Traditional Christmas Card

Hi Crafty Friends

Here is last week's card I have to share with you. And it's another outing for my favourite Holly Frame die by Spellbinders, this time cut down to make a square. We've used the image before too, it's by Art Kure. We used the central section of a larger stamp, so the MISTI was in demand again as it was difficult to get a brilliant impression first time.
We lightly coloured parts of the image with Coloursoft pencils, and a white gel pen for the snow.
One new bit of stash in evidence is the red matting layer round the image. I had just decided that I needed a mat, but a plain circle die was too heavy, when lo! the postie arrived with some tattered lace dies I'd ordered, including this filigree circle one. I knew it was an essential purchase!!

A big thank you to Inga who brought some lovely Swedish home made pastries on Wednesday, but sorry I didn't manage to get a pic before we scoffed them.

Happy crafting
jx

Shadow Box Cards

Hi Crafty Friends

A few weeks ago, I got to play with Sue Wilson's shadow box dies - courtesy of my good pal, Debbie.  I really enjoyed using them, so I decided to have a go at DIY shadow boxes. Once I'd discovered my super strength extra wide masking tape (rubbish for masking) was excellent for holding dies in place, I was off ...
I raided my stash for rectangular dies, held them in place with the ferocious tape, and then had fun filling the boxes with images. it's a good way to use your small stamps, and it's also good for people like me who aren't terrific at colouring.

I made 2 examples for the club and put loads more stamps on the table so everyone could pick and mix to individualise their cards.

Here's what I made. The MISTI was great for stamping the silhouettes several times.

I've been to two craft shows recently and apart from stocking up on basics like cream card, envelopes etc, a few treats did fall into my bag! I loved watching the demos - especially at Doncaster where there were more of them, and had 2 great days out with crafty pals. So look out for new stash appearing in cards on here soon.
happy crafting
Jx

Die Cut Christmas Card

Hi Crafty Friends

Hope you're all having fun with Christmas crafting, now we're definitely in to Autumn. The days of being boiled alive in the conservatory are long gone, now we're into jumpers and heating. The last of the apples are falling off the tree, but everyone has been so laden up with them, they're refusing to take any more, even if I threaten to keep everyone in detention until they do!!

Our Christmassy feel got a massive boost when the lovely Julie (ace baker!) brought in home made mince pies and sausage rolls. Absolutely delicious. You can see by the gaps that we were making short work of them. Thanks Julie.

And here is another of our Christmas cards.

It'a another outing for the Holly frame die from Spellbinders. I love it, and as quite a few people bought it, after we'd used it last year, I thought we'd better do something else with it. The image (a die cut with added moon) is recessed into a series of frames, which are a lot easier to do now we have the matting basics rectangle dies. The deer is over a piece of silver metallic crepe, which has a fabulous texture I haven't been able to do justice to in the picture.

happy crafting
Jx

Christmas cards

Hi Crafty Friends

As ever, I'm behind with my blogging. I've had a great time away on my hols but now I'm back and trying to catch up. here are two cards we've made in class recently.

This one is a small stepper. It's a fancy fold I really like, and it's quite quick to do. The snowflake is, I think, Apple Blossom and the poinsettia is my favourite, Tim Holtz, Tattered Poinsettia

This was also pretty quick, just a bit of die cutting. The larger bauble is on acetate so it could be raised on foam tape, which I think gives it a lighter delicate feel. The border is memory Box, Frostyville border, and the baubles are Spellbinders. The sentiment tag is Sue Wilson plus another pierced oval that came free with a mag. So nice to discover they nest beautifully.

Hope your Christmas crafting is going well
jx

catch up part 2

Hi Crafty Friends

I had a lovely break on my friends' narrow boat on the Staffordshire and Worcester canal. Lovely scenery and a good time with my pals. Good weather too.
But it was soon back to crafting. This week we made this card

I've been keen to try out my new Die'sire card maker die. It took a bit of trial and error to turn it into an easel card without the fold showing when it's shut, but I'm quite pleased with how it came out. The flowers are an old Woodware punch with a snowflake for stamens.

Now for some more catch-ups. This one uses the same damask paper as the one above, but teamed with black, it's a different look. The filigree panel die is a Tonic drawer front die, from a set I picked up at a show for £1! bargain or what?? The butterflies are heat embossed on acetate.

Now this is a bit different for me. I used a layout from a magazine, sorry I can't remember which. I like the spotlight technique.

And here's another departure from my usual style, I've been thinking I need to ring the changes for the classes. I loved this stamp when we used it at Susan's class, so I had to think of something different to do with it. It's a very easy stepper. We embraced our inner 5 year olds to make the mottled paper used for the leaves and matting layer - blowing bubbles in Brushos and squishing them on the paper. Please don't tell me Mateus Rose comes in green bottles! We coloured the image with my new Inktense pencils and added extra glitter with Spectrum Noir glitter pens

Nearly there! What could this be? Is it perchance a lilac coloured flower?? See I can't keep away from  it for long. This is one based on one I worked out with my pals Debbie and Janet, adapted because I don't have the same stamps, embossing folder etc. I love the idea of colouring the background flowers /leaves then embossing over them.

Right I think that's it.
I'm off to Copenhagen soon - see you when I get back
Happy crafting
Jx

Class Catch Up

Hi Crafty Friends
Sorry, it's been so long since I posted. As you probably know, I have actual real work in the summer, but now that's over, I've got loads of projects to share with you.
It's August, right? so it must be Christmas in craft-land. I'd been asked to do a reprise of the Pringle tube gift box, gussied up for Christmas, so here it is.

And here's a close up of the top

I found the poppy heads on an unpleasant foray into my loft. I'd sprayed them gold ages ago, so it just goes to show craft hoarding syndrome may actually be a good thing!

And here's the card we made this week. We embossed vellum with Swiss dots, running it through the bug twice to expand the pattern, and then layered it over blue paper. We used Spellbinders matting basics for the frame, a Sue Wilson filigree background die, Nellie's Choice ovals. I think the Santa is Britannia and the trees, Memory Box. Very quick and easy, after the rigours of box making the week before.

Here's another, even quicker, version I made with an embossing folder that came with Quick Cards mag which arrived yesterday. IRL the background is the same colour as the other one. Who says the camera never lies.

I'm off on a couple of jollies over the next 10 days, so it may be a while before I'm back with part 2 of this catch up, but in the mean time
happy Chrissy crafting
jan x

Lily Card

Hi Crafty Friends

First of all, huge congratulations to all my lovely friends who just carried on crafting despite the spifflicating heat. What dedication!
On Tuesday as the conservatory edged up to 40 degrees, we decamped to the micro dot of shade in the garden. Luckily as there were only 5 of us, we could squash round one table and crafted al fresco.

June spoiled us with gorgeous cakes, lemon, and a fruitcake - delicious. Thanks June.

On Wednesday there were too many of us to fit in the "shade" so we just boiled!

And after all that, what have we been making?

First up is this card

As you can see, it's very dimensional. I was watching a vid of someone making pretty flowers with a die I DIDN'T HAVE!! (how did that happen???) So I had to leap (or stagger in my case) out of bed and make flowers using dies I had to hand. And these were the result.

  Then of course we had to make a box for it. I've left the tag blank, until I have an occasion for it.

Here's what we used:

Cream card, Papermill

Gold Pearlescent card, Ross paper

Patterned cardstock, from my stash (now defunct Crafty Bits, I think)

Green Card, Shades

Dies: Britannia flowers and ivy, Lea abilities, pine, Heartfelt creations stamens, Marianne corner die, Spellbinders Borderabilities, Go Kreate tag

Border punch Martha Stewart.

Happy (cool) crafting

Jan xx