Make My Monday - New Year or Calendar

Our challenge at Make My Monday is New Year or Calendar.

For my DT card I cut the London skyline using X-cut manual dies, and cut 2016 on my Silhouette electronic cutter.  I tried to create the effect of a firework display using a Sizzix embossing folder and gold mirror card.

I hope you'll come over and see what the rest of the DT have made, and join in the challenge. Happy New Year!

I'd like to enter:
Crazy Challenge  celebrate
Friday Mash up  new year
Use your Stuff  metallics

Empty Box Project #34 - The Last Stamp

The fish stamp I've used here was the last stamp left in my Empty Box Project box (although there are some stamps I've used that I haven't blogged yet).

To be honest, I nearly cheated and just put the stamp back in my ordinary stamp storage. It's a nice stamp and I felt sure I would find a use for it eventually...but hold on - that was exactly why I set myself the challenge - I've had it for years and never used it!

I found a scrap of watercolour card on my desk - I'd put it through my die-cutting machine earlier to try out an embossing folder and thought the pattern might work as seaweed.  I stamped the fish in Versamark  ( as I couldn't really see where I was stamping, it's a bit more random than expected) and embossed in white pearl. Then I watercoloured it in Distress Inks - it wasn't really working  until I used the darker Chipped Sapphire colour, then the fishes popped out.

In the end, I quite liked the effect - it reminds me of batik.

On New Year's Day 2015 I blogged about my big box of unused stamps. I have used many of them, binned some of them (for failure to stamp well enough, mostly) and filled a bag for my colleague's little girl...and now, almost a year later,  my box is empty!

I'd like to enter:
Stamp Ink Paper thanks
Shopping Our Stash My precious
Less is More  not sure if it's CAS enough , but hope so, as I feel the batik effect fits the 'homespun ' theme.
That's Crafty  anything goes

First One for Christmas 2016

glitter shot

I hope you're enjoying the holiday season. I like to do a bit of Christmassy crafting actually AT Christmas, so here's my first card for next Christmas. 

I used a pre-coloured image from Debbi Moore Santa Claus CD and cropped most of it away to leave just the lower leg and feet. Then I cut the hohoho on the Silhouette cutter. I added glitter to the fur, a scrap of patterned paper, embossed the card base and added a brad. 

I'd like to enter:

CD Sunday  cool yule

Merry Monday  boots

Eureka  Santa 

Christmas at Sweet Stampin  Father Christmas 

The Male Room  Christmas

Happy Birthday Caz

Yes, it's Christmas Day but some people will still insist on having babies! ( My daughter is a midwife and will be working tonight.) 

We have a Christmas baby on the Make My Monday design team, so I'd like to say Happy Birthday to my lovely teammie Caz.  This is the card that I sent to her and hopefully she has already received. (It's less blurred in real life!). 

I used Clearly Besotted stamps (not sure where the sentiment is from) and one sheet of patterned paper, which I paper-pieced with. I layered a torn piece of embossed vellum behind the image. 

Have a great Christmas and a great Birthday Caz! 

Cash Gifts

Here are some Christmas presents that I know my 18-year-old twin nieces will appreciate! To make the money gift more special , I cut holders on my Silhouette, using a free cutting file from Daniela Dobson.  I used double-side Cosmo Cricket paper and decorated with diecuts I had hanging around.

I'd like to enter:
Silhouette Challenges  anything goes
My Time to Craft  last minute Christmas makes

Empty Box Project # 33 - New Home Card

Did I mention my daughter likes to 'challenge' me to make cards at short notice?  This time she needed 'a new home card for my friend who's moved into a cottage in a village' . 'When do you need it for?' 'Five weeks ago'.

The cottage and cat stamps were just about to be discarded from my Empty Box Project box  They are part of a 'build a country scene' set that was free with a magazine and I didn't think I would use them. The challenge was to make a card suitable for a 21st c young woman.

Enter my old friend - paper-piecing- with bright, colourful scrapbook paper, a sentiment from Little Clare, some scribbly colouring using markers, a glittery banner ( cut from the scrapbook paper and stickled), and a flower with a embellishment saying 'new' (very old from my stash).

I'd like to enter:
Creatalicious - old papers and embellishments , new home theme and stamps are not used before 
Cute as a Button  new beginnings
Creative Card Crew anything goes
Love to Scrap  anything goes

Happy Birthday Shauna

I'd like to wish a Happy Birthday to my wonderful Inkspirational team-mate, Shauna.   This is another card that I hope has beaten the Christmas post and made it across the Atlantic in time.

As well as being a fabulous crafter, Shauna loves to read, so I chose this Gorjuss stamp of a girl on some books. In order to not look like any of the Christmas cards she's received, I made it light and very colourful. The background is a Hero Arts text stamp.

I hope you have a great day Shauna!

I'd like to enter:
Seize the Birthday  no topping
ABC Challenge  xtreme
Allsorts anything but Christmas

Inkspirational Challenge - Bah Humbug!

Our new challenge is Inkspirational is 'Bah Humbug -  anything except Christmas' .

This baby card is nothing like Christmas is it?  All the stamps I used here are by Inky Doodles and the paper was a magazine freebie.

Please visit us at Inkspirational  and see the work of our DT and wonderful Guest Designer Shirley - and join in with your own creation.

I'd like to enter:
Penny Black and More anything goes with a stamp
Country View Challenges  create a scene
Cute as a Button  new beginnings
Mod Squad anything but Christmas

Happy Birthday Carol

Today I want to wish a very Happy Birthday to my dear Inkspirational team-mate Carol.  I really hope this card has beaten the Christmas post and made it across the Atlantic on time.

At this time of year I like to make birthday cards that could not be mistaken for Christmas cards! I used a squirrel stamp (new!!) from Clearly Besotted and a CB sentiment from another set. I used scraps of Cosmo Cricket paper and used just a tiny bit for some paper-piecing on the tail.

Have a great day Carol!

I'd like to enter:
Penny Black at Allsorts  anything goes with a stamp
SSS Monday just a pinch (of paper-piecing)
Creatalicious something old (paper) , something new (squirrel stamp)
Mod Squad  anything but a Christmas card

City Crafter - The Heat is On

Our new theme at CCCB is to use heat embossing.

For my DT card I used two different heat embossing techniques.

First I die-cut the Christmas tree pieces. Then I covered an embossing folder in Versamark clear ink and ran them through my Big Shot. Then I heat embossed with silver powder.

For my background, I stamped and embossed a Judikins background stamp with clear embossing powder , and then inked over it in purple.

Our guest designer is Susie Witter - please come over to the City Crafter Challenge Blog and see what our GD and DT have made. I hope you'll join in with the challenge. 
I'd like to enter:
Tis the Season photo
Eclectic Ellapu  die 
Eureka  non trad Christmas colours 

Make My Monday - Wings at Christmas

This is my DT card for our latest challenge at Make My Monday , 'Wings at Christmas'.

I used an image from A Day for Daisies - not specifically a Christmas image I don't think, but I thought the little sprigs she's holding could pass for mistletoe. I coloured her with markers, added lots of glitter to her wings and paper-pieced her dress.  I stamped the sentiment and die-cut some mistletoe with liquid pearl berries. Yes, there is a liquid pearl smudge on one of the leaves - it is hardly noticeable in real-life but seems to have caught the light in the photo!

I hope you'll join us at Make My Monday.

I'd like to enter:
Time Out  photo (colours)
Cute Card Thursday glitter
A Day For Daisies modern Christmas
Use Your Stuff  Christmas

In the meadow we can build two snowmen

glitter close-up!

I couldn't resist this image from 'From the Heart Stamps'. It was great to colour in, using blue and green markers and lots of Wink of Stella.

I'd like to enter:
Mod Squad all that glitters
Winter Wonderland snow people
Just add Ink photo - trees and minty green
Tuesday Throwdown snowflakes
Little Red Wagon   snow much fun

City Crafter - Winter (NOT Christmas)

Our challenge at City Crafter this week is to make a project on the theme of Winter - NOT Christmas.

Our guest designer is Daget Art - please come over to the City Crafter Challenge Blog and see what our GD and DT have made. I hope you'll join us.

I'd like to enter:
Time Out  Snowflakes are winter's butterflies (I have stamped this top left!)
4 Crafty Chicks winter
Unicorn Challenge  winter time
Crafty Calendar let it snow
Try it On Tuesday snow - thanks for the tip-off, Chrissie 

Make My Monday- White Christmas

Our new challenge at Make My Monday  is 'White Christmas'. You can interpret this as you like; some of the DT have made snowy cards, but I used a vintage image with a white on white design.

Rather disturbingly, this angel looks remarkably like my son's school friend.

Come and see us at Make My Monday , see the DT projects and join in our challenge.

I'd like to enter:
That's Crafty  season's greetings
Cardz 4 Galz vintage Christmas
Dream Valley  die cuts and punches

Trad Santa

Sometimes I worry that my Christmas cards don't look Christmassy enough...well not this one. It screams Christmas!

I've used a Santa digi from Sassy Cheryl, coloured with alcohol markers. I used a digital version of  Carta Bella Christmas Wonderland , which I 'print and cut' on the Silhouette. I added some gloss to the berries.

I'd like to enter:
Little Red Wagon  trad Christmas colours
Crafty Cardmakers  Twas the night before Christmas (Santa and the first line of the poem is on a red border at the bottom)
Cute Card Thursday  festive colours
Fantastic Tuesday Santa
Fab n Funky  Santa

Inkspirational Chocolate - Flake

Our new challenge at Inkspirational  is to be inspired by the word 'flake'.

I decided to make a picture of a lovely warm drink with a chocolate flake bar melting into it. I die cut the mug, snowflake and sentiment on the Silhouette electronic cutter but couldn't find a cutting file for a chocolate flake, so designed one myself. (I hope those of you who are familiar with the Cadbury's flake can recognise it!) 

Our Guest Designer at Inkspirational this time is the hugely talented Jane Willis . I hope you'll come and see what she, and the DT have made, and join in the challenge.

Edited to say: I don't know how the word 'chocolate' got into the title - I only noticed after it was published ! It should say Inkspirational Challenge!!! But I will leave it as it is funny, I think.)

I'd like to enter
ABC Challenge  wishes
Just Add Ink   add c - chocolate, cup, cocoa or coffee(you choose!)
Mod Squad recipe - pattern paper, glitter (on snowflake and steam) , die cut
Shopping Our Stash  no stamping
52CCT previous challenge - red, white and any colour (brown)

Empty Box Project #32- A Cheep Card

This card uses two items from my Empty Box Project box .  Both the banner and the bird were (different) magazine freebies.  The papers I used were freebies too and I think the brad was part of a Secret Santa gift I got at my scrapbooking group years ago. So this is a cheep card! (Yes, I can spell - it's a pun!)

The bird isn't actually a Christmas stamp,so I paper-pieced it to make it look more Christmassy. But, although the paper pack says it's Christmas, when I think about it, this paper could easily be used for other occasions. Thank goodness I've got the words 'Christmas Wishes' on it, or you may not know it was a Chritmas card! 

I'd like to enter:

Crafty Boots spots or dots

The Challenge  non trad Christmas card 

Naughty or Nice  wing 

Merry Monday  bird 

City Crafter Challenge Blog - 123 Tag!

This is my DT project for this week's challenge at City Crafter , where the challenge is:

Create 3 different tags, it can be Christmas gift tags or for any occasion, but have to be 3 different design and not making 3 tags of the same design.

These clean and 'simple' tags were a bit of a mare.....luckily I cut lots of base tags on my Silhouette, as at least ten of them ended up in the bin for one reason or another.  

The dogs and their accessories (which I paper-pieced) are from Memory Box and the 'do not open' stamp is an unknown wooden stamp. 

This week we have Mac  as our guest designer, so please come and check out the City Crafter  blog and join in.

I'd like to enter:
Eureka Stamps  Christmas tags
Crafting when we can  don't forget the animals
Animal Friends Christmas
Memory Box season's greetings 

Make My Monday - Stamp with anything other than a stamp.

Here's an unusual challenge at Make My Monday  - stamp with anything other than a stamp. If you're stuck for ideas, go and visit our challenge blog, where the DT have come up with some fabulous creations.

I decided to make a scrapbook page using my 8-year-old son's latest school photo . (What is going on with his collar?) He looks so grown-up in it that I was reminded of the quote that I have used :
"A child will hold your hand only for a short while, but will hold your heart forever.".

As I had to print the quote, I needed to use paint or ink for the handprint that would leave the text still legible. I used Paper Artsy Fresco translucent paint, painted it onto his hand and pressed it into place. (He enjoyed it, honestly!) . I also stamped with some bubble-wrap in the top left corner.

I hope this has given you some ideas and that you'll join us at Make My Monday. 

I'd like to enter:
Off the Rails  mood board - yellow and the bubble wrap
Sparkles Forum  anything but a card

Empty Box Project #30 and #31- Bet you thought I'd given up!

Sorry for the poor lighting - don't see much daylight at this time of year! 

So I bet you thought I'd given up on my Empty Box Project!  A full two months after my last Empty Box Project post, I give you this, using a magazine freebie of cupcakes and a Clearly Besotted sentiment (not free and not from the Empty Box!) .

It's not that I haven't been working on the project, it's just that it has become obvious why the stamps were unused in the first place! My promise was to 'use it or lose it' and so I actually have disposed of quite a lot of stamps. I want that box empty by the end of the year, so just one month left!

Here's another card I made, a couple of weeks ago, using an empty box magazine freebie. It's okay, but I probably won't use it , or the other stamps in the set, again. There are some nice sentiments though.

I'd like to enter my cupcake card into:

Come and Get it  ag with sentiment

Retro Rubber anything goes 

Silent Night

Here's a card using all the old masking tricks with a punched out circle and torn paper hills. The rabbit (or is it a hare?) is a Personal Impressions stamp. The sentiment was designed by me, using a font on my pc. Then I cut it , and Santa's sleigh ride,  on my Silhouette cutting machine.

I'd like to enter:
52 CCT  sponging
Fan-tastic Tuesday  make a scene
Fairytale Challenge  Christmas no red and green
Pink Gem song - silent night
Glory of Christmas  outdoor scene 

Silver and Pink

Here's a one-layer-card using a big word stamp from Paperartsy.  The Santa silhouette is by Crafty Impressions and the two star stamps are by ...who knows? I'm just grateful I could find them, as I'm always losing these tiny stamps! I coloured in with a pink Promarker and a silver gel pen.

I'd like to enter:
One Layer Christmas  silhouette
Addicted to Stamps  make your mark
Christmas Stampin All Year Long  Christmas gift
Just us Girls photo
Uniko  cas Christmas
 

Golden Branch

What a shame I can't capture the sparkle and shimmer of this card in the photograph!

I used a Paper Artsy stamp and coloured it with markers. I paper-pieced some of the flower-heads ( same paper as the mount) and added Glossy Accents. Other flowers heads were covered with glitter glue or liquid pearl in gold. I stamped the base card with a Darkroom Door Christmas words and numbers stamp and stamped the sentiment.

I'd like to enter:
Mod Squad  Christmas floral
Sir Stampalot  festive flowers and foliage
Winter Wonderland  sparkle and bling
Sweet Stampin  sparkle and shine

Shopping in The Snow

I've used this vintage photo a lot over the years, and always thought of it as a Christmas shopper, but now I realise that all her packages are wrapped. I suppose she must be shopping in those department stores where they offer to gift-wrap for you! The snow in the picture is not the cold, wet snow that turns into dirty slush and ruins your shoes. Who'd want to go shopping in that?

The photo is from Joanna Sheen Fashion CD. I used a snowfall embossing folder, snowflake punch and the sentiment and building are die-cuts.

I'd like to enter:
CD Sunday - sprinkle of snowflakes
Tuesday Throwdown shopping spree
Cardz for Gals fashion chic
Suzy Bees Bloomin Challenge  die cut

Snowglobe Mice

Jingle Belles  have challenged us to make a card from our leftover bits and pieces. I made this last weekend at my lovely local crop. The snowglobe digi (Dearie Dolls?) was one I must have printed out at some time and not used - I coloured it with markers and white gel pen. The paper and sentiment were leftovers from two different scrapbooking kits.

As well as Jingle Belles, I'd like to enter:
Cardz4Guys fun in the snow
Sparkles Christmas  Christmas decorations

City Crafter Challenge Blog - The Snow Queen

I have chosen this week's theme at CCCB  and it's to use this photo as inspiration:

As you can see, I've made quite a literal interpretation, depicting the (young) Snow Queen herself. She is a digital stamp (coloured with Promarkers) from the Paper Shelter called 'Frost Girl' - I think she's supposed to be tip-toeing but I tilted her and sat her in a die-cut sleigh that I tripled embossed and then stamped a pattern into. I stamped the trees, dry embossed falling snow, die-cut antlers and added lots of glitter. 

I hope you'll visit us at City Crafter  and see what the DT, and our Special Guest Star, Marcia , have done .... and enter my challenge!

I'd like to enter:
Fairy tale Challenge  Christmas no red and green
My Time to Craft  let it snow
Ooh La La  let it snow
Fan- tastic Tuesday  make a scene
Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge  embossing ( dry embossed snow, heat embossed sleigh) 

Make My Monday - Oh Christmas Tree

Here's my DT card for Make My Monday, where our challenge is 'Oh Christmas Tree'.

When I look at this card now, it makes me think of biscuits!

I  die-cut the tree and sentiment on the Silhouette and added a big button as a bauble, I don't know why!

I hope you will join in our easy and fun challenge.

I'd like to enter:
Shabby Tea Room  Oh Christmas Tree
Christmas Cards All Year Round   Oh Christmas Tree
Gem of a Challenge  Christmas song - Oh Christmas Tree
Christmas Card Challenges  anything goes
Alphabet Challenge Tis the Season

Acetate Panel Christmas Card

closed 

How clever of me to make a card that's impossible to photograph well! 

I decided to make this A Day For Daises digistamp into a feline high-wire act by printing it onto acetate and colouring it with Sharpies.  The small sentiment is a Mama Elephant stamp and the large one is a ready-made die-cut and glittered sentiment from a scrapbook range. 

I'd like to enter:

52CCT - Family and friends 

Sparkles Forum  Christmas Decorations

Cute Card Thursday light 

Moving Along with the Times   My favourite things - whiskers on kittens - loving this theme, 2nd entry! 

Penguin and Mustard

One of my favourite things to do with digital images is to play with the size and crop them to give them a different look. This Bugaboo image is of a penguin on skates, but I cropped him to focus on his face and scarf.  I coloured him with Promarkers and added a stamped sentiment.

I'd like to enter:
Crafting when we Can  animals
The Glory of Christmas  CAS
That's Crafty  black and white with a hint (hope this isn't more of a nod than a hint!)
Inky Chicks  silent night
Addicted to Stamps anything goes 

Inkspirational Challenge - Photo Inkspiration

Close up for glitter purposes.

Our new challenge at Inkspirational is to be inspired by this photo:

For my DT card I was inspired by the mittens to create the scene of Santa's washing line. The clothes are from a Woodware set and the washing line pole is by Inky Doodles. I used Promarkers and Frantage embossing powder and glitter shavings. I hand drew the washing line string which sounds very easy but actually took me several attempts to get the clothes and string in the right places!

I wanted to add a little reindeer embellishment but I wanted it to be a similar style to the reindeers in the photo. I have loads of reindeer cutting files, dies and stamps but none seemed quite right, so I took a cutting file of a deer and (electronically)  welded some antlers on it!

Please join in our challenge at Inkspirational , but not until after you've checked out the work of our DT and our Guest Designer, Asha. 

I'd like to enter:
Merry Monday  use a reindeer
Try it on Tuesday  create a scene
Creative Card Crew  sprinkle
Moving Along with the Times  My favourite things - snowflakes and warm woollen mittens
Addicted to Stamps anything goes

City Crafter - Colour Inspiration

Here's my DT card for CCCB - blue, white, grey and a touch of silver. I used an Avery Elle set and I curved the sentiment on the acrylic block to create some hills for them to sledge on. 

I hope you'll join us at City Crafter . Our wonderful special Guest Star, Marcia Hill  is still with us, so please check out what she, and the DT have made.

I'd like to enter:
Animal Friends animal with scarf
Sweet Stampin  wrap up warm
The Paper Girls winter sports
Incy Wincy   critters