Another snowman

I am pleased to have made another Christmas card, first one for May.  It's another Lili of the Valley snowman coloured with Copics.  I used a MFT stitched rounded corner die and my corner punch.  The paper is last year's First Edition and I added a postcard from a Bo bunny pack, some old stars from Hobbycraft and a LOTV sentiment.

I made another card yesterday which I can't share with you yet and a vase and two plaques which I decoupaged.  I have ordered some more napkins from Ebay as I can't find many pretty ones locally.  They should be here later this week so looking forward to having another play.

 

Another Christmas Card!

Two in two days, whoopee. I was colouring an image I can't share with you yet and decided to colour a couple of the lovely LOTV snowmen too.  I coloured him with Copics adding snow with a white gel pen.  The paper is Bo Bunny Altitude.  

The sentiment is LOTV.  I added some texture with some old raffia lace which I used to use a lot, some silver glittery ribbon, wooden trees from Hobbycraft a few years ago, a wooden snowflake and an oddment of a diecut using my fave Doohickey fence die.  I added some doodling with a black fineliner pen and then covered most of it up 😂.

 

Cross stitched snowman

Yesterday we visited my Mum and went out for a lovely Christmas lunch. Next time we see her will be Christmas Day so we exchanged Christmas cards.  I recently bought the new snowman patterns from Catkin and Lillie's Etsy shop and just had to sew one of them for Mum's card.  I remembered I have some red material and thought it would be much better for showing off the snowman.  As I started to stitch it I realised it is 16 count rather than 14 count so he came out a bit smaller than the pattern.  It was also slightly more challenging to sew that size.

I used a MFT scalloped frame, old LOTV papers, ribbon from stash snowflake banner from The Works and Marianne and Joy tree dies with some embossed card.

Wind and snow

We had a great time Friday night, lovely meal and brilliant show.  Then we stayed overnight in the Premier Inn and came home after breakfast Saturday morning.  We had to go to Prima Rosa to restock some items and I discovered that both my felt penguins had sold so I need to make some more of those.

I have been playing with my Card-io stamps again and I don't know why I have never thought of stamping a snowflake wreath before. However after seeing a card on my newest follower Alison's blog I decided to have a go as I really liked the one she made. The beauty of sharing our creations is inspiring others so thank you Alison.

After I stamped the snowflake wreath I thought the snowman losing his hat in the wind was the perfect centre piece.  I simply added some Stickles and layered onto purple card.  I do prefer layering onto coloured card rather than stamping onto the card blank as it gives it more emphasis.

Cardmaking this morning then we are going out for lunch.  It is a long time since we had Sunday lunch out and we are going to a local restaurant we haven't been to for ages apart from a breakfast a few weeks ago so hoping the good reports are correct.

 

Another Snowman!

I am trying to work my way through some of the images I have stamped or printed and this is one of many LOTV snowmen which came out last year.  They have such sweet faces and are so easy to colour.  I used Copics and some old Dovecraft papers. I added some sparkle with a clear sparkle pen and some snow with a white gel pen.

I found the snowflake dies which I think may have been in a bundle I bought from someone who has given up crafting.  The snowflake border is from The Works.  I used Dovecraft adhesive glitter card.

 

Pink and grey snowman

I am really starting to feel better now apart from feeling a bit tired still.  We had our flu jabs on Saturday and both had aching arms afterwards.  Poor Graham ached all over and was very tired on Saturday and Sunday but was better yesterday.  My arm is still tender to the touch.

I bought this Serendipity stamp at a charity shop and coloured him with Copics.  I added some glitter mixed with fun flock to the snow.  The wonky stitched oval is a MFT die.  The papers are some old LOTV ones and the poinsettias are from Hobbycraft.

A jolly snowman

I finally got my results on Friday and I have had food poising (campylobacter) so I have a course of antibiotics which are starting to make me feel a lot better thank goodness.

I had a play with my Card-io stamps and made 4 cards.  This is the first where I stamped a wreath using various foliage stamps and then stamped the jolly snowman.  I added some red liquid pearls and layered onto red card to match.

It's a dreadful day here at the moment, wet and windy.  I am going to schedule some posts for the next few days and hope the afternoon improves so we can go food shopping.

 

Snowman and friends

I have been busy making but just haven't had time for adding to my blog.  I have been sewing more than cardmaking but I did make this card at the weekend.

The image is from one of this year's launches at LOTV and is called snowman and friends.  I coloured him With Copics adding some snow using a white gel pen.  I used a MFT clouds stencil and a MFT stitched rounded corner die. The papers are some lovely vintage ones I bought on holiday.  I used a Whimsy fence die and a wooden snowflake which I coloured with a wink of Stella white pen.  The sentiment is LOTV.

Another new week and I still have lots of Christmas cards to make and lots of sewing to do for my craft fairs.  This morning though we will be busy tidying the front garden and getting the last of the Spring bulbs planted.

 

Snow couple

I love this image from LOTV and spent ages colouring it with Copics. I added some snow with a white gel pen and used Stickles on the fur. The papers are North Star from First Edition.  I used stitched square die from The Works, hearts from Hobbycraft and added some ribbon and pearls.

Graham is looking forward to the powerboat racing starting next Thursday. This afternoon he is off to do some more work on the rescue boats and then they have wet training. This is where the divers are pushed into the water and have to pretend they are in difficulties.  The rescue boats then have to go out and recover them.

You may have seen a post a couple of weeks ago where I said he was meant to be doing some work on the boats but the tubes hadn't arrived. Well I asked him what the tubes were for and they are to put in the buoys which they have to get ready to mark out the course.

So I have the afternoon and evening to myself. Some of that will obviously be spent in the craftroom.

 

Sparkly snowman

I had a lovely time the other day colouring up some Christmas images and then didn't get in the craft room until yesterday. I am about a third of the way with a lovely LOTV cross stitch though. I have also been reading more lately and the garden has needed a lot of attention. It is looking really good now so just needs to be kept tidy. It had got overgrown in places and had loads of weeds and with being away for two weeks it took more time than usual to get it back in shape.

I used a Little Claire image and sentiment coloured with Copics. I miss them and wonder why they suddenly decided to close with no warning. However I have several of their stamps to use. I used my fave Go Kreate frilly 10 large die for the card shape. The paper is First Edition Merry little Christmas and is a really rich dark purple. I used Dovecraft adhesive glitter card and some dies for the snowflakes.  I used a clear sparkle pen on the baubles and Stickles on the fur.

Time for a snowman

I know it is nearly Easter but I really need to get some more Christmas cards made. I love the snowmen at Lili of the Valley and this one is such a jolly one. I coloured him with Copics and added some snow with a white gel pen. The papers are First Edition Jolly Holidays, flowers and wooden leaves from Hobbycraft, sentiment tag from LOTV.

At least the weather has been a bit better this week so far though hail is predicted for tomorrow!  We have been out tidying the garden and enjoying the Spring flowers. Apart from that life goes on the same as the last few weeks. Our hair is getting longer and we are getting closer to a second vaccination. A slight easing next week with being able to meet another household in an outside space. That will be ok as long as the weather isn't too cold or raining.  Stay safe everyone.

 

First Christmas card of 2021

I really enjoy cross stitching small pictures and they are ideal for making into cards. This is from a pattern by Durene Jones and is a freebie on her FB page. The papers are some old favourites Bo Bunny Altitude. I made a frame for the image using stitched square dies from The Works. I used white glitter card with a Martha Stewart snowflake punch and tree dies by Marianne and Doohickey.

I belong to a cross stitch group on Facebook and I am amazed by the time some people spend cross stitching. I love crafting but I don't want to do it all day every day but some of these people are obsessed. They begrudge anything getting in the way of them stitching and some of them have head torches for stitching in the evenings. I want to laugh at some of the posts like the lady who said when you make a hot drink, fill a flask as well so you can make another drink quicker than waiting for the kettle to boil again allowing more stitching time! That takes obsession to a whole new level I think.  I am glad nothing obsesses me that much.

A new snowman stamp!

My last Christmas card to share with you before Christmas. Yes I bought a new set of Whimsy stamps because of the two snowmen. I have this image as a coloured Sassy Cheryl digi and have always loved it so when I saw that Whimsy had released it as part of a set I had to buy it. I coloured it with Copics and used a pearl pen for the snow. I used the adhesive glitter card from Craft Label and Sue Wilson poinsettia dies. The sentiment stamps are part of the stamp set.

The number of Coronavirus cases is rising alarmingly so we have been staying at home this week, apart from an early visit to a local shop for a few things yesterday. We move into tier 4 on Saturday so we will be staying home anyway. Thank goodness for lots of indoor hobbies. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas. Have the best Christmas you can in these troubled times x

A snowman and penguins

What could be better than a snowman and and some penguins. This is the card I made for hubby and he loves it. I love using kraft, red and white.

Image - LOTV Snowman and penguins

Medium - Copics

Papers - LOTV from last year (no longer available)

Sentiment - LOTV

Dies - Memory box die coloured with DI vintage photo, Elizabeth craft tree (I think) (This is a great die in 5 parts which you can use to make different size trees)

Wooden snowflake coloured with vintage photo DI

I think I am ready for Christmas. Cards posted, presents wrapped, most of the food bought apart from vegetables. I have some very cute new digis from LOTV launching January so will be able to make a start on using them now.

Another snowman!

I used one of the many snowman digis by LOTV for today's card. The papers are some old Wild Rose ones called Frosted Lace. I used a MFT wonky stitched oval die and coloured him with Copics using chalk for the sky. The sentiment is LOTV and the stitched  snowflakes are Memory Box dies.  I used white glitter card as I also did for the trees. These are some new dies I bought in The Works. I had £1.35 on my loyalty card to spend and as there was nothing else I wanted I bought these which were just £3. I have lots of tree dies but these are quite different to the ones I already have.

 

Painted by my Mum

 I have something different to show you today and it is the card my Mum painted for us. We are so impressed with it. I wonder how she knew of my love for snowmen! 😂😂⛄☃

In February my Mum decided to learn to paint with acrylics and had four 2 hour lessons. Bear in mind my Mum is 88 and hasn’t painted since she left school at 15. Then came lockdown so she decided to teach herself using a book and Youtube. We have been amazed at how much she has improved from her first painting. This card will be one to treasure.

Hats off

It thought it was time I had a play with my Card-io stamps again and decided to try one on red card for a change. I keep a diecut circle backed with post-its which I use to create a wreath by stamping around the diecut, then removing it and using different stamps around the circle. I used pearl pens to create the berries and snow.

A morning in the craftroom today and tomorrow I plan to get my Christmas cards written. Enjoy your weekend x

 

Oh dear

I have teamed the new First Edition North Star papers with another Hobby House topper. I added some Stickles and white pearl dots to the image. I used a hexagon die, Doohickey slim fir dies and a Joy snowflake die.  The sentiment is from Pink Gem.

A simple card but another flat one for posting.

Snow Ho Ho

Yes its another snowman. I was very lucky that Janet from Pink Gem asked the former DT if any of use would like to use any of her new images. I used the gnome the other day, which a friend promptly bought after I posted it on Facebook. This one is a digi kit which comes with more layers which you can decoupage. I love to use them just as toppers, this one is called Snow Ho Ho.  I added lots of sparkle with a clear sparkle pen.

The papers are some old Wild Rose Frosted Lace ones. I added some diecut tress using glitter card, a sentiment which comes with the digi and some pearl stars from Craft Label.

More snowmen

I thought I would change the theme of my blog as I have had the same one for ages. I remember when I used to change the header regularly to suit the time of year but I haven't done that for a long time now. People used to have falling flowers or snow but I think a lot of people just keep their headers the same nowadays.  I tried a few different looks as you can preview them. Some of them just show a little bit of the post then you have to click more to read it. I know some people have their blogs like that but I find it annoying having to keep clicking to see the whole posts.  I will see what I think about this one. Do let me have your thoughts.

 I decided to have a look through my box of stamped and printed images and colour a couple of them otherwise they will never get used. This is an old Little Claire stamp. Whatever happened to Little Claire? They just disappeared one day, such a shame. I coloured them with Copics and decided to keep with a limited colour palette. I used a Lawn Fawn stitched circle die and trimmed off the bottom, adding some black soot distress ink around the edges and pearl dots using a Viva pearl pen. The fence die is a Doohickey one diecut in white and coloured with the same DI.  The trees are a Joy die and the snowflakes a Tonic punch.  The paper is the lovely First Edition almost Christmas new from Craft Label.