Crystal Forest

     This project was the first one I made with the new Jane's Tree die set from John Next Door, I loved the idea of having a 3D tree. I have used a few of his other die sets to make the complete project, all part numbers are listed below.

      Using a strong white card I cut two of Jane's Tree and two of each of the larger deer from Four Seasons, plus two base pieces from the Large Lantern die set.
      I cut down the centre of one tree to the middle and up the other tree to the middle, then I slotted them together. They were then stuck onto the completed base card, glued and covered with clear glitter.
      To make the deer stand up I stuck each pair together at the top and inserted an acetate bracket between their feet.
      There is also a small pine tree from Finlay's Trees and two sets of flowers from the Four Season's set, all of these have been left as plain card - no glitter.

       The Large Lantern is cut from snowfall acetate and assembled with redline tape. Once all the plants and animals were stuck to the card base I slid it inside the lantern, stuck it down and tied the top shut with a small length of string.
      To decorate the top and hide the string I made a big bow using wire edged silver ribbon and die cut some of Lesley's Twigs, a piece of ivy and a couple of Pinstripe Poinsettia.
      These were all stuck on with hot glue, the large flower at the front and the small one at the back.   

      To finish off around the outside I die cut some icicles in plain white card and stuck them upside down, all the way around the base to look like snow covered grass.
      I did toy with the idea of adding a small light in the top, but didn't have much time to puzzle over how to fit it or how to switch it on and off, so I'll have to try that on another one sometime.
      I think this would make a nice table centre, if you have inquisitive little fingers around it's quite safe as it's all inside the acetate case and if it is dropped it won't shatter.
      Jane's Tree die set, plus a few others, will be on Hochanda on Sunday, so keep a look out for the Crystal Forest.

Materials List
JND195 - Jane's Tree die set  : centre tree
JNDCC019 - Large Lantern
JND190 - Pinstripe Pionsettia Die
JNDCC017 - Poinsettia Die (solid shape)
JND187 Twig die set
JND124 Ivy Corner die
JND196 Finleys Trees : small tree 
JND194 - Four Seasons : deer & shrubs
CTGFP-10 Monochrome Glitter Card : white
CAT002 - Glue Glaze pen
S57085 - Ultra Clear Tape : Redline tape
S57262 - 3D PVA Glue

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

Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas

As You Like It - Favourite way to add ribbon & why.....a bow to hide something
Crimbo Crackers - Anything Christmas #214
The Holly & Ivy - Anything Christmas     Top 5
Classic Design - Anything Goes
Worldwide Open Design Team - Anything Goes for a DT  (Lockwood Angel)

Light Up Your Christmas

     This project has been so much fun to make for two reasons, one-I love making Christmas items and two-I finally get to spill the beans on why things have been so quiet on here.........I can't tell you how pleased I am to have been asked to make some samples for John Nextdoor. These die sets were released on TV Thursday and the tree die proved to be a firm favourite.

      This die has no end cut so you can make a continuous line of trees, just by cutting and moving it along you can create a whole forest the full length of your cardstock.
      The bottle I used came from a shop called Flying Tiger, it is plastic which makes it safer for use around little people, and the bottom comes off for you to decorate inside.
       A full sheet of A4 card was slightly short of a perfect fit inside, not being sure of the exact depth I wanted I cut my forest across the middle of the card so it gave me room to play with.

   
      Using the deer set of dies I cut all three strips and coloured my deer brown. I left a tab on the bottom of each animal so I could glue them to the base of the forest, leaving them white means they hardly show when the light is on.
      Some of the deer are facing the opposite way to the way they were cut, as long as both sides are coloured this gives you double the possible poses of your animals.

      So the LED tealight I used inside could not be seen and the glow would be even I used a sheet of thick vellum and stuck it behind my trees.
      I also wanted falling snow so I used a sheet of acetate sprayed with Stix2 White Fabric Spray and stuck that, once dry, behind the vellum.
      Three layers were a bit harder to curve when putting them in the bottle but as long as you are very careful with the branches it's pretty easy to slide it all in. I didn't glue the forest scene inside the bottle as it sits quite happily against the plastic.

   
     The top of the bottle looked a little empty so I cut John's Ivy Corner die in green card, coloured it with a darker green and a touch of brown, then worked it with a ball tool. The resulting garland had dimension and a slightly mote natural colouring.
     The garland sits quite happily at the top of the bottle, as it's inside some of the leaves tuck over the vellum and this helps hold it in place, so no ugly glue marks to cover.

     All that remained was to cover the neck of the bottle. I'm not big on bows and frills but this was crying out for a bow. I had some hessian in my stash in various widths, you know how it is, you but several types just in case you might need them, well I did need them.
     I wrapped some wide hessian round the neck, then made a bow from the narrower one. I have an old artificial Christmas tree in my greenhouse that comes out each year on the front porch, this now has one small needle set missing!
    The berries were bought a couple of years ago but the cones are real, they are the result of a visit to a country house with lots of different varieties of pine tree and a carrier bag. All items were added to the bottle with hot glue.
     The LED tealight is held to the base with stickytac, I couldn't glue it in place as the switch is on the bottom.

Materials list - dies
  JNDC  C021 - Deer Scenes                               
  JND 141 - Woodland Trees                               
  JND 124 - Ivy Corner                                         

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

Sparkles Christmas - It's Snowtime

The Holly and Ivy Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes

Crimbo Crackers - Anything Christmas Goes

Cut It Up - Die Cut Critter

Christmas Crafts All Year Round - Add A Tree

Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

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)

Merry Monday Reindeer

     This project is for Merry Monday who very kindly asked me to be a Guest DT member this week. The challenge this week is to make a Christmas card with a reindeer on it and I had just the stamp in my stash from Indigo Blu, I'm ashamed to say that this is the first time it has seen ink.

      I started with a large piece of white card and stamped my image using Archival Ink Cobalt. I had seen a sample made for Indigo Blu that I just loved, it's why I bought the stamp, but I'm sorry to say I can't remember who made it, if it was you then 'Thank You'.
     Distress Inks Faded Jeans and Dusty Concord where used to make the sky once it had been masked with a die cut circle for the moon and a torn edge to make snow drifts.
     On the second snowdrift I also stamped a bush using the top of the tree while the mask was still in place and again at the bottom of the picture.

      I cut my card down to a size I was happy with, cutting off part of the tree and placing the image in the corner, I think this is what drew me to the original sample, it's off centre.
     Once trimmed to size I added iridescent glitter to the snow on top of the cliff and to the moon. Then spritzed the whole picture with Dreamweaver Moonstone mica powder in water, the shimmer that this gives is amazing and perfect for subtle glimmering snow.
     The image is mounted on Amethyst card, then lilac before going on to a dark blue surround. It makes for a lovely card but I might just have to frame it as a Christmas picture and hang it on the wall next month.
   
     Thank you to Merry Monday for asking me to join them this week, I have had great fun finally using this stamp. Please pop over and join in the challenge by adding your reindeer card to the herd.

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

ABC Christmas - W is for Wild Thing

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long - Anything Christmas Goes

A Snowflakes Promise - Anything Christmas

Alphabet Challenge - T is for Tis The Season

A 'Deer' Little Treat Box for The Male Room

If you are looking for the House Of Cards Blog Hop post then please click HERE

    I know...... my posts are like buses, nothing for a week or two and then three in a row! It's the beginning of a new month and Christmas mayhem too. Just spent a long weekend in Wales with my parents, no mobile phone reception, no computer either and if  it wasn't for freesat  there'd be no TV ......very relaxing!

    This little chap here is for our new challenge over at The Male Room, we would like to see something masculine with a food or drink theme. It doesn't have to be a card, it could be a gift or a scrapbook page, a tag or a decoration as long as it fits our theme and is for a man or boy in your life.

    I was given the template for this deer by my friend Val who is always making something interesting. I have enlarged him as another friend has asked me to make some to hold six truffles for gifts to workmates.

    He is cut from a brown slip folder that you can find in any stationary shop, I had some in the cupboard so I thought I'd use them up. I put Distress Ink on my embossing folder before I ran the body through so I got a darker brown background to my snowflake pattern. The face is drawn on with a brown pen, he has wobbly eyes from my sons craft box and a red nose pompom that was in a Christmas bits box on the shelf , his bell is from a well known chocolate rabbit so I think you could say that he's a complete stash deer. He holds half a dozen or so wrapped sweets and is just the right size to sit on the Christmas table, you could even write a name on him to use as a place marker.

    I hope you find time to join us at The Male Room with your creations.

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

Inkspirational - Anything Goes

Holly Jolly - Anything Goes

Try It On Tuesday - A Handmade Gift or Tag

Sparkles Christmas Challenge - Christmas Feasts and Treats

CrafthHazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra - Anything Goes

Little Brown Deer

    Here is this weeks Christmas card. 52 Christmas Card Throwdown are looking for Christmas animals, Jingle Belles would like your card to be in neutral shades, Sparkles Christmas Challenge would like you to use 3 flowers, 2 gems and 1 image and last but by no means least CraftyHazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra are happy with anything Christmassy.
   I began by stamping the image in Archival Ink Coffee on cream pearl card and then clear embossed it, it's a Penny Black stamp called 'Wish for peace'. The cream is matted on to satin gold then pearl chocolate card. The next layer is Kraft card put through a snowfall embossing folder, matted on another piece of chocolate pearl and finally on a cream 7x5 card.
   The flowers are punched from mat gold, patterned cream and plain cream card stock with foliage die cut with a Spellbinder Foliage die. Two of the flowers have gems but the top one does not, I did think about a butterfly but you don't see those in a snowy forest so I left it bare.

  The inside of the card is stamped with an All Night Media Anna Griffin stamp but has no name that I can find. I have used Archival Coffee again, I like this colour as it's strong but not as harsh as black and looks great on cream. I've added a little holly sprig to the envelope too.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Christmas animal

Jingle Belles - Neutral Noel

Sparkles Christmas Challenge - 3 flowers, 2 gems, 1 image

CraftyHazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra - Anything goes

Elegant Antlers

I'd like to introduce Timothy, one of the less well known reindeer.  Tim has been made using a Sizzix Bigz die called Elegant Flourishes.  I cut two of the small flourishes from pearl chocolate card and turned one of them over to mirror the other, then pushed them together to make Tim's head. He has two small wobbly eyes, a little red gem glued on for his nose and a small piece of brown card cut to fit behind his face.
Tim is mounted on foam pads and stuck on to a background stamped with a very useful stamp from Penny Black called Christmas Story - available as a Slapstick cling stamp. The stamp was inked up with Distress Inks in Fired Brick and Forest Moss on to cream card.
The green holly leaf border is punched using a Martha Stewart punch around the page set. You start off with a piece of card measuring 5 x 6.75 inches and end up with a centre just under 6 x 4.
Then the last layer is a cherry red card blank. I have used a small piece of the same card to cut out a bauble with a Spellbinder die - 2011 Heirloom Ornaments which is then hung from Tim's antler with thin gold thread. The greeting is from a set of Penny Black stamps called Christmas Critters and embossed in gold. I have added tiny gold corners to the background just to give a little shine. 

Whenever you buy a new die have a play with the pieces, it's amazing what else you can make with them. 

Christmas greens

 This weeks Christmas card was inspired by an inspirational photo shown on Christmas Stampin'  All Year Round, all that was needed then was to join it to the other challenges I wish to enter.
I began with a white background, masked off a small circle and then used Distress Ink Iced Spruce to create the sky and snow drifts. I left the moon mask in place while I spritzed the card with water to create snowflakes, I have also spritzed with a pearl mica spray to get a subtle shimmer.
The tree was die cut using a Memory Box die and then placed on sticky film before sprinkling with green glitter.

Ultra mini brads in pale green have been added to the tree before it was stuck in place on the background. The reindeer was die cut with a Sizzix die from the Merry Christmas Set in textured gold card and then mounted on foam pads onto the background. The card was matted onto dark green card before a ribbon greeting was added to the top corner. The next mat layer is the same gold textured card as the deer and finally matted onto a card of the same green as the tree.
It may be August 1st but there are only 145 days to Christmas!!!
I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:
52 Christmas Card Throwdown  
Christmas Stampin' All Year Long
Jingle Belles 
Christmas Card Challenges
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge