Behind the 5th Advent Window!

Is a peek at the festive banner I've put up at work - well the start of it anyway!

As I changed the festive colour scheme this year to Blue and Silver I couldn't find a Christmas message in the right colours! So I made this one from Pacific Point card, the Bauble punch, Silver embossing for the Delightful Decorations stamp set (IB&C p21) and then capital letters to spell out -

MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR

- done in the new brushed silver card (p95) and the Timeless Type Junior Alphabet medium sizzlit die for the fabulous Big Shot - I love the finished effect! Keep on crafting, Gen x

Fourth Advent Window!

Here's one to use up scraps of Designer Series Paper or old Christmas cards . . .



The simplest of ideas for a Sunday - as they are made out of paper they are wonderfully light and don't weigh down the willow twigs :-)

The large baubles are made from 8 strips that are 15cm long and 2cm wide, the small ones are also 8 strips 10cm long and 1.5 cm wide. Then get your eight strips together and punch a hole in the top and bottom of the strip with a crop-a-dile, push a brad through and then fan the paper strips to form the bauble, some of the new Antique and Glimmer brads (IB&C p109) make the bauble look very posh!

Keep on crafting, Gen x

3rd Advent window

 May I begin today by wishing Thomas Kennedy a very Happy Birthday - hope you have a fab day!

Now for today's virtual treat . . .



This is of course the Petal Cone made with my seriously overworked Big Shot ;-) The joy of Stampin' Up! double sided paper is that you see both sides with projects like these. Just perfect for cramming with Celebration sweets, or whatever your favourite treat is! This is one of the projects that Dolau Youth Club did - with the bonus of filling the cone at the end of the session! Crafty fun for all :-)

Second Day of December!

So here's the second window of this virtual advent calendar!

This is a variation of a card that I did at Convention last year,

using Chocolate Chip, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive and Naturals Ivory colour scheme

and the Welcome Christmas stamp set (IB&C p26).

The berries on the wreath are made by using a crop-a-dile (p115) to make holes, that expose the cherry cobbler colour behind. The corners of the wreath are punched with the curly label punch (p117). This card is quick and easy - just the way I like it :-) Keep on crafting ;-)

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