First Christmas Card . . . In a Long While

Today, I made my first Christmas card in a few years.  Just a simple background stamp, so quick and easy.

I used Wink of Stella on the trees, but you can't really see it in the photo so I tried a different angle, but still think you can't see it.  Also, in this one the greeting looks grey, but it is in actual fact white on black.

Thank you so much for your visit today and especially if you have left a comment.  You are all appreciated more than you know! If you have a question, please be sure I have a way to contact you so I can answer, as a lot of you are 'no-reply' bloggers, so I am unable to reply via e-mail.

Batch Made Christmas Cards

Hello my friends.  This is a quick visit, as I have loads to do (I know you all know that feeling this time of year), so I won't waste too much of your time with chitter chatter.

Here are a few Christmas cards that I have made . . . I am sooo behind with them!

A couple of closer pics!

More to come as I start the race of catch up!

Thank you so much for your visit today and especially if you have left a comment.  You are all appreciated more than you know! 

If you have a question, please be sure I have a way to contact you so I can answer, as a lot of you are 'no-reply' bloggers, so I am unable to reply via e-mail.

A Big Thank You & Getting Ahead!

First off, let me say a great big THANK YOU to each and every one of you, for all your words of support and encouragement during the tough times this year end has thrown at me.  I know that some of you have faced equally tough times, which makes me love you all the more for your continued support whilst dealing with your own problems!

I also want to say a great big thank you to Loll, Kylie and the team at Happy Little Stampers for giving me the amazing opportunity of becoming a member of a Design Team for the very first time!  I am saddened that I have to step down, but I wouldn't have been able to give it my all next year, and if I can't give 110%  I don't think it's fair to anyone!  Anyway, I am hoping to still join in some challenges as and when I have some time, so I will still be here!

On to the rest of this post.  I just finished the last of the Christmas preparations (just the food to prep to do - Christmas Eve), so I have tried to get a few Christmas cards ready for next year - as I was caught unawares this year - so, this will probably be my last post until 2017!

I want to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year in 2017!  Here are the cards!  The first one up was a card inspired by one I received from my very dear friend Loll. 

Thank you Loll, I hope you don't mind that I 'pinched' your idea!  The second one was made with the negative die-cut of the first.  The third was one of a set of identical cards I made for Mum's support workers (I made eight) and the rest were made from die-cuts from some new dies I purchased and tried!

** Picture Heavy Post **

 

 As ever thank you so much for your visit today . . . have a great one, and . . . see you next year!  Hazel xx

Now Getting Ahead!

Well, my dear friends, I hope you all had a lovely weekend!  DH and I went out for a meal on Friday evening (bang went my pre Christmas diet) as it was my birthday on Thursday, but even though we are now both retired, we still prefer to go out over the weekends (non 'school nights') isn't it funny how old habits die hard?

Anywho, I finally caught up with making our Christmas cards, the decorations are up, not a vast amount as it is just us two - kids grown up and away now - so I am actually trying to get ahead for next year, as this year crept up on me (how it managed to do it so quietly, going by the speed it arrived is beyond me).  Here are the cards I made over the weekend.

These will probably end up sitting alone and waiting until the week before next Christmas before their siblings will join them, as I am always full of good intentions and then my memory lets me down!

Thanks for popping by and leaving me a little love, have a wonderful week!  Hazel xx

Getting Behind & Getting On Top

Today's post is just some Christmas cards I have made for my stash for this year.  I have gotten so far behind, I really need to get a wriggle on, so here are a few I made today, as I am trying to get on top of it!

Thanks for stopping by and for any comments.  I will reciprocate!  Have a  great week my friends!  Hazel xx

A Shaker Card For My Christmas Stash

I know that I have been a little remiss this week with my posting and I apologise, but I have been cataloguing my cling stamps, all the clear ones are up to date now, most of the dies are done and I have started on my cling stamps (mostly SU).

However, I bought a 'Simply Cards & Papercraft' magazine and it had a lovely stamp set and matching embossing folder that came with it and I felt that the snow-globe was crying out to be made into a shaker.

I stamped the snow-globe on to a panel of  card-stock to match my base card, cut a hole with a circle die, coloured the snow-globe base, stamped a sentiment from the same stamp set and spread some 'sparkle gel' through a SSS 'Falling Snow' stencil.

Meanwhile, whilst the sparkle gel was drying, (disappointingly, not very sparkly, it turns out) I made up my shaker.  I used some chunky iridescent glitter that I have by popping it into a small see-through bag and stuck that down behind the window with scotch tape.

Finally, I mounted the whole thing on to my base card with foam tape.  Here it is.

 

That's it for me today, my dear, crafty friends.  Thank you for your visit and if you left a little love, thank you, it's most appreciated and I will reciprocate!  Have a lovely day!  Hazel xx

A New Challenge To Me & Guest Designing!

Today I have the great honour of being a guest designer over at the uber talented Loll Thompson's blog 'Stamping With Loll' for a challenge - mixed media tag challenge - that was new to me (and also a technique that was new to me too . . . doubly scary!)

Twelve Tags Of Christmas Challenge

Of course I was thrilled to be asked, but mixed media . . . gulp.  I told Loll that I would love to be a guest, but I wasn't even sure what constituted 'mixed media' . . . I needn't have worried because anyone who has had any dealings with Loll will know how sweet and generous and helpful she is.  She explained that I was probably making things that would already constitute 'mixed media' without even realising it!

So, I made a selection of tags to Loll's specification and sent her pictures and she told me that they all fitted and to choose my favourite.  As Loll has a liking for these colours, I chose this tag in honour of her.

 First, I made a Bokeh piece and die cut a stitched tag from it, then I stencilled stars with glitter gel all over it and whilst it was drying I die cut a few snowflakes and did the sentiments.

When all was dry, I adhered the snowflakes, putting enamel dots in the centres and popped the sentiment strips up on foam tape for dimension and finished it all off with some black, organza ribbon.

Why not join in the fun over at Loll's blog and show us your tags!

As if more incentive was needed, Loll is also generously offering prizes too!

Winner - $40 gift certificate from STAMPlorations 

Top Three - $20 gift certificate each from STAMPlorations 

Random Draw - $20 gift certificate from Happy Little Stampers 

Random Draw - One Christmas stamp set from Dee's Artsy Impressions

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Loll publicly for her faith in me, whenever I doubted myself and for being so sweet as to take a chance and give me my very first opportunity at being part of a DT . . . thank you, thank you, thank you Loll from the  bottom of my heart!

Thanks too to all of you, my lovely readers throughout this past year who have supported me and left me such sweet comments and words of encouragement!

Now, what are you waiting for . . . get tagging!  Hazel xx