Craft your days away

The girls from the Magical Crafts blog have set up a new Challenge blog after the closure of the other one. It's called Craft Your Days Away. Their first challenge will start on 7 August at 9:00 and to celebrate all this they have three amazing prizes to give away. All you have to do to qualify for the blog candy draw is to post on your blog and link your name by 16:00 UK time on 6 August.

So, to be in with a chance visit Craft Your Days Away now and help spread the word of the new challenge blog.

I'm also putting a notice in my side bar so that it can be seen up until the draw for the blog candy.

I love burgundy

I do love burgundy - it was the colour I chose for my bridesmaids. So I was pleased to make a card for Rosie-D 75, using burgundy, pink & cream (well, tbh, I'm not sure that I've used cream - it's probably more like white).

I used the sketch for Techno's Monday lunchtime sketch 131:

Papers are BG bittersweet and the image is a download from Dezinaworld, called 'pink lady'. I've torn the striped paper strips to give the card a distressed, vintage look.

This is also for:

Raise the bar 28: 'distressed, torn, ripped, broken'
Stamping with the dragon 6: 'distressing'
Our daily bread 22: 'distress it'
Sweet stampin' 36: 'vintage'
Creative stamp friends 3: 'vintage'
Crafty angels 41: 'shabby chic'
Dollies elements: 'think vintage ... movies that is!' - reminds me of My Fair Lady
Digi doodle 17: 'anything, I mean anything goes!'
Clearlyistamp 15: 'gratitude'
Stamp scrap & doodle: 'digis'

The summer feeling

This week's challenge on Dottie's world asks for a card shoing 'the summer feeling' and Louise said: 'I would like you to use a CHARMED DOWNLOAD to make a summery card - or something else if you prefer! OK so that doesn't sound very challenging.......I would like you to make your summer item DIFFERENT to what you would normally make. Maybe you always make tent fold cards so try a side fold card or something completely different! Maybe you always make big cards so make a teenie weenie one, do you get my drift?'

So I decided to make a fold back card (haven't done one of these for ages and ages, so it's certainly something different for me).

I used the 'gift for mummy' download from the Sugar and Spice set; the blue papers are BG phoebe and the purple and pink is BG wisteria. The tan card is from my scraps box.

This can looks a bit wonky, but it isn't irl.





I used the colours for Picture Perfect 22:

It's also for:

Crafty catz 42: 'summertime'
Stampalot for July: 'lazy hazy days of summer'
Bunny Zoe 2: 'summer days'
One stitch at a time 22: 'it's digi madness' - I've used a digi
Digi doodle 17: 'anything, I mean anything goes!'

Donald calls in to say Happy Birthday

This is for CPS 176:

Two or three years ago I bought a Disney kit - lots of bright papers and Mickey Mouse stamps etc. Well, I still had quite a few papers left, including little scraps, so I've looked them out for this card and used a digi Donald Duck.


I'm also linking for:

Corrosive 73: 'cartoon time'
One stitch at a time 22: 'it's digi madness' - I've used a digi
Craft your passion 15: 'orange, yellow and blue'
Crazy challenge: 'boys will be boys'
Pollycraft 53: 'Haappy Birthday'
Digital Tuesday 68: 'Happy Birthday'
Craftalicious 4: 'birthdays'
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: 'birthday'
Digi doodle 17: 'anything, I mean anything goes!'
Practical scrappers: 'using your stash older than 1 year' - definitely at least two years old
Other lovelies thoughtful Thursday 21: 'yellow, orange and red'
Rainbow lady 113: enjoy life with oranges and lemons'
Twisted Thursday 66: 'orange you HOT???'
Allsorts 62: 'card for child'
Oh Alice chapter 23: 'birds'
Speedy the cat (Mark's finest papers) 13: 'masculine card' - for a boy
Whoopsi Daisy for July: ' hot - vibrant colours'

Christmas shades of blue

This is for Sketch Saturday 112:

My base card is sapphire stardream, which sparkles. The snowflakes card is from last year's Patchwork Pals kit (I like to mix and match rather than use the supplies as suggested). The fancy foiled sentiment is from the QVC TSV kit received this week.



The card is also for:

Magical crafts 19: 'Christmas in July'
Ooh-la-la 58: 'Christmas in July'
2 sisters 2: 'Christmas in July'
Sundays with Crissy 7: 'Christmas in July'
Christmas cards all year round July: 'anything goes'
Polka doodles week 29: 'Christmas in July'
Alota 39: 'glitter and pearls'
Everybody art 100: 'blue/white'
Sentimental Sundays 12: 'for men' (I think this is a suitable masculine card for Christmas)
Donna's den of crafts 3: 'it's a man's world'
Alphabet: 'M is for men'
Aud sentiments 7: 'choose your own Christmas sentiment'

Sparkly Christmas

I'm still in Christmas mode (need to stop this trend soon and make some other cards). Anyway, this card is for the sketch given for Always playing with paper 7:

I love making Christmas cards that involve stamping, but I need to make a lot of cards (with what we send and what I sell I usually make about 600 Christmas cards), so I need to be able to make some that don't take too long, but still look presentable enough for people to want to buy them. So I succumbed again recently to buying a Christmas TSV from QVC, so this card uses some white and gold foiled card in the background. The image has been layered and decoupaged. The strip of green across the middle is a piece of PM A Christmas Carol. The baubles and stars are glittered on top of the foiling.


I'm also linking this for:

ABC Christmas: 'O is for ornaments' (I hope baubles and stars count)
Magical crafts 19: 'Christmas in July'
Ooh-la-la 58: 'Christmas in July'
2 sisters 2: 'Christmas in July'
Sundays with Crissy 7: 'Christmas in July'
Christmas cards all year round July: 'anything goes'
Polka doodles week 29: 'Christmas in July'
Anything goes (Craft Den) 8: 'stars'

BF July ATCs

The theme for the July ATC swap on BF forum is 'girly'.

I used a Charmed download, 'Louise', from the Girls about town set (I love the Charmed downloads - I think I've bought nearly all of them - and I noticed there's a new one I haven't got ... might have to treat myself).

I printed it on to a shimmery pink card which enabled me to quickly put some clear embossing powder on and heat, which has given a lovely shiny look to it. I took the photo in a hurry because I wanted to get the ATCs into the post (I didn't even check the photo), so it's pretty poor, but does, in fact, show the sheen on the pink card and the embossed look - much better irl.

I rounded the corners, inserted some ribbon and then backed them with some shimmery slate grey stardream card.


I'm linking these for Scrappy frogs: 'Are you a girlie girl?'

It's WOYWW day again!

Wednesdays come round with alarming speed. Yes, it's that day when us crafters show our workspace and also have the opportunity to snoop on others. If you haven't heard of WOYWW, where have you been? To find out more visit Julia's blog - and then get the camera clicking to show us your workspace.

This week I thought I would take a picture standing back from my workspace and include the pull out shelf, which is really for keyboard, but is much better used for housing a few essentials so that they are ready to hand - and gives another little surface to work on if the main one is too cluttered.


The next shot is particularly in answer to Julia's question from last time - yes, the cut off bits from the guillotine do fall to the floor, but I have to admit that they don't stay there for long.


If you scroll down on my blow you'll see that since I got back from Eastbourne I've been mainly making Christmas cards - lots of 'Christmas in July' challenges around atm. Today I need to get on with my LO for tomorrow's new Salt challenge, so I'll be clearing the decks to have a nice clear space to work in - those who visit regularly know that I like my tidy up sessions! - and then I can mess it up again.

Long tall Santa

For this card I've used the sketch for Wild flower Wednesday 23, lengthening it for a DL card:

The base card is a shiny black, covered with DCWV papers. I used one of my favourite Christmas stamps, Santa collage, stamped with versafine onyx black and heat embosssed with black detail. The chipboard candy cane is also DCWV.

Why does the candy cane and the ribbon look red on here when irl it's hot pink?

This is also for:

Magical crafts 19: 'Christmas in July'
Ooh-la-la 58: 'Christmas in July'
Fab n funky 31: 'it's Christmas in July'
Freshly brewed 11: 'Christmas in July'
2 sisters 2: 'Christmas in July'
Sundays with Crissy 7: 'Christmas in July'
Stampotique 11: 'Christmas in July'
Cute card Thursday 121: 'get a head start ... Christmas'
Christmas cards all year round July: 'anything goes'
Hanna and friends 53: 'celebrating'
Just add ink 26: 'just add embossing' - heat embossed
KL stampin' n scrappin' 39: 'ribbon'
Friends having fun: 'Christmas in July - DL card' - incorporate your favourite technique: stamping/embossing
Character cafe 25: 'rectangle (DL size card)'
Meljen 16: 'long or tall card'
Crafts and me 8: 'black, pink and white'
Die cut dreams Christmas club 26: 'Santa'
Cas-tastic 11: 'it's simple - I used stamped image, inked edges and embossing

Peace on earth

This is for the sketch on the Pixie cottage for challenge 27, with the added option of 'triple play': 'which means we'd like to see something on your project 3 times! ' - hence the three stars - I punched larger stars from the gold mirror card and the smaller stars from the swirly foiled card.

The base card is gold stardream. I stamped 'peace on earth'(Personal Impressions) - one I bought in Eastbourne - (with versamark and heat embossed with detail gold) straight on to a piece of swirly foiled card that had a gap that was just right - a piece left over from a kit from last year (apart from the base card, everything else is from my scrap box - still trying to stick to my new year's crafting resolution of using up the offcuts).



It's also for:

Magical crafts 19: 'Christmas in July'
Ooh-la-la 58: 'Christmas in July'
Fab n funky 31: 'it's Christmas in July'
Freshly brewed 11: 'Christmas in July'
2 sisters 2: 'Christmas in July'
Sundays with Crissy 7: 'Christmas in July'
Stampotique 11: 'Christmas in July'
Cute card Thursday 121: 'get a head start ... Christmas'
Christmas cards all year round July: 'anything goes'
Hanna and friends 53: 'celebrating'
Just add ink 26: 'just add embossing' - heat embossed
Digi doodle 16: 'use those scraps'
Stampin' B 67: use a sentiment as a focal point'
Andrea's stampin' moments: 'simply monochromatic'
KL stampin' n scrappin' 39: 'ribbon'
Christmas stampin' all year long 57: 'bling it up'
Anything goes (Craft Den) 7: 'sparkle & shine'

Angel Dottie

This is for Inspirational card sketches 74:

The base card is sapphire stardream. The added gold cards are pieces left over from last year. The digi image is 'angel Dottie', a charmed download from the bumper Christmas collection.

I took the photo on an angle to try and show the sparkly finish of the base card and the foiling of the gold ones. The sentiment says Happy Christmas.


This is another 'angel' card for BF forum's 25th club for this month.

It's also for:

Magical crafts 19: 'Christmas in July'
Ooh-la-la 58: 'Christmas in July'
Fab n funky 31: 'it's Christmas in July'
Freshly brewed 11: 'Christmas in July'
2 sisters 2: 'Christmas in July'
Sundays with Crissy 7: 'Christmas in July'
Cute card Thursday 121: 'get a head start ... Christmas'
Christmas cards all year round July: 'anything goes'
One stitch at a time 22: 'it's digi madness'
Digi doodle 16: 'use those scraps'
Stamp something: 'something digital'
Flutter by Wednesday 113: 'use layers' - and I've used an angel

Santa Claus George

This card uses the sketch for Digital Tuesday 67:

The background paper and the strip down the side are Dovecraft that I bought a couple of years ago, hence the entry for Practical scrappers 'using your stash older than one year'. Santa Claus George is a Charmed download, which is backed on to a piece of BG wassail. The stars are gold irl.

It's also for:

Magical crafts 19: 'Christmas in July'
Ooh-la-la 58: 'Christmas in July'
Fab n funky 31: 'it's Christmas in July'
Freshly brewed 11: 'Christmas in July'
2 sisters 2: 'Christmas in July'
Sundays with Crissy 7: 'Christmas in July'
Cute card Thursday 121: 'get a head start ... Christmas'
Christmas cards all year round July: 'anything goes'
Die cut dreams Christmas club 26: 'Santa'
Pixie dust studio 31: 'Christmas inspired colours - forest green, cranberry'
One stitch at a time 22: 'it's digi madness'
Digi doodle 16: 'use those scraps'
Stamp something: 'something digital'
C.R.A.F.T. 59: 'babies/children' - this card is suitable for a child

Angelic bear

This is for sketch 40 on Cards and things:

The background paper is Forever Friends Christmas Glow, so is the strip across the middle which has been embossed with Cuttlebug swiss dots. The spiky circle was cut with a nestie using a piece of BG sugar rush. The angelic bear is a FF 3D element.

There seem to be more and more 'Christmas in July' challenges atm - I'm loving them because I need to make so many Christmas cards that it's enthusing me to get more done - at the last count I had made 106. This is now my 8th card for this month's 25th club on BF forum (only two more 'angel' cards to make).

So I'm linking for these challenges:

Magical crafts 19: 'Christmas in July'
Ooh-la-la 58: 'Christmas in July'
Fab n funky 31: 'it's Christmas in July'
Freshly brewed 11: 'Christmas in July'
2 sisters 2: 'Christmas in July'
Just cute bears 26: 'Christmas in July'
Sundays with Crissy 7: 'Christmas in July'
Cuttlebug spot: 'Christmas in July' - I included embossing
Cute card Thursday 121: 'get a head start ... Christmas'
Christmas cards all year round July: 'anything goes'
Winter wonderland: 'glittery angels'
Shelly's images terrifically thrilling Thursday: 'lots of layers'
Flutterby Wednesday 113: 'use layers' - and I've used an angel
Charisma cardz 28: 'pink'
Ann's creative nook 97: 'how do you dry emboss?' - the cuttlebug folder
Just add ink 26: 'just add embossing'
The crafty pad 80: colours from the inspirational photo:

and also Cupcake Inspiration 68:
and Off the wall 16:

A beary Christmas

This is for Beary sweet 6: 'it's sketch time':


Papers are Forever Friends Christmas glow and the Santa teddy and sentiment are FF 3D elements.


It's also for:

Magical crafts 19: 'Christmas in July'
Ooh-la-la 58: 'Christmas in July'
Shabby tea room 18: 'Christmas in July'
Fab n funky 31: 'it's Christmas in July'
Freshly brewed 11: 'Christmas in July'
2 sisters 2: 'Christmas in July'
Cute card Thursday 121: 'get a head start ... Christmas'
Christmas cards all year round July: 'anything goes'
Just cute bears 26: 'Christmas in July'
Die cut dreams Christmas club 26: 'Santa' (hope a bear Santa counts)
Lucy's cards 12: 'buttons'
Crazy 4 challnges 46: 'buttons'
Shelly's images terrifically thrilling Thursday: 'lots of layers'

Forever Friends Christmas

This is for the sketch on the Forever Friends challenge for this fortnight:

The paper is from the FF Christmas glow pad and the ribbons are sticky ones that have been in the box far too long.

The FF Christmas cooks are 3D stickers, as are the stockings and little cakes.

It's also for:

Magical crafts 19: 'Christmas in July'
Ooh-la-la 58: 'Christmas in July'
Shabby tea room 18: 'Christmas in July'
Fab n funky 31: 'it's Christmas in July'
Freshly brewed 11: 'Christmas in July'
Creative prompts CH24: 'Christmas in July'
2 sisters 2: 'Christmas in July'
Cute card Thursday 121: 'get a head start ... Christmas'
Christmas cards all year round July: 'anything goes'
Just cute bears 26: 'Christmas in July'
Order of the Opus Gluei 64: 'what's cookin', good lookin'?' - food theme
Die cut dreams Christmas club 25: 'a very beary merry Xmas'
KL stampin n scrappin 39: 'ribbon'
Shelly's images terrifically thrilling Thursday: 'lots of layers'

Red Christmas

Another Christmas card made from the Patchwork Pals kit.

The button on felt circles was sent by a crafting friend - I've loved using these (only got a couple left now).

The photos are terrible, I'm afriad - either not enough light if the sun is kept out and too much if it shines in (not that I'm grumbling about the sun!)



It's for these challenges:

Cupcake 99: 'acetate'
Magical crafts 19: 'Christmas in July'
Ooh-la-la 58: 'Christmas in July'
Shabby tea room 18: 'Christmas in July'
Fab n funky 31: 'it's Christmas in July'
Freshly brewed 11: 'Christmas in July'
Creative prompts CH24: 'Christmas in July'
2 sisters 2: 'Christmas in July'
Cute card Thursday 121: 'get a head start ... Christmas'
Christmas cards all year round July: 'anything goes'
Christmas stampin' all year long 57: 'bling it up' - glitter on the church picture and the sentiments and snowflakes are foiled
Lucy's cards 12: 'buttons'
Crazy 4 challnges 46: 'buttons'
Andrea's: 'simply monochromatic'
Anything goes (Craft Den) 7: 'sparkle & shine'
Flourishes timeless 75: 'felt'
Stamping with the dragon 5: 'recipe - use transparency and 3 buttons'
Stampin' sisters in Christ 48: 'card that is 'built' using a set of plans' - the church

A cool Christmas

This is for the sketch on Craft your passion 14:

I used one of the pictures from the Patchwork Pals kit that I used for the previous aperture card. The background striped paper is from the inside of an envelope, the sentiments paper was free with a magazine and the snowflakes and sentiment were from the PP kit.

This is also for:

Magical crafts 19: 'Christmas in July'
Ooh-la-la 58: 'Christmas in July'
Shabby tea room 18: 'Christmas in July'
Fab n funky 31: 'it's Christmas in July'
Freshly brewed 11: 'Christmas in July'
Creative prompts CH24: 'Christmas in July'
2 sisters 2: 'Christmas in July'
Cute card Thursday 121: 'get a head start ... Christmas'
Christmas cards all year round July: 'anything goes'
Christmas stampin' all year long 57: 'bling it up' - glitter on the house picture and the sentiment and snowflakes are foiled
Mixed media Monday: 'something blue'
Stampin' sisters in Christ 48: 'card that is 'built' using a set of plans' - the house

Guest designer spot on Sparkles

I was priveleged to be asked to be a guest designer for today on Sparkles Christmas card challenges blog for challenge 33.

We were given this picture as inspiration:

I used a digi fireplace background, importing the actual fire into the picture.

The stockings were stamped with a stamp that I received last year as a prize for a challenge. They are attached with brads, so they can be moved from side to side, so they hang. Santa's hat and the chipboard snowman were added to the left and right stockings; the middle stocking has used the entire stamp with the doll sticking out of the top.

It's an A5 card because it needed to be large enough to show the stockings hanging in the fireplace.

I very much enjoyed being part of Sparkles team for today. Please go over and have a look at the super crafting of the regular team. And, if you haven't yet started making your Christmas cards, perhaps you will be inspired to do so.

I'm also linking this for Bah! humbug 27: 'Christmas stockings'

Whispers

The lovely picture of the ladies whispering was given as the prompt for this week's Soartful challenge.

I simply took the picture and digitally changed the colours of Adriana Hollenbeck's 'greens and blue' paper and frame.

I can see clearly now ...

Last year I bought a Christmas Patchwork Pals kit from QVC, thinking it would be good for making cards to sell for charity, but it remained untouched. I took the box to Eastbourne in case I felt like doing some crafting - all I did in the end was to stick ovals into a few aperture cards.

So this is one of those cards, with an piece of acetate put between the two layers of the aperture, with sentiment 'buttons' and snowflakes stuck on the front and correspondingly on the inside. The picture of the church is glittered to give a snowy effect.

The pattern on the front of the card continues on the back.




This is for these challenges:

Sentimental Sundays 11: 'I can see clearly now ... ' - use something clear (acetate) and a sentiment
Cupcake 99: 'acetate'
Secret crafter Saturday 91: 'apertures'
Magical crafts 19: 'Christmas in July'
Ooh-la-la 58: 'Christmas in July'
Shabby tea room 18: 'Christmas in July'
Fab n funky 31: 'it's Christmas in July'
Freshly brewed 11: 'Christmas in July'
Creative prompts CH24: 'Christmas in July'
2 sisters 2: 'Christmas in July'
Cute card Thursday 121: 'get a head start ... Christmas'
Christmas cards all year round July: 'anything goes'
Christmas stampin' all year long 57: 'bling it up' - glitter on the church picture and the sentiments and snowflakes are foiled
Mixed media Monday: 'something blue'
Lucy's cards 12: 'buttons'
Crazy 4 challnges 46: 'buttons'
Andrea's: 'simply monochromatic'
Sundays with Crissy 6: 'monochromatic'
Anything goes (Craft Den) 7: 'sparkle & shine'
Aly's Sunday 21: 'red or white or blue'
Crafty Ann 19: 'Sir Cliff Richard song' - Cliff sang 'White Christmas' on the album 'Together with Cliff' 1991

Special Christmas angels

This is for CPS sketch 175:

It's another Christmas card featuring an angel for the July 25th club on BF forum (my 7th card for this month's challenge).

The background paper and surround of the picture is BG wassail; the picture was cut from Dovecraft paper. The strip across the card was a left over from a QVC kit from last year.

This is also for:

Magical crafts 19: 'Christmas in July'
Ooh-la-la 58: 'Christmas in July'
Shabby tea room 18: 'Christmas in July'
Fab n funky 31: 'it's Christmas in July'
Freshly brewed 11: 'Christmas in July'
Creative prompts CH24: 'Christmas in July'
2 sisters 2: 'Christmas in July'
Cute card Thursday 121: 'get a head start ... Christmas'
Christmas cards all year round July: 'anything goes'
Flutter by Wednesday 113: 'use layers' - and I used an angel
Winter Wonderland: 'glittery angels' - the strip across the card is foiled, so it glints in the light
Christmas stampin' all year long 57: 'bling it up'
Aud sentiments 6: 'can't use a sentiment'