Some Christmas Candy

 As it is running up to Christmas I thought i would offer a little early Christmas present for someone ...

My candy consists of ...

 2 Sugar Nellie stamps ... 

Crystal Flakes (currently sold out) and Christmas Garland

And the rest is a surprise ... not even going to give you a clue!!

So all you need to do is mention the candy in a blogpost 

or post a pic on your sidebar, 

linking back to here, 

and

add your name to the linky thingy after you have done it.

Candy closes at 10pm Wednesday 7th December

(Ellie's Birthday)

Tags!!

I've been playing a little bit of catch up with Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas ... Ellie and myself being sick sucuppered day 3 and 4!!  And I am struggling getting my lead round day 6 ... tonight's little project I hink, once I have assesmbled tag 4 that is!!

Anyway ...

 Here is Day 3's tag ... not made exactly like TRim's as I don't use reinkers, so I inked directly onto the stamp and prayed!!!  It worked I think!!  I used holly leaves created making tag 7 (I am not doing them in order at all!!) and some flat backed pearls to create the embellishment.  The seam binding i stained using glimmer mist.

 Day 7's tag ... I love the effect of alcohol inks and glassine paper so loved making these holly leaves.  Again a bit of improvisation on the ghosting ... different stamps used, but it works!  The sentiment is a Stempelglede one.

And finally a tag I mage using the inspiration from a tag I made ages ago ... used the same papers and some of the same type of embellieshments.

 The grungeboard heart was diecut and painted ages ago ... and then I decided a copper one would be better so didn't use it!!  I painted the charm with picket fence crackle paint, added a Stempleglede stamp and used DIs to colur the leaves in.  A bit of distressing and some sparkle to finish.  The Christmas stamp is part of a SU sentiment.

 CHallenges:
Simon Says Stamp - photomontage inspiration
The Shabby Tearoom - the magic of Christmas (sorry i couldn't do pink!!)

WOYWW ... not me!!!

 How did this happen ... its my desk and not ME!!!! Nope, younger daughter has STOLEN my desk to do the homework we were late doing .. apparently if she didn't hand it in today she would be put on the thundercloud and that would be ... MY FAULT!!!!  Don't you just love children!!!

 So here is Beth, my little Raptor in all her creating glory!!

 They needed to make a snowman ...

 Beth's is a bit top heavy and she loves those pompopms (as does someone else ...!!)

And Today is my older baby's 7th birthday so we made the card from Beth .. Ellie was at Beavers/

 She coloured ...

 picked papers (I drummed my fingers!!)

 And wrote inside.

 Whilst the kitten tried to suffocate himself trying to get a gold pompom out of the bag .. we did give it to him!!

So here is Beth's card for Ellie ...

 And her snowman ...

 Hopefully i will have my desk back next week!!! I am now off to pop round the crafting desks of blogland led by the wonderful Julia before the birthday madness begins!!

Birthday cards ...

 There are 4 birtdays in 3 days to celebrate ,,, one of Ellie's friend's, one of the children I mind, Ellie's and my nephew's!!  I was ready with 2 of them, but still needed to make Ellie's and Conor's ...

 

 For Ellie's I used this fabulous digi of Krista's called Ellie's birthday (thank you so much sweetie, you've made her day!!) and coloured it with promarkers.  The dp is Basic Grey Green at Heart and I added a pearl swirl, a grungeboard number 7, some ribbon and some lace.  I glossy accented the balloons for extra shine!!

Challenges:
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Do you stack up - ribbon
Crafts and Me - pearls and swirls
Cute Card Thursday - its just a number
Saturated Canary - Anything Goes
Passion for Promarkers - celebrations
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

 And here is Conor's card ... I used Rock Idol from Sugar Nellie's Manga collection and coloured him in with promarkers.  The dp are from Cuddly Buddly.  I left it really quite simple ... being a 10 year old he's not into fuss!!

Challenge:
Stamp with Fun - sketch

Tim Holtz's 12 days of Christmas ...tag 5

I am a little behind on the tags ... day 2 is almost finished, day 3 not started, day 4 has the base done ... both Ellie and myself have bee poorly over the weekend so playing has been limited.

However its Day 5 with another fab tag and technique I just had to try!!

 And here is my take on it ... I didn't have many of the supplies :(

 I followed Tim's inking technique on a transparency sheet, but used a holly stamp from Minin Holidays 3 and then used a mix of Holly branch and a sizzix holly die to create a "wreath" ... I'm not good at flower arranging!!  We usually hang a small holly branch on our front door, cut straight from the tree ... messy but unique, so here's my messy but unique holly!  I inked up the holly leaves and stickled them, purely as it is hailing and trying to snow here today.

Challenges
Make it Monday
Fab n Funky - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp - anything goes
Cupcake Craft challenge - DIY
Craft your passion - anything goes and glitter
Crafty Catz - colours of Christmas and sparkle
Cupcake inspiration - red, green and white
Paper Sundaes - Sundae bar - red and die cutting
Colour Create - red green and white
Do you stack up - ribbon

Sweet Stampin DT card

 This week's Sweet Stampin Challenge is

SNOW

it can be snow, snowflake, snowmen etc, as long as there is snow.

and we are sponsored by

Crafty Emma

with this prize - Fizzy Moon paper pad

I usedthis cute Penny Black stamp, Snowy.  He looks so cosy in his hat and scarf.  I coloured him in using promarkers and added glamour dust for some frosty sparkle.  I embossed the panels of white cardstock using different snowflake folders and then added some layered ribbon.  The sentiment is from Magnolia with the swirl masked off.  Finally some punched and sparkled snowflakes.

Challenges:

Ladybugs Craft Ink - White on White

Oldie but a goodie - Christmas - no red/green

Dream Valley - sparkle

Papertake Weekly - Sketch

Creative Inspirations - Contemporary colours - turquoise, purple, white

For Fun - Xmas card

I love Promarkers - snowmen and snowflakes

2 Sisters - punches and dies

ABC Challenge - E for embossing

Totally Papercrafts Challenge

 It's my turn to choose this week's Totally Papercrafts challenge theme ... and its another easy one!

 Let it Snow!

 I used this fab Penny Black stamp, stamped it in black versafine and then covered it in tinsel embossing powder.  The image was matted onto silver and black cardstock The white cardstock is embossed using Swiss dots and a snowflake folder, and I simply added pewter grey ribbon.

12 tags of Christmas ... tag 1

 Its the 1st December and the start of the much anticipated 1st tag from Tim Holtz ... you can find it and the instructions HERE.

So I was planning an industious evening in my craft room to make my tag ...

 Fab isn't it .. but its not really mine!!  I was hijacked by 2 little girls!!

 So we prepped will hubby cooked my tea ... I cut the Noel out and the girl glittered it ...(need the hoover to clean that mess up!!), they did some embossing and made pine cones.  They managed those cones really well, must be little fingers!  (sorry no pics of them as I wasn't expecting 'help'!!)  Ellie loves using the CB ... "can I emboss this?", "Whats next to cut?" ... think we might have sorted out a Christmas pressie or two!!

After tea and their bath the real work began ...

die cutting ...

 sanding ...

 more sanding ...

 distressing ...

 placing everything ...

 its got to be perfect!

 They worked really well together ...

 Getting those cones on using silicon glue...

 And finally the ribbon.

Sugar Bowl #73

 Its my turn to set the sketch over at the Sugar Bowl challenge this week, and the optional extra theme is Out of the Ordinary (something out of the ordinary or unusual for you.).

One lucky winner of this challenge will have their choice of 4 stamps (or 6 stamps, if we reach 100+ entries) either from the new release or any stamps from the Sugar Nellie range at

 Here is my sketch ...

 and I made a canvas, something I have never done before!

I used Young Love from the Homegrown range, and coloured them using my promarkers.  I mixed some white acrylic paint with vintage photo distress ink (never tried that before!) and painted the canvas.  Once it was dry I added some rock candy crackle paint around the edges and went over it with distress ink when it was dry.  I tore the background cardstock and treated it to some distreess ink and a good smattering of glimmer mists.  The dp is from my stash, and again that was torn and distressed.  Don't often tear my papers, often distress them with my TH distressing tool, but tearing creates a bit of *gulp* moment for me!!  I added some raffia lace and threaded gold organza ribbon through it and tied a bow.  The brackets are chippie ones that I stained with distress ink, and then glimmer misted.  The doilly is also distressed and glimmer misted.  Finally I added the TH adage tickets, duly distressed, and some flat backed pearls.

The Craft Garden December challenge

Its the first day of a new month and so time for another Craft Garden challenge. This month, being the month of those yummy Christmas recipes, we are having a recipe challenge. It works like this - each design team member has chosen an ingredient in the recipe and you have to use 4 of those items in your creation.

Your choices are:

Kerry - turquoise (for one of December's birthstones)
Carly - Snowflakes
Melly - Kraft
Tiffany- Office Supply

Kevin - Ribbon
Jay - Buttons
Cathy - charm
Helen - Purple

Kylie - Paint

So my recipe includes ... a charm, snowflakes, ribbon and kraft.

I used this fab SU stamp Dasher and stamped him onto kraft cardstock, and glamour dusted his antlers.  The dp is Bo Bunny and I matted it onto krfat cardstock.  Very simple details, a thin gingham ribbon and a snowflake charm.  The sentiment was stamped onto the kraft cardstock in sepia ink to match the reindeer.

Challenges:
Charisma Cardz - spots