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. 

Butterflies

Welcome to my new follower, Diana Moriel of Pegostes y Colores.  Thank you for following me, I hope you can visit my blog again soon.

The Butterfly Challenge this fortnight is 'R for Rocker Card'.   It's a while since I last made a rocker card, so I decided to make card using all seven elements of the challenge: Rifle Green/Raspberry /Rajah/Ribbon/Raised Up/Rocker Card + a Butterfly. (Rajah = Light orange colour)

I used several Sue Wilson 'Double Pierced Circles' dies, the largest was folded in half to form the rocker part. The decorative circle die cut is a Spellbinders 'Butterfly Circle'.  I layered the white butterfly circle on a green circle die cut.   I used the butterfly circle die again with light orange card and used the 'waste' butterflies and inlaid them in the white butterfly circle.  The large butterfly was from the Stampin' Up 'Butterfly Gala' set of stamps, stamped with Memento 'Tuxedo Black' and coloured with Promarkers, using the three colours in the Butterfly Challenge.  I used the body from a Memory Box butterfly die to add to the stamped butterfly. The butterfly was raised up on foam pads to add dimension. I attached a strip of green and white gingham ribbon across the top of the folded rocker card before attaching the butterfly circle.  I didn't have any pearls in a matching green, so I coloured white ones with the green Promarker I used on the butterfly.  As the white, green and orange card was from my snippets drawer, I'll be popping over to share my card in the Playground.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Butterfly Challenge #135 ~ Spin The Butterfly Wheel with R (all seven elements)

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Challenge #370 ~ Use Snippets

Mod Squad Challenge Challenge – Use an Animal Stamp

Tuesday Throwdown Challenge #449  ~ Layered Die Cuts

Sparkly Christmas Tree

Welcome to my new follower, Ionabunny the Crafty Nomad.  I hope you can visit my blog again soon.

The January Rudolph Days Challenge begins today, the first one of 2020.  I decided to design a CAS card today, which would be suitable for batch making.

I die cut a white circle and a non-shed green glitter circle with Memory Box 'Stitched Circle Layers' dies.  The Christmas tree was die cut with a MFT 'Christmas Tree Window Die' in the white circle - a new die I bought a while ago and finally got round to using it.  After layering the white circle over the green one, I inlaid a gold, glitter star in the top.  The sentiment is a gold peeloff.  I'm planning to have less peeloffs in my stash at the end of the year than I do now! 

I am joining in the following challenges:

Rudolph Days January Challenge 

Cardz 4 Guyz Challenge #236 ~ Clean and Simple

HLS January Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

HLS January Christmas Challenge ~ A/G + Option 'Trim the Tree'
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #474
The Holly and the Ivy Challenge # 63 ~ Anything Christmas Goes
Tales From the Craft Room Challenge #1 - Something New (Tree die)

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

Surfing

A friend asked me to make a card for her brother's 40th birthday.  A new outdoor surfing pool (The Wave) was opened in our city recently and the card was to contain a gift voucher for The Wave.

I searched everywhere for a suitable online digi stamp, without any luck.  Eventually I found a free children's colouring page, which I resized and coloured with Promarkers.  The image was die cut with a Memory Box 'Stitched Rectangle Layers' die. The background was embossed with a Creative Expression 'Ocean Waves' e/f.   The sentiment is computer generated. 

I am joining in the following challenges:

I Love Promarkers Challenge #401~ Anything Goes

Ike'sWorld Challenge #128 - M is for Male/AG

Fab 'n' Funky Challenge #463 ~ No Designer Paper

The Male Room Challenge #127 - Anything Masculine Goes

Retirement

I have a New Year Giveaway on my blog HERE.  Please remember to say in your comment on the original post if you would like to be included in the draw for the prize.

I made this card for a friend who was retiring from teaching.  As she pointed out to me, she was too young to be retired 😉, so I thought this was a suitable sentiment for her.  She has a little business hiring out vintage crockery for occasions such as afternoon tea, so I've used this as a theme for my card. 

I started with a pastel yellow card blank and left just a thin border showing.  The teapot and cup are dies from the First Edition 'Tea Party' set and I've inset the details on them.  I used a cupcake embossing folder from the Cuttlebug 'Once Upon a Princess' set of folders to make a panel down the side.  The sentiment is computer generated.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - Week 553 ~ Soft Pastels

The Crafter's Cafe Challenge #233 ~ I spy with my little eye something beginning with C (Cup and Cupcakes)

Partial Die-Cutting

I have a New Year Giveaway on my blog HERE.  Please remember to say in your comment on the original post if you would like to be included in the draw for the prize.

The CAS Mix Up Card Challenge includes 'Partial Die-Cutting' this month. This is a 'new to me' technique, so I thought I'd give it a try.  The three elements for the challenge are 'Partial Die-Cutting + Stamping + Your Choice'.  There are several video tutorials on the CAS Mix Up blog for partial die-cutting and for my first card I used the technique HERE.  The die cut is cut from both ends, leaving an uncut panel through the middle for the sentiment.

  

I made a masculine card, using a Memory Box 'Gearworks Border' die.  For 'my choice', I heat embossed the sentiment in silver.  Three black pearls finished off my card.  That's when I realised that the stamping in Versamark probably didn't count as the stamping element as well as the heat embossing!  If I hadn't already added the black pearls, I could have used black liquid pearls instead for my third element.  Oh well, at least I've made another masculine card to add to my box of ready-made cards.

  

I am joining in the following challenges with this card:

Alphabet Challenge ~ T is for Try Something Different

Simply Create Too Challenge #156 ~ Monochromatic

The Crafter's Cafe Challenge #233 Holidays OR I spy with my little eye something beginning with C (Cogs)

Not to be beaten, I decided to make another card, which I hope counts for the CAS Mix Up challenge.  The partial die-cutting was done using a different technique HERE.  The image is a stamp from the Happy Little Stampers 'Especially For You' set, stamped with Memento 'Tuxedo Black' and coloured with Promarkers.  I partially die-cut the image and my third element for the challenge is fussy cutting part of the flower.  I layered the image on a pale green mat, leaving a thin border.  The sentiment was stamped with Memento 'London Fog' and I added a few tiny pale green pearls to finish off my card.

I am joining in the following challenges with this card:

CAS Mix Up January 2020 Challenge

Allsorts Challenge - Week 553 ~ Soft Pastels

Penny Black and More January Challenge ~ Make it Feminine

Flamingo

I have a New Year Giveaway on my blog HERE.  Please remember to say in your comment on the original post if you would like to be included in the draw for the prize.

The January Crafty Calendar Challenge begins today with the theme 'Include a Tag' and here is my DT card.

This is the second time I've made a Double Tower Fold card, the instructions can be found HERE.  This time I wanted the central panel wider, so I adjusted the measurements and started off with a sheet of white card 6" x 10" and the panel in the centre is 4" wide.  When folded for posting, the card measures 6" x 6".  The tag was made with with an MFT 'Cross-stitch Tag' die and I used crochet cotton to cross stitch the flamingo pattern.  The background was embossed with a Crafter's Companion 'Sew Lovely - Sashiko' embossing folder and the ribbon was from my stash,

The Crafty Calendar Challenge ends on 28th January and there is lots of inspirations from the DT on the challenge blog.  

Our generous sponsor this month is Lawn Fawn and there will be a $25 voucher for the randomly chosen winner. 

 I am joining in the following challenges:

A Bit More Time To Craft Challenge #107 - Anything Goes

A Perfect Time To Craft Challenge for January, #1-2020 ~ Anything Goes

Sewing

I have a New Year Giveaway on my blog HERE.  Please remember to say in your comment on the original post if you would like to be included in the draw for the prize.

I made a birthday card for a friend who celebrated her birthday yesterday and I can share it on my blog now that I know she has received it.  My friend teaches children and adults how to sew and I wanted to have this the theme for her card.  I was a bit stumped for an image, but came across this one on the 'Free Dearie Dolls Digi Stamps' blog.

The image is pre-coloured and I die cut it and layered it using Memory Box 'Stitched Square Layers'.  The background was embossed with a Embossalicious 'Button Box' e/f and added a panel of spotty red and white card to match one of the rolls of fabric in the image.  The scissors were die cut using silver mirror card with a die from the Spellbinders 'Sewing Elements' set of dies.  I added a tiny black pearl to the middle of scissors where the screw would be.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Cardz 4 Galz Challenge # 112 ~ Haberdashery

A Bit More Time To Craft Challenge #107 ~ Anything Goes

Allsorts Challenge Week 551/2 ~ Anything Goes

Make My Monday Challenge # 112 ~ A Female Birthday