Monday 31 December 2012

Christmas Card Catch Up

Christmas must nearly be over as we are onto turkey soup now! The best part of the festive season - the soup that is, not that it's almost over!

I didn't get a chance to blog all my Christmas cards before the 25th so this is going to be a marathon post. I hope you have a St. Bernard by your side because you may well need a just a wee sip from the brandy barrel before you get anywhere near the end!

Here we go.

The Chocolate Baroque stamp that was  the freebie with December's Craft Stamper made an appearance on most of my cards this year - it stamped so beautiful.

I joined in the world wide annual Christmas card swap on the Cardmaking Paradise forum. Here is my make  -


Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Xerox Colortech+ card
Papermania kraft card
Tartan scrapbooking paper
Inks
Memento - Tuxedo Black
Distress Inks - Tumbled Glass, Walnut Stain
Memories - Sand Memory, Soft Leaf
Stamps
Father Christmas - Blue Moon
Snowflake - December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie
Sentiment - Hero Arts C2850
Other
Red chalk
Glossy Accents
Ultra fine crystal glitter - Stampendous
Spellbinders die cut tag
Ribbon
Brads

This is the swap I received from Australia. Thank you Colleen!


~~..~~
 I intended having silver bows on this next card but I couldn't get them to stick even with Glossy Accents. The red bows looked less garish in real life.

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Xerox Colortech+
Silver card
Inks/Embossing Powder
Tumbled glass Distress Ink
Versamark
Archival Ink - Jet Black
Judikins EP - Lapis Lazuli
Stamps
Snowflake -December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie
Bauble - maker unknown
Sentiment from Reindeer Swirls set SSC1064
Other 
Organza ribbon
~~..~~
I'm sure the image was straight on this card and it's just the angle of the scan that's making it look wonky!
 
Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Xerox Colortech+
Silver card
Inks
Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Memories - Sand Memory
Brilliance - Poppy Pearlescent
Stamps
Snowflake -December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie
Main image - Crafty Individuals CI-169 
Other
Red organza ribbon
~~..~~
I won this Darkroom Doors word block stamp in the Craft Stamper giveaway at the end of 2011 and this has been the first chance I've had to use it.

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Xerox Colortech+
Tim Holtz Core'dinations card
Inks
Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Memories Sand Memory
Brilliance Poppy Pearlescent
Stamps
Snowflake -December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie 
Word block stamp - Darkroom Door DOWB006 Christmas
Other
Spellbinders snowflake die cut
Ultra fine crystal glitter - Stampendous
Ribbon 
~~..~~
My next offering was based on a card in December's Craft Stamper.

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Gold paper from Craft Creations
Maroon card
Stamps
Snowflake -December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie
Sentiment from Reindeer Swirls set SSC1064 
Inks
Memories Sand Memory & Soft leaf
Brilliance Poppy Pearlescent
Other
Red flat pearls
 ~~..~~
This tag had a hinged back on it so it could stand unaided.

 
Card Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Inks/Embossing Powder
Tumbled Glass Distress Ink
Versamark
Personal Impressions Clear Gloss EP
Memento Tuxedo Black
Copic markers
Stamps
Patchwork Robin personal Impressions PICST001
Snowflake Crafty Individuals
Other
Seam binding coloured with Broken China Distress Stain
Sentiment free from Birds Cards
 ~~..~~
I made several variations of the next card - quick and simple - and yes it's that free stamp again!

Card Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Inks
Memories Sand Memory
Brilliance Poppy Pearlescent
Walnut Stain Distress Ink
Stamps
Snowflake -December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie
Sentiment- Crafty Individuals CI-142
 ~~..~~
 The template for the stocking on this card and the image on the next card both came from Birds Cards, a site with free digital cutting files, digital stamps and more.

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Scrapbooking paper
Glitter card
Inks
Archival Jet Black
Walnut Stain Distress Ink
Stamp
Crafty Individuals CI-326
Other
Ultra fine crystal glitter - Stampendous
Snowflake brad
Red organza ribbon

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Snowflake paper from Craft Creations
Red card
Image
Digital image from Birds Cards
Inks
Broken China Distress Ink
Promarkers/Copic markers
Other
Spellbinders snowflake
Gem
 ~~..~~
 Phew! that's Christmas all done and dusted for another year!














Sunday 30 December 2012

Tim Holtz Challenge - December

Not one but two tags this month. That's because the 2012 challenge didn't start until February. You can find Tim's tags here.

I've tried to stay as close as I could to Tim's basic designs but this has meant a lot of improvisation throughout the year on my part and this month was certainly no exception.

I don't have any metallic Distress Stains so I used Rangers Gold and Silver Dabbers instead. It didn't mix particularly well with the Distress Stain but did the job. However it does make taking photos difficult.


For this first tag I made my own tissue tape from micropore tape. I printed out some music I found on the net (pity I didn't use a something with more notes rather than "O Come All You Faithful" for the pan pipes!) and laid the tape over one stave and put it through the printer again. You can also make tissue tape by stamping on micropore instead of printing. The tinsel came from a piece which displays our Christmas cards each year - just hope we don't get extra cards next year!!


Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white, printer card
Watercolour paper
Silver card
Tim Holtz "Coredinations" card
Holly sprig from scrapbooking paper
Paints/Inks
Broken China Distress Stain
Adirondack Silver Dabber
Archival Ink Jet Black
Distress Inks - Broken China, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door, Fired Brick, Black Soot, Vintage Photo
Stamp
Clarity
Dies
Spellbinders snowflake
Cuttlebug Hippie Chick alphabet
Other
Music from internet
Micropore tape
Tinsel
Stampendous crystal glitter
Gem
Seam binding

I didn't have a reindeer charm for my second tag but I did have a Tim Holtz  die-cut reindeer. So I copied it on my printer reducing it by half and printed it onto some card. I then cut out the image - very fiddly - painted it with silver paint and then triple embossed it with clear powder.


Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Papermania kraft card
Xerox Colortech+ card
Tim Holtz "Coredinations" card
Old book pages
Paints/Inks
Fired Brick Distress Stain
Adirondack Gold & Silver Dabbers
Jet Black Archival Ink 
Versamark
Distress Inks - Walnut Stain, Fired Brick, Peeled Paint
Stamp
Poinsettia - Stampabilities F1188
Other
Tim Holtz Elegant Flourishes die
Tim Holtz reindeer die-cut reduced on printer
Diamond Stickles
Glossy Accents
Personal Impressions Clear Gloss embossing powder
"Joy" sentiment from internet
Seam binding

I've really enjoyed making the 12 tags of 2012. It's been fun kicking the grey matter into action and working out how to get a similar outcome despite not having all the ingredients that Tim used on his tags. I've learnt some new techniques along the way and reacquainted myself with some long forgotten stash. Do hope that we get to do it all again in 2013.






Sunday 23 December 2012

Christmas with Cardmaking Paradise

These three cards were made using templates from Cardmaking Paradise. Why not pop over to the site and take a look at what's on offer.

Firstly meet Percy and his mum Polly waiting for Santa. To make Percy, I reduced the original template to baby size on my printer and glued him in front of mum.


Card Recipe
Anna Maria Designs "Super Smooth, Super White, Printer Card"
Tumbled Glass Distress Ink
Black permanent ink pen
Glossy Accents
Bottle top
Black Promarker
Crafty Individuals stamp CI - 326
Ribbon

I've had this Father Christmas stamp for several years and wasn't sure how to use him. The other day I had one of those light bulb moments - he would fit with the Cardmaking Paradise house template. It looks a bit dull in this photo but there is glitter on the snowflake and Father Christmas to give some sparkle.




Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Tim Holtz Core'dinations Card stack
Xerox Colortech +
Black card
Cream Christmas Holly - Craft Creations SR104P
Inks
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink
Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Stamp
Wizard Santa - Funstamps F-M152
Other
Spellbinders Snowflake Die
Copic markers
Stampendous Crystal Glitter
Brad
Peel off greeting
Martha Stewart edge punch

My final card is the Cardmaking Paradise rocking snowman.

  
Card Recipe
Anna Maria Designs "Super Smooth Super White Printer Card"
Scrapbook paper from  Craft Creations
Orange card
Black card
Distress Inks - Tumbled Glass and Black Soot
Wire
Wiggly eyes








Thursday 6 December 2012

Fabulous Blog Candy from Crafty Individuals

Crafty Individuals has some fabulous blog candy on offer until the 10th December and this wonderful array of goodies is what you could win.
 

You will find all the details on how to enter on the Crafty Individuals blog.

Wednesday 5 December 2012

Two of a kind

I was really chuffed with these two cards and it's not often I say that about things I make. I used the wrinkle free distress technique to apply the ink before applying some more through a mask. On the second card I also added some random script.

Card one





Card Two


Card Recipes

(Both cards)
Card - Craftworkcards Digital Ultra Smooth Premium Cardstock
Mask - Crafters Workshop -  Mini Harlequin
Stamp - Stamp Addicts Wildflowers SA-5029
Ink - Ranger Archival Jet Black

Card One
Maroon card
Picked Raspberry & Shaded Lilac Distress Inks

Card Two
Black card
Peacock Feathers & Squeezed Lemonade Distress Inks
PaperArtsy Script stamp MN44

Tuesday 4 December 2012

Follow Your Dreams

For the background on this card I applied Distress Inks with a Dreamweaver stencil brush. This is now my preferred way to apply these inks as it gently builds up the colour on cardstock, although I do go just around the edge with a piece of cut'n'dry to finish off.


 Card Recipe 
Card
Anna Marie Super Smooth, Super White, Printer Card
Silver paper  
Inks
Versafine Onyx Black
Distress Inks - Broken China, Tumbled Glass 
Stamps
Personal Impressions Flower Silhouette PICS057
Personal Impressions Fairy Silhouette PICS056
Leaves - Crafty Individuals  CI-234 
Other
Stampendous ultra fine crystal glitter
Computer generated sentiment




Monday 3 December 2012

Classy Cat

I do like black and white cards and this cat stamp from Katzelkraft is just right for that colour combination. For the paws I the stamped the image four times before I photocopied them at a reduced size.


Card Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Super Smooth, Super White, Printer Card
Black card
Embossing Folder/Dies
Embossing folder - Cuttlebug Swiss Dots
Spellbinders Nestabilities - Oval and scalloped oval
Inks
Versafine Onyx Black
Black Soot Distress Ink
Stamps
Cat - Katzelkraft Mini 01
Paws - The English Stamp Company
Other
Sentiment - computer generated

Sunday 2 December 2012

Artexed!

For the background of these cards I used the gesso technique shown by Liesbeth Fidder in the November edition of Craft Stamper. The result looks like an artexed ceiling! I sprayed the gesso with Dylusions which is fine until you use glue then the inks re-wet and you have to be careful not to get it on your fingers and transfer it to where you really didn't want it. Obviously from that remark you've guessed I did just that!

Card One


Card Two 



Card Recipe (Both cards)
Card
White card
Black card
Paints/Inks
Claudine Hellmuth Studio Gesso
Dylusions Ink - London Blue, Vibrant Turquoise
Stazon Jet Black
Ranger Archival Jet Black
Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Stamps
Flourish - Crafty Individuals CI 182
Lady - The Artistic Stamper
Dots - Stamp Addict
Dies
Tim Holtz Elegant Flourishes
Other
Paper Flower spryed with Dylusions
Brad

Card One
Core Color  Card "Aqueduct"

Card Two
Silver card
Salty Ocean Distress Ink on dress
Broken China Distress Stain & Ink around the edge of white base card
Base card - Anna Marie Super Smooth, Super White, Printer Card
Alcohol ink on brad




Friday 30 November 2012

Domino Birthday Book

A while ago I took part in a domino swap and I had coloured quite a few dominoes in the process that I didn't use. So I decided to use a couple of them to make a birthday book rather than a card. I had used alcohol inks to colour the dominoes and so I coloured a match box with the same colours although the result was much more golden.





Domino Book Recipe
Paper
90gsm copier paper
Inks
Alcohol inks - Cranberry, Lettuce, Gold Mixative
Ranger archival Coffee
Ditstress Inks - Victorian Velvet, Vinatge Photo
Stamps
Script - PaperArtsy MN44
Queen For A Day - maker unknown
Leaves - maker unknwmn
Swirls and flower stamps - Crafty Individuals
Other
Wrap Connectors
Matchbox
Flat back pearls





Thursday 29 November 2012

Chill out!

This stamp just cried out for a sunrise/sunset. Take your pick as to which it is!  


Card Recipe
Card
Cream linen card from Craft Creations
Black Bling Bazzill
Ink
Distress Inks - Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold, Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo
Ranger Archival Jet Black
Stamp
Stamp Addicts - Sunday Morning SA - 5014
Other
Sentiment - computer generated using Typewriter font

Wednesday 28 November 2012

Fares please!

I made this for my brother-in-law who thought he was getting his bus pass on his birthday. However  it transpires that the powers that be have moved the eligibility date in line when women born in 1951 retire and he can't now apply till sometime early next year. Nevertheless he was so pleased to receive a very personal card. We found the picture of his local bus on the internet together with the bus timetable.


Card Recipe
Card/paper
Anna Marie Super Smooth Super White Printer Card
Nitwits paper
Green Core-ordinations card
Ink
Distress Ink - Vintage Photo, Peeled Paint
Other
Sentiment - Computer generated - Typewriter font
Photo of bus, timetable and ticket all downloaded from the web

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Floating Butterflies

I made my first exploding box for a friend's birthday. Her reaction - "It's the most beautiful card ever!" I wouldn't go that far but I was really happy with it. Apparently it had its own display table in her house. I may find it difficult to top this when her birthday comes round again!




Exploding Box Recipe
Card
Pearlescent Black Bazzill Card
Silver card
Xerox Colortech+ white card
Inks
Distress Ink - Picked Raspberry, Shaded Lilac, Salty Ocean
Ranger Archival Jet Black
Stamps
Butterfly - Crafty Individuals CI-296
Seed Head - PaperArtsy HP1005
Other
Acetate
Glitter


Wednesday 21 November 2012

Tim Holtz Tag Challenge - November

Another month of deviating from Tim's original to use what I have to hand in my craft room. As I don't have a small leaf die I cut leaves with the Tim's "Tattered Leaves" die and then printed them onto card at half sized before cutting them out and using as templates for my coloured card. I used the same technique for the acorn.
Here's Tim's November tag  and here's my version -



Tag Recipe 
Card
Anna Marie Designs Super Smooth, Super White, Printer Card
Shades of Core'dinations & Bazzill card 
Inks/EP
Distress Inks - Black Soot, Walnut Stain, Crushed Olive, Rusty Hinge, Fired Frick, Weathered Wood, Wild
Honey, Pumice stone
Distress Stains- Walnut Stain, Wild Honey, Peeled Paint, Fired Brick
Ranger Archival Jet Black
Versamark
WOW Clear Gloss Superfine Embossing Powder
Stamps
Grass - Stampotique
Letters - Hero Arts LL931 Signature Lowercase Letters 
Dies/masks
Sizzlets Acorn
Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves
Mask - The Crafter's workshop - Mini Circle Explosion TCW278s  
Other
Seam Binding
Button twine
Glossy Accents



Tuesday 20 November 2012

Texting a Happy Birthday!

I used a Cardmaking Paradise template to make this mobile phone card for a friend's teenage son.



Card Recipe
Red hammered card from Craft Creations
Black card
Silver paper
Safmat
Pen-Touch calligraphy silver pen
Silver cord
Charm

Sunday 18 November 2012

Gone Fishin'

Our eldest grandson spends a great deal of time sitting on a riverbank with his maternal grandfather fishing, so this stamp from Stamp Addicts seemed appropriate for his tenth birthday card together with a log book to record his catch or even the one that got away!

If you want to make the effect of ripples on water use a woodgrain mask, it works a treat.


Card Recipe
Card
Xerox Colortech+ white card
Cream hemp card from Craft Creations
Brown card
Green card
Stamps
Stamp Addicts - Gone Fishin' SA-5013
Inks
Distress Inks - Pumice Stone, Spiced Marmalade, Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, Barn Door, Scattered Straw
Versafine Vintage Sepia
Other
Woodgrain Mask
Notebook Recipe
Card
Greyboard
Colortech+ white card
Paints
Gesso - Claudine Hellmuth
Black Eco-friendly Acrylic Paint
PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paints - Ice blue, Satin Glaze
Inks
Distress Inks - Chipped Sapphire, Dusty Concord, Pumice Stone
Versafine Onyx Black
Stamps
Stamp Addicts - Gone Fishin' SA-5013
Other
Woodware chipboard alphabet letters
Keyring holder
Bind-it-all wire





Saturday 17 November 2012

Butterflies

I rarely start with a plan when I make anything which is probably a good thing. However for this card I decided to make a project in July's Craft Stamper but some of my stamping went awry and it was back to my usual let it evolve scenario.



Card Recipe
Card
Cream linen card from Craft Creations
Xerox Colortech+ white card
Red card
Inks
Distress Inks - Victorian Velvet, Wild Honey, Tumbled Glass, Shabby Shutters
Versamark
White embossing powder
Stamps
Script - A Stamp in the Hand - Background Text Medium N-1772
Flourish - Crafty Individuals CI - 182
Splats - PaperArtsy mini MN72
Celebrate from Popcorn the Bear plate PST-SML
Other
Butterfly mask cut from Spellbinders die
Flower from Joanna Sheen
Button coloured with alcohol ink
Button twine from The Ribbon Girls
Flat back pearls

Friday 16 November 2012

Framed Cupcake

For our grand daughter's seventh birthday card I used a template for a 3D framed card from Cardmaking Paradise. The Marianne die for the cupcake and candles was a bargain from August's Stamperama. Thank you to my Cardmaking Paradise forum friend for pointing me in its direction (or should that be die - rection!).


Card Recipe
Green dotty card from Craft Creations
Cupcake and candle die - Marianne LR0160
Distress Ink
Copic markers
Sakura Yellow Gelly Roll Glaze pen
Glossy Accents

Thursday 15 November 2012

Highlighted!

In August's edition of Craft Stamper magazine there was an article by Paula Whittaker using the humble highlighter to create a simple background. I love the results using this medium and decided to keep the cards clean and simple and let the subject do the talking.






And I made a notebook as well.




Recipe
Card
Xerox Colortech+
Ink
Highlighters pink and yellow
Walnut Stain Distress Ink
Rangers Archival Jet Black
Stamp
Seed head - PaperArtsy HP1005
Sentiment - Personal Impressions Mix and Match  PICSA6070






























































































































Wednesday 7 November 2012

In the pink!

I wanted to create a bright and cheery card for someone returning home from a hospital operation and Picked Raspberry and Peacock Feathers Distress Inks were just the ticket!


Card Recipe
Paper
Xerox Colortech+ card
Inks
Distress Inks - Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers
Ranger Archival Jet Black
Stamps
Dots Background -The Artistic Stamper
Flowers - Crafty Individuals - CI - 206
Words - PaperArtsy - HPXT03
Other
Ribbon coloured with Picked Raspberry Distress ink

Tuesday 6 November 2012

It's time to start catching up!

I've been very lackadaisical blogging for the past couple of months and haven't posted any of the cards I've made in that time, so it's time to make amends.


Distress Inks were used for the background and dots and I added white dots all around the larger dots - very therapeutic! The flowers were stamped, coloured with Copic markers and cut out individually.

Card Recipe
Card
Anna Marie White Smooth Card
Xerox Colortech+
Black card
Inks
Distress Inks - Peacock Feathers, Squeezed Lemonade, Picked Raspberry
White Zig Posterman pen
Stamps
Crafty Individuals - CI 206
Hero Arts Zinnia Bloom E3346
"Celebrate" from Crafters Companion Popcorn the Bear Set PST-SML
Other
Spellbinders die
Black flat backed pearls