Happy New Year!

Well, 2012 is drawing to a close.  The weather is cool here (especially as it is supposed to be summer!), and the clouds are building for a rain storm.  The afternoon is ending with a whimper, I feel.

We have had one of those years that are wished upon us by proverbial Chinese philosophers - interesting! Not sure what we did, perhaps just got  bit older. Anyhow, I hope that 2013 is a better year all round for everyone (especially if the Americans can stop us all from falling over their fiscal cliff!).

I have a few cards to share - made at the end of a busy time and year for birthdays in the Christmas week - in fact made the night before we left for Melbourne with only two days grace between the events and the making.  Firstly, a card made for the wife of my husbands nephew! Jeanette is a wonderful girl and full of fun and friendship - a welcome addition to any family.  She has been married to her husband for nearly 30 years and has just turned 50, but she will not admit to that age:  in her head she is only 34 (plus 16!). This is how she explains her age - so this was her card.

Made at night (which is not me usually, as I am too tired at night) and in a hurry - so the photo's are less than impressive! The image and sentiment stamp is from Shirley's2Girls and I have had it for a long time. It is coloured with Copics and layered, while the background card is randomly stamped with some of the sentiment on the first page and all on the rest. The colours are SU Calypso Coral and the background DP is from SU Attic Boutique.

The letters and numbers are white sparkly thickers coloured with my Copic pens (should have airsprayed them, but no time). The inside sentiments are stickers and rub-ons combined. 

My MIL I have talked about before.  She turned 99 on Christmas Eve. Here she is with my husband a few days afterwards - she was a bit tired that day!

She attended the 50th celebrations on the 23rd, and was given a share of the spotlight with a cake of her own.  

She received guests at home on the 24th (at the Lodge) and celebrated with her fellow 'inmates' there are lunch and dinner that night, and joined us all on Christmas Day at my SIL's for a family event.  At one stage in the afternoon there were 42 people there! She was truly buggered the next day, but rallied and was looking good the day we left to come home.  Here is the card I made - again, I threw this together quickly using a card kit I had bought from Bizzy Becs  - I have no idea who made the products in it.  

There are a few stamps and a rub-on used, and I smeared ink around as it looked a little stark with all the white.  The die cut was part of the pack but it looks like either a Marianne or Memory Box. The bird and branch is from a SU punch and the pearl brad is from SU also. 

 Next year is the 100 - so I will make a very special card for that!

I was going to enter some challenges, but think I will leave that to the new year! Have a good night tonight, and keep safe - from weather, from others and from yourself!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

to all my lovely

Blog Readers. 

Thank you for 

reading my ravings and

commenting on my work!

I hope you all  have (had) a

fabulous Christmas !

Let it Snow!

As I sit here keying this in the temperature is about 26 degree's, the sun is beaming down in a blue, blue sky and the weather gods say it is getting warmer.  BUT, I am thinking of SNOWMEN! This is because over at Chocolate, Coffee and Cards, their latest challenge #29 is for Snowmen, and I had to have a go!

This is my snowman:

The image is a Lily of the Valley image and vintage sentiments, and it is coloured with Copics.  The rest is from SU card, and die cut snowflakes in glitter card.  I have used a background paper that is from a freebie and the ribbons and bling were just on the desk!

I have been quite busy as I said before and here are some of the results.  

Annabelle Stamps has a challenge

This little one suits the colours and she is so cute! Again the image is LOTV; embossing folders, and die cuts and such used to create it.

I am entering this challenge but if I do happen to win, I cannot collect the prize, but  just though I would through my hat in the ring!  It is with Copic Marker Europe and they want a Christmas card.

Another favourite place of mine is Scrapbook Boutique and they have a challenge that relates to a photo inspirations

This is my card for that:

It has all the colours and the sentiments.  Again, the images and sentiment is LOTV. 

And finally, another great store I love to shop in is Bizzy Becs; she is running a Christmas theme challenge (fancy that!) and has a graphic to inspire!

My take of this is this!

And just to look at:

Last of the Lollipop's for the year

This is Challenge #61 for the Lollipop Ladies and fits right in with the season:

Welcome to the last of our challenges for 2012. In keeping with the sugary goodness at this time of year, we going with a Gingerbread House!

With the additional challenge of Christmas 

Guest DT spots are able to be won each fortnight

and our sponsor this fortnight is: Annabelle Stamps *

$10 Voucher (thanks to Andrea).

 Remember there have to be seven or more entries for the prize to be awarded. 

Now, when I thought about this my mind went skipping along a very different track.  I am not really into gingerbread or making houses although my German born DIL (Hi Bea!) and the grandchildren often make one. 

My mind went to looking behind that door at the front.....who lived there and what was it like inside.  I then decided if the house was fantasy, my card could be slightly fantastical as well! Anyway, the dot is the colour of gingerbread! And it is a Christmas card..........

And it has the colours from the image  as well!

Hope you like it!

Halfway for Unstampabelles

Today is halfway for the UnstampaBELLES Christmas challenge, and I have another card to share with you all - this one is part of the mammoth final effort I had before I sent all my cards out. I will share some of them  with you another time.

After I had taken this photo, I tightened up the lace strip and added some sparkle to the image, but didn't take another photo of it - the person who received it doesn't know 'bout blogs and such, so I cannot get another photo to show you! It does look much better! Promise!

The card has some washi tape, some lace threaded with ricrac, some bling and a vintage image; a rub-on for the sentiment and the red paper has been punched along the edge decoratively!All this was added to a card blank and the background paper is I think Kaiser.  But it might not be - by the time I had made over 30 cards, there was paper stroon across the room and all mixed up.  I have finally wrangled it all back into some semblance of order and put it in the Christmas stuff box and put it away tidily under my desk. So I won't be going looking for the maker now, will I!!!!!

Hope you like it - I did. 

I will enter it in a few challenges:

Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge: Christmas

Celebrate the Occasion: Christmas

Holly Jolly Christmas challenge: Vintage

I made some tags as well.  I played in TH inks and stuff and then turned them into tags for Christmas. 

Various stamps and die cuts were added, and flowers and bling. I made use of the LOTV Vintage corners, and sentiment stamps and some of WMS as well.  I used the ribbon scraps that were laying around on the desk.  The really purple one was the last one through the swipe process and the green ornament one was the first - I kept adding ink to my sheet,and swiping a bit more.  This is just the four large ones - there were a few smaller ones as well, but they got more saturated as I didn't know what I was really doing at that stage - not that I ended up knowing really either - it was all just hit and miss!

I will enter these in the following:

Crafty Creations Challenge: tags

Craft Room Challenge: tags (the die cut deer one)

Busy,busy busy

How are you all doing?  Hope you are all on schedule with your cooking and present wrapping and such and  that the fat man will be able to make his annual visit this year with a minimum of stress and fuss!

My old Dad used to say babies came when they wanted and that they came anytime, although only the first one in the family was likely to come before the regulation nine months! This is a truism I have discovered and I have birthdays in December to cater for despite the fact that Christmas is supposed to be the main game!

My MIL will be 99 this year on Christmas Eve - still haven't made that card! A niece has turned 34 + 16 = (50) ssssshhh.... and her card is partly made.  I am going to be flat chat this day! My HUB is having a birthday at the end of the month as well, and his card is just a thought at the moment! My Grandaughter Number 2 had a birthday several weeks ago and she was 17! Here is the card I made for her.

The image was a freebie stamp set from a magazine.  I have paper pieced her dress and used copics to colour in the rest. The papers behind her are from a set from Kaiser called Lake House - so pretty. The sentiment tag and the side die cut are also from the paper pad. The die cut label is from SU and I had to freehand cut the pink card behind it. 

I added some bling and that was it. Simple and elegant I thought and it got the thumbs up from the girls at the party!

I will enter this at the following challenges:

The Paper Shelter: Anything Goes

Challenges 4 Everybody:  Anything Goes

Penny Black and More: It's your Choice

Candy Canes and Spirals

Now, what am I to do with that!

Lollipop Ladies Challenge #60

It's time for a new challenge and so this fortnight we're focussed on...

Candy Canes

With the additional challenge of Spirals

Guest DT spots are able to be won each fortnight
and our sponsor this fortnight is: Mad for Markers*

(thanks to Sammi).

A choice of 3 of her M4M digi stamps.
So cool :-)

* Prize will only be offered if 7 or more entries partake in the challenge.

My contribution to this fortnight's inspiration follows the rules for red and white, but has taken a new twist on spirals! I couldn't do it - so I worked on the logic of snowflakes swirl around and down, so snowflakes can be the swirls!!!!! Clever, eh..........

I used a LOTV image (isn't he sweet), as is the sentiment; and I coloured in with the trusty Copics - not sure of colours but I know his body is C2!  He has frosty glitter added to his hat and the ground and to the ornaments hanging on his tree. 

All the card is from SU and I used an embossing folder, die cuts (for snowflakes), ribbon and bling. The DP is from my stash and is probably a freebie paper from a magazine.

Talking of magazines, guess who is published in this months Stamping, Papercraft and Cardmaking!!!! Yep, little old me..........hand clapping now thanks!

You will find my card on page 89.  I have had to be quiet about this for so long! It's just in the readers section, not anywhere else. I tried but didn't get in.  I must try again!

I will be entering the  above card in the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps:  use markers

Christmas at Sweet Stamping: Anything Goes

Divas by design: Let it Snow

Simon Says Stamp: Snowflakes

Christmas time is here!

Our last challenge at Unstampabelles for 2012 is to create a Christmas card - what else would you do in December!

It is sponsored this month by HuggiesCrafts.

The Prize for our December Challenge (wish I could enter)

All items are from the Raspberry range and are completely co-ordinated:

                        9 x 12 x 12 papers

                        1 packet self-adhesive Rhinestones

                        1 packet self-adhesive Pearls

                        1 Packet of brads

                        1 Packet gem brads

                        1 packet basic brads                     

                        2 packets assorted Ribbon, 5 x 1 metre per pack

                        2 packets rub on’s

                        2 packets alpha stickers.

This year, I decided to go vintage with a lot of my cards, rather than stamp up a lot of images.  Then of course I saw such pretty Christmas stamps out there that I purchased a few and now have a lot of pretty stamps - so guess what next year will be all about!!

I had purchased a Tim Hotlz Christmas 12 x 12 pack of kraft card with embossing and such on it, and I had a lovely afternoon playing around with distress inks and such and creating a real inky mess.  The I cut up and rearranged the pieces with other card and such and made over a dozen cards in one sitting with the bits - it was so much fun!!!

This card is one of them.  The embossed card underneath is SU Co-ordinations card, embossed sanded and then smeared with an iridescent ink.  The bauble die cut is a favourite  - so delicate. The paper used in this one is a freebie from a magazine, and I managed to use it for four cards! In this one I fussy cut the edges of the holly.  The ribbon is from the stash - no idea where it came from but it looked vintage so got pulled out. I added a bit of bling.

I distressed the edges of the papers too.  You can see with this strip of TH card how it has taken the distress ink but the resist embossing under it is not affected and so stands out quite clearly.  This bit of card had been rubbed over with Picket Fence before the inks were added too - so it has a bit of a lustre. In real life this card looks so old and vintagy and good - the photo does not really do it justice. I didn't add a sentiment as it is obviously a Christmas card and the inside with tell that as well. 

I will be entering this in the following challenges:

Challenges 4 Everyone: Anything Goes

Great Impressions: Anything Goes

Craftymess:  Vintage Christmas

Alphabet Challenge: V for Vintage

Kingfishers

This is my last card for the Chocolate, Coffee and Cards blog Challenge site where I have been a Guest designer for November. I have really enjoyed my time with them.  Why not put your name down - that's all you have to do - and see if you get selected!

The theme is Clean and Simple and 

the sponsor is Delicious Doodles!

My card features a Kingfisher:

We have Kookaburra's here - they often laugh at you when you are walking through the bush. I remember one when I was a child, collecting sticks and bark for the fire box, and as I bent to pick up the stick, it flew past my nose, seemingly missing it by a fraction of an inch, and picked up a small snake that was laying right where my hand was moving to........scared the proverbial from me but it certainly stopped me from being bitten.  It was not a very poisonous snake (a whippy) but big enough to make me sick.

This is an Australian Kookaburra - my sister-in-law feeds them mince and they sit on her hand.

The Kingfisher is a different beast - more showy. I think it comes from the Northern hemisphere!   As a Guest Designer of  Chocolate, Coffee and Cards I was given a choice of digi stamps from Delicious Doodles for this challenge, and chose this one:

I had to look up the colouring :)

Here is my card!

It has to be CAS - lots of white space. I had one idea, and then stuffed it up so had to cut down the white card and re-think my approach.  This is the result.  I had cut out the oval on another sheet and was going to lay it over the top (as if looking through an oval window) but it was slightly crocked and in trying to fix it, I bent it and then put a mark on it.....brrrrr! So I ended up throwing that away. 

My second take - perhaps the white space is too big?  Needs to be trimmed?  Not sure but it  is not doing duty to the image which is coloured up with my Copics and looks lovely I think. I love those bullrushes! The orange on the belly of the bird is reflected in the shading on the rushes and the background paper. I did learn something in my art class this year!