'll be needing a few after Christmas.  I wrote the sentiment with a green fineliner pen.

I started by die cutting a 6" x 4" card blank down the side with a Memory Box 'Kensington Border'  die.   I used the die again with snippets of lemon coloured card and cut off the butterflies before attaching them over the main card.  The embossing folder I used is Couture Creations 'Fireflies'.  I added a thin strip of lemon card on the edge of the green embossed card.  The matted, handwritten sentiment is attached with foam pads.

This photo shows the card open.

I am joining in the following challenges: 
Butterfly Challenge #90 ~ Butterflies + H is for Handwritten and/or the colour Lemon
Allsorts Challenge - Week 444 ~ Thank You
The Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge ~ Give Thanks

Crafty Calendar ~ December DT Post

Today is the start of a new challenge over on Crafty Calendar Challenge, with the theme 'It's Christmas'. There are two prizes this month from our generous sponsors, 


 Crafty Ribbons

and


Bugaboo Stamps

For my DT card I used a pre-coloured image from Bugaboo 'Bugs Snowman 003'. The image was die cut and layered on dark blue, using MB 'Stitched Circles'.  The patterned paper is from a freebie paper pad which came with a magazine.  The snowflakes are MB 'Twilight Snowflakes' die cuts, cut from snippets of white card.

Looking forward to seeing all your Christmas creations over in the Crafty Calendar Challenge. You have until 28th December to join in the fun.

I am joining in the following challenges with my card:

Alphabet Challenge ~ Snow People

Cuttlebug Mania Challenge ~ Let  it Snow
Shopping Our Stash Challenge #331 ~ Snow Much Fun
Cards in Envy ~ It's Only Paper Card Challenge
Country View December Challenge  ~ Christmas