Merry Christmas!

 I made a couple cards yesterday when I was baking my pavlova! The last two Christmas cards are for my family. We usually celebrate together on Christmas Eve. My brother arrived from Oman yesterday morning, he was as sick as a dog and ended up in bed all night! Oh well, more food for the rest of us! I'm adding this card to Retro Sketch #95, Basic Grey Challenge #110 - Anything Goes and Paper Crafts December Gallery - Holidays! Wishing all my blogging friends a very Merry Christmas and May we make more cards in 2014!! I've got some photos to share from our Christmas celebrations too!

Lots of presents under our Christmas tree!

My pavlova for Christmas eve!

Chocolate fudge puddings

My desserts on Christmas day - Chocolate fudge puddings, Watermelon ice and salad.

Ingredients for the Card!
Neenah Solar White, Basic Grey 25th and Pine, Hero Arts CL634, Versamark, White EP, Hemp from Hemtique, Lil Inkers Stitched Squares and Circles Dies.

13 Days Til Christmas

Another quick card today (just what we need right now) made with my favourite patterned paper of all time! You guessed it - Basic Grey Aspen Frost. Not sure what I'll do when I run out! A quick and easy card made with no stamping! Thanks for dropping by… still need to get all my cards sent! I've already received 3 lovely handmade cards! Thank you Lyndal, Michelle and Jenny!

Ingredients
Neenah Solar White, Basic Grey Aspen Frost 6x6 and die cuts, sequins and Kaisercraft rhinestones.

16 Days Til Christmas

Yikes! Christmas is only 2 weeks away! I am so not ready for Christmas! Here is a card that I made a while ago for a publication call but did not get picked up. This is a very simple card to make for people like me who is always doing things last minute! I've embossed the front of the card and added some banners and a die cut. A ribbon and some gems finished off the card nicely without getting out the ink pads! Got to get those Christmas cards sent out this week! Thanks for dropping by!

I'm adding this to Ribbon Carousel Challenge 88 - Anything Goes!

Ingredients
Neenah Solar White, Basic Grey Aspen Frost 6x6 and die cuts, Hero Arts Sizzix EF, Kaisercraft Sparklets and red ribbon.

17 Days Til Christmas

Welcome to my 8th card for the 8th day in December. This card is based on the current modern and whimsical style cards as shown in Make it Monday. I based the card on the current Fusion Challenge sketch (Yay! It's back!) using Basic Grey Aspen Frost and PTI stamps. I'm also adding this card to Ribbon Carousel Challenge 88 - Anything Goes. Thanks for dropping by!

Ingredients

Neenah Solar White and red card stock, Papertrey Ink Mega Mendhi Medallions and Holiday Photo Fihishers, Versarmark, White EP, Basic Grey Aspen Frost, vellum, MT Tape and twine.

18 Days Til Christmas

This is my 6th daily blog of Christmas inspirations. I have this one made a while ago for a publication call based on a sketch. I used my favourite Basic Grey Aspen Frost paper for this card using mainly offcuts. Added a few touches with stickles, sequins, ribbon and rhinestones to complete the card. Too easy! I'm submitting this card to Basic Grey's Challenge 109 - Happy Christmas.

I had a lovely lunch yesterday with a few Melbourne Blogging friends. Originally, I met up with Jenny earlier this year and then a few months later we met up again joined by Lyndal. Yesterday, we had Chupa from CASE Study Challenge and Michelle (DT from A Blog Named Hero) joined us. Well, we had so much to chat about that I almost forgot the time and was rushing to my next appointment! Lyndal gave us each one of the cards she made with some extra goodies inside, I was very lucky to receive this card! We want to meet again, but next time, we want to spend a few hours crafting together. That would be so awesome! 

L-R Chupa, Jenny, Michelle and Lyndal

My treats for the girls - something to keep them going whilst crafting!

A view of Christmas trees at Myer where we had lunch!

Ingredients

Neenah Solar White and Desert Storm, Basic Grey Aspen Frost, ribbon, button, hemp from Hemptique, Ranger Stickles, Kaisercraft rhinestones and sequins.

23 Days Til Christmas!

Christmas card day 2 - This is a very simple card using lots of die cuts. My newest acquisition is the Lil Inkers Stitched Squares, so easy to use when you are in a hurry! No more crooked squares! I based this design on the current retro sketch #92.
I'm submitting this card for the following challenges:
- Retro Sketch #92
- Hero Arts Holiday Challenge (My favourite technique - Paper Piecing)
- Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
- Basic Grey Challenge 109 - Happy Christmas
- Paper Crafts November Gallery Challenge - Sequins
- Die Cut Divas - December Challenge

Ingredients

Neenah Solar White and Desert Storm, Red Card Stock, Lil Inkers Stitched Squares die, MFT DieNamics Flags Layers STAX, Basic Grey Aspen Frost and Triad Leaves EF, Hero Arts 657780 Holiday Cheer, Ranger Archival Jet Black, red ribbon and sequins

25 Days Til Christmas - Day 1

Well, I am way behind this year with Christmas cards. So to get myself going, I plan to do daily blogs from the 1st until the 25th of December of Christmas cards, projects and inspirations. The first one for December is one I made last night using one of my favourite Hero Arts stamps and my favourite PP from last year, Basic Grey's Aspen Frost (I still have a pad left).
I'm submitting this card for the following challenges:
- Hero Arts Holiday Challenge (My favourite technique is Chalkboard)
- Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
- Basic Grey Challenge 109 - Happy Christmas
- CAS-ual Fridays - CFC122 Out on a limb

Ingredients
Neenah Desert Storm, Red Card stock, Basic Grey Aspen Frost 6x6, Hero Arts CL559 Greatest Gift, Versamark, White EP, white gel pen

Christmas Cards 1

It's never too late to start on Christmas cards! I have a couple of cards that I would like to share. These were done by using Basic Grey Aspen Frost patterned papers and dies, some dry embossing and very little stamping. I stamped various sentiment stamps onto coloured PP with Versamark and embossed with gold or silver embossing powders, adhered onto cardstock and cut with a circle die. These were then mounted onto the card with dimensional foam!  Quick and easy, the best way to make Christmas cards!

I'm submitting these cards for the following challenges:

- Hero Arts Holiday Challenge (embossing is one of my favourite techniques)

- Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Christmas and Holiday Challenge 

Ingredients
Neenah Solar White cardstock, Basic Grey Aspen Frost 6x6, Basic Grey Aspen Frost Die Duts, Hero Arts CL634 Aspen Believe, Versamark, Embossing Powder, Red ribbon, Kaisercraft rhinestones, Fiskars Scalloped edge punch, Tim Holtz embossing folder, Silver and gold embossing powder, MFT DieNamics Flags STAX

Published!

I've been a bit absent lately from the blog world. It's just been too busy the last week with a lot of things all happening at once. A recent submission of mine to Paper Crafts Magazine's last paper edition is out! So finally, I can show it! You can find my card in the Sketch Category on page 25 of the magazine.

Paper Crafts November/December 2013, page 25

This is the second card I submitted for the same sketch category, but didn't get selected. I'm submitting this card to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Use a rubber stamp. Thanks for dropping by!

Ingredients

Card 1

Neenah Desert Storm, Basic Grey Aspen Frost 6x6, Basic Grey Aspen Frost Die Cut Shapes, Red ribbon,  Kaisercraft rhinestones, Tim Holtz Regal Embossing folder

 Card 2
Neenah Natural white cardstock, Kaisercraft Turtle Dove 6x6, Kaisercraft Turtle Dove Collections, Tim Holtz Christmas Carol stamp, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Gathered Twigs, Kaisercraft rhinestone

Sweet Christmas Sketch

My 99th blog post and 16th Christmas card - nearly there! I'm reserving my 100th post for the Hero Arts 24 hour scramble this weekend. Come and join in the fun - a 90 minute scramble every 2 hours for 24 hours! I will be hosting one at 7:30pm AEST (2:30am CST) this Saturday. Anyway onto my card. I haven't done a Sweet Sunday sketch for quite a while now and I quite liked this one, so I decided to submit a card. The stamp was part part of a freebie when ordering stamps or dies from MFT last month, I've had fun with some of these sentiments. I've stamped the sentiment on red paper with Versamark and clear embossed it before coating the paper with Viva Precious Metal. I'd also used this technique on another card done recently. The Snowflake was die cut from silver card and plain card with JAC paper on top. The crystal glitter was then sprinkled on top and burnished onto the snowflakes - I love this technique and have done all my snowflakes and edges this way! The background paper was embellished with stickles, silver gel pen and red rhinestones. Here's my card with the sketch below it:

Ingredients:

Cardstock - Neenah Solar White, Silver metallic

Paper - Basic Grey Aspen Frost

Stamp - MFT Christmas Sentiments

Ink - Versamark

EP - Clear and Clear Crystals

Die - MFT DieNamics Fishtail STAX, MFT Snowflakes

Others - Viva Precious Metal, Stickles, Silver Gel pen, Kaisercraft rhinestones, Rhinestone brad

HCW5

Hi All, been too busy lately to do all the Online Holiday Card Workshop cards so I decided to pick one inspired by Kristina Werner on Day 5 to do with the current Retro Sketch. Without giving too much of the class away, the sentiment is clear embossed on red paper. Instead of using Perfect Pearls (mine didn't work out too well), I used Viva Precious Metal in silver instead - this gave a brighter silver colour. A strip of the patterned paper and the woven circle were embossed with glitter, although it is hard to make it show up in the photo. I'm also submitting this card to the Hero Arts November and the A Blog Named Hero's The Ol' 1-2 Punch challenges.  I'm looking forward to next week's HCW classes!

Ingredients:

Cardstock - Neenah Solar White

Paper - Basic Grey Aspen Frost

Stamp - Hero Arts CL634

Ink - Versamark

Dies - Memory Box Woven Circle, MFT Die-Namics Fishtail STAX, MFT Die-Namics Open edge scallop, Spellbinders Nestabilities Circles, corner punch

Others - Glitter Embossing powder, Hemptique cord, Kaisercraft rhinestones

Retro Christmas Scramble

I made a card for the Hero Arts Flickr Group 90 minute scramble this morning. The challenge was to make a card with non traditional colours. I based my card on the current Retro Sketch #35 and used Basic Grey's papers. I decided to use blues/greens and a slight hint of red. I used the MFT Dienamics Fishtail STAX die for the banner. This was won for submitting a card drive for Maddy by Jana Millen (I received the prizes two days ago). Thanks Jana! I made the card in under 60 minutes, a personal best! I'm also submitting this card to the Basic Grey - Anything Goes challenge and CAS-ual Fridays' Kraft On Challenge. Thanks for dropping by!

Ingredients:

Cardstock - Via Vellum Kraft, Neenah Solar White

Papers - Basic Grey Aspen Frost and pb&j

Stamps - Hero Arts CL558, 657780

Ink - Hero Arts midtone Pool and Stone Wash

Dies - HA 657780, MFT fishtail flag Stax

Others - Ranger stickles, Kaisercraft rhinestones, Twine from The Twinery

Aspen Christmas 2

I really love the new Aspen Frost collection from Basic Grey. Love the modern Christmas colours. I used the current Retro sketch for this card. The glittery strip was done with Versamark and glitter embossing powder. I'm also submitting this card into the Hero Arts October challenge, A Blog Named Hero's CAS challenge and CAS-Fridays' Over The Edge challenge. Thanks for dropping by!

Challenges:

Hero Arts October Challenge - Holiday card

Retro Sketches - Sketch #34

CAS-Fridays - CFC75 Over the Edge

A Blog Named Hero - Clean up your act

Ingredients:

Cardstock - Neenah Classic Solar White

Paper - Basic Grey Aspen Frost 6x6

Stamp - Hero Arts CL634

Ink - Versamark, Ranger Archival Jet Black

Die - Memory Box Woven Circle,  MFT DieNamics Scallop Edge

Others - Kaisercraft rhinestones, Glitter embossing powder

Aspen Christmas 1

I was so excited to receive my order of Basic Grey's Aspen Frost paper and couldn't wait to start on my Christmas cards. The very first card I made was sent to Papercraft's World Card Making Day contest, so I cannot show it yet. The one I made is below, based on the BG sketch by Shari Carroll. I also used my new die from Memory Box  (this is going to be my new favourite die) and the die from the Hero Arts Holiday Cheer to cut the cute reindeer. I paper pieced a jumper for him! Check out the inside of the card! I've left the rest or the card plain so that I an submit this card into CAS-ual Fridays's Over the Edge challenge, A Blog named Hero's CAS challenge and Hero Arts October challenge.
Come back again tomorrow for another card I made on the weekend.Thanks for dropping by!

Challenge:
Basic Grey - Basic Card Sketch
CAS-ual Fridays - CFC75 Over the Edge
Hero Arts October Contest - Holiday Cards
A Blog Named Hero - Clean up your act
Ingredients:
Cardstock - Via Vellum Kraft
Paper - Basic Grey Aspen Frost 6x6 pad
Ink - Hero Arts Red Royal, Ranger Archival Jet Black
Stamps - Hero Arts 657780 Holiday Cheer, CL558, CL634
Dies - Memory Box Woven Circle, HA 657780, Spellbinders Nestabilities circles
Others - Kaisercraft rhinestones, White gel pen