Pixies Crafty Challenge 307 and 308

I can't believe it almost a week since I last posted on my blog - the weeks just seems to have flown by with not too much achieved on my part.  however I have come up with a card  for the Playground challenge using some snippets.  I recently saw some dies demonstrated on TV which were specially for DL size cards and was so nearly tempted, mainly because I have quite a lot of that size cards which need using up but common sense prevailed and I decided it would be a bit extravagant buying four sets of dies at some expense just for the sake of using up card stock (getting sensible in my old age!!).  I looked through my extensive range of dies and found some which could with a bit of imagination be used to fit nicely, then dug out some of my slightly larger snippets of brown and cream card and set to work.  This design required quite a bit of die cutting and layering but I was quite pleased with the result and of course I've managed to use up quite a few of my snippets in the making.  The main die and the backing layer were each cut three times and then a smaller die from the same set was added with a computer sentiment.  Some of the smaller snippets were used to cut a couple of flowers.

There is a lovely Christmas card on the Playground blog for inspiration and as usual the die and stamps used are being offered as a prize.  Di always gives us detailed descriptions of how she sets about making her cards along with useful tips and warnings if there are any pitfalls to be avoided.

Main Die - Sue Wilson Provence die set
Flowers - Dandelion clock die set Sue Wilson
Card - Brown card and cream Centura Pearl
Sentiment - Computer generated punched with Stampin' Up punches

Buttermilk Butterfly

The challenge this time on the Butterfly Blog is Z for Zodiac and/or B for the colour buttermilk.  I'm afraid the Zodiac stumped me this time but I did colour a piece of card to a buttermilk colour using Pixie Powders.  I stamped a steampunk butterfly and embossed in gold and layered it onto some black.  Another piece of black card was embossed with an 'industrial' style folder and rubbed with gold to enhance the pattern.  Background was from a selection of kraft papers from Tim Holtz with some resist built in which was revealed when sponged with brown Distress ink.  Finally a sentiment was stamped onto a scrap of the buttermilk card and that's it really - my entry for the butterfly challenge this time.

Background - resist embossed kraft card from Tim Holtz
Butterfly stamp - from a steampunk set from Chocolate Baroque
Embossing folder - Sizzix Tim Holtz
Sentiment - Tim Holtz stamp set

A Bird for the Playground

Time to visit the Playground again with a snippets card and as usual there is a super prize on offer and in fact this time around it looks as if there could be a double win.  I've used some large and small snippets for this card but apart from the card blank I've not cut into any new pieces.  The background is from a Prima pad which I've had quite a long time and I always save the left over pieces at the back so that I can use them for another project.  The bird was built up using some snippets of cream card using a bird die and a 3D embossing folder.  I started with the bird and wing shapes which I then embossed; the next move was to emboss some more pieces of cream card so that I could fussy cut (with scissors) the flourish areas to form the elaborate tail feathers.  Gold gilding wax was rubbed lightly over to bring out the detail before assembling the final bird and adding a gem for the eye.  I found some snippets of brown card from which I cut and embossed a border strip and also the sentiment.  Do take a look to see the clever card Di has made this time using a number stamp and some of own snippets - a great idea.

Background Paper - Prima
Border - embossing folder from Crafter's Companion
Bird die - from Crafter's Companion
Embossing Folder - 3D folder from Crafter's Companion
Sentiment - die from Crafter's Companion

Robin

Today's card has a robin sitting on a branch with trees in the background.  The robin was stamped onto white card and coloured using pencils before carefully cutting him out .  A square of white card was brushed at the top with some blue ink to give an impression of sky before stamping the row of trees .  The Misti came in handy for stamping the sentiment and some die cut leaves and berries were added for a bit of interest in the foreground.  Today the sun is shining from a blue sky so not really at all wintry.

Background trees - Creative Expressions stamp by Sheena
Sentiment - from same set of stamps as trees
Robin - stamp from a Hobby Art set
Leaves and Berries - Sizzix garden greens die set

Seasonal Wreath

I have another Christmas card to share today and this time it is a seasonal wreath with some poinsettias.  The design was built up using various Groovi plates and the bow and flowers were cut out with scissors.  All colouring was done from the back using Distress pens.  The parchment panel was mounted with brads onto a piece of red paper with a swirly pattern and then onto a piece from a Christmas pad by Craftwork cards.  Finally some Glamour dust was added to the centres of the flower and bow (mainly for decoration but also this helps to hide any possible glue marks showing through the parchment.  Fixing parchment is always something which has to be considered because as far as I know there just isn't a glue which won't show through and  using brads isn't always  the answer.

Last of the Freebies??

Why an end to freebies - you may well ask - and if not an end at least a severe reduction in the number I will be acquiring which if I'm honest, isn't a seriously bad thing in the long run.  The reason for this is that my local bus operator has decided to completely withdraw the bus service which I've been using regularly to visit a small town nearby and where the newsagent has been the source of temptation.  We have a small newsagent in the village which doesn't have quite the same wide choice and anyway is over a mile to walk.  This walk is something I will have to do to get any shopping from now onward which is OK as long as the weather isn't too unpleasant and of course there is always online grocery shopping for the bulky stuff but I'm going to miss my weekly bus rides for a cuppa and shopping.

Anyway about this card - the dies came free with a recent magazine and after cutting the white piece I backed some of the cut away areas with suitably coloured scraps of card/paper and also popped some of the little 'waste' pieces back into the diecut after colouring with pens.  The scalloped square was also part of the set and I found some scraps of Christmas paper for backing and a few spare holly leaves and berries to add. Another card to add to the growing Christmas pile.

Square dies - magazine freebies
Holly - Joanna Sheen die
Papers - left over from previous projects

Pixie Snippets Challenge #303and304

Well it's off to the playground again this morning with a Snippets card and this time I seem to have been raiding the blue box for most of the pieces - sad person that I am my snippets are sort of colour coded into plastic see through boxes!!  The background paper was an offcut from a larger piece used on a previous project and I 'found' a scrap of embossed card which was the right sort of size.  The images were stamped onto a circle before sorting out another larger piece to cut a blue scalloped circle and a little banner for the greeting.  The faux ric-rac was cut from another scrap of the blue pearlescent card using a die which if I remember rightly came as part of a free set, jolly useful die anyway.

There is a birthday in the playground this week (Best wishes Len) and Di has made a super card for him using some great froggy stamps which of course will be the prize on offer to a lucky winner in the draw.

Stamps - from High Tide set by Stampin' Up
Scalloped Circle - Tattered Lace die
Banner - Sue Wilson die
Ric-rac die - free from a set with a magazine I think