Twas the Night Before Christmas

It's time for new challenges at Allsorts and we have a distinctly Christmasy feel this week where my teamie Fleur has chosen the theme "Twas the Night Before Christmas".

But before I move onto my cards, a quick note to say I had a wonderful day at the NEC on Thursday and it was really lovely to meet some blog friends for the very first time and have a really good chow to all - Sarah, Vix, Shirley and Vicky which was was probably the most bizarre 'hello' ever.

Vicky and I had already decided to ring one another after doing some shopping and I was standing waiting to pay at a stand when a lady said something to me about the rack of Tilda's and my immediate answer "I just don't do Tilda's". She then tapped me on the shoulder and said "B ?".........the Tilda comment apparently gave it all away, but we had a really lovely chat then. Girls and in some cases hubby's as well, it was fabulous to meet you all.

So back to my card which is the perfect opportunity for me to use the great stamp from JudiKins 4649H which has the first verse of Clement Moore's super poem. I've had it for years and go back to it time and again.

I stamped the sentiment onto cream cardstock cut on Cricut Storybook, then heat embossed with detail clear and distressed slightly with Tim Holtz scattered straw. The mice and hedgie are Penny Black 40-007 carol trio decoupaged and coloured with Aquamarkers. The little stockings are Art Impression D1577, the DP Magnolia, some lace and poinsettias punched from vellum and pearls used for the stamens. This card is also for the following challenge:

The Stampman - Christmas

Critter Sketch Challenge - Christmas

Charisma Cards - With Love at Christmas

My next card is another little Autumn number, lovely rich colours which sadly never really materialised this this part of the Country this year........we sort of went from green to yellow and missed most of those lovely golden and reds colours......something to do with the wet season and chemicals it created in the soil I am told.

The stamped leaves are from Hero C457 Real Leaves, stamped with TH frayed burlap and covered with diamond glaze, then when dry the whole piece has been distressed with TH barn door, rusty hinge and peeled pain. Next I stamped the whole piece with Hero H2365 Old French Writing, tied some twine round and added some punched leaves inked with the same TH inks, then matted onto a piece of plain Basic Grey DP. This card is for the following challenge:

Lots to Do - Autumn

Lexi's Creations - Anything goes

My final card is a really quick and simple on using Penny Black 4104K Christmas Star which I stamped onto red vellum with versafine black end embossed with detail clear, cut out and decoupaged with a flower pot and leaves cut on the Cricut. This card is for the following challenge:

Secret Crafter - Red and Gold

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Candy, candy, candy

Now closed but there is more here

Well I promised you something special didn't I and here it is.

A gift voucher from our very own Sir Stampalot that will allow the lucky winner to choose goods from the on-line shop up to the value of £30 (postage not included). Sir Stampalot sell a wonderful selection of stamps from all the leading companies such as Penny, Black, Hero, Magenta and of course Maglnolia, as well as Designer Papers, Sizzix, Nestabilities and just about every accessory you could want to feed your crafting addiction. But don't take my word for it, check them out for yourself.

As usual the only rules are that you are a follower and that you add my candy to your blog sidebar with a link back here to help spread the word, plus of course leave your name with Mr Linky below. Note: In fairness to the vast majority of you who I know follow the two simple rules, when I do the draw I will discount any entries that have not done so.

If you don't have a blog you can still enter, just make sure you leave a comment with your e.mail addy so I can contact you if your win. The candy will run until 24th November.

No closed but more here

To Follow the Star

Happy Wednesday peeps.

Whose going to the NEC then ? I am and really excited, only ever been once before so when hubby said would I like him to take me a jumped at the opportunity as it's not much fun driving all that way on your own, meaning I don't usually bother. And I am equally excited that I will be meeting quite a few new faces........assuming we can find one another amidst the crowds.

So my shares today are going to be quick as I have two days work to pack in today to clear my desk a bit so I can go tomorrow.

This first card is a relatively quick and simple make. I used post it noted to mask the coloured sections, on a piece of gloss cardstock, inked with Tim Holtz distress inks rusty hinge and dried marigold, then stamped the trees from a Creative Expressions set using versafine black and embossing with detail clear. Simply matters onto coordinating cardstock and a border punched with Fiskars threading water. This card is for the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly - Penny for the Guy (male card)
Paper Sundaes - For the Boys

Scrapbook Sisters - Autumn Colours

My second card has a background created by distressing with Tim Holtz broken china and dusky concord then stamping Hero Arts F5042 leaf flourish.......a real old favourite that I uses over an again........with bleach to lift the colour and expose the pattern of the stamp. Next a panel run through the Cuttlebug and inked with TH black soot and the main image is Penny Black4112K To Follow the Star stamped with versafine black and embossed with detail clear, then shaded with the same TH inks. The sentiment is Penny Black 4116H embossed with detail white, then eyelets, lace and cord added to finish. This is for the following challenges:

Everybody Art Challenges - Untraditional Christmas

For Fun - Use metal somewhere (eyelets)
Oldie but a Goodie - Distressed (main image is an old one but was re-issued this year under different code)

The above card is again a really quick and easy one, I placed a piece of paper with a circle aperture cut out onto gloss cardstock and brayered over with Big and Juicy Hydrangea lifting colour from the middle and left of the inkpad so I missed the pink section. I removed the mask, inked the brayer again, but removed a good amount of the ink from the brayer so I got a light covering of ink across the corners. I stamped the main image Crafts and Me Orchid of the Night twice with versafine black and embossed with detail clear, coloured in with the same B&J inkpad, glittered the wings and flowers and decoupaged.

The corners are a stamp from a clear Inkadinkado set (no codes I'm afraid) and the decoupaged flower is made up of several of the small flowers from the fairy stamp. This card is for the following challenges:

Alphabet Challenge - A is for Angels and Fairies
Kreative Stamp Friends - Favourite stamps
Anything Goes - B is for Beautiful
Flutterby Wednesdays - Open (wings of course)

Spoonful of Sugar - Relish to embellish

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

We have brand new challenges for you at Stampalot and Penny Black at Allsorts today and some really exciting themes.

Our Stampalot theme is "Christmas Traditions", so much scope here and one that can be interpreted just as you wish. And at Penny Black at Allsorts the theme is "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas", again lots of possibilities to let you creativity run wild and I think you will be able to do a bit of doubling up here as well so more chances of winning prizes.

I have two pieces of DT work for Penny Black......as usual could not make up my mind. The card at the top of my post is using Penny Black 3768K Christmas Montage, inked with TH inks and Marvy pens and spritzed with water before stamping. The DP is My Minds Eye with pearls and swirls to embellish. This card is also for the following challenge:

Wild Orchid - Classic Christmas

My second one uses Penny Black 40-038 Kindness stamped and embossed with versafine back and detail clear, three layers decoupaged and coloured with Aquamarkers. The DP is My Minds Eye.....your could be forgiven for thinking this is the only make I ever use.....it's not, but I do adore the designs and quality of their products. I threaded some beads and added a computer generated sentiment cut on Nesties. This card is also for the following challenges:

Lollipop crafts - Embossing (heat in this case)

Stamp with Fun - All that can fly (goose)

Secret Crafter - Anything that flies

Pollycraft - It's chill time (snow)

On the First day of Christmas my True love........

And my DT work for Stampalot challenge. It's the first proper stepper card I have made and I'm still not sure I actually like it. The stamp is Magenta 95268-N stamped onto a background created with Tim Holtz dusky concord and olive, liberally spritzed with Glimmer Mist pearl and overstamped with Hero Arts H2365 Old French Writing. The image is coloured in with the same TH inks and a touch of Copics here and there and the pears and partridge given a coat of Diamond Glaze.

Christmas and Autumn

Saturday means a new challenge at Allsorts and this week it's yours truly's turn to host the challenge and I have come up with a Christmas colour theme - Gold and Cream with a hint of red.

I used so many stamps and embellis on this one that I'm not even going to start to list them, but I really did enjoy making this one. As you might imagine it's quite large, like 12 inches square so I have passed it along to Stampalot as a sample card as I think it's a bit big for general Christmas giving. This creation is also for the following challenges:

Glitterbabes - Anything goes

Fussy and Fancy - Winter Wonderland

Stampavie - Christmas

Totally Papercrafts - Bling it on

My great teamie Fliss has chosen the theme of Autumn at Polkadoodles this week so of course I loved making this one. I used the yummy Autumn section of the new Sundae of Seasons CD - I think all the DT are in love with this CD - acorns and leaves all re-sized and cut out to decoupage, a frame made with a Nesite using papers from the same collection and flower the same paper using my tattered floral die and liberally spritzed with glimmer mist. This card is also for the following challenge:

Crafty Creations - Halloween or Autumn

Puppies at last.........

Dainty Lily left, Daisy the hunk right

Happy Thursday all....................just updated to add a couple of pictures I manages to snap of the girls just now...............a rare moment with them both sitting still and together.

Another week seems to be whizzing by, but at least I am all ready for Saturday and have finished my NEC samples and they are safely delivered and off my desk.

Two shares today. The first one using yet another new Molly Harrison fairy stamps from Crafts and Me called Wonderland and a matching envibox which you can but from ??? (link on my sidebar). The My Minds Eye DP is really old but beautifully glittery and I used that as the colour source of my card. I stamped the image with Memento black and masked, then brayered with Big and Juicy spice.....the colours not too good, I think I am due a new one, but not bad going, I must have had it two years and it gets well used. I coloured the image with the same ink pad and Copics, glittered the wings and flowers, a border punched with Martha Stewart cornice edger, flowers and some punched leaves. I stamp the envibox with Inkadinkado 98702 and coloured with the same inks and Copics. This card is for the following challenges:

ABC - G for Glitter

Simon Says - Punch Em

Charizma Cardz - Match Master

My second card uses Magenta 42047M Floral Silhouette as the main images, stamped with versafine imperial purple and embossed with detail clear. I stamped this onto a block created by masking and spritzing with Glimmer Mist fully purple, lilac fields and pearl. The sentiment is a Hero one, but no code I'm afraid. This card is for the following challenges:

Fab and Funky - Clean and Simple

Creative Cottage - Dry or wet Embossing

CRAFT - Monotone

Winners.........

Good Morning peeps, I've just done the draw for my candy and am so pleased to announce that Mr Random Org has selected:

Lynda

Plus..................................... a couple of little extra prize go to:

Boryana

(update 2/11/10 this winner did not make contact so re-drawn)

Hazeyj

Congratulations to you all , please mail me brenda@ibas.co.uk with your full postal addy's so I can get you goodies off to you.

I have another super prize that I will be posting later today and this time you even get to choose what you win, so watch this space.