Lili of the Valley 80

The Lili of the Valley challenge for this week is 'Things with Wings'. I was hoping to have had my new stamps from them to use but so many people ordered in the first couple of days after they were released that they are really struggling to get the orders filled and sent out. Luckily I have this stamp from a couple of years ago which fits the bill exactly.

I coloured the stamped image with Promarkers and I went over the wings, shoes and headdress with a gold Sekura pen. I mounted it on some iridescent paper that I had in my stash and surrounded it with flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts. The backing paper I used is from Papermania's Blueberry Hill paper pack and the sentiment is from Craftworks Cards. The ribbon and gems were also from my stash.

I originally had cut out the image with a wider boarder but when I started to put a card together I decided it was too big and so cut it down. In doing this I cut off part of one of the Dandelion Seeds do I used a mapping pen and drew the rest of the design back in making it look as though the seed is flying out of the image. I also thought the wings could do with a bit of a 'lift' so I cut an extra on and decoupaged it .I added a couple of drops of Glossy Accents into the roses to look like dew drops but they did not show up on the photographs.

Wild Orchid Challenge 14

This is one of Little Claire's new stamps released at the begining of this month called 'Georgia'. I have coloured her using Promarkers and the papers are from the DCWV Floral Prints Stack. I used Martha Stewarts Trellis punch for a boarder because it is so like a garden fence and the sentiment just continued the garden theme. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts enhanced with a Martha Stewart little fine glitter and the ribbon and gems are from my stash.

Lili of the Valley Challenge 79

I have made this card with the Lili of the Valley Challenge in mind. The image is from their unmounted rubber stamps and is called 'By the River'. Of course it is coloured with promarkers and I used antique linen Distress Ink to soften the edges. The papers are all from the DCWV Linen Closet stack with the exception of the blue bazzill. I found the little jewel wasp amoung my stash and thought it the ideal embelishment for this card. I was quite pleased with the way this card turned out, now I will just keep my fingers crossed that the lovely peiple at LOTV think so too.

Happy New Year

A Happy New Year to you one and all, lets hope that 2011 is a good year.

 

I made this card to cheer up my Niece who was not feeling well. I have discovered that the hardest thing about making an Easel card is photographing it! I love this image from 'Whiff of Joy' and have used it before on 'Get Well ' cards, it works equally well for adults as for a child. The papers and the embellishments I used on this card are all bits and pieces from my offcuts bin and stash. I think the stripes and dots go together well and adding feathers to the flowers gave them extra pizzazz. This really is a girly card but I think it works and it should brighten up a little girl’s day.

Santa's Prayer

The sleigh was all packed, the reindeer were fed
but Santa still knelt by the side of his bed

'Dear Father,' he prayed, "Be with me tonight,
There's much work to do and my schedule is tight.

My sack will hold toys to grant all kid's wishes.
The supply will be endless like the loaves and the fishes.

I can do all these things, Lord, only through you.
I just need your blessing ,then it's easy to do.

I do this only to honor the birth of the one,
that was sent to redeem us, Your most Holy Son.

So to all of my friends, lest your glory I rob,
please, Lord, remind them who gave me this job."

(Author Unknown)

I admit it I believe in Father Christmas, or at least in the spirit of Christmas which is what Father Christmas means to me. However, I do not think that he is the reason for Cristmas which is why this Kneeling Santa is one of my most favouite images this time of the year. For me it sums up what Christmas should be about with Father Christmas representing the comercial side taking second place to the religeous because when all is said and done without that side of it the holiday would not exist.

The image is from CowTown stamps,coloured with promarkers. The holly paper is from K&Co and the red script paper is from Craftwork cards. The sentiment and gems are from my stash.

Little Claire Club

For 7.50 a month plus a pound p&p you can join what is, in my opinion, a great Club. Little Claire club members receive a project pack each month containing a new stamp or set of stamps, pre-cut materials to make a card plus colour idea sheets for other projects. On top of that you get a 10% discount on all your purchases either online, by phone or at shows and a monthly newsletter. You only have to commit to 6 months at a time but once you are a member I am sure you will want to continue. I have been a member for some time and I have never been disappointed. The staff are so friendly and helpful; they make you feel like you are part of a family rather than a stamping club.

 This month’s stamp is ‘A little bird told me…’ and when it dropped through my letterbox Ijust has to stat using it immediately. I love the little bird but it would be easy to leave it out of the stamped image if you wanted to, just don’t put ink on it. The stamp came with the sentiment ‘A little bird told me……’ ‘That it’s your birthday…..’ making the stamp perfect for winter birthdays but I used the stamp for Christmas cards as you can see.

Although these three cards are all the same image and two use the same paper, I made them different by the use of colour, embelishments and even the shape.

In the first card I used a snowflake to back a white Poinsettia which I had given more glitz by covering with crystal stickles. The gem swirl is part of a larger one that was in my stash and the paper is from the K&Co 'Christmas Cheer' pad.

The second card I used a blue Sekura pen to highlight the blue swirls that were already on the paper and them added gems of the same colour. I also used a silver pen to add highlights to the holly leaves and  put 'Glossy Accents' on the holly berries to make them stand out. The paper is also from the K&Co 'Christmas Cheer' pad and the red chiffon ribbon was from my stash.

The last card is much the same using the K&Co 'Christmas Cheer' paper and a gem swirl and braid from my stash. All three images were coloured using promarkers.

The Christmas Rush

Why do I do it? Every year I promise myself I am going to be more organised and get my Christmas cards made early and every year I am rushing at the last moment trying to get them finished. This year is no exception, here we are 50 days away from Christmas and I still have nowhere near enough cards made but I thought I would show you one that I have finished.





The image is another from Whiff of Joy and of course I coloured it with Promarkers. It is matted onto silver mirriboard and the paper by Kars has glittered swirls so that saved me some time which I really need. The muff, earmuffs and boot bobbles I covered with stickles and the flowers and crystal stems are from Wild Orchid Crafts.