Boxing Day

I opted for a 'stay at home' Christmas this year and the weather yesterday was bright with some sunshine which is more than can be said for today which is dark and somewhat damp here.  I spent part of yesterday and some of this morning making  this bag - I had already embroidered the Redwork panel so just had to cut out the fabrics, stitch them together and complete the 'big stitch' quilting so that I could assemble the bag this morning.  I've enjoyed doing this and now I have yet another useful bag to add to my collection - I might just have to do lots of shopping so that they all get good use!!  I particularly like these Redwork style designs and the embroidery is relatively simple and very relaxing to do and of course doesn't necessarily have to be stitched in red - in fact I have another panel under way at the moment which could well feature on yet another bag.

Christmas Wishes

I would like to wish all my followers and friends a very Happy Christmas and the best of wishes for the New Year.  I seem to have been missing again from blogland but my internet slowed down to almost a halt and I was unable to get on-line until it was sorted.

Background - created with a mask to emboss white card, brushed with blue Distress ink afterwards
Image - from Lili of the Valley
Greeting - strip embossing folder, also brushed with blue Distress ink

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