Candles

I had the sudden realisation that I had to get 7 presents for teachers this year ... 7!!! 5 for the pre-school staff and 2 for school. Having seen Inge's candle and match box idea over in the Whiff of Joy Inspiration blog, I decided to do candles for everyone.
Oh and I managed to cover a few challenges at the same time!!
Roses on Paper - red, green and gold
Stampin for the weekend Blue and Brown
Simon Says Stamp - Merry Christmas
Passion for Promarkers - Christmas or New Year, but not a card
My Time to Craft - Yuletide wishes
Creative card Crew - Anything goes
Stamp with Fun - little presents
Creative Inspirations - Christmas gifts

I used two colour schemes for the candles - red and green, and blue and brown.
I stamped the images and coloured them using promarkers. I cut them out using my nesties, matted them onto cardstock and then stickled them.
I used matching cardstock and MME Christmas design apers to make the decorative bands that hold the four candles together. I tied them using ribbon and twine nad ten added a hydrangea flower with a rose in the centre.
I wrapped them in cellophane and added the tag and wish label.
Simples!!
Here is the blue and brown style...
And here they all are ...
You can't really see the stickles as the light is naff today.
And the last three.
I have to confess to not doing the decorated match boxes ... Ellie and Beth with matches .mmmm not a good idea!!

Look what I made .... eventually!!!

So it has taken me nearly a week to produce what I am showing today .. good job I can link them to some challenges!!!

The first is an easel card for my Godmother ...it is her birthday at Christmas so she always gets a Christmas themed card ... kills two birds with one stone so to speak.
This card covers theses challenges:
Just Magnolia - Christmas
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Basic Grey Challenges - cream, pink and blue
Allsorts - pearls and swirls
Totally Gorguss - Free and Easy
Create4fun - easel card
Magnolia Down Under - bedazzledThis gorgeous Tilda is coloured using distress inks and then I inked the edges of the image and dp. I added stickles to the image - might have just got a little carried away ... having added baby blue ... I had to add some cotton candy!!!
I used organza ribbon and added a fab tea rose, glimmered and glamoured and some punched swirls and some flat backed pearls.
Here's the sketch element.
Here's a close up of the image and sparkle.

This is for a crafting friend ... and I used these challenges -
A Spoonfull of Sugar - monochrome
Papertake Weekly - no red or green
Passion for Promarkers - Christmas theme, but not a card
Friday sketcher - sketch
Simon Says Stamp - snow
Whiff of Joy - sparkle
Uru and his littl friend are coloured using Promarkers and then stickled. I kept the papers simple and just added lace and punched snowflakes which were liberally stickled too!! I added fluffy stuff to make the snow under Uru's feet.
The box/bag is made using two bottoms for a gift box I use and adding vellum inbetween ... so you can't see your pressie!! The box/bag is tied using some gingham ribbon, so all you need to do is untie the ribbon and take the lid off ... just need to think about how to post it now LOL!!
Ellie has finally opened the last of her birthday presents we can start on Christmas!! I bought a whole salmon today that is now filleted and in the freezer (guess what the girls chose for Christmas dinner!!) and the cat is happy!! Oh and cubed 5lb of topside for hotpot on Christmas Eve ... not just for the 4 of us I hasten to add!!
So we are off to get the tree tomorrow, and the Christmas music will come out, and I need get wrapping those pressies! But the cards are written and posted!

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Magnolia Tilda with Present; WOJ Uru with Bird
Colouring Media: Distress inks; promarkers
Papers: Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses; Periphery; MME - Christmas Glitter stack
Embellishments: all from stash

Secret Craft Saturday Challenge #62

Debby has set this week's challenge and it is Snow. Hopefully this is the last Christmas card for me for this year ... I have to confess to being Christmas carded out now!!!

My lovely SCSC buddy Helen sent me this fab LOTV image and I have watercoloured it and then added fluffy stuff and stickles. I have inked the edges of the image and dp, and used my nesties to cut the dp and image out. I love gingham ribbon on Christmas cards. No embellies on this one, I didn't want a fussy card and i wanted to keep lots of that snowflake paper showing.
Here's a close up of the fluffy stuff - it does look like snow!
Do take a peek at the other DT member's creations.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): LOTV
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: DCWV
Embellishments: gingham ribbon from stash

Sketch and Stash 25

I almost forgot to schedule this .... we have had a hectic weekend with the run up to Ellie's birthday. Today she is 5!!! And at school! She has asked me to put some pics of her on here later .. we have pressies and her dress rehearsal to see ... she is an angel!! Oh a party for 28 screaming 4 and 5 years olds later ... can't wait for the peace and sleep later LOL!!

Anyway ...

This week heralds in another fab sketch from Becky, and the last for 2009 - our next challenge will be in the New Year, so you have plenty of time to join in.

I watercoloured Wee and his reindeer with a bit of help from Beth so its more block colouring this time!! Beth helped ink up the flowers and put the brads in them. SHe also punched the leaves. I did the rest!!!
Beth is a bit of a poor sleeper ... at 9pm she is wide awake and wanting to sit with me while I craft. She is also wide aeake at 3am ... less appealing to me I have to say!!!!

Do join in if you have the time.
Recipe:
Stamp(s): WOJ Wee and Reindeer
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: MME Chrsitmas Glitter stack
Embellishments: from stash

Ellie's birthday card

My big little girl is 5 on Monday, so hubby has taken the girls out this morning so I can get her birthday card made.
As ever I have managed to combine a few challenges!!
Simon Say Stamp - So Charming
Friday Sketcher - sketch
Just Magnolia - a card for someone special
Charisma cardz - Dreaming of Summertime - I think the colours and papers are summery
Stamp Something - Glitzy somethings
Cute Card Thursday - Swirly Girly
Colour Create - lilac/purple, acqua, white and black
Allsorts - Purple
Magnolia Down Under - Bedazzled - I think there is sparkle on this!
I masked Tilda onto the steps and watercoloured her, before cutting her out. The dp is matted onto purple cardstock and acqua cardstock. I cut two circles out of Coredinations gemstone white cardstock and embossed one using the birthday folder and wrote Ellie on the other using a Sakura Stardust pen. I added some purple ribbon, purple gems, these gorgeous gardinia flowers which were glimmer misted and glamour dusted before having tulle added to them, and finally a princess crown charm.
To hold the image part of the easel card up, I glued and then glamour dusted a big black brad, and added some more purple ribbon.

Here's a close up of the iamge - I think she looks like my Ellie.

And here are those flowers - aren't they delish!!
Here's a pic of my two beautiful girls - don't they look angelic ... but please don't be fooled!!!

And here's my little one this time last year when she had her tonsils out - she got 49 gorgeous get well cards from you lovely bloggers ... and still looks at them and still has the cards and pictures she made with the lovely things you sent her.
We are now off to the school's Christmas fair, before getting ready for party 1 ... roast lamb for 9!!! Just hope the tin is big enough for it LOL!!!
Recipe:
Stamp(s): Tilda in Cherry dress, old steps
Colouring Media: distress inks
Papers: Basic Grey Wisteria
Embellishments: flowers and tulle from Tabby Crafts, rest from stash

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #61

This week's challenge has been set by Helen and is a matching set. I have made a card, tag and decorated a bag for a friend's wedding.
For the card I stamped the image using versamark and then gold embossed it. I matted the image onto red cardstock and distressed the edges in gold. The dp and sentiment are also matted onto red cardstock too. I added punched flowers and leaves and some ribbon.
I was just going to use a red bottle bag for the pressie, but got carried away and decorated the bag. I stamped the image all over the black cardstock and then embossed them in gold and red. The edges of the cardstock is distressed in gold.

I used the same image for the tag and gold embossed it, The edges are gold inked again and i used the same ribbon as the card.

Do take a peek at the other DT cards.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Papermania
Colouring Media:
Papers: from stash
Embellishments: from stash

Dutchdare Card Challenge

The challenge this time is a colour inspiration, and here is the picture.
I went for a Christmas card in these colours (although I admit to muting the colours!!)
I watercoloured Uru and matted him onto black cardstock. I used the Whiff of Joy sketch from this week, and matted theses gorgeous glittery papers on to black cardstock. I added a sparkly flower and a Christmas tree charm.

I am entering it into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp - So Charming
A spoonfull of Sugar - non-traditional Christmas colours (teal/green/black aren't to me!!)
Creative Card Crew - Christmas
My Time to Craft - Winter Pals
Stampavie and More - Christmas
Everybody-Art-Challenge - stitching (around the image)

Do check out the other DT cards.


Recipe:
Stamp(s): Whiff of Joy Uru and bird
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: My Minds Eye Laundry Line
Embellishments: prima flower, ribbons, charm and brad from stash

A gift box

It is one of my friend's birthday's soon and I always struggle to think of something to buy her so I have made her a nic-nac set of drawers.
I have managed to incorporate the following challenges ...
Totally Gorguss - Anything but a card
Stampin for the Weekend - silver and Lilac
Basic Grey - sketch (minus the sentiment)
Allsorts - buttons
I watercoloured this fab Gorguss girl and cut her out. The elements of the sketch are there, a little resized and the image is overlayed over them. The dp is matted onto silver cardstock and I added stickles to the edges of the box and glimmer misted and glamour dusted the flowers, with a little help from a heavy handed Beth!! I added two clear buttons stuck on with stickles so they sparkle.

Here's a close up of Beth's flowers - very glamoured!!!

For the sides of the box I painted the sides and drawers in silver and lilac ink and then matted the dp on to silver. The drawer handles are putrple, lilac and black, with lilac ric rac. I added clear buttons with lilac ribbon tied through to the centre of each panel.
Here's another view of it.
Hopefully it will go down well ... just need to wrap it up without leaving half the glamour dust in the wrapping LOL!!

I have had another clear out of my stamps and have listed some Sugar Nellies and a few others on Ebay. You can find them here if you are interested.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Sugar Nellie Gorguss Girl Flower Power
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: Basic grey Wisteria
Embellishments: from stash

More Christmas cards!

I can't believe I started these cards on Friday and only finished them this morning!!
They fit the following challenges:
Just magnolia - sketch (rotated) (2nd card)
Friday Sketcher - sketch (f1st card)
Charisma Cardz - Christmas
Roses on Paper - Romance/swwet
Cupcake Craft Challenge - red and green
Stamp with Fun - Christmas
Pollycraft - Christmas
Corrosive Challenge - red and green
I watercoluredTilda and stickled her. The white raffia has been glimmer misted as have the snowflakes.

Tilda was watercoloured and I gold heat embossed the edges of the image and papers. The flower is glimmer misted, and I distressed the tag.

I have kept the embellies reasonably flat ... gotta think of posting them!!

Sorry for such a short post - life is hectic with the run up to Christmas ... most of the children I mind have upped their hours ... liking the money, but not the lack of time!!!! I am contemplating buying Christmas cards (shock horror!!!) and have 4 Christmas stamps not yet inked up :(.


Recipe:
Stamp(s): Magnolia Tilda with Vintage Roses, Tilda with present
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: MME Christmas glitter stack
Embellishments: all from stash

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #60

Wendy has chosen the theme this week, and its Christmas Trees!!! I am in love with this gorgeous Whiff of Joy stamp and just had to use it for this challenge.

I watercoloured Wee and his tree in and then masked him and sprayed walnut gold and frost glimmer mist over the image. The papers are my favourite CHristmas ones this year - I just need to take a deep breath before cutting into them (and I have to have stroked them for several minutes first!!). I added gems to the tree and ribbon, and kept the layout simple.
Do take a peek at the other DT members creations - they are fab.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Whiff of Joy Wee with Tree
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: My Minds Eye
Embellishments: gems, ribbon from stash