Christmas Card Club Challenge - Sentiments

The weeks are ticking by and the festive season is fast approaching.  However the Christmas Card Club are getting organised with our fortnightly challenge.  This time Sylvie has asked us to create a card with the sentiment as the focal point.  I love simple and you don't get much simpler than kraft and white card stock.  I've used the Stampin Up stamp set Peace This Christmas to create a simple stamped frame for my sentiment from the same set.  Along the bottom I have gold embossed the border stamp and I've added a petite bow in the gold metallic edged ribbon which is wonderful for all sorts of cards and projects, especially Christmas.  There are the inevitable rhinestones for my bling festish too!  

I love the effect of layered stitched shapes on the layering circles dies which help to make the focal point sentiment 'pop'.  

Inks used are Stampin Up early espresso, garden green and craft whisper white pigment ink. 

Have a great Sunday and week ahead.  Mind out for the ghosts on witches on Tuesday. We've been invaded by cheeky, naughty spirits this weekend with my neice and nephews.  So much fun.  

Take care all

Zoe x

Christmas Card Club - Use Patterned Papers

I'm behind with blogging as I've been busy with Stampin' Up! parties during our big promotion which is great as I get to share some fun crafting with lots of people.  It means that another fortnight has passed and it's time for another Christmas Card Club challenge.  Margaret in Australia set our challenge which is to use at least 2 patterned papers.  I've used more but they are all from the gorgeous set of Stampin' Up! This Christmas Specialty Designer papers.  So much choice makes it fun to layer designs of banners which I've created with my triple banner punch.  I also stamped tone on tone in Garden Green ink one of the images from the stamp set Peace This Christmas from the annual catalogue.  It is so festive and lovely for a touch of vintage.  I've used a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Sentiments and added some retired gold thread and some Cherry Cobbler enamel shapes for some shine and dimension.

I love the stitched shape framelits for creating a die cut to stamp on and the project life corner rounder is great for carrying on a curvy theme with the bottom corners of the card.  Please do visit the other lovely ladies in our group for inspiration across the globe and with very different and varied styles and techniques.

Thanks for popping by.

Zx

Christmas Card Club - Stampin' Up! Shaker Card

Just back from a fantastic family road trip in France primarily to visit Olivia's french exchange friend Zoe, and for us to meet her lovely parents Ghislaine and Mattieu.  This is us in Cahors by the unique 3 towered bridge, although the quick witted of you will see the photo is of only 2 towers! It seems ironic to be sharing Christmas cards with photos like the one above when the temperature reached 38C whilst we were there also when today at home too is by UK standards warm and sunny.  

As a result of a week of drinking wine, eating cheese and delicious Canard Magret and Fois Gras (when is France and all that...... it would be rude and foolish not to partake),  I'm late with my fortnightly Christmas Card Club challenge card which has most definitely proved to be a challenge. I have struggled to take a good picture for my card challenge set by  Margaret who asked us for a card with baubles and I thought I'd go for a simple shaker card, but it the picture doesn't show how pretty and delicate it is in real life.  

I've stamped in versamark and then added 'heat and stick' powder and heated it very gently before adding Stampin' Up! gold glitter to the snowflake from Holly Jolly Greetings and the border from Peace this Christmas both sets are in the annual catalogue. The shaker beads are from my stash and the bauble is hanging on gold thread wrapped around the card multiple times and a bow with the new natural trim ribbon with gold.

Now all that remains is the usual post holiday chores and whilst the sun shines I'm off to do more washing!!! Oh joy.  

Please do visit the other ladies in the club who have lots of great ideas for bauble inspired Christmas cards for you.

Enjoy the remainder of your weekend and have a great week.

Zx

Christmas Card Club - Traditional Colours with Peace This Christmas

Time flies when you are having fun and I've been so busy going to end of term events with the family and crafting that I've forgotten to post.  However I'm here today with my card for the latest Christmas Card Club challenge in which Christine asked us for a card with traditional colours.  This card fortuitously was one made at my Christmas in July event last weekend.  It uses the really pretty stamp set, Peace This Christmas and matches the This Christmas specialty designer series papers both in the Stampin' Up! UK annual catalogue.  The papers are a set that offers 24 sheets, 4 each of 6 double-sided designs which are acid and lignin free so perfect for memory keeping as well as Christmas projects and cards.  They are also patterned in such a way that they will work well with all year projects as some are non-festive in their design.

As well as crafting events which were lots of fun we've also had some good family fun.  Last Saturday night we were lucky enough to get some of the last tickets for a production presented by BBC Radio Lincolnshire called Green Fields Beyond which told the story of a brother and sister from Lincolnshire who went from life on the farm into the city of Lincoln to play their part in the war effort in 1916.  The sister took a job in a factory and the brother went off to war.  The story was about their ongoing lives and that of the invention and manufacture of tanks in Lincoln.  It was an community cast production and took place in Lincoln castle grounds. It was very moving and very interesting and luckily the rain stayed away.  We took a picnic and had a super evening.  We also joined the queue for the photo booth to try on some vintage uniforms. 

I'll be back with more projects soon, but in the meantime enjoy the remainder of the weekend, tour the other ladies blogs for Christmas card inspiration and do come back soon. 

Zx