Santa

Here's a quick card I've made that fits with Hels Sunday Stamper challenge 185 with the theme of Santa Claus.


The stamp is from Tim Holtz's Santa's Wish set and has to be my favourite Santa stamp. It's such a timeless stamp - it can be left clean and simple or you can colour it, distress it, whatever you like. The stamp has enough detail to stand alone I feel. The greeting is from the same set.

I'm also entering this in the "Less is More" challenge with the theme of MUSIC.

Well I'm off to wrap a few more pressies. Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and get lots of crafting goodies!!

Christmas Tag

Here's my tag for Hels Sunday Stamper challenge 184 with the theme of A Christmas Song. Not sure what song this is... the music is too small!!


My tag takes inspiration from a couple of Tim's Tags. Tag 11 with a background of Distress Inks splattered with a bit of water and then overstamped with the music score and pine foliage from Tim's Mini Christmas 2 stamp set. The flower and leaves were inspired by Tag 7 - alcohol inks on kraft glassine then cut out using the Tattered Florals and Tattered Leaves dies. I've just edged the petals with gold Stickles and fastened with a brad.

I quite liked this technique which got me thinking about using non-kraft/white glassine or maybe vellum to create more pastel embellishments. That's for another day though!!

Life

This is my tag for Hels Sunday Stamper challenge 183 with the theme of LIFE.


Well I've had a bit of a disaster with this one and having struggled through it I hunted for 2 hours for my camera cable to upload the photo. Three cameras and a cable later and then the internet went down for the day. What fun!!

It's vaguely based on Tim's tag no 5 - alcohol ink background. That looks OK but then I tried to stamp snowflakes with Archival and wipe off ... well that didn't work too well and I also dropped the stamp ink down on my jeans. Doh! So I stamped the snowflakes again and then didn't wait for them to dry so my tag now has archival fingerprints in places!! At least I can prove I made it! I finished it off with a ruffle of vellum, some fibres and the Life stamp from Tim's Stuff to Say set. Says it all really!!

If only I had more time I'd do it again - it's certainly a technique worth mastering ... maybe one day.

Stars

Well it’s not even December and I’ve finished my first Christmas card!! It’s for Hels Sunday Stamper challenge 182 with the theme of STARS.



I’ve used a Darkroom Door Word Block stamp for the background – Thyme Brilliance and then embossed with gold round the edge. The smaller stamp is Tim Holtz’s of course stamped in Plum Archival and with a gold star embossed border.

Having stuck it down I decided it looks a little plain so the next card off the production line with have some Christmassy ribbon lavished upon it!!

Thought I’d get this done in November so that I’m all prepared for Tim’s 12 tags starting tomorrow – not sure if it’s then or Friday depending on the time difference. May have to contain my excitement a little longer!!

Hide and Seek

Here's my lost snowman for Hels Sunday Stamper challenge 181 with the theme of SNOWMEN.I thought he looked lost so he's either looking for his friends or he's playing hide and seek!!


I've used Tim Holtz's stamps from Mini Christmas 2, created the icy background with Tim's crackle embossing folder and finished it off with some icy Stickles.

I used a technique I spotted on a blog earlier in the week - I think it was Sue Roddis. I stamped the snowman on the page for his arms and then stamped him again on some spare card, cut off his arms then glued him over the top. I know it sounds cruel but it does save cutting all the twiddly bits!!

Holly & Ivy

Here's my first christmassy piece of the season for Hels Sunday Stamper Challenge 179 with the theme of Christmas.


The stamps are Oak House Studio - the Ivy Corner and the spruce twig from the Christmas Collection. I had three attempts at the background using the holly mask from That Special Touch. Has anyone been successful with this? I found it was too thin and flimsy to be blended over and spraying inks just seaped underneath. Turning it over and trying to use the ink left on it didn't work either. I've used the small portion that did indeed look like holly!!

Not sure I feel any more christmassy but at least I've had a good rummage through my christmas stamps ready!!

Spooky....ish!

Here's my entry for Hels Sunday Stamper challenge 178 with the theme of Halloween/Bats.

I don't really do Halloween so haven't got any scary stamps but thought Whitby Abbey in the moonlight on a dark menacing night might fit the bill. I'm sure there must be bats living in this gothic place now Dracula has moved out as there's no roof!!

Anyway I've used Distress Inks dragged across the card for the sky behind the Crafty Individuals Whitby Abbey stamp and used Oak House Studio's Beech Tree stamp for the foreground.

I know it's not very scary but I think it looks moody!!