The song of a robin

Hello, crafting friends!

 

The garden doesn't have much in the way of flowers at this time of year so it's lovely to see the birds fluttering about instead. Watching a bossy little robin on this frosty morning prompted me to pull out an old Clearly Besotted set called Red Robin and make a Christmas card.

 

I started the card by sponging blue ink through Funky Fossil's Burlap stencil, removing the stencil and layering more of the same ink over the top for a subtle look. On top of that, I stamped holly and fir branches from Uniko's Winter Foliage and a sentiment from the Red Robin set.

 

A die-cut music score was added using The Greetery's Noted die set. I stamped one of the little birds from Red Robin and coloured him with coloured pencils before fussy cutting him and popping him up on the music score with a dimensional pad. The card was finished with a cluster of enamel dots to represent holly berries.

CHALLENGES

LeAnne's challenge at The Paper Players this week is to make a card with music as the theme so I'm linking up there; I'm also playing along at We Love Stamping where the challenge is Anything Stamped with the option to add a stencil; and the ABC Christmas Challenge where C is for checks and/or D is for Die Cuts.

 

AND IN OTHER NEWS

The dog walks have been wonderful for the last few days - crisp and frosty in the mornings, then glorious blue skies and golden sunshine by lunchtime and warm enough to go without a coat! That's me not the pups ;) We had Murph the spaniel to play this week and as one of his favourite things is to go rabbiting*, we went on the special Rabbit Walk. You can often find other interesting creatures in the hedges...

 

... don't know what this one is, lurking in the undergrowth, but I'd guess it's probably a Beige Beast!!

*Please rest assured that no bunnies are ever in danger of being harmed in the course of our walks!

Sending hugs,

Sparkle berries

Hello, crafting friends!

 

Welcome to another Thursday of Tic Tac Toe fun! Elizabeth has come up with a wonderful board to inspire you this week:

 

Lots of options there - especially if, like me, you are frantically trying to get a whole stash of festive cards made! I've chosen the middle column Red/Sparkle/Hollyy to create this one.

 

I started by trimming a card panel so that it was slightly smaller than my card base, then cutting the centre out with a decorative stitched label die and replacing it to create a stitched frame. The pine branch from Uniko's Winter Foliage stamp set was stamped directly onto the panel and I added holly from the same set, stamped and cut out.

 

The sentiment is put together from different sets from The Greetery and from Stampin' Up and I stamped it in a dark red and a pink for an illusion of dimension. The berries were the final addition, cut out of lovely, sparkly, bright red paper using two sizes of circle punch.

So now it's your turn! Which column or row will you choose? Or will you opt for one of the diagonals? Do hop over to the Tic Tac Toe challenge site to check out the fab samples Team X has made to inspire you. You'll find the Linky Tool at the bottom of the post and you can use it to share your own creation with us. We can't wait to see what you make!

CHALLENGES

I thought I'd pop a second entry in at Allsorts where they team is celebrating the 700th challenge with the theme Let's Celebrate Any Special Occasion! I'm also linking up at Peace on Earth where they always have such inspiring mood boards; I'm also joining in with Merry Little Christmas and The Holly and the Ivy where Anything Christmas Goes.

 

AND IN OTHER NEWS

Well halloween is over thank goodness and hopefully all the horrible decorations will be cleared away soon! My fluffy girl had a bit of a scare on one of our river walks. Back in the summer, a group of lads were cooling of with a swim in the river and one of them left his t shirt behind. Someone hung it on the fence so that they'd see it if they returned and it's been there ever since. Every time we come near it, I notice Eva's body language stiffening and I'm sure she thinks it's a person...

 

 

only a weird person that isn't moving like a real person - aaaargh!  She always relaxes when we come closer and she realises it's just a shirt hanging on the fence!

Sending hugs,

Say it with a label

Hello, crafting friends!

Welcome to another fun challenge at CAS Colours and Sketches! I have really enjoyed hosting the challenges in October and for my last challenge of the month I've devised a sketch to inspire you:

The digital version of the sketch looks quite full-on but this really is a clean and simple idea I promise! I envisaged a curve of stamping or die-cutting, topped with a sentiment label, and with lots of that all-important clear space in the background. Here's my version:

I used one of my favourite botanical winter stamp sets, Winter Foliage by Uniko, stamping the fir branch once then turning it upside down, masking off one of the fronds and stamping again. I added stamped holly leaves to the arrangement. After this, I stamped another holly leaf, the fir cone and some clusters of berries on scraps of card stock and fussy cut them.

For my label, I used a small shaped die and stamped it with a sentiment from Clearly Besotted's Red Robin. I glued this to my fir branch and holly stamping and added the fussy cut elements and some clear gems to finish.

And now it's your turn! Do hop over to the CAS Colours and Sketches challenge site to check out the beautiful samples from the design team. You'll find the Linky Tool at the bottom of the post so that you can share your own creation with us. Don't forget to keep your card nice and clean and simple - and above all, have fun! 

CHALLENGES

I'm linking this card up with a new-to-me challenge The Sparkles Christmas Challenge, where the  theme this month is Flora and/or Fauna; also Merry Little Christmas where Anything Goes; and Rudolph Day over at Scrappy Mo's where we make a Christmas card on the 25th of each month (you have until the end of the month to join in!)

AND IN OTHER NEWS

The puppy fun and games are still going on here!

This photo was taken in a rare moment when they kept still for two minutes having discovered some interesting smell!

Sending hugs,

All is bright

Hello, crafting friends!

Clean and simple stamping has always been my favourite card-making style but just lately I find myself inclining towards bright colour and maximalism. It's much harder but kind of fun!

This card is very frugal! I didn't have any circle stamps so I used the rims of glasses to stamp them; I didn't have the right coloured card stock either so I swiped ink over the edges of the card base; and I used up snippets of card stock for the ribbons and the sentiment. 

The circles were stamped onto a panel first and I added the birds from Stampin' Up's Quite Curvy. I stamped and cut out the ribbons from WPlus9's Silver Bells, and drew lines with matching coloured pencils to look as if the circles are hanging from ribbon too. A grey pencil was used to create the board effect on the background and I coloured the birds with pencils too as well as their circle perches.

To frame the hanging circles, I stamped the fir branch from Uniko's Winter Foliage several times. The same ink was swiped over the card base to add depth. I finished the card with a Hobbycraft die cut sentiment cut out of a snippet of pink card stock, and a sprinkling of blue sequins.

CHALLENGES

I'm linking this card up with the Kickstart Christmas challenge where there's a fabulous inspiration photo (I used the circles tied up with ribbon from the top of the photo, the bright colours and the fir branches); I'm also joining in with the Christmas Card Throwdown where the theme this week is Birds; I'm playing along at the Rudolph Day challenge too - the goal is to make a festive card at the end of each month, starting on the 25yth. Edited to add: There's no Rudolph Day challenge this month as Maureen and her family are ill. I know you will join me in sending love and get well wishes.

AND IN OTHER NEWS

Sometimes, after a morning of romping about with friends, tucking into a bowlful of meaty chunks, tearing up tissues and rummaging through the laundry basket...

... it's good to find a sheltered spot in the garden and zzzzzzz

Sending hugs,

Quick winter foliage

Hello, crafting friends!

Like many of you, I have been up to my ears in gift-wrapping, card-writing and Christmas decorations and organisation - as well as trying to keep on top of the rest of life! But crafting really is a de-stresser, and I've been getting withdrawal symptoms, so today I took some time off to catch up with some favourite challenges.

For this quick card, I masked off the top and the left hand edges of a card base and sponged pink ink over it, blending out to a fade. Next I got out one of my favourite ever stamp sets - Winter Foliage by Uniko - and stamped the holly leaves in two shades of green ink.

I added holly berries from the set in a bright red, giving them highlights with a Posca white paint pen and stalks with a fineliner. The card was finished with a sentiment from Uniko's Simply Said Blocks Christmas, stamped in black ink and given a shine with clear heat embossing before being snipped out and mounted on dimensionals.

CHALLENGES

I'm linking up with Uniko where there's a Christmas party going on - and it's the kind we all love with crafting and fabulous prizes! I was totally inspired by the fabulous graphic at Inspired By - and whaddya know, there's a generous prize for the lucky winner there too! I'm also joining in with this week's Allsorts where Christmas is the theme and yes, they also have a beautiful prize for the winner!

AND IN OTHER NEWS

We're not the only ones putting forth our best efforts on the tree decorating front. Out on one of our walks, I noticed the spiders have been busy too!

All they need now is a touch of sparkle courtesy of Jack Frost!

Sending hugs,

Switching on the lights

Hello crafting pals!

Will Christmas happen this year? In the current uncertain world it's anyone's guess, but I will continue to make cards for a celebration at the end of the year because I certainly hope so. Come and see:

I really enjoyed making this card with this chubby little robin bird (as we call them in this house!) Isn't he adorable? He's from Red Robin by Clearly Besotted and I've stamped him, coloured him with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and fussy cut him.

I sponged in a background with Tumbled Glass distress ink and perched Mr Robin on a branch from Uniko's Winter Foliage. He is admiring the Christmas lights which are coloured rhinestones on a doodled wire! I sponged a little extra ink round the card panel before mounting it onto a card base.

I think this sentiment from the Red Robin set is going to be a favourite! I always go round singing the old Christmas songs around December time and like them as a card greeting.

EDITED TO ADD AN AWARD
Congratulations to my little robin bird! He won an Honourable Mention from 52CCT!

CHALLENGES
I couldn't wait to join in with the fun challenge at the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown challenge this month - the theme is Christmas Lights; I'm also linking this card up with Scrappy Mo's Rudolph Day challenge - happy Rudolph Day everyone!

AND IN OTHER NEWS
It's such beautiful weather here at the moment and under normal circumstances we might think about a picnic. At the moment though, these...

...are the only rolls we'll be having in the great outdoors!

Hope you are safe and well.

Hugs,

Designer paper? Make it yourself!

Hello crafting friends!

Like most crafters, I have a lovely big pile of designer paper that never really seems to go down. And it's not surprising really when it's so much fun making your own! Come and see:

The panel on this card started life as a simple piece of aqua card stock. I stamped it repeatedly with the dotty line in Uniko's Background Builders Classics, using Stampin' Up's Daffodil Yellow ink. Because it's a photopolymer stamp, it's easy to curve into a 'garland of beads'. I stamped over these with the fir branch from Winter Foliage, also by Uniko, using Stampin' Up's Granny Apple Green.

I wanted glitter and shine and different finishes, so I used gold Stickles on some of the beads, my gold Stampin' Dazzle pen on others and left the rest unembellished.

I felt the panel demanded a bold sentiment, so I pulled out Stampin' Up's Letterpress (retired), stamped it with Memento black ink, cut it out with my trimmer and popped it up on dimensionals.

CHALLENGES
I'm joining in with CAS(E) this Sketch where the sketches always get me going - and  it's so lovely to see my friend LeAnne guesting there this week :) The Colour Throwdown has a gorgeous Aqua, Green, Gold and White colour palette which really inspired me, so I shall link up there too. Finally, this is my second entry into the current Uniko challenge - Christmas with optional Tree.

AND IN OTHER NEWS
So, it's December. For many, this is the month for writing Christmas cards, planning family get-togethers, wrapping presents... but for Eva, it's the perfect month for jumping into the river and pretending to be a duck!

So how are you spending your December so far? And please note that I'm desperately hoping someone is going to send me a picture of themselves in a river dressed as a duck!

Hugs,

Festive roses

Hello crafting friends!

I'm always attracted to the idea of dark red velvety roses, nestling in winter foliage at Christmas. Sadly my house in winter seems to have the kind of extremes of temperature that knocks roses out within a couple of days, so I stick to hardy greenery, tougher blooms like carnations, and faux berries. The display on today's card would work well in the freezing churches of Great Britain though! Come and see:

I started by masking off the bottom of a kraft card base and stamping the fir branch from Uniko's Winter Foliage directly onto it. You need a nice bright green ink to pop against the kraft - I've used Stampin' Up's Granny Apple Green. The striped strip is a sticky-backed piece left over from a craft kit.

Next came the flowers and rose leaves. They're from Modern Roses by Wplus9, and I've coloured them with Spectrum Noir markers. I stamped some holly leaves from Winter Foliage too and fussy cut everything. Once I'd assembled the roses and leaves on the card front (without sticking them down), I could see where I needed extra interest in the background. I stamped the berries, again from Winter Foliage, using Stampin' Up Poppy Parade ink which also pops well against kraft.

The greeting, from Uniko's Pure Florals Poinsettia, was stamped in Versamark ink, and I also added some speckles around the fir branches with a Versamark pen, before heat embossing it all with gold   embossing powder.

Finally I stuck my floral display down, popping up the large rose with dimensionals, and added the white insert.

CHALLENGES
I shall link this card up with The Flower Challenge where we are asked to add spots or stripes to our projects this month. I'm also playing at The Snippets Playground as I stamped all my flowers and leaves onto raggedy little off-cuts of white cardstock and used up a sticky strip from the 'long forgotten' pile!

AND IN OTHER NEWS
Today is the day for sending my little Dogmobile to the garage to have her MOT. The Dogmobile is an ancient Ford Fiesta that takes Eva and her pals into the countryside for the long rambles and romps they love so much, so we've got all fingers and paws crossed here for a clean bill of health.

Eva thinks sedate walks around the local park are for lame nerds (according to my youngest son!) and is concentrating hard on a happy outcome!

See you soon,