52 CCT Stash Challenge

Time for a challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown where you bust that stash! Gill has chosen...

 

 This was a great challenge for me because it made me dig out my (unopened) Heat and Stick Powder. I also found a great little pot of gorgeous turquoise glitter (also unopened!) I really can't capture the glorious glitteriness, but I had such a great time making this card!

 

 

The snowflake stamp is from SU's retired Snowflake Soiree and the sentiment was heat embossed using pewter embossing powder.

 

The DT love lots of Christmas sparkle, so I do hope you will join us for Gill's lovely, glittery challenge! April x

 



 

Christmas Card Making

Hello! As you probably already know if you read my blog, I make a Christmas card every week of the year as a proud member of the DT for 52 Christmas Card Throwdown. Some are planned and carefully made, more are rushed panic-jobs at 4 o'clock on the Friday! Then I make more Christmas cards (if that makes any sense) just like all those normal card-makers! Here is one of those cards.

I was inspired by a lovely card my friend Fanny had made with a very similar background to this one. Her card had a beribboned sleigh, but I have just gone for one reindeer here instead. I made it with the wonderful Santa's Sleigh bundle which I love!

He is off to proudly show his smart ribbon collar to Di and Parsnip at Pixie's Snippets Playground! Hope you are feeling on the mend, Di!
Happy Christmas crafting! April x

52 CCT Theme Challenge

Hello! This week at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown we have a theme challenge for you. Our hostess Gill has chosen...

 

So much scope with this lovely theme! I used my SU vintage postcard stamp to make the background. I then stencilled on it using a Tim Holtz stencil (the sentiment is TH too). The poinsettia die came with a magazine and is such a useful size.

 

We can't wait to see your old fashioned cards! I hope you will feel inspired by the rest of the DT's festive creations. Happy crafting! April x

Live Love Grow



Hello! Here is another card featuring the Live Love Grow stamp set. I needed a flower pot for the succulents so I used a snippet of copper foil with the owl punch. I felt bad cutting off the owl's top and feet, but it did make a great planter, especially after a fiddly moment of wrapping it with linen thread.
As this card is intended for a man I chose a rather sombre colour scheme of Emerald Envy, Old Olive and Smoky Slate. The sentiment comes from Tin of Cards. I also blinged it up with a couple of sequins (can't help myself!)

The super sketch for this card came from the Global Design Project

 

The card was quite snippety so I'm passing the planter over to the capable paws of Parsnip (careful!) at Pixie's Snippets Playground. Thank you so much Di for choosing my Father Christmas earring set as one of your weekly picks. I hope a certain bear is bringing you lots of cups of tea!

 

Happy crafting! April x



Father Christmas Earrings

Hello! I'd seen a few of these little guys around and fancied some for my ears too. These are the second attempt after a rather smudgy start. You do need to be patient with your colouring or you risk ending up with a Father Christmas who looks as though he has injured himself on a chimney...

I started off by stamping on the frosted side of a piece of frosted shrink plastic with black Stazon. If you stamp on the shiny side your stamp tends to slip (or it does if you are me!) Twenty attempts later I had a couple of efforts I was happy with. I used the punch from the Cookie Cutter Christmas bundle  to cut the figures out, not forgetting to make a hole at the top for a jump ring with my Cropadile and then coloured them with Copics.



After attacking them with my heat gun and then leaving them to cool I attached them to a jump ring and fish hook earring findings. All ready for my ears at Christmas! The earring box and card were all made from snippets of Real Red cardstock and Candy Cane Lane designer series paper.

I am sending my little festive assortment off to Di and Parsnip at Pixie's Snippets Playground.

Happy crafting! April x





52 CCT Sketch Challenge

 

Hello! Wishing you a happy Bonfire Night if you are in the UK. I always think that Christmas preparations can begin in earnest once we have finished setting off the fireworks! Our hostess Gill has a great sketch for you this week at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown...

 

 

 

I have used SU's Cookie Cutter Christmas bundle combined with Layered Squares Framelits to make my festive card. I do hope that you will feel inspired by the DT's lovely cards and share your take on the sketch with us. Happy crafting, April x