Merry Christmas one and all...

Just popping in to say Merry Christmas to all my friends and followers.... Hope your day is as awesome as ours has been.  

 

Having this little person and his Mum and Dad here made it very special.  Breakfast was with all the family after present opening.  A quick trip to the beach for some of the family followed by a nap for the little one, while we prepared lunch then of to the beach we went - adventuring for the small one and his parents...  He walked the pipeline (nearly 1/2 a kilometre  or more along and back!)   He should sleep well tonight! 

I'll be AWOL for the next week or so... tomorrow morning we head off to a Camping Ground and are tenting for the next week.  First time in nearly 8 years since we've camped... going to be great fun.  Giving Archie is first taste of camping.   

Blessed Christmas one and all,

Christmas Ornaments and other Christmas cards

Still making Christmas cards....

Using some ornaments from Catherine Pooler Designs.  I embossed the background with a Holly folder.  The ornaments were stamped with Catherine Pooler inks and die cut with the matching dies.    Finished with a Hero Arts sentiment and some Nuvo drops.

Next up is a very simple card made with stickers

 

I white embossed a sentiment from my Rosie's Studio set onto dark blue card.  I then added the stickers all over the card

and then I did some colouring with my Copics

The candle on this one is a freebie with a magazine.  The sentiment is a Catherine Pooler stamp which I've inked in two colours of red inks.  MISTI is awesome for doing this.  

I now just have to address and send off my cards.   Did some last night and will do some tomorrow... tonight we are watching two episodes of Outlander.  Still a few episodes behind.  

Thanks for visiting

November CCC Reveal

Each month I tried and take part in the CCC (card chain challenge) over at the CCC blog... this month our choices were:

 and the themes were Blessings/Deer/Friendship and the products Papertrey Ink and Watercolours.






I chose the sketch and the colours.

I used an Altenew stamp set and inks to make this card.   It went off to Lucille in Colorado.   I received a beautiful card from NanaConnie

It's been an awesome day today, with two of my stamping group ladies coming over - we stamped and talked and ate our lunch outside... And I got 8 cards and repurposed  an other one.  MISTI helped me make 5 the same cards very quickly. 

 

Three of us spread out all over the table. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you get your craft on this weekend.

Christmas Ornament

When I got my new Catherine Pooler Spa inks I also got the Wonderful Time of the Year stamp.  I've used the sentiment from the set, but today I'm sharing a card I made using one of the ornaments in the set

I paired the ornament with the branches from a Sunny Studio set.  Just love these big full branches.  I stamped the ornament in Royal Treatment and Daydream blue.   I used some Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen to move the blue ink around.  I used a gold gel pen to add some more colour.  I did some splatters with the gold sparkle pen.  The sentiment is from a Penny Black stamp set. 

Thanks for stopping by.  

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

... making Christmas cards is always the most wonderful time of the year....
I was over at StampNation when I saw Melissa Miller's card using the new Most Wonderful Time of the Year stamp from CP Designs as a focal point on her card.   This is what she made....

And here are the two cards that I was inspired to do.

 

Can you see where I was inspired?   First up was the shaped panel.  For mine I used the corner of a couple of different scalloped dies.  I had a pile of the stamped plaid backgrounds the day my inks and stamps arrived so I pulled a couple out.  I also used Melissa's idea of doing some ombre stamping.  For the green I used Eucalyptus and Green Tea Inks.   I did some sparkle embossing (I can never get this to emboss nicely) and then stamped the little bitty snowflake in the Green Tea.   For my Purple card, I used Flirty Fuchsia and Royal Treatment and some Silver glitter ink for the snowflakes. 

And while I had the StampNation site open, I decided to take up Erika and Ingrid's challenge... to CASE either Erika's card or Ingrid's CASE of Erika's card.... quite the "Challonge"  I chose to CASE Erika's card

 Erika's card above

And my CASE of it.  Using Spa Inks and stamps and dies from the Candy Cane Lane collection (from last year)   You can see I used the same design,. 

Hubby has arrived safely down south and today went for a warm up walk around Lake Hayes.  He sent me this photo today that he took while they were out on the walk

Stunning scenery.  

Christmas cards galore!

It's been a few days since my last post and I've been busy... making a few quick cards.   So take note... lots of photos

First up a lovely teal poinsettia card inspired by Jennifer McGuire and my friend Kim

And two more Gnome cards

A couple of Sunny Studio Christmas Bells

and some Christmas Pine cones...

Hope you have enjoyed checking these out.  Please let me know what you think.

I'm off to play with my new Catherine Pooler inks and some stamps that arrived on Thursday evening.    I've got the whole week to play (after work that is!) as hubby is way doing a three day tramp down in the south of the South Island, with his brother and a group of his friends.  They flew down today and are coming back on the 3rd - Sunday week.   So lots of play time - might even resort to takeaways for dinner!

Some "Me" Time

This weekend over at StampNation, Catherine is having a Care Weekend! And she was encouraging us to have some "me" time - to refill our personal tanks.   So I decided to carry on my usual Saturday afternoon "me" time and do some crafting  - doing some cards just for the fun of it.

First up was another Gnome card for Christmas

I'm in love with these really cute gnomes. 

Second one was playing with a doily die I recently picked up for $10.   It is a Star Doily and I thought it would make a great snowflake if I removed the outside rim.   So I gave it a try with some sparkly fun foam.... and it turned out awesome

 A simple white embossed sentiment and it was done. 

It was nice to have no deadlines and just to have fun. 

Wreath Challenge at StampNation

Hi.... Our latest Christmas challenge is up at StampNation - Wreaths

Here is a sneak peek at my card.  Join us at StampNation to see the full reveal and those of my team mates. 

Nordic Christmas....

Hi.  I've been MIA for nearly a week.... all because I've got a bad bout of bronchitis.  Been coughing and feeling lethargic since Thursday last week.   Over the weekend, I went to the Chocolate and Coffee show (Son's partner Erin, was exhibiting her little biscuit,  XoBites) and other than that, didn't feel like doing much.  Wasn't sleeping well with waking every hour or so with coughing.  So took myself off to the doctors on Monday to find I had a really bad bronchitis and needed to stay home for 3 days!  Great I thought, lots of crafting.... but oh no, simply have had the energy till late yesterday and even today, I haven't been that enthused - so know I AM sick!  

I did manage to make a little set of 4 cards I've called my Nordic Christmas collection.  I took some Nordic patterned paper fro Sugar and Spice Studio and made a simple set of cards.

 

The PP takes centre stage with sentiment stamps from Altenew's Lyrical Script set.  The snow flakes are from a Hero Arts set. 

Just what I needed.... simple but effective.  And the Christmas stash grows quickly with these CAS cards.

I'm off for a quiet walk, hoping to help clear the lungs.    Take care

A Christmas One Sheet Wonder....

NB:  PHOTO HEAVY

Have you heard of a One Sheet Wonder template?  I have seen them for a 12 x 12 sheet of patterned paper to make a lot of cards.... but this week I found a template for a 6 x 6 sheet... (thanks to Meg Daves- I Teach Stamping)  I don't have much 12 x 12 paper, but PLENTY of 6 x 6 pads! 

I need to kick start my Christmas card making and thought that this would be a great way to get some done.

Usually I use A4 card stock (8.25" X 11.75") cut in half for my bases not US size which you need for these cards using the template.  Luckily I had two sheets of Hero Arts card (8.5" x 11") and could use the A4 Kraft card to cut the mats - which were 4" x 5.25".  The main 6 x 6 PP was from the Christmas This & That by Echo Park paper pack.  I used a piece of American Crafts red card for my punched edges and layering mats.  The Santa images were from A Vintage Christmas pack by Meg's Garden.  The oval and rectangle with the stamped sentiments (A Kaisercraft stamp set) were scraps from cutting the mats.   So a very economic way to make some quick cards.

I added a strip of embossing to the top of one of the cards, some ribbon on the Santa ones and some bakers twine on the other two. 

And while I had my PP out I made a few more Christmas cards

These two used PP from the paper pack by Meg's Garden - A Vintage Christmas.

The paper for this one is from Turtle Dove pack by Kaisercraft.  I added a sentiment from a Catherine Pooler stamp and added a shimmery die cut in the corner.

If you've managed to get to here.... thanks very much for hanging in there.  I do appreciate your visits.   Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.