The In Beween Bit

 Does anyone else always think the bit between Christmas and New Year is odd? I always feel like we should be doing SOMETHING but don't know what, although this year restrictions have made the decisions on what to do for us - which is NOT A LOT!
We have however been out this morning for a walk as we had ⛄snow overnight and I simply had to get out in it (love💝💝 it!). Hope it lasts but it probably isn't going to as some of it has gone already .. 😞
So my share today is a Snowy Scene

A one layer card using a rectangle stencil to make the mask round the edges.

The stamps are by Hobby Art called 'Country Walk'
I used Speckled Egg DI for the sky - fast becoming my 'go to' colour now for  EVERYTHING!

A little bit of sponging for snowdrifts (which don't show up very well in the pic) and the rest coloured with watercolours.

Sharing at
Alphabet - S for Snow Scene

and here's a couple of pics from this morning -

Thanks for calling in. Stay safe. x

Peace

 

I realised as I was writing this post that I have not made many white on white or predominantly white cards this year but this was one of the few!

Made with some odd bits left over from other cards so I am paying a visit over at the Playground.

An oddment of card was the basis for the centrepiece and the stamp is from Honey Doo which is in fact a swirly Christmas tree that I turned upside down and angled it, stamping in metallic silver ink and then rounded off two corners.

Once this bit was dry, I backed it with some matt silver card - I by far prefer this to mirri card as I think it is just a little bit more subtle yet still gives a nice sheen.

Some silver sparkly and white card to make the layered snowflake and I silver embossed the Peace sentiment.

The news here in the UK has not been good today and (coupled with some personal sadness over the last week), it has once again highlighted to me that although at the moment there are so many things over which we have no control we can only try to stay positive and hope for better times ahead.

Christmas has always been a quiet two person affair for us so nothing is different this year but I know there are many who will miss being surrounded by family.
I want to say a massive thank you to those who have kept visiting me this year - you have kept me going through all this madness.

I wish you all a happy and peaceful Christmas and I hope that 2021 is a better year for us all. X

Sharing my card at -
Time Out - Photo Insp
Use Your Stuff- Winter/Snow/Christmas

Cupcake Inspirations - Snowflakes
Mix It Up - A/Goes + CAS
Stamplorations - Sparkle and Shimmer

Monochrome

I've continued making Christmas cards! I think because I wasn't rushed this year it has made it something I've enjoyed so have decided to not put away the Christmas stamps. I am going to keep a few makes out - just in case there's anyone I have forgotten!

I like monochrome but usually add a pop of colour - when I finished this card though, I liked it just as it was, so the idea of coloured stars on the top of the front line of trees was discarded.
A simple to do card with some second and third generation stamping. I added some well watered down Hickory Smoke Distress Oxide under the trees and under the deer for some shading and smudged a white Posca pen over the top of it.
A liberal spattering of the Posca pen to finish it off.

We have this morning put up the Christmas Tree! This is nothing unusual for us as we always wait till the week before - it's not that I am a complete Bah Humbug person (!) but to be honest I have never been any different - I get sick of looking at it if it goes up too soon!
Waiting for it to go a little darker then as always I will take a pic for our yearly album - which this year is a little sparse as we've not been anywhere - and I don't want a pic of the front of Aldi or Tesco in there!

Thanks for calling in today. Hope all is well in your part of blogland. xx
Sharing over at
MTTC - Monochrome
Alphabet - S for Snow Scene
Fezziwigs - Last Minute Christmas
Crimbo Crackers - Anything Christmas Goes
Sweet Stampin - Last Minute Christmas

Pine Cones

A quick share from me today.

Made this using some watercolour cardstock and my Arteza Waterbrush pens

The stamp is called Brush Pines from Penny Black and it is one of my fave 'go to' Christmas stamps.

I started by inking the pine cones first and spritzing with water, then went on to the pine needles, using a couple of different shades, inking and spritzing as I went along until I was happy!

I dragged some of the colour from the pines outwards and then added a very pale blue/grey wash to the entire front.

A white pen highlighted the cones.
The sentiment is from SU.

Sharing this with
Krafty Chicks - Christmas
PBSC - Christmas
Craft Gals Corner - Tis the Season
Just as well that we are still under the toughest restrictions and unable to do anything as once again we have a very grey and damp day!

A perfect excuse to sit at the craft desk - am hoping that Mr Mojo will join me at some point! x

Winter Landscape

A quick share from me today using some Hobby Art stamps from their Country Walk set.
Quite enjoyed doing this and a really flat one layer card which was great for posting too!

Stamped and coloured with watercolours then lightly sponged the sky.
The 'snowdrifts' also added with some sponging.
I added 'snow' to the fence and tree stumps with a white Posca pen and a few dabs of glitter here and there.

I am really sorry about the poor pic quality - the light here over the last week or so has been seriously bad - we seem to have had grey skies and rain constantly since the lovely white snow paid us a quick visit.

A Case of the Deer

Cards made written and posted, which done so early, has to be a first for me! Nice to not be panicking that I haven't made enough for a change, in fact I have a few left which will make a good start for next year.
Despite the horrible year 2020 has been I actually think now that it has gone relatively quickly - maybe because every day is pretty much like the ones that have gone before they have all just merged into one!

I have coveted this Penny Black die for a while after seeing what my clever buddy Loll did with it. I found it a couple of weeks back and was really excited when it arrived and had to have a go at doing what Loll did and get the gilding flakes out.

I love the effect of gilding flakes - just don't like the mess they make - but because they are messy I didn't stop at one card and made a couple of each in different colours - gold, silver, copper and then another done with a mix of the 3 colours. 

After gilding each die with a colour I just pushed the flakes to one side and started on the next one so the last ones made used up a bit of the residue on the desk! (that was my attempt at being tidy(ish))

I used metallic ink on my star stamp and a metallic Posca pen for the spatters.

Gave Mr Deer a shiny red Nuvo Drop nose.

The sentiment also done with gilding flakes - was a little difficult to work in the flakes but got there in the end.

Finished the card by running the metallic ink round the edges.
I now have a few more design ideas for this die and flakes so thanks to Lolly for kick starting me - although I wish she could pop over and clean up after me too!
Sharing at
Cardz4Guyz - Traditional Christmas
TIOT - Christmas Sparkle
Library Challenge - The Night Before Christmas (inspired by the book title) 

Winter!

Yep Winter is here! Some snow overnight that thawed a little then we've been treated to a couple of hours of the white stuff so we have a nice covering! Probably not going to last but I have had the pleasure of looking out on it (cos I love it) whilst warm inside the house!

My share for today is snowy too! 

A piece of watercolour card to start then I stamped and white heat embossed the branches - an old one so not sure who's make).
I had a small feathery pine needle stamp in my stash. It is one of the first clear stamps that I bought -  came in a set with some ivy, a reindeer and a small brick wall stamp -  it's a bit yellow now but still stamps OK so I stamped that on the ends of some of the branches and heat embossed it too.

I used a broad watercolour brush loaded with water across the background first then added the colour allowing it to fade out as I went down the page.

Once dry, some Nuvo Drops for shimmery berries and a liberal spattering with a white Posca pen in an attempt to make it look like the snow was falling from the branches!

The die cut is a Gemini 'window' stamp and die set with the word simply chopped off from the 'window'.
I still have some more cards to put addresses on so that's my job for today - in between gazing out on my very own Winter Wonderland - you have to make the most of it whilst you can and it's cheered me up a bit watching the sheep slowly blend into the white landscape!
Hope you are safe and warm wherever you are. x

Linking at
ABC Christmas - Y for Your Fave thing (and one of mine is definitely snow!)
Krafty Chicks - Stamp Act
Shopping Our Stash - Let It Snow

December

 Lovely bright day here after a very frosty morning - such a contrast to yesterday when I had the lights on at 1pm it was that dark and miserable!

Sat and wrote most of my cards and a trip to the Post Office this morning to send the overseas ones so I feel a little more organised - which makes a change!

Today's share is a  card done with another of my fave Penny Black stamps 'Berry Bevy'. I use it a lot every year at Christmas and every time I do, I say I should use it for other times of the year too. Maybe this year I will not put it in the Christmas box which may remind me!

I used a left over piece of  of textured linen cardstock which gave the inked background a bit of texture.

Quite a simple to do card really, -some ink blending, white heat embossed branches and some Silver Nuvo drops for the berries.

The silver does have a lovely shimmer to it and I decided against white snow spatters as I simply wanted it to look like branches against a clear night sky (not sure I've succeeded!)

The sentiment is from SU.

Still a couple more cards to write which I am going to do today and then maybe I shall make a few more - might as well start on next year's!

We will be remaining in the highest restriction Tier once our National lockdown finishes tomorrow. I have a feeling that I may well be buried under what my friend describes as a massive 'cardalanche' by the time our restrictions are finally lifted.
Hope the sun is shining where you are too. x
Linking up with -

Mix It Up - A/Goes plus CAS
Merry Little Christmas - A/Goes
TIOT - Winter Wonderland
Country View - A/Christmas