Homespun flower

I'm happy to say that I have had time to enter the current Less is More challenge. The theme is Homespun. If we're honest many of my cards have a homespun look but this time I did it on purpose.

I used Inky Doodles stamps (I do have other stamps) for all of this. The flower has a stitched edge and I wanted to the background to look like fabric so I used the tiny button flowers to stamp in the grid. 
I tried to stick to the same colours and managed to find a similar thread, then a button and a bow and it was done.  
I hope the rest of you are managing some time to yourself now the worst of the festivities are over. I've planted part of a hedge and made cards!

Time for me

With all my Christmas duties discharged, I was able to spend yesterday indulging myself. 
I set myself the challenge of using a stamp set which I rarely use and colouring the images, also a challenge for me. 
One of my son's gave this set to me, probably last Christmas,  knowing that I like Inky Doodles stamps. It is the Caroline's Owls set. I know you are wondering how I have managed not to use these properly for a whole year. No wait, those are the voices in my head. It's the guilt. One problem is that the images need to be coloured but they were also not a set which I would probably have chosen for myself.
I'm not great at colouring but would love to be better. I'm never going to spend 4 hours colouring one image but I'd like to be able to blend colours together.
I made it easier by using small pieces of card for a start which doesn't give you a huge, scary, blank white space. So I made a few thank you cards, very useful at this time of year. 

 There is an element of Rhubarb and Custard colouring but maybe I should make that my style! I just picked out one stamp to use each time which also makes it easier and I didn't feel like any fiddly masking. I love leaf stamps so have no idea why I have not used these.

Then I was inspired to make a birthday card:

I tried it on white but it looks so much better on Kraft card. 
Finally I had and idea for the current butterfly challenge.  Butterflies are hibernating but the challenge is to use fairies. How about a fairy on a toadstool?

 I only have these three tiny fairy stamps. (Card-io). They are the same ones I used for the fairy challenge last year but this looks quite different. The toadstool image is stamped on a scrap of card and mounted under a cut out circle. The circle wreath is also Cardi-io stamps. I wish I hadn't done the yellow flowers now.  As before, I've added some stickles to the fairy wings. 

 So the best day of the holiday so far!
 So I'm skipping over to Pixie's Snippets playground with these. I've used various snippets for the cards, that is why they are all different sizes.
And to the Butterfly challenge - all kinds of fairies.

Pillow boxes

I'm just sitting down with a drink (non-alcoholic at this stage) for a quick break. The choklits are open and plans are progressing well.

 

I've bought some really cute little Star Wars memory sticks for niece and nephews. An inspired idea if I do say so myself.
Then, not having anything else to do, decided to make some pillow boxes to present them in. They are so small that wrapping them really wouldn't look very special.  I don't have a die or template so I watched this You Tube video and was able to make them very easily. I found that a smaller bowl was better to draw the curve as a larger one makes a shallower curve and a slimmer box. By the way, I really like this idea for the tag which she uses. I'm just trying to make some now.

I used scraps of salvaged wrapping paper for the boxes but as it was not very thick I needed to use more scraps of card to strengthen them.

This is one I made to hold some earrings for my sister in law.

 I've just made another one with scraps of paper for some book tokens which also don't look very special wrapped or in an envelope.


So I'm nipping over to Pixie's Snippets Playground for a flying visit then back to the wrapping and cooking. Some great prizes are on offer until the 2nd Jan so I hope to be back with another entry soon.


I'd like to wish everyone, and especially Di and Parsnip, a peaceful and happy Christmas. I'm looking forward to a bit of free time next week to get back to crafting.A big tidy and sort is also planned!

Made in a muddle.

I may have mentioned that I have six nephews and a niece, who is not into anything pink or flowery (neither are the boys!). This makes birthday cards very difficult for me and I do hate it when I have to give in and buy one.
I made this card last week but it has not gone down well in this house. Someone said 'What is it meant to be?' Well, it's a birthday card.

 

I thought I'd been quite clever and innovative. The card is fixed at the left end and scored and glued about 1cm in from the edge. An idea which I think I saw in the playground. The brads look as though they are holding it together but are not really. The back of the card is acutally a different colour, which is a good way of using up bits of card. I deleted the photo of that view by mistake! It's blue to match the embossing.
I bought a book of papers specifically thinking of the boys cards and this is one piece and another is shown below. 

The papers are lovely geometric patterns and colours. I've used the same embossing folder here. This card is rather more conventional but I am not particularly happy with it. I have used the Candi dots which I won from the playground, coloured and stamped with stars.
I have yet to decide whether or not to send the first card. We have two birthdays coming up soon. 
I am very limited at the moment for time and space. Bedroom is once again turned upside down for painting but I am determined that it will be done by the end of sunday. I can't wait to sort out my crafty corner and get back to some proper stamping. 
So I'm hopping over to Pixie's Snippets Playground. I've used up lots of snippets here but as usual the pile is not diminishing.