Night night Fanta

My darling little pewter Persian, Fanta, became unwell over Christmas, and although she rallied a little for a day, it was quite clear that she was not going to get better, so we had to take the very sad decision to have her put to sleep on Thursday.  This very spiky little girl is going to be sorely missed, but 19 years is a very long life for such a little girl.

Hugs,

It's time for a Seasonal Tag at Make My Monday

Hi everybody, I do hope your Christmas preparations are further forward than mine.  But we did manage to get the tree up over the weekend, and re-organise the kitchen - so a job well done.  However, I have run out of cards so shop bought ones are coming back out of the cupboard.  Today is the final challenge of the year for Make My Monday, and we are looking for Seasonal Tags.  Please pop across to the challenge - there are some lovely pieces of work for your inspiration.

I'm sure most people will recognise the Father Christmas image - from Tim Holtz - probably one of my favourites ever.    I stamped with Archival Ink and then coloured lightly with pencils.  The tag itself I coloured with distress stains and to take the colour back I went over with picket fence.  Ran it through the Bug, and then highlighted the snowflakes with ink.  The branches at the bottom are from the TK Pine Cone die, and I still haven't mastered the art of getting them right - so no pine cone.

I really appreciate it that you take the time to look at my blog and leave such lovely comments. Thank you each and every one of you.

Hugs,

Fred She Said Christmas Challenge

Fred She Said is having a fun little Christmas Challenge! The theme is " Make a Christmas Tag OR Share a favorite Holiday Recipe "

The prize is a $25 Gift Card to the Fred She Said Store.  There will be one winner chosen randomly.  Entries will be accepted until Friday December 30th midnight EST. ... more details at the Fred She Said blog.

I have made a little fun tag using a new image called Hat Tipping Snowman.  I have used the pre-coloured image and put a sentiment above it.  Printed it out, and then cut it with a Tim Holtz tag die.  I used a single snowflake embossing folder around the tag hole.  I then inked over in various shades of distress ink.  Applied some spakrly stars , and added some holly leaves and fit sprigs and a couple of flowers with a snowflake centre, with seam binding knotted through the hole at the top.

Please do pop across to the challenge - there are some fab examples using Fred She Said images.
 
I really appreciate it that you take the time to look at my blog and leave such lovely comments. Thank you each and every one of you.

Hugs,

Blogger

Well - I hope somebody at Blogger sorts this problem soon.  I have just looked on the forum and there is a pile of messages coming up with the same error message as I am getting on the design page that is causing the blog to look a mess.


Valxx

Make My Monday - Red Ribbon

Good morning everybody -

I hope everybody has had a good weekend.  I had quite a busy time, having done my last craft fair of the year, and the best one ever  in terms of sales and I have come away with quite a few commissions, which I am really pleased about.  In fact unless I burn both ends of the candle there is every likelihood that some people are going to end up with shop bought cards (eeeeeekkk!!).  So I think I am going to be putting together a batch of one-layer type, similar to my card today.  To end the day we had dinner with some lovely friends, and chatted until the early hours of the morning.

So welcome to another challenge at Make My Monday.  This time we want to see red ribbons on your creations.

So my one layer card is quite simple.  The Medallion is Stampin Up, and I have used an SU Real Red and Distress Ink Festive Berries on it.  Ribbon is from stash and the flower is home made (not mine I hasten to add) - but just gorgeous.  The sentiment is also SU.  Very stupidly I forgot to run some red ink around the edge of the ticket before it had well and truly stuck, so it sort of fades into the background.

I am entering this for the following challenges:

Dream Valley Challenge - Christmas
Gingerloft Challenge - Christmas
Let's Ink It Up - Christmas
paper Sundaes - Anything Christmas
Stamptacular Sunday - Christmas Glitz


I really appreciate it that you take the time to look at my blog and leave such lovely comments. Thank you each and every one of you.

 Hugs,

Traditional Christmas Colours at OSCC

Hi everybody

My apologies for the lateness in getting this posted,  Events on Saturday just overtook me, and consquently I was not able to get around to it until Sunday.

We are looking for Traditional Christmas Colours at the  One Stop Craft Challenge  this week, and I have decided to use everything Tim Holtz to create my card, with a very traditionnal image, but not in his style.

I coloured a piece of card in the Festive Season distress inks, and then stamped the image with archival ink.  I have lightly coloured the bbig spray of holly with pencils.  The background consists of a panel run though a Texture Fades folder which I then lightly inked over and a Pine Tree die cut.  I coloured this with greens and browns before added distress stickles to get a frosty look..  The photo is poo because of the lighting - and the red looks pinkish in places.  Ugh!

I am entering this into the following challenges:

The Squirrel and the Fox - Christmas
Stamptacular Sunday - Christmas Glitz
Crafty Emmas - Traditional Christmas
Crafty Hazelnut - Traditional Christmas
Crazy 4 Challenges - It's Santa
Creations by Gill M - Red and Green


I really appreciate it that you take the time to look at my blog and leave such lovely comments. Thank you each and every one of you.

 Hugs,

Dressmaking and Corsets at Fashionable Stamping

Hi everybody

I have an entry for Fasionable Stamping today, and for me it is all about corsets - those glamous decadent underpinnings - which I can only dream about.

For this card I have layered up black and red, and punched along the bottom with an eyelet lace MS edger.  The whole thing is on a pale shummery gold base.  My image is a B Line stamp which I have had for a long time.  The background is a variety of distres inks on smooth card, and faux edge sticking has been added down the side with an embossing strip.  Th swirl is also B Line.  The fromt of the coreset has been embellished with some Swaroski crystals that I had loose, and they sparkle like mad, but it does not show up here. I have also used lace on the edge, and a small silk flower.

This is the inside.  The corset actually opens up (it is a Provocraft die which has been discontinued now).  I have laced it up the front with black ribbon and put some lace edging along the bottom of the back part.

I really appreciate it that you take the time to look at my blog and leave such lovely comments. Thank you each and every one of you.

Hugs,

Vintage Christmas at It's My Time to Craft

Hi everybody

Tuesday has rolled round again, and it is time for a new Challenge at  My Time to Craft,  and this week our thme is Vintage Christmas.  This is my vintage Christmas in dark Red and Cream.  Please do pop across to the challenge blog to have a look at all the lovely work from the other teamies.

For my card I have used a dark red base and layered with toning paper, which I have used my distresser on,.  I have layered some other papers on top with a cream background and music in red, and on top of that a Weather Clock from Tim Holtz.  I cannot remember where I got the pciture of Father Christmas from - it was a download.  I have added cream lace, toning ribbon, and cherry blossom in similar colours as well.  The sentiment is LOTV which I have distressed to within an inch of its life.

I am entering this for the following challenges:

Crafty Bloggers Network - Shades of Winter
Make It Monday - Always Anything Goes
Trulu Madly Crafty - Images of Christmas
The Ribbon Reel - Anything Goes


I really appreciate it that you take the time to look at my blog and leave such lovely comments. Thank you each and every one of you.

Hugs,

Make My Monday - We're all about Glitter today

Good morning everybody

I have some exciting news - I was selected as one of the new Design Team members for  Make My Monday,  they are really a very talented bunch of ladies, so I hope I can live up to their standards.  I am so pleased to be on this team, because there is a lot of freedom in what we can create within the bounds of the theme each week or month.

So this is also my first post for them.  We are sticking with Anything Seasonal - but it must have Glitter on it this week.  Please pop across to the challenge blog - there are some fabulous pieces of work for inspiration.

I am a little disappointed with my card.  I have put the star in the wrong place and it doesn't really look right.  It was cut with some new dies - Sizzix Framelits - (of all things I did not have a star in all my dies - hence this choice), but I am really disappointed  with them - they hardly cut through the coredinations, and so I had to cut the patterned paper and coredinations separately and stick them together, and come to think of it I think the shape is a bit naff!

For the background I stamped and embossed the trees and snowflakes, and then worked distress inks over in various colours.   The conifer branches were then inked in black on the bottom to get a bit of depth.  The whole thing has been sprayed with Tattered Angels Irridescent Gold.  The small star was covered in glitter.  The two deers from the Tim Holtz die had bows applied to their necks, and have been mounted on pop dots.  The whole thing was first mounted on to a blue-green base card, and then on to gold shimmer cardstock.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Addicted to stamps - Christmas Card
Come an Get It - Anything Christmas
Dream Valley Challenge - Sparkle
Gingerloft Creations - Winter or Christmas

I really appreciate it that you take the time to look at my blog and leave such lovely comments. Thank you each and every one of you.

 Hugs,

Joy and Happiness

I bought a new paper pad the other day, Vintage Winter by Maja Design.  I love the Scandinavian colours in there -  48 sheets of double-sided shabby deliciousness in cardweight paper.  So I have now broken into it.

I have used a heavyweight card for my base and chomped the corners off with my Zutter Chomper, and then rounded all the other corners as well.   My image is an Stampinton, and I have had it a very long time.  I tried out several reds before I got the one I felt toned in with the DP, and then finally stamped it on patterned paper, which is actually the reverse of the paper in the long panel.  The flowers are Prima North Country, and lace is from stash. 

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Cardmaking Mamas - Sentiment
Clearly Inspired - Christmas
Simply Create Too - All About Christmas
Artistic Stamper - Christmas
Christmas Cards all year round - Anything Goes
Cupcake Craftroom - Christmas Traditions - I have angels
Joanna Sheen - Christmas Wishes
Sundays with Chrissie - Anything Goes
Charisma Cards - Seeing Spots


I really appreciate it that you take the time to look at my blog and leave such lovely comments. Thank you each and every one of you.


 Hugs,

A little bling for Less is More

A very quick post and a very quick card.

I have taken an A6 card - yes I still have some blanks that size, and run it through the Bug with an embossing folder.  I have then stamped and embossed the sentiment in the middle - I used green tinsel, and added some little starts to the snowflake centres.  I guess though I am going to have to unfold them to put through the bug because the fold has become a little creased.

I think the conclusion that I have come to over One-Layer and CAS - is that I do like them, enjoy doing them, but I need much more practice, because my bin is evidence of what I have been doing!

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Crafty Cardmarkers - Heat Embossing
Less is More - A Bit of Bling
Stamptacular Sunday - Anything Christmas
Stamps R Us - Emboss It

I really appreciate it that you take the time to look at my blog and leave such lovely comments. Thank you each and every one of you.

 Hugs,

It's Sketch Time at MAWTT

Hi everybody

We have a brilliant sketch from our lovely team-mate Hazel today. 

I am still with Christmas cards - can you ever have enough - I know I should have started them at the beginning of the year and it would be much easier!

For this card I have used Basic Grey Jovial Paper as the background - both sides have been used.  Again mounted on to Bazzill cardstock.  The image is Penny Black, and I have coloured with Copics  I have used distress stickes for the fur around Santa's coat, and over his beard to give some texture.  The holly leave sre a Tim Holz due, flower and satin ribbon from stash.

For this challenger we are sponsored by Crafty Emma's Store, and the winner will receive a pack of My Mind's Eye paper.

I am entering this card for the folliowing challenges:

Craft Your Days Away - bows or buttons
Craft your Passion - Tis the eason
Dream Valley - Sparkle
Fab'n Funky - Anything Goes
Ooh La La Creations - Lots of Sparkle
Patties Creations - Christmas
Pollycraft - Christmas fun
Paper Crafting Journey - Anything Goes
Divas by Design - Anything Goes
Sweet Stamping - punches or dies
Totally Gorjuss - Sparkle
Totally Paper Crafts - Christmas

I really appreciate it that you take the time to look at my blog and leave such lovely comments. Thank you each and every one of you.

Hugs,