Sign of Winter

Here's a card I've made for Hels Sunday Stamper Challenge 131 with the theme of Signs. Bearing in mind the weather outside, is this a sign of winter to come!!

We've all got the lurgy here - I'm not feeling terribly inspired so I went for clean and simple this time. The background is just hessian card put through a snowflake embossing folder and then rubbed with waterfall stickles. The stamp is a lovely old PSX one which I've embossed with hologram super sparkle.

I apologise for the photography. If I get close enough to show off the glittery bits, I can see myself in the mirri card. Not a good look as I'm resembling Rudolf today! Anyway hope you like it and you're all keeping safe and warm.

Winter's Butterfly

Here is my card made for Hels Sunday Stamper challenge 130 with the theme of Butterflies. I've cheated a bit this week and used snowflakes - well as the saying goes, they are winter's butterflies...and it's cold today...and snow is forecast!!!


I've embossed Tim's snowflakes with seafoam embossing powder and then mopped up a selection of blue distress inks spritzed with blue perfect pearls to create the left side. The right is just the same stamp in Faded Jeans with the sentiment printed on the computer. I know this phrase is a stamp but it's not one I own, so I guess that's a double cheat today!!

It's my SIL's birthday at the beginning of December so this will be winging it's way to her in Norway. Brrr....

Santa

Here's my card for Hels Sunday Stamper challenge 129 with the theme of Santa Claus.



Don't you just love this Tim Holtz stamp - has to be my favourite for quick and easy christmas cards. Because the stamp is so detailed it's just a matter of stamping the image and matting it up. This one I stamped in Plum Archival, added gold embossing to create a frame and then finished it off with some ribbon.

Off to create a few more - some red and green and I think I might try blue with silver. Not long till Christmas!!

Something in the Woods

Over on The Artistic Stamper Challenge Blog the theme this month is Something Hidden so I thought I'd have a go at a little piece.


Can you guess what's inside? Yes, it's a little owl hiding in the woods. As ever it looks nothing like what was in my head but as with all challenges you learn something. In this case it was add a little gusset between the arches and then it might have a chance of folding up flat!!


Luckily my OH finished a box of cereals this morning so that was the base painted with Nutmeg paint and then dry brushed with black acrylic to recreate wood. The inside is distress inks (Bundled Sage, Shabby Shutters and Pine Needles) and the little owl is an Embelliscrap one. The ivy stamp is Oak House Studio, the alphabet is PSX and the calligraphy is an Artistic Stamper one.

Hope you like it. I'm off to see what everyone else has been hiding!!

Winter Wonderland

Here's my entry for Hel's Sunday Stamper challenge 128 with the theme of Winter Wonderland. Really pleased with this theme as it's made me put my autumn leaves away and get out my wintery/christmas stamps.


The stamps are Tim's from the Reindeer Flight set. I clear embossed the snowflakes, distressed the background using all the blues (Chipped Sapphire, Faded Jeans, Stormy Sky and Broken China)and then spritzed it with a blue perfect pearls spray. You can't see it on the photo but it is there. My card is also square but the photo doesn't show that either!!

Anyway the reindeer is again clear embossed and rubbed with Chipped Sapphire and the trees I think are stamped with Chipped Sapphire too. I have to admit I got a bit confused as I did 3 variations with different inks to give different looks.

They just need finishing off with maybe a christmas sentiment added and I've made a start on my christmas cards. Thank you Hels!!

Beadazzles

Just spotted the micro bead challenge on The Craft Barn's blog so thought I'd have a go at making an ATC using Beadazzles. As you can see, I seem to be stuck in my autumn leaf rut!!



The Sycamore leaf was stamped onto a distress ink background (Bundled Sage, Rusty Hinge and Vintage Photo) and then clear embossed. The Beadazzles Jazz - a mix of silver, gold and copper - were then stuck on using Copper Stickles. I'd forgotten how minute and lively they are so decided to put another layer of Stickles over the top and to edge the leaf too. I simply mounted it on another piece of the distressed background overstamped with the Winter Garden Text

Hope you like it! I'm now going to put my leaf stamps away and do something completely different next time...... famous last words!!

Christmas & Craft Stamper

Well I have it on good authority that my Mini Christmas Card made it into the December 2010 issue of Craft Stamper magazine - yeh!!!

I haven't had chance to buy a copy yet so have no idea what else is in there but I thought I'd let you know how I made it.


I've used Oak House Studio's Christmas Corner, Winter Garden Text and Merry Christmas stamps and the brief was to use red, green and gold to produce a 4" x 4" card.

I've gold embossed the Winter Garden Text, edged it with gold Stickles and then matted it up onto green then red card. This stamp is great for all sorts of cards - it does include Holly and Hellebores which fits with the Christmas Corner stamp perfectly, but it doesn't actually mention christmas so can be used for any winter/early spring cards.

The Christmas Corner was again embossed in gold and painted with Twinkling H20s. I think I did 3 of these so that I could use 2 layered for the main corner and then use the other to decorate the Merry Christmas. I just finished it off with some red Stickles in the Hellebore centres and a few small red beads for the Holly berries.

Hope you like it. Yes, I know it's the beginning of November, but showing this card has actually made me feel more christmassy so maybe I'll get my christmas stamps out and have a play.

Autumn Colours

Here's a card I made for Hels Sunday Stamper challenge 127 on the theme of Autumn.


We had to visit Lincoln on Saturday and drove back down the A15 - the sky was blue, the sun was shining and the trees and hedges were in full colour. A bit like this card - a mixture of greens, oranges, reds and rusts.

The distressed background is Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint overstamped with the mountain ash stamp. The leaves were die cut with Tim's Tattered Leaves die from card distressed with Shabby Shutters, Rusty Hinge, Barn Door and Vintage Photo misted with gold and copper perfect pearls and then painted with Rock Candy Crackle Paint. I love this technique - the crackles look like veins on the leaves and it makes them curl up and look slightly more realistic. The words are from a set of rub-ons left on the acetate.

Hope you like it. Let's hope the weather stays dry and the colours continue for a little longer!!