A bit of blue

Hi peeps, what gloomy weather here in the Fens, not sure if its the same all over but I'm not much liking what the weather forecast promises for later this week. Time for my three months winter break in the Caribbean me thinks...........I wish...........I can but dream.

Getting decent photos has been pretty impossible today, I even took my cards into the office in the hope I could take a couple if we got a glimmer of sun, but no such luck. So apols in advance for the poor picture quality.

There seems to be a distinct blue feel to Christmas this year and although it's not a colour I use a great deal, I quite like what I came up with for a couple of challenge with the blue theme.

Both cards have been made in the same way using Penny Black 2800K Sound of Snow, but one is intended for a man whilst the other is a bit more feminine. Before stamping I created a background by simply dragging a distress inkpad across a piece of card, in this case Tim Holtz broken china, then the image stamped with versafine black and embossed with detail clear.

The box, not that you would really know from the picture !

The larger background piece has been stamped all over using Hero Arts CG229 Classic Holly with versamark, embossed with detail clear then distressed with TH broken china and stormy sky. I gave the edges a think paining of Windsor and Newton silver acrylic pain then heated to make it bubble. The same sentiment added to both, flowers (I coloured these with the same inks and silver) and punched holly on one and just the holly and a couple of bells on the other. I also made a box for one, but the picture is pretty appalling. These cards are for the following challenges:

Midnight Madness - Sketch (I went with the simple one and added a few bits so hope it's OK)

Pollycraft - Feeling Blue

Wild Orchid - Blue Christmas

Cards for Men - Christmas (the second blue card)

Incy Wincy - Blue and White

My second card is a really simple one using some DP from stash punched with Martha Stewart double loop round the page, some flowers, pearls, punched leaves and a sentiment tag using Penny Black 4075F For the Stars. This card is for the following challenges:

Paper Playtime - Thank You

Stamp Something - Thanks

My time to Craft - Tag Along

Butterflies all around

Somethings stealing my time !!

I just can't believe it's Tuesday afternoon and I seem to have achieved nothing for days. It did not help that the weekend was dedicated to setting mu my new Mac, at least that was the plan. A whole weekend of faffing, disconnected from the Internet as my old machine had to be removed from my craft room to make way for the Mac and still no further forward.

I had to wait almost a fortnight for delivery as I needed a vital piece of software.......well that's what I was told and suffering techno phobia I took them at their word.....which was out of stock. It's apparently necessary to convert all my files on my old system to a Mac compatible format. After two days of messing about, dozens of call to John Lewis and the Mac help desk, seems the software is faulty and your got it..............it's out of stock again.

So my old system has been re-installed and the Mac sits in hubby's office where he has discovered a chess game which he appears addicted to.........a pretty expensive game machine if you ask me.

Very little crafting took place over the last few days, even less blog hopping, so not a lot to share. But here is what I do have........

An easel card using a stamp I won last year from the US Stampabilities KR1042 Jack and Jill stamped with versafine sepia, embossed with detail clear and coloured with Copics. The DP is October Afternoon, some lace, punched butterflies, chippies and ribbon to embellish. This is for the following challenges:

Midnight Madness - Sketch

Everybody Art Challenges - Blue, green and brown
Tuesday Taggers - Nursery Rhymes
The Crafts Pad - Distressed edges

My second card is a pretty plain and simple Christmas card. I stamped a piece of vellum with versamark and a mixture of snowflake stamps, then embossed with detail silver. The sentiment is one I love and use it time and again at Christmas Hero Arts C2604 Winters Butterfly. I embossed the edges of some lilac flowers with silver, glittered some punched leaves, a border using Martha Stewart cornice punch, a butterfly stamped onto vellum with Penny Black 3819D and a stick pin threaded with matching beads. This card is for the following challenges:

Wild Orchid - Pastels

Christmas Cards - Add a Butterfly

An Oldie But Goodie - Add a Butterfly

And one final share which I have been meaning to post for days, it's one of the gorgeous dahlias that we have in flower in the garden at the moment. They are really late this year, but just look at the size of the blooms.