Mystical Reindeer

Had to say a very sad farewell this week to our beautiful mare, Rio. We had had her for 12 years and this was her forever home, she had a rapid onset type of bone cancer in her front leg and we lost her very quickly, only a few short weeks.

I've not felt much like crafting, so I'm glad I made this card a couple of weeks ago to share with you and friends from 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.Thetheme for this week's challenge is

I made a screen card, trying to create a moonlit scene where the deer would appear almost magically and disappear again.

I used Kraft cardstock to make a base ( I just folded an A4 sheet into quarters lengthwise), cut out the top of a punch to form the legs and added Hardwood stamped background panels. I used the colours from the photo inspiration at CSAYL, the ink was Indigo Island and the flourish is from Open Sleigh. The actual reindeer image is one I bought from a craft shop in The Netherlands. I have finished of the card with antique pearl brads, pearls, punched stems from the Bird Punch and some red gem berries. The top is made using a border punch. This is my second screen card, they are rather fun to make. I am going to enter the challenge atCompletely Christmas again this week. Why don't you?

Do have a look at the cards from the rest of the very talented DT.

A gift of a Sketch

I am quite excited about June as I get to be hostess at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown.
As always we start with a sketch and, although I didn't have it in mind when I designed it, this sketch reminds me of a gift, beautifully wrapped beneath the Christmas tree.

So, this is my card, a gift in pale blue and silver. I've used two ribbons, glitter paper, an antique pearl brad, a tag and some freebie DP. I heat embossed the stamping on the tag to help match the colour on the paper. I have tweaked the sketch a little, which you are welcome to do too. For a start I've used a square, then my shape has slipped down and become a tag, switching places with the bow. Finally, I put my sentiment on the tag after agonising whether or not to put it exactly in accordance with the sketch.

I managed to take the pics outside so the colours are quite true.

I am going to enter my card in the Anything Goes challenge at Completely Christmas, unfortunately I forgot to enter for the last couple of weeks, just too much going on, but it's a great challenge blog for anyone making Christmas cards. I'm also going to enter the Ribbons and Bows challenge at CSAYL, as I think it would fit perfectly, and craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge for June.

Please do visit the challenge blog and see the marvellous creations that my fellow DT members have come up with and please add yours, I can't wait to see them all...Christmas in June....Bring it on!

Double Embossed Christmas Ornaments

 Hello! It's Saturday morning and that means that I'm back with this week's challenge from 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown. I loved the idea of this one as soon as I saw it, as embossing is one of my favourite techniques, I wish  had more embossing folders (but then we always want more, don't we!) and heat embossing is a kind of magical, mystical alchemy to me, I love the way the powder becomes shiny and the colour changes... yes, simple things, simple minds... I know

 I thought that I hadn't made a card with ornaments for a while and so I reached for Merry and Bright and the trio of ornaments. I used Versamark and three colours of embossing powder, red, green and silver, to get the effect of shimmering baubles, reflecting the light. You do have to throw away the unused powders as they get mixed up, but if you use them sparingly it's not too wasteful

I used the dry embossing on my background which is matt silver. The sentiment is from Open Sleigh and three little bows and some black card stock complete the card.
Looking forward to visiting all your blogs to see your double embossing projects, don't forget to hop on over to the blog and have a look at the creations from my DT buddies, as usual they're awesome!I'm also going to enter Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge Extra for January.

Rainbows at Christmas

It's a colour challenge week...with a difference!  It's not about what colours we want to see on your card, it's about what colours we don't want to see...make sense?  Here to help you, from your 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown hostess, Danielle, is your challenge...

 Yep, that's right, a Christmas card with no red or green.  So get out your fave off the wall Christmas colours and go for it!
Actually, as I was making this card the idea that I COULDN'T use red or green made me want to use every other colour I could think of , and so I designed a rainbow Christmas card!  Take a look

Well, I've never received one like it, have you? I really like those brightly coloured stockings, from the set Open Sleigh and the tongue in cheek sentiment from Merry and Type.  I've actually stamped a more 'sober' Merry  Christmas and a Happy New Year greeting inside just to make sure the recipient knows it's a Christmas card. Crafting should incorporate some experimentation, I think, and this was mine! I'm going to enter my card in the challenge at Christmas Stampin' All Year Long where it is 'Simply Christmas' - so I guess they want simple, stamped cards.

Christmas in the Heart

Last challenge for July and it's a great one! Faux (or real) stitching on a Christmas card.  I love the stitching effect, I don't use it very often, but whenever I see a card with stitching, especially the real variety, it really catches my eye.

 Problem is, I don't own a sewing machine.  I can use one, I have even been known to make the occasional pair of curtains, but I've never sewn on a card.  This one, for 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown is no exception and so I've use faux stitches on my card.  The inspiration came from the quilts my Mum lovingly made, over the years, for my children and various other family members.  She doesn't do it any more, but we all have one somewhere.

 The papers are from Papermania, and I've gone with a very non-traditional colour scheme.  I could use up all the scraps to make the quilting squares, and I cut a large heart, freehand, and added white gel pen stitching.  The perfectly apt sentiment is from SU's Open Sleigh set.  I matted the squares onto black card stock and carefully added the stitches, this time in black.
Do have a look at all the DT girls' projects this week, I am sure you'll find something you like!

Holly Berry Bouquet colours

Over at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown it's always Christmas time and this week is no exception, with a traditional/vintage colour scheme chosen for us by our lovely hostess for July, Patricia.

As soon as \I saw these colours I had one thing in mind, a DP from Stampin' Up's Holly Berry Bouquet range.  I know, I've used this loads but I love it! Having a DP and a colour combo is fine but where do you find the rest of the inspiration?  Oh...yes... at Craft Club! I went over to our craft club on Tuesday at fellow DT member Jacqueline's and we made tunnel cards.  Here's mine using the 52 CCT colours

Not only did I learn how to make a tunnel card, but also a trick with your nestabilities to make tighter fitting frames, by drawing around the edge of your die and cutting it out to make a mat.  Why tunnel card? Take a look inside

 I also borrowed the pine cone stamp. The little robins are a stamp I used at another craft club ages ago, when we were making toppers.Goodness, I hardly feel that this card is mine, now I've told you all this! Even the little fabric roses were supplied at the club! I'd not realised these came on a ribbon, apparently they were in a previous SU catalogue and are now retired - what a shame- I've only just discovered them!

Christmas Chalkboard

Back from my jolly hols just in time for a brand new challenge at Technique Time Tuesday and this one is bang on trend with the chalkboard technique.  Over at the blog you will find a step by step tutorial to help you if you've never tried this before, and it really is so simple and so effective.  You can do it two ways, one using a heat embossing technique and the other stamping white on black.  It depends which one you like best -bold and bright, or subtle and shabby.
Guess which one I've used here....

I chose a Christmas theme (again!) and used a variety of stamps to make up my board. I stamped in white and then smudged it up with sponged white ink- I used Adirondack Snow Cap. I've used some SU paper, with a gem in each corner and a couple of bows. I'm very plaesed with this card and, as I said already, it's very simple to make.

Red and White

Red and white is such a classic colour combination for Christmas, don't you think, just imagine candy canes, Santa's suit, Swedish style decorations.  This is what we are looking for this week at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown with our colour challenge, set by the very talented Mynnette.  I went for Christmas Stockings!

I must say that I love red and white. For me, it is so versatile, it can be homely, contemporary, classic, it suits cas very well, and I think my card is a bit of a mixed bag! The stockings are stamped from the Open Sleigh set onto white cs and then I've sponged the edges in red.  I cut out white daises, and gave them each a red gem centre, before layering them behind the panel.  The paper is gorgeous, and the little bow matches so well. Finally I added another circle, this time with the sentiment- love this one!
Do have a go at the challenge, just remember ONLY red and white (you are allowed black for a sentiment stamp in the rules), looking forward to seeing all those cards!

White stamping for Christmas

Week 2 of the challenge month which I am hosting at 52{Christmas} Card Throwdown and, as usual, it's a colour challenge. This time it's black, white and gold. I do love this combination, well, at least I thought I loved it until I came to make my card for the DT. I have made at least three cards which have ended up in the recycle pile as I really wasn't happy with them.  In desperation I give you this one...

White stamping on a black faux tile background, with glitter card and highlights.  I used an image called Open Sleigh and have decorated (albeit minimally) the inside, with vellum printed with gold snowflakes.

Do go and have a look at the cards from the other girls on the  DT - they are awesome

Christmas Cat

I found this little fellow in my stash, I think I bought him in the sales last January, but I've not inked him up before today.  It was this sketch challenge over at Addicted to Stamps and More that prompted me to search for a suitable stamp, I seem to have used trees and baubles such a lot I wanted something different.

 I found some paper and matched the card stock to the paper.  I stamped the little cat onto Naturals White card, added a sentiment and Stocking from the Open Sleigh set (I've used this so much it really was a good buy!) and coloured the images using Promarkers. I used some bakers twine for some extra interest and I punched out small circles from matching paper, giving them sparkly centres with silver Stickles and popped the middle one up on a dimensional. I nearly missed the two rectangles at the 'back' but extended part of the paper to give the effect.

As I used a square card base I had to rotate the three elements in the corner to fit them on, I hope this counts as OK for the challenge. Weekend nearly over now, so I will have to leave crafting for another day.

The Winter Blues

Not for me! I love snowy, frosty weather, and Christmas, of course!  It's just that Winter Blues is the challenge at Cas-ual Fridays and we've even had two weeks this time to be organised.  I'm making packs of cards for my son to sell now.  He's raising money to buy a toilet for a village on Komodo Island, where he will be travelling in the summer as part of an expedition.  The toilet will protect the villagers from the komodo dragons, particularly the children who fall prey occasionally to these very large and ferocious lizards when they go outside the village boundaries.
Here is one of my designs

It has to be quick and simple to make so that I can easily make a pack, not too expensive and eyecatching.  I used a new stamp from SU called Open Sleigh, stamped onto dark blue cardstock and heat embossed in silver and added three gems.  I matted it onto paler blue card and then used a sheet of vellum to cover the white card blank. I am also going to enter the challenge for a CAS project at Addicted To Stamps and More with this card.Next step - teach son how to make them himself!

Traditional and not so Traditional

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The new stamp set I have just got my hands on from SU after my party last week lends itself to the traditional Christmas card and this particular design has been in my mind since I saw the set in the Ideas Book.  I love green and red as a Christmas combo and what can be more traditional than Christmas stockings.  I have popped up  one to add dimension and there are three little brads to act as pins.  The sentiment is from Sassy Salutations This is my card for St Luke's Charity Challenge -the final challenge. Sadly the challenge is ending but I've loved doing every one and sending some of my cards in to be sold to raise well deserved and much needed funds

Using the same stamp I them went for a more contemporary Christmas, this time for the Less Is More challenge.  It's a colour challenge this week and the colour is ....pink! I think many people will think of birthdays and flowers but I wanted to be a little bit different and so I thought'Christmas' and 'stocking' and here's my card

I used a white card blank and stamped the  stocking from SUs Open Sleigh set.  I stamped it again on some textured white, (can you see the texture in this photo?) and cut it out, popping it up with dimensionals.

 A small bit of matching pink bling acts as the pin to hold it up. I embossed the Christmas words using a Tim Holtz Alterations embossing folder.  There lots of lovely white space on this card and with that little touch of pink I think it is probably more LIM than CAS.  Hope you like it!