Happy Christmas

A very quick post today just to say Have a Very Happy Christmas!  Or Happy Holidays! - whatever is good for you.  Also, for those of you who are finding this a difficult time, I am sending you a great big comforting hug!

The snow embossing folder in the background along with all the dies are Sue Wilson for Creative Expressions and I added oodles of glitter for sparkle.  I used snippets of white card for the die cutting.  I love all things Christmas and Sparkly so I love how this turned out.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Pixies Snippets Playground - Use Snippets
Allsorts Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

Thank you so much for visiting me and supporting me all through the year, I appreciate it more than words can say!

Have a truly wonderful day and holiday time!
Take care - Christine xx

Christmas Card For Darren!

Hello and thank you for visiting me, I really appreciate it.  I am very excited because Christmas is getting nearer - I just love it!  My card today is the Christmas card I made for my husband.

I began with a white card base A5 size then I cut a piece of red card exactly the same size and embossed it using a Creative Expressions snowy embossing folder and glued it to the base card.  I then cut a white piece of card the same width but shorter and again embossed it with the folder then used a free hand roller cutter to cut across the centre then attached with foam tape for dimension, across the top and bottom of the card leaving a gap to add the snowflakes.  The snowflakes were cut using snippets of white card using Tim Holtz for Sizzix snowflake dies.  I forgot to say that before I embossed the white card I stamped the fabulous Crafty Roo sentiment in Glamorous Versafine Clair ink.  I just love the sentiment and Darren (my husband) really is 'the sparkle in my snowflake'!  I added lots and lots of glitter using a Quickie Glue Pen for sparkle.

I would like to enter the wonderful Pixies Snippets Playground - use snippets.

I have been hopeless at keeping in touch with you all in blogland lately and I really apologise for that.  I seem to do a lot of apologising lately.  But I really am sorry!  I do appreciate your visits and support.

Take care and have a fabulous weekend.  Christine xxx

Winter Wishes!

This is the quickest blog post ever as I am going to miss a couple of challenges if I don't post this now! 

Background made using the acrylic block and Distress Oxide technique, stamps by Cardio, sentiment by Creative Expressions.   -

I would like to enter the following challenges:

November Rudolph Day's Challenge - Christmas
Country View Challenges - Hand Stamped
Pixies Snippets Playground - Use snippets - mine are the sentiment.

Thank you for visiting me, I really appreciate it. Take care. Christine xxx

Freya's 6th Birthday Card!

Hello!  So sorry I have been away for so long!  Sometimes things get in the way of my Blogging and I miss you all lots.  I have managed a little crafting and this is one of the cards I made.  Its my eldest Granddaughter Freya's 6th birthday card - it was her birthday last month. The inspiration for this card is from a YouTube video by the fabulous Tracey from Lavinia Stamps, and all the stamps I used are Lavinia stamps.
.

The background is made with a 6 inch Gelli plate, Distress Inks and Brushos.  I brayered Distress Ink onto the Gelli Plate then, using a fan brush, I splashed watered down Brushos onto it then pulled a print.  I saw Tracey at Lavinia doing this technique and its just brilliant!  The leaves and flowers are stamped with Chianti and Glamorous Versafine Clair and the beautiful Zamira is stamped in Versafine Clair Nocturne.  The number and letters are cut with dies from snippets of card inked with the Versafine Glamorous and the little banner is a Sizzix die cut from a Snippet of white card inked with similar colours to the Gelli print.  The butterflies are from another Sizzix die and cut from more snippets, this time black.  To achieve the moon, I cut a circle mask from acetate then inked around the edge with the Chianti ink then edged it with a sparkle pen then added the same sparkle pen to Zamira's hair and dangles on her dress.  To add more sparkle, I dotted liquid pearls randomly over the circle and topped with glitter.  When dry, I adhered to a black 7 x 7 inch card base.  In real life there is lots of sparkle.

I posted this to Freya in plenty of time for her birthday and it arrived 8 days late!  I was not happy!  Luckily Freya didn't mind at all and loved the card.  I was staying with my daughter Sarah when Amanda Branston was demonstrating (brilliantly) for Lavinia on Hochanda.  Freya had been watching the show with me and had seen Zamira being demonstrated.  She loved the stamp which is why I bought it.  Apparently the first thing she said when she received the card was 'Ooh Grandma bought it!'  Good decision me thinks!

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Pixies Snippets Playground - use Snippets.

Country View Challenges - Hand Stamped.

Thank you again for visiting me - I really appreciate it especially as I have been away for so long!

Have a fabulous weekend - Take care. Christine xxx

Sunset Wood!

Hello and thank you for visiting me!  Last week was our 15th anniversary and here is the card I made for my husband:

I started by making a black card blank that measures just over 5 inches square and cut into the front using the fabulous Clarity Treescape Aperture Die.  I then used snippets of black card to cut the little bunnies from the Baby Bunnies die set by Memory Box and the heart from Spellbinders Flutter Love.  The sunset background is made using a scrap of watercolour card which I inked with various Distress Inks then splattered with water for texture.  I glued the bunnies where I wanted them then glued the inked panel to the back of the aperture covering the watercolour card with black card on the reverse so it looks neat inside. I chose not to put a sentiment on the front as I didn't want to distract from the picture.  My photo looks a little washed out, the card is very black and the background is very vibrant, I couldn't seem to get it any better, I think I need photography lessons!  Sometimes it looks better on my tablet but when I am typing on my computer, it looks dull so I am hoping it looks better for you!

I would like to enter this into Di's fabulous Pixies Snippets Playground.

Thanks again for visiting me and I hope you are having a fabulous week!

Take care. Christine xxx

Christmas in July!

Hello and thank you so much for visiting me!

A Christmas card today.

The background is a snow embossing folder, the tree is a snippet of green card cut with a tree from Sizzix Festive Scribbles dies set.  The star and sentiment are cut from snippets of red card.  The star from Sizzix Swirling Stars and the Let is Snow is from Stamplorations.  I added lots of glitter for sparkle and made a 7 x 5 red card base.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

ScrappyMo's Rudolph Days Challenge - Christmas.
Pixies Snippets Playground - use snippets.
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Bright and Cheerful.
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.
Stamplorations Cutplorations Summer Challenge - use a Die cut.

Thank you again for visiting me and I hope you are having a wonderful week!
Take care!  Christine xxx

Joy, Peace, and Harmony!

Hello and thank you so much for visiting me.  My card today was made for the lovely and talented Anne at Redanne whose birthday it was recently. 

I chose the words cause my card is an underwater scene and joy, peace, harmony seemed perfect.  We need more of that in everyday life too I feel!

The background is one I had already inked in my pile of pre inked watercolour card, I used Distress Oxides is blues and greens. I added the waves using a new stencil by Craft Emotions.  The jelly fish and seahourse are both Lavina stamps in Versafine Clair Monarch and the seaweed, which is actually Lavinia's Snow Shrub, stamped in Garden Patina Archival ink.  The words are from a very old Debbie Moore clear stamp set and the mermaid is a die from The Works.  I covered her tail in Stickles and in real life is sparkles beautifully in lots of different shades but definitely lots of green tones. The sparkle doesn't show much in the photo, sorry!  The seahorse and jelly fish are Stickled too.  The white twine and little anchor charm finish it off.  The card base is 8 x 8 inch.  I am disappointed with the photo of this card, I took loads but none came out very well - it looks so much nicer in real life!

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge Blog - Charms.
Country View Challenges - Blues and Greens.

Thank you again for visiting me.  I hope your week is going well.

Take care!  Christine xxx

Twofer Challenge - Garden!

Hello, and thank you for visiting me!  I am entering Darnell's fabulous Twofer challenge which this month is 'Garden'.

I decided to use the Sizzix Thinlets Intricate Vintage Butterfly die on both of my cards. Butterflies just make a summer garden perfect!

I see some really different cards that people make for this challenge but I am not so good at coming up with really cool, alternative ideas but I do like how these came out. 

This birthday card started off using a background that I had in my pre-made stash which I had also  used to clean a wave stencil on from a previous make which left a cool cloudy effect.  I did some second and third generation stamping using an Indigo Script stamp and the flowers and leaves are Paperartsy rubber stamps stamped in Versafine Clair.  The Butterfly is cut from an old business card of my husbands which I had painted with acrylic paint.  I have loads of them from him and his Dad and they are so useful.  I backed the pink butterfly with cream glitter card using the Bigz die that co-ordinates.  The colour added to the flowers and leaves is Imagination Crafts Starlight paints and the sentiment is a Lili of the Valley Rubber Stamp. 

I love sending 'sending hugs' cards if people are feeling down, ill or have a bereavement or just because!

The background paper is Lili of the Valley and I love the little hearts scattered  down the side.  I cut the three butterflies from black card and the sentiment is using My Favourite Things Label Maker Sentiments and Versafine Clair ink.  Very simple but I love it!  I have to confess my husband has come up with an idea to use this card for something else - all to be revealed in another post!

I love supporting Darnell in this fabulous Twofer  challenge although I don't always manage it! 

Take care and have an absolutely fabulous day!  Christine xxx

Bloom and Stencil!

Hello and thank you so much for visiting me!  A CAS card today - It is actually the birthday card I sent to the wonderful Darnell who we all know and love.

I began by stencilling some lovely summery Distress Oxide colours through the Foiled Again mini stencil from Stamplorations.  I made sure to fade out towards the edges and I love the effect.  The stamping is all done with Versafine Clair in Nocturne - the flower and butterfly are from a Marion Emberson clear stamp set called On Your Special Day and the fab distressed word 'Bloom' is from the clear Hope Blooms set by Stamplorations.  I added some Stickles to the flowers for a little sparkle.

I love how this turned out and did a male version in this style that I will post another time. 

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Allsorts  - Clean and Simple
Penny Black and More - Summer Colours
Stamping Sensations - The Earth Laughs in Flowers
Stamplorations Summer CAS
Stamplorations - Anything Goes

Thank you again for visiting me and I hope you are having a fab week!

Take care, Christine xxx

Happy Birthday With Border Dies!

Hello and welcome to my blog.  Thank you so much for visiting me.  My card today is made with no stamping or ink at all, just die cuts and snippets of left over card and patterned paper.

I started off by making the background by die cutting seven layers of patterned paper, all from snippets of paper left over from a very old  (and large) 12 x 12 paper pad.  They were cut using dies from a new edger die set from The Works which is fabulous and includes 9 different dies.  I cut the layers to size first, then die cut them and glued them together and added them to my black card base.  The 'Happy Birthday' is cut using Spellbinders Sentiment Three set and the butterflies are from Sizzix Butterfly Frenzy Decorative Strip die.  I was going to add further embellishment but decided I liked it just as it is.

I would like to enter the wonderful Di's fabulous Snippets Challenge  -  my whole card is made up of snippets! 

Thank you so much for visiting me and I hope you are having a lovely weekend.

Take care!  Christine xxx

I've Been A Busy Bee Making Cards!

Hello and thank you for visiting me!  My first creative post for a very long time and I have made two cards!  Anyone who knows me personally knows I am scared of bees (wasps too) but in aid of Darnell's fabulous Twofer challenge I bought a bee stamp set (they had to be cute bees, not too realistic) and away I went!  So I would like to enter my cards in the Twofer Challenge which is Bees!

For both cards I used the 'Bee' sentiment and another one from the set along with two of the bees.  The set is Bee Happy by Hunkydory.  All stamping is done with black Versafine.  I hope these are ok to enter as when I look at them now, the layouts are rather similar - sorry!  I didn't realise when I was making them - I was so involved (and enjoying myself!).

The one below also used lots of coloured snippets from my bits box to make the flower from Sizzix die set Flower Set.

The frame is from a die set from Gummiapan that I bought via Hochanda.  The frame is from a snippet too.  I added clear sparkle pen to the bees wings and the flower centres.

I would also like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Pixies Snippets Playground - use Snippets.
Country View Challenges - its a Bugs Life.

An inky background for the this one.

I started with a piece of watercolour card then inked up an acrylic block with Mustard Seed, Dried Marigold and Ripe Persimmon Distress Inks, spritzed it with water then pressed it onto the watercolour panel,  Using the same inks, I stamped the background with IndigoBlu Collector's Edition No. 2 French Script and Creative Expressions Chicken Wire.  Then black Versafine for the main stamping.  The bees wings were sparkled with clear sparkle pen.

I would also like to enter this into the following challenge:

Stamping Sensations - Show Your True Colours.

It is so nice crafting and blogging again - I hope to keep it up more regularly as much as I can.

Thank you so much for visiting me and have a lovely weekend.

Take care - Christine xxx

My Re-Vamped Craft Room!

Hello!  Thank you so much for visiting me, I really appreciate it.  Yesterday I did my first post for several months showing the terrible state my craft room had got into, you can see it here if you missed it.  Below are the photos showing the result - my re-vamped craft room and I absolutely adore it!  I am such a lucky girl (ok, old lady!).

I can't believe how cool it is and am fanatical about keeping it tidy.  You can't see from my photos, but there is so much space and the floor is completely clear, Yay!  Its so easy to find everything which makes crafting so enjoyable again.

Thank you again for visiting.  Take care.  Christine xxx

What I Have Been Doing While I Have Been Away!

Hello at last!  Sorry I have been away from Blogland for so very long.  We have been giving my craft room a complete revamp.  As you can see by the photos below, it had got to the state where I didn't even like going in there and was losing my love of crafting.  Even the floor was covered with stuff, and all my stamps, dies etc were all over the place and I couldn't get to a lot of them!  I was tripping over stuff, a lot of it rubbish and really couldn't cope anymore.  Because of our health problems, it has taken us (I could not have achieved it without my husband, Darren) so long. 

Today I am just showing 'before' pictures - as ashamed of them as I am! So here goes!

There it is, nothing hidden - I know how shocked you must be about the state of it all!  I hope you will come back tomorrow and see the change.

Thank you so much for sticking with me and for the comments and emails of concern  I have received while I have been away, I can't believe what a lovely place the crafting world is.  It really makes such a difference to me and means a lot!

Thank you for visiting me. Take care.  Christine xxx

Thank You Di!

This post is part of a special Linky Party hosted by the fabulous Darnell to say a huge 'thank you' to the lovely Di from Pixies Crafty Workshop who hosts the wonderful Pixie's Snippets Playground and has done for the last seven years encouraging us to use all our snippets.  Not only that, Di offers us the chance to win fabulous prizes and also  gives us oodles of support and is such a fantastic friend to have!  I have met Di and she is just as lovely in person as in the virtual world, we are lucky to have her!  Thank you too to Darnell for hosting the thank you party - you are lovely too!

My cards use a fabulous sentiment die set I was super lucky enough to win from Di after participating in her mammoth Christmas giveaway.  Thank you so much Di.

I made four Christmas cards, two in the red and two from Brusho backgrounds using the fabulous die and some Sizzix/Tim Toltz snowflakes and a few stones from my stash.

I wanted to show Di how I used my awesome prize!  I will be using it lots more too I am sure and I am so happy I have made a start on this years Christmas cards.

As well as the Thank You Di Hop I would, of course, like to enter:

Pixie's Snippets Playground! - All the snowflakes and sentiments are snippets.

Thank you again Di!

Take care and thank you for visiting me.  Christine xxx

Twofer Challenge - Birds!

I am rushing to join in with the fabulous Darnell's Twofer Challenge. 

I haven't managed to join in with this challenge for ages and I was determined to this time - the theme is 'Birds'.  Here are my two cards using the same bird die on both cards with different designs for two different occasions.  Such a fun idea for a challenge!  Sorry its not the best photo.

The thank you card is winging (excuse the pun!) to the recipient as we speak! 

The background is made with Distress Oxides and water on my glass mat - I made two A4 sheets of these colours so I can use them on future projects.  I cut a square then stamped the Clarity Thank You stamp with my Misti to make sure it was straight and in a perfect square.  The Apple Blossom die (I have no record of the name) was cut from snippets of black card as were the four flowers in the corners which were from a die that was free with a magazine and matched the flowers on the bird die perfectly.  I made a square card base, added the main panel and it was finished. 

For the birthday card I cut the die three times from snippets of card, two in the black and one in the white - actually I cut an extra  one in white and tried both ways  round and went for the white in the centre in the end.  I chose pink for the panel so the die cuts would really pop and made a DL card base.  The sentiment is by HobbyArt stamped in Versafine Claire Nocturne on a snippet of white card, cut up then edged with black marker.  The little white butterflies are cut from Sizzix Butterfly Frenzy.  To make sure all my black and white snippets match and also match the base card, I store any snippets with the matching sheets of white or black card so I never mix the different whites and black as it really shows if you use mixed up shades of either.  I have several drawers of different white card and a couple of black.  I am totally disorganised in most things but do manage to keep those organised.  I may have mentioned it before but I think its a really good tip.

As well as the Twofer Challenge I would like to enter the following:

Pixie's Snippets Playground - use Snippets!  Another wonderful challenge, thank you Di!

I hope you are having a fab week - I apologise for my lack of visits - haven't been too well lately!  I keep having to apologise - soooooo sorry!

Take care. Christine xxxxxxxxxx

First Post For 2019!

Happy New Year!  I can hardly believe its 2019 already.  I hope it will be a fabulous one for everybody. 

My last post for 2018 was a unicorn card, you can see it here if you missed it, and I am starting 2019 with another unicorn card using the same fab unicorn die!  This card is for a 60th birthday.

The background is a piece of watercolour card that I had previously used to mop up ink left on my glass mat - I just can't waste any ink!  I cut it down to a little smaller than the black card base and die cut the stars into it using the main die from Sizzix Thinlets Swirling Stars by Tim Holtz.  I had several scraps of cream glitter card and one fitted nicely behind the star appertures.  I then cut a few of the larger  individual stars from the same set from more scraps of the glitter card and also the unicorn from Sizzix Intricate Unicorn in scraps of both the glitter and black card to give a shadow effect and to help it stand out from the background.  A little black pearl gives the unicorn its eye.  The number '60' is from a letter and number die set from The Works, again cut from scraps, and the Happy Birthday is stamped using the Label Maker Sentiments  clear stamp set from My Favorite Things.  The glitter card is so sparkly in real life, I wish you could see it!

I have used this unicorn die lots, both the positive and negative, I am sure I will be showing you more cards I make with it in the future - I just love it!  It comes with stars and butterflies too, a very versatile set. 

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Pixies Snippets Playground - Use snippets.
Cropstop - Anything Goes.

Thank you very much for visiting me and I hope you are having a fabulous week!
Take care.  Christine xxx