Skinny snowflakes!

It's Ready Steady Stamp time again and I didn't have any ingredient issues this time so I'm playing along (couldn't find my hessian last time - frustrating as I'd only used it a couple of days earlier!).

Here are the ingredients for RSS8 - nice ones, I think!

I've never done a skinny so that made a nice change. I went for totally simple treatment on that bit and thought it would be fun to make a fairly modern looking card with a vintage style stamp set so The Night Before Christmas got an airing (OK, I only managed the snowflake and sentiment but still!).

I used silver metallic thread and did crazy machine stitched lines in the hope they'd look kind of like the drift lines if you're watching snow fall through a light source. Sorry the photo doesn't really pick up the metallic sparkle - it's like glitter really isn't it, you really need movement for the effect to show!

I added crackle by using Rock Candy paint on a die cut snowflake. It's very cool stuff but you do have to be patient, especially if you add a reasonably thick layer so you get bigger crackles. You can speed it up with a heat gun once it's started to crackle but that can seem like a long time coming! Impatient? Me?

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Night Before Christmas (Rummage Bin line)

Paper:
Smooth white, black, lilac (Bazzill)

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Snowflake Wonder dies by Spellbinder
Crystal brad (Making Memories)
Silver metallic thread
Distress Crackle paint by Ranger (Rock Candy)

Technique: machine stitching

Great challenge girls - thanks!

Thanks for stopping by today, I appreciate you taking the time!

Je sais qu'il ya beaucoup de participantes françaises pour les challenge RSS - si vous voulez me laisser un commentaire, mais vous n'aimez pas le faire en Anglais, s'il vous plaît n'hésitez pas à le dire en Français! Je ne le parle pas bien, mais c'est OK pour la compréhension de commentaires court. Merci de votre visite!

Tea for Two?

Tea bag holders make cute little gifts when you want something to give just as a "token". I used these instructions for my holder but turned it so that the ribbon is at the top. The kind of tea bags that come in their own sachets are best for this and they're bulky and light enough that the belly band holds it all together tightly enough that they won't slip out, even though they're pointing downwards.

You can substitute anything you can think of for tea bags in these - how about a couple of After Eight mints or those little squares of Green and Blacks chocolate that often appear in the shops round about Christmas time? You can also make a small square message card and pop that into one of the pockets if you prefer not to write on the insert itself. If you go for heavier contents like chocolate, it's probably best to keep the "book spine" orientation though to make sure nothing falls out!

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Domestic Love (All Things Considered line - releasing Tuesday 3 November)
Fine Houndstooth Scrapblock

Paper:
Teal medium, Razzleberry medium (Prism Papers)
Cryogen white
Black

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Pool)

Other:
Copic markers
Copic Multiliner
Fiskars edge punch (Threading Water/Scalloped Lace)
Labels Four Nestabilities by Spellbinder
Gingham ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!

Gingersnap Thank You!

Gosh, October has flown past, hasn't it? This is the last of the challenges for CHF's month of sponsoring the Gingersnap Creations blog. The challenge this week is a Random Redhead one of "Thankfulness". I decided to go for a straight "thank you" card to say thanks to the Gingersnap blog for making us so welcome as guest designers this month!

I felt like doing something completely different in terms of my style when I sat down at my stamping table and this is what happened! Inspired by Jo Capper-Sandon's sprayed background in Craft Stamper mag a couple of months back, I made a sort of ethereal background piece by putting a few hedge clippings on white cardstock and spraying with Red Maple Glimmer Mist. I overstamped with dragonflies, script text and clocks then added one cut out clock where the dragonfly wings are coloured with Spica glitter pens and the whole lot is coated with Rock Candy Crackle paint.

We've been using natural materials in our Gingersnap projects this month and I think I could have claimed that the hedge trimmings were it but I decided to push it a bit further and found some birch twigs for a more dimensional effect (we have lots of birch trees and the wind we had at the weekend meant finding twigs on the ground was not difficult!). I've hung the tags directly on the twigs using linen thread.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Botanical Bliss (All Things Considered line)
Fancy Thank You

Paper:
Smooth white
Black

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen)

Other:
Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels (Red Maple)
Birch twigs
Linen thread
Distress Crackle Paint by Ranger (Rock Candy)
Tags Trio dies by Spellbinder
Spica Glitter pens (turquoise and green)

Thanks for stopping by today, I really appreciate your visits!

No snowflakes or mittens!

The challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week has been set by Kathy who wants us to pull out a few of our favourite things to make a card! I've avoided the Julie Andrews route though!

So... you may have noticed I like to stamp :) I also love vintage images and my favourite colours are at the blue-green end of the spectrum.

I like lace, especially if it's vintage or "rescued" from clothing etc and I often sew on my cards as I love the textural interest it brings.

Teeny tiny gems intended for acrylic nail art tend to find their way onto my project when I want a bit of bling that's not too in your face.

Add in colouring with Copics and adding subtle pattern to the card base (in this case with Perfect Pearls over a black base, just at the bottom of the card - you'll probably have to click through to the larger view to be able to see it) and I think I'm over Kathy's quota of at least five things.

Just for good measure, I added something I don't often do but is a fave when I see it on other people's work (Kaz was the first person I was conscious of noticing it on) and that's the little tea rose threaded through the Prima.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Leopard and Beauty (Saturday Evening Post line - releasing 27th October)
Ornamental Beauty (Rummage Bin line)

Paper:
Simply Smooth
Teal Medium (Prism Papers)
Black

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Versamark by Tsukineko

Other:
Copic markers
Vintage lace
Prima flower
Tea rose
Perfect Pearls (Blue Patina)
Acrylic nail art gems
Sewing machine and metallic thread

Thanks for visiting, hope I managed to include some of your favourites, too!

Gingersnap Colour Challenge

It's the third challenge of the month during CHF's sponsorship of Gingersnap - that means it's time for a colour challenge! The colours this month were orange, green and brown.

Sticking with the month's overarching theme of harvest and using natural materials, here's my card. It had to be pumpkins really, didn't it? I stamped and masked a whole row to reduce the amount of cutting out (you only have to do the top and bottom edge this way rather than cutting round each and every pumpkin!).

I used a sentiment stamp from the set to create a little interest on the green panel and the Fine Lines backgrounder on the brown because it makes me think of corduroy fabric which I think is very cosy and autumnal!

In a bid to break free from raffia and jute, my natural material this week is skeleton leaves. They do stick out from the edges of the card but they're delicate and filmy enough that it was hard to capture that on camera.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Happy Harvest (General Motors line)
Fine Lines backgrounder

Paper:
DCWV (green)
Brown from the scraps box
Simply Smooth

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Peeled Paint)

Other:
Copic markers
Skeleton leaves
Corner Chomper
Sandpaper

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed the card!

Girly glitter

Eek, what's come over me? Not only is this glittery, it's pink and glittery!

Over on the Cornish Heritage Farms Be Creative blog, the DT are doing regular step-by-step projects and I'm taking a turn this week. Evict the children and animals from your workspace and prepare to go glittery!

The full project is here and there's a chance to win a set of Christmas sentiment stamps too - check it out!

Gingersnap branches!

It's Gingersnap challenge time again! The second challenge of the month is the "Spicy Supply" challenge and the supply this month is brads. I actually doubled up here and did the Clean and Simple challenge from Splitcoaststampers too (it's a technique challenge this week - thumping!).

What's thumping? Well, basically you ink up your stamp and then "thump" a marker over the surface of it to introduce some random colour variation. (ETA: Use the side of the nib to thump so that you don't run the risk of damaging the tip.) I used Caramel ink and a red marker for some autumnal tones in my branches. The brads provide corner accents for a stitched frame.

The theme running the whole month of challenges at Gingersnap is harvest and the use of natural materials. I guess my harvest connection is a bit slim this week but my colours are right! I've used jute garden twine as my natural material - just a wee bit to tie the base of the branches and hold the sentiment tag.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Silhouette Blooms I (Kim Hughes Collection)

Paper: Watercolour

Ink: Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Caramel and Espresso)

Other:
Tombow marker (red)
Sewing machine and thread
Antique copper brads (Making Memories)
Tags Trio dies by Spellbinder
Slot punch
Jute garden twine

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed the card!

Birthday Owl!

This is the card I made for my nephew's birthday - Happy Birthday Josh! For some reason, I just find kid's cards so difficult - in fact DH even suggested I could *gasp* pop down the shop and buy a card. Outrageous!

I used Laura's Sketch 36 from the 2 Sketches 4 You blog to give me a kick start. I cut a hole for the circle and then raised the entire card front up on foam pads before sticking the owl over the aperture.

I've personalised the design with some Dymo wording which also balances it out in terms of visual weight, I think. Sorry about the slight glare from the tape though - too much sunshine in Northumberland!

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Owen the Owl (Kim Hughes Collection)
Polka Dot backgrounder

Paper:
DCWV (blue and green)
Mocha Chica Paper pack (Kim Hughes collection - behind the aperture)
Simply Smooth

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukinkeo (Graphite Black)
Versamark by Tsukineko

Other:
Copic markers
Dymo label maker
Cuttlebug Birthday embossing folder
Threading Water/Scalloped Lace border punch by Fiskars
White embossing powder
Classic Circles Nestabilities by Spellbinders
Foam padsSandpaper

I'm sure my nephew won't be too critical (he's not even at school yet ;o) - just hope his mum and dad like it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Autumnal Thanks!

I needed to make a thank you card and a had a couple of things churning around in my head that got translated into this project!

Hels posted a card made with a technique using spray starch and Perfect Pearls and the Tanda Teaser challenge this week was a colour combo - russet and gold.

My first play with the starch was a bit feeble so I Googled and found a posting on a forum that made me think I should have just dumped the Perfect Pearls straight on the foamy starch rather than waiting for the bubbles to subside. Much better! Then rather than doing the embossing technique that inspired me in the first place, I decided to cut a couple of leaves as embellishments from my pearl covered piece. I used an embossing stylus to give them some "oomph" by making lines for veins on the front of the leaf and then flipping it over and using little circular motions to dome out the sections between the veins.

The final element churning around in my head was that I've been loving the way Julia Stainton uses this freesia stamp in a kind of "supporting role" way rather than necessarily making it the star of the show so the stamping on the sentiment panel was inspired by that.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Freesia
Fancy Thank You
Fine Houndstooth Scrapblock®

Paper:
Cryogen white
Black (for the leaves)

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso and Latte)

Other:
Labels Four Nestabilities by Spellbinder
Pearls by Kaiser (tinted with Copic marker)
Vintage Lace
Grosgrain ribbon
Skeleton leaves
Spray starch
Perfect Pearls (Copper and Gold)
Sewing machine and thread
Thanks for stopping by!

Autumn Harvest

CHF have teamed up with Gingersnap Creations this month for an October full of challenges! For the full month we'll be throwing the spotlight on natural materials in our creations alongside the weekly themes.

The first challenge of the month is always the Chestnut Theme challenge and this month's theme is, appropriately, harvest.

I stamped the Saturday Evening Post Fall Harvest image and then coloured and cropped out just the lower portion of it (I dithered about this as I absolutely love the sweetcorn that's hanging at top right of the image but I had a landscape orientation fixed in my head for some reason so they had to go!).

I used burlap ribbon and raffia as my natural materials - the burlap came from a Christmas wreath a couple of years back. I entrusted the job of buying one to DH and he came back with a very upscale affair with dried seed heads and walnuts and stuff in amongst the evergreens - a big burlap bow finished it off so I "salvaged" that as soon as the Christmas decorations came down!

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Fall Harvest (Saturday Evening Post line)
Sentiment from Fall Harvest set (All Things Considered line)

Paper: Simply Smooth
Textured watercolour for card base

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)

Other:
Copic markers
Burlap ribbon
Vintage button
Raffia
Sewing machine and thread

Gingersnap is a fun challenge blog with an emphasis on "no stress" and any kind of papercrafting goes so whether you're into cards, scrapbooking, altered art, inchies, ATCs, moos or whatever, why not play along and get into the harvest spirit?

Thanks for dropping by today, hope you enjoyed the card!

Don't worry...

...be happy! I found it impossible not to be singing in a Bobby McFerrin voice while working with this stamp set!

Trying something different here - I don't usually do "scrappy" cards. This one took long enough that I remember why and I'm not entirely convinced about the outcome but I thought I'd share anyway!

This is for Ready Steady Stamp Challenge 6 - I've been AWOL for a couple of challenges what with vacation and the enormous workpile that greeted me on my return but I was determined to get this one in before number seven goes up on Wednesday!

I used a couple of Grungeboard swirls for my masks as I didn't have anything to hand that's actually designed as a mask and I was too lazy to cut anything by hand!

The hearts are done with the rock n roll technique in two shades of pink (Salmon and Watermelon) and although the grey is minimal, it is there! (two shades of Copic on the B).

Isn't that crochet lace stamp lovely?! It was the reason I had to order this set and I think it looks really realistic embossed with white powder like this.

I pulled my usual stunt with the bee - stamp the head and legs onto the heart, then stamp the whole bee on another piece of paper and cut him out without trying to cut round the legs and antennae. Line up the cut out with the stamped head/legs and you'll have a perfect bee without trying to cut round those fiddly bits!

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Sweet Bee (Rummage Bin line)

Paper:
Smooth white
Black
Watercolour

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Versamark by Tsukineko
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Salmon and Watermelon, Juniper reinker used to spritz background)

Other:
Copic markers
Twill ribbon
Cardstock stickers (Heartwarming Vintage)
White embossing powder
Sewing machine and thread
Mini Mister
Spica glitter pen (clear - on the bee's wings)

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed the visit!

I believe in Santa Claus!

Happy World Card Making Day! I decided to go back to vintage for my final offering on the WCMD blog tour. If you're new to my blog, the last 12 days have all been holiday projects for the blog tour so feel free to stick around and browse for a while if you have a little time!

I think this Santa is quite possibly my favourite Christmas stamp ever! He originally appeared on the cover of the Christmas edition of the Saturday Evening Post in 1923 and is the creation of the artist J C Leyendecker. I used a cropped version of the stamp in the card I posted last Friday but I thought I'd go the whole hog and make him the centre of attention here.

I used two stamps from the Primitive Christmas set here too - the sentiment and then the snow dots which I used to make a subtle pattern on the card base by stamping off first and then stamping the fainter impression with Vintage Photo ink.

This is a larger format card (7" x 5") to really show off the image and I used Cryogen White for the subtle shimmer it gives. Copics work nicely on it too.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Santa's Lap (Saturday Evening Post line)
Primitive Christmas (Rummage Bin line)

Paper:
Cryogen White

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)

Other:
Copic markers
Labels Four Nestabilties by Spellbinder
Gingham ribbon
Sewing machine and thread

Don't forget the coupon code if you're going shopping at the PaperCrafts/CK store - it's valid until October 12th. The link and code are in the side bar on the left if you'd like them.

Thanks for stopping by today, hope you get some creative time too!

A Beary Merry Christmas!

I like to make at least one Christmas card design with a non-Christmas stamp set each year. I've cheated just a little bit here by using one of the stamps from "Winter Vintage Signage" on my wooden sign but mostly this is elements from the Kim Hughes "Bear Hugs" set. I was so pleased to find that Christmas tree signage was a perfect fit on Kim's wooden board - score!

I've used a stair step fold to fit today's Daring Cardmakers folding challenge and created a little wintery scene.

I painted the tops of the mountains white first (with acrylic paint) and then added the ice glitter over the top. I've used glitter to make little crunchy drifts under the bear's feet and at the base of the sign, too. Just scribble a little clear-drying glue to make a pleasing snowy swirl and dump your glitter on top.

I remembered Sherrie's technique for adding texture to an image coloured with Copics using blending solution and an old towelling cloth so I gave that a whirl here. I actually used isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol and it worked just fine. Hopefully you can see both the effect of that technique and the crunchy snowdrift in this detail shot. I left the bear's nose uncoloured until I'd done the texturing so he didn't end up with a blotchy nose!

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Bear Hugs (Kim Hughes Collection)
Winter Vintage Signage (The Rummage Bin line)

Paper:
Bazzill (blue) and smooth white

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)

Other:
White acrylic paint
Copic markers
Isopropyl alcohol
Deko Ice glitter (Efco)
Scor-It
Scotch Quick Dry adhesive

If you've arrived by way of the World Card Making Day blog tour I hope you've enjoyed an introduction to my blog. If you'd like the discount code and link to the PaperCrafts/CK store, they're over in the side bar at the left.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you taking the time!

Christmas Cardinal

I've gone back to the Evergreen Holiday set for today's card but instead of using the cone as the focal image as I did last week (this post) I've used it to make a background paper by stamping off onto scrap and then randomly stamping the fainter impression onto Cryogen White cardstock (which has a lovely soft shimmer to it that's impossible to catch on camera - so pretty for Christmas cards!).

I used a tiny dot of Glossy Accents to make the cardinal's eye raised and, well, glossy!

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Evergreen Holiday (All Things Considered line)

Paper:
Cryogen White
Black

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress by Ranger (Vintage Photo)

Other:
Sewing machine and thread
Tags Trio dies by Spellbinder
Classic Circles Nestabilities by Spellbinder
Fiskars circle cutter (to make the black mat for the Nestie circle)
Copic markers
Silk embroidery ribbon
Crystal brad (Making Memories)
Glossy Accents by Ranger

Thanks for the kind comments on the Kinkade gift card holder. I fed all the eligible names into Random.org (sorry teamie Jean, you have the papers already!) and asked it to shake up the list. The name it gave me on top was maiahs_momma - congrats Catherine! I'll get your papers off to you ASAP.

If you've arrived at my blog by way of the World Card Making Day blog tour - welcome! I hope you enjoy your visit. If you would like the coupon code and link to the PaperCrafts/CK store, they're over in the side bar on the left.

Thanks for stopping by today everybody, I appreciate your visits!