Scrapology December Card Challenge

This month at Scrapology, we challenge you to make a Christmas card - I am sure you have all made a few already :)

Here are mine -

The first one is 6x6". I used a new Martha Stewart PATP deep edge punch set and stamped a Woodware Christmas tree into the centre. This was mounted onto a card base of purple bazzill.

I stamped and cut out the Penny Black Fairy and coloured with Copics.

The message came with the tree stamp.

The fairy was added with 3d foam and her wings stickled.

Various gems were added the the snowflakes and tree image.

Based on the same design, I made the following for my friends at our monthly crop based on the same fairy image.

The base cards are cut from white bazzill and are 5" square. I punched a 4" square of white using the same PATP set and mounted it onto pieces of Doodlebug glittered cardstock in various shades.

The fairies were coloured to match using Copics then added with 3d foam.

I added a peel off message to the bottom corner with a gem.

More gems were added to the snowflakes on the frame.

I wasn't able to go this month as I was on holiday so the lovely Lynn took them with her - Thank-you Lynn.

The challenge is open until the 15th January so have a look at the blog post and send in yours - you never know, you may be the winner!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

xxx

Beach Babe - Scrapology December Challenge

The chosen page on Scrapology this month is a DIGI design which we felt would translate very well into paper.

Miki Krueger's design can be seen below along with our sketch.

This is my version -

I used some papers I've had for a while - MME - The Sweetest Thing - as the colours, I felt, really suited the photograph.

I started by cutting the yellow sheet to 11" square and gutted the Orange spot to fit.

My photograph(s) are just a little over 5x7" and I printed them at the same time onto an A4 piece of photographic paper.  Once the top edge was trimmed it was quite easy to slice into even, matching, strips.

I kept the coloured piece 2" so as not to disrupt the image of Lianne, then cut 1" strips either side until the edge of the photo.

Miki had "stapled" hers in place so I followed suit and did the same with the black and white strips.

The colour one was placed lower than the others and I added some Chevron paper from the same collection.

I used a sew easy freehand to get the pattern to stitch with some fibres.

I cut out other chevrons and used 3d foam to have them pointing down at her.

A few tags were stapled to the right side with letters and writing - I'm not very good at journalling so usually just add the bare minimum. Some dressed buttons were added to finish my design along with some Doodlebug letters for my title.

This is Miki's original layout and our sketch.

Details of the challenge and our lovely DT's pages can be found here.

Big Ben

 

Simon and Carol bought me this lovely Lego kit for my birthday - yes I do love Lego!

I used to spend many a happy hour when Simon was small helping him construct all sorts of things, I even had some of my own as a child which I used to build houses etc with - certainly not as advanced as the components today though!

 

I so enjoyed putting this together, Lianne helped too.

 

 

Isn't it fabulous....

 

The attention to detail is excellent.

 

Thank -you - I love it!

Christmas Layouts designed by Lynn

Lynn taugh these beautiful pages at the Cardinal Colours Retreat recently.

Check out her beautiful originals here.

Here a my versions.......

 

 

I added some punched snowflakes and extra gems,

 

My large snowflakes were sprayed with CC Spray and Sparkle in silver.

 

The letters I already had in my collection.

 

The second page I chose to do with the red background.

I always buy silly hats or Tiara's for Christmas dinner and this photo shows Robert with his antlers :)

 

These rosettes were glittered with the glue in the kit.

 

Thanks for a fabulous class Lynn, it was great fun to do :)

xxx

 

Autumnal birthday cards

 

Still catching up with my blogging - I have been bad lately!

 

These are cards I made for my crop friends - they only received them in November so couldn't show them before!

 

I used a stamp set from Woodware that I bought recently and based them on a design I saw instore.

Scraps were cut into 2" squares and stuck onto card.

I them stamped with a black ink onto the panel and mounted it onto black and a card with patterned paper.

 

 

The greeting is another new purchase from LOTV which I layered onto SU circle and scalloped punches. A row of gems were glued around the edge to add sparkle.

 

Being a new stamp, I wasn't happy with the depth of colour so tried to stamp over.

Not a good idea as I was slightly off :(

I saved the situation by using a glue pen and some irridescent glitter to add shadow.

I think it worked - happy accident?

 

The second was done the same way - sorry but I've just realised the photo is really blurred.

 

 

This time the stamp worked much better but I still added touches of glitter.

 The same stamped greeting was used but this time I used tiny gems (2mm) to edge it. 

 

Happy (Belated) Birthday to Chris and Zoe.

 

xxx

November bake off

I've had a busy month baking, first I tried Banana Muffins with toffee flavoured buttercream.

I even made the toffee :)

They are topped with little fudge pieces.

 

 

And Apple & Cinnamon cake.

I adjusted this recipe as I didn't have almond essence and flaked almonds so added the cinnamon instead.

 

 

I also made 50+ cupcakes for my birthday and forgot to take photos!

They had banana muffins as above (2nd batch) double chocolate with chocolate buttercream, Chocolate Peanut butter - a reeces peanut buttercup in a chocolate cupcake with chocolate and peanut butter icing, Strawberry and Coconut ones and of course Vanilla roses.

Think they went down well - all disappeared fast!

 

Then, I was asked to make Lyla a Peppa Pig cake for her 2nd birthday.

I started with a 12x12 sponge which I carved and sandwiched with buttercream and strawberry jam.

Looked like a bunny at this stage! :)

 

Then I covered a board with blue and green fondant to make a background.

 

And here is the finished cake in situ.........

 

Flowers were added with her name and age - which I then glittered.

I was quite pleased with the result but need to practice piping royal icing though.

 

And 30 vanilla rose cupcakes to go with it!

 

Hope you had a lovely birthday Lyla.

 

xxx

A sad card to make...........

One of my colleagues at work asked me to make a card for her friend who tragically lost her baby late in pregnancy. It always makes me sad to hear stories like these, it's so heartbreaking to lose anyone, let alone a baby.

 

She liked the peach/cream card I made recently for a 60th anniversary so I adapted the design and incorporated a poem she found.

 

 

I added Guipure lace to the edges and pearls.

 

a spray of butterflies....

 

and a bird on a branch....

 

And a box to keep it in too.

 

God bless and keep him

x



Wicked and the Rainforest Cafe.

For my birthday at the beginning of this month, I was treated to the Theatre and Dinner in London by my daughter, Lianne and my husband, Robert.

 

First we went to the Apollo Victoria and saw Wicked!

Wow! It was fabulous and we really enjoyed it!

 

 

The onto Leicester Square and the M&M shop.

I'm sad to say that they don't sell the peanut butter variety though! :(

Anyone off to the US that can bring some back?

They do, however, have a rainbow of colours as below!

 

 

 And some lovely characters too.....

 



 

Followed by The Rainforest Cafe in Shafetsbury Avenue.

We went here many years back and Lianne loved it although the food at the time was not brilliant.

This time it was the opposite and we had a fanastic meal.

 

Pre-dinner drinks gave me a Tiger's tail..........

 

 

And begs the question "Does my bum look big in this?"

(no comments please!) :)

We sat in the Butterfly Garden...

 

 

with large, mechanical butterflies.

Next door was a herd of Elephants...

 

And I had a chocolate volcano cake!

 

In the shop above, we were greeted by these lovely vibrant frogs...

 

And this fabulous Croc wished us Goodbye :)

 

 

Had a fabulous day - Thanks Robert & Lianne

xxxx