An early start!

There's no doubt that joining in Christmas challenges means less panic come the end of November. I did a few from the middle of 2019 and it was the first time in years I have not felt I have been chained 🙍to the craft desk churning out nothing but Christmas cards -  so I am going to try and join in again this year as often as I can!
The CAS Christmas challenge this month is to use a tag on your card.
So here's my card for the gallery

A blended ink background  (Cracked Pistachio/Peacock Feathers) on a scrap of card and liberally splattered with white acrylic paint was my starting point, then cut to a tag shape.

The sentiment white embossed and added some die cut trees.

I used a snow embossing folder for the card base and cut out another row of trees putting them across the card and added a torn scrap of paper. I gave this torn piece a liberal application of some Stickles but left the trees behind plain.

Used foam pads on the tag to pop it up and some Stickles on the trees on the tag. (None of the Stickles show up very well but it does have a nice sparkle 💎!)

The ribbon was hand dyed with Cracked Pistachio DI.

The photo taking really frustrated me as we have yet another very grey and horrible day here!

I'm hoping that  the forecast is correct and we get rid of these dark overcast skies as it would be nice to see some bright blue even if it's frosty!

Have a great day whatever you're doing! x

Linking up to

ABC Christmas - Die Cut/CAS/Embossing
Crafty Calendar - Add a Tag
C@SS - Add some sparkle

Large Stencil

 I used an Inklylicious Stencil to create my background, inking it in Shaded Lilac and Spun Sugar.
The stamps are from Inklycious and Lavinia and the sentiment stamp was a freebie last year.

I didn't have any really tiny tree stamps so the trees next to the Castle are simply the top of the Fir Tree stamp, after masking the bottom of the card.

I inked up the largest circle in the stencil on a separate piece of card and cut it with a circle die before stamping again.
A little bit of pink ribbon and my tag was created!

Autumn Glory

It's time for another challenge at Stamping Sensations and our theme is AUTUMN GLORY. Please please remember we are a STAMPING CHALLENGE so stamping has to be the FOCAL POINT of your entry
We have the fab Stamp Addicts as our sponsors too - a great prize on offer!

My DT submission started off it's life as a tag... but then I thought it needed to go on a card!!

I started off with a plain manilla tag, a variety of leaf stamps and Distress Inks.
I clear embossed the large leafy branches and the tiny 'dotty' stamp first then began to build up the colour.

Covered the whole tag with Dried Marigold then blended Ripe Persimmon and finished with Seedless Preserve - although this is purple it gave a lovely Autumny colour over the other inks!

Rubbed the whole tag with a paper towel and this allowed the clear embossed bits to stand out a bit.
Simply randomly stamped a few odd leaves, a tiny script stamp and the word stamp- used same inks with the addition of Gathered Twigs.
A wooden bark effect button and some twine finished it.

My stand alone tag looked a bit 'lost' so with ivory linen card I used a wood background embossing folder and just brushed the ink duster over it (didn't apply any more ink - just used up what was on the brush!)
Matted then put onto the card and popped a teeny wooden peg on the top.

Hope you like it - please go visit the Stamping Sensations blog and have a peep at what my teamies have come up with this month!
Thanks for visiting me today - appreciate you all! x

Close to Nature

Time for another challenge at Stamping Sensations - this month our theme is 'CLOSE TO NATURE' and if you pop over to the challenge blog you will see the fab prize we have on offer and some delights that the DT have produced to inspire you.  
TRUST ME - YOU WILL WANT TO HAVE A CHANCE AT WINNING THE A-MA-ZING PRIZE THIS MONTH!!
Please remember - WE ARE A STAMPING CHALLENGE - AND WE NEED TO SEE STAMPING AS THE FOCAL POINT OF YOUR PROJECT. 

I decided it was time for a change so I have made a large tag this month!
It may end up of the front of a card at some point...

Inkiness all over the place here.... Rusty Hinge, Old Paper, Antique Linen DI applied with duster brushes all over the tag first.

Script stamp from Indigo Blu inked in Vintage Sepia, stamped on an odd piece to remove excess then stamped onto the tag.
'Chicken Wire' stamp applied the same way.

Flower from SU's Butterfly Basics coloured with Peacock Feather DI mixed with a little bit of cosmic shimmer, a dab of orange in the centre, Forest Moss DI for the leaves  and then the sentiment stamped in Versamark Espresso Truffle Ink.
The word 'beautiful' was a stamp waiting to be put away and just laying on the desk - so I used it!!

The butterfly is also from Indigo Blu. Stamped, coloured it with a little  Peacock Feather DI then fussy cut. Popped it up onto the tag with 3D foam for dimension.
Finished it all off with a triple seam binding bow.

Challenges
Go Tag Thursday - Butterflies
Creative Stamper - Springtime
Craft Rocket - No Patterned Paper
Sweet Stampin - No designer paper
PB & More - A/Goes

Hope you will join in with us this month! Have a great day whatever you're doing. x

Debby's Fave 5 and a time to reflect

Following from the Fave 5 Christmas Cards as always there is Debby's Fave 5 of the Year. If I thought choosing 5 from Christmas was bad choosing 5 from the year has been worse!! But here they are (and there's a special message from me to you all at the end of the post).
Am also joing Mynn over at 'On a Stampage'.

First up had to be this baby card (original post here) - am not a 'baby' person really but do like frilly and fancy (sometimes LOL) so when I was asked to make a card for a special arrival I turned to Pinterest (again!) for some inspiration and this was the result

Next is another fussy one! I love this sentiment - think it's so true-  original post here

Ok - so this one isn't a card - but it does rank amongst my faves so have included it! - original post here

A 'man' card - unusual for one to be amongst my faves - cos let's face it, we all hate making them! - original post here

  I have this year made quite a few CAS cards - out in blogland many have perfected this art of CUSP ('Completely Understated and Strikingly Perfect'!!) and I have become an avid follower of several blogs who make these gorgeous cards. Here is a 'case' from one - original post here

So that's it - another year has gone past. I hope 2014 has been good to you but if it hasn't may 2015 be better. For me it has largely been a good one, some lows but many highs. 

Sad today as it would have been my darling Mum's birthday - I miss her every single day and it's particularly hard when you can't share the 'highs'  - maybe that's why the sentiment on the second card means so much to me - it IS the little things (like sharing a cup of tea with your Mum) that make life so big.

Thank you for visiting me this year and I wish you all a 2015 filled with the 'little things'. xxx

Tag

Having a rummage about in the lace baskets I found lots of odd bits which I haven't been able to bear to throw away - (I was obviously a squirrel in a former life) - I dragged out a few scraps and left them out on the desk  as I have had this idea rattling round in my head and wanted it all to 'come together' before I made a mess of making something -
- and the reason why I didn't want to spoil anything is the centrepiece - it was made by the lovely Caz and it came with fab candy stash which I was fortunate enough to win!

Originally I didn't want to use either of the two gorgeous hand made brooches from the candy pile - they're just too beautiful but it seemed a shame not to - at least this way the tag can sit out on display in my craft room and be seen!
So thank you Caz - and I hope I've done your creation justice!

I inked the tag with Old paper, Vintage Photo and Worn Lipstick DI, then randomly stamped some script over it. (Can't see this very well on the pic but trust me it's there!)

I covered the whole of the tag then with some old lace which had a fancy edge and stitched it, then just added more and more odd scraps, stitching them all as I went along.

The brooch was then pinned to the centre and I cut out a vintage pic and popped it into a metal frame, covered it with Glossy Accents and stitched to the base of the tag.

The 'believe' was another scrap found in the lace basket and I raised it up slightly by arching it before stitching the ends. Used some seam binding ribbon and more odd lace looped through the top.

Am putting this into Pixies Snippets Playground this week to earn some brownie points for using up odds and ends!

Thanks for taking the time to call in today - have a great day whatever you're doing.x

Other Challenges -
Creative Moments - Girly
Clear it Out - Anything Goes with Stitching
Fantastic Tuesday - Anything Goes
All Crafts - Anything But a Card
Glitter n Sparkle - Pearls and Lace
Crafts 4 Eternity - Anything But a Card
Crafty Hands - Shabby Chic
Fairies Challenge - Vintage
Pile It On - Feminine

A girl can never have too many!

I have been desperate to try and make one of these shoes after seeing so many beautiful examples on other blogs. Have to say though I didn't find this easy to do... think mainly because of the quality of the card/paper I used. My first attempt (which ended up in the bin) was done using quite heavy cardstock. This was real difficult to work with as I found it not pliable enough. Then I went to the other extreme and used ordinary scrapbook paper - too flimsy, no body at all and that too was consigned to the increasing large pile of paper accumulated from the attempts in the bin!

With increasing frustration, I resorted to basic white card and covered it with paper from the Papermania Regency range. As I started to assemble the shoe I remembered I had some slightly thicker pink card which had a lovely sheen and was covered in a rose design - I used this for the sole of the shoe which made it more substantial. I had a small round piece of foam about 1/2 inch high so I covered it with some stripey pink ribbon to make a heel!

The rose motif on the front was bought at the NEC - think it's one of those that you're supposed to iron on to something but it fitted well and I added a small pearl heart shaped button. The ribbons and lace were in my stash. I put together a small bundle of pretty lace, ribbon and fabric a pearl heart button and a pearl spray and tied it with an organza bow and slipped it inside the shoe as a small present. I finished the shoe off with an antigued and distressed tag with a French theme.

Close inspection shows that perhaps I could have been a bit tidier with some of the edges of the sole but overall I am happy with how this project turned out eventually.

If you want to see close ups of the front and the heel of the shoe they can be viewed on my Flickr account here.

Creative Inspirations is predominantly a card making blog but does allow other projects to be submitted, and their challenge this week is Lace, Pins and Pearls so have entered this. and over at Paper Sundaes the challenge is to use the colours Hollyhock, Crystal Blue and Sweet Leaf (or as near as you can!) - the rose decoration has 3 similar colours and there's also some ribbon in the pressie stash containing those colours so I'm hoping my entry will be accepted and finally Ooh La La's theme this week is open!

Vintage Tag

I made a few tags this morning to send to some fellow crafters instead of Christmas Cards and didn't think to take pictures of all of them before I put them in the envelopes! This is an extra one I made.

I think the background paper is Graphic45 and the image is printed onto cotton fabric. The vintage lace at the top of the tag was cut from a roll that was given to me recently. I thought it looked like a star! I put a gold star brad in the centre and messed about for ages with a single bead drop which I had taken from the same piece as the beaded embellishment on the bottom. It was the fiddliest thing in the world and sorely tested my patience in trying to secure it to the centre of the lace star - but I managed it in the end - it was only afterwards I thought that I could have re strung the beads and then stitched it onto the tag.............erm......!

I attached some more lace to hang from underneath the star and used some sparkly fibres for the hanging thread.

This is my entry into Theme Thursday's challenge of 'Vintage' this week.

Red,gold and green

Tuesday Taggers challenge was to use the colours Red, Gold and Green in any project. I am finding that entering these challenges ensures I don't shirk from the objective of the Christmas card making extravaganza that I am currently embarking upon!

I made this using gold card mounted onto cream cardstock then I glued the Christmas words paper (something else bought at the NEC) onto dark red card.

The tag came from a Paper Pizazz book and was the perfect match for the background paper. I tried to define the tag a bit by using some gold peel off's (not often they come out!! LOL) and mounting onto the same dark red card. Finally I glued on the green Christmas Tree - (love the swirlies on it!) and finished it with some ric rac braiding and red/gold organza ribbon.

Imagination

OH has 'man flu' and is feeling sorry for himself today - I have come outside to the craft room under the pretext of not wanting to catch his germs...... (well I thought it was a good excuse anyway!)

I have made this tag this morning as I had bought some stamps before I went away and hadn't tried any of them out, so I am sat here surrounded by a pile of 'virgin' stamps and also a pile of papers where I have stamped other images onto!

Stamps by Crafty Individuals, Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous and The Stamp Bug and the papers are Basic Grey. Little half flower and fibres from my stash.

I am submitting this for the challenge this week at Three Muses which is 'Numbers'.