Hope you all had a good one!

Hi All

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that Santa was good to you.... he certainly was very generous in this house... lots of nice goodies and smellies came down MY chimney!! LOL!

I'm just sharing with you some tags I made in the last run up to the big day...  I used some fabulous tags that the lovely Elaine diecut for me using a gorgeous PTI die.... Tag Sale #3 - (that I'm about to order) - and a lot of inspiration from Elaine hereself - thank you, kind lady!  The flower is using a Tim Holtz Tattered Poinsettia Die and some paper from my stash... I distressed the edges with Fired Brick Distress Ink, and the sentiments are from Paula Pascual Christmas Essentials clear stamp set.  A little button and a bit of cord finished the tags off.... and they did look gorgeous on the gifts there were attached to - even though I say so myself!!

My lovely OH is back at work today (wahhhhhh!), and will be working over the weekend and even on New Year's Eve.... well... people WILL shop at M & S.... and keep him busy!  I think he's looking forward to it being quieter after all the celebrations are over...  He says he's never seen people behave in the way they do in the shop... (customers that is...)  They still had people coming into the store at 3 pm on Christmas Eve demanding to know why there were no turkeys/garnishes/gravy/deserts etc... and getting really nasty when they were told that pretty well everything had run out!!  People had been queueing when the store opened at 6 a.m.!  And there were fisticuffs in the car park too!  All over food.... can you believe it?  The shop was only closed for two days!

Right.... it's brekkie time for me and my daughter Emma... then we're off to Harrogate to take a quick peek around the sales!

Big hugs to all.... and big thank you's for following me and taking time to comment...  I look forward to 2013 with lots of blogging friends sharing their fabulous creations - it makes the world a nicer place!

Christine xxx

A little innocence...

Hi Blogging Friends..

Hope you're all well and getting near the end of your Christmas 'to do' list.  Why do we leave things till the last minute and get so stressed?? LOL!  We KNOW for twelve months prior that it's going to happen... yet year after year we're in the same mad rush the week before!  I don't think I've heard anyone this year say that everything is all done and they're twiddling their thumbs waiting!!

Today I'm sharing a card with you that (believe it or not) has no pink anywhere....  but it really was a joy to make.  It's using one of my favourite (at the moment) range of stamps - Pure Innocence by MFT and it's called Presents for You.  The sentiment is also from the same set.

I coloured her with a mix of Copics and Promarkers and the DP I've used is a double sided Kaisercraft one which appears now to have been discontinued.... such a shame as it's a nice bright Christmas paper.  I used a Martha Stewart edge punch for the red Bazzill.  Some glitter on her hat and gifts and it was finished.   Hope you like!!

I treated us to some new Christmas lights for the outside of the house at the weekend... and this morning we fastened them up... it's a tricky operation with Barry in the garden holding the lights up through the window to me with a washing line prop as I'm hanging out of the window (imagine the picture)....  ANYWAY....  I had them all fastened up... with various pieces of string through each of the windows holding them in place...  then closed the window with the wire coming through to the plug... and chopped one of the wires right through!!  So the lights only worked for about 10 seconds... and they were expensive too!!  Seems I put the wire too near the metal part of the hinge... D'oh.....  Ah well, apparently they can be mended so all it not lost!!

Did you all watch Last Tango in Halifax?  Wasn't it good?!!

Hopefully I'll be back before the big man arrives...
Big hugs and Happy Crafting..
Christine x

It's Pinkie time again...

Hi Peeps

Today it's time for another challenge at In The Pink... this time it's called 'Pink and Pearlie'  - and as I've been pushed for time this week, I've only managed one DT card instead of my usual two!!  But I'm sure you'll let me off..

I decided on one of my fav Mo Manning images - Ruby All Grown Up... it really reminds me of when my two girls were young...  and I love her big hat and long necklace!!  I coloured again with a mix of Copics and Promarkers... used a stepper card that I made myself (!)... then Bazzil and Papermania Paper .

I used a Nestie for my image (Labels 18)..  then a Memory Box Meridien Border die for the scalloped bit... and pearl hearts from my stash.  I tried to use some Cosmic Shimmer pearl glue for her pearl necklace... not sure it works - then I added loads of glitter as usual...  Finally, I used my Hero Arts alphabet stamps that I've had for yonks for the sentiment..  And there she is... hope you like!

We have a lovely new Guest Designer over at In the Pink too...  the lovely Nic (aka Coops) has agreed to join us for our next two challenges... looking forward to seeing her fab creations!

Don't forget to join in our Pearlie challenge this time...  it's open for four weeks so Sylvia and I can have a little Christmas rest (and a glass of wine or two..).... so you have plenty of time to enter!

Big hugs
Christine x
PS.... I still have to finish my Christmas cards believe it or not!! They're going to be really late this year!

It's nearly time for Santa!! Anything Goes Challenge - Traditional Christmas Colours

Hi All

Time is flying by and it's nearly time for the big man's visit!!  Our theme at Anything Goes this time is 'Traditional Christmas Colours'...  An easy one for me where Santa is concerned!

I used a gorgeous stamp that I've used before, from Sugar Nellie... called Old Saint Nick...  and he's such a pleasure to colour... although you do have to watch that the deep red colour doesn't run into what should be white - it has a habit of doing so!

I used a mix of Copics and Promarkers to colour him...  a lot of fab Glamour Dust on his hat and coat...  and a bit of shading creating his shadow.

The DP is by Scenic Route and is called Brighton Blizzard... (don't think it's made any more), and I've added some dotty grosgrain ribbon.  A PC generated sentiment (as it's for an order), finishes the card.

Don't forget to pop over to Anything Goes - to see my fab teamies gorgeous creations... and also to see if you were a winner on our last challenge.  Lots of lovely craft goodies can be purchased online at the Craft Den - why not pop over and take a look?!

Looking forward to seeing your wonderful creations for this challenge!

Big hugs and Happy Crafting..
Christine x

Challenges: I love Promarkers - Anything Goes
Delightful Sketches - All About Christmas
Cupcake Craft Challenges - Merry Christmas
Joanna Sheen - With Love At Christmas
Dream Valley Challenge #47 - Christmas
Craft Us Crazy - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
The Ribbon Girl - Ho Ho Ho
Penny Black and More - December Challenge - It's Your Choice

Another one with blender pen... and a lovely visit!

Hi all

Another quickie today... showing a card I made the other day - again using the blender pen technique with my promarkers and copics...

This one uses another LOTV image...  Fairy on Tiptoe (which is one of my all time favourites...)  Of course, she had to have lots of glitter on her wings and skirt..  well a fairy isn't a fairy without her fairy dust!  The papers are Crea Diem, the die is a Memory Box Macarena Corner Die - which I've used my Frantage embossing powder on to give it that ooomph..  and lastly I used some old Papermania faceted gems.  I decided on 'without' for a sentiment!!

Now.... this is where I went yesterday and who I was with!!

Photo taken with phone... not too clear.... sorry!

The gorgeous Elaine (A Technophobe's Blog) and her lovely hubbie Phil came over to visit Barry and I... and of course, we ended up going to a nice local pub with a roaring fire... and enjoying a yummy lunch with lots of chat... we didn't really need to tape up our OH's mouths which we thought we may have to..... so they managed a whole lot of chatting too!!  And look........  doesn't Elaine look fab - she's lost so much weight... such willpower!!  But I'm not divulging what she ate yesterday!! hehe!   We had a lovely day... did lots of catching up... and really enjoyed ourselves!  Such a shame they hit lots of nasty traffic both ways... hope it doesn't put you off coming over next time Elaine!!

Better go now... my lovely OH has just come home... so I need to go tend to his achey muscles...

Big hugs and Happy Crafting!
Christine x

A little bit of LOTV...

Hi all

Just dropped in with a quickie... I tried to do a very CAS card - but with an image... as I've seen them done, but not sure if I'm totally happy with this!

I used an LOTV image - Angels with Crib - that I've had for a long, long time!!  I tried to feather out the colour on their dresses using a blender... this is my first attempt at this technique, and I've got considerably better on my second card (to be blogged soon...)

That is pretty much all there is too it... coloured with copics and promarkers... and of course glitter on their wings and stars... a bit of sewing around the edge (it's my sewing machine that goes crooked, not me!!), a bit of bazzil, and then a sentiment from Pink Petticoat (Handwritten Christmas Greetings).

And the good bit is... there's nothing too thick for Royal Mail normal letter!!

Now... I have a very special visitor coming over the Pennines to see me tomorrow... it's the lovely Elaine...  so I best go tidy up!!  She's warned me that I need to have the red carpet rolled out, but I told her it's at the cleaners!

Thank you for all the lovely comments you leave - reading them makes my day!
Big hugs to all and Happy Crafting....
Christine x

In The Pink and the theme is Christmas!

Morning Best Blogging Buddies

It's time for another challenge over at In The Pink... and this time the theme is Christmas!!!  This was great for me - as I haven't made many of my Christmas cards yet, it really got me in the mood!

I think I like my first card better than the second....  but I have to say that the second was more fun to make!!

Materials:
Paper:  Scenic Route Paper Co - Brighton Blizzard
Die for Trees:  Hero Arts Framelits Reindeer Set
Die for Oval:  Spellbinders Floral Ovals
Distress Ink - Spun Sugar (around oval and edging trees)
Cosmic Shimmer PVA glue in Pink - for dots on trees - liberally sprinkled with glitter
Ribbon from stash
Sentiment - PC generated then punched with Stampin Up Oval Punch

Now on this one, you have to use your imagination as the second layer is silver mirri board, not black which is what it looks like on the photo!!  And ooooh  playing with Frantage... it's my favourite pastime ... well one of them!!!  If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you will see it in all it's glory!  It glitters so much on my mantlepiece - I am going to have real difficulty sending it to anyone!

Materials:

Spellbinders Dies - Heirloom Ornaments
Thin Silver Ribbon - from Stash
Oval Punch - Stampin Up
Sentiment - Stampin Up set - owned this for years and used to use it a lot!
Conifer Stamp - Stampin Up set - again, been in my stash for years
Distress Ink used while die in place - Spun Sugar
Silver Mirri Card
Frantage.......  Shabby Pink Embossing Enamel and Silver Halo Mix Glitter

Hope you like my makes for In The Pink....  do pop over to the blog HERE to check out Sylvia's and Christine's (our GDT) too!

Bit chilly here today... think I may well cog up the heating and hibernate for a while!!

Big Hugs to all my blogging friends.. and happy crafting!
Christine x

Tag Time...

Hi Peeps

Time for a tag.....  over at Anything Goes the theme this time is Tags...  and as I didn't have a tag to hand (I know I have some SOMEWHERE... I had to make my own using kraft card.

The rest was very simple to put together using my favourite Santa images at the moment (Happy Santa from Birdie Brown).  I used a bit of red bazzill cardstock punched with a MS border punch...  then a scrap of festive paper.,.  I coloured the images with copics and promarkers (mixed to get a good red)... added glitter to his beard and hat...  .. some glossy accents to Rudolph's nose... a little Christmas sentiment from Cuddly Buddly.. a bit of red sentiment ribbon from Papermania -  there you have it!

Our garage has flooded again with this nasty weather... and my new hall carpet is a bit damp (I think it was blowing in under the door somehow)... but that's nothing compared with what some people are experiencing when you look at the news... big hugs to any of you who have suffered...  Can we all have a big shout of RAIN RAIN GO AWAY!!!  We need the water that's already in the ground to be able to lower before any more of this wet stuff!

Happy crafting all... and don't forget to pop over to Anything Goes to check out the DT creations!

Big hugs
Christine x

Glitter alert....

' Evening all.....

Now after I said that, us oldies will remember a certain policeman called Dixon, won't we?  And Saturday nights watching his exploits... mild though they were!  Onto my card quick before I give my age away!!

I managed to get to the new Hobbycraft in York last  Thursday, and saw this cute little Papermania snownman stamp.. for some reason called 'Tulip Christmas' - (weird name..is it something I'm missing??)  Anyway...  I fell in love with him so had to bring him home with me.  He was surrounded by falling snow on his piece of rubber, which I wouldn't have liked to show in black... so I removed them from the image with my trusty nail clippers...  And here is the result.

I followed their colour scheme with my Copics and Flexmarkers as I loved the dark blue they'd used - really making him stand out.  I thought that would also look good with the LOTV Christmas paper pad I bought from Harrogate... for those interested that's ANOTHER piece of new stash that I've managed to use!!

Oooh and I used some Viva Decor Pen on the image to create the snow... along with my white Sigma pen.

Sideways

Then out came the glitter.....  enough said I think!  Well I just had to, didn't I???  And then I used Stampendous Shaved Ice for the snow on the ground......  I'm not sure of the effect...  but am relatively happy.

I used a Martha Stewart Snowflake edge punch for the blue panel... some white satin ribbon...  then a lovely wooden snowflake embellie that I coloured blue .... and glittered!!  A rub-on sentiment finished the card completely...  and although it doesn't look straight on the pic....  I assure you it is!  I just think I have a wonky camera!

It's too near my bedtime now for me to keep my eyes open...  so I'll say goodnight and see you tomorrow!

Happy Crafting..
Big Hugs
Christine x

No pink, no glitter.... can you believe it??

Morning Peeps

Happy Sunday to you all....

Yes, yes, yes, I can manage a whole card without pink and without glitter....and here's the proof!!  I saw something similar to this on Pinterest.... so thought I'd give such a simple card a go... and here is my take on it!

Very, very easy...  the circle is embossed with a circular nestie... using the embossing mat rather than cutting through...  I punched out some holly leaves which I used glossy accents on to make them shine...  I stuck on some red pearls for berries...  I used a Pink Petticoat Christmas sentiment... which I punched out with my favourite Stampin Up word window punch...  then I embossed some lines across the base of the card with an embossing tool.

And there you have it....  I think I can cope with making quite a few of these... they do the heart good after spending a couple of hours yesterday colouring a snowman and his mates..  I never knew snowmen were so damn difficult to colour.... anyway, you'll see the above mentioned card this week sometime... as yet it's only a coloured image with no card behind it!

Whatever you're up to today - enjoy..... I think eldest daughter and I are off to Costco....  not been there before so better keep a tight rein on my purse!  Youngest daughter btw is still travelling the world... she's in Dubai now after being a bridesmaid in India to her friend....(sari and all!), then spending a few days in and around India... looking at the Taj Mahal amongst other things...  and now Dubai for 5 days before jetting off back home to Bermuda... she's certainly a globe trotter!

Big hugs to all
Christine xx

Pinkie.... Dies and Punches

Hi Peeps

Wowww this year is going to quickly....  seems that two weeks fly by so fast that I've barely got time to make my cards for In The Pink!  This time the challenge theme is Dies and/or Punches.... so I decided to get away from the Christmas cards I've been making lately and do a couple of fun cards!

This first card uses a Stamping Bella Uptown Girls stamp...  called Victoria and Juliette's Night Out!  I have to admit - they really DO look like a Victoria and a Juliette!!  I had fun colouring them... and of course glittering at least one of the dresses!!

Sideways view

Materials used:

• Image -Stamping Bella Victoria and Juliette's night out
• Card Creations pink dotty paper
• Copics to colour
• Bazzill cardstock
• Magnolia Doo-Hickey Romantic Lace edge die
• MFT Die-namics Daisy Die
• Sentiment - done on PC - Font is One Starry Night (free)
• Glitter (of course.....)

Now onto my second card which I've kept quite simple... 

I printed out some digi pink jacquard paper..... and punched the edge with a scallop punch.  I added a strip of the same colour paper along one side, and added gems at regular intervals.  Then I used a fabulous butterfly die.....  which of course I glittered up first......  and some smaller punched butterflies.  Again, I punched the edge with the scallop punch.  I decided not to add a sentiment (ok I chickened out!) as I couldn't figure what to put or where to put it!

I wish you could see how much it glitters and flutters in real life!!

Materials:

• Pink Petticoat Jacquard Paper
• Stampin Up Scallop Edge Punch
• Crystal Gems
• Large Butterfly - MFT Vivienne Butterfly Die
• Small Butterflies - a punch with no name!
• Glamour Dust (by the bucket load!)

Hope you like both of my pinkie cards...  they are very different shades of pink.. but both shades I like... and the pink dotty has more blue in it than is showing..  it's funny how the camera can turn any shade to another!  If you pop over to In The Pink... you'll see more details of the new challenge, and also fabulous creations from both my partner in crime - Sylvia and our lovely new Guest Designer - Christine from Nanaseaside.

Right.....  Yesterday we had new carpet put down from the insurance company after the leak I had earlier in the year... dining room and hall/stairs/landing... (was waiting for the decorator to do his bit) so today I'm going to try to get the house back to some semblance of tidiness... wish me luck!

Big hugs and Happy Crafting..

Christine x

Being a little 'Krafty'....

Morning Peeps

Well.... it's Anything Goes challenge time again....  and this time the theme is Sewing - Real or Faux.  A difficult one for me (aren't they all?? LOL), as I can never seem to sew in a straight line on card... though somehow I managed on my curtains (thank goodness!)

I decided to go way out of my comfort zone and try to use kraft card as the main part of the card...  a type of card my daughter (and probably most of the younger generation) goes for!  Sooo I used a lovely little digi Santa image called Santa Jump from Birdie Brown (it comes in a fab set with a few others too - so you'll definitely see him more on here).  I coloured him with Prismacolour pencils and blended- again out of my Copic comfort zone), then stamped a Paula Pascual Christmas Sentiment.  Of course, his beard, hat and bobble HAD to have glitter which doesn't show up well on this pic, but does IRL.   Then I waged war with my sewing machine and this is the best it could come up with.  The whole front panel is separate from the card, and I used 3D foam pads to lift it up.

So be kind ... I did my best at things I'm not used to using!!

Don't forget you can buy lots of craft items from Lynn at The Craft Den.

Big hugs and Happy Crafting..
Christine x

A time for turquoise...

Morning all..

Here's another card just for the fun of it!!  I finished my dining room curtains last night and put them up, so felt in the need to go sit in my craft room for a little while... and here's the result!

Let me introduce Blossom Annie from Sugar Nellie (she looks like she likes to be introduced... she looks so proper!)...  and I decided turquoise may be her colour (copics of course)..   Well of course, with the addition of some pink flowers.... well, I couldn't NOT could I???

I used DP's from my favourite Lucy Cromwell Papermania pad at the moment... just cut into squares and put onto Bazzill...  I thought it would have a nice effect.  She has glitter on her skirt and flowers btw, and a touch of Cosmic Shimmer pink PVA in the centre of her flowers...  There's also a few punched flowers here and there, and a punched butterfly.  And lastly, a Memory Box Corner Bow flourish to finish her off!  Oooh and the sentiment is a Pebbles rub on...  oooh and a few pearl dots around the image too..

Sideways view...

Have a lovely day girls whatever you're up to...  it's a nice bright day here and my lovely OH is off today, so who knows what we'll get up to?  In the fresh air I mean!

Thank you all for your lovely comments lately...  and welcome to my new followers...  I look forward always to hearing from you.... it really makes me happy to know that people like what I make!

Big hugs to all
Christine xx

An oh so simple Christmas Tree

Hi Peeps

Just an extremely quickie from me tonight...  I'm throwing together some cards that I know a neighbour that I sell to likes.... very, very clean and simple and white on white.... with just a splash of red!  (a la a certain high street store that my darling OH is employed by.... and if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me!)
It's not an easy card to photograph but I did my best!

I've used a Stampin Up punch - Petite Pennants Builder - I did one part in plain white and the other in glitter card.  Swiss Dots embossing folder for the first square, and then just plain white card for the rest.  The sentiment is from Pink Petticoat - and the punch, again, is a Stampin Up one - Word Window.... I find it comes in very, very handy and I use it lots!  A little red bow finishes it off...

So there you go.... let me know what you think please!

Have a good weekend all....  there's fireworks going on outside here tonight - I can hear them....  If you're going to bonfires or displays over the weekend, enjoy.......  but stay safe!!

Big hugs
Christine x