Clean & Simple Christmas card

 

Good Monday Morning Ladies, 

What a wet & wild Sunday!!  It was so cold too, we put the Aga back on on Saturday night  I was glad of the warmth yesterday.   My goodness did we get some rain, very windy too,  I put the tumble dryer on for the first time in minths months,  it almost finished its cycle, we heard a strange noise and it will no longer start.  mind we have had it a good 15 years +,  it almost caught on fire about 13 years ago,  (it was one of those that needed an adjustment,  when the chap came he said that it had been smouldering as he could see the burnt lint on the element)  so we now have to look for a  new dryer!  Funny how it decides to give up on the first cold/wet day of the season!  After all that we decided to stay home and spend our anniversary at home relaxing, we literally did nothing, just reading and relaxing.  It's something I find so hard when there are jobs that need doing, we managed though,  we were going out for dinner but the torrential rain put us of, we decided to get a takeaway and stay in the dry.  

I  am really looking forward to sitting at my desk and crafting this week,  I feel like mind has been to 'busy'  this past few weeks,  luckily I made enough projects leading up to the wedding to cover last week,   I sat at my desk a few times last week but couldn't summon the enthusiasm to create anything.  But I really wanted to sit and craft yesterday but wanted to sit and spend time with Paul.  

Today's card is another inspiration card from the IndigoBlu magazine I got on my birthday.  I started with some background stencilling,  then used some stamps from the free set with the magazine and coloured with Pretty Peacock ink and I used the same colour card in matting & layering.

I hope that you all have a great start to your week,  

Love and hugs,  

Sandra xxx

Our crafts this week

 

Good Sunday Morning Ladies, 

A day of Happy Memories today, its our 34th Wedding Anniversary,  you know it seems so much longer, (not in a bad way), I just can't think about my life without Paul being part of it,  it felt like my life really started when we met, an odd thing to say I know,  he really is the key to my happiness.   

Sophie & Lewis are celebrating the anniversary of their engagement 💍,  Lewis hadn't realised it was our wedding anniversary when he proposed,  he asked if we minded after,  I said absolutely not, I hope you are as happy in love as we have been.   Becca was going to choose this weekend too but didn't fancy the 13th!   Lewis is in Dubai with his family,  Soph wasn't keen on going to Dubai, so she is cooking a lovely dinner for her & Lucy. 

We haven't decided what we are doing yet. 

Let's look at what you have been making this week....

Gina

Gina's Description:

Love both of your Christmas cards Gina,  the majestic stag in that lovely wintery background is a perfect Christmas card, I do love a silhouette though!  😍

Your second card looks really rich and opulent in that lovely blue and gold.  The colourful embossed background is perfectly balanced with the simple line art centre piece. 👌 

Thank you so much for supporting the challenge,  I hope you enjoy your upcoming holiday XXX

Karen

Karen's Description:

Card 1:  First attempt using homemade texture paste Should have masked the blank space a bit more randomly - looks too harsh As paste is not a bright white I did a coconut white die cut sentiment

Card 2:  Attempt number 2 adding gold glitter over wet surface - lesson number 2 learned - heat emboss sentiment in white not gold

Card 3:  Attempt number 3 Serif background and Sissix deer

PS the stencil in last 2 are Tim Holtz.

Karen your Texture Paste is brilliant,  every stencilled background is so Clean and Crisp, just as you'd want it to be.

Here is Karen's recipe for Texture paste....

My version of texture paste The recipe I used had cup measurements which measures mass not weight (apparently!)

So I did

50grams talc

Approx 1 1/2 tbsp paint

Approx 1 1/2 tbsp cheap glue 

If consistency too thick some recommended more paint others water - for now I went with water Supposed to keep for approx 3 months but so cheap to make I won’t mind if it doesn’t

So if you are like me and have a few pots of different texture pastes that have gone rock solid, give Karen's recipe a go,  I find that sealing it with clingfilm under the lid of the pot you put it in does help keep the moisture in. 

Karen thank you for both supporting the challenge and sharing your recipe for texture paste, your results are perfect XXX

Lilian 

Lilian's Description:

Hi here is my card for the challenge this week.

Used background papers with some pen to brighten them a bit.

Gold stickles for tinsel. Also white pen for the snow blobs.

Tree from stamping up, cut using die.

Lilian your Christmas card is gorgeous,  I really love that stunning background paper,  which you have bought to life with colour.  The SU tree works so well with those in the background,  for scale as well as shape.  The gold sentiment sentiment works perfectly,  I love the style of it. 

Thank you so much for supporting the Christmas Challenge my lovely XXX 

Maria

Maria's Description:

My card for Sunday 

Very easy where I used cards from a Honkydory Gnome set .  Used a die to cut out the circles. Used the die again to cut out different bits from the gnome cards to affix back in.

What a brilliant idea Maria, die cutting circles from the background to add images,  brilliant and it really works.  I love the colours and the adorable gnomes. 

Thank you so very much for creating a card for our Christmas Challenge my lovely. 

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I hope that you all have  lovely Sunday,   I hope that you manage to avoid the rain and gales that are forecast,  

Sending my love & hugs to all of you, 

Sandra xxx 

Mixed up Saturday

 

Good Saturday Morning Ladies,  

A wet & wild weekend weather forecast for us, we have had loads of rain this week,  the lawn looks so much better for it too.  

So lucky that we didn't have this weather last Saturday, how is that a week ago, I think that we were all so burnt out mentally & physically that this week has flashed by!   Becca & Adam made the most of their little break in North Devon,  they had a Shepherds Hut in the countryside, no phone signal,  which is exactly what they needed.  

Karen Becca asked me to thank you for your lovely Wedding card  ❤️ 

Gina

Gina's Description:

The stag is a Clarity stamp,  (a charity shop bargain).  The background is a StudioLight stamp that Gina Embossed with Wow embossing powder.  The sentiment is made using new Craft Addiction dies.  

Such a gorgeous Christmas card Gina, the stag looks very majestic.  That background is beautiful.  Thank you so much for sharing it with us XXX 

Sonia's Shopping 

Sonia went to the Farnborough Craft show last Friday (lucky lady) these are the the bits that she bought.  The Craft Mat and prn storage are new too. 

That stencil is lovely,  I can't wait to see what you create.  

The John Lockwood die set looks super versatile,  you can never go wrong with a Tim Holtz sentiment die set.  Great  bargain there too!! 

Look at this BRILLIANT  find that Sonia bought, its a Ink Swatch Label stencil and die. 

Such a great idea for adding to your ink pads!  

Thank you so much for sharing your shopping with us XXX 

My Shopping 

I have been inspired by some journal pages made by a couple of different creators on Facebook,  so I treated myself to some of the  its they used.  The Botanic Collage stamp is one I've wanted for a while. 

I had some money for my birthday, so obviously I was going to spend it on craft stash. 

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I hope that you all have a lovely weekend,  

Love and hugs to all of you, 

Sandra xxx 

Thrinchie 44

 

Good Friday Morning Ladies,  

I hope you are all well and looking forward to the weekend.  

As I am writing this Sophie and I are off to Oxford, we have left a bit earlier so that we have plenty of time to park and find somewhere to eat.  Oxford is always super busy because of Tourists, crazy amount of tourists, big groups too, i think there are links to Harry Potter in some of the University grounds.  

Today's thrinchie (44) is the partner to yesterday's (43). I used the same stamp set and coloured Distress Oxides as yesterday.  I quite like the colour combinations of these two.  I am looking forward to putting them in a little book.  

Have a lovely Friday, 

Love and hugs to all,  

Sandra xxx

First of a New pair of Thrinchies

 

Good Thursday Morning Ladies,  

Today is a day of two halves,   this morning Becca has her post op check at the Eye Hospital,  I have everything crossed that its a positive appointment,   she did exactly as she was supposed too, until Saturday where she refused to let her eye surgery play even the tiniest part of her day, she did put sunglasses on to rest it while out in the sun and in the lights of the disco.  She did quite a bit of dancing, but we can forgive that in the circumstances.  The sad part was that she couldn't see out of it.  The whole day has been photographed and video'd.  So anything she did miss she can look back on. 

The second part of the day is more upbeat.... Soph and I are going to the Theatre to see Riverdance,  she is so excited bless her.  

Today I am sharing Thrinchie 43, I made this one two weeks ago, I believe the colours are Villainous Potion,  the flower was coloured with Seedless Preserves & Salty Ocean (I think,  it could have been Blueprint Sketch)🤣  The thrinchie started by inking a mini distress ink lid with Villainous Potion,  the rest of the piece was planned around that square.  

I will share its partner, Thrinchie 44 tomorrow.

Have a lovely Thursday,

Love and hugs to all of you,

Sandra xxx 

Christmas Challenge card 2

 

Good Wednesday Morning Ladies, 

Life is slowly getting back to normal, (whatever normal is) although I received a message from Becca today and seeing her name change just catches me, tears in my eyes etc, I do remember sitting in that tiny Chapel listening to her vows,  thinking that it barely seemed a couple of years that we chose your name, I remembered holding her for the first time and look at you now, a beautiful young lady becoming a beautiful Wife, it felt surreal and still does.  The funny part is that she has lived with Adam for the past 6 years or more, so it's not like she is leaving an empty 'nest'.  I think it's just that feeling that they are moving on, they don't necessarily 'need' you anymore.  After all it was barely 2 weeks ago that she was scared and sobbing in my arms while waiting for eye surgery.  I don't think that will change though 🤣

The girls have asked me to go to Ikea with them today.  Turning down  trip to Ikea is too hard,  they have wheelchairs so should be ok

Today I am sharing another card from my IndigoBlu Magazine, it was a bit tricky as as the blue snowflakes in the background are heat embossed,  you then add the Versamark to the corner stamps, stamp over the blue stamping that is already embossed, add gold embossing powder and heat set.  The first one i made just didn't work, the double embossing just looked messy.  

I left much longer for the first layer of embossing to fully dry.  It wasn't perfect but it did work the 2nd /3rd time. I die cut the sentiment 3 times and stacked them, it makes the sentiment stand out better.  I used the same gold card as a mat for the background. Finished the card by adding some gold gems. 

I hope that you all have a happy 'hump' day,

Love and hugs to all of you,

Sandra xxx 

A Christmas Challenge card

Good Morning Ladies, 

We had all the weather's yesterday,  glorious sunshine, bit of a breeze, rain, thunder and back to 🌞 sun!  

The girls and I all felt worse yesterday than we did on Sunday,  generally achy, feeling drained and general exhaustion,  Lucy said that she felt like she had a virus,   but I'm pretty sure its just the mental and physical 'come down'  from what has been constant daily wedding preparations, followed be a 16 hours of mostly standing & chatting, meeting and greeting people add in the high emotions, it's really not a surprise.  

I saw that Becca shared an Instagram post yesterday and she has changed her name to Harris, that made me tear up too.😭  Although I am so incredibly happy for her 🥰

Today I am sharing my first Christmas card for our new Challenge, it is also the first card I have make from my IndigoBlu Christmas magazine box kit.       I used one of the stencils and spread texture paste through the stencil, after I removed the stencil I added gold embossing powder to the wet texture paste, I then heated the embossing powder until it turned shiny, it actually made the texture bubble in the heat, which gave an extra element of interest.

I mounted the gold embossed piece onto a gold mat and onto a piece of pink patterned paper then onto a 5 x 7 card base.  I used the same patterned paper for the sentiment which I stamped in Versafine Clair Charming Pink. 

Its a simple design but that textured panel is lovely to look at and feel. 

I hope that you all have a lovely day, 

Love & hugs to all of you, 

Sandra xxx