Christmas Blues

It's freezing here but I guess we have been lucky as we haven't had any snow unlike some areas of the UK
- hope you are all OK. So a blue Christmas card seems quite appropriate...don't you think!

I am having great fun using stamps that I haven't used yet - a sin I know but at least I have finally got round to it!! The Christmas tree is from the Christmas Flourish sheet by Elusive images/Graphicus, teamed up with  a paper from the Artylicious Seasons Greetings CD rom.

I have stamped it and embossed it with a blue sparkle embossing powder - again I have had this for years!!!
The nestability however, is brand spanking new - Lacey Squares - a new firm favourite. I have edged the squares with Tim Holtz Distress ink - Stormy Sky and then stamped the sentiment a couple of times.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:-

Christmas Stampin All Year Long - Anything Goes(can't link to the actual post!)

Crafty Catz - Christmas,

Fussy and Fancy Friday - Christmas no red and green,

Bah Humbug! - Feeling Blue,

The Stamp Man - Christmas and anything Tim Holtz,

Die Cut Dreams Christmas Challenge - Die Cuts,

Pollycraft Monday - Blue,

Simon Says Stamp and Show - Distress Inks,

Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Let It Snow,

Alphabet Challenge - E = embossing (heat or dry),

Allsorts Challenge - Monochrome,

Fab 'n' Funky - Anything Goes, and,

The Pixie Cottage Challenge - Sketch and/or Let It Snow

Let me know you have visited, I look forward to reading your comments.

Hugs

Aud Sentiments Challenge #16 Ho! Ho! Ho!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American followers, Happy Thursday to all my other followers!!! Hope you are all well. It is getting a bit chilly in South Devon and according to the forecasts some of you may even have snow further up the country.
Onto to business and firstly, I would like to thank everyone who entered our last challenge at Aud Sentiments another tough choice for the DT but check out the Aud Sentiments Challenge blog to see who won.

I would also like to remind you that there is still time to enter our November Candy - it ends on 30th November so check out the rules on our blog - Aud Sentiments November Candy - you have an excellent chance of winning too.

Our next challenge is to use Ho! Ho! Ho! as your sentiment.

We are being sponsored this fortnight by Taylored Expressions

and the lucky winner will receive

Wow!!

Here is my card............

I have used Santas Little Helper perched in one of my new purchases, Nestabilities Lacey Circles - ideal for threading ribbon through. I bought the bright glitter card from Tesco to use with the children but borrowed a bit!!!!! The words were cut out using my Nestabilities Childhood Alphabet - check out the link I couldn't get this any cheaper in the UK even with the postage on top.

Here is a closeup...............

I coloured Tilda in with watercolours and added glitter to her hat and apron (doesn't show well in the photo).
The paper is from a DCWV Christmas Stack with glitter purchased ever such a long time ago!!!!!.

I would love you to check out my fellow DT for their wonderful inspiration, you will find their links in my left sidebar.

I look forward to some wonderful cards as ever.

I shall be entering my card in the following challenges:-

All That Scraps Magnolia Challenge - Christmas plus any Magnolia image,

Magnolia Down Under - I have used their sketch,

Speedy Cat's Challenge - Circles,

Die Cut Dreams Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes,

Daring Cardmakers - Anything in threes,

The Stamp Man Challenge - Anything from Tim Holtz ( I used my TH Distress tool)

The Crafty Pad - Red and Green,

A Spoonfull of Sugar - Anything Goes,

Everybody Art Challenge - use shapes,

One Stitch at a Time - Choose a season or event (mine is Christmas),

Papertake Weekly - Cut it out (punches and die cuts), and

Stamping Vacation - Red glitter.

Hugs to you all

Glittery Christmas

Good morning - cold wet but sunny here. I hope anyone caught in the horrible flooding in Cornwall is OK.

I am soooooo in a Christmassy mood at the moment and enjoying using some stamps I have had for years.
This card just developed as I went along, I did not intend to make a dangler but it just seemed right. I cut out the aperture using the outside edge of the largest die - I used my craft knife and ended up using the cutout piece inside.

I used Dusty Concord distress ink on the edges and  stamped the branches with it as well and spread the ink a little with a damp brush. The branches were from a Crafters Cute Companions Christmas set - a first outing!!!
Here is the other side of the spinny thing!

I used some card stock in my stash for one side and some fabulous glitter card for the other and for teh small baubles too. The snowman is from an Elusive Images set called Snow is falling stamped with versamark and I used the Wow Sparkle Snow embossing powder. I have coloured his hat with Stardust Sakura gel pens - not sure you can see it! The little sentiment is from a Penny Black Transparent sets. The sentiment inside is another one from Crafters Companion Cute Companions set.
I am really chuffed to bits with the way it turned out.

There are just a couple of challenges I will enter it in!!!!!!!

Fussy and Fancy Friday - Christmas no red or green,

Bah! Hunbug! - Lilac,

Simon Says Challenge - Sparkle,

Simon Says Stamp and Show - Whatever makes you happy (I love glitter and I loved how this card came together),

Meljens Challenge - Sparkle and Shine

Crafty Creations - Beautiful Insides,

ABC Christmas Challenge - X = Xmas,

Creative Inspirations - Anything Christmassy,

Crazy 4 Challenges - Christmas Card,

Saturday Challenge - Sparkle and Shine,

Oldie but Goodie - Glitter (I have had all the stmaps used for at least a year - the snowman one for two!),

Little Paper Shop - Die Cuts,

Pollycraft Monday Challenge - Glittery Christmas,

Delicious Doodles Challenge - Their first challenge is Anything Goes and a blog hop,

Scrappy Frogs Challenge - Christmas Card, and,

The Crafty Pad - Christmas Sparkle

Black and White Christmas (with a bit of pink!)

Ok so I thought I would try something different and hopefully get a few Christmas cards done in the process. I have made my own background using a snowflake from the Elusive Images sheet Snow is falling. I embossed them using my new NEC purchase of WOW embossing powders Christmas kit- I saw Sheena Douglas show them at Create and craft so I knew they were good. I used the Sparkling snow for everything in white. I found this particularly fun especially as this is what got me into card making in the first place - embossing.

The Christmas Tree was a freebie when I started subscribing to a crafting magazine and it is from Penny Black and called Starlit. I have used Spellbinders large and small rectangles and the Create a Flake 2 - pink pearlised card and white glitter card. I couldn't leave it just black and white though, I had to add some pink!!! The sentiment is from a Buzzcraft Fairy Doodles set.

So a few challenges to enter!!!!

Saturday Challenge - Sparkle and shine,

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Favourite things (Spellbinders and glitter card),

Marks Finest Paper and Die Cut Dreams Christmas Club - Snowflakes,

Crazy For Challenges - Christmas Card,

Creative Inspirations - Christmassy/Winter,

Craft Your Days Away - Christmas Trees,

Crafty Calendar - Winter and snowflakes,

Lili of the Valley - Anything Goes,

Delightful Challenges and Crafts and Me - Glitter,

The Crafty Pad - Christmas sparkle,

ABC Challenge - H is for Holiday and,

ABC Christmas Challenge - Winter Wonderland.

Phew and yes, I have my computer back - now trying to recover everything I have lost!!!!

New Challenge on the block!!

Good Sunday morning to you all. A quick post to tell you about a new challenge blog starting on January 1st 2011.

It is called Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge and to launch the challenge Hazel is offering some fabulous candy. Why don't you hop on over and check it out. The candy ends on 30th November.

Hugs

Aud Sentiments # 15 Happy Thanksgiving

Hello everyone and welcome to the next challenge at Aud Sentiments and we have aThanksgiving or something you are thankful for theme this fortnight.

The sponsor this fortnight is Catherine Pooler who is a Stampin Up demonstrator. Visit Catherine Pooler's website to be inspired daily. Be sure to sign up for her e-mail newsletter to get subscriber-only projects, tutorials and a sign up gift! You can shop right on her website, www.catherinepooler.com to get your Stampin' Up goodies delivered straight to your door!
The prize would be one free month of Club Inbox, here is a write up for
that:

"One Free Month of Club InBox. Members get what no one else gets….exclusive
videos and tutorials, teaching you techniques, seasonal projects,
mini-albums, cards and more. All projects will be new and Catherine only
shares them with club members!."

So here is my card which will be given to it's recipient today - it is for a Nursery assistant at my youngest daughters nursery. She is called Bianca and unfortunately she is leaving. She has helped to look after both of my children over the last 5 years and I think she has done a wonderful job.

(click on the picture for a larger version)

Here is a closeup of the image - a Tilda image I received from my bestest crafting buddy Dawn AKA Craftykitten - we managed to get together at the NEC last Saturday and had a ball - I feel like I have known her forever - hugs to you hunny. Unfortunately, she has had to leave the Aud Sentiments DT but may be back in the New Year - fingers crossed.

I am entering this card at the Magnolia Stamp Lovers sketch challenge and the Anything Goes challenge at Just Magnolia, Lili of The Valley and Cute Card Thursday.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Hugs

Sleepy head!

Good evening everyone, sorry but this is a quick post again - my computer is nearly better but I have lost so many pictures I am really upset and have learnt a very costly lesson. Backup your files and save your pictures somewhere else as well as on your computer - please learn from my mistake.
Any way this is the card I made for my hubby's birthday on Tuesday ... and here is a closeup.

I used the sketch at Pear Tree Design, I have used a Lili of the Valley stamp called Lazy afternoon - I know my husband would love one of those one day!!! Oh and the candy in the corner and punched leaves are using things I got at the NEC last Saturday. Boy what a day Craftykitten and I had.

I am also entering the challenges at -

Lexi's Creations - Anything Goes, and

Two Sisters Challenge - Birthday,

Sorry I must go now as eldest daughter has to go to bed. Hugs to you all.

Let's Ink It Up Challenge #6 Recycle

Hello everyone, hope you had a fun Bonfire night!! So we have now reached our 6th challenge at Let's Ink It Up but before I let you know what it is (clue was in the title tho!) - I would like to say thank you to everyone who entered the make a scene challenge - they were all fabulous.

So for this months challenge we would like your creations to use anything you like that is a recycled item, ie tin, box, CD cover etc, whatever plus of course rubber/clear stamps.

Now as this is our first monthly challenge we have two fantastic sponsors and look at what they are offering..

and

......so that means two winners.

So without further ado here is my card.........

........and here is a closeup of Shabby Chic Tilda sitting next to my recycled heart shape - it used to be the packaging for some Papermania Brads. I filled it with some glittery pink stuff - can't remember where from and just about managed to get it attached behing the fabulous glitter card.

What do you think - I can't wait to see what you come up with and please visit my team mates for some stunning inspiration - their links are in my left sidebar.

I must apologise at this point because I am not visiting people to comment - my laptop has broken!!!!!!!
I am using hubbies computer but he doesn't like it much and in the evening when I get my commenting done he is using it.

I hope to enter this card in the following challenges:-

Just Magnolia - Special monthly challenge - Anything goes with an option of beads,

Daring Cardmakers - November birth stone Topaz (I checked and you can get pink ones!!)

A Spoon Full of Sugar - Relish to embellish,

CREATIVE INSPIRATIONS - Shaker card,

Lexi's Creations - Anything Goes,

Creative Inspirations - Girlie, Glitter and glamour,

Magnolialicious Highlights - Shaker card.

All the best everyone. Hugs

Apology and Aud Sentiments November Candy

So we are on to a new month and that means a new candy at Aud Sentiments. Please pop over to the blog to check it out and the rules you will need to follow.

BIG APOLOGY

Sniff sniff my laptop has broken and hubby can't fix it. This means I can't come round to you all and comment on all your lovely work. I am so sorry and really hope normal service will be resumed pretty quickly.

In the meantime my crafty fix will be quenched slightly by my trip to the NEC - on Saturday - I have been looking forward to this sooo much because I will also be meeting my bestest crafting buddy Dawn AKA Craftykitten. So if you happen to be travelling up on the train from the South West please say hello - I will be wearing my Create and Craft members badge!!!

Hugs