Winter Bear

How is the weather where you are?
We had snow, which turned to thick ice, so it was difficult getting around - especially on the pavements. Today, it's all miraculously disappeared, and the sun is out!

This bear, put on his cosiest jumper, and waded through all that snow, to deliver a birthday present.

I wanted this bear to be holding a present, so I drew some arms with paws and fussy cut them. Then I cut some pieces for sleeves and ran them through the same embossing folder as the jumper. I think they turned out ok.

The present was die-cut in red, and I added the hearts with a white gel pen.

Challenge

AAABirthday 

• spellbinders - festive friends
• mama elephant - labeled messages
• concord & 9th - present die from handmade holidays
• hobbycraft - knit pattern embossing folder

Hello Little One

Happy New Year everyone. 
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas, and are now raring to get back into your craft rooms.

I am starting the New Year with news of a little bundle of joy in the making!

I love using this super, quick way to make a card. I just stamp the image onto coloured card and die cut it. For some extra dimension ( and because this card doesn't have to go through the mail) those teddy bears are layered up, with white card, 3 times.

Not the best photos - with all those shadows. That is something I need to work on this year.
I've also discovered that my crappy, old laptop skews the colours a lot, so I hope you're seeing them better than I am!

Challenge

AAA Colourful

• my favorite things - hello little one
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle

A Little Wobble And A Lot Of Joy

Hello.
Today I'm sharing a cute Santa card, with a body that wobbles with joy.
You can't help but give it a little wiggle - I think my grandsons will love it.

Santa is on a distress inked background, splattered with some water drops and snow.

The snow is a white gel pen, used through a snowfall stencil. This simple way of doing 'snow' has been a revelation for me this year. It makes it quick and easy, but still looks random, and no more of me trying (and failing) to do the dreaded splatter.

Challenge

As You Like It

Anything Christmassy

• spellbinders dancin' st nick
• distress ink - salty ocean
• my favorite things - snowglobe sentiments
• lawn fawn - stitched hillside borders
• pretty pink posh - snowfall stencil

Frost Loving Friends

Hello.
I'm sending a big thank you to Tara and the team at Seven Hills Crafts today.
I was the lucky winner of their October Challenge and they kindly sent me a £10 voucher to spend in store.
Oooh - what to buy - so many goodies.
I finally settled on this cute frosty friends set. It's an older set, but it had all the elements to make a pretty, winter scene.

I inked up a background panel with some distress ink. Then I used the trees die to cut the foreground and layer it on top. It was a bit stark in plain white, so I did a very light smoosh over with the same colour distress ink.

The die cut friends and elements were coloured with copics and attached with foam tape.
I held my breath whilst I stamped the sentiment, then used a stencil and white gel pen for the snow.

Challenge

Seven Hills Crafts 

December Winter Themed Challenge

• my favorite things - frost loving friends
• pretty pink posh - snowfall stencil
• distress oxide - salvaged patina
• altenew ink - fresh leaf
• white gel pen / copic markers

Open All The Presents

Hello.
I really love a good, versatile craft set, don't you?
And this handmade holidays set works perfectly, not just for Christmas gifts, but for birthdays too.
I think I will get a lot of use out of it.

I went for a pink and girly style today - with a distress ink background and using Copics and a white, gel pen to create my own gift wrap on those presents.

I was thinking about the price of postage again, when I put this together, so all the elements are flat. With hindsight, I wish I had popped them up with foam tape.
It would have looked better to have more depth. Oh well - lesson learnt.

Challenge

Seize the Birthday

I didn't go for the topping this week, as I really needed a feminine card.

• concord and 9th - handmade holiday dies
• distress ink - kitsch flamingo
• copic markers/ white gel pen
• happy birthday sentiment from my favorite things woof pack

Deck The Halls With Nutcrackers

Hello.
I have a trio of nutcrackers for you today,
as I'm following the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge.

I've gone for a soft pink, and blue combo for these guys, with a snowy backdrop.

Just looking at the price of stamps today. Eek! It's £2.60 for a first class, large letter.
I think next year I will be ditching the foam tape, and making everything flatter.

Challenge

Freshly Made Sketches 

• concord & 9th - nutcracker dies
• distress ink - tumbled glass / salty ocean
• pretty pink posh - snowfall stencil
• white gel pen / copic markers

Fa La La

Hello.
I am doing the happy crafter's dance today 💃
I have finally cracked SNOW    :o)

I am totally useless at splatter. I have watched endless videos of people doing it, but I just can't get the hang of it myself. But now I have the perfect work around.
When my card was finished, I placed a 'snowfall' stencil over the top, and used a white gel pen through the holes.  Perfect, random snow! 
Don't tell me you've all been doing this for ages :o)

Challenge

Double D Challenges 

I took inspiration from the pale blue colour palette, the snow, and the knitted gloves
(using an embossing folder to give that knit pattern on the bear's jumper)

Playing just for fun, as an international entry 💙

• spellbinders - festive friends
• rangers distress ink - tumbled glass
• pretty pink posh - snowfall stencil
• stickles glitter
• sentiment stamp - catslife press
• copics / white gel pen / hobbycraft embossing folder knit pattern
  
  

 

Festive Friends

Hello.
I'm going for cuteness overload today, with this adorable bear and penguin combo.

This was my first time using this set, and I thought it would be a faff to put together, but it turned out to be super easy. The die cuts have little indents to show you just where the noses, cheeks etc need to be placed.
I even did a little dance round my craft room, when I remembered I had that little, embossing folder from Hobbycraft, that created the cute, knit pattern on the jumper. 

Challenge

Merry Little Christmas

#59 Anything Christmas Goes

• spellbinders dies - festive friends
• my favorite things - snowglobe sentiments
• copic markers

Deck The Halls

Hello.
It's almost time to deck those halls, and I'm excited.
Last year was a bit chaotic, as we hadn't long moved into this house.
This time, I will be more organised - hopefully :o)

I stuck with traditional Christmas colours for my card 

  (my last foray into non-traditional colours was a disaster)

This die set is also designed to produce an interactive card, but after several attempts I had to give up.

I couldn't make the arm sit flat enough to look right.

(If anyone has this set and any tips, let me know)

Challenge

AAA Colourful 

• concord & 9th - tree topper dies and sentiments stamp

Holiday Happiness

Hello.
Today I'm playing with these little, holiday, die cuts again.
They are so much fun, and there are so many different ways to use them.

I went for a pale green background, but it didn't really work, so I added that dark shade, to make it pop. (you can just see a small strip of the pale green that I left showing at the top)

I also added a little bit of glitter paper here and there, for that touch of Christmas Bling.

Challenge

Freshly Made Sketches

• concord & 9th - handmade holiday dies
• my favorite things - snowglobe sentiments
• copic markers

Is It Too Early, To Put Up The Tree?

Hello.
When do you put your Christmas tree up?
I am itching to get all my decs out of the loft, but the family keep screaming that it's 'too early'.  
For now I'll make do with these cute, critters decorating their tree  :o)

Isn't this just the cutest set. All the elements come together to make a lovely, little scene.

The background is coloured card and white stencil paste, used with an 'all the stars' stencil.

Challenge

I was so lucky to be chosen as last month's winner -
 thank you so much to Tara and the team, for the voucher to spend in store.

Seven Hills Crafts 

I opted for the third row - animals and trees, stencilled background, die cut sentiment, and metallics

• mama elephant - decorate the tree stamps and dies, coloured with copics
• my favorite things - merry christmas die
• lawn fawn - stitched hillsdie border die / white stencil paste
• spellbinders - all the stars stencil