Christmas Cards – Using Stuff Up

christmas card with embossing and a star aperture

Hello Peeps, how are you?

It’s that time of year, you know the time of year when everything you do is geared towards one day. This week I have been shopping (on-line), shopping in actual shops, because that’s still a thing and making Christmas cards/tags.

Looking around on the internet I’ve seen people painting lovely watercolours and making them into cards, I thought what a lovely idea, I should do that! Who am I kidding; I would have to start making my cards in august if I wanted to finish before Christmas.

Introducing all the stuff I have made this week. The star card is made with nesting star dies and has a little floating star in the aperture. It’s a 6”x6” card so the top layer was embossed with an embossing then the folder was moved along to emboss the other side, happily it worked quite well.

In real life the card is very sparkly and has blue glitter borders. It doesn’t show up, we have very poor light this time of year and even at midday in bright-ish sunshine everything looks washed out.

 

The gold card bases were given to me, they’re an odd size 6”x3”. The second card in the picture was embossed with a die; I like it more as a die-cut. I had some fancy paper which was a cross between tissue paper and mulberry paper; I used it to back the cut-out, it looks really good when light shines through it.

The reindeer card is made entirely with peel-offs. For some unknown reason I seem to have loads of peel-offs, they need using up. It’s just the right size to place a gift voucher into.

 

Another card made with card bases I seem to have acquired these are 6”x4” cards. An embossed panel and die – cut snowflakes, I also managed to use up more of my peel – offs and a small piece of thin ribbon.

 

Through out the year, when ever we get something in pretty packaging I die cut some tags and put them in a little box. Then when I need tags for gifts they’re cut and ready to use, just pick something that goes with the wrapping paper.

For the main presents this year I thought it would be nice to have die-cut names on the tags to make them a little bit special. I cut each letter three times and glued them on top of each other to give some dimension, then glued the names onto the tags, it’s a bit fiddly but I like the effect. It also used up lots of tidily bits of card I had hanging around.

I haven’t bought any new dies, stamps, card or anything else really this year. I have far too much stuff and really need to use things I already have so that’s what I’ve been doing. To be honest all this making hasn’t really made a dint but I’ll keep going and eventually I’ll get to the bottom of it all.

So, cards done, tags done, vouchers done. Gifts almost wrapped, shopping done, and we still have a couple of weeks left to go, yes! I’m on it this year hehe.

Thanks for stopping by today. Till next time, have fun x

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Yoda One Valentines Card

Hello. I hope you’re all well.

Valentines day is almost upon us. This year I was determined to make my card in plenty of time. Yes yes yes I did it (does happy dance around the room). No last minute rushing around. It’s not pink and super heartsy but a heart die was used, so romantic yes?

I liked the sentiment, it’s something I’ve been seeing around the intetwebs. Using my new Sizzix thinlits dies I cut the letters out twice (black for the shadow then again in green).

Yoda’s head. hands and feet were cut out of green card using circle dies and punches, a heart die cut in half for each ear. I tried making eyes but he started looking a bit scary so instead I embossed them with a circle die and now he’s looking quite thoughtful. Much better.

His jacket and trousers are cut from rectangles of grey card trimmed with a corner rounder.

The ray background has been embossed on opposing sides to give a light burst effect. I brayered lightly over the surface with embossing ink and heat embossed yellow embossing powder over the top.

Have to say Yoda is looking pretty cool here and I’m sure the other half will think it’s a lot of fun.

Thanks for stopping by today and taking time out of your day to read my ramblings. Till next time, have fun x

Dies Used:
Sizzix – Alphanumeric Thinlits Dies
Spellbinders – Nesting Circles
Embossing folder Used:
Tim Holtz – Rays
Inks Used:
Embossing ink

Snowflake Gift Toppers

Hi there. How are you. I’m not panicking yet eeep!

This week I have been making gift toppers, lots of gift toppers. The big wrap is coming and I wanted to get everything ready.

I used white gold and silver card plus some items from my recycling box (old wrapping paper and coloured envelopes from a recent birthday.) No point in throwing that stuff out when I can use it.

To start with I die – cut lots of snowflakes. The snowflakes were folded along the centre and the “arms” (if that’s what they’re called?) it gives them a little more dimension and shape. I stack them biggest on the bottom to smallest on top and the colours alternated so they stand out better. They are glued in place and put aside to dry.

The bases of the toppers in the first picture is a spellbinders Persian Motifs die cut in white card. The little stack of glued snowflakes are then added to the top.

these were the simplest to make and the largest. I also made some with smaller bases.

The base of the second set were made out of a piece of wrapping paper cut with a spellbinder strip die and a peace of blue envelope that had been folded into a concertina in line with the points of the die – cuts and cut at roughly 1 1/2 inch lengths diagonally so they are pointed at one end and straight at the other.

The two strips were layered on top of each other and glued into a circle which in turn was pushed down into a small rosette about 3 inches in size. To stop them from pushing back up again I glue a small circle of card on the bottom and weigh them down with a small coaster till they dry.

The little stack of glued snowflakes were again added to the top.

The third set were made from a craft coloured envelope cut with the same spellbinder strip die made into a rosette, a gold/silver die from the same set(Persian Accents), and a paper poinsettia on top. I explain how to make the poinsettias here, the only thing changed are the colours.

I put little gems in the centre to finish them off, cos you have to have bling at Christmas, that has to be a rule doesn’t it?

That’s another thing off the list of jobs to be done. I always think I’ve started early enough and it just gets away from me but “determined” is the word, have to get my head down and get on with it!
Thanks for stopping by, till next time, have fun x

Dies used:
Sizzix Bigz Die – Tattered Poinsettia
Sizzix Movers and Shapers – Mini Cardinal & Poinsettia
Spellbinders – Venetian Motifs
Spellbinders – Persian Accents
Spellbinders– Create a Flake #4
Creative Expressions Sue Wilson Festive Collection – Snowflakes
Embossing Folder used:
Craft Concepts – Budding vine
Spellbinders– Create a Flake #4

Floral Gift Topper

Hi there.
When I’m sending gifts I like to use little gift toppers. After taking all the time to wrap something neatly I think they really finish it all off beautifully.

The base is a tattered lace strip die folded back and forth into a concertina. join the consertina at the ends and push down to form a rosette and glue a circle top and bottom for support.

Three small memory box, flourish die cuts form the next layer. A tattered florals die cut and all three sizes of spellbinders blooms one.

They are all layered up on top of each other and glued together. Simple and effective.

I hope you are all well. Thanks for stopping by.
Till next time have fun x

Dies used:
Spellbinders – Blooms One
Sizzix Bigz Die – Tattered florals
Tattered Lace – Free from magazine
Memory Box – Macarena Corner

Folded Tags

Hi there. How are you?

These two tags were cut in the same way as usual with my die. I wanted them to be smaller but didn’t want to loose the ability to write a small message. There also needed to be a way to keep them closed.

The closure was made with a small movers and shapers die, the hardest part of that is keeping every thing in place as it runs through the machine. Folding them in half means the message is nicely tucked away inside.

The tags were inked up and decorated with scraps and embossing powder. The toppers stamped out, coloured and stuck down with foam pads.

I’m liking the way they turned, small and perfectly formed. Just what I needed.

Bye for now, take Care and have fun.

Inks used:
Distress Ink – Broken China, Peeled Paint
Embossing pad – Clear
Stamps used:
Chocolate Baroque – Steampunk Travel
Bird Stamp – Free (Craft Stamper Magazine)
Cloud Stamp – (Get Stamping Magazine)
Sizzix Bigz Die – Tags #3
Sizzix Movers and Shapers – Baroque Photo Corners

Happy Mothers Day

Hello.

When I started writing this post it was actually still mothers Day ?! Flicker messing about with the settings I think! Enough gripage!

Today I’ve gone all tasteful and even matt and layered stuff. The sentiment was computer printed and cut out with a circle die. The aperture was cut the same way.

The flower was made out of white, green and pale yellow paper using a some sizzix flower dies. Once the flower and leaves were cut (from the same die) I sprayed them with water and carefully scrunched them into little balls. Then they were opened up and allowwed to dry. Have to be careful at this stage because they’re a bit delacate. This seems to set them in shape.

Once dry I gently rubbed some pink ink across them just to add a little colour. I also did this on the green and yellow petals to tie them all in together.

I like how it turned out, plain, simple and the flower turned out ok too. I really do need to work on my flowers though. I find it really hard working out what to put in the middles.

Inks used:
Distress Ink – Picked Raspberry
Dies used:
Sizzix Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die – Tattered Flower Garland
Sizzix Bigz Die – Tattered Poinsettia
Spellbinders Nestabilities – Circles

 

With All My Hearts

Hi there. Valentines Day is here again and this is the card I will be offering to the illustrious other half this year. He’s not a lover of fussy cards so I tried to keep it simple.

Saying that there’s a serious amount of hearts here Hehehe.

The hearts were all cut out of different coloured card. I used the Sizzix Framelits Hearts#2.

I didn’t want it to be too bulky so the middles were cut out to make space for the next colour.

The bigger heart was a bit big for the size of card used so I trimmed the edge off the side. I like how it goes off the page a little.

The top layer has a heart cut out of it and was glued with foam pads. Once the top layer was stuck down I could position the other hearts.

I would love to have a stamp for every sentiment but I don’t so this was written on the computer, printed out and cut out with a die. There is a red heart behind it to give it some shading and make it stand out more.

Happy Valentines Day people. Till next time have fun x

Poinsettia Tag

Hi there. Hows it going?  Just found out I have pictures out there on pinterest! Fasinating. Glad I put my name on the pictures now so people can find me hehe.

I’ve also spotted little numbers saying people have been and liked some of the stuff I’ve made. Sorry I’m not savvy enough to find you so I’ll just say here thanks for coming by, please visit again and maybe say hi.

Back to my little tag. This one was made mostly with bits and pieces I had lying around. That is all except the shiny new poinsettia and leaf dies.

Sometimes I use tags for mopping up and cleaning stamps between colours. It saves the waste on ink and the results can be quite interesting.

This is one of those tags. The stamping wasn’t clear enough to be used on it’s own so I over stamped with some embossing ink and heat embossed some powder onto it. the colour I’m told is gold but it’s not a very shiny gold, even so it works so I went with it. I like how the colour in the background shadows the embossing.

The leaves were cut, inked and embossed in an embossing folder. It gives them a nice surface texture.

The poinsettia was cut three times out of a red envelope, inked around the edge with black ink. I used a stylised dandelion stamp for the embossing in the middle. It’s great for adding detail to any small flowers.

Everything was curled up and stuck down along with a couple of small gold flourishes. A tiny piece of ribbon and a little bell (came off a Christmas cracker)

Think this is definitely a Christmas tag, my first one this year! I’m going to start a little box and fill it up over the year so I’m not running around at the last minute trying to get everything finished.

Bye for now.

Inks used:
Distress Ink – Random colours plus Black Soot
Embossing pad – Clear
Stamps used:
Chocolate Baroque  –  Wisteria Lane  (Dandelion)
Chocolate Baroque – Fantasy Floral (Discontinued)
Dies used:
Sizzix Bigz Die – Tags #3
Sizzix Movers and Shapers – Mini Tattered Leaves
Sizzix Movers and Shapers – Mini Cardinal & Poinsettia
Spellbinders – Venetian Accents (The ends of the little mask)
Embossing Folder:
Sizzix Texture Fades  – Textured Leaves Set