Unusual Request and Apologies

First of all I must apologise for my absence from Blogland for a little while - hopefully normal service should be resumed shortly and I will be back visiting and posting!!

Now I wouldn't immediately associate elephants with Christmas but yesterday evening I received a request for a Christmas card featuring them.  I turned to my CD collection to see what I could find and came across this pair on a Jane Netley Mayhew collection from Joanna Sheen - hopefully they will be acceptable.  I used various dies and some backing paper to make what I hope is my last Christmas card for this year (I did think I'd finished anyway) but luckily hadn't put away all the seasonal bits and pieces yet although that must be the next job in my craft room.  I wish I knew who keeps making it such an untidy space - not difficult to guess!!

Gold Frame - Couture Creations die
Square mounts - Tonic nesting scalloped squares
Poinsettia - Sue Wilson dies
Ivy - Sue Wilson die
Sentiment - Computer printed and onto Cuttlebug circles.

Stitchery

I came across a lovely book recently which has lots of small patchwork items which include embroidered panels and which would make really nice gifts or items to sell for charity.  This is a folder with pockets inside to hold maybe a notebook or other bits and pieces which you might want to keep safe - it is roughly A5 size.  I enjoyed making this and being small I was able to find bits and pieces of fabric without going out to buy any more.  I certainly have lots of fabric around so will probably make a few of the other things from the book.

Snippets Challenge

Seeing the latest Pixie Snippets Challenge tells me that yet another week has gone by - at speed too I might add!!  This time I'm putting in a selection of small (4" square) cards which I made to showcase just some of the techniques which can be achieved using embossing folders with other mediums such as gesso, Distress ink, gilding wax etc.  I aim to put these cards together as I thought they would make a useful gift because it is always handy to have a few notelets available.  I used lots of small pieces of cards and some even smaller snippets for the sentiments on their little labels.

Christmas Tag Card

This card is another of the samples I made for a recent demonstration day using a dies.  The fancy tag was cut out a couple of times using alternate colours of card and then cut once more so that I could hand cut the parcel to make an extra layer.  I added some ribbon and a die cut bow.

Dies - Lattice and tags from Tonic
Bow - Sue Wilson Itty Bitty Bow

Pixie Snippets Challenge

I came across this Pampered Pets die set recently while looking through my collection to make some samples for a recent demonstration day and realised that it hadn't been used for a long time and the cat is rather elegant so deserves an airing.  As most of the card is made from odd bits and pieces of card (mostly Centura Pearl) it suits the Pixie Snippets Challenge.  I hope some of you are having a nicer day than it is here today where it is very dull, cold and raining so I'm off to sit by the fire to do a bit of embroidery for a change.

Background - Piece of paper from Pampered Pets pad (Papermania)
Oval - Tonic dies
Layers - Sue Wilson dies, one embossed with swiss dots folder
Cat and handbag etc - Pampered Pets die set Papermania

Mistletoe

I've dabbled with a bit more quilling for a card, this time making some mistletoe which I've popped onto a die cut shape. The background was made using a mask to emboss the square of card and applying some Versamark through the snowflakes before removing it, then using some twinkle white embossing powder.  

Die cut shapes - Spellbinders
Background - Special touch snowflake mask
Greeting - computer generated on cuttlebug shapes

Missing in Action!

I've just realised it is over a week since I posted anything on my blog which is BAD and I will try to do better.  I have been keeping busy one way and another, mainly preparing samples for an upcoming demonstration day - that's my excuse anyway and I'm sticking to it!!  This Christmas card fits well into the Pixie Snippets category because it consists of various snippets of card and ribbon.  Again I was tempted by a freebie given with a magazine - this time a bauble which is handy given that Christmas is fast approaching.  Details of items used are given below as usual.

Baubles - Marianne die backed with Spellbinder circle in white
White panels - Centura Pearl card embossed with Sheena snowflake folder
Red panels - cut using Tonic die
Sentiment - computer generated on Cuttlebug die cuts