Snowflakes

Good morning to you all. Today I have another Christmas card.

My Card

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My card today is 6 x 6 inches.  The large snowflake stamp is Stampendous "Crystal Snow Points" which is one of my early stamps.  I stamped it with Brilliance Pearlescent Lavender onto parchment paper and then used an embossing tool from behind.  I also used the Pearlescent Lavender with an Inkssenstials foam pad to outline the snowflake and make it stand out.  Before attaching it to the card  I stamped some snowflakes onto another piece of parchment and attached that to the side of the card.  The sentiment is from Polkadoodles and I then added a snowflake in the corner using  SB Create A Flake 5 snowflake die cut once in white and once in lavender glitter card and also a Marianne snowflake.  Just to give it a bit of a lift I added a few holographic peel off snowflakes which have been in my stash for years.   I'm not a lover of holographic things but I can take it small doses.  A  very quick and easy card today but unfortunately the picture does not really do it justice. Well that's life I guess.

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend. The weather is mixed here. Yesterday started miserably with rain and mist but then in the afternoon it was beautifully sunny but cooled down pretty quickly.  Today is better but quite overcast. Definitely time to light the fire now.

Entered into: http://craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge2.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/chnc-challenge-extra-for-september.html
http://sparklesforumchristmaschallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/ch32-non-traditional-colours.html

Christmas Scene - CCC Challenge

Good morning friends.  Well, not a male card in sight today I'm pleased to say.  Instead this is a card for the Christmas Card Club challenge.  Lorraine's choice was for us to make a Christmas scene.  Unfortunately Lorraine is unwell and so is not actually taking part herself so let's hope she feels better soon.

My Card

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From the side to see the 3D box effect and stand

I decided to make a 3D box card since it is so long since I have made one. I never quite know what to call these, I guess they are a bit like a shadow box only made from card. I started with a piece of card 8" x 8" and a slightly smaller piece for the back.  After the cutting and folding it becomes 6.5" x 6.5".

My stamp is  many many years old and is from an American company called Petaluma.  I stamped it in black ink and heat embossed with Blue Pearl which gives it a lovely blue colour.  To enhance the blue I matted it onto blue card and then attached it to the back of the box with foam pads.  I used glossy accents and Diamond Dust on the rooftops and trees.  I coloured the diecut fence with Promarkers.  I used Memory Box Snowflake Corner and Frosty Border and the Christmas trees are Dees Distictly A Cut Above - what a mouthful that is!!  Again I used lots of glue and glitter on them.  I didn't have any blue pearls so I coloured some with Promarkers and dotted them onto the snowflakes.  I finished off with a few peel off snowflake because the area at the top seemed a bit bare.  I have attached a stand to the back of the box but I might actually remove that and attach it to a card.  I have done both in the past.

I'm not a sports lover but for the next three weeks I shall be very happy following the Tour de France! Yesterday was the start in Corsica which was an interesting start to say the least. Can't wait for the rest.

Well that's it from me for today.  Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Love and hugs from Christine. xx

CCC Challenge: Country Santa

Good morning everybody. I'm sorry for my absence this past week but  we've been busy enjoying ourselves with my nephew and his children. Hopefully they will be back to visit during the school summer holidays. They always have a great time when they come - and we certainly do! The house always seems so quiet and empty when they've gone. It takes a while to get used to it.

Well it's another Christmas Card Club Challenge today. It doesn't seem like two weeks since the last one! This time it was Margaret's turn and she chose Father Christmas. I have had this stamp a few years but this is only the second time I have used it. Since it is the only one I have that features the old gentleman it is making it's second outing.

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The stamp is from Penny Black and is called Christmas Ride. I think it will take Santa a long time to finish his rounds if he using this transport for all his deliveries!  I added a punched holly sprig and a few mini pearls for berries. The image is mounted onto SB Labels 16. The backing papers are Papermania "Home For Christmas".  The snowflakes are Marianne Creatable Swedish Ice Star which I coated with Glossy Accents and smothered with Glamour Dust. I also used Glossy Accents on his belt and boots to give them an extra shine.  I then just added a few pearls from my stash.

Well I'm off out for a bike ride now while the weather is good. Only two weeks now until the London to Brighton ride and because of the weather and my visitors I haven't done a great deal in the last two weeks.  I did a long hard ride on Friday and felt pretty good afterwards, so I'm not too worried. It's very hilly around here so it is certainly good practice.

Hope you all enjoy the rest of the weekend!  I shall be visiting your blogs later today to see what I have missed over the last week!

Love and hugs from Christine xx

I will enter this card into : http://craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge2.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/chnc-challenge-extra-for-june.html

CAS One Layer Card - CCC Challenge

Good morning. Today's card is for the Christmas Card Club challenge. It was Zoe's choice this time and she chose Clean and Simple One Layer card.

My Card

I don't think I could have made it any more CAS. I stamped my image - with fear and trepidation!!!- directly onto a 6x6 scalloped card. I used Pearlescent Lavender ink and then heat embossed with crystal embossing powder. Unfortunately the picture isn't showing that. I then used a glue pen on the leaves and sprinkled with ultra fine crystal glitter. The ribbon from my stash was bought at the local haberdashery store and the purple shimmer dots are Papermania. The stamp is Three Trees by Denami  Stamps, which I have had for many years.

Although it is very different to my usual style of Christmas card I'm not unhappy with it - although I don't think I will be doing too many of them.

There is a list of my teamies on my right sidebar so you can check out what the others have done with the challenge. It will be interesting.

Enjoy the rest of your long weekend. Since I retired I forget about Bank Holidays - all weekends are long to me! Lol! For you ladies who are still working I'm sure you will be looking forward to it. The weather is great today so definitely a day for cycling. 

Love and hugs from Christine xx 

Seaside Snowman

Hi! Another Christmas card. This is for a friend of  mine who lives  near the coast at Eastbourne so I think she will find it amusing. I have just  realised that I have omitted to colour the robin on the snowman's hat! Just as well I saw it now before I sent it!

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The Beach Hut stamp and the Christmas Sentiments stamp are both from Little Claire Designs,  coloured with promarkers and  matted onto gold mirri.  The sentiment is stamped in gold ink, although it doesn't look it in the picture. Maybe it is the light reflecting off the mirri.  The design paper and ribbon are both Papermania's Home For Christmas. I've kept it very flat because it is going in the post and I don't want to have to pay even more, especially when there are so many. It never seems quite right when there is no dimension to the card but needs must, I'm afraid.

Well, a very quick post today.  Hope you all have a good day.

Love from Christine xx

I am entering this card into Fab 'n Funky Challenge - Not Traditional Christmas:  HERE
 Incy Wincy Designs Challenge - Non Traditional Colours : HERE

Peace And Love At Christmas

Hello dear blog friends. I have been absent for a few days because I wanted to concentrate on finishing my Christmas cards. I am now feeling very smug because I have made 85 (including those I did last month) and no two identical. They all written and stamped ready to pop into the mailbox when John goes down to the village, apart from a handful that need letters included.  I now have only a few special ones to make.

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This is one I have just made this morning. The stamp of the house is from an American company, Petulama, which is one  of the very first ones I bought 11 or so years ago. I heat embossed with detail silver powder and used a purple promarker to add just a hint of colour. I then used glossy accents and diamond dust on the roof and trees and matted on silver mirri and lavender cardstock. I used a Cuttlebug folder to emboss the dotty half of the background and various snowflake stamps at the other side. The snowflakes are Spellbinders Create-a-Flake Four and the greeting is Little Claire Designs Christmas Sentiments.

So that's another one off my remaining list. I'm going great guns here!

Well that's it for now. I'd better get some baking done because all the tins of cakes and biscuits are pretty empty. John is very patient but he does like his little treats!! Hope to see you again tomorrow with another offering. By the way, I may not have added anything to my own blog  over the last few days but I have been visiting whenever I took a break so I have been keeping up to date with all your lovely creations.

Love and hugs from Christine. xx

I am entering this in the Ladybug Crafts Challenge - Christmas and/or Winter: HERE

Festive Robins

Good morning friends. Today's card is an LOTV die cut.

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The grey backing papers were pieces from my bits box and I'm sure they are Papermania's Contemporary Christmas. Everything was matted onto red cardstock. The sentiment is from Little Claires Christmas Sentiments and matted onto a red Spellbinders Lacy Circle. Some poinsettias and a few gems finished off a quick and easy card. It was late by the time I got round to taking a picture so it's rather shadowy I'm afraid.  If I get chance I will take another picture and then edit it .

Here is the template for the exploding cracker from yesterday's post.

My writing is atrocious so I hope you can read the measurements. I think if you click on the image and then  open the link in a new tab you can  save the picture and then print it off. If that doesn't work then I can always email it to you. The two base squares are for added strength if you need it. I've sometimes used the layering templates but not often.This was in the days before all these lovely Spellbinders were available. If anybody knows of an easy way of adding something like this I would be grateful for the advice.

Well that's me for today. Hope you all have a good day.

With love from Christine xx



Monochrome

Hi everybody.

A simple card today which I am not pleased with. I almost didn't post it but then decided that we can all make mistakes can't we? My lovely dad used to say "Even (Sir) Stanley Matthews had his  off days!" - a football fan as you will have gathered!

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The papers once again were very old stock which I bought some years ago from a craft shop which was closing down. At least I am continuing to use old stash when I can. I matted the plaid paper onto the base card, matted the spotted paper onto plain and then cut them  into pennant shapes, after computer generating the sentiment. The stamp is one I won from Ladybug Crafts last month and I stamped it with an Anna Griffin green pigment ink then used a brush to fill in the background so it wasn't stark white. I think maybe this is what I don't like about it because I'm not good at it.

Anyway, for better or worse it's here.

Today I am off to the NEC and hopefully not spending too much money! ROFL!

Have a good day. Love from Christine xx

Masculine card

Hi,

A late start for me today.

Yesterday we were out all day and this morning I have been helping John scarify the lawn i.e. John does the work and I empty the wheelbarrows!! This year there is so much moss in the lawn it is an absolute disgrace. He was going to dig it all up and start again but he decided to try this first.  On the internet there are many varying opinions on scarifying  - some think it is great, others say don't do it at all. Ah well, it can't look much worse than it does now.

I had in my mind a masculine card and when I was going through my stuff I came across this Hero Arts Wordstamp - another of those I haven't used for years. I don't usually use mirri card in such quantities,  normally I would just use it as a narrow mat.  However, I tried it with some dull gold cardstock but because the dark green was very dark  I felt it needed something to lighten it. I stamped and embossed it with detailed gold embossing powder onto more of the dark green card.   Before attaching the gold mat I punched out the maple leaves. The other leaves are Spellbinders foliage and then I attached some   green and gold ribbon - with a masculine knot rather than a bow. A very simple card but  I think it looks quite classy - oops! I meant classic!

I have never entered a challenge before but I thought this might be a good one for the http://fabnfunkychallenges.blogspot.co.uk/
Well that's it for now. Hope to be back tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Lots of love from Christine xx