Favourite 5 Christmas Cards 2014

Debby is once again hosting her 'Favourite 5 Christmas Cards'. 

I play along every year - and every year I have trouble picking 5 cards - not cos they're all my favourites but because there's such a lot I think I could have done better!

Anyway here goes with my 5 picks -

 My fave 'twiggy tree' die used every year for a lot of my cards, and a blue glass star which I've had in my stash for simply ever!

 One which I hadn't previously blogged - done on cream base card which is a change for me - getting the lines round the edges of the layered squares reasonable straight for embossing was a bit of a challenge!

Another White on White with a splash of colour and a few sparklies!

An image from the marvellously talented Mo Manning has to appear in every list of my fave cards!

And last but not least a  card which shows a stamp I used an awful lot this year - it's detail embossed beautifully and I made a lot of cards using different coloured embossing powders and spent a lot of time sticking on teeny gems in contrasting or coordinating colours!

 Looking back on this years I did manage to make my cards using different techniques - dies, embossing and of course colouring despite trying to keep those that I had to post very thin so it didn't cost a fortune!

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and thank you to Debby for hosting the Fave 5 again this year!

Soon be Christmas!

Have been at 3 County Presentation lunches in the last 6 days - all in the North of England, - Cumbria, Yorkshire and Northumberland -nice food, nice wine and nice company!! My waistline however is not so nice!! So 'eat as little as possible' this weekend - despite it being my own Club presentation tomorrow.

I relaxed on Wednesday by making a start on the dreaded Christmas cards. Have a commission for a few as well as my own to do so here's the first commissioned one finished - The little cutie is of course by Mo Manning and I think she is amongst my faves!

I coloured her with promarkers in a soft pastel green and highlighted her wings, leg warmers and bobbles with a touch of pale blue grey and some glamour dust.
 The background was done using a mix of blue and yellow chalks.

Cut out with a nestie, edges distressed and stickled then mounted onto the background - paper I think from Wild Rose Studio. Just distreesed the edge and again - out with the Stickles!

All the snowflakes are from the same Memory Box die just cut up using scraps of white sparkle paper (which doesn't show up very well here but it is really sparkly in real life!)!
 The sentiment was a freebie from a magazine, added some bright white ribbon and a couple of crystal gems.
Not heavily embellished really or too thick - so it will be OK in the post!

Challenges -
Red Rubber Inspirational - Focus on Stamping
Crafty Little Fairies - 1 Designer Paper
Inspiration Destination - Anything Goes
Christmas @ Sweet Stampin - Snowflakes
Crafting By Designs - Get Ready for Christmas
Pixies Snippets Playground - Week 147
CHNC Challenge Extra - Anything Christmas

Am off now to remove the trophies from the cabinet at the Club and get stuck in with the silver polish so all the winners tomorrow will be able to see their faces reflected!!! Have a great day whatever you're doing. x

Birthday - Crafty Card Makers DT

This week's over at Crafty Cardmakers Lin has chosen the theme of 'Birthday'  to celebrate our challenge's Birthday!
So we would love for you to join in and share your birthday creations with us - some great prizes from our sponsors - pop over to the blog and check them out!

This is the last one of my recent commission for children's birthday cards.

I think this little ballerina from Mo Manning is such a cutie!

I printed her out and coloured her with promarkers then cut her out with a fancy nestie oval.
Her tutu was liberally covered with some pink stickles and all the papers were from my stash.
Added some corner die cuts and some pearls and ribbon before fixing the greeting.

The inside is decorated to match.

I can only apologise for the poor color quality of my pics recently - I haven't found somewhere yet in the new house that quite matches the light of the window of the previous office and think that my pics look a little 'washed out'!

Challenges -
2 Sisters - Make it Sparkle
Paper Creator - Think Pink
Word Play Saturday - Birthday
Sister Act - Anything Goes
Crafting Musketeers - Ribbons/Pearls
613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes
One Stitch at a Time - Use a Digi


Thanks for stopping in - know those of us here in the UK are busy enjoying this fab weather we're having - so hope the sun is shining for you too! x

Blingy Big Birthday!

Had a busy couple of days but sat last night and finished a commissioned card.

Asked to make an easel card for a 30th Birthday, girly, pinky/bluey and blingy! Hope this fits the bill.

But what an absolute sod it was to photograph this morning - grey skies now after a couple of hours of sunshine - it was dry but very cold when we went for the walk earlier but now it's snowing!
And apart from anything else it does NOT make for taking decent pics -
But I think you'll get the general idea..

Pink Petticoat papers layered and stitched  onto pink bazzil.
The card had to be 'modern' and this image from Mo seemed to be the most suitable I had to use.

'Party Girl' was coloured with a mix of my favourite pastels and promarkers and cut out with a Nellie Snellen Die. I layered more pink behind it and stitched together.
 
The lace was from my stash as was the scrummy pink velvet ribbon and I threaded a little extra piece through a blingy buckle then added all the crystals and a couple of sparkly pins.

Finished with a PC generated sentiment, a few more blingy bits and some die cut corners.

Challenges -
One Stitch at a Time - Use a Digi
Bronte & Bella's - Anything Goes with a Mo image
Pretty Little Ribbon Shop - Birthdays
Crafty Ribbons - Anything Goes with Ribbon
Corrosive Challenges - All that Glitters
2 Sisters - Pastels
613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes
Pan Pastel - Girly 
Robyn's Fetish - Birthdays 
Fashionista - Pink 
Bunny Zoes - Girly

Whilst I've been typing this the snow has stopped and the sun has come out again! Weird weather...........
Stay warm and dry wherever you are! x