CHNC challenge extra for September

Can you believe that it's now September? Where is the year going to? I'm glad that I've been making Christmas cards throughout the year, but I'm very conscious that time is becoming even more precious and ticking by fast. As many of you know, I sell cards to raise money for Tearfund and will be having an 'at home' day at the beginning of October ... and that's not far away now!

I usually make some packs of cards that I sell quite cheaply - five simple cards in a pack. So I thought I would make five using the lovely 'raggedy angel - lay on star' kindly supplied by Bugaboo Stamps, the sponsor of CHNC challenge extra for September. Please click on the challenge link and join in - it's always 'anything goes as long as it's Christmas' - I'd love to see your Christmas creations there.

The card blanks are some landscape opening ones that are kraft card with a bit of a golden sheen to them. The gold foiled card with star patterns is some that I've had for longer than I can remember. The lovely sentiment was an internet freebie (I changed the colour digitally).

These are also for:

Facebook A card a day
Crafty boots: Christmas in August
Fashionista 19: Christmas
Holly jolly Christmas: monochromatic
Festive Friday 16: trigger: peace
ABC Christmas: Q for quick
Cute card Thursday 284: things with wings
A creative romance: CAS style cards
Aud sentiments 88: any sentiment

Sarn's Rudolph day

I knew I shouldn't have left it - I should have made something for Sarn's August Rudolph Day earlier than this - in fact, I'm going to have to link my cards and then finish the blogpost afterwards otherwise I might be too late!

I made five simple cards all the same using coloured images from the Lili of the valley set 14 festive foliage - I'm in love with these already and I only received the package this morning. I know it's cheating, but sometimes I need to cheat with the amount of cards I make. I mounted the images on to red mirror card before putting on to white card blanks. The sentiment circles are from Craftwork Cards.

This is also for:

A creative romance: CAS style cards
ABC Christmas: Q for quick
Bizzy Becs August: clean and simple
Created with love 55: anything goes
Charisma cardz 34: one  one of everything - for each card: one card blank, one image, one piece of red mirror card, one sentiment circle

Exciting news!!

It's always exciting to see a new challenge blog get started, but I'm doubly excited about this one.

Suzy is starting her Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge Blog soon - if you click on the link you can read all about it.

And I'm doubly excited because Suzy has invited me to join her on the Design Team. If you would like to apply to be with us on the team, then please visit the blog and see the details and get in touch with Suzy.

CHNC challenge 140: let's get inky and/or painty

Can you believe that it will be September tomorrow. If you haven't yet started your Christmas cards, perhaps you should seriously consider joining in a few Christmas challenges this week. My CHNC challenge 140 today is to get inky and/or painty.

This week there are four sponsors, so there's more opportunity to win a prize - please go over to the challenge and see what's on offer and also to see the card that my guest from Limited Runs Digital Stamps has shared.

I used a digital image kindly supplied by Limited Runs Digital Stamps - Because this week has been busy and quite difficult at times, I had limited crafting time so I cheated really because it's a pre-coloured one - 'Santa this way cupcake', but I've made up for it by using acrylic paint and distress ink on my background papers.

I distressed all papers, including the image card, with fired brick distress inks (one of my favourites that I seem to use a lot). The piece of paper with the diamonds on it was produced by using acrylic paints with my gelli plate. It's a shame that the photo doesn't show the gold pattern that was created with a stencil prior to using the red acylic for the lattice work. The paper is actually a piece of My Mind's Eye Andrea Victoria which has a grid pattern on it. The die cut label shape has been upcycled from a Christmas cracker from a couple of years ago (I think this is about the last piece now). All pieces of paper were from offcuts, so this is also for Pixie's crafty snippets week 87.

I based the card on the sketch given for Christmas challenges with sketches 88, keeping the same size of card as the sketch. To see the sketch, please click on the link.

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Crafty boots: Christmas in August
Fashionista 19: Christmas
Hobby cutz 13: create your own background (the piece made with the gelli plate print)
Stamp with fun 221: checkered
DRS 85: mad about plaid
Eureka 54: be sentimental
Aud sentiments 88: any sentiment
Flourishes 235: in distress
Just us girls 204: use distressing on your creation
Delightful: make the cut (die cut)
Cuttlebug mania: anything goes - die cuts (nestie run through my cuttlebug)
Creative inspirations paint: anything goes
Hiding in my craftroom 113: freestyle
Little scrap pieces fun Friday linky party: any card
PumpkinSpice 35: anything goes
Party time Tuesday 135: anything goes
613 avenue create 34: anything goes
Craftin desert divas 13: anything goes
Card and scrap 59: anything goes
DL.ART August: anything goes
Sister act 22: anything goes
Inky linky 28
Make it Monday 155
Inspire me Fridays 118
52 card pickup 2.35