Pixie's Snippets Playground - Guest designer Christmas tags.

Hello Lovely Crafters,

I'm very pleased to be guest designer for Di at Pixie's Snippets Playground this week. Di encourages us to use those scraps of paper and card we all have stashed away. 

My snippets are mostly plain card so I am always looking for ways to use them. I saw some tags like these and, with Christmas looming, thought they were very pretty and a good use of off-cuts. 

I saw them for sale from an online retailer so it's not an idea I've stolen from another blogger. 

I used 5cm strips of kraft card for these first tags and added embroidery thread and a couple of strands of gold for the ties. 

I think it's the gems which make them special. 

Of course you do need the right sort of die as some just leave a hole without much pattern to it but luckily I had one which worked. 
I found a good size was 5cm x 9cm. I made some a bit shorter but they didn't look as good. (Top line).

Then of course I was left with the cut out snowflakes so I just added them to a square of card with a similar tie and a gem in the middle. 

I also made some white ones but I think I prefer the kraft, or do I? I do like the pink gems...

 This photo now looks grey but they are white I promise. White with a pink gem and pink and silver thread. 

Dark gems and red and gold thread. 

Now I'm left with some 1cm strips. What can I do with those? Hmm. Or should I just throw them away! I think I know the answer...

So now I am stocked up with tags and have made a dent in the snippets mountain. I look forward to seeing what inventive  and creative ways people have found for using their snippets this week. 

Thanks for visiting. Enjoy your Day. x

One layer wreath

Hello lovely crafters, 

I'm not sure why I've never found this challenge before, maybe I have but I was just at challenge overload. Seriously there are 2 or 3 a week I'd like to enter but I'll have to give up work and I really don't need that many cards. 

Stamping Sensations. This month it's a One Layer Christmas Card Challenge. Maybe monthly challenges are the answer... 
Stamping is my first love though now I wander into die cutting and design paper too.

I also love stamping wreaths and this one is built up with mostly Card-io stamps in green and then I added gold embossing. It wasn't quite right so I added the red flowers which are also embossed. 

I'm frustrated as usual by trying to get a good picture.
Other stamps are on a need to know basis - if you need to know just ask. x

Christmas Card Throwdown - November colours

Hello Lovely Crafters.

We are back with a new challenge a Christmas Card Throwdown. The pressure is one now and Christmas does seem to be coming. I've yet to hear carols in the shops (thankfully) but they are certainly piling in their stock. 

Here is our colour challenge. 
I couldn't think beyond the obvious so here is my stamped wreath showing a little bit of sparkle. 

The glitter stuck onto everything and all over the card, I'm still finding specks of it around. I think I must have been wearing hand cream and touched the surface of the card. I really should know better. 

We hope you like our challenge and hope to see you there. You have two weeks to join. 
Thanks for visiting. Enjoy your Day. x

CCT - November Sketch

We still have a week left of our Sketch challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown.

This is my card and here is the sketch:

I spotted these folded trees months ago but have never tried it out until now. This is where I found the information on how to do it. When I came to print the pattern, I found we'd run out of ink - how often does that happen? So I drew a circle and traced the fold points from the computer screen. I'm sure it could be done with a protractor if i could find one. 
You need double sided paper,. I didn't have the right sort of Christmassy paper so I've just used  a red pattern which I hoped would look a bit festive. 
Once I'd made the trees I made frames with snippets which involved a satisfying amount of cutting and sticking but I know would send Miss Di running for the hills. I used the same paper and my JustRite corner dies and thin strips. 
Each tree is made from half a circle so I made another tree with the remaining half. 

The I tried green which I didn't like so much as it is the wrong sort of green:

I'd like to try some mini trees but I have a long list of things I'd like to try so it might not be today. 
There are already some outstanding entries to this challenge so do go and admire them and join in if you can. 

I'm hopping over to Pixie's Snippets Playground where I am running in at the last minute again. You'd think with two weeks I could get in earlier. 
Crafty Hazelnuts Challenge Extra for November - there are some excellent DT cards on show. 
CHN Challenge 359

Thanks for visiting and Enjoy your Day. x

Merry Monday - red and kraft

I really like the idea of the current  Merry Monday challenge which is to use red and kraft.

 It's a very Christmassy combination. I really struggled to get my ideas in order, though, and in the end this is what I made:

There is a bit of clear embossing, some red embossing, a tartan ribbon and there it is!
I'll definitely use this combination again when my head is more organised.

Thanks for visiting and Enjoy your Day. x

Christmas Card Throwdown - November sketch

Here is my late card for our new challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown. This time it's a sketch. 

You have two weeks to join in with this challenge. Somehow we find ourselves in November so it is definitely time to get on with the Christmas Cards. Hopefully  you'll find this inspiring. 
Thanks for visiting. Enjoy the Day. x