Christmas Card Club Challenge - Cards 17-20/2022 - Sentiment as the Main Focus

Hello Everyone,

Apologies for being late with my cards this week, especially as I got to choose the theme. I'd actually got my cards made in advance but, because I became ill, I hadn't managed to take photos. Yesterday, when I was feeling much better, I did set up the lightbox, still learning, and took the photos so here are the four cards I made. 

No. 17

No. 18

No. 19

No. 20

Each card base was made from cardstock that I've had in my stash for years, purchased from Create and Craft. 

The plaid patterned paper is from a Stampin' Up's Plaid Tidings 6x6 pad. 

The blue/white check patterned paper, labels and sentiment stickers from three scrapbook collections - Vicki Boutin's Warm Wishes, Carta Bella's Home For Christmas & Photoplay's Frostival.

Gems also from old stash. 

That's me for today. I hope you're having a lovely weekend. I hope also that you will pop over to see what my teammates have created this week. You'll find a list of their names and links on my right sidebar - as always they are so much more creative than I will ever be.

Elizabeth

Christmas Card Club Challenge - Cards 9-16/2022 - Clean and Simple

Hello Everyone,

Surprise, surprise! It's been a wee while since the last time. Weeks actually. But today, while Alan is resting, I've found time to make a few cards. Eight cards actually. 

So here they are, in no particular order. 

9)

10)

11)

12)

13)

14)

15)

16)

Thank's to Gwen for her theme of 'clean and simple' today. It made it so much easier for me to 'bash' so many out. Many of the toppers are recycled from cards preciously received - only the snowman and the trio of birds are my very own work! 

Recently I treated myself to a light box to help with the photographing of cards. I haven't mastered it completely yet, as can be seen from the quality of the above pics. I think baby steps are what's called for. I will improve with practice. 

That's me for today. I hope you're having a lovely weekend. I hope also that you will pop over to see what my teammates have created this week. You'll find a list of their names and links on my right sidebar - as always they are so much more creative than I will ever be.

Christmas Card Club Challenge - Cards 7&8/2022 - Festive Gifts & Gift Bags

Hello Everyone,

Whoops! Almost forgot what today was - indeed, if it wasn't for Rita posting on FB, I wouldn't be here now - it's Christmas Card Club day and the theme, set by Lorraine, this Sunday is 'Festive Gifts and Gift Bags'. 

As luck would have I had these two cards already made. 

Both were made from what was left of a very old Docraft's Papermania kit. The toppers are decoupaged, so perhaps they have too much dimension to be anything other than hand delivered given the ever- rising postal rates these days. 

That's me for today. I hope you're having a lovely weekend. I hope also that you will pop over to see what my teammates have created this week. You'll find a list of their names and links on my right sidebar - as always they are so much more creative than I will ever be

Elizabeth

Christmas Card Club Challenge - Cards 4-6/2022 - Anything Goes

 Hello Everyone,

Happy Sunday to you all. I hope you're having a wonderful weekend.

I'm back for the second Christmas Card Club Challenge of the year. Christine has chosen 'the true meaning of Christmas' as her theme and, as always, there's the alternative of 'anything goes'. Because I've been recycling some of the beautiful cards received for Christmasses past again, I've chosen to go with the second option today.

Apologies for the poor quality of the photos - the lighting here is dire today. To make the cards I just dug into my boxes of cardstock and paper scraps and chose pieces that matched the toppers. The shape and size of each card was dictated by how big or small the toppers were when they were cut from the original cards. Two dies from a rectangle set was used to cut out the topper and silver mat on the third card. I wish I could claim ownership of the very pretty die used to cut the vellum topper on the second card but sadly not - it belongs to the sender of the original card! 

That's it for today. I hope you will pop over to see what my teammates have created this week. You'll find a list of their names and links on my right sidebar - as always they are so much more creative than I will ever be

Christmas Card Club Challenge - Cards 1-3/2022 - Black & Gold

Hello Everyone,

Happy New Year to all the Christmas Card Club members. I hope I find you well. I've been poorly, nothing very dramatic, but I woke up feeling better today. Well enough, in fact, to spend the afternoon making cards for the first Christmas Card Club Challenge of the year. Black and gold is Kate's challenge and I really enjoyed searching through my boxes of scraps and dies to make the following three three cards. 

The background on the first card is one of my experiments with the gelli plate and a chevron patterned stencil on a scrap piece of white card. I don't know why I kept it because I wasn't altogether happy with the result then but I'm glad I did now. 

The other two cards have embossed gold card backgrounds. It's been a while, a couple of years actually, but whenever I got a new folder I'd always try them out on some bits from my leftover box. That box can come in very handy for cardmaking.

The greetings in the first and second cards are actually gold peel-offs on black card. 

Stencil, Embossing Folders and Dies used:

Chevrons stencil - Creative Expressions That Special Touch

Kassie's Brocade folder - Cuttlebug

Sun Rays folder - Craft Concepts

Poinsettia - Spellbinders

Trailing Ivy & Rectangle die set - sources forgotten

Merry Christmas Wreath - Sara Davies Signature Collection

That's it for today - it's my bedtime. I hope you will pop over to see what my teammates have created this week. You'll find a list of their names and links on my right sidebar - as always they are so much more creative than I will ever be

Christmas Card Club Challenge - Anything Goes

Hello Everyone,

You might notice this blog is looking a bit different this week. I've brought back a  festive header from a previous year. I'd like to say it's because I'm getting into the spirit of the season but it's just not so - well, not yet! 

And here we are at the last Christmas Card Club Challenge of the year - sad or what? Especially sad for me because I'm way behind on the card count this year. Must try better next year. 

Today's theme is 'Anything Goes' so here's my offering. 

Just the one today but it has an interesting story behind it. I'd just completed a scrap page based on a sketch designed by Lisa Sikorski on her Facebook group, Scrap-a-Sketch, when it occurred to me that with a tweak or two it could provide the base for a card. 

I substituted a topper with a stamped greeting, from Docraft's Penelope & Percy 'Christmas Greetings' set, in cranberry ink for the photo. Matted in navy cardstock. Two lengths of the patterned paper, - the red is 'Blitzen Turtle Doves' from BoBunny's Blitzen Collection and the navy is 'Reach for the Stars' from Bella BLVD's To the Moon collection - made the vertical strips. The small circles were punched from the navy paper and 'Icon Dot Mistletoe' from Making Memories Mistletoe collection - one that's been in my stash since 2009!  The poinsettia is one leftover from the scrap page.

This is the scrap page featuring a photo taken of our frozen birdbath on a very frosty morning. Being so near the seaside, we don't get much snow but it does get cold, very cold, in winter. When we lived in Derbyshire it was claimed that Scotland was at least 6 degrees colder, always, no matter what the time of year it was. How true that is I'm not sure, but it certainly feels true! 

And talking about how cold it is, I hope any of you caught up in the power cuts caused by Storm Arwen are managing to keep warm and safe.

As usual, I encourage you to check out the cards made by the other members of the Christmas Card Club - the are linked on the sidebar to the right. 

Take care everyone and bye for now. 

Elizabeth

Christmas Card Club - Angels or Fairies in Memory of Shaz - Cards 31-33

Hello Everyone,

This week the Christmas Card Club is asking for Angels or Fairies - a theme chosen by the lovely Shaz who, sadly, is no longer with us. I count myself as one of the privileged to have met Shaz, and her equally lovely husband Doug. Without doubt she is very much missed by all of us in the Christmas Card Club. 

I searched, and searched, through my stamps, dies and even readymade toppers and, sad to say, I don't have one angel or fairy. However, I did find this angel in my box of Christmas cards received in a previous year. I trimmed it down to size, matted it on to a scrap of textured green card before fixing it to a white card base. The greeting was stamped on one of the trimmings from the original card front, matted on to a snippet of the green card before being attached to the topper. 

Cards 2 & 3 were made using toppers and scraps from a very old (2011) Graphic 45 collection 'Christmas Emporium' which I've been hoarding but even I have to admit that after 10 years it's time it was used up!

Cream satin ribbon and a stamped greeting, from an old Polka Doodles stamp set, were added to the patterned paper and matching topper for card 2. 

For card 3 the patterned paper and topper has been matted on to teal blue textured cardstock before being adhered to the white card base. Three adhesive pearls, the last I had in just the right shade of aqua, provide the embellishments. 

I've been reminded just this week that it's about time I made sure I've made enough cards made ready for the annual card writing marathon! It's not been my main priority this year but I think I've not done too badly. 

So that's it from me. I hope you are all well. I hope, too, you will pop over to see what my teammates have created for this fortnight's challenge. You'll find a list of their names and links on my right sidebar - as always their work is so much more creative than mine.

Bye for now ...

Elizabeth

Christmas Card Club Challenge - Cards 29 & 30

Hello Everyone,

Only a day late! I've spent the weekend reorganizing and cleaning the craftroom and somehow Saturday and Sunday just whooshed by.

It all started with my monitor. It's been malfunctioning for some time - it's just been going dead periodically throughout summer. It was easy enough fixed by unplugging, leaving for a few seconds and then plugging it in again. But there had to be more to it than that. And there was. It was the sun streaming in through the window overheating the back of the screen where the plug is situated. Yes, you read that right! The SUN! In Scotland! Proof, if any more was needed, of global warming. 

The answer was to turn my desk round so that the monitor is no longer in front of the window. Quicker said than done as everything under and around the desk had to be moved too. And, of course, all that upheaval led to the need to hoover and dust where nobody but the kitten had for many months dared to go. 

Now, that was a long-winded explanation for me posting these two cards today and not yesterday. Christine set a challenge for Christmas Wreaths this time. I'm still recycling cards received for Christmases past. You may need a magnifying glass to spot the wreaths but they are there. 

So that's it from me. I hope you are all well. I hope, too, you will pop over to see what my teammates have created for this fortnight's challenge. You'll find a list of their names and links on my right sidebar - as always their work is so much more creative than mine.

Christmas Card Club Challenge - Cards 27 & 28

Hello Everyone

Its been another long time since I joined in with my friends in the Christmas Card Challenge. It seems I was a bit  previous when I thought I'd have more time to get back into the swing of things. So I won't make any promises but will try to participate any time, like today, I'm able.

Today the challenge is for 'Santa's little helpers' but much to my surprise, and after an extensive search through stamps, etc., I can find nothing at all suitable. So I thought that if I couldn't produce his little helpers, I'd settle for the man in the big red suit himself with these two cards made from toppers recycled from those received in previous years.

And that's it from me. Short and sweet because I'm up to my eyes trying to somehow catch up. This craft room is a disgrace. I should organise myself and tidy away the mess that's cluttering up the place. And I would if I didn't keep getting sick. This last week it was the winter vomiting virus ... like I needed another virus after this last 18 months!!! 

There is good news. Alan has been pronounced well enough to no longer need home visits from his Cardiac Nurse. She's very pleased with his progress, lungs clear, water retention under control, weight and appetite good and he's walking better - not perfect, but better! He's never going to be as fit as he once was but he's a lot better than when he came home from hospital. We have much to be grateful for. 

I hope you are all well. I hope, too, you will pop over to see what my teammates have created for this fortnight's challenge. You'll find a list of their names and links on my right sidebar - as always their work is so much more creative than mine.

Christmas Card Club Challenge - Cards 22-26

Hello Everyone,

Its been a long time since I joined in with my friends in the Christmas Card Challenge but, as my hubby's health, not to mention my own, is slowly improving, I'm finding a wee bit more time in my craftroom. Today the challenge is for 'candles' but I'm reverting to the fallback of 'anything goes' with this collection of cards recycled from those received in previous years. 

All these cards were quick and easy to make. Of course, it all depends on the amount of extras used to create the cards but I've held back on layering and embellishments for two reasons: one, mailing costs - the fewer layers and furbelows, the better; two, speed - when time is at a premium, quick is good. 

Hopefully, and I am increasingly hopeful, the days will come when I have more time in the craftroom and then I'll be able to concentrate on the actual challenges instead of going for 'anything goes'. In the meantime, I'm happy to keep on recycling. 

I hope you are all well. I hope, too, you will pop over to see what my teammates have created for this fortnight's challenge. You'll find a list of their names and links on my right sidebar - as always they are so much more creative than I will ever be.

Take care everyone,

Christmas Card Club Challenge - Cards 7,8,9&10/2021 - Themes from the last four challenges

 Hello Everyone,

It's been a long time since I've been able to join in with the Christmas Card Club Challenge. So long that I've missed several delightful themes which I really liked and wanted to use. So, today - or I should say this week - I decided to backtrack and make at least one card on the three themes I missed and also the current one. And to make life a little easier, I've concentrated on recycling toppers from the lovely cards received over the past few Christmases. 

The first is for today's theme chosen by Kate is: Trees, Christmas Trees or Trees in a scene.

I particularly love this scene because it reminds me of the deer that live in the woods south of where we are here. The topper is matted on to a dark blue card base, has tons of glitter glue and a few diamond style gems for embellishment.

Going back in time, the theme for two weeks ago, 14th March, chosen by Zoe, was Christmas Flowers and/or Foliage.

And how appropriate is this topper. This is the sort of watercolouring I wish I could do. It even has a wee robin perched among the leaves and berries. I matted the topper on to some dark green card and then on to a white card base. The green card candy used for embellishment is years old and there's still tons of it left too. 

Further back in time, to 28th February, was the theme of Christmas Carols chosen by Rita.

This is a beautiful Christmas scene though I'm feeling sorry for the carolers ... they must be freezing and probably wishing they were inside that beautiful, and very welcoming looking, church! The topper has been matted on grey card and then on to a plain white card base. Again the embellishments are from my old, and extensive, card candy stash. The red ribbon was already part of the original topper.

Finally, the last of today's catch up, Lorraine's choice this time, Playing in the Snow.

Who wouldn't love this cute wee puppy having a whale of a time in the snow! He reminds me of several of our family dogs and they make me smile too.The greeting couldn't be more perfect. The topper is matted on to blue card and then on to a white card base and the corners are embellished with blue sparkly gems. 

And that's me all caught up. 

They are part of my plan to clear the box of saved toppers which is also part of my huge effort to sort out, reorganise and clear the clutter accumulated over so many years of crafting. Not an easy task and certainly one that can be accomplished overnight. I wish!!! It doesn't help that I'm hampered by the after effects of the virus - neither of us are doing well from those - so it's a case of whenever and however for the time being. Sigh. It will pass, we just don't know when. 

Enough of my moaning. I hope you are all well and looking forward to the end of the restrictions coming soon. I hope, too, you will pop over to see what my teammates have created for today's theme. You'll find a list of their names and links on my right sidebar - as always they are so much more creative than I will ever be.

Take care.

Christmas Card Club Challenge - Cards 5&6/2021 - Bells Theme

 Evening Everyone,

Well, yes, I'm late with my cards for the challenge again. There's reasons but they always sound so pathetic so I'll only mention the one that is of how I couldn't find the cute little bell die I just knew I had somewhere. In the end it turned up just as I was about to give up completely. So here's the two cards I made for ValeryAnne's choice which you might already have guessed is 'Bells'. 

The supplies used on both cards are the result of a search through the box of bits, bobs and experimental scraps. The background of the blue is the result of a session with paint and bubble wrap, matted on to a scrap of navy blue cardstock. The topper was stamped in Memento Danube Blue on white card, again matted on navy card. The greeting - from an old Penny Black Wonder stamp set - was also stamped on white card then fussy cut and matted on to the navy card, also fussy cut around the shape of the words.  To finish the topper dots of Xmas Red Stickles have been added to the holly berries on the image. 

The yellow card has a more unusual background which was created using the flower pressing method. I'm not sure which flowers I used - it was a few years ago - but I think they might have been hollyhocks. The bell topper consists of a bell, a Tattered Lace Mini Die, cut from yellow cardstock. It tops squares of embossed vanilla card, a trellis patterned folder from Crafts-Too, matted on to the same yellow card as used for the bell die. An edging of  yellow Stickles finishes the topper. The greeting, stamped in black ink, is from the Forest Magic stamps set. 

Given that I'm so late with this fortnight's Christmas Card Club Challenge, I'm sure you've already seen other club members cards already  but if not do please pop over to their blogs - links can be found on the right sidebar - as always they are so much more creative than I will ever be.

Christmas Card Club - Cards 3&4/2021 - Nativity Challenge

 Hello Everyone

I hope you've all had a happy Sunday despite current circumstances. We've had a typically Scottish day - bright and dry this morning, rainy and cloudy this afternoon. The light has been bad too so apologies for the quality of these pics - it was the best I could do with the lights on.

It's time again for the Christmas Card Club challenge. Margaret chose 'Nativity' as today's theme but, as always, the fall back is 'Anything Goes'. A thorough search through my stash was totally unhelpful - there's nothing 'Nativity' related here- no stamps, no dies - nothing. So it's 'Anything Goes' from me, but the images on the toppers on these two cards are a little reminiscent of the 'Nativity'. 

I'm back to recycling cards received for Christmases past. For these cards I've simply cut down the fronts of two commercial cards, added gold card to mat the first card and striped patterned paper for the second card. Both are embellished with Anita's gems - purchased from the local craft shop which closed a couple of years ago. Sigh.

That's it for today. I hope you will pop over to see what my teammates have created this week. You'll find a list of their names and links on my right sidebar - as always they are so much more creative than I will ever be.

Take care everyone.