October Christmas Cards - 1 to 6

I realised today that some of my CCC12 cards I made on 1st of this month had not even been posted, and I need to have them all linked by tomorrow.  The image is from Chocolate Baroque and it was embossed in gold and then painted with some pearly paint (various types).

FOSTV 44 - CAS Sketch - Utonagan

Hi Everyone, it's Monday again so it means time for another FOSTV challenge.  This week's challenge is a CAS sketch challenge

I used the sketch to make a card that someone at work requested.  She wanted something for her husband but was struggling to know what she wanted.  I remembered she had a wolf like dog, an Utonagan, and asked if that would be appropriate and she immediately said yes.




This is the card I came up with using doggy digital papers (Dog Park) from Katie Pertiet via DesignerDigitals.com.   The main image is from the MFP set called North American Woods and the Happy Birthday was from another set (sorry I cannot remember which one).  The paw was made by punching on some scrap and then sponging through the cuts.

Well it is your turn now to make what you will with this sketch and show us what you create by posting a link back to challenge 44 over at FOSTV.  We would love you to use your MFP stamps if you have them, but if you don't use what you have and you may win some to play with.  This week's set up for grabs is called Oh Crab and the little crab on the rocks is just so cute.

Tempus Fugit

Does anyone else feel a little odd when the clocks change?  We got an extra hour last night when the clocks went back but today my body clock has been totally confused!  It was very apt when the Stampin Sisters in Christ challenge today was about time.  The passage actually contradicts my sentiment which says time flies and says God gives us all the time we need - "To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven". 

I went with the flow and this masculine card was what I came up with.  I used a clocks mask, an embossing folder with cogs and a clock face plus two stamps.  The plane image is from Katzelkraft and the pocket watch and saying "Tempus Fugit" were a free gift with Craft Stamper magazine some time ago.  I used Antique Linen and Aged Mahogany distress inks plus Memento Espresso Truffle.

The Card

Thanks for looking and have a great week.

Showing some of the detail

 

You May Have Peace - Stampin Sisters In Christ Challenge

Today is the first chance I have had to really get creating again after a busy time last weekend preparing for the hop.  Last Sunday the challenge at Stampin Sisters in Christ was Peace.  I am most at peace when I am by the sea, although I have no idea why and sometimes it can actually be rough and quite frightening.  In this scene I tried to make the sky look a little dark as though night is closing in (it is darker in real life than this flash taken shot indicates!).  I was considering peace from the view of that little boat and knowing it had the light house to guide him away from dangerous rocks.

The stamp set is called Island Life and it is from Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich company.

I hope you find some light this week to keep you out of harm.

MFP October Set - Enjoy the View

Sometimes living in the UK has its disadvantages and this week I was reminded of one of them - post takes longer to get here from the USA than you would like!  The stamps I have used on this card, well the window one, didn't get here in time for me to use it for the hop but it has now arrived so I am showing it off a bit late.  I have combined Enjoy the View with the set called Christmas in the Country, carefully positioning the window to hide the moose (we don't see many of them here!!!).  The robin (well almost a UK robin) and the poinsettias are from Christmas Selections. 

Today is one of those days when you are happy to be in the warm, with your loved ones, looking out on the wintry scene.  It is not snowing here, but it is up north, and even here it has turned cold and windy.  The damp in the air makes it cold.

The little photo on the wall is a scaled down digital image and the little frame is one of my original Spellbinders dies.  Thanks to Angie, one of my DT members for this idea.

The sentiment on my card is from All is Calm stamp set.

Thank you for checking this out.  Have a great weekend.

MFP October Blog Hop - On The Fly

Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's 

   October Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

Christmas Selections Featured October 23
Poinsettia Blooms Featured October 24
Cracked Hello Featured October 25
On The Fly Featured October 26

Today is the last day of our blog hop and what a fun week of new stamps it has been.  Our set today is called On The Fly and I have made two cards with this set which I am going to share today.

If you like one of the designers cards during the blog hop and want to know how they created them, you can ask here in the blog hop forum.

 On this card I used the acrylic block technique again with stamps from the sets
Buffalo Spring
Oh Crab
and today's new set On The Fly

This card uses the lovely scene from today's set which I have coloured with Copics.  I grabbed the fence from Scenic Selections.

 






Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! 
Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All four winners will be announced on October 27, 2012 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) 
The deadline for commenting is 11PM EST on Friday October 26, 2012.

MFP October Blog Hop - Cracked Hello

Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's 

   October Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

Christmas Selections Featured October 23
Poinsettia Blooms Featured October 24
Cracked Hello Featured October 25
On The Fly Featured October 26

I am pleased we have another background stamp as I sometimes like to layer images and I have played around with the background along with a couple of different stamp sets 

My first card uses the rose bud from Love Remains, which I masked before stamping the cracked earth background.  The sentiment is also from today's Cracked Hello set.  I am entering this for the Daring Cardmakers Happy challenge.

My second card uses the elephant from the set called Wild and Free and sentiments from an old retired set (sorry!)  The tree paper is from Papermania.    









My third and last card just uses the butterfly from today's set along with Dogwood Blossoms.  I have used the colours (Blush, Coral, White, Sahara Sand, Grey) from this week's Jugs challenge 159.





Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) 
All four winners will be announced on October 27, 2012 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) 
The deadline for commenting is 11PM EST on Friday October 26, 2012.

MFP October Blog Hop - Poinsettia Blooms

Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's 

   October Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

Christmas Selections Featured October 23
Poinsettia Blooms Featured October 24
Cracked Hello Featured October 25
On The Fly Featured October 26

This set is one I loved from the word go and I have had fun with it too.


For all the cards I used Splitcoast sketch challenges.  I used Spellbinders dies on the first two and an embossing folder on the second.  On the first card I grabbed the gold embossing powder and on the others my Copics.  I took some sponges and inks to the second card.  The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed an appearance or two of the poinsettias from yesterday's stamp set.

SC357

SC359

SC336

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) 
All four winners will be announced on October 27, 2012 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) 
The deadline for commenting is 11PM EST on Friday October 26, 2012.

MFP October Blog Hop - Christmas Selections

Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's 

   October Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

Christmas Selections Featured October 23
Poinsettia Blooms Featured October 24
Cracked Hello Featured October 25
On The Fly Featured October 26

This month I offered to make one of the additional cards and was asked to use this set.  To be honest I was panicking about having to make more than one card with tiny little stamps, which incidentally I often lose track of, but once I got the stamps and started there was no stopping me!

This first card uses SC235 for my layout and the santas from the set plus the Ho! from Holly Jolly Greetings

This second card uses the sketch SC321 and I remembered my little Cuttlebug strips when it came to the little red strip.  The santa and snowmen are from the set (I think one is a snow woman!) and the sentiment from the set we are showing tomorrow - Poinsettia Blooms.

For this card I used my Spellbinders mittens die and two of the little birds.  The sketch I used was SC329.  I coloured the mittens with Copics doing the background first so I could give it a little texture.

My last card uses the technique from TLC399 but instead of water I used a pearl mist.  I used the poinsettia, pine cone and church from the set.  I may make some more of these and use them as little "thank you" cards.  

This is a great set!

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) 
All four winners will be announced on October 27, 2012 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) 
The deadline for commenting is 11PM EST on Friday October 26, 2012.

MFP - New Stamps Mini Set - preview

The mini set we are previewing today is called Halloween Selections.  Halloween is not really an occasion we celebrate but we do get children round wanting sweets.  This year I decided to make some little containers using these images and fortunately I enlisted hubbies help - we made 30 so lets hope we don't get more visitors than that!

On each sour cream container we attached a little tag which has some of the images on one side and a Bible verse on the other.

The first view is the box of treats and the other pictures show close-ups of the 3 varieties.  Please excuse the photo quality I had to balance them on the back of the chair as they would not stand up!

Please come back tomorrow for the hop.

FOSTV43 - Halloween or Harvest

I went for the Harvest option for FOSTV 43 which is to make a project for Halloween or Harvest.  I used the Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich company, stamp set called Autumn Splendor.  The centre section is an emboss resist panel sponged with autumn colours.

We would love you to play along with the challenge again this week and there is a prize for one lucky participant.  The MFP set you could win this week is called I'm Going Batty.

It is a good week for winning as MFP are releasing new sets this week and the blog hop starts tomorrow.

Pop back again today as I have this month's mini set to show.

Mistletoe, roses, romance and many hastles!

I hope the guy I have made this for and his wife love this card.  I had rather a troubled time making it.

I knew in my head some of the things I wanted to get onto the card but working out the design had me stumped.  I then had a few die cutting issues so improvised a little.  All was going well until I decided to print and stamp onto the pearly card.  I heat set it which made the card warp a little but once well stuck down was OK - as I completed the card and went to photograph it I noticed the printing had smudged!

At that stage I had to pull it apart and start the printing again on a plain card.  I liked the pearl but if it won't work....

The panel behind the couple in the window is stamped with a Penny Black stamp which has holly (left grey) and mistletoe on it.  The rose is a Marks Finest Papers (a Heinrich Company) image.  The colour of the leaves I am hoping matches the colour for their wedding - I saw a quick phone picture!  The dies are from Cheery Lynn.  The sentiment is computer generated and the corner punching and bling finish it off.

I am entering this into Sentimental Sundays challenge too - I hope off-white is OK!

Thanks for looking.

Dragon Boy!

My Mum wanted a card for my nephew so this is what I came up with.  It uses sketch challenge sketch 406 and Sentimental Sundays challenge to use black, white and a colour.  The image is a digital one from Bugaboo stamps.  With a little paper piercing and plenty of red Welsh dragon colouring it was mainly done.

 Thanks for looking - avoid the dragons today!

Fall in a round

I love fall, or should I say autumn colours and I have to say the more I look the more colours I see.

Beate Johns recently created a tutorial over at Splitcoast for a Twisted Circular Easel Card so that is the design I chose for this one today.  My hands are multi-coloured now but it was quite fun with all those distress inks - nothing like Beate's clean design!

I used the tree from MFP Tree Selections, the maple leaf stamp from MFP Scenic Selections and the sentiment from MFP Daffodil Greetings. The circles were all cut with dies and the sentiment was cut with Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles.  The leaves were cut with one of my original Spellbinders dies.  Ribbon and fibres from my messy stash.  The border inside was punched with an EK Success wide border punch.

Front - detailed view

I am entering this card for the following challenges


Stampin Sisters in Christ 161 - use a tree
Jugs 158 - emboss resist technique used with maple leaf stamp
OCC - Fall in the Circle

Inside - detailed view

The distress inks I used were
Wild Honey
Spiced Marmalade
Peeled Paint
Dusty Concord
Aged Mahogany



Thank you for checking out my card - I really do appreciate your comments.

Oopsy Daisy - so, so late!

Our niece had her Birthday on September 10th and even though I bought her a necklace we did not get it into the mail.  It has gone now!
The FOSTV 42 challenge to alter an item gave me the chance to try and alter the box.  I have to say I am glad we generally make cards!  I stamped round the edge of the lid layer with the wave from Flamingos on Vacation in white ink and then embossed it.  I used the Oopsy Daisy set on the lid top.

Now it is your turnto alter something - we would love to see what you create.  Please go on over to Speedy TV, hunt out challenge FOSTV42 and link up your creations.
One lucky person will win the Christmas Music Stamp Set - a great set to win right now.

Have a great week!

Frog in your shorts

A young friend turns 13 very soon and I decided to use the High Hopes sketch challenge for his card.  I hope this card makes him smile.  I find making cards for lads quite difficult and I have a few to make right now.
I thought the Frog in Boxers image coloured in a nice Chelsea blue would go down well - he went to his first Chelsea football game just a few days ago and loved it. 
I used embossing powder on all the brads to tone in with the card and knotted some ribbons onto the one with the slot through it - I think it was OK to add ribbon - hope you agree.

Thanks for looking.

Penny Black - 3 goes!

I had a bit of trouble following the Penny Black October sketch - my brain and my creative process just would not work together.  My plan was to make a card for the Penny Black Allsorts challenge too so I made sure I had some animals.  On the first 2 cards with the little ducky friends I forgot the horizontal strip both times - for the first card I forgot it completely and for the second card I assembled it and then found the strip on the desk.  So 3rd time lucky with a new image I got the layout right but this time I don't have the animals (but if you look hard you can find robins)!

Card 1 and 2 work for the Allsorts challenge and card 3 for the sketch. 

I hope you like them all even if I did mess up!

Masculine - drag out some stamps!

I decided to use some of my unloved stamps again - when looking for a particular one the other day there were lots I had forgotten about.  This simple card using the Sketch Frenzy Friday sketch from September 28th utilises some stamps I had completely forgotten about - I don't even know who made them.  Masculine cards are not my favourite but my box needs some so this is what I created tonight.

Thank you for looking.

Pirate Puzzle

Sometimes I have a really mean streak!  A little friend of ours turned 8 on the 1st of October and I forgot to get a card mailed out in time.  I eventually mailed this and apologised for my lateness saying I am sorry but I had so much trouble as his card kept falling apart!

Of course if he works out how to put it all back together, and he will, it looks like this.  I had to adhere it with removable tape to a piece of paper in order to ink it.  I used a Spellbinders die, Distress ink and Copics and the image is from one of the newly released sets from MFP called Buried Treasure.  I hope you find some of your own treasure today.

Worship the King

Our Creative Corner challenge used a picture of the Queen Mother as the inspiration picture with the requirements to use a crown and have something yellow or gold embossed.  My original thought process was to use a Hero Arts London Collage stamp with a small picture of the Queen but then as I need Christmas cards (CCC12) my thoughts went to my digital images and the real king so this is where this card comes from - a long way from the picture - sorry! 

I used the Jugs 157 sketch.  I have used both gold embossing (on the background, star and the crowns) and yellow (on the ground and straw). 

Thanks for looking

Dashing through the snow!

For my FOSTV distressing challenge please see post below

Sometimes I am spoilt for choice and today that was the case - stamps to choose, ideas in my head but where to start?
I started with this High Hopes image which is so cute and coloured it so I could give it to a nephew who supports Chelsea. The sketch is SC239 and I am entering the card for High Hopes Winter Wonderland,  Sentimental Sundays anything goes as well as counting it for my CCC12 allocation in October.

I coloured the image with Copics (B29, B28, B26, B24, B23, R39, R37, E49, E47, E44, C5,C3, C1, E43, E41 and some B000) and the background with Pan Pastels.  The papers are from Doodlebug - for once I remembered to check before I stuck them down.

I hope you like the card.  Thanks for looking

FOSTV 41 - Distressing

Hi - Welcome to a new week and to another FOSTV challenge.  This week we are distressing and the team have used a whole mixture of sets.

My card uses the wolf from the North American Woods set and I am sending it to my nephew.  He is a very outdoors kid, always has been, so I think he will like this card.  My 3 nephews have their birthdays 3 months running so I have to think masculine cards - their Dads then follow!  It is good that Marks Finest Papers make so many nice masculine images.  I have made a Flap Card and there is a tutorial from Kathy which is easy to follow on Speedy TV which you can find here

Outside

Inside

 We would love to have you join in this week's challenge so get distressing and enter your cards over at Speedy TV - FOSTV Challenges Number 41.  The stamp set one of you will win is called Celebrate Big - one I have bought that still needs to meet some ink! 

Hope you have a great week - please come visit again and don't forget to join the FOSTV41 challenge

Penny Black World Card Making Day

This is a very quick post as it is way past my bed time.  I have made these 4 cards for today's challenges n the Penny Black Blog in celebration of World Card Making Day.
I used Christmas themes so I could count them towards my October set for CCC12.  I have another 6 cards made so going well this month.- I will post the others up sometime soon.

Hope you had a good day