Christmas Post

 This post is to send  very best wishes to my followers and bloggy friends and to say a big thank you for your regular visits and for taking the time to leave me some lovely comments.  All of this is so very much appreciated.

Merry Christmas and All the Best for a Happy and Healthy New Year

Briefly, this card has a background made using inks, stamps and stencils with some touches of gold - just kept going until I was pleased with the result.  The sentiment and larger die cut layer are both dome with some quite subtle gold pearlised card which has a lovely sheen but sadly it looks more like dull kraft card on the monitor.  🙄🙄

Snippets Playground Challenge # 522

 If you pop along to the Snippets Playground you will see that there are details of the second special Christmas challenge with some extra prizes to be won.  For my card this time I've chosen to make yet another Christmas card, this time with a die cut wreath.  I made my own card blank for this one which always leaves me with a useful Snippets strip and everything else was produced using bits and pieces from my vast Snippets collections.  The wreath was die cut twice using two shades of green; robins were die cut from small Snippets of kraft and coloured using alcohol pens and a touch of coloured pencil; the bow from a tiny scrap of red, as were the berries on the sprigs.  The final touch was a sticker from a well used set which I've had for a couple of years at least.  Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I'd used a slatted die to cut the circle into the white square and backed it with a Snippet of blue printed paper, adding a cute little tag to the bow.  Gosh that took me nearly as long to write as it did to make the card 🤪

Wreath, Robins, Sprigs, Slatted Circle and Tag - all dies from Craft Addiction UK
Little Bow - die from Gummiapan
Sentiment Sticker - from a set by Clarity

Allsorts Challenge #839

 The theme for the current Allsorts Challenge has been chosen by Lynn who has asked us to **Create a Scene** or there is always the *Anything Goes* option. Prizes this time are from Lavinia Stamps - full details on the Allsorts blog post.

For my card I've chosen to use some of my Lavinia stamps to create the scene which is a reminder of warmer days in the garden.  I started by die cutting a square and then lightly stencilled some blue and green ink as a background before stamping the tree, to which I added some leaves.  The little elf with his watering can was added next with a couple of second generation mushrooms and some foliage.  

White Square - Stained Glass Die Creative Expressions
Tree - Sacred Tree, Lavinia
Leaves on Tree - Mini Leafe Stamp 1 Lavinia
Elf - Herbalum Bob
Foliage - Small Shroom and other small foliage stamps by Lavinia

Christmas Wreath

 I have another of my Christmas cards to share today - this time a wreath which was stamped with the aid of a card template which I made as a less expensive way rather than buying one of the available pieces of equipment.  Can't way I've not been tempted to purchase one but have managed to resist thus far 😉.The robin was die cut and is sitting on a simple sentiment.  The background is a piece from my larger Christmas Snippets and the red layer cut using a tattered edge die.

Holly Stamp - from Lavinia Stamps using Versafine Clair Shady Lane
Berries - coloured with red Gel pen
Robin - die from Craft Addiction UK set

Snippets Playground Challenge #521

 Time to dash across to the Snippets Playground with my card for the latest challenge which is one of two December ones with extra prizes to be won.  I'm taking another of my scenic Christmas cards which has used quite a lot of snippets.  I even made the card blank which, although it involved a whole sheet of white card, I do get a very handy 'snippet' strip left over each time.  The white and green squares were trimmed from a couple of my larger snippets and then a slatted circle was die cut into the white layer.  Trees were cut from dark green snippets, fence panels from some kraft snippets and then white snippets were used for the snow people and details, coloured as necessary.  The sentiment was stamped, then die cut, finally adding a tiny sprig of holly for extra interest.  The snow people set is a new one this year - just couldn't resist when I spotted it - the other items I've had for longer.

Slatted Circle - die from Craft Addiction UK
Trees - die set by Globeland (Amazon)
Snow People and Fence - die set from Amazon 
Torn Edge Square Dies - set from Amazon
Holly Sprig - from a very old magazine gift seasonal set which comes out each year
Sentiment - stamp from Stampin' Up (long retired) Contempo Christmas
Green Square - trimmed from a snippet of printed paper (download from Buddly7 Crafts)
Label - Stitched Rectangles die set also SU (retired)

Allsorts Challenge #838

 The theme chosen by Liz for the Allsorts Challenge this time is **NEW**  which can be anything such as new home, new baby, new beginnings - wide choice, or of course there is always the *anything goes* option.  Prizes are from Aall & Create - full details on the Allsorts Blog where you can also find the entry rules. For my DT card this time I've chosen to go for a new home card, made in the eclipse style  using a couple of images from a pad which I've had for many years and hardly used although I know they were popular at the time; The drawings were all done by Michael Powell and the pad was produced by Design Objectives (Docraft) who are no longer trading.  I needed two copies of the same image and fortunately there are two of each in the pad, along with some plain coloured ones in toning colours.  I die cut a slatted circle into one of the images and then carefully lined it up on top of the second; The sentiment was computer generated and cut using a couple of punches which I've also had forever.  Looking forward to seeing what 'new' occasions you all come up with 😉

Image - drawn by Michael Powell for Docrafts (no longer available from them)
Slatted Circle - die from Craft Addiction UK
Punches - both from Stampin' Up (long retired)

Can't Stop!

 Even though I probably don't need any more Christmas cards for this year, I can't seem to stop making them 🤣.  I have such a lot of seasonal crafty stash and also other items which can easily be adapted.  Ideas just keep popping into my head and off I go, yet another Christmas design materialises. Mentally going through my stash I realised that everyone's favourite bunny hadn't been out to play recently so having decided he should feature, I then tried to think of other items which could work with him and - Hey Presto - he's donned his little Santa hat.  For the scene I die cut the trees out of a piece of white card which fits nicely on a 5" x 7" card, backing it with a piece of design paper.  I then added a branch for him to perch on and he's chatting to a robin friend.  Some winter foliage was added for extra interest and a stamped sentiment.  Now then what am I going to bring into use for the next card???🤔

Who needs AI when you have a selection of dies, stamps, paper and card 😉

Background - paper printed using a Buddly Crafts download
Trees and Branch - dies from Aspen Tree (retired) Stampin' Up
Bunny - unbranded die
Santa Hat - die which was a free gift from Gummiapan
Robin - die from Craft Addiction UK
Foliage - a Sizzix die set which I've had for some years
Sentiment - stamp from Contempo Christmas Stampin' Up (retired)