Recycled bits and bobs.

I am behind with my Bakers Dozen for this Months christmas card stash so I looked at what was still out on my desk and before tidying it away decided to see how many cards I could make from the bits and bobs. 

First Card.

When I have small bits of design paper left over I make panels up with the strips and then I have ready made backgrounds to either use as panels on a card or to die cut shapes and sentiments from.  This card has an already made up panel and a sentiment that I salvaged from a shop bought card I had received. Too nice to just  throw out. We had a box of old decorations up in the loft that The Doc brought down and before disposing of them  I went through and salvaged any bits and bobs suitable for putting on cards. The poinsettia came from a 9" high christmas tree that had seen better days.

Second Card.

Another already made up panel of blues/greens/turquoise papers that I teemed up with silver and Turquoise backing card to make the base card. The sentiment I salvaged from a shop received card and the ribbon, gems and snowflakes were found in my stash. Everything was layered up for 3D dimension. 

Third  Card.

Again using an already made up panel of browns/creams/burgundy design paper oddments. The Merry Christmas was hanging on the 9" christmas tree already mentioned above. It had two holes at the top that ribbon had been looped through and looked a bit odd as not part of the wording. I solved the problem by stickinga gem over each hole. I also  found an oddment of ribbon that matched the burgundy in the papers.  This is quite a small card being only 4.75" x 3.5" but it still packs a punch. 

Fourth Card.

Again an already made up panel of pink/burgundy/brown and red spotty papers and a sentiment die cut from another panel  using a Tonic Die.  The gems/flower and oddment of ribbon were gathering dust on my desk. All layered up onto larger pieces of card stock to make a bigger card. 

Fifth Card.

A long narrow one this time as the panel I had was that shape . I had an oddment of bakers twine on my desk so wrapped it around the panel before layering up with plain cardstock and sparkly card.  The sentiment was from a received shop bought card and the gems I found in my stash. 

 

I am still getting over the vaccine. Like a few other people I have heard  from, I got flu like symptons about 8 days after my initial reaction. Runnng nose/wet eyes and just could not get warm no matter how much clothes I piled on. The Doc felt rough too about the same interlude from his jab and  felt like he had been punched in the arm . He is still sporting a bruise on his arm the size of a large grape.  I had no reaction at the point of entry on my arm so it really is affecting people differently.  It is the only way forward though if we are to have any chance of overcoming this pandemic. 

Inside Out Card

Sorry for the delay in publishing this next challenge. I really do not want another week like the last one and dread having to go through it all again in 10 weeks time to have my second vaccination done but needs must .( Never had such a bad reaction before and I certainly do not want to experience the real thing if that was the vaccine trying to teach my system what to expect in the event.) Everyone is different though so please when your turn comes to have the vaccine go and have it done. It is the only way forward out of this Pandemic.

We are at the start of another Butterfly Challenge and we are on the letter I. 

#152 Spin The Butterfly Wheel with I for Inside Out Card. 

  Your 6  elements are:

Inside Out Card/Ivory/Iceberg/Inch Worm/Inking

+your Butterfly.

n.b.   Iceberg = very light blue

Inch Worm = pale green

Inking  = use distress ink or marker pens to colour with.

There really is only one version to making this card and I have put the tutorial for it over on the card shape tab on the Butterfly Blog. Once you have the concept of how the card is made it is very easy to do but you do need to see the tutorial first  for the full explanation.  

I have 2 examples here to show you. 

Card 1 using Inside Out Card/Inking/Iceberg/Inch Worm/Ivory/Butterfly.

This is the front of the card.

When you open the card up you see this. It is very intriguing! 

Side ways on view.

I have used a Woodware Sentiment stamp for the inside FRS137 and a Butterfly edging die by Joy Crafts.  Th coloured in butterfly on the front is Stamping ups  Papillon Pot Pouri. Design paper  is Simply British, Simply homemade a magazine freebie from several years ago and gems from my stash.

Card 2 using Inside Out Card/I/Iceberg/Ivory/Butterfly.

This is the front of the card.

When you open the card up you see this. 

Side ways on view.

The  digi design paper is by Pink Petticoat  'Dandelion Clocks' Blues. The Love die by' Crafters Companion' and part of a stamp and die set.  The Someone special Sentiment is by Woodware from their Just To Say collection JGCL560. The smattering of small butterflies were out on my desk from another die not used. I coloured one blue using my promarker for the front of the card. 

I do hope you will give this card shape a try.  The challenge is running for two weeks and will finnish on Tuesday 2nd Mar. 8pm (GMT).

Hugs

Playing in the Snow.

It is time again for the girls in the Christmas Card to show our next makes. It is with heavy hearts though  that we will be posting our cards today  as we have lost one of our own. Shaz lost her long battle against Cancer yesterday.  Rest in peace now Shaz. 

Lorraine set the theme this time which is Playing in the Snow.  I found these freebie papers in my stash going back to Dec 2015 from Making Cards Magazine by Hunkydory and managed to make 3 cards from them. 

I just layered and matted in different configurations using red and navy cardstock from my stash. Gems were from my stash as well.  

 Card 1 using the main sheet of paper and one of the sentiments fussy cut from another sheet. 

Card 2. Using mostly the sentiment sheets and image  that already had the border on it in the design. 

Card 3. I was left with 2 circle sentiments  with the same image on them and made the card below.  I cut the middle from one of the images and made an acetate window placing the  cut middle on the inside of the card. The acetate had snowflakes on it which I thought perfect as the boy is throwing a snowball.

Card slightly ajar. 

I am going to be short this month so will need to make a few more before the next show and tell. 

Thankyou to you all for your well wishes. I have never had such a drastic reaction from a vaccination  before. I was advised to not have the Pfizer  one for this very reason due to all my allergies  with certain drugs so am not looking forward to having the second dose in 11 weeks. I am slowly feeling back to normal after being out of it for 72hrs.  The Doc had his vaccine on the same day albeit at a different location. He was supposed to have the Pfizer but they had run out by the time of his appointment and so ended up having the same one as me. 

More Bones

Well where did that week just go to. I looked under the sofa in case it was hiding!! Started with my  visit to the dentist and at last six months later I can say I have a full set of teeth again. The new front tooth was fitted without having to file the teeth down either side and it is a good match.  Shame that I still have to wear a mask when I go out!  Just got to get used to my mouth  having so much metal screwed into it. 

We both have our covid vaccinations  finally  sorted for next week albeit mine is at a Pharmacy (as I have to have the Oxford one due to all my allergies and The Doc is having the Pfizer one at the local hub via his G.P. surgery.  Throw in searching for a food delivery slot and I feel like I have been glued to my computer 24/7.

Here are a few more Herringbone cards for inspirations for the current Butterfly Challenge which ends next Tuesday 9th Feb.8pm (GMT).

This first card uses a panel of herringbone. I have a tutorial on how to make  over on the Butterfly Blog on the Card shapes tab. This is Version IV.

From the wheel I have used Herringbone/ Hemp/Hansa Yellow/Hazel/Butterfly.

The herringbone design lends itself perfectly to being a Tri Fold Card.

 

I have used design  papers and hemp from my stash. The butterfly stamp was a freebie from Craft Stamper Magazine Aug 2012 and coloured used my Promarkers.  

 Sentiment by Kaisercraft, the larger die cut frame is a Sizzix thinlits and the smaller a magazine freebie.

Second card is a panel of  Random Broken Herringbone. Again I have written a tutorial for it over on the Butterfly blog. You will find it under Version V

From the wheel I have used. Herringbone/Hemp/Heat Wave/Hansa Yellow/Hazel/Butterfly.

The butterfly stamp is by Stampography and coloured using my Promarkers. Fussy Cut and mounted onto a label die cut by Sizzix and a 2" circle punch.  Sentiment by Kaisercraft. 

Last card is a variation of Version I (again over on the butterfly blog card shapes page) but uses solid blocks of colour opposite one another. I have divided the sections up using a butterfly washi tape from my stash. The label  shape is an SU Punch and the sentiment is by Julie Hickey.

All of the UK goodie bags have been sent out now and I am starting on the International ones .  This click and drop  with the Post Office is certainly a learning curve as the first  one to USA went out wrong. I hadn't enabled the button for printing off the CN 22 Customs Declaration  labels so had to do it manually. My good buddy Miss Di soon sorted me out though. Thanks Di. 

Stay safe

Hugs

Ring The Bells

It is my turn to set the theme for the girls over at the Christmas card club so I made sure I was bang on time today.  I have chosen Bells as we don't seem to have used those for quite a while. In fact the one  digi image I have is from a Lady Anne's   Progressive challenge way back in May 2013 and I think I have only used it once more since then! I found some silver sticker bells in my stash and then I bought a further 2 digi images from Etsy shops that caught my eye. 

Card 1 using the image by Priscilla Styles from the progressive challenge but  neither Prisciulla's blog or the challenge are current anymore. 

I decided to make easel cards and this one uses circle dies from Clarity Stamps to make the base and cut the image out which is a circle design  anyway. 

Colored using my Graph'it pens, silver gel pen and silver glitter glue.  The Merry Christmas is a Tonic die cut using silver glitter card. 

Entering this card into the following challenge:

Fezziwigs Festive Frolics # Anything festive goes. 

Card 2  using a digi image  called Bells and Holly by 'A Creative Need'. Coloured again using my Graph'it markers, Gold gel pen and gold stickles glitter glue.  The sentiment is a stamp by  Woodware embossed with gold powder. Gold glitter cardstock used on the base card. 

Card 3  using a digi image called Jingle Bells 3 by' Hellens Ar't. I have used a' Press - Cut ' Scalloped Edge die cut for the layers. The sentiment is by Dovecraft and embossed in gold powder. The image coloured using my graph'it pens, gold gel pen and gold stickles glue.  The jingle die cuts are by Xcut. Gems from my stash. 

Card 4  using  silver stickers I found in my stash so I made a monochromatic card with them. The large Merry Christmas die is by' Sweet Dixie' and cut using silver holographic paper which I had adhered to plain card stock before cutting out.  If you look closely you can see that the stars came from the inside of the bells. I used another one on the inside  of the card. 

This last card is to enter into Mo's January Rudolph Challenge using a recycled christmas card front.

I have challenged myself this year to not only make 12 christmas cards per month Jan -Nov but to also do one extra one each month using the 12 days of christmas as my theme. January is 'A Partridge in A Pear Tree' which this card is perfect for. 

 I have used a First Edition Nesting Stamp die cut for the layers and drop shadowed them by offsetting slightly and using scraps of cardstock glued beneath to give the extra height needed. (I rarely use 3D pads anymore, only for very small items such as flowers.  I have drop shadowed the sentiment too which is by Tonic. 

I am pleased to say I have managed my Bakers Dozen for January. Yay!!.

Stay Safe and Well

Hugs 

Herringbone

We are at the start of another  butterfly challenge and this time we are on the letter H. 

#151 Spin The Butterfly Wheel with H for Herringbone. 

These  colours are well out of my comfort zone but  I have tried to show them off to avantage in my inspiration cards for you.  The colours do all exist on the spectrum wheel.  Whilst researching for this style of card I came across several more  unusual ways of making the herringbone and have included these in the tutorial page over on the Butterfly blog.  I will show  more variations  next week. 

First card is showing  Version I. which I am calling the Classic  Herringbone Card Design.

Using the following from the wheel.

Herringbone Card/Hemp/Heat Wave/Hansa Yellow/Hazel/Butterfly

3 of the design papers used are from a paper pad from Hero Arts called Serenade and purely by chance the butterfly is also digi image  by them in their  Winged Friends collection  'Colias Cesonia'. DK032. I have used hemp string to make the attena.

I have used strips of paper cut  very thinly ( approx one eighth inch or 4mm). The sentiment is by Julie Hickey.  Hazel and Orange design paper for the base card from my stash. 

Second card is showing  Version II. which I am calling  3 Bar Herringbone.

Using the following from the wheel.

Herringbone Card/Hemp//Hansa Yellow//Butterfly

Now you do not have to use all the colours on your card and can add in other splashes of colour to compliment. Here I have just used the Hansa Yellow (Sand) and brightened with turquoise and greens. The papers are all from My Minds Eye pads  'Indie Chic NutMeg ' and 'Now and Then'.  The hemp butterflies are from my stash along with the string. Sentiment is by Julie Hickey.

Third card is showing  Version III. which I am calling  Quilters Herringbone.

Using the following from the wheel.

Herringbone Card/Hemp//Hansa Yellow//Butterfly

I have used a paper pad from Dovecraft called 'Nature'a Grace. which has delicate purple itsy butterflies on it. This uses small squares of paper cut in half to form the design.  Base card is made from yellow cardstock and the sentiment is by Julie Hickey. 

Hope I have inspired you to play along . Thankyou to everyone who played in the last challenge. You inspire me to keep going.

Stay Safe.

Even with the vaccine imminent

we are not out of the woods yet. 

Hugs

More Gaps

Well what a week that was. Firstly the next visit to the Dentist where he had to unscrew the titanium bolt and then check new bone growth was okay. He then took the impressions for the new cap. Of all the prodeedures to date that was the most uncomfortable. If anyone has had a mold of their teeth taken you will know what I mean! Coming out of  car park afterwards The Doc scrunched his bumper against a pile of bricks he hadn't seen.  Spent the next few days 'Hunter Gathering' for replacement tubes (out of stock on one site) for my white light craft lamp. Then the china pot in the Crock Pot (slow Cooker) developed a bad crack right across the bottom so had to go on the hunt for a replacement. I now have a spanking new bright red one which I will be trying out  tomorrow as it has now done its 72hrs quarantine . Finding a food delivery slot has been the most elusive but finally managed to get one for Monday. Phew. 

In between that I have managed to write up another two versions of the Gap Card and they are now showing over on the Butterfly Blog  under the Card Shapes Tag so without further ado here is some more inspiration cards for you. 

Version III an upright card.

From the wheel I have used

Gap card/Gingham/Geranium/Granny Smith/Gold/Butterfly.

Paper is a really pretty digital one by Floraiumka. The gingham butterflies are a stamp set by Clearly Besotted which also has a matching die cut to go with it.  I die cut out three extra plain butterflies which I adhered inside the card for extra strength and it does look neater too. The gold stickers were in my stash. 

Version IV Double Gap Card.

With this version I have given you instructions for making it two ways.Again both over on the butterfly blog.

First card. 

From the wheel I have used

Gap card/Gingham/Geranium/Granny Smith/Gold/Butterfly.

Patterned paper was a magazine freebie from several yrs ago and the gingham paper was sent to me.

The Alphabet dies are by Julie Hickey and are a nice size to work with being 35mm high. Perfect for this style of card. Again I reinforced inside with white letters adhered to the backs.

Second card. 

From the wheel I have used

Gap card/Gingham/Geranium/Granny Smith/Gold/Butterfly.

Gingham paper a magazine freebie. The stamp is by Woodware called ' Thankyou Flowers' and is 5.5" tall so a nice size for linking the gaps up.  I have used a sentiment by Clear -2-You from Hobby Art.Part of a set called Roses - BK - HA012. on the inside of the card.

 Gold sticker butterflies from my stash. I have gold embossed the flower and sentiment in Wow gold.  I stamped the flower out first using black ink and coloured in using my Graph'it pens. Then I embossed over the top. Never done it that way before but I am pleased with the result.  Fussy cut out and then edged round using a thick nibbed gold marker pen. 

Thankyou to everyone who has entered a card so far into the Gap Card Challenge and your lovely responses to seeing the Butterflies being back   With so many of you entering  a Full House I have managed to put together another Top Prize. Not quite all the same items but the equivalent of so I have added to those already listed over on the challenge.  I am also going to pick a special draw prize for the entry that most catches my eye using the gap card. So all in all 5 prizes up for grabs.  The challenge is running for another 4 days and will finish on Tuesday 26th January 8pm (GMT).

Also in case you have missed it. there is another Word Search below. You are looking for Garden Flowers this time. Next one coming soon will be Dog Breeds. 

Finally, if you  are still with me I am slowly getting the Spot The Difference prizes out to you all . Sorry for the delay, partly due to getting myself organised/set up using online posting with The  Royal Mail (and the then ensuing learning curve) but each package  has a hand  made item enclosed in it individually crafted for each person. (I have done a lot of online stalking.!!) 

Stay Safe

and 

watch out for your 

NHS invite

for the Vaccine. 

Until then 

HUGS