Festive Greetings

Goodness me it's time for the girls to show our makes in the Christmas card Club. Rita chose the theme this time of Poinsettias. I love to see these on a christmas card and have several different stamps and digi images for them. Having said that though I couldn't resist buying the new Gemini christmas stamp and die sets. There are six in the collection and one just happens to be a poinsettia.  I used the Candle a few weeks back. I am still getting to grips with using the split dies and the jury is out on whether I like them or not. I have tried both ways now of first stamping and then fitting the split die round the stamped image (as I did on the candle card here) and today using just one side of the split die to first cut out the card base and then to stamp the image afterwards. I found this quite fiddly to be honest and as I have used my promarkers to colour with I  had to cut a further piece of card stock  to cover the bleed through on the inside of the card. The sentiment comes with the set which is called Festive Poinsettia. 

It needed the relief of the green cardstock to back the inside of the card with.

First picture showing the card front cut away using the split die. I do like the result it gave. 

Second picture showing the card closed flat 

I only managed the one card as it has been a full on week here with 3 September Birthday cards to send out all in the same week. Two for family and one for my lovely blogging friend Di. Happy Birthday once again for today. 

There is still a worrying number of deaths from covid being reported 

so we still need to keep on our toes.

Stay safe and well.

Hugs 

Slide and Lock

The  Butterflies are back with a brand new challenge over on the Butterfly blog.

 The letter  this  time is S. 

#161 Spin The Butterfly Wheel with S for Slide and Lock Card.

Here is the butterfly wheel to be used. 

n.b.  Shimmering blush = Pale Pink

and your Stitiching can be Real or faux. 

Without further ado here are my inspiration cards for you as I am already running late, life keeps on getting in the way at the moment. 

1st card using  Version I which is over on the Butterfly Blog  on the Card shapes tab which this link will take you straight  to.

I have used all six elements of the wheel and chosen real stitching which I created by hand using a double sewing thread.  The design papers are all by The Works and the sentiment is by Julie Hickey.

Below is the inside of the card opened up once the Slide and Lock mechanism has been removed. 

The stamped image is again by Julie Hickey along with the sentiment. Coloured using my Graph'it pens

to match with the roses on the design paper. 

2nd  card using  Version II and again using all six elements of the wheel and real hand stitching. 

Design papers are all by The Works. Sentiment by Julie Hickey and the butterfly is by Memory Box 'Terrace" I have hand stitched round the butterflies edge and raised up with 3d pads (I use strips of cardstock oddments adhered together, usually 3 strips is enough which I have used here).

Inside of card where I have used more hand stitching and the pink butterflies were already punched out and in my oddments box waiting to be used. 

I hope I have given you some ideas and that you will come and play in this challenge. The  Butterflies have a brand new garden to play in which I will be posting up pictures for you to see shortly if I ever manage to get the planting finished that is as I keep changing my mind where the plants should go!

Decisions, Decisions!!

Hugs to you all

and continue to stay safe and well in this strange old world

we are now finding ourselves in. 

Lots of Layers

Time for the girls in the Christmas Card Club to show your latest cards. Lorraine set the theme and has asked for Lots of Layers.  Life has been rather hectic this week with the start of the Front  Garden  Landscaping started so have resorted to using the Graphic 45 sets of christmas elements that I recently purchased. I have managed to make 4 cards using different elements and stickers to mix and match and am quite pleased with the results. See what you think. 

Card 1.

Made using a traditional tent fold layering up red and green card stock for the card and decorating the inside of the card to match.

Card 2.

Made using one of my much loved card shapes a  Joy Fold Card. Lots of different elements used to decorate with and raised up with 3d pads for more dimension and to make the closure tab. 

Card 3.

Another Joy Fold card and this time mixing and matching the red and green card stock with white.

Card 4.

Not my usual selection of elements I would go for but I do have a male recipient in mind to receive it.  I added gold sticker edging strips just to finish as I thought it looked a  bit too CAS otherwise. for the look I was wanting.  

The garden project is coming along but we are now at a stand still waiting a a replacement ton of gravel to arrive. It should have been here Friday but when they were loading the bag onto the the delivery lorry at the transport depot  the bottom of the bag split open and they lost the lot!! A replacement bag has been promised for next Thursday. My landscaper is not best pleased as he can't get on and do anymore until it arrives. 

Hugs

and 

Stay safe and well.

Leave the race to the beach for someone else. 

Candles

Time again for the girls in the Christmas Card club to show our latest makes. It was my turn to choose a theme and I have gone with Candles.  I have three cards to show each using a different candle stamp. 

I nearly gave myself a heart attack this week as I lost track of  a very big file on my computer and it took me 2 days of searching to find it. I now have it saved in 2 places so it doesn't go off galavanting again!!

Here are my cards.

First card uses a stamp by a very old company Dimension Fourth Ltd.  The paper is a scrap left over form another project and I stamped the candles using Versamark and Wow Silver Embossing powder. Backed onto a sheet of silver smooth glitter card and mounted onto a dark blue card base.  The sentiment is a silver sticker form my stash. 

Second card uses a brand new stamp and die by Crafters Companion called Cosy by Candlelight. I coloured with my Promarkers. and a gold gel pen.These were the very first marker pens I purchased and are still my go to choice to use. Gingham paper is by Trimcraft from my stash. Sentiment is part of the stamp set and I gold embossed. 

Last card uses a stamp by Marianne Design. TC0878. Again I have gold embossed  and I found the Noel already embossed in my stash. Mounted onto  Gold Mirror card and then onto a russet card base. Simple but elegant. 

Weather has certainly been changeable this past week. My tomatoes are getting nice and plump with all the rain. The bees have been very busy on my Lavender which has really taken off this year too. I'm planning on having the front garden/driveway changed in a few weeks time so have been busy lifting plants and stepping stones to new positions. Loads of bulbs need to be replanted so need the next few days to be fine and dry. 

First though I need to go and see what my friends have made using Candles on their cards. 

Keep Safe and Well

Hugs

Well We Made It!

Well we made it with no thanks to my Mum who gave us 6 months!  It is our Golden Wedding Anniversary today and the weather is more or less the same as it was 50 yrs ago.  Sunshine, Torrential Rain, Wind and Fork Lightning was the weather we experienced  on our wedding day. Today so far we have had the sunshine the wind and rain with lightning also  forecast for our area. 

Here is the card I made for The Doc which he has now opened so I can show here.

 

Papers used are green leaf by Tonic and a green metallic by Dovecraft layered onto gold cardstock   The fancy die cut elements are from Hunkydory and I have used loads of gold stickers to decorate the front  and inside of the card and the envelope too. The Stamped image is a really old stamp company which I heat embossed with Wow gold embossing powder. 

The window cleaner was due to come today but he has just  text'd  The Doc to say that the weather is too iffy  even for him!!

Off now to open a bottle of champagne which our daughter has sent us in the post to drink today.

Hugs

and continue to keep yourselves safe.

Rock On!

Time for a new challenge over on the Butterfly blog. 

#160 Spin The Butterfly Wheel with R for Rocker Card.

We are revisiting a card shape as I couldn't find any others beginning with R. I have found though  two new versions for you  which I will show next week.  

My card for your  inspiration is using Version IV from the previous challenge and I have refreshed the colours on the wheel this time round to make it different. You will find the first four versions on the card shape page which you can find here. 

This is a Side Stepper Rocker card. 

I have used the following form the wheel. Rockercard/Butterfly/Royal Blue/Russian Green/Rose Pink.

Design backing paper is from The Works.  The embellishments are a mix of Penny Black Stickeroo's and Graphic 45 cut outs. I think they mix and match well together.  Below is a side ways view to show off the stepper element. The only thing you have to remember with this style of card is to balance the embellishments evenly on each side of the card  so that the rocker is still central and will rock when tapped and return to its middle position when still. 

I hope you will come and have a play. None of the versions are hard to make.  Challenge is running for the next  3 weeks and will therefore close on Tuesday 24th Aug. 8pm (GMT).

Keep Safe and well.

Hugs

Stickeroos meet Graphic 45.

Not quite the theme set for the next display of cards from the girls in the Christmas Card Club but they were newly delivered and  out on my desk waiting to be put away so I dived in and used some. I am   using the option of anything goes instead of use two or more  Patterned Papers. In my defence  have used more than two, just not on the same card!!

Each of the four cards has a variety of  a 'Berry Delight'  Penny Black Stickeroo and a selection of Die Cut Stickers by Graphic 45 from their Christmas time Collection on them.

Short and sweet and another four cards to my swelling box of Christmas cards. 

Hugs

and stay safe.