Nativity Christmas Cards using an LC Designs Stamp and Distress Oxide Backgrounds

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends

Well that was a busy weekend. I hope you had a good time and did something nice. On Saturday I went to a Craft Workshop for most of the day. My husband got my car to the garage to be fixed, it needs picking up today. Then he drove to Aldershot to collect his 90 year old mum. He drove her to Mottisfont so she could see the Kaffe Fassett textiles exhibition. After lunch they came home and waited for me to return. Then he drove us back to Aldershot to collect his dad. Then we all went to Farnham for my husband's brother's 60th Birthday party. Yesterday we went to the first rehearsal for a Christmas choir we have volunteered for to sing  at Church.

I have been making cards with Distress Oxide backgrounds again. I do love Distress Oxides.

I made fourteen cards altogether. I started by using Distress Oxides to make backgrounds on water colour paper. You put the Oxides on your craft mat, spritz them with water and run the card through. You just repeat until you are happy with the effect. I did dry the sheets with a heat gun so the layers of ink are dry before applying the next layer.  I used the Falling Snow embossing folder to create one of the layers.  

I used my Tim Holtz Stamping Platform to stamp the image and the sentiment at the same time. The stamp is called Silhouette Manger by LC Designs. Once stamped I coloured over the image with a black Spectrum Noir sparkle pen to so the image sparkles. 

I made ten of these small cards. I wanted them for the small group we meet with. 

I have been having a bit of a think about blogging and why I do it. I do like sharing what I make and I enjoy being on Design teams and entering competitions. But the blog has become a bit of a time consuming monster and weirdly I am finding I have less time to devote to it now I am not working. I think it is because I can say yes to more of the things I want to do.  So I think I will be blogging less and commenting less. I wonder if I will be able to stick to this? There is also  a pile of cards that hasn't been used so I don't need to make as many at the moment. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge Blog - Anything Goes with the Optional Twist of Girls like to have Fun.

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends

The weekend nearly here. Today I will be helping at another Felting workshop.  Tomorrow I am going to a Craft workshop with my crafty friend we might just be making Christmas cards. While I am at the workshop my husband is going to take his 90 year old mum to Mottifont to see the Kaffe Fassett textile exhibition.  In the evening we are going to my brother-in-law's 60th birthday party. How did we all get to be so old?

I am enjoying these regular blog posts for the Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge blog I get to work with  some wonderful images. This time the theme is Anything Goes with the optional twist of Girls like to have Fun.  The sponsor is All Dressed Up  Stamps. 

I created the background with Distress Oxides, I love using these. When it was all dry (I used a heat gun)  I stamped a music stamp using Perfect Medium and heat embossed it with a black sparkly powder. 

There are many gorgeous images in the Etsy store if you click on the image you will be taken there. 

This image is called Just So Cool and can be purchased HERE.  She was coloured with Promarkers. The sentiment is my favourite LOTV birthday stamp. 

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend. 

I would like to enter challenge 74 at the All Dressed Up Blog. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Moving Along with the Times (MAWTT) - Theme add a charm or tag.

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends

How is your week going. I am helping at another Felting workshop tomorrow. I am really enjoying these workshops and I am learning a lot.

It is Team B's turn at the Moving Along with the Times (MAWTT) Challenge Blog the theme this time is to Add a Charm or a Tag.

I went for adding a charm. You know how I love to recycle old cards this card has used not one but two old cards. I did used the Falling Snow embossing folder from Creative Expressions for one of the layers. The brown and white layer is an old card.  

This stag image is wonderful and it has a sentiment and a bit of sparkle. 

I was looking for a deer image as I knew I had a deer charm from back when I was on Sam Poole's design team. I used Baker's Twine to attach it to the card and a little gel glue to stop it turning round. 

I was quite pleased with how this one turned out and it is another Christmas card for my stash. My card total has gone backwards as I sent some to a lady having a charity sale. 

I would like to enter the October Rudolph Days Challenge. 

Enjoy the rest of the week. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Snowflake Penguins

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends

How is your week going? I know lots of people are on Half Term holidays this week. Our drive is very nearly finished. I must say it is looking very good it is a shame about the rest of the house. Oh well we will just have to save for the next job to be done.

I had a bit of a walk yesterday and I had every intention of being good but I just couldn't resist the Snowflake Penguins die set that came with issue 152 of Papercraft Essentials magazine. When I had finished the card I had been asked to make for a 90th birthday,  I had a little play.

I used some glitter card to make one of the mats and I embossed the top mat with the Falling Snow Embossing folder from Creative Expressions. I added a line of ribbon. 

The penguin, the baby penguin, the fish and a piece of holly come in the die set. I flipped the one of the penguin die cuts so the adults could face each other. The blue snowflakes in the background were cut with the penguin. 

I will be making some more cards with this die set our family is rather fond of penguins. 

Enjoy the rest of the week. 

I would like to enter challenge 40 at the Merry Christmas Challenge blog. 

Happy Crafting.

Hugs Jackie

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Gnomes for Christmas

Hi My Crafty Blog Friends

How was your weekend? I hope you did something nice. We went to stay in Wells so that we could visit the Crafts 4 Crafters show at the Bath and West Showground in Shepton Mallet - I had won tickets. On the way there we stopped off to visit Stourhead. The garden was beautiful in its Autumn colours. All in all it was a good weekend.

I bought the magazine with the free Enchanted Corner Gnome outline stamp and die set some time ago. I decided it was time to use this set after seeing so many gorgeous cards on Facebook made with the stamps and dies.

I decided to make A5 cards that are nice and flat for posting. The paper was from my stash. The topper I placed the gnomes on was from a stack from Kanban. I have been struggling to know how to use up these toppers. There are still a lot left. 

The gnomes were stamped onto card with grey memento ink and coloured with Promarkers. I used the dies that came with the set to cut out the gnomes and their hands. 

The sentiment is one from Creative Expressions. 

Here is one of my photos from Stourhead. We were very lucky with the weather the garden was so pretty. We did go back on the Sunday to visit the house. The car park was so busy we had to park some way away in an overflow car park which meant a long walk to the house. 

I made six for my Christmas card stash. This year I don't really know how many I will need but I am going to keep making them. 

Enjoy the week ahead. I know some people are on half term holiday. I have a few things lined up and the drive should be finished. Next weekend is going to be busy but more of that later. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge Blog - Anything Goes with the optional twist of Autumn Colours

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends

The weekend is here again. This morning  we are going away for the weekend. I won tickets for the Crafts 4 Crafters  show at the Bath and West Showground in Shepton Mallet. We decided to make a weekend of it we are hoping to visit some National Trust properties as well, now we are members. It will be lovely to leave the noise of the drive behind for a while.

Back to today the new challenge starts on the Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge blog the theme is Anything Goes this time with the optional twist of Autumn colours. The sponsor is Bugaboo I do love their images and I am pleased to say that they are sponsoring us twice more before the end of the year.

The back ground was created with some left over stamped autumn leaves and a piece of card stamped with Sunflowers and coloured with Distress ink. 

There are some gorgeous image in the store if you click on the logo you should be taken there. 

This is Autumn Squirrel he can be purchased HERE.  He does look so happy with his acorns. He was coloured with Promarkers. 

This is a Visible Image stamp. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. 

I would like to enter challenge 53 at the Crafting with Friends Challenge blog.

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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A Birthday Card for someone Special

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends

How is your week going?  The work is still continuing on the drive the patio is now included in the plan and changing the wall and the fence. It is a very big job. We are having it done at the same time as our neighbours it should look very smart when it is finished. I will post some pictures when it is finished.

A few weeks ago I made a card for a special friend. He should have seen the card by now so it should be okay to post.

I did start by creating the image. I made the mats and layers match the colours I had used. The ribbons were in my stash. 

I used the circle media plate, that John Lockwood uses, with my Tim Holtz stamping platform. I used two shades of Distress ink on the plate that I spread out with a brayer. Then I used the platform to place the stamps. I must say the stamping platform has transformed my stamping. It is so easy to set something up and to stamp several of them very quickly. I have made quite a few Christmas cards like this recently. 

I tried two different types of paper water colour card and a smooth stamping card. I did like both results I decided to use the one on the water colour card. I will be making a card with the other image. 

I was very pleased with how this card turned out. I will be using these stamps again. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Pixie Powders and Brushos Christmas cards

Hello my Crafty Blog Friends

Happy Monday? How was your weekend? I hope you did something nice. On Saturday we visited our daughter and son-in-law and had a lovely meal together. We discussed our plans for visiting Disneyland Paris next year to celebrate my big birthday. Then on Sunday we had our friend,  who lost his wife last year,  over for lunch it was lovely to have a catch up. One of his daughter's and her husband have bought a working dairy farm in France it is all very exciting.

Last week I settled down to make some batch Christmas cards for which I needed to create backgrounds. I used water colour card and a mixture of Pixie Powders and Brushos. When they were dry I thought they were rather too pretty for what I had planned. I ended up making some different cards.

I stamped and heat embossed snowflakes in silver and white onto the background. I chose mats and layers to match the colours in the Pixie Powders and Brushos. 

 
I cut this Creative Expressions die in white glitter card and offset is with a deep purple die cut. 

I have had this ribbon for a long time this seemed like the right time to use it. 

A DL card with die cut snowflakes with and pearl added to each. The die came free with a magazine last year. I used the last of the ribbon on this card. 

Another DL card this time just three die cut snowflakes and a different ribbon. 

I had one tiny scrap left over so I made this tiny card. The Santa is a Creative Expressions die and the sentiment was cut with some Britannia dies. All the decorated paper has gone now. 

Here they are altogether. They do look rather splendid on the side. I still need to make the batch of cards I was planning I will have to make some more backgrounds.

I would like to enter challenge 179 at the Crafting from the Heart Challenge blog and challenge 45 at A Snowflakes Promise Challenge blog. 

Enjoy the rest of the week. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Crafty Catz Challenge Blog - Anything Goes with the optional twist of use some ribbon

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends

The weekend is nearly here. I hope you have something nice planned. Today I will be popping up to our newly refurbished Co-op as apparently they will be giving out Prosecco. On Saturday we will be visiting our daughter and son-in-law to discuss holiday plans and on Sunday we are having some old friends round for lunch.

Being Friday the new challenge starts on the Crafty Catz challenge blog the theme is Anything Goes with the optional twist of use some ribbon. The sponsor is Crafty Ribbons.

We are also on the look out for Guest Design Team members for November. If you are interested please put GDT after your name on your entry. We would love you to join us.

When I went to Ally Pally I saw a demo using weaving dies. I thought I ought to be able to do that with ribbon. 

They have some wonderful ribbon click on the logo and you will be taken to the store. 

I stuck the backing paper to the top mat and then with a Spellbinders bauble die I cut an aperture. I used red line tape on the back of the aperture to hold the ribbon in place. I only peeled back the backing on the tape as I need it. I laid strips of the green ribbon down first it is double sided do I alternated the colours. The I took the gingham ribbon and wove it in between the green. When I had finished I stuck a square of card over the back of the ribbon to hold it in place. I stuck pearls round the edge of the aperture.  

To decorate the top I cut the Festive Bough and Holly Spray dies from Creative Expressions. I used Berry Red Pearl PVA to  create the berries on the holly. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. 

I would like to enter challenge 38 at the Merry Christmas Challenge blog. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Felted Penguin Family

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends

How is your week going? Our internet is really playing up which is very frustrating. I do rely on it so much. Hopefully something will be sorted soon.

On Saturday the printing of the Save the Date postcards did not go well. While I was waiting I finished this little felted penguin family. I learnt a bit about felting so I could help at the workshops. I remembered that we had a kit from Hobbycraft. So I got it out to have a go. The wool wasn't as nice as that used at the workshops and I was felting into polystyrene egg shapes.

This is the one I made first. 

Then I made the one with the heart. 

Then I made the tiny egg one. I tried to follow the pattern in the kit. I showed my daughter and she thought they looked like us. Then I realised I should have made her husband. 

So I raided another kit and made another little one. 

I do think they are cute. I might be helping at a couple of workshops next week I am hoping to learn a bit more. 

Enjoy the rest of week

Happy crafting. 

Hugs Jackie

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Create -a- Card Circle Swing Christmas card.

Hi My Crafty Blog Friends

How is your week going? I was supposed to go out with my friend yesterday. The trouble is she hurt her back so she came here instead and we had lunch. Just recently when on holiday she was able to visit the Aycliffe  Crafter's Companion Store  and a Clarity Open day. She bought some of her purchases with her and she let me have a play.

There is something about seeing something first hand. I had seen this die set demoed on the telly but it was quite different to have a go myself.

This is the Crafter's Companion Create-a-card circle swing card die set teamed with the Sparkling Snowflakes Decorative panel die set. I used two shades of centura pearl card. The card was very easy to make. Once everything was cut I covered the light blue card with a double sided sticky sheet I stuck the details dies on and then covered the rest with glitter. 

 I decorated the back of the panel with snowflakes. This card packs flat to go in an envelope. 

I was pleased how this card turned out. I might ask to borrow this die set again. 

Enjoy the rest of day. 

I would like to enter challenge 38 at the Merry Christmas Challenge blog. 

Happy Crafting 

Hugs Jackie

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Winter Trees Christmas Card

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends

How was your weekend? Did you do something nice?  We caught up on jobs in the garden our drive is going to be paved soon so it needed doing. My husband also printed the Save the Dates for our nephew and his fiancee.  This didn't go so well as the postcards wouldn't feed through the printer. He ended up scanning the back of one and typing the details in. Then I had to cut them out and stick them to the back of the postcards. We did loose a lot of time. They will be going in the post today. Next will be the invites.

I am not sure where I read it but someone said that people rely too much on dies in their card making. Now I love my dies and I use them a lot. This just got me wondering if I could make a card an not use any dies. I did use the Falling Snow embossing folder though.

I had my Tim Holtz stamping platform out to make another card. I have three of the mixed media plates that John Lockwood uses. I also have his Winter Trees stamp set. So I had the circle mixed media plate on the stamping platform and I inked it with Chipped Sapphire Distress ink that I spread out with a brayer. Then I used the snowflake stamps, from the Winter Trees set, to remove some of the ink from the media plate. Once the circle was complete I stamped the tree the pot and the sentiment with black archival. The platform makes is so easy to put the stamps where you want them. Then I took the paper from the stamp press and put in on my craft sheet. I put some Chipped Sapphire Distress ink on the make and I used the snowflake stamp to put snowflakes round the circle. 

I added a red ribbon from my stash. 

Have a great week. 

I would like to enter challenge 436 at the Allsorts Challenge blog , challenge 37 at the Merry Christmas Challenge blog , challenge 44 at A Snowflakes Promise challenge blog and the Anything Goes Christmas challenge at the Winter Wonderland Challenge blog. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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