Unstampabelles final week

This post is late going up sorry....thought I'd scheduled it but obviously I didn't.....more senior moments coming thick and fast!!

The challenge at Unstampabelles is to use a resist for your creation. This is my inspiration for you.

I used an embossing folder for the poinsettia and holly border on white card. I cheated really but as Susan says  'I resisted adding ink to my folder!!'  ....so this counts!!! I then inked the embossed corners and border. The sentiment is a die cut from red card stock and added to the centre.

There haven't been many entries this time so if you enter you'll be in with a good chance of winning this yummy prize. (link to Unstampabelles challenge in sidebar)

 

Have fun and I hope you can find time to join us.

'I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas'

Where do the days go I thought I had another week before this posting......hence the reason it's late going up!!!

Before I tell you about our next challenge at CD Sunday I have some news.


'We are pleased to announce that Sharon Duncan has kindly offered an extra prize to our  followers by offering a 25% discount until Christmas using the code MERRY16.  This is very generous of Sharon who has always been a great supporter of CD Sunday. ' Click here sharonduncan for her site.


Meg has chosen her Top Three and the results are on the blog (link in sidebar) I will be browsing through your contributions to my 'Sparkle and Shine' challenge and the Top Three will be announced in two weeks.

Now on to this fortnights' challenge chosen by Margaret, 'I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas'. So if you are still crafting away merrily with Christmas cards here is your chance to combine our challenge with your Christmas card making.

My inspiration for you is a lovely scene from Joanne Sheen's 'Victorian Christmas Cards' This is one of my newer CDs which I'm using for the first time this Christmas.

The background paper, image and other elements are all on the CD. I am loving reindeers on Christmas cards this year and of course the blue tones are also a favourite. I hope I've inspired you. For more ideas pop over to the challenge blog (link in sidebar) and take a peep at what the rest of the team have created. Don't forget to visit them too and give them some love!!

Have a fun week and any comments you leave are read and appreciated. Thank you!!

'Whatever the Weather!!'

Time for a new card challenge at Crafting with Dragonflies.The last challenge was 'White on White' and you created  some fabulous cards. The Top Three will be up next weekend  (link to Dragonflies in side bar)

This time Susan has chosen the theme 'Whatever the Weather'. Brits always talk about the weather don't they? Here in Cyprus the Cypriots do too......well to us at least....think they know us so well!! We are experiencing unusual weather for this time of the year. It has usually stated cooling down by now but it's still warm and sunny. Climate change no doubt!! It is forecast to change by mid week and we can expect rain, which is needed here as the dams are so low!! But I don't do cold so I'm happy with how it is at the moment.

These photos were taken mid week from the balcony of the hotel we were staying in for my birthday in Paphos. As you can see there are still people enjoying the sunshine by the pool and at the small sandy beach. Look at that clear blue sky!!! Perfect!!!

This is my inspiration for you this time.

The card is a square card covered with 6 x 6 paper from a pad. I thought the 'cats and dogs with umbrellas and rain' were so cute. The rest of the card is made up with images from an Ooh La La CD 'Say it with Words'. There are some great sayings on this CD.....all very inspirational.This one says

 'Without the rain there would never be Rainbows'

 

Thought provoking but so true!!

 

I hope I've got you thinking of your take on the theme. There are more inspiring cards for you to browse on the challenge blog. Just click on the DT's names to take you too their blogs and give them some love.

 

Thank you for popping by today and any comments are always appreciated by lovely followers.

 

Have fun!!!

'Birthday Celebrations' at Ooh La La

Where has this year gone? Doesn't time fly......did the time fly when we were younger I wonder? So long ago I can't remember!! It's time for our next challenge at Ooh La La. We had some fabulous creations for the 'Vintage' challenge last time. The winners are on the blog now (link in sidebar)

It's my turn to choose the theme and, as it's my birthday tomorrow, I have chosen 'Birthday Celebrations, as it seemed appropriate.

Here is my inspiration for you.

As you can see this is a different fold. Not unusual for me as I love trying out new folds. I really loved the finished result and it was so easy to make. I started with two pieces of white card stock. The inner portion was folded with a valley, mountain, valley fold to create the box effect.

The designer paper to cover it was from 'Fleur d' Imagination', by Ooh La La of course.

The image is also from the same CD.. The edging is silver card using a die I borrowed from a friend ( sorry can't remember the name)

The Greeting and butterfly on front are also Ooh La La images.

I hope you've been inspired to join in. An easy make this time and it will give you a well earned break from Christmas cards. I'm sure like me you're 'snowed under' with Christmas (no pun intended). It's the same every year for crafters . Thank goodness it's only once a year!! Just like birthday celebrations!!

Have a fun week and I look forward to visiting your blogs soon. Don't forget there's always a prize on offer from   .ooh-la-la-creations . It's always worth a visit to the shop as they have freebies on there too!!

See you soon.

'Sparkle and Shine'

It's time to 'Sparkle and Shine' at CD Sunday. It's my turn to choose the challenge theme at CD Sunday. I decided the title was appropriate for this time of the year as you , no doubt like me, are covered in sparkle with all those Christmas makes. The glitter gets everywhere doesn't it!!

We had some great jolly Santa creations last time and deciding on a winner will be difficult. What has been decided though are the two winners of our sponsored Sharon Duncan challenge. So to see if the lucky person is you, off you pop to take a peak at the challenge blog (link in sidebar)

Now back to my inspiration for you.

No matter how we try photographing shiny cards never seems to work do they.....I know I'm not alone. But 'Sparkle and Shine' this card does I can assure you!!!
The CD used is from Krafty Hands,  'Holly and Snowflake'.

I began with a square blank card then matted gold shiny mirri card with red card stock on top. The two tags are made using the images of Holly and Snowflake from the CD. Adding stickles Crystal glitter to each image to make them sparkle. I joined them together with some sparkling gold gem string. The 'prickly' holly spray is from my flower arranging box.....comes in handy at Christmas!! Finally I added gold shiny snowflakes from my peel offs stash to finish.

I hope you are inspired to join in. There are more yummy examples on the challenge blog from the design team. I look forward to visiting you soon to see how much 'Sparkle and Shine' you can get on your card and least of all on yourself!!!

Have a great crafty week and keep on crafting those Christmas makes....they've got to be done!!
Have fun!!

'White on white'

It's time for our next challenge at Crafting with Dragonflies. This time it is a lovely theme 'White on white' We had some pretty cards last with our 'Spots and Stripes challenge and the winners will be on the challenge blog next weekend.

This is my inspiration for you.

This can was created using a new embossing folder that a crafty friend here in Paphos brought along one afternoon to my home to 'play' with. I ran two pieces of card through the machine and then decided instead of making two cards I'd make one larger card by placing them one under the other. The join was hidden with some narrow white ribbon. So this was my base, which I  then added to some folded A4 white card. She had also brought along some holly leaf dies and after 'playing' around with them I created a ' faux flower' which I placed in the centre of the card with a spray of leaves . The 'Happy Christmas' sentiment was also die cut from white card. Finally I added a gem to the centre of the ' faux flower'.

So a great afternoon 'playing and creating' with some new dies which resulted in a 'White on white' card for our challenge at Crafting with Dragonflies.

I hope I've inspired you and you'll be tempted to pop over to the challenge blog (link in sidebar). There are more lovely cards there from my teamies and also further details of the challenge. This is a card only challenge.

Have a lovely weekend and I hope the weather is being as kind to you as it is to us here in Cyprus.

Ooh La La goes 'Vintage'

It's time for another challenge at Ooh La La. This time the theme has been chosen by our lovely leader Pauline....it's 'Vintage'. We had some cute creations last time for our 'Tiny Tots' challenge. The results are in so pop over to the challenge blog to see if you're a winner (link in sidebar)

This is my inspiration for you.

I have used the Paula Oakley collection to make this vintage style Christmas card. You can find this CD in the Ooh La La shop ooh-la-la-creations

 I went with traditional colours of red and green. Beginning with a square green card blank. Then I matted it with red card stock and rounded the corners with a Tonic corner punch. The rest of the card was created with images and background papers from the CD. Finally I placed a red ribbon strip along the bottom. ( I think there may even be vintage port in that wine glass!! )

I hope I've inspired you to get creating. It doesn't have to be Vintage Christmas card it could be for any occasion. There are some fab examples on the challenge blog that my teamies have created.

There's always a prize for the winner so pop over to the challenge blog now (link in sidebar) to check out the details to enter.

Have a crafty week and I look forward to visiting your blogs soon.

Thank you for any comments made. They are always read and appreciated.

Have fun!!

'Resistance' at Unstampabelles!!

It's time for this month's challenge at Unstampabelles. This time we would like to see some 'Resistance' with  the optional twist of .....explain your method of resistance. We had lots of great entries for last month's challenge 'out of your Comfort Zone' and the winners will be coming up on the challenge blog shortly.

I haven't tried any resistance work so this was a bit like last time's challenge....out of my comfort zone!! But I do like a challenge so eventually with a little, well a lot really, of great ideas from Susan, our inspirational leader I took the plunge. Here is the result.

I began with some art paper which was bonded. Then using some white oil pastels  I scribbled over it. Then I spray it with three different colour of fabric paint and then brushed it lightly with a fan paint brush.

 

oil pastels

 

 

The three colours of spray paint I used.

 

 

This was the result. It did dry very quickly which was great as once I get going I like to just get on with the idea. Mainly because if not I'd forget what I'd planned!! Old age is a bummer!! As you can see it did bend a little but with some gentle persuasion it soon became flat enough to work with. I then embossed it with an embossing folder.

I had recently cut out some fancy frames so I played around with those til I found one in a pinky peach colour which I thought looked OK with these colours. I placed it over the background and then on to A4 white card stock, landscape orientation.

 

 

I needed a 'Thank You card' so again looking through my snippets I found some green in a similar shade to the background. I cut it out with a die and placed it on the card but it just blended in to the background......not good! So I went looking for a colour similar to the frame. Finding the right shade took me an age I might tell you!! Eventually I found a piece and cut this out placing it on top of the green from earlier to create a shadow effect. Finally some gems were added..... Et Voila finished!!

 

So thinking caps on and let's see what you come up with. These are some of Susan's ideas for resist work.

 

OK Resistance - THINK BACKGROUNDS FIRST: there are many ways to get a resist effect: for example, waxy crayons and paint or inks on a background; candle used to draw or through a stencil will give a similar effect; embossing and paint or ink - you can do this through a stencil or draw your own lines to be embossed; colourless blender with alcohol inks can create a resist; bleach stamping can be turned around and you can draw and paint and then use bleach or water to remove colour. sprays with a negative stencil is a type of resist; masking fluid splattered or painted on will give a great resist for inks and watercolour paints. Any background papers can then be die cut and used as needed for embellies etc. You can use an embossing folder smeared with Versacolour ink and then with brush with chalks or pearls; or emboss with embossing powder and then paint or ink over it.

 

So lots of great ideas to get your imagination going. As usual there's a great prize on offer donated by Susan.

 

 

It's a fab die and embossing folder. Now who wouldn't want to win these!! So generous!

 

Thank you all for visiting and I hope I've at least inspired you to pop over to Unstampabelles (link in sidebar) to see what the rest of the team have created. Now I know can't Resist!!!

 

Your comments are always appreciated. Thank You!