50 Christmas cards

 I was asked to make a stack of 50 Christmas cards for our volunteers in work so that has kept me busy these past few weeks!  I had a bit of a production line going...some evenings prepping my card bases, some evenings stencilling and adding snowy silver splatters, some evenings sticking them all together, and most evenings with my pencils out! I can't deny that I'm glad to have them all finished. 

I mostly used these stamps from Gerda Steiner, with a few Penny Black carolers to mix it up a bit.  I made a few in our company colours of purple and green, but I'm 100% sure nobody will notice but me LOL.  I added chunky glitter to all their hats so they're nice and sparkly, as a Christmas card should be!

I made maybe half a dozen of each design, only took a few photos but they will give the gist of what I made...

Just add ink #774 - stencils/ dies

Fab n Funky #626 - all that glitters

Addicted to Stamps #506 - make your mark

Stamping Sensations November - Christmas 

Sparkles Christmas challenge #178 - festive wear

Cards for Renee, Andrea, Edmond and Shona!

Hi all! I'm caught out every year with all my June birthdays, you'd think I'd know better by now and not have such a mad rush every year!  Anyway, apologies in advance for the long post....

First up is this one for my Aunt using this Gina K stamp, which I love but it does take me an age to colour.  I hadn't intended to have sparkly butterflies but I lifted clear gloss instead of glue (they're decanted into the same design bottles), made a mess so just went for it and got my glitter out instead! 

• Allsorts # 825 - what makes you happy - I find 90% of my pleasure in making cards comes from colouring the images
• Addicted to Stamps #494 - any occasion 

Next up is for my Uncle's 80th birthday, using a Penny Black yacht, a couple of stencils and some sparkly silver die cuts.

• Just Us Girls #779 - word week - number 
• Cut it up #332 - masculine 

Third is this Whipper Snapper cutie for my sister-in-law with a few die cut flowers to finish it off...

• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - fur, feathers +/ or flowers
• Fab'n Funky #618 - use die cuts
• Word Art Wednesday #702 - anything goes 

And lastly some Gerda Steiner chickens for my friend.  The dude in the middle is popped up and a few clear sequins to finish.  Not adding it to any challenges as it was inspired by one I saw on Gerda Steiners blog, but wanted to post it for my own record.

Chick, chick, chicken!

 Hi all!  Well I'm glad to say all our snow has disappeared, a few days of it is quite enough for me!  And all of a sudden our daffodils have popped their heads up, hopefully spring will be here soon 😁

My card this evening looks like it should be a quickie, but oh my goodness, such a lot of faffing about!  Bits on and then off again, then other bits on and then off again too!  I've used this oldie set from Gerda Steiner, coloured with a mix of polychromos and watercolour pencils, and then pink metallic paint for their chickeny bits 🤣 and also splattered in the background.

Layout from Freshly Made Sketches #569

Colour theme from MFT Colour Challenge #204

Gerda Steiner January 2023 challenge 

Seize the Birthday #253 - winged things

Miss Molly wasn't so keen on her first experience of snow.  It was fine the first night when it was nice and fresh, but after the top layer froze her wee pokey feet would go through the ice and then down into the snow and she didn't quite know what on earth was going on!  It was funny though watching her chase snowballs trying to figure out why they disintegrated when she touched them! 

Just chicken in!

 Hi all!  Hope you're all well.  I'm delighted to say I got my 2nd jab on Friday and no side effects, just a bit of a sore arm so no big complaints from me.    I'm on the countdown to a week off work, bet it will be the longest week waiting for it! No trips abroad for me this year, I couldn't be annoyed with the hassle, I'm happy enough with a few day trips and lunch out!

Anyway, my card his evening uses my fun chickens from Gerda Steiner...

Don't you love it when you find some paper that matches your colouring perfectly!  Sometimes it's the little things in life make you happy 😉. Chooks coloured with watercolour pencils and gloss/glitter added to their red bits. 

• Addicted to Stamps #406 make your mark
• As You Like It - CAS or fully fancy - I'm definitely a CAS girl, I envy folk who can add loads of layers and embellishments but it's totally beyond me! 
• Less is More #444 Your favourite technique - it took me a while to appreciate stencils but I love them now
• Gerda Steiner SYD challenge - June 2021

Chicken line up

 

Hi folks, hope you are all well!  It's a brrrrr chilly kinda day here, snow on the top of the mountains and a wind that would cut you in two, definitely not an outdoorsy type of day!  Hoping for an improvement next week as I've a few days booked off work.

Anyway, it's just a wee silly card from me today, using these fab chickens from Gerda Steiner, I love how they all have such different expressions.

• Sparkles monthly challenge #137 - on the farm
• Gerda Steiner monthly challenge - March
• As You Like It - favourite way to cut your image - mine is fussy cutting for the simple reason that I'd rather spend my ££'s on more stamps than the matching die!  I invested ages ago in some Tim Holtz scissors and they were definitely a good purchase, though Greg gets 'the look' if he dares use them for something other than cutting a bit of paper 😉

Cards for Alex and Aunt Mavis

 Just a quickie post tonight, his nibs has a movie lined up ... I think it's a scary one so I guess I'll only be half watching it!

I seem to be stuck in green & yellow mode at the minute, must be a subconscious yearning for spring!  We'd a wee skiff of snow this morning, it's melted already but it's blowing a gale out there, definitely not outdoors weather!

This first card is for my niece, a wee Valentine's Day baby.  She's a big fan of hippos so I had to include this Gerda Steiner one on her card. 

• Your Next Stamp #157 - young at heart
• Seize the Birthday #207 - hearts
• Sweet Stampin - cards for teens/kids
• Gerda Steiner - February challenge

And this one's for my aunt using an oldie from LOTV, it's always such a pleasure to colour.  I should use it more and just colour the daffs pink or something.

• Word Art Wednesday #477/478 - anything goes
• Creative Inspirations - animal antics

Ryan's birthday card

Hellloooo I'm back!  Sorry I've been MIA again, I've just had zero mojo but I've decided just to make myself get crafting seeing as it's International Card Making Day and hope my spark comes back!

I had to get crafting anyway, it's my nephew's birthday shortly.  I'd no idea what to put on a 17 year olds card, so just made him a daft one using these Gerda Steiner stamps.  I haven't stuck down the spaceship properly yet as I know I have some of those 'boingy' things somewhere, they just need finding first! 

• 
  Layout from MFT Wednesday Sketch #509
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes
• Gerda Steiner October challenge

And just thought I'd share a pic of our fabulous sunset from my walk this evening, unfortunately the pic doesn't do it justice!  It was a nice end to a dull, damp and dreary old day.  Rubydoo has barely budged from her snoozing position on the sofa virtually the entire day, it's deffo a dog's life!

Chick Chick Chicken

Hi folks 😃. I've been shopping in an effort to kick-start my mojo and treated myself to a couple of sets from Gerda Steiner. I have a bit of a weakness for chicken stamps anyway and couldn't resist these dudes when I saw the expressions on their faces!

 I've used my favourite hexagon stencil for the background to represent chicken wire.  I'm not sure what's going on with my camera, the colours look darker in real life. Chooks coloured with a mixture of watercolours and pencils, sparkles added to their red 'bits' and clear gloss to their eyes.

As you like it - favourite stencil - I like the graphic design of this one and it's perfect for chicken or bee cards too

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - humourous/fun card

Gerda Steiner Designs September challenge

Papercraft challenge #61 - animals

Hippo Birthday

Here's a not-so-quick-quickie!  It started off just my hippo, circle and text and just looked too boring (I think it's because my DP is kinda drab), so I added in the hearts die.  Nope still didn't look right.  Added a couple of little punched butterflies.  Hmmm.  Had a root through my stash and found this corner die and that was just what it needed.  I think I'm happy now ;)
Hippo from Gerda Steiner coloured with watercolour pencils.  Clear gloss glitter added to the butterfly, the little heart and toenails.

I've a wee week off work now hurrah, I think the weather is to be half decent so we'll see.  Maybe I'll get the fence painted. Maybe not ;)

• Layout inspired by CAS(e) This Sketch #376
• Sweet Stampin - dies and punches
• Gerda Steiner Share your Designs June 2020
• Craftyhazelnut's patterned paper challenge June 2020

Two wee quickies

This card was inspired by this week's featured stamper over at Splitcoast - here's Pam's original.  I was inspired by her image of a watermelon and I knew I had this oldie from High Hopes in my stash ... somewhere!  Took a while to find it but I' glad I did as it's been such a loooooong time since she saw any ink.
Coloured with polychromos and popped up on foam pads.

• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes
• Just Us Girls #499 - summer
• Word Art Wednesday #398/399 - anything goes

This one looked better in my head!  Haha.  Though I'm not sure what I would do different.  I think I should have done something different with my sentiment and I would have moved him over to the left a smidgen. 

My little hippo is from Gerda Steiner - coloured with polychromos and a paper pieced shirt. I'd a little piece of grey card in my stash that was sort of the same shade as my hippo so cut a few butterflies from it.  

• Layout from MFT sketch #448
• Pixie's Snippets Playground #358

Golden hippo

Just a quickie post from me tonight, I've just noticed that I gave my little hippo a lovely manicure but seriously need to sort my own out before work tomorrow!

This was one of my new purchases from Gerda Steiner, Greg says he looks like Penfold (from Dangermouse) and actually he's right LOL
Reckon I had my wonky eyes in when I was taking this picture!

Coloured with polychromos and popped up on foam pads.  Clear gloss added to his eyes, butterfly, heart and toes.  Butterflies are an old Martha Stewart punch. Not sure about hearts die, possibly MFT.

If I don't 'see' you before Wednesday I'll be back then with some exciting news :)

• AAA Cards #141 - Birthday
• Penny Black & More June - blooms, butterflies or bugs
• Watercooler Wednesday #223 - anything goes