Penguins Are The Definition Of Cute

Hello.
Social media seems to be one long video of new products at the moment. With everyone trying to get us to buy the next, big release. I wish I had the budget!
I need to remember that older products are just as good.

These Arctic penguins were released back in 2014 - and I still love them.

I used a snowfall die on the blue background, and layered a snow mound on top.
Then I added those cute penguins, with DS tape for the back ones, and foam tape to pop the front ones up.

Challenge

Freshly Made Sketches

• mama elephant - arctic penguins, coloured with copics
• my favorite things - snowglobe sentiments
• avery elle - falling snow die

Nutcrackers Everywhere

Hello.
I definitely stalked Seven Hills Crafts when these nutcrackers came out, and I was lucky enough to get my hands on some.
Here's my first attempt with them.

I remembered I had this 'door' stamp, and thought it would be fun to have the nutcrackers stood at either side of it. I'd love to do this IRL, and The Range has some 5ft nutcrackers, but jeez, they're £250!! Who's got that kind of budget? (don't tell me if you have, it will just make me cry) :o)

I added a touch of glitter to the nutcrackers, just to make them a bit more Christmassy - and then popped them up with foam tape. I didn't have a wreath stamp for the door, but thought that this mistletoe die would work instead.

I have in mind who to send this card to, and I'll probably write their door number on the door, just for an added personal touch.

Challenge

52 Christmas Card Throwdown

• my favorite things - sittin' pretty / snowglobe sentiments
• concord & 9th - nutcracker dies / handmade holiday dies

'Tis The Season

Hello.

Today I'm playing with the Concord & 9th tree topper dies again, 
but sticking with more traditional Christmas colours.

I used a beautiful, poppy red cardstock (from Concord & 9th) for the background.
My camera doesn't really capture this vibrant red very well.
The sentiment is stamped with a darker red, and some stars added, with white, heat embossing.

For that Christmassy bling, I used gold, glitter card for the star, and black, glitter card for the sleeve.

Challenge

Inkspirational  

Just playing for fun this week, as this design is one of the examples
on the Concord & 9th shop.

• concord & 9th - tree topper dies / tree topper stamp set
• concord & 9th - little white cuff from handmade holiday die set
• hero arts - red royal ink
• hero arts - white embossing powder and versamark ink

Trim The Tree

Ooh, I'm definitely not sure about this one.

I'm having fun with the AAAColourful Challenge, and I didn't want to miss one,
but their colour palette is more Halloween/Autumn this month, and I didn't need another card like that.
I gave it a try for a Christmas card.

What do you think? Yea or nay? 

I die cut the baubles and pieced them together, then added them to a card panel with that bold, stamped sentiment.
Then I added the foliage. All the overhanging pieces were trimmed off.

There's a little touch of bling on there - just to give it a lift.

I do keep going back and looking at - it's a bit 'in your face', but I think it's growing on me  :o)

Challenge

AAAColourful

• concord and 9th - tree topper dies / tree topper stamp set

Christmas Gifts

Hello.
I'm back to making Christmas cards today - with another one for the pile, using this 'handmade holiday dies' set.  Prepare to see a lot more of these cards, they're so easy and fun to make.

I die cut some elements from the set and glued all the fiddly bits together

eg: the bows on the presents and bell, the sleeve and cuff on the arm

Then, I stamped the sentiment onto a card panel and attached the pieces with foam tape.

Simple.

Challenge

Inkspirational

I took my inspiration from the colour palette, using those blues and greens,
some brown for the gingerbread man, and a pop of yellow.

• concord and 9th - handmade holiday dies
• concord and 9th - tree topper stamp set
• pinkfresh studio- diagonal stitch rectangle

My Boo-tiful Family

Hello.
I'm sharing something a little bit different today.
When I was down a Halloween Pinterest rabbit hole, I saw a couple of these ghost, family portraits and wanted to give it a go.

What do you think?

This was super easy to make. For each ghost I drew an arch of white acrylic paint, on my black card background, and used a plastic, palette knife thing, to drag the paint down. 

(It was the widest knife, from one of those cheap sets you get in Hobbycraft)

Then, I simply added eyes with a black Copic, bows for the girls and hats for the boys.

I drew a little spiders's web with a white gel pan.

If you want to see the quick reel check it out HERE

Challenge

Allsorts

🍂 🍁FALLING LEAVES 🍂 🍁

or

Anything goes

• white acrylic paint
• distress ink - pickled raspberry/salty ocean
• white gel pen
• bow and hat stamp from wplus9 unforgettable

Handmade Holidays

Yay! Thanks to the perseverance of Seven Hills Crafts, I finally got my mitts on some of the Concord and 9th Christmas Dies.
I was stalking them for the nutcracker dies, and in my excitement, a few other sets fell in my basket :o)

This month Seven Hills have a sketch challenge, and it's a tricky one.
I really wanted to use my new dies, so I played around for ages,  until I got something resembling the sketch.

Hopefully you can see that those arms represent the triangle shape.

I'm well chuffed I splashed out on this little set. It's meant for Christmas cards, but because it comes with different sized presents and bows, it's going to be great for other occasions too.
And it's perfect for using up even the tiniest scraps of card.

Seven Hills Crafts Challenge

• concord and 9th - handmade holiday dies 
• concord and 9th - merry - from nutcracker die set
• my favorite things - Christmas - from snowglobe sentiments
• pinkfreshstudio - stitched diamonds cover plate

Ready For Winter Days

Hello.
It's turned decidedly cooler here, over the last few days.
Has anyone resorted to putting their heating on yet??
We are trying to hold out for another few weeks.
But it's almost time for woolly hats and big coats.

Here's my card for the Inkspirational Challenge

where the word prompt is HEADWEAR

I stamped 3 bears on a card panel and coloured them with Copics.

Then I gave them all hats, popped up with foam tape.
Hmm... maybe I should have given the middle bear the same woolly hat as the others,  instead of the party one. What do you think?

Challenge

Inkspirational

• sugarpea designs - hey winter
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangles
• my favorite things - snowglobe sentiments
• copic markers - white gel pen

Shake It For Autumn

Hello Autumn. My favourite time of year.
Now I can get out my fluffy bed socks, my big coat, and indulge in some pumpkin spice lattes.

Here's a little, autumn shaker card.

I stamped and coloured my autumn wreath onto a card panel. Then, looking at it, I though it was a bit plain. So I ended up fussy cutting the middle out, and turning it into a shaker card.
Then I added the squizzer, popped up with foam tape, and went a little crazy with a white gel pen.

Usually I have a plan for where my cards are going, someone's birthday or anniversary, etc but I have no plans for this one yet. So I've left the sentiment off for now.
It could end up as a 'thank you', and 'autumn birthday', or just a 'hello' card.

Challenge

AAA Colourful

• clearly besotted - ring around autumn
• copic markers and white gel pen
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle

Stitched With Love

Hello.
I'm all about the stitching today, with 2 cards for the 

Seven Hills Crafts Challenge

where the theme is shades of Autumn.

I die cut my hoop, and cross stitched an autumn leaf.
Then I attached it with foam tape to a stitched background.
Those cute, crafty critters were stamped, fussy cut, coloured with Copics, and also added with foam tape.

My second card is the same design, just switching the autumn leaf for a pumpkin, and using the other critters from the stamp set.

These stitched hoops are a great little project to do whilst watching TV :o)

Challenge

Seven Hills Crafts

These cards are so similar, I'm only entering one into the challenge.

Shades Of Autumn

• mama elephant - stitched with love
• waffle flower - embroidery hoops die / stitchable hoops die
• pinkfresh studio - stitched diamonds coverplate
• lawn fawn - stitched hillside border / embroidery hoop patterns
• copic markers

Autumn Feels

Hello.
We've just had the best family holiday ( 6 adults, 2 kids and 1 dog) on the Llyn Penninsula, in Wales. What a stunning place. Our days were spent on beaches, in the sea, flying kites and toasting marshmallows. Absolute heaven.
Arriving home, the weather has turned cooler and the nights are closing in. My favourite time of year.
So, I was thrilled to be asked to be a Guest this week, over at 

CAS on Friday

The theme is 'thank you' and I opted for an autumn style card.

This was a super, quick card to put together - it took me longer to choose the colours than it did to make! The little pumpkins were die cut, with the added stalks and leaves, and then attached to my card with foam tape, for some interest.

I messed up with the sentiment. Of course I did! Stamping it a little too high I think. But there was no changing it then.

Challenge

CAS on Friday

Thank you

And thanks to Janneke, and the DT for a great challenge
and for letting me guest this time  xxx

• spellbinders - holiday haul dies
• spellbinders - sending you stamp and die
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle