HAI Angelic Christmas

 Hi there and a happy and healthy New Year to each and every one of you! This is my first post of 2024, as we had an extended trip to Scotland over Christmas and New Year, in order to get our new flat organized. So I'm back now, and trying to get back into a routine - you know how that goes!!!

My header is a wee cardinal who came to visit the window feeder at the kitchen! Such a pretty bird, especially in the snow!

So my first card of 2024 is for the Holly and Ivy Challenge. This challenge is always an anything goes challenge, so I hope you will play along with us this month. 

I found this stamp set with the angel, but unfortunately it wasn't in a sleeve, not sure what happened to it, but I think it may be a Penny Black set? 

I stamped it in Versamark ink using the stamp platform. 

The image was then embossed with white detail powder.

I put a little drop of glue at the center of all the little snowflakes and then applied Reflection glitter.

I used a window punch for the greeting and after layering the front panel to a white layer and then on to the navy card base, I used the Merry Christmas adhesive stickers.

A piece of silver thread was tied around the spine of the card and that finished my first card of the year! 

I hope I've inspired you to play along in our challenge this month. 

Till next time,

Shona

Dear Santa

 Hi there and welcome to April! Things have been really hectic here lately, which is why I have not had time to stamp or even stop by to comment! My Mum and Dad and a brother and sister-in-law arrived three weeks ago, and three days later we flew down to a nephew's wedding in North Carolina. We came back five days later having had a wonderful time with many of my family that had traveled over from Scotland, but unfortunately my hubbie also brought back Covid. (A guy sitting behind him on the plane was coughing the entire way). David's case was pretty bad, so he took Paxlovid two weeks ago. I ended up positive two days later, but because we were masking in the house and all sleeping in separate beds, my parents kept testing negative. I finally tested negative last Thursday and have stayed negative since. David still positive on Saturday, but he seems better this morning, so perhaps he's also done? Luckily my parents are here for three months, so the fact that we have had to lie low the past couple of weeks hasn't been so bad! The weather has been really nice, so we spend the days out in the fresh air as much as possible - lots to do in the yard! It was also my Dad's 91st birthday yesterday, so the three of us went for a little luncheon, which felt nice to get out! Anyway on to my card for the Christmas Craft Creations Challenge!  

This month we are asking for something humorous!

I don't have many funny stamps, but thought this old Sparkle N' Sprinkle stamp of Stella, would fit the bill!

I stamped her in my stamp platform in Versafine Clair Nocturne ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I colored her in with Copics and then she was die cut with an old Spellbinders die.

I found a couple of pieces of scrap papers in my box and layered them on to a red card base.

A white organdy ribbon finished off my card!

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope to see you join in the challenge with something humorous!

Till next time,

Shona

CCC March 2023 One Layer Card

Hi there and welcome back to my blog! Today I have a card for the Christmas Craft Creations Challenge. Here is what I came up with!

Although it sounds easy, this was a difficult challenge - at least for me! One layer card!

I was going through my Christmas stash and I came upon this big stamp, which I had not used in a long time.

I decided to at least heat emboss it to give it some kind of dimension, but still stay as a single layer. So I put it in my stamping platform and inked it up with Versafine Clair Cheerful and stamped on to a beige card base.

Using the stamp platform allowed me to get a good impression of the big stamp.

I then heat embossed with Gold Detail powder.

I'll probably go back and do more to this before using it as a Christmas card this year, but for now it stays like this for the challenge!

So that's all for me today. Hope you will play along in the challenge! Till next time!

Shona

Snippet Christmas

Hi there and Happy New Year! My card today is for the Christmas Craft Creations Challenge, where this month, we are to use snippets in our projects.

I found this quite difficult, I have to confess! I figured I would make a card, using bits and pieces from my desk. Where to start?

I picked up the triangular snippet of designer paper and found a little already embossed Christmas tree to put in front of it to make my tree. The already stamped sentiment would be my "pot" for the tree! Oh, .... and let's do something with that piece of Kraft cardstock!

Now I had my background, it was time to put it all together.

This panel was added to a Kraft card base and I tied a piece of green twine around the fold of the card to finish it off. This is the first time I ever did a card with bits and pieces and I think it came out OK.

Let me know what you think? I hope this will inspire you to join in with the snippet challenge over at the Christmas Craft Creations Challenge blog.

Till next time,

Shona

Coolest Holiday Season

Hi there and a very healthy and happy New Year to everyone! I've unfortunately not started off on a good note - having come down with a very minor case of Covid last week. Anyway, hopefully that will be it for me going forward. Kind of glad I did get it, as the Omicrom variant is rampant around here in New Jersey, just now. 

My January header is American Witch hazel. A cheery addition to the backyard when nothing else is blooming at this time of the year!

So on to my card for the Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge, which is always "anything goes". I had picked up the Reflections snowflake background stamp and thought to team it up with the two cute Hampton Arts penguins!

I started with stamping the background stamp on to a white card base with Versafine Clair Paradise ink and heat embossing with Clear Detail ink. 

The two different penguins were stamped on to white cardstock in Versafine Nocturne ink and heat embossed with clear detail. They were colored with Copics and die cut using the die included in the Hampton Art set.

I found the cute sentiment in an old Sparkle n' Sprinkle set, called Holiday Penguins. This was stamped in the same Paradise ink and then heat embossed. I cut the sentiment out with an old Spellbinders Classic Diamonds die and then edged it with Paradise ink, quite heavily in places and then heat embossed that with the Clear Detail powder - it gave a lovely shiny appearance!

The sentiment and penguins were then added to the front with foam pads and a blue organdy ribbon finished off my card for today!

... and so my 2022 Christmas card stash begins! I hope you will be inspired to make a card to enter into our challenge and add to your stash too! The ingredients are listed below:

Hampton Art Penguin Set and die SC0665

Recollections Christmas Noel

Holiday Penguins (Sparkle N Sprinkle)

Spellbinders Classic Diamonds dies

Versafine Clair Paradise  Ink

Versafine Clair Nocturne ink

Clear embossing powder

Copic markers

Foam tape

Blue Organdy ribbon

I'd like to play along in the following challenges with my little card:

Dies R Us Challenge #184: Using a die that DRU carries

Peace on Earth Challenge #7: Anything Christmas Goes

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge #576: Using something old (sentiment and diamond die)

Make my Monday #165: Snowflakes

... and that is it from me for today! See you real soon! Actually tomorrow! Till then, stay warm and safe!

Shona

Scenic Bauble

 Hi there and welcome back to my blog. My header for December is one of my backyard bird boxes which during the Spring and Summer is home to families of bluebirds. A squirrel was enjoying breakfast on the bird house patio this morning! My card today is for the challenge over at Christmas Craft Creations. 

The Challenge for December is to make a scene!

I began with stamping the scene on glossy white cardstock with Versafine Clair Nocturne ink and heat embossing with Clear Detail.

The Sweet Poppy bauble stencil was placed over the scene and I applied Broken China ink to the bauble area. 

The inked scene was die cut and then spritzed with water. It gives a lovely mottled effect.

The stencil was placed on white glossy cardstock again and I colored the leaves with Peeled Paint and the ribbon with Iced Spruce. A red Copic marker was used for the berries.

The die cut bauble was then taped on top.

The panel was layered to a light blue mat and then layered onto a white card base to finish off my card for today.

Below you will find the products that I used for my card today:

Hero Arts Stamp K5524

Sweet Poppy Christmas Bauble Stencil and Die set

Distress Oxide inks: Broken China, Peeled Paint, Iced Spruce

Versafine Clair Nocturne

Clear Detail Embossing Powder

Mister

Red Copic

Silver Thread

I hope that I have inspired you to join in the Challenge over at Christmas Craft Creations. 

I'd like to join in the following challenges with my card:

Peace on Earth Challenge #5

Crafty Calendar Challenges - December - Christmas

Sweet Stampin' December - Anything Christmas

Winter Wonderland - Anything Christmas

Happy Holidays!

Shona

Penguin Bookmark

Hello there and thanks for visiting my blog today! 

My November header is the culprit to the many rutted trees in my backyard 😭. I have been spending lots of time out in the yard this Fall planting new trees to replenish the many that have fallen, or have had to be taken down,  over the past few years. They had small tender trunks and when the side gates got blown open a week ago, this guy decided it would be a good idea to come in and rub his antlers over six of them. He definitely killed three of them, but I hope that the other three may survive. I was devastated! Then after closing the gates and putting up tree guards around everything that could be a potential patient, I went out the next morning and found this - lying outside one of the gates! He is huge! 

Anyway, on to my card:

 ,,,, or should I say anything but a card, as that is the theme over at Christmas Craft Creations for the month of November. 

So, I chose to make a corner bookmark. 

Starting with a piece of navy cardstock 4" x 4", using my scoring mat, I marked the 2" mark on three of the sides. Lining the marks up and scoring and folding the two diagonals in towards each other, making the back of the bookmark.

I then chose my patterned paper and cut it to fit the inside of the back and taped it into position. A square piece of navy card 2 3/4" x 2 3/4" was cut diagonally, then taped over the two triangles to create the pocket for the bookmark. I traced around the bookmark on to the back of another piece of the same designer paper.

I cut out the DP on the inside of the lines, so that there would be a little navy blue border when this was taped down to the front.

To decorate I decided on the cute couple of penguins from Hampton Art (SC0665) which were stamped on to white cardstock with Versafine Claire Twilight ink and then sprinkled with Sparkle embossing powder.

They were colored with Copics and then die cut with the coordinating die.

For the back of the bookmark, I used the sentiment and snowflakes from another penguin set from Hampton Art (SC0714) and arranged this in my stamping platform and stamped with Versamark and then heat embossed with Detail White embossing powder.

I then cut off the tip of the top corner to allow me to pass a tassel through on a needle.

I then took a little piece of wire and slipped it through the tassel, so the tassel would not slip out.

The penguin couple were then taped to the front, holding hands!

That finishes my project for today. This was fun to do, and a little bit different from the traditional bookmark. I hope I have given you some inspiration to pop over with anything but a card for our November challenge at Christmas Craft Creations. We'd love you to pop over and see what the other designers have come up with.

Below are the products that I used in my project today:

Penguin Stamp and Die Set (Hampton Art SC0665)

Penguin Stamp and Die Set (Hampton Art SC0714)

Versafine Claire Twilight

Sparkle Embossing Powder

Copics

Versamark Ink

White Detail Embossing Powder

Tassel 

I'd like to play along in the following challenges:

The Holly and the Ivy Challenge #83: Anything Goes

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge: November

Creative Craft Cottage Challenge #135: Christmas/Winter

Merry Little Christmas Challenge #28: Anything Christmas Goes

Pearly Sparkles Challenge #57: Christmas/Winter Critters

Hope to see your project over on the challenge blog!

Till next time,

Shona