Embossed Christmas Card

I love the snowman on this Christmas Card .  To make it I have used a Cuttlebug large embossing folder “Sledding” All I have done is trim the whole embossed image and then mat and layer it on silver onto a deep blue card blank.

I have then coloured in the snowman background , nose, mouth and arms. The snowman is filled in using Hero Arts micro hologram glitter, which has the most wonderful sparkle.The tiny stars are nail decorations from Poundland, which are just the right size!

Snowman Christmas Squares Card

This card is made using Accessorize puffy stickers.  Because of the small size of the stickers I think this is the best way to use them.

The squares are made using a small scalloped edged punch from three shades of blue bazzill paper. The main square has been mat and layered three times on silver, blue and white card, with faux stitching added by hand.

Snowman Card

I would say it takes me about an hour to put a new card  together. Often it takes three or four attempts before I am happy with a design. 

At Christmas I do a big box of about 200 cards.  I like to have at least 10 different designs, but it all depends on the embellishments I have collected during the year, most are bought in the sales. 

This is the first of design for my 2009 Box. 

The centre uses a 3D embellishment from a pack of 8 assorted designs from Hobbycraft, I have looked on the packet but it’s not clear who the makers are.

Its a pretty simple card, the time was spent on deciding on colours and paper.  I just love gingham papers, especially for Christmas, it’s so versatile.

The picture is made using blue bazzill paper with two layers of white glitter card for snow plus the snowman.  I have drawn snowflakes using a white gel pen on the sky, added two tiny peel off dots to accentuate the snowman’s eyes and a small gold star on the tree.  The snowflakes are punchies with a blue flat backed gem in the centre.

The centre is stuck onto the card using sticky pads for extra dimension.

Now I have come up with this basic design I shall repeat it with the other stickers from the pack with a variety of other coloured ginghams.

Mini Advent Countdown Chalk Board

I have finally finished my Advent Calendar Chalk Board that I featured a little while ago.

I really wanted wooden stars to match the frame and snowman, but they proved hard to find as well as expensive, and even then, I would have had to glitter them myself. So in the end I have used table confetti snowflakes that  I bought a little while ago from Birthdays (I think).  They are quite thick but the proportions are just right. 

To complete the whole thing, I have wrapped and glued a cotton thread round a stick of chalk and attached it to the back.

The chalkboard is by Gisela Graham and I had several of them from a seller on E-bay

Toadstool House and Fairy Door Toppers

I’ve just noticed, you can see that the glue isn’t dry on the the Mushroom House door!

I made these two toppers using the Dovecraft Fairy Door Template. I am not the “best cutter out” and found it a bit fiddly.
The papers I have used are DCWV Once Upon a Time.
I’ve also added dragonfly and flower punchies, and dragonfly brads (these were from lakeland, they are so pretty, it’s a shame Lakeland stopped producing their craft line as they had some really good stuff)
The Home Sweet Home plaques are done by my own fair hand !

Shocking Stocking Baby Doll!

What can I say, sewing is not my forte!

This doll comes from a book called Dolls Children Can Make by Shelia McGraw.  He's made from a babygro, and a pair of sandal toed tights, plus stuffing, a little wool and a couple of googly eyes.

In the right hands he could look quite cute!.  But because of the delicate nature of the tights used for the head, once you have made the stitches for the mouth, that’s really it, every doll gets a unique expression!  Mine is simply very worried!

This Christmas I am going to try and make a couple more, but I have bought the tiniest babygros I could find this time, for much smaller dolls.

Can I stress that these dolls are not for children, the eyes are stuck on and could be swallowed.  I have only made these dolls for adults as a bit of fun.

Ivy Snowflake Card

I got these ivy leaves from Hobbycraft years ago. I think you are supposed to sprinkle them on your festive table, but whatever I have done with them so far has turned out pants!

 
But this evening I have had another go with them, and this time I am quite pleased.
I have mat and layered white glitter card on silver and green card for a basic topper.

The ivy leaf had the glittered edge already, I have just added a  doubled up snowflake punchie, with a clear flat backed gem in the centre, a scattering of silver stars and a very thin strip of double sided silver card that I have slightly twisted and stuck down so it is slightly raised. The only thing I would change next time is trying to see what a pearl would look like instead of the gem.

The gem was taken from a jewelled nail file from a poundshop (3 for a pound) – it was well worth picking off the stones as I got  at least 200 lovely smooth round gems from them.

It was a devil to get a picture of because of all the sparkle and shine, the snowflakes seems to leap out at you, but in real life it is quite subtle.

Halloween Treat Bags

Tonight I made about 20 of these bags using a nestabilities label die for the bag tag, M & S chocolate ghosts, Poundland 3D stickers and a bit of halloween table confetti for extra bling.

Halloween Trick or Treat Boxes

 
I’m not that thrilled with the way these boxes turned out. I am not too sure if they are embellished a bit too much.
But, there again, they are for children, and as far as they are concerned, the more ghosties and ghoulies the better.
 

The boxes are made using the Sizzix Bigz XL Shaker Box die.  This die is the main reason I sold my Cuttlebug and bought a Bigshot.  When I saw it demonstrated at the NEC I just had to have it!

The 3D stickers are from Poundland, and are so brilliant!  They come in several different design packs.
I’ve outlined the boxes free hand - (not to carefully, with shaky lines and dots) and added metallic confetti stars here and there to complete the effect.
The sweetie mice are from Ikea.

Unfinished …… Valentine Card

It was meant as a Valentine, but I didn’t go any further with it.  I think I had just acquired an old singer sewing machine for £7 from E-bay and I was just playing.

So ….. I very lightly pencilled a heart shape on  linen effect card and went over it several times on the machine, veering over the lines, not being very careful at all, I love the knotted tangled effect of the haphazard sewing.

I punched a couple of holes in the card and knotted East of India ribbon through them. On one of the bows I have attached a rusty old gold safety pin and a brass padlock charm.  I have to admit, I quite like it!

A Bit of An Experiment

I’m not sure about this, lets just call it a work in progress.
Its a flower cut out of metal embossing foil on my Big Shot using a couple of sizzix bigz flower dies, with a brad in the centre. I am just not sure it really goes on the tag, it might look better on a small gift box.

Monkey’s Sweetie Bags

For those who follow the adventures of Monkey I have been busy making a few little sweetie bags for him to give as presents ………

…….. I really must get a life!

Stamping Isn't Really My Thing, But .....

I am not a confident stamper, but I am quite pleased with the results I achieved with these two cards.
I stamped two A4 sheets of card to make the backgrounds, the first sheet was made using two festive text stamps and then, when the ink was dry going over it again with a holly design.

The second sheet was made up of three separate text stamps that could be cut up.

Next followed a lot of fiddle farty mat and layering on red and gold card and completed with red gems and gold buttons.

Fiddle Farting know no bounds on this final card because I  machine stitched the panels with gold thread and mounted them on a foam pad so extra height. Talk about long winded!

STOP PRESS – ACCESSORIZE CHRISTMAS STICKERS IN SHOPS NOW!!

I think anyone who knows me, also knows my obsession for Accessorize Puffy Stickers (…..found in the children's section, £1.75 per pack)

Well the Christmas range is out …. to be honest, they aren’t as cute as last years but still,  get a load of these beauties!

They also have a set with Christmas fairies, they were very nice but the colours were just a bit too pastel for my taste.
Paperchase also have their Christmas stickers out – these are £1 a pack.  I think they are quite classy…..

…… and what I like best, is that the reindeer face both directions which keeps a design symmetrical.
I am very excited, I know exactly what I am going to do with them ….. watch this space …..

My Christmas Card for 2009

This is the Christmas card I will be sending out this year.  It features a photograph of two tiny snowman I made on the garden table in February, when we had a surprise fall of snow.  They have stones for eyes, twigs for arms and ripped up tea towel for scarves!

Once printed on a linen effect card, the picture has been mat and layered several times on silver mirror and red card.  It has been set at a jaunty angle, with a tiny peg giving it a just put together look, and the whole thing is completed with a two snowflake punchies with clear gem centre. I have handwritten the greeting, again mat and layered on silver.

The snowmen are supposed to look like me and my husband!!!!

Christmas Cottage Card

This is card I made using a photo of my in-laws house a few years ago.  I took the picture when we had unexpected snow, it was late afternoon and the light was fading into a beautiful blue colour.

I put the photo at a jaunty angle onto a blue background and  mat and layered it on silver card. To add a subtle sparkle I added translucent micro glitter to the trees, roof and ground plus two snowflake punchies  The greeting was done on my computer. 

Some More Christmas Cards

This card was made a couple of Christmases ago, dead simple and basic. I fell in love with the paper and knew it would make a fantastic modern Christmas tree card.

This is just a cute topper using some weenie Santa hats I found on E-bay.  I hand wrote the background, just added a few stars and mat and layered on red mirror card.

Please excuse the condition of this card, it’s been in a drawer for a while and is well past its sell by date.  I got the reindeer heads from Mad About Cards.

Handmade Seed Packets for a Gardener

 

I made these seed packets for my Father In Law last year.  To start with I found a blank seed packet template and copied it into Publisher. I managed to get two seed packets from one A4 sheet of good quality paper.

I then went about putting a design on the packet, adding a label on the front for details of the seeds and little bees here and there.
 

And that’s about it really, all that’s left to do is cut the seed packet out and stick it together.  I used a strip of narrow double sided tape on the packet flap as a seal.

I made about a  dozen packets and put them in a small decorated box. 

This present cost pence and just a little fiddle fart. You could vary it in so many ways, personalising it with the name of the gardener, pasting in photos of the reciplicant and/or their garden, I have been quite restrained with my clipart, but you could go wild with flowers etc.

Ideas for What to Do With Chocolate Mints at Christmas!

Who would believe that under this little lot are plain old mints, the sort you always see at Christmas.

All I have done is use my Stampin Up scallop and plain circle punches to make a top and bottom to cover the mint and then a snowflake and Christmas tree punch to complete the idea.

The scalloped discs are attached to the mint using double sided tape.

These are just a few very basic examples, once the creative juices start flowing the ideas are endless.

I am making a blue and cream set as wedding favors for a wedding next year.  All I am doing is putting four mints into a very narrow  “pretzel” bag (have a look on e-bay, they are also sometimes called lollibags) and tying the bag top with a cream ribbon.

Little Girls Handbag Card

I don’t often make cards/boxes from kits but when I went to NEC Hobbycrafts last year, I just had to have the K & Co Book of Paper Purses …….

I made this bag as something a little bit different for a work colleague for her beautiful little girl.  I understand she took it to school to show her teacher! Ahhhhh

 
 
Jorgie’s mum had written a little birthday poem, so I put each line on a new page in a little tag book to put in the bag
.

But I have to admit that after making the purse, the rest of the kit has remained untouched in the cupboard, it was too fiddle farty and not my type of thing, despite me being so desperate to own it!