Winter Window

I met up recently with friends for coffee and of course plenty of crafty chat - this time we swapped Christmas cards with the usual questions about the various products used.  I have to admit I succumbed to temptation and ordered a really useful window die which has arrived really quickly and the package also included a little gift of a cat die which was a kind gesture.  I justify this purchase - if I need to - because the window can and will be used on cards throughout the year although for the moment I've made a Christmas card inspired by the one I received from my friend.

The window was die cut and then I found lots of snippets of card and cut out houses, trees etc to make a little scene, adding a silver star in the sky. I used some woodgrain paper as a background so that it looks a bit like a cabin in the woods. Naturally I had to have the cat reclining on the window sill and some floral decoration at the top (left overs from another card). I even cut the houses in yellow and painstakingly paper pieced the windows in - mad or what!! It is a shame I've already popped over to the Playground with my entry for the current challenge because this card would certainly fit the bill.  There is still time to enter if you'd like to be in with a chance of winning a lovely prize - follow the link to see what is on offer.

Background - paper pad from The Works
Window - Grand Madison die by Poppy Stamps
Trees and houses - die set from Crafter's Companion
Cat - gift die which came with the window
Flowers and foliage - Sizzix dies (left overs from previous project)

Pixie Playground Challenge #367

Time to post a card for the current Playground challenge and it is yet another Christmas card - made entirely from various snippets of card apart from the blank card of course.  I've used a snow globe die which is a relatively recent purchase and built up a nativity scene inside using dies which came free with a magazine either last year or the year before, can't quite remember.  I used a snippet of printed paper for the sky and various shades of 'sandy' colours for scene - the tiny star was cut from a scrap of silver. 

Pixies Playground Challenge #366

Time again to post a card for the Playground challenge and this time it is a baby card which I made using up a selection of 'girly' snippets..  I started with a white card blank and added a fairly large snippet of pink patterned paper.  Snippets of two shades of pink were used to die cut the bunting, oval layers, elephant and the tiny hearts and flowers.  Some small alphabet stamps were used to add the word to the bunting.   Do pop along to see the cute and colourful card which Di has given us to showcase the current prize if your name is lucky enough to be drawn.

Ovals - Spellbinders dies
Elephant - Sweet Dixie die
Baby - Sizzix alphabet dies
Bunting - unbranded die
Flowers - punch from Stampin' Up

Another Crochet CAL Project

The last couple of weeks seem to have disappeared far too quickly and worst of all I'm not sure I've achieved a huge amount but that does happen from time to time and I try not to stress about it. Having completed my previous CAL project and made a couple of 'virus' shawls I decided to get going on another CAL (crochet along) and hopefully this one won't take me as long to finish as the first one.  However having made the first square - and there are two more of these to make - I'm not holding my breath!  The circular centre section of each of these is very attractive but proved a bit of a task to make and I struggled with the quadruple and sextuple trebles required on the outer rounds.  I know how to do them but found it very difficult to get them neat because the top of each of these stitches ends up very loose with a large loop so if anyone has any hints or tips on how to avoid this I'd be grateful.  I did the usual and watched a YouTube video and tried to do exactly as shown but was unable to achieve the neat finish shown in this video.  I imagine practice makes perfect but each of these was made and remade several times and they are far from perfect.  The 'blurb' about this CAL said it was suitable for an intermediate crocheter or an enthusiastic beginner and while I'm not exactly a beginner I thought 'enthusiastic' should cover it - now I'm not so sure so this piece might end up as a cushion cover and the yarn will be used to make something else although I don't really like to beaten so will persevere for a while.

Here is a photo of the first square - it hasn't been blocked yet and I've just realised I've not measured it to see if it is the recommended size. If it isn't to size I guess the final blanket might not go together when the various sections are made.  It is good to take on a challenge though ... or is it??

CAL pattern and yarn from Deramores - Mediterranean CAL project

Seasonal Snippets

Time to visit the Playground once again and this time I'm taking along a Christmas card on which I've used a selection of snippets.  I started by die cutting the tree and its backing from snippets of silver and blue card, followed by a  lighter blue circle with a slightly larger dark blue one - snippets again.  I used up the remaining snippets of silver and light blue to cut leaves and flowers to assemble into a little posy.  Background paper was an off cut from a paper pad from several years ago.  The poinsettias were brushed oiver swith Wink of Stella but I doubt that shows up in the picture as well as it does for real.  There is a clever guest designer in the Playground this time as well as a cute card from Di with the usual opportunity to go into a prize draw.  If you visit you will be able to see this and find a link to the guest designer so why not pop along.

Tree - die set from Tonic
Poinsettias - dies from Marianne - had them 'forever'
Foliage - from set of dies given free with recent magazine
Background - paper from Papermania I think

Seasonal Cards

I'm still ploughing on with a selection of Christmas cards and have come to realise what a lot of seasonal stamps and dies I actually have in my stash although I am quite short on suitable card and papers.  Luckily I have at least one very good CD with a wide selection of lovely designs but I think I need to go shopping for some green card because although I have heaps of snippets many of them are too small for some of the things I want to cut out.  I did manage to find a couple of shades of green for the die cut tree on this card and the background was printed onto some photo paper.  The white square was lying around just waiting to be used but I did run it through a snowy embossing folder., then added a slightly larger blue layer to tone with the background.  The tree decorations were die cut from tiny scraps of silver card.  Not much space for any wording on the front but this design speaks for itself really.

Tree and Decorations - die set from Tonic, freebie with recent magazine
Background - printed from Artylicious Seasons Greetings CD
Snowy Effect - Sizzix snow is falling embossing folder from Stampin' Up.

Another Crochet Project

I like to have some knitting and crochet on the go so that I can pick it up while watching TV - I have to admit this is so that I can hopefully stay awake to watch a whole programme!!  Trawling around the internet - as you do - I found this pattern for the oddly-named 'Virus' shawl which is triangular and there is also a square version to make a blanket. A shawl is really handy to wear around the shoulders to keep warm and nicer than a cardigan I think.  I chose a variegated yarn to make my shawl and here it is draped over my office chair.  I enjoyed  making this, mainly because there are four rows to the pattern which gives a bit more variety when working rather than repeating the same stitch and row ad infinitum.  I'm planning on making another one in a different colourway as a Christmas present so I will have to get a move on with that in between making cards and all the other things I like to do.