Getting to feel a Lot Like Christmas

I have been neglecting this little Cubbyhole again. Facebook seems like the easy option to share my makes as and when I complete. I am not on any design teams any more since moving home twice last year and the need to blog everything and share via this avenue is not there now. I will try harder.
Christmas is fast approaching and I have been busy making things for presents so won't share them yet but this is destined to be a sweetie holder in the house. It's a Santa Sleigh from Tando Creative painted with decoart paints and stamped with stamps from Chocolate Baroque's Steampunkery set with Texture Fragments on the runners.

and a close up of the inside............

My other projects made are "countdown to Christmas" frames from Tando Creative for my Grandchildren.
The first is made in traditional colours for a brother and sister to share.

Corner stamps are from Chocolate Baroque's Steampunk Christmas set. Paint from Decoart.
The other is totally girly

with decoart paints/mediums and silver and white diecuts.

Baby, It's Cold Outside with Delicious Doodles

Cold?? We haven't seen the worst of it yet. There's been frost on my car a couple of mornings this week that I've had to scrape off and this is only October!! It's going to be a hard winter if the berries on the bushes are to be believed.
I digress
The purpose of this post is to show you the card I made for the new Delicious Doodles challenge that's just started. All about the cold, and a good excuse to get another "C" card done for the collection.

An easel card using "A Crofter's Winter"

 Bit more of a close-up on the main panel.

The main panel is Crafters' Companion with some added poinsettia diecuts

mats all different types of white card/paper.

The centre panel from the front was used for the greeting (Visible Image)

A bit of bling to finish and job done

Thanks for looking.

Hope to see you show us your "Cold" creations at the challenge at Delicious Doodles

I'd like to enter my card into the challenge at
Outlawz -Twisted Thursday - Easel Cards

Cat and Mouse (and a couple of birds)

Way back .................. oh, months ago ........... A new challenge blog was launched. There was a massive prize on offer for those that completed a challenge piece from then ..... until now. It has become a weekly and pleasurable job to make sure I get my project in on time. By the skin of my teeth once or twice but I am one of seven that has made it through to the end. Phew. The blog in question is

Through The Purple Haze

I might not have won many of their weekly challenges - there is some stiff competition out there - but I have done my best. All I could ask of me. This week is the final week of that initial challenge. I made it !!!
Penny Black are the sponsors this week and I just happen to have one of their stamps - lucky me won it on this very blog in a challenge months ago. As luck would have it - it's Christmas themed as well. Just right for this Christmas themed challenge.
I made a gift bag from a single piece of 12"x12" patterned paper. The design of the paper is much better suited for a larger project or scrapbook page. As I don't do scrapping - the larger project it is.

The front with the stamped image sitting on two die cut shapes from pearlescent white card

This shows the dimension - the "puffy white stuff" with added glitter for the snow and the decoupaged robins and mouse. I had to have them proud of the snow.

 This is the back - a third die cut from the spellbinders "labels32" set and two of the memory box "La Rue Flourish" - with some red gems added.
A bit of silver ribbon through some holes and ready for filling.

I am entering this into the challenge at
Through The Purple Haze - Here comes Christmas Day

Starry Night

Hello to you all out there, today's project is a card that I made as guest designer over at the C.R.A.F.T. challenge blog. Rick St Dennis is just one of the fabulous sponsors this week. You really do need to have a look.
The challenge was to use the sketch provided......

This is the card I made using Starry Night Santa.

Isn't he cute!

Coloured mostly with promarkers with silver gel pen on those twinkly stars 

The card base edges were coloured with gold promarker before adding my layers of silver and red papers.

The red ribbon with gold edges and silver satin ribbons add more sparkle and opulence.

There are die cut snowflakes adhered to golden circles and dusted well with silvery white glitter.

The sentiment was stamped with and heat embossed with red. Matted onto more gold card with more glitter.

To be in with a chance of winning one of the fabulous prizes on offer, you'll have to visit the C.R.A.F.T. challenge blog to get all the details.

I'd like to enter this into the challenge at 
Cards Galore - Christmas
Feeling Crafty - Christmas
Papertake Weekly - Christmas

Hairy Legs and Delicious Doodles

Morning folks
Something a bit different in the challenge over at Delicious Doodles this week. Something that is only Christmas if you choose it to be. The theme is

Hairy Legs

I did choose to go down the Christmas card route - another to add to the pile. Seems I need a few more for a couple of family members.
The image I chose is "Bark at the Moon" a beautiful image for winter.

Teamed with the Christmas Snowflake Border
The Snowflake Border was finished off with icicle stickles with some on the snow of the tree.

The colour palette of pale blue, white and silver - well that is one of my favourite combinations for this kind of card when giving. So many are red and green, it makes a change to have something different to give.

The papers have been in my stash since last year sometime and I have no idea of the origin but the pack came with sheet of silver on white and silver on blue and because I didn't have any double sided papers that would suit I backed the blue version with the white. 

The aperture measured and cut to size and the flaps secured with snowflake brads  A little Christmas greeting stamped with blue archival ink onto shrink plastic and affixed with clear thread with some silver balls.

After attaching all this to the card base, more little blobs of stickles added to the edges of the pre-shaped card.
Now to make the envelope, lol
Looking forward to seeing your Hairy Legs guys

I am entering this into the challenge over at
Through the Purple Haze - Favourite Christmas colours (This is just one combo I have)

Nearly Christmas - so rumour has it

Now that Hallowe'en is over - it's time to get cracking on those Christmas cards in the Cubbyhole. Quite a few to send this year. I always promise myself to start earlier in the year but other projects seem to be worked on first. So when Through the Purple Haze challenges set the theme of  "Winter Scenes optional animals or people in it" it spurred me on to get at least one more in the pile of "normal" cards.

A mixture of traditional and whimsical.

An acetate base to which a Hunky Dory scene was added.  Together with this Fancy Wreath Mouse from Rick St Dennis. 

He was just itching to get in on the act. 

Yes the card is neatened off on the inside.

I would like to enter this into the challenge at

Through The Purple Haze - Winter Scenes optional animals or people in it

CAS and Delicious Doodles

The new Delicious Doodles Challenge this week is all about clean and simple. No added embellishments! I find this one of the most difficult types of cards. I always want to add something more.

This is the new Holly Sugar Skull from the pen of Teri who is Delicious Doodles. 

Starting off with a white card, I brushed "burnt sienna tint" pan pastel over it. CAS is about loads of empty space not loads of white space after all.

I needed a sentiment this is on the die-cut paper.

The sugar skull itself has been painted with perfect pearls for that extra sheen.

I did add a few swirls, highlighted with the same pan pastel. I couldn't resist it.

So it's bring those CAS cards to Delicious Doodles Challenges folks and show us how it's done - your way.

I'd like to enter this card into the challenge at
Through The Purple Haze - Winter Scenes optional animals or people in it

Recipe Challenge with Delicious Doodles

Morning. Wow, where'd October go? It was both a long and a short month, if you get my drift. Long ... as if "Will it ever be Hallowe'en?" and short in that when that celebration is over, Christmas is just around the corner! Well a few Christmas and, of course, Creepmas cards will feature on my little blog in the next two months and to get the (snow)ball rolling, we have the card I made for the latest Delicious Doodles challenge.
It's a recipe challenge, One image, Two patterned papers, Three diecuts. Easier than last week's for many.
Anyway

I used A Robin's Christmas as my image. Coloured with promarkers and some stardust stickles in a few places to simulated the sparkling new snow,

Two of the diecuts surround the shaker panel cut from the two patterned papers. The acetate - a repurposed promarker packaging case. Yes - that's glitter card! White and blue as a background for those diecuts. For those that want to know - it's coredinations glitter card - the glitter is non-shedding as it's embedded in the card. White flower soft and a touch of glitter on the inside of the shaker panel.

 The shaker panel was then tidied up with narrow ribbon and the bow secured with a trio of pearls stuck down with glossy accents. That baby's going no where. My third die cut - the snowflake flower topped with another pearl. The sentiment (stash) is stamped in blue.
So now we wait for all those challengers to share their projects with us at Delicious Doodles Challenges. I hope you are goig to be one of them.
Thanks for looking.
I'll be back tomorrow ......

I'd like to enter this into the challenge at
I Love Promarkers - Anything Goes

Gems and Bling! with Delicious Doodles

Morning all you beautiful people.
Weather update from chilly Scotland - It's STOPPED raining hahaha. Snow has been seen on the hills and yes it is only September! I told you it was chilly.
I digress
There's a new challenge started over a Delicious Doodles. This week is all about the bling.

GEMS AND BLING!

I chose to re-start on my Christmas card collection. I'm more likely to send a blingy card at that time of year.

The Delicious Doodles images I chose in the end were Christmas Lantern,
Christmas Holly border and on the inside, Christmas scroll border

Some green spotty paper from my  miscellaneous paper stash, matted onto pearlised gold. Some red dotty embossed core-dinations. Instead on sanding back, I lightly rubbed a glue pad over it and then applied gilding flakes. That big red bow is rescued packaging ribbon from some choccies. I just made a couple of loops with it and threaded through a ribbon embellishment. A couple of TH die cut pine sprigs cut from packaging chipboard and heat embossed with green frantage. The sentiment was stamped onto shrink plastic and threaded through with narrow red satin ribbon. 3 tiny gems added to the top corner.

 The other border image has been used inside in order that a message can be written. If you look carefully, you'll see that the lantern image has been decoupaged.

Both the borders were coloured with glittery gel pens. The lantern image coloured with promarkers.

That's about it folks. So get your bling on and come join in the challenge at Delicious Doodles for a chance to win some images for yourself.

I'd like to enter this card into the challenges at
Creative Moments - Anything Goes/Frame it
I love promarkers - Anything Goes
Through The Purple Haze - Bling it up

Emboss It - with Delicious Doodles

Embossing is the name of the game over at Delicious Doodles Challenges this week. Can't get much simpler than that. Just make something - anything - that incorporates either or both dry or heat embossing.

I took the opportunity of playing with some of the new Christmas images and getting a card done for my stock that I will need in just a few weeks time.

So armed with some pearlised card, embossing tools and some images - this is what came out of my craft room. Using pearlised card meant the printer ink stayed wet enough for me to use embossing powder on the image. No need to go over it with any other medium.

Here using the Snowflake Corner. Manipulated so that it printed in two corners. This was doused with an opaque blue/gold powder straight out of the printer, then heated as normal.

The snowflakes on the front and inside are from the Snowflake Collection. Printed onto pearlised silver card. I heat set these without embossing. Then with my trusty blade, proceeded to cut them out.. One for the inside as you see and one for the front.

Slightly off set, I think gives a better "feel". The folder used here is from Sizzix.

Both the pale blue panels are mounted onto a dark blue card base. The closure tab was made from the piece  cut away to make this "Big Buckle card" and stamped using blue archival ink.

Looking forward to seeing those embossed makes of yours. The rest of the team have worked their magic as well. Go check them out!

See you soon and thanks for looking

I would like to enter this into the following challenge
Stamping Sensations - Traditional Christmas
Hooked on Craft - Christmas - no red/green

A few Christmas cards

I'm not only trying to keep ahead of the Christmas rush but also trying to come up with some simple, quick and easy cards that will be able to go into an ordinary flat envelope for the post. So many challenges encourage 3-D, the more embellishments the better type card. These are lovely to hand out to those friends you know will appreciate the hard work but for "everyday" they are not very practicle.
I used the Christmas card kit available from Duck Pond Crafts for these.

Chocolate Baroque image stamped with white SU! pad. MS drippy goo punch. Laser cut borders. The chipboard snow flake heat embossed with white and silver with a touch of glitter added.
The white CS was run through my big shot with the embossing folder just at one end then the other leaving a plain centre.

Papermania candle image, heat embossed with gold. Red DI to ink distress. The double sided paper was "hankerchief folded" to show the other side of the double sided paper. A gusset added to the card base to accomodate the extra thickness.


A "big buckle card" instructions on SPS. The card base was trimmed to form the closure on this.

Die cut snowflakes as well as heat embossed on the card base.











I am entering the "Big Buckle card" into the challenge over at
Christmas Inspirations - Use a diecut

What a week!!!

I am so glad I have my crafting to keep my mind occupied. A stressful week is putting it mildly. I would have gone even more loopy if I didn't have my bits of card and paper etc.
I haven't felt like doing much in the way of blogging, but that's how my life goes once in a while.
I have a few piccies to show here of some of the DT stuff I still managed to do.
First up is for Stampin' Dymonz' Scrap Shack' Christmas card club.
I followed the sketch over at Midnight Madness again.

The sketch is there, I just changed the dimension and made it a side step card.
The stamped image on the backpanel is papermania. Heat embossed with opaque powder after stamping in white onto a silvery flecked blue cs.. Then the poinsettia paper pieced and some seed beads added.

The flourish below that is HOTP, again heat embossed. That same stamp, stamped also in white, was added to the side panel and some ice blue gems stuck on.
The flowers and snowflakes are a mixture of different snowflake punches and diecuts. The flowers are those with gems added.

Silver ribbons from stash as is the card stock and papers.

I am entering this into a couple of challenges
Midnight Madness MMSC124 - Their sketch
Christmas Inspirations - Birds or flowers - I went with the flowers

Christmas tree decoration

This started off life as a make for another challenge, then I changed my mind. lol.
I don't know about you, but I like to have little gifts hidden in the branches of the tree at Christmas. It seems to make that day last longer than the short while of getting together to give and receive pressies before the slog in the kitchen. Even though my "kids" are now grown up and I'm now a "granny", they still look for a pressie "from Santa". Just one of those little family traditions.
This is one of the "ornaments" that will be on the tree this year. Made from green and red co'redinations card stock with just the printed images and top done in white c.s.
Lots of heat embossing in red sparkle of different images decorate the inside of the panels.
The two outer layers are "hiding" a little 3cm square gift box.




















The view of the outside? For this I chose the Delicious Doodles' images of various pets in Christmas stockings.




everything is threaded on some thin green satin ribbon, secured between layer 2 and the outside.


All the images are coloured with promarkers and barndoor DI smudged round them





































































I am entering this into a couple of challenges
Creatalicious Challenges - Anything goes
Jens Digi Stamps - Anything But a Card
Crafty Boots Challenges - Anything Goes