The one that almost ....

.... got away.  I've just realised I never blogged this make, that's because I finished it last Christmas Eve morning in a mad rush!!  It was a commissioned piece that I wasn't even sure I'd have time to make, for my daughter's friend.  He wanted it for his boyfriend, he had organised a surprise holiday as a Christmas present, and asked for a card.  I suggested a gift-box with slider card incorporated into the lid instead.  Here it is all closed up:

And with the slider opened - the gold card is for a secret greeting:

I'm entering the following challenges: Crafty Cardmakers ("Snow"), Shopping our Stash ("Let it Snow"), Creative Inspirations ("Merry Christmas"), Brown Sugar ("Anything Goes") and Daring Cardmakers ("All Wrapped Up").

And here are two further views of the top of the box with the slider closed and the inside with "surprise" tags for writing details of the gifts on, or whatever:

Recipe:

Stamps: Hero Arts "Stunning Snowflakes" background stamp,

Paper: Basic Grey "Granola" 

Other: gold e.p., gold stickles, gold ribbon from stash, navy house paint

Thanks for looking!

So close to ....

.... Christmas now - and I've just posted the card to my friend's son with the right up to Christmas birthday.  Put a non-Christmas stamp on the envelope and didn't use any Christmassy colours - don't think he'll care either way but I do!!!  Here's what I made:

I used the sketch from Mojo Monday and I'm also entering the following challenges: Craft your Passion ("Anything Goes"), Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge ("Just a Pinch" - of e.p.), City Crafter ("The Heat is On"), Papertake Weekly ("Winter Birthday"), ABC Challenge ("X is for Xtreme" bold and bright colours) and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge ("Die Crazy").

I used three dies on this card - the tag, the spikey circle and the stars - but the number 9 is hand cut from cork that was just too thick to work with any die (and anyway, I don't have any number dies!).  Here's a side-shot of the layers:

Recipe:

Stamp: Kaisercraft "Chevron"

Dies: Mama Elephant "Lots of Stars", Nestabilities "Pinking Circles", Magnolia Doohickeys "Tea Label Tags"

Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug "Tiny Bubbles"

Fonts: "Ariel Black" and "Throw my Hands up in the Air" - dafont.com

Other: Recycled corrugated card, cork, Prima brad, white e.p.

Thanks for looking!

Construction ....

.... time again!

I haven't made our Christmas cards for three years, twice because Jed designed a card in school and last year because I .... gulp, whisper .... bought them!  So I was quite excited by the prospect of making them again.  Had a design in my head and went about ordering the supplies back at the end of October, they arrived, I put them in a pile in the craftroom and they sat there for a few weeks until last Monday week ago, when I made the first one.  Very nice, very pleased - had a craft club meeting on the Saturday so I figured I would make all the components and make up kits to bring along and I'd get the whole lot put together in one go.  Oh Lord, what a palaver.  I spent the whole week making the kits, then went to the club and got only 20 .... TWENTY .... out of 50 done in the day.

But the story has a happy ending - I got most of the rest done on the Sunday and finished up on the Monday.  The second big job of writing the flippin' things is now also done (yay!).  Here's the product of all that sweat and tears:

The light is terrible, we've been having biblical quantities of rain here in Ireland lately.  The cards are white, not blue!!

I'm entering this into the following challenges: Our Creative Corner ("Wish upon a Star"), Creative Knockouts ("Winter Wonderland"), Moving Along with the Times ("To a Special Someone at Christmas" - all my relatives and friends are special!), ABC Challenge ("W is for Warm Winter Wishes"), Crafty Creations ("Happy Holidays") and Little Red Wagon ("Snow Much Fun").

Here's a side-shot of the card, showing all the layers:

And here are all fifty cards finished.  I always think at this point "Isn't it a shame to split them up"!!!

  Recipe:

Stamp: Hero Arts/Basic Grey "Nordic Holiday"

Dies: MFT "Stitched Mountain Range" and Mama Elephant "Lots of Stars"

Stencil: Simon Says Stamp "Falling Snow"

Font: YorkWhiteLetter dafont.com

Other: Bakers' Twine, texture paste, glossy accents.

Thanks for looking!

Another lovely ....

.... worldwide swap.

The November reveal for Card Chain Challenge is up on Deborah's blog.  This time, I received a card from Gail in Norway and I sent a card to Greta in Oregon (both places I'd like to visit!!).  Here's what I sent to Greta:

I spent some days thinking this one through, I had decided to use the little bird house stamp and the woodgrain paper, but getting it how I wanted took a bit of late-night wrangling!!  I picked lilac and yellow (not colours I normally use), coloured the bird house and stamped the background image, then meh!  Something was missing!  Then I thought about adding some stitching, so picked vibrant yellow thread and I think it just lifts the whole thing.  Here's a close-up of stamping and stitching:

Recipe:
Papers: MME "Miss Caroline Fiddlesticks"

Stamps: Hero Arts "Happy Hello", Hero Arts "Hello Circles", CC Designs "Birdhouse"

Other: Glossy accents, needle & thread

And here's the cute Gorjuss Girl card that Gail sent all the way from Norway - love that glossy black hair:

Thanks for looking, and if you'd like to join in the challenge, the January sign-up opens on 7th December.