Advent blog!

So, I was thinking that if I could publish a blog a day, that I could have my own virtual advent calendar for those of you that are following and perhaps share some of the Christmas inspiration I have been doing at workshops recently.

Here, for my first window into December is the Robin Christmas card,

 that we did at Llandrindod Card club.

Huge thanks again to Teressa & Ruth for continuing to run such an inspiring group,

who allow me to get carried away periodically ;-) 

Simply using Chocolate Chip, Cherry Cobbler and Very Vanilla card with the scallop trim corner punch (IB&C p116), Bird Builder punch (p119), using Old Olive card for the branches and then the greeting from the Contempo Christmas stamp set (p25)

Ho, ho ho . . . . keep on crafting, Gen x

October Excitement

In all the excitement of October I forgot to mention the workshop I did with the marvellous Llandewi WI on the 17th October. As it was my second workshop with the ladies we did two cards, the pop up babble card that I had done earlier in the month, and then this one which uses the Jolly Jingles Jumbo wheel (IB&C p24) with Old olive ink on Naturals Ivory card stock. Simply stamping the Joy of Christmas from the Perfect Punches set, in Real Red ink and then punching the image with the scalloped circle. Just adding a little Real Red 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon above and below the frieze.

October was such a lot of fun, so I had even more fun making some tiny thank you cards. I really have never grown out of colouring in! The card on the right was for Ruth for organising the Halloween crafting - such a cute set, now retired and replaced by the fabulous set we used at the workshop! Below is a little thank you card that gave me the ideal excuse to use the new Creative Elements stamp set (IB&C p67), also allowing me to use the new Wisteria Wonder which is part of the new 2011-2012 In Colour range.

This little card gave me just the inspiration I needed for my friend Louise's 40th Birthday card. As always I have gone for less is more approach, but in her honour have added the spangle of rhinestones and gone for a Regal Rose and Early Expresso colour scheme and have seriously fallen for the Lace Ribbon Border punch (IB&C p116), really lends itself to threading 1/8" taffeta ribbon through the lace holes - let me know what you think :-)



Halloween Crafting for Half Term

Huge thanks to Ruth, her family and friends for the Halloween themed crafting session we had this afternoon. First we did this card using the Haunting Hill jumbo wheel (p18), on Basic Grey textured card stock, then using the Colour Spritzer Tool (p113) with a Stampin' Write marker to make it festively grungy. Then using Jack of All Trades stamp set (p19) seen here in Cajun Craze for the large pumpkin and Rich Razzleberry Hat and then Pumpkin Pie for the smaller pumpkin. Then the greeting from the Delightful Dozen stamp set (p85) separately coloured with markers and oval scallop punch in Old Olive.

We then tackled this ghostly apparition, a little less on the stamping front, but lots of sticky fun! I've used the scalloped edge border punch on the right hand side of the card to reveal some of the fabulous Frightful Sight DSP (p99). Then sticking the Black Scalloped Circle Bigz Die (p123), folding it round the fold of the card, tying the 1/8" Pumpkin Pie Taffeta Ribbon (p107), at the side with the Tiny Tags Stamp Set (p66) Boo! Stamp, punched out with the matching punch (p117). Then, the ghosts themselves are simply made using the oval punch, scalloping the bottom and then making the eyes with my cropodile, and then Craft ink for the swirls from the Jack of All Trades stamp set. As always, I got completely carried away and did this mobile just for fun :-) I used the small circle punch for the eyes of the ghost and spider, from the Bitty Shapes Punch set (p117). Some more of the Frightful Sight DSP for the spiral and small pumpkin, as seen before - just in case you all need to use up those pipe cleaners that are hanging around ;-) Keep on crafting Gen x



Birthday Crafting

At Birthday celebrations yesterday for Sally, she, and eight of her friends had a crafty afternoon, with a Big Shot theme. Here, our first card uses Rich Razzleberry as the background card stock and then the gorgeous Shimmery White card stock (p95) for a wipe swipe technique (where we used reinkers of Rich Razzleberry, Pretty in Pink and Pink Pirouette dropped onto a baby wipe and then swiped across the card stock - here I've done a diagonal wave across the card stock). Then, a simple selection of card stock and vellum for the Beautiful Wings Embosslit die,

 (p125), and then finished with some Rose Red Seam binding simply tied at the side. As you can imagine, as the wipe swipe element of this design created 9 completely different designs - and who doesn't like the glamorous rhinestone jewels to highlight the Butterfly bodies ;-)

So our next project reverted to my favorite buff and neutral theme. Here I used the Petite Petals jumbo wheel as a background in the centre of the card and then embellished it with some of the new SU 1/2" Scalloped Dots Ribbon (p107) in Chocolate Chip above and below. Then, for the Daisy die (p123) we used some of the confetti white card stock (p95) with a central 1 1/4" circle with Gold Fine Galaxy glitter (p111) - which now covers everyone who took part in the card!! To finish off we used the scallop oval and oval punch with Gold emboss for the sincere salutations greeting.

To finish off, we made this little felt brooch, using the Fun Flowers Bigz L die (p123), simply securing the central button with linen thread, then attaching the brooch pin on the back. As it's fun to choose three different colours, it's just as easy to make three brooches at a time, and just mix up the colour combinations :-) Hope that Sally and her friends enjoyed the workshop - thanks for asking me along and the fabulous Millionaire's Shortbread!  





Pumpsaint Workshop

A huge Thank You to the 17 ladies who attended the workshop on Friday 7th October, and an even bigger thank you to Sandra for organising the workshop and welcoming me so warmly and providing a luscious lunch before the event. So, we did three projects, the first being this Birthday card using the Crazy for Cupcakes stamp set (IB&C p33), using the balloon string as a streamer background of Melon Mambo ink on the same coloured card stock. We used silver emboss for the cupcake, using Aqua painters to watercolour the cupcake and then Stampin' write markers for the candle and cake decorations. We used the Birthday greeting from the Perfect Punches set (IB&C p72) and the matching extra large oval punch.



The second card we tackled was using Stampin' write markers to colour the stamp, then lightly spray the image with water and then stamp it onto watercolour paper. As we were using a buff card I chose Soft Suede for the backing paper and scalloped oval punch. For the Sincere Salutations greeting (IB&C p82) I did a reverse emboss technique - clear embossing the greeting then using Pumpkin Pie ink with a sponge dauber to colour the background and then the greeting pops out. The final touch was a couple of pearls for the centre of the two flowers. The thing that I really love about this technique is that everyone is individual, as it should be. Finally, we did a Contempo Christmas (IB&C p25) card, using Riding hood Red, Old Olive with a textured white C6 size card. I changed the original torn edge style to use the Scallop Trim Border (IB&C p116), and of course the fabulous 5/8" Organza Ribbon (IB&C p106).

New Catalogue catch up!

As always, time has raced past me and the fantastic launch of the New Idea Book & Catalogue has given me all sorts of inspiration :-) Also three year old boys should have an affinity with monkeys, or be a monkey themselves; and that was the only excuse I needed to make a Birthday card using the Fox & Friends stamp set (IB&C p44). I made the monkey glove puppet for his present, and so the whole theme came together - at the last minute as usual, but put a smiles on his and his new baby brother Gwion faces. It certainly made me smile while I was making it. I managed to get totally carried away and stamp a matching present bag with tumbling monkeys for his postal journey to the Birthday Boy - where have three years gone?

The major excitement of this project is that SU have released the Petite Pennant Punch (IB&C p118), seen here spelling Tudur's name - well, we should all have our own bunting really! I simply love it - so much so that I made this for Andy's Birthday card at the beginning of October. I tried not to get too carried away on the stamping front using the word window punch for the Birthday greeting and DSP for the background, placing the letters with the Stamp-a-ma-jig in both projects - hours of fun - hee hee hee!

Butterfly Birthday and a crafty night in . . .

Here's a card that I made for the Gorgeous Jordan, whose recent bedroom makeover was in white, so I used this as the inspiration for her card. The only problem being that you can hardly see the embosslit Beautiful Butterflies on the predominantly white DSP background - using rhinestones for the bodies, is the only thing that gives the butterflies position away!! I have used some Rose red seam binding to highlight the Birthday greeting, from the Perfect Punches set (IB&C p66), also in Rose Red ink.

And so to my crafty night in at home with Jo, Steff, Teressa & Wendy - many thanks for coming along and making it such a fun night :-) I tried to concentrate on the retiring items that once they're gone, they're gone (see list link right). We started the evening with the fabulous Fresh Cut stamp set (IB&C p67), and matching aperture card (p87) - using In Colours Peach Parfait and Concorde Crush. The beautiful background stamp of this set is so detailed you can easily use it on it's own, but here we've used the Peach Parfait card stock with Concord crush ink, a concord five petal flower secured with a fire rhinestone brad and then diagonally stamping the leaf detail top left and the greeting in the bottom right, with of course a little flower for the postie to see :-) The loveliest thing about this for me is that you get five white petals, which when you stamp them with the leaf detail forms another card, see the examples below - there really is no such thing as rubbish anymore!

So having eased ourselves in with some straight forward card making, I couldn't resist the temptation any longer and got my Big Shot Machine out to play with - exciting!!! And so, we set about making this. .

Here we have used the Springtime Vintage Designer Series paper from the Mini catalogue (p17), with the Fun Flowers Bigz L die (p7), and then textured the large and small flowers with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder (p10). As the SU papers are double sided I have only turned the middle flower over to give some contrast, see detail below. I continued with the Springtime Vintage colour theme and used River Rock card stock for the Top Note (p7), on the left side of the card and used the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. Then finishing with a greeting from the Fresh Cuts set bottom right in Rose Red and also for the seam binding and the central Big Designer Button in the centre of the flower. (All P17 of the present Mini catalogue). I really love the square lattice embossing, as it gives the paper a real patchwork feel :-)

And, as with many of my workshops, I can't resist the temptation to bring paper craft into the 3D arena - and a great excuse to try out the gorgeous square basket that you can make out of four of the Scalloped Envelope Bigz Die (Mini cat p7), that I have seen on the ILWS gallery and other blogs that I'm watching :-) Also, as we seem to be steaming through September I have to make some start in preparation for Christmas, and make the most of the Last Chance list myself by buying Riding Hood Red card stock, which for me the ultimate Christmas colour. And here it is!

The handle is made from what's left when you cut a 12"x12" for the four envelopes, and I scallop edge punched the DSP to match in with the scallop edges of the envelopes. It may be a little difficult to see in the picture, but I also stamped the funky Christmas tree from the retiring Holiday Hoopla stamp set (IB&C p25) on the side - think I may do this in Gold Emboss next time, but this is the subtle version! I have left the DSP inner complete and so it is like a contrast interior with the double frill edging, and playing with this design I will place the tree so that the rhinestone brad that secures the handle, can also be the pinnacle of the printed Christmas tree. I would really like to thank all that attended as they have given me renewed inspiration for the Christmas wreath that I have reached a hiatus with, and encouraged me to use Ferrero Rocher gold wrappers in embossing folders which looks truly spectacular, and the excuse I need to continue eating chocolate - hee hee hee!



To end on a high note, I would like to send all my love to Steff and Martin who celebrate their Ruby Wedding Anniversary. Here's the simple card I sent, with a tatted heart with interconnecting gold beads around an embossed scalloped heart (Mini p9), of course from a Ferrero Rocher wrapper, and then stamped off, to fade the colour of Riding Hood Red confetti hearts at the left side of the card.It was so wonderful to share their celebration yesterday, surrounded by their family and friends.

 Keep on crafting, Gen x