Winter Collages

I have finally finished making Christmas cards at last - what didn't help was my Big Shot breaking down a couple of weeks ago - my hubby has mended it several times but this time it's beyond help - so I've been die-cutter free and really missing it.   Of course from that moment on all my ideas required die-cutting, so I've been struggling to be creative!

I've had these little winter garden scenes hanging around from last winter - they just needed some extra embellishments to finish them off, so that's been a relaxing little project in between bouts of chaos and stress (namely present wrapping and supermarket shopping!).

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW.

Thank you for your support and friendship over the past year and
 I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and peaceful 2017.  

Christmas Cards

Here we are screaming towards Christmas and I don't feel anywhere near prepared for it!

Here are a few snippets of cards and tags I've made, I've only managed a small handful this year.  I started crocheting small woolly trees thinking it might be a quicker and easier way to make a bulk lot of cards but I then discovered that Carpel Tunnel Syndrome and crocheting just don't work well together!  I forgot to photograph them too!  Oh well, perhaps I'll be more organised by next week - or not!

I'm linking up with What's On Your Work desk Wednesday this week.  I hope you have a great week and are on schedule with all your preparations!

Christmas Tags

I have finally managed to make a handful of tags after quite a struggle to come up with any ideas - in desperation I went back to my die-cut scraps bag and used up a load of bits from the last couple of years.  

I'm happy I've made a start!

November Birthday Card

Oh goodness, I'm struggling with Christmas - I still haven't come up with any ideas and several attempts are in the bin!

However, I managed to whip together a quick birthday card for my cousin-in-law and I've just gone and splashed out on some new stash in the hope it might inspire me - any excuse huh!

I gave it a more frosty November feel by adding Rock Candy Stickles to the flowers.

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW this week.

Halloween Tag

I know I'm late with this but thought I'd share it anyway.  

I made a Halloween Tag to go on some fancy chocolate to give my sister when she brought her boys round Trick or Treating.

I rather like the way the flowers and die cut twigs have a spidery feel - or perhaps that's just a vivid imagination!

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who offered good wishes for the speedy recovery of my Guinea Pig Archie last week - he is still doing well and hopefully will be back to his old self very soon!

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW this week

October Birthday Card

I have managed to make a quick birthday card for my sister's October birthday, despite all the mayhem of looking after our sick guinea pig.  He became ill and had to have surgery and for the last week and a half we've been nursing him back to health.  I've been too worried to do much arty crafty stuff and I must say a huge 'SORRY' for not returning quite a few visits - I did my best but as soon as Archie was home from the vet's life became very hectic!

Here's the birthday card...

...and matching tag  - I got carried away stamping and nearly didn't leave any space for writing a message - I remembered just in time!

And here's my boy, taken back in the summer.  He seems well on the road to recovery now.

I'm linking up with Julia over at  What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday.

Trying To Get A Little Bit Festive

Just beginning to feel festive and having a bit of a play to see what I'll be doing for tags and cards this year. 

I don't think it will be this!  Despite using Fired Brick Distress ink over the background and on the flower it has turned out pink!  Now I'm not a 'pink' person at all, least of all at Christmas, and even with snow and glitter it still doesn't look festive to me.  So I'm now having a re-think....!  

And while I'm having a re-think I 'm joining Julia over at WOYWW this week!

Finishing Up Before Autumn

I have been busy getting the house decorated for Autumn and arty crafty stuff has had to take a back seat.  This is my mantle piece and my method of decorating is anything orange/brown or autumny gets chucked on it!

Although busy changing over from summer to autumn I did get a chance to finish a tag that had been hanging around - it had been left half done when I had no idea what to do to it next!  I used Ranger black Enamel Accents on some of the die cuts and I really like the hard glossy effect of it - I wasn't sure how shiny it would turn out to be but it's certainly better than I expected.

I'm linking up with Julia over at What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday.

Poinsettia and Rose Christmas Card

 Just beginning to feel slightly Christmassy and managed to make the first card of the year!

I used my favourite Tim Holtz Poinsettia die and added a cream rose to the centre of it.

Thank you to everyone who visited me and left such kind comments last week - I really appreciate it and I think I can safely say I'm bug free now - touch wood, so on with the arty crafty stuff! 

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW 

Welcoming Autumn

I haven't posted much recently as I've been a bit under the weather, and my studio door hasn't even been opened for the last couple of weeks!

However I was given a beautiful bunch of sunflowers this week and they have been on my desk waiting to be photographed - so on that reasoning I'm joining Julia over at 

What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday to say Hi!

Paper Roses

I don't think I'll ever tire of making paper flowers - they are so relaxing and satisfying to do!  Here are a couple of tags I've made - both flowers are made in the same way using the Tattered Florals die.  I just creased and curled them in different ways.  I love Peonies and old fashioned cabbage roses, anything where the petals turn inwards and make a 'bowl',  which is the look I was trying to get with the peachy flower.

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW, where you can see what other people have been up to on their work desks this Wednesday!

A Nature Themed ATC Swap

 I have recently been involved in a lovely ATC swap with Elaine over at
 Craft Shed Girl - I was so pleased when she let me know she was up for a swap, as we have similar tastes and a love of nature in our artwork! 

This is the ATC and matching box I sent to Elaine, it's based on my current work around the moonlit garden ...

... and this is the beautiful ATC holder and gift tag Elaine sent me...

 Elaine very cleverly designed and made the holder herself - it's absolutely ingenious and such an effective and beautiful way to present the ATC.  I felt I was opening a birthday present when it arrived!

As you can see once you undo the ribbon holding it closed, it opens up to display the ATC which is held in the card groove - and what a stunning ATC it is. Elaine thoughtfully and carefully worked with images, colours and subject matter that she knows I like and if I had sent her a list of my requirements she couldn't have got it more right!!!

This has been such an enjoyable swap - thank you Elaine!

I must add that for anyone interested Elaine has listed her supplies and techniques over on her blog.   

I'm linking up Julia over at WOYWW this week.

Pink and Green Tag

A busy week but I managed to fit in an enjoyable hour spent making paper flowers! 

And a tag that is sooo not in my usual colour range, but I really wanted to use one of the beautiful vintage buttons I found at an antique fair recently.

The flowers were made from scratch (no dies) using this tutorial from 
Such a Pretty Mess.

I'm linking up with Julia over at What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday today.

August's Forgotten Stash

Continuing my monthly project of using a forgotten item from my stash, this month I'm using a Tim Holtz butterfly punch. I haven't had it that long but it was purchased on a whim with no idea in mind about what I would do with it!

So, keeping with my theme of my garden at night I played about in my sketchbook and using a resist technique with a flower stamp and some new Distress Crayons I created a moonlit background - perfect for the butterfly punch which now became a moth punch!  I added double layered moths with gold ink edging and a stamped vellum top layer.

I'm joining Julia over at What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday 

Summer Night Garden Velvet Tag

I'm enjoying working on the night garden theme - and I love this blue/mauve velvet which has a bronze thread in it and seems to glimmer as if in the moonlight.

I used Infusions for the background and sprinkled them liberally on clear texture paste through a stencil for the darker shapes - does anyone else find the powder gets everywhere, or am I just a messy worker!

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW this week.

Crafting Fun

Not much arty crafty stuff achieved this week, but a busy and happy week looking after my nephews now the school holidays are here, and also visiting Jan (our very own Lunch Lady!) for some crafty fun and lots of chat.  

It was a fab day, made even better by seeing Julia too - so much chat and just a little bit of embroidery done on these half finished 'night garden' collages.

Thank you Jan!

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW.

Embroidery for a Summer's Night

I've been embroidering the garden again, and using more of those tiny little vintage photo album pages!  I also used eco prints, black lace, antique tapestry and hand beading.  I'm pleased with how the black lace and dark eco print gives it a real night time feel.

I am linking up with Julia over at WOYWW this week.