Happy Christmas

     A relatively quick and easy card to make using one of John Nextdoor's media plates.  I never bought a jelly plate but often wondered about trying it, so when John brought out his Mixed Media Plates I decided to get one.
     These plates are amazing in that they hold the ink long enough for you to create a whole scene on them and then you just press it on to your card, plus being clear you can see what you've got straight away. I ended up buying several shapes and a stamp press so I shall be spending some time playing around with these.
     This image is one layer of colour stamped, then another layer of darker edge stamped, followed by snowflakes stamped on to the plate then on to the card. All these layers mean a stamp press is vital, especially for me as I know I couldn't line it all up again and again without making a real mess of it.
 

     Here's wishing you all a good holiday and crafty new year.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Christmas Cards All Year Round - Anything Christmas Goes   (M)

The Holly & The Ivy - Anything Christmas   (M)

Have A Very Jelly Christmas

     Now that these gifts have been delivered I can share the pictures. Handmade gifts in handcrafted packaging for three very keen cooks.

      It all started with the Redcurrant jelly, after a bumper crop over the last few years the poor old bush decided to die this year, it will be sadly missed.
     Several of my close friends are very keen cooks so I thought it would be a good idea to give them all a jar of Redcurrant Jelly with a recipe tag for a port sauce.
     Then the quince tree decided to provide so much fruit that I made jelly, jam, lots of crumbles and gave some away too. The fruit is very hard, it has to be cooked to be eaten but is well worth the effort.
     The labels have been made using a digital stamp from MHK Designs, inked and die cut with a double sided sticky backing from Stix2.

     So now I had two jars with pretty die cut paper tops over the traditional cellophane one, both with recipe tags on, to wrap.
     A Kraft gift bag was the perfect solution, but a plain brown bag doesn't look very festive does it. A good reason to break out the Christmas dies and set to.
     All the dies used for the bag front are Sizzix but the tag dies are from other suppliers. Each tag has been edged with brown ink, as well as the cut out stags head and the little splash of red finished them off.
     I just hope the recipients get as much pleasure from the contents as I did  when making them.

I would like to enter my handcrafted gifts and packaging in the following challenges:

Creates and Makes - Anything Goes   (M)

Paper Minutes - Gifts   (W)

Merry Monday - Tic, Tac, Toe (Die cut, Twine, a little Green)   (W)

CraftyHazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes   (M)

The Holly and The Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes   (M)

The Merry Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas    (W)

Penguins In The Glasshouse

     I recently attended a workshop at Keep On Crafting in Bury St.Edmunds hosted by a new tutor, Val, fab class and great lady, I'm looking forward to her next class in March.

   We made these little igloos using glasses from a charity shop, a Sharpie pen and lots of lovely Glamour Dust stuck on with PVA glue.
   The penguins were made with paper clay in a silicone mould. Val very kindly made these in advance so they were completely dry for us to colour with acrylic paints.
    While the penguin paint dried we had time to decorate the glass and turn it into an igloo. I didn't finish mine that day so when I got home I added sparkle to an old CD with three glass pebbles stuck on the bottom for feet and stuck my penguins on it.
    Once dry I stuck the glass to the CD and added the snow penguin outside the igloo. The top has a few die cut sparkly icicles around it but nothing on top yet as I can't decide what to put on it, maybe nothing.
      A table decoration with a difference, I like to have something new each year and it's always so much more fun to make it yourself, thanks Val.

I would like to enter my igloo in the following challenges:

Crafting By Design - Anything Christmas Goes   (M)

The Merry Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes   (W)    Top Pick

The Sisterhood Of Crafters - All About Christmas   (F)

Eclectic Ellapu - Christmas   (M)

Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes   (M)

Seasons Greetings From The Male Room

     This will be our last challenge of the year at The Male Room, you have almost three weeks to link up your masculine project this time.

     I picked up a box of kraft tags with a reel of twine and a bunch of mini pegs at a bargain price. They came in a neat little box with an acetate lid and a little card sleeve cover. I have ditched the cover in favour of a coloured twine wrap to be added when all the tags are decorated.
     Each tag has either a die cut shape, a stamp or both, in traditional colours and edged with brown ink. They can be used as gift tags or pegged to the twine to form a hanging decoration.
     The Male Room will return on the 3rd of January with a brand new challenge, have a very happy holiday season.

I would like to enter my tags in the following challenges:

Christmas At Sweet Stampin' - Anything Christmas Goes   (M)

A Snowflakes Promise - Anything Christmas Goes   (M)

CraftyHazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes   (M)

The Holly And The Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes   (F)

House Of Cards - Holiday Blog Hop

      Welcome to our Holiday Blog Hop at House Of Cards. Full details about the hop are a little lower down the page.
     I have used an image from Imagine That and coloured it with alcohol markers, then die cut using a stitched tag shape. The greeting is also die cut with the same set and coloured with Distress ink.
    The background paper is from MHK Designs with the colour altered in my photo package so it matches the image colours.
    After sticking the paper layer on a white card blank the tag were added with a few foam pads underneath to give the depth. A little curling ribbon was put through the hole to finish off the card.

Christmas Past

Snowman with tree hat

       

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Aud Sentiment - Christmas with a Sentiment   (F)

Christmas Cards All Year Round - Anything Christmas   (M)

Sparkles Christmas - Snowman/men   (M)

You should have arrived here from Michele's Blog. This hop will run FROM December 1ST AT 6:00 AM CST THROUGH December 15TH AT NOON CST,  ANY CARD STYLE is welcome and we've got a gorgeous photo inspiration for your crafting enjoyment!

 
Now get hoppin'!  Your next stop is Rosi's Blog!  Don't forget to link up a project with us after completing the hop for an extra chance to win a mystery prize from one of our fabulous sponsors, too!  Happy stamping to you all! :)

MHK Designs

Digistamps 4 Joy

Imagine That Digistamp

Beccy's Place

House of Cards Challenge Blog

Mynn | Judy |  Chanya13 | Cohenna 
Donna | Em | Heather | Jane

Karen | Katarina | Merethe

Michele | Rocky | Rosi 

Shawna | Shirley | Sue N. | Susan 

Twinkle, Twinkle

     More recycling for Altered Eclectics new challenge which starts today, this time you will have two months to upload your project as we are taking our January break to return on February 1st.

 
     Just incase you hadn't noticed I love working with magazine straws, it takes a while to make a batch but they can be done a few at a time and stock piled.
     These stars were made after watching a really good video on You Tube that takes you from start to finish.

   
    The addition of a little glitter on the ridges makes all the difference to them, the silver one is so pretty I shall hang it in my window for Christmas, these pictures don't really do them justice.
     Please pop over to the blog and see all the amazing projects the DT have made, it also well worth browsing through the array of stunning work submitted by our followers, you can't fail to be inspired.
     All that remains for me to say is Seasons Greeting to you and Altered Eclectics will see you again in February.

I would like to enter these stars in the following challenges:

Crimbo Crackers - Anything Christmas Goes   (F)

Star Stampz - Add Some Sparkle   (F)

Jingle Belles - Baby It's Gold Outside   (F)