A Christmas collection

I think I've just about finished my christmas cards,atcs,tags and the odd postcard, just need to write them all now and that's always the worst job altho' it really shouldn't be. I've just realised that the atcs still have to have their backs on and I haven't cut off the cotton bits - nevermind it's just a picture.

Home again

We have just had 4 days in Yorkshire checking that my Aunt is ok and helping her with her christmas shopping, that means craft free days so I'm going to make up for it today and up to christmas. The two ATCs pictured here are being posted off to New Zealand today for one of my fabric Group swaps.

Weekend Visitor

I've just said cheerio to Viv, she has been with us since yesterday lunch time as she had a Bowls Presentation dinner and a meeting here in Leicester last night and this morning, she spent as little time as was necessary at these functions, prefering to craft, so we've done some metal work, made grunge paper flowers and fixed napkins onto canvas with gel medium. We also found time to shop for crafty bits and have our photo's taken with a bronze statue of our local Bowls hero. While Viv was out last night I made a note book for her OH as a thank you for his suffering in having to drink all that beer so we can have the cans to work with, the back and front is silver card embossed and distressed and a letter covered with metal is on the front. It has been a lovely weekend, I think I can safely say a good time was had by all!!

Red,Green and Gold

Those three colours are the theme for Tuesday Taggers this week so one more card for the xmas box - a cuttlebug background, the stamp is from Paper Inspirations and I've used my Martha Stewart border punch ( I love that punch!) and a flower punch for the embelishments

Sketch Challenge

What a good way to just finish off those last few christmas cards when the original enthusiasm is waning - enter a challenge with a card - I saw this on Viv's blog so thought I'd have a go, it's over at Create4fun and they have provided a sketch for you to use. I printed off an Artylicious background, used a Stamp Man poinsetta stamp and added punched embellishments. One more to do now for Tuesday Taggers.

To stitch or not to stitch.

Some time ago I suggested a challenge idea on a flickr group I belong to and was asked to provide samples to show the other members - the suggestion was for a fabric based atc but as well as a stitched one I was asked for ideas for those who don't do stitching so I made two cards the first stitched and the second put together with glue,staples and brads, I think you can tell which is which.

More recycling!

Viv's OH is really suffering to provide us with 'free' metal for our art work,the background and the large leaves are cut from a beer can and the clock is Ten Second Studio metal, I used alcohol inks and black acrylic paint to distress the background and alcohol inks on the leaves, inside the book are pocket pages for tags etc. I'm really trying to get some mileage out of the owl embossing folder.

Metal - No!

This weeks challenge at Tuesday Taggers is to not use any patterned papers and to create your own backgrounds so I thought I'd go for a metal look by embossing and distressing some silver card and stamping Owlie also onto silver card, I added a die cut flourish and frame. The large background is spritzed distress inks with added cosmic shimmer ( there's also a moon in the background). The picture looks darker than it really is.

A Lovely Day

Yesterday was spent at the NEC (Birmingham) at the Hobbycrafts fair, with Viv and Wendy,I came home with a couple of books, quite a few rubber stamps, some metal tools, dies for my cuttlebug and various bits and bobs that have disappeared into their storage spaces - oh and an empty purse!!! It was a lovely day and one trader inspired this birthday card I am posting.

Tom Cat

This beautiful needle punched atc was one of two that arrived from Finland today - isn't he great, such a lovely face and great work.

Recycling!!

Recycling or how to use up an old beer can in your cuttlebug machine and end up with a lovely embossed piece of metal!! not that we have an excess of old beer cans in our house, in fact I've had to scrounge one off Viv which puts her OH in the awful position of having to drink an extra beer one night!! Anyway this was one that I'd cut up earlier and forgotten about but is now happily adhered to a book cover.

Dorset Buttons

I had an e mail from Judy ( CJstitchingandblooms in my links list)in the US, at the weekend, asking help sourcing some Dorset Buttons info which she actually managed to sort out herself before I could get started, any way it got me interested and I found a tutorial and here are my very own handmade Dorset buttons, the pink one took ages to do as I used a fine thread but the orange one took less than two hours - what to do with them now I wonder??

Rememberance

It's that time of year again with Rememberance /Armistice day coming up and last night was All Souls, we had been invited to my Mum's church for the All Souls service and altho' I was dreading going I knew I had to and armed myself with a stock of Hankies, surprisingly I didn't really need them and managed to light two candles for my parents without tears, it was a lovely calming service and I feel it helped me by being there and with others in the same position. The other day that always upsets me and I really don't know why is Rememberance day, I think I'm not alone in this tho', it is a very emotional time. In the light of the time of year the theme for the Artful Ideas swap is 'Rememberance' and the atc must have a poppy on it - so here is mine , stamped poppies in abundance and hidden is the first verse of John Macrae's 1915 poem :-
In Flanders Field.

In Flanders Field the Poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
that mark our place; and in the sky
The Larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
we lived,felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up the quarrel with the foe,
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
we shall not sleep, though Poppies grow
in Flanders Fields.