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