Just a note to say THANK YOU to all those who attended workshops during 2012 - we had fun and productive crafty days and had fantastic laughs along the way and I met some great new people too which means so much :)

I wish you a peaceful festive season, and all the best for 2013. 

Here's a snippet of those busy hands at work yesterday. I love this image as it was a spur of the moment thing when I turned around and thought - this is fantastic, I have to capture this, one of the great things about crafty get togethers - people having fun and nattering away around a pot of gold flowersoft!

 If you would like to be in with a chance of wining a free workshop space in early 2013, please leave a comment on this blogpost, with your name, and I will draw 2 winners on December 31st.

If you do not have a blog, don't worry, just leave a comment and post as 'anonymous', but be sure to leave your name in your comment. (I have had to turn on word verification because of the amount of spam comments coming through, so email me if you have any problems making comments)

Workshop dates will be published in the workshop tab, see top of the blog page.

Here are some of the cards from the last workshop: (was busy in run up to Christmas so will add more photo's when I get a moment in the next few days)

Baby book card

Little bit of a change from Christmas cards, this one is a book card to celebrate a New Baby, made in a

 5'' x 7'' size and a Stampavie / Penny Johnson Stamp called Sleeping on the Moon.

here is a side on view, the spine decorated 10mm pearls from Cottage Crafts Jeans' range.

   

The inside of the card is left simple, and decorated with some Memory box cloud die cuts, and is big enough for some little socks or a spoon etc.

The corner dies are spellbinders' Fleur De Lys Doily Accents, and I made the tag below with part of a go create die.

Penny Black Garden Friends

Just catching up on photos and had not posted this card yet - its made with Penny Black Stamp set called Garden Friends.

     

Those pretty flowers are provocraft ones, and the set is called ASTERISKS.

Here's a view of the inside of the easel card, and below the finished card, coloured with twinkling H2O's.

You can find the pink papers here and here.

Got some more to post which I had forgotten about so will be back later.

Sarah Kay Vintage Christmas

It's no secret that I like using blue and brown as a colour scheme, like pink and green I just love the way the colours work well and decided to use the cornflower blue and chocolate brown colour again, along with pencil colouring.

For this card, I used brown and blue pearls from Cottage Crafts Jean's range, which you can find here, and my new Spellbinders ironwork motif, along with papers from Bearly Mine designs digi pack, which is called Festive Fun.

This ironwork die looks great with lots of pearls!

Here is another version of the card which is slightly different, using different papers and with the paper edges stamped using Lili of the Valley's Grunge Corners polymer and Grunge Christmas Postmarks polymer stamps.

The paper is from Craft Creations, and you can find it here.

The inside of the card, to match the front, and below some images of the layering and texture.

I coloured this one with Twinkling H2O's, so a different feel again with the same image.

Hope this post got you feeling all Christmassy and festive!

Penny Black Ragged Santa from Mo Manning

I love traditional Christmas colours and this one is what I would call and old fashioned Santa!

The stamp is a Mo Manning Design from Penny Black 2012 Christmas stamp range, details here.

 

I made a distressed scroll with cream card for the sentiment, using vintage photo distress ink.

Below you can see the corner holly die from Cheery Lynn - great die and have used it a lot this year!

Again, I left the image coloured in pencil with no blending, as it all ties in with the rustic, distressed feel of the card. You can find the holly paper here.

Baby's First Christmas

You may have see this card in a previous post, yes I am not going mad I am only posting it now, just getting around to finding links etc.  This version is done in neutral colours, but you could do it in any pastel for a boy or girl, and it's made with a stamped image - one of the older Lili of the Valley Stamps called Baby's First Christmas which you can find here.

  

The punch I used is a Fiskars one - Border and Corner one and so easy to use! - Snowbubbles

Here is a side on view so you can see the layering - I find I am using foam pads more than DS tape these days..I guess I started out with decoupage so layering is my favorite thing and always will be...

...and the inside of the card, partially embossed - I really need to do a video tutorial on this (reminder to oneself!)

That snowflakes embossing folder is so delicate, this was also partially embossed around the image, and works well for a baby as its delicate.

Cuttlebug snowflakes #2

Hi everyone, just a little information post. So many of you are asking about one of the cuttlebug folders I use for snowflake backgrounds, the one with the random size dots, so below please find a link to where you can get it and some cards made with it..
This folder is hard to come by so if you really really want it and see it on your travels, I would snap it us - the randomness of the design means you can emboss sheets of card larger than the folder size as well!

click on the cuddly buddly photo above , and those snowflake punches on the Baby's first Christmas are also available from Cuddly Buddly, here

Lenten Roses - Fred She Said & Bearly Mine Digi's

Sharing a card which is going a long way to someone special, my Gran. I hope it gives her pleasure, as she is a green fingered lady who loves gardening and lots and lots of flowers; am sure she lost count of the number of flower arrangements and flowers picked over the years!

  

I used Bearly Mine and Fred She said digital papers and images, the hellebores (roses) were layered and lend themselves to decoupage. 

You can purchase the papers from Bearly Mine and the Roses from Fred She Said, the roses available in pre coloured digi's or black and white should you wish to colour your own.

This is the inside of the card - the papers are pale enough that you can write inside, and below you can see the luxurious pearlescent card used in the layering and for the leaves, cut with a Cheery Lynn Mega Fanciful Flourish Die

Can't remember where I got the ribbon from, it's been in my stash for ages and is wired on each edge, the scallops go so well with the Spellbinder dies.

Bella Wild Rose Studio card

So when I saw the Bella Stamps from Wild Rose Studio, I thought ooh something different, little elephants - ultra cute! and this one needed lots of glitter and silver!

The stamp I used is Bella on Bauble, which I coloured with Faber Castell Polychromos pencils but I didn't blend with sansador as I liked the texture of the pencil colouring, so left it at that.

Here is a view of the inside of the card, and that snowflake die is Spellbinders.

you can find the papers here:

Scrolls

Wording

 This is the card, closed - don't you love that card candi with the polka dots and I am addicted to dotty ribbon - I found some sheer organza dotty ribbon too so expect to see that soon!

Meljen's Sketch Challenge

 Hi everyone and welcome to another Meljen's Challenge week. This week's challenge is a sketch and you can enter here.

For my card, I used Fancy Gift Box, which is one of the newer releases and you can find it here - a great digi for making lots of last minute Christmas cards!

I will be back with more photos as it seems to be dark when I am home these last few days!

Am entering my card into these challenges too:

Stamp with Fun - Winter (cool blues, white and silver - icy colours)

Bearly Mine - Blues and Silver

Crazy 4 Challenges - Put a Bow on it 

Allsorts - Bring on the Bling

Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes

the Bearly Mine papers I used you can find here, they are called Christmas Wishes

Easel Card Drawer Box

Hi everyone, am popping in with something I hope will get EVERYONE in the Christmas spirit!

 

I made this box for Meljen's last month and will be adding a tutorial over the next few weeks, but wee bit busy at the moment with my own Christmas things, so will pop up a link when I have this and some other tutorials all posted to the tutorials page, so please be patient... thank you!

This is the image I used - Bundled little snowboy - the added bonus is if you like coloured prints and don't want to colour him in yourself, then he is available in B&W and pre coloured here.

A close up of the box and chocolates coming from the drawer and the yummy card candi from craftwork cards with silver polka dots!

And here is the same box this time made with a house mouse stamp - i love those little mice!

A side on view of the easel and those go kreate dies with the rounded corners. 

Love the green gingham paper - you are likely to see it on some more cards this year!

will pop back tomorrow with something more to share.

Di's Digi Give Thanks Challenge

Hi everyone, from a VERY wet 'Sunny South East' of Ireland! I need paddles today and for the next day or so, and am hoping the weatherman's forecast gets better next week.

So, while I love snow and wrapping up and all things Christmas, it was a great change to make a fun fresh card without snow scenes LOL!

Hope over to Di's Digi Challenge Blog and join us for the next two weeks' challenge, Give Thanks.

The image I used is Henry's Mushroom tea, and I love hedgehogs so was delighted when Di started drawing them!

The butterfly punch is a Martha Stewart one and I used my new Happy Cut and a cuttlebug folder to emboss the dots - will add a tutorial in the next few weeks about this - how to successfully emboss a 7 1/4 inch piece of card with a small embossing folder - delighted to have cracked that one!

and lastly the inside of the card...

am entering this card into these challenges:

ABC Challenge blog - B for Butterfly

Simon Says Sketch from Dawny

Hanna and Friends - Animals