Happy Birthday Angus

 

Today is my nephew's birthday and as you can see he is called Angus.  He's nine today and this is the card I've made for him.  I'm not sure if he'll have time to celebrate today as Saturday is taken up with football and rugby and then his sister goes to fiddle lessons and netball.  Hope he has a good day whatever else they get up to.

At one of our Crafting Bees Ann was making a stepper card using instructions from one of Carol's Making Cards magazine and between us we were trying to work out the measurements, cuts and folds to construct it.  She made a lovely card and so I decided I wanted to have a go.  Using the measurements from the magazine as a guideline I adapted them to make the panel sizes I needed for this one and then decorated it using a Kanban topper sheet.  This was a really easy card to put together once the stepper card was made.  The Happy Birthday backing paper and the gingham paper were taken from a Cuddly Buddly download, A Patchwork of Papers - Blue, and printed in greyscale.  Other embellishments used were Bling Bling self adhesive crystals to decorate the studded wrist band and I gave him an earring too.  Peeloffs letters, stuck on to half inch punched circles, were used to personalise it for Angus.

After the card was finished I set it up and after a while it started to splay at the more heavily decorated topper side so I attached a folded piece of card to the inside to act as a brake.  Hopefully you can see it from the side shot.  Will have to remember this when I next make a stepper card.

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges

Cupcake Craft Challenge 169 - Teenage Boys 

Cards For Men Challenge 24 - Fancy Folds 

Make It Monday - Anything Goes

Thanks for reading

Liz xx

Penny Black Saturday Challenge Week 178 - Christmas/Trees and Green

 

This is my entry for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge this week where the theme is Christmas with the addition of Trees and Green. When I first read the challenge I thought that I'd have to miss it as I have no Penny Black tree images but I don't like to give in if there's a way around it. Eventually, whilst on another mission and browsing through the Craftwork Cards blog, I came across a card made by Enfys who is a member of their design team and took inspiration from her and created my own tree with one inch and half inch punched circles and a Quickutz fence die cut for the trunk. The circles were sponged with Encore metallic gold ink, glittered with Stampin' up Dazzling Diamonds glitter and decorated with peel offs. Little green holographic peel off dots were added between the circles. Die cut tree branches using a Marianne Creatables die were added to the top corner along with a bow made from Garden Green Stampin' up grosgrain ribbon. The tips of the branches were also sponged with gold ink and then a frosty sparkle was added to the very tips of the needles using a Sakura clear gelly roll glitter pen.

The main image is Penny Black's Slapstick Stamp Sweet Snowman and is coloured using Promarkers. He has been cut out and raised up on the card using foam pads. To add sparkle to the snowman's hat, scarf and parcel they have been outlined with a gold glitter pen and then glittered. The green parcels at his feet are peel offs which have been stuck on to green card, cut out and also attached to the card with foam pads.

For the backing papers I've used a green Happy Christmas paper from Kanban and various types of white, green and gold cardstock. The matt gold card was embosssed using the Cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder and the white pearlescent card was torn and glittered along the torn edge to create a frosty edged snowdrift.

Thanks to the challenge I now have another Christmas card which would be appropriate for a male.
Looking forward to seeing what the next Christmas themed challenge will be.

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges

Penny Black Saturday Challenge Week 178– Christmas/ Trees and Green
Creatalicious Challenges 28 - Christmas with Sparkles 
Emerald Faeries Challenge 13 - Christms Green
I Love Promarkers Challenge 93 - Anything goes
Winter Wonderland Challenge - What a Cutie
Everybody Art Challenge 168 - Christmas Card 
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Christmas Crackers
Pollycraft Monday Challenge 120 - Christmas 
Lothian Crafts Challenge 20 - Christmas
Make It Monday - Anything Goes 

Thanks for reading

Liz xx

WOYWW?

Thank you for all the lovely comments left after last week's posting.  This is my picture for WOYWW? at Julia's this week and one word would describe it...   chaos.  Up until last night I had the Christmas card production line jogging along in a controlled orderly fashion but then decided to make a card for this week's Penny Black Saturday Challenge and ended up doing a TYTT again (Trash Your Table Tuesday).  However, after thinking I'd have to give the challenge a miss this week, through lack of any tree stamps, I decided to create one for Snowy instead and there the cogs started to turn and bits and pieces crept on to the table to create this scene.   I'm happy with the results though.

I'm trying to limit time in blogland at the moment as Christmas card production is in full swing.  My poor finger joints are complaining about all the repetitive actions they're having to do to make batches of cards and my poor brain won't switch off at night as it keeps wondering what design to make for the next batch and then there's the Penny Black Saturday Challenge card to make and.......  and......... .  I'm sure this is a common complaint at this time of year for most crafters and then there's the mental lists of Christmas shopping which whirl around in there too.  That must be why, comes Christmas afternoon and after Christmas dinner, I finally relax and fall asleep with cracker hat still perched on head.  There are several photos to prove this and it's become an expected part of the Christmas day proceedings in this house.

Right, on with the good work and thanks for popping past this week.

Liz xx

PS  Have discovered that listening to Michael Buble Christmas helps with the mental anguish of die cutting countless snowflakes.

Ruby Anniversary

 

This is a card and box set I made recently for one of the members of our Saturday craft group.  Lorraine is the newsest member of the group and last month she and her husband David celebrated their Ruby Anniversary with a trip to Cuba.  Rather than posting this, and risk it sitting in the Post Office until they got back, I held on to it until our last group meeting and gave it to Lorraine personally.  However, this meant that it was rather late.

This shoe template has been used several times this year with three Pearl Anniversaries, two Silver Anniversaries, a wedding and a Ruby Anniversary to make cards for.  All that was needed was a Golden Anniversary but that will have to wait until next year as I have an Auntie and Uncle who will reach that milestone and also a cousin and her husband reaching thirty years.  In a few years I'll have to think up a different design as those celebrating their silver anniversary reach thirty years together.  Here's a closer look at the actual shoe and the materials and some hints and tips on how to make this project are on this posting.

No more shoe cards to make for this year so this Cinderella needs to put her slipper away and get Christmas card making in full production.  This usually means there will be chaos and glitter everywhere.  We need some sparkle with all this grey weather that's around though.

I'd like to enter this project in the following challenge
Make It Monday - Anything Goes 

Thanks for reading
Liz xx

Butterfly Quotes. Just Because....

 

At our Saturday monthly craft meet in October Sandra showed us how to make a meander book using one sheet of 12x12 doublesided paper.  She'd found a tutorial for it on Splitcoaststampers and thought this would be a good project for the group to try.  We did the basic cutting and folding on the day and started to decorate it using punches provided by Sandra and Susan.  Each page is only 3"x3" so it's a great way to use up scrap pieces of card and paper to punch from or stamp on to.

When I got home I was determined to finish it off and not let another project fester in the UFO ( UnFinished Objects Box).  However, other projects overtook and it was only last Friday, the day before our next meet, that I decided I was going to finish the book off and bring it back to show Sandra.  I had a great day amongst stamps, peeloffs, dies and punches that had been lying neglected or not even tried.  I decided the theme for the book would be butterflies and  hunted out and printed off some quotes using the computer.  By bedtime I had my pages planned, pieces placed on pages and all the mess tidied up again.  Here they are before I stuck it all together and in to the book. The last picture shows the front cover and an open page.  As you can see you can create apertures in the pages using punches.

 

Unfortunatley Sandra was unwell at the weekend so she didn't see it.  I'll have to bring it along next time for her to see.  

Last week my daughter Elaine had a few days off work and when Monday came around again she was really down at having to go back so I decided to give her the little quote book as a cheer me up, a just because pressie.  She loves butterflies and she also collects quotes from various sources.  To finish off the whole project I made a little box for her to keep it in.

  

It had the desired effect as I got a big hug in thanks.

I'd like to enter this project in the following challenge

Everybody-Art-Challenge 168 - Little Present

Flutterby Wednesdays Challenge 180 - Open Challenge

Ruby's Rainbow Challenge 16 - Something with Wings 

Crafty Ribbons Challenge 6 - Anything but a Card

Divas by design Challenge 15 - Monochromatic

Hooked on Craft Challenge 12 - Something Punched

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge 138 - Punch It 

Magical Monday Challenge - Use those Scraps

Make It Monday - Anything Goes 

Thanks for reading

Liz xx

Penny Black Saturday Challenge Week 177 - Christmas/Gold and Presents

 

This is my entry to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge this week which is Christmas with the added theme of Gold and Presents.  I chose the Penny Black slapstick stamp Sweet Snowman for this one and coloured him with Promarkers.  Indeed he is a sweet snowman and, as I have a soft spot for cute snowmen whether it be ornaments cuddly toys or tree decorations, I couldn't resist adding this cuddly fellow to my stash this year.

To follow the gold and present theme I used gold mirricard embossed with parcels.  Why is it when you know you have something in your stash that you can't find it when you need it.  I knew I had this card in a kit I'd bought from Create and Craft a long time ago but could I find it.  I think I made more mess hunting for it than I did actually putting this card together.  I also used gold card with Merry Christmas embossed on it, matt gold card as a matting layer and a gold glitter pen for colouring.  Stampin' up Dazling Diamonds glitter was sprinkled here and there to add some sparkle.  The stamped image has a present on it and I added some more peel off presents which had been stuck on to green card and then cut out bofore being added to the card.

Along with a few brads, star peeloffs, a sentiment created on the computer and some ribbon this card was not too involved to put together so I think I may make a batch of these for some of the male relatives and friends in the famly.  I always have a problem knowing what to put together, especially with three nephews in one family, but by changing the colours on the scarf and hat they can each have one.  Same but different.

Doing Christmas and sketch challenges at this time of year is really helpful in giving you a focus to work from rather than pulling out all your Christmas stash and wondering what on earth to do with it so thanks to all the design teams who come up with these ideas and inspirations for us.  I think we need a snowman challenge though as I haven't seen one anywhere.

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges
Penny Black Saturday Challenge Week 177 - Christmas/Gold and Presents
Christmas Stampin' All Year Long - Never Seen Ink
Cards For Men Challenge 23 - It's Nearly Christmas
Crimbo Crackers Challenge 2 - Make It Sparkle 
Creatalicious Challenge 28 - Christmas/Make Sure it Sparkles.
Make It Monday - Anything Goes
Lothian Crafts Challenge 20 - Christmas

Thanks for reading
Liz xx

WOYWW?

 

Thank you to all those who left comments after last week's posting.  Here's my picture for WOYWW? this week and it's last week's project gone into mass production.  I've finally got started with making Christmas cards so it's going to be glitter here there and everywhere now for the next few weeks.  Hopefully by the end of today there will be enough bits cut and ready to make fifteen cards using this lovely penguins image, Warm Winter Wishes, from Sugar Nellie.  I'm unable to post a link to the stamp at the moment as it's out of stock which tells you just how popular it has been this season. Here's a closer look at all the different elements I've been making.

At our Crafting Bee yesterday Carol gave each of us a bundle of self sealing bags and they are just perfect for storing all these bits and pieces until I start to put the cards together.  I spent yesterday afternoon putting double sided tape on mats, making bows and sponging ink on snowflakes with the result that today I have several blue fingertips.  This will only get worse when the remainder get inked today.  Being in everyone's company made a boring task pass more enjoyably though and Sandy and I had our usual bursts in to song.  At one point "She wears red feathers and a huly huly skirt"  came forth.

Carol, Ann and Ruth had been to a Stampin' up class at the weekend and had some lovely Christmas cards and an album to show us made using the new Christmas papers and the Welcome Christmas stamp set.

In the evening we had a Stampin' up demonstration with Linda at the helm.  Linda is one of our Crafting Bee members and just last week both Ruth and Carol signed up to be demonstrators too.  Carol received her starter pack yesterday afternoon so it was a bit like Christmas in her crafting room.  Linda showed us how to make a treat bag wrapper decorated with a 3D Christmas tree embellishment made using the pennant parade stamp set and petite pennants builder punch.  For our make and take we made the bauble below using a circle punch and the Mocha Morning Speciality papers.  Sandy didn't stay for the evening session so Ann joined me in singing "Crystal Chandeliers" when Linda brought out her box of crystals.

Heather didn't join us yesterday as she is winging her way to New York today to celebrate her fiftieth on Friday.  Hope you have a great time Heather.

Thanks for reading today.

Liz x

Another Star - Christmas

 

This is the result of what I started to put together at our monthly craft meeting on Saturday.  At the previous meeting Sandra showed us how to make a concertina memory book by folding and cutting one sheet of 12x12 paper.  After sending her Debbi's link on how to make the Finnish Star using one sheet of 12x12 paper it was suggested that this could be a project for us to try at a meeting.  It worked out quite well for me as having made an autumnal themed one Elaine had liked it so much she asked if I would make her a Christmas themed one.

I think there was too much chatting going on as we had difficulties getting co-ordinated with our over and unders to weave the middle sections and some strips ended up stuck to the scrap paper underneath.  Since the last meeting Janet and her husband had been on a trip to New England which she said was spectacular in the fall colours.  It was a special trip for them as they celebrated their Silver Anniversary earlier this year and on coming back her husband turned sixty and their son twenty-one so its been a busy year.  Lorraine and her husband had been on a trip to Cuba and whilst there they celebrated their Ruby Anniversary.  Susan had had an eye operation and couldn't believe how colourful everything now was and how wrinkly we all were.  Sandra had been in Holland the weekend before and had attended the Krea Doe which I believe is the Dutch equivalent of the Hobbycrafts show at the NECC.  Unfortunately we didn't get her news as she'd been poorly since coming back and didn't make the meeting.  Hope you get well soon Sandra.

Most of us got our two sections made though and, after leaving the two woven parts to dry whilst having a cup of tea with Janet's delicious chocolate cake and some more chat, some of us got the star completed.  Our task for next month is to decorate it and bring it back to show.

For the centre panel for this one I've used a rubber stamp from Funstamps called Starstruck Snowman and coloured it with Promarkers.  The paper I chose to use is from a pad of doublesided paper called Holidays by Martha Stewart and this particular sheet had mittens on it so I thought this chap with his mittens on the ends of his stick arms would match well.  The die cut mittens on the star were made using a Quickutz die with punched hearts added to match the paper.  The large snowflakes were also made using a Quickutz die and the smaller ones with a punch.  Stampin' up Dazzling Diamonds glitter was added to the mitten cuffs, hearts, snowflakes and some parts of the snowman image and a few crystal dot peeloffs were added for sparkle.

Off to the the Crafting Bee at Carol's this afternoon for another session of card making, tea and cake and in the evening we're having a Stampin' up demonstration.  My new Creativity magazine with the free Tatty Teddy Christmas stamps has just come through the door this morning so I feel today is going to be taken over with crafting.  Adds a little brightness to this dull dreary weather we're having.  When the sun comes back though all the dust that's been avoided will be exposed.

I'd like to enter this project in the following challenges

The Crafty Pad Challenge - Wall Hanging with Stitches/Material.  ( I'm hoping the faux stitches on the paper will count.)

Inky Impressions Challenge 32 - Glitter It Up

Make It Monday - Anything Goes

Thanks for reading today

Liz xx

Warm Winter Wishes

This is a card I've made for the Sugar Bowl Challenge  which is a sketch by Erika with the additional theme of patchwork.

 

For the main image I've used one of the new Christmas stamps from Sugar Nellie which is called Warm Winter Wishes and coloured it using Promarkers.  The colour scheme for the card was taken from the backing papers which are from the Christmas Fairy backing papers download from Cuddly Buddly.  Unfortunately I can't post a link to this download as I couldn't find it in their shop.  They do have other lovely Christmas papers to download which would look as good using a different colour scheme.  The pattern on the the paper reminded me of patchwork so I hope it fits the theme.

The snowflake embellishments were made using the Spellbinders create a flake 1 dies which were cut, embossed and then Bashful Blue Stampin' up ink sponged over the die before removing the flake.  The little curly embellishments were cut using a Quicktz die.  Some of the snowflake pieces were glittered using Stampin' up Dazzling Diamonds glitter as were the pompom and hat rim of the penguin and the ground around their feet.  Bashful Blue ink was also sponged around the scalloped edges of the card and around the main image.  The sentiment was created on the computer and die cut using oval nestabilities.  The pastel blue satin ribbon is from John Lewis.

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges

The Sugar Bowl Challenge 71 - Erika's Sketch 
Inky Impressions Challenge 32 - Glitter It Up
Truly Scrumptious Challenge 69 - Bingo Time (Glitter/Die Cut/Ribbon)
Penny Black and More at Allsorts November Challenge -  All Creatures Great and Small 
Papertake Weekly Challenge - First Christmas - Card of the Year 
Lothian Crafts Challenge 20 - Christmas 
Top Tip Tuesday Challenge 59 - Anything Christmas Goes
Pollycraft Monday Challenge 119 - Friends/Friendship 
Sunday's with Crissy Challenge 23 - Christmas card using non traditional colours 
Make It Monday - Anything Goes 

Thanks for reading

Liz xxx