Christmas makes

Hi Crafty Friends
Here are the boxes I have made for my class (which will be on Dec 13th). I don't normally do cute, but these were fun to do. Back in the summer, I got the basic idea for the tree from this blog. Many thanks to Joyzz. When I'd done it, it occurred to me, it looked a bit like a snowman, and that started me off - the menagerie is growing fast. I think they'd make great table favours, place cards, alternatives to crackers, or I might just fill them with little treats as stocking fillers.

Along the way, I redesigned the box part as well, so there's not as much cutting and folding.

Hope you like them

happy crafting

xx

Hi Crafty Friends

Here's a card I made ages ago, but I've just found the photo and realised I don't think I ever blogged it. I made it for a competition in a magazine, and amazingly, I won! My prize was to make some more cards for the magazine. They gave me the papers etc to make the cards with and even paid me, so for the briefest of times, I was an actual professional card maker. 

Apologies to those who have seen this, but I thought it was a shame my 'piece de resistance' was never on my here.

happy crafting

Christmas Cards

Hi Crafty Friends
I guess we're all pretty much into the Christmas card making marathon by now. I love it, Christmas cards are my favourites - all that bling I don't use the rest of the year.
Here are some of the cards I've been making recently

I used Ornamental pine by Stampin Up and I think the sentiment is Magenta

I'm really enjoying using overlapping die cuts and have made lots of these in various colours, so apologies for some repetition. Here I've used Marianne bells, Leanne foliage and I'm not sure who the embossing folder is by, but I love it.

Same basic idea here, still using Marianne baubles with Marianne pine branches. Love the pearlised copper card

 And here it is in white

 I've used Spellbinders borderabilities for this one, with an Art Kure stamp and Tattered Poinsettia die

 More Borderabilities

Yet more Borderabilities with the fabulous Spellbinders Heirloom Reflections bauble. The Merry Christmas embossing folder was lent to me by Glyn (thanks Glyn) and the embossed strip was a free folder with a magazine

 Here are some more of the Heirloom ornaments

 And in purple

 And red

 And finally a stepper card

Im currently addicted to making pyramid, or tree shaped cards, a small forest of which is growing along the shelf. I'll be back soon with some of them. In the mean time

Happy Crafting

x

Die Cut Christmas Cards

Hi Crafty Friends

Just thought I'd show you a couple of Christmas cards I made recently. 

This one uses a fabulous Memory Box die, lent to me by Trish (thanks Trish). I think I might have to buy it myself now.

I can't remember what make the tree die is, I'm afraid

This one uses my new Spellbinders Heirloom ornament dies and some Spellbinders ovals. I love the sentiment stamp, Just Rite Grand Christmas Sentiments  - a massive bargain at a craft show last year. The paper is also last year's, by Bazzill

Hope you like them, thanks for looking

Happy crafting

xx

Scallops a go-go

Hi Crafty Friends

I am delighted and honoured to be asked to do classes in box making for RWS. Here are the two I taught today. OK, so one is a basket, buy hey it's only a box without a lid. This month's class had a scallop theme

This was inspired by the box I keep my Christmas tree decs in. It uses one sheet of A4 and a bit of fancy partial die cutting on the top. I used a Go Kreate die for the top and an X Cut border die for the scalloped decoration.

I was pleased with how this pentagon shaped basket worked out. I'm thinking it would be good done in Christmas colours and filled with bags of home made sweets (fudge for preference). 

It was a lot of fun, just hope everyone else enjoyed it as much as I did.

happy crafting

j xx

Tickling the ivories

Hi Craft Friends

I enjoyed working with the ivory palette for the card I did for RWS, so I made a variation on it. This is for a friend's milestone birthday.

The frames etc are as before, but I've used a memory box flower die. I've made it slightly bigger, as I found some lovely paper for the backing layer. It hasn't photographed very well though.

Happy crafting

xx

back to die cuts

Hi Crafty Friends

After a quick foray into stamping, I'm back to die cuts. here's a card I did for RWS 

I used two Spellbinders frames (Radiant Rectangles and Elegant Labels 4) , a memory box heart and Go Kreate butterflies. I think the sentiment tag is Cheery Lynn. The scrunched up background is tissue paper.

Happy crafting

xx

Stamping

Hi Crafty Friends

I've been trying to get into stamping a bit more have have gone for a different look from my usual for this post. I've bought quite a few background stamps, and most of them are piled on here!

I embossed the compass and whacked on the Glossy Accents which took forever to dry. I managed not to touch it before it was dry (a first!)

I thought I'd make a congratulations on passing your exams card, and people as old as me will remember Hilda Ogden (she of the wall 'muriel') saying 'The world is your lobster' I may rethink the text as everyone I know who is taking exams is too young for this. But what to choose? 'Your dream ticket', 'your ticket to ride', any suggestions welcome

happy crafting

xx

Stepper cards

Hi Crafty Friends

I've been making cards for Cancer Research. They want 6x4 cards, which I don't normally do, but I like these little steppers. 

This one is for the registrar who was so kind to OH and me. It also fits the RWS Take 3 challenge: to include grey, circles and transport. (I'm counting the wheelbarrow as transport!)

happy crafting

xx

Hi - I'm back

Hello, Crafty Friends

As you know things have not been good here at Serendipity Towers, and I have not felt able to craft. but today I stirred myself and made this box for the RWS Take 3 Challenge. Here's hoping it's the start of better things.

xx

Scrabble - ing about

Hi Crafty Friends

I had two birthday cards to do this week, so I thought I'd have a go with one of my new masks. I'm not sure what I'm doing with them, so it's pretty basic, but I enjoyed the technique and am hoping to improve

Then there was the annual 'issue' of my brother's card, which should be like him: cool, understated and witty. Well, I can't manage that so I made one based on our Scrabble marathon when he visited. I photographed my ancient Scrabble board, recoloured it, and then spent ages stamping and cutting out all the tiles. I don't know what possessed me to make a letter rack, because then I had to make a box for it. Hope it's not too squashed in the post.

Happy crafting
xx

Up-cycling

Hi Crafty Friends
Here's my latest make for RWS, 3 of a kind challenge. This month the 3 things are brown, numbers and die-cuts. I up-cycled a Pringles tube and made a gift box. These are a great size for loads of different gifts - I'm aiming to make lots before Christmas.

And here's the tag - some of my friends will be 60 this year, so one of their pressies will fit it.

happy crafting

Treasure Chest

Hi Crafty Friends

I seem to be stuck on making boxes recently. Here is a little treasure chest constructed out of chipboard and  the centre of a gift wrap roll. It's been on my mind to do one for ages, since I tried one years ago and it ended in the bin. Still I needed a box for a gift so I persevered with this one. The metal edges are sticky backed foil, coloured with alcohol inks.

Here is the card I made to go with it.

Happy crafting
jx

Take Three Challenge February

Hi Crafty Friends

Well, the Take Three Challenge for this month was to have a Vintage look, using Violet and Velvet. This sounded really romantic to me, so as it's February, I decided to make a little basket for Valentine treats.

I drew a heart on copy paper to make a template, cut the pieces out of stiff cardboard and painted them with white emulsion paint (I really must get some gesso!). Then a bit of flattening later, I just needed to stick them together and get decorating. I made the flowers out of book paper.

Here’s what I used:

Stiff cardboard, white emulsion paint, patterned paper, book pages

White, violet and lilac cardstock

Velvet ribbon, pearls.

The lacy heart and the large flowers are made with Marianne dies, the leaf die is Spellbinders and the other flourish is (I think) Couture Too.

Happy crafting
By the way, I entered this into the challenge below, so if you like it, please pop over to this site and vote for me. (Just click on the heart in the top corner of my entry's pic)
Thanks
http://papermilldirect.co.uk/community/valentines-day-challenge-win-a-subscription-to-simply-cards-papercraft-magazine

DT Box

Hi Crafty Friends

I was so thrilled to be asked to join RWS design team. Here is my first DT make. I decided to do a small octagonal gift box for a birthday present for Kate (a Friday crop regular).

It was quite straightforward (in theory), but getting the octagon the right size was a bit tricky.
I used Spellbinders Labels 28 for the lid and base.

The challenge is called 'Take Three Things'. This month (inspired by Elvis) the 3 things are white, bling and music.

I really enjoyed making this, roll on the next challenge.

happy crafting

Embossing binge

Hi Crafty Friends

I've been having a bit of a blitz on embossing recently.

For this card, I embossed the image with my favourite (and now precious, since it's been discontinued) Patina Bronze embossing powder. I then masked off the background and sponged the strip with DIs. The frame is made with a Nellie Snellen corner die.  I intended putting a sentiment at the bottom, but tried several, but wasn't happy with them so I left it off. Any suggestions, as to what to do, would be very welcome.

This one involved several stages to complete the image. I inked the background with Antique Linen, and stamped the music and flourish faintly with Vintage Photo. Then I used a negative stamp (from Hero Arts) and embossed it with clear embossing powder, before sponging the flowers/leaves with Victorian Velvet and Bundled Sage

Hope you like them
Happy Crafting

New Year News

Hi Crafty Friends
Back again after a massive break - such a bad blogger, I know.

And back with a brilliant bit of news - Tracey has asked me to be on the design team for 'Running With Scissors' .  I'm really looking forward to all the challenges and just hope a bit of inspiration strikes.

I did masses of crafting in the run up to Christmas, and managed to make all my cards and gift tags (so no time for blogging).
here are some of my Christmas cards
This is the one I made for my OH - I love these cascade cards

And this for an old friend. Gorgeous backing paper and I embossed the bauble to match

I really enjoyed experimenting to make this card. I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder for the church and then Spellbinders labels 28 die for the aperture.

This is a bit of a different style for me, but good for posting.

A bit belated, but here's to a happy and crafty 2014

Jx