And finally ...

I never thought I would finish wrapping presents - didn't realise there were so many until I unearthed them from their hiding places!

Anyway, all cards done, one final post before the hols.

The card here uses Alison Yeates parchment petals. They come perforated for folding and pinching so that when you have added your design they magically (after some practice) turn in to a very pretty shape.

I embossed a snowflake on to each petal here and added dots as a border (apologies to those of you that received one without dots - I forgot what I was doing!!). The bottom layer is traced, embossed and perforated round the edge (I used a new PCA tool, not entirely sure what it was yet but I liked it!).

I have had these for ages and pleased I finally used some. Finished off with card candy coloured with copics and a bit of Anita's ribbon.

Just worked out I have sold 90 cards at work this month, plus making cards for close family and friends - I now have a cold (probably not surprisingly) and will be having a couple of days of well earned rest!!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Cat!!!

Can't really say too much about today's commission!

I have made quite a few cards for people at work using photos of their dogs, 3 d'ing them on a background of paw prints etc.

This week I have been asked to do a cat (on an A4 card) - nothing wrong there you might think. I was only given one picture of said animal and have produced the card shown below. Enjoy!!!

Antlers

Another quick post in passing!

Today's request was for a dog card (and one I haven't done before) so I have used the Penny Black Reindeer Pup stamp.

Simply coloured with copics (dog has to be brown) and gold pen for a bit of sparkle and layered in colours to match.

Peel off greeting and some card candy in the corner - hey presto!

Be Merry!

I have been really busy today but will not be posting the cards I have produced until they have reached their destination (hoping they will get there by Christmas!!).

Then had to pop out for a lovely tea and glass of wine obviously - it is Christmas!!

Christmas Scene

In between writing and actually posting a few cards and catching up with some stuff I have made a few more Penny Black fantasy trees and this card which is a commission for work.

The card is actually nearly 8" square.

The picture is from a Kanban set of Christmas toppers and is a really pretty scene. It doesn't show up much on the picture but I have added glamour dust to some areas for sparkle.

Then it is just layered with a message added and some punched snowflakes that also met with some glamour dust (the whole house is currently sparkling - doesn't it get everywhere?!).

Still going!

Still on rather quick cards, these are just made from the Forever Friends packs that DOCrafts issued a few weeks ago (and now are another thing you can't get for love nor money!!).

Anyway, I'm afraid these ones were just die-cut decoupage layered on paper from the packs - with a few gems to finish off. Still effective for a slightly more special card.

No Post

Too busy working, shopping and drinking mulled wine for anything crafty today I'm afraid!!
I'll try harder tomorrow!
Jill

Still Christmas

Just a couple of Reindeer today to keep my blog followers happy!!

Not too much to say about them, just some different ideas to add to the mix.

The card on the left used fun flock to make the reindeer 'strokey' and a pom pom nose and googly eye.

The other reindeer is from a papermania set (I think - many stamps now under a big pile of carnage on my desk!!). Simply cut out with an oval punch, bottom of card layered with cuttlebug snowflakes and some matching ribbon. Just about there on orders now so can try something a bit more adventurous at the weekend (famous last words!).

Christmas Sheep

Forgot I hadn't posted my Christmas Sheep!

This is another Penny Black stamp I couldn't leave on a stall recently.

Coloured him with Copics and a Sakura Glaze pen, some sparkly flock and glamour dust.

He is featured on nesties and the greeting is printed then punched out from the Stampin Up set.

I am a sucker for these cute Christmas animals!!

Must dash, still far too much to do!

Robin

Just a quick post so I don't get told off by Janet again!!
Another quicky I'm afraid. Will add the make of this stamp when I come across it.

For this card I used Anita's pens to colour the image before stamping which came out really well. Then added a few gems for berries and hey presto!

I'm taking 50 completed cards in to work tomorrow so I have been busy, honest. Still got the weekend to work on a few bits that take a little more time!

Orange Cupboard!

Thought I'd post my 'cupboard' picture as I forgot to take it to the meal last week.

After Anne's 'cupboard' experience in Paignton I promised I would show everyone a pic of an Easyhotel room!! They are obviously sold as budget rooms, this cost £30 I think for one night - room only! TV and windows were extra.

The pic on the left is stood in the doorway looking right.
The pic on the right is me then squashed in the far corner of the bed looking at the door.
Strangely enough I couldn't find an angle to get the bathroom in, it is almost like a portaloo (including shower) experience and is immediately opposite the door.

Not a lot else you can say really but for central London for one night after getting back late from seeing my favourite George Michael it did the job and we trotted off to Starbucks for brekkie the next morning.

Deer Friends

As promised, this is another bestseller this year, another clear stamp from the Smirk range, with a rather amusing line underneath.

The stamped image has been coloured in copics, and layered on red card.

The base card has a piece of cuttlebug snowflakes layered on it, then wrapped in some fab spotty ribbon.

Another cheery (yet quick) card.

Must crack on with some more orders!

Smirk Christmas

Todays entry (so Janet doesn't complain again!!) is a bestseller for this year!!

It uses one of the rather amusing Smirk Christmas clear stamps. I have simply stamped this and cut out with an oval punch, then coloured with copics and used Anita's gems for the baubles.

The card has a few versamark snowflakes on and a peel-off to finish.

Hopefully this one will make people smile! I'll add another one of my Smirk cards tomorrow (when I have a picture that isn't wonky!).

More Christmas

Still on a selection of my Christmas offerings I have been peddling at work!

This one uses the Church from Stampin Up Silent Night set which I stamped in Brilliance Pearlescent Beige on cream card. I then used some ivory flower soft for a subtle snow effect.

This is then just simply layered with a strip of cuttlebug snowflakes at the side and a stamped greeting.

Lots of orders to sort at the weekend and sold another 2 A4 cards today (the blokes at work like to buy large cards with names on which is kind of handy!).

Come back tomorrow to see what I've found for Janet then!!

Post for Janet

Janet kindly pointed out to me this evening that I had been rather slack on posting!! In my defence I have to say I have been busy (in between working) with christmas card orders for work.

I have added a couple here, they aren't the fanciest cards, but for work they have to be something that I can repeat and won't take days to make.

The Forever Friends card is A4 and uses a sheet of the 'Santa's on his way' paper pack. I've added some stickles, funky foam snowflakes and a bit of glamour dust and a greeting which I've layered. Quite effective for a quick card.

The second card is the lovely iris folded tree that Janet demonstrated at craft club.

Again, I made this with colours I know I can duplicate several times, a strip of cuttlebug snowflakes and the great Stampin Up punches with a greeting on. I really like this design too.

I have made more cards, I will see what else I can blog and then somehow hope to get some more special cards made before Christmas - which is now much closer than I really realised I think!

Enjoyed our lovely Christmas Crafty meal at Prezzo this evening and thanks for the lovely cards I received.

Jill

Parchment

Just a quick report on our weekend away - and a finished project!

Had a very good time in Paignton at a parchment weekend with Christine Coleman and Alison Yeates. I haven't completely stuck this project down in case I decided to add any subtle colouring round the border.

We started on the outside border which took some time. Then the inner border which drove me nuts and seemed to go on forever. After all that work we were then horrified that we had to emboss the rose in the middle. After a 'practice' rose we all went for it and were pretty pleased with the results I think. I certainly learnt alot about embossing and used several tools I had never had before (I do now!!).

Our practice rose then turned into our second masterpiece, with mixed results and much more frustration I think. This still needs to be finished so won't get posted for a few days as I have a few things I really must sort out - although I have had a small go at it since I got back.

I am certainly itching to play with lots now, even though I think we must of clocked up about 20 hours of parching at the weekend, might even of been more if we hadn't had a couple of traumas just before midnight on Saturday - possibly played too long that day!

Many thanks to Anne, Karen and Janet for their company and Karen for the lifts and excursion to Totnes for supplies. We certainly enjoyed ourselves and will always have a giggle at Anne's 'cupboard' and the hokey cokey mints for some time to come I think.

Christmas

Finally I have stopped feeling quite so ropey and had a birthday card breather so I can make a few christmas cards.
Started with the lovely Penny Black fantasy tree which I have had all year (yet again with visions of being very organised for xmas, ahh well!).

It was stamped in versamagic chalk white on to black and accented with black diamond and frosted lace stickles.

Also stole Mum's cuttlebug to add a background of snow dots, some great spotty ribbon and used the fab Stampin Up oval punch set for a greeting.

The card was also finished with the fab card candy from craftwork cards.

I had to then use something cute for my next card!

Found these Penny Black chaps in a bargain bin (so I had to!). Coloured them with copics and used glamour dust to accent the hats. Some Papermania background paper and card candy were used for fun and a Hobbyart word stamp - a card that makes you smile I think!

Lots more to play with - must crack on!

1st Birthday

Had a bit of a dabble with parchment, pre the 'parching' weekend at the end of November which is getting ever closer!

This card is for my Godson Alexander's first birthday. It is based on a pattern in a 2003 edition of Parchment Craft. Would of liked to emboss the writing as well, but sadly not enough time at the moment. The background piece was quite time consuming with a grid work background which was then embossed and cut out.

Some of the pages were pricked with a crescent tool then cut out, the bookmark also has cut outs in for the ribbon and the number 1 was embossed and the squares from a 4-needle tool cut out. Quite enough to be going on with!

Christmas Sheep

I was lucky enough at the weekend to go on a quilling workshop with Diane Boden Crane (of quilled choc fame!). Her designs are always such fun with a bit of a challenge thrown in.

I now have many new ideas to play with some time but have managed to finish one card after the day (there was also a lot of chatting and tip collecting).

The bodies are made of a solid coil, slightly domed and covered in 'sprinkles' which are 1mm strips of paper, spiralled around a thin wire and then cut finely - as you do! They certainly raise a smile, although I'm not sure I can go in to mass production of them yet.

Crazy Dogs!

I get many random requests at work for cards, this week was no exception and I don't like to disappoint!

Someone saw the woodware stamp set designed by Francoise Read containing these crazy dogs. They were very suitable for a young relation apparently - who has also just started playing the piano - hence this card!

The 'carpet' is from a roll of cheap wallpaper and I coloured the dogs with my copics for ease. Had to add a few google eyes just to complete the madness.

I long for the day someone wants a plain birthday card with flowers or a golfer on or something standard!

Hope it raises a smile though.

Baby Card

A bit too late to have a card sorted for Crafty Bunch but my new niece arrived last week. Not had a great amount of time but have managed a card to welcome her.

The card is from my stash picked up at a show. The stamps are a mini set of 6 (will remember the company later) also picked up at Farnborough and very easy to use to different effect each time. They are stamped in a selection of suitable colours from my collection of Versa Color mini pads.

Currently little Gemma is confused and is sleeping all day and awake all night - hopefully she can crack her time delay soon!

Success!!

Hooray - I am very pleased to report that I had a very successful weekend at the Quilling Guild AGM at Otford in Kent.

The standard of the competitions was excellent again this year and there are always some surprises. I bravely entered the Greetings Card category. All members that attend get to vote for their favourite item in each category. The cards this year had to have a 'musical theme' but beyond that it was to be interpreted as you wished.

I decided that a musical instrument would be too obvious and somehow ended up making the card below - which won!!! Very excited, still can't quite believe it.

Everything on the card had to be, and is, quilled. Even the snow is very fine paper 'twiddled' and snipped finely.

I have a Cup to keep for the next year for my efforts so very pleased with myself! As if this wasn't enough excitement I also had a crack at a name badge.

Members come from all over the world. This year we covered Japan, South Africa, France and Holland as well as all over the UK. We are encouraged to make a name badge with name and county/country on and 'spotters' look out for the best one.

There were some good ones again so I was even more surprised that I won that as well!

I put a Mr Tickle picture on a board and covered with cling film and effectively just 'coloured in' with quilling.

I then stayed the next day for a sharing ideas day and will post some ideas and pictures when I've had a play sometime. Learnt lots of things, met many new quillers and have come away raring to go on some more!

Workshop

Can now have a break from foxgloves! I think everyone enjoyed making their card last night. Everyone finished a card to take home so that in itself is a good result. Even some beginners who had never heard of quilling did an excellent job so pretty pleased with that.

I have a couple of cards to make over the next week but will mainly be quilling bits and bobs to take to the Quilling Guild AGM next weekend so might be quiet posting until after I've had my weekend away at that!

Crafty Bunch

Finally made a few samples for this weeks Crafty Bunch - so much to do, so little time!!

At the request of Janet we are quilling foxgloves. Nothing too technical and easily achievable in the time, plus I have a few samples on the theme that people can progress to if they are a bit nifty.

Now just need to check I have enough paper, I'm sure everyone will want to do the same colour although I've made a few variations.

Magic

This weeks next job was a Thank You card for someone at work. The request was quite specific as I had made a 'magic' footballer before. Thanks to Anne and Karen for showing us this at club. I used the Creative Stamping footballer, just with basic layering onto a card stamped with footballs.


Yeovil colours were requested (although a little artistic difference in hoops and stripes on the shirt apparently - but you get the idea!). I just coloured the little chap in my marvy pens. It still fails to amaze me how many people just keep playing with these cards and can't begin to work out how I've made it.
I really must crack on with much more quilling now this week!

Thanks for looking.

Not made as many cards this week but made this for my friends birthday.
It is on a 7.5" square card which is a fab size for something a bit different.
It was made with a selection of pieces from the very yummy craftwork cards goody bag - so many great sayings I didn't know which one to pick!
I added a little punched flower to the centre of the spotty flowers before adding the central card candy.
I also finished off by adding some tiny Anita's gems for a spot of glitz!

First Post

I finally set up a blog! I'm sure there will be some trial and error but at least I managed to add a picture!!

This is the card I made for our last Crafty Bunch meeting. We were given the basic design template to add whatever theme we wanted.

I used one of my new Personal Impressions Cute Characters Stamps which I had to colour in my lovely new Copic pens.

The words were also in the stamp set and the flowers on the template reminded me of quilled flowers (funnily enough!).