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 - Card 12/2020

 Hello Everyone

It's been many weeks since I've been able to make cards so I'm well behind with the Christmas Card Club Challenge. I must thank the CCC ladies for being so patient with me and it's so nice to be back this week - though with only this one card. 

It was Rachel's turn to set the theme this time and she chose stencils. A search through my box of bits and bobs uncovered the Kraft/white stenciled piece made so long ago I'd quite forgotten I did it. It occurred to me that it would make a great card for a male recipient so that's what I concentrated on. The colour combination is certainly non-traditional but it works well with the topper - from a very old Papermania Ticket Book. 

I hope 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.

Christmas Card Club - Card 04/2020

Hello Everyone,

I completely forgot that it was time for another Christmas Card Club Sunday yesterday. I blame Storm Dennis, myself. He came in and created quite a stir these last few days. Yesterday was the first day that was dry enough for me to step outside my door, and even then it was too windy for anything more than a mad dash in and out again. Today is no better - worse, in fact! No matter. Back to CCC and the theme, chosen this time by Christine. is for either a Christmas Carol or Song.

Not sure this qualifies but the embossing folder (Darice) used does give it a music theme, of sorts.

The inside is decorated with an embossed topper (Cuttlebug's Cindy Loo folder) and several leftover scraps, all found in the snippet box.

I used several punches to decorate the card - X-Cut's scallop border punch and Woodware's tiny leaf and flower punches.

That's my very late submission for the CCC challenge today.. This one brings my total for the year, so far, to ten!

As I managed to use quite a useful number of snippets on this card, I'm also submitting it to Pixie's Snippets Playground - Challenge #371.

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 - Card 01/2020

Hello Everyone,

As I mentioned in my earlier post today, today is the first of the Christmas Card Club challenges of 2020.  GranMargaret has set the theme of 'Angels or Fairies' but, as I don't have dies or stamps that suit I am, just for today, falling back on the alternative of 'Anything Goes'.

The topper started life as a scrap of white card I'd used to stamp off on to when I was creating this Christmas themed header ...

... now history, and these cards all from this 'one-sheet wonder'.

No houses this time but I've added a few more trees and snowflakes to make the topper.

Supplies used:
- a square white card base
- patterned paper from an old Paper Cellar 6x6" stack, 'Traditional Christmas'
- a scrap of blue cardstock for layering
- a scrap of white cardstock for topper
- stamps from 'Have a Holly Jolly Christmas' (trees) and 'Forest Magic' (snowflakes and Santa's sleigh)
- ink pads; green Letterpress, blue 'Stonewashed' Adirondack, black Archival 'Jet Black' and 'Crimson Red' Versafine
- glitter glue, Stickles 'Crystal' and 'Baby Blue' 
- green gems

That's it from me for the first CCC challenge of the year. I hope 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.

Christmas Eve Snippet Card

Hello and Happy Christmas Eve Everyone,

I hope you've finished with all the festive preparations and ready to have a fabulous Christmas Eve, stress-free if possible, and a wonderful day tomorrow. I've only just found a few minutes to take the weight of my feet after prepping the Brussels sprouts - one of my most unfavourite vegetables - and share this card with you and Di over at Pixie's Snippet Playground.

I dipped into my boxes of bits and bobs to make this card. The base was made from a scrap of smooth white card left over from layering photos for a scrapbook page. Many months ago, could even be more than a year, I had an embossing session using all the scraps of card I had accumulated - created quite a stack in fact - and that's where I found this gold topper. The folder is from the Winter Botanicals set by Sizzix. The black matting layer was from packaging and the patterned background is one of the many prints I've made when experimenting with my Gelli Plate. I don't remember what went into creating the colour of the paint - most probably various shades of brown/orange inks mixed into white acrylic paint - but I can tell you the stencil was 'Fretwork' from That Special Touch.

I am now feeling quite virtuous from having used up so many scraps and snippets. Hopefully, Father Christmas will think I've been good, 'for goodness sake'.

I'm also submitting this card to Hazel's CHNC Challenge #469.

That's me for this evening. Have a wonderful Christmas everyone.

Christmas Card Club - Card 25/2019 - Humour

Hello,

Happy Sunday to you all. We have a gale blowing a hoolie outside - and it's all down to Storm Atiyah. Happily, I don't have to go out. In fact, I plan to potter away in my craftroom until it all blows over. However, today is a bit special. It's the last Sunday of the year for the Christmas Card Club. The theme for today, chosen by Rachel, is 'humour'.

I hope this card fits the theme, though it's not so much humorous as cute, I made it for my wee great-granddaughter who is also cute. Ask her what her favourite colour is and she will always answer pink! So pink it is - with a lot of green thrown in for contrast. The papers and images are from a very old Docrafts paper pack and I've now used up every last bit of it. I've just added pink and white cardstock and pink and green dew drops. The embossing folder is very old too - I think it came with a magazine freebie.

So that's it for another year. Hubby and I sat all Friday afternoon writing out our cards and they are ready for the trip to the Post Office tomorrow - weather permitting, of course. And, I have to say we had enough cards - all thanks this year to the Christmas Card Club challenges! So, if you fancy keeping up with your Christmas card needs throughout the year, do think about joining us - we're a friendly bunch - please feel free to get in touch with any of the members - you'll find the names and links on the sidebar to the right.

Take care and stay safe too.

Cold Hands, Warm Heart - A Snippet Card

Hello Everyone

I have a wee Christmas card to share with you and Di's challenge over at Pixie's Snippet Playground today.  It's been a while since I last participated but I've still been enjoying popping in whenever possible just to see what all you Snippeteers have been doing with your snippets.

All the cardstock used was leftovers from scrapbook pages and I dug out some very old tools too. The embossing folder is an old Cuttlebug one but so useful. Unfortunately, it's no longer available, that is, unless you want to pay an astronomical price!! Sadly, the same seems to be true of the Die'sire Snowflakes dies too. Happily, after checking online, it is still possible to find the Spiro Circle nesting die set, used to create the base layer of the topper, and the Snowman Embossing Die is also available and at a very much reduced price too.

That's it for me today. Take care everyone and, if you are in the frozen north as we are here, keep warm.

Christmas Card Club - Card 21/2019 - Nativity

Hello and Happy Sunday Everyone

I hope you are having a lovely weekend. Many thanks for taking the time to check out today's post - your visit is much appreciated.

The challenge for today's Christmas Card Club, set by Rita, RMG Creations, is the 'nativity scene'. Difficult this one. A trawl through my complete stash of stamps and dies came up with nothing remotely related to the nativity. Luckily, I have kept cards received for Christmases past and that's where I found the image I have used as the topper for today's card. 

Supplies used:

- a white 5½" square card base

- gold cardstock 

- star patterned paper from Sizzix 'Christmas Spirit' paper pack

- dies: largest dies in the Spellbinders 'Renaissance Jubilee' Designer Series & M& C Boutique's 'Heart' die set;Docrafts X-Cut's 'Star' 

- Docrafts X-Cut circle cutter - used to cut the image out of the old card front

- Versamark and gold embossing powder - used to edge the image once cut out

- various adhesives

That's it for CCC today but I hope 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 me.

Christmas Card Club - Card 20/2019 - Anything Goes - and Computer Update

Hello and Happy Sunday Everyone

I hope you are having a lovely weekend. Many thanks for taking the time to check out today's post - your visit is much appreciated.

The challenge for today's Christmas Card Club, set by Lorraine, is 'icicles'  but I don't have anything appropriate in my stash, instead I'm going with the usual fallback of 'anything goes'. I've made four cards from the set of foiled Christmas toppers that is a gift with this month's Creative Stamping magazine. 

It took only two sheets of toppers to make these four cards. The only extras needed to make the cards were the white card bases in different shapes and sizes, some scraps of cardstock in shades of blue and light green, and adhesives. 

There's also a Christmas themed stamp set with the magazine. The set of card toppers are only available with the magazine on sale at Tesco.

Some of you may be interested in a follow-up to the computer problems experienced through the week. Short story is that it's gone and I am now getting used to a brand, spanking new HP Slimline 290 tower. 

It's tiny - about a third of the size of the previous one - saving on space yet more powerful. I'm still adding software to get everything back up and running. It takes time but, so far, I love it, and I'm so happy to be able to post again. 

That's it for CCC today but I hope you will pop over to see what my teammates have created for today's theme - many of them with icicles. You'll find a list of their names and links on my right sidebar - as always they are so much more creative than me.

Rudolph Day - September

Hello Everyone

This has to be a super quick post today as the computer is still acting up. It looks like it needs a bit of TLC so will taking it to an IT expert tomorrow in the hope that it's fixable. In the meantime I have this month's Rudolph Day card challenge at ScrappyMo's Scraps of Life to share with you.

Once again, apart from the base, all supplies are from my stash.

Supplies used:
- white 5"x 7" card blank
- cardstock; orange/red satin finish card; snippets of white card for greeting, flowers and leaves
- embossing folder: Sizzix Hero Arts 'Christmas Words
- die: Scandinavian Christmas 'Merry Christmas' wreath from Crafters Companion's Signature Collection
- inks: ColorBox 'Frosty White' & 'Green'; Memento 'Rhubarb Stalk'
- stamps; Christmas Stamps set from PaperCrafter Issue 13
- yellow enamel dots 

Oh dear, the fan is making too much noise so I better not stay on much longer.

Take care and have a great day.

Christmas Card Club - Card 19/2019 - Anything Goes

Hello and Happy Sunday Everyone

I hope you are having a lovely weekend. Many thanks for taking the time to check out today's post - your visit is much appreciated.

Only one card for the Christmas Card Club from me today and as the challenge is 'anything goes' it was made using an old, but a favourite, stamp from Penny Black.

I admit that the topper was stamped up some time ago but somehow got forgotten until searching through my box of bits and bobs, looking for inspiration, I unearthed it again. Adhering all those tiny green gems was a labour of love but, I think, well worth the effort. I could have, maybe should have, used red gems, for a more festive look, but I seem to be on a green and white thing at the moment so green gems it had to be.

Supplies used:
- a plain white A6 card base
- green glitter card, for layering, from a Mixed Media Pad by American Crafts, 'Dear Lizzy New Day' 
- white watercolour card for topper
- stamps: Penny Black's 'Berry Red, Snow White' and the greeting from 'Wonder Collection'; where the leaf stamp is from is long forgotten
- ink pads: Memento 'Tuxedo Black' and Versafine ' Olympia Green' 
- embellishments;  tiny green gems from Anita's. 
- liquid adhesive; Anita's Tacky Glue

That's it for CCC today but I hope 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 me.

Sunday Snippet Card - Joy, Peace, Love

Evening Everyone,

I hope you have had a lovely Sunday and a great weekend. The weather has cheered up over the last few days and yesterday was so lovely we had a trip out - probably one of the last before winter sets in. No sun today but it's been nice enough for me to get into the garden for a bit of pottering early on, then it got a bit chilly so I came indoors, and to my desk to make this card.

I don't like to throw out anything - indeed, snippets leftover from making scrap pages is what got me into cardmaking in the first place - so it's no surprise that the background for this card was made with the texture paste leftover from another project.

Supplies used:
- white A6 card blank
- scrap of black cardstock, Dusty Attic's 'Starry Night' stencil and the leftover opaque texture past which had been lightly tinted with yellow ink, for base of topper
- white vellum trimmed and shaped into the band that's wrapped around the black base
- Penny Black's 'Wonder Collection' stamp set, VersaMark ink pad and gold embossing powder for the sentiment
- green and red card snippets, QuicKutz 'Holly & Berry' die set and 'Xmas Red' Stickles to create the holly embellishment. 

I'm submitting this card to the following challenges:

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Challenge #360 - anything goes as long as there's snippets used

Hazel's CHNC challenge 454 - anything goes as long as it's Christmas themed

Merry little Christmas 14: anything Christmas goes

Sparkles Christmas 104: winter wishes

Crimbo crackers 192: anything goes

Winter wonderland September: use your favourite embellishments - die-cut holly & berries & Stickles

That's my card for today. Thanks for popping in.  Hope you have a lovely evening and a great week to come. 

Rudolph Day Challenge - August 2019 - Using Leftover Scraps

Hello Everyone,

I've been so busy making scrapbook pages for the MTS summer challenge that I almost missed Maureen's Rudolph Day Challenge for August. And I don't like to miss it - it's the best excuse to add to my little, but growing, pile of Christmas cards - so today had me delving into the box of scraps, leftovers and snippets and this is the card I made.

Not the best photo but I hope you can see that the sentiment is embossed in gold powder.

Here's a close-up which is a lot clearer. The stamp set is made up of the large 'It's Christmastime' with several smaller stamps that can be combined to create a variety of greetings - all very usable.

These scraps have been around for a year or two. I can't remember how I got the mottled finished on the red scrap. It looks as though I might have splattered it with a bleach/water solution to get that effect.

The painty scraps, die-cut to make the poinsettias, are the trimmings from a larger mixed media piece that was used for another card at some time.

I used:
Crafter's Companion 'It's Christmastime' stamp set
VersaMark ink pad
Red and Gold embossing powders
Spellbinders Poinsettia die set
Gold adhesive pearls

I'm also submitting this card to Hazel's CHNC challenge 452

Have a great Tuesday evening.

Christmas Card Challenge - Card12/2019 - Reindeer

Evening Everyone,

Hope you have had a good Sunday and enjoying a bright, sunny evening like ours is here. I'm being distracted by the pigeon fly-pass that happens about this time most evenings. I know they are not universally loved in our neighbourhood but they put on a spectacular show, and they look as though they are having a lot of fun too, so I may be the only one but I  really appreciate them.

I have just managed to complete one card for today's Christmas Card Challenge. This time the theme set by Rachel, Fisher's Cards and Crafts, is reindeer.

I've tried with today's the challenge to use up as much bits of leftover stash as possible on a really simple card design of layered patterned paper (a gift recently received from Kyla, Li'l Pidge Designs - thanks Kyla) and Kraft cardstock. The background for the topper is a piece of gold spattered black cardstock found tucked away in my box of bits and bobs. It's the result of me trying out Heidi Swapp's Gold Color Shine spray ages ago.

The reindeer was cut three times out of snippets of Kraft cardstock using the Leaping Deer die from Memory Box. It's an old die but I'm not sure I've ever used it before - shame on me if I haven't because it cuts like a dream. I layered up the three deer - gives it more dimension and makes those delicate antlers a little less flimsy too.

The band at the bottom is composed of two Craft Sensation Washi tapes (from The Range) - the narrow gold one proved very difficult to photograph.

The greeting is made with a stamp from Forest Magic set, snippets of the Kraft card, backed with the gold spattered card, both punched out using a Stampin' Up oval punch.

The card front and greeting topper are decorated with pearl drops using BoBunny's Gold Pearlescent liquid.

Happily, I think this card will be very suitable for a male recipient. I don't make enough masculine themed cards which is why I can often be found making them at the last minute in December.

That's it for CCC today but I hope you will pop over to see what my teammates have created for Rachel's challenge today - you'll find a list of their names and links on my right sidebar - they are always so much more creative than me.

Take care everyone,

Rudolph Day Card for May - Little Robin

Happy Rudolph Day

And happy Saturday to you all. It's raining here so no gardening for me today. Instead, it's been the perfect day for staying in and making this month's Rudolph Day card for Maureen's challenge over on Scraps of Life by Scrappymo.

This entire card is made from snippets and leftovers - my self-imposed challenge for this year is to use up as many scraps as possible. A few weeks ago I test stamped the  robin on a branch on to a tiny off-cut of white cardstock but then it didn't get used. Now it's been water-coloured and cut out - painstakingly, I should add - and it's made a lovely little topper for this card. The greeting was cut twice from scraps of red card and layered up to create more dimension.

That's all from me today - short and sweet.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Christmas Card Club - Card 8/2019 - Christmas Scene

Happy Sunday Everyone,

My, but these fortnights come round so quickly, do they not, and it's time for another Christmas Card Club Challenge. This week the theme, Winter/Christmas Scene, has been chosen by our lovely, and very talented cardmaker, Shaz, Silverwolf Cards,

Because I've been so involved in the MTS Cyber Crop this weekend, I didn't even think about this challenge until this morning! So it had to be another quick and easy one ... this is fast becoming my default setting ... and luckily I remembered this Christmas Scene die set - a freebie with a magazine a year or so ago.

Supplies used:
- a white 5½" square card base from Docraft's Papermania
- scraps of aqua and white cardstock
- green glitter card from Dear Lizzy's New Day Mixed Media Pad
- the Christmas Scene die set

To make the card, all I did was use the three parts of the die set to cut each layer, the scalloped piece in the aqua card, the green glitter layer with the stitch effect die and the topper in white card. I used my Cuttlebug die-cutting machine to cut it all out and though I had no problem with the two background layers the topper wasn't so easy. The first attempt was with fairly thick cardstock didn't cut well at all, despite passing it through the machine several times, so I tried with thinner card with more success. Something to bear in mind next time I use this die set.

I'm also submitting this card to the following challenges:

Pixie's Snippet Playground - Challenge #350 - two very nice snippets of cardstock were used in the making of my card.

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - CHNC #433 - where anything goes as long as it's Christmas themed.

Right, I better get back to the cyber crop challenges now though I hope to pop over to see all the other CCC cards at some point today or, if I'm being realistic, tomorrow. For you to see them sooner just click on the links listed on the sidebar on the right.

Enjoy what's left of Sunday everyone.

Christmas Card Club - Cards 7/2019 - Santa

Hello Everyone,

Sunday past was the day for another Christmas Card Club challenge so, obviously, I'm late! This time the theme, chosen by Rita, RMG Creations, is Santa and, given that I'd long run out of time, I found the a bunch of toppers to make the easiest and quickest card ever!

All I had to do was adhere the gold trimmed topper, from a  Kanban 'Christmas Cuties' set, to the front of a white A6 card blank, Docrafts, and add one of the pre-made greetings with dimensional stickers.

There was enough items in the Kanban set to decorate the inside and back of the card.

To see better and more beautiful Christmas Card Club creations pop round to the other ladies' blogs ... the links to them are on the right side bar.

Thanks for dropping in - your visits are much appreciated.

Christmas Card Club - Cards 6/2019 - Festive Food

Hello Everyone,

It's another Christmas Card Club Sunday and Lorraine (Rainey's Craft Room) chose today's theme - Festive Food. 

Once again the theme threw me into a spin - another impossible challenge! I was convinced I had nothing related to festive food in my stash but, as you can see, I was so wrong. What's more festive than a cup of hot chocolate and a gingerbread man for dunking. 

Supplies used:

- a 5" square white card base

- red/white patterned paper to cover the base, trimmed to leave an eight inch margin

- a square of white satin finished card embossed with a snowflake die. This was my first try out with the thin die (from China) and it failed. The card was too thick and obviously needed the addition of a shim to create more pressure. Still, I'm glad I saved it because it made a very nice background for this card

This close up shows that I tried putting it through my die-cutting machine twice, the second slightly off - a rookie error!!!

- a scrap of blue card for matting the topper

- scraps of white card for the topper, gingerbread man and sentiment

- stamps from Winter Wonderland stamp set

- ink pad - Archival Ink Jet Black

- colouring - Spectrum AquaMarkers in reds in Crimson & Scarlet, Peacock blue & Fawn

- embellishments - dark blue gems

I cut a slit round the rim of the 'mug of chocolate' to slip the stamped, coloured and fussy cut gingerbread man into place. I used sticky tape to keep his feet in place and put a small piece of dimensional tape behind his head so he didn't get squashed when the card is in the mail. 

Please pop round to the other ladies' blogs to see their beautiful creations ... the links to them are on the right side bar. Fortnightly we post a Christmas card - the plan is to get ahead and avoid the last minute stress at the beginning of January. 

Thanks for popping by - your visits are much appreciated.