O'Christmas Tree, O'Christmas Tree ....

Hello folks hope you are all keeping well and toasty warm.  Gosh hasn't it turned chilly not that I mind really much prefer crisp days to wet soggy ones, the only problem is my little craft room at the moment has no heating and there are only so many layers I can put on before it becomes difficult to move.  I got such a look from hubby the other day when I emerged from my room looking like I was going on a trek across the Antartic that it did make me chuckle!!!

 

Anyway enough waffle I've another Christmas card to show you today.  This one sort of made itself really and don't you just love it when that happens.

 

I've used a Lili of the Valley stamp and coloured it with copics.  Again the flock has made an appearance for the fur on her coat and hat and the snow has been glamour dusted.  The papers used are Basic Grey 'Jovial' and right now I am kicking myself that I didn't buy more than one of these pads last year as its seriously lush, deep and full of warmth, just love it.

 

The inside of my card has been decorated to compliment the front.  The fab corners are a Whimsy die I got from The Stamp Basket.  The poinsettia is from Hobbycraft, believe it or not the berries are from B & Q and the rest is from stash.

 

A close up of the cute stamp from Lili of the Valley and you can just make out the flock and seriously I want a hat like hers I love hats and my little girl is just the same.

 

Challenges I would like to enter:-

 

Crafty Ribbons  -  Christmas

 

Basic Grey  -  Anything goes

 

The kiddiewinkles have gone to visit nanny today so they will be spoilt rotten and are back tomorrow in time for Halloween.  Hubby is at home today and we were going to take the time to do the last tidying of the garden before winter, but hell we've decided to just chill instead it will still be there tomorrow.

 

Anyway before I go I just wanted to say my thoughts are with those battling the terrible weather across the pond I wish them safe.  Thank you for popping in to see me, take care folks wherever you are.

 

Happy Crafting

Ann-Marie

xxx

 

 

 

 

A blue blue Christmas !!!!

I think that was an Elvis song wasn't it but its stuck in my head now so no doubt I'll be humming it all blinking day!

 

Well I hope your week has been going well so far.  Not long and it will be the weekend and its half term next week so no making up of lunch boxes yeh!!! Its not a hard job but its one I really dislike daft really isnt it.  I'm hoping the weather stays fairly dry so we can have leisurely walks in the crispy leaves and go hunting for pine cones to decorate for Christmas.

 

Anyway, I have a Sugar Nellie card to share with you today and as the title suggests its a blue one.

 

Its such a sweet image and she's been coloured with copics.  Her wings have been stickled and the fur trims have been flocked again.  The two large snowflakes are a Marianne Design die and I glued and covered them in Twinlets.  The silver ones are just from stash.

 

 

A bit of a side view.  The papers are really old from a Hot off the Press pad.  I've used my Martha Stewart big border punch which has lovely scroll hearts but I've just realised I've ended up covering most of it up!

 

A little close up of the image and you can just see the Twinklets on the snowflakes it really adds great texture.

 

Challenges I would like to enter

 

The Sugar Bowl  -  Fab sketch + optional extra WET WET WET

 

ABC Christmas Challenge  -  U up to you

 

Crafty Ribbons  -  Christmas

 

Stampalot Challenge  -  Punches

 

It's my little girl's 7th birthday tomorrow so I'm off now to do some wrapping up.  We've got her a Karaoke machine as she's always singing and dancing - it remains to be seen whether that was a really good idea!!!!!!

 

Take care folks and catch up with you soon.

 

Ann-Marie

xxx

A little Lili of the Valley Christmas

Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and have had a great start to the week.  I spent most of yesterday making a lighthouse with my daughter and you should have seen the state of us covered in PVA glue and tissue paper we were.  Not a great deal left to do apart from painting it but we had great fun.

 

Anyway, I have another Christmas card to show you today with a Lili of the Valley image. 

 

I think I'm in love with this image its so pretty and she was a doddle to colour.  She's been coloured with copics and I've used flock with glitter for the fur, glamour dust as the snow and liquid pearls as the falling snow.

 

The paper is Papermania 'Classic Christmas' from last year.  I love this paper my only peeve is the fact that there was only one sheet of each design.  The die cut message is from the decoupage die cut pack from the same collection. 

 

A bit of a close up of the image; she really is adorable.  You can also see my poinsettia as well which is a Marianne Design die.  This time I used vellum instead of card/paper and I think it looks better somehow more 'delicate' so now I have a use for all that vellum I accumulated way back when I started crafting and never knew what to do with it! 

 

Challenges I would like to enter:

 

Lili's Little Fairies  -  anything goes

 

Cute Card Thursday  -  got glitter

 

Totally Papercrafts  -  Christmas 9 wks and counting

 

Okay thats me done for today. I'm in the process of colouring up another image so I should be back pretty soon.

 

Take care and happy crafting.

 

Ann-Marie

xxx

 

 

A Bildmalarna Christmas!!

Hello everyone, happy Saturday to you.  I hope you are having a great weekend.  Its rather dank and miserable here but we are all snuggled inside having a sort of lazy and mooching around kind of day.

 

I've made another Christmas card.  I do hope you are not bored with seeing them it seems to be all I am making at the moment, not that I'm complaining I just luurrrve Christmas I can't help it I'm just a big kid where its concerned.

 

Anyway, here it is.

 

 

I've used two of last year's Bildmalarna stamps and coloured them completely with Prisma pencils.  I know I used a sketch from somewhere but for the life of me cannot think where.

 

A bit of a close up.

 

A bit of a side view where you can see the lush flowers from WOC.  The papers were a Hot off the Press freebie pack from a magazine all matted on to kraft.  The fence and birdhouse are Marianne Design dies and the fern type leaves behind the flowers are a Tim Holtz die.  The ribbon is raffia and really easy to make a bow with.

 

Challenges:-

 

Totally Papercrafts  -  Christmas 9 weeks and counting!

 

Okay I'm off to get a little crafting done as I doubt I will get anywhere near my craft stuff tomorrow.  My little girl's homework is to make a lighthouse as they have been reading some story at school.  Not too bad I hear you say, well I thought that too until she told me she wanted a working light in it, real sand/stones, a little cottage and possibly some sheep on it as well - she doesn't want much does she!?!?!  Papermache comes to mind I can just see the mess we are going to get into!

 

Take care folks and happy crafting.

 

Ann-Marie

xxx

 

Still out of my comfort zone ....

..........but coping! Well I've stopped hyperventilating at least!!!  Anyway, happy Sunday to you folks I hope your day is as beautiful where you are as it is here.  We have glorious sunshine but with a chill in the air and I just love it.  Just the weather for a stroll and then home for a hot chocolate and marshmallows mmmm.

Well I've popped in to show you my latest.  There is something to be said for clean and simple I can knock out at least four cards to my normal one.  I've found this style doesn't come easy to me but its a challenge and I'm enjoying that.  Here's my card:-

 

The stamp I used is from a Papermania set I bought last year.  I stamped with black ink and then used black sparkle embossing powder which is gorgeous when heated up.  White card matted with black and red mirri, a few gems, some shiny red cord and its done!  Very simple I know but I like it.

 

Its quite quiet here at the moment, hubby is working, my son is out playing football, my little girl is practising her first aid for Beavers tomorrow night so I'm going to grab half an hours crafting before the madness that is teatime begins!

 

Take care folks and happy crafting.

 

Ann-Marie

xxx

 

 

Out of my comfort zone!

Yes I am so far out of my comfort zone I think I may need therapy! Sometimes thats a good thing right!?! not the need for therapy but to be outside of ones comfort zone.  Well the other evening something strange came over me and I decided to have a go at clean and simple.  I have tons of die cuts and toppers I have collected but never used especially since I got into stamping so I thought this would be a good place to start and to use up some stash. 

 

Well here we go my attempt at clean and simple.  It probably has more on it than some would use but still a hell of a lot less than I would normally adorn my cards with.  

 

Its not a very good piccie but the die cuts are actually little pearl and silver Christmas baubles which I have matted on to some gun metal shimmer card.  The thin black and silver ribbon is left over from last year but I love it so may need to get some more of that.  Its been used on top of some dark silver sparkly ribbon I found in Wilkinsons for wrapping presents.  Its quite stiff so not easy to tie in a bow but its a fab colour.

 

A bit of a side view.  The baubles have been raised with 3d foam and I couldn't resist but had to put on a few pearls.

 

I hope you like my attempt.  It was quite refreshing actually and I have enjoyed it and have a few more C & S in the pipeline.  I was thinking of having a table at my son's Christmas fayre this year so thought a mixture of fussy and C & S would be a wise choice. 

 

I would like to enter this card into the Less is More Challenge which is Silver this week.  Not really sure whether I qualify as there is a lot on my card, but I hope I do.

 

Okay I'm off now.  I hope you are all having a good week so far.

 

Take care and happy crafting.

 

Ann-Marie

xxx

 

 

Where does the time go......

I know whats with the title but tomorrow (Monday 8th) is my boy's 11th birthday and 'where does the time go' is  something I find myself reflecting on quite a lot really especially around these times.  Sometimes when I sit back and watch my babies whether they are playing, sat watching telly or just having a conversation with someone I find myself thinking its going by all too fast.  Thats something I cannot change but I do intend to make the most of every single moment and instead of wishing it wasn't going so fast to actually enjoy seeing them grow and be proud of the little people they are becoming.

 

Okay enough of the philosophical ramblings from me.  I have another card to share with you all and yep you guessed it its another Christmas one, I just love crimbo cards you can really go to town with the glam if you want to! 

 

 

I made a criss cross card this time and used a Whiff of Joy image by Elisabeth Bell.  The fab papers are a download from NitWits and I love the rich colours.  I've used copics to colour the image.

 

A piccie to show the insert.

 

Lastly a close up of the image.  The gorgeous holly leaves and berries was a bunch I found in Hobbycraft last year, hoping they have similar this year.

 

Challenges I would like to enter:-

 

Papertake Weekly  -  Anything Goes

 

Simon Says Stamp  -  Glimmer and Sparkle

 

Okay thats all from me.  My son has literacy homework to do and somehow it involves the fairytale "Rumplestiltskin" which was never a favourite of mine so I cannot remember the whole story so off to do a little 'surfing' to see if I can fill in the gaps, geez it comes to something when the parent has to do research first to help the child with homework!!!!!!

 

Thank you for popping by it means a lot and thank you for listening to my ramblings.  I never really know whether folks want to hear stuff that doesn't relate to craft so if I've bored or offended anyone with my personal 'stuff' I apologise.

 

Take care folks and enjoy your Sunday.

 

Happy crafting.

 

Ann-Marie

xxxx