Christmas Frenzy!

WARNING: lots of photos!

I am knee deep in Christmas cards at present, proper ones. However, while my hand was repairing itself, I used the various free gift packs from various magazines to "assemble" cards - some of them are really, truly pretty (I must photograph them) - and gradually over the end of October and beginning of November and then in the 10 days since our return I have built up quite a stash - still need to make a few more, but nearly there! Here is a cross section........

Simple and a bit crooked!

Then I assembled a few from some sheets I have purchased, using commercial card blanks in most of these - and just adding stuff from the Christmas storage tub.....

Then I got a magazine with an embossing folder, and so I played with that, finding that winding the handle on the machine is possible if you do it carefully! I fussy cut the middle from a second piece of card also embossed, and then I just smeared ink around - it felt good! I then STAMPED the sentiment and got it pretty straight so that was another thing added to the list of THINGS I CAN DO - strangely, housework has not appeared on that list yet!

So, smearing ink was OK, so I had this small stencil freebie.......

That's how this one was created

Then I got another magazine and it had this big beautiful embossing folder in it, and the packaging inside had a a deer (just like the stamp that came with the set) and looked so pretty I couldn't throw it out so it got added to the mix, by embossing the sheet and then die cutting a sentiment to add.

I was managing the machine well so dug out some of the dies I have collected for Christmas and had a good time die cutting. This card emerged from that experiment.

When we went away, I knew I would be in the vicinity of one of my favourite shops in South Blackburn, and as I had often lusted after one of their classes, booked myself in to a Saturday morning Distressed Christmas session! I was a bit surprised how well I managed everything - I don't think anyone even knew I had a problem with my hands so that was a good sign!

This was one of the cards we made. 

Silver mesh

I came home and made these:

Gold glitter mesh - different TH Distress inks

Pink sparkly mesh and sparkly white mesh

Great play but too time consuming  to make too many when one has so much to do!

Then I decided to use the star dies I had, and firstly tried to replicate some cards I had seen on Pinterest - the dies were not quite big enough for me, so I ended up using the largest one and drawing around the outside of it to create the card base, and die cutting the paper for the inside. 

Again, too much time and too much load on my hands to fussy cut theses in any number.

I die cut these for tags though, and used a freebie paper pack from Bo Bunny to decorate them

 I then went to my SU stamp set Bright and Beautiful, and after surfing around on the web, I cased these two cards - wet embossed stars, die cuts and sequins. Pretty!

Sticking to this set, I made these as well - again CASed.

Gold card with white embossing, Very Vanilla card with gold embossing and gold sparkle. The background is SU Ivory card with stars embossed using the SU embossing folder - and the card blanks are from Regal Craft. 

I quickly ran out of gold ribbon and had to make a dash to the craft shop but they didn't really have what I wanted either, but I made do 

Love this heavy satin ribbon but I only had two pieces off a chocolate box!

I had to turn the card in the embossing folder to do the last bit on the bottom, hence the need for a ribbon, I discovered, as you get a small disruption at the join. All were finished off with pearl centres. I liked these so much I made 10 of them!

Well, that is all for the present - off to wrack the brain for something else - or go to Pinterest or similar for inspiration! This last set really is lovely though, so I might see if I can make something else with it.............

Announcement!

 AND

 I am now on the Purple team for

  Eclectic Ellapu!

Yippeee! I am a bit excited, I must admit.....

Purple team this month are asked to make 

Christmas but not a card (ornaments, decorated boxes, layouts etc)

So, I made a pyramid box for Unstampabelles a few weeks ago and said I thought it might make a good Christmas Elf - stuffed with goodies of course!

i had fun playing and sort of made an Elf - he is full of mints at the moment

Googly eyes and curled black hair.......and a red cap with a bell!

Just handing around - my Christmas Tree is nowhere near ready to be up yet.....

When he was first hung his hair and cap came straight off - had to use more red tape!

Trying various places to show him off

Seated seems to work - he has no arms I now realise! Will have to rectify this!!

He is obviously a decoration - probably for a table or a hanging space. He has a base of 4 inches square and it takes a 12 x 12 sheet to make him. He is also strangely 4 inches high!

I will enter this in the following challenges:

Paper Creator's Crafts: all about Christmas

We Do Doobadoo: Festive

A Crafty Mess: anything Goes

Unstampabelles has it's December Challenge Up!

Yep, it's December......and no, I am not ready for it to be December. I am still in the throw's of making Christmas cards and haven't thought of my tree yet, let alone the present list .......I hope you are all more prepared for the fat man to visit than I am!

The challenge is 

Summer Fun!

The TWIST is to make a Southern Hemisphere Christmas card

Now, my card may not seem very summer but this hot pink sky reminds me of hot summer night sunsets - full of hot pink

See? the view from the balcony one night in 2011

The white stars (NOT snowflakes!) are shining brightly and Santa is bringing lots of fun to the girls and boys who have made the right side of the list!

Made with dies and paper from the stash on a commercial card blank from Regal Craft.

My mind might be a bit warped I admit. 

Why not go and see what the other DT members are getting up to? 

Then with the inspiration tucked away in the pocket, you can get making!!!

I will enter the following challenges:

It's for the Birds!!

Well, I have been travelling around southern Australia for the past two weeks - driven over 2000 kls. We headed to the north of our state (Tasmania) and then caught the car ferry across the dreaded Bass Strait - home of many shipwrecks! We went onto the boat at 5.00 pm approx on a Sunday night, and drove off the boat in Melbourne at about 6.30 the next morning.

We headed to Geelong (Victoria) and then across the south-western part of Victoria to Portland. We were visiting a good friend there. My Husband and he go back over 60 years of friendship. 

This is what greeted us!

Funny man!

After visiting with him for several days we headed north-east, through Bendigo and Wadonga (stayed a night in each) and then to Canberra, the Capital city of Australia! It also happens to be where our son and his family live. We spent 6 night there, celebrating the 9th birthday of our Grandson while we were there. We had a lovely visit - great company, food and interesting things to do!

An exhibition at the National Art Gallery was one. 

From Canberra with a stop over at Wangaratta for a night, we arrived back in Melbourne for a few days with Hubby's family - we stayed with his sister, and after visiting other family and friends, and getting in some shopping we came home via the same ferry!

I did get in a class while I was in South Blackburn - at the Bellbird Paper Arts shop!

I made these: it was a Distressed Christmas class

The purpose of this post was to show you how I made the bird box for the Unstampabelles final week. 

I firstly drew up the pyramid box bsed on a 3 x 3 cm square base

I allowed some extra for the side seams

I scored the bits to be folded, and then cut it all out

Each side had a triangle with a flap and I added red tape

I stuffed it with Mentos!

I free-hand drew some wings and a tail, and some legs and added them

Hello birdy! Eyes and beak ( a bit too big I think)

Now I am thinking I can make it a Christmas bird, or an elf! 

So a box can be any shape really!

Why not go to Unstampabelles and enter - there is still time - it closes on Friday at Midnight!

Midway for Challenge #41 - Box it Up!

#41 - Box it Up!

Wow, have you seen what the DT are producing!

You can either construct something from scratch or repurpose/change something into a receptacle to hold something useful or pretty or both but there are so many tutorials and ideas out there I am sure you will be able to create many more wonderful things!

The TWIST is.......

.....show us how the box was made!  

Show progress photos and add tips - make a photo journal of it!

Our Sponsor for this challenge is:

an Australian on-line store who are offering a $15 Gift Voucher on the on-line store!

The Stamp Spot

Here is my photo journal for a gift box containing four tea lights. (This is being scheduled, so I hope it goes live at the right time!)

This box comes from Patricia Belsey who put the instructions for making this up on a  Facebook group I belong to - her instructions were a bit hard to follow but she took a photo of the card marked up prior to construction and cutting and added that and I used that as the main instruction. 

This is her completed box

Her dimensions are:

6 1/8" x 9 3/4"

Score on long side at 1/2", 3 5/8", 5 1/8", 8 1/4"

short side at 1 1/2" and 4 5/8"

Die cut on score lines 8 1/4 and 6 1/8

this is her measurement sheet

Die is from SU Chalk Talk - smallest framelit

Fold up score lines and turn in tabs to add the red tape/glue

If adding cellophane/ascetate windows - this is the time to do it,not retrospectively, as I did it!

Start from first window end, and make a box by folding in the tabs

Middle window is a fold line/crease line/hinge line for the box top

You can see I got the tape in the wrong place! My prototype is made using SU DP which is OK but a stronger card would make a stronger box. Double sided card works well.

This size takes 8 tea lights. I just used four.  I added washi tape around them to match the DP.

Decorate as you wish - I did stick down the flappy bits a bit more later as well!

It was at this point that I decided that I needed acetate windows retro-fitted and I added a button too. You could wrap a ribbon, or make a belly band.

Ta da!

You could put food in this or sweeties!

So, a box! Lets see what is happening over 

Unstampabelles!

Last Post for Crafting with Dragonflies

Our leader Hilde has had an interesting ride over the last few months, and she has managed to stay on board, but now her health is compromised and so she had decided to pull the proverbial plug on Crafting with Dragonflies!

# 39 : Anything goes - with option of Goodbye/Farewell

Our final Sponsor is: Pickled Potpourri Designs

My card uses on of their images coloured with Copics. My sentiment and inside sentiment comes from MFT - Enjoy the Ride. 

I used Stickles on the sea to give it a summer sparkle. 

I added a charm, and layered it all onto SU card.

This card could be for anyone really - retirement, holiday break, new career, new journey......

Inside it says - "Don't look back, you have already been there"

I want to thank Hilde for all her support and kindness over the past twelve months, and to wish her all the best in her journey. I will miss the challenges and the fun. Who knows, we may be back!

Why not go over to the challenge blog and see what the rest of the team has come up with.

Well worth the visit, I assure you.

Crafting with Dragonflies