Merry Nutcracker

Hello.
I've had another attempt at a nutcracker card today.
I am NOT the most delicate person, so holding these tiny die-cuts with tweezers,
adding the glue, and then sticking them down in the perfect spot, does not come easy to me.
I need more practice.

There's also a rare outing for an embossing folder  -
with that 'diamond star' background giving a lovely 3D element.

Challenge

Inkspirational

This nutcracker has a full base piece, and then the individual elements are layered on top.
I've also layered the foliage and holly, and the message on the banner.

• conocord and 9th - nutcracker
• altenew - diamond stars 3d embossing folder

May Your Days Be Furry And Bright

Hello.
I'm playing along with the As You Like It Challenge today,
where they would like to see your favourite critter.

My favourite has to be a dog. We are a family of dog owners.
My partner in crime is Buster, (a border terrier) and we have Ollie (a puggle) and Indie (a staffy)
So I am very partial to a dog stamp.

Here, I've combined an older dog set, with that new 'hand'/arm  die.
I've added some glitter paper to the sleeve and star, and some glamour dust on the dog's hat,  for some extra Christmas bling.

Challenge

As You Like It 

Favourite Critter and Why

Dog
because I can't resist this face :o)

• my favorite things - happy pawlidays / snowglobe sentiments
• concord & 9th - hand/sleeve/cuff/star - handmade holidays
• concord & 9th - baubles/star - tree topper 
• copics
• glamour dust

Can You Dig It

Hello.
My daughter got an allotment last week. It's a jungle. 
Clearing it is hard work, but lots of fun. My 2 grandsons (3 and 2) had a great time digging in the dirt looking for worms :o)

So, this is a 'congrats on your allotment' card - that's a thing right?   :o)

I used a circle die in the corner of my card panel, and distress inked a background.
Then the bunny was die cut, coloured with copics, and popped up with foam tape.

I wrote out some funny plant markers and stuck those inside the card.

Challenge

CAS On Friday

CORNER OF YOUR CARD

• colorado craft company - rooting for you
• circle nestie die
• distress ink - tumbled glass / cracked pistachio
• copics

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