28 November 2020

Christmas Turkey and more!

 Hi Everyone, my card today is another Christmas card I had to make, yep! to go with another poem by Gill Reed. Her poems are so funny and just as I had this done she went and sent another! She definitely wants to keep me busy LOL.

Anyhow, here is my card, I had this wonderful digital image in my files which I think is absolutely perfect for this poem. How lucky is that? I coloured the image in Photoshop. I printed the papers and cut the image and sentiment with a die, then painted shadows onto the image with markers. I fussy cut the star and added metallic thread, a never before used item! I came across it looking for something else and decided to add it.

papers - Inspired Designs (2012)
thread - Crafting Threads, The Range
markers - Spectrum Noir
die - Tonic
sentiment - my own
poem - Gill Reed

This is the poem that I just had to accompany with my card.


A TURKEY IS NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS
 
We had a turkey for Christmas
It was resplendent to be sure,
It was placed at the head of the table,
Close to the kitchen door.
 
We had a turkey for Christmas
It was the thing to do,
Tradition in our household,
Has always seen us through.
 
We had a turkey for Christmas
Mother was in a state,
Making sure it had rested well
Before she would get out its plate.
 
We had a turkey for Christmas
It’s trimmings were sublime,
I’ve never seen a turkey look,
So good at Christmas time.
 
We had a turkey for Christmas,
We shared in its delight,
And decided there and then to have it
Once again on Boxing night.
 
We had a turkey for Christmas
It’s now back on the farm
Because we’re vegetarians,
We just enjoyed its charms.

Crimbo Crackers Challenge

26 November 2020

Inked background

 Hello Everyone, another no news post, as nothing is going on with us, I think I need to be thankful for that.

I need to say Happy Thanksgiving to my USA friends

 Anyhow I have another Christmas card to show you which ended up not as I saw it originally. I have my lovely blogger pals to thank, for taking it out of the boring card image.

I have follower emails from different sites, that I buy from occasionally who also give freebie images and this is one of them. I could see it as a plain black and white card. So off to my vinyl and Cameo and the image was placed onto the card, I was thrilled with it. So CAS in B&W.

THEN - I had a delivery of four Distress Oxides (Yep! I've succumbed) and I decided to see if I could add a little ink, as I've seen many of you do, behind the trees to make a sunset, the sentiment needed a little "bright".  I do remember seeing a card with a beautiful sunset and I used it as inspiration, but from my memory. I wish I could remember whose it was, if it was you, let me know and I'll give you the credit it deserves, I sure it was a recent card? I usually copy the image of cards I'd like to case or something clever I would like to learn, but can't for the life of me find it, if I have copied it! I've even searched the blogs I thought it was from!

This is the result -  I did this one and then realised I hadn't allowed for the star light. I added posca pen (another new buy, to enable me to do some splatters, I didn't succeed in that either LOL) to show a little brightness, but I didn't succeed with that either!

image and sentiment - SVG Font Market
The card was coloured with 
DI blueprint sketch, wilted violet and faded jeans and black soot.
with sunset being DO mustard seed mixed with DI carved pumpkin

Another card had been made, so I added a little colour with DI antique linen behind the star, before doing the background. This was done with DO speckled egg and DI black soot and the sunset being DO mustard seed mixed with DI carved pumpkin. The ink was easily wiped off the vinyl.


This shows the vinyl sheen






24 November 2020

Rose Sympathy

My card today is for the son of our neighbour who has died after being ill for 2 years with pancreatic cancer, she has been remarkable after major surgery. She was coming on and out walking her dog, when she had a relapse and refused to go back into hospital. He is her only son and is devastated, naturally.

 I made this card which I hope will let him know we are thinking of him. She had gone a week before I was told, so much for lockdown etc during this time, making us so isolated.

It's been so wet and dark, that I had to take a photo underneath my craft light at night, it doesn't make it look as good as I thought it was? Oh! well you get the idea.

rose die - Altenew
different grey card -  Tonic
embossed border - Tattered Lace
sentiment stamp - Clearly Besotted mag freebie
pearls - stash


23 November 2020

Christmas 3D illusion

 Hi Everyone, my card today is one I saw and had to buy, it was quick and easy to make. Thanks Shirley. I printed out the blue insert trees, then cut the tree shapes, the blue front stars and oval and the sentiment which was layered 3 times. It was then all put together! It has the effect of 3D, which I think is so clever, as the trees and blue card are actually attached to one another and the insert is seen through the front layer.

 I added lots of sparkle voila! The sparkle had strayed to a few areas, I couldn't see until the photo, but have been brushed, as much as I can, off.  Just have to say a great design. I made a few of these, but struggled to get a decent photo of just one and as the others are all written and in their envelopes I wasn't going to get them out again to take them again - so there! 😜

As I said, all my cards are written and ready to send December 1st - so I thought! then remembered I have a few others to make, at least I am early this year and now see beautiful cards I would like to case or have ideas to make some, why couldn't I do that when I was making them. I suppose I could make them ready for next year? 

Design - Shirley Young
blue card - Tonic
white card 300gsm - The Range
sparkle - Cosmic Shimmer 

Have a Great day and rest of the week. Keep safe.


21 November 2020

Birthday Wreath

 Hi Everyone, firstly thank you all for your wonderful and much appreciated comments. I thought I would let you know the error on my bathroom bottles too, perhaps you didn't notice they were different cases? one lower the other capitals - duh! and as Linby said no dot over the i in lotion! That was a mistake in weeding the vinyl! So obvious now I've said it?

Anyhow for what you're here for today. My card was a request for something floral and a 90th birthday card asap! I have some beautiful digital florals in my files and I used one image as the background, then took another image into my Cameo and print and cut it. 

I had cut a shaped circle, I blended DI's in different colours, orange in the centre and the blue and purple around the outside of the shape. I then 3D'd the cut wreath, and sentiment across the centre, the sentiment was done with metallic pens with the Cameo. I splashed some water over the background and loved the effect. A couple of gems and an insert a little sparkle pen and it was given and thankfully liked.

floral images - Creative Fabrika
Distress inks 
Cameo
sparkle pens - Spectrum Noir



Just a little something else, I don't know about you, but we have had an awful lot of rain in the last few weeks, however we have had the most amazing rainbows too, I should think nearly every other day. If we had a break in the clouds the sun would shine and out would come a rainbow, just to remind us there were blue skies above the clouds. I got this one this week just as it was about to fade, it was VERY vibrant when I saw it first and very much bigger than the photo shows it.




19 November 2020

Baubles

 Hi Everyone, a quick post today, this is another inspired card by clever ladies whose blogs I follow. I saw Darnell's second card and I realised I had dies I could perhaps do similar? This is my interpretation. I had a piece of triangular snowflake paper left over in one of my paper pads, so I added it to the card as it fitted it, just corners cut off. I managed to just get a snowflake out of the cut off corner.

Bauble dies and stamps - Phill Martin Sentimentally Yours
snowflake paper - First Editions
snowflake die - The Range (don't know make)
ribbon - stash
gem - stash


 I'm entering my first ever card to the Pixies Snippets Playground I don't know if  it's safe for me to visit, but here goes! If you don't hear from me again, please come looking for me?

17 November 2020

Christmas cat and poem

 Hi everyone, my card was inspired by a poem I had received last week. I felt it necessary to let you read the poem "enhanced" by a card. The card first - 

The image is one I have had since 2011 it was a freebie for a challenge at Crafters Digital Art Center,  but I can't see if I have ever made a card with it! I think the artist is Patti Gomez, if I'm wrong and you know better I would love to know, thank you. EDIT - I've been told by Patti Gomez the image is by Priscilla Heaton another great artist.

After paper piecing the plaid paper onto the chair. I printed it as the finished card shape from Photoshop. I then used markers to colour the cat and tree etc. I left the cat white, with a little grey shadow, as I think this will go to my baby brother (who doesn't read my blog!) he has a beautiful all white cat. I added glitter to the tree, which actually looks lovely and sparkly and the window, the white of the hat, then around the sentiment and which has an outline to it.

image - Christmas cat Patti Gomez? Priscilla Heaton
markers - Spectrum Noir
glitter - Cosmic Shimmer Jewels and cheapies
font - "Paw Wow Outline" Creative Fabrica

Now for the poem, it is written by my SiL's, Sister, Gill Reed again, she is so clever with words. I think the cat looks like he's been at a few things LOL

Catastrophe
 
The cat climbed up the Christmas tree
It gave us all a fright,
It knocked off all the baubles and shorted out the lights.
It reached the top, then toppled off,
Landing on Aunt Bess.
Its claws came out, attached itself, and slithered down her dress.
 
Aunt Bess, she screamed and fainted,
She slid into a chair
Whereupon the Christmas tree, fell, and tangled in her hair.
The cat, now free of tinsel,
Jumped on Bess’s tum,
It washed its paws and ears and fur, then calmly licked its bum.
 
Dad came in and saw the scene
Trying not to laugh.
Mum picked up her mobile and took a photograph.
It took some time to free Aunt Bess,
The cat was not impressed,
It had to leave its comfy spot and find, another place to rest.
 
The trouble is we need a tree,
Aunt Bess has volunteered,
She’s over in the corner now, looking strangely weird.
Bedecked in lights and baubles
And glowing from some wine,
She’s the only one among us, spruced up and feeling pine.




15 November 2020

Carpenter

 Hi Everyone here I am with my 2 DT posts for today and it's for the new challenge at QKR. Our challenge is now on the 1st and 15th of every month, so you have 2 chances every month to enter the challenge.

We will select two winners each of the weeks 
1 using QKR Stampede  or Eureka Stamps image
 and 1 using any image!

Anything Goes every 1st & 15th of the month

A great image for the man ay? I followed a sketch and designed it in Photoshop, then coloured the image too and then the skin with markers, as for some reason my printer doesn't like skin tones. I cut the image with a die and fussy cut the papers, I added an inked border and 3D'd the computer generated sentiment and the image. The sentiment is one I adapted from a card my SiL gave me, that by BiL had had, I thought it perfect for this Carpenter!

With so many men in the family, I know this will be perfect for one of them LOL
image - QKR Carpenter
dp - Marisa Lerin Pixelscrapper
ink - Spectrum Noir Marker
die - Sue Wilson Square Noble

I followed this sketch and turning it.




 

14 November 2020

Simple Christmas card

 Hi Everyone, another Christmas card, I was influenced by this card by Loll. I didn't have the products to make the gorgeous original, however I loved it enough to make one like? it. 

I had recently had a beautiful watercolour digital set and it suited this card.  I made the card arranging one of the images and then added a sentiment with fonts I had, in a similar fashion (different fonts) to the sentiment on Loll's card. I added some glitter and the card was done. 
image - Poinsettia and Berries, Creative Fabrika
fonts - Lavenderia, Ariel
glitter - Nuvo Pure Sheen


I then decided to do another, I print and cut the image on the Cameo, to layer onto a card with the printed sentiment, however I have to play and I altered the fonts and design of the sentiment. When adding the glue to the sentiment, I realised I had been inking on some card I was going to layer it on and it had transferred to the sentiment, I thought all was lost and was going to print again when I decided to just go with it. So here is the second card.
same image as above
fonts - Ariel, Lavanderia, Arabella, Autumn Embrace


12 November 2020

Diamond Anniversary lots of piccies

 Hi Everyone, my card etc today was for my Brother and SiL's Diamond Wedding Anniversary. I wanted to do something special for them and here the items are.

Firstly a gift card to let them know when their present was arriving, however it was included in the package of their card and they didn't open the package, so when their present was delivered they said it couldn't be for them LOL. They eventually took delivery after being told it was definitely for them!

gift card - kellycreates, free files
die - Tattered Lace, silver and white embossed

insert

box with asstd dies, made with Crafters Companion scoreboard
name etc blurred out.

tissue with stamped heart, magazine freebie

finally the card
embossed with Crafters Companion Embossalicious EF
diamond cut with Cameo
asstd floral & leaf dies
sentiment written with metallic pen, I used blue as SiL was having the celebration dinner with blue place settings. I then cut it out as a banner with Cameo


here they are in 1960, I'm on the bride's side with long hair, just 13 years old!







11 November 2020

Lest we Forget - and -

 Lest We Forget

Remembrance Day 

on the 
eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month
The bright red poppy is regarded as a resilient flower, which managed to
 flourish despite fields being destroyed by war 


They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Laurence Binyon


This is a poem that my Grandfather 
William Barwick 
wrote in 1916 about 
how they managed at home, with their 5 sons at war.
Thankfully all came home.

A Mother's Love

Their boys - some in khaki and some in blue,
Through Hells fiery furnace have fought, and come through
And Mothers at home, have fought battles as well
And torments of anguish, as no man can tell.
Watching the postman, hearing his knock
Startled and frightened, trembling in shock,
Searching the papers, in anguish of mind,
Hoping and fearing, that his name she will find.

No news for months, perhaps, Oh! the suspense
The suffering of Mothers, is pain that's intense.
Then, better than no news, a wire, she recieves
To say son is wounded, it even relieves
The tension of feelings, to awful to bare,
Even to know he's alive, is good news to her
 And a short whispered prayer, ascends up above
To God for his goodness and mercy and love.

Please do not copy this without mentioning
William Barwick and where you copied it from
it is copyrighted. 



10 November 2020

Something different!

 Hi Everyone, I had, as a present, Laura Ashley hand soap and lotion for the bathroom, maybe a year or 2 back, I have been refilling them and now have run out of spare to fill them. I decided as the labels were getting a little faded, they needed to be renewed, but I love how they have their own ceramic container and to find product the same size would be impossible, I thought. SO - 

I copied Marie Kondo's idea KonMari Method to make things simpler and I went into my Cameo, wrote a couple of labels, added a leaf shape, cut them out of gold vinyl and after making sure all the label and glue was removed from the plastic with WD40 and lighter fuel believe it or not! I added them to the bottles.  I think they will last a while longer like this and they look good too. I'm biased LOL. They can now be filled with the most expensive hand soap and lotion I can buy, ahem!

I'm not going to tell you what I did it wrong, I'll leave that to you, to see if you can see it, blame it on excitement to get it done! They are straight! the bottles weren't! I don't think the error matters and I only realised when placing them in the bathroom! So I'm hoping no one else does either, while singing Happy Birthday, twice, washing their hands!



Wash your hands and keep safe


09 November 2020

More of the same stamp!

 Hi Everyone, I couldn't resist making more of these here, with this stamp and making it with more natural colours of the sand mud buildings, (as I remember from my days in Saudi Arabia.)

I stamped the card, then using DI's, I coloured the rounded shape below each building with Speckled Egg, then different shades of yellow to do the buildings, trying to get more of a sandy colour, which in real life they do! I blame the dark rainy day for the picture quality! I added metallic pens to colour the manger images. I am into batch making at the moment, I thought I had already done more Christmas cards than I had, so batch making with a few, as my previous post and these. I think I still have about 30 more to make, so I may even do more batch making?
stamp - Woodware Peaceful Night
inks - Distress inks
metallic pens - Tesco
star die - magazine freebie
gold mirror card - Dovecraft



07 November 2020

Christmas cards

 Hi Everyone, I saw a design that I liked and went for it! in fact I made 9 cards, just changing a few of the backgrounds, they came out great - I think!

I started by adding the design into my Cameo and cutting them out, I altered the backgrounds and printed them out, I then cut all the images out, added a "light" background to the lamp using markers. I sprayed the sentiment with sparkle. Then glued everything to the cards - a LOT of glueing LOL.  However when I got into the rhythm it didn't take much time, I also stamped a sentiment onto the back. I'm really pleased with the cards. Designed by my blog friend Shirley, she's so clever and has fabulous designs, I don't use enough of.

design - Shirley Young
papers - Creative Fabrika
stamp - Card Making Magic
sparkle - Crafters Companion Sparkle & Shine
markers - Spectrum Noir

arrow shows paper included with design

This shows the sentiment, 
I may add more of the paper or a couple of stamps.
 I'm not sure yet, whether to leave it as is! 

Add caption




06 November 2020

Diamond Wedding

  Hi Everyone. well we are in full lockdown and with awful weather, high winds and rain as I write, however I have found so many things to play at, that I am far from bored, thankfully. With a little card making, at least attempting to card make with no mojo, has been difficult. Then out of the blue a second cousin got in touch and I'm now back onto the genealogy trail after many years. Perhaps mojo will return with something else in the background LOL

Anyhow, my card today is one I made for hubby's sister for my brother's wife, she had her 80th birthday and their diamond wedding within 3 days, luckily they were able to celebrate with 4 friends that they were able to mix with at the time. I had already made my cards, to be shown later when the request came in. I had to make it very different and came up with this, a printed card designed in Photoshop, then printing on vellum and adding embossing powder to the printed sheet as soon as it came out of the printer, so the ink was still wet. I added a few gems and it was done with a pretty insert. The flowers are blue, as was her table decoration, for the occasion.

flowers - CreativeFabrica
vellum - Crafters Companion printable vellum
gems - stash
silver embossing powder - Altenew

close up of embossing

04 November 2020

TMR #144 Toys

Hi Everyone our challenge today is for

Great subject I thought and went for my Silhouette! I have my GG Nephew's 1st birthday coming up, so this challenge was perfect timing. I made a mistake by adding the "C" a little lower than it should be, I had added it before putting it into the box, it's really stuck, so it shall have to remain as is. I added sparkle pen to zhuzh it up a little. I'm thrilled with it. I followed all the colours of the original design.
Toy box Design - My Scrap Chick
card - Lidl
name and one is my design
all cut with my digital die cutter
 embossed with wood EF - Crafters Companion




01 November 2020

Shepherd

  Hi Everyone here I am with the second of my DT posts for today and it's for the new challenge at QKR. Our challenge is now on the 1st and 15th of every month, so you have 2 chances every month to enter the challenge.

We will select two winners each of the weeks 
1 using QKR Stampede  or Eureka Stamps image
 and 1 using any image!

Anything Goes every 1st & 15th of the month

I saw this image and thought it beautiful. I was going to paint it, but thought I would try doing it in Photoshop as I wanted to add a striped "coat", as I have seen in vintage images. However when I went to do the background I couldn't get it right for some reason and decided to fussy cut the image after printing and paint the background. I layered the headdress, sleeve and lamb. I added a die cut gold star and then decided to stencil the background with stars using an alcohol wipe, I've seen many of you do it. I also added some gold glitter. I stamped the sentiment and sparkle clear embossed. In the end I am quite happy how it turned out.

image - QKR Shepherd
many distress inks
stripes - Paddy Wolf Pixelscrapper
die - magazine freebie
stencil - freebie
glitter - Tonic
sentiment stamps - magazine freebie Clear Impressions



Dragon Army

  Hiya Everyone, my first DT card today is for 

the 44th Challenge at

 2 Crafty Critter Crazies  

     Now, our November Challenge!

We are excited to be sponsored this month by

The digital stamp has uncoloured and ready coloured images and background and I loved it, then thought I needed a challenge to make this different. My card today is from a second attempt! Why? because I thought Halloween, forgetting this post would be after it! So my second attempt is Winter / Christmas and do you know what I'm pleased with it, I hope you like it too.

I used the uncoloured digital stamp and a background I have used many times, but is perfect for lots of images. I coloured the image and I HAD to have a red dragon of course. (It's on our Welsh flag in case you didn't know!) I paper pieced the image digitally and added the sentiment, it had to be "warm" wishes didn't it? I print and cut it with my Silhouette, when printed the image's skin was paler than I liked, so I coloured the skin with markers. 

I had cut three images out, they were layered, with sparkle pen used on the sword and shield and part of the helmet also the fire and smoke. I added glaze to her eyes. Before I added her to the card, I stamped some trees and added white pen and glitter, also to the snow area of the paper background.

background - Carin Grobe Design (I've had it since 2011)
image - My Little Dragon Army The Paper Shelter
paper pieced papers - Summer Driggs (no longer available)
stamps - Simply Cards & Papercraft #208 freebies
ink - Papermania
sentiment -  Create with TLC 
markers - Spectrum Noir
sparkle pen - Spectrum Noir
glaze - Nuvo Crystal Drops

showing the sparkle and layers,
 although the sunlight has actually made the card lighter than it is.
 I've added it to a tent fold card,
 anyone any ideas how to stop it opening up while placed to display?

I'm hoping to see you in the challenge.

This was my first creation done in Photoshop, the Halloween version, I wasn't going to add it, but actually like it, so thought I would share the digital version with you.