Glittery Snowflake Christmas card

Hi blogging friends

Here is my last Christmas card from 2012.  I am sure many of you will be very tired of seeing Christmas cards and moving onto something else.  I know that I am uber-keen to pack away the Christmas decorations which I will be doing tomorrow and I shall be quite happy to remove the Christmas pine tree as it is madly decorating my carpet with pine needles.  Mind you, our cat Ruby has helped that process as she sits there and chews the pine needles - ick - they must taste horrible - but she loves to chew just about anything and I wonder sometimes if she is part dog!

Again, like my previous post, I CASED one of my cards from last year because I knew the layout worked.  It is an easy layout if you want to make quite a few cards and you just change the main image to make each card look a little different:  

The gorgeous glittery snowflake was diecut from aqua glitter cardstock using my Big Shot and Spellbinder Snowflake die.  So much easier than diecutting plain cardstock and adding glitter afterwards - makes it super-quick with no drying time unlike glitter glue, and far less messy too!

The white centre on the snowflake is one of the dies from the Snowflake die set and was diecut from plain white cardstock.  Hmmmm, in hindsight, I think I should have added glitter to it or diecut it from white glitter cardstock - oh well!  I added a red rhinestone to the centre which mimics the dots in the designer paper then popped the snowflake up on dimensionals.

The sentiment was stamped onto the Little Yellow Bicycle blue lace designer paper with Sapphire Silk pigment ink and heat-set with satin pearl embossing powder.

Challenges:

I am entering my card in the following challenges -

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge - CHNC #105 - Anything Goes - show any Christmas card that we haven't seen before or make a start on your cards for next Christmas.

Splitcoaststampers - Ways to Use It WT407 - New Year's Resolutions from 2012 - what was yours?   One of my Resolutions from 2012 was to use more of my designer paper stash and to use what Christmas stamps I have rather than buying a whole lot more.  I am pleased to say that (even though I didn't make alot of cards in 2012), I did really well on both counts - and everything on today's card is old stash.

So what are YOUR resolutions for 2013? 

I want to have a whole lot less 'stuff' in my house and, in fact, I have been doing a massive purge these past few months and got rid of lots of things; it has made me feel so much better.  By this time next year, I would like to be able to say how much more space I have in my house and in my cupboards - and already, I am seeing the results.  It is hard work and everything looks worse to begin with - quite frankly, a great, BIG MESS - but when a truck leaves with a pile of stuff, you feel so liberated.

Currently, I am going through my late father's LP collection.  Dad passed away in 1996 and I inherited his record collection.  I don't play any of them - they are not my taste - but it has taken until now, some 16 years later, to feel that I can happily donate them to charity.  A few LP's I will sell to a 2nd hand dealer and donate the money to one of the charities who has supported us through caring for our loved one.  I am now wanting to remember Dad in terms of what a wonderful Dad he was - not by keeping a whole lot of 'stuff' that belonged to him.  Grieving is a process and in my experience you go through different phases as time goes by.  16 years ago, Dad's 'things' reminded me of him; now I am ready to part with many of those 'things' and move on.  I think perhaps I was afraid I would forget him if I parted with those 'things' - now I realise that nothing can ever take away my memories of him as they will forever be in my heart.

My other resolution is to continue to use up my crafty stash of papers rather than buying a whole lot more, do more sewing and in particular, sew some little felt kits that I recently purchased.  I also hope to make Christmas cards all year round instead of starting them so late in the year. 

I would also love to be able to get through the day WITHOUT spilling some food on myself - it's a running joke in my family - tee hee!  I am soooooo clumsy and ridiculously unco-ordinated!  Always tripping over something or bumping myself or knocking something over.  A few months ago, I broke 3 of our mugs in the course of a week!  Last month, I superglued my finger to the kitchen bench and took off a layer off skin in trying to get it off - ouch!  Yes, I know that you use nail polish remover to dissolve the superglue but hello, I was glued to the bench and was the only one home - and the nail polish remover was in the bathroom cupboard...sigh....so I just yanked my finger off instead....   

Currently, I am sitting on my couch with my left hand covered in bandaids because I managed to prune my hand as well as the bush I was pruning!  I thought I would try out the new secateurs that we were given for Christmas.  Yep:  they work and they are really sharp!  But somehow I don't think making a resolution about my clumsiness will make much difference!  And just think of the colourful anecdotes I wouldn't otherwise be able to entertain my friends and family with!
Thanks for stopping by.  Happy New Year May it be everything you would want it to be!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Sentiment - Hero Arts Snowman Christmas clear set

Ink:   Colorbox Sapphire Silk pigment

Designer paper:   SEI Glitzmas - Frosty the Snowflake, LYB Delighful Collection - Blue Lace D-110

Accessories:  Big Shot, Spellbinder Shapeabilities Create-a-Flake S4-222 dies, Kaisercraft red rhinestone, dimensionals, satin pearl embossing powder, heat-gun, cardstock: white, aqua glitter

Hero Arts Happy Holidays - a Christmas card

Hi blogging friends

Not sure if you caught up with my last post but the weather was against me in the days leading up to Christmas (I photograph my cards outside and it was very hot and very windy) and I couldn't photograph my cards to share.  Anyway, we have had a cool change now and there is not a breath of wind which makes for much easier photography.

Whilst I am typing this, it is now the 26th of December - Boxing Day - and in Australia our stores have this weird tradition of Boxing Day sales.  Boxing Day is a public holiday but people have to work to open stores for a sale!  There are lots of people rushing around nabbing bargains according to the news and people lined up at the doors for hours (some even camped out!) before the shops opened so that they had first dibs on the sale items.  Sometimes people get injured in the mad scramble when the doors open as they are trying to get to the biggest bargain first. 

But you won't find me out shopping:  I couldn't think of anything I would like to do less than shopping the day after Christmas Day, fighting for a car parking spot and dealing with crowds of people hungry for a bargain.  Personally, I just don't understand it but each to their own and I am sure there are plenty of you out there who love the sales; I don't enjoy shopping all that much anyway.  I did go once with a girlfriend many, many years ago who ALWAYS went to the Boxing Day Sales but other than spending time with my friend, I didn't enjoy it at all and came home exhausted and grumpy.   Perhaps because I am a little older now and are downsizing 'stuff' rather than adding to it makes me see these sorts of things differently?  Traditionally, we just spend Boxing Day together with family and have a quiet and relaxing day at home.  And of course, this year after dealing with my family member's life-threatening illness makes that time together as a family even more precious - you don't get that time again - and life is so fragile.

Anyway, I am disgressing as usual.......onto the card:

I made this Christmas card to give my daughter who is as crazy about snowmen as I am!  I am not sure why I love snowmen so much - there is just something so sweet about them that makes me feel happy inside. 

I stamped the image with Versafine Onyx Black ink onto watercolour paper and coloured it with Lyra watercolour pencils.  I added some Fun Flock mixed with fine crystalina glitter to the snowman's hat then dotted around some White Opal Liquid Pearls for snow  I added two layers of hand-cut white glitter cardstock at the bottom of the snowman - which was really to cover up a black mark I had accidentally put there - but I love how it added some depth to the image.  Isn't it great when a boo-boo turns into something better?!  Here is a close-up so you can see the dimension:

I diecut some Snowflakes using my Big Shot and 3 different-sized My Favorite Things snowflakes dies.  I find my Big Shot diecuts the thick glitter cardstock much more easily and cleanly than my Cuttlebug which usually misses bits.  I added some Bo Bunny blue pearls to the snowflake centres.

The silver-edged blue organza ribbon was attached in 2 separate elements and the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy.  I added some fray-stop to the cut edges of the ribbon as organza ribbon frays terribly.  I added the glitter cardstock star that popped out of the centre when diecutting the largest snowflake to the ribbon centre which tied things all together nicely.

After all my work, I then glued the card-front (which I always make separately) to the white cardstock base the WRONG way so it became a left-hand opening card!  Duh!!  You wouldn't believe how many times I do that!!  But, I just cut off the blank cardstock side and re-glued it to a new cardstock base - the RIGHT way.  The only downside is that it makes the card quite heavy but that didn't matter in this case because I wasn't mailing it. 

We have been having a fun thread over at Splitcoaststampers where we are sharing our cardmaking mishaps.  Check it out HERE and add your favourite story (you have to be a member of Splitcoaststampers to be able to post).  It's quite comforting to know (in a weird sort of way) that I am not the ONLY one who has mishaps LOL!

Challenges:

I am entering my card in the following challenges -

The Squirrel and the Fox - Challenge #33 - Christmas
Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Anything Christmassy
Splitcoaststampers - Ways to Use It WT406 - Glitz and Glitter

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Hero Arts Happy Holidays Snowman K5522 wood-mounted

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black

Designer paper:  Echo Park Winter Park -WK23007 Mittens and WK23005 Snow Storm (used for the base and the scalloped circle instead of cardstock as I had no matching cardstock in the right colour blue!)

Accessories:  Spellbinder Circle + Scalloped Circle Nestabilities, Big Shot, My Favorite Things Die-namics snowflakes dies, Stampendous Cotton White Fun Flock mixed with fine Crystalina glitter, Ranger Liquid Pearls - White Opal, silver-edged blue organza ribbon, Fray-Stop, fabric glue, Bow Easy, pearls - Bo Bunny Jewels - Snowfall collection, dimensionals, 140lb watercolour paper, Lyra watercolour pencils, small round paintbrush, Cardstock - white + blue glitter, burgundy, white (for card base)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Hi blogging friends,

I have a couple of Christmas cards to share but the weather hasn't been kind to me this week - very, VERY windy and awfully hot - 39 deg Celsius or 102 deg Fahrenheit - YUK - and I haven't been able to photograph them yet as I usually photograph outside.  I am sure they would have ended up in my neighbour's pool if I tried! 

Anyway, I am sure you are all very busy with Christmas preparations so I will share them over the coming week or so. 

Thanks for your support over the past year and I look forward to being able to post a little more often as my loved one continues to recover from their medical treatment. 

Hope your Christmas is everything you would wish it to be and may 2013 be a happy and healthy one. 




((hugs))

Jocelyn x

Dasher - a couple of quick Christmas cards

Hi blogging friends

Sorry it's been a while since I last posted.  Time always seems to speed up once November hits; I am sure you know what I mean!  Good test results for my loved one has meant we can move forward although it is still very full-on at home helping them recover their strength and stamina.  Christmas will be an extra-special celebration this year as you can well imagine!  Thank you for staying with me and supporting my cardmaking/blog - and especially for your wonderful and caring comments and emails I have received from you over this difficult time - they have meant so much

Because I am so tired emotionally and physically and having trouble thinking after such a tumultuous year caring for my loved one, the cards I am sharing are similar to one I did last year.  Because I loved the simple layout, I thought I could play around with the basic elements to see what I could come up with to make them look a little different to each other.

I must admit, I have tried making a couple of other Christmas cards but got so frustrated in the process that I put them aside.  It was one of the those times where you stamp the sentiment crooked, smear the wet glitter glue and then drop the newly coloured image onto an open stamp pad!!  Grrr - I was so cheesed off - but then thought I should just start afresh and go with something that I know works and doesn't take too long.   I have had to buy (oh the horror!) many of my Christmas cards this year - fortunately people understand that I am very time-poor crafting-wise!  Anyway, without further adieu, here is my first card:

I stamped my favourite Stampin' Up! stamp "Dasher" with Versamark Watermark ink, poured on some silver embossing powder and heat-set it with my heat-gun.  I added a tiny red rhinestone to his nose so of course, now Dasher has become Rudolph.

I added a Scor-Pal line above and below the image and the bottom border was dry-embossed with my Cuttlebug using a border folder from the Sizzix Textured Impressions Christmas Set #6.  I love how the swirls in the embossing tie in with the swirly antlers of Rudolph.

The silver cardstock bottom border was punched using a Martha Stewart Arched Lattice punch.

I added some Fray Stop to the ends of the twine so they wouldn't unravel and look untidy (just me being a fuss-pot!). 

Now here is my 2nd card:

As you can see, I just made some minor changes.  Dasher is stamped with Colorbox Sapphire Silk pigment ink and heat-set using Satin Pearl embossing powder.  I used a different brand of red and white twine (it has more red than the 1st card) and the red cardstock bottom border was punched with my EK Success Scalloped Scallops edge punch.

Challenges:

I am entering my cards in the following challenges -

Splitcoaststampers - Clean and Simple 200th Challenge CAS200PARTYF - Inspired by a song - my card is inspired by Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as that is one of my favourite Christmas songs

Splitcoaststampers - Ways to Use It Challenge WT404 - create a card or project using your favorite things - my favourite things are everything I used to make my card:  my Cuttlebug, embossing folder, Dasher stamp, twine, Scor-Pal, bling, edge punches.   I think I have made more cards using the Dasher stamp than probably any other stamp in my collection.

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #103 - Christmas Birthday or Anything Goes for Christmas - obviously I did the 'Anything Goes'.

Simon Says Stamp Challenge - What's your favourite?  Tool, Stamp, Product?  I have used all my favourite things as listed above in the SCS WT404 challenge.

ABC Christmas Challenge - Y is for your favourite punch/die.  I have used 2 of my favourite edge punches - the Arched Lattice which I love for elegant Christmas cards and the Scalloped Scallop which is an edge punch for any occasion and is suitable for any gender card.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  How are you going with your Christmas cardmaking? Only 8 days until.......



Wow - where does the time go?!!!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe -

Card #1:

Stamps:  Stampin' Up! Dasher

Ink:  Versamark watermark

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Sizzix Textured Impressions Christmas Set #6, Basic Grey red rhinestone, Scor-Pal, red/white twine, white cardstock - KW Doggett "Knight", scrap silver cardstock, heat gun, silver embossing powder, fray stop

Punches:  Martha Stewart Arched Lattice

Card #2:

Stamps:  Stampin' Up! Dasher

Ink:  Colorbox Sapphire Silk pigment

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Sizzix Textured Impressions Christmas Set #6, Basic Grey red rhinestone, Scor-Pal, red/white twine, white cardstock - KW Doggett "Knight", scrap red cardstock, heat-gun, satin pearl embossing powder, fray stop

Punches:  EK Success Scalloped Scallops

Elzybells Teddy and Tree - a Christmas card at last!

Hi blogging friends

At last, a CHRISTMAS card to share.....and it's another teddy bear card LOL!!  Just a very simple design/layout as I do feel a bit rusty having not made very many cards this year. 

This very sweeeet little teddy is a retired Elzybells stamp.  Elizabeth Bell who ran Elzybells Stamps UK is now a designer for Penny Black Stamps and they have brought out a number of Elizabeth's designs over the past year so I am really hoping that they will bring out some more Christmas ones as I always get asked where people can buy the Elzybells stamps.  Please note that I am unable to stamp images to share due to copyright.  Occasionally I see Elzybells stamps on EBay but not often!  Anyway, I am digressing as usual.......

The image was stamped on Watercolour paper with Versafine Onyx black ink and watercoloured with watercolour pencils and a small round paintbrush.  I lightly chalked around the image with blue chalk and added some brown/grey chalk along the bottom of the image.

I added some Glossy Accents to the red baubles (not that you can really see it) and some Gold FlowerSoft using Aleen's tacky glue to the tinsel on the tree.  I had quite forgotten I had bought gold and silver FlowerSoft and found it when I was tidying up my craft room.  Here is a wee close-up: 

The designer paper is by Kaisercraft and is very sparkly and glittery in real life; you can probably see a little of the sparkle in my photos.

The green satin ribbon was attached in 2 separate elements and the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy.   I also found some jingley bells when I was tidying up so added one with some gold cord just for a bit of fun as the card jingles when you shake it.  I added Fray Stop to the ribbon and cord ends to stop them from fraying.

I could have gone crazy with lots of embellies but wanted to hold back on them because I might give this card to my husband as he is the sort of guy who doesn't mind cute images like teddy bears and a bit of glitter or sparkle - but obviously I wouldn't tizz a card up too much for him.

Challenges:

I am entering my card in the following challenges -

Crafty Catz Challenge Blog Challenge #159 - Make it sparkle  I hope the glittery designer paper and the gold FlowerSoft is sparkley enough

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #99 - use something more than 6 months old   Everything on my card is more than 6 months old.

Winter Wonderland Challenge - Oh Baubles! - make any Christmas project with baubles.

My loved one has a swag of medical appointments this coming week so I probably won't be posting again for a week - plus we are waiting on some test results which we get this coming Monday.  Hopefully, all the results will be good as there is nothing to indicate otherwise yet it is hard not to be nervous about them. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fab weekend!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Elzybells Teddy with tree (retired)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx black

Designer paper:  Kaisercraft Be Merry Collection

Accessories:  140lb watercolour paper, Faber-Castell and Lyra watercolour pencils, small round paintbrush, gold FlowerSoft, Aleen's tacky glue, gold bell, Cuttlebug, Spellbinder Circle and Scalloped Circle nestabilities, Glossy Accents, Bow Easy, Perfect Layers Tools, green satin ribbon, gold cord, Fray Stop (for the ribbon ends), cardstock - red and green

Christmas Stitchery

Hi blogging friends - and welcome to my newest followers who have joined me in the past month or so - thanks for following me

One of my other passions is embroidery and stitcheries so I thought I would share a little Christmas project that I finished a while ago:

I bought this little kit when I went to a Craft Show (and them promptly forgot about it.....!) so it has sat in my stitchery box for goodness knows how long!!  The original designer was Melissa Grant of Giggle Buttons.  Giggle Buttons has since been sold to another lady and the Giggle Buttons trading name no longer exists and is now called CheraBella Buttons.   Please note I have never bought from CheraBella Buttons so I am not recommending them - I am simply passing on the information in case you are interested. 

The Christmas Tree is a ceramic button which came with the kit and if you peer closely at the top, bottom, left and right sides of the burgundy diamond, you will see that I stitched on some tiny little gold and burgundy beads. 

I blanket-stitched around the burgundy hearts and the words were embroidered in burgundy stranded cotton using backstitch with a french knot at either end of the words.

The only things that didn't come with the kit were:  the border fabric, the fabric backing (I just used calico - from Spotlight), the batting (inbetween the top and bottom layers of fabric - from Spotlight), the wire hanger (from EBay), sewing threads for sewing the various pieces of material together (from Spotlight), and the mini green clothes pegs (from Riot Art and Craft - about $2 for an assorted pack of colours).

Finished size is 5-1/4" square or 13.2 centimetres/132 millimetres if you are metric.

Thanks for stopping by

Jocelyn

Wild Rose Studio Milton with card - a thank you card

Hi blogging friends 

On my last post, I gave you a sneaky peak of a card I had been working on and now that the recipient has it in their hot little hands, I can share it here on my blog:  

The recipient has been such an amazing support to our family whilst we have been going through some very tough times caring for our loved one since the beginning of February this year.  Words almost fail me to know how to thank someone so special who has sent tons of positive and caring thoughts and prayers our way; uplifted us when we were despairing; encouraged us and lovingly understood the emotional rollercoaster ride that you go through when a loved one has a life-threatening illness; and, now, at the end of our loved one's treatment and in the recovery phase which is very challenging and very full-on, continues to shower our family with love and ongoing emotional support.   We are so blessed to have this person as part of our lives!  

I LOVE this Milton Bear image by Wild Rose Studio - but that wouldn't come as a surprise to those of you who have been following my blog for a while as I am so crazy for teddy bear images LOL!!  I stamped Milton onto Watercolour paper and coloured him with Watercolour pencils and a paintbrush.  I used a white eraser to rub back some of the colouring to add a few highlights where I felt it was needed.   I added some Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue to the envelope and added some blue chalk around the image for the sky and brown plus green chalk for the ground.

The gorgeous designer papers are called 'Bella!' by Sarah-Jane Paperz (distributed by Fynmark Australia) have been in my stash for over a year and I originally bought them from Spotlight.  I have never seen any other dp's by this designer so I don't know if they were exclusive to Spotlight or not (??).   I really love the gorgeous, warm colours in the papers....happy sigh.....even my hubby thought they were beautiful!   The top left-hand fancy corner was diecut using one of the Cuttlebug Vintage tags dies and one of the dp's. 

The cotton lace on the side panel was originally white but I dyed it with a teabag to make it look 'old' and match the dp's.  I attached the lace in 2 separate elements and the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy.  I also added some Fray Stop to the cut edges of the bow so that they wouldn't fray.

I used my Perfect Layers Tools to matt all the layers with a 1/8" border.

Check out that gorgeous brad which is also by the same dp company!  Isn't it beautiful?!  The brad came in a set of 12 brads - some square and some round.  Here is a close-up piccy:

I still have the sentiment stamp (which is a clear stamp) on my stamping block but do you think I can remember what set it is from?  Nope - my brain has turned to mush....but I will update this post when I find out.  The sentiment panel was diecut with my Cuttlebug and Spellbinder Oval and Scalloped Oval Nestabilities.

I used my EK Success Arrows Border punch to punch some tiny hearts (they are the leftover punchies which look like tiny hearts to me) and glued them on around the sentiment then added a little bit of Kindyglitz to them.

I decorated the card inside to match the card front which should be self-explanatory.  I added a Scor-Pal line just above the mustard cardstock punched bottom border so that I had a straight line to butt my designer paper up against.

Challenges:

I am entering my card into the following challenges -

The ABC Challenge - A is for Appreciation - where they would like to you to make a thank you card or thank you gift for someone you appreciate, and

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes - with the optional extra of making a card or project for Christmas (obviously I didn't do that part of the challenge!).

I have a couple of other thank you cards in the pipeline for a few other amazing people; hopefully, I will be able to share them soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Wild Rose Studio - Milton with card - CL058 - clear stamp, Sentiment on card front - to be advised, Sentiment on card inside - Darcies #11872 wood-mounted

Ink:  Versafine Onyx black

Designer paper:  Bella! by Sarah-Jane Paperz - Spotlight

Accessories:  Perfect Layers Tools, Bow Easy, Cuttlebug, Cuttlebug Vintage corner die, dimensionals, Faber-Castell plus Lyra watercolour pencils, 140lb watercolour paper, small round paintbrush, Bella Bradz, Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue, fray stop, Scor-Pal, Spellbinder oval + scalloped oval dies, tea-dyed cotton lace, Kaisercolour chalks

Punches:  EK Success Arrows border (tiny hearts around sentiment), Martha Stewart Pinking Scallop edge (for card inside)

Docrafts Wellington Bear card kit - masculine birthday card

Hi blogging friends

Gosh, it feels like FOREVER since I last posted!  My loved one has been home from hospital for a few weeks now and I have had very little "me" time because they are needing intense physiotherapy and occupational therapy to recover from spending so much time in hospital this year (aside from other health issues and medical appointments that need attending to) so it has been very full-on.  But we are on the "up" side of treatment now so we can view the world in a more positive way and move forward which is good!

I thought I would share a card I made for my husband's birthday and being a big fan of the Docrafts Wellington Bear Collection, I reached for one of the card decoupage (paper tole) kits that I bought a little while ago.  I think Wellington Bear is just PERFECT for masculine cards for any age group and having the images diecut so you don't have to do anything except pop them out is a great timesaver.

After I popped the images out, I cleaned up the edges where there were little bits of paper dags (just me being fussy).

The card kit came with virtually everything you need:  sentiments, designer papers, cardstock cut to size, envelope - you just need dimensionals and anything else you want to add to personalise your card.  I rarely do a card kit exactly as the instructions as I like to put my own spin on it even if it is only something small.  I love how the card opens with just the chair and the designer paper on the card inside - hope you see that here:

I did actually cut the cardstock down to size because when I put the sentiment on the bottom, the card looked unbalanced so cut a bit off the top of the card.

I corner-punched the card as well as the sentiment panel, added aged copper brads beside the sentiment then popped the sentiment up on dimensionals.  Easy peasy! 

Here is a closer look so you can see the dimensions on the card:

Challenges:

I would like to enter my card in the following challenge -

The ABC Challenge - Z is for Zoo - where you need to use an animal or animal print on your creation.  Mine is the bear of course!

I must admit that I have been really missing having more time to play in my Craft Room - but because I get constantly interrupted, it isn't very practical and the only time I can really play is on the weekends when my husband can give me a little break.  But, hopefully, I can get a little more free time in the lead up to Christmas as my situation improves.  I am itching to make some Christmas cards!  I have been working on another very special card for a very special person - here is a sneaky peak but that's all I am saying.......! 

Thanks everyone for sticking by me and my blog - and especially for your lovely comments that continue to encourage me.

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  None

Ink:  None

Designer paper:  Docrafts - included in card kit

Accessories:  Docrafts Wellington Bear A5 card kit, dimensionals, aged copper brads by Printblocks

Punches:  Stampin' Up! corner punch

Docrafts Wellington Bear - A Father's Day card

Hi blogging friends

It was Father's Day last Sunday and here is a card I made for my husband who is a great Dad to our daughter:

Whilst I have been staying at hospital helping to care for my loved one, I have taken along some diecut paper tole images and put a few of them together.  It is so much easier and quicker if they are diecut as I don't have to do all the time-consuming bit of cutting them out which is great because I have very little crafting time at the moment!  My Aussie blogging friend Merry from MerryMade Cards and Crafts does lots of gorgeous paper tole cards and has been a great supporter of my blog right from Day 1 (thanks Merry!) and Merry's cards are what inspired me to get back into some papertole which I haven't done for a couple of years now.

The image is by Docrafts and is called Wellington Bear and I thought he was just perfect for a masculine card.  I layered him up using dimensionals.

The designer paper has been in my stash for ages and is by Basic Grey - Granola; I was really pleased how well it matched the image and it was one of those cards where everything came together easily - I love that!  The navy blue button is also by Basic Grey from their Granola set.  I sewed the button holes with some string.

When I was at Riot Art and Craft a few weeks ago, I found some really cool new rolls of various colours of textured ribbon made by Birch and I have used one of them on my card.  This one has the rather odd name of Pizza Box - My Best Friend.  I added some Fray Stop to the ends as it does tend to fray alot after cutting.  I thought I would do something a bit different with my ribbon as you can see inspired by what I have seen around blogland. 

I used my favourite border punch for masculine cards - Fiskars Threading Water punch - for the bottom panel then added a line above it using my Scor-Pal so I had an edge to butt my designer paper up against (it's easier for me to get it straight that way).  Not sure if you can see, but I ran the navy blue cardstock through my Cuttlebug using my Crafts Too dots embossing folder.  You can always click on the photo for a bigger look.

I thought about adding a sentiment but couldn't really figure out where or what shape - and in the end, decided to leave it off.  I guess I figured that having the writing on the book that Wellington Bear is holding really said it all.

Here is a close-up so you can see the layering:

Challenges:

I am entering my card into the following challenges -

Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Anything goes - 29th August

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Before I go, I thought I would share some photos of my garden now that Spring has sprung here in Australia!  I am so happy to see new bright green leaves on my Chinese Elm - they look so pretty against the blue sky.  How I have LONGED to see some blue sky; it's been a very long and very wet Winter!! 

My white violets have been delighting me with their fragrance and I love how beautiful their whiteness contrasts against their dark green leaves:  

My Spring bulbs have been bursting into life.  Here are some grape hyacinths that bring me so much joy each year with their beautiful purple colour (purple is my favourite colour!):  

My daphne has been resplendent this year and now almost finished flowering.  Their delightful fragrance fills the air as walk along our decking:

{happy sigh}......Spring makes me feel so happy!

Thanks so much for stopping by and thanks Merry for the inspiration behind my card!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  None

Ink:  None

Designer paper:  Basic Grey - Granola - Trail Mix

Accessories:  Scor-Pal, Docrafts Wellington Bear diecut sheet, button by Basic Grey - Granola, dimensionals, string, Cuttlebug, Crafts Too dots embossing folder, ribbon by Birch - Pizza Box - My Best friend, fray stop, cardstock - navy blue, American Crafts Kraft

Punches:  Fiskars Threading Water

Some more of my decorative painting.......

Hi blogging friends

Just thought I would share an item that I painted at a Decorative Painting Workshop a while ago.  I grew up in the country so we had plenty of chickens and fresh eggs.  I have fond memories of collecting fresh eggs on the weekends (I was at school during the week of course) and our family would often sit down to a lunch of freshly cooked eggs, a crusty loaf of bread and homemade butter, and I would always have a glass of rich, creamy milk from our Jersey cow.  If you don't know about Jersey cows, they give milk that is super-rich and creamy (not so great for your cholesterol but we didn't know what cholesterol WAS when I was growing up LOL.....) - ahh, sweet memories of farm-life.

So, when I saw the chicken workshop advertised at my local Decorative Painting store, I thought it would be fun plus I rather liked the Trompe l'oeil effect of the chicken's head.  If you don't know what Trompe l'oeil means, you can read about HERE at Wikipedia; in essence (quoting directly from Wikipedia) - "It is an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects exist in three dimensions."  Now my painting doesn't have a patch on other artists, but it was my first attempt and I was happy enough with my painting that I put it up on our kitchen wall.  We are always our own hardest critics, don't you think?  But as I get older, I tend to be more relaxed about these things and don't worry so much:  there are other more important things to worry about!  

The item was painted onto Craftwood (medium density fibreboard) using JoSonja acrylic gouache.  Once the painting was left to cure (ie: dry completely) for several weeks, the painting was covered with water-based matt varnish to protect it. 

Thanks so much for stopping by  

Jocelyn

Memory Box Snowflake Ornament die - embossed Christmas card

Hi blogging friends,

Sorry I haven't been around much.  I have been in and out of hospital with my family member like a yo-yo these past 4 weeks and have only been home a couple of days in total.  They have wireless internet at the hospital and I can log into their network via my laptop but frustratingly you cannot view any photographs because the hospital network firewall won't allow you to which means I cannot see anyone's cards that they are blogging - there is just a red 'X' there instead - plus I can't even sign into Google and therefore can't do any blogging or leave comments on people's blogs, catch up on my Google Reader items and cannot access You-Tube. 

I am sure it has been set up that way for security/privacy reasons and I respect that - I guess I just feel a little cut off from the blogging world and it would be lovely to look at your blogs + leave some comments or watch some crafting videos on You-Tube to take my mind off all things medical.......  I have actually been doing some knitting instead as I like to keep my hands busy and have just finished a scarf.  It has been great to do something crafty that I can pick up and put down in a flash if I need to - and as hospital tends to be one giant waiting room, when we go for all our medical appointments, I take my knitting along - and it's amazing how much you can get done when you are waiting!  I have also found it very relaxing and helps me de-stress and often I will do a bit of knitting at all sort of odd hours when I am staying at the hospital.   I promise I will share some photos of my finished scarf soon......

June has now become July and of course, that brings to mind 'Christmas in July'.  Because it is winter here where I live, many of my fellow Aussies celebrate 'Christmas in July' and the thought of sitting down to a nice, hot roast at this time of year is far more appealing than when we celebrate Christmas in the middle of summer!  And, of course, it is the perfect excuse to make some Christmas cards.

After seeing Sue Nelson (from her website Heartprints) use Memory Box dies for embossing, I thought I would give the idea a whirl using one of my Memory Box dies and this is what I came up with:

You can see Sue's card sample at this link HERE.

I love how it looks and it has given me a whole new way of using these dies.  I used my Cuttlebug with the following sandwich (from bottom up):

A plate

B plate

1 piece of scrap cardstock (used as a shim)

Spellbinders Tan embossing mat

Memory Box die face up

white cardstock (that I was embossing)

B plate

which is the same sandwich I use for embossing with my Spellbinder Nestabilities.

Sue Nelson uses a totally different sandwich in her Cuttlebug and uses a Cuttlehug plate as well and I would recommend that if you are going to have a play, that you err on the side of caution with the size of the sandwich - and never, EVER try and force it through.  If the sandwich doesn't start to go through easily, then stop or you might break your Cuttlebug.  I played for about half an hour before I found the sandwich I was happy with - plus my machine is over 3 years old and seen ALOT of use and is quite "loose".  You may not need a shim for your Cuttlebug if it is new.

The die I used is called 'Snowflake Ornament' - so pretty - to which I added 3 silver rhinestones - gotta have some bling somewhere on my card LOL!   The silver cord was added in 2 separate elements, ie: I glued a piece down to the top of the ornament then tied a bow using a separate piece of cord and glued that on top.  I added some Fray Stop to the ends of the cord so it wouldn't fray.

I added a silver Merry Christmas Sticker (haven't used them for quite a few years!).  Just a tip to get the sticker on straight - draw a faint pencil line then align your sticker with it and don't forget to rub out the line afterwards!

I backed the main panel with silver Mirri card (bit hard to capture the silvery-ness with the camera) then onto the white cardstock base which was embossed using one of the snowflakes 5" x 7" folder from the Cuttlebug Winter Wonderland set.  Finished card size is metric 127mm x 127mm or imperial 5 inches x 5 inches.

Challenges:

I am entering my card in the following challenge -

The Squirrel and the Fox Christmas card - Challenge #21 - Christmas in July

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps, Ink and Designer paper:  None!

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Memory Box Snowflake Ornament die, silver cord, Kaiser silver rhinestones, Snowflakes embossing folder from Cuttlebug Winter Wonderland set, silver Merry Christmas sticker, Perfect Layers tools, cardstock:  white, silver mirror

Aaahh, how good it is to be a cat!

Hi blogging friends,

Just had to stop by and share this photo of our cat Ruby lazing in front of the open fire yesterday afternoon.  Doesn't she just look soooooo relaxed? 

Aaah, how good it is to be a cat!!

Thanks so much for stopping by

Jocelyn

Penny Black Garden Friends birthday card

Hi blogging friends  

Long time no blog!   My loved one had another scheduled operation, was home for less than 24 hours and then became very sick with viral gastro so they were admitted to hospital and stayed for quite a while.  Thankfully, they were released yesterday and it is sooooo nice to be home:  there is nothing like your own food, bed and 'stuff'!  I guess it makes you appreciate those things even more when you are away!!  Anyway, it was nice to have a little bit of crafty time today..........

My daughter's 9th birthday isn't until July but the way the time is flying by and my general extra-busyness of running to and from medical appointments, I thought I had better make it whilst I had the opportunity.

I have seen a few cards around blogland that have the main image framed, and in particular, by a white frame so that is what inspired this card.  

I used 3 different Penny Black stamps to create my scene:  the bunny/bird are from the Garden Friends clear set, the butterfly is from the Critter Party clear set and the sentiment is from the Tiny Wishes clear set.  I did actually stamp the butterfly twice:  once on the cardstock base and again on a piece of scrap cardstock which I cut out and popped on top of the base image to give it a little dimension.  I drew in the dotted lines with a Zig Millenium .005 black pigment ink pen. 

All the images were coloured with Prismacolor + Derwent Coloursoft pencils plus Odourless Mineral Spirits using paper stumps.  I added Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue to the flowers and the butterfly's wings.

I lightly chalked around the image with blue chalk for the sky and green chalk for the grass.

I made my own pink glitter cardstock for the sparkly heart next to the sentiment by using the same colour pink cardstock layer and rubbing a small section of it with a Versamark pad then poured on some Polysparkle clear embossing powder then heat-set it.  Then all I had to do was punch 2 hearts (I have a double layer of hearts just to add a bit of extra-dimension) using a Martha Stewart Looped Hearts edge punch (they are the leftover punchies after using the punch).  To see my tutorial on making your own glitter cardstock, click HERE (just scroll down a little on the post).

Here is a wee close-up:

The white lacey frame was made using a Marianne Craftables die (I cut the inside square with a craft knife) and the large white square scallop frame was made using a Go Kreate Scallop Square die.

I ran the pink cardstock through my Big Shot using the Crafts Too Sweet Flowers embossing folder but by the time I cut it to just the size I wanted and corner-punched it, you could barely see the embossing!  Oh well......it adds a teeny-tiny bit of texture I guess.......

Challenges:

I am entering my card in the following challenges - 

Penny Black and more at Allsorts - June Challenge - open theme of using your favourite things (mine is my favourite brand of stamps - Penny Black - diecutting, pencils and dry embossing).

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything goes - with optional extra of making card for Father's Day or for a boy/man (obviously I didn't do that option).

Well, I think I might go and have a nap.  I didn't get much sleep in hospital with all the noise and now that I am home and relaxing, I feel totally exhausted.  It is cold and foggy today (so much for the predicted sunny afternoon) and we have the open fire going so I won't feel a bit guilty curling up on the couch with our cat!

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black clear stamp sets - Garden Friends 30-021, Tiny Wishes 30-026, Critter Party 30-013

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo black, Versamark Versamagic

Accessories:  Big Shot, Go Kreate Scallop Square die, Marianne Craftables die CR1203, Polysparkle embossing powder, heat-gun, Prismacolor + Derwent Coloursoft pencils, OMS, paper stumps, Zig Millenium .005 black pigment pen, Perfect Layers Tools, Kaisercolour chalks, Kindyglitz Crystalina, cardstock - KW Doggett 'Knight' white, rose pink

Punches:  Stampin' Up! corner, Martha Stewart Looped Hearts edge

Penny Black: A Bunch of Love Stickeroos bookmark + card

Hi blogging friends

When I went to a Craft Show late last year, I picked up some gorgeous Penny Black Stickeroos which I have had sitting in my stash and then about a month ago, I picked up a copy of the February edition of the UK mag "Quick Cards made easy" at my local newsagent and was totally inspired by Katina Killey's article on using stickers to make cards.   Katina made 10 cards using the Helz Cuppleditch Neighbourwood sticker collection of foxes, mice, owls etc. Wow - they were so gorgeous! Katina has a blog too called "Katina's Cards and Chat" which I discovered last year and I just LOVE Katina's style of cards.   But the cards Katina does for the mag are not on her blog - you will have to get the mag to see them (not that I could see anyway - correct me if I am wrong).   

I am sure that many of you have stickers sitting in your stash unused but too good to throw away just like me - so go and dig them out and have a play!   I decided to make some quick and easy bookmarks (I will just share one now and the others on another post) and then made a matching card - a fun little gift set which you could use for lots of occasions such as birthday, Mother's Day, friendship, etc.  Once I worked out how to make a bookmark (I have never made one before), it was easy peasy to make a couple in one sitting and I just changed things up a bit with each bookmark by using a different border punch and embellies.   The Penny Black stickers are really great quality stickers and I love how the sticker edges just seem to blend into the cardstock. The sticker sheet that I used has around 17 stickers which is great value for only a few dollars.

I love, love, LOVE the designer paper I used on my projects.  It is by Echo Park:  A Country Drive (6 x 6 pad) and the colours on all the pages are right up my alley.  I will have to try and get a few more pads before they become too scarce!

Bookmark:

I lightly chalked underneath the hedgie sticker with green chalk so it looked like a bit of grass/ground and added Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue to the flowers. The pink glitter butterfly on the bottom of the bookmark was punched out of pink glitter cardstock using a Martha Stewart Butterfly punch and I added some green glitter cardstock underneath.  I used a 1/4" round hole punch to punch a hole at the top then threaded through some scrap threads from balls of yarn plus some Cotton Candy and Limeade twine.  I love the texture that the funky fibres added to the bookmark.  Finished bookmark size is 165mm long x 65mm wide OR imperial 6-1/2" long x 2-9/16" wide.

Card:

I again coloured the ground underneath the sticker with a bit of green chalk and around the sky with blue chalk (not that you can see it all that well - it is subtle) and stamped on the sentiment then added a Hero Arts pearl heart.  The panel was diecut using Spellbinder Square Nestabilities and my Cuttlebug.  I added Kindyglitz to the hedgie's cheek and all the flower petals.  The pink glitter butterfly was punched using a Carl Butterfly-A punch and pink glitter cardstock - I know it looks dark in the photo but it is really a pale pink that matches the pink cardstock.

I grabbed three pieces of twine - Cotton Candy, Lollipop and Limeade and very patiently plaited them together, tied a knot at each end then tied it around the bottom panel - something a bit different to do with twine but I really like how it looks.  The bottom and main image panel are up on dimensionals.  Finished card size is 120mm or 4-3/4" square.

Challenges:

I am entering my card / bookmark in the following challenges -

Papertake Weekly Challenge - In the Garden

Splitcoaststampers Inspiration Challenge IC334 - Rosenberry Rooms - I was struck by the gorgeous pink and green colours on THIS Duvet Cover which was why I chose the designer papers that I used.  I had forgotten how much I loved pink and green together!

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Week 201 - In the Garden

Thanks for stopping by!  And thanks especially to Katina for the inspiration!

Jocelyn


Bookmark and Card Recipe:

Stamps:  'For you' sentiment from Penny Black 'Tiny Wishes' 30-026 clear set

Ink:  Versafine Onyx black

Designer Paper:   Echo Park - A Country Drive 6" x 6" pad

Accessories:   Penny Black Stickeroos 'A Bunch of Love' #10-165, Kaisercolour green and blue chalk, Perfect Layers Tools, Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue, scraps of wool, Cotton Candy (pale pink) twine by The Twinery, Limeade (green/white twine) + Lollipop (dark pink/white twine) by We R Memory Keepers - Sew Easy Fancy Floss, dimensionals, Hero Arts CH173 Hearts Accent Pearls, cardstock: white, pink, green, pink glitter, green glitter

Punches: Carl CP-1 Butterfly-A, Martha Stewart Monarch butterfly, Martha Stewart Pinking Scallop edge punch