Wonder how long this will last!

Hi Everyone,

On the Chocolate Baroque forum quite a few members were saying how stressed we were before Christmas because we had made the usual mistake of leaving it too late to make our Christmas cards.  I was soooo guilty of that particular sin last year and even my special people didn't get handmade cards (hangs head in deep shame). So, lovely Sandra set up a friendly challenge to try and motivate us to get started early this year and today I'm going to share my first card for Christmas 2013!

We can make our cards to our own design choice but Sandra has also given a suggestion for each month and January's theme is Red and Gold so I decided to go along with that with the addition of ivory.  I chose a deep burgundy red card for my A5 base and then stamped my chosen image from one of my oldest CB Christmas stamp sets (I can't find it on the website so think it's discontinued) onto parchment using Versamark ink and then heat embossed with Ranger Queen's Gold EP.  I die cut the image using a Nestability label die and coloured the poinsettias with Sakura Sparkle pens.  I haven't used these in ages and I do love the subtle sparkle you get with them (glitter is too much for me usually).

I then cut a different label die from ivory coloured card, edged both this and the parchment one with a gold Sakura Pen Touch pen and laid the parchment one on top, adhering with micro dot tape just under areas covered by the stamped image.

I then die cut some poinsettias from burgundy and ivory card using a Marianne die, with the centres cut from gold pearlescent card.  I edged all the petals with the gold Pen Touch, shaped and layered them before adding them to my card.  I die cut the swirls from gold pearlescent card using my Tim Holtz/Sizzix garland strip die.  I love the two little swirls on there and use them a lot. 

Then when everything was stuck onto the base card I risked the whole thing because I decided I didn't like the sentiment stamped onto a label but preferred it stamped direct onto the card so I took a deep breath and went for it, lol!  Luckily I got it straight and in the middle ........... big relief! 

This card turned out a whole lot more elaborate than I intended but at least that's one made.  I do hope I can discipline myself to keep it up and actually increase my monthly Christmas card makes.  After all 12 won't go far will they, lol!

Well, that's it for today.  I hope if you're here in the UK you haven't been too inconvenienced by the snow this past week. Those of you who know me will be aware that I hate the blooming stuff.  I agree, it has looked very pretty but not enough to make the inconvenience worthwhile.  Yesterday I was pretty scared doing the school runs because I could barely stand up in either of the car parks and now the snow is starting to melt and it's raining so those poor folk flooded before Christmas (plus many more) have it all to go through again no doubt. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend folks and I'll be back again soon.

Hugs
Lesley  Xx

Really quick post ..... Honest!!!

Hi Everyone,

By the skin of my teeth, I've just managed to post a second project for this week over on the Snazzy's DT Blog.  Here's just a little taster.  Hope you'll get chance to visit the DT Blog to see the whole thing.

My friend Jo and I have been texting back and forth for the past couple of hours trying to decide whether or not we dared risk our proposed journey down to Snazzys tonight for a workshop tomorrow.  Common sense has prevailed even though I kept hoping against hope we could do it and Val is kindly rescheduling for everyone.  At 64 years old you'd think I'd have more sense than to even consider it with today's driving conditions, lol, but I've been so looking forward to it.  Never mind, heaven knows how long the 3 hour journey would have stretched to if we'd attempted it.

I hope everyone is keeping warm and cosy apart from all my Twitter friends who I am discovering all like this blooming white stuff!!!

Hugs
Lesley  Xx

First 2013 DT Project for Snazzy's!

Hi lovely visitors,

Well, we're well and truly back into the swing of 2013 and today I'm sharing a sneak peek at my first project for the wonderful Snazzy's.  The kit we were sent to work with this month was a bit different and I have to admit it made me think a bit, lol!   However, it's been lots of fun playing with and I'm now wishing I had more time to make a couple more things.  I am hoping to do another piece for later in the week but the way things have been going around this neck of the  wood this past week or so I don't want to tempt fate.  Last week I succumbed to one of the horrible stomach bugs doing the rounds and it was truly awful.  Thank goodness it was only a 24 hour jobbie as I don't think I could have taken more ................... I will confess now, I am a wimp when being sick, lol!

Anyway, here's the sneak peek and if you'd like to see more do hop over to the DT Blog.  We'd love you to visit and leave a little comment so we know you dropped by.  Also, if you leave a comment on Gillian's post HERE you could win a kit in the Snazzy's DT Blog draw.

Well, it looks as though the promised white stuff is on it's way as it's snowing quite heavily here now (10 pm on Sunday evening).  I hope wherever you are you don't get too disrupted by it.  I just hope it gets it over and done with at the beginning of the week as I'm off down to Swindon on Friday evening 'cos I'm finally going to get to visit Snazzy's, Yay!!!!  I'm going to do Val's workshop on Saturday to find out how she made her fabulous Steampunk Phantom mask.   I'm looking forward to it even more now because my buddy Jo has just booked the last place on the workshop and is going with me.  Now, it's a 3 hour journey down to Snazzy's and that's why I want no nasty weather on Friday and Saturday .........are you listening up there???

Till next time

Hugs
Lesley  Xx

Er.....HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hello lovely visitors and a belated Happy New Year to you all.   I know we are almost 2 weeks into 2013 but I'd still like to wish you all a year filled with happiness, good health and love with a bit of wealth thrown in there too.  Like many of us I'm sure, I'm still not quite back to normal after the Christmas and New Year break.  The grand daughters went back to school this week and Hubby's had a couple more days off for appointments so tomorrow will be the first 'normal routine' day of this year.  Yesterday we had to go see a man about sorting out OH's pension funds as he is due to retire in April.  Scary stuff as we've watched them reduce in value over the past few years but hopefully not as bad as we feared :0).  Now I just have to find him a hobby or he's going to drive me nuts, lol!

I haven't had chance to do much crafting since before Christmas so I apologise for staying in Christmas mode for this post by showing the very few Christmas cards I managed to make.  I am determined to do better this year!!!!!!  Anyway, this set of cards I made for my Snazzy's DT buddies.

 By necessity ('cos I left it soooooo late) I kept these simple with just a strip from one of the various border designs from the gorgeous papers in our December DT pack, a lovely Chocolate Baroque 'Merry Christmas' sentiment stamped in Versamark and embossed with Ranger Queen's Gold EP and a wooden embellishment from a freebie pack on a magazine.  I coloured each one with Treasure Gold (from PaperArtsy) and then triple embossed with clear EP.  I really loved these little embellishments.

My only other handmade Christmas card was made for the Chocolate Baroque forum swap.  If you click on the logo in my sidebar it will take you to the forum which has lots of interesting groups and information.

This was created on a 21 x 21 cm base card.  I blended Distress Inks over the base starting with the light shade which I think was Tumbled Glass then building up with Faded Jeans, a smidge of Chipped Sapphire and finally round the very edges, some Pumice Stone.  I then stamped the snowflake tree with Flitter Glu and applied silver gilding flakes.  I followed this with stamping the corners using Cobalt Archival Ink and after making sure this was thoroughly dry I stamped the free Crafter Stamper magazine Chocolate Baroque snowflake stamp using Flitter Glu randomly all over the card but avoiding the tree.  I then applied Ranger Clear Rock Candy Dry Glitter to all the snowflakes.  This is just my sort of sparkle ................ very subtle!

Next I stamped the 'Winter Wonderland' and cut it out with a Spellbinders label die.  I had to cut one half then rewind, move the die along and cut the other half because I didn't have a die long enough but it worked perfectly.  The final touches were a few gems in some of the tree snowflakes and the addition of some snowflake charms over the rest.  All of the stamps used are from Chocolate Baroque.

Well, that's it for today.   I do have another card design to share soon but this was for my three special friends who I sadly had to neglect at Christmas.  I had a severe loss of mojo (probably because I left everything to the last minute) and just couldn't make a card I felt was good enough for them so I gave up until last week.  I'm happy to say, mojo restored, I came up with a design I am happy with but as they haven't received their cards yet I'll have to wait a little while longer to see what you think.

Next week will be my first turn on the Snazzy's DT Blog for 2013 and boy do we have something different to play with this month, lol!  I'll admit to being a bit stumped to start with but once I got stuck into it this week I'm having great fun.  I'm just keeping my fingers crossed I don't go and muck it up halfway through ;D!

See you again in a few days but in the meantime thanks for visiting and if you have time for a comment, thank you because I really appreciate every one.

Hugs
Lesley  Xx