Christmas Card Club Challenge - Origami/Teabag fold

Good afternoon everybody.  Well I slipped up today because I forgot all about today being challenge day!  I guess all the sun and heat must have fried my brain!  Lol!  I have never done teabag folding so I went onto the internet this morning to learn how to do the folding and I also downloaded a sheet of tiles.  However, I realised that for the Christmas tree I decided to make I didn't  actually need tiles, I could have just cut patterned paper into squares.  The tiles are needed if you make a snowflake or star apparently so that you get a pretty picture.  Oh well, you live and learn.  Perhaps I'll try that next.

My Card

I saw a picture of a teabag folded tree that I liked but couldn't find a tutorial, but it was easy enough to just stick the folded tiles into position.  I did actually trim a little bit off a couple of the folded tiles in order for them to fit neatly together.  I'm not sure whether that is really allowed but the first one I made without trimming just looked very uneven and wonky, so I took a bit of license here in order for it to look okay.

My card is 6 x 6 inches and as the tree is fairly large and takes up quite a chunk of the card  I decided to keep it very simple. I used a Crafts-Too snowflake embossing folder for the background and then just added a few red pearls. I have some very tiny peel off greetings which have been there for years so I popped the greeting onto the pot. Et voila, c'est fini!

Yesterday evening the weather broke well and truly here.  We attended an open air trad jazz concert at a National Trust property near here with a couple of friends.  Having had three weeks or so of glorious weather you might have thought it would hold. Oh no! The concert was due to start at 7pm but in fact it actually started early - and the heavens opened!  Boy did it toss it down! It was such a shame because it was one of those events where you could dress up or be casual, and you took a picnic and wine etc.  There was a group of four couples next to us who had really gone to town and were celebrating a wedding anniversary. They were in full evening dress and their table was beautiful. They ended up pouring water out of the food plates and dishes and the poor cake suffered terribly. Unfortunately because of the torrential rain people started leaving quite early which was a shame for the performers.

But come on - we are Brits and we don't let a bit (a lot!!) of water put us off.  Up went the umbrellas and the people danced on in the rain. There was also an exhibition of Charleston and lots of us got up to learn the steps and do a dance. John, Sue and I had great fun but Maurice was a bit too proud to make a fool of himself I think!  Couldn't use umbrellas for that because of the hand movements so we got absolutely soaked but had so much fun!! Unfortunately the exhibition dancers couldn't do too much because their stage was in the open and was too slick with rain and it would have been rather unsafe.

Today the weather is again glorious.  Fairly typical eh?

Well enjoy the rest of the day and have fun, whatever you are doing.

Love and hugs from Christine xx

Definitely No Fuss

Hello friends! I decided to make another very quick card - and this one can surely be described as "no fuss". It is my sister's wedding anniversary in a couple of weeks so I will send whichever card is left to her.  It will save me making another.  Although she may not appreciate the real simplicity of this one so I will probably make another if that is the case.

My Card.

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This is actually just a 4 x 6 "" card.  I ran a piece of card through SB Dainty Dots folder leaving an inch free and then embossed a line each side of the space.  The heart is a Nellie Snellen die.  The sentiment is another of my rub ons.  As simple as that.

Well John arrived home safely at 1 am this morning.  I had gone to bed because I had no idea what time he would get home, but obviously woke up when I heard the car.  So here am I -  pleased to see him but you know what it is like when you have been woken up.  And here is John - despite having climbed a mountain earlier in the day and then driving 450 miles home he is all animated and talkative!!!  Just what I didn't need! Mind you he is still spark out in bed at the moment and I guess he won't be fit for much today!! Lol!

Today it really overcast and cool and it did rain a little in the night - I know 'cause I was there and awake!! ha ha!

Hope you all enjoy your day.

Love and hugs from Christine xx

L.O.V.E.

Hi, just a quick card today.  I was asked to make an anniversary card - not "fussy fussy" was the remit.  Not a lot to go on!

My Card

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I printed out the LOVE square from my Card Factory programme which so rarely gets an airing - except for verses.  I printed it onto glossy photo paper and it looks really nice because it is not high gloss.  Matted onto blue and silver and then attached to a 6 x 6 card. I remembered I had this pretty ribbon and thought it would match the colours of the image.  I don't think it's fussy but you never know what somebody else will think.  It might be back to the drawing board!!

Take care and enjoy the rest of the day.

Love and hugs from Christine xx

Jenny's Reminder

Good morning all.  Well isn't this weather strange.  I went to visit my friend in the next village 2½ miles away yesterday evening.  We had the mother and father of all storms and the rain was torrential for about an hour.  I came home thinking I wouldn't need to water the garden and my rain barrels would be all topped up - to find everywhere bone dry!! We have had a few rumbles of thunder this morning but other than not nothing. It would be nice to have a downpour to freshen everything up and clear the air. Never happy are we?

I have made a couple of cards over the last couple of days but they are similar to ones I have already posted so I won't bore you again. A few days ago Jenny posted a bookmark and it reminded me of the ones I did at the same time for a challenge we entered.  Since this was before I started my blog I  thought I would post them today.

My Projects

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The first one is a corner bookmark, which is the type Jenny made too and you can find her very pretty bookmark here . The second one is a wrap around one. The ribbon goes inside the book  and the two toppers met on the front and are held closed with mini magnets. I made quite a lot at the time and they make nice little gifts. 

Hope you all have a good day. 

Love and hugs from Christine xx

Sweet Blossom

Good morning. Well what a change yesterday. Much cooler and rather overcast and therefore able to actually do things. The evening was the best part of the day and the sun came out around 4.30 pm. However, it is forecast to be another scorching week.

Watched a very exciting Tour de France final last night. Even though we already knew that Brtitain's Chris Froome had won the yellow jersey it was no less exciting.  This was the 100th Tour and our second consecutive win - the only times we have ever won the best bike race in the world!!! Hooray!!!! We've certainly had a good year for sport again.

Anyway, back to crafting.

My Card

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This is my usual 6 x 6 card and today I used a Sylvia Zet topper from The Hobby House.  I matted it onto an SB Petite Scalloped Circle.  I love the muted tones of this topper and the backing papers from First Edition "Love Letters " matched absolutely perfectly.  The flowers are Brittania dies Roses but these dies are so versatile that you can make many different flowers with them and I thought my daisies tied in with the flowers in the topper.  The leaves are Cheery Lynn  Leaf Strip.  The sentiment is a rub on from The Scrapbook House which I bought from a craft shop which closed down years ago.  I bought quite a few at the time and they seemed pretty expensive but the quality is excellent, even after all this time. Pink pearls as flower centres finished the card.

Well, that's it from me. Have a good day.

Love and hugs from Christine xx

Garden Of Friends

Good afternoon friends and fellow bloggers.  Since I got back from holiday I haven't really felt like crafting.  Mr Mojo is still in West Wales I think. I hope he returns soon!  Yesterday, although it was still terribly hot, we had a very slight breeze so it was a bit more bearable.  I think it is the humidity that is so wearing and tiring. A dry heat is much easier to cope with.  I actually found the most comfortable spot was sitting under the carport. Fortunately we have no neighbours or they would have thought I was bonkers.  We have even moved downstairs into the guest room temporarily because it is cooler there.  Today is much more comfortable because it is quite breezy.

Before I go any further I would like to say hello and welcome to my latest follower Debbie.  I hope you enjoy what you see here. If you leave a comment than I can visit you in return.

My Card

 

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My card today is 6 x 6". I matted some red card stock onto the base card and then ran another piece of white card through the GC using the Dainty Dots folder. I wanted to double mat my stamped image but it would have been too big for the card. Instead I used a technique that I picked up from Becca Feekin's Amazing Paper Grace blog and inked the borders on both die cuts. After inking I then stamped my image and sentiment, and coloured with Promarkers. I must admit it looks fantastic, as if there really is another die cut there. You can find a video tutorial here.  (For some reason the link is not showing up on the post, although it does in the draft. It is there if you just hover your mouse over the space before the bracket.) I think this is a technique that I might well be using often.  Becca prefers to stamp and diecut the image and then ink the border, but I got into bit of a mess that way and kept smudging it, so I I inked the die, cut and embossed it and then stamped the image afterwards. I love the way it looks. My image and sentiment are from JustRite Stamps "Poppies" and die cut with SB Labels 10.  The sentiment was diecut with SB Labels 16.  I cut a length of red card and punched both long edges with  Martha Stewart Scroll Lace punch which I then wrapped with  white ribbon and tied a double bow. This is a length of ribbon that I bought a couple of years ago and "misplaced". I came across it in a drawer in the lounge - obviously got picked up with something else! The tiny poppy in the corner was one cut from the image I spoiled and then I just added some red pearls from my stash to finish.

Well I hope you all enjoy the rest of the weekend. I'm having a quiet week because John is up in Scotland climbing mountains. I'm always relieved in the evening when I get the call that he is safely down.

Love and hugs from Christine xx

Challenges
http://anythingchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/anything-goes-97.html
http://ilovepromarkers.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/challenge-177-anything-goes.html
http://oldiebutagoodiechallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/in-garden.html
http://dutchdare-cardchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/226-floral-frenzy-day-for-daisies.html

CCC Clare's Challenge - Pastel Colours and Use a Circle

Hi everybody!

Last week John and I decided we needed a break so we booked a last minute holiday cottage in West Wales and took off a few days later. And weren't we lucky with the weather? Incredible. The last three UK holidays have been a bit of a flop weather-wise and last year in Scotland it was total washout! Unfortunately, I think I left my mojo in our beautiful riverside cottage in Ceridigion! I really would have liked to have stayed an extra week, but you cannot be too greedy!!

My Card

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This was not my first idea. Initially I stamped and coloured an image and then remembered I needed a circle on my card, and the image didn't fit ! So I used another LOTV image instead, Angels With Crib, and coloured it with Promarkers. It was then die cut it with SB Lacey Circles. I used Memory box Snowflake Corner and a Carla Craft punch for the snowflakes. The backing papers were from an extremely old C&C CD. I then just blinged it up with Papermania Shimmer Dots. If in doubt use lots of bling and glitter - you cannot go wrong with that at Christmas!! I didn't use a sentiment because of the script paper.

Well, rather a boring offering I'm afraid but let's hope my mojo follows me back home soon! Lol!

Hope you are all enjoying summer at last. I'm whispering this but - it's a bit too hot for me!! My personal body thermostat doesn't deal well with extreme heat and I have suffered from heat stroke in the past so I am very wary. Also being very fair I burn easily, so it's brimmed hat and Factor 50 for me!!

Love and hugs from Christine xx

Entered into http://craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge2.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/chnc-challenge-extra-for-july.html
http://craftingwhenwecanchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/challenge-48-christmas-in-july.html
http://paper-craftingjourney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/christmas-in-july-challenge.html

Going Green

Hi dear friends and fellow bloggers.  Hope everybody is fit and well.  Just a very quick card today - Busy! Busy!

First of all, just thought I would say that Darren chose the green card with the quote about Kilimanjaro - "Every mountain is within reach if you just keep climbing". He is very pleased with it fortunately. So pleased that he has asked me to make another retirement card for one of the Consultant Surgeons who has mentored him and been very helpful to him over the last 10 years. That is not until end of August so I have some time to think about it. More male cards!!

My Card

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My card today is 5 x 7". - and female! Lol!  I used the Born To Shop pad "Go Green" from Papermania. I took one of the image sheets and separated the sentiment and image.  Then I just cut up some of the other pages and arranged them on the card.  The little 3D butterfly is a Fly Stickers from Hobbycrafts and picks up the colour of the lady's dress.   A few Papermania Shimmer Dots finished it.  If you are in a hurry these pads are great because in a very short time you can have a card ready. 

Hope you all have a great day.

Love and hugs from Christine xx

Diamond Fold Card

Hello everybody. I have been rather busy this week and not much time for crafting. I have seen these diamond fold cards around and they were on my "To Do" list. Well, now I can cross it off the list because I have  made one.  I looked on Tinternet, as Peter Kay would say, for a tutorial and found a few but they were different sizes to what I wanted, so I played around with the measurements and managed it.

My Card

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I matted the side panels with dark pink pearlescent paper from my stash and then with paper from the Papermania Capsule Collection "Parkstone Pink". The topper is a Sylvia Zet image from the Hobby House and I used SB Standard Circles in the same pearlescent paper as before, then  from First Edition "Summer Breeze" I  diecut another mat with SB Lacey Circles and mounted it onto the central diamond shape. I stamped little flowers all over the rest of the card with Dew Drop Brilliance Pearlescent Crimson. Apart from  pearly flowers in the corners I left the side panels free from embellishments because it is quite a busy paper, and in the end I decided less is more.

That's all from me. Enjoy your day.

Love and hugs from Christine xx

Entered into :http://joannasheenchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/dont-be-square.html
http://fabnfunkychallenges.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/challenge-178-anything-but-square.html
http://cupcakecraftchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/cupcake-249-anything-but-square.html
http://paper-craftingjourney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/anything-but-square-card.html

Happy Birthday John

Hello everybody.  What a gorgeous day it was yesterday.  John and I did some much needed work in the garden.  We really need to keep on top of it otherwise it reverts to jungle quite easily!! With all the rain this year it has gone wild.

I am ashamed to say that this was an extremely quick card. Can you believe I almost forgot my husband's birthday?  It was only when Carole talked about Google Reader closing on July 1st that alarm bells started to ring.  Unfortunately I still had the last card to finish for Darren and get them off in the post to him (he lives in the North of England) and then my Christmas card for the CCC challenge.  Anyway, once we had finished in the garden and showered, eaten etc I then disappeared into my craft room and hoped he stayed out of the way for a while.  After all these male cards I think I've got over my aversion to them.  I don't think I'll be quite so nervous in the future.

My Card

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I cut some Ivory Gold Dust card to 5" x 7" and matted it with black and more ivory.  I then ran a piece of the same card through Papermania Chronology-Clocks folder and matted it with black.  I've had this embossing folder for ages and it was still in it's packaging. I must say it is lovely and the embossing is very crisp.  I computer generated the sentiment which I have had in my mind for ages and decided this was a good time to use it. I found some Kanban Mackenzie - Time toppers which I used as the speedy option to follow through with the clock and time passing theme.  The black and white striped one is great but it was in the shape of a flower so I had to doctor it with SB Standard Circles dies and then added a small clock into the centre with foam pads.  It all looks quite flat but both the topper and the sentiment are attached with foam pads.  A few black pearls finished it off and hey presto - one extremely quick card which also looks quite elegant due to the colours - despite the cheeky message! I also carried the cheekiness inside with the message.  Hope his sense of humour is intact when he opens it!  I'd better give him a good breakfast first!

Hope you all have a good day, whatever you are doing.

Love and hugs from Christine xx