Sympathy Card

Just in case people are checking in a worrying I am fine but just too busy to blog for a while. I had to make a sympathy card this week and realised how few cards I see for these occasions that I like. For me a card for these occasions is a delicate balance that has to do so much. Something you know suits the person grieving but in your own style,  using all of your usual techniques but not looking too playful, sensitive to the occassion but not too sad.

I somtimes think it is sensible to make several at a time but then realize it is more meaningful when you take the time to think of those involved as you make it. As its the first card I have made in a long time I thought I would take time to check in and share it.

As its Wednesday I am also going to link up with WOYWD.

Valentines card

Prompted by A Vintage Journey's Challenge "Your Hearts Desire" I got out my romantic colours, Valentines to me says pinks and reds.
I tried a few stencils straight onto a cream card base creating a patterned heart stamped with some text but I wasn't happy with it. I tried it on watercolour with a coloured background and red speckles embossed in red and gold but it just seemed too flat.

The embossing called for more layers and texture and seemed to suit a more vintage design. Heading off in another direction I cut some foliage with a memory box die and used paper from my stash to create a collaged heart to cover the original design.

I embossed a graphic 45 sentiment in gold on a rich red card. I glued the heart over the foliage so it framed it and finished off with the sentiment mounted on some foam tape. A few red speckles on the heart pulled the card together.

I wonder does Valentines day get more people making cards than Christmas? Christmas is so busy  and most of us do not need stacks of Valentine cards. Whether you are making cards or not a Happy Valentines day to all.

Thank you for all your comments I do read and appreciate each of them it is good to know you are not just talking to yourself!

Link for Vintage Journey Challenge

Warm Golden glow for the Winter Chill

January seemed to be a hard month for many of us, I struggled to get anything creative done. My studio in the attic is a bit arctic since Christmas so I have been avoiding it. As the weather is not getting warmer any time soon I have dug out a heater and cosy clothing, so its back to work before February passes me by too.

To take my mind off the chill I have made a warm coloured card. Lots of distress ink, embossing powder, stencils, a lovely golden sun from Lynne Perrella and ferns - the hardiest plants in my garden.

As this card is neither wintry or valentine themed I am linking up with a few Anything goes challenges today.

I am linking up with Crafty Stamper's Take It Make It Challenge 
And it is Anything Goes this Wednesday over at Simon Says Stamp
Also linking up with Fashionable Stamping Challenges Anything Goes Challenge #143

Lovely to be back in the blogosphere again and looking forward to catching up with everyone. Hope you get a little warmth in your week.

Red Distress Ink Christmas Cards

My studio is pretty much all covered in a sprinkling of glitter and I look like the sugar plum fairy as I make more cards for Christmas. Lots of my relatives and non-crafting friends seem to think I am some kind of martyr making all my own cards but it is one of the things I love to do in December. Suddenly you 'need' loads of cards and you can bring out all those seasonal and special tools and stamps. It is part of my preparations and as much fun as decorating the tree or planning the Christmas lunch. Giving each friend a personal design is part of the gift of this season. Rather than being a chore it makes "doing my Christmas cards" into a moment when I can think about all the people I know and have perhaps not managed to spend time with in the year. I think the time spent on making each card is always appreciated by people and makes them feel considered and important - not a chore on your Christmas list.

As well as a dusting of glitter I have red fingers from all the red distress ink I have used this weekend. I wanted to try some layered distress ink cards using my Christmas stamps This is my first Perrella Christmas card I love the black archival on the rich red.

I tried to come up with Christmas blends but then just gave in to red all the way. It is fun to use all the different reds to layer the stencils and background stamping. I have a blend of Festive Berries, Aged Mahogany, Barn Door, Worn Lipstick, Fired brick and a little Ripe Persimmon. Ive used Geranium red and Sienna archival ink to stamp the background.

I made a few red cards with these two stamps the Russian doll is from Lynne Perrella 016 and the Santa is an old Graphic 45 stamp from twas the night before Christmas set. I was able to use all my latest new Tim Holtz stencils and make each card different with the same basic materials. All of them are mounted into kraft card bases.

This is definitely my favourite Christmas cards to make this year, and I got in some gold glitter too.

Hope you are enjoying your own Christmas preparation, thanks for spending a little time here Im sure you are all busy this fortnight.

Im linking these warm coloured cards at
Sadly the last Challenge over at Stamps and Stencils It's Got to be Christmas
Simon Says Stamp Warm Winter Wishes Monday Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Christmas Wednesday Challenge
That's Crafty Anything goes
Country view Crafts Christmas Challenge

Lynne Perrella Christmas card

Now its definitely OK to be talking Christmas. I have been making cards for my overseas friends as they need be posted by the end of the week.

I wanted to use this Lynne Perrella lady and surround her in winter foliage. First I cut a few layers gold glitter, red card and more gold. Then I made an embossed background.

This used the same technique that I used in an earlier card. You can see above the card on the left before I did anything and on the right after stamping, adding a little bit of distress ink and running it through the big shot with a folder. The foliage was all cut from Tim Holtz's Holiday Greens thinlits set. I just cut one set and then snipped them apart to fit.

Next I stamped the lady onto smooth watercolour paper using Potting Shed Archival ink. I coloured her in and then embossed her a couple of times in clear power.

I love the shine and bumpy textured surface it gives. The final elements are a torn piece of encyclopedia paper about Christmas and a sentiment stamped in red ink edged in gold Stickles and embelished with random red Stickles holly berries. Working out colours from computer screens is a nightmare. I ordered Nuvo Crystal drops in Red Berry but unlike the name implies they are more pink than red. If you want the ideal colour for holly berries Xmas Red Stickles is perfect, so long as you are happy with glitter berries. 

Hope you are all having fun with your Christmas cards and have lots of glitter on your fingers. Thanks for visiting.

I'm linking this card with:
Simon Says Stamp who are asking for anything beginning with B. Mine is be for berries.
Country View Crafts thier final challenge for 2018 is Christmas
Stamping Sensations Winter Sparkle Challenge

insect in a box

Just a quick post to join in with the latest Paperartsy Topic. I am sure I must be in good company with many crafters when I remember all the tiny things I made for and with matchboxes as a child. I was delighted to see the Challenge on the Paperartsy blog was Matchbox art this fortnight.

Of course I was busy and this is a last minute rush to enter. I made a new bug box with some Graphic 45 Nature's Sketchbook paper, Seth Apter's Vintage Beeswax embossing powder and Tim Holtz stamp sets.

I used one of the beetles I had made when my new Entomology dies arrived.

I love this nature themed paper and have been saving it for special project. This little box is perfect way to use a little of it. I was so happy to see it's shine once the embossing layers were built up. It makes the paper seem even more precious, like jewels and without any gold for once! I really enjoyed this little break from the Christmas card making.

Link to the Paperartsy Challenge #21 Matchbox art
also to:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge which is Anything Goes this week.

Blue houses made with Artful Dwellings die

Christmas is definitely coming now. Christmas lights have been turned on and Santa is in his grotto in town. I have started making my presents now which are increasingly handmade. I think the older I get the less interested I am in buying more 'stuff' for people or myself. There is so much mass produced nonsense available and things all start to look the same in the shops. A handmade gift is always unique and has much more meaning. You are giving your time, sharing your imagination and creativity. You are sharing your sense of that person as you make something that is just right for them. I think it is time well spent and much more fun than Christmas shopping.

I usually come up with ideas for a few types of  gifts that suit lots of my friends and family. I have started off with an accordion that can be a decoration for Christmas, an elaborate card or an all year decoration.  Once its folded up it is also is very easy to post. This is great for people overseas. Having lived in England Australia and Canada I post a lot at Christmas.

I used the Tim Holtz Artful Dwellings die to cut coloured card stock in a range of blues. Each house shape was cut individually using a piece of card accordion folded so it lay just inside the edge of the cutting blade on both sides. This way the top and bottom cuts through but the two side edges are left intact to produce a connected continuous row of houses. Once I had lots of the four different shapes cut out I had a stamping feast. Using lots of blue inks including, Versamark Momento, regular Distress, Archival and  Powder Puffs chalk ink.

The edges are all distress inked to finish off. I think I might add some treasure gold or silver to some of them to make them more festive. I didn't want them to be Christmas themed as it seems a shame to have to put them away most of the year, I think the blues give them a wintery feel.

The rows are all the same shape but I overlapped them and glues different shapes together to produce a few sets that were longer and mixed up the house shapes. 

I really enjoyed making these and it gave me a chance to use lots of lovely stamps that have been neglected, I think I will do some more Christmas coloured sets next and use lots of my Christmas stamp sets. My non crafting friends often complain about the Christmas preparation and think I begin  very early but I think anyone who enjoys crafting knows it is a joy to have such a wealth of reasons to spend more time at my desk. Hope you are getting lots of time at yours too.

I'm linking up with:

Happy Little Stampers  November  anything Goes With a Die Challenge. This challenge always gives me a great prompt to get out my old dies.
and Frilly and Funkie whose latest challenge is "Tis the season for gift giving."

Fairytale Christening Album

I have not been very organised with my posting lately but I have been making lots of albums and gifts and this week is a bit of a catch up on the blog.

A friend asked me to make an album as a gift for the christening her daughter’s new baby. We talked all about her daughter’s favourite animals and interests and colours. I have had fun weaving in lots of the elements from our conversation. It was challenging to mix the strong blue with the soft turquoise, lavender and mint. I hope it worked and the new mother will eventually enjoy telling her little girl about the things she loved when she was a girl.

The album uses the vivid blue for all the pages and then a range of other paper from my stash. The album is covered with 'Deer Forest' paper from Websters Pages, 'Royal Christmas' collection. It seemed very fairytale like and I have used it throughout the album.

I think this blue star scattered paper is perfect for any magical or childhood project. Its 'Jolly Jack-O-Lantern' from the Graphic 45 'Happy Haunting' Collection I also used a star punch to make the cream cardstock fit the design. I printed out lots of images from my own collection of  illustrations. I have always collected magical children's books with illustrations that I think are beautiful.

This envelope/pocket is decorated with polar bears which was one of the things my friend said her daughter loved.













The colours she requested were lavender, mint green, turquoise, strong blue and green. Quite a lot of colours to get to work together! These pages use some of Prima's 'Meeting a Fairy paper' from the Nature Garden Collection. I loved this paper when it came out so I bough plenty the delicate colours  fit the magical feel of the album and it works well with lots of the colours in the album.

Another request was for unicorns. There is something about unicorns that seems to appeal to most small girls. This is an illustration from a book my own daughter loved as a child,* with all those turquoise and greens it blends in beautifully. Other illustrations are fairytales and a musical maiden to reference the mother's musical talents.

Penguins and butterflies were another request. These pages use a piece of paper from DCWV Mariposa I have had this small piece of paper for years but it was so pretty with a slight sparkle to it I wanted to save it for a special project. I think the little pointy hats give this page a fun feel.

This page has a sweet vintage penguin illustration on a flip tag I used more stash paper. This colour is 'Island Mist Vintage.' Its Bo Bunny Double Dot, I love this paper and bought a lifetime supply of it in almost every colour it is so good for vintage projects and great for album pages. The paper for the main page is by Basic Grey and matched it perfectly.

I though these pages might be dull as they had no patterned paper but I really enjoyed adding touches of pattern and they are now some of my favourite.

I love this jolly moon and the little book with little pocket and belly band. Gnomes were also requested as they are part of the Norwegian culture where this new baby and family lives. I have put in lots of gnomes throughout mostly as tuck spots.

More pages using the cover paper and lots of Grimm's fairy tale images. One forms a pocket and the other a little booklet.

The album has lots of different pockets, envelopes, tuck spots and bands to hold journaling and photographs. I asked for some family photos of all the female line and scanned them to use on some of the tags and mats. Once the new baby pictures fill this album it will have images of four generations of the women from this family. I love the way albums connect families together through time.

The album ends with more twinkle twinkle stars and another jolly moon, a flip pocket page, a little gnome tuck spot and penguin booklet.











I am linking this post up with Mini Albums Monthly as its a long time since I joined in with these lovely ladies.
Also with A Vintage Journey who are inspiring all of us to use our paper stash.

*The Book "Unicorns Unicorns" is by Geraldine McCaughrean. Its a beautifully illustrated book that tells a magical tale about why the Unicorns did not make it onto the Ark.  

Lynne Perrella Card

I went through some of the abandoned backgrounds in my studio. A couple of smooched distress backgrounds in deep, dark purples grabbed my eye. They were too dark for the project I had been working on at the time. I decided to bring them out now and play with gold embossing powder.

I stamped and gold embossed text all over. Then I added random areas of gold around the card. It looks almost spilled over the text.

Happy with the effect I worked on the embellishments. First I die cut some flowers from one of the plain purple pieces. I made a brown postage stamp. I stamped in purple using a Lynne Perrella stamp and finished it by edging in gold ink. I stamped coloured and fussycut a lovely lady from another Perrella stamp set and then mounted them all on the card front. I added a tiny touch of green flowers just to lift the purples a little.

I love it when I can use up the pieces I have abandoned. I am so tempted to clear them all away as they gather into messy piles on occasion. Now my hoarding is justified.

As this is so purple I am linking up to  the Mix it Up Challenge

First Card for Christmas 2018

Only those who buy all their Christmas cards think it is too early to be getting ready for Christmas.

I made my first Christmas card and my desk is covered in Christmas stamps, lots of silver, white and gold shiny stuff. I love all of the Christmas preparation and card making is usually my first task. I am trying to move away from green and red this year.

Ive used Oxide Distress in Antique Linen and a Tim Holtz stencil to add turquoise stars to the background. I used a mask to keep an area in the card clear where I wanted to stamp an image. I stamped the Lynne Perrella lady onto the card front using a mask I gave her some wings decorated with a hint of grey and a touch of blue sparkly Stickles. I also added sparkle to the stars in the background. I always get my Stickles out at Christmas and the room is covered in lots of drying, sticky, glittery decoration. I added a sentiment from Tim Holtz 'Simple Sayings" stamp set. Finally some embossing powder in Shabby blue and frozen lake (by Stampendous) and a tiny touch of gold embossing to edge the grey mount card and sentiment.

I have just noticed a bit of bare card in the corner at the top of my card which I will have to touch up.

Imagine Autumn

It feels much longer than three weeks since I had inky fingers. I had to look after my Mum for a while so normal life was on hold. Very strange not blogging or even getting time to check in with everyone blogs. Back to normal now so straight into stamping again Yay! I love Autumn, I still swish through all those crunch leaves. I have got back into the swing with a card for A Vintage Challenge's Autumn Splendour.

I made the background with heavy watercolour cardstock and used oxide inks to add a base colour. Then I used several Inkylicious plant stamps which I clear embossed to give some texture. Ive also inked some speckles and text and of course used some gold embossing powder. This is Ultra high Wow and Ive added a little Paprika to it (also from Wow) The background is mounted on a Kraft card base.

Next I made a handful of Autumn leaves using Sizzix, Susan's Garden 'Woodland leaves' dies. I cut out a few sets in Kraft, yellow and rust card and then smooched them in lots of browns and greens and some Spiced Marmalade inks I used both oxide and regular distress. I scrunched them up a bit to add shape to them. Once they were dry I stamped veins randomly onto them using my old Tim Holtz Falling leaves stamp set.

I then tried a paper doll but I was not happy with it as there was no contrast for all the brown tones. I  have taken out all my Christmas supplies this week. After rifling through them I decided these two fairy sisters would add a little colour and allow me to bring out the magic of this season full of change and beauty.

Even better all the work to create them was already done. I made these for our tree two years ago. They were created on the computer then printed out onto card and the wings decorated in Stickles.
These two were one of my favourites. It is nice to give them a special woodland setting all of their own.

Now my fingers are really colourful and I am a happy bunny. Off to visit all my neglected friends in the blogosphere now.


Linking up with:
A Vintage Journey Challenge Autumn Splendor
The Artistic Stamper  8th year Challenge Inktober
Country View Crafts Plant-tastic