Mini snowman

I made a couple of mini cards today - I'll probably use them for Morgan's school friends... last year I bought a little pack of cards for him to use, but he was so disappointed not to have handmade ones, I thought I'd better make the effort this year!  I'll probably make a few different ones and then repeat them.

The little snowman is from Pink Petticoat, coloured with promarkers, with glamour dust for sparkle.  Circle cut with nesties and mounted on a nellie snellen frame.  Dovecraft paper, coredinations cardstock, spotty ribbon from my stash and black card candy.  I'm keeping them simple because I bet most of the kids won't even notice what they look like!

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

• Corrosive - black n blue
• Paper Sundaes - let it snow

Crafty Cardmakers spotlight - dry embossing

Time for a new spotlight challenge at Crafty Cardmakers, and this fortnight our spotlight is on 'dry embossing'. Easy peasy really, and a great chance to get those embossing folders out, or maybe you've got an unloved light box that you could dust off :o)

I decided that instead of using an image as the main focus, I'd use this cuttlebug owl embossing folder... bought quite a while ago and it's been sat in it's packaging ever since - I'm always doing this!  I spot some 'must-have', buy it and either use it once or never use it, and it sits there making me feel guilty... perhaps I'll make a few of these in different colours and then I won't feel so bad!

Anyway... it's a fairly quick card - I just embossed the owl onto coredinations cardstock, then sanded it back and roughed up all the cardstock edges a bit with the sanding block.  The ribbon, pearls and yellow/ orange cardstock are all from my stash.

I'm also entering my card for the following challenges:

• CRAFT - dry embossing
• One Stop Craft - embossing
• Crazy 4 Challenges - create square cards
• CES Challenges - forever autumn

A very simple tutorial - scallop circle cards

Now I don't usually do tutorials... actually I've never done one!  I don't think I'm 'expert' enough at anything to warrant producing tutorials in anything really lol.  However, I was asked how I cut scallop circle cards without them ending up wonky, and I couldn't think of a way of explaining that without a few pics.

My circle dies are Go Kreate ones, which I'm fairly sure are exactly the same as the Little Claire 'amazing frame' ones.  They're very big!  I've used bright card so it shows up better.

Cut, score and fold your card base as usual - mine is a 5.75" square base.

Then position your die on the card base - as you can see in the pic below, there are 2 scallops at the bottom so that your card will stand fairly level when cut, and 3 scallops overlapping the folded edge.

Hold the die in place with masking tape. 

The pic below shows the back of the folded edge.

Cut with your die cutter as usual - carefully though, as you have a double layer of cardstock... don't force it!

 Being the clumsiest person ever, I have broken one of my Big Shot plates before while doing this - oops!

And here's the scalloped card. 

Hope this helps someone - hopefully, it will at least help Louise who asked me the question :o)

Ohhh my goodness!

Well, I haven't been this nervous for a while!  I had an amazing email last week, asking me if I'd like to be a Guest Designer at Stamp Something for the next couple of months... I nearly keeled over from the shock lol!  I love the challenges at Stamp Something so it was a bit of a no-brainer really, of course I said yes.  I still can't believe they asked me though!

The challenge this week is a fab sketch and we're sponsored by DRS Designs.

I've used a sweet LOTV stamp, that I've had a couple of months but haven't used until now.  I've coloured it with promarkers and added some shading and glow using koh-i-noor pencils blended with sansador.  Oh, and lots of sparkle with glamour dust of course!  The papers are downloaded ones from Bearly Mine - I've used the same design on the smaller squares, but just reduced the size of it for smaller spots.  Cardstock is coredinations, MS punched snowflakes (glamour dusted again!) and a sentiment stamp from Pink Gem.  The felt flowers were freebies with a mag - didn't think I'd ever use them but I have at last... used some felt dots from the same freebie pack for the snowflake centres.  Added a gem brad and some card candy to finish.

I'm also entering my card for the following challenges:

• Lili of the Valley - one for the girls (hope this is girlie enough!)
• A Spoon Full of Sugar - relish to embellish
• My Partner in Crafting Crime - it's a material world (felt flowers - 2nd entry)
• I Love Promarkers - snowflakes
• For Fun - metal (brad)
• Charisma - with love at Christmas

A card for Daniel

Ooh I'm running a bit late tonight... been watching something with hubby and lost track of time!  This is my card for Daniel - you can read about him here but I've left it right until the last minute for posting his card, for some reason I thought I had until at least Monday to make it but realised today that his birthday is on Sunday.... fingers crossed he'll get it in time!

I've used one of the older images from Digistamp Boutique - this is Harold, he looks a bit like he's going to run off with that cake doesn't he?  I've coloured him with promarkers with a bit of 'glow' using koh-i-noor pencils blended with sansador.  The papers are K&Co, with coredinations cardstock - I used white ink around the edges of the blue card and blue ink on all the paper edges, because it was looking a bit too 'young' as it was.  Stars cut with nesties, buttons from stash, and a Craftwork Cards sentiment.  Hope it'll be ok for him Claire :o)

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

• Truly Scrumptious - sketch (didn't use the optional pearls etc, as they didn't really work for this)
• Paper Play - circles
• Paper Sundaes - for a man/ boy
• Sentimental Sundays - birthdays
• Party Time Tuesdays - anything goes birthday
• Papertake Weekly - penny for the guy (male cards)

Had a cute son moment today.... I've been a bit low this week, it happens occasionally - I have those days where I seem to cry over nothing, but I'm loathe to see the doc about it because they seem to have been waiting for me to ask for anti-d's ever since we lost Harvey... it'll never happen because I'm totally incapable of admitting I might not be coping perfectly!  So I manage with my occasional sad day.  Anyway, back to the point... my 8yr old son must have heard me telling hubby that I'd been crying over nothing, and today while we were in the car he piped up with 'Mummy... I sometimes cry for no reason too, it's ok... I think it's just the cold air...'  Bless him, love my boys :o)

Hoot & Hootie Christmas

I seem to have a thing about doing owls in odd colours... for some reason I hardly ever reach for brown when I have owls to colour!  This cute pair are Hoot & Hootie from Digistamp Boutique, one of the fab new offer images for this month.

I've coloured them with promarkers and then added a bit of 'glow' using koh-i-noor pencils blended with sansador, and used glossy accents on their eyes.  The papers are Dovecraft, with cardstock from my stash, sentiment and card candy from Craftwork Cards.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

• Friday Sketchers - fab sketch
• Die Cut Dreams Christmas - use a Christmas digi
• Stamp With Fun - all that can fly
• Everybody Art - untraditional Christmas
• Secret Crafter - anything that flies

Apologies for being a bit behind in visiting all your blogs at the moment, I've been a bit busy but hopefully I'll manage to visit some of you tonight - you're all so productive though, it's hard to keep up!

My little scary monsters...

 

After years of getting away with it, I've finally agreed to take the boys trick or treating - this is Morgan (8yrs) and Dex (2.5yrs) trying on their outfits ready for this evening.  Morgan would happily have his photo taken all day, but Dex is not so keen so this is the best I could do!  I've no idea what face Dex is trying to pull in the second pic - I've a funny feeling this is his idea of smiling for the camera lol.  And yes, I know I should probably get his hair cut...

Hopefully I'll be back later with a card, if I find the time between visiting family, DT stuff and trick or treating :o)