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

All Aboard The Christmas Care-a-van

Hello.
I missed the Freshly Made Sketches deadline last week, duh! -
so here I am, getting my entry in with plenty of time left on the clock.  :o)

I wanted to play with this cute 'care-a-van' set, but wasn't sure how it would work. So I cut the white card base pieces, and then just played around with the die-cuts until it started to come together.

This has always been a tricky stamp for me to line up, but I'm starting to be ok with the fact that it's not spot on. It's handmade, right? It doesn't have to be perfect.

Challenge

Freshly Made Sketches

I just rotated the sketch 90 degrees

• the greetery - christmas care-a-van
• my favorite things - snowglobe sentiments
• pinkfresh studio ink - warm buff
• altenew ink - crimson / fresh leaf

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